2023 saw a lot of excellent new albums from bands with a female lead and dudes playing indie rock. Bully, Wednesday, Blondeshell all had amazing albums (and local shows). Bully and Wednesday also made the 2023 Summer Mix. Ratboys also had a great new album and I really like this opening song.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)
Loading... Some Girls was probably the last great Rolling Stones album and being the Stones, it had a mix of standard rock, disco, and even punk with the song Shattered. This version absolutely rocks and really shows how much of a showman Jaggar was and that the Stones could still throw down. There’s a lot of crappy, drug addled live versions of this song (including on SNL which I remember watching) from this time period but this performance is sublime, I’m glad I found it.
That's a wrap on 1978, or at least a taste. Hope you all enjoyed.
(2 votes, average: 9.50 out of 10)Loading... Elvis Costello’s second album This Year’s Model and I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other (or close to Abbey Road and Bee Thousand). Pump it Up has a definite punk sensibility and showed that one can still rock out with an organ. I could have chosen from a dozen great live versions of this song.
(3 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10)Loading... The Police brought a reggae vibe to unabashedly punk songs and caused quite the stir. Maybe the genesis of the upcoming secondary ska second wave? But The Police were also influenced by rock and have a very 70s rock jam at the end of this song.
(2 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10)Loading... The Cars first album also came out in 1978 and had a mixture of what we would eventually call New Wave, with traditional rock, and a little punk edge. This live version is a bit heavier than the version on the album and heard on the radio.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading... Ok, now we are moving into a more arty not, necessarily rock direction. I love this video in that the crowd seems to be surrounding the Talking Heads. Also, David Bryne throws down some crazy licks on the guitar. The album More Songs About Buildings and Food was a sign that there was something different out there that was really interesting musically.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading... Coming off of Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen was a genuine rock star and while I think Born to Run created tons Bruce fans, Darkness on the Edge of Town turned that crowd into life-long adoring fans that still exist to this day (did you know Joe Pos once wrote about this album?). I love that the lyrics are screened on the video. Probably my favorite Springsteen song.
This verse is just magic:
There’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted
(7 votes, average: 9.57 out of 10)Loading... I’m going to start the week with rock and roll because for the most part, rock still dominated popular music. Van Halen came out in 1978 and blew my 15-year-old mind away. This is still one of my favorite songs of all time and this performance really shows what early Van Halen was like alive. I flipped out when I found this video. This album is important because rock was getting a little stodgy (I’m looking at you Foreigner and Styx). Van Halen gave rock a much-needed kick in the ass. The drum solo got a little long, unfortunately.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading... Welcome to Monday Music Day and Freealonzo’s Guest DJ rock week, brought to you by the year 1978.
I know most people take a cursory look at the videos posted so I thought I’d take a different approach and spoiler all my video selections for the week. I supposed you could close this post if you want to be surprised. Hopefully this will prompt you to check out the vids.
All seven videos are songs released in 1978, which I think is a fascinating year musically. Rock and roll, which had been fully ensconced in the popular zeitgeist for nearly 15 years, was still reigning supreme but after the Sex Pistols and Ramones broke out in 1977, there were a burgeoning punk and new wave scene as well. Also, some experimenting with reggae and other musical genres were sneaking into the songs. I think 1978 was the beginning of transition from rock to a broader musical experience which led to eventually over time a more popular acceptance of hip-hop, alt-country, hard core punk, etc., which has led to the diffuse musical genres we all experience 45 years later in 2023. As a 15-year-old at the time I was in my element. I still listen to most if not all these albums to this day with Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model and Van Halen practically getting spins monthly.
All videos are from the era and mostly shot from crowd or with minimal effects. No staged performances on a tv sound stage in the bunch. I will give more background on each song during the week. Enjoy!
Monday: Van Halen – Feel Your Love Tonight
Tuesday: Bruce Springsteen – The Promised Land
Wednesday: Talking Heads – Warning Sign
Thursday: Cars – You’re All I got Tonight
Friday: The Police – So Lonely
Saturday: Elvis Costello – Pump It Up
Sunday: Rolling Stones – Shattered
Also, I could have easily done this for another week. Here are a bunch more albums that came out in 1978 that you should check out.
The Jam – All the Mod Cons
Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight
The Clash – Give 'em Enough Rope
Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy
Nick Lowe – Jesus of Cool
Kraftwerk – Man-Machine
Blondie – Parallel Lines
Devo – Are We Not Men
Big Star - Third
We have ourselves some playoff baseball folks. Having split the two games in Houston the Twins now with a chance to close out the Astros at home and move on to the ALCS. There is literally a generation of Twins fans who have never experienced anything like this. My son is 28 and doesn't really remember the 2002 series against Oakland and then losing to the Angels.
Sonny Gray on the mound for the Twins and it will be nice to have his veteran presence in a big game like this. Also I really like the pitching matchup advantage the Twins have with Cristian Javier going for the Astros. He's a big fly out pitcher so hopefully we see a lot of balls deposited into the stands.
Plus I'll be at the game so very excited.
We can keep this post open and use it for the Orioles at Rangers at 7:00. Let's hope the Birds extend that series a couple more games.
First pitch at 3:07
Twins Lineup
Edouard Julien, DH
Jorge Polanco, 2B
Max Kepler, RF
Royce Lewis, 3B!!
Carlos Correa, SS
Alex Kirilloff, 1B
Matt Wallner, LF
Willi Castro, CF
Ryan Jeffers, C
