CoronaVinyl Day 119 (RS Greatest Albums 1-50): Hotel California by The Eagles

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We have reached the final day of albums on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, taking a look at the top 50 albums on the list.  Like yesterday's albums ranked 51-100, I have a good number of albums from this group on vinyl (19), and I've already featured many of them, while others are by artists that I've already featured, leaving me with only a couple options, which makes my selection a little easier.  I'm going with The Eagles' 1976 mega-album Hotel California, which is ranked #37 on the list.

Admittedly, I'm not really an Eagles fan.  I like some of their songs and loathe others.  This is a pretty good album, though.  It was the first album the group made after Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leadon on guitar, as well as the last album to feature bassist Randy Meisner.  Walsh -- formerly of rock trio James Gang, the lesser-known Barnstorm, and also a solo artist (and now brother-in-law of Ringo Starr!) -- provided more of a rock and roll edge to the band, as Hotel California had several songs that drifted from the Eagles' signature country rock and soft rock sound (though there's plenty of that), and more towards rock.

The iconic album cover shows the Beverly Hills Hotel at dusk, and it is one of the album covers that I have hanging in my office.  The album itself is, unquestionably, one of the most successful in music history.  It has been certified 26x platinum in the U.S., making it the third-best-selling album ever in the U.S., behind only the Eagles own Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) album (#1, 38x platinum) and Michael Jackson's Thriller (#2, 33x platinum).  So basically, between this album and their first greatest hits album, the Eagles have sold nearly 65 million albums in the U.S. alone, which is insane.

On the charts, the album was a smash all over the world.  It hit #1 on the Billboard album chart for eight weeks over various parts of 1977.  It also reached #1 on the album charts in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway, and Top 10 on the album charts in Austria, France, Japan, Sweden, and the UK.  Both the title track and "New Kid in Town" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Life in the Fast Lane" got to #11.  The title track won the Grammy for Record of the Year, and "New Kid in Town" won the Grammy for Best Arrangement for Voices.

A fun fact about the recording of the album is that recording was split between LA and Miami, and while in Miami, Black Sabbath was recording Technical Ecstasy in the same studio. Black Sabbath was so loud that the sound came through the walls, forcing the Eagles to stop recording several times and to re-record songs.  Sabbath!

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Life in the Fast Lane"
While the title track is a classic, I'm going with "Life in the Fast Lane" because it's more of a rocker.  Also, it was inspired by a conversation between Glenn Frey and his drug dealer while they were driving fast.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Victim of Love"
This is a brooding rocker with a nice guitar riff from Walsh that drives the song.  Don Henley also has some nice drum fills on this one.

Hair Band Friday - 7/31/20

1.  "Breaking All the Rules" by Ozzy Osbourne


2.  "Can't Catch Me" by Lita Ford



3.  "Born on the Sun" by Dio


4.  "Long Way Home" by Junkyard


5.  "Yesterdaze Gone" by Tesla


6.  "Only a Heartbeat Away" by Vixen


7.  "25 Hours a Day" (live) by Y&T


8.  "I Want It" by Lynch Mob



9.  "Estranged" (live) by Guns N' Roses


10.  "King of the Mountain" by KISS

CoronaVinyl Day 118 (RS Greatest Albums 51-100): Greatest Hits by Sly & The Family Stone

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We are getting close to the top.  Today, we are looking at albums ranked between 51 and 100 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  I have 15 from this group on vinyl, some of which I've already featured and some of which were by artists that I've already featured -- and I'm still trying to do a different artist for each CoronaVinyl installment as long as I can.  Coming in at #61 on the list is Sly & The Family Stone's Greatest Hits.  It comes in one spot below Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band's Troutmask Replica album, which I also have, but am thankful I have other options because I wouldn't know how to even begin discussing what has to be the weirdest album of the 500 on the list.

Anywho, Sly & The Family Stone are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated bands in rock history.  They were groundbreaking, not only because they were one of the first integrated bands that featured both men and women, but also because they fused soul, pop, R&B, rock, and funk into fantastic songs that crossed over genres and often dealt with the social issues of the time.  They helped invent funk music.  Yet for whatever reason, they're not as well known as they should be.  Critics and musicians certainly know who they are -- Rolling Stone did rank them #43 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time -- but I don't feel like they get the same type of love from the public.  Hell, maybe 10-15 years ago, a friend of mine (who I think generally has a pretty good taste in and knowledge of music) heard "Dance to the Music" and asked who it was.  When I said "Sly & The Family Stone," he asked if they were new.  I was flabbergasted, as I explained they were from the late '60s and early '70s and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early '90s.

