Mick Jagger: She's the Boss (Day 90 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Jan Hammer was in Mahavishnu Orchestra.  He played on 'She's the Boss'.)

This is actually a really good record.  Very well produced for the era.  I liked the singles off of it but the rest of the album was a pleasure to listen to as well.  

Songs: 2.75 Ds

Performance: 3.0 Ds

Influence: 2.5 Ds

Overall: 2.75 Ds

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Mounting Flame (Day 90 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Billy Cobham drummed on 'Bitches Brew'.  He drummed on 'Inner Mounting Flame'.)

I listened to this in high school but I never went back to it until 2020 during covid.  I liked remembering what it was like to hear it for the first time. Jan is a guy who was on a lot of really great records during the 70s.  

Songs: 3.5 Ds

Performance: 3.75 Ds

Influence: 3.5 Ds

Overall: 3.75 Ds

Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (Day 89 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Lenny White played drums on 'Elegant Gypsy'. He played drums on 'Bitches Brew'.)

I am not a fan of this album.  I should be because of the amount of talent and how revolutionary the record was.  I just don't like Miles' style of jazz.  

Songs: 2.5 Ds

Performance: 4.75 Ds

Influence: 2.0 Ds

Overall: 3.25 Ds

Al Di Meola: Elegant Gypsy (Day 88 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Steve Gadd drummed on 'School Days'.  He also drummed on 'Elegant Gypsy'. )

Al is my latest musician hero.  I saw a clip of him a few months ago on Facebook and I was sucked into his 70s stuff.  A real rockstar.  His bands were awesome. 

Songs: 3.5 Ds

Performance: 3.75 Ds

Influence: 3.25 Ds

Overall: 3.5 Ds

Stanley Clarke: School Days (Day 87 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Stanley Clarke was the bass player in Return To Forever.)

This album is an all star roster of a bunch of my favorite jazz musicians.  Love the chops on this record.  I can listen to 2 spins in a row without hesitation.  

Songs: 4.0 Ds

Performance: 4.5 Ds

Influence: 4.25 Ds

Overall: 4.25 Ds

Return to Forever: Romantic Warrior (Day 86 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Chick Corea's album was 'Three Quartets'.  He also founded the band Return to Forever.)

I'll always love pompous music.  Summon the best jazz musicians of the mid-seventies and make an iconic fusion record.  There's so much to like about this band.  This year, I'm all in on Al Di Meola. Next year, it might be Stanley Clarke.  

Songs: 3.75 Ds

Performance: 4.75 Ds

Influence: 3.5 Ds

Overall: 4.0 Ds

Chick Corea: Three Quartets (Day 85 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Michael Brecker played saxaphone on 'Roll With It'. He played sax on 'Three Quartets'.)

Michael Brecker was a great horn player.  I could go off for hours on how The Brecker Brothers influenced my musical vision but this is about the man, Chick Corea.  

Fantastic album.  I can't say enough about this lineup.  Steve Gadd, Chick, Michael....ugh.  So awesome. This is gonna bring me to places where I wanted to go. Hold on wankers.

Songs: 3.5 Ds

Performance: 4.75 Ds

Influence: 3.0 Ds

Overall: 3.75 Ds

Steve Winwood: Roll With It (Day 84 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Steve Winwood was in Traffic.)

My 2nd favorite Steve Winwood album.  The stuff always just sounds really good.  That's him drumming on the title track by the way.  He's a great drummer. 

Songs: 3.5 Ds

Performance: 4.25 Ds

Influence: 3.75 Ds

Overall: 4 Ds

Traffic: Mr. Fantasy (Day 83 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Eddie Kramer engineered 'Small Faces'.  He also engineered 'Mr. Fantasy.')

Decent album.  I appreciate what they did here and when they did it.  It's not my favorite Traffic record but for 1967, it was pretty cool. 

Songs: 2.5 Ds

Performance: 2.5 Ds

Influence: 2.0 Ds

Overall: 2.5 Ds

Small Faces: Small Faces (Day 82 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: George Chkiantz engineered 'Starless and Bible Black'. He also engineered 'Small Faces'.)

Great group of iconic musicians.  Steve Marriott was wonderful.  Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagen and Kenny Jones.  This wasn't a go-to album for me but I appreciate it now.  

Songs: 3.0 Ds

Performance: 3.0 Ds

Influence: 1.5 Ds

Overall: 2.5 Ds

King Crimson: Starless and Bible Black (Day 81 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Bill Bruford was the drummer for Yes.  He was also the drummer for King Crimson.)

This is the middle album of the first remarkable trio of albums from King Crimson that I adore.  Nothing will beat 'Red' in this era but 'Starless...' comes close.  'Great Deceiver' and 'Lament' are fabulous.  

