Welcome to part ___ of my series on 1990s albums that i still find tolerable today. This is part of post deluge of April 30, 2011.
This post is all about Richard Marx's 1991 follow-up to Repeat Offender, Rush Street. Richard Marx has long been a favorite artist of mine, growing up with my older sister playing the album in heavy rotation. There is something about his songs that i find appealing - maybe because i like love songs and his writing/production style. He doesn't exactly have the greatest voice. Richard Marx was the first concert that i ever went to - the Paid Vacation tour (the album after this one). It was an awesome concert despite him being kind of heavily medicated with cold medicine (at times it really showed) - it was at the Puyallup Fair. This was one of the first two CDs that i ever purchased (i want to say at a Target or Fred Meyer).
Notable Singles:
* "Keep Coming Back"
* "Hazard"
* "Take This Heart"
* "Chains Around My Heart"
Other Songs On This CD That i Kind of Really Like:
* "Hands In Your Pocket"
* "Big Boy Now" - i listened to this song a lot after my dad died
Other Songs On This CD That i Kind of Like
* "Playing With Fire"
* "Love Unemotional"
* "Calling You"
* "Superstar"
* "Streets of Pain"
* "I Get No Sleep"
* "Your World"
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Decent Albums of the 90s: Jennifer Paige - Jennifer Paige
Welcome to part ____ of my series of albums that sort of rocked (for me) in the 1990s. This series should serve as a testament to how odd my musical tastes are.
This post is about the 1998 self-titled debut album from Jennifer Paige. At the same time that boy bands were really starting to take off, there were also a few female artists to come along. Many people have heard of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, but they might have heard of Jennifer Paige's 1998 single "Crush". In many ways i liked her more than those two. There is just something about this album that somehow seemed more organic/appealing - maybe it deals with the lyrics. Maybe it was the slightly different song selection or vocal approach. Apparently, she released another album or two.
Notable Single:
* "Crush"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "Sober"
* "Always You"
Other Songs on the CD i Kind of Like:
* "Between You and Me"
* "Busted"
* "Get to Me"
* "Just to Have You"
* "Let it Rain"
* "Questions"
* "Someday, Somewhere"
* "Always You" (Remix)
This post is about the 1998 self-titled debut album from Jennifer Paige. At the same time that boy bands were really starting to take off, there were also a few female artists to come along. Many people have heard of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, but they might have heard of Jennifer Paige's 1998 single "Crush". In many ways i liked her more than those two. There is just something about this album that somehow seemed more organic/appealing - maybe it deals with the lyrics. Maybe it was the slightly different song selection or vocal approach. Apparently, she released another album or two.
Notable Single:
* "Crush"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "Sober"
* "Always You"
Other Songs on the CD i Kind of Like:
* "Between You and Me"
* "Busted"
* "Get to Me"
* "Just to Have You"
* "Let it Rain"
* "Questions"
* "Someday, Somewhere"
* "Always You" (Remix)
Decent Albums of the 90s: 98° - 98° and Rising
Welcome to part ___ of my series of decent albums from the 1990s.
This post will pretty much cover my trilogy of boy bands in the 90s. i consider the big three (actually it is really big two) to be NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and 98°. Incidentally, if you have a PC, the degree symbol is mapped to ALT + 0176 (on the numeric keyboard). That is why i sometimes refer to them as 98 ALT 0176 - yes, i have some nerd-dom (surprise?). Anyways, back to the topic... before Nick Lachey became a TV host (the underrated The Sing-Off) and his brother Drew won Dancing With the Stars - they were part of a 5 part boy band.
98° were probably the most talented, but least successful of the big three. The first time i heard this album i thought it was awesome. It has since lost some of its luster. i liked the songs on the album (and the album), but my evil girlfriend at the time did not. So, i wasn't supposed to sing along to songs i like, but she didn't. For some reason, 98° seems to be a little more fun to sing along to than a lot of other bands of that era (maybe because i was vocally closer to them). Their follow-up album Revelation was decent too, but more pop-ish. Nick Lachey probably has the second best voice among those in boy bands (JC Chasez is first). Nick Lachey had a decent solo debut album too, Soul-O.
Notable Singles:
* "The Hardest Thing"
* "I Do (Cherish You) - it's still kind of hard for me to hear this song & the Mark Wills version
* "Because of You"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "True to Your Heart"
Other Songs on the Album i Kind of Like
* "If She Only Knew"
* "Fly With Me"
* "Still"
* "To Me You're Everything"
* "She's Out of My Life"
The Rest of the Album:
* "Intro"
* "Heat it Up"
* "Give It Up" - interlude
* "Do You Wanna Dance"
This post will pretty much cover my trilogy of boy bands in the 90s. i consider the big three (actually it is really big two) to be NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and 98°. Incidentally, if you have a PC, the degree symbol is mapped to ALT + 0176 (on the numeric keyboard). That is why i sometimes refer to them as 98 ALT 0176 - yes, i have some nerd-dom (surprise?). Anyways, back to the topic... before Nick Lachey became a TV host (the underrated The Sing-Off) and his brother Drew won Dancing With the Stars - they were part of a 5 part boy band.
