#2) The song Haifisch by Rammstein is a song about the shark and how
despite it’s strength and power is often misunderstood. The song is featured on
the 2009 album Liebe Ist Für Alle Da.
#3) I am a huge Pink Floyd
fan, so naturally when I heard that David Gilmour was releasing an album I was
on it immediately and bought it the day it was released. “On An Island” is
easily one of my ten favorite albums of the millennium to date.“The Blue” is a
mesmerizingly beautiful song and is as affecting as anything he ever recorded
with Pink Floyd.
#4) I became of fan of King Crimson in the mid 80’s after
having discovered Adrian Belew from the Talking heads album “Remain In Light.”
I basically had to own everything Belew was part of including albums by The
Bears, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson,
King Crimson and of course his solo albums. “Eyes Wide Open” is featured on the
Crimson’s 2003 album “The Power To Believe.”
#5) Liam McKahey is easy one of this generations most underrated singer/songwriters. He first came to acclaim in 200 with the band
Cousteau who had a semi-hit with the song “Last Good Day Of The Year.” The band
released three albums before disbanding. Since then McKahey has released two
albums with his new band called Liam McKahey and the Bodies. The deep and dark
“Lovers and Fools” is featured on his 2009 album “Lonely Road.”
#6) Bastille is a young English synthpop, indie rock group
that has hit the world by storm with a sound which is both alternative and
accessible. To date they’ve released one album called “Bad Blood,” which is a
solid set from beginning to end. My favorite tune is the anthemic “The Things
We Lost In The Fire.”
This is my 3rd Annual Year End Favorite Albums list. I haven't posted in this blog for a while as I have been crazy busy... but this year end list is one I enjoy doing. It's a time capsule of sorts for me.
As with previous years my primary taste in music is alt-rock, experimental rock and modern rock. To be sure, though this list also includes some jazz, country, industrial, electro-gaze, sophisiti-pop, indie pop/dream pop and blues.
A few of these albums were released in 2012, though I did not purchase them until late in 2012 or some time in 2013 and were influential to me in 2013.
Notes: Young Galaxy is a Canadian band formed in 2005. Their sound is often categorized as indie pop or dream pop. "Ultramarine" is their 4th studio album. With "Ultramarine" Young Galaxy digs further into an atmospheric slow burning sophisticated pop which they developed with their previous album "Shapeshifting." Lead singer, Catherine McCandless' warm voice is enveloped with adrenalized synthesizer moods.
Notes: Wayne Hancock comes as close to Hank Williams as anyone can, even Hank's grandson Hank Williams III agrees. With "Ride" Hancock once again shines with his brand of traditional rootsy honky tonk bluegrass sounds. Hancock is a rebel in a business that is cut-throat. Though he's been on the music scene since 1995 he's yet to make it into the mainstream. Hancock however will manage to be remembered for his contribution to country music and he's has caught the attention of many in the industry - yet he continues to release his music on the independent Chicago label Bloodshot Records avoiding the glare of the big-time. "Ride" is Hancock's first album to chart on any Billboard chart reaching #68 on the country chart.
Chart Positions: #1 (US Jazz Albums), #35 (US Top Independent Albums), #50 (UK)
Certifications: None
Metacritic Rating: 73 out of 100
Notes: Ferry says he went back to the music he liked when he was a young pre-teen. I have always been a Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry fan and this album came out as a complete surprise. At first I skipped over it and then around January of 2013 I realized I must purchase it as I have everything else Ferry has recorded. I was more than pleasantly surprised with the jazz stylings on this album - I'm a huge fan of jazz music - primarily hard bop, fusion and free jazz. This album is more along the lines of a traditional big band jazz style and is oh so tasty. Ferry's Orchestra covers songs recorded by Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry (solo). Ferry does not sing nor does he play any instruments on this album. He is credited as a co-producer and director. Many of the same musicians that worked on Ferry's 1999 album "As Time Goes By." My favorite track is "Love Is The Drug," on this album which is full of highlight after highlight. "Love Is The Drug" is featured on the 2013 soundtrack for the film "The Great Gatsby."
