The Albums of 1966: The Who Sings My Generation (U.S. Version)

Release Date: April 25, 1966 

Members: Roger Daltrey (Vocals); Pete Townshend (guitar, vocals); John Entwistle (bass, vocals) Keith Moon (drums)

Produced by Shel Talmy

Side One: Out in the Street; I Don't Mind; The Good's Gone; La-La-La-Lies; Much Too Much; My Generation

Side Two: The Kids Are Alright; Please Please Please; It's Not True; The Ox; A Legal Matter; Instant Party (Circles)

The Who's debut album arrived in America a few months after its release in the United Kingdom, signaling the British Invasion was far from over. The "Maximum R & B" sound of The Who put them alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, launching one of the most legendary journeys in Rock history.

Heavy chords open the record with "Out in the Street", played with rapid fire rhythm accompanied with hyper backup vocals. Then a James Brown cover, "I Don't Mind" swings along gently sounding like "Heart of Stone" by the Stones. "The Good's Gone" taps into the masculine angst The Who that would become their trademark. "La-La-La-Lies" is a teenage heartbreak song, "Much Too Much" hints at the future sound of the band.

"My Generation" is one of the most iconic rock songs ever written. All four members brought their personalities into the group, and "My Generation" exemplifies the power of the quartet. Entwistle's thundering bass and Townshend's staccato guitar borders on menacing, while Moon's drumming sounds like artillery fire being unleashed. A song about identity, defiance, and repressed rage at the social structure, also foreshadowed punk (as many have pointed out). It's also distinctly British and expresses in a new way what the Angry young men were writing about in the previous decade.  

"The Kids Are Alright" also reached iconic status, somewhat more introspective than the other tracks on the record. The narrator still likes his girl even if she dances with other guys in a sly commentary on the mod scene. "Please Please Please" returns to the R&B sound, in another James Brown cover. "It's Not True" borders on pop song and goes down easy enough, "The Ox" sounds improvised, the only instrumental on the album and a foreshadowing of incoming psychedelia. In "A Legal Matter", a sort of story song about a young man backing out of a marriage. Ironically, the closing track "Instant Party (Circles)" got tied up in litigation between the band and producer Shel Talmy after The Who produced their own version for release. Notable for Entwistle playing trumpet, the track is a cacophony of sound. 

Like the Beatles debut Please Please Me, My Generation captures a band coming into its own. The confrontational tone on the record is tempered by its tenuous grasp at self-knowledge. The primitive emotions on the record hint at the possibility of evolution once freed from the chains of youth and societal expectations. In time Townshend's writing would expand into more social criticism and even transcendence, all of which can be found here in its infancy. 

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #2: You're Gonna Get It

Release Date: May 2, 1978

Members: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Ron Blair (bass); Stan Lynch (drums)

Produced by Denny Cordell, Noah Shark, Tom Petty

Side One: When the Time Comes; You're Gonna Get It; Hurt; Magnolia; Too Much Ain't Enough

Side Two: I Need to Know; Listen to Her Heart; No Second Thoughts; Restless; Baby's a Rock 'N' Roller

At 30 minutes, You're Gonna Get It is devoted to the three-minute rock song. Building upon the tight riffs and melodies of their debut, the record yielded two hit singles.

"I Need to Know" is a moody track agonizing over the impending end of a relationship. "Listen to Her Heart" seems to be in response to the power pop infused "I Need to Know" with lyrics aimed at a romantic rival.

The opener "When the Time Comes" promises devotion in hard times, "You're Gonna Get It" is a slightly darker love song with a more adventurous production. "Hurt" expresses a wounded romanticism - and nothing much beyond that. "Magnolia" is underrated and had potential to be a hit single, highlighting the strengths of the band. "Too Much Ain't Enough" highlights late 70s excess on the rock scene. 

"No Second Thoughts" features a retro '60s sound, it would be at home on a Stones record. "Restless" goes for a swaggering blues vibe. The album closes with "Baby's a Rock 'N' Roller" another track in the '70s power pop style. 

You're Gonna Get It is a mostly an unremarkable second album, mostly staying the course. In saying that, it's also a fitting companion to the debut in sound and theme.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #1

Release Date: November 9, 1976

Members: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Ron Blair (bass); Stan Lynch (drums)

Produced by Denny Cordell

Side One: Rockin' Around (With You); Breakdown; Hometown Blues; The Wild One, Forever; Anything That's Rock N Roll

Side Two: Strangered in the Night; Fooled Again (I Don't Like It); Mystery Man; Luna; American Girl

The eponymous debut by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers sustains itself on catchy riffs and Petty's confident vocals. They are confident rock and rollers, letting the songs speak for themselves, and clever enough not to overstay their welcome. 

