Is Wal-Mart Good for the United States (The Manufacturers Perspective)

As we discussed last time the Wal-Mart model has these big box retailers telling manufacturers what they are willing to pay for a product. It is then up to the manufacturers to meet these requirements or lose their contract with the big box retailer in question.

Manufacturers say this pressure is what has led them to shutting down plants in the United States and moving these jobs overseas. In fact some manufacturers say that they have been told specifically by Wal-Mart to make this move in order to help keep their manufacturing costs down.

These manufacturers argue that the Wal-Mart method and the fact that there are very limited restrictions on what is being imported is why so many manufacturing jobs are leaving the United States and in essence hurting the middle class blue collar core that has been the heart of the U.S. economy for so long. They would then argue that the Wal-Mart market system is bad for the United States because these jobs are important to the United States.

This market system has also put a lot of U.S. manufacturers at risk. When they are unable to keep their costs down and lose contracts with the big box retailers. One example is Rubbermaid who got bought out a few years back after their manufacturing costs shot up, due to raw material costs, and they lost contracts with Wal-Mart.

The manufacturers argue that being bullied by a few large retailers to keep their prices down is an unrealistic model for maintaining a solid market system. They believe in the older model which is one where the manufacturers in essence push the price of the products being sold on the market.

In the next installment we will look at how all of this plays out in reality and who is affected by it. All we've seen so far is how this model has helped to make the big box retailers more money and how the manufacturers have made adjustments, according to them, to keep up with the big box retailers demands. I hope that by doing a case study we can better determine how this is playing out.

Is Wal-Mart Good for the United States (The Retailers Perspective)

Wal-Mart sees the key to their success being that they offer people quality goods at a low price. The same can be said for Target, Lowes, Home Depot, Best Buy any of the big box retailers. This was especially true back in the early days of Wal-Mart. I can remember going to our local Wal-Mart with my dad who was going to buy a case of Charmin toilet paper or Clorox bleach which they would have on sale for some unbelievably low price. They would literally have cases of it stacked up with no limits, so there was never an issue as to whether they would have the product on sale. Of course after we were there dad would wander around and shop for other things and soon Wal-Mart became his store of choice for almost anything.

Another thing that Wal-Mart brought to retail like no one before was number crunching. They were one of the first retailers to start crunching numbers at all of their stores to determine best prices, which times of year certain items sold more, etc. This helped them with keeping good inventory and knowing when were good times to put certain items on sale. This number crunching is also one of the keys to the effect Wal-Mart has had on our market system so remember it for later on.

Wal-Mart was growing and sitting well ahead of all other retailers in 2002, but something happened that year that would spark a dramatic change in the way Wal-Mart did business. Their numbers were lagging one quarter when they decided to bring in a lot of cheap products from China. The idea was to mark these up say 40% instead of the usual 20% on products made in the United States and help their numbers out. The plan worked to perfection, and from that point on Wal-Mart turned their focus to how much they could mark up a product and still keep a low cost for the consumer.

Since they were the largest retailer way ahead of anyone they carried a certain level of power that they started using in earnest. They began to tell companies what they would be willing to pay for a product in order for that product to be sold in Wal-Mart stores. If the manufacturer couldn't meet their price that company wouldn't sell their product in Wal-Mart.

This all goes back to the number crunching that Wal-Mart was doing. Through their numbers they knew what customers were willing to pay for certain products. They could then take this number, calculate in a 40% mark up and tell the manufacturer this is what they were willing to pay. Because Wal-Mart was so big it was hard for manufacturers to turn them down and once other big box retailers caught onto this, they began to follow suit.

The big box mentality is that this allows them to provide products to their customers at a very low price and still make solid profits for their stockholders. In essence everyone is happy. The U.S. customers get a higher standard of living because it doesn't cost as much to buy things like large screen televisions, clothing, kitchenwares, etc.

Wal-Mart and the other big box retailers would argue that in essence they are good for the United States because they are helping us all reach a standard of living that we could have never achieved without their help.

Is Wal Mart Good for the United States (Intro)

I watched this episode of Frontline last night and found it very interesting. Ever since I finished watching it I've been thinking about the question and so it seems the only real answer it so walk through how this all works.

Now the key to this is to understand that this show is not talking specifically about Wal Mart, but rather the Wal Mart approach that has overtaken our market system. Before Wal Mart it was manufacturers that drove the prices and products on the market, since Wal Mart it is the large box retailers who control price and products coming to market.

Wal Mart and others like them argue that this approach is better for the American people because it helps to reduce the cost of consumer goods and thus raises the standard of living for all Americans. Opponents to this say that it puts undue pressure on manufacturers and in turn pushes jobs out of the United States that are being replaced by lower paying service industry jobs, like working at Wal Mart.

In the next installment we will look at things from the retailers point of view and get an understanding of how their system works and why they feel this is better for the American people than the older system.

Speaker Rot

So a while back I was dusting my speakers when I hit the foam trim on the woofer and it crumbled into pieces. The speakers are 22yrs old, but they still sounded great and I was really disturbed by this whole turn of events. Well now the sound has gotten so bad I realize that something has to be done. I started to look into getting the speakers repaired and I found that I can buy a do it myself repair kit for about $25 a pair, or I can send the woofers off to get repaired for about $35 a piece, or I can send the entire speaker to a place that specializes in the particular brand in question.

Well I work with some guys who build specialized electronic instruments for research and I knew that one of them has built in own speakers in the past, so I went to ask him what to do. He honestly didn't seen much difference between me doing the repair myself or sending the woofers off to someplace else. The method that I would use or they would use would be similar and probably get similar results either way. But he warned me that the speakers would never sound the same. When they are setup at the factory they tune the speakers and I could not possibly do this without a lot of knowledge and the place I would send them to would not be able to do this as well. Then I told him of the place that would take in the entire speaker, and that they specialized in this particular brand (in fact they are made up of electrical engineers who use to work for the speaker manufacturer before the company went bankrupt). He felt that sending them the entire speaker would make the most sense, but that cost wise it would probably be better to just go buy new speakers.

But now what to do with the old speakers? Well this is where EBay comes in. I do see these selling on EBay, and though the shipping may cost more than I will get for the speakers it might be a good solution as to what to do with the speakers. I would rather them live on somehow rather than end up in the trash.

Well if I decide to get them repaired or do it myself I'll make a note on here as to the outcome.

The American Dust Bowl

I have to admit I know almost nothing about the dust bowl and so I found this interview with Timothy Egan, author of The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, very interesting.

Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape

I was a big fan of Love.Angel.Music.Baby, especially the slick pop songs like "Luxurious." This new album sticks to the formula that worked so well on that first album, but it tones down the 80's art pop that could be found in songs like "What You Waiting For." The interesting thing about Love.Angel.Music.Baby was that rehashing a lot of those 80's dance and art pop sounds into a modern mix worked and provided a unique sound that had some real gotcha moments. Since The Sweet Escape moves away from that odd mix, it feels a bit flat, a bit too packaged, and so is a bit tired. There are times when songs seem to be a simple attempt to build on the back of songs that were hits on the first album, like "Now That You Got It" seems to build off of "Hollaback Girl." It doesn't work because the newer songs sound rehashed where the first album songs sounded experimental and legitimate takes on older themes like "Hollaback Girl" being a fresh take on "Mickey" by Toni Basil or "What You Waiting For" being a take on the Missing Person's sound. In fact you could break down almost every song on L.A.M.B like this. That is the originality and fun of L.A.M.B and all that is missing with this new album.

Despite all of its failures it still works as a pop album and has entertaining moments, but it is a fairly weak effort. It would have been much more interesting to see Stefani gravitating towards something newer, but maybe she's not sure on where to go. She has lead No Doubt through a sound change and rebirth and then her own solo effort went off in an even different direction. She is, in the end, a pop artist and it gets hard to reinvent a new pop sound for each album. But in order for a chosen sound to work time and again you need very strong material, with good hooks and good lyrics. These are simply not that strong on The Sweet Escape.

Skilled Jobs

A story in yesterday's USA Today caught my eye. It talks about problems that companies in the United States are having getting skilled laborers like welders, etc. I personally am not surprised by this since there is such a negative view in our society of such jobs, but it is still an interesting story. It would be nice if the Department of Labor would work with professional societies like welders to get out the word that there are good jobs to be had in this field, much better than working at McDonalds.

Personally I don't buy the unemployment rate. There is something wrong with this number but I'm not sure what it is. I also feel the jobs created numbers are a bit odd, but I'm not sure how they are done or what would be better. I only know that in 2004 Republicans in Alamance County were going around before the election talking about the 2000 jobs created the year before. They didn't talk about the fact that almost all of these jobs were in the service sector, and that there were more jobs lost than created. I'm hoping to make the time over the next few weeks to investigate this stuff and I'll post here what I learn if anything.

Coaches Salaries

I found this article interesting. It blows my mind that universities are paying this much to coaches. And you have to remember this article is only looking at football coaches.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2006-11-16-coaches-salaries-cover_x.htm

What a Joke

I find it to be such a joke that we can put a man on the moon in the 60's but in the 21st century we can't coordinate better voting methods across the country.

