Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Let's talk tapes.
Recently bought a new (-to-me) car, a '90 Saab, which has a cassette deck. Since I don't have any cassettes at the present, the seller threw in Billy Idol's Rebel Yell (better than I'd remembered) and The Police's Every Breath You Take: The Singles (the original '86 release). Then on Monday, I hit Turn It Up!, which is the only place to go in southwest New Hampshire to buy rekkids, and dug through their used tape bins, ending up with a nice haul. To wit:
Steely Dan, Greatest Hits - Not as complete as I'd like (where's "Deacon Blues"?!), but a solid Steely primer for the uninitiated, and for those of us who are, a good sing-a-long cassette. [Most of these were bought, at least in part, for their sing-along potential.]
Aretha Franklin, 30 Greatest Hits - This is the Atlantic one from the late '80s. Again, it's not complete the way I'd like it - but in this case, that's chiefly because I prefer her '70s work to her '60s. But until the I-certainly-hope-it's-inevitable boxed set comes (and how is it that it hasn't, yet?), this is still the definitive Aretha collection.
ZZ Top, Greatest Hits - A bit heavy on their '80s work, but with enough of their '70s boogie crunch to make up for it. And the '90 "My Head's In Mississippi" is just great. Now I can finally wail "Rough Boy" at the top of my lungs while driving down the highway.
Rush, Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows - Two of their more maligned records, and so so unfairly. I happen to believe that when Geddy, Alex and Neil added keyboards, their music improved, as the songwriting on these two classics shows (not that they've ever been slouches in that arena, but still...). Grace was one of the first cassettes I ever owned, way back in '84; I was spurred to purchase it after repeatedly hearing "Distant Early Warning" late at night on the great, late WLS.
U2, The Unforgettable Fire - I've never forgotten Kurt Loder's mostly-pan review of this classic, which is my favorite U2 album. Apart from some of Bono's limp lyrics, I disagree with Loder on this one almost across the board. The atmosphere they create with Eno and Lanois is so seductively scintillating, it thrills me every time (especially on the title track).
The The, Mind Bomb - Well, "Armageddon Days" are here again, aren't they? One more reason, in one word: Marr.
Less Than Zero (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - I'm rereading the novel, one of Bret Easton Ellis's best, for the umpteenth time, so when I saw the soundtrack for $1, I had to grab it. Plus, it contains two all-time classics amidst some dreck: Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and L.L. Cool J's "Goin' Back to Cali."
Recently bought a new (-to-me) car, a '90 Saab, which has a cassette deck. Since I don't have any cassettes at the present, the seller threw in Billy Idol's Rebel Yell (better than I'd remembered) and The Police's Every Breath You Take: The Singles (the original '86 release). Then on Monday, I hit Turn It Up!, which is the only place to go in southwest New Hampshire to buy rekkids, and dug through their used tape bins, ending up with a nice haul. To wit:
Steely Dan, Greatest Hits - Not as complete as I'd like (where's "Deacon Blues"?!), but a solid Steely primer for the uninitiated, and for those of us who are, a good sing-a-long cassette. [Most of these were bought, at least in part, for their sing-along potential.]
Aretha Franklin, 30 Greatest Hits - This is the Atlantic one from the late '80s. Again, it's not complete the way I'd like it - but in this case, that's chiefly because I prefer her '70s work to her '60s. But until the I-certainly-hope-it's-inevitable boxed set comes (and how is it that it hasn't, yet?), this is still the definitive Aretha collection.
ZZ Top, Greatest Hits - A bit heavy on their '80s work, but with enough of their '70s boogie crunch to make up for it. And the '90 "My Head's In Mississippi" is just great. Now I can finally wail "Rough Boy" at the top of my lungs while driving down the highway.
Rush, Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows - Two of their more maligned records, and so so unfairly. I happen to believe that when Geddy, Alex and Neil added keyboards, their music improved, as the songwriting on these two classics shows (not that they've ever been slouches in that arena, but still...). Grace was one of the first cassettes I ever owned, way back in '84; I was spurred to purchase it after repeatedly hearing "Distant Early Warning" late at night on the great, late WLS.
U2, The Unforgettable Fire - I've never forgotten Kurt Loder's mostly-pan review of this classic, which is my favorite U2 album. Apart from some of Bono's limp lyrics, I disagree with Loder on this one almost across the board. The atmosphere they create with Eno and Lanois is so seductively scintillating, it thrills me every time (especially on the title track).
The The, Mind Bomb - Well, "Armageddon Days" are here again, aren't they? One more reason, in one word: Marr.
Less Than Zero (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - I'm rereading the novel, one of Bret Easton Ellis's best, for the umpteenth time, so when I saw the soundtrack for $1, I had to grab it. Plus, it contains two all-time classics amidst some dreck: Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and L.L. Cool J's "Goin' Back to Cali."
# posted by Thomas : 8:25 AM
