Record Review Time Machine! Thin Lizzy - JailBreak

It's been established: I love old records. I know track numbers, album chronologies, and who played what solo where and the circumstances under which they played it. I will now focus that love into writing recommendations and reviews about albums that came out when "pitchfork" was still primarily known as a tool of satan and when, in most cases, I was yet to begin taking poops and breathing air. Yes, I'm one off those dudes who still goes to the record store and, wait for it, makes physical purchases.

Thin Lizzy is still fairly new to my worldsphere. Apart from knowing the basic beats of their massive radio hit 'The Boys Are Back in Town," they were near completely unknown to me before about a year ago. This didn't prevent me from stubbornly holding an opinion about them based almost solely on their band name which I now find quite incongruent with their actual sound...but perhaps it's just a trick of my own memory acting up here. Justin slammed me with some Liz a way's back and shortly after I purchased both a CD and vinyl copy of "Jailbreak" which it turns out is typhoid sick with the heavy rock stylings of 70s Dublin.
Thin Lizzy stuck out, soundwise, immediately. They've got Phil Lynott in the front, swaggering through the tracks and doling out the lines like they were some thick glugs of Canadian maple syrup. Then there's that other sure fire way to hook me in...the sweet twang of harmonized electric guitar, which Thin Lizzy has in spades.

The first track (also the title track) on this record really nailed me to the nuel post, and I was in love thenceforth. They come out of the box on 70s rock fire. I liked it immediately.

"Jailbreak"

You could overlook the fact that it's a concept album about a futuristic criminal element (the band members) running amok in the buzzing techtropolis, except for that cover art. Oh, and the liner notes with paragraph after paragraph of backstory.

I'm not much for the theme angle, which is loose at best. That said, the record doesn't really have any clunkers. I mean there are singles which stand out but nothing I feel the need to skip. Plus it's concise enough that I've listened to it all the way through a whole mess of times. Another highlight is "Cowboy Song" which starts quiet and gets loud like a rock song should.

"Cowboy Song"

"The Boys are Back in Town" is also on this record, situated as the Side 2 opener, and though I've always liked the tune anyway, I feel like it sounds much better in album context, after the Thin Lizzy sound and style have been established. Give it another listen as it follows "Warriors", which could easily be a Pegataur groove plus lyrics. This one is really solid and recommended for just about anybody with a heartbeat (see my official rating below)

In summary, Thin Lizzy fill that crucial gap between Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix that you didn't even know you needed filled (like a micro-cavity!). But you did, kid. You most certainly did.

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I quite like all the records I'm going to talk about here, so instead of rating these on a standard linear system, I'll instead be likening them to the career trajectories of actors who appeared in the 1986 film 'Stand By Me,' all of whom are pretty awesome in their own regard.

By that scale, I gotta rate this record a solid "Kiefer Sutherland". It was badass from the get go, and it remains ever-badass. Whether Kiefer is playing a spiky haired young ruffian like Ace or doing the old Jack Bauer, the man takes no slack. No slack! The sound and feel of Phil Lynott and the Liz say it's my way or the stinking gutters of Galway, brother. A heavy right out of the box who keeps swinging despite the inevitable not-quite-hits and/or DUI arrests.

Record Review Time Machine! Elvis Costello - This Year's Model

It's been established: I love old records. I know track numbers, album chronologies, and who played what solo where and the circumstances under which they played it. I will now focus that love into writing recommendations and reviews about albums that came out when "pitchfork" was still primarily known as a tool of satan and when, in most cases, I was yet to begin taking poops and breathing air. Yes, I'm one off those dudes who still goes to the record store and, wait for it, makes physical purchases.

Elvis is forever underrated. I don't care how high you rate him, still the underrating persists. This Year's Model is his second record, and is an absolute must hear on headphones for anyone who likes songwriting, rock and roll, or insanely awesome rhythm sections that don't make you feel like you're listening to jazz fusion. The bass and drums here are nothing short of tremendous.

Check out the opening track. It's a tight little pop song, but the drummer is just going bonkers. Listen to it LOUD.

"No Action"

I'd swear Pete Thomas never settles into a discernible beat, yet somehow this song stays together. Tight like Prefontaine's laces.

The rest of the album roasts a calf and a half. The first thing that I noticed when I listened to This Year's Model was the songwriting. The living Elvis is angry and nervous and clever in this heavenly balance that makes the lyrics and melodies really sting. You have felt these feelings before, you've just never been able to articulate them like Mr. Costello does here on the tape. Solid work, Declan. He's all wrapped up in paranoia and excitement...even the hit songs that I've heard a thousand times still smoke my earholes. "Pump It Up" is young man sexual frustration under guise of stadium applause to beat the band. "Radio Radio" is a sweet pop gem of a rallying call about the state of broadcasting, modern censorship, and the ever-shortening attention span of the world. "Living in Paradise" predates "Every Breath You Take" by a solid 6 years for creepy stalker-y pre-post punk. As this album cover suggests...Costello is definitely watching you

Among many other feats of rhythm on This Year's Model, I think a favorite is the drum fill that opens "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea".

