The mainstream strikes back! Examining pop music's sacred records.

“Exile on Main Street” is perhaps embraced by critics because it’s an album that requires patience to fully appreciate; a very dense recording, which despite its raw, hotel-wrecking production and legendary status is very much a simple rock ‘n roll record. Jagger’s attempts to distance himself from the recording are well-documented, claiming that the band was simply veering out of control at the time of the recording. It’s really Keith’s record, as he was one of the project’s driving forces and doesn’t deny the fact that the record may be the band’s greatest achievement. Veering out of control is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Suffice to say, a record that rocks one-tenth this hard today would be lauded the world over by the musical journo. This happens to be a case where the goatee-stroking critics got it right. “Exile On Main Street” is awesome. - Marchman

Jimmy Alvarado: This was a bit of a surprise. After years of overexposure to their late-60s hippie period and their slow grind to caricature from the 80s-present, I had pretty much written 'em off as another band that had forgotten who they were by '68 and ignored the bulk of their 70s material (save the singles tracks that made the radio rounds back then). This album tore that prejudice right down from the beginning of the first song. While i don't think it takes much effort to get into, I do agree multiple listens are in order to really grasp how deep it is. it's almost like a guided tour of the best sections of pre-rock 'n' roll american music, from the sacred to the profane, delta blues to gospel, with even a quick pass through country-western. If they'd indeed gotten lost through the latter part of the 60s, this album was a nice visit back to the territory they mined so effectively back when they began.

The other freestyle production Wilson captained with the rest of the cuts on this record make it sound less like THE BEACH BOYS and more like THE CARPENTERS & such, only you realize it’s The Beach Boys once the harmonies kick in. Tracks here that somewhat call to mind the early days of the band are Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, That’s Not Me, and God Only Knows (even if the intro from the latter is a lift from THE BEATLES "All You Need Is Love"). I totally dug "Pet Sounds", the loungy instrumental title track- it struck an image in my mind of Rod Serling (creator & host of the television hit, "The Twilight Zone") stuffing dollar bills into buxom, gyrating pole dancers’ bikinis inside some scummy, smoke-filled dive bar in mid-60’s NYC. Rad.

Again, the songwriting on this record is top notch, but I think the production led it through an unneeded haze. Remember when Spector led production on the RAMONES’ "End Of The Century" record? Then there you go. - Designated Dale

Marchman: I think one of the main differences here is that Spector's production actually tended to strangle off good material, whereas Wilson's does not. His style is Spector-inspired, but not Spector-bound. Spector made Ike and Tina just about unlistenable on 'River Deep, Mountain High' - I still can't get through that disc, despite my affection for their other albums. Obviously "Let it Be" is another example, as the "Naked" versions were recently embraced by the general public at an unprecedented scale for what is basically a remix / reissue album. With "Pet Sounds", I don't get any of this wet blanket effect from the production. "God Only Knows" still gives me chills - it may be the most perfect pop song I've ever heard, and was obviously a huge influence on 90s bands I enjoyed like THE POSIES and MATTHEW SWEET among others. Also - the album is much more consistent from front to back than their earlier stuff. From "God Only Knows" to "I Know There's an Answer" to "Here Today", just track after track of great songwriting as opposed to earlier albums with a propensity for filler material. For example, "All Summer Long" tempered "I Get Around" and "Wendy" with crap like "Drive In" and "Beach Boys Today!" has that extra 'Bull Session' filler with them goofing around in the studio. Isn't "Pet Sounds" also very close to being the very first first rock 'n roll concept record?

Jimmy Alvarado: Funny, I hated THE BEACH BOYS with a passion previously reserved solely for broccoli and warmongering heads of state. All their "hits" reeked of an apple pie / Richie Cunningham California viewpoint that just don't exist east of the Los Angeles river. This, however, forced me to concede greatness to Brian's production here. The songs are less "happy" than much of their previous work and, sure, he's totally influenced by Phil and THE BEATLES (he's never denied that "Pet Sounds" was his attempt at one-upping their "Revolver" album), but anyone who can sneak clarinets, hammered dulcimers and his dog into a mix and not have it sound totally lame deserves some serious respect.

Designated Dale: I honestly think that the songwriting's great on "Pet Sounds", but the production leaned way over to the overkill side for the good of the record. Great- go experiment your nuts off, but I can almost picture Wilson at that time, getting all loaded on wine, mushrooms, 714-style 'ludes & god fucking knows what else, rolling around inside the sandbox in his bedroom with nothing but a diaper on. It's like taking a walk inside of "Alice In Wonderland" and not being able to dig everything around me because everywhere you turn, there's clouds of opium smoke blowing in my face. Man, fuck that. I dig the record, but not the "trippiness" factor. If I wanna "tune in & drop out" (or whatever the fuck they call it), I'll go throw bricks at hippies in their $50 PHISH shirts (come to think of it, that band gets a few bricks, as well).

