275. The Wailers | Catch A Fire (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Concrete Jungle
2. Slave Driver
3. 400 Years
4. Stop That Train
5. Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
6. Stir It Up
7. Kinky Reggae
8. No More Trouble
9. Midnight Ravers

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Note: Catch A Fire was originally released in packaging resembling a large Zippo lighter which is depicted on the left above. The cover on the right is what was used when the album was sold using traditional LP packaging.

Catch A Fire is a relaxed album. The music is reggae. The songs are slow, laid-back and bouncy. The bass plays a more prominent role and it sounds more like how a bass sounds in blues and jazz than in rock. The staccato guitar style is what makes the music "bounce". The vocals are laid-back, but that doesn't mean there aren't serious things being sung. Slave Driver and 400 Years are two that are clearly serious.

It's quite refreshing to hear a brand new style of music. I suppose there's a connection to the blues or jazz somehow, but it's not obvious to a simple music listener like me. Reggae is unique. (I do know that the style is a descendant of ska and rocksteady, and that either of those have some relation to blues or jazz).

I think this album is quite nice. I certainly liked the music. It's actual quite melodic. It came as quite a surprise to me that I liked all of the songs, meaning that I expected to find a dud or two. The songs singing about the reggae lifestyle were lost on me, though. We'll see with the other reggae albums coming up whether they are more accessible to a wider audience. Also, while the songs are different, the rhythm doesn't seem to vary much. 

I am surprised that it took so long for a reggae band to make it on the 1001 Albums list. Surely, one of the first albums deserves to be on the list, or were the Wailers the first to do something remarkable with the style? No matter what, this album is worth listening to and deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand outs are: Concrete Jungle, Slave Driver, 400 Years, Stop That Train, Baby, We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby), Stir It Up, Kinky Reggae, No More Trouble and Midnight Ravers.

★★★★★★★★★★

274. King Crimson | Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part One)
2. Book of Saturday
3. Exiles
4. Easy Money
5. The Talking Drum
6. Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part Two)

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Larks' Tongues in Aspic is a violent album. The music is progressive rock. King Crimson, or rather, Robert Fripp likes to push the dynamic range within a song to the limit. And he likes to go from one extreme to another in a minimal about of time. It's as if he's trying to re-create the Big Bang in song. There's nothing more shocking then that burst of music nearly four minutes into the first song. I'm not sure what other bands make so much use of dynamic range.

This use of dynamic range also helps to make the band's extended instrumental jams, which occur on each song, more interesting. That there are moments of peaceful calm and frenzied chaos, makes the album seem sinister, aggressive, unpredictable and dangerous.

I think this album is absolutely stunning. King Crimson gets progressive rock right, just not all at once. The two key elements of prog rock to me are: a thematically unified album and extended instrumentals that are not overindulgent. The first two incarnations of King Crimson, from 1969 to 1972, succeed at the former. The third incarnation, which starts with this album, succeeds at the latter. Larks' Tongues is one of my personal favorites, so of course I think it's worth listening to. I also think it belongs in a serious record collection, especially one that is open to prog rock. I also believe this album deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list since it's one of the finest examples of prog rock.

All the songs are excellent. The stand outs are: Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part One), Book of Saturday, Exiles, Easy Money, The Talking Drum and Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Part Two).

★★★★★★★★★★

273. David Bowie | Aladdin Sane (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Watch That Man
2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
3. Drive-In Saturday
4. Panic in Detroit
5. Cracked Actor
6. Time
7. The Prettiest Star
8. Let's Spend the Night Together
9. The Jean Genie
10. Lady Grinning Soul

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Aladdin Sane is a riotous album. The music is rock. Most songs move forward on a powerful and relentless rhythm. The melodies are infectious and bountiful. David Bowie's lyrics may or may not be meaningful, but they are fun and colorful; there's nothing like songs referencing drugs, riots, transvestites, masturbation and Che Guevara.

David Bowie is coming on fast and furious now. One might think he's a lot like the Beatles, seeing how he's at the vanguard, but they'd be wrong. Whereas everyone was able to follow the Beatles, I don't even think anybody can see where Bowie is—he's that far ahead! It may not even be that Bowie's better than the Beatles; it's possible that it's just that the music has gotten worse, except, that is, for Bowie. He's not innovative or experimental like the Beatles, but that's gone out of fashion anyway; he just knows how to write a great song.

I think this album is absolutely magnificent. David Bowie seems at his best on this album. Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust are masterpieces, but this album seems so sophisticated and profound. Bowie has certainly expanded his range. I also believe he's at his charismatic best on this one. He so entertaining and makes androgyny sexy! This album is a must for serious collectors and it certainly belongs on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are outstanding!

