The Random Album Thread

Trollheart · 06-18-2015, 03:34 PM

Simple enough. Grab an album at random --- using whatever method you want to use to randomise --- or even just pick one --- and tell us why you love it, or hate it, or wish you hadn't bought it. Maybe you haven't even listened to it, or forgot you had it in your collection. Maybe it brings back memories, or started you off on a journey into a particular artiste's music or even a genre?

John Farnham - Whispering Jack (1986)

I bought this on the strength of the single "You're the voice", which was pretty huge at the time, hoping it would have other songs like that on it, but sadly I was disappointed. Given that YtV is basically an AOR song, I was dismayed at how much of the album was poppy and lightweight. Only one other good track on it really, the sumptuous ballad "Touch of Paradise".

I thought he was a one-hit wonder: little did I know he has been around since the sixties and has about twenty albums to his credit. Mind you, if they're all like this one then I doubt I'll be checking any more out. Just proves that sometimes the single is the best track, and there's no need to buy the album.

Screen13 · 06-18-2015, 05:34 PM

As a fan of sleazy 80's flicks, it should be noted that he was also the vocalist on some of the songs for Savage Streets, a film starring Linda Blair that was pure Exploitation from start to finish. He was in contact with Mike Curb for that era before siging to RCA for this album, and it was just after his time with the Little River Band of the "We Too" era, meaning after the main hit-making days that still had a little gas in the tank. For some reason, I think he was trying to make an album that never was released with a number of the songs going into a couple of movies of that time.

Kind of odd that a couple of German Imports made it to a Small City Goodwill, but there you are!

Oddly enough, I found a couple of 12 Inch Singles at the Goodwill down the street from my apartments (same place as I found a CD of Metal Machine Music as well as The Sisterhood's Gift). One of them was "You're the Voice" and the other was the title track from the next album, "Age of Reason" where Farnham tries to get social consciousness into his music (YIKES!!!). The worst of the tracks was a cover of "Help" that turned the classic Beatles song into a slow drawn out ballad.

TechnicLePanther · 06-19-2015, 01:23 PM

Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain

This, for me, is a quintessential jangle pop record, along with Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies, and Stands for Decibels by The dBs. The album has a very jungle-y feel (hence Aztec Camera), which actually provided some pretty amazing songs. The drums definitely rule the feel of the album, and the bass highlights the beat very well. The album features almost no distortion, which gives it a very acoustic feel. The progressions all feel natural and unique. The icing on the cake is the vocals, which for the time, were pretty great, especially because the melody wouldn't be complete without them. The backing vocals also give the album a glorious feel, which only enhances the tone. It's a great album, probably worth your 20 bucks, especially if you are into post-punk or pre-synth. It's funky, fun, and most importantly, phat.

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 06-19-2015, 04:55 PM

Considering today would be Nick Drake's 67th birthday, I feel like Pink Moon deserves some love from me.

Not only is it my favorite Nick Drake project, but it's also one of my favorite albums of all-time. It ended up leading me to quite a few other singer-songwriter acoustic albums, and despite all the great artists I found because of that, it still sticks out as one of the most emotional and atmospheric I've ever heard.

Trollheart · 06-19-2015, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qwertyy

Considering today would be Nick Drake's 67th birthday, I feel like Pink Moon deserves some love from me.

Not only is it my favorite Nick Drake project, but it's also one of my favorite albums of all-time. It ended up leading me to quite a few other singer-songwriter acoustic albums, and despite all the great artists I found because of that, it still sticks out as one of the most emotional and atmospheric I've ever heard.

Hey, throw this at me for "Love or Hate?" maybe....

06-18-2015, 03:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	The Random Album Thread Simple enough. Grab an album at random --- using whatever method you want to use to randomise --- or even just pick one --- and tell us why you love it, or hate it, or wish you hadn't bought it. Maybe you haven't even listened to it, or forgot you had it in your collection. Maybe it brings back memories, or started you off on a journey into a particular artiste's music or even a genre? John Farnham - Whispering Jack (1986) I bought this on the strength of the single "You're the voice", which was pretty huge at the time, hoping it would have other songs like that on it, but sadly I was disappointed. Given that YtV is basically an AOR song, I was dismayed at how much of the album was poppy and lightweight. Only one other good track on it really, the sumptuous ballad "Touch of Paradise". I thought he was a one-hit wonder: little did I know he has been around since the sixties and has about twenty albums to his credit. Mind you, if they're all like this one then I doubt I'll be checking any more out. Just proves that sometimes the single is the best track, and there's no need to buy the album. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-18-2015, 05:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Screen13 Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,388	As a fan of sleazy 80's flicks, it should be noted that he was also the vocalist on some of the songs for Savage Streets, a film starring Linda Blair that was pure Exploitation from start to finish. He was in contact with Mike Curb for that era before siging to RCA for this album, and it was just after his time with the Little River Band of the "We Too" era, meaning after the main hit-making days that still had a little gas in the tank. For some reason, I think he was trying to make an album that never was released with a number of the songs going into a couple of movies of that time. Kind of odd that a couple of German Imports made it to a Small City Goodwill, but there you are! Oddly enough, I found a couple of 12 Inch Singles at the Goodwill down the street from my apartments (same place as I found a CD of Metal Machine Music as well as The Sisterhood's Gift). One of them was "You're the Voice" and the other was the title track from the next album, "Age of Reason" where Farnham tries to get social consciousness into his music (YIKES!!!). The worst of the tracks was a cover of "Help" that turned the classic Beatles song into a slow drawn out ballad.

06-19-2015, 01:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain This, for me, is a quintessential jangle pop record, along with Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies, and Stands for Decibels by The dBs. The album has a very jungle-y feel (hence Aztec Camera), which actually provided some pretty amazing songs. The drums definitely rule the feel of the album, and the bass highlights the beat very well. The album features almost no distortion, which gives it a very acoustic feel. The progressions all feel natural and unique. The icing on the cake is the vocals, which for the time, were pretty great, especially because the melody wouldn't be complete without them. The backing vocals also give the album a glorious feel, which only enhances the tone. It's a great album, probably worth your 20 bucks, especially if you are into post-punk or pre-synth. It's funky, fun, and most importantly, phat.

06-19-2015, 04:55 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ol’ Qwerty Bastard OQB Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Frownland Posts: 8,831	Considering today would be Nick Drake's 67th birthday, I feel like Pink Moon deserves some love from me. Not only is it my favorite Nick Drake project, but it's also one of my favorite albums of all-time. It ended up leading me to quite a few other singer-songwriter acoustic albums, and despite all the great artists I found because of that, it still sticks out as one of the most emotional and atmospheric I've ever heard.