Retro Spins: John Parr - Running The Endless Mile

When I first listened to John Parr's self titled 1984 album, I was immediately hooked, and tracked down his follow up, Running The Endless Mile. However, in between listening to that album and this one, I faced a problem I've been running into as of late. What I've found is that songs I said were good, and got added to my shuffles, I skip over every time when they come around. I listen to a few seconds, and then say, "Meh," and move on. This happened with a lot of tracks from John Parr's first album. The only two I listen to these days are Naughty Naughty and St. Elmo's Fire, the latter of which I can hear from the actual soundtrack.

This has caused me to take a step back. Mind you, I'm still going to denote songs which stood out for me in my listening sessions. However, I'm going to try and be a little more picky, so to speak, on what I'm saying is "good".

With that out of the way, let me jump in.

Right off the bat, I recognized the song Two Hearts, which is apparently from the film, American Anthem. I honestly don't know why this song feels familiar. I've never seen the actual film, and I can't recall ever hearing it on the radio.

A quick search of the top forty charts from 1986 and 1987 only showed one track from the album actually touching the charts. That was Blame It On Radio. That song appeared at number eighty eight in December. However, by the following week it had dropped off completely. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't know how or when I heard the song, Two Hearts.

Overall, I like John Parr's voice, but I'm not necessarily feeling the songs themselves. They're just okay. It was interesting how the tracks which were noted as being from films seemed to be "better" than those specifically written for the album. Definitely not as interested in hearing more John Parr at this point as I was after hearing his first one.

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Surfing With The Alien 20th Anniversary Guitar (Ibanez)

 

Surfing With The Alien 20th Anniversary Guitar
Ibanez
2008

No, don't worry. This website isn't going to turn into one that documents musical instruments. This is a rare and special occasion where I want to take a look at one specifically for its iconic representation. Check it out!

Isn't that awesome! That's the Silver Surfer, all decked out in 3D goodness. Many of you may recognize it from the cover of Joe Satriani's 1987 album, Surfing With The Alien.

Those youngsters out there scratching their heads, and asking, "Who is Joe Satriani (and Silver Surfer)? Well, many of you kiddies have heard Joe, you just don't know it. His song, Always With Me, Always With You, which just so happens to be on this album, was the tune played during the season eight, episode five of American Dad, Why Can't We Be Friends. It's the song that Steve air guitars to Snot, and I know you know what I'm talking about when I reference that.

As for the guitar, the Ibanez Limited Edition JS20TH Joe Satriani 20th Anniversary Signature Model solidbody electric guitar commemorates 20 years of collaboration between the legendary guitarist and Ibanez. It features stunning graphics straight from the album, showcasing a special 3-D Silver Surfer inlay. You also get DiMarzio PAF Pro and Fred humbucking pickups, a JS Prestige neck, and an Edge trem on the Ibanez Limited Edition JS20TH Joe Satriani 20th Anniversary Signature Model.

Basically, it's six strings of awesome.

While it was limited to just 300 pieces, you can still pick one up for around $500.00, which isn't bad for a guitar. I mean, it's not going to be an amazing instrument to play on, when compared to your high end Les Paul's, Martins', or Fender's. But, it will definitely raise questions when people see you jammin' on that axe.

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Retro Spins: Micahel Jackson - Bad

Like any good diet plan, we'll call this a "cheat day". In my defense, if you're going to review an album from Michael Jackson from the 80's era, your options are limited to Thriller and / or Bad. It's both unavoidable and inevitable that one or the other would eventually make its way to my Retro Spins posts.

Call it sacrilege if you like, but truth be told, I like Bad more than I do Thriller. The reason being, I like every track from Bad and can listen to it back to back. Whereas with Thriller, I don't honestly like the tracks, The Lady In My Life and The Girl Is Mine.

Bad had a large pair of shoes to fill, and after a five year wait since Thriller, it lived up to the anticipation and hype. Sure, there was the 1984 Jacksons album, Victory. However, Michael's involvement in this album felt minimal. Relegated often to back up vocals, while only providing lead on two of the eight tracks. Bad on the other hand was all Michael, center stage, back where he belonged.

The album showed that Michael Jackson not only could bottle lightening, but that he could do it twice in a row. Three times if you count the follow up album, Dangerous. I would.

