416 - Tom Waits - Mule Variations

My primary knowledge of Tom Waits and his music is via his 1992 album, Bone Machine. That album was a theatrical, junkyard rock/blues album that really shook how I could envision artists musically experiment. Afterward, I found some of Tom's songs from the 70's and got an idea of how his sound had evolved through the years. Mule Variations was released this century and sounds more like a retrospective of his musical styles than a cohesive album.

Tom Waits's music fits in a spot between Leonard Cohen and the Muppets. His instrumentation on this album varies from junkyard orchestra to a single piano. His vocals range from low rasp to a distorted, gravely shout one might expect to hear from a booze-soaked guy in the alley. What I really like about the album is that no matter how the atmosphere and attitude may change from song to song, Tom always sounds true to character and not contrived.

Songs I knew I liked: None

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Big in Japan," "Hold On," the spoken-word "What's He Building?," and "Georgia Lee"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: I wouldn't stop anyone from playing the album, but I can't say that I see myself feeling a need to hear it.

415 - Van Halen - (eponymous)

What in the world is this album doing at 415!? Of the albums I've come across so far, this leads the pack for deserving to be higher on the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums list. There is one song that I think is less than stellar, "On Fire." Not many albums I've listened to can boast that kind of rockin' consistency.

Speaking of "rockin' consistency"...how about the Van Halen rhythm section!? David's preening and Eddie's guitar gymnastics get a lot of attention, but Alex and Mike set a rumbling, tumbling foundation continually moves the listener along. Good grief, how many times have I repeated a song today to listen to the drums and ponder how the hell Alex managed to play all that I was hearing? More times than I have fingers.

How many lead singers can compare to David Lee Roth's onstage persona and charisma? His James Brown like grunts, shouts, and squeals add just as much to the songs as when he's singing the actual lyrics (listen to the vocals only mix of "Running with the Devil" for evidence of the importance of his vocal-filler).

*insert obvious statements about the guitar skills of Eddie Van Halen and how a decade of heavy metal/hard rock was molded from how he played his guitar and shredded the competition with his solos*

What the album lacks is any sort of artistic pretension. Does Eddie like to show off his guitar skills? Yes, but the album is all about fun, rockin' out, and the band making the crowd as excited as possible. There are no grand statements being made other than "Let's Rawk!"

Songs I knew I liked: I have this album and love it. I know all of the songs and love most of them.

Songs I didn't know but now like: See above

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "On Fire" is the only song that tempts me to press skip or stop.