Delayed Monthly Recap: February 2010

Never did a February re-cap, so I figured you guys wouldn’t mind if I did it mid-March.

February 1st, 2010: #233: Bookends- Simon & Garfunkel
Bottom line: A terrific album that shows off Paul Simon’s lyrical finesse.

February 2nd, 2010: #41: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols- The Sex Pistols
Bottom line: The greatest punk album ever recorded. My short, sickly review was a travesty, and I apologize. This album is a true classic and a masterpiece, and should not go unheard.

February 3rd, 2010: #92: 20 Golden Greats- Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Bottom line: A fantastic collection of Buddy’s hits and a marvelous time-capsule of the 50’s.

February 4th, 2010: #392: Willy And The Poor Boys- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bottom line: Honestly, the only truly great track on this album is “Fortunate Son”. It’s most certainly not a great album, so I replaced it with one that is, Crash by Dave Matthews Band.

February 5th, 2010: #496: Destroyer- Kiss
Bottom line: As I said in the review: “It’s Kiss’ best album (besides maybe Alive!). Unless you’ve married yourself solely to whiney British kids and obscure bands with long song titles, Destoyer will brighten your day, I assure you.”

February 6th, 2010: #327: Jagged Little Pill- Alanis Morissette
Bottom line: “To sum up, Jagged Little Pill is not only one of the best albums of the 90’s, but one of the greatest albums of all time. To anyone who’s ever hurt, this is the album to listen to. Get angry, get emotional, and let Alanis into your heart like she opens up hers and lets you in.”

February 7th, 2010: #276: The Anthology Of American Folk Music- Various Artists
Bottom line: Tedious, painful, agonizing, and yet so comprehensive, educational, and impressive purely in its scope that it remained on this list. Just set aside a lot of time for it if you’re truly curious.

February 8th, 2010: #138: Rejuvenation- The Meters
Bottom line: A great funk album from start to finish. Often forgotten today (I’d never heard of it before this list) but if I turn one person on to this great album, I’ll have done my job.

February 9th, 2010: #427: Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica- The Ronettes (feat. Veronica)
Bottom line: Wonderful portrait of a pre-Beatles 60’s, and one of Phil Spector’s crowning achievements.

February 10th, 2010: #193: Dookie- Green Day
Bottom line: An absolute classic, with a raw power that can’t be recaptured. “While I hate those assholes these day who say they “…only like old Green Day” (you all knew the lyrics to American Idiot. Don’t flicking lie), you can’t fault them for loving Dookie. Hell, it’s certified diamond, and deserves every one of it’s 10,000,000 sales and then some.”

February 11th, 2010: #75: Led Zeppelin II- Led Zeppelin
Bottom line: All in all, Led Zeppelin II proves Zeppelin is one of the few bands to avoid the sophomore slump. If anything, II might actually surpass I musically. I won’t go so far as to determine that, but I will say that both these albums are essential listening for anyone who wants to truly live.

February 12th, 2010: #45: The Band- The Band
Bottom line: An absolute classic, the Band’s best album, and one of the best ways to spend an hour. Absolutely look this album up.

February 13th, 2010: #419: Dummy- Portishead
Bottom line: A really nice ambient album. Not asmind-blowing as it would be for hipsters, I’d imagine, but I enjoyed it.

February 14th, 2010: #115: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs- Derek & The Dominoes
Bottom line: Even though my review is brief, I’m excused because “…I simply can’t think while this album is on. I get too absorbed in every crevice of perfection. Hell, even when Clapton’s voice cracks, it’s fantastic.”

February 15th, 2010: #262: Workingman’s Dead- The Grateful Dead
Bottom line: My original review got deleted from my computer, but it really ripped into this boring crap piece. It’s draggy and pointless, so take my advice and devote your time to Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet instead.

February 16th, 2010: #480: Faith- George Michael
Bottom line: “Believe it or not, this album I as much about the conflict of the human spirit through life as it is about sex. He begins in lustful youth, decrying a lover for not having “Faith”, a faith he lacks in himself by the end, sure that his lover, whom he’d seduced throughout the album, is “Kissing A Fool”.”

February 17th, 2010: #98: This Year’s Model- Elvis Costello
Bottom line: “So, all in all, This Year’s Model is a fun album deserving a place on this list. All the tracks had to be even more mind-blowing in the days before indie rock and weezer, who clearly jacked the shit outta this album. It may be called This Year’s Model, but it’s actually a model of something 20 years to come (from 1978 that is).”

February 18th, 2010: #316: Rock Steady- No Doubt
Bottom line: “So, I gotta be honest, I really enjoyed this album, even though this ain’t my kind of music. It truly does deserve a place on this list, even if it doesn’t get the mainstream recognition in memory that it should.”

February 19th, 2010: #2: Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys
Bottom line: though Carrie’s review totally blew mine out of the water, I’ll just say that this is truly a classic, and will change at least a small part of your life.

February 20th, 2010: #256: The Velvet Rope- Janet Jackson
Bottom line: “Let’s be real here, I sometimes get overly praising. But this album isn’t my style of music, and I thought it was great. That oughta say something. Janet, I was never a fan, but I can see why so many people are. Great, solid album.”

February 21st, 2010: #157: Closer- Joy Division
Bottom line: “This album may be Joy Division’s most fluid and possibly it’s best. It is highly worth the listen, and hopefully it will move you even a fraction of the amount I has moved me over the years.”

February 22nd, 2010: #153: Moanin’ In The Moonlight- Howlin’ Wolf
Bottom line: “God, I can’t get over what a small-scale revelation this album is. I could go track by track, but it would just be ceaseless praise. Here is a man who WAS the blues. Everything about this album is genius. Every track is a sparkling example of blues mastery. I cannot recommend it enough.”

February 23rd, 2010: #433: Live At The Harlem Square Club- Sam Cooke
Bottom line: An ok live album, but solely for capturing the energy of a live soul performance, this album kept it’s place on the list.

February 24th, 2010: #59: Meet The Beatles- The Beatles
Bottom line: “Actually, to conclude, the whole album is genius. In fact, this is an album that absolutely defines what should be the criteria for a Greatest Albums list. Historical significance (either influential on the culture as a whole or future musicians, in this case both) mixed with quality music. This album is most definitely worth listening to, over and over again.”

February 25th, 2010: #494: She’s So Unusual- Cyndi Lauper
Bottom line: “Long story short, definitely listen to this album. There is no way to completely hate it, no matter how opposed you are to all things pink and frilly.”

February 26th, 2010: #214: Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley- Bo Diddley
Bottom line: “It’s that rush you feel while listening, that every guitarist and musician with even a hint of the blues in them felt, that inspires you to pick up the guitar and play. Sure, “I’m A Man” is one of the quintessential songs in the history of rock and roll, but every track on this album could be. Absolutely worth the listen. Know your roots, children.”

February 27th, 2010: #382: More Songs About Buildings And Food- The Talking Heads
Bottom line: This album was kinda forgettable, and got replaced when I realized the far superior Heads album Fear Of Music didn’t make the list.

February 28th, 2010: #170: Live At Leeds- The Who
Bottom line: “The Who don’t need my reviews. After a killer half-time show, a series of amazing albums, and some of the best songs in rock history, The Who speak for themselves.”