Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! (1979)

A brilliant, accomplished album, Look Sharp! established Joe Jackson as part of that camp of angry, intelligent young new wavers (the likes of, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker etc.) who approached pop music with the sardonic attitude and tense, aggressive energy of punk. Not as indebted to pub rock as Parker and Costello, and much more lyrically straightforward than the latter, Jackson delivers a set of bristling, insanely catchy pop songs that seethe with energy and frustration. Several deal with the lack of thoughtful reflection in everyday life ("Sunday Papers," "Got the Time"), but many more concern the injuries and follies of romance. In the caustic yet charming witticisms of songs like the hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him?," "Happy Loving Couples," "Fools in Love," and "Pretty Girls," Jackson presents himself on the one hand as a man of integrity seeking genuine depth in love (and elsewhere), but leavens his stance with a wry, self-effacing humor, revealing his own vulnerability to loneliness and to purely physical attraction. Look Sharp! is the sound of a young man searching for substance in a superficial world -- and it also happens to rock like hell.
virtually free of instrumental overdubs, a tactic that emphasized the wound-up riffing of Jackson's three-piece backing band and silhouetted the contours of the his painstakingly crafted pop songs, with their crisp syntax and high-concept refrains.
Look Sharp's "One More Time" and "Sunday Papers" were a welcome merger of edginess and ear candy, which connected immediately with fans who couldn't abide the brutal fun of "God Save the Queen." The album made the Top Twenty, providing A&M bigwigs with a certified punk auteur. Though Jackson would never achieve Costello's cachet, his early work holds up alongside that of his rival.

Tracklist:
01. One More Time
02. Sunday Papers
03. Is She Really Going out with Him?
04. Happy Loving Couples
05. Throw It Away
06. Baby Stick Around
07. Look Sharp!
08. Fools in Love
09. (Do The) Instant ash
10. Pretty Girls
11. Got the Time
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Don Mclean - American Pie (1971)

Don McLean (born to Elizabeth and Donald on October 2, 1945 in New Rochelle, New York) is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".
The McLean clan traces its roots to the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Hebrides. Both Don’s grandfather and father were named Donald McLean which sometimes led to confusion as Don was also christened Donald McLean. Don’s mother’s family, the Buccis, came from Abruzzi in southern Italy. They left Italy and settled in Port Chester, N.Y. at the end of the 19th century.
Don McLean's most famous composition, "American Pie", is a sprawling, impressionistic ballad inspired partly by the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) in a plane crash in 1959. The song would popularize the expression The Day the Music Died in reference to this event. McLean has stated that the lyrics are also somewhat autobiographical and present an abstract story of his life from the mid-1950s until the time he wrote the song in the late 1960s.
The song was recorded on 26 May 1971 and a month later received its first radio airplay on New York’s WNEW-FM and WPLJ-FM to mark the closing of The Fillmore East, a famous New York concert hall. "American Pie" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard magazine charts for four weeks in 1972, and remains McLean's most successful single release. The single also topped the Billboard Easy Listening survey. It is also the longest song to reach No. 1 with a running time of 8:36. Some stations played only part one of the original split-sided single release.

Tracklist:
01. American Pie 4:0
02. Vincent 4:00
03. And I Love You So 3:42
04. Bad Girl 4:12
05. Castles In The Air 3:27
06. Circus Song 2:32
07. Crying 3:31
08. Everybody Loves Me Baby
09. The Grave 3:23
10. If We Try 3:23
11. Narcisissma 3:03
12. No Reasons For You Dreams 2:35
13. Respectable 2:32
14. Since I Don'T Have You 2:38
15. Tapestry 3:14
16. Three Flights Up 4:27
17. Till Tommorrow 2:39
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Kenny Rankin - Best of Kenny Rankin - (1996)

Kenny Rankin was raised in New York and was introduced to music by his mother who sang at home and for friends. Early in his career he worked as a singer-songwriter, and developed a considerable following during the 70s with a steady flow of albums, three of which broke into the Top 100 of the Billboard Album Chart. His liking for jazz was evident from an early age but the times were such that in order to survive his career had to take a more pop-oriented course. By the 90s, however, he was able to angle his repertoire to accommodate his own musical preferences and to please a new audience while still keeping faith with the faithful. Rankin's warm singing style and his soft, nylon-stringed guitar sound might suggest an artist more attuned to the supper-club circuit than the jazz arena, but his work contains many touches that appeal to the jazz audience.
His accompanists might include Alan Broadbent, Mike Wofford and Bill Watrous, and on such occasions the mood slips easily into a jazz groove. His compositions have been performed by artists such as Mel Tormé and Carmen McRae, while Stan Getz said of him that he was "a horn with a heartbeat". Stephen Bishop had a major hit in 1977 with his song "On and On", which was a #11 hit in the U.S. Rankin is deeply interested in Brazilian music and his Here In My Heart, on which he used jazz guests including Michael Brecker and Ernie Watts, was recorded mostly in Rio De Janeiro.