The Magnetic Flip

Ever since I took a geology class in college and learned that in the past the magnetic field has flipped every 100,000 years or so I've been fascinated by it. It has now been over 700,000 years since the last flip, but it could be that we are getting close to the next one. Nova aired a show last night that looks into this phenomena and what effect it would have on the Earth and the people who live here.

Flipping the Real Estate Market

If you wonder why there are so many controls in place to protect the economy from things like flipping and why we should all be concerned that those controls are eroding just read this story.

Billy Bragg on Weekend Edition

I think Scott Simon is one of the best interviewers out there and this past weekend he had on Billy Bragg. It's a great interview and worth giving a listen to.

The Floyd Landis Case

It's been a while since I posted anything. I needed some time off after the whole music countdown thing. Floyd Landis's approach to his case is something I find quite interesting. He is going public with his defense and presenting publicly the evidence against him. Tyler Hamilton tried this as well though it didn't really work out well for him I guess. You can read about Floyd's argument on his web site.

The New First Grade

A colleague gave me this article to read from Newsweek. I have been processing it over the weekend and still feel nervous about it. You can see why after reading the article at Newsweek. Here are some things I read that I had to reread to make sure I was reading them correctly.

Like many of his friends, Robert Cloud, a president of an engineering company in suburban Chicago, had the Ivy League in mind when he enrolled his sons, ages 5 and 8, in a weekly after-school tutoring program. "To get into a good school, you need to have good grades," he says.
(I can speak to this, I can tell you for sure that when I was 5 there was no way I was thinking about what college I was going to go to- I went to an ivy league school.All I can say, is shame on this parent for putting such enormous pressure on their first grader- If you are parent and you are thinking along these lines, please rethink. Remember, it really doesn't matter where you go- but what you do when you get there.)

"In wealthier communities, where parents can afford an extra year of day care or preschool, they are holding their kids out of kindergarten a year—a practice known in sports circles as red-shirting—so their kids can get a jump on the competition."
What?

So many more things I can sya about this article. I do agree that first graders are really being pushed alot harder and faster than first graders in the past.

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Well at least I now know what the most overrated album of all time sounds like.

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I could take a pass on this album. It has its lyrical moments, but I just don't care for this Dylan sound at all. Give me Blood on the Tracks.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The greatest album ever made, it is much more than just the restrained talent of Marvin Gaye exploding out at the chance for free expression. The longtime Motown session musicians (James Jamerson, Eli Fountain, Joe Messina and the rest of the Funk Brothers) as well as other lyricists (like Obie Benson of the Four Tops who wrote the song "What's Going On") felt this freedom along with Gaye and the album spills over with all of their restrained raw talent. This adds another dimension to the greatness of this album. Without it's release and success in 1971, fought for by Gaye who refused to make any more recordings before being given a chance to release the single "What's Going On," who knows if we would have ever had many of the other items that soon followed like Innervisions by Stevie Wonder.

"What's Going On" would act as a spark to the idea of creating a concept album about a soldier returning from war to come home to a changing world and with a changed perspective and vision of the world around him. This song alone is one of the greatest singles ever written and produced, and to use it as a starting point for an entire album would be very difficult. But the sound and voice that exists in this song lives throughout the album as it explores the environment, drug abuse, inner city poverty, etc. in a way that is timeless. In the end that is what makes this album so amazing. The lyrics are so tightly constructed and written in a manner that is so timeless they are still just as strong today as they were 35 years ago.

You can't talk about this album without pointing out that Gaye's voice and his performances of the songs are flawless. The music constructed around him is also flawless an odd mix of r&b/funk/jazz that was and is like nothing else. In a sense this was a very experimental album, but one that was put together by a group of extremely talented and mature artists who were extremely focused on making this the greatest album they had ever been a part of. With that kind of focus and talent the album was sure to be a success.

If you have never heard this album, it is a must. It is the greatest album ever made.

The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St. (Top 500 Countdown Update)

What a different sound. I would say this is The Rolling Stones reinventing themselves. Opening up their sound a bit more and moving away from the heavy grungy rock of their past. Problem is I like their heavy grungy rock sound and am not as crazy about what they are doing on this album. For an experimental/transitional album the sound is already very consistent and the album is fairly tight. It's the emotion that is missing as their seems to be a lot of weight put into the production, but not as much into the guts of the album. This is the fall of most transitional albums. In the end it's an OK album, but certainly not their best.

The Clash - London Calling (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Hmm, I don't get it. It's number 8 on the Rolling Stone countdown and I wouldn't put it in the top 500 at all. I just don't get The Clash and again I'm thinking I must be missing something but don't get what it is that I'm missing. There are a few good songs with catchy beats. One thing I like so much about Big Audio Dynamite's first album is that it has a finished sound, where much of this album seems thrown together and unfinished. Personally I would skip it.

Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a group of solid songs, with good melodies and lyrics, but honestly I don't like the sound. Music isn't just about melodies and lyrics it is also about performances and this is lacking something for me, especially Dylan's.

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (Top 500 Countdown Update)

In the end it is so simple why this is labeled as the greatest jazz album on the list, melodies. Davis creates fantastic melodies that generate songs full of hooks as he and Coltrane play around with the ideas. One thing that is amazing is that this album was a one shot, unrehearsed recording of the songs as Davis laid them out for the guys before the recording started. It's hard for me to believe that anyone is that talented let alone six guys together, but here it is. Though the album is free thought, the songs aren't long and as I said before the melodies are infectious, pure genius. It may sound corny but if you only want to own one jazz album, this is the album to get.

By the way if you want to own two jazz albums get one that is not this list Dave Brubeck's Time Out. As hard as it is to believe it came out the same year as Kind of Blue and Giant Steps another album on the top 500 countdown.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album represents the dawning of the age of experimental. The nifty thing is that it does it with some great pop songs like "There She Goes Again" and "Femme Fatale." In fact this album is full of good hooks while musically it is all over the map. If you've never heard the album it is worth a listen at some point just to get a feel for where so much came from to follow, but remember it is very experimental and so even the good hooks are surrounded by odd music and in some cases out there lyrics or subjects. This then leads to an album where you have a wonderfully simple rock love song like "I'll Be Your Mirror" and the noise experiment "Heroine" which is about what you would guess.

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced? (Top 500 Countdown Update)

If a Martian landed and came up to me and asked, "What is this rock & roll I hear so much about," I would put on this album. Drums, bass, guitar, good pop hooks, lyrics all over the map but easy to sing, cool production, blues, psychedelia, hard rock, it is all here on this album. The album is so seamless. It is exactly what you want out of a great album. It has no bad songs, it is experimental, it all fits together, and it is very pop heavy. Any song on here could be a single, except for "Third Stone From the Sun", and yet it has more depth than albums like Born in the USA or Rumours.

Listening to this album in full for the first time in close to 20 years I'm struck by how much energy carries through the entire album. "Purple Haze" would be a hard song for most albums to follow, but here it seems to happen with ease as each song just jumps off the plastic.

"Third Stone" is the only part of the album I have a problem with. Oddly for experimental jazz/rock it still works on this album because it has such a seductive melody that runs throughout. I just think it's a bit long, the other songs all being about half it's length. It disrupts the flow a bit, that is of course until "Foxey Lady" starts up and then you're right back.

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's hard not to like this album that exposes so well the talent of Dylan. The set of songs are extremely strong and the production is wonderfully tight blending a soft almost acoustic sound that brings out the emotion of the lyrics perfectly. This is the key to the record, because the lyrics are the key to Dylan. Although he performs wonderfully on this album, the strength lies in the words and the music here really bring the lyrics and accentuate them perfectly. Dylan shows great maturity in his singing on this record slowing down his presentation and actually performing the songs instead of just running of the words.

Nirvana - Nevermind (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's funny but this album really makes me hate how people are. This is a brilliant fusion of punk/rock/metal/pop and yet Nirvana felt bad because of their success. Felt bad that all their indi crowd thought they had sold out their sound. I really hate people. I thought the idea of going into rock was to produce music, your music and have it go out there and touch people, find a mass audience. The indi crows by the way are the same people who are angry that literary criticism exits and yet they are the record critics and the ones who would tear down someone like Nirvana once they find success. Why? Because Nirvana found success, and they found it without compromising their sound. They found it because they had more talent than the people who wanted to tear them down. I really can't stand the Yo La Tangos of the world. Too cool for everyone else and if you don't get it you're a loser. I'm just getting more angry with every word so I'll leave it at that.

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's amazing how much Springsteen matured as a songwriter and producer from his first to his third album. Given the two previous albums Born to Run comes out of nowhere with a sound and lyric that seem completely new and fresh. He was 25 years old when this album came out and it reflects his age. Musically he's matured with a tighter more complex sound to the songs and lyrically he's matured with stronger emotional songs struggling with getting older and being trapped in youth and still feeling youthful. But the emotions of the album are still so raw that it gives the songs a life that Springsteen could never tap again, simply because he will never be 25 again. Born in the USA is technically a better album, but emotionally it can't even come close to this album and that's what makes this one of the best albums ever recorded.

This is also the only weakness to the album. It is stuck in time in a sense. If you see Rebel Without a Cause at age 30 it will not have the same effect as it would have if you had seen it at 16. The same for this album. The emotions are so raw that if you aren't still at the point in your life where you can make that connection it is hard to fully appreciate the album. I would also think a problem might be that it is so gender specific. Not that a 25 year old woman couldn't enjoy the album, but it looks at the world through a very male centered perspective. I would love it if a woman could write an album to match this that would explore the lives of the women the voice in this album is singing to and about.