Chart Positions: #1 (Belgium & Netherlands), #4 (Germany & Switzerland), #6 (UK), #7 (Greece), #9 (Ireland & Italy), #10 (Austria & Portugal) and also many other countries outside of the Top Ten. #17 (US Top Heatseekers)
Certifications: None
Metacritic Rating: 55 out of 100
Notes: Upon first listen I felt this album was a bit of a step down from their previous album "In This Light on This Evening," though with subsequent plays I came to really enjoy this album. It is a slight change in direction for Editors. The sound is crisp and tight as usual with a heavy synthesizer base. Most prominently Editors have put Justin Lockey's guitar work front and center enveloping lead singer, Tom Smith's rich and deep baritone. These songs have a nice underlying bass rhythm which I find to be very appealing.
Editors - A Ton Of Love
11. The Sun, The Cold and My Underwater Fear by X Marks The Pedwalk
Notes: This album continues X Marks The Pedwalk's digging into some personal discoveries. The music is dark and trance-like with some outstanding beats and rhythms enveloped in an eerie sort of warmth. XMTP once again tops themselves. With each successive album tthe lyrics become more introspective and the musical arrangements are diversely complex. XMTP represents the best in electro-industrial genre.
Notes: Synesthesia is a great and infectious pop album with a synth groove to it. From Los Angeles, CA Hands is a quartet formed in 2010 and released their debut album in 2013. Their music is filled with rhythmic guitar work, big drums, fat bass and electronic rhythms. Their music is highly influenced by Hot Chip, Phoenix and Depeche Mode.Hands is a band to watch.
Notes: This album is the second release in a trio of albums Omar released between January 1 and January 2, 2013. This trio capitalizes on Omar's use of synthesizers, sequencers and muted vocals. He picks up where Pink Floyd left on in the experimentation of electronics. This album has been categorized as prog-rock and psychotic rock. What I enjoy most from this album is the huge leaps Omar takes in intervals while playing guitar. This method creates an otherworldly effect that just leaves me spellbound. Omar has been my favorite musician since 2008.
Notes: "Uncanny Valley" is decidedly more ambient and moody than their previous efforts. This may be due to the fact that the album was recorded in a church in French Loire Valley. This album is sonically amazing with effects and laser sharp sounds crossing back and forth meshing into pure ecstacy. The album overall is an assemblage of mellow moods that elevate to a restful place. My favorite song is "Ballad Of The War Machine," this song was released as a music video prior to the album. The video was released anonymously under the guise of an 80's Russian band. Before the album was released Midnight Juggernaut's identity was revealed as the true artists of the video.
Notes: Producer Nils Lassen is the man behind this esoteric work which is an guitar heavy electronic throwback to 80's new wave. This album is totally delicious. It's a great listen from beginning to end. (((s))) is an ungoogable band from Germany which inspires notions of mystique and curiosity with it's unusual take on music. My favorite tracks are "Swimming In Lava" and "Lovething" but really the entire album is pure gold.
Notes: Ben Harper temas up with bluesman Charlie Musselwhite and scores an indisputable winner. Harper playes one mean slide guitar while Musselwhite brings us some great harmonica work. This is blues-rock that is well worth a few listens. Even-though Charlie Musselwhite's contribution is huge on this album it is still Ben Harper's show and he manages to deliver without a hitch.
Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite - I'm In, I'm Out and I'm Gone
Notes: Bankrupt! is Phoenix's fifth studio album. I first noticed them with their 2009 "Wolfgang Amadeus" I considered purchasing that album but it just did not interest me enough to buy it. Right when I first saw "Bankrupt!" I knew I wanted to buy it. I listened to a few samples and my mind was made up. Phoenix is a band from France (silly me I always assumed they were from Arizona). "bankrupt!" offers everything I enjoy on a good modern rock album... great guitars, excellent percussive rhythms, hot synth beats and a hint of ambient sounds. What I like the best is the skillful wordplay in many of the lyrics.