Tracklist:
01 Pussywillows Cattails
02 Regrets
03 On And On
04 You Are So Beautiful
05 Here's That Rainy Day
06 What Matters Most
07 Haven't We Met
08 When Sunny Gets Blue
09 Silver Morning
10 Peaceful

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James Taylor - JT (1977)

James Taylor! This album finds JT with one foot still in his early singer-songwriter mode, with the smooth "Secret O' Life" being a prime example of that style here. His other foot is kicking around covers of songs other people made famous, and on JT the breakout cover was the mega-hit "Handy Man." Other strong songs include the bouncy "Your Smiling Face"; the satirical and empathetic "Traffic Jam"; and the relaxed but heartfelt "Terra Nova." So, stuck in traffic? I always get a hum of this song whenever traffic got me. huh., here's the lyric....
(Chorus)
Damn
This traffic jam,
How I hate
To be late.
It hurts my motor to go so slow.
Damn
This traffic jam,
Time I get home my supper'll be cold.
Damn
This traffic jam.

Well, I left my job about 5 o'clock,
It took 15 minutes go three blocks—
Just in time to stand in line,
With the freeway looking like a parking lot.
{Repeat Chorus}
Now, I almost had a heart attack—
Looking in my rear view mirror.
I saw myself the next car back,
Looking in the rear view mirror,
'Bout to have a heart attack.
I said . . .
{Repeat Chorus}
Now, when I die I don't want no coffin;
I've thought about it all too often.
Just strap me in behind the wheel
And bury me with my automobile.
{Repeat Chorus}
Now, I used to think that I was cool,
Running around on fossil fuel.
Until I saw what I was doing—
Was driving down the road to ruin.

Tracklist:
01. Your Smiling Face
02. There We Are
03. Honey Don't Leave L.A.
04. Another Grey Morning
05. Bartender's Blues
06. Secret O' Life
07. Handy Man
08. I Was Only Telling a Lie
09. Looking for Love on Broadway
10. Terra Nova
11. Traffic Jam
12. If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight
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Jackson Browne - For Every Man (1973)

This album, For Everyman may not be a success as his debut album, yet, it still sold a million copies. The upbeat "Take It Easy," co-written with The Eagles' Glenn Frey, had already been a big hit for that group, while "These Days" (actually written by Browne and first recorded by Nico in 1967) captured the essence of Browne's youthful, morose angst. The title track, meanwhile, was the first of Browne's studies of personal exploration, soul-searching, and despair set against the backdrop of a decaying society.

The song "For Everyman" was written for David Crosby in response to his song "Wooden Ships", and Crosby sings harmony vocals on the track! Elton John plays
piano on Red Neck Friend (credited as Rockaday Johnnie).

The album is also notable for David Lindley's contributions. He appears on every track and would become an integral part of Jackson's sound for the next
decade. The cover of the album shows Jackson sitting in the courtyard of his childhood home, The Abbey, and early pressings were designed with a cutout
so that when the inner jacket was removed, it cleverly showed the same photo without Jackson.
Produced by Jackson Browne; Released October 15, 1973 on Asylum Records.

Tracklist:
01. Take It Easy (3:39 - Glenn Frey & Jackson Browne)
02. Our Lady Of The Well (3:51 - Browne)
03. Colors Of The Sun (4:26 - Browne)
04. I Thought I Was A Child (3:43 - Browne)
05. These Days (4:41 - Browne)
06. Red Neck Friend (3:56 - Browne)
07. The Times You've Come (3:39 - Browne)
08. Ready Or Not (3:33 - Browne)
09. Sing My Songs To Me (3:25 - Browne)
10. For Everyman (6:20 - Browne)
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Triumph - Lay It On The Line Live (1983)

Triumph - Just A Game (1979)