But just at The Catcher in the Rye is considered one of the great American novels, this is surely one of the great American albums.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album is full of good songs, countless songs that went on to be top 10 singles, but there is something missing on this album. I don't feel that any of the songs stand up to the best songs on Off the Wall and that shouldn't be. This album definitely builds on the sound that was discovered on Off the Wall and Jackson is a much stronger singer, but the types of songs they went after I don't think work as well for Jackson. The songs as a batch are much stronger, but I think "Human Nature" is the only one that really taps into Jackson's strength as a singer. Jackson wanted to be a strong funk/rock singer, three of the four songs he wrote, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin," "Beat It," and "Billie Jean" are hard funk/rock songs but that mix just doesn't work for me.

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (Top 500 Countdown Update)

From Music of My Mind to Talking Book Stevie Wonder grew his new voice and new sound finally exploding with the brilliant album Innervisions. It stands above the other two for its consistency and incorporation of everything that he was experimenting with on those two albums. This album has a great blend of songs that all fit tightly together to make a wonderful album. There isn't a bad song on the album or a bad moment.

It's a brilliant album and one that Wonder would never be able to match. Like U2 he would have to begin experimenting with different sounds, different types of songs, but never again reach a moment that would come close to this. This album is a great reason why studio albums are much better than a collection, greatest hits, anthology whatever. These songs are so tightly woven together it is a feeling that is lost once the songs are removed from their home, and in the end that is what makes this album and others like it so good. It is so well structured, so well thought out that you are left realizing the artist could have done no better than what they did.

James Brown - Live At the Apollo 1962 (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Didn't care for this one at all. For live albums I'd get BB King's Live At the Regal or Otis Redding's Live In Europe.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album is chock full of very good songs "The Chain," "Dreams," "Never Going Back Again," "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," and "You Make Loving Fun" are all songs I've heard on the radio over the years. The other songs on the album aren't bad and so the album really never misses a beat with good solid pop music. The oddity of the album is that there are three main writers Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks each having their own sound. This gives the album an almost greatest hits feel to it since there is no consistency in sound from one song to the next. Funny but you can tell who wrote what song without knowing much at all about Fleetwood Mac. I think this is a shame because my favorite song on the album "The Chain" is the only one that gives multiple writing credits and has the most complex mix of sounds that work very well. It's hard to think of these hits songs being any better than what they were, but who knows.

U2 - The Joshua Tree (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album started to build with War as U2 found a good clean clangy melodic sound that framed Bono's aggressive and emotional lyrics and singing. It developed further with The Unforgettable Fire as they started to bring more depth and polish to the music and as Bono's lyrics began to develop deeper meanings and more maturity. From those two albums came this. A perfect blend of all the things they had been working with before. The aggression and passion of War, but with a more mature voice, a much more mature sound that adds even more depth than The Unforgettable Fire but still manages to better expose the clangy unrelenting melodies that lie underneath. It is by far the strongest set of songs U2 ever brought to an album and the best vocal work Bono had done up to that point. The last two songs are the weakest point of the album, which hurts since it's better to close strong, but it is still a solid album.

As happens to any group that reaches this sort of climax U2 was left with no room to grow with this sound and would choose to reinvent their sound later, but this album still represents U2 at their best and is the reason they became superstars.

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Best collection of Dylan songs I've heard so far on this countdown and also a good sound. I like the turn to electric. It also has the feel of a transitional album and so at times it drags and gets a bit lost in itself the music and lyrics not working well together.

The Who - Who's Next (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Well if you have never listened to The Who or want to own one Who record for your collection this is the record for you. The songs were never sharper and consistent. The sound was never more balanced and melodic. This is a brilliant record never missing a beat.

Personally I prefer my music to be a bit more emotional, sappy, romantic and so this album is missing a bit for me on that note, but for pure rock music this is one of the best ever made. Heavy drums, amazing bass work, great guitar rifts, and powerful singing make this album jump to life from opening to ending.

Joni Mitchell - Blue (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Skip it.

The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed (Top 500 Countdown Update)

If you have never listened to a Stones album, or if you want to own one to have in your collection this is the album to get. It is the most consistent album they ever made balancing their sound out better than any other. It is also a good album. The opening to "Gimme Shelter" pulls you into the album and it never really lets up finishing with "You Can't Always Get What You Want." In between these two wide open songs are very gritty blues/country/pop songs that are wonderful to listen to when in the right mood.

The Ramones - The Ramones (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Too much the same song over and over again. It's OK, but after a bit I just wanted some variation, anything.

The Band - Music from Big Pink (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's OK but this album doesn't do much for me.

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this album. It also has the feel of the kind of album that could grow on you. It's an interesting sound that consistently fits around nice pop melodies and good beats.

Carole King - Tapestry (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's an album like this that makes me realize how amazing an album like Born in the USA is. The three opening songs on this album are incredible. There are other great songs on this album, but for a pop album it struggles at times to keep the momentum going. It is so incredibly hard to put down 12 really tightly constructed songs and never slip. Don't get me wrong this is a very good album, but it does have moments where it feels like it's struggling along.

Love - Forever Changes (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'm not sure I get this one. There aren't any real standout songs and there isn't a very good pop sense to the album. The Byrds may drive me crazy by going overboard all the time, but their songs have good pop sensibility and good beats.

The Doors - The Doors (Top 500 Countdown Update)

So much attention goes to Jim Morrison that people seem to overlook the great supporting cast he had in Densmore, Krieger, and Manzareck. Like any great group that has a larger than life front man like U2, REM, The Smiths, etc. it takes a solid group of musicians to make a success. You want this showperson to be able to write what they want, sing how they want, and support that with catchy melodies, strong beats, etc. This is something The Doors pulled off brilliantly on this album whether it meant playing blues, psychedelia, pop/rock, or jazz.

Another thing that people tend to overlook about The Doors is they were really good at writing pop songs. On this album throw out "Alabama Song" and "The End" and every other song could have been released as a single. I think part of why this gets overlooked is again the larger than life persona that Morrison took on which tended to overshadow the band or their music after a time.

This album is The Doors at their best and tightest. Throw out "Alabama Song" and you may have the greatest rock album of all time.

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It is hard to find better sounding rock music than what you'll find on this album. That being said the songs are lyrically weak and the sound though beautiful is dreary and moody but oddly lacking in emotion. If you want to hear post Syd Barrett Floyd then this is the album to try out. You won't find anything of theirs more structured than this.

Patti Smith - Horses (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I've heard of Patti Smith my entire adult life and so it was interesting to finally listen to her. It's a pretty good album, worth listening to, but nothing to write home about now like it would have been in 1975.

The Band - The Band (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album doesn't do anything for me.

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The energy on this album is great, but I'm not a big fan of unstructured jazz and would prefer something that actually revolves around a melody instead of being free thought. Years ago I was part of a move in the University of Kentucky English department to bring back a journal that had existed years before. As part of the process to get material for publication we sent out an open call for poetry. None of the poetry submitted that I read was structured to meter, rhyme, or message. It was all abstract language with no metering or structure to the thoughts. Now if you are a genius like Allen Ginsberg you can potentially pull this off, but for the majority of us we can't. I would say the same for free jazz like what is constructed on this album. If you are a genius like Coltrane you can pull it off, but only if you are very very special. Personally I still don't think it is at the same level as other work of his that is more structured, just like I don't believe Ginsberg is in the same league as Robert Frost.

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album really picks it up on the middle part of the album with the front and back ends being fairly weak. This sounds like a transitional album, an experimental album at times the songs seem to get lost, not sure where exactly they are going. The moments when it works you can see the potential of what is to come and it is wonderful. This album would be followed two years later by Fear of a Black Planet, the greatest rap album ever made. For Fear they take their experimental sounds from A Nation and perfect it, wrapping that sound with brilliant pop raps and beats like De La Soul and BDP, extending their lyrics vastly on Fear, like BDP and N.W.A., and bringing up the noise and power, like the Beastie Boys, that this album is missing which helps to solidify the sound. If you want to hear a pretty good album and know what lead up to the greatest rap album of all time check this one out.

The Allman Brothers - At Fillmore East (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The first side of this album is fantastic with "Statesboro Blues," "Done Somebody Wrong," and "Stormy Monday." From there it is all a bit downhill for me as I don't care much for long jam songs. Side two is made up of one song, side three is made up of two, and side four one. Musically these guys are very good, but I miss the nice structures and musical expressions found on that first side. If you enjoy the Grateful Dead live or Cream live, then you should enjoy this as well.

Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The album seems a bit disjointed and though the big songs off of the album are very good, the rest of the songs seem tossed in and don't really fit with the album. It's odd since their two previous albums seem so structured, but this was the groups final album so who knows what problems they were beginning to run into while recording it. It's probably worth having just for the big hit songs, but you can also get those on a greatest hits, except maybe for "The Only Living Boy In New York" which is a good song.

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (Top 500 Countdown Update)

There is a certain ease with which Hendrix seems to produce his music. The cover of "All Along the Watchtower" is a great example of this. It seems so natural and simple and is so wonderfully complex it is truly amazing. This album is still very heavily experimental though one can hear a coherent new sound starting to emerge. Hendrix has a natural gift for throwing out pop melodies that shine through on even odd songs like "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." Sad to say he would never release another studio album and so we would never see what direction he hoped to take this new found sound. In bits and pieces this is a fun album to listen to, but only in bits and pieces.

Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album has such a raw unfinished sound it's interesting to listen to. It of course is ground breaking because of what it represents and is a good album, but in the end it is a bit too raw for me. His second album apparently has a much better structure and sound and I'll have to check it out. I think this is worth listening to simply because I've heard almost none of the songs on this album and it's good to hear this early rock stuff, but curiosity is about the only interest I have. Weird interesting version of "Blue Moon" which makes me realize how stupid I am for never thinking of Elvis as experimental.

Stevie Wonder - Songs In the Key Of Life (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Like every double album this one can be a bit long winded at times. The overall sound of the album is wonderful, but it is paced and can easily slip into the background. In other words a good album to do homework by.

The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'll be the first to admit I'm hitting total burnout on the Stones. But part of the problem is that they sound the same, the same, the same. Out of 10 songs they will have 2 or 3 that really standout as fresh pop/blues/country/whatever rock songs. No doubt these songs are exceptionally good rock songs like on this album you get "Sympathy For the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man" but only 2 to 3 per album is a bit thin. The rest of the songs aren't bad, but they are the same grungy/r&b/blues/country/rock and seem to be thrown together in about 5 minutes of preparation. The standout songs standout because they have a nice melody, interesting rhythms and good lyrics. They sound fresh and well constructed. Not to keen on this album as you can tell.

Guns 'N Roses - Appetite For Destruction (Top 500 Countdown Update)

"Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O'Mine" are standouts on this hard rock album and are really the only good parts of this album. I never liked the song "Paradise City" and now hearing it years later I still don't. Besides the two songs mentioned as standouts the rest of the album seems thrown together hard rock, with heavy guitars, good beats and a harsh vocals, but nothing that really catches me as being all that special. The thing I learned in reading up on this album is that this band was really a one hit wonder which I can't say I knew. They did release a two album follow up but apparently it was a very experimental affair and didn't really do that well. From there the band fell apart, Nirvana came along and they disappeared. The odd thing I remember about this album in particular "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O'Mine" is that everyone I knew liked these songs no matter if they were into alternative or mainstream music at the time. If the pop sensibility and emotion and anger of these two songs could have been captured throughout then I would say you've got a great album, as it is it is just OK.

U2 - Achtung Baby (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a good album but it seems to be a bit lost and dragging at times. I think with "One" U2 showed an ability to do a straight rock/pop song and that more pop oriented feel floats in and out the rest of the album, like on the song "Mysterious Ways." All in all it isn't a very consistent album and is definitely transitional in nature a mix of a newer harder sounding pop to the old anthemic sound of Joshua Tree.

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album has such a dark and dreary sound to it I'm not so sure a pretty, sunny Friday is the best time to evaluate it. It would be much better on a dark and lonely Tuesday night, but what are you gonna do. It's a good album with some really good music. The batch of songs isn't as strong as some other stuff I've hear by the Stones, but it's a solid album.

Billy Joel - The Stranger (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a strong album with a lot of good songs, but there is something about the sound that seems a bit too tight, too scripted which leaves the emotion lacking at times. Still it is a solid album with a good pop sense and consistency. Who doesn't like "Just the Way You Are?"

Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (Top 500 Countdown Update)

"Off the Wall," "Rock With You," and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" are three of the best funk/disco pop songs ever made. These alone make this a good album, but the rest of the album doesn't quite hold up. Side two of the album is slower and these songs, especially the ballads just don't stand up to the level of the three earlier mentioned songs. Jackson is a good singer and sounds good on songs like "She's Out Of My Life," but he's not a crooner and is not able to carry the emotional weight on these songs.

Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a wonderful funky r&b album that feels inner city bluesy and dirty. The sound gets a bit flat at times, partly because the sound is so consistent from one song to the next. But if you are in the right mood and you like the sound it is a wonderful experience. I recommend a cool Saturday afternoon with the sun coming in through the windows while you're getting ready for a night out. It will get you ready for a funky moody night on the dark and dirty town.

Neil Young - After the Gold Rush (Top 500 Countdown Update)

My biggest problem with Neil Young is listening to him sing. He also writes very oddly structured songs that often don't follow any kind of pop structure to give the songs a capturing melody. This all leads to me not being a very big fan and wondering why so many people are. This album is a bit slow, but is probably his best work that I've heard so far. "Southern Man" is a great song.

Prince - Purple Rain (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I never knew that some of the songs on this album were actually recorded live, like "I Would Die 4 U," "Baby I'm a Star," and "Purple Rain." That in itself is incredible since the performances are so tight and this was a newly formed band that Prince had put together just for this recording and the movie to go with it. Though I think the last two songs drag a bit they fit perfectly into the movie.

Another odd thing about this album is that it seems to have come from nowhere. There was certainly no sign of this ability in Prince's previous records and perhaps joining up with a real band helped to expand his sound and his reach. He would never again put together an album so tightly structured around pop melodies, but here he seems to have done it with such ease every song having its own weird pop sound.

I actually think this is one of the best rock albums ever made. On one album he is able to incorporate components of psychedelia, funk, rock, r&b, electronica and he makes it all work together to create a very tightly structured concept album. It is extremely hard to create a concept album, but to then make it a pop/experimental album and have every song be exceptionally good is almost impossible.

Otis Redding - Otis Blue (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is the best of his studio albums I have heard, but it doesn't compare to Live In Europe. In the studio Redding just sounds somewhat contained compared to how he sounds on stage with a band that is just as tight as it is on this album. Personally I would get Sam Cooke's studio stuff over Redding's, but the Live In Europe album is fantastic.

The Clash - The Clash (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The most intriguing song on the album to me is "Police and Thieves" because it is experimenting with a unique sound that seems to have some real potential. The rest of the album seems to be in the same ballpark as The Ramones to me, but not as well constructed. It has the feel of a first album with a lot of room for growth.

Neil Young - Harvest (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is the most consistent Young album I've heard on this countdown. That doesn't mean I love it, but it is much better than the other stuff I've heard. It has quite a few really catchy songs, but all in all it drags a bit for me and drifts around at times.

Paul Simon - Graceland (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I think I was the only person in 1986 who didn't like this album. The sound for some reason doesn't appeal to me and none of the songs really grab me like a lot of Simons other stuff. He does an excellent job of blending the mbaqanga sound into a pop format and I'll give him credit for that, but the songs seem flat and stale to me and just doesn't seem as true as his earlier work.

Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is an unstructured, thrown together, experimental album. It has its moments but for the most part it sounds very transitional. As an album it really doesn't work and was probably put out in a hurry to follow on the heels of his successful first album.

Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The arrangements again are very tight and it's a good record. However, her strength is not slow sultry songs but songs where she can be expressive and attack in bursts of energy. "I Never Loved a Man" is a great example of this. It is a slow song, but her presentation is aggressive and distant which works really well for her. "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream" has a sexy paced feel to it, that just doesn't work as well for Aretha. There are a few songs on this record that don't work that well for Aretha.

Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul (Top 500 Countdown Update)

There isn't a missed beat on this album. It's fun to hear her arrangements of songs like "Groovin" and "People Get Ready" which are uniquely Aretha. Then you throw in big songs like "Chain of Fools" and "Natural Woman" along with funky songs like "Niki Hoekey" and you have a great album. I must confess I'm not a huge Aretha fan, but this is a very good album.

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The amazing thing about this album is that every song on it could have been released as a single. But it's not just a random collection of well crafted singles, these songs all blend together to examine the life of 30 something men struggling with love, jobs, government, etc. Every song has wonderful pop hooks and brilliant lyrics. Even simple pop songs like "Dancing In the Dark" and "Cover Me" are so well crafted that they can't be dismissed as just silly pop tunes. Their lyrics are simple but straightforward and backed with brilliantly balanced music.

There is nothing bad that I can say about this album. It climaxes work that Springsteen started following Born to Run. The darker lyrics, the heavier rock sound, the moody edgy singing, all those elements that were developing over the three previous albums are here and they are perfectly blended and balanced. For an artist to create a great album (Born to Run) is almost impossible, but to do it a 2nd time and 10 years later is a statement to Springsteen's genius.

Pink Floyd - The Wall (Top 500 Countdown Update)

At some point when listening to this album I just start to hate it (back in college I had some friends who listened to this album none stop for like a month). The music is wonderful throughout the album, but the story and the songs struggle at times and just tend to wear me down. Though there are many good singles on this album, blended together they get a bit tiring and are very overbearing. It is an album that I will certainly never own and won't be listening to all the way through again in my life if I can keep from it.

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's a good album, but not one that I will be listening to again anytime soon. It is very depressing. The performance is good but there are much better live albums out there. Of course I don't know that I've ever heard an upbeat Cash song, so maybe that's just his style. Anyhow it's a good but tough listen.

Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (Top 500 Countdown Update)

"You Are the Sunshine" and "Superstition" are great songs, but the other songs don't seem as tightly woven, they seem to get a bit lost in exactly what they want to be. Where Music of My Mind was slow this album is alive and vibrant. I still think the sound is a bit experimental occasionally coming together like on "Superstition" to create a concise song, but the rest of the album seems to be a bit confused and lost. This album is a step up from Music of My Mind, but I believe there is still room to grow and better develop this sound that is obviously growing over these albums.

