5 comments about '80s Gold.

1. Over all Hip-O records has done an excellent job on their Gold series compilations. Of all the 80s collections out there I think this is the best and it covers all the different styles in the 80s and it is arranged in chronological order which makes it fun tracking the changes over the decade. Almost every style is represented from the soft rock of Christopher Cross, to the R&B of Bobby Brown, to the Brit Pop of Tears for Fears, and the rock of Survivor. There are absolutely no fillers here since this were all chart toppers (though I could have done without "Up Where We Belong").
   
   Some complaints that come up with most all compilations is that it seems like some of the biggest stars are always missing but do to label politics and artists not wanting their music on these compilations you are always going to be missing some major moments of the decade. With that said, for example groups like Journey seem to always be missing but if you are a fan of Journey's 80s hits you will already have their Best of so why would you need the same song you own on this CD as well? So when I buy these compilations I consider it like buying "the best of the rest". Getting a sample of songs from artists that I may not want to buy a full CD of. So I tend to focus on what is here over what isn't. And what is here is some of the best songs from the decade and there is enough variety to keep it interesting from track 1 on disk 1 to the last track on disk 2.



2. This is a list of 80's Gold and it doesn't have Michael Jackson, Joan Jett, Chicago, or Madonna? Some good material on the disks but far from a complete set.



3. Although it does have some songs that I think were not that great, and there are probably some others that should have gone on here, for the price and the great songs that it does have, I would consider it a great purchase for anyone who loved the '80s.



4. This two CD set showcases 33 number one hits during the 1980s. As a set of #1 Billboard Hot 100 Chart topping hits, this is a wonderful two CD set. On the other hand, however, there is the total absence of music by such performers as Michael Jackson and Madonna. The sound quality is great and the value is good, but it isn't complete without still more other artists.
   
   But don't give up on this one! There are several really good things I can say about this set. The collection boasts catchy tunes such as "Addicted To Love" by Robert Palmer and "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown. The scope of the music is pretty wide: you get aggressive tunes such as "My Prerogative" right along with ballads like "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. That's impressive.
   
   I give this four stars for its' very good quality. I would have given it five stars were it not for the fact that Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and others just aren't here. Their songs, although maybe not all number one hits, were just as golden. I guess maybe this makes me a purist, but that's my honest opinion.
   
   After all is said and done, the songs picked are some of the very best to come out of the 1980s and I personally like most if not all of these songs. This was my decade in that I was in college at the time; and when I listen to these tunes I have fond memories of when life was a little bit sweeter and easier. However, I just can't help but wish there was more.
   
   I recommend this as great a great starter kit for someone who wants to get into '80s music. It's more for the casual fan of this era as well. As for the purists, they probably have all these songs in their library already and they should clearly continue buying more music to make their collection of '80s gold truly complete.



5. There have been hundreds of 80s compilation albums on the market in the past decade. But this is a mammoth of a collection right here, with 33 No. 1 songs from that decade! I think that because most of these songs are 20 years old or more, this decade is getting more respected because of the Internet, upcoming 20 to 25-year class reunions and other areas. Purists are going to criticize why Michael Jackson and other artists aren't on this collection, but this is very complete. The Gold series that Universal has been doing since 2005 has done a good job compiling these albums. Standouts--hits from Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Hall and Oates, A-ha, Expose, Bobby Brown, Paula Abdul, Fine Young Cannibals, Belinda Carlisle, the late Robert Palmer and others. Please get this album and respect these songs from a 2006 standpoint. These songs have influenced most of today's music and the numerous rap/R&B and pop/rap collaborations currently on the charts.

5 comments about Bandwagonesque.

1. I drove cross country alone at 18 with this album. Somewhere around Ogden Utah I realized I loved this album. 16 years later I still listen to it. I have to admit I bought it because they were on SNL and the lead singer wore a cardigan. I catch myself humming December sometimes. This album is a tragedy, in that it's greatness was matched by my peers refusal to listen to and appreciate it. When I was younger I thought my taste was flawed, turns out they were idiots. I recommend bootcamping this one. I envy anyone who has yet to crack a beer cue this one up.



2. 15 years after its release, this album still sounds really crisp and fresh. I can picture this being on the radio today even moreso than in the early 90's. Great listen from a bunch of great Scottish lads.



