Author | Lightnews

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 18h

Spent much of Sunday connecting with Miles from the second great quintet through ON THE CORNER. First heard this in the mid 90's. Unsure of what I heard then. Now I hear the frantic search for the next idea, insistent bass, and tension. Seems more than a mere transition record.

The cover art for Miles Davis FILLES DE KILIMANJARO album.

2

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 2d

No disrespect to Tom Morello, but the thing I learned from this album is nearly anything works when the bass and drums are operating at this level. So locked in it gave room for guitar experiments. The vocal style and cadence limited the band's dynamics and range. Still powerful.

The cover art for the original self-titled Rage Against the Machine album features a black and white photo of a monk who set himself on fire as part of a protest. Always felt this was a figurative expression, and the literal is unforgettably horrifying. This is a level of conviction I've never experienced in this lifetime.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 3d

Joe Satriani's ALIEN success started a trend for viable instrumental rock guitar albums. While better known for his hard rock work; it was a great time to reintroduce Ronnie Montrose. Here he treats his guitar more like a race car rather than a paintbrush. TELSTAR stands out.

The cover art for Ronnie Montrose's THE SPEED OF SOUND album featuring (what I think is) a space vehicle flying in front of a yellow sun. Is it a marble-y rock surface of the ship or is that coursing water? It might even be a form of the Telstar?

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 3d

I always had preferred the Charlatans to other British bands of the time. Part of it was the psychedelic qualities; some of it was the Hammond organ; decent vocal harmonies; and interesting songs. WEIRDO seems to end up on every Brit-pop playlist I make.

The cover art for the Charlatans (UK)'s BETWEEN 10th and 11th, featuring a bunch of ripening bananas. Unsure if it was supposed to be phallic or just artsy-weird. Album was better than the art.

2

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 4d

Despite the disco nods on LOVEFOOL; what made me keep this was the ominous HAPPY MEAL II and an even stranger cover of Sabbath's IRON MAN. An odd juxtaposition of sweetness and darkness doing battle with most of the songs resulting in draws.

The cover art for the Cardigan's FIRST BAND ON THE MOON featuring a live shot taken from the back of the stage to the left of the drummer.

1

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 5d

When I heard the first single, I really hated the 80s new wave sound they seemed to be trying to cop. My tune changed when I heard STUTTER. A nice energetic burst of power pop with a WHOA refrain that didn't irritate. STUTTER remains a favorite of the era for me.

Black and white band photo positioned against the dreaded brick wall (apparently a large tree was unavailable as a backdrop). This is the cover art for Elastica's debut album.

1

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 6d

I remember Blue Cheer being reintroduced in the late 80s as a very early influence to the harder metal sounds that were emerging; but their music wasn't as easy to find as say the MC5, the Who, or even Iron Butterfly. Amid the distortion it's bluesier than I expected. Interesting.

The cover art for Blue Cheer's VINCEBUS ERUPTUM. A blue-and-white image with a photo of the trio in a circle in the center of the cover.

1

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 7d

My appreciation for Genesis is in the little things. Despite hits and experiments, I really like the goofy number ANOTHER RECORD that closes this. It's like "we're glad you listened to this... now listen to something else." As if I needed much of a nudge to comply...

The cover art for Genesis's ABACAB album. Interesting that this record came in a number of different colors (this being red, yellow, and green; but variants include blue and orange as well).

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 9d

Making progress on the new desktop, and listening to soothe the frustrations. Grateful to have time and resource to catch up on the lost work from last week. Drop-tuned atmospheric acoustic guitar pieces with a guest appearance from Flora Purim. It's like Da Lata's mellow cousin.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 9d

Power supply died on new machine and took it back. Thankful they did a proper return/exchange/wiped the data. Only 8 days from out of box to paperweight.

Unfortunately, I have to start all over getting a new machine to the functionality of the W10 machine it replaced.

Wish me luck, I may need it.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 10d

BLOODY WELL RIGHT was a frequent flyer on classic rock radio when I was in college; but often buried beneath the obvious hits and BREAKFAST IN AMERICA. Always felt the vocals were unusual, but they complemented each other. The normal voice and falsetto in DREAMER particularly.

The cover art for Supertramp's CRIME OF THE CENTURY features a space scene with a 'prison bar window' and hands holding two of the bars. Interesting the title is about time but the visual is about space.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 11d

Was saddened to hear of Ace's passing this afternoon. I'm kind of embarrassed to suggest that I had outgrown Kiss, and that it rarely is something I choose to play. Unsure if was the spectacle; their mercenary nature; or Gene's villainous persona? This is how I best remember them.

The cover art for Kiss's ALIVE II album.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 12d

Coming across like a mix between McAuley Schenker Group and Cheap Trick, Thunder's music was built for arenas. They threw the right shapes on catchy rocker, DIRTY LOVE; and anthemic ballad, LOVE WALKED IN; and were frequent fliers on American radio. Forgotten by 1995.