Notes: Blaqk Audio is a duo of former members from the group AFI. Critics have categorized them as goth-disco. Their sound is very reminiscent to early 80's electronic new wave ala Depeche Mode.
Blaqk Audio - Cold War
3. Woman Gives Birth To Tomato by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Notes: Omar goes above and beyond with his guitar and synthesizers and creates a free jazz sound unlike any other. With this album Rodriguez-Lopez joins the ranks of the great jazz artists and brings us a completely successful artful project that just crawls right into your brain and stays there for hours. My favorite tracks are "Long Beach, California" and "Pueblo Mexico" I can close my eyes and listen to these pieces and just imagine myself in each locale. Thank you Omar for such a great experience!
Notes: Of Monsters And Men was formed in Iceland in 2010 (Bjork is no longer Iceland's only great export). Their debut album "My Head Is An Animal" is a huge hit worldwide having made it into the Top 40 in 14 countries. I was shopping at a Home Depot store when I heard the song "King and Lionheart", I could not make out the lyrics at first I thought singer, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, was singing "flying high" instead of lionheart and I kept running into dead-ends searching for the song. Finally (about a month later) I was able to stop and really listen to the song and realized she was saying "lionheart" and from there I was able to find the group and immediately fell in love with their sound.
Notes: St first I thought Of Monsters And Men's "My Head Is An Animal" was going to be my favorite album but once I gave it some thought and played some of the key tracks from each of these albums I realized that I really love "Big TV" and will love it for some time to come. The songs on this album are timeless and what I love most about the album is that each song sounds like I've known them for years eventhough they were all brand new to me. The album has a very 80's KROQ sort of Giorgio Moroder meets Echo and The Bunnymen meets Duran Duran meets Spandau ballet meets Depeche Mode sound that is refreshing. Again the album is guitar driven electronic music with great beats and rhythms.
White Lies - Big TV
This is it my "Best Of" list for 2013
There are others I loved this year which I will give worthy mention right now:
Billie Joe and Norah - Foreverly (this one may make my best of 2014 list)
Julieta Venegas - Los Momentos (one of my favorite Spanish language singers)
Jim James - Regions of Light and Sound of God (I love My Morning Jacket)
Atoms For Peace - Amok (I love Radiohead)
This post consists of an eclectic mix of albums from a variety of genres and time periods. The one thing they all have in common is they are all ultimate favorites of mine.
- Randall Webb
History: Domestic partners Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti (born Christine Newby) formed as a duo in 1981 (Chris and Cosey now perform as Carter Tutti) . Previously they had recorded with the English industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle. The duo released their first album, Heartbeat, on Rough Trade in 1981. Heartbeat is a synth-pop collection of songs with machine rhythms and an air of bleak industrial sounds taking over the mood of the entire album.
Best Tracks: "Put Yourself In Los Angeles", "This Is Me", "Useless Information", "Heartbeat"
Randall Webb's Comments: I purchased this album on complete faith. It was 1981 (way before computers) and the ability to sample obscure albums like this one was uncommon. I liked the album cover and I had been reading a good amount of press on Throbbing Gristle and Chris and Cosey and decided to take a chance on it. I immediately grew to love the album. It was so unlike anything else I had ever owned. it was atmospheric, electronic with touches of synth and industrial. It didn't catch on with any of my friends, but it continued to be a favorite of mine regardless.
History: Formed in 1981 in Rennes, France, Complot Bronswick introduced the French to a futursitic sound fusing new wave, electronica and coldwave into haunting sounds of yearning imagery. Complot Bronswick (which translates to Bronswick Conspiracy) became known for their theatrical and image filled live performances which spilled over into their music videos. they've released 6 studio albums spanning from 1983 to 1995. "Dark Room's Delight" is their second studio album. (*** Note: The Bronswick Conspiracy is a fake French documentary in the early 1980's about a conspiracy involving TV sets and people being brainwashed into buying goods compulsively.)
