365 - The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs

Let's face it. You take Morrissey out of The Smiths and you have a completely different band. Like Roxy Music's mid-70's output, I found the band's performances to be good and varied while supporting a vocalist that has a unique crooning delivery that catches most listeners' attention. The Smiths took rockabilly, 60's pop, and jangly guitars and put Morrissey's pouting on top of it.

Louder Than Bombs is a compilation CD (yeah, "boo" to another compilation album on the list) that was created to help introduce The Smiths to the American public. While it has songs that certainly qualify as "greatest hits," there are some assorted b-sides and album tracks that are thrown in. This is a hefty serving of The Smiths that was a bit unwieldy to me.

Is "London" included because it is a great Smiths song or because it rocks harder than anything else on the album (thus likely to appeal more to Americans)? Am I supposed to like "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" because Morrissey is being self-effacing or does it just highlight the mopey sound that The Smiths refined until Johnny Marr couldn't take it any more? And what's up with the pedestrian instrumental "Oscillate Wildly?"

To be honest, the only reason why I could see people selecting this album for the Rolling Stone list instead of any other singles compilation or studio album by The Smiths is for sentimental reasons of this album being that person's introduction to the band. There are good songs here that could influence a person to want to hear more...but there's plenty here that really falls flat for me.

Songs I knew I liked: "William, It Was Really Nothing," "Half a Person," "Hand in Glove," "Shoplifters of the World Unite," "Sheila Take a Bow," and "Panic"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Ask," "London," and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Golden Lights," "Asleep," "Sweet and Tender Hooligan," and "Unloveable"

364 - Johnny Cash - American Recordings

When musical legends make an effort to get one last hit later in their career, producers tend to pull out all of the stops. They will add dance beats to what that artist would typically record. Sometimes the album is filled with guest appearances by current hit artists. But Rick Rubin took a different approach when producing American Recordings. Other than suggesting (mostly non-country music) covers, he stood out of the way and took a spare approach.

You wanna talk about spare? This album is a collection of songs sung by Johnny with acoustic guitar accompanying him. There are two tracks ("Tennessee Stud" and "The Man Who Couldn't Cry") that have a small audience that hoots and cheers along. This is an intimate album. The quietness of the album excludes it from being something I would listen to regularly. It isn't a sob fest of depressing tracks, but the dynamics of the album are confined by the spareness that is only overcome by the two tracks with the eager audience. And it is when I listen to those songs that I get the itch to reach over to my vinyl and put on Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison or Johnny Cash at San Quentin.

Songs I knew I liked: "Delia's Gone" and "Tennessee Stud"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Let the Train Blow the Whistle," "Drive On," "Why Me Lord," and "Thirteen"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "The Man Who Couldn't Cry"