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Except for "Jamaica Jerk-Off" this is a very solid album. Every song has a catchy melody, good lyrics, and a focused musical approach that creates good consistency across this double album. As with many albums the songs that were released as singles stand far above the other songs like "Bennie and the Jets," but the rest of the album is still very strong and fun to listen to.

Prince - Sign 'O' the Times (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Well if you've been reading my reviews then you can probably guess where I'm going to come down on this album. It has too much. Strip out the extra and you probably have Prince's best work, but as it stands there is too much and the excellent tracks get lost at times among subpar work. The genius of the album is how Prince is able to write very good songs for a variety of different genres. "The Cross" is rock, "Starfish and Coffee" is electric pop, "Slow Love" is r&b, "Housequake" is funk, etc. On top of everything throw in a live song, "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" which leaves you wanting more of that and you have an amazingly mixed up album. In the end it is a bit too mixed up for me, but it is still a wonderful album.

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Albums like this are for other musicians and not for the public. Unless you are really really really into music and understand the complexities of everything that is going on this music can have no appeal. There is no structured melody or form, it is simply a jumble of sounds arranged together in a strange yet experimental way. I'm assuming then that this is on the list not because anyone can actually sit through it, but because it was so influential.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River (Top 500 Countdown Update)

What an odd band. From 1968-1970 CCR put out six albums. Three albums in 1969 including Green River. No doubt this is a reflection of John Fogerty's genius since he wrote almost every original song they recorded for these albums, but it is also a reflection of the genius of the band behind Fogerty since he was never able to produce hits solo the way he had with the band. What I don't get is why they recorded six albums instead of three. There are definitely throw away songs on all of these albums and so if you tightened the six albums down to three they would be chock full of tightly woven brilliance. These guys must have been living in the recording studio when they weren't performing live. It would have also been fun to see them experiment with their sound a bit, but how could they have had any time to experiment. I like this album just like I enjoyed the other CCR albums on this countdown, but there is nothing that makes this album stand out above the others for me.

The Who - Tommy (Top 500 Countdown Update)

There are brief moments on this album where I actually get interested, but they are far and few between. All in all it is for me slow and painful to listen to.

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Though Dylan's lyrics and music will mature greatly, this is an album full of solid material. Both lyrics and music have a very youthful and raw feel to them, but it is a fun album to listen to with some really good hooks on songs like "Don't Think Twice" and "Girl From the North Country." You can see on this album his ability to write love songs, goofy folk songs, and harsh political songs. All of this will flush out better on later albums, but to see the roots of it all is fun.

Sly & The Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album is brilliant in so many ways, but is so incredibly dreary and dark sounding it is hard to decide whether I like it or not. Even the songs that seem upbeat have an odd moody feel to them. But lets face it you can take this album and understand where groups like A Tribe Called Quest got the idea for their sound from. These dark, funky, moody beats and melodies with political and social lyrics are something that many will copy later on, but I have to say there is an odd edge to this album that I don't know that anyone else will ever be able to capture. The allmusic.com review talks about Sly sinking into drug abuse and what not and that playing a big part in the sound of the album. My problem with that is that he will follow this album up with Fresh which has a much cleaner and approachable sound. In fact Stand!, There's a Riot Goin' On and Fresh all sound similar but different. I suppose this album could be seen as transitional going from the spiritual upbeat feel of Stand! to the darker cleaner funk sound of Fresh. But it seems to me it is better to let all three albums stand on their own as these albums represent the pinnacle of Sly's work.

Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album definitely taps into Sinatra's strength which is singing slow, moody, expressive songs. It is a good album. But 11 years later he would record September of My Years which I believe is a much better album, Sinatra's best. In fact he does one song on each of these albums "Last Night When We Were Young" and I think from this song you can see the differences and why September is a better album. Sinatra has an incredibly expressive voice doing these slow ballads and one of the geniuses of September is that the arrangements keep the music sitting back and allow Sinatra's voice to set the mood, the pace, the emotion. If you listen to the two versions you'll find that the arrangement on In the Wee Small Hours allows the instruments to intrude on the wonderfully emotional performance instead of acting as a spotlight. In the Wee Small Hours is a strong album and certainly fun to listen to when you are feeling down and out, but I would skip it and buy September of My Years.

Cream - Fresh Cream (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Hmm, not sure I get this one being on the list. It's a sloppy, very sloppy sounding first recording. Their sound, that will blossom on Disraeli Gears, is there in parts, but hasn't really even begun to flower yet.

John Coltrane - Giant Steps (Top 500 Countdown Update)

See this is when I feel really out of it. I don't know enough about the history of jazz, or jazz in general to fully appreciate this album. This of course means all I can do is listen to the album and base everything on what I think of the sound, etc. As far as that goes it's a good sounding record, but it doesn't really have any got you moments that a lot of jazz albums have. There aren't any real songs that stand out in my mind, it seems more like free form poetry and in this case there just aren't any real grab you lines.

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a very solid album. There isn't a weak song, even his rendition of "Oh, Susannah" is nice and different. He blends folk/blues, folk/rock, folk/country together seamlessly from one track to the next. The trick here is whether or not you like the sound of James Taylor. It always comes down to what you like in the end and for me Taylor is always lacking a little something. Compare this album to Tracy Chapman's first album or Nebraska by Springsteen and I don't think there is any question that their albums are stronger because they tap into a level of emotion that just seems to be missing with Taylor. He always sounds a bit too clean and too easy for me.

The Ramones - Rocket to Russia (Top 500 Countdown Update)

What can you say bad about the album. Every song on it is good, I mean really good. It's 14 short tightly produced songs that speed their way from beginning to end. At the same time this is my problem with the album. It is almost like listening to the same song over and over again. If you like the sound then you're in luck because it is non stop and it never hiccups. If you don't like the sound then don't even bother with the album.

David Bowie - Hunky Dory (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'm learning that I'm not a big David Bowie fan. This album has a very stripped down and clean sound that works well for the songs, but the songs have an odd edge to them that I don't like. "Changes" stands out as a great song and there are plenty of good songs, but all in all the album held no real interest for me.

The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is definitely a transitional album. The Stones first album of all original material they seem to be struggling to figure out what their sound should be. "Paint It Black" and "Under My Thumb" stand out as very original sounding tracks, but the rest of the album seems lost somewhere in their past.

The Velvet Underground - Loaded (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I wish I had a better understanding of why The Velvet Underground is so well respected and thought to have had such a huge influence on rock music, but I don't. This album just sort of sits there to me. It is so stripped down and sounds so bare it falls a bit flat.

Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Another concept album this one really starts out great. It is wonderful folk/jazz/pop that just jumps off the stereo with a wonderful liveliness. This is most evident in the hit song "Help Me." The steam starts to run out on the second side finishing off with a very weak song "Twisted" that doesn't seem to fit on the album at all.

Cream - Disraeli Gears (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Despite the fact that there are two throw away songs on this album, "Blue Condition" and "Mother's Lament" this is one of the greatest rock albums of all time. "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" are simply fantastic songs. These songs are everything you want from all the experimentation of blues, psychedelia, and rock. The album as a whole is very tightly woven with short crisp songs that all have good pop hooks and this wonderful pounding mixture of blues and psychedelia. If I could pick one album to represent the rock sound of the 60's it would be this album. This album will give a lot of credit to Eric Clapton for his wonderful guitar work, but Ginger Baker is fantastic on this album with his odd jazz drumming driving every song. Jack Bruce is also flawless on this album balancing out Baker's rambling drums with Clapton's heavy blues guitar. For this one moment in time these guys balanced a very odd mix of sounds perfectly. In case you didn't get the message I really think this is a great album. If they had left off "Mother's Lament" and found a replacement for "Blue Condition" which just doesn't seem to fit with every other song on the album, this would possibly be the greatest album of all time.

The Who - The Who Sells Out (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a good album, but the sound doesn't do a lot for me. The songs are consistently good, but it seems a bit raw or immature.

The Rolling Stones - Out of Our Heads (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a solid album from the Stones. There aren't really any throw away songs and there are 6 original songs on this album, their most up to this point, and they are definitely the best songs on the album. When you listen to this album, the bands 5th, it's hard to imagine they are going to get any better at this clangy R&B/blues stuff they do without branching their sound out further. One sign of what is to come is "Play With Fire" a stripped down original song that is much more rock based than R&B and has a dark, sinister feel to it. Of the early Stones stuff I've heard this album is by far the best.

Derek & The Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (Top 500 Countdown Update)

If this album were a single instead of a double with maybe two songs cut out and all the songs tightened up it would be fantastic. As it is there is too much guitar free play for me and too much jamming going on. The arrangements of the songs are great, but then they go and make it too long winded with way too much free form guitar play. "Layla" is a great example of this to me. It's got the most pop sound of any song on the album and it is a good song, but for the last 3 1/2 minutes of the song it is simply garbage. It's like fusion jazz for blues guitar and it just doesn't work for me.
A good producer could have done wonders for this album and still kept the emotional charge that lives in the performances. No doubt this is blues/rock at its best if only someone had really grabbed onto the recording and tightened it up.