Best Tracks: "Ivory Blade", "Born In A Cage", "Landscape".
Randall Webb's Comments: "Born In A Cage" was the first song I heard by Complot Bronswick. I found the song on YouTube back in 2009. From there I had to get to know as much as I could about this most unusual band. This proved a tough task as there is not a whole lot of information on the band. However I was able to find all their albums and purchased them on MP3 downloads. I love them all but it is "Dark Room's Delight" which has become my favorite.
History: David Gilmour is the English rock musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In the eary 1960's, Gilmour met met future Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett, along with bassist and vocalist Roger Waters who attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys. In 1962 he joined the band Joker's Wild. He continued with Joker's Wild until 1966. It was in December 1967 when he was approached by Nick Mason (drummer for Pink Floyd) to join the band. Gilmour accepted and joined Pink Floyd in January 1968. Gilmour has released 3 studio albums. The first was simply titled "David Gilmour and was released in 1978. His second released in 1984 was called "About Face" and the most recent "On An Island" was released in 2006. "On An Island" has achieved worldwide success (as did his first two solo albums). The album reached #6 in the U.S. as well as #1 in the UK and Canada.
Best Tracks: "On An Island", "The Blue", "Take A Breath", "Smile"
Randall Webb's Comments: Pink Floyd has long been a favorite band of mine. I have casually followed the careers and releases of the band's individual members. David Gilmour has always been my favorite in the band. One afternoon, in February 2006, I was surfing wikipedia and decided to check out some stats on David Gilmour. To my joyful surprise I discovered that a new album was going to be released with in the following week. I was on this immediately. That Tuesday (release day) I drove to my local Best Buy and bought the CD. Right from the first listen I loved the album. Every track a winner. "On An Island" is my favorite of Gilmour's three solo studio albums. Gilmour turned 60 years old on the day of it's release and proved that at that age he was and is still in top form both musically and vocally. Gilmour is still every bit as great as he was during the golden days of Pink Floyd.
David Gilmour - The Blue (2006)
Klark Kent - Music Madness From The Kinetic Kid (1980)
History: Rumor has it that many times Sting (lead singer of the Police) would reject songs presented to the band by drummer Stewart Copeland. In order to get these songs recorded Stewart Copeland created his alter ego Klark Kent and released the album "Music Madness From The Kinetic Kid". The album is full of kwirky and kooky tunes kontaining that fantastic Stewart Copeland humor. Beyond the fun and kraziness of the album the music itself is pretty good. It's very percussiony, but that's what Copeland does best. Copeland wrote all the songs and played every instrument as well as sang all the vocals. This is 100% Stewart Copeland. After listening to this album is quite evident that Copeland's influence over the early sounds of The Police was more than monumental.
Best Tracks: "Don't Care", "Away From Home", "My Old School", "Excess"
Randall Webb's Comments: I picked this up in late 1980 at my favorite local record shop called Licorice Pizza. I had no idea this was Stewart Copeland of the Police. I was a big fan of the Police at this time, but before the days of the internet details about our favorite bands were not as readily available. I did however figure it out pretty quick. I must have played the entire album at least a thousand times in the first month I owned it. I still manage to pull the album out (which I now have on CD via the Kollected Works compilation) and play it every every few months. I most enjoy Klark Kent's finesse on the kazoo. Kent (Copeland) is easily rock music's best kazoo player of all-time.
