Day 96: Sleep with one eye open...

Album 294/1031

Van Halen - Van Halen (1978)

All tracks written by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony, except where noted..

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Runnin' with the Devil"	3:36
2.	"Eruption" (instrumental)	1:42
3.	"You Really Got Me" (writer: Ray Davies)	2:38
4.	"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"	3:50
5.	"I'm the One"	3:47

Side two
No.	Title	Length
6.	"Jamie's Cryin'"	3:31
7.	"Atomic Punk"	3:02
8.	"Feel Your Love Tonight"	3:43
9.	"Little Dreamer"	3:23
10.	"Ice Cream Man" (writer: John Brim)	3:20
11.	"On Fire"	3:01

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_(album)

Golf's verdict: Quite good fun and at the very least it probably made Ray Davies, a bone fide genius who has only recently begun to get the credit he deserves, plenty of fag a beer money since 1978. (The cover of 'You Really Got Me', is no classic however). Attentive listeners may recognise several guitar riffs as sampled for Noughties and recent dance music, including Daft Punk.

Maire's verdict: Not my usual fare but fun to listen to.

Album 295/1031

Supertramp - Crime of the Century (1974)

All tracks credited to Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson.

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"School"	Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies	Hodgson and Davies	5:35
2.	"Bloody Well Right"	Davies	Davies	4:32
3.	"Hide in Your Shell"	Hodgson	Hodgson	6:49
4.	"Asylum"	Davies	Davies and Hodgson	6:45

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
5.	"Dreamer"	Hodgson	Hodgson and Davies	3:31
6.	"Rudy"	Davies	Davies and Hodgson	7:17
7.	"If Everyone Was Listening"	Hodgson	Hodgson	4:04
8.	"Crime of the Century"	Davies	Davies	5:36

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_of_the_Century_(album)

Golf's verdict: Was not sure what to expect here. I quite enjoyed it and will probably give it another listen or two, time permitted. (What am I talking about, 'time permitting'? We've got a punishing 2.8 album a day schedule to meet!). You'll recognise 'Dreamer', anyway.


Maire's verdict: 15p for a cigarette? I remember when it was 10p for a single so he was stung.... Anyway, I started out wondering why the band had a singer who couldn't really sing and ended up with the same thought. Not for me.

Album 296/1031

Metallica - Metallica (1991) (AKA: The Black Album)

All lyrics written by James Hetfield.

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Enter Sandman"	Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett	5:29
2.	"Sad but True"	Hetfield Ulrich	5:24
3.	"Holier Than Thou"	Hetfield Ulrich	3:47
4.	"The Unforgiven"	Hetfield Ulrich Hammett	6:26
5.	"Wherever I May Roam"	Hetfield Ulrich	6:42
6.	"Don't Tread on Me"	Hetfield Ulrich	3:59
7.	"Through the Never"	Hetfield Ulrich Hammett	4:01
8.	"Nothing Else Matters"	Hetfield Ulrich	6:29
9.	"Of Wolf and Man"	Hetfield Ulrich Hammett	4:16
10.	"The God That Failed"	Hetfield Ulrich	5:05
11.	"My Friend of Misery"	Hetfield Ulrich Jason Newsted	6:47
12.	"The Struggle Within"	Hetfield Ulrich	3:51

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica_(album)

Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! Okay, it's sold over 20 million copies, so it is definitely hiding in plain sight, but if you have never heard it then I would urge you to give it a go. Whereas the earlier albums were truly thrash metal, this one (with some help from Michael Kamen who orchestrated 'Nothing Else Matters') really breaks new ground. It took me a good 10-15 years before I discovered it (I was never a metal-head, Jane's Addiction was the closest I got at the time) and it now gets a regular rotation. We've heard string quartets playing this to tourists in Las Vegas (they were fantastic), if that does not define 'transcending your genre' then nothing does... 


Maire's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! Pure genius.

Later: You can find ANYTHING on Youtube these days. Here's that string quartet: