Various Artists - The Alligator Records Christmas Collection (1992)

Every year I swear I'm done buying Christmas CDs and every year I break that promise at some point in October or November. And if lying to myself puts me on the naughty list, I guess I'm going to take up permanent residency there. I've been listening to this wonderful blues collection of mostly uncommon Christmas tunes since it hit my mailbox in mid-October. Good stuff. Pairs well with An Austin Rhythm and Blues Christmas.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist
1	Merry, Merry Christmas	Koko Taylor
2	Christmas Time In The Country	Kenny Neal
3	I'm Your Santa	Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials
4	Deck The Halls With Boogie Woogie	Katie Webster
5	Please Let Me Be Your Santa Claus	William Clarke
6	Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'	Tinsley Ellis
7	Boogie Woogie Santa Claus	Charles Brown
8	Lonesome Christmas	Son Seals
9	Christmas On The Bayou	Lonnie Brooks
10	Santa Claus	Little Charlie & The Nightcats
11	The Little Drummer Boy	Elvin Bishop
12	One Parent Christmas	Saffire - The Uppity Blues Woman
13	Christmas	Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
14	Silent Night	Charlie Musselwhite

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This year, we spent Halloween putting up our Christmas tree to bring a little joy to this year of national uncertainty. This disc was the soundtrack to that annual event, even though it occurred a wee bit early.

Various Artists - Deep Blues: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)

As I headed into my blues music deep dive this year, I discovered the 1991 documentary, Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads. During the time I was looking for it, the movie wasn't available on any streaming platform, but my local library had a copy on DVD (score yet more points for both physical media and libraries).

Hosted by music critic and author Robert Palmer, the film follows a journey from Memphis into the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi Hill Country, exploring traditional blues in its birthplace. It documents the culture and music of rural musicians of the early 1990s, featuring both live performances and interviews with blues artists. A few of those artists subsequently enjoyed a revitalized interest in their music. Sadly, many of the juke joints and all of the featured musicians (as well as Palmer himself) are now gone, but at least we've got this movie and its soundtrack as a sort of time capsule. The movie is highly recommended; the soundtrack is authentic, entertaining, captivating, and like many soundtracks, its enjoyment is only enhanced by seeing the movie.

I was already somewhat familiar with R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, but this movie and soundtrack album were my introductions to the other musicians. The movie not only taught me the difference between Delta blues and North Mississippi Hill Country blues, it also introduced me to several long-standing blues traditions such as fife & drum blues and the homemade diddley bow.

Press of the time for both the documentary and its music:

• Los Angeles Times:
  • movie: "It’s a genuine document, deep and earthy; a peek into our national soul."
  • music: "when we hear it there, there’s a jarring recognition. The music fits like a glove. Listening to it in these surroundings is almost like hearing it for the first time."
• CashBox:
  • movie: "tepid."
  • music: "rather swell."
• Billboard:
  • movie: "an estimable, essential look at life in the crucible of the blues."
  • music: "exemplary performances from all hands"
• Rolling Stone:
  • movie: "On porches and in front yards, sweaty bars and fields, Palmer enlists an array of artists...who provide both a history of the blues and firey samples of its myriad forms."
  • music: "the emotional repercussions of these songs will haunt you."

Current rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Song	Artist
1	Jumper On The Line	R.L. Burnside
2	Jr. Blues	Jr. Kimbrough
3	Catfish Blues	Big Jack Johnson
4	Daddy When Is Momma Coming Home
5	Big Boy Now
6	Midnight Prowler	Frank Frost
7	You Can Talk About Me	Jessie Mae Hemphill
8	Shame On You
9	Long Haired Doney	R.L. Burnside
10	Heartbroken Man	Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes
11	Ain't Gonna Worry About Tomorrow
12	Love Like I Wanna
13	Terraplane Blues	Lonnie Pitchford
14	If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
15	Devil Blues	Jack Owens & Bud Spires

It's a literal soundtrack - music heard on the CD is heard in the movie. Not only that, the music is as seen in the movie, performed in such intimate settings as juke joints, front porches, and small bars.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'm left feeling like I should have spent my mid-twenties exploring this scene before it disappeared forever.

k.d. lang - Ingénue (1992)

Everything I've read about this CD mentions that it is a departure from lang's usual, but since this is yet my only experience with a k.d. lang album, I can't speak to that. However, I will speak to the fact that this is a fantastic collection of country-tinged adult contemporary tunes and I dig it. lang was blessed with a wonderful instrument and here she demonstrates complete control.