History: Düsseldorf, Germany, Kraftwerk released their first album in 1970 simply titled "Kraftwerk". Right from the beginning their electronically atmospheric albums sold well in Germany, but it wasn't until their 4th album (1974's "Autobahn) that they finally caught on with the rest of the world. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. Kraftwerk helped shape and influence the electronci new wave movement of the late 70's and early 80's having influenced bands such as Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, New Order, Ultravox, OMD, Visage, Human League and Soft Cell. In recent years they have influenced popular artists such as Kompressor, Orb and Franz Ferdinand. "the Man-Machine" was released in May 1978 and reached #9 in the UK, #12 in Germany, #14 in France, #15 in Austria and Italy. In the U.S. the album reached #130.
Best Tracks: "The Robots", "The Model", "Neon Lights"
Randall Webb's Comments:
It was "The Robots" that first got me into Kraftwerk. I forget where I heard the song or who introduced me to it, all I know is that I loved the song and bought the 7" vinyl single right after I heard it. Shortly after that I bought the entire album. My favorite track for the longest time was the shimmering "Neon Lights", though as time has gone on "The Robots" ends up being my favorite of all of Kraftwerk's songs. I really enjoy their danceable electronic sound. Nobody does electronic as well as Kraftwerk does.
History: Machines of Loving Grace is an American industrial band who active years spanned from 1989 to 1997. They were a short lived band that only released three studio albums. Despite this they have left their mark on the landscape of industrial rock having recorded some of the most varied and creative music in it's genre. "concentration" was released on September 21, 1993 and achieved a moderate amount of success having gained video airplay on MTV. "Concentration" utilized the band's expertise on heavy beats and throbbing bass sounds. Unlike other industrial bands, Machines of Loving Grace resist the temptation to smear everything with thrashing guitars. Their use of the guitar is more understated which pulls the other instruments and vocals to the forefront. This makes for a very appealing and somewhat unique sound.
Best Tracks: "Butterfly Wings", "Limiter", "Shake", "Cheap", "Acceleration"
Randall Webb's Comments: Although, I list this album as one of my favorites I don't really know a whole lot about Machines of Loving Grace, except for the fact that I do love this album. I had only discovered them less than a year ago in the summer of 2011 when I found both "Concentration" and their debut album "Machines of Loving Grace" on Cd in a thrift store. I bought them both as they looked interesting to me and I figured at $2.00 each that wasn't too much of an investment even if I ended up not liking them. Fortunately, I did end up liking them quite a bit.
History: Liam McKahey first met with critical acclaim in 1999 with the London based band Cousteau. The band's sound has been compared to Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker and David Bowie with an updated moody and contemporary edge. Mckahey's vocals have often been compared to Nick Cave. Cousteau started off on a good note with their debut album which included the popular track "The Last Good Day Of The Year". The song was featured in television commercials, movies and documentaries. Though unfortunately after a good start the band seemed to fizzle out with their, "Sirena", second album. It wasn't because of the music as their second album was every bit as good as their first. They went on to release a third album and then quickly disappeared. McKahey, with his deep and resonant voice, continued his career recording with other musicians such as Ian Mcnabb, Allessandro Magnanini and Dead Cat In A Bag. In 2009 he released his majestic "Lonely Road" album which has garnered outstanding reviews from music critics around the globe, but sadly has not caught on with the music buying public. " Like Nick Cave, the Triffids, Tendrils and Beasts of Bourbon. There's atmosphere and drive on Lonely Road" - Americana UK "It's a divinely dark, cinematic outing full of beauty" - Whisperin and Hollerin
Best Tracks: "Unheeded Tidings", "Lovers and Fools", "Fire", "Listen"
Randall Webb's Comments: I was very saddened when I that Cousteau was breaking up. I truly enjoyed their dark and moody style. I thought this would be the end of it and that I would never hear Liam McKahey smooth yet dark and deep voice on anything new again. Fortunately I was wrong. shortly after Cousteau's breakup he released "Lonely Road", which I have to say is the very best work he's done to date. Again, though, I face the uncertainty of possibly not hearing anything new from him. McKahey, who currently resides in Australia, is busy rasing his family (a young son and daughter) and has not announced any new recordings in quite sometime. I continually check his MySpace (yeah MySpace) and facebook pages, but nothing. He is remaining very quiet.
