Toni Braxton (1993)

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

So it's part Anita Baker and part Janet Jackson, mashed together by '90s R&B titans Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. Toni didn't try to copy Mariah Carey; there’s no oversinging, just a steady, calm voice fully in control. The recipe worked because this album was a veritable hit machine for years. I liked it in the '90s, I still like it in the '20s.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "She has established herself as a female balladeer to be reckoned with"
• Billboard: "R&B/pop siren's debut album delivers"
• Rolling Stone (★★½): "Braxton has got chops and spunk"

Grammy Awards:

• Won - Best New Artist (1994)
• Won - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1994): Another Sad Love Song
• Won - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1995): Breathe Again
• Nominated - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1996): I Belong To You
• Nominated - Best R&B Song (1995): You Mean The World To Me

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1

Tracks:

Track	Song	Hot 100	R&B	AC
7	Love Shoulda Brought You Home	33	4
1	Another Sad Love Song	7	2	8
2	Breathe Again	3	4	4
3	Seven Whole Days		*
10	You Mean The World To Me	7	3	4
8/9	I Belong to You b/w How Many Ways	28	6

*peaked at #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

The race for my favorite track has ended in a draw between Seven Whole Days and You Mean The World To Me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I can't even remember if I bought the cassette in '93 or '94. I do remember, however, that this was one album about which neither my wife nor I complained when it was in the car stereo.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Un-break My Heart (1996)

Junior Wells Featuring Buddy Guy - Pleading The Blues (1993)

Note: the album was recorded and released in France in 1979, then released in the US in 1993 with a CD bonus track.

You buys your albums and you takes your chances. And, well, they can't all be good. In this case, the problem is the plodding material, not the performances.

Liner notes by John Anthony Brisbin.

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★★): "finds Junior and Buddy on familiar and wholly congenial turf."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★ "decent, unessential"

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

Tracks: The better cuts here are Cut Out The Lights and Just For My Baby.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Alone & Acoustic (1991)
Damn Right, I've Got The Blues (1991)
Stone Crazy! (1979)

David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise (1993)

Bowie's first release since his Tin Machine experiment, this album was heavily influenced by the 1992 Los Angeles riots and Bowie's recent marriage to Iman. I had given up on Bowie after his Never Let Me Down album and wasn't much interested in what I heard from Tin Machine, so I mistakenly overlooked this one in 1993. Indeed, I didn't hear much of his 1993-2003 output when it came out and I'm slowly trying to make up for lost time. This mix of electro-funk-dance-rock tracks is scratching me right where I itch. Riots and marriage are no doubt serious stuff, but this thing is a great windows-down-volume-up summer car listen - even the instrumentals and cover tunes. Not perfect, but certainly innovative and enjoyable. Better late than never.

Bonus points for getting back with producer Nile Rodgers and the inspired inclusion of trumpeter Lester Bowie of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Bowie continues his exploration of new musical directions while maintaining his easily recognizable sound."
• Billboard: "trail-blazing and brilliant"
• Entertainment Weekly (D): "endless, listless dance grooves"
• Robert Christgau (B-): "the music is the artiste's most arresting in many years; the dancebeats and electrotextures make you prick up your ears and wonder where they'll lead."
• New Musical Express (6 out of 10): "there are five and a half good songs on this record - and bearing in mind that Bowie spent most of the '80s as a positive laughing stock, that's an admirable achievement"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "one of the smartest records of a very smart career"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #39
• CashBox: #28

Tracks: My top cuts are Jump They Say (#4, Modern Rock), the title cut (feat. Al B. Sure!), Miracle Goodnight, Looking For Lester, plus the covers of Don't Let Me Down & Down and Cream's I Feel Free (feat. Mick Ronson). My least favorite cut is the cover of Morissey's I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday.

Bonus tracks: An alternate mix of Jump They Say - good but not as good as the album mix, and Lucy Can't Dance, a diss track about Madonna and a great tune that Rodgers wanted to release as the album's first single. Bowie reportedly didn't even want it on the album so including it as a bonus track on the CD release was the compromise, I suppose.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

★ (2016)	Changesbowie (1990)
The Next Day (2013)	Tonight (1984)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)	Let's Dance (1983)
Reality (2003)

Various Artists - Living In Oblivion: The 80's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (1993)

The second of five volumes from EMI Records Group and the last of the five to be featured here on the blog. Only 5 of the 19 tracks are new to my CD shelves, but if there was ever a compilation that was custom made for me, wouldn't it would be one that featured Heaven 17 and Haircut 100 back-to-back?