In 1993, Constant Craving was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female), winning for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. The album was nominated for Album of the Year, eventually losing to Eric Clapton's Unplugged album. The following year, the album's second single, Miss Chatelaine, was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, eventually losing to Whitney Houston's mammoth hit, I Will Always Love You. Ingénue was included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

I've found this album pairs well with Come Away With Me. And apropos of nothing, lang's version of Skylark from the soundtrack of Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil is exquisite.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "Lang has taken yet another surprising turn with Ingenue but remains the bohemian belle of a most singular ball."
• Entertainment Weekly (C): "a drastic departure from her previous country-flavored work, not only because it represents a shift in style, but because it shows such a plummet in energy."
• Musician: "a cozy set of smoldering love ballads."
• CashBox: "a 10-cut journey...taking the listener on an emotional hayride down love's trail, serenaded by the heartfelt vocals of K.D. Lang"
• Billboard: "Erstwhile country chanteuse lang moves out of her chosen genre with a vengeance"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #18
• CashBox: #29
• CashBox Country: #31

Tracks: My top pick is Constant Craving (#38 pop, #2 AC) which gets bonus points for Gary Burton's marimba part. And sequencing it at the end of the album was a stroke of genius. Loved it from the first time I heard it on the radio. Other favorites are Save Me, the bossa-esque The Mind Of Love, the tango-esque Still Thrives This Love, and the sultry Tears Of Love's Recall. But there's nothing to skip here, just enjoy the whole thing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My buddy Richard had copy of this CD and I borrowed it and others to burn myself a CD of songs he had on disc that I didn't own. I'm guessing this was 2000 or 2001. I still have that burned disc and even though you didn't ask here's the playlist:

1. Walking After Midnight - Patsy Cline
2. Dreaming Of You - Selena
3. Constant Craving
4. Tunnel Of Love - Bruce Springsteen
5. Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2
6. She's All I Ever Had - Ricky Martin
7. All She Wants To Do Is Dance - Don Henley
8. She's Got A Way - Billy Joel
9. Twisting By The Pool - Dire Straits
10. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream

A mixed bag, for sure, but I enjoy the variety. A couple of decades have since passed and I've added 6 of the 10 to my shelves during that those years.

Various Artists - The Traditional Sounds Of Christmas (1992)

A reissue grouping of three previously released albums, put together by the GSC Music label. In fact, it appears they just took the leftover, unsold CDs and put them in a bulky three-fer jewel case with minimal listings (below) and no liner note booklet. The 'traditional' part of title rings true even if the 'Christmas' part just misses: the newest tune in the compilation is Leroy Anderson's 1948 piece Sleigh Ride and that's a winter snow song not a Christmas song. The rest of the tunes are older - some several centuries older - and mostly feature somewhat yule-ish lyrics. Perfect for your next church choir Christmas party.

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YULETIDE CLASSICS (1988)
12 tracks, 41 minutes

This appears to be a compilation CD and it's included in a compilation. The instrumental orchestral pieces lean a little too much toward Mantovanian/Muzak arrangements, but I nevertheless enjoy the mix of orchestras, chorus, church organs, and brass ensembles, especially highlights from The Messiah.

Tracks:

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AN OLDE-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS (1987)
20 tracks, 52 minutes

An odd pairing of timbres. Tracks alternate between choral and brass arrangements. With the exception of Silent Night, the choral work is mostly full throttle and that lack of subtley and variety gets old very quickly. In contrast, the brass arrangements are lively, tasteful, and quite enjoyable. And if you're looking for a track that has both brass and voice, fuggitaboutit.

Tracks:

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A CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS (1988)
16 tracks, 52 minutes

This wild compilation is the best of the three discs. Orchestras, a capella choirs, brass quintets, even a jazzy trio of electric piano, acoustic guitar, and flute. Some big names here - Bernstein, Ormandy, Previn, Szell - alongside the likes of The Texas Boys Choir and Rita Ford's Music Boxes. I'm not a fan of operatic sopranos warbling carols atop dense orchestrations and there's a couple of those. But there's enough variety here to keep things interesting plus near the end we hear to Julie Andrews sing the seldom-heard French carol Patapan in a sixtieslicious arrangement, and that's a real treat. I'll even excuse the inclusion of The Hallelujah Chorus (I'm just nit-picking because that chorus closes the Easter section of the oratorio, but I understand the attraction as a stand alone piece as there's no denying it's a masterwork).

