A-Z CDs - Day 23

Apparently Day 23 is Motown and Scots Day. And Gemkow Day.
193. The Four Tops - Greatest Hits (last listen: 5+ years) - Hell of a hit machine. Personally, I'm a big fan of "Bernadette," although I'm not sure if I've ever met a Bernadette.
194. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - Solid dance-punk (if that's an actual genre) debut album from these Scots. In addition to the hit "Take Me Out," the whole album is a good listen. Personally, I need to start living by the philosophy in "Jacqueline": "It's always better on holiday, so much better on holiday. That's why we only work when we need the money."
195. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - No sophomore slump for these guys. I actually like this album a little bit more than the first one. Among my favorite songs on the CD are "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," "Walk Away," "Evil and a Heathen," and the title track.
196. The Fratellis - Costello Music (last listen: never) - Not to be confused with The Goonies' new album, Abbott Music. Bad puns aside, I recently bought this CD, but have yet to listen to it until now. Yet another Scottish band. "Good shite," as these blokes might say. They sound like the Arctic Monkeys (i.e., mostly garage punk pop, if that's a genre) with some Louis XIV and '70s British glam intonations, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. The songs are catchy as hell. I'm excited to see them at Lollapalooza this year.
197. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (last listen: 1-2 years) - It's a damn shame Gaye's crazy dad shot him in the head.
198. Marvin Gaye - Every Great Motown Hit (last listen: 1-2 years) - I lost my virginity to this album, or at least a 12-second portion of "Let's Get It On." Aside from that painful association, this album is fantastic, featuring (among others) his several hits co-sung with his paramour Tammi Terrell ("Your Precious Love," "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need To Get By"). The album's only downfall is that it doesn't feature "Sexual Healing," since that was not recorded for Motown.
199. The J. Geils Band - Flashback: The Best of The J. Geils Band (last listen: 5+ years) - "Centerfold," "Freeze Frame," and "Love Stinks" make this album worth buying, although I wish "Must Of Got Lost" was on it.
200. Chris Gemkow - Drowsy (last listen: 2-5 years) - You may know him as Chris Thunder, Gemkeezi, Luda-Chris, or one of the creative forces behind The Franklins, the undisputed kings of Missoula, Montana's goth jazz/acid synth-pop metal scene. Drowsy, his 2004 (?) solo debut, went largely unnoticed by mainstream and underground media outlets, but don't let that fool you. From what I understand, Chris locked himself in a remote Montana cabin with nothing more than a four-track, an acoustic guitar, a harmonica, a single bongo, a didgeridoo, a pillow, the May 1994 issue of Cat Fancy, and like 740 pounds of ganja. He emerged 14 months later with Drowsy, a collection of songs mostly about being tired. "Sweet Solitude" is surprisingly upbeat, considering it recounts the time he spent at Sing Sing for human trafficking. "Looking Out for You" is a horrifying piece, marked by tear-filled wailing and what I think is the sound of a man beating himself in the chest with a half-full metal bucket of nails. Despite what its title implies, "Someone Else's Girl" is all about house cats, and it gets pretty graphic. At a funeral pace, "Without Looking" back recounts in detail a man's lifelong quest for vengeance against a high school classmate who mercilessly mocked the man when he brought a pink cupcake to lunch one day, drawing accusations of homosexual incest. Derivative of early Kraftwerk, "Without a Sound" -- the second in the "Without Duology" -- is a lighthearted tale of rape and murder from the perspective of the victim -- a deaf mute merman. From what I can tell, "Been Thinkin'" is mostly about turtles, although it's unclear if he means the amphibian or the candy. "Lost and Empty" is a hilarious tongue-in-cheek tribute to AIDS. "Darlin'" is an over-the-top, overproduced ballad, singing the praises of angel dust, Conrad Bain, taxidermy, and wicker patio furniture, in that order. I think there might be a Dylan cover and a Ben Harper cover in there somewhere, but it's hard to tell when a didgeridoo is involved.