Album of the week

Eagles - Hotel California (1976)



Track list:

1.Hotel California

2.New Kid In Town

3.Life In The Fast Lane

4.Wasted Time

5.Wasted Time Reprise (Provided)

6.Victim of Love

7.Pretty Maids All In A Row

8.Try and Love Again

9.The Last Resort

analogbear40, I don't even know what to say to you—but honestly, I’ve been expecting something like this from you for a while now. You’ve been driving me crazy lately with these suggestions, especially since even Arthur Brown6 had more votes than you during that same stretch 😁

Carol Walker (and a few others) 👍

Charles Ramos4 said:I won't say anything else about the quarters, but honestly, I’ve been expecting something like this from you for quite a while now. You've really been wearing me down lately with those suggestions—it's getting to the point where even Arthur Brown6 has voiced more opinions on this than you have in the same timeframe. 😁

Carol Walker (and a few others) 👍

Even though I usually try to steer clear of my absolute favorites when picking suggestions—I tend to stick to those borderline obscure genre finds—I occasionally have to tackle the "IMHO" classics. In this specific case, it’s because I recently picked up the X5 box set, and it really reminded me just how fascinating their evolution was during those first few years of their career.

The truth is, choosing *New Gold Dream* would be the most logical move, but that one’s already been picked clean and tossed aside long ago. Honestly, though, *Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings call* is sitting right there on the edge... practically within arm's reach.

analogbear40 said:Even though I try my best to avoid picking my absolute favorites when suggesting stuff—usually sticking to those borderline obscure genre gems—I occasionally have to tackle some IMHO classics. In this specific case, it's mostly because I recently picked up the X5 Box set, and it reminded me just how fascinating their evolution was during those first few years of their career.

The truth is, *New Gold Dream* would be the logical choice—but that one’s already been picked apart long ago. Honestly, *Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings call* is getting incredibly close... maybe just within reach.

I noticed you tend to steer clear of listing your absolute favorites or those big-name, obvious 80s artists—but man, you really swung to the complete opposite extreme instead. 😁 Even some of the biggest names from that era have albums that most people haven't even heard of—and I think those are definitely worth suggesting. Not to mention there’s a huge wave of lesser-known bands out there that people only know a tiny bit about, but they really deserve a fair shot too, I guess.

You really hit the nail on the head with those suggestions—Tears for Fears and Frankie Goes to Hollywood definitely struck a chord with me. So, yeah, I’m actually looking forward to diving into The Cure once the topic comes up—I'll be happy to give them a listen and read up on them, since I've only really scratched the surface so far. There are still so many names of that caliber that I'm just waiting for you to drop... and honestly, don't hold back. Not that I'm trying to push my own taste on you or anything—I don't want you getting defensive or swinging too far in the other direction—but maybe just every now and then, throw something like this my way. 🙂

Somewhere between Gregorian chants and deep soulful blues
You could also say his sound is basically a sanctified take on Jadranka Stojaković and Kemal Monten.

Ivanski-On the road to heaven... (2002)



It clocks in at about 47 or 48 minutes.

MY STAR(the YouTube playlist only has 8 tracks, but the full album has 10, so I linked his blog where you can hear every single one)

Pharoah Sanders - karma (1969)

I’m taking my sweet time with this one, holding back on my absolute heavy hitters (well, besides what I posted last time regarding On Parole). Lately, I’ve been leaning more toward digging up these deep cuts from my vinyl collection—stuff that isn't exactly mainstream. You know, those albums that are genuinely great but just don't sit in that "elite" circle of my all-time favorites. Mostly just because they aren't famous. I'll get to them.
Anyway, it doesn't really bother me when people start throwing in stuff like > or >; honestly, looking at the current candidates, I can already see those tracks heading straight for the finals. I'm curious about how this piano-heavy entry will land, though—maybe it'll actually catch us off guard. Everything else will probably just trail behind.

It's all good. It’s just frustratingly obvious that people end up voting for whatever they actually listen to (and hey, you can't really blame them), regardless of whether it’s objectively "good." It makes sense, really—the big, loud, mainstream acts are what people have on repeat, and since they're everywhere, they naturally have the biggest fanbases.
The point is: something can be musically or artistically superior, but if it hasn't been blasted on every radio station, it struggles to win. That’s just the way it is, unless the folks on this forum decide to look at things through a different lens.

redbear12 said:it’s somewhere along the road between Gregorian chants and traditional American folk soul
And honestly, I’d describe his music as kind of a sanctified version of Jadranka Stojaković and Kemal Monten.

Ivanski - On the Way to Heaven... (2002)



It runs for about 47 or 48 minutes.

MY STAR(the YouTube playlist only has 8 tracks, but the full album actually has 10, so I grabbed the link from his blog where you can Listen to everything)

From Jadranka, all I really know is "I Was Waiting," which was on that 'We Are Not Angels' record

northerndrifter42 said:I’m doing the same thing—kind of holding back on my absolute favorites (besides On Parole last time). Lately, I’ve started putting forward interesting stuff from my vinyl collection that isn't exactly mainstream—things that I think are great, even if they aren't in my top-tier elite circle. Mostly just because they aren't famous. I'll get to those eventually.
Anyway, it doesn't bother me when people suggest the usual suspects—you know, someone drops Hotel California or The Stooges, and I can already see those being the finalists for this round. I'm not sure about the one with the pianos; maybe that might surprise us. The rest will probably stay at the bottom.