"(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea"


The song that follows is dark and angular and really shows the Attractions firing on all cylniders. The bass/organ/guitar parts on this one are all scene-stealingly classic.

I quite like all the records I'm going to talk about here, so instead of rating these on a standard linear system, I'll instead be likening them to the career trajectories of actors who appeared in the 1986 film Stand By Me. By that scale, I rate This Year's Model a solid River Phoenix. Eternally cool even when playing a dork (or a male hustler, or a teenage archaeological enthusiast) and even though the drums pound hardest earlier, there are spots of brilliance throughout the tracklist. Finally, after a brief foray some seriously nonsensical shit (see: Lipstick Vogue lyrics / A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon) the record achieves full redemption in the end by "biting the hand that feeds" it on "Radio Radio" in near direct parallel to River's last major role in the perennially awesome "Sneakers".

Record Review Time Machine! Bob Seger - Stranger in Town

It's been established: I love old records. I know track numbers, album chronologies, and who played what solo where and the circumstances under which they played it. I will now focus that love into writing recommendations and reviews about albums that came out when "pitchfork" was still primarily known as a tool of satan and when, in most cases, I was yet to begin taking poops and breathing air.

This week I'm recommending a classic rock gem from 1978: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band's Stranger in Town.

First off...just dig this album "art".  Seger looks so darned huggable, more cuddly than Aslan/Jesus or any single Gummi Bear.  Even the most liberal among us feels the urge to yell "get a haircut, hippie" but he definitely doesn't look one ounce of dangerous.  It's difficult to believe that this shot would ever have seemed fashionable, even in the Super 70s.  Cover photo gets 2 out of 10...but don't let that dissuade you from the highly accessible piano rock that awaits you inside the sleeve.

Bob Seger is burned into your consciousness, whether you like it or not.  Somewhat quietly, perhaps even sinisterly, a couple of his songs have slipped in and been played on repeat in your brain. The one you most definitely have an opinion about already is "Old Time Rock and Roll" because of its association with the underwear dance scene in "Risky Business" and the overflow of parodies that followed. Despite being overplayed, it's a quality jam that I've always had a fondness for.  Simple tune, simple message, and an awesome execution.  It's actually a cover of a George Jackson song that Seger didn't think much of: he released it as the fourth single on the album, and even though he rewrote everything from the original except the chorus lyrics, he was in a hurry and didn't bother taking writing credit.  Boosh.  Not only did that mistake cost him tons of dough...but he wasn't even able to control how it was marketed and that's how it ended up burrowing so deep into your ektochrome like those Wrath of Khan bugs that zonk Paul Winfield and Walter Koenig.  So you don't want need to hear that again, nor judge this album by that track.  Forget I mentioned it.

But besides that--it's quite possible that this record passed right through you like Ghost Dad at the multiplex. Time to right this wrong, dudes. Stranger in Town starts off with "Hollywood Nights", the best driving song this side of Golden Earring's Greatest Hits.

"Hollywood Nights"

Way to lead off with a bang, Seger.  Archetypal tale of "midwestern boy goes to Hollywood and becomes disenfranchised" with lots of backup singing and "huuuhh-ing." Instant classic. Swaggertown, USA. 

Throughout the record, the Silver Bullet Band sounds tight and Seger's writing is poppy and accessible with a particular affinity for piano (think E Street Band in the Born to Run-era). For a kid raised (30+ years late) on Creedence, this was right up my alley when I discovered it earlier this year. Seger is half small town and half Detroit scuzz. Less squeaky clean than the Boss (Nebraska = exception) but just as firmly rooted in the screen doors and thunder storms that Springsteen pines over. Add to that some Michigan-area Motown influence (sweet female backup singers and nice horn arrangements) and a little extra soul from the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm section (who play on several tracks). On top of all that he writes a hit song about California, like he's trying to cover all four american compass directions.

The other standout track is "Still the Same," a mellow but catchy ballad that follows "Hollywood Nights". The melody really snuggles in between the sideburns and sticks there indefinitely.

"Still the Same"

I guess these (three) must have all been singles in their day...so you've probably heard all of them on rock radio at some point.  This was probably the case with me, hence their seeming so damned familiar.  I picked up the vinyl (for something in the neighborhood of 4 bucks) and put on Side 1 like 50 times in the first month I had it.  The second side doesn't really kill it as hard, and there are a couple of bland tunes on it...but the good definitely outweighs the bad. Seger rocks. Just ask Metallica.

Naturally, I quite like all the records I'm going to talk about here, so instead of rating these on a standard linear system, I'll instead be likening them to the career trajectories of actors who appeared in the 1986 film Stand By Me.  By that scale, I rate Stranger in Town as a solid Corey Feldman: i.e. peaks a little too early but leaves behind a really solid body of work (the burbs, the goonies, etc...), despite being later tarnished by drug addiction and/or whoring out of his brand via reality TV, or in this case numerous Ford commercials featuring "Like a Rock"