3. BANDWAGONESQUE was my introduction to Teenage Fanclub. This is "The Fannies" 3rd release and their first successful achievement. It also gained notoriety by beating out Nirvana's Nevermind, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, and R.E.M 's Out of Time as 'Album of the Year' by Spin magazine.
   This album's lyrics and melodies shows that the Band were highly influenced by The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and of course Big Star.
   I really can't believe Teenage Fanclub weren't considered the future of British Rock. Oasis and Blur won over that Crown. Blech! ...Kind of sad since Teenage Fanclub features 3 Master singer/songwriters in Blake, Love & McGinley.
   BANDWAGONESQUE has so many wonderful highlights in twelve songs. It seems like it would be a 'Greatest Hits' for any above average Rock band. Although their later stuff is just as Good. Check out 1995's Grand Prix, which is even more lush w/ guitars a shinin' bright and clear, also no fuzz-boxes. Yep, BANDWAGONESQUE & GRAND PRIX are my two favorite studio albums by this marvelous band.
   My favorites on BANDWAGONESQUE include: Opener - "The Concept" - "December" - "What You Do to Me" - "I Don't Know" - *Star Sign* - "Metal Baby" & "Sidewinder" but ALL are close to perfect 'lil pop-rockin' Hits, well to me at least.



4. This album reminds me of a great alternative rock radio station in Minnesota circa 1991. Just at the time I thought "rock" was dead, along came that radio station and albums like this. "The Concept," "What You Do To Me," and "Star Sign" received regular rotation on the old KJJO, and what great tunes they were. Over the course of time this album has become a favorite in my collection. Good times. Great tunes. If it weren't for my discovery of classic alternative bands like this I'd probably be listening to country-and-western now. Ugh. :)



5. from the stunning opener "the concept," with its wonderfully lyrical guitar solos, on through the closing intrumental "is this music?" this is a power pop classic. other standout tunes include "pet rock," which includes great hard rock guitar, "sidewinder," full of exquisite harmonies, and "guiding star," a song of majestic gently beauty. this is a recording all rock/pop lovers should have.

5 comments about Hermit of Mink Hollow.

1. During the course of the 70's Todd Rundgren had released a series of albums that contained from one to over a sidefull of wonderful classic pop music. One of his tendencies,which always led to mixed results was expirmentation with as many sounds and textures as he possibly could and often enough the results were.....mainly bits of noise.Always toying between being a pop/soul tunesmith and expirimental rock artist without much barrier between genres Rundgren had all of the musical ideas for greatness but only on a few occasions stretched it out over the course of a whole album. And after taking a couple years off to make records with his band Utopia he's figured out what important elements went into making pop music. Here he actually got it right: the entire album rounded out to only about 35 minutes and,even though Todd was no stranger to short songs the ones here are all short and are well crafted pop songs. You can clearly see that he and Hall & Oates,whose War Babies Todd had produced were heading in a similar direction around this time: consise,glossily composed pop/R&B/rock/soul tunes with a lot of hooks and superbly arranged vocal harmonies. "All The Children Sing","Determination","Can We Still Be Friends" and especially the Benny Benjamin/Motown styled rhythm of "You Cried Wolf" are great examples of this type of music. He also applies this idea to ballads such as "Hurting For You","Lucky Guy" and "Fade Away" as well as "Bread" and "Bag Lady",both of which are descriptive story songs revolving around poverty. "Too Far Gone" is a great samba soul kind of song and one of the best songs here.The most atypical song on the album is the Beatle-type/British musical hall type pop/rock tune in "Onomatopoeia",pretty much a literal lyric about words that describe a sound. Maybe he really did run out of lyrics to write but it was still pretty clever in it's use here. The only heavy rocker here the punchy "Out Of Control". On his rockier songs Rundgren has been called something of a punk rock pioneer due to the attitude he infuses them with so in this case he was pretty much right on time. This is not Rundgren's most exotic albums and will primarily appeal to people who like pop music but this album was really good for Todd Rundgren: the melodic maestro.



2. "The Hermit Of Mink Hollow" was one of those moments when Todd Rundgren locked himself alone in a studio and poured his heart out onto tape. Playing and singing everything himself without much pretense, "Hermit" is one of Todd's most direct and purest pop albums. It even offered up one of his few top 40 singles when "Can We Still Be Friends" snuck up the charts in the bicentennial year of 1976.
   
   That sad little ballad underpins the emotional state of this album. Rumored to have been written in the aftermath of breaking up with then girlfriend Bebe Buell, heavy songs like "Hurting For You" or "Lucky Guy" just ooze heartache. Even the socially poignant songs ("Bread" and "Bag Lady") come from a pained place. At the same time, Todd's pop skills are in full evidence here; both "Hurting For You" and "Friends" are incredibly memorable.
   
