The very first thing you notice about Invisible Touch is just how poppy it is. Which isn’t too surprising–the two records before it had some great pop numbers with prog flares thrown in to keep things interesting, like Abacab’s great No Reply At All or the Home by the Sea suite from Genesis, reflective of what groups like The Police and Talk Talk were doing around the same time on Ghost in the Machine and The Colour of Spring (which are both masterpieces).
pop rock
Record #187: Genesis – Genesis (1983)
I find it very ironic that the album named Genesis is the Genesis album that sounds the most like Phil Collins’ solo material. Not that that’s a bad thing. Continue reading
Record #186 – Genesis – Abacab (1981)
My understanding of Genesis’ place in rock history is a little fuzzy, but if classic rock radio is any indicator, Genesis mostly served as a breeding grounds for two of the most dynamic and exciting solo artists of the 80s. And given that this is the group’s eleventh full length (released after Phil Collins’ debut solo record at that), it tells very little about the ideas that either Collins or Peter Gabriel were wanting to explore that couldn’t do so within the confines of Genesis. And given that everything I’ve read on Wikipedia states that it showcased the band continuing toward radio-friendly rock, it tells even less about their prog rock tendencies.
Record #159: Elvis Costello – My Aim is True (1977)
The same year Clapton was putting together a collection of mediocre excuses for guitar solos called Slowhand that (let’s be honest) probably sounded dated upon its release, something else was brewing in London.
That something else was a young man named Elvis Costello who called in sick to his day job to record his debut album, which has become an undisputed classic.
Record #150: Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
The word you need to understand here is “magnum opus.” It refers to an artist’s masterpiece, the work that becomes synonymous with the artist themselves, like Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Beethoven’s 9th Sympthony, or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. For Sir Elton John, this work is Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Record #149: Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player (1973)
There is only one Elton John. Even when he is mimicking Bobby Vee (Crocodile Rock) or Van Morrison (High Flying Bird) or T-Rex (I’m Gonna Be a Teenage Idol), there is no mistaking his pounding piano chords or his smooth-as-smoke singing voice. Even between the hard rock of Midnight Creeper, the Caribbean opener Daniel, and the over-the-top symphonic blues of Have Mercy on the Criminal, every track is distinctly Sir Elton, even on an album that pushes the limits of what “distinctily Elton” means.
Record #148: Elton John – Honky Château (1972)
The legend’s fifth album, Honkey Château sees Elton John moving away from his soft rock singer songwriter phase that brought us songs like Tiny Dancer and Your Song and towards the high glam rock of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Record #147: Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue (1977)
What is pop music? Is it vapid, unchallenging, artless? Few would make an argument that most pop music is not those things. But can pop be more than that? Can pop music be ambitious? Sophisticated? Enduring? Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra make a certainly convincing argument for that stance on their magnum opus, Out of the Blue.
Record #144: The Eagles – Hotel California (1976)
Let me tell you about Hell, my friends.
Hell is not a lake of fire. It is not ceaseless torture. No, Hell is a place where everyone is a musician, and everyone is good, and everyone is supportive of eachother. Everyone is always writing new songs and performing them for eachother, and everyone is dabbling in new genres and techniques, and everyone loves it.
But every song, despite how it starts, EVERY song turns into Hotel California, with that obnoxious, top-of-the-range, “welcome to the ‘otell Caaaaalifornia!”
Record #91: The Cars – Heartbeat City (1984)
I have mentioned before my music snob roommate in Chicago. Truth be told though, I benefited more from his snoot than it was a detriment to me. The Cars is among the best examples. We were at a used media shop one day and he said to me, “There’s a copy of The Cars’ Heartbeat City over there for two dollars. If you don’t buy it, you hate your life.” And so, partially to keep him off my back, I gave it a shot. And it opened the door to the Cars’ entire discography, which I am, for the most part (I’m looking at you, Panorama), a huge fan. And this was the record that piqued my curiosity.