Great Rock Albums of 1980: REO Speedwagon- A Decade of Rock and Roll

Aerosmith weren't the only one to put out a great compilation album of all of their best stuff in 1980, REO Speedwagon did likewise with "A Decade in Rock and Roll, 1970-1980." Unlike Aerosmith however, REO Speedwagon weren't being written off as finished. If anything, they were very much in their ascendency to rock and roll glory. What this album does is to celebrate ten great years of thrilling listeners to some brilliant rock albums.

As with many artists back then, I was also late jumping on the train in regards to REO Speedwagon. I didn't even hear of them until I was in the service for six months and saw one of their songs on a bar juke box. The name amused me straight away and for some reason that name kept appearing before me like some sort of beckon. As a result, I bought the "Nine Lives" album and I was hooked. I played that album to death and when someone suggested this album, I took up the suggestion and I don't regret it. I got to hear what I had been missing all these years. Some of their early songs like "Golden Country," "Keep Pushin" and "Son of a Poor Man" were great insights into what this band was made of. Even the material with Mike Murphy as lead singer doesn't disappoint. I thought putting the live versions of "157 Riverside Avenue" and "Riding the Storm Out" was a genius idea as those songs totally rock me. And of course there's the two big songs from "You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish:" "Roll With the Changes" and "Time For Me To Fly" although Kevin Cronin probably doesn't want me to mention the latter because according to what he said on "Family Guy," all the royalties go to his bitch ex-wife. It doesn't stop me from playing it though.

Kevin Cronin on Family Guy

Track Listing:

1. Sophisticated Lady

2. Music Man

3. Golden Country

4. Son of a Poor Man

5. Lost in a Dream

6. Reeling

7. Keep Pushin

8.  I Believe Our Time is Gonna Come

9. Breakaway

10. Lightning

11. Like You Do

12. Flying Turkey Trot

13. 157 Riverside Avenue

14. Riding the Storm Out

15. Roll With the Changes

16. Time For Me to Fly

17, Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight

18. Only the Strong Survive

19. Back On the Road Again

REO Speedwagon

Kevin Cronin- rhythm guitar, lead vocals

Garry Richrath- lead guitar

Neil Doughty- keyboards, backing vocals

Bruce Hall- bass, backing vocals

Alan Gratzer- drums, percussion

Mike Murphy- lead vocals

Greg Philbin- bass

This album celebrates exactly what it says on the package, a decade in rock and roll. Ten years worth of good tunes and for those who aren't into compilations, this album will definitely entice you to check out their albums from this period. This album wouldn't be the end for them as they would go on to find commercial success but it celebrates a time when they were great because you will see as we journey further down the road, in the 70s REO Speedwagon were good, if not fantastic. In the 80s, they would settle for being popular.

Next post: Tragedies and Triumphs Part II

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: Aerosmith- Greatest Hits

Some newer Aerosmith fans may be wondering why Aerosmith needed to put out a Greatest Hits album way back in 1980 seeing that they have been going now for four decades. So, let's travel back in history to that year. In 1980, Aerosmith were a completely different story. My joke about them going from musicians dabbling in drugs to druggies dabbling in music no longer applied because they weren't even dabbling in music! Drugs, in fighting and departures were plaguing this band something chronic. As a result, this album was put out as some last hurrah for them because many people were writing them off as finished.

Finished or not, this album brought back the songs and memories that made them the great icons they were throughout the 1970s. I won't list any songs individually here as it wouldn't be fair to the ones I didn't but this is one greatest hits album I am absolutely proud to own. Some of their best songs from their classic albums are all included here and I'm sure there is plenty of room for debate for other great Aerosmith songs to have been included as well. Me personally, I would have included the title cut from "Toys in the Attic" and for my own amusement "Big Ten Inch (Record)" as well. So here's a look back to some of the great Aerosmith albums that made this compilation possible.

Track Listing:

1. Dream On

2. Same Old Song And Dance

3. Sweet Emotion

4. Walk This Way

5. Last Child

6. Back In the Saddle

7. Draw the Line

8. Kings and Queens

9. Come Together

10. Remember, Walking in the Sand

 

  Aerosmith

Steve Tyler- vocals, harmonica

Joe Perry- lead guitar

Brad Whitford- rhythm guitar

Tom Hamilton- bass

Joey Kramer- drums

I bet those who wrote Aerosmith off thirty three years ago are feeling foolish now because after a few more years of turmoil, they would be back and back to stay. Still for those who are new to the earlier material and are looking for a listen, then this album would be a great place to start.