Etta James - At Last! (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Like Pearl this album is dominated by a very strong singer. Unlike Pearl the arrangements are very tight and the music properly subdued to allow James to dominate without any intrusions. There are a few misses on this album that could be thrown away like "Tough Mary," but for the most part it is very solid.

The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Similar to The Harder They Come this album has more of a collection feel than the feel of a structured album. I don't know me and The Byrds just don't seem to get along. Nothing they do is ever good enough for me it seems. I don't know how to explain it, but this album feels like one of those concerts you see on TV with a bunch of artists where they come together and do a tribute to someone. This is like The Byrds tribute to country music. There are certainly much better country albums than this that could be on this list. Perhaps the reason this is so high on the list is because of the fact that it was such a popular rock band doing country, but that still doesn't make it a great album. This doesn't even compare say to Workingman's Dead by the Grateful Dead another group that made a sharp country turn.

Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The album is very good except for "Sex Machine" and "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey." Throw those two songs out and you have a great album. With them, especially since "Sex Machine" is over 13 minutes long, you have a good album. I love the song "Stand!" and of course who doesn't like "Everyday People" and "I Want To Take You Higher." The beauty of modern day technology is that you could by the six really good tracks on this album and just leave off the two bad tracks. Then you would have a short, but wonderful album.

Various Artists - The Harder They Come (Top 500 Countdown)

I was torn as to whether or not to count this album since it is a collection of artists. But from what I can gather it is all original work done for this movie and so I thought I would include it. It is a fun album, but still a soundtrack. Soundtracks like this have a sort of disconnected feel to them because it doesn't have that consistency you get with a single artist. It would be fun to put on while cleaning up the house on a rainy Saturday, but not really in the same league as albums like Catch a Fire or Funky Kingston.

Janis Joplin - Pearl (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I never realized that Pearl was unfinished when Janis Joplin died. Thus the instrumental "Buried Alive In the Blues" which was waiting for her vocals to be done the day after her death. Hearing Joplin sing is great but for me the music is just way too heavy. "Me and Bobby McGee" stands out as being toned down much more than the rest of the album. Hard to imagine she would have gotten much better as a singer than she is on this album, but there was certainly room to grow with her backing band the arrangements.

Bob Marley - Catch a Fire (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album is dominated by Aston Barrett's brilliant bass playing. He controls the feel and rhythm of every song perfectly. This leads to a moody record with a scruffy sound. Though it is not as pop friendly as Exodus this album doesn't miss a beat and every song is a joy to listen to. This album also has the feel of being a band album instead of that of a solo artist. Peter Tosh sings the two songs he wrote and that in itself adds a nice flavor to the album.

From what I've heard of Marley I would say this represents the best of the original band with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, while Exodus represents the best of Marley after that original breakup. Own these two albums and you will not only own the best two Reggae albums of all time, but two of the best albums of all time.

The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This could have been my favorite Byrds album up to this point if not for all the darn experimental psychedelic junk. "Everybody's Been Burned" is a fantastic song and "So You Wanna Be a Rock N Roll Star" is so much fun. All the songs have a general good sound, but then they have all this idiotic psychedelic junk layered in on top that adds absolutely nothing to the mix.

The Stooges - Raw Power (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Iggy Pop seems to completely dominate this album to me. This is a big change from their earlier two albums and I have to say I don't like this album nearly as much as I do those.

Talking Heads - Remain In the Light (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Musically this album is very challenging. It is quite experimental but in a very pop sensitive way. The beats and the hooks are there in an odd sort of way. It seems to exist separate from Burns's singing yet the two seem to come together to make a good fit. It has a lot of energy and is fun to listen to. I'm surprised how much I liked this album. I have to admit I have never been a fan of the Talking Heads, but after listening to this album and 77 I can understand why they get the attention they get.

The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I really love "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" but the rest of the album is sort of throw away to me. Pull off those songs and junk the rest of the album and you'll be doing OK.

Television - Marquee Moon (Top 500 Countdown Update)

An interesting band they seem to me to be a combination of the Talking Heads and the Tuff Darts two other bands that would have been playing at CBGBs in New York at the same time. They have a taste of the new wave art rock of the Heads mixed with the pop/rock sense of the Darts. It's a nice mix and a good sound that works quite well. Like many albums on this list I feel like this album show signs of something better to come. This then leaves me a bit wanting, but still it's a good album.

Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (Top 500 Countdown Update)

What makes this album so brilliant is how it ties r&b and jazz together with rock and pop to present a very unique sound. Other artists have blended jazz, rock, and r&b together, but what makes this album ultimately work so well is that it does it with a great pop sensibility. The tunes are infectious and even though they can be a bit long winded they don't drag because the song keeps changing and presenting itself with one hook after another. The only throw away song for me is "Wild Billy's Circus Story." But the second side of this album, is possibly one of the best sides of any album so it makes up for one weak song. "Incident on 57th Street," "Rosalita," and "New York City Serenade" present a truly amazing 24 minutes of music. Springsteen would completely leave this sound behind after this album and it makes sense since there was really no where to go with it but down.

Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'm disappointed to know that Pavement followed up this album with Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. I personally think they went the wrong way with that album, but that's just me. This is a good album. It's like The Feelies bump into the Pixies and fall into a Sonic Youth blender. Now that is an odd combination of sounds to say the least, but they make it work with only a few throw away songs. The problem is the songs are a bit naked at times and there is definitely room for growth.

The Replacements - Tim (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I really wanted to like this album. I really wanted to like The Replacements for some reason, but I just don't care that much for their stuff. It's OK but nothing that I can really see myself getting into. Maybe if I had hear it when I was younger, on a long drive across the country by myself, and it was the only tape I had. But as it is I just can't seem to really get much out of it.

The Meters - Rejuvenation (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Now this is a good album. I didn't care much for the first Meters album on the list Look-Ka Py Py partly because it was straight instrumental and seemed to have no real emotion to it. Their sound is very clean and without a voice to bring out the emotion of the music it seems a bit robotic. But this album is very good. Shorten the song "It Ain't No Use" from over eleven minutes down to five and you've got an even better album. It is very clean funk/r&b and has a very interesting sound that is quite unique to The Meters from my experience.

U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album feels mature and stable. This isn't a bad thing, but it seems to be missing an edge that is usually felt with U2's stuff. Of course what do I know I haven't really listened to U2 since The Joshua Tree. It's not a bad album and has the best pop stuff I've ever heard from U2 in "Beautiful Day" and "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." But I also don't care much for these songs so I'm not sure what to say about this album.

Blondie - Parallel Lines (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's hard to believe this album is almost 30 years old. It has aged well and doesn't sound dated at all. This is of course a sign that they did something right on this album. But outside of that I'm not that crazy about the album. "Heart of Glass" is a great song, but the rest of the album doesn't do a lot for me. I was never a huge Blondie fan anyhow and this album didn't make me feel any differently.

B.B. King - Live At the Regal (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is inarguably the greatest live album ever made. I just wanted to use the word inarguably. It is an amazingly fantastic live album. No other album I've ever heard has given me such a sense of being in the audience. King and his band are fantastic and the audience is so involved. Also this album really demonstrates what a fantastic singer and entertainer King is. It will never age because of the feeling captured so perfectly. If you have never heard this album it is a must.

Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The allmusic.com reviewer of this album writes that it "stands as inarguably the greatest Christmas record of all time." I think anyone could make a very compelling argument that it is not only not the greatest, but not even a good Christmas album. I certainly won't be running out to buy this one to bring Christmas cheer.

Dr. John - Gris-Gris (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I really have to wonder about this list when I hear an album like this. It's very experimental and not very good. It definitely influenced no one, so why is it on the list. I mean it's not a good album. It is very weird but not very good.

N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I have to admit I'm surprised. I had never given N.W.A. any thought, but this is a good album. It completely rips off Public Enemy with the sound, but the lyrics are interesting in that they are so focused on representing a life that existed in Compton. The part that surprised me is that it doesn't portray a cool life or a style that anyone would want to copy. Instead it tells the story of a sad world with violence, hatred, and disconnect. I had also expected it to be extremely sexist, but that's not the case either. A pretty good album, though not in the ballpark with BDP or Public Enemy.

Steely Dan - Aja (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is probably what I would consider to be the best Steely Dan. It's pure jazz/pop/rock and it has a nice clean sound that many would go on to copy. In fact I've always been a big fan of the jazz/rock albums by China Crisis who not only copied the sound but got Walter Becker to produce one of their albums. Steely Dan have a natural way of writing pop songs and there were three hits on this album "Deacon Blues," "Josie," and "Peg." You can definitely hear the sound that will be the basis for Donald Fagen's solo album, The Nightfly.

All of that said, I'm not a big Steely Dan fan and will certainly never listen to this album again. I can certainly understand picking this CD up to show off my fancy stereo equipment I was trying to sell someone, but can't see listening to it for pure entertainment purposes. There is a certain slickness and tightness about Steely Dan that always goes a bit far for me.

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow (Top 500 Countdown Update)

"White Rabbit" is a fantastic song, but how do you match it with anything else? This is an interesting album in that the two hit songs, "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" were both written by the newcomer of the band Grace Slick. Now you know that had to create some issues for the band. Overall the album is a bit muddled and holds little interest for me.

Santana - Santana (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I don't have a lot to say about this album. I'm not a Santana fan and though I liked the first couple of songs, it really started to drag at some point for me.

