1984, now looking at it, was not all that great of a year, I guess for ALBUMS for my taste. It was it seemed a good year for SONGS. It was amidst the MTV craze and 80's singles. Friday Night Videos, icons like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Huey Lewis, Springsteen, Wham!, Duran Duran, The Police, Phil Collins..80's icons and huge names that were known for songs and their videos.
The top 40 on Sunday mornings, and cassette tapes. I bought my 1st tape as a little kid in 1983 and 1984. Weird Al's album In 3-D namely. And often at the Great American Music store in the Highland Village store.
But as time as gone by and looking at Albums, 1984 has some very good albums, like what I consider my favorite Pat Metheny record in First Circle and my favorite U2 album in The Unforgettable Fire.
Rush's Grace Under Pressure is an album I do enjoy a lot, but I guess I don't see it greater than most of their classic catalog (Caress of Steel-Presto). But it's a great record, thus par for their course. And given the quality of the albums from 1984, it places quite high.
And Prince, I bought Purple Rain on tape and it was such a big deal and rival to Michael Jackson and Thriller then, even though the release dates were like 18 months apart.
But I was a sports kid, so 1984 was most remembered by me for that, but as a year, compared to other years from the 80's, I'm thinking it may not compare. But then again, I suspect a lot of the mid to late 80's albums were not too different.
That also being said, I do have a soft spot for 80's pop, and I included some albums with some of those songs. Also early Metal albums, Thrash, NWOBHM, Prog and Soundtracks.
1. Pat Metheny Group - First Circle
2, Rush - Grace Under Pressure
3. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
4. Marillion - Fugazi
5. Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain OST
6. "Weird Al" Yankovic - In 3-D
7. Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken
8. Van Halen - 1984
9. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
10. Queensryche - The Warning
11. Metallica - Ride the Lightning
12. NRG - No Reasons Given
13. Marillion - Real to Reel
14. King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
15.Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
16. Duran Duran - Arena
17. Wham! - Make it Big
18. XTC - The Big Express
19. David Gilmour - About Face
Van Halen - 1984
rel January 9, 1984
Various Artists - Footloose (Original Soundtrack)
rel January 31, 1984
Simple Minds - Sparkle in the Rain
rel February 6, 1984
Pallas - The Sentinel
rel February 13, 1984
Queen - The Works
rel February 27, 1984
"Weird Al" Yankovic - In 3-D
rel February 28, 1984
David Gilmour - About Face
rel March 5, 1984
Marillion - Fugazi
rel March 12, 1984
Dire Straits - Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
rel March 16, 1984
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
rel March 27, 1984
Laura Branigan - Self Control
rel April 2, 1984
R.E.M. - Reckoning
rel April 9, 1984
Rush - Grace Under Pressure
rel April 12, 1984
Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
rel April 30, 1984
INXS - The Swing
rel April 1984
The Bangles - All Over the Place
rel May 23, 1984
Clannad - Legend [TV Soundtrack]
rel May 1984
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
rel June 4, 1984
Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
rel June 25, 1984
Dio - The Last in Line
rel July 2, 1984
The Time - Ice Cream Castle
rel July 2, 1984
Sade - Diamond Life
rel July 16, 1984
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
rel July 27, 1984
Metal Church - Metal Church
rel July 1984
New Edition - New Edition
rel September 28, 1984
Survivor - Vital Signs
rel August 1984
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
rel September 3, 1984
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
rel September 7, 1984
Queensryche - The Warning
rel September 7, 1984
Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken
rel September 1984
Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream of Trains
rel September 1984
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
rel October 1, 1984
Sheena Easton - A Private Heaven
rel October 2, 1984
Hall and Oates - Big Bam Boom
rel October 12, 1984
XTC - The Big Express
rel October 15, 1984
Wham! - Make it Big
rel October 23, 1984
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
rel October 29, 1984
Duran Duran - Arena
rel November 12, 1984
Madonna - Like a Virgin
rel November 12, 1984
Kool and the Gang - Emergency
rel November
Don Henley - Building the Perfect Beast
rel November 19, 1984
Marillion - Real to Reel
rel November 1984
Toto - Dune
rel December 1984
Cardiacs - The Seaside
rel 1984
Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
rel 1984
Steve Morse - The Introduction
rel 1984
NRG - No Reasons Given
rel 1984
Pat Metheny Group - First Circle
rel 1984
Thinking Plague - ...A Thinking Plague
rel 1984
The media market is huge, thus the need for a media review market.
