Setting Sons - The Jam I don’t know whether these artists would admit it, but I think that Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices) and Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian) are directly influenced by the music of the Jam. Listen to “Little Boy Soldiers” off of Setting Sons. Not only are Paul Weller’s vocals the antecedent of those of Pollard, but the off-kilter stopping and starting of melodies and rhythms also set the template for the “untemplated” song structure of Guided By Voices. The Murdoch comparison came to me when I found myself singing “Me and the Major” off of Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister immediately after a listen to Setting Sons. I think the influence here is more in the meter of the verses. You can certainly hear it in “Thick as Thieves” and”Wasteland.” I mention these influences to say that I had always considered The Jam to be in some way the poor man’s Clash. Through repeated listens to Setting Sons and some research into the Jam, I can see a great distinction between the influences and approaches of the two bands. (Though “Saturday’s Kids” could easily be a Clash song.) As the Jam ushered in the Mod revival that was primarily Anglo-centric, the Clash pulled from a more global palate of influences. I see the Jam more akin to The Kinks in their telling of stories that give voice to the English proletariat, than in the Clash’s call to worldwide revolution. Setting Sons began as a concept album about childhood friends who go through war together and eventually and contentiously split over political convictions. Only five of the songs stick to the concept, with the other five added as “filler.” Knowing that the album is a failure in concept does not mean that it is a failure of an album. Nine of the ten songs work together extremely well. The final song, a cover of “Heat Wave,” seems like an afterthought, though an enjoyable one. When pressed, I would probably say “Thick as Thieves” is the best song on the album, but I would easily recant when pressed further.

Setting Sons - The Jam

I don’t know whether these artists would admit it, but I think that Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices) and Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian) are directly influenced by the music of the Jam.

Listen to “Little Boy Soldiers” off of Setting Sons. Not only are Paul Weller’s vocals the antecedent of those of Pollard, but the off-kilter stopping and starting of melodies and rhythms also set the template for the “untemplated” song structure of Guided By Voices.

The Murdoch comparison came to me when I found myself singing “Me and the Major” off of Belle and Sebastian’s If You’re Feeling Sinister immediately after a listen to Setting Sons. I think the influence here is more in the meter of the verses. You can certainly hear it in “Thick as Thieves” and”Wasteland.”

I mention these influences to say that I had always considered The Jam to be in some way the poor man’s Clash. Through repeated listens to Setting Sons and some research into the Jam, I can see a great distinction between the influences and approaches of the two bands. (Though “Saturday’s Kids” could easily be a Clash song.) As the Jam ushered in the Mod revival that was primarily Anglo-centric, the Clash pulled from a more global palate of influences. I see the Jam more akin to The Kinks in their telling of stories that give voice to the English proletariat, than in the Clash’s call to worldwide revolution.

Setting Sons began as a concept album about childhood friends who go through war together and eventually and contentiously split over political convictions. Only five of the songs stick to the concept, with the other five added as “filler.” Knowing that the album is a failure in concept does not mean that it is a failure of an album. Nine of the ten songs work together extremely well. The final song, a cover of “Heat Wave,” seems like an afterthought, though an enjoyable one.

When pressed, I would probably say “Thick as Thieves” is the best song on the album, but I would easily recant when pressed further.

