The 500 - #453 - EPMD - Strictly Business

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 record per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation of diverse forms of music.

Album # 453

Album Title: Strictly Business
Artist: EPMD
Released: June, 1988
My age at release: 22
How familiar was I with it before this week: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Strictly Business
Great Lyric:
"The rhythmatic style, keeps the rhyme flowin'
Good friends already bitin', without you knowin'
Can't understand, why your body's gettin' weaker
Then you realize it's the voice from the speaker
The mind become delirious, situation serious
Don't get ill, go and get curious."

(It's My Thing)


There is a Canadian documentary series currently streaming on Netflix called Hip-Hop Evolution. A shingles diagnosis last summer kept me housebound for three days and provided a perfect opportunity for binging television programs. Season One was a fascinating journey into the history of hip-hop as the first rhythmic rappers emerged from the borough of South Bronx in New York City. By the conclusion of the final episode, my appreciation and understanding of this art form had grown exponentially. 

A consequence of my recently enhanced admiration of the genre was an enthusiastic approach to Strictly Business by EPMD. Previously, when hip-hop records have appeared on The 500, my attitude has been cautious curiosity. After all, I'm a 54 year old white male who grew up in two communities that were, for the most part, racially and culturally homogeneous. Case in point, when attending the elementary grades in Kingsville, Ontario, in the late 70s, an Indian boy named Ranjeeth Sethi was the only person of colour in the entire school. In high school, his father was the chemistry teacher and the only staff member who looked different from every other adult. So, as a guy who grew up immersed in the world of rock, new wave and punk performed by artists who looked like us and, for the most part, shared our background, I hesitanted to take a stand or voice an opinion about hip-hop music, until recently.  

Strictly Business is the debut record from EPMD (Erick and Parrish Making Dollars). The band, a duo from Brentwood, New York, features emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith who worked on the record with DJ K La Boss. The album was not commercially successful when it was released, peaking at #80 on the charts but has since earned gold certification (500,000 units sold) and has garnered significant critical attention, including its addition to the list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The beats are playful, funky and fun with samples from many classic records from a variety of genres -- Jungle Boogie by Kool & the Gang, Fly like an Eagle from the Steve Miller Band and the Eric Clapton version of Bob Marley's reggae hit I Shot the Sherriff to name a few.

Listen to the first 30 seconds of the opening track Strictly Business and you will know immediately if this for you. Personally, the sound is right up my alley and I've streamed it on Spotify repeatedly all week, including three listens today. Perhaps, my decision to watch Hip-Hop Evolution has broadened my appreciation for this genre but I suspect the terrific music would have won me over anyway. Check it out!

The 500 - #454 - Alice Cooper - Love it to Death

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 record per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation of diverse forms of music.

Album # 454

Album Title: Love it to Death
Artist: Alice Cooper
Released: March, 1971
My age at release: 5
How familiar was I with it before this week: A little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Is It My Body? (Suggested by educator Matthew Oldridge on Twitter)
Great Lyric:
"Lines form on my face and hands.
Lines form from the ups and downs.
I'm in the middle without any plans,
I'm a boy and I'm a man.
I'm eighteen!"

It was a weekday evening in 1974 when I first heard the name Alice Cooper. I was getting a ride home from a night attending after attending Cub Scouts. I was wedged in the backseat of a parent volunteer's car when the kid next to me started talking about watching Alice Cooper on television.

"Who's she?" I asked naively.
"He's a man!" he shot back scornfully. "Everybody knows that!" 

In retrospect, I guarantee that kid had an older brother who had tipped him to the Cooper persona. I'm also sure the kid grew up to be a pretentious hipster, sipping unnecessarily hoppy craft-beer through his "ironic" Van Dyke beard while misquoting Che Guevara and extolling the virtues of a vegetarian ecofeminism.

I was a casual Alice Cooper fan until 1980 and the release of the album Flush the Fashion. It was a record on which Cooper made a foray into the new wave/pop-punk sound and it coincided with a time in my life when I secured my first part-time job and had disposable income to build my record collection.

In early 1985, I went through an "Alice Cooper phase" after a chum, Jim, let me borrow his extensive collection. I taped everything he had from the back-catalogue, including this album, but spent most of that spring listening to Welcome to my Nightmare, which is still my favourite record from the Cooper discography. It contains the song Only Women Bleed, an incredibly underrated ballad with a message that is frequently misunderstood. On first blush, it can be misconstrued as misogynistic when, in truth, Cooper was sympathetic to the plight of a woman in an abusive relationship. At first, I was really surprised that Love it to Death and not Nightmare made this list.

