Two weeks ago, I received my little Discogs order in the mail. Now and then, I find a seller who gives great deals if you buy more than one record, and even the first LP is inexpensive. These are all graded about Very Good Plus (VG+), sort of the minimum quality I'll accept. I got these three albums for about twenty bucks, shipping included. Hard to beat that, unless you're willing to comb through boxes of beat-up records at yard sales.
ABBA: the pretty... and the goofy. What were those guys thinking?
The focus of my purchase was Learning to Crawl, by The Pretenders. Here's a band that I have always enjoyed, yet never sought out their music for my personal use. If I was hanging with friends or had the radio on, and a Pretenders tune came on, chances were good I'd like it. That sort of casual listener thing. It was hard to avoid the infectious pop/rock songs from Learning to Crawl back in the 80's (this was released in '84) since just about everything from this disc became a radio hit. And enduring hits, too, since these tracks have become staples of the 80's retro scene.
Even though I'd never heard Learning to Crawl in its entirety before, I recognized nearly every single song on the album. From opener Middle of the Road to 2000 Miles wrapping it up, this is a super solid record. One of my better and favourite purchases, for sure. A few choice songs are Time The Avenger (I never knew the title of this one before, but it's catchy as hell), Watching the Clothes (never heard it before now, but it's fun), Show Me (heard it a billion times and still love it), Thumbelina (a rockabilly-new wave kicker), and My City Was Gone (a mid-tempo swaying bluesy rocker). The rest of the tracks are equally strong... hard to pick a fave here.
Chrissie Hynde's distinctive and expressive vocals are the centrepiece of every song. Robbie McIntosh plays some of the tastiest guitar licks this side of the Ohio. The line-up of musicians on Learning to Crawl is exceptional: harmonica, keyboards, bass and drums all contributing to the mix... crucial to the fun, timeless Pretenders sound.
Next up: that 70's pop sensation ABBA. I'd never heard their albums or owned anything by them before, but since I seemed to like everything I checked out on Youtube, I felt like it was time. The record I was really impressed by actually had none of the big hits on it; this was The Visitors (released 1981), the group's very last studio effort. Even the album cover art depicted distance between the soon-to-break-up band members. The four of them standing and sitting far apart - uncomfortably - in a large dimly lit room.
Yet the music is beautiful in a melancholy way, even haunting at times. ABBA's signature rich, complex instrumentation and exacting vocals relate stories that feel very personal and emotional - in a word, mature. I sense a sad "goodbye" in both the lyrics and the music on The Visitors. None of the feel-good dance ditties we all know so well. Though this isn't Top 40 material, it's packed with such excellent compositions that I know I'll revisit the album many times. Though it's hard to pick a favourite song, I'd say One of Us really stands out. Interesting fact: The Visitors was the very first album in history to be pressed (though second to be released) to the new CD format back in 1982.
I also snagged ABBA's Greatest Hits Volume 2. When I gave this a test drive on Youtube, I knew this was the hits package to begin with... it's got far more of the songs I know (from 70's radio) and like than Volume 1 (though there are a few important songs on there that I'd really like... maybe later). Volume 2 kicks off with Gimme Gimme Gimme, an oh-so-very-disco-dancefloor tune. I can imagine this pumping in the nightclubs back in the day, accompanied by BeeGees and Donna Summer. Other tracks I'm partial to are Knowing Me Knowing You, Take a Chance on Me, and Chiquitita. The rest is fun and well-crafted and easy on the ears.
ABBA's four-part harmonies, layering of vocal parts, and multi-instrumentalists bring whatever is needed to serve the track. Artists of today (like you, Miley) should take notes while listening to these masters of the pop song.
So much for a smile.... Mustaine, the brains behind Megadeth
Then at the other end of the musical spectrum, I picked up Megadeth's original 1985 CD pressing of Killing is My Business... and Business is Good. I already had the remaster of this album, but I hated the censored version of the cover of These Boots. In it's butchered form, it's unlistenable and breaks up the album. And as pristine as the remaster sounds, there's something wrong... probably an element of the Megadeth sound was lost in the tweaking process (a downside of some of the re-issued albums).
I might have liked Killing is My Business on vinyl, but the LPs, even used copies, command outrageous prices. So cheap and cheerful it is. Anyway, a killer album. The raw, pummeling Last Rites/Loved To Death launches the assault. A pretty piano intro, then badass crunch guitars take over. Skimming over the album, there really isn't a weak link at all. This is highly underrated Megadeth music (well, not if you're a Mustaine fan), thrash at its near-finest. Angry and gritty and pure.
The howling Skull Beneath the Skin. The speed metal fury of Rattlehead. And perhaps the best of the bunch, Looking Down the Cross... Mustaine snarling and wailing, a monster guitar riff, drum kit bursting with a wondrous racket. The album is not quite a masterpiece, but if you're a Mega-Dave die-hard, you absolutely must have this thrash debut in your collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment