Favorite Albums: 62 - 61

So... This entry took me 9 days to finish, and with school starting in a week and a half, it's not going to get much better. So, after this, I am going to be very quick about the entries, until the top 20 or so. Sorry, but my free time is about to get filled with medical terminology and algebra.

62. Zooropa by U2 (1993)

This album gets ripped on more than just about any other U2 album. It's a shame, because it really is a decent album. It was only intended as a quick EP before they went back on tour, but ended up becoming a full 10 song album. While some of it is bad, there are many really good spots. It starts off with "Zooropa", a pretty good opening track. Slowly gathers itself, builds to a nice solid finish, and lets you know right off the bat that this is a very keyboard driven album. Like it. "Babyface" is next, one of the prettiest U2 songs that nobody has heard. Pretty sure it was even a single, but not positive. Good tune. "Numb" is next, one of the few songs The Edge gets to sing lead vocals on. Love love love this song, even now. Then comes "Lemon", which I can't stand. Not really a fan of any of the songs Bono sings in that falsetto of his, but this one's probably the worst. Just annoying. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is one of the most beautiful U2 love songs ever. Just an outstanding song. "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" is one of those songs that I used to hate but now appreciate and enjoy. Groovy beat, somewhat menacing yet silly lyrics, good vocals. Good tune. "Some Days Are Better Than Others" is just kind of lazy. It is extremely repetitive, and gets pretty boring. Pass. "The First Time" is bad ass. Absolutely love this song, and have from the first time I ever heard it. Just a great song. "Dirty Day" is okay, but for me it's just filler between the two best songs on the album. "The Wanderer" closes the album with one of the most awesome pairings ever - U2 with Johnny Cash on vocals. Absolute awesomeness. I don't even care if it's not the best song in the world, it is still extremely cool. All in all, there is a lot of good music on this album. It really didn't deserve the bashing it took from both critics and fans, and I think if more people gave it a shot, they'd be surprised how good it really is.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Babyface"


4. "Numb"


3. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"


2. "The Wanderer"


1. "The First Time"


61. Sugar Tax by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1991)

So, OMD started off as a duo, then over the years they added other musicians. Then, the two founding members, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, got into a bit of a spat, and the band split. McCluskey continued on under the OMD name, and this was the first release after the split. It's not that bad of an album, even though it pretty much got ripped to shreds. It starts off with "Sailing On the Seven Seas", a pretty thumping tune, and one of the best on the album. Instant hook. "Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way)" was the only single off this album that got any attention whatsoever, and it's a pretty decent song. "Then You Turn Away" and "Speed Of Light" are both pretty good, the former being an especially moody song. "Was It Something I Said" is one of the greatest break up songs ever. It's basically about the break up of the band, but it can be applied to relationships of damn near any kind pretty easily. Awesome tune. "Big Town" is okay, a nice fluff piece after the emotion of the preceding song. "Call My Name" sounds like it was written specifically for a dance club. Good stuff. "Apollo XI" is a funky little piece that uses broadcast clips from different moon landings for the "lyrics". Not much substance, but interesting. "Walking On Air" has a very odd feel to it compared to the rest of the album. Kind of a jazzy thing going, not quite sure how else to describe it. "Walk Tall" is another bad ass break up song, but it's more defiant, basically saying the other person isn't going to break his spirit. Great. "Neon Lights" is another filler type song. Not great, not terrible, just there. "All That Glitters" closes the album on a pretty down note. It's a good song, just very pessimistic. Overall, this is a pretty decent album, especially for what amounts to a solo work. Not just solo vocally, but he did all the music, too. Is it the best O.M.D. album? Probably not. My favorite, though.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Then You Turn Away"


4. "All That Glitters"


3. "Walk Tall"
(No versions available)

2. "Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way)"


1. "Was It Something I Said"

Favorite Albums: 64 - 63

I really have to get back into doing this silly thing. Just been a bad couple weeks.

64. Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats by Peter Gabriel (1990)

This is one of the most complete yet incomplete collections I've ever bought. It was basically a filler between Gabriel's two biggest albums, So and Us. So was already 4 years old at this point, and Us would not be released for another 2 years, so this collection was thrown out there to keep him on the scene, more or less. It starts off with "Solsbury Hill", one of P.G.'s biggest hits. "I Don't Remember" is next, a groovy, somewhat crazy track. "Sledgehammer" follows, Gabriel's biggest hit at the time, if not ever. Not the greatest song, but awesome video. "Family Snapshot" is a very pretty song about the Kennedy assassinations. Love it. "Mercy Street" is another really pretty song, but not really sure why it's here in place of "In Your Eyes", which the year before had been on the soundtrack of the film Say Anything... and became Gabriel's second biggest single behind "Sledgehammer", yet is nowhere to be seen on this album. Odd. "Shaking the Tree" is the only new song on this album, and while it's not great, it is pretty good, and has become a staple of Gabriel's live shows. "Don't Give Up" is a gorgeous duet with Kate Bush. One of my favorite Peter Gabriel songs. "San Jacinto" is yet another slow pretty song, this one being about a Native American man seeing his culture overrun by white Europeans. Good tune. "Here Comes the Flood" continues the slow trend. This was a new recording of an older song, making it more sparse, with just vocals and piano. Great great song. "Red Rain" finally picks the pace back up, an environmentally charged song, referring to either acid rain or nuclear fallout, depending on which interpretation you read. Good tune. "Games Without Frontiers" is next, one of the best songs of Gabriel's early solo career. It is very much a political song, comparing nationalism, diplomacy, and war to children's games. Great song. "Shock the Monkey" comes next, another pretty popular song that is pretty good. Gabriel has described it as a "love song that examines how jealousy can release one's baser instincts." Umm... Sure. I thought it was about electric shock therapy in a nut house, but, hey, that's obviously wrong. Ha ha. "I Have the Touch" is next, and is a really kick ass song that has been in quite a few movies. Kick ass. "Big Time" follows, yet another hit from So. Not as catchy as "Sledgehammer", but still a pretty good tune. The next song is "Zaar" from Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ. It was originally the soundtrack for the movie, then ended up becoming a full album on its own. It is mostly instrumental, and was the first album where Gabriel really leaned heavily on African music and musicians. This song seems out of place here, though, because it's such an obscure song. This one definitely should have been replaced with "In Your Eyes" because it would have given the album a phenomenal 1 - 2 punch to close the album. The final song is "Biko", a very political song about a man named Stephen Biko who was a political prisoner in South Africa in the '70s and killed in jail by guards. Awesome awesome song. This is a pretty good collection, but leaving "In Your Eyes" out, as well as not including anything from his second album, such as "On the Air" or "D.I.Y.", really hurts it overall and makes it incomplete. Other than those glaring omissions, it's a pretty good collection.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Solsbury Hill"


4. "Here Comes the Flood"


3. "Don't Give Up"


2. "Games Without Frontiers"


1. "Biko"


63. Every Breath You Take: The Singles by The Police (1986)

This album was released a few years after The Police broke up, and the original plan called for new versions of all their hit songs. In the end, they could only tolerate being around each other long enough to record one of the songs they were supposed to do, so this became a singles collection instead. It starts off with "Roxanne", unquestionably the most instantly recognizable Police song. "Can't Stand Losing You" comes next, one of their more overlooked songs, I think. Good tune. "Message In a Bottle" follows, and this song always drives my dad nuts because of the repetition at the end. Personally I think it's one of their best songs. "Walking On the Moon" is a slow song, kind of boring. "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" is the one song the band was able to re-record, and damn I wish they hadn't. It is so shitty compared to the first one it's not even funny. Such a shit song. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" is next, one of the silliest titles in music. Bad ass song though. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is also kick ass, just a great song. "Invisible Sun" is another pretty under rated song. Never hear this one, but it is a really good song. "Spirits In the Material World" is probably the weakest song on here, at least, the weakest of the ones that are in their original forms. It's a decent song, just kind of boring. "Every Breath You Take" is probably the most beloved Police song, and for good reason. This song is just outstanding. Love it. "King Of Pain" is also outstanding, probably my personal favorite Police song ever. Great tune. The final song is "Wrapped Around Your Finger", yet another great song. I know, repeating myself, but can't help it. These three songs are just awesome. Overall, this is a really good record. The only things I would change would be to include the original version of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" instead of the shitty remake, and include "Synchronicity II" and "So Lonely", which are both missing for some absurd reason. Other than that, it's a very solid, very complete collection.
5 Best Songs:
5. "Invisible Sun"


4. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"


3. Wrapped Around Your Finger"


2. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"


1. "King Of Pain"