Vinyl Disc One: 10cc to Asylum Choir
Years and years ago, I recorded a set of cassette tapes with one song from every artist in my library. At the time, that took six ninety-minute cassettes. Then I decided to get more ambitious and do the same thing, but with one song from every album instead. I eventually ran out of steam and quit. Just this year, I sold all my vinyl to LUNA Records. So I have resurrected the idea. And while it will grow to be a really long Spotify playlist, I have decided to write about it one cd’s worth of music at a time. (Yes, I am actually burning these cds.) If I can figure out how to link a Spotify playlist here, I will.
Oh, and because I am anal that way, the list is alphabetical by artist, then chronological by release, because any other method leads to barbarism.
10cc
How Dare You? (1976)
How Dare You?
10cc are best known for their pop hits “I’m Not In Love” (from “Original Soundtrack” in 1975) and “Things We Do For Love” (from “Deceptive Bends” in 1977). The only 10cc album I ever bought was “How Dare You?”, after one of my dorm friends (and fellow prog fan) played it for me. There is some really delicious humor and wordplay on the album, but not here. Let’s open with this lovely instrumental title track. I heartily recommend this album in its entirety. Go listen to it.
Adam and the Ants
Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980)
Kings of the Wild Frontier
With only the second song in this list, we get to an album I really don’t care for very much. But this was 1980, and I was into New Wave, so I picked it up. If I played it more than half a dozen times, I’d be surprised. The title track is the one that offends me the least, so I’m going with that.
Allman Brothers
At Fillmore East (1971)
Whipping Post
Now that’s the ticket! The performances that opened doors for the Allmans and closed the doors of the Fillmore. The first time I heard this performance of this song, I was working the closing shift at the Baskin-Robbins at 56th and Illinois. When we were cleaning the store, we either listened to “CBS Mystery Theater” or WNAP. I remember distinctly being boggled by how they could possibly play a song this long. Probably just the dj’s excuse to go out for a smoke.
Allman Brothers
Eat a Peach (1972)
Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
Mostly recorded after Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident, there are a lot of songs on “Eat a Peach” for and/or about him. This one specifically is a tribute from Gregg to his brother. Like the previous album, I did not buy this when it was released. In college, both were all over the dorms, so purchasing them was unnecessary. Only after I got out of college and got a job that paid real money, did either of them get in my collection.
Ian Anderson
Walk Into Light (1983)
Made in England
Anderson’s very first solo album, recorded with then Jethro Tull keyboardist Peter-John Vettese. Recorded in 1983, it is especially interesting for the array of synthesizers, keyboards, and drum machines used. Very different from run of the mill Tull, let me tell you.
Jon Anderson
Olias of Sunhillow (1976)
The Flight of the Moorglade
I like Yes a lot, and this album looked cool. But it’s just not that good. Too new age-y, even before that genre existed. This is about the only coherent piece of music in the whole lot. Did I mention that I used to buy albums based on what the album cover looked like?
Jon Anderson
In the City of the Angels (1988)
Hold On To Love
Some of my Yes fan friends absolutely hate this album. It is so poppy and upbeat. I kind of like it. This song was actually co-written Lamont Dozier of Motown fame (as in the writing cooperative of Holland-Dozier-Holland).
Laurie Anderson
Big Science (1982)
O Superman
It is nearly certain that I learned about Laurie Anderson in an article in Newsweek, which I subscribed to at the time. More of a performance artist than strictly a musician, some of the stuff on this album is very spare. I absolutely adore this track. Laurie went on to marry Lou Reed in 2008. Now that’s an interesting pairing.
Laurie Anderson
Mister Heartbreak (1984)
Excellent Birds
Much more musical album. Peter Gabriel adds backing and guest vocals on a couple tracks, this one included. A slightly different version is included on the cd version of his album “So” with the title “This is the Picture”.
Laurie Anderson
United States Live (1984)
For a Large and Changing Room
A truly odd album. Five record set! Wow. And I don’t like a lot of it. Sorry, Laurie. This one is basically the same riff as “Born, Never Asked” on Big Science. Which really shouldn’t come as a surprise, as I have learned that Big Science was actually a set of excerpts from the 8 hour long “United States Live” piece of performance art. By the way, just to illustrate how wonderful my wife is, Cheryl went with me to see Laurie Anderson in concert at the Murat, when she was on tour for “The Ugly One With the Jewels”, which is a spoken word album. To say she did not enjoy herself is an understatement. But she toughed it out. I don’t think she went to a concert with me until we saw Crosby Stills & Nash at the Murat just a few years ago.
Aphrodite’s Child
666 (1972)
The Four Horseman
Aphrodite’s Child were a Greek progressive/psychedelic band in the late sixties. Their last album was a wandering interpretation of the Book of Revelations. A buddy in college had a copy. I bought mine used at Ozarka, a now defunct used record store in Bloomington. One of the band’s members, Vangelis Papathanassíou, later became a famous electronic musician who simply went by his first name (Think “Chariots of Fire” or the “Blade Runner” soundtrack). The vocalist on this song, Demis Roussos, gained international fame as a pop singer. And since this album is not available on Amazon or Spotify, I was lucky to find this song included on a Roussos anthology.
Asia
Asia (1982)
Heat of the Moment
Steve Howe of Yes, John Wetton of King Crimson, Carl Palmer of ELP, Geoff Downes of The Buggles (?); how could they go wrong? Well, this progressive music fan was not impressed, but FM radio loved them, as did lots of record buyers. It spent nine weeks at the top of the album chart in 1982, and at the time of this writing, has sold over 4 million copies in the US alone. But for me, meh.
Asylum Choir
Asylum Choir II (1971)
Tryin’ to Stay ‘Live
Asylum Choir were Leon Russell and Marc Benno. I bought this album at a garage sale for $0.25. Yes, twenty-five cents. I believe I bought four different albums at that garage sale, maybe five. As I come to them in the list, I will surely mention them, ‘cause that’s how I am. Annoying. I think most people would consider this a Leon Russell album, given that most of the vocals are his, as are the arrangements.
And that’s that. For now.