"Rockin' Around (With You)" opens the record on a minimal riff with a retro doo-wop sound, lyrically simplistic, but knowing. "Breakdown" is another effective riff with Petty's iconic delivery ideal for FM radio. "Hometown Blues" also channels early rock, perfect for the jukebox. Petty pays tribute to mythical woman on "The Wild One, Forever." It would work on a Springsteen record, but Petty's twangy delivery takes it a level above pastiche. Appropriately titled, "Anything That's Rock and Roll" would fit in on a Ramones record, but Petty seems to have a direct line to the foundations of Rock.

"Strangered in the Night" imagines a violent racial confrontation, not so much social commentary, more a reflection of reality in 1970s America. "Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) is rooted in the blues, and heavy on atmosphere. "Mystery Man" digresses into country rock, musically "Luna" is the most complex track. Recorded July 4, 1976, "American Girl" quickly became enshrined as a classic. Mystery surrounds what inspired the song; the lyrics encapsulate Petty's longtime fascination with exuberance and darkness of American identity. 

A strong debut for its no frills approach and steady determination.  

The Albums of 1973: Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy

 

Release Date: March 28, 1973

Members: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham

Produced by Jimmy Page

Side One: The Song Remains the Same; The Rain Song; Over the Hills and Far Away; The Crunge

Side Two: Dancing Days; D'yer Mak'er; No Quarter; The Ocean

Houses of the Holy proved to be Led Zeppelin's most eclectic record yet -and their most melodic. 

"The Song Remains the Same" begins the record on a rapturous note, both hard rocking and ethereal. Like "Stairway to Heaven", "The Rain Song" relies more on mood and atmosphere to great effect. "Over the Hills and Far Away" leans into the folkish side of the band, Plant's vocal and Page's riffs repeatedly crest and build. "The Crunge" was considered by some an attempt to channel James Brown with somewhat mixed results, an interesting experiment, nevertheless. 

"Dancing Days" revels in its bacchanalia ethos, "D'yer Mak'er" merges the Zeppelin sound with reggae and remains a classic rock staple. "No Quarter" is one of Zeppelin's most ominous tracks, merging synth-heavy prog-rock with a foggy dystopian atmosphere. "The Ocean" closes the record, more of a throwback to the earlier sound of the band, a joyful swagger with the band at its creative peak. 

Houses of the Holy sounds so fully realized and confident, all members of the group showcasing their skills as individuals and as a potent unit. 

REM #15: Collapse Into Now

 

Release Date: March 7, 2011

Members: Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitars); Mike Mills (bass, keyboards)

Produced by Jackknife Lee & REM

Track Listing: Discoverer; All the Best; Uberlin; Oh My Heart; It Happened Today; Everyday is Yours to Win; Mine Smell Like Honey; Walk it Back; Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter; That Someone is You; Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I; Blue

Collapse Into Now was pre-determined to be the final REM record, in a mutual decision to disband. The album features a variety of tracks calling back to different eras of the group's history, often referencing older songs. There's also a sense of time passing, the lingering message throughout is one for posterity, many of the songs are addressed to "the kids." 

"Discoverer" recalls the more muscular sound of Monster from 1994, and the sentiment going back to Murmur's opening track "Radio Free Europe." The power pop of "All the Best" has a one more for the road vibe, "it's just like me to overstay my welcome." "Uberlin" offers fantastical daydreams with neo-psychedelia sound.

"Oh My Heart" is one of REM's most poignant songs, told from the viewpoint of someone returning to New Orleans amidst the devastation left by the storm. "It Happened Today" is baroque pop, commenting on the nature of interpretation. "Everyday is Yours to Win" offers a compassionate message to someone in despair at the state of the world - evoking a lullaby. 

"Mine Smell Like Honey" offers subtle sarcasm on ego, "Walk it Back" is piano driven and a meditation on time passing."Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter" is punkish and juvenile by design. "That Someone Is You" is guitar driven, mocking a sophomoric rant by an adolescent. "Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I" muses on celebrity and cultural obsessions. The final REM track "Blue" features Stipe giving a spoken word poem, with Patti Smith providing back-up vocals, always a influence on the band since the beginning, then the fadeout goes into a reprise of "Discoverer."