98° were probably the most talented, but least successful of the big three. The first time i heard this album i thought it was awesome. It has since lost some of its luster. i liked the songs on the album (and the album), but my evil girlfriend at the time did not. So, i wasn't supposed to sing along to songs i like, but she didn't. For some reason, 98° seems to be a little more fun to sing along to than a lot of other bands of that era (maybe because i was vocally closer to them). Their follow-up album Revelation was decent too, but more pop-ish. Nick Lachey probably has the second best voice among those in boy bands (JC Chasez is first). Nick Lachey had a decent solo debut album too, Soul-O.
Notable Singles:
* "The Hardest Thing"
* "I Do (Cherish You) - it's still kind of hard for me to hear this song & the Mark Wills version
* "Because of You"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "True to Your Heart"
Other Songs on the Album i Kind of Like
* "If She Only Knew"
* "Fly With Me"
* "Still"
* "To Me You're Everything"
* "She's Out of My Life"
The Rest of the Album:
* "Intro"
* "Heat it Up"
* "Give It Up" - interlude
* "Do You Wanna Dance"
Decent Albums of the 90s: *NSYNC - No Strings Attached
Welcome to part ___ in my series of decent albums of the 90s - now with typographical erors.
This is another album from 2000 (what i consider to be the last year of the 90s, at least musically). This was at the peak of the boy band "revolution" - which in retrospect is probably the last decent era for the recording industry. Anyway, i decided to pick this over NSYNC's solo debut - because it is probably their best work. Their debut album was pretty good too though. This album was the one before their annoying "dirty pop" sound of Celebrity. NSYNC had probably the best vocalist in the "boy band era", JC Chasez - though his solo stuff is questionable. He has the talent, the song selection - not so much. The album's title is a reference to NSYNC liberating itself from their old management.
Notable Singles:
* " Bye Bye Bye"
* "It's Gonna Be Me"
* "This I Promise You" - a Richard Marx penned/produced hit
Lesser Known Singles: (thank you wiki)
* "I'll Never Stop" - not on US album
Other Songs on the Album i Kind of Liked:
* "No Strings Attached" - i thought this was a single
* "That's When I'll Stop Loving You"
* " I Thought She Knew"
The Rest of the Album:
* Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay)
* "Just Got Paid" - a cover of the 80s song
* "It Makes Me Ill"
* "Digital Get Down"
* "Bringin' Da Noise"
* "I'll Be Good for You"
This is another album from 2000 (what i consider to be the last year of the 90s, at least musically). This was at the peak of the boy band "revolution" - which in retrospect is probably the last decent era for the recording industry. Anyway, i decided to pick this over NSYNC's solo debut - because it is probably their best work. Their debut album was pretty good too though. This album was the one before their annoying "dirty pop" sound of Celebrity. NSYNC had probably the best vocalist in the "boy band era", JC Chasez - though his solo stuff is questionable. He has the talent, the song selection - not so much. The album's title is a reference to NSYNC liberating itself from their old management.
Notable Singles:
* " Bye Bye Bye"
* "It's Gonna Be Me"
* "This I Promise You" - a Richard Marx penned/produced hit
Lesser Known Singles: (thank you wiki)
* "I'll Never Stop" - not on US album
Other Songs on the Album i Kind of Liked:
* "No Strings Attached" - i thought this was a single
* "That's When I'll Stop Loving You"
* " I Thought She Knew"
The Rest of the Album:
* Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay)
* "Just Got Paid" - a cover of the 80s song
* "It Makes Me Ill"
* "Digital Get Down"
* "Bringin' Da Noise"
* "I'll Be Good for You"
Decent Albums of the 90s: Go West - Indian Summer
Welcome to part ___ of my series of albums of the 1990s that were decent.
This next album is one that i purchased used, but no longer have (i replaced it with a greatest hits album). The album is 1992s Indian Summer by Go West. Go West is a pop duo from England. i first heard them on an 80s compilation ("We Close Our Eyes") and thought they sounded interesting - kind of like Climie Fisher (but better). i always wondered who sung the song "King of Wishful Thinking" - it turns out it was Go West.