Lou Reed - The Bells Armed Forces was the highlight of the first two weeks, but Lou Reed’s The Bells merits a write-up as well (my apologies to Supertramp and George Jones…. Generation X, you know what you’ve done). My knowledge of Lou Reed albums runs through Velvet Underground and ends with Transformer. Sure, I’ve heard Metal Machine Music and Animal Serenade, but neither of those gave me any joy. I remember listening to Coney Island Baby at one point, but I don’t remember anything about it. If Lou had never written a song after “Satellite of Love” I would not have complained. But now I had to go and listen to The Bells, and now I have to go and listen to and love all of Lou Reed’s albums. Lou makes some curious choices on this album (his Bowie-aping vocals on “With You”) and some lyrical missteps (“How can you be so capricious?/ I don’t have no death wish.” - also from “With You”). But his good choices make this record the solid statement that it is. HIs first good choice is in the production. Every track is wrought with competing vocals, noises, and instrumentation that add a tinny tension to the “man lost in the world” theme that runs through the album. The stripped down days of “Pale Blue Eyes” are nowhere. My first serious listen of The Bells gave me the same sensation of listening to Leonard Cohen’s Phil Spector produced Death of a Ladies Man, which Cohen hated, but I love. In both cases, I think the overproduction enhances the lyrical themes. Having free jazz legend Don Cherry join the band was another good choice. As vocally ramped up Reed tries to be, Cherry’s horn puts him back in his muddy mouthed place. “Disco Mystic” works. It was gutsy to put a disco song as the second track, but it works and wouldn’t be as successful without it. “City Lights” is my favorite song on the album, despite it being the most saccharine and sentimental of anything I’ve heard from Reed. The repeating “How’s the family” background vocal line from “Families” makes the song and would get stuck in my head if the sonic wasteland of the final track “The Bells” didn’t annihilate any chance of walking away from this uncharacteristically sentimental album with a smile on my face.

Lou Reed - The Bells

Armed Forces was the highlight of the first two weeks, but Lou Reed’s The Bells merits a write-up as well (my apologies to Supertramp and George Jones…. Generation X, you know what you’ve done).

My knowledge of Lou Reed albums runs through Velvet Underground and ends with Transformer. Sure, I’ve heard Metal Machine Music and Animal Serenade, but neither of those gave me any joy. I remember listening to Coney Island Baby at one point, but I don’t remember anything about it. If Lou had never written a song after “Satellite of Love” I would not have complained.

But now I had to go and listen to The Bells, and now I have to go and listen to and love all of Lou Reed’s albums.

Lou makes some curious choices on this album (his Bowie-aping vocals on “With You”) and some lyrical missteps (“How can you be so capricious?/ I don’t have no death wish.” - also from “With You”). But his good choices make this record the solid statement that it is.

HIs first good choice is in the production. Every track is wrought with competing vocals, noises, and instrumentation that add a tinny tension to the “man lost in the world” theme that runs through the album. The stripped down days of “Pale Blue Eyes” are nowhere. My first serious listen of The Bells gave me the same sensation of listening to Leonard Cohen’s Phil Spector produced Death of a Ladies Man, which Cohen hated, but I love. In both cases, I think the overproduction enhances the lyrical themes.

Having free jazz legend Don Cherry join the band was another good choice. As vocally ramped up Reed tries to be, Cherry’s horn puts him back in his muddy mouthed place.

“Disco Mystic” works. It was gutsy to put a disco song as the second track, but it works and wouldn’t be as successful without it.

“City Lights” is my favorite song on the album, despite it being the most saccharine and sentimental of anything I’ve heard from Reed.

The repeating “How’s the family” background vocal line from “Families” makes the song and would get stuck in my head if the sonic wasteland of the final track “The Bells” didn’t annihilate any chance of walking away from this uncharacteristically sentimental album with a smile on my face.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces “Oh, I just don’t know where to begin.” The first words out of Elvis Costello on his third album Armed Forces comprise one of the best opening lines of a rock album, in my opinion. They are right up there with “I am an American aquarium drinker.” This line doesn’t indicate ignorance. (By the end of the opening track, he is singing “I know, I know.”) Costello knows too much. The appeal of Elvis Costello has always been a mystery to me. I never understood the “edgy” labels that people would put on his music. I have the same issue with the New Pornographers. Sure, they sounds like they know what they’re doing, but why do I need to listen to them. I’m happy to say that Armed Forces has led to my conversion. I think it is brilliant. (The ground for my conversion may have been softened by his recent advising of his fans not to buy a recent reissue because it is too expensive.) Produced by Nick Lowe, who has an album of his own on the listening schedule, Armed Forces breezes through thirteen impeccable tracks that cast a light on a world that is full of contradictions, racism, individual weakness, ignorance, surveillance, and outright brutality. Not to get too Haabermasian, but there are definitely systems colonizing Costello’s lifeworld. The art he creates in response is an act of revolt as charged as a stampeding pack of elephants. Here are some high points for me: ·         “Two little Hitlers will fight it out until /One little Hitler does the other one’s will.” – “Two Little Hitlers” ·         The ABBA-like piano opening of “Oliver’s Army” ·         The Rick James vocal rise of the verses of “Senior Service” ·         The first minute of “Big Boys.” ·         “I was stuck on a hammerhead” – “Big Boys” ·         “ ‘Cause somewhere in the “Quisling Clinic” /There’s a shorthand typist taking seconds over minutes” – “Green Shirt”