Love it to Death grew on me over the multiple listens I gave it this week. It is a record with a connection to my hometown of London, Ontario, as it was produced by former Fanshawe College educator, Juno Award winner and Order of Canada recipient, the late Jack Richardson. 

The second track on the record, I'm Eighteen, was the first hit single for the band and is one of Cooper's best known tracks. However, I can't hear it anymore without thinking about an episode from the television dramedy Freaks and Geeks when guidance counsellor Mr. Rosso sings it to his students in order to "connect with them". 

I encourage you to listen to this record. It is considered a foundational record in the development of the heavy metal sound in the 1970s. I also recommend listening to this episode of The 500 Podcast with special guest, the legendary Shep Gordon. He is Alice Cooper's longtime manager and was the subject of the fascinating 2013 documentary Supermensch. His first-hand insights into the creation or this record are riveting. 

The 500 - #455 - Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive?

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 record per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation of diverse forms of music.

Album # 455

Album Title: How Will the Wolf Survive?
Artist: Los Lobos
Released: October, 1984
My age at release: 19
How familiar was I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Will the Wolf Survive?
Great Lyric:
"Drifting by the roadside
Climbs a strong and aging face
Wants to make some honest pay
Losing to the rainstorm
He's got two strong legs to guide him
Two strong arms keep him alive
Will the wolf survive?


This journey through The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time has inspired me to post over 80 times this year. It's helped me as a writer and I've discovered some incredible music, including this entry How Will the Wolf Survive? by Los Lobos. Like many my age, Los Lobos was a band that appeared on my radar when they hit the popular music charts with the song La Bamba. It was a remake of the 1958 song by Ritchie Valens and appeared on the soundtrack to the film of the same name. 

It was the summer of 1987 when the film and song were released and I was life-guarding at Thames Pool in London, Ontario, one of many outdoor swimming facility run by our Parks and Recreation Department. Being a lifeguard seemed incredibly cool and I'd hoped I would get a job at a beach on Lake Erie or Huron. I pictured myself, positioned majestically atop a lifeguard tower, shirtless and bronze-skinned, surrounded by a landscape of bikini-clad beauties. At the pool, the reality was hours of boredom, standing on a concrete deck surrounded by screaming children. I did get a hell of a tan though.

During swimming sessions, daily from 1:00 - 4:30 and 6:00 - 8:00, we would pipe the local hit-radio station through a half-dozen speakers lining the outside of the pool-house. In retrospect, the Top 40 was reasonably entertaining and quite diverse but, by summer's end, I'd had my fill of Whitesnake, U2, Bon Jovi, Genesis, Whitney Houston and definitely the song La Bamba.

I pigeon-holed Los Lobos as a band that did Mexican folk songs. They do - but, that barely scratches the surface of the complex variety of styles they explore on this terrific record. This is a band that is difficult to quantify. They have been called Chicano Rock, Roots Rock, Latino Rock, Tex Mex, Country Rock, Americana, Brown Eyed Soul, Heartland Rock and even Cowpunk. How Will the Wolf Survive? contains influences from R&B, Blues, Zydeco and traditional Mexican Folk music. It is one of those records, like Queen's A Night at the Opera, that switches genre with every song. Much like the weather in San Diego - if you don't like it, just wait and it will change.

The title track addresses issues faced by Mexican immigrants in the United States and is as poignant today as it was when it was penned in the early 80s.  I'm glad this journey led me to this record. I see this band in an entirely different light and now, 32 years later, I might not mind hearing La Bamba again - but probably not.

The 500 - #456 - Marvin Gaye - Here, my Dear

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 456

Album Title: Here, my Dear
Artist: Marvin Gaye
Released: December, 1978
My age at release: 13
How familiar am I with it: I knew one song
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Is that Enough? 
Great Lyric:
"Suddenly it occured to me it did not matter,
Whether I was mad at her
Or she was mad at me."
(You can Leave, but it's Gonna Cost You)

Once again, I have encountered an artist who has multiple titles on Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  Marvin Gaye's 1973 offering, Let's Get It On, appears at #175 and, at #6 is the iconic What's Going On? from 1976. 

