(December 2017) I have completed episode 152 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. Cosmic 1970s jazz-prog rock fusion.
Favorite album: The Inner Mounting Flame
Favorite song: Vital Transformation
Compared to expectations: same ↓
(December 2017) I have completed episode 151 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: the PIXIES. I don’t know what I was listening to in college instead of the Pixies, but whatever it was was less than the Pixies. Listening in retrospect, their influence can be heard in many places.
Favorite album: Doolittle
Favorite song: Debaser
Compared to expectations: same
(December 2017) I have completed episode 150 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: PEARL JAM. Pearl Jam was never a big part of my 1990s although stuff from their first 2-3 albums was on the radio all the time.
Favorite album: Ten
Favorite song: Corduroy
Compared to expectations: ↓
(December 2017) I have completed episode 149 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: KRAFTWERK. It is shameful and unexplainable that they weren’t in my rotation back in the day, given my love of mid-70s electronic music. It’s so good. I prefer the earlier krautrock material to the later robot-pop.
Favorite album: Autobahn
Favorite song: Autobahn
Favorite period: 1973-77
Compared to expectations: same
(November 2017) I have completed episode 148 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: X. LA punk! They kinda wore down as the 1980s wore on, but the early stuff is fantastic.
Favorite album: Los Angeles
Favorite song: Soul Kitchen
Favorite non-cover song: The Hungry Wolf
Compared to expectations: same
(November 2017) I have completed episode 147 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: THE ZOMBIES. The flame burned briefly for this groovy mid-60s British outfit, but it shone like a supernova with Odessey and Oracle, the definite baroque pop album, a gem of psychedelic pop, and one of my favorite albums of all time. They reunited for some unremarkable albums in later decades.
Favorite album: Odessey and Oracle
Favorite song: Care of Cell 44
Compared to expectations: same
(November 2017) I have completed episode 146 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (plus Alan Parsons solo). Few have embraced the concept album as avidly as these guys. Some of the techno-rock instrumental tracks are of interest, but the rest has no contemporary value. I listen so you don’t have to.
Favorite album: The Turn of a Friendly Card
Favorite song: Breakdown
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2017) I have completed episode 145 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (plus The Golliwogs). Who doesn’t love CCR? Comfort food in musical form. Amazingly, they put out six albums in 2 1/2 years (plus one a couple years later).
Favorite album: Cosmo’s Factory
Favorite song: Bad Moon Rising
Best jam: I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Best song to get you out of bed in the morning: Travelin’ Band
Best soul: Long as I Can See the Light
Special sauce: Doug Clifford
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2017) I have completed episode 144 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: 7 SECONDS. Straight edge! I saw them in concert in 1986. Also, proof that a hardcore punk band can have a long recording career after the initial burst of 97 second-long thrash-tastic recordings.
Favorite album: The Crew
Favorite song: Aggro
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2017) I have completed episode 143 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to an artist’s full discography. This edition: the TOM PETTY (plus with the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch). Such seemingly effortless songwriting of catchy American rock songs. As a youth I didn’t buy his albums as the songs were ever-present on the radio. While I had expected his quality to taper off as the years went on, it did not; in fact some of the later albums are among his best
Favorite album: Full Moon Fever
Favorite song: I Won’t Back Down
Hidden gems: the two Mudcrutch albums
Compared to expectations: ↑
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Opus Project 