Notable Singles:
* "King of Wishful Thinking"
* "Faithful"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "What You Won't Do for Love"
* "Still In Love"
Other Songs on the Album: (i don't remember most of these)
* "Tell Me" - on Greatest Hits Album
* "That's What Love Can Do"
* "The Sun and the Moon"
* "Count on Me"
* "Crystal Ball"
* "Forget That Girl"
* "Bluebeat"
* "I Want You Back"
* "A Taste of Things to Come"
This next album is one that i purchased used, but no longer have (i replaced it with a greatest hits album). The album is 1992s Indian Summer by Go West. Go West is a pop duo from England. i first heard them on an 80s compilation ("We Close Our Eyes") and thought they sounded interesting - kind of like Climie Fisher (but better). i always wondered who sung the song "King of Wishful Thinking" - it turns out it was Go West.
Notable Singles:
* "King of Wishful Thinking"
* "Faithful"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "What You Won't Do for Love"
* "Still In Love"
Other Songs on the Album: (i don't remember most of these)
* "Tell Me" - on Greatest Hits Album
* "That's What Love Can Do"
* "The Sun and the Moon"
* "Count on Me"
* "Crystal Ball"
* "Forget That Girl"
* "Bluebeat"
* "I Want You Back"
* "A Taste of Things to Come"
Decent Albums of the 90s: Foreigner - Mr. Moonlight
Welcome to the part XXX of my series on albums from the 90s that don't make me want to pull a Kurt Cobain.
This post will be an album from a band that had most of its success in the late 70s-80s, Foreigner. The album, 1995s Mr. Moonlight was kind of a comeback album in that the lead singer Lou Gramm hadn't been on a Foreigner album for a while - and it was the last. This album wasn't exactly well received by critics, but i kind of like it. If this album would have been released in the 80s, it probably would have been better received.
Notable Singles:
* "Until the End of Time"
Other Singles: (should have been more)
* "Under the Gun"
Other Songs i Kind of Like: (or really like)
* "Rain"
* "White Lie"
* "I Keep Hoping"
* "Real World"
* "All I Need to Know"
* "Running the Risk"
* "Hand on My Heart"
Other Songs on the Album:
* "Big Dog" - worst song on the album
* "Hole In My Soul"
This post will be an album from a band that had most of its success in the late 70s-80s, Foreigner. The album, 1995s Mr. Moonlight was kind of a comeback album in that the lead singer Lou Gramm hadn't been on a Foreigner album for a while - and it was the last. This album wasn't exactly well received by critics, but i kind of like it. If this album would have been released in the 80s, it probably would have been better received.
Notable Singles:
* "Until the End of Time"
Other Singles: (should have been more)
* "Under the Gun"
Other Songs i Kind of Like: (or really like)
* "Rain"
* "White Lie"
* "I Keep Hoping"
* "Real World"
* "All I Need to Know"
* "Running the Risk"
* "Hand on My Heart"
Other Songs on the Album:
* "Big Dog" - worst song on the album
* "Hole In My Soul"
Decent Albums of the 90s: Color Me Badd - C.M.B.
This is part 9 (i think) of my series of albums that may not necessarily have been awesome, but that were good enough in the apathetic 90s.
C.M.B. was the 1991 debut album of Color Me Badd. No, this isn't the band featuring Kenny and George Michael - that was just a joke surrounding it. This is a kind of maligned group that a lot of people listened to (at least this album), but didn't admit it. i guess you could call this a cross between light R&B and pop. As a younger version of myself, this was an album i could sing along to. This was one of the first 2 CDs that i purchased.
Notable Singles:
* "I Wanna Sex You Up"
* "I Adore Mi Amor"
* "All for Love"
* "Thinkin' Back"
* "Slow Motion"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "Color Me Badd"
* "Heart Breaker"
Other Songs on the Album (the songs, not bad):
* "Groove My Mind"
* "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Reprise)
* "Roll the Dice"
* "I Adore Mi Amor" (Interlude)
* "Your Da One I Onena Love"
C.M.B. was the 1991 debut album of Color Me Badd. No, this isn't the band featuring Kenny and George Michael - that was just a joke surrounding it. This is a kind of maligned group that a lot of people listened to (at least this album), but didn't admit it. i guess you could call this a cross between light R&B and pop. As a younger version of myself, this was an album i could sing along to. This was one of the first 2 CDs that i purchased.
Notable Singles:
* "I Wanna Sex You Up"
* "I Adore Mi Amor"
* "All for Love"
* "Thinkin' Back"
* "Slow Motion"
Lesser Known Singles:
* "Color Me Badd"
* "Heart Breaker"
Other Songs on the Album (the songs, not bad):
* "Groove My Mind"
* "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Reprise)
* "Roll the Dice"
* "I Adore Mi Amor" (Interlude)
* "Your Da One I Onena Love"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)