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces

“Oh, I just don’t know where to begin.”

The first words out of Elvis Costello on his third album Armed Forces comprise one of the best opening lines of a rock album, in my opinion. They are right up there with “I am an American aquarium drinker.”

This line doesn’t indicate ignorance. (By the end of the opening track, he is singing “I know, I know.”) Costello knows too much.

The appeal of Elvis Costello has always been a mystery to me. I never understood the “edgy” labels that people would put on his music. I have the same issue with the New Pornographers. Sure, they sounds like they know what they’re doing, but why do I need to listen to them.

I’m happy to say that Armed Forces has led to my conversion. I think it is brilliant. (The ground for my conversion may have been softened by his recent advising of his fans not to buy a recent reissue because it is too expensive.)

Produced by Nick Lowe, who has an album of his own on the listening schedule, Armed Forces breezes through thirteen impeccable tracks that cast a light on a world that is full of contradictions, racism, individual weakness, ignorance, surveillance, and outright brutality. Not to get too Haabermasian, but there are definitely systems colonizing Costello’s lifeworld. The art he creates in response is an act of revolt as charged as a stampeding pack of elephants.

Here are some high points for me:

·         “Two little Hitlers will fight it out until /One little Hitler does the other one’s will.” – “Two Little Hitlers”

·         The ABBA-like piano opening of “Oliver’s Army”

·         The Rick James vocal rise of the verses of “Senior Service”

·         The first minute of “Big Boys.”

·         “I was stuck on a hammerhead” – “Big Boys”

·         “ ‘Cause somewhere in the “Quisling Clinic” /There’s a shorthand typist taking seconds over minutes” – “Green Shirt”

Albums not available These are albums that I would love to include in the project, but they are not available on Rdio. If I get a hold of any of them I will add them to the schedule. Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material Split Enz - Frenzy Tangerine Dream – Force Majeure George Harrison – George Harrison The Only Ones – Even Serpents Shine Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones The Tubes – Remote Control Max Webster – A Million Vacations Lou Rawls – Let Me Be Good to You Rick Wakeman – Rhapsodies Jennifer Warnes – Shot Through the Heart The Records – Shades in Bed Hawkwind – PXR5 Robert Fripp – Exposure The Angels – No Exit Carole King – Touch the Sky AC/DC – Highway to Hell Pete Seeger – Circles and Seasons Commodores  - Midnight Magic Golden Earring – No Promises, No Debts The B52s – The B52s Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door Funkadelic – Uncle Jam Wants You Yellow Magic Orchestra – Solid State Survivor Tony Banks – A Curious Feeling Throbbing Gristle – 20 Jazz Funk Greats Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box M – New York, London, Paris, Munich Sid Vicious – Sid Sings Japan – Quiet Life The Beat – The Beat Shalamar – Big Fun The Skids  - Days in Europa Parlet – Invasion of the Booty Snatchers Crass – Stations of the Crass Teenage Head – Teenage Head Jonathan Richman – Back in Your Life Ornette Coleman – Of Human Feelings John Cage – Hymns and Variations for 12 Amplified Voices/ Dennis Brown - Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors The Mekons – Fast Product/The Quality of Mercy The Tourists – Tourists Peter Hammill – Between Contemplation The Motels – The Motels Inmates – First Offence Boys Next Door – Door, Door Petra – Washes Whiter Than Serge Gainsbourgh – Aux Armes et Cetera The Congos – Congo

Albums not available

These are albums that I would love to include in the project, but they are not available on Rdio. If I get a hold of any of them I will add them to the schedule.

Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material

Split Enz - Frenzy

Tangerine Dream – Force Majeure

George Harrison – George Harrison

The Only Ones – Even Serpents Shine

Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones

The Tubes – Remote Control

Max Webster – A Million Vacations

Lou Rawls – Let Me Be Good to You

Rick Wakeman – Rhapsodies

Jennifer Warnes – Shot Through the Heart

The Records – Shades in Bed

Hawkwind – PXR5

Robert Fripp – Exposure

The Angels – No Exit

Carole King – Touch the Sky

AC/DC – Highway to Hell

Pete Seeger – Circles and Seasons

Commodores  - Midnight Magic

Golden Earring – No Promises, No Debts

The B52s – The B52s

Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door

Funkadelic – Uncle Jam Wants You

Yellow Magic Orchestra – Solid State Survivor

Tony Banks – A Curious Feeling

Throbbing Gristle – 20 Jazz Funk Greats

Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box

M – New York, London, Paris, Munich

Sid Vicious – Sid Sings

Japan – Quiet Life

The Beat – The Beat

Shalamar – Big Fun

The Skids  - Days in Europa

Parlet – Invasion of the Booty Snatchers

Crass – Stations of the Crass

Teenage Head – Teenage Head

Jonathan Richman – Back in Your Life

Ornette Coleman – Of Human Feelings

John Cage – Hymns and Variations for 12 Amplified Voices/

Dennis Brown - Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors

The Mekons – Fast Product/The Quality of Mercy

The Tourists – Tourists

Peter Hammill – Between Contemplation

The Motels – The Motels

Inmates – First Offence

Boys Next Door – Door, Door

Petra – Washes Whiter Than

Serge Gainsbourgh – Aux Armes et Cetera

The Congos – Congo

The Listening Schedule January 29th – February 11th       Elvis Costello – Armed Forces     Supertramp – Breakfast in America Generation X – Valley of the Dolls/Generation X               Lou Reed – The Bells George Jones – My Very Special Guests February 12th – February 25th    The Fall – Dragnet Donna Summer – Bad Girls The Pop Group – Y Wings – Back to the Egg Joe Jackson – Look Sharp The Jam – Setting Sons February 26th – March 10th The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys             Roxy Music – Manifesto Arlo Guthrie – Outlasting the Blues Earth Wind and Fire – I Am James White and the Blacks – Off White March 11th – March 24th Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures Merle Haggard – Serving 190 Proof          Motorhead – Overkill     Philip Glass – Einstein on the Beach Thin Lizzy – Black Rose: A Rock Legend   March 25th – April 7th XTC – Drums and Wires ABBA – Voulez-Vous Iggy Pop – New Values David Bowie – Lodger Jethro Tull - Stormwatch April 8th – April 21st Sun Ra – Sleeping Beauty Patti Smith Group – Waves          Cheap Trick – Dream Police Gino Soccio - Outlines    Dionne Warwick - Dionne April 22nd – May 6th Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps  Nick Lowe – Labour of Lust         Kenny Rogers – Kenny Dire Straits – Communique          Wire – 154 Richard Lloyd – Alchemy May 7th – May 20th Steel Pulse – A Tribute to the Martyrs    Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle Kinks – Low Budget The Police – Reggatta de Blanc Devo – Duty Now for the Future May 21st – June 3rd Talking Heads – Fear of Music Fleetwood Mac – Tusk Kris Kristofferson – Shake Hands with the Devil Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes Michael Jackson – Off the Wall June 4th – June 17th Prince – Prince Bob Dylan – Slow Train Coming Pat Benatar – In the Heat of the Night Randy Newman – Born Again Marianne Faithful – Broken English Cluster – Grosses Wasser June 18th – July 1st The Slits – Cut Bob Marley and the Wailers – Survival Buzzcocks – A Different Kind of Tension                Gang of Four – Entertainment!  Can – Can July 2nd – July 15th The Specials – Specials Leonard Cohen – Recent Songs Pere Ubu – Dub Housing Bruce Cockburn – Dancing in the Devil’s Jaws      Culture – International Herb Eric Nelson - The Misfit July 16th – July 29th The Undertones – The Undertones Stevie Wonder – Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants The Fall – Live at the Witch Trials Blondie – Eat to the Beat              The Only Ones – Special View July 30th -  August 12th The Human League – Reproduction         Bee Gees – Spirits Having Flown Pink Floyd – The Wall     Graham Parker and the Rumour – Squeezing out the Sparks Miles Davis – Circle in the Round August 13th – August 26th The Raincoats – The Raincoats The Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette  Motorhead - Bomber     Charles Mingus – Mingus at Antibes  The Beach Boys – L.A. August 27th -  September 9th The Clash – London Calling           Simple Minds – Reel to Real Cacophony Chuck Berry – Rock It     Siouxsie and the Banshees – Join Hands The Roches – The Roches Sun Ra – The Other Side of the Sun September 10th – September 23rd Joe Jackson – I’m the Man Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady             Diana Ross – The Boss Linton Kwesi Johnson – Forces of Victory              The Knack – Get the Knack September 24th – October 7th Gary Numan and Tubeway Army – Replica George Lowell – Thanks, I’ll Eat Here      Joni Mitchell - Mingus The Cars – Candy-O The Stranglers - Raven   October 8th – October 21st Ian Hunter – You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic Amy Grant – My Father’s Eyes   Magazine – Second Hand Daylight Nurse With Wound – A Chance Meeting               America – Silent Letter Cabaret Voltaire- Mix-up October 22nd – November 4th Sun Ra – On Jupiter James Chance and the Contortions – Buy Philip Glass – Mad Rush Sparks – No. 1 in Heaven Chic – Risque Toto – Hydra November 5th – November 18th Chrome – Half Machine Lip Moves Cecil Taylor – Cecil Taylor Unit Dennis Brown – Words of Wisdom Swell Maps – A Trip to Marineville Terry Allen – Lubbock on Everything November 19th – December 2nd Barry White – The Message is Love          Ron Wood – Gimme Some Neck The Boomtown Rats – The Fine Art of Surfacing Ian Drury and the Blockheads – Do It Yourself Philip Glass – A Madrigal Opera December 3rd – December 16th Madness – One Step Beyond     Steve Hackett – Spectral Mornings The Allen Parsons Project - Eve Jefferson Starship – Freedom at Point Zero Aerosmith – Night in the Ruts

