1001 Albums: 0421 - 0430: The Late Seventies Are Kind of Dull

Or maybe I'm just running out of things to say? 430 reviews is quite a bit of writing about one topic after all, even if some of the reviews are only a sentence. Anyways, this blog was pretty good with Willie Nelson and X-ray Spex putting in solid offerings. Nothing really jumped right out and grabbed me by the throat though. I'm getting worried that there will be less surprises now that we're creeping closer to where my awareness of music begins. I'm not half way through, this list failing to entertain is not an option!

Here's the run down, sorry it's not more exciting folks.


0421 Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear - After previously trying to solve the problems in the ghetto and making sweet love to our ear holes, Marvin gets slapped in the face with a divorce. Here’s the album all about it! Blowing all his cash on a coke habit, Marvin signed half his royalties from this album over to the ex wife to pay the alimony he was behind on. The result is a not very good record, oddly enough. I think this album is on this list for the story behind it as opposed to the sounds it contains. Which is bullshit.


0422 Willie Nelson – Stardust - Willie tackles jazz standards with an ease that is incredibly pleasant to the ears. It also hides just how extraordinary the arrangements and playing are on this album. Willie himself has the perfect voice for this style of music as well, so this gets a recommend!


0423 Chic – C’est Chic - It’s a disco album, and a pretty good one in that it doesn’t drive you nuts while you listen to it. Ultimately though it’s rather forgettable.


0424 X-ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents - Sadly lead singer Poly Styrene has recently passed away. Sadly too, I managed to somehow miss listening to X-ray Spex. This was a great debut, Poly is in great voice, and the band is really in fine form. I always get a bit of a surprise to find good playing on a punk album since I typically expect poor playing but lots of energy. So it’s great to find both great playing and energy, like there is on here! Recommend.


0425 Brian Eno – Ambient 1: Music for Airports - The title of this one made me moan in anguish, and the running times of the 4 track on here caused my head to lower in disappointment. It was in this state that I became pleasantly surprised, this was actually really good. It managed to be “Ambient” in that it sounded like back ground music, but it also kept me interested without driving me crazy. Good stuff!


0426 Siouxsie & the Banshees – The Scream - Sadly, X-ray Spex is a tough act to follow and Siouxsie and the horrible way she spells her name isn’t up to the task. The most interesting song on here is a cover of “Helter Skelter” by the Beatles, but it’s interesting for all the wrong reasons.


0427 AC/DC – Highway to Hell - Aww AC/DC, good old reliable AC/DC. I’ve never been much of a fan, but I do like this old stuff with Bon Scott. Such a great voice. Anyways, this is pretty solid and it’s nice to see that AC/DC never strayed from writing retarded songs about fucking.


0428 Sister Sledge – We Are Family - And it’s more disco! It must be 1979 or something. Anyways, I don’t have much to say about this one. It’s disco, you can dance to it. That’s it.


0429 Crusaders – Street Life - The title track to this I know I heard in a movie. The rest of it though was kind of soul jazz and rather dull! Shame on you Crusaders, there should of been more to this!


0430 Germs – GI - Right, now we get into the type of punk you would expect. And I didn’t like it. The singer was growl-y and annoying, the songs didn’t make much sense. The playing wasn’t all that great and it thankfully ended before I got annoyed. So that’s the best thing I can say about this. Maybe they should of put a "The" in front of their name.

Ho ho! I forgot all about AC/DC! I'm not sure how I feel about the band. I like them enough when they come on the radio, but I don;t get how insanely popular they are. Do you? Let me know in the comments!