The legendary artist who left us far too soon. He was murdered by his father, in April of 1984. Shortly before his tragic death I discovered Marvin's music. In the early 80s I attended Saunders Secondary School in London, Ontario. School band practices were held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 am. This necessitated a ride on the dreaded "early bus" which traveled from my subdivision in Byron to the school...about 8 km away.

With frequent stops the trip took about 25 minutes and, unlike typical high-school bus excursions, it was an almost entirely silent journey. Teenage sleep patterns have been well documented by physicians and scientists who specialize in adolescent physiology. Teens run on a different bio-clock than adults or children. They experience a melatonin release late in the evening, a wolf-phase which keeps them awake and energized. A subsequent drop in this hormone overnight results in the mumbly, grumpy disposition that parents dread, particularly when they need to rouse the household zombies. Consequently, it is a bit of cruel joke that they are expected to attend school as early as 8:00 in the morning - doubly cruel when they have to catch the earlier bus to band practice. 

Our driver probably loved this low-octane sojourn. He was young, likely mid-20s, and would play the local FM radio station to replace the silent gloom. It was during one of these trips that I first heard Marvin Gaye. I suspect it would be about 1982 when his last record, Midnight Love, was released and the single, Sexual Healing, was a hit on the charts. There was no way a song that provocative was going to escape my hyper-sexed teenage radar. Everything about it caught my attention. The low throb of the bass guitar, the relentless tinny precision of the drum-machine, the whispery voices of the back-up singers and, of course, those suggestive lyrics.

I just spent a relaxing Saturday afternoon listening to Here my Dear as I prepared lessons for the upcoming week of school. This album is incredible. Just the saxophone groove on Is that Enough? was worth my monthly Spotify charge . Give it a listen - it is perfect background music for writing, cooking, entertaining or relaxing.

The 500 - #457 - My Morning Jacket - Z

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 457

Album Title: Z
Artist: My Morning Jacket
Released: October, 2005
My age at release: 40
How familiar am I with it: Not at all
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Lay Low 
Great Lyric:
"You had me worried, so worried
That this would last
But now I'm learning
Learning this will pass."
(Dondate)
One of my great pleasures on this journey through Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums is the discovery of an unknown gem. This album marks the 16th record on this list with which I had little to no familiarity. Much like Manu Chau's Proxima Esatacion: Esperanza, Aquemini by Outkast and I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight by Richard and Linda Thompson, this record by My Morning Jacket is an unexpected treasure and a great addition to my playlists.

I didn't think I knew anything by the band. This was one of many artists whose name I knew but whose work I had not explored. As I listened, a few songs sounded familiar and I realized that they were a staple on Radio Paradise.

For those not familiar, Radio Paradise is a commercial-free, listener supported internet radio service. It has been operating since 2000, originally out of Paradise California (hence its name) and now out of the Borrega Valley near San Diego. It describes itself as "eclectic rock radio". I first learned of it from my friend James who played it regularly. It always seemed like the perfect mix and fit every occasion. My wife and I have been supporters for over ten years and it can be heard playing throughout our apartment during most of our waking hours. I encourage you to try a free listen and, if possible, subscribe for a few dollars a month.

I listened to Z by My Morning Jacket about eight times this weekend as I was writing progress reports for my students. This was an ideal choice for background music. Music writers have been unable to accurately identify a single genre for this band's sound, calling it art-rock, jam-rock, psychedelia, space-rock and indie. The record flows together seamlessly so selecting a single track was tough. In the end, I reached out to a friend who is a fan - I offered my two suggestions, Lay Low and Dondante and this is what he sent back.

Guest Blog Contribution from Nick B.

Lay Low is my favourite track. I just love the guitars that harmonize during the solo. It's like I’m listening to a bootleg Allman Brothers record and I want to grab my fishing rods, hop in the car, hit the back roads and drive until I find a river.

That’s what my dad and I listened to when we went on fishing trips - The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore. When I heard this album I immediately sent it to him. I started with this song. Naturally, it’s now one of his favourites. 

I love when bands can take their influences and combine them with their own sound. It’s a nice blend of old-meets-new and it gives me hope for music in the future. Create your own music but don’t lose the sounds that influenced you. 