★★★★★★★★★★

272. Incredible Bongo Band | Bongo Rock (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Let There Be Drums
2. Apache
3. Bongolia
4. Last Bongo in Belgium
5. Dueling Bongos
6. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
7. Raunchy '73
8. Bongo Rock '73

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Note: The album cover on the left side is for the original US release; the one on the right is for the original UK release.

Bongo Rock is a exciting album. The music is quite lively and rhythmic, featuring bongos, keyboards and various horns and some guitar. The songs are all instrumentals, even the cover version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

I think this is a fun album to listen to. I especially like good instrumental songs and they are in profusion here. It does take some time to get comfortable with all of the songs. I didn't find In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida interesting at first, and now it's something to marvel at. The interlude is really good.

I think this album is worth listening to. It's one whose relevance had to wait until hip-hop and big beat came into being. And so any fan of those genres should be familiar with at least Apache, Bongolia and Last Bongo In Belgium. In that way, this album is way ahead of its time because the rhythms being played were so useful. However that's probably just accidental more than intentional. And that's why this album doesn't need to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Let There Be Drums, Apache, Bongolia, Dueling Bongos, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and Bongo Rock '73.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

271. Lynyrd Skynyrd | (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) (1973)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. I Ain't the One
2. Tuesday's Gone
3. Gimme Three Steps
4. Simple Man
5. Things Goin' On
6. Mississippi Kid
7. Poison Whiskey
8. Free Bird

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(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) is a sincere album. The music is Southern rock; although, I'm not sure what that means. British bands have been defining blues-inspired rock since the late 1960s and that's what everyone who played blues rock tried to emulate. Then in the early 1970s American bands defined their own brand of blues-inspired rock. A defining difference is American blues rock incorporates elements of country music, including lyrical references. I think that's what makes Lynryd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers different from, say, Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones.

There's a real down-to-earth feeling I get with this album. The lyrics and song themes seem more personal, immediate and relevant. The music also seem straightforward and uncluttered or unburdened.  I think, most importantly, the music just sounds fresh and the lyrics unpretentious.

This album is pretty darn good. Although, there are quite a few long songs, the album moves quite briskly. The album never becomes tedious. Certainly, it's worth listening to and I would recommend it to anyone looking to build a serious album collection, but I don't think it needs to be on the 1001 Albums list. It isn't stylistically different from what the Allman Brothers have been doing.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: I Ain't the One, Tuesday's Gone, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Things Goin' On, Mississippi Kid, Poison Whiskey and Free Bird. Yep, once again, that's all of them!

★★★★★★★★★★

270. The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St. (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Rocks Off
2. Rip This Joint
3. Shake Your Hips
4. Casino Boogie
5. Tumbling Dice
6. Sweet Virginia
7. Torn and Frayed
8. Sweet Black Angel
9. Loving Cup
10. Happy
11. Turd on the Run
12. Ventilator Blues
13. I Just Want to See His Face
14. Let It Loose
15. All Down the Line
16. Stop Breaking Down
17. Shine a Light
18. Soul Survivor

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Exile on Main St. is a singular album. The music is rock and roll with songs that extend to its roots, country and blues. While the album reaches back to the beginning, it extends forward with use of backing singers and horns. It's impressive to have so much going on while maintaing so much clarity. And it's not that backing singers and horns haven't been used before, I just haven't heard it with straight up rock and roll.

I think this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. The Rolling Stones have always been plagued by inconsistency. Despite having many good albums, their catalogue is not unblemished. And even among the good albums, there are many songs that just don't resonate.

This album is different. Every song belongs and works to improve the others. It's true that this album doesn't have very many big hits on it as other of their albums do and it's true that it takes a while to warm up to the album. But it's worth the effort because these songs are some of their strongest. So, it's certainly worth listening and does belong in every serious album collection. It also deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list for being the gold standard of modern rock and roll albums.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Rocks Off, Rip This Joing, Shake Your Hips, Casino Boogie, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Sweet Black Angel, Loving Cup, Happy, Turd on the Run, Ventilator Blues, I Just Want to See His Face, Let It Loose, All Down the Line, Stop Breaking Down, Shine a Light and Soul Survivor. Yep, that's all of them!

