LithoJazzoSphere Top "50" Albums - surprise #22 - way before lonestar...

[Stadler]

BTW, if the Backstreet Boys don't make an appearance, I will be horribly disappointed.

They were spontaneously the subject of discussion for half a round of my roulette.  That outcome may become ineluctable again.

ALRIGHT

 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

[hefdaddy42]

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Mojo Nixon?

[wolfking]

I'm expecting hoping suggesting a tl;dr section for every entry. 

And the 1 album per artist "rule" is bunk. sure, ya don't want a top 50 to be made up of like 7-10 artists, but my original had 4 entries from Zep, Rush, DT, and a few multiples from other bands.  They're just too big and influential for me to not have them included.

This.  I don't understand the 1 album per artist thing either.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

It will not be the last thing you don't understand about me in this thread. 
 

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Mojo Nixon?

That was actually directed at Stadler, but I already gave you a hint about something in another thread as well.  Stadler might feel the absence of a certain presence indeed though.

[Stadler]

It will not be the last thing you don't understand about me in this thread. 
 

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Mojo Nixon?

That was actually directed at Stadler, but I already gave you a hint about something in another thread as well.  Stadler might feel the absence of a certain presence indeed though.

I'm excited to see the list, for sure. 

[HOF]

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'.

[wolfking]

Little River Band

Didn't expect to see that name, good stuff, tremendous band.  Indeed so much tasty guitar work.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'.

No doubt there will be some carnage in its wake. 

[hefdaddy42]

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'.

I swear to God

[ReaperKK]

Following!

I've always loved "California Dreamin'", including the Beach Boys version which I've only heard a few times. Elton John was one of the first artists that I personally noticed as a little kid. One of my earliest memories was listening to "Sacrifice". "Levon" is a brilliant song as is a lot of his work.

I've heard Little River Band a lot but never gave them a listen.

[nick_z]

Following!

I've always loved "California Dreamin'", including the Beach Boys version which I've only heard a few times. Elton John was one of the first artists that I personally noticed as a little kid. One of my earliest memories was listening to "Sacrifice". "Levon" is a brilliant song as is a lot of his work.

I've heard Little River Band a lot but never gave them a listen.

Yes to Sacrifice! I was 12 years old. I remember the video was quite popular on the Italian "MTV" at the time. Sleeping with the Past, in retrospect, might not be one of his best, but I have fond memories of it. I remember my Dad bought it on cassette, and we listened to it quite a bit in the car.

Overall, can't deny how good Elton John was. So many classics.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

When I was younger it seemed everywhere I'd read that the 70s were far superior to the 80s musically.  Honestly I might give the edge to the 80s overall, but Elton is one I actually do prefer in the 70s though.  He still had some good material in the 80s, but I'm not nearly as familiar with it.

[HOF]

The 80s were no doubt quite awesome.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Speaking of them...

Roots and Influences:

B - my parents' collection - part II - 80s rock:

Generally these vignettes will feature 3-4 individual songs that paint a picture of the range of a particular facet of my musical upbringing.  Most of the time they're from different albums, but this time I want to highlight three tracks all from the same compilation, from the original Top Gun soundtrack.  In retrospect this is easily one of the most important albums for shaping a number of the directions of my taste, in some obvious and some more subtle ways.  I have no particular excess fondness for the film itself, though my father was in army aviation for awhile, so this film was close to his heart, and is why he had the soundtrack despite generally not being the target demographic for the style. 

Cheap Trick - "Mighty Wings"

It was tempting to choose Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone", because that might be the song I listened to the most from this soundtrack at that age (and it has saxophone too!), but it's practically such a meme at this point that almost everyone has heard it and I'd rather pick a less-known song I like about as much.  I suspect the hard rock/AOR side of my taste originates in this song and others like it.  The expansive sound, colorful synths, catchy melodies, nifty guitar solo (could have been longer and flashier), a bit of cheese and bombast, it's all a delight.  Hopefully Stadler will wind up reading this, since he seems to be their biggest fan here from what I can tell, but in the limited exploring I've done of their work this song seems a bit singular (possibly because they played but didn't write it).  Nothing else I've heard from them resonated nearly as much, but I haven't gotten around to that much of their discography.  Maybe there's something else I'm overlooking or should give a second chance. 

Teena Marie - "Lead Me On"

The Top Gun soundtrack is rather unusual, especially for the time as far as I can tell, in having four of the tracks having female lead vocals.  I like all of them, and in retrospect this is undoubtedly a key part of where that snowballing angle of my taste came from, but this is my favorite of them on this album.  Fortunately the next track I'll discuss more than makes up for it, but this is another song on this soundtrack with a tasty, but way too short of a guitar solo.  The other real highlight here is the frequent horn section punctuations that elevate this it.  Someone noted that it does Miami Sound Machine (also on the soundtrack but I'm not specificially featuring here) better than Miami Sound Machine.  And like Cheap Trick, she has been an artist that I've sampled other work from and didn't enjoy nearly as much, oh well. 

Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - "Top Gun Anthem"

There is excellent guitar work all throughout the songs on the soundtrack, but it's generally too brief, so this one stands well above the others in that regard.  It's amusing that a brief discussion about Steve broke out in Shadow Ninja's current roulette a few rounds ago, and part of why I'm adamant about defending Steve is that his playing on this tune is one of the couple songs that most made me want to learn to play the guitar.  The nuance he coaxes out of each note is mindblowing, and his tone here is god-like.  This track almost surely is what ultimately led to my interest in another category we'll get into in a number of days.  Although it also might be the start of my pet peeve with songs that fade out on instrumental solos - ugh, I hate that. 

Songs #4-#6:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0T4IGrbCzG3ZV4128ZKOl5
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLISicXPLSax9twb8XnAQzmWSaoESqHpUc

Cheap Trick - "Mighty Wings"
Teena Marie - "Lead Me On"
Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens - "Top Gun Anthem"

With the exception of a song or two, the next few sections after today for a bit will have less interest for the rock/metal-centric crowd, but if you have time to check things out, you might surprise yourself. 

[Stadler]

Cheap Trick!!! Not their best song, but they were a soundtrack Go-to for about ten years, and some of those songs are killer!

Also had "Hide In The Rainbow" from Dio, and - along with "Highlander" - was one of the things that really elevated my love for Queen and "A Kind Of Magic" specifically (It had the early version of "One Vision" on it).

[hefdaddy42]

Interesting choices!  I love soundtracks from the 80s as well, although this particular one wouldn't be one of my favorites.

Not personally a fan of Cheap Trick.

I remember that Teena Marie song (from this film soundtrack), although it's not the one that comes to mind when I think of her.

I love Faltermeyer and all his film work, and the Top Gun theme is no exception.

[SoundscapeMN]

I'll confess, I own(ed?) the Top Gun Soundtrack as a kid on cassette tape. But I really mostly think of it for 2 songs:

Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
Berlin - Take My Breath Away

[Indiscipline]

If you think about it, Faltermeyer has a big share of responsibility for (very arguably, it's just my personal take) both the Reagan Era quintessential guitar tone (Top Gun Theme) and the Reagan Era quintessential synth tone (Axel Foley).

[Sacul]

I think I've only listened to some Beach Boys albums and some Elton John songs here and there. No clue about the rest

[twosuitsluke]

I think I've only listened to some Beach Boys albums and some Elton John songs here and there. No clue about the rest

Guess what you're getting your roulette

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Cheap Trick!!! Not their best song, but they were a soundtrack Go-to for about ten years, and some of those songs are killer!

I'm definitely open to other song suggestions.  As I mentioned, I've heard a few other albums and they were alright, but haven't really clicked yet. 

Also had "Hide In The Rainbow" from Dio, and - along with "Highlander" - was one of the things that really elevated my love for Queen and "A Kind Of Magic" specifically (It had the early version of "One Vision" on it).

I've heard a decent number of Rainbow, Dio, (and Dio-era BS) albums and liked them, but just haven't put in much time to get to know them very well yet.  Rising is what I know best, though that's the 70s. 

Interestingly I believe I saw Highlander somewhere around then, though it didn't have the same impact on me at the time.  But it also unearths a memory that Queen was definitely a big part of this as well, but from a different movie.  The ending of The Mighty Ducks had "We Are The Champions" and "We Will Rock You", which were the stepping stones to get me into them a bit more a few years later.  I still wanna go through DragonAttack's discography discussion on them sometime and level my fandom up. 

I remember that Teena Marie song (from this film soundtrack), although it's not the one that comes to mind when I think of her.

Which one(s) does?

I'll confess, I own(ed?) the Top Gun Soundtrack as a kid on cassette tape. But I really mostly think of it for 2 songs:

Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
Berlin - Take My Breath Away

Yeah, I mentioned "Danger Zone" in the "Mighty Wings" writeup, it was just slightly too obvious to go with.  It'll actually get a slight callback related to something else tomorrow though.  "Take My Breath Away" is great as well, an excellent vocal performance and that iconic bass synth. 

If you think about it, Faltermeyer has a big share of responsibility for (very arguably, it's just my personal take) both the Reagan Era quintessential guitar tone (Top Gun Theme) and the Reagan Era quintessential synth tone (Axel Foley).

Oh yeah, "Axel F" is a really fun theme as well.  I'd heard of it in the cultural consciousness at that age, but I don't believe I knowingly heard it or saw the film until a number of years later though. 

I think I've only listened to some Beach Boys albums and some Elton John songs here and there. No clue about the rest

Guess what you're getting your roulette

Some 'murican hard rock with a bit of cheese and even more machismo, that's definitely going to go over well. 

[hefdaddy42]

I remember that Teena Marie song (from this film soundtrack), although it's not the one that comes to mind when I think of her.

Which one(s) does?

She had a long career, but her biggest hit had to be "Lovergirl" which is the only song that I think of when I hear her name.

[jingle.boy]

It will not be the last thing you don't understand about me in this thread. 
 

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Mojo Nixon?

That was actually directed at Stadler, but I already gave you a hint about something in another thread as well.  Stadler might feel the absence of a certain presence indeed though.