Triumph's first worldwide release, Rock & Roll Machine, had caused a small splash within hard rock circles, but audiences were still unsure of what to make of this power trio's suspicious similarities to Canadian elder statesmen Rush. Indeed, it was only with the release of 1979's Just a Game that Triumph would take measures (albeit tentative ones) to establish their own personality as a slightly bluesier and heavier counterpart to their famed countrymen. Once again produced by bassist, keyboard player, and all-around peacekeeper Mike Levine, the album's first single, "Lay It on the Line," was quite possibly their best ever, going on to become a staple of their live performances, and arguably, the band's signature tune. Guitarist Rik Emmett is in fine form throughout, also scoring high marks with the upbeat "Hold On" and the elaborate title track. But by comparison, drummer Gil Moore's contributions take a serious nosedive into irritating musical clichés, especially on the monotonous blues of "Young Enough to Cry" and the unbearably cheesy lyrics of "American Girls." At times, Triumph still can't help but sound derivative of any number of the era's top bands, and besides the always present Rush similarities, they also allude to Chicago pomp rockers Styx on the chorus of "Movin' On." All things considered, however, Just a Game remains one of the group's best all-around efforts. ~ Ed Rivadavia
Triumph is a Canadian hard rock band that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.
This album is dedicated to my brother Rey.

Tracklist:
01. Movin' On
02. Lay It on the Line
03. Young Enough to Cry
04. American Girls
05. Just a Game
06. Fantasy Serenade [Instrumental]
07. Hold On
08. Suitcase Blues
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Traffic - Traffic On The Road (1974)

On The Road, released in 1973, was a live album (2 LPs, reissued on 1 CD) by English rock band Traffic. It featured the then-current Traffic lineup of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, "Reebop" Kwaku Baah, David Hood and Roger Hawkins plus extra keyboardist (for live performances) Barry Beckett.
The initial U.S. release of On the Road was as a single LP consisting of: "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" (edited to 15:10), "Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory," "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" & "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone."
The audience voices after "Tragic Magic" that (on first listen) may appear to be saying "Swans, swans" are in fact saying "Sparks, sparks, low sparks".

Tracklist:
1. "Glad" / "Freedom Rider" (Winwood)/(Winwood/Capaldi) – 20:56
2. "Tragic Magic" (Wood) – 8:38
3. "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 10:31
4. "Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 6:51
5. "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone" (Capaldi) – 10:56
6. "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" (Winwood/Capaldi) – 17:47
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Pablo Cruise - A Place In The Sun (1977)

A Place in the Sun is the third album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise. The album marked an entrance into the mainstream for the band, and the first single from the album, Whatcha Gonna Do? reached number 6 on the Pop Singles charts. The title track, A Place in the Sun was the second and less successful single on the album, reaching number 42, but remains the favorite among many fans of the band today.

A Place in the Sun
by Pablo Cruise

Well everybody's heart needs a holiday sometime.
And everyone of us needs to get away, somehow.
So I'm laughing lighthearted moods, oh, the sight-seeing afternoons.
And tellin' a joke or two, 'cause ev'ryday invites you to find
Your place in the sun,
It's time to find your place in the sun.
(find your place, find your place in the sun)
It's time to find your place in the sun.
Everybody's pannin' for gold, and you can find it for a price.
Love always promises to last forever, but sometimes it just don't work out.
'Cause laughing lighthearted tunes, oh, sometimes they turn to blues.
So tell yourself a joke or two, 'cause ev'ry day invites you to find
Your place in the sun,
It's time to find your place in the sun.
(find your place, find your place in the sun)
It's time to find your place in the sun.
It's time to find your place in the sun.

1. "A Place in the Sun" (Cockrell/Lerios) - 4:44
2. "Whatcha Gonna Do?" (Jenkins/Lerios) - 4:17
3. "Raging Fire" (Jenkins/Lerios) - 4:41
4. "I Just Wanna Believe" (Lerios) - 4:15
5. "Tonight My Love" (Lerios) - 3:53
6. "Can't You Hear the Music?" (Lerios/Price) - 4:07
7. "Never Had a Love" (Jenkins/Lerios) - 5:08
8. "Atlanta June" (Jenkins/Price) - 4:08
9. "El Verano" (Cockrell/Jenkins/Lerios/Price) - 4:40

Contributing Artist:
* David Jenkins: Bass, Guitar, vocals
* Steve Price: percussion, Drums
* Bud Cockrell: Bass, Vocals
* Cory Lerios: Piano, keyboards
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