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THE EIGHTH PICK IN THE GREAT ALBUM GAME
Her daddy was C.L. Franklin, a minister at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. He was a famous preacher man, check out some of his preachings on YouTube and you’ll get an idea of the pipes he had. But his daughter Aretha, well, she was something else. When she sang in the choir, angels sat,…
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The Seventh Pick In The Great Album Game
A palate cleanser, people. Since this challenge is about albums that were significant in your life, this one is right up there. Steve Martin was an incredible comedic force and inspiration to me. He began college as a philosophy major, then changed to a theatre major, then dropped out. Young Steve loved making people laugh,…
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The Sixth Pick In The Great Album Game
Four former art school students formed a band in New York City in 1975, and in ’77, they released Talking Heads: 77. Bassist Tina Weymouth explained what ‘Talking Heads’ meant: “A friend had found the name in the TV Guide, which explained the term used by TV studios to describe a head-and-shoulder shot of a…
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The Fifth Pick In The Great Album Game
I know it’s only rock and roll but… had to happen, the Stones on my list. For me, the band was at its best in the Mick Taylor years. While Keith Richards is undeniably great, and Charlie and Bill laid down a foundation upon which rock cathedrals were built, it was Taylor who took the…
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The Fourth Pick In The Great Album Game
I didn’t discover the wonders of Tom Waits until the mid-’80s, but once I got my head out of my ass, I dove deep into his catalog. Discovering an artist late is good because you can sample his wares and gorge on the buffet he’s produced. This baby is his second album, the title track…
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The Third Pick In The Great Album Game
His birth name is Declan Patrick MacManus, but that moniker doesn’t have the rock buzz of Elvis Costello. His debut album in 1977 solidified this mutant clone of Buddy Holly as a songwriting force to be reckoned with. The band backing him on this disc is Clover, an American west coast band. Costello would soon…