   Even with the sadness, there's still plenty of fun here. The ersatz soul of "You Cried Wolf" and the 100 seconds of silliness that is "Onomatopoeia" keep things from bogging down, and he lets loose with a concert ready rocker on "Out Of Control." Todd is too savvy a songwriter to let things get overly draggy. He can plunge into drawn-out works when so inclined (Healing, early Utopia albums), but here he kept it concise. The whole album clocks in at just over a half hour, and not a slot is wasted. As a result, Hermit remains of of his best albums and a minor primer in pop classicism.



3. Not only does "Hermit of Mink Hollow" feature the hits "Can We Still Be Friends" and "You Cried Wolf", it also has such outstanding tracks as "Fade Away", "Too Far Gone" and "Hurting for You". Todd's last pop-rock hurrah.



4. Have been huntin' this album for a while with little luck or costing too much. Very pleased with CD and felt it was a good deal...thanx.



5. Most likely, if you're reading this review, you already know what I'm about to say. But just in case you're only now becoming aware of Rundgren in a serious way, congratulations on your good fortune. Rundgren was a pop music footnote to me until recently, when I picked up "It's Alive," the New Cars CD he fronted in '06. That peaked my curiosity, so I ordered HERMIT OF MINK HOLLOW on the advice of other Amazon reviewers. As a jaded old hippie who thought I could no longer be surprised by anything in pop music -- frankly, I'm in awe.
   
   To be accurate, this CD isn't new -- it's 30 years old and just one of many Rundgren projects over the years. The sound isn't radically different from what was being produced 30 years ago, it's just better: more emotionally charged, inventive, original, profound, funny, and flat out beautiful. The first track, "All The Children Sing," created an immediate impression. I didn't know whether to jump up and down, weep, laugh, or all of the above. I've listened to it about 50 times in the last few days. I was not surprised to learn that Rundgren enjoyed musical theater as a child and admired Richard Rodgers, because "Bag Lady" sounds like something Kurt Weill could have written. Rundgren is undoubtedly a genius, a true artist committed to the honest expression of a personal vision both musically and lyrically. But he's not self-indulgent; in fact, he focuses a lot on the sorrows of the world: homelessness, hunger, heartbreak, cruelty and deceit between people, the hypocrisy of religion, the sanctimonious expectations of family...in other words, the dude is deep. I don't hear a false or pretentious note on this entire album which, by the way, is 100% Todd -- all the writing, singing, playing, producing -- ALL OF IT -- by him. Another reviewer compared him to Brian Wilson in terms of creativity, and I'd have to agree. Only once in a blue moon does somebody this uniquely gifted come along. Todd, where have I been all your life?
   
   HERMIT covers a range of styles from Motown to bossa to hard rock to light pop, so each track is a unique experience. At the same time, Rundgren's surprising lyrics, harmonic changes, full arrangements, and vocal flexibility unite the album as in cohesive whole. He's not a particularly happy camper on most of these songs but, like Steely Dan, he sometimes gives his irony an upbeat feel. Unlike Steely Dan, however, he's not ashamed to wear his heart on his sleeve. It's no wonder that he's a sought-after producer, since he's so comfortably eclectic. I can't wait to hear more of his work.

5 comments about The Definitive Rock Collection.

1. Nice killer selection from todd's amazing catalog , too bad the warmth is missing & the mastering is over-compressed , better off fidning an older Compilation , or an import , the sound on this compilation is fine for ipods & computers , but if you have a real stereo you probably will not be happy with this as i am not .



2. Wow.....If you are just starting a collection of Todd Rundgren's work, this is the album to select. It has the "Best of the Best"..that Todd has written, played, sung, mixed, and/or produced, within his many years of wonderful musical gifts to all. It touches all genre's of music, with fantastic work, some entirely played and recorded by Todd alone, and with other musicians as well. It also includes some fine work by Utopia, and some work from his "2nd Wind" album.(Which by the way, was recorded live, in front of an audience at
   the "Palace of Fine Arts Theatre", in San Francisco.)
   It's a superb collection of outstanding musical brilliance, done by-- Todd Rundgren....A--must for all collections!



3. Love it! Loads of great tunes. Always liked Rundgren, but never really bought an album. Didn't realize all he'd done until I listened to this. Lots of those "Oh, he did this!" moments. I definitely recommend it.



4. It's very hard for me to give this collection only three stars since it's a mostly excellent summary of one of rock's great geniuses, but the fact is it's hard to give it more than that since it leaves a ton of open space at the end of each disc.
   
   The first disc is 59:21 in length, that's about 17 minutes of music that could still safely be fit onto that disc and definite classics from the period it covers including "Black Maria" "The Last Ride" "Freedom Fighters" "Zen Archer" and "Black and White" are nowhere to be found on this collection. Not all of those could be fit on there, but a few of them could and none would be filler, just more killer.
   
   The second disc uses a bit more of its potential, clocking in at 64:00, but there's still a good two or three songs' worth of space left there and again, a lot of classic material from that period that's been passed over. Where's the Utopia song "One World" from Swing to the Right, for example? Or "You Cried Wolf" for that matter, or "Tiny Demons"?
   
   This collection does a lot right, but in this day and age, leaving that much empty space on a disc when an artist has a lot more popular material that would fit and give new fans a better selection, is absolutely inexcusable.
   
   Buy it if you see it on sale, but definitely get all the other songs I mentioned as well via iTunes or some other method then burn yourself an expanded version of this.
   
   Five stars for the music, two subtracted for leaving around 30 minutes of empty space on the disc while skipping essentials.



5. Todd Rundgren's music career has been a difficult one to digest. He's a very talented songwriter, but he also loves to dabble in the latest technology. So, as a result, he releases a great album and then follows it with some half-baked piece of experimentalism.
   
   That's why THE DEFINITIVE ROCK COLLECTION is so good. It's the first-ever Rundgren collection to just focus on his great songs, and not try and paint a complete picture of his career. So, you don't get "Born to Synthesize" or "An Elpee's Worth of Tunes" but what you do get is the best, most melodic songs Rundgren ever wrote.
   
   Whoever put this collection together was obviously a Rundgren fan. The hits are here, but so are many great album tracks. Even on a dud album, there was usually a good song or two, and this collection finds them. Every Rundgren studio album is represented, up until 1993 and his largely tuneless TR-i phase. We do get "Sweet", a nice return to form pop gem off his latest solo album.
   
   Also a pleasant surprise is the inclusion of several tracks from Rundgren's side-project, Utopia. Again, kudos to the compilers, who smartly omit the band's early prog-rock material and concentrate on the band's catchier songs. Several key Utopia tracks are absent ("Set Me Free" the band's biggest chart hit, and "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" their biggest MTV hit), but those songs didn't feature Rundgren on lead vocals and were left off for that reason.
   
   Although some devout Runt fans will undoubtly complain that one of their favorites is missing, it's difficult to argue with the excellent song selection on THE DEFINITIVE ROCK COLLECTION. Thirty Rundgren songs, and all of them are keepers.

5 comments about The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch.

1. When you first get the record, it's the catchiest thing ever. I really loved "Fourth Drink Instinct" and "The Curse of Curves". The only problem is after listening to a million times, it gets kind of old. So if you get it, it's really good, but you forget you have it. I guess it's to good relisten to if you haven't heard it in a while.



2. Ok, I've tried to not like Cute is What We Aim For; I really have. I don't want to like them, but their songs are so damn catchy that i can't help but Love them!
   
   Ok, I'm not saying that the music is of superior quality, but their catchy lyrics, impressive vocals, and instrumentation make it impossible to get out of your head.
   
   Whether you hate Cute is What We Aim For or love them, you will no doubt have every tune off of "The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch" in your head. Just try to resist the urge to sing along; I dare you.



3. To be perfectly honest I grew up on the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Warren Zevon, and Tom Petty, so basically I'm firmly ensconsed in the Rock camp, but I'm always willing to give other bands a chance.
   
   I kinda wish I didn't give this band one.
   
   The songs are catchy, certainly, in the same way that 'The Song That Never Ends' is. You will soon wish to drive a stake through your skull. The band members are not bad musicians, but they are solidly average. The singer, well he can hit higher notes than I can, which would be impressive if he didn't sound so much like a prepubescent boy.
   
   CIWWAF is clearly attempting to follow in the footsteps of Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco but their stride falls short.



4. My 13-year-old daughter and I went on a road trip. We took one CD -- "Rotation" by Cute is What We Aim For. She was going to convince me why this band was great. We had quilts and snacks and drove through the beautiful mountains near Tahoe and I became a fan. We listened to each song numerous times and my daughter would tell me what she thought they meant and I would relate what I thought they meant -- each from our own experiences. We had the best time, dancing around in the car, spending some quality time and I learned a lot about her from how she interpreted the songs. She was able to tell where they were making fun of themselves and where they were giving a message. My kid is smarter than I gave her credit for. I even caught myself singing "Practice Makes Perfect" at my job the next day and everyone was like, "What's that?" and then they listened. And then they liked it! I'm too old to say Shaant is HOT, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Shaant, you're HOT! They all seem like really cool guys and I'm excited to say I'm taking my daughter and her friends to go see them at the Boardwalk in Orangevale, California. Keep up the good work GUYS!!!