Everything is fine. It’s just frustrating how people vote for what they actually listen to (can't really blame them, I guess)—they don't care how "good" something objectively is. Naturally, the big names win because people listen to them more, and since they're famous, they have more fans.
Point is: Something can be musically or artistically superior, but if it isn't famous, it can't win. That sucks—unless the forum members decide to look at things differently.

In what way are the Eagles less artistic or musically skilled than any of today's suggestions, or most of what’s been proposed over the last few months?

Look, we can talk about quality all day long, but only after we actually sit down and define what parameters we're using to measure it. There’s this one part you just can't sidestep—the subjective side of things. It all comes down to what you personally look for in music. Like, if I find exactly what my soul is hunting for in Poobah, but I don't find it in the Eagles, then for me, Poobah wins. Period. But hey, that’s really just one tiny slice of the whole parameter pie.

Beyond that, my big takeaway is this: an underground band simply can't beat a massive, household name, regardless of how good the music is. That’s where the "glitch" happens. And honestly? I get this feeling that people vote like they're at a football game—they just back whatever they already listen to. They aren't really digging deep, studying the craft, or trying to make an objective decision on who is truly the best. It’s not about personal taste or how famous a band is; it's just tribalism.
That’s all I was getting at.

Charles Ramos4 said:Why would the Eagles be considered any less artistically or musically significant than today's suggestions—or most of what's been floated lately?

Look, the Eagles are a solid band—really great at times. But they aren't *that* legendary—even during their peak up through '75, there were at least a dozen better country/folk/soft-rock acts out there.

Still, tracks like Tequila Sunrise, Lyin' Eyes, or One of These Nights? Those are absolute essentials for me.

I don't think that’s quite right—there were plenty of times when the lesser-known artists actually outdid the big names. Honestly, I'd go as far as to say there were more instances where suggesting a mainstream album fell flat and didn't end up getting the most votes. If you don't believe me, maybe just look back at some of the older polls; you'll see exactly what I mean. It's also possible some other folks here remember those random details and might back me up on this...

Dennis Hall41 said:The Eagles are a good band—really good at times. But they aren't quite THAT great. Even during their peak up until '75, I'd say there were at least a dozen other country, folk, or soft-rock acts that hit harder.

Still, tracks like Tequila Sunrise, Lyin' Eyes, or One of These Nights? Those belong in any anthology, I think.

Even if there were a dozen better names out there, they were still some of the biggest players of their era—especially in those genres you mentioned. And honestly, when people only look at them on a surface level—like someone who probably hasn't heard much beyond Hotel California (which isn't even an album, technically)—they miss the point.

So, go ahead—give me those names. I'm genuinely curious who you think beats them. 😁

Charles Ramos4 said:I don't think that's quite right. Honestly, there have been so many instances where the underground artists completely blew the mainstream stars out of the water. If anything, I’d say more often than not, suggesting a big-name artist doesn't even fly—they don't end up pulling the most votes. If you don't believe me, just dig through the old polls from a while back and you'll see exactly what I mean. There might even be other folks on here who remember those random details and can back me up on this...

Yeah, I was told that David Bowie didn't actually win, for example. Well, if that's the case, then fine, that's great. I guess we just need to try harder to step away from our own biases and stop focusing so much on what's popular if we want to reach some kind of objective conclusion.

New Model Army - The Ghost of Cain (1986)



1. The Hunt
2. Lights Go Out
3. State

The rest of the album. Since 51st State didn't make the cut on this list, I’m just gonna break them out separately.

Justin Sullivan – vocals, guitar
Robert Heaton – Drums
Jason Harris – bass
Mark Feltham hitting those harmonica parts on "Poison Street" and "Ballad"... absolutely killer.

northerndrifter42 said:I only know Jadranka from "Cekala sam," which was on the 'Mi Nismo Andjeli' album.

I used to play that Jadranka track at work whenever clients would ask when their projects would be finished.

Charles Ramos4 said:What you're saying isn't quite right because there were tons of times where lesser-known artists totally outdid the big names. Honestly, I’d go as far as to say that suggesting an album by a famous artist often failed, and they didn't always end up getting the most votes. If you don't believe me, just look back at the old polls and you'll see I'm right. There might even be other forum members who remember the specifics and will back me up on this.

Exactly. I still find it surprising how some of those big-name acts lost out—bands like Pink Floyd, Joy Division, New Order, David Bowie, and Radiohead...

Charles Ramos4 said:In what way are the Eagles artistically or musically inferior to any of today's suggestions—or most of what has been thrown around lately?

Because they're absolute garbage.

New Order - Power, Corruption, Lies (1983)



Track list:

1 Age Of Consent
2 We All Stand
3 The Village
4 5 8 6
5 Blue Monday
6 Your Silent Face
7 Ultraviolence
8 Ecstasy
9 Leave Me Alone
10 The Beach

Just checking in to confirm what we already know through experience. 😁

If an album doesn't click for you when I love it, maybe it’s just not your vibe... or maybe it's just not what 😁 was going for!

I still haven't posted my thoughts on Disintegration—yeah, yeah, I know, I'm terrible—but this week has been absolute chaos! It’ll definitely be up before we pick next week's album, I promise! 🕺

I'm definitely putting my vote in for PCL 😁

Gorillaz - Demon Days (2005)



Intro
Last Living Souls
Kids With Guns
O Green World
Dirty Harry
Feel Good Inc.
El Manana
Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
November Has Come
All Alone
White Light
Dare
Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head
Don't Get Lost In Heaven
Demon Days