The left alone album

Hi, hope everyone is okay.

This is my second attempt at this since for some reason my phone app deleted the previous attempt at this and now I'm a bit fed up because I have to make it all up again...

The other day I was listening to the Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio Two (I guess it has to be said that way?) and he played the Dire Straits song Private Investigations in it's beautifully atmospheric, musical, lyrical and produced entirety.

While it was on I was reminded of the fact that the album that Private Investigations was on, Love Over Gold, was to my mind better than Brothers In Arms, which is usually touted as the band's best.

Dire Straits

If truth be told, I believe all the albums before Brothers In Arms are better. I do like a lot of that album, but it's just not as good as the predecessors, in my humble opinion.

I was also reminded that my step-dad liked the first four Dire Straits albums more as well, all of which he owned on cassette tape.

While thinking about the album Love Over Gold, I thought about how other great albums were given short shrift because of an artist's "best ever album". 

What can I say? I'm someone that loves a full album! I love everything about them. I used (and still do) read and enjoy the whole thing - the songs, the production, arrangements, and the whole packaging as well.

The Beatles

I actually miss packaging when I download songs or albums. It's not the same, and don't even get me started on singles being just one song!

Anyway... Back to the subject.

There are other times where, in my opinion, this is the case.

The Beatles albums Revolver and Rubber Soul get pushed aside by "the mighty" Sgt Pepper's album. Personally speaking, I like Sgt Peppers, but I think that Revolver & Rubber Soul are better.

The Rolling Stones recording

The album Exile On Main Street is often said to be the best Rolling Stones album, but that then pushes aside the greatness of albums such as Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed... The list goes on.

In some cases I think it means that people go to "their best album" and nowhere near their other material.

Now I know that people make up their own minds on these things, but I thought of a suggestion.

AC/DC in Highway To Hell
album cover outtake

If there is one of these albums that jumps out at you so much, now that there is the internet where people talk about these things look at the artist/s in question and see what "other" album people rave about and buy it! Just do it!

Bon Jovi possibly auditioning
for hair product advertising?

If you have the AC/DC album Back In Black because people say that's their best, then get Highway To Hell, because that's the next one people talk about.

Bon Jovi's album Slippery When Wet a fave?  Get hold of New Jersey with it's clever lyrics and crunching guitar riffs and cracking un-eighties drum sounds (something that jumps out at me on Slippery).

We could go on and on about this but, in fact, I won't because I like the idea of people interacting and leaving me suggestions of their own.

Thank you for reading. Please take care.

January 10th 2014 (43 years, 1 month, and 15 days old).