The Listening Schedule

January 29th – February 11th      

Elvis Costello – Armed Forces    

Supertramp – Breakfast in America

Generation X – Valley of the Dolls/Generation X              

Lou Reed – The Bells

George Jones – My Very Special Guests

February 12th – February 25th   

The Fall – Dragnet

Donna Summer – Bad Girls

The Pop Group – Y

Wings – Back to the Egg

Joe Jackson – Look Sharp

The Jam – Setting Sons

February 26th – March 10th

The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys            

Roxy Music – Manifesto

Arlo Guthrie – Outlasting the Blues

Earth Wind and Fire – I Am

James White and the Blacks – Off White

March 11th – March 24th

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

Merle Haggard – Serving 190 Proof         

Motorhead – Overkill    

Philip Glass – Einstein on the Beach

Thin Lizzy – Black Rose: A Rock Legend  

March 25th – April 7th

XTC – Drums and Wires

ABBA – Voulez-Vous

Iggy Pop – New Values

David Bowie – Lodger

Jethro Tull - Stormwatch

April 8th – April 21st

Sun Ra – Sleeping Beauty

Patti Smith Group – Waves         

Cheap Trick – Dream Police

Gino Soccio - Outlines   

Dionne Warwick - Dionne

April 22nd – May 6th

Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps

 Nick Lowe – Labour of Lust        

Kenny Rogers – Kenny

Dire Straits – Communique         

Wire – 154

Richard Lloyd – Alchemy

May 7th – May 20th

Steel Pulse – A Tribute to the Martyrs   

Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle

Kinks – Low Budget

The Police – Reggatta de Blanc

Devo – Duty Now for the Future

May 21st – June 3rd

Talking Heads – Fear of Music

Fleetwood Mac – Tusk

Kris Kristofferson – Shake Hands with the Devil

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes

Michael Jackson – Off the Wall

June 4th – June 17th

Prince – Prince

Bob Dylan – Slow Train Coming

Pat Benatar – In the Heat of the Night

Randy Newman – Born Again

Marianne Faithful – Broken English

Cluster – Grosses Wasser

June 18th – July 1st

The Slits – Cut

Bob Marley and the Wailers – Survival

Buzzcocks – A Different Kind of Tension               

Gang of Four – Entertainment! 

Can – Can

July 2nd – July 15th

The Specials – Specials

Leonard Cohen – Recent Songs

Pere Ubu – Dub Housing

Bruce Cockburn – Dancing in the Devil’s Jaws     

Culture – International Herb

Eric Nelson - The Misfit

July 16th – July 29th
The Undertones – The Undertones

Stevie Wonder – Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants

The Fall – Live at the Witch Trials

Blondie – Eat to the Beat             

The Only Ones – Special View

July 30th -  August 12th

The Human League – Reproduction        

Bee Gees – Spirits Having Flown

Pink Floyd – The Wall    

Graham Parker and the Rumour – Squeezing out the Sparks

Miles Davis – Circle in the Round

August 13th – August 26th

The Raincoats – The Raincoats

The Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette 

Motorhead - Bomber    

Charles Mingus – Mingus at Antibes

 The Beach Boys – L.A.