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On the Edge of Town (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album is so wonderfully dark and angry it's hard not to like it. But what makes this album so good is the fact that Springsteen has made an obvious shift in not only his lyrics, but also in his musical approach. Every great pop musical artist has to mature and age with his/her audience and this album is part of Springsteen's maturing. It is especially important because it comes on the heels of his big breakthrough album Born to Run. On Darkness he's beginning to play around much more with a harder rock sound that works perfectly with his darker lyrics. This rock sound will continue to develop on The River and blossom perfectly for Born In the USA. But the real strengths of the album are the lyrics and the fact that there really isn't a wasted moment on the album. These are very tight songs and songs that are starting to become much more direct in their approach to the stories being told. For a transitional album this is at a level well above what most other artists can produce and shows that there were probably more than legal reasons for the long delay between Born to Run and Darkness On the Edge of Town.

The B-52's - The B-52's (Top 500 Countdown Update)

It's an interesting album, but that's about as much as I can say for it. I've never been a big B-52's fan and so this album didn't hold of lot of interest to begin with. It is their first album and thought of as their best and I can see why. It is their basic sound that they would still be using on "Love Shack" ten years later.

The Challenge of the Super Friends

I've been watching the first disc from NetFlix. What I've realized is that the Super Friends really are Super Fools. Time and again the Legion of Doom just make chumps of them. Millions are killed, the Legion steals millions in gold, diamonds, whatever. It's crazy that they always get away in the end and the Super Friends don't seem to be looking for them.

I really wish they would release the earlier Super Friends episodes with the Wonder Twins and the even earlier ones with the kids and the dog, but I doubt it will ever happen.

Few of my Favorite Things

Just a goofy entry about stuff I like lately.
1. Matthew
2. Waking up early and seeing Puppy Dog just hopping with enthusiasm
3. Doing yoga in the morning before school with Puppy Dog, trying to do downward dog position when there's a dog underneath you asking to be scratched is really a huge feat.
4.Poland Spring Lemon Sparkling Water
5. Matthew
6. going into the sauna at the Y after a workout and reading a magazine
7. Penguin Sport Wash- really washes your work out clothes
8. Swimming at 5:30 am and watching the sun come up
9. Net library
10. grape leaves
11. Ellen DeGeneres' dancing
12. being back at school

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a very nice album. It is somewhere between De La Soul and Massive Attack and really sets a good groove. The 90's saw such a big change in the whole hip hop scene and the kinds of things people were trying to do with the beats and the sounds. A lot of this was discussed in my entry about the Beastie Boys album, but A Tribe Called Quest continued the revolution of sound coming out of the hip hop genre and helping to create spin off genres like trip hop.

There isn't anything bad to say about the album because there is nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't quite sit at the top of the list for me. It's a good sound and a good listen, but not the kind of album that I'm going to get really deep into.

The Pretenders - The Pretenders (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is basically two albums, side 1 and side 2. I prefer side 2 which is slower more pop/rock with a nice heavy clangy sound. Side one is very strong and heavy pop/punk/rock and this turns down on the second side to reveal some really nice stuff. There is still an odd edge of the punk beats and Hynde's odd singing, but with really nice melody's and lyrics.

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (Top 500 Countdown Update)

OK let's break this down.

1987 Eric B. & Rakim releases Paid In Full
1988 Eric B. & Rakim releases Follow the Leader
1988 Public Enemy releases It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
1988 Boogie Down Productions releases By All Means Necessary
1989 Beastie Boys releases Paul's Boutique
1989 De La Soul releases 3 Feet High and Rising
1989 Boogie Down Productions releases Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
1989 N.W.A. releases Straight Outta Compton
1990 Public Enemy releases Fear of a Black Planet

Paul's Boutique definitely deserves to be mixed in with these other albums. The level of sampling taking place on this album is incredible, and like nothing else I've heard. It's the mixing of samples that makes it so impressive. Of course how much of this is the Beasties and how much is their producer Dust Brothers no one really knows, but they had to have the genius to know this pairing would work and give Dust Brothers the opportunity to take sampling to a level that it would never be at again. I think 1989 is interesting because you have the Beasties mixing sampling, punk, rap, and rock in a noisy experimental sort of way. N.W.A. brought gangsta rap to a new level. BDP was heading away from sampling trying to reconstruct a cleaner sound focusing back on simple beats and lyrics. While De La Soul was opening up rap and sampling to the pop world in a way that would change everything after it. The genius of Fear of a Black Planet was how it brought all four of these approaches together on one album.

Taking all of this into consideration this album definitely deserves to be in a countdown like this, but it is still on a level of experimental that doesn't necessarily make it a fun listen. Unless you really want to hear some experimental sampling then I would suggest staying away from this one.

Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Concept albums like this are the hardest albums to review on this countdown. The story and complexities of the album are buried and require more than one sit through to get at. I can say that none of the songs on the album are as good as the one hit off the album "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" which I think is a great song. One thing I find interesting is that when they released this album on CD they added on bonus tracks. I've never understood why you would add on bonus tracks to a concept album, but then again I thought the record companies should have made their albums and songs available via mp3 back in 1996 or so.

My big question is whether or not I'll return to listen to this album again to fully appreciate the music and lyrics behind the story. I kind of doubt it, but you never know.

Kiss - Alive (Top 500 Countdown Update)

You know I didn't care for Kiss when I was in grade school, and I still don't care for Kiss. I don't get it. Of course I understand that I'm missing the big point. Kiss was really more about their act than their music. It's fun and goofy and rock & roll. Well that has never had appeal to me. Maybe I'm no fun but I don't think so.

Breaking Up With Shannen is a Winner

I had fun watching this show last night. I have to admit I wonder how real it is, but it was still fun to watch. I find the whole thing a bit odd, like why would Shannen Doherty be the one to break up with someone for you, but she actually seemed to really be interested in what she was doing which was fun. Not sure I'll watch it every week, but if I'm up at 10pm on a Tuesday night I'll probably put it on.

Breaking Up With Shannen

I can't wait to see this new show on Oxygen. I don't know why but Shannen Doherty makes me laugh. If it's worth while I'll make a comment on it tomorrow.

T. Rex - Electric Warrior (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I do love the song "Cosmic Dancer," but the rest of the album doesn't have very strong appeal to me. Allmusic.com gives this album credit for starting the glam rock craze which I'm not too crazy about, so maybe that's why I'm not so keen on this album.

Prince - 1999 (Top 500 Countdown Update)

What an odd album. This is another one of those oddities in history. That this album made Prince a huge star is all due to "1999" and "Little Red Corvette." It's easy to forget that 1999 is a double album with a pretty experimental sound. It's funk, electronica, and r&b all rolled into one album. A pretty odd mix at the time it came out. Without those two songs this album never makes it to mainstream and he never develops the kind of following he would get from this album. The key was that this album connected with older teenagers who were intrigued by the beats and vulgarities. This would become his corps audience and Prince would brilliantly flush out his themes to become more mature as this audience matured. In other words look for his music and lyrics to improve and peak soon after 1999.

Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel (Top 500 Countdown)

I enjoyed this album, but I'm not really sure I understand why it is in the top 500 countdown. It's an OK album, but there isn't much to it. The songs aren't that good, there is nothing that really stands out to me as being unique in the presentation or arrangement. Maybe I'm missing something here, but it just seems like a simple pop/country album. Now I enjoy pop music, but there seems to me nothing about this album that makes it really stand out above others.

Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'm not sure what to think of this album. I have a hard time with songs like "You Sure Love to Ball." I'm OK with songs that deal with sex, but much of the album has this weird fake sincereness that disturbs me. I don't think of myself as uptight, but maybe I am, I'm certainly not comfortable with some of these songs. Well I'm at least not comfortable with their approach.

"Closet Dancer"

Ok, fair to say that I am a closet dancer- what's that? I like dancing but am shy out on the dance floor. That's why I am so happy to write about someone I saw lately that just really enjoys dancing in front of the masses: Ellen Degeneres. She is a good dancer and looks like she is just having the time of her life out there on her dance floor. We've been taping the show and I'll just watch it to see the dancing part. There's another funny thing about her show too- she does a game show thing where she pretends she's playing all the instruments- it's really funny. Check it out.

Bob Marley - Exodus (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The allmusic.com reviewer of this album refers to it as being a bit formulaic. If this is formulaic then sign me up. Fantastic lyrics, with fantastic beats and melodies. How many artists can pull that formula off? The album has the mainstream appeal that a lot of his earlier work may not have, but it doesn't weaken his message or his performance. If you've been following this blog you'll know how I feel about groups gaining a pop sensibility. Marley shows a level of musical genius on this album as he keeps close ties to his reggae roots, but blends it with a pop essence that few artist can carry off for a full album.

The Who - Live At Leeds (Top 500 Countdown)

Hmm, this is a tough one. It's good, but there is something not quite there, something that is missing for me on this album. I don't know what it is, but I started to lose interest by "Summertime Blues" and it just never got me back. I wish that Yahoo had had the original release, but when it came out on CD it was all expanded versions of the songs. I think the original tighter cut songs would have been more appealing to me.

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This album is OK. It started to drag on the second half of the album I thought.

