Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#167 in the Series) is Icehouse, Primitive Man. Well this is one of my more obscure titles.  In fact, I just realized that I’ve gone back to back with Australian early 80’s albums.  Oh well, there’s always been great music coming from that part of the world. There a reason I wanted to write up this album.  I worked in music related industries for many, many years.   From writing reviews to promoting concerts to music distribution etc , etc.  The entry point into the business was a part time writer, part time ad seller etc for Night Rock News out of Merrillville, Indiana.  In fact, thank you to Van Pudlo for giving me...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#166 in the Series) is INXS, Shabooh Shoobah. I always had a warm spot in my heart for INXS.  I’m not sure why, I think because they’re just different. I can’t really explain it.  But I always felt that they had a sound that could not be compared to anyone. I think it was because of that slight bit of funk tossed into their overall makeup. I’ve heard people say the early stuff had a U2 sound to it. I don’t think anyone was copying U2 in the 1980. Much less a band from Australia like INXS. Two songs really stood out for me.  They were the first and the last.  The One...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#163 in the Series) is Matthew Sweet, Earth. It’s time for me to go a little obscure with the blog once again.  After all, I think that’s what sets us apart. It’s amazing when I look back at my ‘yute’ and think about how many unheard of bands I liked, that hit on their next release. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say that I was any kind of ‘A+R’ guy that just didn’t happen to be an ‘A+R’ guy.   The reason for most of this success in coming was that I had an unfair advantage.  Being a music distributor, I was often given promo copies of new music that I...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#159 in the Series) is the Kinks, State of Confusion. We’re running with the Kinks today.  I wonder what they’re running away from on that cover anyway.  I guess it was the graffiti, again! They also used a graffiti themed cover on the previous release, Give the People What They Want. State of Confusion was more later day Kinks.  This release was an album that I really liked. They were still putting out good music until the end.  Ray Davies continues to get it done to this day. His album from a few years ago, Working Man’s Café, is brilliant. But I digress. State of Confusion actually had the highest charting single in...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#148 in the Series) is Nick Heyward, North of a Miracle. Do you remember Nick Heyward? If you don’t remember his name, you may remember his band before he went out on his own. Does Haircut 100 sound familiar? They had a nice hit called “Love Plus One” in 1982.  North of a Miracle was released in 1983. Numerous tracks gathered some nice airplay from this disc.  “Whistle Down the Wind” comes to mind first.  But we also heard “Atlantic Monday,” “Blue Hat for a Blue Day,” “Club Boy at Sea” and “The Day it Rained Forever.” Some players that added to the sound here that you might now included Pino Palladino, Morris...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#140 in the Series) is Paul McCartney, Tug of War. I had not purchased a new Paul McCartney album in years when Tug of War was released in 1982. I hadn’t even thought about it.  Then my friend Phil Lucafo asked me if I heard the new McCartney album.  He highly recommended it so on his suggestion, I grabbed it. I’m glad he did.  This was some of the best music that Paul had done in many moons. It was produced by former George Martin and it appears that he added nice motivation. I was just looking back.  Rolling Stone gave it 5 starts, Allmusic gave it 4.5.  So it looks like many...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day(#385 in the Series) is The Replacements, Tim The barstool I happened to be sitting on was half a dozen steps inside Geno and Carlo’s, an “old school”, cash only bar in the heart of the Italian section of San Francisco known as North Beach, or as the locals prefer to call the area,” Naughty North Beach”. The drink of choice was a Makers Mark Manhattan straight up with two stemmed cherries. The clientele of this particular watering hole is a sublime mosh pit of professional types, Goth chicks, drunken homeless dudes, artists, and musicians. The atmosphere is more Woodstock than Altamont, with a definite “Star Wars bar scene” vibe to the entire proceedings....

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#131 in the Series is) R.E.M., Murmur. (I.R.S.) I’m actually surprised it took me until the 131st entry to feature this album. Why, well you’ve all heard of Desert Island Discs.  Those would be the ten albums that you’d take to an island if you only were able to live with ten.  Well, this would be one of the first I’d toss into the boat if I was starting a three hour tour. I had heard REM’s Chronic Town EP a few times when this was released.  So I was aware of them.  I was quickly falling in love with their Rickenbacker led jangly guitar riff sound. Murmur was REM’s first full length...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#130 in the Series) is Mike Rutherford, Smallcreep’s Day. OK, it’s time to go a little more obscure.  Not as much obscurity in the artist, but in the material chosen. Smallcreep’s Day is the first solo work by guitarist Mike Rutherford.  Rutherford is known, of course, mainly for his work with Genesis.  But like all members in that band, he’s done work outside the group. His main solo project that he’s known for is Mike and the Mechanics. They had some popular songs in the mid eighties. “All I Need is a Miracle” and “The Living Years” being the best known of them. Smallcreep’s Day was more of a progressive album as compared...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#125 in the Series) is Ultravox, Vienna Ultravox was one of my favorite bands in the 80s. Great albums, great live shows. I was lucky enough to see them at the Aragon Ballroom when they toured a few years after this release. They were out on the road for “Quartet” when I saw them. A real interesting show. EVERYTHING was gray. The guitars the backdrop, the amplifiers, the guitar chords, the drums, the clothes. I don’t know what they were trying to say, but the music was superb! “Vienna” housed some of Ultravox best songs. “Quartet” had the hottest single, ‘Reap the Wild Wind’ so it sold the most. But give me “Vienna.”...