323 - David Bowie - Station to Station

Station to Station documents David Bowie at the beginning of his Thin White Duke phase. Ziggy is gone and now David sings as a dispassionate character with a love of Krautrock. There is still a good bit of funk and soul in several of these songs ("Golden Years," "TVC15," and "Stay" especially). However, Station to Station highlights mechanics - from stilted, emotionless singing to instruments sounding more like clockwork machines.

The title track is almost like an overture for the album. In its ten minutes there are sounds of trains, guitars sounding like construction equipment, and shifts in musical tone and attitude. Oh, and just to emphasize the point that David was blitzed out of his head on coke (he has revealed he remembers next to nothing about recording the album), there are mentions of the drug on the title track and other songs.

I found myself liking the songs and have good feelings for the album, but I'm not really attracted to it. Enjoyable, but no craving happening within me.

Songs I knew I liked: "Golden Years"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Station to Station," "TVC15," "Stay," "Wild is the Wind"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Word On a Wing"

322 - The Police - Ghost in the Machine

Ghost in the Machine is where Sting started his takeover of the band. Stewart Copeland has said that this was the first album that the band showed up and Sting basically had the songs written instead of showing up with bits and pieces or general ideas for songs.

Coincidence or not, the band started to transition from a strong reggae-rock sound to more jazzy. On "Spirits in the Material World," the keys play a rhythmic role that would ordinarily be solely carried by a guitar. There is also extensive use of horns in many of the songs. Several of the tracks on this album sound very much like the musical atmosphere that the band would completely embrace in their next album, Synchronicity.

Songs I knew I liked: "Spirits in a Material World," "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," "Invisible Sun," "Hungry For You," and "One World (Not Three)"

Songs I didn't know but now like: Nothing new.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: While I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the last third of the album, there aren't any songs I skip on this album.

321 - Randy Newman - Sail Away

I'm really hoping this is the last Randy Newman album on the list. Are the songs good? Yes. Do I enjoy listening to them? Not really. If you want to listen to a Randy Newman album, Sail Away is probably the one I'd point you to. His songwriting and execution seem the most confident of the albums I've listened to. The songs are a bit more similar in style and attitude and all of the traits that I've come to expect from him are on display here.

Songs I knew I liked: "Burn On" and I was familiar with the Joe Cocker cover of "You Can Leave Your Hat On"

Songs I didn't know but now like: None

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: I won't feel that I've missed anything in life if I never heard this album again. Again, not that it's bad...I just don't enjoy Randy Newman. I've had my fill of him from the 3 or so previous albums I've heard over the past several months.