Jimmy Alvarado: More importantly than having Coltrane in the ranks, the music itself on the album is significant because it's based on musical modes (the solos are built on scales rather than chords, allowing for greater improvisation). That was a pretty revolutionary concept at the time, and thinking outside the box like that laid the groundwork for people like Ornette Coleman, Coltrane, John Zorn and even the no wave groups to just go apeshit later on. If you know what you're listening for, you can hear a considerable difference between what Charlie Parker was doing (no matter how fast he was playing them and how amazing he sounded doing it, all the notes he was blazing through fit snugly into specific chord patterns) and what's going on here.

Marchman: What do you mean?

Jimmy Alvarado: Someone once explained it to me as being allowed to pick from all the white keys on a piano within a certain key. For instance, if you're playing in E, you have all the notes to choose from between E notes. Is it better? Depends on your point of view, but it certainly was different and when you're a serious musician looking for something totally off the wall to keep you on your toes, it's definitely worth exploring. as for the album itself, I could listen to it all fuggin' day -- and have -- and not get bored. It's so laid back, cerebral without being pretentious, and just plain cool sounding. It fits almost any mood or situation and its complexity is based solely on how much you're paying attention. parts of it are also deceptively simple, like truly good hardcore punk or something -- "you think your snobby ass can play that fast, tight and angry and not sound like a totally fakin' fuckin' ninny? go ahead and try cranking out this MOB 47 tune, tough guy...."

Marchman: See, and I was going to say something brilliant like, "I listen to 'Bitches Brew' more because it's funkier." But it seems like you covered this one pretty well.

Anyway, when I was a kid growing up through grade school and junior high, I didn’t give much thought to Springsteen. My cousin had just married Jeff Lynne from ELO, so I was caught up with “Out Of The Blue” and PINK FLOYD’s “The Wall” and whatever was on AOR radio. JOURNEY, KANSAS, STYX, CHEAP TRICK, FOGHAT. They played Springsteen quite a bit on LA’s KMET. Just wasn’t my thing. I was too young to appreciate the ‘goodbye to teenage innocence (and not-so-innocence)’ theme of anything off of “Born To Run”. Too complex, not really heavy enough. I was a kid from suburban LA. Not a young adult looking back critically at his teen years from Asbury Park, NJ. Come to think of it, I don’t think I even knew that there WAS an Asbury Park, NJ.

Then came 1984’s “Born In The USA”. That song polluted the radio and MTV every half hour. And all the singles that came in after that. By that time, I was an introverted senior in high school with dark thoughts and a hankering for the heavy. SABBATH, PRIEST, MAIDEN, ARMORED SAINT were all I listened to. It wasn’t that “Born In The USA” wasn’t heavy enough, it was just bad music that everyone else except me and my small clan of outsiders seemed to love. My girlfriend at the time couldn’t get enough of the guy, to add insult to injury.

I took the scenic route to get to where I wanted to go, sorry. I haven’t actually heard the “Born To Run” album until Mark Von Peacedogman sent me a copy. Early Springsteen, while not a favorite, had grown on me as I got older when I heard it on the radio. Nothing I’d actively seek out, but it didn’t make me turn the dial either. Now that I’ve listened to the entire thing a couple of times, I can appreciate Springsteen’s vision and his music. Considering he wrote every friggin’ song on there, that’s an achievement. Lyrically, it’s brilliant, sort of Bob Dylan-esque with lines like “The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive”. Man, if “Born To Run” didn’t capture the feeling of wanting to fly the coop, that feeling that it’s time to leave the nest or the nest is gonna do you in but good, I don’t know what would. Take your girl and head out. I think it would take Springsteen as long as I did to figure out that it was all futile anyway. Wherever you be, there you are.

So the question poised by Mark on these classics is, do they still hold up? “Born To Run” will always hold up because it addresses themes that the majority of us can and always will, relate to. The fact that “Born to Run” is one man’s artistic vision, that it’s meant to be an album, a collection of music to be listened to thoroughly, helps it’s cause considerably. The current state of the mainstream music industry is a smoking pile of rubble. There are no albums anymore, just endless amounts of cookie-cutter singles built from formulas derived from algorithms and snappy marketing techniques. The singer/songwriters have died.