I remember Bad being an album which was a must buy on CD format for a lot of people because, at the time, it was the only way to get the eighth track, Leave Me Alone. Unfortunately, my sister only ever had the cassette, and because I was so young, it wasn't until the music video was released on MTV that I got to hear it. It easily became one of my favorites from the album.

Let's not forget the amazing short film, Moonwalker, which was released as a companion to the album. Say what you will about Michael, with your silly theories and rumors. The man had vision and talent far beyond what many artists exhibit.

To avoid droning on ad nauseam on the subject, let me just go ahead and summarize and wrap this up. Michael Jackson's Bad = Good. 

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Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD's...Or Which Order To Watch Them

 

It was pretty enjoyable to put together my last post on the various Super Friends DVD's, that I thought I would hit it again this week with a series which I also own on DVD, but which can be somewhat of a pain to decipher the various releases on home video. Specifically, in which order you should watch them. I'm talking about Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, and the fourteen releases.

There were five seasons of the show which started airing in September of 2012. However, by season five, not only had a major cast change occurred, but so too did the name of the show itself. No longer was it known as Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but instead, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rise Of The Turtles, Enter Shredder, and Ultimate Showdown

Midway through season one, Paramount started releasing episodes from season one. It was a perplexing thing to see, and I can't help but feel like I wasn't the only person out there wondering why they would start releasing the series on home video not only before the initial season was finished, but in pieces. As a result, I initially passed on the set.

However, as time passed, and season one ended, a total of three DVD's would have been released through October of 2013. The would ultimately be sold not only individually, but packaged together as a complete season one set, though not by name.

This first disc, Rise Of The Turtles, contained episodes one through six. The second disc, Enter The Shredder featured episodes seven through thirteen. However, it skips episode fourteen, and instead includes episode fifteen. The final disc, Ultimate Showdown, wrapped up season one starting with the prior missed episode fourteen, and then by including episodes sixteen through twenty-six.

As an added bonus to the discs, they feature a unique six part animated comic book series, Tales From The Lair. Additionally, there is a Karaoke music video, and six "Making of" animatics.

It's disappointing to note that the first two disc sets, The Rise Of The Turtles, and Enter Shredder, are only available in a full screen format. Meanwhile, the remaining discs in the entire run feature widescreen presentations. It's too bad that these first two didn't get an updated re-release to include the preferred widescreen format. It doesn't deter too badly from the overall enjoyment of the series, but it's definitely noticeable when switching between the second and third set.

Mutagen Mayhem, The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones, and Showdown In Dimension X

The trend continued into season two, and continued throughout the remainder of the series, where instead of releasing full seasons, Paramount continued to release individual volumes. Between March and December 2014, they released three sets which would encompass the entirety of the second season.

It's interesting to note that the order of the episodes on the DVD's don't necessarily match that of their release dates. Mutagen Mayhem contains episodes one through six, but switches the order of episodes two and three. The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones contains episodes seven through twelve, but flips episodes eight and nine.

In between The Good, The Bad, And Casey Jones and Showdown In Dimension X, Paramount released a Wal-Mart exclusive disc entitled Pulverizer Power. However, this disc contained three episodes which were released on prior discs. There is no new material to be found on the disc, and it's unnecessary to the set.

You will however need Showdown In Dimension X, which contains episode thirteen through the final twenty-sixth of season two. Like the prior discs, a couple episodes have been flip flopped. Episodes eighteen and nineteen in this case.

Retreat!, Return To NYC!, and Revenge!

Season three is where the show started to get a little wonky for me. One of the biggest changes in the show occurred after episode nineteen of season two, when Leonardo voice actor, Jason Biggs, was fired for tweets on his private Twitter account, which Nickelodeon had linked to for some reason on the Turtle's page they hosted.

While the voice acting was taken over by actor, Dominic Catrambone for the remainder of the season, Seth Green would step in as of season three, and continue to voice the character for the remainder of the series. Though it was a little silly, Nickelodeon did a good job at transitioning the new voice actor in. I won't spoil it for anyone looking to watch the show.

To collect the entirety of season three, you'll need to grab Retreat!, Return To NYC!, and Revenge!. The first contains episodes one through seven of season three, the second contains eight through fourteen, while the last set encompasses fifteen through twenty-six.

As I mentioned above, season three gets a bit wonky for me, and it's not just the change from Biggs to Green. Overall, the episodes too odd turns, getting very weird in the process, almost on the verge of nightmarish. It didn't seem very kid friendly anymore.

