Great Rock Albums of 1980: Billy Joel- Glass Houses

Back in the late 1970s, Billy Joel was known as the singer who sat behind a piano and sang such ballads as "Just The Way You Are" or more pop oriented tunes like "Piano Man" or "My Life." I admit that I liked these very songs back then, after all, they weren't disco. However, I knew that he had the potential to be a little harder with his sound. Evidence of this can be sighted with songs like "Only the Good Die Young," (I always thought the song would have been perfect if they used a fuzz box with the guitar) the guitar in "Big Shot" and my all time favourite song of his, "Captain Jack." In 1980, Billy Joel finally realised this potential with the "Glass Houses" album.

If you asked any hard rocker and many metalheads back in the 80s about Billy Joel, they would probably say they liked "Glass Houses" or at the very least, it was an okay album. It helps a great deal that the album begins with that famous glass breaking sound followed by my all time second favourite Billy Joel song, "You May Be Right." The rest of the album follows on with catchy rock tunes like, "Sometimes a Fantasy" and the big top forty hit "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" which as far as hit singles go, is not that bad. I won't say that this album ranks with any of the monster metal albums but I have to give Billy Joel and "A" for effort in trying to go harder here.

Track Listing:

1. You May Be Right

2. Sometimes a Fantasy

3. Don't Ask Me Why

4. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me

5. All For Leyna

6. I Don't Want To Be Alone

7. Sleeping With The Television On

8. C'etait Toi (You Are The One)

9. Close To The Borderline

10. Through The Long Night

Billy Joel

Billy Joel- vocals, piano, synthesisers, harmonica, accordion

Dave Brown- guitars

Richie Cannata- organ, flute, saxophone

Liberty DeVitto- drums, percussion

Russell Javors- guitars

Doug Stegmeyer- bass

"Glass Houses" will go down in history as the one Billy Joel album found acceptable by many metalheads. Unfortunately, his later albums would go down the trail of 1980s commercial rock; although he did play piano on the Twisted Sister song "Be Cruel To Your School." Even the thought of "Uptown Girl" still makes me want to put on some Venom or Slayer and smash things up. As a rock album, this one is all right with me.

Next post: The Clash- London Calling

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

Great Rock Albums of 1980: The Beatles- Rarities

You are all now totally convinced that I have completely lost the plot. A Beatles album in 1980? They had broken up ten years prior to this. I will be the first to admit that this "Rarities" album released in 1980 was yet another attempt to milk more money out of The Beatles name off the many fans who followed and still follow them now but that didn't stop me from buying this album. I admit, I have always been a big fan of The Beatles and while I question why some of the tracks on this album are considered rarities, there are others on it that made me decide that I had to buy it.

"Love Me Do," "Help" and "Penny Lane" are all well known Beatles classics to me and I do not consider them to be rare. They are all good songs nonetheless and only added to my desire for this album. The case is also true to one of my all time favourites "I Am The Walrus," a song that continues to amuse me some four decades later. "Sie Liebt Dich," which is the all time classic "She Loves You" sung in German is for me a definite rarity and also my first piece of evidence that music can be enjoyable in whatever language it is sung in. "Across the Universe" would have been another one where I debated it being called rare. However, the version on this album is different to the one I heard on The Blue Album. The song begins the sound effect of a flock of birds flying off and the chorus is accompanied by a children's choir and is very well done. I still get a kick out of the next to last track "You Know My Name Look Up the Number" where there is a vocal part by one of them using a woman's voice. It reminds me of Monty Python.

Out of all the tracks mentioned, there is one track that stands alone. "Helter Skelter" is the track that makes this album for me, even if the the version on this album omits that famous rant from Ringo, "I got blisters on my fingers!" As most people agree, The Beatles influenced many genres of rock music and the song "Helter Skelter" is my evidence that they even had an influence on heavy metal. Two metal bands I can think of off the top of my head, Motley Crue and Vow Wow, have recorded covers of this Beatles classic as well as Pat Benatar in her more hard rocking days.  I probably would have bought this album for this song alone.

Track Listing:

1. Love Me Do

2. Misery

3. There's a Place

4. Sie Leibt Dich

5. And I Love Her

6. Help

7. I'm Only Sleeping

8. I Am the Walrus

9. Penny Lane

10. Helter Skelter

11. Don't Pass Me By

12. The Inner Light

13. Across the Universe

14. You Know My Name Look Up the Number

15. Sgt. Pepper's Inner Groove

The Fab Four

John Lennon- guitar, vocals

Paul McCartney- bass, piano, vocals

George Harrison- guitar, vocals

Ringo Starr- drums, vocals

Back in the 90's, I was at a 60's theme party where the self appointed deejay was playing a bunch of one hit wonders who nobody remembered and as a result the dance floor was empty. I suggested putting this album on and once I did, the dance floor filled right up. This is proof that everybody knows The Beatles even if some of their songs are considered rarities. On a personal note, if I were producing this album, I would have included the songs "Octopus's Garden" and "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" but that's just me. The Beatles influenced a lot of rock music, even heavy metal. So when you put on your next metal album, think of them.

