JOESEDDIT’S CRATES FULL OF VINYL – JOHN MELLENCAMP, 

JEFFERSON STARSHIP, SUPERTRAMP

I’ve got a couple of crates full of old vinyl albums that I haven’t listened to in years due to lack of equipment to play them. Over a period of about a year and a half I revisited each album on the internet or bought the CD and ranked the songs. I also recorded some brief thoughts, rated the album, and posted the results on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists comment section. I’m recycling and categorizing/grouping the posts on this website.

The Lonesome Jubilee

John Mellencamp is so middle of the road that he fits several varieties of FM radio formats and, back in the day, MTV. Consequently the man is way overplayed. I don’t remember listening to this album. Didn’t even know I had it. Despite the hits from this one being overplayed, “Cherry Bomb” gets the nod for top of my list. I don’t dislike Mellencamp, and this album probably deserves a better grade, but most of the songs sound the same to me and I can’t say that any of ‘em did much for me.

Scale of 1 to 10:  D

1- Cherry Bomb

2- The Real Life

3- Paper in Fire

4- We Are the People

5- Empty Hands

6- Check it Out

7- Rooty Toot Toot

8- Down and Out in Paradise

9- Hard Times for an Honest Man

10- Hotdogs and Hamburgers

Red Octopus

I never really got into Jefferson Airplane/Starship. This is the only album I have of theirs, which is of the “Starship” version. Many accounts say Starship was commercial and not as good as Airplane. I can believe it. I bought this album for the song “Miracles”, which is possibly the best lovemaking song ever, but the rest of the songs are nothing special at all.

Scale of 1 to 10:  D +

1- Miracles

2- Git Fiddler

3- Fast Buck Freddie

4- There Will be Love

5- Sandalphon

6- Sweeter Than Honey

7- Tumblin’

8- Ai Garimasu (There is Love)

9- I Want to See Another World

10- Play on Love

Breakfast in America

This is the only Supertramp (studio) album in the crates. I bought it for the song “Take the Long Way Home”. Love the harmonica intro, love the song. I remember liking this album back in the vinyl days but I didn’t overplay it because I was into so much other music at the time. So I was looking forward to this revisit and I wasn’t disappointed. Maybe if I played it to the point of saturation I’d feel differently, but right now this one gets a high mark due mainly to its consistency. Really not a bad song on the album - in fact, the minus sign might be uncalled for.

Scale of 1 to 10:  A –

1- Take the Long Way Home

2- Breakfast in America

3- The Logical Song

4- Goodbye Stranger

5- Gone Hollywood

6- Casual Conversations

7- Child of Vision

8- Lord is it Mine

9- Just Another Nervous Wreck

10- Oh Darling