5. I took my 13-year-old daughter to a Fall Out Boy show and Cute is What We Aim for was one of the opening bands. They sounded like many other bands and nothing was out of the ordinary about them (except for that lead singer Shaant Hacikyan is one of the hottest of the latest crop of hotties under 30).
   
   But staring at a good-looking guy flinging his hair around gets old after 10 minutes no matter how gorgeous he is.... Then they did Curse of Curves and the crowd went wild so I made a note to myself to check out the song. I promptly much forgot about them after the show (Fall Out Boy blew all four opening acts off the stage) but my daughter played Curse of Curves a few times and the song kept getting stuck in my head so I put it on my MP3 player and really enjoyed it.
   
   I delved a little further and listened to the rest of the CD and it's not bad. The #1 problem is that the songs tend to get stuck in my head and even though **SOME** of the lyrics are catchy and witty, they're too often repeated a ridiculous number of times (the main lyrics of the song Risqué are repeated no less than EIGHT times in under four minutes) and they're all pretty much "shallow as a shower" (to steal a line from "Curse of Curves").
   
   I've read several online reviews where people deem Hacikyan a "lyrical genius" and that's a very sad statement regarding today's youth--especially considering that when Led Zeppelin released their first recording which contained "Good Times Bad Times", "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "Dazed And Confused", and "Communication Breakdown" and when The Who wrote and recorded their first album that had "My Generation" and "The Kids Are Alright" on it, they were the same ages as these guys.
   
   I want to like CD more and this band has good potential but the CD falls short of what they can probably do. I can only listen to about half of it before I have to turn it off to hear something more substantial--even with the catchy hooks and cute lyrics.

5 comments about Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 15.

1. The rare gems worthy of my appeal are "At Seventeen" by Janis Ian, "Sky High" by Jigsaw, "Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds", and "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate (which I thought would be better placed in Rhino's "Didn't It Blow Your Mind" series which is the soulful sister collection to "Have a Nice Day").
   
   Let us remember that this is a collection of respectfully charted one hit wonders and the such so it will contain tracks that were big during its era of release, but totally forgettable now. For instance, "Convoy" by C. W. McCall, "Black Superman - Muhammad Ali" by Johnny Wakelin, and "Saturday Night" by the "here today, totally gone and forgotten tomorrow" Bay City Rollers.
   
   One country beauty here is the soft and heart breaking "I'm Not Lisa" by Jessi Colter. I barely remember hearing Dwight Tilley's "I'm on Fire" but it's pretty good.
   
   The stinkers here are "Run Joey Run" by David Geddes. But thankfully, he helped us forget this stupid song by releasing another song even more stupid. Beware of volume 20 where his song "Last Game of the Season" taints the collection. "Rocky" is just plain dumb. Austin Roberts sealed his fate as a pop suicide artist with this crappy song. Yes, it went Top Ten, but so did a lot of absolute crap while some fabulous songs couldn't get into the Top 40. That's the mystery of the seventies, I guess.
   
   "Eighteen With a Bullet" by Pete Wingfield isn't entirely uninteresting; it just feels out of place with everything else on this CD. If I play it by itself, I like it. If I'm playing the whole disc, I don't care for it. I don't know why. Anyway, volume 15 is where the "Have a Nice Day" series ended for about 2 years. The following year, Rhino started right away with releasing the "Didn't It Blow Your Mind" collection of the early seventies soul charters, which justifies why I noticed so many important one hit wonders were not getting released. I'm glad Rhino released these CD's divided like this. I have all 25 of the "Have a Nice Day" collection and all 20 of the "Didn't It Blow Your Mind" collection. All 45 of these CD's may have an outstanding value maybe a hundred years from now (if we still play CD's).



2. This series has songs that are unavailable on almost all other collections. If you want some of the great "one-hit wonders" from the 1970's, then this is the place to go!



3. With this look at 70s A.M. radio hits, Rhino gives us proto-power pop (Dwight Twilley), a bit of bubblegum (Austin Roberts, David Geddes), country (Jessi Colter), folkie earnestness (Janis Ian), the 70s idea of a 'boy band' (Bay City Rollers), and a foretaste of disco (Hot Chocolate).
   
   HIGHLIGHTS:
   "S-A-TUR-DAY NIGHT!" is still as insistent today as it was then, threatening to resurrect Rollermania if played at good volume. The percolating "You Sexy Thing" also continues to charm. "At Seventeen" is the anthem of "ugly ducklings" everywhere and the frenetic stabbing strings of Jigsaw's "Sky High" make it one of the finest one hit wonders ever.
   
