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Flamin’ Groovies – “Shake Some Action” (1976)
With Shake Some Action, Flamin’ Groovies attempt a ’60s pop rock throwback in particular vein of The Byrds. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, then Shake Some Action must be the most flattering album of all time, as its insistence and success at sounding exactly like a pop rock album that could have… (read more)
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The Shaggs – “Philosophy of the World” (1969)
Haha, what the hell is with Helen Wiggin’s drumming? She never stops tapping away for even a second. It’s like someone sat her down at the kit and flipped a switch on her back to the “on” position and walked away. Obviously, no one in The Shaggs is known for their musicianship—quite the opposite, which… (read more)
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Suicide – “Why Be Blue” (1992)
Somewhere along the line, keyboardist Martin Rev and vocalist Alan Vega lost their initial one-of-a-kind chemistry and began to pull in different directions. If you ask me, it happened with Why Be Blue. I won’t deny Suicide’s self-titled debut album is easily their best, and neither would most people, but I still think they had… (read more)
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Astrud Gilberto – “The Astrud Gilberto Album”
Fairly typical ‘60s easy listening pop. But as an album, The Astrud Gilberto Album is better than most. Beautiful arrangements are accompanied by a sweet voice sophistically explaining feelings of love and loss as if they were gospel. You know—the usual. Of course, this isn’t musically gospel. It’s primarily bossa nova, albeit with a stronger… (read more)
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The Byrds – “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
A solid album by The Byrds, but I’d have to say this one is only for fans. There are a couple of great songs on here, but an equal or greater amount of material are merely decent or good. The Byrds started to write more of their own material on Turn! Turn! Turn!, but they… (read more)
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Love – “Da Capo” (1966)
The first half of Da Capo is pretty solid psychedelic pop rock despite Love’s ridiculously hammy vocalist. Listening to “¡Que Vida!” and hearing Arthur Lee’s accent could be a contest for how long one can go without laughing. He’s trying to come across as a sensitive, whimsical poet, but it’s so lamely contrived. Speaking of,… (read more)
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The Zombies – “Odessey and Oracle”
‘Odessey and Oracle’ is one of the greatest psychedelic pop albums—heck, one of the greatest albums ever made. (read more)
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Madonna – “Confessions on a Dance Floor” (2005)
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the kind of album an older Madonna should be making. Instead of chasing current trends, always a few steps behind and all for the goal of creating a subpar version of those trends, she follows her instincts. This leads to an album that has both idiosyncrasies and energy but… (read more)
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Madonna – “True Blue” (1986)
Madonna’s weakest ’80s synth pop album. Too heavy on slower, low-to-midtempo ballad material. Madonna’s greatest hooks were merciless and could make you shake effortlessly. However, some of these smoother keyboard melodies can get a bit atmospheric at times, such as in “Live to Tell,” which gives True Blue its own, unique identity. Along with this… (read more)
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Blondie – “Plastic Letters”
A definite step up from Blondie‘s self-titled debut album, but not by much, and Plastic Letters is certainly no comparison to the huge leap the band would take forward next with Parallel Lines. The pieces are all there: Chris Stein’s surf rock licks, Deborah Harry’s showgirl vocals (very unusual when compared to the other husky-voiced… (read more)