C.A.T.: Let It Be

The Replacements – Let It Be (1984)

The year was 1984, and although the world wasn’t quite the dystopian society George Orwell had predicted, the pop charts were ruled with an iron fist by mostly bland synth-pop. Fortunately, bands like Husker Du and Minutemen were fighting this totalitarian lameness by turning their brand of hardcore punk into the highly ambitious double albums Zen Arcade and Double Nickels On The Dime respecitvely. Meanwhile, Minneapolis’s The Replacements stepped in with an album whose ambition came from combining the spirit of hardcore with pop melodies, all while lifting an album title from the biggest band ever.

The Replacements really were never cut out for the hardcore scene, and you can see glimpses of Paul Westerberg’s knack for writing poppier material on their earlier albums, but Let It Be is where Westerberg and the rest of The ‘Mats truly hit their stride. There are still punkier numbers on the album such as “We’re Coming Out” and “Gary’s Got A Boner”, and I’ll admit that those songs aren’t masterpieces or anything, but it’s kind of OK considering The Replacements’ imperfections were always part of their charm.

Let It Be‘s opening track “I Will Dare” pretty much sums up The ‘Mats newfound ability to construct a perfect pop song, and even features a guitar solo by R.E.M.’s Peter Buck. The other songs that really make the album great are the plaintive ballads like “Androgynous” and “Sixteen Blue”. Westerberg really taps into the kind of teenage disillusionment worthy of John Hughes, in fact it’s a shame he never used any Replacements songs in any of his movies.

It seems that there are a lot of people that consider Let It Be to be The Replacements finest album, but for me 1985’s Tim will always be their greatest achievement. I just remembered I originally acquired this album by borrowing it from John’s mom, that’s kind of weird.

Favorite Tracks: “I Will Dare”, “Androgynous”, “Unsatisfied”

C.A.T: War

U2 – War (1983)
U2 already had a “Classic Album Tuesday” but you know what? Screw it. I already reviewed one of my favorite albums from 1983 many months ago, so today is another dosage of Ireland’s favorite sons. Still continuing the year-by-year countdown we come to 1983, marking the release of my favorite U2 album.

An album of strong political themes with a hard rock edge, War would become U2’s first #1 album and spawn two of the band’s most successful singles of the 80s. Like a group charging off to battle, U2 is brimming with angst and attitude on their third album that despite it’s 80s packaging still holds up beautifully.

Obviously you have to love the hits here, U2 classics like “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “New Years Day” and in some countries “Two Hearts Beat as One.” Though every track seems to carry on the same kind of passion and energy, it never slows down and let’s you rock out while giving you something to think about too.

Normally I don’t care for bands with a political agenda but with U2 it feels more genuine. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” for instance chronicles a true massacre that happened in their own country while they were growing up. These are things they’ve in ways experienced or been surrounded by in someway, therefore it feels natural.

I believe War to be one of this band’s greatest works and perhaps the best album to start with if you’re considering listening to the band for the first time, yeah yeah yeah!

Favorite Tracks: “New Year’s Day”, “Seconds”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”

C.A.T.: 1999

Prince – 1999 (1982)

For the sake of keeping our chronological CAT streak going I figured I’d take a look at Prince’s 1982 release despite the fact that I already this CAT a while back. But that album’s not really a classic, while 1999 most certainly is, as well as the album that truly broke Prince through to the mainstream.

The album starts out about as strong as you could ask for with the fantastic singles “1999” and “Little Red Corvette”. Both of these songs provided Prince with his first bona fide hit singles and still stand as excellent examples of that early eighties synth-pop sound. The rest of this double album is filled with plenty of that same poppy goodness, despite the fact that many of the songs feature some pretty lengthy running times.

In a way the album represents Prince at his most intensely creative and adventurous. He plays every single instrument on the album, and manages to create a sound that still feels very musically dense. And just as on any of Prince’s best music, he manages to blend funk, dance, pop, and rock in a way that only the Purple One could do.

1999 also represents Prince at his most sexually charged, as pretty much every song seems to be about sex in one way or another and Prince makes no bones about it. But I guess it was this provocative nature as well as his incredible musical prowess that made him one of the biggest musical artists of the 1980’s.

Favorite Tracks: “Little Red Corvette”, “D.M.S.R.”, “Lady Cab Driver”

C.A.T: Tattoo You

The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981)
There’s a lot of hip, influential albums I could’ve picked for 1981 but instead I’ll go with the 1981 smash hit Tattoo You by everyone’s favorite group of rowdy senior citizens. Strangely enough I think this is the first time we’ve done a “Classic Album Tuesday” for the Stones, anyhow this is a great rock record and possibly their best of the 80s.

Hastily compiled of old demos either overdubbed or rerecorded Tattoo You was basically thrown together just so the Stones would have an album to promote on their 1981-1982 American/European Tour. Even if this was the case the Stones somehow managed to capture lightning in a bottle with an album calling back to the bluesy rock of Sticky FIngers.