Tracks:

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD: So many of these old hymns take me right back to my carefree school days; as much comfort can be found in those memories as is in these uplifting lyrics.

Boston Pops - Joy To The World (1992)

At first glance, this seems to be a typical pops orchestra/chorus Christmas release, but I found it different than most for 3 reasons:

1. The inclusion of a medley of seldom-heard carols written by Alfred Burt (1920 - 1954), which I've loved since I first heard them in the early 1980's (track 7),
2. a medley consisting of traditional holiday music from other lands (track 10), and
3. John Williams works in three of his own compositions written for the popular 1990 movie, Home Alone (tracks 5, 6, & 9).

There's also a little cheese included in the form of Robin Williams delivery of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas while the program ends with some standard Christmas Concert repertoire: a sing-along medley for maximum audience participation.

Tracks:

Highlights are tracks 1, 7, 8, 10, 12, & 13. I seem to be partial to the medleys today.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My father was a huge fan of The Boston Pops as long as I can remember - ever since the days that the group was led by Arthur Fiedler. I inherited this and many other Boston Pops CDs upon his passing and, serendipitously, the lead track here, a popular medley arranged by Leroy Anderson, was usually the first bit of Christmas music I heard each year as a child when my father would turn on his "Christmas Mix" reel-to-reel recording when it was time to decorate the tree.

I was teaching middle school band when this CD was released and am amused to see the Home Alone tracks because of my students' affinity for that movie. At some point in October, I started handing out Christmas music to the students for possible inclusion in the band's concert in December. If the music was heard in the Home Alone movie (Carol Of The Bells, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, White Christmas, etc.), students would scream "That's the song from Home Alone!" as if they had just discovered penicillin. I'm fairly certain most had seen the movie dozens of times on VHS. All these years later, I still don't think I've seen the thing.

Previously revisited for the blog:
By Request (1987)

Rippingtons - Weekend In Monaco (1992)

I like Rippingtons in small doses. Their Latin-influenced, instrumental, jazz-rock music is consistently upbeat, melodic, and slick. I wouldn't exactly put it in the smooth jazz' category because it's all just a bit - what's the word I'm looking for? - aggressive? in-your-face? high energy? let's just go with "heavily caffeinated." One mid-tempo ballad and it's saved for the last track. The album isn't bad, but a whole 50 minute album with so little variety can be a bit much for this guy.

The album's cover art, featuring the Rippington's "Jazz Cat" mascot and designed by Bill Mayer, is worth mentioning and I found this blog post from a graphic designer explaining why it is so eye-pleasing: http://thetimbrown.blogspot.com.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #147
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #2
• CashBox Jazz: #3

Tracks: My top picks are St. Tropez, Vienna, and A Place For Lovers.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. This CD came to my shelves in a lot of about 10 jazz CDs I purchased on eBay a few years back.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Brave New World (1996)

Bob James/Earl Klugh - Cool (1992)

This album is pleasurable enough, just not very memorable. I'm not sure what it is about the collaborations between these two that seem to bring out the bland in each other. James has had good collaborations (I'm thinking specifically of Double Vision) and so has Klugh (Laws and Benson come to mind) so I don't know why this one never gets me going. But it was a #1 album so what do I know? I guess it's decent enough for your Sunday jazz brunch next weekend. Whaddaya mean you don't have a jazz brunch every Sunday?

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "an exceptional jazz album"
• Billboard: "a pleasant quartet set that's as elegantly performed as it is emotionally toothless"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #170
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #88

Tracks: Of the 12 tracks, 4 were written by Klugh, 5 were written by James, and they wrote one together. I tend to gravitate towards the Klugh originals, the best of which is The Sponge.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Two of a Kind (1982)

Various Artists - Billboard Top Dance Hits 1979 (1992)

Truth in advertising from the good folks over at Rhino: ten tunes from 1979, all but one hit #1 on the Dance chart. Pro: great tunes. Con: only 3 of the 10 tracks are extended dance mixes, all others are single versions. (Extended versions marked below with an asterisk.)