History: Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Midnight Juggernauts, is an electro-pop synth rock group. They have been described as anything from 'prog dance meets cosmic film scores', to 'slasher-flick disco' to 'deadpan landscape'.
It is hard to define the band's sound as all the instruments are played
live through a range of samplers, pads and various acoustic
instruments. The band formed in 2004 and released their first EP in 2005 which was followed by their debut album "Dystopia", which was first released in Australia in 2007 and than in other countries around the world in 2008. They've met with a fair amount of success in Australia with "Dystopia" reaching #21 and their second album "The Crystal Axis" reaching #20. Outside of Australia they have achieved only minor success.
Best Tracks: "Into The Galaxy", "Dystopia", "Twenty Thousand Leagues", "So Many Frequencies"
Randall Webb's Comments: Midnight Juggernautsfirst came to my attention when I was perusing a Columbia music club catalog. I really liked the album cover and the short description listed so I went ahead and ordered it. I often buy new music on faith hoping it will be good when I get it. Most of the time when I take a chance like this, I am fortunately pleased with what I hear. "Dystopia" was unique in that I was not only pleased but elated. This is one of those albums I am able to listen to from beginning to end without skipping any tracks.I hear so many different influences in their music ranging from Giorgio Moroder to David Bowie with hints of shimmering vocal harmonies.
History: Many great bands and musicians have come from Seattle, Washington and Minus The Bear is definitely one of them. Formed in 2001, the group features current and former members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound has been described as "Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticated time signature composition. Pele is a post-rock band heavily influenced by various jazz genres. Minus The Bear released their first album in 2002 too a moderate yet receptive following. It wasn't until their 3rd album 2007's "Planet Of Ice" that they finally caught on in with a larger audience. "Planet Of Ice" broke on to Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart and made it up to U.S. #74 (their 2010 album "Omni" reached U.S. #49). With it's traces of electronics, prog guitar leads and psychedelic accents, "Planet Of Ice" is full of interesting harmonics, polished melodies, and exceptional
arrangements. Overall this is a strong, hypnotic effort from the Seattle
band.
Randall Webb's Comments: I went backwards with Minus The Bear. I didn't discover them until 2010 with the release of "Omni" and like with so many others I took the chance and bought it. What can I say I liked the album cover. I liked "Omni" so much that I had to delve into more of their music. I had been thinking about them for a few days and by fate I ran into their first three studio albums and one of their EPs in a thrift store. Of course I snatched them up. It was "Planet Of Ice" that stuck with me more than the others and after several listens became my favorite by Minus The Bear.
History: Massachusetts born, Donna Summer is known as the "Queen of Disco". Summer has garnered many accolades including 5 Grammy Awards, three consecutive double albums reaching #1 in the U.S., sixteen #1 hits on Billboard's Dance Music chart and sales of more than 125 million discs worldwide. "Crayons" is Donna Summer's 17th studio album and most recent having been released on May 20, 2008. It's Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's Christmas Spirit, and her first album of original material since 1991's Mistaken Identity. The music on "Crayons" moves in several directions ranging from reggaeton, dance club, anthem, ballad and Tina Turneresque pop. The album was a moderate success throughout the U.S. and Europe having reached US #17, Germany #73, Switzerland #85, Spain #97 and UK #142.
Best Tracks: "Stamp Your Feet", "Mr. Music", "Crayons", "Fame", "Slide Over Backwards"
Randall Webb's Comments: "I Feel Love" was the first Donna Summer song I paid attention to. A friend of mine played it for me back in 1977, when it was first released, and it just blew me away. I fell in love with it. I guess you can say it was Donna Summer who opened the door to my further exploration of electronic music. From there I started listening to Kraftwerk and Gary Numan. "I Feel Love" was like nothing else I heard at the time and instantly I wanted to buy Summer's records. After more than 30 years of buying Donna Summer records, she records "Crayons" and of course I bought it on the day it was released. As much as I love her mid to late 70's work, it is "Crayons" that ends up becoming my favorite album by the disco diva.
