Hey!
Yeah, we've got Bat Out of Hell and Dark Side of the Moon and all...but I'm going to hit you with one's that are wonderful but probably didn't get a lot of air play.
1. John Hiatt: Bring the Family...a totally organic record with true emotion, real life lyrics and fantastic playing by Hiatt, Cooder, Lowe and Keltner. Oooooh Mammy, I wish I could get tone like that!
2. The Rainmakers: The Rainmakers...1986 Mercury Release. They're still around, and they're big in Norway (I think.) Ok, so they no longer play "Big Fat Blonde" but their music is fun, thought provoking, a bit antagonistic and freshly conservative for an Alt. Rock band from the 80's.
3. David Gilmour: About Face...He worked with Pete Townshend on two songs(?) and the rest are really cool! Great for guitar players.
4. David Baerwald: Bedtime Stories...Yeah, if I was cool I'd say Triage, but I'm not cool. More personal and accessible and sonically relevant today. It is not dated in it's presentation and will probably sound just as good to me when I'm 42 as when I first heard it.
5. Frank Zappa: The Best Band You've Never Heard in Your Life...The 1988 band was my favorite ensemble, closely rivaling the George Duke encarnation. Tasteful Mike Kennealy on Impossible Guitar rather than Steve Vai with his random dive bombs. A true representation of the music in Mr. Zappa's head played as a group, no one showing off. (See also Broadway the Hard Way and Make a Jazz Noise Here, all from the same tour!!!)
6.Oingo Boingo: Only a Lad...Funny Lyrics about sexual deviance are only the beginning. They jumped on the nationwide scene with this one proving that a band with talent can also be a great deal of fun.
7. Morphine: Cure for Pain...Here's a band that got cut off before it's time.
8. Poster Children: Daisychainreaction...Big, fast, full blown rock n roll.
9. Patti Larkin: Tango...Every male electric guitar player needs to sit down and listen to this album. Highly recommended
10. Ani DiFranco: Living In Clip...After every male guitar player listens to Tango, they need to get Living In Clip. Raw Power, Sara Lee on Bass, Ani DiFranco on Acoustic Guitar and Vocals and Andy Stochanski on Drums. It's live...lots of bad words and if you play guitar, you'll improve just by listening to her. She'll make you wish you practiced more.
Obviously, there's a rock slant there...I could do country records, Jazz Records and such but I don't have time.
Have a great weekend y'all!
PRH