Next post: Billy Joel- Glass Houses

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

Great Rock Albums of 19890: Queen- The Game

This album first came to my attention back in 1980 when the single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was played on a juke box in a bar whose name I can't remember. At first, I thought it was an Elvis Presley song and I wasn't the only one. That whole song radiated The King, especially Brian May's guitar solo. When I discovered it was actually Queen, I was even more impressed and liked the song that much more.

Of course, most people not in metal, those who worship the Top 40 charts especially, identify "The Game" with the number one hit single from the album, "Another One Bites the Dust." That song crossed over into previously uncharted territory for Queen because it also reached number one in the soul charts. I remember many of my African American comrades in arms listening to it extensively and found it a little amusing one day when one such comrade said to another, "These are a bunch of white boys." However, I doubt that many of them actually bought this album. What I always liked about that song is that it showed what a brilliant bassist John Deacon was.

My record buying philosophy has always been not to buy an album on account of one or two songs. The three prominent singles from the album: the two I already mentioned plus "Play the Game" are not indicative of this album. "Play the Game" is a decent opener but the second track, "Dragon Attack" is a total rocker as is the fourth track "I Need Your Loving Tonight," which after many years of not listening to it, is now firmly entrenched in my brain like it had been back then. The last five tracks are all classic Queen and that includes my favourite track on the album, "Don't Try Suicide."

Track Listing:

1. Play The Game

2. Dragon Attack

3. Another One Bites the Dust

 4. I Need Your Loving Tonight

5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love

6. Rock It

7. Don't Try Suicide

8. Sail Away Sweet Sister

9. Come On

10. Save Me

Queen

Freddie Mercury- vocals, synthesiser

Brian May- guitars, vocals, piano, synthesiser

Roger Taylor- drums, percussion, vocals, piano, rhythm guitar

John Deacon- bass, vocals, guitar, synthesiser

"The Game" has been considered more of a pop album and with some of the singles from it, there is scope for that argument. However, I'm not going to argue it here, For me, "The Game" still radiates some classic Queen and is a brilliant album.

Next post: The Beatles- Rarities

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

Great Rock Albums of 1980: Alice Cooper- Flush the Fashion

Back in 1980, this was the one album I was always intending to buy but never got around to actually doing so. It was there on the music counter of my PX for a number of months so I ask myself now, "Why did I never buy it?" The funny thing is that I have no answer to that question especially as "Flush the Fashion" was the follow up to my all time favourite Alice Cooper album "From the Inside." Maybe the reason is that except for it being at the PX, I don't remember anyone outside mentioning the album at all and therefore didn't take the chance. Having now finally listened to it, I can say that I regret that decision somewhat.

The early 1980s were dark days for Alice. He was heavily into drink and drugs and this was one of the albums he doesn't even remember recording. His career had been on the wane before that as many of his albums, except for "From the Inside," lacked that punch that was so in your face with his earlier albums. Saying that, he did have some Top 40 success during the late 70s.

"Flush the Fashion" was Alice Cooper's attempt to go more new wave. Like The Ramones, all of the songs, with exception of "Pain," are all well under the four minute mark and quite a few of those are less than three. But I must say, when I listened to the album, I do say that I liked it. "Clones" is a fantastic song and some others like "Model Citizen," "Talk Talk" and "Aspirin Damage" are all very good songs. Unlike the more progressive sound from his previous album, this one has a more straight forward hard rock feel to it and it works on many levels. Still it's not quite as good as that previous album or any of his more classic material.

Track Listing:

1. Talk Talk

2. Clones

3. Pain

4. Leather Boots

5. Aspirin Damage

6. Nuclear Infected

7. Grim Facts

8. Model Citizen

9. Dance Yourself to Death

10. Headlines

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper- lead vocals

Davey Johnstone- guitar

Fred Mandel- keyboards, guitar

Dennis Conway- drums

John Cooker Lopresti- bass

Howard Kaylan- backing vocals

Mark Volman- backing vocals

Keith Allison- backing vocals

Joe Pizzulo- backing vocals

Ricky Tierney- backing vocals

For Alice, "Flush the Fashion" was the beginning of a steep descent into near oblivion, which would only end a few more years down the line. I agree that he wasn't at the top of his game when he recorded it but when you listen to it, you can definitely imagine how good his albums were when he was at the top of his game.

Next post: Queen- The Game

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