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

Tracks, with both US and UK chart peaks and links to previous appearances on this blog:

Song	Artist	Year	US	UK	Prev.
Mickey	Toni Basil	1982	1	2	1, 2, 3, 4
Get It On (Bang A Gong)	The Power Station	1985	9	22	1
Lay Your Hands On Me (UK single version)	Thompson Twins	1984	6	13	1, 2, 3
Let Me Go	Heaven 17	1982	74	41	1, 2, 3, 4
Love Plus One (Full version)	Haircut 100	1982	37	3	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Heart And Soul	T'Pau	1987	4	4
Just Got Lucky	Jo Boxers	1983	36	7	1
It Ain't What You Do...	The Fun Boy Three with Bananarama	1982	-	4	1
The Jam Was Moving	Debbie Harry	1981	82	-
Love Missile F1-11	Sigue Sigue Sputnik	1986	-	3	1
88 Lines About 44 Women	The Nails	1985	-	-	1
Only The Lonely	The Motels	1982	9	-	1, 2, 3
Living In A Box	Living In A Box	1987	17	5
Walking On Sunshine	Katrina And The Waves	1985	9	8	1
Running Up That Hill	Kate Bush	1985	30	3	1
Church Of The Poison Mind	Culture Club	1983	10	2	1
Destination Unknown	Missing Persons	1982	42	-	1
Never Ending Story	Limahl	1984	17	4
Mickey (Spanish version)	Toni Basil	1982	-	-

Here's my thoughts on those 5 first-timers:

• Heart And Soul: Once you get past the silly Star Trek-inspired name, there's a catchy bass line and memorable chorus here. I prefer the singing chorus to the spoken verse, but I dig the countermelody that floats underneath the pseudo-rapping.
• The Jam Was Moving: I expect more from Bernard Edwards/Nile Rodgers writing and production, but this one just never goes anywhere plus the synth drums and robotic background vocals ain't helpin'.
• Living In A Box: Typical over-produced, over-synthed dance music of the time. I liked it more back in '87 than I do now.
• Never Ending Story: For the most part, I like Giorgio Moroder's music. For the most part, I like Limahl's album with Kajagoogoo, White Feathers. For the most part, this one doesn't do much for me.
• Mickey (Spanish version): I didn't even know this thing existed until January 2018. So cheesy that it brings a grin to my face; I hate that I like it.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Regardless of what the calendar says, Haircut 100 takes me directly to summer.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Volume 1 (1993)
Volume 3 (1994)
Volume 4 (1994)
Volume 5 (1995)

The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys (1993)

Nothing says summer like some Beach Boys music. Definitely the best US pop/rock group in the 1960s and they certainly make a good argument for being the best American group of all-time: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1988), 100+ million records sold, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), and on and on. Rolling Stone ranked them at #12 on their list of 100 Greatest Artists in 2010 and no US groups were listed above them so, for once, Rolling Stone and I are in agreement (as is the Ultimate Classic Rock website).

Here we have a 134 track, five-disc box set that collects 33 of the band's 35 top 40 hits from Surfin' Safari (1962) through Kokomo (1988) plus some album cuts, radio jingles, live cuts, demos, and other previously unreleased tracks. The two top 40 hits missing here? The 1981 Beach Boys Medley (#12) and the group's collaboration with The Fat Boys on a remake of Wipeout (#12, 1987). The former would have been a welcome addition to this set; nothing need be said of the latter. Back in '93, the box set was priced around $60 (around $125 in 2023 dollars). As pictured above, the contents were packaged in a 6-by-12 inch box to fit in store displays alongside longboxes (did somebody say "Beach Boys longbox?").