Apple, Marketing Wizards

I heard this story yesterday on Marketplace and the last line angered me no end. That line is "The key to Apple's success she says is that it's always a step ahead of the competition when it comes to new ideas." This is a load of bunk. The IPod has never been ahead of the competition. Never not once. Where Apple made the right move was in focusing on the software that communicates with their player and of course tying that into an easy to use music store.

I'm not saying that IPods aren't good players or any of that stuff, but they market themselves and people who don't know any better buy into this idea that they are doing something with their players that no one else has done. What I think you will see since they now control so much market share are more products like one put out by Nike that connects to your IPod to give you data while your working out. Is this Apple innovation, no this is what happens when you control 76% of the market.

For real innovation look to an IRiver or Creative product that will work with Yahoo's music service and Netlibrary. Or get a PC with Windows Media Center and a media player from Creative. Then you can use your PC to record your favorite TV shows and download them to your player.

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The opening song on this album really is fantastic and has an energy level that the rest of the album can't quite match. I'm not talking about tempo, but emotional and performance energy. "Maggie May" and some other songs have it, but that opening song sets such a high bar it would be impossible to match it on every track. The album is wonderful to listen to and has no bad song on it, but because the initial bar is set so high it is almost impossible not to feel somewhat disappointed by the album.

Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything? (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This very odd double album made Rundgren a star. I find this very strange since this is a very odd album. It's about as experimental as it gets and it's a double album on top of that. Each side of the album is completely different and so there is really no flow to the album. The 70's were a very interesting time indeed. Personally I don't care much for the album. It has two very good pop songs "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light," but the rest of the album is a bit too off for me. Maybe the better experiment would have been to see if he could have made a 10 track album full of very solid songs that worked to form a cohesive whole. I have to admit to knowing absolutely nothing about Rundgren except for the few pops songs I've heard on the radio over the years, but he's a very interesting guy who has had a large impact on rock music. Check out the write up on him at allmusic.com for more info.

Bob Dylan - Desire (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I really enjoyed this album. The song "Joey" is way too long, but overall this is a fun album. It's noisy and mixed up but it seems to work well with these songs and Dylan's presentation on this album. "Hurricane" and "One More Cup of Coffee" are big stand outs on this album.

The Carpenters - Close To You (Top 500 Countdown Update)

We tend to think of bands like The Velvet Underground as being experimental and dismiss bands like The Carpenters as being pop centric. The problem with that is that it ignores the fact that though the goals and audiences The Carpenters were going after were different than that of The Velvet Underground they were no less experimental. In the middle of this massive change in popular music Richard Carpenter went against the grain to develop a completely unique sound revolving around the strong singing of his sister Karen. Like many of the experimental albums on this countdown he often misses the mark on Close to You, like their cover of "Help," but it's an interesting album that has aged well, because it still sounds so unique even today.

Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove (Top 500 Countdown Update)

No doubt this album was extremely influential on a lot of music we hear today, but as an album it's too experimental for me to enjoy it. The songs are a bit too long, too goofy, and a bit lost in their own experimentation. As I often talk about experimentation is OK, but the real art is turning the experiment into pop music that uses the experiments for the cornerstone of its sound. After sitting through 10:45 of "The Doodoo Chasers" I can honestly say that I will probably never put on another Funkadelic or Parliament album, unless of course it is part of this countdown.

I understand that without this experimentation something like Purple Rain would have never been made. And I think to conduct experiments of this type takes a certain level of brilliance and daring that a lot of musicians don't have. But I believe the genius lies not in these guys for conducting the experiment, but in Prince for creating Purple Rain.

The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones, Now!

I would suggest getting out the Bo Diddley record instead of this one. Or maybe that nice Bobby Bland album I heard a few albums back.

Bob Marley - Natty Dread (Top 500 Countdown Update)

The first half of this album is much stronger than the second half. The lyrics and the sounds are more diverse and energized. I'm not a huge reggae fan, and don't care much for the harmonica brought in on this album, it really doesn't work for me. The problem is that Marley is such a good entertainer it is hard not to get pulled into the experience of listening to the album. I really like the song "Them Belly Full."

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a good pop/rock album that surprisingly to me has aged well. The Lindsey Buckingham songs are the weakest on the album and feel a bit dated, but the Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks songs were big hits at the time and are still good today. I'm not saying these songs would be played on the pop/rock stations today, but they definitely sound like a lot of modern day folk/pop.

Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I think to fully appreciate this album you would have to go back to 1975. It's an unusual album that sounds nice, though it is a bit slow and has only one real single to it. So why was this album so successful for Willie Nelson. I'm sure I can't explain that one. It has a nice emotion to it that pulls you into the album, but there has to be something more to it that made it so hugely successful back in 1975. I do find it interesting that the Pulitzer Prize fiction work in 1975 was the Killer Angels. I could definitely see listening to this album while you sat back and read this book. All this just points to how fun it would be to teach a class on the Pulitzer Prize novel and pop culture.

The Stooges - The Stooges (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I can't get over how much I enjoy listening to these guys. This album doesn't have the energy level of their second album and has one definite throw away song in "We Will Fall," but it's a solid album and fun to listen to. Love the song "1969."

Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh (Top 500 Countdown Update)

These guys can be so funky and cool it's just fun to listen to them. The big stand out on this album is "If You Want Me to Stay" a fantastic funk and r&b song. Sly & The Family Stone have such a unique sound I think it could very easily be something that you like or don't like. I happen to like the sound and so I really enjoyed this album.

Peter Gabriel - So (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I never cared for "Sledgehammer" or "Big Time" but the rest of this album is good, especially "Don't Give Up," "Mercy Street," and of course "In Your Eyes." Just for these songs the album ranks high for me, and since this is the only album with Kate Bush that will appear on this list I am tempted to rank it really high. This album has what one wants from a good album. It has a unique sound with a real pop sense that pulls you in and lets you enjoy the songs and the sound.

Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this album. The oddest thing about the album is how different it can sound from one song to the next. It's obvious that Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Richie Furay the three that contributed all the songs were each experimenting and heading in different directions with their musical styles. A fun listen that keeps you guessing what will come next.

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I've so had it with these types of bands being on the list, and these types of albums. I don't even want to talk about this album.

Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis

Hmm. Well "In the Ghetto" is fantastic, but the rest of the album for me is a bit flat. It is so studio sounding. It's like Elvis came in and recorded his part then left and they mixed the rest of the sound around him. It really doesn't work for me.

The Stooges - Funhouse (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I was doing OK with this album until "L.A. Blues." If you throw that song out and shorten "Dirt" and "Funhouse" you have a really good album. As it is well it's a good album except for those issues. What an amazing sound they captured with this album. It has so much energy and drive it's incredible that it's a studio album.

Green Day - Dookie (Top 500 Countdown)

When Green Day gets it right they really get it right. Songs like "When I Come Around," "Longview," and "Basket Case" are really great songs. The problem is the other 12 songs on the album are merely OK. They all sound a bit too much alike and don't really have the hooks that these three songs have. Instead of 15 songs if this album had 10 songs that were put together a little tighter like these three this would be a great album. As it is it's an OK album with three great songs.

Lou Reed - Transformer (Top 500 Countdown Update)

A fun album, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I was reading a review on allmusic.com and they said that David Bowie played a big part in putting this album together. It definitely has Bowie's pop sensibility.

John Mayall - Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Not much going on here for me. It's British blues rock which I'm not too crazy about.

R.E.M. - Murmur (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I have no idea how long it has been since I listened to this album but it has been a long time. It is much better than I remembered I'm surprised to say. The sound is much more polished and clean than I remember though it is still just a sign of what is to come and not the final product. Still it is a fun album with consistently good songs. The only problem the sound is a bit muddy something that they would improve upon on their next album which is a much better constructed album than Murmur. Funny thing is as much as I enjoyed listening to this album I know it will be another unrememberable amount of time until I listen to it again. In some ways it is too comfortable an album. It all feels somewhat strangely familiar and has since the first time I ever listened to the album. I think it's that feeling that has always pushed me away from this album and toward Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Someone at Rolling Stone must really love noise. I've never listened much to Nine Inch Nails, but I do know that I've heard stuff I liked better, mostly because it was more pop heavy in its presentation probably the first album. This album is very experimental and so there are times when I lost interest mostly because it is just what it is noise. It's interesting to hear how he can use the noise to mix with good beats, make heavy metal sounding songs and just about everything else, but I'm pretty sure I'll ever listen to this album again.

Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Top 500 Countdown Update)

This is a wonderful album with a lot of good lyrics, good tunes, and good vocal performances. Musically Simon is starting to grow, but he's not quite up to the level of Bookends quite yet. There was certainly a time in my life when I played this album to death, but now it feels a bit flat and aged. This album has the two best performances by Garfunkel with "Scarborough Fair" and "For Emily."

Michael Jackson - Bad (Top 500 Countdown Update)

I'm really confused by what gets picked for the Rolling Stone Top 500 albums. This is a really bad album. Unlike Off the Wall and Thriller this album just seems to be hashed out pop music, and not good pop music. How an album like this can get rated 144 spots ahead of something like De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising is beyond me. I would not suggest giving this album a listen.

Cream - Wheels of Fire (Top 500 Countdown Update)

Will "Spoonfull" never end!! And now "Toad" is just going on and on. Uuuggh. "White Room" is a fantastic song and feels like it should have been on Disreali Gears, but the rest of the album really struggles.