One in a series of ten, not to be confused with The Disco Years series, also issued by Rhino.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

Song	Dance	Hot 100	R&B
Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez	1	16
Contact - Edwin Starr	1	65	13
Come To Me - France Joli	1	15	36
Ring My Bell - Anita Ward	1	8	21
Take Me Home - Cher	2	26
I've Got The Next Dance - Deniece Williams	1	73	26
No One Gets The Prize/The Boss - Diana Ross*	1	19	12
Move On Up/Up Up Up - Destination*	1		68
Hot Stuff/Bad Girls - Donna Summer*	1	1	3/1
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor	1	1	4

The overall #1 year-end dance song for 1979, according to Billboard? Hot Stuff by The Queen of Disco, Donna Summer. From this CD, tracks placed at 1, 5, 7, 8, 11, 17, 19, & 23. Not bad at all.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Erasure - Abba-esque (1992)

It's going to be difficult to write while dancing but I'll give it a shot and hope autocorrect can do its job. This beauty of a disc is a four track EP of Erasure covering Abba tunes. My favorite covers are those where an artist takes a tune and makes it their own and we've got that times four here. If I didn't already know the originals from my youth, I'd have no trouble believing they were '90s dancefloor Erasure originals. We're even treated to some random ragga toasting from MC Kinky in Take A Chance On Me. Fast-paced and vibrant, 18 minutes of great stuff. Would a full-length album of Abba covers be welcome? You bet, but I'll take what I can get.

also available on VHS

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #85

Tracks: I'll rank 'em for ya -

1. Take A Chance On Me
2. Lay All Your Love On Me
3. Voulez-Vous
4. S.O.S.

Take A Chance On Me got quite a bit of airplay on whatever Houston radio station(s) I was listening to in 1992.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Other People's Songs (2003)
Cowboy (1997)
Pop! The First 20 Hits (1992)

Various Artists - The Greatest Hits Of 1981 (1992)

UK Import

Musically, the UK had a very different 1981 than I, so while this compilation has some well-known tunes, I count five tracks with which I was previously unfamiliar. All 20 tracks were top 20 hits in the UK while only 6 reached the US Top 40.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Not released in US

Tracks:

1. Dead Ringer For Love - Meat Loaf (#5 UK)
   This duet with Cher is an overly-long, not-so-subtle rip-off of Summertime Blues and Mony Mony best described as a long-lost outtake from the Grease soundtrack. For a Steinman tune, it's tolerable which I guess is a compliment?
2. Stand And Deliver - Adam & The Ants (#1 UK)
   I think the general consensus is that this tune is the best single Adam & The Ants ever released. And, in this particular case, the general consensus is correct.
3. Girls On Film - Duran Duran (#5 UK)
   A better video than tune. It wouldn't make my top ten list of DD tunes, but I like it just fine.
4. Kids In America - Kim Wilde (#2 UK, #25 US)
   From the first time I heard this song, I was a Kim Wilde fan. I bought her debut album through the Columbia Record Club and was subsequently disappointed in her sophomore effort. 
5. Funeral Pyre - The Jam (#4 UK)
   Not the best Jam, but not the worst. To be honest, I didn't really start to enjoy The Jam until the mid-'90s. In high school, however, I had a Jam pinback I would wear on my letter jacket because I thought the band name was cool even if I didn't listen to their music. It was part of my "I like hipper music than you" façade I was cultivating at that time.
   
