Great Rock Albums of 1982: Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska

Now that I am mellowing with age a little, I found that listening to albums now that I didn't think much of when I listened to them when they first came out but I am now appreciating them a bit more. Having grown up in New Jersey, I was hoping that when I listened to Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" again, that I would feel the same way. Unfortunately, I don't.

With "Nebraska," Bruce plays all of the instruments himself and he goes for a more folk sound on it. In fact, quite a few country artists, including the late Johnny Cash, have covered songs from "Nebraska." That's another reason why I should be more into this album because it was during my military days which were mainly based in North Carolina and that gave me more of an appreciation for country music. Sadly to say, that even that doesn't make me appreciate "Nebraska" any more. The only songs which I can really say I like are "Johnny 99" and "Used Cars." Even the single "Atlantic City" doesn't get me excited despite it being about the city I grew up near. The song sounds just as depressing as the actual city has become today. I went to Atlantic City back when I went back to the States last Autumn and the place is depressing. With three major casinos now closed, I have to agree with my friend's assessment that Atlantic City has become the new Detroit minus the murders.

Track Listing:

1. Nebraska

2. Atlantic City

3. Mansion on the Hill

4. Johnny 99

5. Highway Patrolman

6. State Trooper

7. Used Cars

8. Open All Night

9. My Father's House

10. Reason to Believe

[caption id="attachment_955" align="aligncenter" width="162"] Bruce Springsteen[/caption]

Bruce Springsteen- all instruments and vocals

One argument that came out at the time of "Nebraska" and I totally reject to this day is the one that Bruce Springsteen is nothing without the E Street Band. No, what Bruce did was to go into the studio and make an album by himself. While hearing "Nebraska" makes me want to go and play one of his other albums, he does still show that he is a talented artist and continues to be. Two years after this album, he would go out and make history but that's a story for another time.

Next post: 1982 Triumphs and Tragedy

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 1982: Billy Joel- The Nylon Curtain

April Fool's Day has past and I am glad that everybody enjoyed my little joke last week but as Rich from Kamertunes pointed out, many of us have our musical guilty pleasures, here's mine. I freely admit that back in the late 1970s, I liked the music of Billy Joel. I thought that "The Stranger" and "52nd Street" were both good albums and they led me to find an album that I thought was even better than those, "Piano Man." The title cut and "Captain Jack" from that album are my two favourite Billy Joel tunes. Then in 1980, he put out the "Glass Houses" album, which confirmed my belief that he had it in him to rock. Therefore, I was pretty optimistic when I heard about his 1982 album, "The Nylon Curtain."

This album takes Billy in a totally different direction. It's not a rock out like "Glass Houses" but he doesn't sit behind the piano on every song like the albums before that one. In fact, he plays other keyboard type instruments and has more musicians behind him in making the album. The result for me was quite interesting.

"The Nylon Curtain is yet again another album from 1982 that begins with its best known single. I've always liked "Allentown" because of the use of the acoustic guitar and what the song is about. Back in the early 1980s, factories, mines and other types of manual industry were being closed down resulting in unemployment soaring to over 10%. Many Americans felt that the American Dream had ended and this song is a good tribute to those who suffered during those times. I'm tempted to go political here but I won't and if you listen to the lyrics of the song, you will see what I mean.

While it might not be guitar rock, there are some rocking moments on "The Nylon Curtain." One of these is certainly "Goodnight Saigon." That song not only rocks but it is the second song that year which paid tribute to the Vietnam Veterans. "Still in Saigon" by the Charlie Daniels Band was the first. "Pressure" is a good new wave type song where Billy goes wild on the keyboards. He does deliver on that one. The hidden surprise for me on this album has to be "Surprises" (no pun intended.) This starts like it is going to be a traditional Billy Joel tune but he does go in a rock direction on it. I can't fault any of the other songs on the album even if they don't stand out as much as the ones mentioned.

Track Listing:

1. Allentown

2. Laura

3. Pressure

4. Goodnight Saigon

5. She's Right on Time

6. A Room of Our Own

7. Surprises

8. Scandinavian Skies

9. Where's The Orchestra

[caption id="attachment_1661" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Billy Joel[/caption]

Billy Joel- vocals, piano, organ synthesizers, Synclavier II

David Brown- lead guitar

Dominic Cortese- accordion

Liberty De Vitto- drums, percussion

Eddie Daniels- saxophone and clarinet

Russell Javors- rhythm guitar

Charles McCracken- cello

Rob Mounsey- synthesizer on "Scandinavian Skies"

Doug Stegmeyer- bass

Bill Zampino- field snare on "Goodnight Saigon"

For me, this would be the last good album from Billy Joel. He would sell out with his next album and I wouldn't take him seriously after that. All of the Billy Joel albums before this one were good and showed his musical ability. It's just a shame that he would settle for being popular.