★★★★★★★★★★

269. Al Green | Let's Stay Together (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Let's Stay Together
2. La-La for You
3. So You're Leaving
4. What Is This Feeling?
5. Old Time Lovin'
6. I've Never Found a Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)
7. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?
8. Judy
9. It Ain't No Fun to Me

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Let's Stay Together is a handsome album. The music is soul with a little funk thrown in. The music is mellow, even on the songs with  horns, and works from a slow groove. Al Green's voice is the key instrument on this album, of course, and it's wonderful and complements the music quite well. If this had been done in the contemporary R&B style emerging in the '70s it would have been a failure.

Al Green seems like the natural successor to Sam Cooke. The other great soul singers don't ooze sex appeal and as much as those two. (Otis Redding might fit in there somewhere, though). Al Green is more intimate while Sam Cooke is more of a lady-killer.

I think this is a enjoyable album. Romantic music isn't my cup of tea. Fortunately, soul music is listenable. Despite being soul rather than being R&B, this album is a preview to disco. It seems that funk songs that are tame are nothing more than proto-disco songs. So, Al Green is heading into dangerous territory. It's not that disco itself is bad; rather it's the deluge of talentless musicians and vapid songs that is unleashed that's the problem. No matter, this album is worth listening to and it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Let's Stay Together, La-La for You, So You're Leaving, Old Time Lovin', How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and It Ain't No Fun to Me.

★★★★★★★★★☆

268. War | The World Is a Ghetto (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. The Cisco Kid
2. Where Was You At
3. City, Country, City
4. Four Cornered Room
5. The World Is a Ghetto
6. Beetles in the Bog

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The World Is a Ghetto is a cool album. The music is funk with some soul mixed in. I suppose it's not unexpected for a funk band to jam, but these despite the heavy grooves which most time keep one grounded in the here and now, a couple of the jams have an eerie psychedelic and ethereal quality to them. That's certainly something to be expected for a late '60s psychedelic band or a prog rock band, but not a funk band.

The sound quality is nice. The instruments can be heard clearly and they are balanced against each other quite well.

I think this is a darn good album. It's fun and certainly worth listening to. While all the songs are good, I think it's too disjointed to be a coherent album. I almost think this album doesn't belong on the 1001 Albums list, but there's some pretty interesting things being done musically on songs like Four Cornered Room and The World Is a Ghetto that seem ahead of their time.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: The Cisco Kid, City, Country, City, Four Cornered Room and The World Is a Ghetto.

★★★★★★★★★☆

267. David Bowie | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Starman
5. It Ain't Easy
6. Lady Stardust
7. Star
8. Hang On to Yourself
9. Ziggy Stardust
10. Suffragette City
11. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a quintessential album. The music is rock. Give an album the simple sensibility of rock and roll and weave a story through the songs and the result will be something like Ziggy Stardust, albeit probably less outlandish. To achieve that requires the sensibility of progressive rock.

Ziggy Stardust tells the story of the last five years before the earth is destroyed when an alien named Ziggy Stardust comes to earth to bring hope to the doomed inhabitants. This album is filled with brilliant riffs and melodies, but what makes this album so catchy is David Bowie and his powerful charisma. He adds emotion and fun to a potentially uninteresting and uncompelling story.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant album. Without a doubt, it's worth listening to and belongs in any serious collector's collection. This album belongs on the 1001 Albums list because like most other glam albums it breathes new life into rock music. David Bowie has made an album that tells a story and rocks while doing so. This is one of the benefits of listening to this list. I had little understanding or appreciation for David Bowie before. Now his music is indispensable to my collection.

All the songs are equally outstanding after listening to them many, many times. My favorites are: Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain't Easy, Star, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City and Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.

★★★★★★★★★★

266. The Temptations | All Directions (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On
2. Run Charlie Run
3. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone
4. Love Woke Me Up This Morning
5. I Ain't Got Nothin'
6. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
7. Mother Nature
8. Do Your Thing

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All Directions is a bifurcated album. The music is soul and funk. The songs vary from standards like The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) to social commentary like Run Charlie Run. And that's how the music divides, too. The safer ones being soul and the more adventurous ones being funk. The main feature here, of course, is the Temptations voices. There isn't a finer group of voices in music.

The songs are all good enough to stand alone. There isn't a bad one among the bunch. The problem is that they don't jell. So then the album seems more like a collection of hit songs than an album with a common thread running through it.

Then there is Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. This is another outstanding song both for the music and vocals. In fact, prog rock bands should take a look at the Temptations' playbook on how to make long songs compelling. The problem with the song is then its inclusion among so many short songs. When there are eight songs and one comprises over a third of the album's length, it just unbalances the the whole thing.

I think this is an enjoyable album and it's worth listening to, but since it would seem to be more of a compilation of songs than a "true" album, I don't think it belongs on the 1001 Albums list. Rather individual songs can appear on a 1001 Songs list. 