   
6. Happy Birthday - Altered Images (#2 UK)
   I always sing the Beatles tune with the same title on birthdays, but I should probably switch to this one. Fun song - makes me think of the movie Sixteen Candles.
7. Reward - The Teardrop Explodes (#6 UK)
   I group this band with Echo & The Bunnymen in a category called "bands I should have listened to in the early '80s but never did." It wasn't that I wasn't exposed to them, I simply (mistakenly) chose not to listen to them much. Opportunity lost. The driving beat, the manic horns - this tune would have been right up my alley. Bonus points for the trippy muted trumpet solo.
8. The Model - Kraftwerk (#1 UK)
   I recognize Kraftwerk as an influential band. I understand they are pioneers in the field of electronic music. I understand they have had a lasting impact on the genres of industrial, dance, and rap music. They're in the Rock Hall.  I'm just ambivalent to their music.
9. Ghost Town - The Specials (#1 UK)
   While the lyrics are depressing as hell, it's got a great groove and there's no denying this is Jerry Dammers' major opus. When we first shut down for the pandemic in March 2020, this song was in my head all the time as I drove around town and I'll bet I wasn't the only one.
10. The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) - Fun Boy Three (#20 UK)
    Is it a novelty song or political statement? Both? To these ears, it might be OK for album filler, but as a single? Go figure.
11. There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis - Kirsty MacColl (#14 UK)
    We have a winner - this rockabilly romp is a blast and the wry lyrics are hilarious. There's no acceptable excuse why I haven't explored her entire catalog. Currently accepting suggestions for a starting point for that journey.
12. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (#10 UK, #1 US)
    A huge hit in 1981, winning Grammys for both record and song of the year and was like nothing else on the radio at the time; me and my friends sang along with Kim every time we heard the thing. Nine weeks at #1 and the Billboard #1 hit of the year. A great blend of synth and guitar arpeggios plus I really dig the sexy growl of Carnes' voice.
13. Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon (#7 UK, #1 US)
    Based on interviews I've seen, Kevin Cronin seems like a great guy and I'd buy him a beer if I ever ran into him; I just don't like his vocals. Nonetheless, this was the biggest power ballad of 1981 and I've heard it twice on the radio this week, so my opinions and I will just be on our way.
14. Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Diana Ross (#4 UK, #7 US)
    Not a bad cover, but with all due respect to Ms. Ross, this is one of those remakes that makes me long to hear the Frankie Lymon original.
15. Easier Said Than Done - Shakatak (#12 UK)
    I've only recently been hipped to Shakatak, but I really like the piano-based R&B-lite thing they've got going on. Dig.
16. Let's Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire (#3 UK, #3 US)
    Typical EW&F greatness - funky bass line, tasty horn licks, a bridge that's smooth as anything, and a chorus so good they start the song with it. Nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category.
17. Get Down On It - Kool & The Gang (#3 UK, #10 US)
    Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Get your back up off the wall! I just love K&TG. This was some great radio-friendly funk. Recommended.
18. Intuition - Linx (#7 UK)
    Brit funk along the lines of Level 42 or Shakatak with just a touch of calypso added for good measure. However, there's no real hook to speak of, but I like the all-too-brief soprano sax solo.
19. Wired For Sound - Cliff Richard (#4 UK, #71 US)
    I'll add my voice to the chorus of people who wonder why Richard wasn't as big in the US as he was in the UK. This is a catchy little tune that didn't get much traction over here. Shame.
    
20. Chequered Love - Kim Wilde (#4 UK)
    And the lovely Kim gets a second entry on this compilation. Man, I loved her debut album. It was in heavy rotation in my car once I got my drivers license in June 1982. (I may have driven illegally before having a license but I admit to nothing.)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The Carnes, REO, Ross, K&TG, and EWF tunes I would have heard on the radio in '81.  The Ants, Wilde, Jam, Teardrop, and Duran tunes I would have heard (and probably purchased most) in 1982 or '83. I would have caught up to the cuts by Kraftwerk, Altered Images, Specials, FB3 at some point in the '90s. That leaves tracks 1, 11, 15, 18, & 19 that were new to me when I first put this CD in the tray.

Howard Jones - In The Running (1992)

I was unaware that HoJo was releasing albums in the nineties until this arrived at my house in a used lot of CDs. I wasn't the biggest fan back in the '80s but I always enjoyed his stuff on the radio. Looks like this album contains Jones's final Top 40 hit, Lift Me Up (#32 pop, #10 AC). I haven't played it yet - let's give it a spin.

I disagree, Christian, but I'm not much of a lyrics guy anyway. Jones has mellowed his sound, toned down the synths, added guitar, embraced his adult contemporary leanings. Material is good - no different than his earlier stuff, just orchestrated differently. I'm liking it and moving this disc to my truck for further (easy) listening. And I would have enjoyed this in 1992 - reminds me of Simply Red or Nick Heyward. Pleasant surprise.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My picks on this inaugural listen are Lift Me Up (yes, I recognized it), Fallin' Away, The Voices Are Back, Gun Turned On The World, and One Last Try.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I'm sure the printed lyrics in the booklet would have been easy to read in '92, but the print seems to have shrunk over the last quarter-century.

Exclusive CD Longbox photo courtesy of
Dirk Digglinator of the Hambonian Archives.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Dream Into Action (1985)

JFK Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)

John Williams' score for the polemical 1992 film, plus a few additional tracks not by Williams. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, it lost to the score of Beauty and the Beast. Trying to pick the best Williams movie score is like trying to pick a favorite Beatles album, so I won't even bother trying, but this would certainly be in the discussion should I ever choose to have such a debate.