Beyond The Known Universe, Earth's Last Stand, and (most of) Super Shredder

If season three was wonky, season four was straight up convoluted. Though the Fugitoid was a highly anticipated addition to the show, it brought with it a transition from Earth to space, to alternate dimensions. Even as an adult the show confused me more and more, and I can't even imagine how kids kept up with it at this point.

Unlike prior DVD releases, which encompassed an entire season on three sets of DVD's, Paramount started releasing duel disc sets. While this would have made sense if consistent, it wasn't.

Beyond The Known Universe was the first duel disc set, and it contained episodes one through twelve. However, when Paramount released Earth's Last Defense, they returned back to a single disc format. This in turn meant less episodes. So, while season four could have been wrapped up in two sets, it wasn't, as the aforementioned disc only contained episodes thirteen through nineteen.

Parmount once again returned to two discs for Super Shredder, which included the final episodes of season four, but also episodes one through four of season five. This disc was also the first to be entitled, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This new name would remain for the remaining discs.

Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, and The Final Chapters

The Turtles are back on Earth for the final season of Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, by this point I was so lost in the series, having felt that it was so far derailed from its initial premise, that I honestly checked out prior to the finale. Since I do own the DVD's, I should go back and watch them all again. See if a fresh perspective makes more sense overall.

To finish your collection of the show, on DVD, Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady will encompass episodes eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and ten, in that order. But, it's get weird again from there. The Final Chapters, features episodes five through nine on disc two. Disc one is a whole other ball of nonsense to wade through, and needs a paragraph unto itself.

Episodes eleven through thirteen, The Wasteland Warrior, The Impossible Desert, and Carmageddon!, are presented as a feature length episode with an all new title, Raphael: Mutant Apocalypse. Episodes fourteen through seventeen follow.

What essentially happens with these last two DVD sets, is that if you want to watch the series in order, you're going to have to jump back and fourth. After the set, Super Shredder, you need to start with disc two of The Final Chapters. From there, you've got to pop in Wanted: Rocksteady & Bebop, but only to watch the bonus episode, Lone Rat and Cubs. Then it's back to The Final Chapters to watch all of disc one, only to go back to Wanted: Bepop & Rocksteady for the three episodes contained within (less the bonus you've already watched). Boy, it's like playing one of those old time Sierra games on PC. Insert this disc. Now this one. Back to this one. Now this one...

It's kind of annoying, but there you have it. That's the order to watch all the DVD's of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles if you want the full story from start to finish. Way more convoluted and complicated than it needs to be.

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Retro Spins: Heart - Bébé le Strange

Heart
Bébé le Strange
1980

Heart's self titled 1985 album is really my era of the band. Sure, I know the hits from the 70's, but that one moment from the middle of the decade, with its consistent airplay, was my introduction the the group, and the moment in time which sticks with me the most. However, I want to rectify that, and spread out a bit furhter into their four decade career.

My first stop is the 1980 album, Bébé le Strange.

Because it was recorded in 1979, it's no surprise that overall it has a very 70's vibe to it. The band was still cemented in what would soon be known as "classic rock"* roots. Very guitar heavy riffs, pounding drums and jamming bass. All of this, of course, backed up by the powerful voice of Ann Wilson, backed up by her sister Nancy.

*The term classic rock was first used on the air by KRBE-AM (Houston) in 1983. Program director Paul Christy designed the format to play only early album rock, from the 1960s and early 1970s, without any current music or Top 40 material.

From the album, I really only knew the title track, Bébé le Strange. I first heard it on the 1980 Greatest Hits / Live cassette which my sister owned. Whether or not the album contained any other tracks from the album, I don't recall.

I appreciate the album for what it was - Good old fashioned classic rock, but overall, I'm not really swayed one way or the other to make any type of decision on whether or not it makes me more or less of a Heart fan than I already am. There weren't any tracks on it which I would call "bad", but there also weren't any others beyond Bébé le Strange itself which had what I call "re-listen-ablity" to it.

Even It Up and Raised On You did stand out among all the other tracks. However, again, not feeling that re-listen-ability factor in them. They were just okay.

I'll need to make my way through a few more Heart albums before I can really make a definitive decision on where I stand with the band.

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Super Friends DVD's...Or Which Order To Watch Them

 

As I waded through the various 80's cartoons I wanted to ultimately own on DVD, I came to the series, Super Friends. Having missed out on this one as a kid, and only seeing them in my adult years, I was a little confused by how this whole series worked. One minute there were all-new teenagers and their dog, the next the Wonder Twins. Firestorm and Cyborg were there for some episodes, and then gone in the next. In short, it was a big mess in my mind.