But enough about that.  You're here, and so even if you don't know much about the band (or anything), it's never too late to learn.  A great starting spot is their 1970 Greatest Hits album.  The band had only released three albums to that point, and the Greatest Hits album includes all of the singles from those three albums and all of their charting B-sides, as well as three non-album singles.  The album went to #2 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart, making it the group's highest-charting album to that point (their next studio album, 1971's There's a Riot Goin' On, would hit #1 on both charts).

There isn't a bad song on that album, and it's an excellent representation of the band's sound prior to their turn to more of a funk sound in the early to mid '70s, before they broke up (though there is some funk here).  Of the 12 songs on the album, two went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Everyday People" and "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"), two more were Top 10 ("Hot Fun in the Summertime" (#2) and "Dance to the Music" (#8)), and two more were Top 40 hits ("Stand!" (#22), "I Want to Take You Higher" (#38)).  Listen.  Enjoy.  Repeat.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "I Want to Take You Higher"
"I Want to Take You Higher" is an uptempo rock/soul song about the power of music.  Like many of the band's songs, there isn't one lead singer, but lead vocals are shared by Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, and Larry Graham.  The band wails on this one, between the guitar riff at the beginning, the horns, and everything else.  Just a great song that makes you want to shake your booty.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)"
This 1969 song was one of the band's earliest forays into funk, and they nailed it.  The song hit #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard R&B charts, becoming one of the first successful funk songs.  That repeating bass riff is pretty much the essence of funk.

Retro Video of the Week: "Bad Medicine" by Bon Jovi

I absentmindedly skipped Retro Video of the Week last week, but I'm back on the ball.  Continuing our COVID-themed videos, this week's selection is Bon Jovi's 1988 hit "Bad Medicine."  It was the lead single off the group's New Jersey album, and it was pretty much an instant hit, going to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in about two and a half months after it was released (the band's third #1 song).  It also cracked the Top 10 on the charts in six other countries.

For COVID-related purposes, it has a few meaningful applications.  First, there has been a lot of misinformation about "bad medicine" -- namely that hydro-whatever that some Republican congressman and his quack Nigerian doctor attempted to hype up at a recent press conference in DC.  Rest assured, it's not a cure or treatment for COVID, so don't believe the BS.

Second, for you millenials who just can't seem to grasp life that doesn't cater to your whimsy, let's focus on the line "your love is like bad medicine" rather than the following line, "bad medicine is what I need."  Look, we all know it sucks to have to socially distance and wear masks and shit, but stop fucking it up for the rest of us.  You don't need to go to bars, house parties, boat parties, or wherever and try to recreate a scene out of Sodom and Gomorrah.  The more you come into contact with a bunch of people -- be it touching, sharing drinks, or making out with strangers -- the more likely you will get and spread COVID.  Stop putting your social lives before the rest of our actual lives, because right now, there ain't not doctor that can cure this disease.

CoronaVinyl Day 117 (RS Greatest Albums 101-150): A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector by Various Artists

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Today, it's Christmas in July.  We are looking at albums ranked between 101 and 150 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, and the greatest holiday album ever released -- 1963's A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, also known as Phil Spector's Christmas Album -- comes in at #142 on the list.

I sing the praises of this album every December, in my own mind if not to the wider world.  But the point is this.  For a holiday album to be ranked as one of the Top 150 albums of all-time across all genres, you know it has to be good.

The album was released on the day JFK was shot, and legendary producer Phil Spector -- before he was murdering him house guests -- used his "Wall of Sound" production technique to bring the both standards and new holiday songs to life, creating iconic Christmas songs that have been used in movies, TV shows, commercials, and the like for the last 57 years.

Setting aside Spector -- who is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and arguably the greatest producer in rock and roll history -- the list contributors to the album is amazing:

• The artists are The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans.  Both The Ronettes and Love are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hell, one could argue that Darlene Love got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because of this album.

• Among the many legendary session musicians who performed on the album were Sonny Bono (percussion), Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell (piano), Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Hal Blaine (drums), and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Douglas (saxophone), and Ray Pohlman (bass), who was credited with being the first electric bass player in LA in the '50s.