Next post: Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska

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 1982: Gillan- Magic

The 1982 "Magic" album would be the last studio album from Gillan and this probably is why they are the best British rock/metal act not to have made it big in the US. The band would disband after this album with Ian Gillan going onto to front Black Sabbath before reforming with Deep Purple. So the million dollar question is, did they go out with a bang?

One advantage for me in answering that question is that I'm still pretty much a new comer to Gillan because they didn't make a huge impact in America. While, I have heard many of their previous albums and posted about them on here, I haven't listened to them enough to arrange them in any sort of order to preferences. Furthermore, I try not to pay attention to chart positions and don't give a crap if "Magic" didn't chart as high as "Glory Road." That makes it easier for me to judge this album on its own. I have also heard plenty of final albums from bands who disbanded after and I can say that since this is a last album from Gillan, they definitely go out on a high.

With "Magic," Gillan try to walk a fine tightrope between hard and more synthesizer rock, which they do quite well. There are some great rockers like the opener, "What's the Matter" and credit where due, Janick Gers lays down a mean guitar solo on "Bluesy Blue Sea." I didn't realise he was so capable of playing in the blues like style. Another great rocker is "Driving Me Wild." On the synthesizer side is "Caught in a Trap" and "Devil Driver" which goes way out there on a very progressive yet creative streak. That one is definitely one to have playing while contemplating the universe. Of all the tracks, the one that brings both the guitar and synthesizer sides together to make a great song is "Living for the City." It starts with the keyboard making one think that this is going to be in that vein when the guitar just steps in and takes over. Once again, Gers plays a great guitar solo and the keyboards don't disappear but continue to add to the flavour. What stops it from being a fantastic song, unfortunately, is the vocals of Ian Gillan. He tries to hard to be a screaming rock singer when he doesn't have to be. His voice is good enough without having to do that. Still, "Magic" is a great album.

Track Listing:

1. What's the Matter

2. Bluesy Blue Sea

3. Caught in a Trap

4. Long Gone

5. Driving Me Wild

6. Demon Driver

7. Living a Lie

8. You're So Right

9. Living For the City

10. Demon Driver (reprise)

[caption id="attachment_2219" align="aligncenter" width="222"] Gillan[/caption]

Ian Gillan- vocals, harmonica

Janick Gers- guitar

Colin Towns- keyboards

John McCoy- bass

Mick Underwood- drums

After "Magic," the members of Gillan would go their separate ways and move onto other things. With the person whom the band is named after, that would be left to history. It's good that unlike so many other bands whose final album isn't up to much, Gillan at least goes out with a bang with theirs.

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 1982: Culture Club- Kissing to be Clever

 After a great deal of consideration of whether or not to post about this album, I have decided to go ahead with it. No matter what people may think about Culture Club, it is part of our musical history. This band changed the way a lot of people thought about music. With the appearance of bands like this, it became a case of not only what a band sounded like that was important, it also mattered what they looked like.

[caption id="attachment_2665" align="aligncenter" width="259"] Boy George[/caption]

Like it or not, Boy George brought a new look to music in 1982. As a heterosexual male, I was immediately turned off by the concept of a man dressing like a woman, however, I found that many ladies liked him. Furthermore, the belief among some men towards Boy George and the band was that they didn't like him but they liked Culture Club's music.

Track Listing:

1. White Boy

2. You Know I'm Not Crazy

3. I'll Tumble 4 Ya

4. Take Control

5. Love Twist

6. Boy Boy (I'm the Boy)

7. I'm Afraid of Me

8. White Boys Can't Control It

9. Do You Really Want to Hurt Me

[caption id="attachment_2667" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Culture Club[/caption]

Boy George- vocals

Michael Craig- bass

Roy Hay- guitar, keyboards, sitar

Jon Moss- drums

You have probably noticed that I have not said anything about the album. That's because I haven't listened to it and have no intention of doing so. If you thought I was serious about posting a Culture Club album on 80smetalman, then

APRIL FOOL!

Ha! I got you, okay maybe not.

Next post: Billy Joel- The Nylon Curtain

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