As stated in a Billboard article from May 1993, Capitol attempted to design a package that attracted 1) casual fans "who may only want to have one Beach Boys package in their collection," 2) people who already own the music but who, "given the opportunity, might want to hear a wider selection," and 3) the "core fan" who is looking for the aforementioned unreleased tracks, particularly 20 minutes of music from the scrapped 1967 album, Smile. As you can probably guess from that description, the set is a mixed bag, at best, and doesn't beg for top-to-bottom sequential listening. But the good stuff (particularly on the first two discs) is oh-so-good and includes God Only Knows which I kinda like, to wit:

That song! It gives me goosebumps or has me bawling like a child lost in the supermarket. Sometimes both. All in under 3 minutes. What a masterpiece. But, remarkably, only one of many masterpieces on these discs. Had I owned this set around the turn of the century, I would have burned a helluva two disc set of my favorite cuts of these 5 CDs and played them loudly in my truck for all to hear. Heck, I still might just for shits and giggles.

I'm not wild that the accompanying 60 page booklet is in a hard-to-handle 6-by-12 inch format, but whacha gonna do? It contains a brief intro from Brian Wilson and an extensive historical essay from Rolling Stone writer David Leaf. The essay is good, if not predictable, but it's the many photos that make the booklet worth the effort.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★★): "a collection of essential and enduring music"
• Stereo Review: "For sheer gorgeousness, there's precious little in pop or rock that can touch this stuff"
• Billboard: "the perfect package for neophytes and fans alike"

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

---

DISC ONE
35 tracks, 77 minutes

This discs sputters a bit at the beginning, but by the time you get to track 5, cancel any plans for the remainder of the hour. Of the 35 tracks on this disc, 8 are listed as "previously unreleased" - demos, radio station jingles/promos, rehearsals and the like. But most of the remaining 27 tracks are bona fide winners. Except for a sweet a capella version of Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring, those previously unreleased tracks are not of much interest to me, but what is of interest to me are these great Top 40 tunes:

Song	Year	Hot 100
Surfin' Safari	1962	14
Surfin' U.S.A.	1963	3
	1974	36
Shut Down	1963	23
Surfer Girl	1963	7
Little Deuce Coupe	1963	15
Be True To Your School	1963	6
In My Room	1963	23
Fun, Fun, Fun	1964	5
I Get Around	1964	1
Don't Worry Baby	1964	24
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)	1964	9
Dance, Dance, Dance	1963	8
Do You Wanna Dance?	1965	12

Plus, there's just as fun but less successful singles and album cuts/b-sides like 409 (#76, 1962), Wendy (#44, 1964), Little Honda (#65, 1964), Please Let Me Wonder (#52, 1965), Catch A Wave, The Surfer Moon, The Warmth Of The Sun, All Summer Long, Little Honda, plus the 45 version of Little Saint Nick. There's also a "hidden track" at the end of the disc, a young Brian Wilson singing "Happy Birthday Four Freshmen" to his favorite vocal group into his tape recorder in 1960.

It's hard to pick favorites, but today I'll go with Surfer Girl, In My Room, Don't Worry Baby, and I Get Around.

---

DISC TWO
29 tracks, 76 minutes

A full 12 of 29 cuts are previously unreleased as Brian Wilson's writing and production style continued become more and more sophisticated (and drug-influenced) moving into Pet Sounds. Here's the top 40 cuts on this disc:

Song	Year	Hot 100
Help Me, Rhonda	1965	1
California Girls	1965	3
The Little Girl I Once Knew	1965	20
Barbara Ann	1966	2
Sloop John B	1966	3
Caroline, No	1966	32
Wouldn't It Be Nice	1966	8
God Only Knows	1966	39
Good Vibrations	1966	1

Also included are the gorgeous And Your Dream Comes True, You Still Believe In Me, I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, Pet Sounds, Our Prayer, and With Me Tonight. Tracks 18-39 come from the aforementioned Smile sessions, a few those tracks subsequently released on the Smiley Smile, 20/20, and Surf's Up albums.

My favorite is God Only Knows, but my other top picks include Wouldn't It Be Nice and the always wondrous Good Vibrations. I think I could listen to that thing 100 times in a row and never fully hear everything going on in the arrangement.

