Day 233: Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band...

Album 799/1031

ZZ Top - Eliminator (1983)

All songs written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Gimme All Your Lovin'"	3:59
2.	"Got Me Under Pressure"	4:00
3.	"Sharp Dressed Man"	4:13
4.	"I Need You Tonight"	6:14
5.	"I Got the Six"	2:52
6.	"Legs"	4:35
7.	"Thug"	4:17
8.	"TV Dinners"	3:50
9.	"Dirty Dog"	4:05
10.	"If I Could Only Flag Her Down"	3:40
11.	"Bad Girl"	3:16

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

Golf's verdict: My Mum and Dad gave me this on cassette tape as a present when they came back from holiday one year. Not sure where they'd been. At the time I remember being blown away by how old they must be as my Dad had a book featuring them in their early '70s guise. Still going (reasonably) strong over 30 years later, but this is surely their opus, ably assisted by some crackingly memorable MTV videos as I seem to recall?

Máire's verdict: Good fun to listen to.


Album 800/1031

Soul II Soul - Club Classics Vol.1 (1989)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Keep on Movin'" (featuring Caron Wheeler)	Trevor Beresford Romeo	6:00
2.	"Fairplay" (featuring Rose Windross)	Romeo, Nellee Hooper, Rose Windross	5:55
3.	"Holdin' On"	Romeo, Simon Law	4:13
4.	"Feeling Free" (Live Rap)	Romeo	4:13
5.	"African Dance"	Romeo, Law	6:00
6.	"Dance"	Romeo, Law	3:40
7.	"Feel Free" (featuring Do'reen)	Romeo, Hooper	5:00
8.	"Happiness" (Dub)	Romeo, Hooper	5:30
9.	"Back to Life" (Accapella) (featuring Caron Wheeler)	Romeo	3:12
10.	"Jazzie's Groove"	Romeo, Hooper	3:12

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Classics_Vol._One#Track_listing

Golf's verdict: Thankful for Caron Wheeler who ably provides some cracking vocals on the two most familiar tracks. On the others we largely make do with Jazzie B, who may have been the production maestro, but lacks much of a singing voice. 

Máire's verdict: Didn't annoy me as much as I was expecting it to. In fact, I actually quite liked it but not enough to listen to again in a hurry.

Album 801/1031

Run DMC - Run DMC (1984)

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Sample(s)	Length
1.	"Hard Times"	Jimmy Bralower JB Moore Russell Simmons Larry Smith William Waring		3:52
2.	"Rock Box"	Darryl McDaniels Joseph Simmons Smith		5:30
3.	"Jam-Master Jay"	McDaniels Jason Mizell J.Simmons	"Scratchin'" by Magic Disco Machine	3:11
4.	"Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)"	McDaniels Mizell J.Simmons R.Simmons		3:12
5.	"Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)"	Nathaniel S. Hardy, Jr. McDaniels J.Simmons Smith	"Live at the Disco Fever" by Lovebug Starski	3:09

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"It's Like That"	McDaniels J.Simmons Smith	4:50
2.	"Wake Up"	J.Simmons Smith R.Simmons Daniel Hayden	5:31
3.	"30 Days"	Daniel Simmons Smith Moore	5:47
4.	"Jay's Game"	J.Simmons Smith Mizell R.Simmons	4:25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run%E2%80%93D.M.C._(album)

Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! Although history largely places the fusion of rock and rap breaking through on their next album, when they used Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way' to create one of the most influential tracks in pop music, this proves they were ahead of the pace even on this debut. 'Hard Times' and "Rock Box' are based around some great guitar riffs. 'It's Like That' was resurrected by Jason Nevins more or less unchanged about 15 years later and gave them another well deserved hit.

Máire's verdict: 'Hard Times' reminded me of Salt n Pepa's 'Push It' and then all I wanted to do was listen to that song. 'It's Like That' brought me back 😀.

Album 802/1031

Television - Marquee Moon (1977)

All songs were written by Tom Verlaine, except where noted.

Side one No. Title Length 1. "See No Evil" 3:56 2. "Venus" 3:48 3. "Friction" 4:43 4. "Marquee Moon" 9:58 Side two No. Title Length 1. "Elevation" 5:08 2. "Guiding Light" (written by Verlaine and Richard Lloyd) 5:36 3. "Prove It" 5:04 4. "Torn Curtain" 7:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquee_Moon

Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! The duelling guitars of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd make for a unique sound that the band never bettered than on this 'bottled lightning' debut. The title track is a timeless guitar classic in every budding guitarist rite of passage.

Máire's verdict: Thoroughly enjoyable.

Album 803/1031

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Don't Stand Me Down (1985)

1. "The Occasional Flicker" (Kevin Rowland) – 5:49
2. "This Is What She's Like" (Billy Adams, Helen O'Hara, Rowland) – 12:23
3. "Knowledge of Beauty" (O'Hara, Rowland, Steve Wynne) – 7:01
4. "One of Those Things" (Rowland) – 6:01
5. "Reminisce Part Two" (Rowland) – 3:31
6. "Listen to This" (Adams, Rowland) – 3:19
7. "The Waltz" (Rowland, Torch) – 8:21

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Stand_Me_Down

Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! The extreme of Máire's and I's musical taste. I consider Dexy's to be massively under-rated and a band forever, unfairly, tied to an association with dungarees and that song about Eileen*. Maire just hates them. This is their best album and it nearly killed them off completely, leading to nearly 20 years in the wilderness for Kevin Rowland. For me, this is what the band The Commitments in the film of the same name were striving to be. It is a matter of some confusion to me that even with something as near perfect as 'This Is What She's Like', my lovely wife: she still don't like it ;-)

Máire's verdict: This isn't quite as irritating as previous offerings ('Common On Eileen' could well be my most hated track) but I still don't like them. Very happy there are no more of their albums on the list.

* Golf: The actress who portrayed 'Eileen' in the video and record cover is Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama's sister, Máire Fahey. Not sure if Máire knows this...

Album 804/1031

Elton John - Madman on the Water (1971)

All music composed by Elton John, all lyrics written by Bernie Taupin.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tiny Dancer"	6:15
2.	"Levon"	5:22
3.	"Razor Face"	4:44
4.	"Madman Across the Water"	5:56

Side two
No.	Title	Length
5.	"Indian Sunset"	6:45
6.	"Holiday Inn"	4:17
7.	"Rotten Peaches"	4:56
8.	"All the Nasties"	5:08
9.	"Goodbye"	1:48

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Across_the_Water

Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! Starts with one of our favourite karaoke tunes and never lets up. First time for me, but I have added this to the 'must buy' list.

Maire's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! Well that cleared out the ears after the shite that is Dexy's. I love 'Tiny Dancer' and the rest of the album didn't disappoint.