The Blue Mask, Lou Reed

The Blue Mask, Lou Reed, 1982, :41

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

After reading about this album many, many years ago, I had a vision of it grown to mythical status as it remained unfound by me.  The darkest Lou Reed album, full of terrors and the cruel sexual underbelly of a secret world.  Well, I finally listened to it, and it really isn't all that dark.  Yes, there's a song abut a dead friend, but it's a touching and celebratory one, not horribly bleak.  The title track is a litany of violent sex, but Reed has written about that before, and this has the ring of a confession rather than eroticism.  There's a song about JFK being shot, and some ragged songs about DTs and night terrors and alcoholism, but also a love song and some humor.  I mean: "Ooohhh-wheee / Son of a B."  And: "Average looks, average taste / Average height, an average waist / Average in everything I do / My temperature is ninety-eight point two."  Favorite tracks: "Underneath the Bottle," "Waves of Fear," "The Day John Kennedy Died."

Shoot Out the Lights, Richard + Linda Thompson

Shoot Out the Lights, Richard + Linda Thompson, 1982, :38

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

I've heard a few of these songs before, and covers of them, but never the whole album.  I've been reading about it for decades as one of the greatest albums of all time.  That Richard Thompson sure is a great songwriter!  I vacillated a while as to whether this was a five star album for me.  I decided in the end that there are couple of tracks that just don't appeal to me (like "Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed," which I found too flat in both its imagery and delivery), so it's a strong four.  Favorite tracks: "Shoot Out the Lights," "Wall of Death," "Don't Renege On Our Love," "Man In Need."

Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen

Continuing the alphabet of albums, N is for nothin' out there for miles. 

Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen, 1982, :40

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I can't say anything new about this collection of bleak demos that marked a turning point in Springsteen's songwriting themes.  It's hailed as a masterpiece; I have been reading about this album for years but never got around to listening to it through.  Well, today's the day!  It's... a bit of a downer, innit?  I like the story of "Highway Patrolman," but things that are unrelentingly bleak like "Nebraska" and "State Trooper" aren't my favorite thing. Not even in St. Dylan's hands, such as "Ballad of Hollis Brown," are such things I seek out or return to.   So I have a preference for the more rollicking tunes.  Or at least the tunes leavened with a bit of optimism.  "Used Cars" is a perfect blend of melancholy and hope, an apparently autobiographical tale of his father buying his first new car. Favorite tracks: "Open All Night," "Atlantic City," "Johnny 99."

Thriller, Michael Jackson

Currently doing one album for each year, 1960-2020. Today: 1982.

Thriller, Michael Jackson, 1982, :42

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

A cultural behemoth that went utterly ignored by me. I've never heard the songs on this album except for the inescapable "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and probably most of the title track. Impeccably produced (of course) by the master Quincy Jones, it's probably the pinnacle of R&B-tinged pop.  But it's not for me.  Nothing wrong with it, aside from a little corniness (the duet "The Girl Is Mine") and synth slickness ("P.Y.T.").  It just doesn't move me.  I realize now with a couple of recent entries in this blog I've kind of strayed from the purpose of the album a day project.  The project isn't really an exercise in broadening my horizons so much as catching up on stuff I missed and would like to hear.  I've been bending my brain into knots giving stuff like this and Van Halen three stars for their technical skill when I know that, for me, these are two-star albums, in that I'm not interested in them.  Oh well, I tried.  Favorite tracks, besides the big hits: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Human Nature."

Milo Goes To College, Descendents

It’s Manic Monday! Wherein I listen to a rocker, a punker, or just a general banger. 

Milo Goes To College, Descendents, 1982, :22

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

I've heard a few Descendents songs here and there but never got into them, although all my punk friends in college thought they were the best things since pressed wax.  So I tried this, their first full album and one of the most influential albums of the hardcore California punk sound.  It's just not for me.  I wouldn't call this bad necessarily, but a little too raw for my taste.  The lads' enthusiasm is certainly to be commended, but their straightforward, juvenile, unsubtle lyrics and the lack of a nice crunchy punk riff or shout-along chorus make me lose interest.  Favorite track: "Suburban Home" is Ramones-like minimalism; "Bikeage" is pretty catchy.

Computer Games, George Clinton

Computer Games, George Clinton, 1982, :40

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This is Clinton's "first" "solo" album after disbanding Parlifunkadeliment.   It's pretty funky, but you know, I kind of expected it to be funkier.  It could be funkier.  I guess it's the reliance on those '80s staples, synthesizers and drum machines.  Still, a fun album.  Favorite track: the 13-minute "Man's Best Friend/Loopzilla."