273 - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - ...Going to a Go-Go

A couple of years ago, I discovered Mayer Hawthorne's retro-soul sound. After obsessing with his work for a while, I made an observation that I probably ought to be listening to Smokey and some of the inspiration for Mayer's work instead of being so devoted to his recent album. This album gave me that opportunity and makes me wish I had done so earlier.

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles Going to a Go-Go was better and more soulful than I was expecting. I'm familiar with "Ooo, Baby, Baby," but I was so moved by it when it would come on during my listens. I frequently found myself stopping my work and starting to sway and lip-synch the "ooooooooo, baby, baby" parts of the song. Whew! I'm getting the vapors just thinking about that.

Songs I knew I liked: "The Tracks of My Tears" and "Ooo, Baby, Baby"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Choosey Beggar," "My Baby Changes Like the Weather," and "A Fork in the Road"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None

272 - Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out

I sampled some Sleater-Kinney songs several years ago. I don't know if I heard live tracks or some early tracks, but I recalled the tracks and band being much more fierce and raw than what I heard on this album. What I heard when going through Dig Me Out is much better than what I recall hearing of their music. Take the jangly sound of such bands as Blake Babies and the Lemonheads and add more distortion to the guitars for the sound of this album. This lives somewhere between Belly and L7. I was pleasantly surprised with how this album fits into the music that I enjoy.

Not certain if I'm going to put this on my BUY list since I don't really gravitate to this attitude of music at this time in my life. However, I will whole-heartedly recommend this when folks tell me they like bands with women that rawk.

Songs I knew I liked: None

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Dig Me Out," "Turn It On," "Heart Factory," "Little Babies," "Not What You Want," "Buy Her Candy," and "Things You Say"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None

271 - The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today!

My Beach Boys musical knowledge is focused on their early albums and 45s (which my dad has on vinyl and I grew up playing) and Pet Sounds/Smile with tracks from greatest hits compilations thrown in. The lyrical sentimentality of Today! certainly doesn't match the PS/Smile songs, but is a lot better than the "formula" songs that brought them to popularity. There are things such as the harpsichord on "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" that remind me of other 60's songs, but most of what I hear is the Beach Boys sound.

Songs I knew I liked: "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Dance, Dance, Dance"

Songs I didn't know but now like: I love, love, love "Don't Hurt My Little Sister."

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: This version of "Help Me, Rhonda" is a different version from the single everyone is familiar. There is a tempo difference and I found the audio mixing to be rather bizarre. Someone decided to play around with the audio levels to create more quiet/loud dynamics with the "Help Me, Rhonda" stanzas near the end that really annoyed the heck outta me.