---

DISC THREE
29 tracks, 77 minutes

Now things really slow up as the group tries its hand at R&B/soul music with a lo-fi feel and less involvement from Brian Wilson. I don't think I'm the first the call this late 1960's era a 'slump.' There are "only" five top 40 hits on this disc:

Song	Year	Hot 100
Heroes And Villains	1967	12
Wild Honey	1967	31
Darlin'	1968	19
Do It Again	1968	20
I Can Hear Music	1969	24

Also included are a few less successful singles that cracked the Billboard Hot 100 without making the top 40: Friends (#47, 1968), Break Away (#63, 1969), Long Promised Road (#89, 1971), and Add Some Music To Your Day (#54, 1970). Missing from the compilation is Bluebirds Over The Mountain (#61, 1968) . Of the previously unreleased tracks, I Just Got My Pay is a nice throwback to the group's earlier sound.

This CD also includes tracks from the the band's first album on the Reprise label, 1970's Sunflower, regarded by some as the group's best post-Pet Sounds album. As noted in Rolling Stone, the Sunflower album contains "their most optimistic and uplifting music ever, in mellow-gold soft-rock mode. It’s their Abbey Road." Also included are tracks from Sunflower's popular follow-up album, Surf's Up, making the end of the disc better than the beginning.

Nothing bad, but not much memorable until we get near the end. My top cuts on this disc are This Whole World, Forever, Long Promised Road, Disney Girls, and Surf's Up.

---

DISC FOUR
25 tracks, 76 minutes

This final disc of the set covers the years 1973-86, a period when the band went through a number of troubles that won't be discussed in this space. However, it became a time when the band embraced its past and evolved into a nostalgia act that continues to this day. Three quick memories: 1) falling in love with the return to form that was Good Timin' and being disappointed at its lack of chart success, 2) the band appearing in ballparks after major league games - it seemed they played at least once a month at Arlington Ballpark when I was in college, and 3) wondering why Kokomo not only became popular but developed the staying power that it has. Puzzling to this guy.

The band's final top 40 hits:

Song	Year	Hot 100
Rock And Roll Music	1976	5
It's OK	1976	29
Good Timin'	1979	40
Come Go With Me	1981	18
Getcha Back	1985	26
Kokomo	1988	1

Also included are minor hits Sail On Sailor (#79, 1973; #49, 1975), California (#84, 1973), and Goin' On (#83, 80). There's also some odd tracks taken from The Beach Boys Love You synth-pop album and the scrapped Adult/Child album.

I've read that Brian Wilson doesn't care much for Sail On Sailor, but I dig the thing. Other favorites here are It's OK, Good Timin', and Getcha Back.

---

DISC FIVE
24 tracks, 77 minutes

This disc was a CD-only bonus disc, not included in the 4 cassette version of this box set; it comes in a cardboard sleeve whereas the other four discs are each stored in jewel cases. Demos, live versions, radio station promos, etc. Not much for me here other than tracks 7 & 13-18, which are amazing.

---

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: During a summer break (maybe 1979-ish?), I would ride my blue Sears 10 speed bike to the nearby house of some family friends. Long before we moved to town, this family had converted their two car garage into a rec room, complete with pool table and stereo. I don't remember if there was shag carpet, but I would give pretty good odds that there was. The family had 4 daughters, but they were all in college or married by this time, so when I visited, I was by myself and would spend hours playing pool and listening to the stereo. The only music I remember playing is a Beach Boys 8 track. It was fantastic: solitude, air conditioning, games of 8 ball against myself, timeless tunes, and the occasional bowl of Blue Bell ice cream. Talk about your carefree days. The only reason that family put up with me and that juvenile, invasive nonsense is because they loved my parents.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The SMiLE Sessions (1967/2011)
That's Why God Made The Radio (2012)
20 Good Vibrations: The Greatest Hits (1995)
Pet Sounds (1966)

Various Artists - Living In Oblivion: The 80's Greatest Hits, Volume 1 (1993)

The first of five volumes from EMI Records Group. As of this writing, Volume 1 is the only one I currently own. The disc includes tunes that pre-date the '80s, making the CD title a bit untruthful, but that doesn't bother me much. I usually claim June 6, 1978 (the release date of The Cars album) as the birthdate of '80s music, so I'm willing to cut the compilers some slack. Bonus points for great sequencing and comprehensive liner notes.

For me, this particular compilation neatly separates itself into four sections:

1. tracks 1-7: tracks I have on other CDs and enjoy greatly
2. tracks 8-12: tracks that I didn't remember and enjoy greatly
3. tracks 13-15: tracks I have on other CDs and enjoy greatly
4. tracks 16-18: tracks I have on other CDs but pass

A .833 batting average with five good new-to-me cuts? On the cheap from the used bin? I'll take it.

