Ahhh, sweet tunes

Have you ever had one of those days where every album you've chosen to listen to has really hit the spot? That's me today so far, mostly. Without further ado...

Motley Crue - Theatre of Pain: Motley Crue fans don't seem to like this album. Hell, Motley Crue themselves don't even seem to like this album. I don't understand why. Sure, it could have maybe sounded a little better, but so could 90% of the albums that came out in the 80's. Admittedly I could do without ever hearing "Smoking in the Boys Room" again, but aside from that it's a pretty damn good album. And for my money, "Home Sweet Home" is right up there with "Sweet Child O' Mine" for one of the most memorable hard rock guitar solos. I think that maybe there was some backlash because it was maybe seen as a disappointment after Shout at the Devil. I can understand that; it isn't as good as SATD, but none of their other albums are. You can't chastise a band for not putting out their best album ever every time they put out an album.

Rush - Presto: OK, this is where the "mostly" in the first paragraph comes from. Before today, I would have told you I really only like 3 Rush albums; their first one, 2112, and Presto. But listening again today, Presto seems to have lost a little of its luster for me. The production seriously does not help either. It's a very weak "sounding" album. I still think it's a decent album, with some catchy tunes, but I just don't enjoy it as much as I used to.

So on to...

Rush - 2112: The first side of this album is one 20 minute long concept song about....well, I don't know what it's about. But who cares, it's that damn good. And what makes it even more amazing is that I don't particularly care for indulgent prog-rock that much. But something about that side one I just get off on. And I haven't even listened to it high yet. (But you can bet I will be soon.) And if that weren't enough, side two is another solid five stand alone tunes. Also, about what, I have no idea. To be honest I tend to just tune out Neil Peart lyrics, because while sometimes clever, they're often too cute or goofy for me to get behind. I mean c'mon, he supposedly used trees as a metaphor for political unrest in England centuries past. Enough said.

Stereophonics - You Gotta go There to Come Back: I got a copy of this album from Brian who liked one of the songs from it that he heard on a Nissan commercial. What I like about it is that it sounds like it could have been at home coming out 30 years ago, and not just a few scant years back. I also really dig that, for me, there are no couple of stand out tracks, but rather the album seems to fit together, song to song, really well. It's an album that is enjoyed more as a whole than as parts.

Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South: This was my first exposure to the Truckers, and I always have a soft spot for the first album I bought from artists I like. But what a great 1-2 punch in the first two songs, "Where The Devil Don't Stay" and "Tornadoes". Even before I'd heard the rest of the album that first time, after those first two tunes I knew I'd be buying more Truckers. What are they like? Southern story-telling rock. The type of band that sings about Buford Pusser, moonshiners, down on their luck folks, a double concept album based on Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. Hell, they even have a song about incest that's actually really pretty. And really, who can't appreciate a band that passes around at least two (that I saw) bottles of Jack Daniels while playing a live set? Who, I ask you? Communists, that's who.