If you're looking for a full analysis of the soundtrack, you won't find it here, but you might like this entry from jwfan.com.

The music bears a strong resemblance to Williams' score for Catch Me If You Can, another oft-overlooked Williams soundtrack.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 18 tracks, 65 minutes. To be honest, I could listen to the first five tracks and be done because all the themes are present in those 18 minutes of music, particularly the haunting snare drum lines and solo trumpet melody. Things really go sideways at track 7, the 1930 standard On The Sunny Side Of The Street by Sidney Bechet. The instrumental take isn't bad, just out of place. Same goes for Tony Bennett's Maybe September, Ode To Buckwheat by Brent Lewis, and the excellent El Watusi by Ray Barretto. Also included is the first movement of a Mozart Horn Concerto. However, I'll just program my player to play only Williams tracks from here on as the other tracks just break up the continuity of the album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm a complete sucker for JFK conspiracy theories, have visited the fascinating Sixth Floor Museum several times, and try to drive through Dealey Plaza when I'm in Dallas.

View from the grassy knoll, July 26, 2002

Earlier this year, I took advantage of a trip to Ft. Worth to stop by Lee Harvey Oswald's hard-to-find grave. Told ya I was a complete sucker.

April 27, 2016
The grave marker on the right is for Nick Beef. Read the story here.

Despite the controversy surrounding the movie, I try to make time to watch my Blu-Ray copy of the film every year around the end of November. This year while watching, I wondered why I didn't have a copy of this captivating soundtrack. A few clicks later and here we are.

Previously revisited for the blog:
John Williams - By Request (1987)

The B-52's - Good Stuff (1992)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

As the follow-up to Cosmic Thing, I had high hopes for this album, and while there are some classic B-52's songs to be found here, it doesn't quite measure up to its predecessor (granted, that's asking a lot of the group). For reasons I won't go into here, the former quintet had become a trio, but it still sounds like pretty much any other B-52's album (except Bouncing Off the Satellites). It's party rock and that's what I'm looking for - ballads need not apply.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★): "impressively seamless"
• Billboard: "slightly daffy, funk-oriented mess-arounds"
• Entertainment Weekly (C): "reduces their sound...to a dull formula."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #16

Tracks: The production duties were evenly split among Nile Rodgers and Don Was; long-time readers of the blog would expect me to prefer the Rodgers tracks, and even I'm surprised that's not true. My top tracks are Tell It Like It T-I-Is, Revolution Earth (Rodgers), Hot Pants Explosion, Good Stuff, and Is That You Mo-Dean (Was). Fred shoulda left all the singing to Kate on Dreamland. I'm guessing I listened to side A of my cassette more than side B, probably because the album falls apart near the end - no particularly bad tracks, but nothing you'll be humming later in the day.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember getting rid my cassette during an ill-advised vinyl and tape purge in 1994. In my defense, I was starting...nah, nevermind. I gots nothin'. No excuse for that purge. None.

I often use the phrase "Tell It Like It T-I-Is" much to the chagrin and/or embarrassment of my family. Deal with it.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Funplex (2008)
Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation (1998)
Love Shack (1989)
Bouncing Off the Satellites (1986)
Whammy! (1983)
Party Mix/Mesopotamia (1981/1982)

CD Longbox, notable for the following
message from the band printed on the back:

Spyro Gyra - Three Wishes (1992)

The 24th Spyro Gyra CD to appear on this blog. To be honest, I lost touch with SG during the late '80s/early '90s as I was getting married, having children, starting a career - you know, adulting. So I missed this album the first time around, but found it in a used bin more than 20 years after the fact. While I wouldn't put this up there with the group's best output, it's an enjoyable listen and works very well in a full SG shuffle (which I do more often than I'll admit to here). I'm not saying the band doesn't like it, but they recorded a live album a few years after this album was released and none of Three Wishes' tracks appear on that disc.