• Love's hit (now a Christmas classic), "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" was co-written by Spector and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (who also gave us legendary pop hits like "Da Do Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," "The Leader of the Pack," "Be My Baby," "Hanky Panky," "Do-Wah-Diddy," "Chapel of Love," and "River Deep - Mountain High").

My version of the album is a 1981 reissue with a new cover featuring Spector dressed up as Santa Claus.  By this time, he had divorced Ronnie Bennett (lead singer of the Ronettes) and had allegedly holding the Ramones at gunpoint during the recording of End of the Century, so things were on their way down, culminating infamously in 2003 when he shot and killed actress Lana Clarkson at his home.  He is currently serving a 19-year sentence for second degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a crime.  Given that he is 80 and still has another nine years to go on his sentence, he'll likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Sleigh Ride" by The Ronettes
The Ronettes crush this holiday classic, from the horse sound effects to Ronnie Bennett Spector's lead vocals to the backing "ring-aling-aling-a-ding-dong-dings."  It's far and away my favorite version of this song.  Ronnie could sing death dirges and make them sound good.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love
This song is one of the all-time classic holiday songs and the crowning jewel of the album. Like a thundering herd of elephants, this songs tramples you with soaring vocals, what sounds like a full orchestra, several different types of drums, and possibly a triangle. Forget Christmas songs, this song is one of the best songs in rock and roll history, period.

CoronaVinyl Day 116 (RS Greatest Albums 151-200): One Nation Under a Groove by Funkadelic

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Today, we are looking at albums ranked between 151 and 200 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  Coming in at #177 is Funkadelic's 1978 funk classic, One Nation Under a Groove, the group's tenth studio album.

Back in April, we listened to a Parliament album for the Funk category of CoronaVinyl, so now Parliament's sister group, Funkadelic, gets its turn.  Both groups were organized by George Clinton, and both groups are considered to be two of the most influential funk bands ever.  You can't have a discussion about funk music without P-Funk, and Funkadelic's One Nation Under a Groove is rightly considered one of the best funk albums ever.  The songs are a combination of delicious funk riffs and grooves, with some long jams mixed in.  The group was blurring the boundaries of funk, soul, jazz, and rock.

The album was the group's highest-charting album, reaching #16 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart.  It was also the group's best-selling album, going platinum in the U.S.

Originally, the album was released in the U.S. as a six-song album (three tracks on each side), with a bonus 7-inch EP that had a live version of the group's 1971 song "Maggot Brain."  In Europe, the bonus EP was a three-song 12-inch 45-rpm disc with "Maggot Brain," "Lunchmeataphobia (Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet!)," and "P.E. Squad/Doo Doo Chasers" on one side and an extended version of the title track on the other side.  Whatever version of the album I have lists the three bonus tracks on the back of the album cover and on the inside as well (it's a gate-fold cover), but I don't have any bonus EP.  Just so we're all on the same page, here's the track listing on the version I have.

Side 1
1.  "One Nation Under a Groove"
2.  "Groovallegiance"
3.  "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!"

Side 2
1.  "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doodoo Chasers)"
2.  "Into You"
3.  "Cholly (Funk Getting Ready To Roll!)"

Unfortunately, the full album is not available on Spotify, but it is available on YouTube, so I embedded that below.  That version has the three bonus tracks at the end.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "One Nation Under a Groove"

This song forms the basis of my favorite Ice Cube song, "Bop Gun," so it was one of the many funk songs that I heard for the first time in '90s hip hop.  It was Funkadelic's biggest hit and only Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, hitting #28 -- and also hitting #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and #9 on the UK pop chart (their only charting song in the UK).  On top of that, it was the group's only million-selling single, and it's part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and  #474 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doodoo Chasers)"
I chose this one in part because it has a hilariously long name.  Both Parliament and Funkadelic often had song titles with long combined words.  I like the mental image of a posse roaming the streets in search of constipated people.  The song itself is a ten-minute jam whose influence you can hear in Prince and OutKast.  Or at least, I can hear that.  I don't know that you can hear.  

CoronaVinyl Day 115 (RS Greatest Albums 201-250): Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith

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Today, we are looking at albums ranked between 201 and 250 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  Aerosmith's iconic 1975 album Toys in the Attic is ranked #229 on the list.