This is our little contribution to that field.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Mew: 2017 North American Tour (August)
August 13th in St.Paul at The Turf Club.
The show back in 2015 was magical. Very excited for this one!
Aug 3 New York, NY
Aug 4 Brooklyn, NY
Aug 5 Wsshington, DC
Aug 7 Philadelphia, PA
Aug 8 Boston, MA
Aug 10 Toronto, ON
Aug 11 Detroit, MI
Aug 12 Chicago, IL
Aug 13 St.Paul, MN
Aug 15 Denver, CO
Aug 16 Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 18 Vancouver, BC
Aug 19 Seattle, WA
Aug 20 Portland, OR
Aug 22 San Francisco, CA
Aug 24 San Diego, CA
Aug 25 Santa Ana, CA
Aug 26 Los Angeles, CA
The show back in 2015 was magical. Very excited for this one!
Aug 3 New York, NY
Aug 4 Brooklyn, NY
Aug 5 Wsshington, DC
Aug 7 Philadelphia, PA
Aug 8 Boston, MA
Aug 10 Toronto, ON
Aug 11 Detroit, MI
Aug 12 Chicago, IL
Aug 13 St.Paul, MN
Aug 15 Denver, CO
Aug 16 Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 18 Vancouver, BC
Aug 19 Seattle, WA
Aug 20 Portland, OR
Aug 22 San Francisco, CA
Aug 24 San Diego, CA
Aug 25 Santa Ana, CA
Aug 26 Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Record Store Day 2017 Video
came out okay, a tad rushed since I made this today between going back to my apt and work after the doctor.
oh and I do have some footage from the day, I likely will only share some of, and likely only FB. Some of it sadly, did not come out too well.
Rush - Cygnus X-1 Book 1-2 12"
Emerson Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery 7"
Meshuggah - I (2014 Special Edition)
Marillion - Incommunicado/Going Under U.K 7"
2011 Record Store Day Mascot/Toy
The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (Unofficial, 2015 180g 2 LP)
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
The Year 1997 Albums Calendar and Rankings
1997, a very memorable year for a number of things. I think 1st and foremost, it was in a lot of ways, the peak of my love for Dream Theater and the long wait for their 1st full-length album since becoming a fan.
Falling Into Infinity took forever to come out, and I remember being at Best Buy where I was working at the time, and while I enjoyed it, I was a little underwhelmed with such high expectations.
To compare, earlier in the year, Fates Warning had released A Pleasant Shade of Gray, which I remember really liking, but also not looking at Fates Warning as good as my favorite bands like Rush and Dream Theater. But as I came to realize, it was a masterpiece, and their greatest masterpiece.
I do recall being really sad though as learning both Joe DiBiase and Frank Aresti had left the band and being incredibly depressed about that, along with Kevin Moore's departure from Dream Theater not that long before also hitting me hard. And oddly enough, it was not long after I became a fan of both bands.
Anyway, looking at the rest of 1997, Soundscape's album Discovery I enjoyed when I heard it, but in truth, became more of a fan in the subsequent years. Pain of Salvation's debut album Entropia I didn't hear then but years later; but it has become one of my favorites of theirs, debut albums, and progressive metal albums, etc.
Royal Hunt, Savatage, Angra's live album, Big Wreck, The Tea Party, Mew's debut, Godspeed, Devin Townsend's debut, etc..a lot of good stuff or artists who put out albums early in their careers of course. A lot of Prog Metal as the mid and late 90's it was being made in large numbers, and on my radar. And frankly, while much of it sounded a lot like Dream Theater, it seemed still enjoyable and unique in some ways. I dunno, it didn't seem as watered down as it became and has been the last 10 or 15 years. But maybe some of that has to do with nostalgia.
I think 1997 was a year that was in the midst of a lot of terrible mainstream music, and got looked down on by the prog scene, but maybe has aged relatively well over the last 2 decades.
1. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
2. Soundscape - Discovery
3. Pain of Salvation - Entropia
4. Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
5. Savatage - The Wake of Magellan
6. Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day
7. Royal Hunt - Paradox
8. Marillion - This Strange Engine
9. Magellan - Test of Wills
10. Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of...