Songs: 3.75 Ds

Performance: 4.0 Ds

Influence: 4.25 Ds

Overall: 4.0 Ds

Yes: The Yes Album (Day 80 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Tony Kaye was uncredited for keyboard parts on 'Pyromania'. He was the keyboard player on 'The Yes Album'.)

'The Yes Album' is a top 15 all-time record for me.  It's my favorite album from Yes (edging out 90125 by a snatch hair).  It's groundbreaking, a personal memory capsule and a GREAT prog album.  I love memories of my uncle Bill and me cranking this on road trips. 

Tony Kaye is an underrated keyboard player.  I love this record and play it several times a year.  God bless Chris Squire. 

Songs: 4.75 Ds

Performance: 4.5 Ds

Influence: 5.0 Ds

Overall: 4.75 Ds

Def Leppard: Pyromania (Day 79 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Mutt Lange sang backup vocals on 'The Golden Age of Wireless'. He produced 'Pyromania'.)

One of the greatest albums made in the 80s.  Great production.  Great guitar tones.  Can't say much else.  

Songs: 4.0 Ds

Performance: 4.25 Ds

Influence: 3.75 Ds

Overall: 4.0 Ds

Thomas Dolby: The Golden Age of Wireless (Day 78 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Michael Hedges engineered 'Mask'. He also engineered 'The Golden Age of Wireless.)

A pretty groundbreaking album.  Loved the innovation but I didn't appreciate the entire record.  Thomas Dolby is a genius and we should thank him for being a musician.  

Songs: 2.25 Ds

Performance: 3.0 Ds

Influence: 1.5 Ds

Overall: 2.25 Ds

Bauhaus: Mask (Day 77 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Peter Murphy is the singer of Bauhaus.)

I went to Coachella in 2005.  It was a unique experience.  Saw Keane, Bauhaus and Weezer. Bauhaus was really awesome.  

This album was ok.  I actually liked Peter's solo record more than this.  

Songs: 2.5 Ds

Performance: 2.25 Ds

Influence: .5 Ds

Overall: 1.75 Ds

Peter Murphy: Ninth (Day 76 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: John Siket engineered 'Crash'.  He also engineered 'Ninth'.)

I've been surprised about some of the albums I've chosen to listen to on this journey.  This was an ear pleaser.  The production is solid and even though I don't like Peter's choices for vocal melodies sometimes, his heavier singing and chorus melodies are really great.  The drums sounded really good on this.  That's probably John Siket's magic because 'Crash's drums were amazing.  

I'm gonna listen to this again soon.  

Songs: 2.75 Ds

Performance: 2.75 Ds

Influence: 1.0 Ds

Overall: 2.25 Ds

Dave Matthews Band: Crash (Day 75 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Steve Lillywhite produced 'The Joshua Tree'.  He also produced 'Crash'.)

1996 was a great, great year.  Love, love of music, life lessons.  This was prime Dave era for me and this album got played and played and played and concerts and love and music and friends and goofy and love of all things.  Marvelous album...objectively.  It's hard to listen to now because of the melancholy but the quality of the record forces me to fight through.  

Songs: 4.0 Ds

Performance: 4.0 Ds

Influence: 5.0 Ds

Overall: 4.5 Ds

U2: The Joshua Tree (Day 74 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

(Connection to previous album: Brian Eno produced 'Remain In Light'.  He played keyboards and sang on 'The Joshua Tree'.)

Iconic album.  It was the last studio record that U2 released that I bought.  It came out at the right time for me.  It was one of those records that girls l liked, liked. 

Songs: 4.5 Ds

Performance: 4.0 Ds

Influence: 3.5 Ds

Overall: 4 Ds

Talking Heads: Remain In Light (Day 73 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

(Connection to previous album: Adrian Belew played guitar and sang on 'Baby Snakes'.  He played guitar on 'Remain In Light'.)

'Once In A Lifetime' is my favorite Talking Heads song.  Arguably the band's best record but it only sold 500,000. Brian Eno did a great job producing this record.  It'a re-listen record.  

Songs: 4.0 Ds

Performance: 4.5 Ds

Influence: 2.25 Ds

Overall: 3.75 Ds

Frank Zappa: Baby Snakes (Day 72 of Albums: 365 Mkll)

 

(Connection to previous album: Tommy Mars played keyboards on 'Radio Free Albemuth'. He played keyboards on 'Baby Snakes'.)

This abridged release was mail order only from Columbia Records.  It's a great, concise representation of Frank's band during this era.  Tight as hell and my favorite lineup.  I gravitated towards that whole later 70s era Zappa catalog when I was a kid.  Wish I would have been able to see them live.  

Songs: 4.5 Ds

Performance: 4.75 Ds

Influence: 5.0 Ds

Overall: 4.75 Ds