Toys in the Attic was Aerosmith firing on all cylinders. Taking all their live success and translating it to the recording studio. There’s an air of confidence that comes with it and you can hear it on “Sweet Emotion”. It’s subtle in its iconic vocal harmonizing, explosive with its dueling guitars and experimental in sound and composition from beginning to end.
“You talk about things that nobody cares. Wearing out things that nobody wears. You're calling my name but I gotta make clear. I can't say, baby, where I'll be in a year.”
A good friend of mine in college saw the beauty in this song and made it her own for our a cappella group. “Fields of Joy” is both beautiful and powerful. It’s another album opener that could’ve been a closer. It’s brash. It’s ambitious. It’s ridiculously underrated. And it shows off every talented side to Lenny Kravitz—from towering falsetto vocals to screaming guitar solos and everything in between.
“The sound of music that we hear. The blend of colors in the air. All cities, mountains disappear from view. All truth and beauty near to me and you. With you through the fields.”
Much like Kate Bush, The Chameleons were a musical harbinger. Paving the way for sounds that would become more popularized decades later. Important bands like Interpol and The Editors may not have ever surfaced if we didn’t have The Chameleons laying down the post-punk foundation in the 80’s. “Second Skin” is a foreshadowing of the grating guitar style of Daniel Kessler and the ominous vocal delivery of Paul Banks and Tom Smith.
“One cold damp evening the world stood still. I watched as I held my breath a silhouette I thought I knew.”
My wife and I included this one on our wedding playlist. Why? “Let’s Stay Together” is still one of the simplest, most honest expressions in music. It’s one of the most well-written, well-sung, well-crafted and well-arranged songs ever recorded. And Green was only 25 years old when he came up with it. The plea to stay together still rings true—from wedding receptions to Quentin Tarantino movie soundtracks.
“Let's, let's stay together. Lovin' you whether, whether times are good or bad, happy or sad.”
Fleet Foxes’ refusal to go along with the crowd is what helped them earn acclaim in the 21st century. “Mykonos” is the epitome of this. It sounds nothing like the dance music scene in Mykonos, nor are the lyrics even about the famed Greek Island. It’s a tale of two halves. The first half reels you in with the melody. The second half hooks you in with CSNY-style harmonies as good as CSNY.
“And you will go to Mykonos with a vision of a gentle coast. And a sun to maybe dissipate shadows of the mess you made.”
After my junior year in college, I decided to stay in Boston for the summer. One of my roommates also stayed in town, and then we found two new roommates for the summer. One of them became a pretty decent friend of ours and hung out with us throughout the summer. Years later, I found out that she died of cancer. I still remember the summer of ‘94 pretty vividly. And August and Everything After was our friend’s favorite album. I could tell by the way she sang along to those songs that the music was giving her life.
“My friend assures me, ‘It's all or nothing.’ I am not worried. I am not overly concerned.”
In the summer of 2005, French duo Daft Punk gave this sly gift to the music world. “Technologic” is an ingenious commentary on the mindless progression of the digital age. Albeit a catchy one. The cleverness of the track is this. In its own mind-numbing way, it forces us to stop and ask ourselves this question: do we own the technology, or does the technology own us?
“Buy it, use it, break it, fix it. Trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it. Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it. Snap it, work it, quick, erase it.”
The godfather of grunge was often at his best with the slow, acoustic stuff. In other words, the stuff that sounds nothing like the early strands of grunge. Simple acoustic strumming. Some of Neil Young’s most memorable lyrics. And his signature harmonica. Proof that sometimes the simplest of songs are often the best.
The ruthless explosion at the :17 mark sets the tone for the duration of “She Sells Sanctuary”. This was a huge alt rock fave in the mid 80’s, and for good reason. It was 80’s narcissism from beginning to end—in both musical and lyrical form. The Cult brought a distinct howling guitar sound paired with an equally howling vocal delivery from Ian Astbury. For a time when synthesizers were taking over, The Cult went in the other direction and straight up rocked.
Concept albums from pop artists are few and far between. Lemonade was an anomaly because Beyonce pushed borders with her concept approach, but still got massive radio air play and support. I discovered this album by hearing my coworkers play it on their laptops when the album was first released. The distinctive musical composition and complexity of “Hold Up” always stood out to me. Four years later, it still does.
“Hold up, they don't love you like I love you. Slow down, they don't love you like I love you. Back up, they don't love you like I love you. Step down, they don't love you like I love you.”
In rock music history, you might say there are two eras: before Pet Sounds and after Pet Sounds. “God Only Knows” was one of the best tracks on one of the most experimental albums ever recorded. That melody is unlike anything else. Unpredictable in its course, even after a hundred listens. And the musical interludes were written to cross barriers, not to make money. So much songwriting these days just feels lazy after hearing “God Only Knows”.
