Just a quick Saturday post. The Ferry album is called These Foolish Things. Played it tons in college since all the guys were really into Roxy Music, Eno, etc. It is all cover songs and has a jazzed up version of Sympathy for the Devil on it. And The Tracks of my Tears - I love that version.
I brought the Jackson 5 Anthology double record album to college in the early '80's. Needless to say, it was very unpopular with the guys. vs. AC/DC, The Who, The Doors, et al. But - funny thing - at the late night dance parties in The Triple - I'd take over the turntable and start playing that album and the girls would start dancing to ABC, I Want You Back, The Love You Save, I'll Be There, Got to be There, Never Can Say Goodbye, and Ben. The college guys didn't think it was such a lame album the next morning. Matt mantra was - get the girls to dance and see what happens. Vincent Price is now rapping on Thriller- forgot about that. My favorite album of his is Off the Wall. Get the special remastered 25th anniversay CD with the extra tracks and thank me later. Quincy Jones provides producers commentary on some of the tracks.
The music on the album notwithstanding, the cover artwork is why I am posting this. Asia, as you will recall was made up of John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe. In 2006 the band announced they would reform, make a new CD, a DVD, and embark on a world tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary. After some legal wrangling, the band secured ownership of the Asia band name (who else had it?) and toured under this name: the Four Original Members of Asia. See http://originalasia.com/ Reports state they play most of the songs on this album along with one selection each from the deep catalogues of Yes, ELP, King Crimson, and the Buggles as an homage to each member’s former bands. They start the US leg of their 2009 tour later this month, June 26 - Indio, CA.
Here is a unique die-cut album in the shape of a rocks glass. Also called an Old Fashioned glass, lowball glass, or rocks glass - it is a short tumbler used for serving hard liquor, like whiskey, with ice cubes (“on the rocks”). It is also normally used to serve certain cocktails, such as the Old Fashioned, from which it receives its name. This one looks good enough to drink. For more reading on this unique album cover, see this site if you like: http://tinyurl.com/m2xk4m I also have Rod's next solo album – called Every Picture Tells a Story and the music is better on it – but the album cover’s not much. Rod records and plays live lots of covers (which I do like), but the title track to EPTAS is my favorite Rod tune.
Granted, this is from way back in 1978, but does he looks great here or what? It’s a black and white photo, but this hot Irishman looks like he’s sporting, dare I say, a tan? Trim, fit – and ready to rock. Also note that the album I own is a “cut-out” record. Anyone out there know the origins of cut-out records? The title song is all I play on this album. I should go back and sample the others. He leads off the B side – how sublime? with the title track. Van was recently on a what would otherwise be a very unique tour – playing all the songs from his classic Astral Weeks album, in its entirety, in order. But Steely Dan is also doing that this summer and I saw Roger Waters play Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety after an intermission a few years ago. This is radio-friendly rock and fully amplified Van.
My pals Spencer, Andy, and TJ know way more about Rush than I do, so this post is for them. This is the only Rush album I own. As just a casual Rush fan, I say each side has an excellent and well-known hit song: Subdivisions on side A and on the B side: New World Man. OK Rush fans, the other songs are great too, but those are the two that got/get most FM radio (AOR) play. Legend (wiki) has it – in the fall before it was released (1982), Neil Peart was jamming with the road crew and the rest of the band joined in. The jam was recorded and was later and temporarily titled “Tough Break.” Later, Peart wrote some lyrics, and the song became "Subdivisions." http://en.wikipedia.org/
Before anyone was partying like it was 1999, with a dirty mind, while driving a little red Corvette, and getting drenched by purple rain – there was this record. I bought this album in 1980, it was released in 1979 (the year I graduated high school), and Prince was all of 20 (21 when the record was released) when he made this record single-handedly. The back cover (this photo) states, “Produced, arranged, composed, (mixed) and performed by Prince.” Chaka Khan covered I Feel for You – but the original version here is killer. I also like the cut Still Waiting.