Digging into the numerous sets out there, I ultimately decided to take the plunge and just buy them all. While I mainly wanted to focus on the 80's portion of the show, I still do enjoy cartoons of all eras, and this one didn't seem like a bad one to own in its entirety. However, this brought with it a new level of challenge. A Challenge of the Super Friends if you will.

My initial search dug up around fifteen different DVD sets, each of varying sizes (in terms of discs), and titles. However, none of them stated the order in which they went. Searching Wikipedia didn't help this matter either, as while I found episode lists and series by season, these weren't equating entirely to the DVD's.

Well, today I'm going to answer the question nobody is asking. "Do I need to buy every DVD with the name Super Friends on it, and even if not, which ones do I need to encompass the entire series?" Additionally, part two of the question I'm answering is, "What order do the DVD's I do need go in?" 

To answer these questions, I'm going to list out the DVD's you'll need to encompass the entire series of the Super Friends cartoon. In doing so, I'm going to list them in the order of the DVD, explaining what content you'll find within it. Any DVD not on this list is optional, as it contains specific episodes that you'll find encased within all of these.

Super Friends! Season One, Volume One and Super Friends! Season One, Volume Two

Out of all the releases available, this was the only one for me that was a no brainer, and made immediate sense to me. Season one had sixteen episodes, and between these two sets, you'll find all of them. Each set contains two DVD's, and each DVD contains four episodes in sequential order.

Season one is noteworthy, if you can call it that, for being the only series of episodes to feature the human friends, and pseudo Super Friends, Marvin, Wendy and their dog aptly named Wonder Dog. It was originally aired between September of 1973 through December of that same year.

The All-New Super Friends Hour Volume One and The All-New Super Friends Hour Volume Two

It took four years before the series would return, and when it did, the title for season two was changed to The All-New Super Friends Hour. It aired from September 1977 to December 1977, and deviated from the initial run by doing away with single episode adventures, instead opting to incorporate three shorter segments into each hour.

With this all new iteration came the introduction of Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, and their monkey, Gleek. Additionally, it featured Apache Chief, Samuri and Black Vulcan.

Challenge Of The Super Friends: The First Season and Super Friends Volume Two

The crazy titles get started here, and it only gets worse as we move down the line.

Challenge Of The Super Friends: The First Season is a very misleading title. First and foremost, this is season three, overall, of the show itself. Secondly, while this set contains sixteen episodes, it only collects the half of each episode from said show.

Each episode of season three, which ran from September to December 1978,  was broken down into two parts. The first half of the episode featured the typical flare of Super Friends in an all-new adventure. However, the second half, and far more popular segment focused only on the core Super Friends in their icon showdown against the Legion of Doom. The Wonder Twins were not included in this story line at all.

With this in mind, let's go back to the two DVD sets featured in this section. The first, Super Friends: Challenge Of The Super Friends features all sixteen of the second segments from season three, showcasing the Super Friends against the Legion of Doom. However, to obtain the first segment from each episode, you would need to obtain Super Friends Volume Two, where you'll find the remaining sixteen halves.

The Worlds Greatest Super Friends!: And Justice For All

Based on the title of this set, one would be hard pressed to correlate it to being the complete fourth season of the show, which aired from September to November of 1979. However, this set does indeed contain all eight episodes.

However, it is worth noting that the season didn't consist of only eight episodes. It was padded with re-run segments, mostly from the All-New show. Though with that said, you won't find any repeat episodes on the DVD.

Super Friends!: A Dangerous Fate and Super Friends!: Legacy Of Super Powers

Again, the titles are confusing because they seem so irrelevant. Despite this, what these two DVD sets contain are seasons five and six.

It's interesting that at the bottom of the DVD, under the title, the cover likes to boast that it's twenty-four episodes (in the case of A Dangerous Fate) and eighteen (for Legacy Of The Super Powers), when in reality, season five was eight episodes cut into three segments (twenty-four), and season six was six episodes, also cut into three segments (eighteen). So to state that it's that many episodes is actually a lie.

But let's cut to the chase. A Dangerous Fate features all the episodes from season five, and Legacy Of Super Powers, features all the episodes from season six. These seasons initially aired from September to November 1980, and September to October 1981, respectively.