Aerosmith is one of those bands that you sometimes forget about, but I'd say they're probably one of the top five to ten American rock bands of all-time. They were on top of the rock world for much of the '70s, and their third album, Toys in the Attic, is rightly revered by many as their best album.

After decent success with their first two albums, their 1973 self-titled debut (which reached #21 on the Billboard album chart) and 1974's Get Your Wings (which stalled at #74), the band crushed it with Toys in the Attic, buoyed by a couple years of touring, where then band became tighter.  While the album didn't crack the Top 10 on the Billboard album chart -- it reached #11 -- it has gone 8x platinum in the U.S., making it their best-selling studio album ever.  It also featured the band's first two Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with two songs that have become two of their signatures:  "Sweet Emotion" (#36) and "Walk This Way" (#10).

But the album is so much more than those two hits.  Simply put, it rocks.  Other than their cover of Bullmoose Jackson's innuendo-soaked 1952 R&B song "Big Ten Inch Record" and the final track, "You See Me Crying," which is kind of a power ballad, the other seven songs on the album are pretty straightforward rockers.  On Side 1, the title track starts the album off with a frenetic bang, and the snarling "Uncle Salty" and "Adam's Apple" complement "Walk This Way" and "Big Ten Inch Record."  On Side 2, "Sweet Emotion" kicks things off, and then two hidden gems -- "No More No More" and "Round and Round" -- keep up the energy, before "You See Me Crying" ends the album on a comedown.

Steven Tyler has such a perfect rock voice. It's slightly gravely, and he has that enviable ability to scream and wail while maintaining control. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford really shine on this album (not that they don't shine on others), with some fantastic riffs and great solos, and the rhythm section of Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer are hitting on all cylinders too.  This is a band hitting its stride, which they would keep up for the next five years or so, before drugs, booze, and in-fighting finally took its toll on their music, until they came back in 1986 with authority with their now-legendary collaboration with Run D.M.C. on the reworking of "Walk This Way," and then in 1987 with their comeback album Permanent Vacation.  But it's Toys in the Attic that established them as one of the best rock bands in the world, and it's easy to see why this album was such an influence on the next generation of hard rockers.  It's definitely one of those albums that should be in every rock and roll fan's music collection.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Walk This Way"

Is there a better riff in rock history? I'm not sure, but "Walk This Way" has a pretty legit claim that it holds that title. The lyrics -- which Steven Tyler hastily penned at the Record Plant when the band was recording the album -- describe an awkward kid losing his virginity, which is something we can all relate to (or at least those of us dudes who awkwardly lost their virginity, which I assume is everyone). Of course, the aforementioned collaboration with Run D.M.C. on a rap/rock reworking of this song is what resurrected Aerosmith's career. It's hard to say which version is better. They're both pretty awesome. VH1 named the original the #8 best hard rock song of all-time.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "No More No More"
This is one of my favorite Aerosmith songs.  For some reason, you rarely, if ever, hear on the radio, which I think that's a damn shame, but then again, I suppose you can't play every Aerosmith song regularly, or else your entire radio station would be devoted to Aerosmith.  "No More No More" is a great rock song lamenting life and temptation on the road as a rock star.  Joe Perry has a nice little solo near the end of the song, and Steven Tyler's vocals are perfectly strained, as they often are.  Maybe it's just me, but when I hear this song, I can hear a lot of hair band songs from ten years later, especially by bands who employed that kind of honky tonk hair metal, like Cinderella and Great White.

CoronaVinyl Day 114 (RS Greatest Albums 251-300): I"m Still in Love With You by Al Green

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Today, we are looking at albums ranked between 251 and 300 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  Ranking at #286 on the list is a soul classic, Al Green's fifth studio album, 1972's I'm Still in Love With You.

The album was Green's second of 1972, following Let's Stay Together, which reached #8 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart -- the first of six consecutive studio albums that topped the R&B album chart.  I'm Still in Love With You kept the momentum going, as it was not only one of those #1 albums on the R&B album chart, but it also went to #4 on the Billboard album chart, his highest-charting studio album.  It is also certified platinum by the RIAA.

Two singles released from the album were Top 5 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with the title track going to #3 and "Look What You Done For Me" going to #4.  Overall, the album is just a great example of early '70s soul music.  Green was at his peak, and his backing musicians were at the top of their game as well.  The album cover shows Green donning a full white suit and plethora of gold jewelry, as if to say, "Come and get me, ladies, if you dare."

