1978 in music. • Page 3

Just this and Here Come the Warm Jets, plus For Your Pleasure and some production work

 

another green world and apollo!!!

 

Another Green World is a masterpiece

 

I actually just watched Me and Earl and the Dying Girl the other day and it featured a song from Another Green World that I really loved, so I’m excited for that

 

1. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - You're Gonna Get It!
3. Billy Joel - 52nd Street

I know a lot of Bruce fans who came to Born to Run first, like I did, but then gravitated more toward Darkness over time. A fair number of fans seem to view this as his Springsteen's best record. For me, it's still Born to Run all the way, but Darkness is a strong number 2. I actually think it's a situation where the albums make each other stronger by being a pair -- the...well, the darkness of Darkness making the hope and brightness of Born to Run sound more powerful, and vice versa. I wrote a fair bit about this record and what it means to me for the 40th anniversary a few years back, and I still stand by what I said. A masterpiece and an easy number 1 for this year.

I've been on a big Petty kick this summer, so I might end up inflating some of his lesser records a bit in these rankings, this one included. But man, those early Heartbreakers albums are just so much fun. Strong riffs, great melodies, a lot of attitude, and one of the best rock bands of all time playing the songs together. This album, for me, is a little less dwarfed by its standout singles than the debut, which makes it a more fun top-to-bottom listen. Deep cuts like "When the Time Comes" and "Magnolia" really stand out.

Number 3, honestly, is a coin toss, between 52nd Street and Some Girls. I think @cshadows2887 might disown me if I don't vote for Billy, so I'll lean that way. I know this is Chris's favorite Billy Joel record (and a top five all-time pick too, if I remember correctly). It's number three in the Joel discog for me, after The Stranger and Turnstiles, but I love the jazzier vibe and how the album seems to capture a sleepless night in New York City. Plus, songs like "Honesty" and "Until the Night" are more proof that Joel was one of the best melodists ever.

 

I do appreciate the vote.

I’ve always maintained that of all his albums, it tells the best story. You have to stretch a little to make it work, but I’ve always liked to view it as a very long night in Manhattan. Gets sick of the high life party and makes his way to little dives like Zanzibar and out to the streets to hear Latin bands and to the stoops in “Half a Mile Away” before he finally closes the deal with her in “Until the Night”. And then the title track is the sunrise walk/strut home.

 

This is definitely a good way to frame that album. I feel like there's definitely a narrative thread, even if it's more implicit.

 

Love this one

 

One of my favorites from 78, especially “Brandy”, a beautiful song about a dog that died

 

it’s still a pretty close one so i’ll leave it open a bit longer today. the gap is a fraction of the one we had last week.

 

i didn’t get a ton of listening in this week but i did particularly enjoy the rainbow and the gerry rafferty albums

 

I used to cover “Whatever’s Written in Your Heart” a lot live. It’s such a sneakily beautiful song

 

How are the other Gerry Rafferty albums? City To City is killin but I’ve never gone further

 

Can I Have My Money Back is charming as fuck. Planning to check out Night Owl when we get there

 

1. Blondie: Parallel Lines
2. Billy Joel: 52nd Street
3. Willie Nelson: Stardust

Cuts:
Siouxsie & the Banshees: The Scream
Gerry Rafferty: City to City
Devo: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Blondie: Plastic Letters

 

Rainbow - Long Live Rock and Roll
Not quite as amazing as Rising, but not far off, and a bit more diverse. Loved it.

Al Green - Truth 'n' Time
Good career record from one of the greatest to ever do it. Slightly acknowledges disco without leaning into it. His knack for reinventing covers hadn't failed him either, with "I Say a Little Prayer" and "To Sir, With Love" having his signature stamp.

Ashford and Simpson - Is It Still Good to Ya
THIS is how you weather the disco era perfectly. Still has the trappings and some danceable tracks, but it's soul first and foremost. And, as you'd expect from a songwriting team, the songs are absolutely there. The title track is a killer

Residents - Duck Stab/Buster and Glen
The fuck is this nonsense? Just unlistenable to me. I do feel like maybe Tom Waits listened once and was like "what if someone actually made this listenable?"

Nicolette Larsen - Nicolette
SO much more charming than you'd expect a side(wo)man's album to be. The credits are royalty (Bob Glaub, Herb Pedersen, Jim Horn, James Burton, etc.) and her song selection is wonderful, in that Linda Ronstadt songfinder way. Also features a hot-shit solo from an uncredited Eddie Van Halen.

The Saints - Eternally Yours
Good, well-constructed punk. I like the R&B touches and the horns. I like the variety of tempo and mood. But when they go straight punk, they absolutely rip.

 

This year is just so hard …. I don’t see any runaway best, just a lot of solid records.

1. The Cars - The Cars
2. Van Halen - Van Halen
3. Buzzcocks - Love Bites

any day this week I could’ve probably swapped those out for 3-5 others. But wanted to get my votes in.

will post full list tomorrow

 

ill give it until 7. very close.

 

parallel lines won (hah @Craig Manning, told you so!) with 17 points. darkness on the edge of town and 52nd street were tied with 16

 

I don’t know what I expected All Mod Cons to sound like, but it’s unbelievably catchy and melodic in ways I did not anticipate. So damn good

 

it's really quite great

 

Just texted @Meerkat to tell her it will be awhile before I forgive her for not voting this week.

 

genuinely both records are great, bruce and blondie. i am glad to get more representation than a prior winner, though, after how many of the years the beatles took.

 

Parallel Lines rules, no debate. Just super passionate about 52nd Street, which got so close