I thank the Lord for the people I have found

Continuing my trip up Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time...

#252 : Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - Devo (1978)

They came from Akron, Ohio, wore matching jumpsuits, and had a sinister theory of devolution. Their debut album runs on rubber-punk energy and mechanized New Wave beats, with a robotic, soul-chilling version of the Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” demented highlights like the troublingly catchy “Mongoloid,” and the Chuck Berry parody “Come Back Jonee.” Devo never got slowed down by their concept; “Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy)” is warped Midwestern guitar mania at its finest.

I had heard of Devo, but would have struggled to tell you anything about them, so was intrigued to listen to them - somewhat disturbed by description above but encouraged by the very fine album title.  Unfortunately, the album title is as good as it gets - this is just rubbish shouting, I'm afraid.  The Stones cover is interesting to the point of unrecognisability but there's very little else of any interest - and I can confirm that "Mongoloid" is most definitely not troublingly catchy.  It's a big NO from me.

WIkipedia tells me we have our first sighting of Brian Eno for a while - although apparently Bowie was originally going to produce, which lead me down an interesting "which non-Bowie albums did Bowie produce?" diversion.  "Not many" is the answer, with Lou Reed's Transformer being the best known along with a couple of Iggy-related albums - and, quite obviously, a couple of tracks on a Lulu album.  Anyway, back to less interesting things - there's really remarkably little about the album here, although it does note that initial reaction was mixed, including the fabulous faint praise "In small doses it's as good as novelty music ever gets", but it's been critically re-evaluated by everyone in the world except for me, it appears (although maybe I'll love it on my second listen - come back to me on my deathbed to see if that ever happened).  Bizarrely, Wikipedia also includes a listing of every gig they played on the world tour that supported the album which is information absolutely nobody asked for (and I'm very glad this isn't a common occurrence).

The band's Wikipedia entry tells me they are "known for their music and stage shows mingling kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humour and mordantly satirical social commentary" and, quite frankly, they were lucky I read any further than that.  They seem an odd, if harmless bunch and they're still hanging in there, despite the founding members being in their early 70s.  I was also quite taken by the fact that they called one of their albums Oh No, It's Devo! - I don't think anyone can accuse them of taking themselves too seriously.  "Customers also listened to" The B52s (which I can totally see) and Ultravox (which is slightly less obvious).  Not for me though.

#251 : Honky Chateau - Elton John (1972)

After a couple of weightier singer-songwriter outings, it was delightful to hear Elton John revel in the simple pop pleasures of “Honky Cat.” Written in four days and using his signature touring band for the first time, his fifth album is a snapshot of an artist loosening up and coming into his full powers, rendering classics like “Rocket Man” and “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” as well as curveballs like the adolescent angst of “I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself,” into jaunty confection.

I remember my dad buying Goodbye Yellow Brick Road back in 1973 - I would have been 5, so I'm quite impressed I can remember that (especially since I now struggle with what happened yesterday).  I know and like quite a few tracks off it, but can't remember having listened to that (or any other Elton) album in full, so was quite looking forward to this one from the same era.  And I really enjoyed it - it comes across as classic Elton, but I'd say his voice sounds warmer than usual on many of these tracks.  I obviously love "Rocket Man", but also really liked "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters" which I don't recall every having heard before.  All in all, this was a pleasure to be introduced to - the best "new" album I've had in ages.

Wikipedia doesn't have a lot to say about the album other than it was pretty successful - "The album reached number one in the US, the first of John's seven consecutive US number one albums" - we kinda forget what a big deal he was back in the day!  He wasn't such a big deal in Canada though, as this incredibly specific set of facts tell us - "In Canada, the album peaked at No. 3 on the RPM 100 Top Albums Chart, reaching this position on 29 July 1972, dropping two places to No. 5, then returning to No. 3 for a further twelve consecutive weeks before falling to No. 9 on 4 November of the same year".  Quite why anyone would decide we needed to know that is unclear.  Elton's Wikipedia page is a lengthy affair - he's done a few things in his life, but to be honest it's more fun watching Rocketman, which I enjoyed way more than I was expecting to and paints him a very good light, often because of the fact that's he allowed himself to be portrayed him as quite an unpleasant person at various times in his life.

"Customers also listened to" a strange mix, including Bill Withers who is much more similar to Elton than I had initially considered.  But I really liked this and am looking forward to seeing if we meet him again later on (I'm expecting GYBR to be on here). 

And with that, we're halfway there!

#250 : Singles Going Steady - Buzzcocks (1979)

Some punks wanted to smash the state. The Buzzcocks just wanted to find someone to love, and if you didn’t return their intense affection, watch out (check the jilted tantrum “Oh Shit!”). Singles collects eight British 45s into a perfect punk album. This Manchester group took the sound of the Ramones and made it jittery and even faster. Songs such as “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” define a world of permanently frustrated punk desire.

The Buzzcocks are one of those groups I expect to hate, but always quite like when it comes down to it - there's enough energy and skill in there to keep me engaged.  But, what we have here is fairly and squarely in the "greatest hits + B sides" category, so is completely invalid for consideration.  Which is a shame because "Ever Falling In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" is a great track (and also features a double contraction, so makes it pleasingly rare).

Wikipedia has very little to say about the album, although it's interesting to note that it was originally only released in the US, but only really appeared to sell in the UK as an import and wasn't released in the UK until 1981.  Whilst listening to it, I did think that "Orgasm Addict" must have bothered the BBC somewhat - and yes, it was banned.  It's a bit "look at me", but still amusingly tame compared with some of the stuff released these days without anyone batting an eyelid.  Wikipedia also has very little of interest to note about the group, other than that somehow, they're still going, albeit with a slightly different line-up from the original, given that two of them only lasted a couple of years and Pete Shelley died in 2016.  Good luck to 'em, though!

"Customers also listened to" The Damned and Stiff Little Fingers - both very much in the same  ballpark and both of whom I like more than I'd expect to (in small doses, at least). All in all, an interesting listen that's both of its time and surprisingly enduring, but not a valid entry for this list in my eyes.

Elton would have won given most competition, but given this competition he was a shoo-in.

#255-253 - At last, the poor men get a chance
#249-247 - Over 40 million albums sold between them