Super Friends: The Lost Episodes

Okay, so here you have to ask yourself a question. Are you a completist? Or do you just want to watch the episodes that aired on television during the shows initial run? If you're the latter, you technically don't need this set. If you want the complete experience, then you absolutely do.

During 1982 - 1983 a Best of Super Friends series was being aired in syndication. While Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. were at work developing several episodes for season seven, they ultimately wouldn't get aired because the companies didn't want to compete with themselves and their highly popular re-runs. It's because of this that though these episodes were completed, they never got released in their entirety until this DVD set.

Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

The eighth season of the show is one that many avid toy collectors will be familiar with for the famous Kenner toy line tie-in. It ran from September to October 1984, and is notable for featuring characters such as Firestorm, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Mirror Master, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Darkseid, and his henchmen from Apokolips.

Once again, the DVD set boasts that it features sixteen episodes. However, the reality of the series is that each episode featured two segments, for a total of only eight. Regardless, the set contains season eight in its entirety.

Personally speaking, this was where I was going to start my Super Friends journey before deciding to just get the whole kit and caboodle.

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians

The journey of the Super Friends ends with season nine, which aired from September to October 1985. While these final episodes focused primarily on Firestorm and Cyborg, several key villains also make appearances, such as, Joker, Penguin, the Royal Flush Gang, and Felix Faust. One particular episode is also noteworthy for including the origin of Batman.

The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians DVD set puts a bow on the series, and wraps it up neatly for fans to end with. Compiled with the other sets, there are hundreds of Super Friends hours to enjoy. Well...Sometimes.

See, there is one major problem with Warner Bros. release of this series. Something that seems to be an issue with many of the compilation DVD's they have created for classic cartoon series. That problem is that many of the discs don't work.

While I'd love to tell you to rush out and grab these to enjoy this classic series, the truth of the matter is that several of the discs that I have personally purchased are missing episodes, and are defective in one way or another, impacting playback. This is not an issue limited strictly to me. Many reviews, on sites such as Amazon, state the woes of many buyer complaining about these same issues.

It's poor quality at its best, so bottom line, buyer beware.

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Retro Spins: The Jacksons - Triumph

Track one asks, Can You Feel It? Yes! Yes I can!

The Jacksons Triumph is one solid album from start to finish. Though the majority of the vocals are handled by Michael, all the remaining brothers, with the exception of Jermaine who was not a part of the group at this time, get a chance to sing lead vocals at some point.

It's got a funky disco sound to it, but also starts to show some pop roots. This, however, isn't surprising considering Michael penned seven of the nine songs (with or without his brothers input). At this point, he had not only released Off The Wall, but Thriller was just on the horizon.

The biggest problem here is that it's such a good album that there's really not much I can about it. I mean, how many different times do you want me say how much I liked it?

Suffice to say, if you're a fan of Michael Jackson or The Jacksons as a group, this one is definitely worth checking out. I just don't think you can go wrong with it.

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The Big Bang Theory (Bif Bang Pow)

 

The Big Bang Theory
Big Bang Pow
2014 

When the pandemic started, and we were all relegated to house arrest, I started watching The Big Bang Theory on HBOMax. I'd never seen the show, but my boss swore to me that not only would I like it, but that these characters were all right up my alley and relatable to me.

Well, while I disagree with his assessment of them being relatable, I did end up enjoying the series quite a bit. So much so, that since working from home, I've actually watched all twelve seasons twice, and seasons one through three of Young Sheldon once. It was really good. It was one of those shows where the characters become your friends, so to speak. You're rooting for them, you want them to come out in the end, and you're sad to see them go when the series ends. I can't honestly think of a show I've ever seen, at least not off the top of my head, where I felt that way. Maybe Aqua Teens. : )

Anyway, during a moment of downtime, I thought I would track down any type of toys that may have been released based on the show. Boy was I floored when I found Bif Bang Pow's line.

This isn't the first time the company has produced a series of figures I missed that I was kind of bummed out about. The first was their fantastic Flash Gordon line. I'm still disappointed in missing that one. Those are so rare and expensive these days.

Again I'm off track...

Though the company released over twenty figures, it's unfortunate to see that eleven of them are based on Jim's Parson's Sheldon Cooper. I get that he's the star of the show, but come on. No Professor Proton, Barry Kripke, Bert Kibbler or Leslie Winkle? Blaring omissions.