11. Enchant - Time Lost
12. Angra - Holy Live
13. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (1995-1997)
14. Ocean Machine - Biomech
15. Eternity X - The Edge
16. Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dogs
17. The Tea Party - Transmission
18. Mew - A Triumph for Man
19. The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
20. Galactic Cowboys - The Horse that Bud Bought
21. Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
22. Live - Secret Samadhi
23. dredg - Orph [EP]
24. Faith No More - Album of the Year
25. MagellanMusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams
26. Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
27. The Quiet Room - Introspect
28. Tiles - Fence the Clear
29. IQ - Subterranea
30. Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier
Daft Punk - Homework
rel January 20, 1997
Niacin - Niacin
rel February 13, 1997
Live - Secret Samadhi
rel February 18, 1997
Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny - Beyond the Missouri Sky
rel February 25, 1997
h - Ice Cream Genius
rel February 27, 1997
Marillion - This Strange Engine
rel March 9, 1997
Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier
rel March 25, 1997
Conception - Flow
rel April 1, 1997
Mew - A Triumph for Man
rel April 1, 1997
Tiles - Fence the Clear
rel April 15, 1997
Dark Tranquillity - The Mind's I
rel April 21, 1997
Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
rel April 22, 1997
Angra - Holy Live
rel April 25, 1997
Stratovarius - Visions
rel April 28, 1997
The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
rel April 1997
Ozric Tentacles - Curious Corn
rel May 1, 1997
Magellan - Test of Wills
rel May 6, 1997
Fish - Sunsets on Empire
rel May 9, 1997
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Coil
rel May 20, 1997
No-Man - Dry Cleaning Ray
rel May 1997
Blackmore's Night - Shadow of the Moon
rel June 2, 1997
Faith No More - Album of the Year
rel June 3, 1997
The Gathering - Nighttime Birds
rel June 6, 1997
Ween - The Mollusk
rel June 24, 1997
Galactic Cowboys - The Horse that Bud Bought
rel July 15, 1997
Ocean Machine - Biomech
rel July 21, 1997
Spastic Ink - Ink Complete
rel August 12, 1997
Voivod - Phobos
rel August 12, 1997
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (1995-1997)
rel August 14, 1997
The Tea Party - Transmission
rel August 19, 1997
Pain of Salvation - Entropia
rel August 21, 1997
Vanden Plas - The God Thing
rel September 5, 1997
Eternity X - The Edge
rel September 7, 1997
Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
rel September 9, 1997
The Tories - Wonderful Life
rel September 9, 1997
Savatage - The Wake of Magellan
rel September 15, 1997
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
rel September 16, 1997
Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
rel September 23, 1997
Royal Hunt - Paradox
rel September 23, 1997
The Apples in Stereo - Tone Soul Evolution
rel September 30, 1997
Enchant - Time Lost
rel September 1997
IQ - Subterranea
rel September 1997
Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of...
rel October 7, 1997
Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day
rel October 7, 1997
In Flames - Whoracle
rel October 15, 1997
Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine: Recorded Live in Rome
rel October 1997
Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
rel November 3, 1997
Jane's Addiction - Kettle Whistle
rel November 4, 1997
Martyr - Hopeless Hopes
rel November 7, 1997
sElf - Feels Like Breakin' Shit
rel November 1997
Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dog
rel 1997
dredg - Orph [EP]
rel 1997
MagellanMusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams
rel 1997
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - En concert à Paris
rel 1997
The Quiet Room - Introspect
rel 1997
Soundscape - Discovery
rel 1997
Sinkadus - Aurum nostrum
rel 1997
Falling Into Infinity took forever to come out, and I remember being at Best Buy where I was working at the time, and while I enjoyed it, I was a little underwhelmed with such high expectations.
To compare, earlier in the year, Fates Warning had released A Pleasant Shade of Gray, which I remember really liking, but also not looking at Fates Warning as good as my favorite bands like Rush and Dream Theater. But as I came to realize, it was a masterpiece, and their greatest masterpiece.
I do recall being really sad though as learning both Joe DiBiase and Frank Aresti had left the band and being incredibly depressed about that, along with Kevin Moore's departure from Dream Theater not that long before also hitting me hard. And oddly enough, it was not long after I became a fan of both bands.
Anyway, looking at the rest of 1997, Soundscape's album Discovery I enjoyed when I heard it, but in truth, became more of a fan in the subsequent years. Pain of Salvation's debut album Entropia I didn't hear then but years later; but it has become one of my favorites of theirs, debut albums, and progressive metal albums, etc.
Royal Hunt, Savatage, Angra's live album, Big Wreck, The Tea Party, Mew's debut, Godspeed, Devin Townsend's debut, etc..a lot of good stuff or artists who put out albums early in their careers of course. A lot of Prog Metal as the mid and late 90's it was being made in large numbers, and on my radar. And frankly, while much of it sounded a lot like Dream Theater, it seemed still enjoyable and unique in some ways. I dunno, it didn't seem as watered down as it became and has been the last 10 or 15 years. But maybe some of that has to do with nostalgia.
