Faith No More — We Care A Lot

• Artist: Faith No More
• Title: We Care A Lot
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary ?
• Acquired: 1985 – Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

Come on. You know you like the title track, “We Care a Lot.” But I could believe it if you said that was it. This is the first Faith No More record and one of only two with Chuck Mosley on vocals. I could never get over the keyboard droning through just about every song. Applause for trying something different, but to me the keyboards just took the teeth off the otherwise hard rock sound. One last tidbit I just noticed, in more than one spot on this album they spell the band’s name “Faith. No More.” That’s: excessive, punctuation!!!

I’ll keep this one short. We’re off to see the Caps take on the Atlanta Thrashers. Time to take out the Thrash!

Echo and The Bunnymen — Heaven Up Here

• Artist: Echo and The Bunnymen
• Title: Heaven Up Here
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1981 ? – No idea.
• Keeper: Yes

Echo and The Bunnymen was always one of my favorite bands. Why I didn’t keep up with them past the first four records is unclear to me, but maybe they just got lame. Or was it me? In reading about them I just realized that they have put out four more albums in recent years that I didn’t even know about. How can this happen? I thought I was hip!

Anyhow, “Heaven Up Here” is a great follow-up to “Crocodiles.” My favorite song is “Over The Wall.” There is slightly, just slightly, too much lyrical whinging for my taste, but when I was a teenager I’m sure I thought the lyrics were awesome.

R.E.M. — Wendell Gee

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Wendell Gee
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ? – She’s outta town. Who knows where and when.
• Keeper: Yes

This is a handsome twin 7 inch gatefold package that includes the songs “Wendell Gee”, “Ages Of You”, “Crazy” and “Burning Down.” I don’t know. Maybe I’m finally mellowing out in my old age. As I lap through these R.E.M. records I’m starting to like them more. I’ll admit, they are good, but I still don’t see myself getting the urge to play these often.

Sinead O’Connor with MC Lyte — I Want Your (Hands On Me)

• Artist: Sinead O’Connor with MC Lyte
• Title: I Want Your (Hands On Me)
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1988 – Probably from Mother’s Record in Hampton, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

Again, for me Sinead O’Connor falls into the category I call too-earnest-too-often, but “I Want Your (Hands On Me)” is a decent single. The flipside, “Just Call Me Joe”, on the other hand is fantastic. It doesn’t sound like any of her other music that I’m familiar with. That song/recording was from a BBC Radio One session. It sounds almost like The Jesus and Mary Chain, but with pretty vocals.

The Lemonheads — Luka

• Artist: The Lemonheads
• Title: Luka
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 4
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: ? – “No clue at all”
• Keeper: No

I never liked The Lemonheads even when it seemed like everyone I knew did. They were just boring to me, even their early stuff that some consider “punk” or “hardcore.” They’re often compared to The Replacements, another band that completely bores me. I remember seeing The Lemonheads live on tour for “Shame About Ray”, which was probably their peak in terms of popularity. I like almost anything live, but I was bored then too. Did I mention that I think they boring? Not bad really, just boring.

Echo and The Bunnymen — Bring On The Dancing Horses

• Artist: Echo and The Bunnymen
• Title: Bring On The Dancing Horses
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 7 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Echo and The Bunnymen, similar to Black Sabbath, made their best music on the first four albums. “Bring On The Dancing Horses” came later. I like it more than other later singles, but much less than the music on the first four LPs. Now this I find strange: The flipside is “Read It In Books” which was on their first record “Crocodiles” from five years earlier. Mary’s theory is that since the band was finally getting popular in the US they put that on the flip to encourage new fans to also get the back catalog stuff. I think if that was the reason they should’ve picked something more immediately appealing like, say, “Rescue.”

Wall of Voodoo — Far Side of Crazy

Wall of Voodoo -- Far Side of Crazy

• Artist: Wall of Voodoo
• Title: Far Side of Crazy
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 – Promo Mary got when working at Plan 9 Records in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

This is just a 12″ promo. Both sides have the exact same LP version of “Far Side of Crazy” and nothing else. This is the only Wall of Voodoo recording we have, I think. I like this song better than the bigger hit, “Mexican Radio.” Mary says keep it. I say no reasonable offer refused. Keep that on the DL.

U2 — October

U2 -- October

• Artist: U2
• Title: October
• Year: 1981
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1981 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Led Zepplin had “Presence” and U2 has “October.” By that I mean these are more “challenging” records that any decent band will eventually put out, but for U2 they did it on their second release. It’s an interesting album with only one song that got any real radio attention, “Gloria.” Was there another one? I give ’em their propers for effort, but I don’t find “October” as engaging or exciting as “Boy.”

R.E.M. — Reckoning

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Reckoning
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy / Mary – Both had copies.
• Acquired: 1984 – Unknown origin.
• Keeper: Yes

Last time I played R.E.M. I made the mistake of playing Judas Priest right before. This time I made sure to play Priest after spinning “Reckoning.” And goodness knows I needed it. I hate to sound like I’m bashing R.E.M. over and over. I almost feel guilty for not liking it more, but I just can’t get into it. This was the last R.E.M. record I ever bought and it was only 1984! I played it three times today and I have to admit that it’s quality music. I’m sure at the time it was refreshing to hear a guitar band that was making essentially “naked” music with intelligent lyrics.

Will I ever play it again? I seriously doubt it, but I will keep it. Mary likes them and we have all their records.

(Tidbit: On the spine of the cover it says “File Under Water.”)

Echo and The Bunnymen — Crocodiles

• Artist: Echo And The Bunnymen
• Title: Crocodiles
• Year: 1980
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Tracy / Mary
• Acquired: 1980 – No idea where I got my copy but my friend Jeff Arthur turned me on to the band.
• Keeper: Yes

1980 was a very good year for music. Echo and The Bunnymen is one of my all-time favorite bands and this was their debut. This album is full of “hits” and pretty much every other modern rock bar band in the ’80s did a cover of some song on “Crocodiles.” Usually “Do It Clean” or “Rescue.” Like “Louie Louie” or “Gloria” those songs are so good, and so simple that it’s hard to do bad versions of them.

It’s almost impossible to explain their sound, yet it sounds familiar. They’re arty and edgy, but they can rock. The lyrics are interesting and intelligent sounding, but not pretentious. I think often times singer/songwriter Ian McCulloch chooses words for how they sound instead of what they mean.

I think they’re geniuses and by most accounts so do they. More Echo and The Bunnymen records and stories to come as I continue to lap through the alphabet.