I’m a jaded old guy, I know. But “Born To Run” at the very least boasts vision, integrity and adherence to the love and power of rock n’ roll seemingly long lost. - Chris Barnes

Jimmy Alvarado: I had a cousin that adored this album and often went on lengthy diatribes explaining its greatness. I wanted to share his enthusiasm, but Bruce annoyed the hell out of me for reasons my pre-teen mind could never quite put into words. Now that I'm older, it's so clear. go figure. This is the first time I've listened to this album in its entirety literally since it came out. The songs and lyrics are all phenomenally good in a way that makes one lament the loss of the true "artist" factor in modern pop music. What makes it less than a must-listen for me, though, is Bruce's delivery. He's taken these great songs and just tries to knock 'em all over the centerfield wall. This would be fine for maybe a song or two, but the delivery of the entire album is such that it seems he's trying too goddamned hard to make every song an anthem, an ailment that seems to be chronic throughout his career. Some subtlety in delivery would've gone a long way.

Chris Barnes: The thing was, the guy had to swing for the fences at that time or risk getting dropped by Columbia as the first two records didn't do so hot. That's the beauty of "Born To Run". Pressure like that separates the wheat from the chaffe. It pushes some to brilliance and others to choke. If he overdid it, it's because he wanted to make damn sure that this was an album for the greats. But that's when record companies pushed collections of recorded material called albums and generally hung in there with artists. I would argue that the concept of the album is dead. The majors are all pushing singles for downloads because the CD is dying. It's disposable music at this point. All the greats have moved on to indie labels or are making music for the American Idol and Ipod generation.

Robbert Van Hoften: Although Bruce knows how to write a pop tune and I do like some of his songs most of his output has always rubbed me the wrong way. A lot of the critics were always in awe of how he played those three hour gigs or longer in these big stadiums but I always thought that was pretty awful. And I don't get the "singer/songwriters have died" comment in the review. To me, singer/songwriters are people like NEIL YOUNG, TOM WAITS, JONI MITCHELL and SUZANNE VEGA. I saw SUZANNE VEGA in front of a huge crowd with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a bass player and she shut 'em up! That's a singer/songwriter! Bruce is standing there in front of this HUGE band all singing about being ordinary...it's bloody silly if you ask me! And (Euroweenie alert!) so fuckin' typically American!

Marchman: I can see both points regarding "Born to Run". I seem to recall "Nebraska" having more lights and darks from a vocal standpoint, but I haven't listened to it in a long time. I was very impressed by this disc. The songs are incredibly engaging and the album flies by quickly. There's something about that tinkling piano and sax, like the intro to "Jungleland" -- it's really timeless. THE WHO is the same way around the "Who's Next" era. These albums could be released twenty years ago or today and they still have a fresh, original, and distinctive sound.

Jimmy Alvarado: I was mightily impressed with it as well, despite my disdain for his perpetually swinging for the fences. One thing I neglected to mention first time 'round, which kinda ties into my assessment of the RADIOHEAD album, is bruce is very sly about stealing good riff and making it his own. To wit: give a listen to "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," then listen to MARY WELL's "The One Who Really Loves You."

Robbert Van Hoften: It seems like a lot of those so-called contemporary hardcore punk bands are sort of doing the same thing I mentioned about Bruce. I saw SPOILER NYC (whatshisname from LIFE OF AGONY's new band) last month, they were playing a decent set of old fashioned punk rock, and suddenly in between songs Alan Roberts (thatshisname) start this whole semi-emotional speech about his best friend having died last year, how we should all take the bad with the good and get something positive out of life bla bla bla..... It's not that I don't find his words sympathetic, I just don't believe him and frankly I'm not interested either. Maybe it's because my childhood heroes were bands like KISS and IRON MAIDEN but when I do go to one of those bloody stadium shoes I wanna see something bigger than life. I don't wanna see some American sports jock kid with a 20 man band behind and a huge light show above him singing about the joys of being ordinary because, well.... you're NOT. BRUCE is not half the man WILLIE NELSON is. I saw Willie last january at the Paradiso (Amsterdam) and he was just this fragile old guy with a broken guitar, with a very sparse backing band. They didn't even have a drummer! In short, I believe Willie, I don't believe Bruce. And I always thought those tinkling piano and saxes that Mark thinks are so timeless were pretty horrible too. I like those things in old Phil Spector productions, not in big fuckin' rock! So is "Born To Run" a classic? Well, the title track certainly is. For me personally, a complete album like this is quite a chore to sit through.