Next post: REO Speedwagon- A Decade in Rock and Roll

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 Punk Albums of 1980: Dead Kennedys- Fresh Fruit for Rotten Vegetables

As I have stipulated in many posts thus far, back in 1980 and before, the term punk was brandished around fairly liberally in regards to bands who brought a unique sound to the music world. However, there are very few of theses acts which I would actually call punk, Talking Heads being one of the exceptions. My idea of punk was always in the form of the Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Ramones and the band whose album I'm visiting now, The Dead Kennedys. For me, Punk has always been the loud aggressive hardcore sound that the forementioned bands provided.

I have to confess, I didn't listen to the Dead Kennedys much back in the day. I knew and loved their more notable songs, including two from this album "Fresh Fruit for Rotten Vegetables," "Let's Lynch the Landlord" (something I wanted to do to two of mine) and "Holiday in Cambodia" but I never listened to their albums in real earnest. My interest in listening to the Dead Kennedys again came about 8 years ago when I listened to some political speeches by former lead singer Jello Biafra. Side note: His speech on school shootings gave me lots of inspiration for my new book "He Was Weird." And of course, when I get to 1986and 87, I will be writing posts on the criminal charges brought against him on the Dead Kennedys' "Frankenchrist" album. Still, that's down the line so let's look more closely at their debut album.

Like I said, I already knew the songs "Holiday in Cambodia" and "Let's Lynch the Landlord" and hearing them in recent times, I love them even more. However, two songs does not an album make. The rest of this album is just as hardcore and kickass. You can name any track on the album and I would give it my thumbs up but the standouts for me are: "Forward to Death," "Kill The Poor," "California Uber Allies" and "Chemical Warfare." I also really love the cover of Elvis's "Viva Las Vegas." For me, this is what punk should be; loud, powerful and to the point. The combined total of the fourteen songs is just over thirty-three minutes.

Track Listing:

1. Kill the Poor

2. Forward to Death

3. When Ya Get Drafted

4. Let's Lynch the Landlord

5. Drug Me

6. Your Emotions

7. Chemical Warfare

8. California Uber Allies

9. I Kill Children

10. Stealing People's Mail

11. Funland At the Beach

12. Ill in the Head

13. Holiday in Cambodia

14. Viva Las Vegas

Dead Kennedys

Jello Biafra- lead vocals

East Bay Ray- lead guitar

Klaus Flouride- bass, backing vocals

Ted- drums

6025- rhythm guitar on Ill in the Head

I slam danced my way for the entire thirty three minutes of this album. Thank God there wasn't a stage for me to dive off of. But this is the effect "Fresh Fruit for Rotten Vegetables" has on me as is the case with most hardcore punk. By 1980, punk was moving away from the UK and re-establishing itself on the West Coast of the US. This album is prove that it had done so successfully.

Next post: Aerosmith- Greatest Hits

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: Talking Heads- Remain in Light

The Talking Heads were yet another band who were branded punk because of their unique sound that didn't fit into any neat pigeon hole. Of course, of all the bands that I've said this about, they were probably the one band that might actually fit the title. While they weren't in the same mould as The Sex Pistols, they were born of the New York Punk scene at CBGB's in the mid 70s. So in that case, they can definitely be considered punk. I became convinced of this when I heard their debut album "77." This album was totally different and "Psycho Killer" is definitely in my top fifty favourite songs of all time. Even in the early 80s, that album was considered by many to be "way out there."

Roll on their 1980 album "Remain In Light." It's very difficult to for a band to match and album that you consider to be outstanding so I won't make comparisons to "77," especially as this album was a change in direction from their traditional punk sound to a more funky direction. I hear some reggae influence in the opening tracks, "Born Under the Punches" and "Crosseyed and Painless." They are good songs and what really makes them for me is the humourous approach that David Byrne takes to not just these two songs but for the entire album. It is definitely evident in the album's big single, "Once in a Lifetime." However, it is this sense of humour that makes me listen more to the lyrics and gets me thinking. Then there are some interesting musical effects, especially in the closer "The Overload" and "Houses In Motion" is very effective too. I get the impression that the band had a rather good time in making this album.

Track Listing:

1. Born Under the Punches

2. Crosseyed and Painless

3. The Great Curve

4. Once in a Lifetime

5. Houses in Motion

6. Seen and Not Seen

7. Listening Wind

8. The Overload

Talking Heads

David Byrne- guitar, lead vocals, keyboards, percussion

Jerry Harrison- guitar, keyboards, backing vocals

Tina Weymouth- bass, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals

Chris Frantz- drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals

"Remain in Light" would go on to be considered one of the best albums of 1980, if not the entire decade by many critics. I don't debate it. This album provided people with something different at a time when there was mainly hard rock and disco. Fortunately the latter was dying a death. "Remain in Light" highlights the abilities of four very talented musicians and even after all these years, I consider it to be way out there and I like that.

Next post: The Dead Kennedys- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

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