History: By the time Warnes released "Famous Blue Raincoat" (a tribute to Leonard Cohen) she had been on the music scene since 1968 with the release of her first album "I Can Remember Everything". Commercial success eluded her until 1976 with her fourth album "Jennifer Warnes" which included the mega-hit "Right time Of The Night" and the semi-hit "I'm Dreamin'". By this point in time, the Anaheim, California resident was a well respected singer-songwriter. "Famous Blue Raincoat" was Warnes' watershed moment where she went from well respected to highly respected. Her next two albums "The Hunter" and "The Well" both garnered praise from music critics throughout the musical spectrum. "Famous Blue Raincoat" (FBR) is also Warnes' most commercially successful album having reached US #72, UK #33 and Canada #8. The album's guest contributors include guitarists Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Lindley and Robben Ford, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, keyboardist Russell Ferrante, arranger Van Dyke Parks and Cohen himself duetting on "Joan of Arc." Despite her success with FBR, Warnes is best known for her popular movie theme song duets, 1982's "Up Where We Belong" (with Joe Cocker) and 1987's "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" (with Bill Medley). Both songs won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. "Up Where We Belong" also won a Grammy Award. Her 1979 recording of "It Goes Like It Goes" (which she recorded for the film Norma Rae) also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Best Tracks: "First We Take Manhattan", "Bird On A Wire", "Joan Of Arc", "Ain't No Cure For Love"
Randall Webb's Comments: My attraction to this album was not immediate. I knew about it from as far back as 1992 when I bought it on cassette tape. I listened to it once (actually did not get past the second song) and never really played it again for about 15 years. It was in 2007 that I plucked the cassette out of a plastic storage container and listened to it again. This time around I really enjoyed it. Maybe it was maturity (I don't know) but I came to really like this album all of a sudden. I am most taken with "First We Take Manhattan", which I consider to be Warnes' single best song in her entire catalog. "Ain't No Cure for Love" is another tasty favorite.
Jennifer Warnes - First We Take Manhattan (1987)
Lenny White - The Adventures of Astral Pirates (1978)
History: Lenny White is known as one of jazz-fusion's most celebrated drummers. He got his first break in 1969 when he recorded with Miles Davis on the historic album "Bitches Brew". In 1972 he joined Chic Corea and Stanley Clarke to form the legendary jazz fusion band Return To Forever. In the same year he also joined the Latin-jazz band Azteca. White released his first solo album in 1975 "Venusian Summer", while still recording with Return To Forever (RTF). By 1977 RTF disbanded and White pursued his solo career full-time. To date he's released 14 studio albums as a solo artist. The Adventures of Astral Pirates is a jazz-fusion masterpiece with a futuristic science-fiction theme.Many critics consider it to be a jazz-fusion essential. This risk taking album blends jazz, rock and funk with elements of Asian music and Middle Eastern music.
Best Tracks: "Assault", "Heavy Metal Monster", "Mandarin Warlords", "Universal Love"
Randall Webb's Comments: Back in 2006 I was looking to expand my collection of jazz-fusion and did an internet search and ran across several bands such as Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return To Forever. During this internet search I came across Lenny White's "The Adventures Of Astral Pirates". I recalled having seen this album on vinyl back in the late 70's but had never pursued it. Immediately I had an interest in it and called a few of my local music stores to see if anybody had it in stock as I wanted it ASAP. Nobody had it in stock so I ordered it from Amazon.com. It received the disc several days later in the mail and played it as soon as I unwrapped it. I was more than pleased to hear what I heard. A wonderful blast of music hinging on the experimental side. This was exactly what I was looking for. After getting this album I ended up purchasing two more Lenny White albums, but it is "Astral Pirates" that remains his best.
Lenny White - Assault (1978)
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