With a resume as mentioned above it won't be a surprise King is a crafty songwriter. Tunes like "I Feel The Earth Move", "It's Too Late" and "You've Got A Friend" are simply great pop songs. The arrangements are kept simple, with mostly piano, gentle drumming and King's down-to-earth-voice. Down-to-earth is also a pretty good description of most of the subject matter (with the exception of the weird and somewhat eerie title track that is). Even the songs that border on cheese (like "Beautiful") stay on the good side of the line. This direct approach, this utter lack of pompousness combined with the quality of the songwriting are probably what make this a timeless pop record; a timelessness that is painfully absent on most of her later records. Although King probably couldn't write a bad tune to save her life, her later records suffer from the same MOR-tendencies that makes so much 70's yacht rock so unbearable. You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but believe me, when you see a CAROLE KING record with a cover of her riding on horseback or raising her arms in the air in a gesture of happiness you get exactly the kind of record you'd expect from that. Is it any wonder some young brats decided it was time for Punk to be invented. But enough of that. "Tapestry" is still a timeless pop classic and deservedly so.. Anyone who digs stuff like BEN FOLDS should definitely check this one out. - Robbert Van Hoften

Marchman: She scares me. It goes back to my early grade school days. We were forced to watch "Really Rosie" every time the nuns didn't have work for us to do - like that was a treat. They'd drag out the reel-to-reel projector and we'd have to sit through "Pierre" and "Chicken Soup" -- all of which I found deeply disturbing. The lion eating Pierre, those kids getting covered in flour and cooked or whatever in the soup - the stuff of nightmares. Even now, I can listen to CANNIBAL CORPSE, GG, the nastiest black metal, etc. for hours on end. But Carole's voice still gives me chills up the spine from the old 'Chicken Soup' era.

Such a tactic oftentimes isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The mistake here, though, is that the pieces they’ve plundered are a little too obvious – toss a little bit of post-psychedelic PINK FLOYD ambience, some castrated COCTEAU TWINS guitar screech, a pinch of shoegazer sloth and a piano progression from the BEATLES’ “Sexy Sadie” into an Osterizer, et voila! The general lackadaisicalness pumped into the tempos and delivery of every song only manage to melt the whole thing into a single nondescript mush of a song that really wasn’t that interesting in the first place. On the other hand, if the intention was to recreate the feeling of a good opiate nod without the annoying addiction, they’ve more than ably succeeded, ’cause I had a helluva time keeping my eyes open the whole way through. - Jimmy Alvarado

Robbert Van Hoften: I could not agree any more! Thank you!

Marchman: Yeah, I need to buy Jimmy a drink for that one.

You can taste bits of vice-versa influence of a whole lot of other artists on the rest of the record here like BUDDY HOLLY, CHUCK BERRY, THE CARTER FAMILY, and EDDIE COCHRAN. The vocal herky-jerkiness "One-Sided Love Affair" even sounds like JERRY LEE LEWIS with Tourretts Syndrome doing an impression of Jay Leno (trust me, it makes sense when you listen to the track). The broken-hearted, woman-done-me-wrong tune here, Heartbreak Hotel, was actually covered years later by THE VANDALS on their first EP released in 1982, "Peace Thru Vandalism" (the greatest VANDALS release, period). All in all, this is a pretty fuckin’ solid slab. Fans of early era rock & roll will dig the shit out of this and fans of the bloated, pilled-to-the-gills Elvis of the 70’s will get a refreshing slap upside their heads. Don’t be an ass & let this one pass, there, cocko. - Designated Dale

Jimmy Alvarado: While the stuff on here is definitely from the best of Elvis "eras," I really think covering tunes like "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Tutti Frutti" were a mistake. Yeah, I know, they helped to ease the prejudice against "race" records 'n' such. But I'm speaking purely from a listener perspective. Like so many of his contemporaries, Elvis is at his absolute best storming through up-tempo rockabilly fodder, as evidenced by "Blue Suede Shoes." His cover of "Tutti Frutti," however, can't hold a candle to the original.

Designated Dale: It's good to see I'm not the only one who sees Elvis' half-ass attempt with Lil' Richie's OG cut, Jimmy. Speaking of "Easing the prejudice", just what the fuck was Pat Boone thinking of, too, at the time? And who invited him years later to strap leather & trod the land of metal? HAH! Not me, pal, not me. That shit was borderline WILLIAM SHATNER.

Marchman: You're both going to hell for saying negative things about Elvis.

Jimmy Alvarado: You're kidding, right Mark? Shit, it's no secret that Dale and I are the proud owners of beachfront property on the river Styx. I've got no qualms with Elvis prior to 1960, but the king of rock 'n' roll? That title belongs to either LITTLE RICHARD or CHUCK BERRY, depending on the day of the week I happen to be making that decision. Hell, JERRY LEE LEWIS could wipe the floor with Elvis when it comes to rockin'. Ever hear "big legged woman"? Now THAT'S muhfuggin' rock 'n' roll, baby -- lewd, crude and flat-out subversive!

Marchman: Yeah, I was kidding.

Jimmy Alvarado: Oh.

