475.  Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love - I am a huge Springsteen fan.  A common thing I catch myself saying is, “I love seventies Bruce and nineties Bruce but eighties Bruce is crap”.  Tunnel of love is from 1987, I wonder if I will be swallowing my words as I look at the playlist and see “One Step Up” and know that that song kicks ass and it’s from the eighties so, Bruce, prove me wrong… please.

I get a mixed vibe from this record, it opens with a stripped down number that’s great then it flows into the second track that opens with this gross eighties fake drum sound that reminds me of my earlier statement about disliking eighties Bruce but in an attempt to be open minded I’ll give him this, track two has a great classic Bruce melody that would sound awesome stripped down.  There are a lot of songs on this album that have that ‘eighties Bruce’ sound that I hate.  I hear that electric synthesized sound and my heart sinks because I want so badly to hear Bruce with real instruments - “Walk like a Man”, “Tougher than the Rest”, “Tunnel of Love”… ugh Bruce, why?  As always with a great talent you finally get to “One Step Up” (mentioned above), and realize how talented this guy is and find it in yourself to forgive him for virtually everything he did in the eighties - including this record.

474.  Otis Redding:  Live in Europe - Otis Redding, another musician I’m in love with.  I discovered his greatest hits when I was in high-school after I saw Pretty in Pink - you know the scene, where Ducky lip syncs ‘Try a Little Tenderness’ and the rest was history, my love affair with Otis Redding was sealed.  I’m incapable of reviewing this album in any unbiased manner whatsoever.  It’s great to have the energy of the live show in tracks like, “Can’t Turn You Loose”, I love the slowed down tempo on “Shake” on this record it’s smooth and sultry.  I have to give a shout out to my favorite song on this album, “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa”. 

473. Coldplay: A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay, I’ve never given them the time of day… here is your moment Coldplay, wow me.  They seem to have a little radio head-meets-soundgarden sound to them with the discordant cords that I like, I also find I like when they play out the end of their songs in a fearless, drawn-out way.  There is something ‘boring’ about some of their tracks which makes me ask myself, ‘do I like them?’ or ‘are they underwhelming?’  I will give them this, they have some original, catchy riffs that scream COLDPLAY like, “Clocks”, and “In my Place”.  I will also give them, “Green Eyes”, “Warning Sign” “Politik” are good songs I especially like the falsetto in Waring sign.  All that said, I’m not going to run out and buy a Coldplay album.  The majority of their songs don’t elicit either love or hate from me… which says a lot, I prefer my music to make me feel something.

472.  Def Leppard: Hysteria - I was a little on the young side for Def Leppard though I still have a vivid memory of rocking out to Pour Some Sugar on me at a high-school dance way back when.  I have never listened to an entire Def Leppard album.  The opening track, ‘Women’ did nothing for me, zzzzzz but headed into the next track ‘Rocket’ I woke up they have something special Def Leppard, their sound stands out above the rest in the world of ‘hard rock’ they have unique, catchy rifs and criminally catchy melodies.  All that said, the record is long as are the length of the songs - it drags on a bit!

471.  Echo and the Bunnymen:  Heaven Up Here - I’ve never heard this guys… right off the bat they remind me of that kinda of eighties/goth/rock like Bauhaus or Joy Division.  I don’t like that genre but it’s only the first song.  *bit later* I looked and I’m like five songs in but I never even noticed a song change, they all sound the same and blend into each other. My heart is starting to drop looking at how many tracks are on this album and how long I’ll be stuck listening to what feels like one endless song?  sigh.  It may not be cool of me to say this but I like my music a little catchy, it can be discordant, really heavy, really ethereal but it’s got to have little pieces of catchy-ness entwined in it.  Echo and the Bunnymen lack this.  I’m not enjoying it.  I keep trying to listen longer and longer so I can say something like, “There were a few hidden gems” but you know what?  There aren’t.  I guess I could say “All My Colours” stands out from the other songs with its tribal beat and is slightly better than the average song on this record but better-than-a-crap-song barely deserves a shout-out.  Please end, please end please end…