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

Tracks, with both US and UK chart peaks:

Song	Artist	Year	US	UK
Too Shy	Kajagoogoo	1982	5	1
Always Something There To Remind Me	Naked Eyes	1983	8	59
Talk Talk	Talk Talk	1982	75	23
Kids In America	Kim Wilde	1981	25	2
Turning Japanese	The Vapors	1980	36	3
The Politics Of Dancing	Re-Flex	1983	24	28
19	Paul Hardcastle	1985	15	1
Homicide	999	1978		40
Romanticide	Combo Audio	1981
Guilty	Classix Nouveaux	1981		43
(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)	The Stranglers	1977		44
2-4-6-8 Motorway	Tom Robinson Band	1977		5
C30, C60, C90, Go	Bow Wow Wow	1980		34
(She's) Sexy + 17	Stray Cats	1983	5	29
She Blinded Me With Science	Thomas Dolby	1982	5	49
Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)	Spandau Ballet	1981		3
I Eat Cannibals (Part One)	Total Coelo	1982	66	8
Shiny Shiny	Haysi Fantayzee	1983	74	16

Previous posts regarding most of these tracks can be found here, but I'll include some thoughts on the five tracks that were new to me:

• Homicide: to be fair, I have heard this cut before on another compilation, but I didn't remember it. Sounds a bit like Television or The Boys. I dig the singer's snarled delivery. And I just found out it was produced by Martin Rushent.
• Romanticide: a catchy, bouncy New Wave tune. If I hadn't read that Combo Audio was from Illinois, I would have guessed the UK. It would seem Ultravox was popular in Champaign-Urbana.
• Guilty: If I ignore the singer's voice, I really like this tune. More of the catchy, bouncy New Wave mentioned above - the sort to which I gravitated around 1982-84.
• (Get A) Grip (On Yourself): I don't know anything about The Stranglers other than the fact that they have a fantastic band name. I like the chorus and the arpeggiated bridge; normally I don't care much for screeching sax, but it just fits here. Another Rushent production.
• 2-4-6-8 Motorway: Again, I've heard this one before on the same compilation as Homicide, where I gave it a coveted grade of ✔. Easy to chant along with and includes one of the few guitar solos on this disc.

Data suggests you can't put together an '80s compilation without including She Blinded Me With Science; this post marks its eleventh appearance on this blog. And I never tire of hearing it.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but I'll give you odds on whether or not I'll eventually pick up other volumes in this series (warning: don't take that bet cuz I've got a CD addiction to feed).

John Patitucci - Another World (1993)

Remember the 'world music' craze in the '90s? Here's a jazz version from bassist John Patitucci. Or, as Billboard called it: a "contemporary jazz odyssey into a variety of world music styles."

CD liner notes

Which means it's a mixed bag, but that doesn't mean there's not some good ol' GRP smooth jazz tracks here.

Nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (Instrumental), eventually losing to The Road To You by Pat Metheny Group.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #12
• CashBox Jazz: #15

Tracks: The only skippable track is the pseudo-native drumming intro of track 1, but most of the rest (in terms of material, not performances) is pleasant, but average. The better tracks are My Summer Vacation, Hold That Thought, The Griot (with Michael Brecker), and Peace Prayer.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Dwight Yoakam - This Time (1993)

I have no idea how this CD ended up on my shelf (gift? part of a group of discs I bought from eBay? friend messing with me by slipping it in while I'm not looking?). No matter - let's give it a requisite spin.

...

Despite living in Texas since 1966, twangy country music just isn't my thing (see story from my childhood here if you're interested). I can tell it's well-written and performed, though, and from what I read it was quite successful, so good for Dwight.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #25

Tracks: The title track reminds me of something Nick Lowe might have written on those days he leans c/w.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

New Order - Republic© (1993)

Stephen Morris ranks it as his least favorite New Order album: "My least favorite, I suppose, is Republic probably because it was just a very, very unpleasant record to make. And we shouldn’t have made it, really." More from the band about the album here. Since I wasn't involved in the making of the album, I don't share Stephen's views. While it isn't my favorite New Order album, I wouldn't rate it as their worst, mainly on the strength of the opening two tracks. And I don't think I'm alone in that opinion - the album is the group's biggest US release and the aforementioned two tracks had some US chart success:

