Discuss your favorite music (whatever it is)!

Desolation Boulevard by Sweet (1974)

Written by zuma06 (2)

The album listed here is the "American" version of Desolation Boulevard. But this is the version I am most familiar with anyway. What a great album this is! There is not one clunker on here. I can't say the same about the European version This American version is a mixture of singles, album cuts, and b-sides. It is really a "best-of" collection of Sweet music from the era. I was not aware of these things in 1982. One thing you can tell from the label is that Chinn/Chapman wrote all the songs... [read the rest]

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis (1974)

Written by AAT (1)

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Genesis 1974 Over many years as a Genesis fan, I have changed my mind many times about which is my favourite of their albums. I started in the post-Gabriel phase, and my favourite was Wind and Wuthering, before I really got the chance to take in the additional complexity and atmosphere of the earlier records, and so Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound and Trespass all had a look-in. Then for a while I favoured the simpler... [read the rest]

On The Beach by Neil Young (1974)

Written by zuma06 (2)

I first heard On The Beach in the early 80's (can't quite remember because the early 80's are kind of fuzzy for me) when the 8-track tape purge began. The 8-track tape purge was a time when record stores were dumping all 8-track tapes for the smaller and better sounding cassette tape. So I picked up a lot of stuff then. Purchasing a piece of music for a starving college student was a big purchase that was not done lightly. Luckily I lived in a place that had an FM Progressive Rock station that... [read the rest]

Duke by Genesis (1980)

Written by dcd15401 (2)

Now fully into its transitional period from progressive rock giants to stadium-filling art-pop superstars, Genesis began the 1980s with their most successful album to date. Duke, like its predecessor, ... And Then There Were Three ..., attempts to offers something for everyone: Several tracks are unquestionably pop, but many are colored with complex, prog-ish arrangements bathed in keyboards and effect-laden guitars, though the heavy layering of keyboards on ... And Then There... [read the rest]

Imagine by John Lennon (1971)

Written by H-Seldon (2)

Imagine is John Lennon's second album as a solo artist, and it stands today as the best album of his solo career. Unlike his previous release, Plastic Ono Band, which was raw and sparsely produced, Imagine is quite commercial-sounding. John may have intentionally set out to make a hit album rather than a personal one, perhaps because Plastic Ono Band had sold less well than Paul McCartney's McCartney and George Harrison's All Things Must Pass... [read the rest]

Kerplunk by Green Day (1992)

Written by Francfurter (1)

It's 1992. The Seattle grunge movement is in full swing, George Bush, Sr., is leaving office, the East Bay punk scene is burgeoning, and a group of 20-year-olds who like pot and playing punk rock have released their second full-length album. Think of it this way: you know Dookie? American Idiot? 21st Century Breakdown? Well, Kerplunk is the album that started all of that; without it, we probably never would have heard that famous, acid-inspired bass line on... [read the rest]

Wind & Wuthering by Genesis (1976)

Written by dcd15401 (2)

Released December 27, 1976, Wind & Wuthering is the second album of the post-Peter Gabriel era of Genesis. It also was the final Genesis studio album for guitarist Steve Hackett, who believed his compositions were not being adequately represented on the records. Drummer Phil Collins, who had effectively served as interim lead singer for the previous release, A Trick of the Tail, was now firmly entrenched as the group's front man. Though Collins exhibits more confidence behind the... [read the rest]

Drama by Yes (1980)

Written by wolvis (1)

What a wonderful album this is. Many Yes fans do not know about it and I would guess that it is because singer Jon Anderson is not on the album. Don't fear! He is replaced by none other than Buggles singer and writer and now big time producer Trevor Horn. Horn is one of the minds behind Art of Noise and also produced Seal among many others. Caped keyboard superhero Rick Wakeman is also absent on this recording and is replaced by the other half of the Buggles, Geoff Downes, who later went on to... [read the rest]

Pet Sounds by Beach Boys (1966)

Written by H-Seldon (2)

Although the Beach Boys' music was fairly unsophisticated at the start of their careers, it matured very quickly. Their first top-10 hit, "Surfin' USA", was released in 1963, and it was essentially Chuck Berry, albeit with some nice vocal harmonies on top. By the end of 1965, they were producing pop gems with sophisticated melodies and chord changes, and creative arrangements, like "California Girls", which featured an unusual, almost orchestral-sounding intro. Throughout this time of musical... [read the rest]

Definitely Maybe by Oasis (1994)

Written by ginge57 (1)

Ok so we all know the story, two brothers from Manchester, Noel and Liam Gallagher (guitar and vocals respectively), usually at war with each other, join forces with three mates, Paul Arthurs aka "Bonehead" (guitar), Paul McGuigan or "Guigs" as we came to know him (bass) and Tony McCarroll, who just stayed as Tony McCarroll (Drums), release an album and take the music world by storm. Crikey, all in one sentence! Many years, albums and controversies later and the brothers are still at war with... [read the rest]

Apostrophe (') by Frank Zappa (1974)

Written by NeurotiKca (5)

When one looks over Frank Zappa's giant discography, one must immediately ask if all of it is necessary, and furthermore, how to wade through it. The general first choice is either this album or Over-Nite Sensation, both Zappa's biggest hit albums. They're both good choices. Over-Nite is definitely the better place to get a handle on Frank's sense of humor, though this album is arguably more interesting musically, and relies on far fewer instances of phallic humor, meaning that... [read the rest]

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco (2002)

Written by NathantheCynic (5)

So you're a Wilco fan. Well, maybe not even a fan at the moment. But it's 2002 and you've been following Jeff Tweedy and his band of down-home intellectuals for the past number of years. The 'alt-country' stuff that Tweedy had helped bring to fruition with Uncle Tupelo was keeping you pleasantly entertained. And Being There was pretty good, right? Everyone liked that album. And many loved it. But you got a weird feeling during Summerteeth. It might have been those dark lyrics... [read the rest]

Death Magnetic by Metallica (2008)

Written by NeurotiKca (5)

The year was 2003, when our story begins, with the addition of former Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo to Metallica's ranks. In the past three years the band had lost Jason Newsted, their bassist since the time of ...And Justice for All; he'd replaced Cliff Burton (who had died not long after the release of Master of Puppets) as the band was touring behind the album. Jason had big shoes to fill, and he did it well. Robert, then, had shoes that were about as big to... [read the rest]

Grace And Danger by John Martyn (1980)

Written by ant (24)

This, my friends, is a very, very special record. For a more thorough overview of John Martyn's long career of musical innovation, so sadly ended by his death at the beginning of the year, I would direct you to my humble tribute article elsewhere on Music Nerds, and also to his excellent official site at http://www.johnmartyn.com. "Some people keep diaries, I make records,"... [read the rest]

The Seeds Of Love by Tears For Fears (1989)

Written by ant (24)

In the beginning -- or, rather, at the beginning -- of the eighties, Tears For Fears were a nice little radio-friendly pop outfit. With composers Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith as frontmen, singles such as "Mad World", "Shout" and "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" had provided them with international hits. Their first two albums, The Hurting (1983) and Songs From The Big Chair (1985) had been received with similar success. All well and good: catchy enough tunes with some... [read the rest]