August 27th -  September 9th

The Clash – London Calling          

Simple Minds – Reel to Real Cacophony

Chuck Berry – Rock It    

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Join Hands

The Roches – The Roches

Sun Ra – The Other Side of the Sun

September 10th – September 23rd

Joe Jackson – I’m the Man

Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady            

Diana Ross – The Boss

Linton Kwesi Johnson – Forces of Victory             

The Knack – Get the Knack

September 24th – October 7th

Gary Numan and Tubeway Army – Replica

George Lowell – Thanks, I’ll Eat Here     

Joni Mitchell - Mingus

The Cars – Candy-O

The Stranglers - Raven  

October 8th – October 21st

Ian Hunter – You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic

Amy Grant – My Father’s Eyes  

Magazine – Second Hand Daylight

Nurse With Wound – A Chance Meeting              

America – Silent Letter

Cabaret Voltaire- Mix-up

October 22nd – November 4th

Sun Ra – On Jupiter

James Chance and the Contortions – Buy

Philip Glass – Mad Rush

Sparks – No. 1 in Heaven

Chic – Risque

Toto – Hydra

November 5th – November 18th
Chrome – Half Machine Lip Moves

Cecil Taylor – Cecil Taylor Unit

Dennis Brown – Words of Wisdom

Swell Maps – A Trip to Marineville

Terry Allen – Lubbock on Everything

November 19th – December 2nd

Barry White – The Message is Love         

Ron Wood – Gimme Some Neck

The Boomtown Rats – The Fine Art of Surfacing

Ian Drury and the Blockheads – Do It Yourself

Philip Glass – A Madrigal Opera

December 3rd – December 16th

Madness – One Step Beyond    

Steve Hackett – Spectral Mornings

The Allen Parsons Project - Eve

Jefferson Starship – Freedom at Point Zero

Aerosmith – Night in the Ruts

About the Project For the next year, I will be systematically listening to music from the year of my birth and writing my impressions of what I hear. I have several reasons for embarking on this project, though none of them are sound. ·        1. My subscription to Rdio has given me unprecedented access to music. ·         2. I feel a self-imposed pressure to remain current with my listening. This pressure eliminates the joy of absorbing music. ·         3. I used to absorb the music I had, taking the good with the bad. These days I wait for something to impress me. As a music fan, I don’t like that. ·         4. I’ve enjoyed reading Pop Matters’ “Counterbalance” column, in which two critics of different generations re-listen to and report on the top albums on the Great List. ·         5. The late 1970s were great years for music. Ask Simon Reynolds. ·         6. Several artists that other people love and value released “important” albums in 1979. I have not yet loved or valued these artists, but would like to explore their work. Among these artists are Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Sun Ra, Wire, Nick Lowe, and Gang of Four. ·         7. Several artists that I love released albums in 1979 that I have not heard or, if I have heard them, have not paid attention to. Among these artists are Lou Reed, The Fall, David Bowie, Neil Young, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen. ·         8. I am unabashedly glad to have a chance to listen to music that I would otherwise pass over: Supertramp, Amy Grant, Motorhead, Barry White, Bee Gees, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, etc. ·         9. I like self-imposed restrictions. ·         10. I don’t know enough about reggae. ·         11. Modern music is spinning its wheels. Ask Simon Reynolds. ·         12. It’s my New Year’s resolution. I spent the month of January in 2012 giving a cursory listen to 171 albums of previously unrecorded material