   MIDDLING:
   These two are kind of in the "love it or hate it" category so I chose to make special mention of Austin Roberts' "Rocky" and David Geddes "Run Joey Run". Both feature melodramatic plotlines ('Rocky' dies young leaving the song's protagonist a single father while "Joey" is a single father dodging the shotgun of his would-be bride's father) that ensure not much middleground. I like them both but they're definitely not for everyone.
   
   LOWS:
   Usually I like power pop but Dwight Twilley's "I'm on Fire" leaves me cold. "Fallin' in Love" is a bland followup to the zippy "Don't Pull Your Love" (even if it was the bigger chart hit). Pete Wingfield's "Eighteen With A Bullet" is an unlistenable mess.
   
   3 1/2 stars



4. These songs are all basic throwaway hits. The only reason why I gave it five stars was because it had Rocky by Austin Roberts on it. Its the only cd ive ever found with the song on it. Its one of my all time favorite songs and im glad that I finally found it on cd.



5. I REALLY LIKED THE MUSIC BUT THERE IS ONE SONG I WANTED TO LISTEN TO BUT I COULDNT WHITCH WAS ROCKY BY AUSTIN ROBERTS,AS I WANTED TO KNOW IF IT WAS THE SAME SONG I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR,FOR AGES. THANK YOU SHAYLE

5 comments about Utopia Parkway.

1. I simply love this band. I love their attitude and humor. I love their upbeat powerpop with nice guitar lines and harmonies. This album ranks 2nd to me, after their self-titled first release.



2. This was FOW's 2nd record and you can tell why the public didn't react with a purchasing fervor. It doesn't have what you would call "singles" all over it. That however, is not a bad thing at all. Utopia Parkway shows us a band well into its own clever writing style. A bit of pop rock, witty lyrics that both have and poke fun, and great musicianship. I'm glad to have this in my collection as one of those secret records that most of my friends don't even know exists. Enjoy.



3. This is a great CD. There is not one song that I do not like. It has this 70's sound to it. I love to listen to it over and over again. My favorite song is Dragon Tattoo.



4. The second (and probably least appreciated) album by Fountains of Wayne. Although there are not many chart toppers here (mainly due to the album's softer tone), I found the album very enjoyable, although if I had to pick a single FoW album to own it would be their self titled debut. Chris and Adam continue to write lyric that make me laugh (who else would you hear "We've driving.. through the Valley of Malls" from?) and put them to tunes with varied (from the psychedelia of Go Hippie to the electronica of Denise) melodies. Favorites include Red Dragon Tattoo, Troubled Times (one of prettiest relationship ending songs I think I've ever heard.. Almost make you want to break up all over again), and The Senator's Daughter.



5. One of the few perfect pop music albums made in the past 25 years. If there was a college class on how to make a pop record, Utopia Parkway should be the primary textbook.
   
   There are no filler tracks on the album. Zero.
   
   Great melodies. Great hooks. Sly little songs like Denise, Laser Show, and Lost in Space don't wear out their welcome. They come in like a cool, refreshing breeze and are gone in less than 2½ minutes. Never does this album drag. A few semi-serious songs will make you think, like the nostalgic Prom Theme. Mostly FoW is about having a good time, describing ordinary life with wit, in a perfect musical context. They know exactly when to use acoustic guitars, electric guitars, a cheesy synth, or a soaring string part.
   
   Fountains of Wayne are able to express genuine pity in songs like Go Hippie and Fine Day For A Parade, but even here their sense of humor and intelligence never flags. Hippie contains a classic guitar solo that recycles every stereotypical riff and effect from the psychedelic era and spits it out in one minute. I love it! You will smile with recognition and thrill to the beauty of it.
   
   Sometimes it is easier to list an album's flaws than its strengths. Honestly, after a dozen listens to Utopia Parkway, I can't find any flaws. If pressed, I would say that lead vocalist Chris Collingwood's voice is slightly thinner and weaker than on FoW's latest studio record, Welcome Interstate Managers, but for this type of music, it is hardly necessary to have the chops of a Billy Joel or the power of a Springsteen to pull it off. And Chris does, in spades.
   
   Red Dragon Tatoo
   It's just about on me
   I got it for you
   So now do you want me
   With nothing to prove
   Will you be my honey
   Oh yeah
   In you I confide
   Red dragon tatoo
   I'm fit to be dyed
   Am I fit to have you?
   
   This chorus from the second song on Utopia Parkway sums up the humor, simplicity, and cleverness of Fountains of Wayne. Like Interstate Managers, Utopia Parkway's songs are written from a middle-class suburban perspective. And what's wrong with that? FoW are us. Arguably this is a better album than their latest and more famous Welcome Interstate Managers, but really both albums are five star efforts. Don't be in the dark about this great band.