U.S. Billboard chart peaks	Pop	Dance	Rock
Regret	28	1	1
World	92	1	5

It's a little too slick, nondescript, and Peter Hook's bass is pushed far too low in the mix but even this arthritic guy can't help but dance to it.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "Chemistry is what the group is about and what it demonstrates by inventing lively sonic textures throughout a piece"
• Stereo Review: "more about hooks-per-minute than beats-per-minute"
• Robert Christgau: ***

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #11

Tracks: There's Regret and World at the top, then most of the remainder of the disc is nondescript but enjoyable dance filler highlighted by Everyone Everywhere and Chemical. And then there's Times Change and Avalanche, which are best avoided.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Seems ludicrous now, but when this album was released in the spring of 1993 I was feeling every bit of my 27 years of age and then some. Teaching teenagers for four years had helped in that regard - teenagers only know three ages: babies, teenagers, elderly (being over 20, they put me firmly in the latter category and treated me as such). In addition, my wife and I were expecting our first child and I was about to undergo a career change that ultimately wouldn't work out. In any case, a weary me found myself in the electronics section of the local Walmart and I had my eye on this CD, having heard Regret on heavy rotation on the Houston radio station I frequented. One of my high school students (complete with Andre Agassi bleached mullet) saddled up next to me in the aisle so I quickly bailed on the CD section because, as most teachers know, we really don't want to see our students out in the wild and I just didn't have the strength to deal with it. I picked up a NO greatest hits compilation a couple of years later, but didn't buy this album until the past year or so.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Waiting For The Sirens' Call (2005)
Get Ready (2001)
(the best of) New Order (1995)
(the rest of) New Order (1995)
Brotherhood (1986)
Bizarre Love Triangle (1986)

Billy Joel - River Of Dreams (1993)

I bought this album when it was released, didn't much care for it, sold it/traded it in, and forgot about it. I obviously thought it wasn't one of his better efforts. Joel was past his prime. Paying $2, I picked up another copy out of the clearance used bin earlier this month. I haven't heard the whole thing in over 25 years; let's give it a spin.

Had the piano man given up on piano? There's a lot of guitar here, which I guess should be expected when you get a guitarist to produce. I've got nothing against Danny Korthcmar, but I'd rather have Phil Ramone, Liberty DeVitto, and a Steinway. And don't get me started on the blatant cultural appropriation (which normally doesn't bother me much but I'm admittedly piling on here, so...) or the cover art by then-wife Christie Brinkley.

The verdict: after giving this another listen, I still don't care much for it. It's not that I gave up on Joel because of this album. I bought his 2001 "classical" piano album and saw him in concert in '99. I just don't think there's enough strong writing, both musically and lyrically, on this one.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "revealing the stranger behind the mask"
• Billboard: "the finest album of a remarkable career"
• Stereo Review: "The playing and arranging throughout are as sharp as a saber's tip."
• Entertainment Weekly (A-): "a popmeister’s epiphany, a pensive record that also manages to be irresistible."
• Los Angeles Times (★★): "a stream of social consciousness most buoyant when it breaks off into shallower tributaries."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1

Tracks: The standout track is the beautiful Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel). Despite the bitter lyrics, The Great Wall Of China has a good rock groove I'd forgotten about and a chorus that hearkens back to The Nylon Curtain. The Memphis-influenced A Minor Variation and, although I don't know what he's on about, the sea-chantey Two Thousand Years are decent filler. I'll pass on the rest, including the two Top 40 singles (mentioned on the hype sticker, below) which never seem to get going for me.

The album is not without some unintentional irony: a soulless song titled All About Soul and vague lyrics in a song titled Shades Of Grey. However, the last track is Famous Last Words which was foreshadowing his retirement from studio albums - that's my 20/20 hindsight in 2020.

Did somebody mention MiniDisc?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: At the time of this release, I was just starting a 4 year stint as a stay-at-home dad. I had no idea what I was doing or should be doing which is quite frustrating. Plus, we had little CD (not to mention food) money because we'd given up my salary. Still, it's not a bad way of life and that son (now age 27) turned out better than I could have ever hoped. I've got plenty of regrets in my past, but the decision to stay home those four years is not one of them.

Previously revisited for the blog:
My Lives (2005)
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
To Make You Feel My Love (1997)
Storm Front (1989)
The Bridge (1986)
An Innocent Man (1983)
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
Songs in the Attic (1981)
Glass Houses (1980)
52nd Street (1978)
The Stranger (1977)
Turnstiles (1976)
Piano Man (1973)

The Juliana Hatfield Three - Become What You Are (1993)

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

Yeah, I know - there's not a lot of '90s alternative on this blog so the appearance of the lovely Juliana Hatfield is an outlier among my typical fare. But I heard My Sister on the radio (most likely KRBE 104) in 1993 and that was all it took. I quickly purchased the cassette and it got a lot of play for a good long while. Hatfield is a fantastic songwriter and I love her voice. Plus, every now and then, it's fun to hear some guitar and bass that's distorted, run through a fuzzbox, or heavy on the feedback.

'Become What You Are' — How An Album, Born Out Of Boston’s Early 90s Music Scene, Became A Gen-X Anthem

Press of the time:

• Entertainment Weekly (A-): "Pummeling the craftiest grunge guitar east of the Rockies, Hatfield turns pop’s love and narrative conventions upside down"
• Billboard: "sound is kept in focus by [Hatfield's] consistently jarring writing and Litt's tasty production"
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "a fine album, a remarkable set of songs"
• Stereo Review: "her songs are wonderful"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #119
• Billboard Heatseekers: #1

Tracks: I bought this for My Sister (the song, not my actual sister) and it's still my favorite, followed closely by Supermodel, For The Birds, and Spin The Bottle (in five which really keeps everything off-kilter). If memory serves, I listened to side one of my tape (tracks 1-6) much more often than side two which is my oversight because there's nothing you'd want to skip on this album. I'd forgotten how much I liked it, so if it's okay with you, I'll go ahead and stick this in my truck's CD player for the next few months, crank it up and pretend to be in my late twenties again.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My first child was born in late October 1993. For reasons too lengthy to delve into here, the drive from our home to the hospital was about 50 miles each way. So I made that round trip once or twice a day for a few days. Three songs remind me of those trips: Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3, Worlds Apart by Jude Cole, and My Sister.

Cash Box, September 4, 1993, p. 11

My Sister hit #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart but only bubbled under at #112 on the pop chart. Did I keep up with JH after this? Nope - too busy with a young child, real estate, debt, starting a career, grad school, making my mark in this world. The usual adult life. But now that I've reconnected with this album, I'll take the time to delve into her lengthy catalog.

Peter Erskine - You Never Know (1993)

If I see a CD on the ECM label in the used bin, I'll pick it up without question, such is my respect for the label and its artists. I see used ECM CDs very, very rarely so I didn't think twice when I recently saw this one. I first learned of Erskine when he was the drummer on early Steps Ahead albums, but had never heard any of his albums as a leader until I bought You Never Know. The album is characterized as his first recording with his "European trio" which includes British pianist John Taylor and Swedish bassist Palle Danielsson.

Taylor writes the majority of this album and because of the instrumentation, it feels like a piano album, but all players contribute to the overall aesthetic. It's typical contemplative ECM stuff and I mean that as a compliment; I'd recommend this for nighttime listening. In a May, 1993 review, DownBeat magazine gave the album ★★★★½ and heaped praise on Erskine's subtle playing, calling it "more zen than macho" and stating that "rather than keeping strict time, Peter plays a more melodic function here, commenting on the music while Danielsson holds the center." The New York Times seems to have liked this album, but for some reason couldn't resist a dig at Jarrett:

Drummer Peter Erskine leads a Keith Jarrett-influenced trio featuring John Taylor on piano and Palle Danielsson on bass in a comfortable set of standards and originals. The mood is upbeat, the rhythm in Erskine's hands bright and easy. Taylor's piano solos have a nice shape and more of a sense of understatement than Jarrett, for all his gifts, can ever seem to muster.

I guess every ECM pianist gets compared to Keith Jarrett eventually. If you're looking for an album review drenched in needless metaphors, head over here.

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

Tracks: It's all very serene and relaxing to these ears, particularly New Old Age, On The Lake, Evans Above, and Heart Game. There's also a nice take on Cole Porter's lyrical Everything I Love from the Broadway show Let's Face It!

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.