Radiohead?

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Don't speak, I know just what you're sayin'.

I swear to God

Swear to God what??  It was in my Top 50 - I threw in 5 non-traditional albums at the start just to include include a few things that were out from left field - but ones that I still absolutely adore nonetheless.  Ironically, I just used one of them in Indi's roulette, and (since there aren't any points being given out in his) another in Shadow's.

[hefdaddy42]

Not the band or the album, pal. Just the wordplay lol

[Jamesman42]

In!!!

[jingle.boy]

Not the band or the album, pal. Just the wordplay lol

Roger that!

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I remember that Teena Marie song (from this film soundtrack), although it's not the one that comes to mind when I think of her.

Which one(s) does?

She had a long career, but her biggest hit had to be "Lovergirl" which is the only song that I think of when I hear her name.

Ah, didn't recognize that one, but I gave it a listen, really nice solo on it. 

It will not be the last thing you don't understand about me in this thread. 
 

There will be something of interest for you for sure in the next section.

I have no doubt.

Mojo Nixon?

That was actually directed at Stadler, but I already gave you a hint about something in another thread as well.  Stadler might feel the absence of a certain presence indeed though.

Radiohead?

They may not be on the menu, but who knows what treacherous turns may lie ahead. 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Roots and Influences:

C - My parents' collection - part III - 80s/90s pop/rock/country:

One of these songs is not quite like the others on first glance, but it actually holds up on closer scrutiny, which I'll get to in a second.  In the late 80s/early 90s my parents went through a phase where they were playing more contemporary country and variants than anything else, and this rubbed off on me to a degree at the time. 

Amy Grant - "You're Not Alone"

So this is seemingly the oddball in this section, but it actually bridges the previous day's section with this one rather nicely.  After that initial trio in the "A" root section, Amy was one of my earliest favorite artists, with a fantastic at times raspy voice and knack for earworms.  A couple stealth honorable album mentions are her peak of Lead Me On and Heart In Motion, killer pop rock albums.  My favorite thing about them is the songs she did with Dann Huff, one of my favorite guitarists.  You can hear him all over this track, and man, what a solo.  This remains one of my all-time favorite handful of songs, although it again repeats the sin of fading out another guitar solo at the end.  Why?  Just why?  But interestingly, while there's no definitive proof that I can find, the consensus online seems to be that Dann likely played the solo on Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone", which I referenced in the previous day's section.  He'd done stellar studio work for decades, including his project Giant with his brother David on drums, and also with another group that I'll touch on in another section on a later day.  And back to Amy, she would eventually marry Vince Gill, and would dabble in some country later in her career, so she ties into the next few artists after all. 

Kathy Mattea - "Train of Memories"

Speaking of Vince, he's on backing vocals for this song.  I don't think I knew that until just now when I checked the credits to write this.  Well, that's serendipitous.  Anyway, I found this song really compelling as a child.  I had a period of obsession with trains at that age, which probably helped, but it's an outstanding song anyway.  Horn sections go surprisingly well with country tunes, and it also has tasty work from Bela Fleck on banjo.  Of course, it has yet another fade-out during the ending solo.  Truly maddening.  I need to dig deeper into Kathy's other work, but I've enjoyed what I've heard, including some of her later bluegrass output. 

Baillie & The Boys - "Wilder Days"

This was one of my mother's favorite groups of the time, I always enjoyed them when she put them on, and they continue to provide some splendid nostalgia.  There's nothing particularly remarkable about the arrangement, just a great simple and straightforward song with some tasty guitar licks and great vocal melodies and harmonies. 

Susan Ashton - "Crooked Man"

Another of my mother's favorites, who also became one of mine.  I love the almost swampy vibe on this one with the tremolo guitar riff.  Cool solo, and some splendid violin and organ work, as well as captivating vocals.  Yet another solo faded-out, blegh, these were dark days on that nettlesome front.  But interestingly for this forum, Kevin Gilbert cowrote a different song on this album. 

Song #7-#10:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0T4IGrbCzG3ZV4128ZKOl5
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLISicXPLSax9twb8XnAQzmWSaoESqHpUc

Amy Grant - "You're Not Alone"
Kathy Mattea - "Train of Memories"
Baillie & The Boys - "Wilder Days"
Susan Ashton - "Crooked Man"

[hefdaddy42]

Now that's an interesting batch of tunes!

[Evermind]

Litho, my man, I wouldn't ask it of anyone but I feel you may actually be the guy for this: do you have files for the songs you recommend in your writeups? I'd like to follow but I can't do Spotify, our VPNs are very spotty.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

If I also made a Youtube playlist would that work?  I do also have the MP3s of everything I could send you if need be, though it would take longer. 

[Evermind]

If I also made a Youtube playlist would that work?  I do also have the MP3s of everything I could send you if need be, though it would take longer.

YouTube may work, but also it may not. It would really depend on the label. I know this is a lot of work so whatever's comfortable for you.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Maybe I can mention which albums they're on, and if between the playlists and whatever other streaming services you have access to you can't find them, I can just send them to you then?