Billboard, June 6, 1992

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #4

Tracks: My faves are Pipo's Song, the title track, and Cabana Carioca.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Down The Wire (2009)	Point Of View (1989)
Good To Go-Go (2007)	Stories Without Words (1987)
Wrapped In A Dream (2006)	Breakout (1986)
Original Cinema (2003)	Alternating Currents (1985)
In Modern Times (2001)	Access All Areas (1984)
Got The Magic (1999)	City Kids (1983)
Road Scholars (1998)	Incognito (1982)
20/20 (1997)	Freetime (1981)
Love & Other Obsessions (1995)	Carnaval (1980)
Dreams Beyond Control (1993)	Catching The Sun (1980)
Fast Forward (1990)	Morning Dance (1979)
	Spyro Gyra (1978)

Vince Vance & The Valiants - All I Want For Christmas Is You (1992)

The title track is fantastic, with stellar vocals by Lisa Layne. As for the rest...well, I'll let someone else do the heavy lifting:

This album's title track remained a holiday favorite within the country community during the '90s, even as Vince Vance struggled to establish himself as more than a one-hit novelty act. Despite the artist's struggles, his song remains a minor modern classic and received airplay year after year. Nothing else here is remotely worth bothering with. Sure, most of the other songs are similar in style to the title track, but this formulaic sense of repetition gets dull quickly. Stick with the song and forget about the full-length album, unless this is the only place you can find the song.

-Jason Birchmeier

And there ya go.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: See above. Particularly avoid I Wanna Be A Christmas Tree.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Garth Brooks - Beyond The Season (1992)

This CD was recently sent to me by a faithful reader and judging by the amount of dust on the jewel case, it hasn't been played in quite some time. I'm not much for country music, but this is one of the most successful Christmas albums ever, so here we go. Robert Christgau gives this disc a 💣 rating, but I don't think it's quite that bad.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2

Tracks:  11 tracks, 34 minutes. Of the originals, I like The Old Man's Back In Town and the instrumental Mary's Dream. Of the old classics, I prefer White Christmas and What Child Is This. I found myself wanting to skip The Gift, The Friendly Beasts, and Silent Night (solely because of the spoken word interlude). The rest is the usual pablum you hear on the radio from Halloween on.

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Thomas Dolby - Astronauts & Heretics (1992)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

No big hits on this one, but it's still the best thing Dolby has done since The Golden Age of Wireless. I'm particularly taken by the melodic songwriting here. When he worked previously with Dolby's Cube and George Clinton, Dolby was heavily influenced by funk. For this album, he put aside the funk in favor of mellow pop & soft rock. So it's right in my wheelhouse, but the record label marketed the singles to adult contemporary stations, who didn't know what to do with Dolby who was still "that guy who did She Blinded Me With Science." Unfortunate.

1992 Billboard magazine review

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart

Tracks:  Not a stinker among these nine tracks (making it Dolby's most consistent album), but my faves are Cruel (with Eddi Reader), Eastern Bloc, Close But No Cigar (with Eddie Van Halen), and Neon Sisters.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  The years 1989-1993 were an odd transition to adulthood for me, a four year period when I was married but not yet a parent. My life focused on my job and improving my social standing in my small, rural town (neither job nor social standing is a current priority in my life). These days, it's difficult to remember a time when I wasn't a parent, but this album reminds me of those four years. In 1992, the cassette got plenty of play in my charcoal gray truck; today the CD gets an occasional play in my white truck, the Vanilla Thrilla.

Previously revisited for the blog:
A Map of the Floating City (2011)
The Sole Inhabitant (2008)
12 x 12 Original Remixes (1999)
Retrospectacle: The Best Of (1994)
Aliens Ate My Buick (1988)
The Golden Age of Wireless (1982)

Barenaked Ladies - Gordon (1992)

After enjoying Stunt for a while, I wanted to hear some of the BNL back catalog, so I picked up this disc. While not as consistently strong as Stunt, it's got some witty, immediately likeable songs. Moving effortlessly between folksy pop to ballads to country to scat to parodies, these Canadian chameleons had more talent than their (lack of) Top 40 success in the U.S. would suggest. My sons only know about them because of their TV show theme for The Big Bang Theory and that's a shame (but their pop music education is far from over).

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart (later reached #36 on the Catalog chart in 1998, about the time I purchased my copy)

Tracks:  My favorite track is the hilarious Grade 9. Other favorites include Hello City, Enid, and Box Set, which is particularly funny if you've ever be disappointed in an eagerly anticipated box set from your favorite recording artist. I usually skip The King Of Bedside Manor and Blame It On Me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stunt (1998)