Taking a closer look, some of these sculpts are really bad for some of them. Penny stands out as the worst, looking nothing like actress, Kaley Cuoco.

To round out the series, Bif Bang Pow released an exclusive SDCC wave. However, these are just the same figures all over again. This time in Star Trek uniforms. Eh, not exciting for me, but whatever. Not everything has to be for me...I guess.

The final pieces in the series were two box sets. The first was the only way that collector's could get their hands on Stuart. Unfortunately, it came packed with another Sheldon.

Last up is a four pack of the gang in their Star Trek cosplay getup. These are actually different from the above SDCC versions, and are based on their season six appearance in episode thirteen, The Bakersfield Expedition.

If you haven't seen the show, I definitely recommend it. With all the episodes currently available on HBOMax, it's a convenient way to binge watch the series. As for the toys, they're hit or miss. With the over saturation of Sheldon figures, and the poor likenesses, I'm certainly not as excited about these as I was for Bif Bang Pow's Flash Gordon line. I suppose they're not horrible though.

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Retro Spins: Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point

 

Tears For Fears has always been hit or miss for me. I never really bought into their anti-establishment, blame the parents vibe. They had a few hits that I dug, and it was enough for me to track down their three albums from the 80's for my own collection.

There's no doubt that the duo were on the top of their game from 1983 to 1989. However, when they broke up in 1991, fans probably didn't expect co-founder Roland Orzabal to carry on without Curt Smith. Regardless, this is exactly what he did for two new Tears For Fears albums in 1993 (Elemental) and 1995 (Raoul and the Kings of Spain).

After nine years of not speaking, Orzabal and Smith would bury the hatchet, and reunite to release an all new Tears For Fears album, Everybody Loves A Happy Ending. It would be eighteen long years before they would come back together for their latest album, The Tipping Point.

It seems the norm in 2021 and 2022 for bands of the seventies and eighties to come out of nowhere with an all new album. Duran Duran, ABBA, and Prince (posthumously) had great success with their recent releases, and with Def Leppard on the horizon, why not spend that time waiting by diving into Tears For Fear's latest work?

I wasn't honestly expecting much. Like I said, the duo never really impacted me all that hard as a kid. However, The Tipping Point certainly poised itself to change all of that. Track after track delivers in a big way.

Sure, there are standouts, such as No Small Thing, the title track, The Tipping Point, Break The Man, and Rivers Of Mercy.  But, there is also not a bad track to be found among the rest of the tunes. This album packs a punch, and it makes sure to leave a welt when it's done.

Orzabal and Smith have crafted an album that may truly be a masterpiece for fans who have waited almost two decades to hear new material from them. I dare say, it was worth the wait. While most singers tend to falter in their vocals as they grow older, these two seem to have gotten stronger. The songs are full of passion, and feel like each and every one of them has a special meaning to the duo.

The Tipping Point is one that is definitely worth checking out!

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Retro Spins: Billy Joel - An Innocent Man

Love can inspire you in so many ways. Take Billy Joel's 1983 album, An Innocent Man. Joel was head over heals in love with his new wife, Christie Brinkley, and this showed big time in song after song which was either dedicated to her, inspired by her, about her, or all three of the above. Too bad feelings on behalf of Billy Joel seem to only been defined by the records he can sell, as he would betray her, and the two would split by 1994.

Sorry, that may sound harsh, but I have a great disrespect for people, male or female, who can't honor the vows they've made to each other.

Anyway, I don't want to talk about that nonsense, and I'm sure you don't either. If you're reading this, you're hear for my review on the album itself, and not the man behind it.

I admittedly haven't heard many Billy Joel albums in their entirety, but so far, this may be one of the better ones I have. It's got a lot of great tracks confined within its forty minute run time, and even produced Joel's third number one hit, Tell Her About It, the first being Just The Way You Are from his 1977 album, The Stranger, and is second being Still Rock And Roll To Me from his 1980 album, Glass Houses.

Out of the ten tracks, I actually pulled five for my shuffle list; An Innocent Man, The Longest Time, Tell Her About It, Uptown Girl and Keeping The Faith. Though I'm honestly not sold 100% on that last one. I'll have to give it another listen to see if it stays on the list.

Between it's rock and oldies style tracks, I found a bit of enjoyment out of the album overall. It was unique and refreshing in a way from the typical style of 80's music I usually listen to. While it didn't turn me into a major fan of his work, I do have several more of his albums which I'll eventually get around to hearing.

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