Great Rock Albums of 1979: Bob Dylan- Slow Train Coming

In the late part of the 70's, we had Bob Dylan go electric with his "Hard Rain" and "Street Legal" albums. In late 1979, he went gospel with "Slow Train Coming." This album was born out of his conversion to Christianity in early 1979. All of the tracks have some form of religious or moral message in them. The fact is listening to the album, the music is still pretty good. I know that many people can't stomach "Jesus lyrics" and let that put them off listening to what could be a good album. Before this album, Christian Rock was more on the fringe and Dylan, with "Slow Train Coming," made it more accessible to the masses.

The most notable song on the album is "Gotta Serve Somebody," which got a lot of airplay on radio and I saw it on many a juke box in bars and restaurants at the time. I also like the tracks, "Precious Angel" and "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking." As I mentioned earlier, this album celebrates his conversion to Christianity but is nonetheless, a pretty good album.

Track Listing:

1. Gotta Serve Somebody

2. Precious Angel

3. I Believe in You

4. Slow Train

5. Gonna Change My Way of Thinking

6. Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)

7. When You Wake Up

8. Man Gave Names to All the Animals

9. When He Returns

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan- guitar, vocals

Barry Beckett- keyboards, percussion

Mickey Buckins- percussion

Carolyn Dennis- background vocals

Tim Drummond- bass

Regina Havis- background vocals

Mark Knopfler- lead guitar

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio- horns

Helena Springs- backing vocals

Pick Withers- drums

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that bands like Stryper partly owe their success to Bob Dylan and this album especially.  Listening to "Slow Train Coming" proved that you could listen to gospel rock and not have an urge to read the bible while still enjoying the music. Bob Dylan brought Christian rock into the mainstream and I think many Christian acts secretly know this.

Next post: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- Damn the Torpedoes

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Blue Oyster Cult- Mirrors

Like with Aerosmith's "Night in the Ruts" album, 1979 featured an album from Blue Oyster Cult, which doesn't get the recognition it deserves. When most people think of albums by this iconic band, the ones they will usually point out are "Agents of Fortune," "Fire of Unknown Origin" and "Extra Terrestrial Live." These are all great classic albums and I am in no way taking anything away from them, it just seems unfortunate that "Mirrors" doesn't seem to get any mention at all. This is a shame because for me, it is a damn fine album.

I knew the opening track, "Dr Music," from the live album mentioned above. When I refamiliarized myself with the album, this song came back to me straight away and has stuck in my head to the point that I'm still singing the chorus two days later. Of course, "Dr Music" isn't the only good track on "Mirrors." The tracks "The Great Sun Jester," "I Am the Storm" and "The Vigil" also stand out for me too. This doesn't take away from the rest of the album as it is a good hard rocking album that typifies what you would expect when you hear Blue Oyster Cult.

Track Listing:

1. Dr Music

2. The Great Sun Jester

3. In Thee

4. Mirrors

5. Moon Crazy

6.  The Vigil

7. I Am The Storm

8. You're Not the One

9. Lonely Teardrops

Blue Oyster Cult

Eric Bloom- stun guitar, lead vocals

Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser- lead guitar, lead vocals

Alan Lanier- keyboards, guitar

Joe Bouchard- bass, lead vocal on "Moon Crazy"

Albert Bouchard- drums, lead vocal on "You're Not the One"

It has been said that the reason for the lack of success of "Mirrors" is that they tried a more glossy, commercial sound with this album. Yes, I do admit that its sound isn't as dark as many of their other albums but I think it is still a good listen and definitely underrated. 

Next post: Bob Dylan- Slow Train Coming

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Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Store in London 

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Joe's Garage, Act 1

One of the big advantages of having your own recording studio is that you can make albums without worrying about what producers or corporate executives might think.  Frank Zappa was forced to start his own label because many of the big record companies were too afraid of his risque lyrics and themes. This was an advantage for Frank because he was unrestrained by any of the corporate restrictions and therefore was able to get on and make records the way he wanted and at this stage, he was making records as fast as one every three months. It was out of this that the album "Joe's Garage Act 1" was born.

"Joe's Garage Act 1" has all the rude themes and humorous lyrics that is traditional with most Zappa records and there are some classic reminders on this one. "Catholic Girls" and "Crew Slut" are typical cases of him poking fun at society and not holding back. I still find myself quoting lines from the former like "Hey, she gave me V.D." and "She was on her knees." However, I can't leave out my favorite from this album, "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee." Again, this is Zappa at his funniest and is what made him great. This song is so amusing that I had to write down the lyrics for a friend because she kept wanting to sing them. Yes, "Joe's Garage Act 1" has all the humor that is renowned with a Zappa record and is probably the best at doing so.

Another great thing about the album is the musicianship. I said it before, Frank Zappa is a great guitarist but not only that, he always brought out the best in the musicians who played with him. Each song again is an example of this and the guitar solo in "Crew Slut" is among the best. So with "Joe's Garage Act 1" you have both things coming together and the end result is one hell of a fantastic album.

Track Listing:

1. Central Scrutinizer

2. Joe's Garage

3. Catholic Girls

4. Crew Slut

5. Wet T-Shirt Night

6. Toad O Line

7. Why Does It Hurt When I Pee

8. Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up

Fran Zappa

Frank Zappa- guitar, vocals

Warren Cuccurullo- rhythm guitar, vocals, organ

Denny Walley- vocals, slide guitar, guitar

Craig Twister Steward- harmonica

Jeff- tenor sax

Marginal Chagrin- baritone sax

Patrick O'Hearn- wind, bass

Peter Wolf- keyboards

Stumuk- bass and baritone sax

Tommy Mars- keyboards

Vinnie Coliauta- drums, percussion

Arthur Barrow- bass, vocals

Ed Mann- vocals, percussion

Dale Bozio- vocals

Terry Bozio- guest vocals

November has been Testicular and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and I bring this up because it was prostate cancer that took Frank from us in 1993. I played all his albums, well the ones I have, when I heard the news that day. Frank Zappa will always be remembered for being a musical genius and this album is a true testament to that.

Next post: Blue Oyster Cult- Mirrors

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London