The North American cover art for Thunder's BACKSTREET SYMPHONY featured the silhouette of its guitarist against a bright glowing stagelight.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 13d

Day #2 of trying to get the new computer to operate more like the old one and feeling it may be awhile. At least the music is good. DAM WOULD BREAK remains one of my favorite tracks from Toad, and I never gave this record the credit it deserved.

The cover art for Toad the Wet Sprocket's COIL album. To be honest, I don't really know what I am looking at. It looks like a person lying on a shell underwater. This computer image is clearer than the one on my cd, and morbid thoughts are flowing like crazy...

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 15d

Only the hits this morning as I give this a spin while trying to beat the Windows 10 deadline. Always liked how they used vocal harmonies, minor keys, and a heavy organ presence to make their own place in the era. Though I can sense Left Banke and Turtles may also play today.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 16d

Felt U2's ACHTUNG pushed experimentation and re-invention forward among their peers. Was this a good thing? INXS tried out some different sonics and settings here, but they were what they were. Dynamic vocals, danceable songs, sax bursts, and catchy. NOT ENOUGH TIME stands out.

The cover art for INXS's WELCOME TO WHEREVER YOU ARE features an image of three boys (possibly the brothers, but unsure) in some sort of military school uniforms.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 17d

In MLB, I've always heard potential rather than realized talent. Despite tracks like STARDOG CHAMPION and CROWN OF THORNS; would they have reached Pearl Jam-like levels of success? The end result feels like an ugly swan became a beautiful duck. Still love their music.

The cover art for the Mother Love Bone self-titled compilation features a title band on top and a collage-type image at the bottom with pictures, logos, and other ephemera from the band's active period.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 17d

Thinking about John Lodge today, and realizing how much of his music has been part of my life's soundtrack. After seeing them perform, I recognized how much of my own playing came from what he did on record. Maybe not cool or dangerous; but imaginative and accessible? Definitely.

The cover art for The Moody Blues SEVENTH SOJOURN features a landscape that is similar and more realistic to the mountain lake image inside of YESSONGS. With wood-colored rock and desert sands or brown water depending on the edition you have.)

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 18d

Missed them as an active group but caught on before the reunion. ALL MY HEROES, GIVE & TAKE, and HARD LUCK TOWN all featuring a great balance of melodic rock, crunchy guitars, harmony vocals, and plenty of hooks. It seemed like this kind of rock was everywhere before 1993.

The album cover art for Killer Dwarfs' METHOD TO THE MADNESS featuring a black-and-white image of an old movie monster in a cell. (Unfortunately, I didn't follow movie monsters well enough to identify this one?)

1

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 19d

Felt this continued from POWER WINDOWS instead of built on it. Still I logged many hours with this cassette and eventually cd. Finding the lyrics of TURN THE PAGE to be more fitting now than when it was new. Wonder if it makes the setlist-many songs still apply in the present day.

The cover art for Rush's HOLD YOUR FIRE are 3 orbs emerging from a red background. Their "power of three" references continued... especially on later record PRESTO. Always thought it was wild how the red appeared differently in each record store (and in each edition).

1

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 20d

Built an unexpectedly deeper tolerance to blues. Normally feel blues sounds better live than on a home system; but surprisingly made it through this cd without using the skip button once. Not that I want an award or cookie; but hear something now I couldn't before, and understand.

The cover art for the Paul Butterfield Blues band ORIGINAL LOST ELEKTRA SESSIONS album featuring an image of Paul Butterfield with a harmonica on top and guitarist Mike Bloomfield below.

1

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 21d

Pre-Napster record execs were clever to focus on age. This Aussie teen trio broke through on TOMORROW, which sounds like flyby fumes from Pearl Jam and STP. At the time it was a promising first step; and teen-qualifiers overwrote criticism. The naivete and joy still shine through.

The cover art for Silverchair's debut album, FROGSTOMP. Features a green frog against a white background. Thankfully they hid any menace.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 23d

Didn't know this was a Boston-related project when released until catching an interview on Rockline. Boston is a home run or a whiff for me. This is a grounder that made it through the infield. Not classic, but shows the breadth of Delp's abilities. ALL YOU'VE GOT is a highlight.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 24d

Always admired the songwriting, slick production, and vocal blends of Roxette. They've clearly studied every 80s pop trope before putting this to album. The execution is familiar but nearly flawless. Even a soundalike for a clunky heart drug commercial won't ruin it for me.

James Wayman @jameswayman.bsky.social · 24d

People of a certain age may remember going through the generic aisle at the grocery store. The idea that plain packaging and being an off-brand enabled them to be sold cheaper. This was anything but generic; but there's a lot of music that better fits this cover art...