I think 1997 was a year that was in the midst of a lot of terrible mainstream music, and got looked down on by the prog scene, but maybe has aged relatively well over the last 2 decades.
1. Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
2. Soundscape - Discovery
3. Pain of Salvation - Entropia
4. Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
5. Savatage - The Wake of Magellan
6. Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day
7. Royal Hunt - Paradox
8. Marillion - This Strange Engine
9. Magellan - Test of Wills
10. Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of...
11. Enchant - Time Lost
12. Angra - Holy Live
13. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (1995-1997)
14. Ocean Machine - Biomech
15. Eternity X - The Edge
16. Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dogs
17. The Tea Party - Transmission
18. Mew - A Triumph for Man
19. The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
20. Galactic Cowboys - The Horse that Bud Bought
21. Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
22. Live - Secret Samadhi
23. dredg - Orph [EP]
24. Faith No More - Album of the Year
25. MagellanMusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams
26. Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
27. The Quiet Room - Introspect
28. Tiles - Fence the Clear
29. IQ - Subterranea
30. Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier
Daft Punk - Homework
rel January 20, 1997
Niacin - Niacin
rel February 13, 1997
Live - Secret Samadhi
rel February 18, 1997
Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny - Beyond the Missouri Sky
rel February 25, 1997
h - Ice Cream Genius
rel February 27, 1997
Marillion - This Strange Engine
rel March 9, 1997
Queensryche - Hear in the Now Frontier
rel March 25, 1997
Conception - Flow
rel April 1, 1997
Mew - A Triumph for Man
rel April 1, 1997
Tiles - Fence the Clear
rel April 15, 1997
Dark Tranquillity - The Mind's I
rel April 21, 1997
Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Gray
rel April 22, 1997
Angra - Holy Live
rel April 25, 1997
Stratovarius - Visions
rel April 28, 1997
The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are
rel April 1997
Ozric Tentacles - Curious Corn
rel May 1, 1997
Magellan - Test of Wills
rel May 6, 1997
Fish - Sunsets on Empire
rel May 9, 1997
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Coil
rel May 20, 1997
No-Man - Dry Cleaning Ray
rel May 1997
Blackmore's Night - Shadow of the Moon
rel June 2, 1997
Faith No More - Album of the Year
rel June 3, 1997
The Gathering - Nighttime Birds
rel June 6, 1997
Ween - The Mollusk
rel June 24, 1997
Galactic Cowboys - The Horse that Bud Bought
rel July 15, 1997
Ocean Machine - Biomech
rel July 21, 1997
Spastic Ink - Ink Complete
rel August 12, 1997
Voivod - Phobos
rel August 12, 1997
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - F♯A♯∞ (1995-1997)
rel August 14, 1997
The Tea Party - Transmission
rel August 19, 1997
Pain of Salvation - Entropia
rel August 21, 1997
Vanden Plas - The God Thing
rel September 5, 1997
Eternity X - The Edge
rel September 7, 1997
Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
rel September 9, 1997
The Tories - Wonderful Life
rel September 9, 1997
Savatage - The Wake of Magellan
rel September 15, 1997
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
rel September 16, 1997
Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
rel September 23, 1997
Royal Hunt - Paradox
rel September 23, 1997
The Apples in Stereo - Tone Soul Evolution
rel September 30, 1997
Enchant - Time Lost
rel September 1997
IQ - Subterranea
rel September 1997
Big Wreck - In Loving Memory Of...
rel October 7, 1997
Pat Metheny - Imaginary Day
rel October 7, 1997
In Flames - Whoracle
rel October 15, 1997
Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine: Recorded Live in Rome
rel October 1997
Yes - Keys to Ascension 2
rel November 3, 1997
Jane's Addiction - Kettle Whistle
rel November 4, 1997
Martyr - Hopeless Hopes
rel November 7, 1997
sElf - Feels Like Breakin' Shit
rel November 1997
Conditioned Response - Pavlov's Dog
rel 1997
dredg - Orph [EP]
rel 1997
MagellanMusic - A Strange Traffic of Dreams
rel 1997
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - En concert à Paris
rel 1997
The Quiet Room - Introspect
rel 1997
Soundscape - Discovery
rel 1997
Sinkadus - Aurum nostrum
rel 1997