While “London Calling” provides track after track of impressive diversity, musicianship, and strong songwriting, there are about four songs too many. Tracks like “Four Horsemen” and “The Card Cheat” disrupt the flow of the album slightly, but still leave about fourteen or fifteen tracks that range from good to outstanding, which is obviously the reason why “London Calling” still finds its way onto the top ten list of most music critics and snobs today. - Marchman

Jimmy Alvarado: The fact that they wanted to stretch and push punk's boundaries to the breaking point (something that seems to happen every three or four years, when those with a better than rudimentary understanding of their instruments get bored of playing at one volume and wanna try something a little more interesting, with usually mixed results) is understandable. That they succeeded for the most part in doing so while keeping their punk soul intact is commendable. That they didn't have someone there to tell them "Uh, guys, you might wanna leave that one off" is lamentable. incidentally, their Spanish pronunciation on "Spanish bombs" is too funny.

Doug Herring: I have not listened to this in a long time, but I don't remember there being any filler. This, like most CLASH albums to me, contains hardly any weak tracks. "Lost In The Supermarket" is one of my faves.

Marchman: No filler? "Wrong 'em Boyo"? "The Card Cheat"? Come on, man. But three plus sides worth of great material is quite an accomplishment. Of course, there would be much more filler on the "Sandinista" project after this one.

Designated Dale: Look at the Elvis album cover and the CLASH album cover. See any similarities? I know Elvis' rekkid was first, but it would've been cool if Elvis sported a smash pose with his folk guitar, too. Well, let's not forget the television/firearm "mishap"... HAH!

The last three cuts meld into each other as well: "Right On", "Wholy Holy" and "Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)". The first song is almost Eric Burdon / ANIMALS-like, complete with flute (fuck you very much, JETHRO TULL), strings, and percussion. Wholy Holy doesn’t come off like Ned Flanders ramming Jesus & The God Squad down your throat, but it does ask folks to look deep inside themselves about what kind of lives they’re living; to get it together with your fellow human beings and aspire to living a good life. What Gaye did was put it out there that you don’t have to be a tree hugging, shithead hacky-sacker to stop & reflect every so often- it’s OK to be a decent person. "Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)" grabs a glimpse of the day-to-day struggle of living the big city life. This is one of the best tracks on the record, with lyrics like “violence increasing/trigger-happy policing” and “panic is spreading/God knows where we’re heading”. This cut would’ve been a perfect soundtrack addition for Walter Hill's 1979 film cult classic, "The Warriors".

This record’s definitely sitting top shelf amongst the other soul greats like SAM COOKE & JAMES BROWN, something that hack artists attempting what they call “soul” these days should stop & take notice of. What’s going on, indeed. - Designated Dale

Jimmy Alvarado: It's especially poignant when you realize that, after all them lovey-dovey Motown hits he had, Marvin felt the need to comment on what he obviously believed was a world gone mad in the first place. things had gotten so fuggin' nutty that this guy who's best known for "How Sweet It Is" HAD to make a statement like "Makes Me Wanna Holler." A few of the more recent parallels I can come up with are the RAMONES' "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" and both the last GREEN DAY album and EMINEM's "Mosh." Although the latter two aren't in the same league as the album under scrutiny here, it is interesting to note that both are not exactly known for incendiary political rhetoric, yet things have, again, gotten so dire that not only is "what's going on" relevant yet again (sorry, but no one's learned a goddamned thing), that even the usually vapid feel the need to say something.

Marchman: An excellent point, and a stark contrast to the tendency for artists that achieve notoriety and somehow feel they've gained intelligence. Sinead O'Connor, Tom Cruise, THE DIXIE CHICKS, etc. - so you sold a bunch of records or movie tickets. What, do you have a PhD in political science all of a sudden? Why do we want to hear your world views? Of course, as Jimmy stated, things had gotten so desperate by the time the 60s came to an end, I would think it impossible not to comment on war issues, protesters and the police, racial issues, etc. - I don't get any of the aforementioned self-importance listening to this album. Just the sweet sounds of a man trying to make sense of the madness.

Jimmy Alvarado: I have absolutely no problem with anyone wearing their politics on their sleeve or expressing their opinions on a presidential administration, pending bill, unfair law or American history. I do, however, think that if you're gonna do so in a song, you better do it pretty damned intelligently and creatively or you're gonna sound like an idiot. THE BEASTIE BOYS' attempts at criticizing the Bush administration sound just as inane as TOBY KEITH wanting to put his boot in the ass of anyone who's "messed with the USA."

Marchman: Obviously the key factors here are the WHY - why it is done, and HOW - how it is executed. This could be an interesting discussion within itself, but I'll just leave it at that.