5 comments about Runt.

1. "Runt" provided a good start to Todd's stellar solo career, featuring the hit "We Gotta Get You a Woman". I wish this CD issue had included the rare tracks that originally appeared only on a few thousand mispressed copies of the 1970 "Runt" LP ("Say No More", an early version of "Hope I'm Around", and the full version of "Baby Let's Swing").



2. Todd Rundgren's first solo album shows signs of a great songwriter with the ability to experiment. The songs for the most part are memorable, with Todd already showing signs of a musician going in a direction that would put him on the map forever. His dated-sounding ballads are included (sorry, but they DO sound stuck in the 70's) and his weirder moments (in other words, his BEST stuff) has been included as well. Good start.



3. Perfect blue-eyed Philadelphia soul, Runt has earned a place in pop history alongside Laura Nyro's incredible Christmas and the Beads of Sweat. Every song is superb. Todd lost the plot after becoming mesmerized by the glitter of his own gadgetry.



4. One of the best Paul McCartney albums that McCartney never made, RUNT by Todd Rundgren is an album he never could have made during his time with the Nazz. Although there are hard-rock songs and beautiful ballads, the album is at its best when Rundgren gets between the two extremes and lets his wicked sense of humor enjoy free reign. In fact, if people in the group I'm in now suggest that I try to take teasing like the humor in such songs as "We Gotta Get You A Woman" and a few others, I'd have no trouble accepting the advice. If you get this CD in addition to SOMETHING/ANYTHING?, THE DEFINITIVE ROCK COLLECTION, ANTHOLOGY 1968-1985, and Utopia's ANTHOLOGY 1974-1985, you'll have an excellent picture of where Todd Rundgren's career has gone since 1970.



5. TODD has been panned by reviewers for many years since this album came out in the earlier days. however this cd is really a gem dated yes but what a fun little album BROKEN DOWN AND BUSTED a great rocker BELIEVE IN ME a cute little simple love song WE GOTTA GET YOU A WOMAN great teenage
   pop tune.WHOS THAT MAN some neat crafty guitar work.ONCE BURNED sounds like a woodstock era song but really cool.Side 2 was eoually as fun IM IN THE CLIQUE a fun little jam.THERE ARE NO WORDS really is not much more than a chant but the little medley afterwards makes the whoile second side.This cd import K2HD recording is the way to go the recording sound so unbelievably clear its scary.TODD was always a briliant wizard in the studio and you can hear why.Some 2007 Recordings should sound as good.

5 comments about Cheap Trick.

1. I recently purchased the first 5 re-mastered Cheap Trick cd's so nows a good time to review them all. My introdution to the band was Dream Police and that was my favorite for many years- but I never even listened to the first one for a long time after its release. Aint that a shame- 'cuz this one is probably my favorite album by them. It definitly has a different vibe than anything that came after- much more raw and edgier. In fact, it may take a CT fan of thier later stuff a few listens to get into, but once you do you're in for a treat!
   
   One thing that always annoys me is when people say CT do not write very deep lyrics. Well if you really pay attention, Rick Neilson's lyrics can be taken any number of ways- though most of the ones on this record are pretty well laid out. Songs about Suicide, pediophiles, drug addictions, serial killers and the like is not what i would consider lite pop rock that many people seem to view them as. Definitly a true classic album- even without a well known song!



2. In the mid 70's Cheap Trick emerged from Illinois, a band that were huge fans of 60's rock and pop, particulary the Beatles and British power house band The Move. Their debut album (the first in a triology of brilliantly crafted melodic heavy rocking pop classics) was easily one of the best albums of it's time. However as most of CT's legacy has declined in the mainstream conscious in recent years, its hard to understand that these guys were really ahead of their time, so much in fact that only Japan really 'got' these early albums. The band were superstars there and didn't even know it. However this first album album finds the band creating top notch hooky riffs courtesy of guitarist Rick Neilsen. The vicious opener Elo Kiddies is a breath of fresh air when comparing it to what was going on in '77. Robin Zander has that charismatic "pretty guy" frontman look, as does bass player Tom Peterson but guitarist Neilsen and (awesomely simplistic) drummer Bun E. Carlos were the "weird" looking guys that always gave CT a unique image, the album cover alone confused many spectators. 'Daddy Should've Stayed In High School' is about pedophilia, 'Oh Candy' is about suicide, and The Ballad Of TV Violence' speaks for itself. This is a dark album lyrically indeed, but of course delivered with a devilish sense of humor, a twisted one indeed, and that was the purpose here. Without magnifying the lyrics though, this is brilliantly executed, packed with hooks, lots of melodicism yet also heavy, and sludgy rock n roll. It's a campy yet poetic combination of metal, pop, and new wave mixed with edgy nostaligia. Neilsen is a great guitar player, the sound of the riffs themselves are delivered with such a threatning yet still somewhat friendly tone. Peterson's interesting bass style as well as Bun E's amazingly primitive yet somehow never ever boring drumming style rounds out everything. Every member makes a name of themselves here on the debut. There isnt much more than can be said about this that hasnt already been said, but if you're still not convinced to get this or any of CT's pre Dream Police era albums...it's an essential...key tracks include ELO Kiddes, Speak Now, Oh Candy, He's A Whore, Daddy Should've Stayed In High School, and Cry Cry.