The 500 - #458 - Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 458

Album Title: Tumbleweed Connection
Artist: Elton John
Released: October, 1970
My age at release: 5
How familiar am I with it: I own it on vinyl, purchased 1985
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Amoreena
Great Lyric:
Bring your family down to the riverside,
Look to the east to see where the fat stock hide.
Behind four walls of stone the rich man sleeps.
It's time we put a flame torch to their keep.
(Burn Down the Mission)

I went through a heavy Elton John phase from 1985 to 1987. During that time, I regularly stalked the aisles of our local used record shop (Dr. Disc) and purchased nearly every studio release the store had on vinyl. Tumbleweed Connection was one of the first I found.

Initially, it didn't win me over. It's a concept album based on American Country and Western themes and, at that time in my life, I wasn't a fan of that genre. I absolutely loved the albums Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which we will get to eventually at #91 and #158, respectively. However, over time, this album grew on me and I would often regularly play Side Two in order to hear Burn Down the Mission, which remains one of my Top Ten Elton John songs.

 This version of Burn Down the Mission is from a BBC television appearance in 1970, the same year Tumbleweed Connection was released. It includes an introduction of Elton's band mates Dee Murray and Nigel Olson, both of whom would play with him for decades - Murray until his untimely death in 1992 and Olson, who still performs with John today.

Although I settled on the song Amoreena, my initial plan was to put Burn Down the Mission on my Spotify The 500 Playlist. The version on this record is great but I adore the Phil Collins' Cover from the tribute album Two Rooms - Celebrating The Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin. If you haven't checked out this collection, it is absolutely worth the investment. The name, Two Rooms, is apt. After all, lyricist Taupin writes the lyrics and delivers them to John who puts them to music. An incredible catalogue this was literally constructed in two locations. 

I have a few Elton John related stories but I'll save them. He has four more records on this list. 

Things I learned...

• Rod Stewart covered the song Country Comfort on his record Gasoline Alley the same year as Tumbleweed Connection (1970). Which is strange, usually artists cover material from farther back in time.
• Dusty Springfield of Son of a Preacher Man fame sings back-up on this record.
• Elton John and Bernie Taupin shared a mutual fascination with the American West. They loved cowboy movies and their common interest was at the core of this record's creation.
• The wrap-around artwork for the record was taken at a railway station outside London. It features John and Taupin on either side. It is intended to represent rural America but they intentionall decided to use an English location to highlight their nationality.

The 500 - #459 - The Drifters - Golden Hits

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan (amended). 

• 1 or 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 459

Album Title: Golden Hits
Artist: The Drifters
Released: 1968
My age at release: 2-3
How familiar am I with it: Fairly-to-Well
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Save the Last Dance
Great Lyric: 
Oh I know that the music's fine,
Like sparkling wine, go have your fun.
Laugh and sing but while we're apart,
Don't give your heart to anyone.
But don't forget who's taking you home
And in whose arms your going to be.
So Darlin', save the last dance for me.

Arriving on the heels of my two-week immersion into the improvisational anarchy of Metal Box by P.I.L. and the grungy discontent of Live Through This by Hole, The Drifter's Golden Hits was like a calming breeze. 

I enjoyed my first listen through this record on a pleasant Sunday evening drive through the Ontario countryside with my wife. At one point, between songs, she turned to me and remarked, "It's just such gentle, lovely music - it makes you feel like everything is going to be fine." 

Although this compilation record is made up of hits from the late 50s and early 60s, I am most familiar with this sound from the 80s revival. It seemed that, during the late 80s, multiple big budget movies were heavily influenced by doo wop, R&B and early Rock and Roll music. It was a weird phenomenon. I suspect it is because film makers and writers, who were likely 40-50 years old, were feeling nostalgic. 

Dozens of movie released during this time were...

• Set in the 50s or 60s - Good Morning Vietnam, Dirty Dancing
• Named after a 50s or 60 song - My Girl, Lean on Me
• Featured a revival of a song from that period - Top Gun, Ghost
• Was a combination of all three - Stand by Me

Consequently, when I hear this music it transports me to my late teens and early 20s, even though I wasn't alive when most of it was released. I like that. It's as if I get to share in an emotional memory that truly belongs to people twenty years my senior. 

Things I learned.

• The Drifters were really just a product of the studio system. There were over 60 vocalists who were part of the band and many of them were grossly underpaid for their work.
• Billboard's R&B Charts were called The Top Black Albums until 1978.
• Carole King wrote "Some Kinda Wonderful"