In my later, therapeutic years, I lost much of the anger…certainly not all of it… but never my loathing for U2’s music. Even to this day, nothing makes me spin the radio dial faster than a U2 song, except for maybe ZZ TOP’s “Legs” or “Sharp Dressed Man”. Those two songs make me spin the dial AND put divots in the roof of my car with my fist. I don’t care that U2 sells out stadiums. I don’t care that Bono is a great humanitarian (although I suspect that some of that comes from a great opportunist/PR person behind the scenes). I don’t care about the rants against apathy and global politics. That’s all nice and good, but I just don’t like the music. It’s still for the ‘other’ team, the same people that love DAVE MATTHEWS and but tickets for GWEN STEFANI concerts. And I’ll guaren-fucking-tee that 99% of U2’s fans couldn’t give a shit about odes to Martin Luther King and apartheid, nor are most of them aware of what exactly Bono is trying to get across to them.

U2 fans just wanna dance and maybe do a little ‘special occasion’ coke in the limo before the concert and enjoy the show. After all, babysitters are expensive. 1 for the nice cover. 1 for the effort. - Chris Barnes

Marchman: I agree about the 'other team' comment -- this was the music for the jocks and girls in Jams that bought two records a year and drove their father's BMW to school. It was right up there with Phil Collins as 180 degrees away from anything remotely heavy, gritty, or independent at the time, which is why it's ludicrous for bands on shows like "Rock Star" to be attempting 'heavy versions' of such music! Bands like DISTURBED covering 'Land of Confusion' is total blasphemy to all things rock oriented. But in all seriousness - how do you think it compares musically to other pop music of the time period, looking back? Just looking for a reason as to why it seems to have achieved hallowed status as opposed to the band's other works ("Boy" and "October" are actually semi-enjoyable on a once-a-year basis).

Chris Barnes: I really have no idea how it compared to pop music of that period, because I really had built a disdain for pop music around that period. I was totally into the SST stuff (MEAT PUPPETS, BLACK FLAG, HUSKER DU, SONIC YOUTH, THE MINUTEMEN), THE DESCENDENTS, bouncing off the walls to those giant Watt basslines with fIREHOSE and enjoying the brilliant, sickeningly overlooked second album by the VIOLENT FEMMES called "Hallowed Ground" over and over again. I was literally completely out of touch. In other words, I can't answer the question within the framework of what it is you asked.

Robbert Van Hoften: I could not agree with you any more. This album was the end of my interest in U2 not just on an artistic level, but the fact that all the jocks who I hated in high school were getting into them as well. I hate them now and they were a favorite of mine from '82 to '84.

Jimmy Alvarado: Methinks their earliest three albums are nice driving bits of Irish post-punk punk, if that makes any sense -- all the drive that fueled THE UNDERTONES, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS, RUDI, THE OUTCASTS, and others melded with an interesting way to approach punk guitar playing (which they openly admit they copped from THE SKIDS) and a sound bigger than some Belfast pub could contain. By the time this came out, however, they'd been reading too much of their own press, as evidenced by the overblown sense of importance infused into every song. Some two decades have gone by since this was being blasted everywhere you turned and i still can't make it through to the end without just cringing and feeling embarrassed for them. Most claim this as their magnum opus, but for me it was their second album into a slide into mediocrity fueled by delusions of grandeur that they've yet to quite pull themselves out of.

Jimmy Alvarado: I spent too many wet winter nights spent watching shadows trying to extricate themselves from melting East Los Angeles alleys while this was blasting from a battered stereo perched on a busted down car's hood to make an unbiased assessment. This, along with early SABBATH, were one of the few exceptions to the rule in our little circle of chicano punk rock deviants. Same goes for "Meddle" and most of their back catalogue.

Marchman: Admittedly, this isnt' an album that I listen to very much, but I do think the review is harsh, especially the 1 out of 5 rating. I always thought the 7/8 shuffle of "Money" was kind of an ingenious way to sneak a weird time signature into a pop song, with the cash register sounds etc.. It is strange the way the saxophones sort of dominate the proceedings on this record, then all but disappear from most of their future recordings. Same thing with Clare Tory's performance in "Great Gig in the Sky" - which I still think is a kind of interesting for something that strikes as borderline filler. The dark vibe of this album along with the bizarre art motif and life/death/time/ whatever themes are just enough fodder for the stoners to spend decades arguing about the meaning of it all - that along with some pretty catchy tunes ("Time", "Money", "Breathe" etc) is pretty radical for the time period. I'd give it at least a "3" in this context. The lunatic on the grass is Syd Barrett - and I care quite a deal about his music! "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and his two solo albums are excellent! I also agree with Doug in preferring "Ummagumma" and "Meddle" to this album - and not just "Echoes" or the live version of "Astronomy Domine" either - I enjoy just about all of that stuff - the arrangements and some of the changes still blow me away when I listen to them now.

