R.E.M. — Chronic Town

• Artist: R.E.M.
• Title: Chronic Town
• Year: 1982
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Mary/Tracy
• Acquired: 1982 – We both had our own copies.
• Keeper: Yes

I was never really into R.E.M., but for some reason I did buy the first few records. Mary, on the other hand, seems to have almost everything they did, including oddball stuff like 7″ 45RPM box sets. I was in high school when this came out and I would buy anything new, not on the radio, that I could get my hands on. Now that I’m a crotchety old geezer I’m not nearly as tolerant. I’m still always on the hunt for “the new”, but I only want what really excites me.

Pailhead — Trait

• Artist: Pailhead
• Title: Trait
• Year: 1988
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1988 – Bought it for myself at our store RIP Records.
• Keeper: Yes

Ian MacKaye on vocals with Al Jourgensen and Al Barker of Ministry and the outcome is pretty much what you would expect. Which is fine because I would expect that combo to rock. It does. This EP is only four songs. I think this came out before the Ministry album “The Land of Rape and Honey” that was also released in ’88. That album blew everyone away. This EP was a clear signal of the Ministry metal maelstrom that was to come.

Sinead O’Connor — The Lion And The Cobra

• Artist: Sinead O’Connor
• Title: The Lion And The Cobra
• Year: 1987
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1987 – Mary bought it when she was working at Plan 9 in Richmond, VA.
• Keeper: Maybe

What can I say about this one? It’s a decent pop record, and different than most stuff at the time. That said, she is solidly in the category I like to call “too-earnest-too-often.” It doesn’t even matter what the lyrics are about, it just sounds too earnest.

Naz Nomad & The Nightmares — Give Daddy the Knife Cindy

• Artist: Naz Nomad & The Nightmares
• Title: Give Daddy the Knife Cindy
• Year: 1984
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Tracy Sigler
• Acquired: 1984 – I have no idea where I got this. Mail order?
• Keeper: Yes

This is a phony band, with a phony soundtrack, to a phony movie. The truth is this band is acutally The Damned. The singer Dave Vanian’s voice is immediately recognizable. This record is mostly an eclectic collection of covers of hits from the 1960s. “Nobody But Me”, “Cold Turkey”, etc. My favorite track is an original (I think) at the end of side two, “Just Call Me Sky.” It’s supposed to sound like a “live” show. Unfortunately, it fades away just as it gets going…

MC5 — Kick Out The Jams

• Artist: MC5
• Title: Kick Out The Jams
• Year: 1969
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 9
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1984 ? Maybe later. I think I might have bought it in the UK, even though it was a US release, and that would be dumb.
• Keeper: Yes

“Kick Out The Jams…” No, not that one, unfortunately. I have a later release where the offensive, to some, language was replaced with “brothers and sisters.” It’s a laughably clumsy sounding edit to boot. The voices have completely different room sounds. But at least my version has the gloriously Metallic/Psychedelic gatefold album cover.

Everybody knows the title track, but my favorite may just be the show opener on this in-concert record, “Rambling Rose.” The whole record/show is so intense and frenzied, so heavy at times, it’s hard to believe it happened in 1969. Thank God it did.

La Muerte — Death Race 2000

• Artist: La Muerte
• Title: Death Race 2000
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 7
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1989 – Bought it for myself when we had RIP Records.
• Keeper: Yes

I was reading about these guys at Trouser Press and I realized that I got into them near the end. Apparently in their earlier work they were influenced by Birthday Party/Nick Cave. I never noticed from this record which is heavy, in a more conventional way, but the vocals are similarly intense or insane, you decide. In some ways it’s similar to Head of David in the way the riffs are layered up to create these fantastic metallic dirges, but, again, the vocals are way more intense.

KC & The Sunshine Band — Part 3

• Artist: KC & The Sunshine Band
• Title: Part 3
• Year: 1976
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 8
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1998 ? Used. I think I got it at Record Mart in Alexandria, VA.
• Keeper: Yes

“1-2-3… I’m Your Boogie Man, That’s What I Am, Make You Feel Good, Anyway I Can”

Oh, HELL yes! You’ll be a Boogie Man, Woman, Child, Cat, or Dog too after hearing this record. I’m first and foremost a “Metallist” and if I can admit this record is great, hell, I celebrate its greatness, then anyone can.

There are only eight tracks on this record. They all sound similar, and all are at the offical Disco tempo of 120/bpm. Which is good because they are all perfect. At least half of them were major hits, including “Keep it Comin’ Love”, “Shake Your Booty”, and of course “I’m Your Boogie Man.”

If you don’t find some body part(s) moving when this record is playing you probably should see your doctor. ‘Cuz somethin’s broke!

Joe Jackson – Look Sharp

• Artist: Joe Jackson
• Title: Look Sharp
• Year: 1979
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 10
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1980 ? “I know I was in high school…”
• Keeper: Yes

This is Mary’s record. I’ve never thought of myself as a big Joe Jackson fan before, but I do now. This one has the big hits “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” and “Look Sharp.” The last song “Got The Time” was covered by Anthrax in ’90s, but believe me, Joe rocks it just as hard and twice as cool. Everything else here is just as great, if not as well known.

I Love You – Live

• Artist: I Love You
• Title: Live
• Year: 1989
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: 1989 – Promo we got at our store RIP Records.
• Keeper: Yes

This is an EP. The word we got from the label rep was this EP was intended to create some buzz about the band, similar to how Guns & Roses was hyped. These guys are nothing like GNR. They are more of a straight-up riff rock band not unlike a lot of the hard rock coming out of the northwest at this time. Please don’t call it “grunge” kids. I have no idea where these cats were from.

Four originals and one solid cover of Cream’s “SWLABR.”

Paul Hardcastle – 19

• Artist: Paul Hardcastle
• Title: 19
• Year: 1985
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 5
• Owner: Mary
• Acquired: 1985 – Mary got it at Tower Records in D.C. when she was working there.
• Keeper: Yes

“In World War Two the average age of the combat soldier was 26. In Viet Nam he was 19.”

Seems a little strange to be making a dance record, about Viet Nam, in 1985. Or, maybe not. I won’t be suprised if folks are singing about Iraq in a decade. Why aren’t there more people singing now?