Music

There are 466 posts filed in Music (this is page 40 of 67).

The People’s Albums: #31 Purple Rain

Earlier today, I got around to listening that new U2 album, but right now I’ll be talking about an old Prince album instead.  However, there is one thing I’ve been able to take away from the unexpected release of U2’s Songs of Innocence in contrast to Prince’s newer music.  And it’s that no one gives a shit about Prince’s newer music.  I don’t know if it’s because the guy has diluted himself too much, since he sure has released a lot of albums over the years, four of which have come out since 2004’s Musicology (the last Prince album I remember anyone giving a shit about).  But apparently he has two albums coming out in 2014, which I also kind of doubt anyone will give a shit about.

And it’s weird right?  Because whenever U2 or Springsteen or Madonna or even a posthumous Michael Jackson album comes out, there’s at least a little bit of hubbub.  Though despite being one of the most beloved pop artists of the last 30 years (in terms of both respect and popularity) Prince oddly enough has had more trouble than his contemporaries in escaping the looming shadow of his glory days.  And yet, I will probably not be doing the man any favors by talking about the album that looms largest in his legacy.  But to quote George Costanza, this is what I do.

Album: Purple Rain
Artist: Prince And The Revolution
Release Date: June 25, 1984
Copies Sold In The U.S.: 13 Million

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Retrospecticus: Spoon

I bought a copy of They Want My Soul today. Yes, you heard me a “copy” as in an actual CD. There’s not a lot of bands I’d do that for but Spoon? Spoon is special. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is my favorite album of the 2000s and one of the defining albums of my life. If anyone ever made a movie about me (starring Liam Hemsworth), Spoon would be the soundtrack. The reasons I love Spoon are simple; great songwriting, great vocals, and fearlessness.

Spoon has had their brushes with big success with songs like “I Turn My Camera On” and “The Underdog”, but neither of those songs changed how they go about writing and recording music. Spoon is poppy when they want to be and experimental when they want to be. This is a band that plays by their own rules and don’t give a shit about nuffin’ else. So many bands I liked before I became a cynical adult have either gone on to playing in ginormous stadiums or sunk into obscurity. Spoon has remained consistently good. No, not good, great. In honor of their eighth release, I’ve decided to put together a retrospective. Now open wide for a spoonful of greatness.

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The People’s Albums: #32 Greatest Hits 1974-78

Weirdly enough, this might be the album I had to wrestle with the most so far.  The problem was, I kept asking myself the futile question “Who Is Steve Miller?” and not really being able to find any definite answers.  But nonetheless, here’s what I managed to come up with…

Album: Greatest Hits 1974-78
Artist: The Steve Miller Band
Release Date: November 1978
Copies Sold In The U.S.: 13 Million

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The People’s Albums: #33 Whitney Houston

In the last edition of The People’s Albums, I think I hinted that I hadn’t heard a single song off of Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut, which I figured would make for an interesting listen.  Because as I’ve made my way through America’s best-selling albums, I’ve found that pretty much every mega-selling album has at least two or three songs that have endured the ravages of time.  Or at least to the extent that someone who listens to as much old music as me would be familiar with a few songs off of one of these albums.  Luckily, I was able to find that I actually was familiar with one of the songs on Whitney Houston – the pop-tastic “How Will I Know”.  Still, I can’t say I was terribly familiar with any of the other tracks on this album, which might say something about its somewhat faded legacy.

Album: Whitney Houston
Artist: Whitney Houston
Release Date: February 14, 1985
Copies Sold In The U.S.: 13 Million

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The People’s Albums: #34 No Strings Attached

If I’m being honest, this is not the first time I’d heard this album.  Though I can at least say that for the purposes of this post was the first time I listened to this album on purpose.  You see, I had a younger sister growing up in the early ‘00s, and though she may have been a few years younger than ‘N Sync’s main teenage demographic, she most certainly had this album, and listened to it a lot.  Granted, I mostly just overheard this album’s bouncy and boisterous reverberations echoing from my sister’s room next door, but I’m still man enough to admit that me and No Strings Attached aren’t complete strangers.

Album: No Strings Attached
Artist: ‘N Sync
Release Date: March 21, 2000
Copies Sold In The U.S.: 12.7 Million Continue reading →