Designated Dale: I clearly remember growing up & all the older heads in my neighborhood playing this fucking record into the wee hours of the morning, getting loaded on Bud cans & assorted opiates, whether it was on their front lawns or nearby public park, blasting it outta their portable tape deck stereos. Yes, tape decks. Fuck off, I'm 37 years old. Strangely enough, that "Dark Side" record always sounded like a soundtrack to some nonsensical movie about outer space, something that really didn't get my goat at the time growing up in elementary school. Maybe the original Planet Of The Apes films should've used this rekkid. Who knows? At that time in grade school, I was a high priest belonging to The Cult of KISS (1974-78 only: the years following turned into a truckload of ass), as well as getting heavily in ZEPPELIN, SABBATH, HENDRIX, and THE DOORS. As much as I can appreciate their musicianship, PINK FLOYD almost seemed too experimental for my taste buds, although "The Wall" is probably still my fave LP of theirs, ever since it hit the racks in '79 (there's that movie thing again I was speaking of).

But is "Dark Side of the Moon" as fan-fucking-tastic as the next guy likes to crow about? Here's my answer: I really don't give a good god damn what the next guy says. I spin records 'cause they do something for me, period. You like what you like, no more, no less. Personally, I think it's a good album for what it is, but if I'm in charge of any national time capsule, it ain't getting included. I'd rather stick a copy of PEGBOY's "Strong Reaction" in there instead. Opinions are like those little flappy openings connected to people's lower colons...what's it they're called? Oh yeah, ASSHOLES. And like assholes, everyone has their opinions because everyone's entitled. Doesn't mean they're right. Doesn't mean I'm right. But entitled all the same. Here's a perfect example. Phil Collins, that trede douchebag who used to beat drums for (gulp) GENESIS and later on decided to go "solo", was quoted in a late 70's newspaper article calling the RAMONES first LP "complete rubbish and a complete waste of time. This latest punk trend has no redeeming value whatsoever". Did his opinion burn my ass a bit upon reading his comments years later? Of course. But at least I ain't the mullet-frocked fuckface who wrote & recorded a song called "Sussudio". What a dick. And that ain't no opinion, that's a fact.

Marchman: I was really heavy into THE PIXIES, TAD, SOUNDGARDEN, etc way before this came out. I didn't have "Bleach" or anything else by the band. But when I first heard this disc, you know who I thought they sounded like? A heavy version of THE SMITHEREENS! There's a lot of musical theft from THE SMITHEREENS on this particular album, a band that got no credit whatsoever for anything, but totally ruled!

Jimmy Alvarado: I remember hearing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on KXLU (l.a.'s punk-friendly college station) for the first time right when it came out and thinking, "Whoa, when did THE REPLACEMENTS go back to playing punk?"

In many ways, "Songs in the Key of Life" is a product of its time, in this case the post-hippie 1970s, that embodies both ends of the aforementioned spectrum. On one hand, a fair number of the songs are almost twice, sometimes three times as long as they need be, often with nothing really revelatory or even particularly interesting happening past the mid-point. If you’re gonna drag a song out past seven minutes, you better have a compelling reason, and endless repetition of the chorus don’t quite cut it. The fact that a few of the songs, while good, are not up to snuff compared to others in the collection make the original double-album-plus-bonus-EP packaging seem a wee bit much.

On the other hand, much of what is here amounts to an expansive, breathtaking collection of songs that address the dichotomy of life – its joy and pain, beauty and hardship – and dreams of how much better it all would be if love really did conquer all. In addition to some solid funk and R&B exercises (“I Wish” and “All Day Sucker” are sure to get the most obstinate head bobbing), Wonder stretches out in unexpected directions (check the classical/pop vibe of “Village Ghetto Land” and “If It’s Magic,” the Storyville swagger of “Ebony Eyes,” or the jazz fusion of “Contusion,” quite possibly the first song if its kind that didn’t make me wanna jab something sharp into my ears), slathers some gorgeous love songs with some of the richest, sickest hooks within reach and infuses the entire package with a joie de vivre that makes even the most maddening excesses worthwhile. One may wonder around the six-minute mark why “Isn’t She Lovely” hasn’t ended yet, but for the first three of those minutes you feel all the love he has for the daughter he wrote it about. Ultimately, while the parts may not all be perfect, the whole does make for some seriously good listening. - Jimmy Alvarado

Marchman: This record may actually represent the line in the sand where my open-mindedness starts to...close. I'm glad I didn't draw the straw to review this one, personally. I'm a huge fan of soul music, especially swinging, raw, hootin' hollerin' stuff like JIMMY MAYES & THE MILL STREET DEPOT and early JAMES BROWN, plus I love old Motown, 70s funk and lots of R&B. But this album...I've listened to it about a dozen times, and still can't stand it. I mean, I can appreciate the hooks and execution in stuff like "As", and the statement he's making in "Black Man" etc. - especially considering the time period and how far we had to to (we still have a long way to go) with racial prejudice. For a two-disc concept record to sell so well and touch so many people at a personal level, there's obviously a lot of substance. But I doubt I'll ever listen to it again. I can't shake the 'Cosby Show' vibe that it gives me...or images of Eddie Murphy in the 80s cruising along to it. Just not music that does anything for me at all, kind of like Chris' reaction to the U2 record.