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Run Charlie Run, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, I Ain't Got Nothin', The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face), Mother Nature and Do Your Thing.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

265. Alice Cooper | School's Out (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. School's Out
2. Luney Tune
3. Gutter Cat Vs. the Jets
4. Street Fight
5. Blue Turk
6. My Stars
7. Public Animal #9
8. Alma Mater
9. Grande Finale

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School's Out is a daring album. The music is hard rock. And more! With the West Side Story elements in Gutter Cat Vs. the Jets and in Grande Finale, this is hard rock-cum-musical. Although, the story is elusive. There's also a sampling of nightclub music with Blue Turk.

With the mix of styles, I'm not sure who the audience is that Alice Cooper is trying to reach—Theater-going types who think they're missing out on essential rowdiness and mischief or young, blue-collar, beer-drinking men who realize they lack refinement? 

I think this is an entertaining album. And it's also likeable. Unfortunately, I don't think it succeeds in whatever it was meant to achieve.  It doesn't fail because of the concept; it fails because it's incoherent. So, it's worth listening to at least once, and it does improve the more times it's listened to. However, I don't think it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list. If the concept had been clearer it certainly could've been a timeless classic.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: School's Out, Luney Tune, Blue Turk, My Stars, Public Animal #9 and Grande Finale.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

264. Roxy Music | Roxy Music (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Re-Make/Re-Model
2. Ladytron
3. If There Is Something
4. 2 H. B.
5. The Bob (Medley)
6. Chance Meeting
7. Would You Believe?
8. Sea Breezes
9. Bitters End

N.B. This is the track listing for the original UK release. The original US release and all subsequent releases contain the song "Virginia Plain" which is located between the third and fourth songs. 

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Roxy Music is an energetic album. The music is glam rock or art rock. What that means for Roxy Music is that they are a more accessible kind of progressive rock. The style is just as adventurous, but the songs are more manageable and it's more melodic. The topics are also more down-to-earth, like skirt chasing.

This album really just explodes out of the gate and maintains a hectic pace until it loses some steam and focus on the second half. It's been a while since music has been this animated.  They share the energy of The Stooges, MC5 and The Flamin' Groovies, but are more intellectually challenging.

I think this is a fantastic album. It seems to breathe life into the music world which is otherwise suffering from too many vapid pop artists, and too much dominance from bloated and introverted prog rock and hard rock bands. It's also another indication that music is finally getting away from the psychedelic, Beatles-dominated '60s. I don't what Roxy Music's relevance is to the future bands to come, but it is clear that, at that point in time, they belonged to the future rather than the past. (Certainly some of Brian Eno's electronic sounds appear in music two or three decades from this point as if it were something new and innovative.) This album is certainly worth listening to and most definitely belong on the 1001 Albums list.

All the songs are excellent. The stand-outs are: Re-Make/Re-Model, Ladytron, If There Is Something, 2 H. B., Sea Breezes and Bitters End. If the US release is included, then Virginia Plain is also among the stand-outs.

★★★★★★★★★☆

263. Paul Simon | Paul Simon (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Mother and Child Reunion
2. Duncan
3. Everything Put Together Falls Apart
4. Run That Body Down
5. Armistice Day
6. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
7. Peace Like a River
8. Papa Hobo
9. Hobo's Blues
10. Paranoia Blues
11. Congratulations

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Paul Simon is an inane album. The music is folk rock. It's Paul Simon, minus Art Garfunkel, singing along to some nice melodies.

Paul Simon should drop the pretence of being both a folk musician and a serious social commentator. He's neither. How can anyone take Mother and Child Reunion seriously? How about Hobo's Blues? Or Paranoia Blues? And the socially-conscious ones like Armistice Day and Peace Like a River are lost amidst all the nonsense. Rather it seems he wants to be a storytelling singer-songwriter. Except I don't believe him or I don't care or both. It's just clever shtick to me. He'd rather rhyme than make sense.

Most of the music is nice though. I'll leave it at that.

The songs I enjoy musically are: Mother and Child Reunion, Duncan, Armistice Day, Peace Like a River and Hobo's Blues.

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

262. Nick Drake | Pink Moon (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Pink Moon
2. Place to Be
3. Road
4. Which Will
5. Horn
6. Things Behind the Sun
7. Know
8. Parasite
9. Free Ride
10. Harvest Breed
11. From the Morning

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Pink Moon is a melancholy album. The music is folk. It's Nick Drake singing and playing guitar.