released in 1979. This means I avoided live albums entirely. (OK, OK… I listened to The Ramones “It’s Alive.”) Based on my prediction of potential enjoyment of repeated listens of these albums, I categorized the albums as “Great,” “Good,” “OK,” and “Out.” The albums in the “Out” category will not be a part of this project. Albums in the other three categories have been semi-arbitrarily sectioned into groups of five or six and placed into two week listening blocks. As a disclaimer, the listening to and enjoying of this music is tantamount to the reporting and writing of this music. I will write about albums that I enjoy and/or about which I have something worthwhile to say. I don’t see a point in being overly critical of choices made my artists thirty-three years ago, so my comments will be generally positive. There’s no point in beating a dead Kenny Loggins.

About the Project

For the next year, I will be systematically listening to music from the year of my birth and writing my impressions of what I hear.

I have several reasons for embarking on this project, though none of them are sound.

·        1. My subscription to Rdio has given me unprecedented access to music.

·         2. I feel a self-imposed pressure to remain current with my listening. This pressure eliminates the joy of absorbing music.

·         3. I used to absorb the music I had, taking the good with the bad. These days I wait for something to impress me. As a music fan, I don’t like that.

·         4. I’ve enjoyed reading Pop Matters’ “Counterbalance” column, in which two critics of different generations re-listen to and report on the top albums on the Great List.

·         5. The late 1970s were great years for music. Ask Simon Reynolds.

·         6. Several artists that other people love and value released “important” albums in 1979. I have not yet loved or valued these artists, but would like to explore their work. Among these artists are Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Sun Ra, Wire, Nick Lowe, and Gang of Four.

·         7. Several artists that I love released albums in 1979 that I have not heard or, if I have heard them, have not paid attention to. Among these artists are Lou Reed, The Fall, David Bowie, Neil Young, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen.

·         8. I am unabashedly glad to have a chance to listen to music that I would otherwise pass over: Supertramp, Amy Grant, Motorhead, Barry White, Bee Gees, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, etc.

·         9. I like self-imposed restrictions.

·         10. I don’t know enough about reggae.

·         11. Modern music is spinning its wheels. Ask Simon Reynolds.

·         12. It’s my New Year’s resolution.

I spent the month of January in 2012 giving a cursory listen to 171 albums of previously unrecorded material released in 1979. This means I avoided live albums entirely. (OK, OK… I listened to The Ramones “It’s Alive.”)

Based on my prediction of potential enjoyment of repeated listens of these albums, I categorized the albums as “Great,” “Good,” “OK,” and “Out.” The albums in the “Out” category will not be a part of this project. Albums in the other three categories have been semi-arbitrarily sectioned into groups of five or six and placed into two week listening blocks.

As a disclaimer, the listening to and enjoying of this music is tantamount to the reporting and writing of this music. I will write about albums that I enjoy and/or about which I have something worthwhile to say. I don’t see a point in being overly critical of choices made my artists thirty-three years ago, so my comments will be generally positive. There’s no point in beating a dead Kenny Loggins.