Surface Noise #2
Having been recently inspired by Turning the Tables YouTube channel, it sparked an idea for me to discover music my parents grew up with but I personally know little to nothing about. The plan was simple. Meet at the record store, give them a $100 budget, and set them free. I told them to pick out albums that were either played in their household growing up or part of their personal collection. With no restrictions, (as long as I don't already own it) anything was fair game.
I recently met up with my mom at Bookmans and we dug through the entire used rack together. We ended up walking away with multiple finds at amazing prices. Here are my moms first round picks:
America / America (1972)
Favorite Track - Three Roses
Wow - this album is my favorite of the stack. I obviously know radio classic A Horse with No Name but this whole album front to back is such an enjoyable listen that I haven’t been able to stop spinning it. I love the 1970’s folk rock vibe this record brings filled with acoustic guitar and beautiful harmonies. It’s jubilant and simple. America went on to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in 1972.
Asia / Asia (1982)
Favorite Track - Heat of the Moment
Heat Of The Moment and Here Comes The Feeling are some of my favorite Asia tracks so it was a pleasure to listen to the rest of these. It slipped my mind that Asia is a supergroup comprised of keyboardist Geoffrey Downes and guitarist Steve Howe from Yes, bassist / vocalist John Wetton of King Crimson, and drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. There’s a lot of talent on this record and it shows. Produced by Mike Stone who co-produced Journey’s Escape, Asia is a brilliant progressive-rock record filled with musical intricacies, instrument variety, and great vocals from Wetton. Asia reached number one on Billboard 200 in 1982 and became the best selling album in the U.S. that same year.
Styx / Equinox (1975)
Favorite Track - Suite Madame Blue
This album kicks right off with Light Up, a song about getting high - the most on point thing I’ve ever heard on an album from 1975. After looking up Equinox I discovered that this is the bands fifth studio album of 17…I never realized Styx had that much material. Equinox provides some great classic rock throughout with my favorites being popular lead single Lorelai and album closer Suite Madame Blue. I love the progressive build on this track, especially the “snake charmer” synth interlude that gives way to the power-chord driven bridge. The track is a familiar exclamation of America’s accomplishments as well as faults and how Dennis DeYoung feels we, as a country, have a lot work to do to truly change it for the better of our future.
Air Supply / Greatest Hits (1983)
Favorite Track - The One That You Love
I went in completely blind with Air Supply because I don’t recall hearing a single song from them before. I can see how this was a popular duo among the ladies in the 1980’s - Air Supply delivers dreamy, bedroom background, rock ballads that fall in the vein of REO Speedwagons’s 1980 release, Hi Infidelity. The One That You Love is my favorite off this greatest hits compilation - the outro chorus has some horns enter proceeded by big timpani hits.
Neil Diamond / Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
Favorite Track - Flight Of The Gull
Speaking of horns and timpani, at Goodwill Mom found a Neil Diamond soundtrack for a film/book that we both have never seen or heard of. For a couple bucks and her love of Neil Diamond, it was worth the pickup to give it a listen. Upon a little research, apparently this soundtrack was a bigger success then the film itself! In 1974, Diamond ended up winning a Grammy for The Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special for it. Flight Of The Gull is my favorite track on here - the composition of the strings, woodwinds, and percussion all flow beautifully and create a backdrop for a trip over crashing waves of the sea.