Nick Drake sings in monotone and with little energy. In almost every song he alludes to death. Place to Be makes it clear he doesn't expect to live a full life and other songs seem to contain anger or loathing. It's a very dark set of lyrics. This music is beautiful, though and combined with the dark lyrics, the album is quite haunting.

It was a great loss to the music world that Nick Drake ended his life after this album. There were very few good quality singer-songwriters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Nick Drake was one of the best despite only producing three albums' worth of songs.

Not that it would have made a lick of difference though if he had lived and continued to make music. Nothing short of divine intervention would have stemmed the tide of awful singer-songwriters that were to plague the music world from the 1970s onward.

I really enjoy this album, even though there seems to be something improper about enjoying the product of someone's pain. I do think it's worth listening to and should be a part of any serious music collection. This album should be on the 1001 Albums list as an example of what a good singer-songwriter is.

All the songs are outstanding.

★★★★★★★★★★

261. Tim Buckley | Greetings From L.A. (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Move with Me
2. Get on Top
3. Sweet Surrender
4. Nighthawkin'
5. Devil Eyes
6. Hong Kong Bar
7. Make It Right

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Greetings From L.A. is a manic album. The music is funk and jazz rock. That's according to Wikipedia. I think it's a hard rock and blues rock album. Tim Buckley switches between singing normally and singing in a really high falsetto voice.

Tim Buckley is certainly all horned up and looking for kinky sex, which certainly makes for a wild, fun and entertaining album.

This album is fun to listen to. It's a bit chaotic and uneven. Some might say the long songs jam, but I'd say they lose focus, or change direction and deserve to be distinct songs in their own right. This album is certainly worth listening to since it's so mental. I'm not sure that it needs to be on the 1001 Albums list, though.

All the songs are good. The stand outs are: Move with Me, Get on Top, Sweet Surrender, Hong Kong Bar and Make It Right.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

260. Eagles | Eagles (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. Take It Easy
2. Witchy Woman
3. Chug All Night
4. Most of Us Are Sad
5. Nightingale
6. Train Leaves Here This Morning
7. Take the Devil
8. Earlybird
9. Peaceful Easy Feeling
10. Tryin'

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Eagles is a feel-good album. The music is country rock. The Eagles' kind of country rock is different from Gram Parsons' country rock. Parsons' country rock is rock that wants to be country; with the Eagles, it's the other way round.

Rock music has never claimed any moral high ground, despite at times being a platform for political and social commentary. Most of the time it straddles between nonsense and hedonism. With this album, there's an added element of individualism bordering on narcissism, which is clearly prevalent on Take It Easy and Earlybird.

This album is quite good. Although the music is good, it's a bit generic-sounding. The most adventurous songs are the country ones. I don't think it's a particularly exciting album. It doesn't hurt to listen to it, but nothing is lost if it never gets heard. The only reason I'd think it deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list is because of the deluge of crap AOR that follows in its wake.

All the songs are fine. The stand outs are: Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Chug All Night, Train Leaves Here This Morning, Earlybird, Peaceful Easy Feeling and Tryin'.

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

259. David Ackles | American Gothic (1972)

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Wikipedia Entry

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Tracks

1. American Gothic
2. Love's Enough
3. Ballad of the Ship of State
4. One Night Stand
5. Oh, California!
6. Another Friday Night
7. Family Band
8. Midnight Carousel
9. Waiting for the Moving Van
10. Blues for Billy Whitecloud
11. Montana Song

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American Gothic is a peculiar album. The music has a vaudevillian and orchestral quality to it. David Ackles sings in a style similar to Tim Buckley and Jacques Brel.

The songs are ostensibly snapshots of American life—a loveless, dysfunctional marriage, the end of the Vietnam War, love vs. lust, mass consumerism, loneliness and alcohol, religiosity, the pioneer spirit. It's a dark, sad and cynical album that ends on a hopeful note; even the music is upbeat when the lyrics aren't.

This album has moments of profound beauty and insight. Other moments border on the banal. In that, it's an uneven album which can be forgiven because of it's adventurousness. I think the album is most definitely worth listening to, after a brief review of American history. This album can be seen either as a last gasp of pre-rock and roll popular music or as passing the baton to a new generation of singers like Tom Waits. Which it actually is ought to determine whether this album deserves to be on the 1001 Albums list. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

All the songs are quite good, but the strongest part of the album is the opening three songs. The stand outs are: American Gothic, Love's Enough, Ballad of the Ship of State, One Night Stand, Another Friday Night, Midnight Carousel, Waiting for the Moving Van, Blues for Billy Whitecloud and Montana Song.

★★★★★★★★★☆