Collapse Into Now is a fitting farewell. REM began as a fledgling college band in Athens, Georgia and climbed their way up from a cult band to mainstream success. Through it all, they stayed true to progressive ideals and avoided becoming the walking cliché so many rock bands become. 

REM #14: Accelerate

Release Date: March 31, 2008

Members: Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitars); Mike Mills (bass, keyboards)

Produced by Jackknife Lee & REM

Track Listing: Living Well is the Best Revenge; Man-Sized Wreath; Supernatural Superserious; Hollow Man; Houston; Accelerate; Until the Day is Done; Mr. Richards; Sing for the Submarine; Horse to Water; I'm Gonna DJ

Accelerate marked a return to guitar driven rock for REM in what would be their penultimate LP.

A punk infused opener, "Living Well is the Best Revenge" also has a politically charged bent, "Man-Sized Wreath" continues in a similar vein, a song full of swagger mocking the idea of swagger and the political rhetoric of the post 9/11 era. "Supernatural Superserious" swerves into pure power pop mode, an observational look at American youth. "Hollow Man" may reference the T.S. Eliot poem "The Hollow Men", which envisioned futuristic men as violent and empty, but the REM song pushes against the sentiment. "Houston" offers subtle commentary on post-Hurricane Katrina climate in America, "if the storm doesn't kill me the government will." "Accelerate" is a moody rocker with a positive energy. "Until the Day is Done" throws scathing commentary at Big Business and all it represents in 21st Century America, especially timely in that it was written just before the 2008 crash. "Mr. Richards" satirizes a certain type of "W" era warmonger, preaching the merits of an aggressive foreign policy to callow youths. "Sing for the Submarine" is a surreal interlude, Stipe in perfect form delivering a dream soliloquy. "Horse to Water" is punk poetry, "I'm Gonna DJ" ends the record on a defiant and jubilant note. 

Accelerate was well received. The smooth production often masks the incisive political commentary, adding more depth to the record on repeated listens. At 34 minutes, it's also the shortest REM record. They undoubtedly sounded rejuvenated, a band still with something to prove. Not a classic by any means, but certainly a late career triumph. 

REM #13: Around the Sun

Release Date: October 5, 2004

Members: Michael Stipe (vocals); Peter Buck (guitars); Mike Mills (bass, keyboards)

Additional Musicians: Scott McCaughey (keyboards, percussion); Ken Stringfellow (keyboards); Q-Tip (rapping on "The Outsiders); Bill Rieflin (Percussion); 

Produced by Pat McCarthy & REM

Track Listing: Leaving New York; Electron Blue; The Outsiders; Make It All Okay; Final Straw; I Wanted To Be Wrong; Wanderlust; Boy in the Well; Aftermath; High Speed Train; The Worst Joke Ever; The Ascent of Man; Around the Sun

"Leaving New York" opens Around the Sun, a poignant ode to New York City with melancholy post-9/11 subtext. Lyrically, the song speaks to the leaving the city and the end of a friendship. The electronica fused "Electron Blue" remains a favorite of Michael Stipes he described as a futuristic song that came to him in a dream. "The Outsiders" begins as a synth-pop song and ends Q-Tip providing a rap as a coda, which speaks to the political frustrations and inertia of the Bush era. "Make It All Okay" continues on in a similar vein speaking to miscommunication in a fraught relationship. 

"Final Straw" was written as a protest song about the 2003 American invasion of Iraq, but avoids topical references in favor of an oblique Socratic dialogue. Cultural and political disillusionment are expressed a bit more forcefully on "I Wanted to Be Wrong, Stipe sings "everyone is humming a song I don't understand." 

"Wanderlust" lightens the mood, with Stipe inhabiting a poetic wanderer in modern America, possibly imagining a reincarnated Kerouac. "Boy in the Well" conjures early REM with its minimal production and flickering Americana. "Aftermath" offers hope through gaining self-knowledge, REM at their stateliest. Atmospheric and moody, "High Speed Train" may actually work better if seeing it performed live. "The Worst Joke Ever" speaks to creativity and malaise. "The Ascent of Man" injects some much needed soul to counter the overcast mood of the record. "Around the Sun" ends the record on an upbeat note, promising to keep seeking for the answers as long as the world's still going. 

The album cover art features REM as fading shadows - and that suits Around the Sun. All members admitted to being bored and frustrated during the making of the record, sales were moderate, while reviews were tepid. The post 9/11 world, especially for idealists and Progressives, brought on disillusionment, and here REM flirts with succumbing to it, but not quite. The record can be read as a warm hug to their fans, pointing the way through introspection.