Martian204: Six Essential Albums

    Martian203 (Steve)  
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Name: Steve
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Location: United States
 
1. Straight Up Badfinger
2. Get the Knack Knack
3. Toy Matinee Toy Matinee
4. Photograph Smile Julian Lennon
5. Last Night Mark Johnson
6. Girlfriend Matthew Sweet


Comments:
Badfinger - Straight Up
Quite simply the best album ever recorded. It never loses its impact and is flawless in every detail.

The Knack - Get the Knack
Punchy, powerful guitar-driven, soaring harmonies, high energy. Every track is perfect. What more can ya want?

Toy Matinee - S/T
Kevin Gilbert was a genius of the highest order and this disc is yet another all time classic. He set out to make a record that would never get stale and he succeeded.
Too bad he died before his time.

Julian Lennon - Photograph Smile Unfortunately, his only decent album but what an album. It's chock full of great harmonies, catchy songs, hook-laden and well-crafted. Looking forward to his next one, that's for sure.

Mark Johnson - Last Night on a Rollercoaster Finally, somebody who is creating Phil Spector's Wall of Sound with modern production techniques. "Asia Minor" will give you chills. The album will leave you breathless and shivering, it's just that good.

Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
The album that started my power pop obsession


The next 4:
7. Del Amitri - Waking Hours
Again, not much to say, it's just completely perfect. They are the best quintissential rock-and-roll band, hands down.

8. Brett Rosenberg Problem - Destroyer This is a recent addition to my list but I just can't get enough of this album. Lyrically, he pines for his ex-girlfriend and vows never to make the same mistakes again in songs like "Kelly Haas All Over Again" which is something we can all relate to. "Orange Line" is one of the finest songs ever written about aimlessy drifting. Stylistically, he's in the same vein as Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello. This disc is a modern classic, plain and simple. Get it!

9. Michael Oliver - Pop and Circumstances Here is a guy that definitely deserves much more recognition. The songwriting is just absolutely unparallelled. Vocally, he sounds like Michael Penn which is a good thing. The album starts out strong and just keeps getting better and better. Hear it for yourself, you'll be glad ya did.

10. Merrymakers - Bubblegun
Perfect Power pop, pure and simple. The song "April's Fool", in my opinion, defines the genre. It's just insane. Absolutely brilliant beyond description.

Straight Up Badfinger
(1971)

1. Take It All
2. Baby Blue
3. Money
4. Flying
5. I'd Die Babe
6. Name Of The Game
7. Suitcase
8. Sweet Tuesday Morning
9. Day After Day
10. Sometimes
11. Perfection
12. It's Over
13. Money (original version)
14. Flying (original version)
15. Name Of The Game (original version)
16. Suitcase (original version)
17. Perfect (original version)
18. Baby Blue (U.S. single mix)

Last 6 tracks are bonus items on the CD remastered reissue
 Get The Knack Knack
(1979)

1. Let Me Out
2. Your Number or Your Name
3. Oh Tara
4. (She's So) Selfish
5. Maybe Tonight
6. Good Girls Don't
7. My Sharona
8. Heartbeat
9. Siamese Twins (The Monkey and Me)
10. Lucinda
11. That's What the Little Girls Do
12. Frustrated
13. Don't Look Back [*]
14. That's What the Little Girls Do [*]
15. Maybe Tonight [*]
16. I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll) [*]
17. My Sharona [*]

[*] Bonus Tracks on the CD Reissue
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Toy Matinee Toy Matinee
(1990)

 1. Last Plane Out
2. Turn It on Salvador
3. Things She Said
4. Remember My Name
5. Toy Matinee
6. Queen of Misery
7. Ballad of Jenny Ledge
8. There Was a Little Boy
9. We Always Come Home
10. Eenitam Yot Eht
11. Blank Page
12. Things She Said
13. There Was a Little Boy
14. Last Plane Out

Photograph Smile Julian
(1998)

1. Day After Day
2. Cold
3. I Should Have Known
4. How Many Times
5. I Don't Wanna Know
6. Crucified
7. Walls
8. Believe
9. Good To Be Lonely
10. Kiss Beyond The Catcher
11. And She Cries
12. Photograph Smile
13. Faithful
14. Way To Your Heart
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Last Night on the Roller Coaster Mark Johnson (2000)

Rollercoaster
Dreaming
Drifting
Eyes
Skinny Boy
Those Pretty Things
Concrete Lullaby
Asia Major
So Wonderful
Suddenly Sunshine
Baby Go
Lovin' Goes Fadin'
The Stripper
Amusement Serenade
Rhythm Of The World
Last Night On The Roller Coaster
Coney Island Night
2.28 Bonus Track

 Girlfriend Matthew Sweet (1991)

1.Divine Intervention
2. I've Been Waiting
3. Girlfriend
4. Looking at the Sun
5. Winona
6. Evangeline
7. Day for Night
8. Thought I Knew You
9. You Don't Love Me
10. I Wanted to Tell You
11. Don't Go
12. Your Sweet Voice
13. Does She Talk?
14. Holy War
15. Nothing Lasts