Robbert Van Hoften: I have that 'Cosby Show' feeling with MARVIN GAYE. I love soul music too and "What's Going On" is a pretty good record (not great!) but some of his old Motown stuff excepted it's also one of his few records I can stand, and then only in small doses. Most of his output is way too nice and fluffy and mellow for me and hearing too much Marvin in a row really starts to grate on my nerves. If some of his later records weren't about all that bedroom stuff he could be the black Paul McCartney. At least Stevie has a nice funk groove going on.

"Highway 61 Revisited" apparently caused quite a stir when it was initially released back in the mid-60s because his proto-hippie fans became outraged that their “folk” hero had traded in his fat-bodied acoustic guitar for – GASP! – a backing band and a guitar that relied on electricity. Looking at it sans all that baggage, however, it appears that what Dylan merely did was emphasize the influence of one form of American music over another. Songs like “Tombstone Blues,” “From a Buick 6” and the title track reek more of HOWLIN WOLF’s sweaty Chicago blues stomp than Woody Guthrie’s more urbane (yet just as angry and impassioned) troubadour aspirations, while the remainder veers more toward the latter propelled by a solid backbeat. As with his earlier efforts, however, he uses the minimalist, yet impeccably delivered, music much the same as some cat named Will used sonnets, namely as a vehicle to deliver lyrics like, “The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits / To Jezebel the nun she violently knits / A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits/At the head of the chamber of commerce.”

The effectiveness of "Highway 61 Revisited" as listening material depends solely on one’s tolerance for Dylan himself. If one can handle the quality of his voice, the songs here are as catchy and solid as any of his previous work. If not, turning down the volume and digging the crazy words straight from the lyric sheet would probably work just as well. - Jimmy Alvarado

Marchman: I've really developed a passion for DYLAN over the last few years. I think it came from enjoying the first couple of albums from THE BAND as well as most of the TOM PETTY catalog for so many years. Besides this one, I do spin "Blood on the Tracks" quite a bit as well. Jimmy's review is spot-on; how you feel about Bob's voice has a lot to do with becoming a fan.

No, as far as I'm concerned THE BEATLES already hit their creative peak as a Rock band in 1966 with the release of "Revolver". Not only do some of the musical possibilities that were only hinted at on "Rubber Soul" from 1965 come to full bloom here, it's also one of those albums that contains no bad tracks!! None!! You could pick any random track you like, play it in shuffle mode or whatever, an you would discover that there is not one dud among its 14 tracks. Musically it's all over the place. From straight ahead rockin' (Taxman) to sad string-laden pop(Eleanor Rigby), Eastern-tinged Raga-type stuff (Love You To), contemplative balladry (Here, There and Everywhere), a kiddie tune (Yellow Submarine), catchy riff-Rock (And Your Bird Can Sing) to dark and brooding psychedelia (Tomorrow Never Knows)... you name it, it's there. Yet it all sounds like it's actually made by one band, not like the forced mess that would make a lot of later 'crossover'-music so unbearable. What's also good is that THE BEATLES were one of those bands that could make their point quick. None of the songs here are longer than 3 minutes. Which is good! It just makes you want to play the bloody thing all over again! - Robbert Van Hoften

Chris Barnes: Can you believe that I've never heard Revolver until Mark sent it to me in the review packet? Honestly, hearing "Revolver" was a revelation for me... I had heard the BEATLES on the radio all my life as a kid, but never really appreciated the brilliance of their chemistry - both combined and alone. It is truly great songwriting at it's best and has been a catalyst for exploring not only THE BEATLES catalog, but their solo stuff as well. Except for maybe Ringo.

Marchman: Well, hopefully this piece has opened some eyes to some tunes worth collecting. Good music is good music, just as long as you use your ears and not somebody else's opinion to judge it. Incidentally, the average score of these fifteen records came out to be about 3.75 out of a possible 5. Based on most of the new reviews we do on the site, this is a decent number overall, but not really spectacular when you consider 3 to 3.5 is about average. There are obviously some titles discussed here that are truly special and worth owning, so interpret the reviews, download some tracks, and pick up the ones that sound interesting. But I'd say there's no reason to consider suicide if your collection leans heavier on THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS than MILES DAVIS.

Special thanks again to the staff guys and our guest reviewers. For more of Jimmy or Dale's reviews, visit www.razorcake.org. For more from Chris Barnes, go to the Hellride Music website and superstore at wwww.hellridemusic.com.

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