Imagine if, instead of calling in one of their now-legendary rock critics to weigh in on the cutting edge new releases of the day, Rolling Stone or Trouser Press had tapped yours truly to share our own unique thoughts on some of the pivotal rock albums of the past!
While our youthful ears may have lacked a certain nuance that only comes with weeks and months and years of listening in solitaire, there are few "legendary" albums we missed then, but appreciate now. Oddly enough, the most obvious exception appears on this list.
The Beatles - Revolver
Well, the boys have really done it now. They've resorted to complaining about how much they pay in taxes. Meanwhile, the Stones are in exile. Ever so strategically, George Harrison is revealing himself to be the band's secret weapon. "Eleanor Rigby" might just be the biggest bummer tune ever written. Want to spoil a perfect day, give this one a spin. Lennon's hypnotic "I'm Only Sleeping" is the last off-ramp before things get truly strange.
Harrison returns with an ambitious foray into cultural weirdness ("Love You To") and Ringo's cheeky children's singalong ("Yellow Submarine" ) combines with George Martin's 3-D production flourishes might just leave you wondering when this turned into a sound effects album.
When the British versions of the Beatles albums are released on CD in the not-too-distant future (oops, spoiler) it will be Revolver that we all grab first. Why on Earth did Capitol drop three songs for the U.S. version in the first place?
The Rolling Stones - Out Of Our Heads
Respect any band that has the audacity to put "Satisfaction (*I Can't Get No)" on Side Two. The added benefit is that said song proves that the band actually has a future beyond their semi-credible blues schtick and are ready to go head-to-head with the Beatles. Not that I was there.
Like the fabs, the sixties Stones were long gone before I knew they existed and Brian, the coolest guy in the band, had died the year my brother was born.
If dear ol' dad didn't have most of the original versions of the blues tunes they covered, I'd have no idea what the blues really sounds like. Imagine those puritanical few who've only ever heard the Pat Boone version of "Tutti Frutti", the poor schmucks.
John Lee Hooker has no competition. The Beatles do, though.
Blondie - Parallel Lines
This is the sound of the NYC underground emerging into the light and not being sure which avenue to take. In most cases, throwing this many musical styles at a mainstream audience on a single record is a recipe for disaster, but Blondie actually manages to pull it off.
Producer Mike Chapman is their George Martin and this is my Sgt. Pepper's. While it sticks out like a Giorgio Moroder production tacked on after the label says they don't hear a single, "Heart Of Glass" stands out like "Satisfaction" did for the Stones and makes you wonder if more disco lies in this band's future.
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
I have nothing else to go by to gauge whether this is a real band or an SNL skit taken to ridiculous lengths long after the joke (a Stones cover?) stopped being funny. Eno's name in the credit lends it a certain authenticity I am not yet sure it deserves. On the other hand, respect any band that has the audacity to put their cockeyed cover of "Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)" on Side One.
By "Mongoloid", I am true believer. Must send away for an Aztec energy dome!
Neil Young - Trans
This is not the first album you make under a new recording contract with a label that you actually want to be on, this is the last album you make for a label you no longer want to be on. Having said that, holy shit.
When's the last time an album made you say "Holy shit!"?
"Little Thing Called Love" opens the album, giving the listener the impression that, despite the futuristic cover, this is the same old Neil - still very rooted in the updated folk-rock vibe for which he is known.
The next song, "Computer Age", is the one that interrupts your regularly scheduled programming to show you "The Future".
Of course, do we need a late sixties relic skewering '80s detachment and greed?
To his credit, Young commits fully to the premise, which will have you reaching for the album jacket more than once just to make sure you didn't grab an Air album by mistake. But they haven't been invented yet.
Ah, the eighties.