It’s got everything you could ask for in a Stone’s record. It’s got your hit singles, “Start Me Up”, “Waiting on a Friend” your bluesy swaggering numbers like “Slave”, “Black Limousine” and your ballads like “Heaven” and “No Use in Crying”. It’s the Stones doing what they do best, jamming and cutting loose.

The last Stones album to hit number one on the charts, you could argue that it was the last great album until A Bigger Bang about 24 years later. Anyhow it’s a must listen for classic rock or Stones fan. Maybe we’ll even revisit it if we ever do a Stones retrospective… That would be epic.

Favorite Tracks: “Hang Fire”, “Start Me Up”, “Waiting on a Friend”

C.A.T: Back in Black

AC/DC – Back in Black (1980)
When you think of AC/DC, chances are you’re probably thinking of a track off of Back in Black. From the epic “Hells Bells” to Iron Man favorites “Shoot to Thrill” and the eponymous “Back in Black,” each and every track on this legendary album lives today in infamy.

AC/DC had just released megahit Highway to Hell and started working on this album when lead singer Bon Scott died after a night of partying too hard. With the future of the Australian group in danger, it seemed Back in Black was not to be. But the band decided to persevere, bringing in new lead singer Brian Johnson. They picked up where Scott left off, creating a new album that is both a tribute to their fallen brother and a statement of the group’s rebirth.

Everybody knows the songs on Back in Black. They are the essentials of hard rock. They dominate radio stations even today, and frequently appear in commercials, TV shows and movies. Even though this site tends to shy away from hard rock, I think we’d all agree that these are songs everyone can enjoy. The album kicks off with “Hells Bells,” as good as first song as there has ever been. Then it continues with hits like “Shoot to Thrill,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Have a Drink on Me” and ultimately ends on the tremendous “Rock and Roll ain’t Noise Pollution.”

If you ever feel like you need to rock, Back in Black is about as good a soundtrack as you could ask for. The only problem you might have is that you’ve listened to it too many times.

Favorite Tracks: “Back in Black,” “Shoot to Thrill,” “You Shook Me All Night Long”

C.A.T.: Reggatta de Blanc

The Police – Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

I can’t really say for certain, but this might be my favorite album by the The Police. I guess it’s hard to decide when really all of The Police’s albums are pretty solid but for me none of them really stands above the rest as their definitive work. But this album has always stood out for me because it finds the band somewhere between their early punk/reggae sound and the more pop-oriented aspirations of their later work.

There’s a lot more of a reggae presence on Reggatta de Blanc than on any other Police record and it suits the band a little better than the heavy punk influence of their first album. And as good as that album is, I think most people would agree that The Police were never really a punk band at heart.

The album starts with one of The Police’s signature tracks “Message In A Bottle”, a song that sees the band exploring a slightly more polished sound, but the album ranks as one of the more diverse of the band’s albums. Sting’s reggae-influenced songs are certainly at the forefront, but drummer Stewart Copeland contributes three of his own songs that have a distinctly dark comic tone to them.

The Police’s discography is probably best enjoyed as a whole, as each album is pretty consistently impressive, although they each have their flaws. But Reggatta de Blanc is an early example of the band’s strengths, and their ability to make commercially viable music while still retaining a good amount of sonic exploration.

Favorite Tracks: “Message In A Bottle”, “Walking On The Moon”, “Contact”

C.A.T: This Year’s Model

Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model (1978)
Continuing the trend of doing albums by year (that for whatever reason started in 1976), I bring you Brit Power Pop pioneer Elvis Costello’s 1978 classic This Year’s Model. His sophomore release and debut with backup band The Attractions, This Year’s Model would only further cement Elvis as the official Grand Pop Rock Poobah of the late seventies.

Or would you call this a new wave record? Elvis almost seemed to blur genre’s seeing how different his sound was from other artists of the time, yet reminiscent of the past. I remember how my dad used to say how much he hated most music in the late 70s but that it would of been a lot worse if it wasn’t for Elvis Costello. Elvis was simply in a league of his own when it came to pure pop rock prowess with an amazing songwriting mentality. Catchy tunes, solid musicianship, all tied together with a voice that I don’t even know how to describe. It’s as Will Ferrell might say “Scrumtrulescent.”

Picking a favorite track here is damn well impossible as it’s all overflowing with hooky pop goodness. More than anything it’s about the whole experience, showcasing Elvis Costello’s songwriting ability. Obviously “Pump it Up” and “Radio Radio” (which is only on the U.S. version) are some of Elvis’ most celebrated hits but any one of these songs has the same kind of potential.

My favorite compliment I ever received while playing in The Defenestrators was being told once that I sounded like Elvis Costello. Not to divert the attention to myself or put myself even remotely close to the league of a genius like Elvis but who has a cooler voice than Elvis Costello? I only wish that compliment was true, no one quite has the same kind of swagger and style like him.

Favorite Tracks: “Hand in Hand”, “No Action”, “Pump it Up”