For the most part, the songs are originals -- with the two aforementioned tracks and "Love and Happiness" leading the way -- but Green also covers Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," adding his own soulful flair to the song, and the Kris Kristofferson-penned "For the Good Times," which had been a #1 country song for Ray Price a couple years earlier.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Love and Happiness"

This is probably my favorite Al Green song.  Charles Hodges's soulful organ drives the song, which is about how love can make you do right or wrong.  It's one of the best soul songs ever, in my opinion, and apparently the opinion of othersRolling Stone also ranked this song the #98 greatest song of all-time.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Look What You Done For Me"
This is another one of Green's signature song, and it's as smooth as he always is.

Hair Band Friday - 7/24/20

1.  "(Oh) Pretty Woman" by Van Halen


2.  "Take It Off" by KISS


3.  "Big City Nights" (live) by Scorpions


4.  "Alone Again" by Dokken


5.  "Hungry for Love" by Whitesnake


6.  "Over and Out" by Britny Fox


7.  "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" by Judas Priest


8.  "Up All Night" (live) by Slaughter


9.  "Wasted" by Def Leppard


10.  "Russian Winter" by Krokus

CoronaVinyl Day 113 (RS Greatest Albums 301-350): Aqualung by Jethro Tull

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Today, we are looking at albums ranked between 301 and 350 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  This is another one for which I have the album cover framed and hanging in my office:  Aqualung by Jethro Tull, which is ranked as the #337 greatest album ever on Rolling Stone's list.

Of course, Jethro Tull is best known as perhaps the only hard rock group that featured a flautist -- the multi-talented Ian Anderson, who was also the lead singer and main songwriter (and who also played other instruments).  Listening to classic rock radio since I was in elementary school, I am well-familiar with Jethro Tull's catalog, as they had probably a dozen or so songs that were in the rotation on most classic rock stations.  What I was surprised to find out today, as I was digging into the band's chart history, is that while their albums charted very well, they really didn't have much success on the singles chart.  Of the 13 studio albums the band released between 1969 and 1982, the lowest-charting album still reached #30 on the Billboard album chart, all but two reached the Top 20, six were Top 10, and two went to #1.  During this same span, only seven of the band's songs even charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with only two reaching the Top 40 -- "Bungle in the Jungle" (#12) and "Living in the Past" (#11).  Thankfully, their non-single tracks found a home on FM radio, and the band was more focused on making great albums than releasing singles.

1971's Aqualung was the band's first album that cracked the op 10 on the Billboard album chart, reaching #7.  It is also the band's best-selling album, selling 7 million copies worldwide and going triple platinum in the U.S.  The album also contained the band's first charting single in the U.S., "Hymn 43," which eked in at #91.  "Locomotive Breath" also charted, though it was five years later, and it hit #62.  In addition to those two songs, though, there are several Tull classics on this album, including the gnarly title track and "Cross-Eyed Mary."  The album contains some recurring characters and themes about religion, but the band claims it's not a concept album.  Whatever it is, it's a fantastic album with gritty hard rock songs mixed with acoustic songs.  Anderson's vocals switch between snarling and sweet, and the album has its fair share of excellent guitar solos and delicious drum fills.

Since I'm not picking the title track below, I would be remiss if I didn't mention it because it's a great song and arguably the band's signature song.  The title character is a homeless man, presumably who we see on the album cover.  The first stanza of the song -- or the album, for that matter -- is one of the creepiest and most memorable in rock history:  "Sitting on a park bench / Nine little girls with battered heads / Snot is running down his nose / Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes / Aqualung."  Good Lord.  If that doesn't pull you in, I don't know what will.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Cross-Eyed Mary"

This song is the second on the album, following the title track and acting as a companion piece.  After a flute solo intro gives way to a gritty and crunchy organ and guitar riff and Anderson's equally gritty vocals, as the song tells the story about a teenage prostitute.  Even Aqualung makes an appearance.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Hymn 43"
It was a touch choice between this and "Locomotive Breath," but I gave "Hymn 43" the slight edge.  The song is a scathing rock song, both musically and lyrically, calling out the hypocrisy of religion.  In addition to great repeating riff in the chorus, there is a nice guitar solo.