“If you should ever leave me though life would still go on, believe me. The world could show nothing to me. So what good would living do me. God only knows what I'd be without you.”
Other than Radiohead, no other band had the staying power and respect that Foo Fighters garnered in the late 90’s. And “Everlong” was one of their best. A song of the times. When my youngest son got a hand-me-down Foo Fighters t-shirt from another family, it got me to revisit them once again. Here was a band that continued to evolve their sound over time, while still staying true to their identity. Not many others have managed to pull this off.
“Hello, I've waited here for you. Everlong. Tonight I throw myself in two. Out of the red. Out of her head she sang.”
In many ways, Joy Division and New Order are a tale of two cities. Joy Division often casted a shadow of darkness, while New Order reflected light. Joy Division could make you miserable, while New Order could make you dance. But “Age of Consent” had elements of both. Inside this pop song, that Joy Division edge and madness is there. I’m not sure why it wasn’t included on the band’s greatest hits compilation, Substance. But I still think it’s one of New Order’s best.
“And I'm not the kind that likes to tell you just what I want to do. I'm not the kind that needs to tell you just what you want me to.”
This song comes from one of the best bands you possibly never heard of. Future of Forestry took their name from a poem written by C.S. Lewis. With “Traveler’s Song”, they did something ingenious. The song itself takes you on a musical journey, through a soundscape of guitar harmonics, shimmering synthesizer effects and falsetto vocals. And the journey is delectable. Turn it up and soak it all in.
“If you travel here, you will feel it all. The brightest and the darkest. If you travel here, listen to your heart. And take with you what lasts forever.”
If one mark of a great song is its ability to live on through cover versions, then technically “Because the Night” is a great song. But honestly, I never really loved it growing up. For decades, it never impressed me. It never stayed with me. But now that I’m older, I think I finally get and finally appreciate what Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith did here when they co-wrote this song together. “Because the Night” is a song about love, but it’s not a love song. Not many artists have ever pulled off something like that.
“With love we sleep. With doubt the vicious circle turn and burns. Without you I cannot live.”
All these years later, In My Tribe is still one of my favorite albums because it’s so unpretentious. It’s not trying to impress you, but that’s exactly what makes it so impressive. “Hey Jack Kerouac” is a shining example of this. A song about some of the Beat generation luminaries, written and sung as if they were just ordinary people. When Natalie Merchant went solo, I think some of this magic was lost. That’s why I’ve always preferred the 10,000 Maniacs catalog more.
“The hip flask slinging madman, steaming cafe flirts, nights in Chinatown, howling at night.”
The Green album. It’s like Led Zeppelin IV or The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead. It’s The band hitting full stride. It’s Weezer at their height. and every song on the album is worth playing on your mental jukebox. But “Island in the Sun” stands out because it’s Weezer in slow tempo. It’s the change-up. Hearing them play it live two summers ago at Jones Beach, “Island in the Sun” still has the same effect nearly 20 years later. It transports you to a carefree utopia.
“On an island in the sun. We’ll be playing and having fun. And it makes me feel so fine I can’t control my brain.”
In my junior year of high school, I drove my parents’ Oldsmobile Omega. Every time it hit a decent bump, the fuse on the radio would blow. So I had a bag full of fuses handy just so I wouldn’t miss songs like “Here’s Where the Story Ends” on WDRE. Ironically, the song kinda marks where The Sundays both began and ended. Now when I hear it, I can still remember all the roads in my old town. I can feel the bumps, and I know when to have the next fuse fired up.
“It's that little souvenir of a terrible year. Which makes my eyes feel sore. Oh I never should have said the books that you read were all I loved you for.”
The earlier you go back, the stronger the Stones get. They’re so famous and have so much mass appeal that it’s easy to forget these guys were rock ‘n roll pioneers. Doing things no one else did before them. And they were prolific. Music history has the Stones imprint all over it. Let it Bleed was already 10 studio albums in, and “Gimme Shelter” was a rude awakening. It’s the opening track that sounds like a closing track.
“War, children, it's just a shot away. It's just a shot away.”
Like many other XTC songs, “Senses Working Overtime” is an epic composition. The band rarely toured. But they made every minute count when they were in the studio, resulting in some of the most ambitious records ever made. “Senses Working Overtime” is comprised of three ingenious verses and that signature chorus banded together by a bridge, then a traditional bridge, then a bridge reprise. What I respect most about XTC. It’s blood, sweat and tears poured into the music every single time.
“And I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working overtime. Trying to take this all in. I've got one, two, three, four, five senses working overtime. Trying to tell the difference 'tween the goods and grime.”