3. When this first came out, it took a few listens, to really appreciate it. In any case, a unique band, with a unique sound had emerged, and the rest is history. Like the Ramones, or even Devo, for that matter, Cheap Trick's appearance, as well as some of the subject matter of the lyrics, it seemed like they were a joke at first. This was not the case, they were dead serious about the music.



4. Well..in my humble opinion..the Trick never really surpassed themselves after this. Probably because i'm all about the raw..aggressive..guitar driven style of rock the 70's were famous for..and this delivers in aces! They were never as balls-out as they were here...yet retaining the pop sensebilities they are famous for. Saw them shortly after this was released at a small club..they played 2 sets..and i came away a fan. 'Daddy".."Elo".."Whore"..and 'Speak Now" are all classics that hold up along side anything they've done since. And with Ricks perfect "trash guitar" salvos..and Robins amazing vocals..they were a formidable band in their time. Don't get me wrong..they still exhibit an occasional flash of brilliance..but these days..they concentrate too much on ballads and sappy love songs for my taste. This is the pure undiluted Trick!!!



5. This is cheap tricks first album. Its got some really good songs on it. there are a couple that are not quite as good, but they arent bad either.

5 comments about I Am the Cosmos.

1. Had it not been my recent infatuation with Big Star, this is a record that I would have never considered. I've just turned 50 and been a fan all my life of power pop such as Badfinger and Cheap Trick but Big Star was a band I never listened to until recently. Their first two records are genre defining, and I could not wait to listen to everything I could find recorded by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell.
   
   There are several tracks on "I Am The Cosmos" that show the talent Chris Bell had- the title track is gorgeous (though I have to admit the Posies covered it better), "Speed of Sound", "Get Away", " I Don't Know" and "I Got Kinda Lost" sounds like they would fit well on a Big Star record. Several other tracks have an early solo John Lennon sound- "Better Save Yourself" and "There Was A Light". There are several versions of "You And Your Sister" that Bell recorded with Chilton that show how well they sang together. However, several other tracks on this disc are just plain awful and I wonder why they were included ("Fight At The Table, "Though I Know She Lies"). Of note- Chris' brother David Bell has written a brief history in the liner notes of his brother's influences, how he got involved with Alex Chilton and Big Star, his short solo career and his untimely death.
   
   Overall I think this is a must have for any fan of Big Star, but it is by no means a classic record.



2. Chris Bell did not have the easiest life. He founded Big Star, only to leave the band, eclipsed by Alex Chilton. He believed in Christianity but struggled through life as a musician and with his attraction to men. He was killed in a car accident in 1978. This record really is an experience to listen to. Much like anything by solo John Lennon to Nirvana's In Utero. When I heard this I was angered that he left Big Star. He was rock's Rimbaud and he left us much too soon.



3. If Big Star's Radio City and #1 Record are five star records, this is four-and-a-half. The high points are just as high (the title track, You and Your Sister), the weakest tracks maybe a bit weaker. There is a real melancholy beauty to this music. It creates its own atmosphere.
   
   Liner notes are rarely worth mentioning, but the ones here (by Bell's brother) are fascinating, telling the story of the recording and mixing of these tracks in Europe, including a brief encounter with Paul McCartney at Abbey Road. Bell's is a sad story in many ways, and his depression is palpable on Cosmos. One of those artists who was severely underappreciated in his too-short lifetime and still underrated today.



4. This is a stunning singer-songwriter album.
   It is a message from the heart and to the heart from a voice and vocals that are from a cosmos outside of our everyday,it is locked deep within our souls and ideas that drive our reason for living.
   Great praise for making this beautiful piece accessible through the power of needing to see it released to the public.



5. What I really want to say is that while I have always felt that Big Star is one of the most overrated "unknown" bands in the history of pop music, I really like this album. So go figure. Everyone's been saying "if you like Big Star" etc, and yet I can't stand that band but this solo lp transcends anything I've heard from BS.