Graceland - Paul Simon

"This is the story of how we begin to remember"....in 1986 with Apartheid still a South African reality Paul Simon fused his skills for lyrics and melody with the Mbaqanga music of South Africa and American Roots and brought it all together in the enormously successful Graceland.
The Album showcases the talents of Black South Africans such as Ladysmith Black Mambozo, introducing them to global audiences and also features vocals from Linda Ronstadt (Under African Skies) The Evelry Brothers (Graceland) and Los Lobos (All Around The World or The Myth Of Fingerprints). Graceland quickly gained recognition as an instant classic. It won't be hard to pick tracks to play from this album on Thursday and expect to hear more than four...."there are angels in the architecture"

Track listing
1. Boy In The Bubble, The
2. Graceland
3. I Know What I Know
4. Gumboots
5. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
6. You Can Call Me Al
7. Under African Skies
8. Homeless
9. Crazy Love' Vol. II
10. That Was Your Mother
11. All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints

Horses - Patti Smith

Rolling Stone named 1975s Horses one of the top 50 Rock albums of all time, and it's easy to see why. Patti Smiths been called a rock poet, a punk rock progenitor and the front guard of the New Wave movement. Robert Mapplethorpe shot the androgynous album cover, and though its 32 years old it hardly looks dated. If you haven't heard her you've certainly heard the artists she's influenced, Chrissie Hynde and PJ Harvey immediately spring to mind, we've already had PJ as a CJ and I imaging the pretenders will feature sometime in the future. Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, original Bad Girls you ain't!

Horses opens with a Van Morrison Cover "Gloria", a feisty interpretation that builds too a gut wrenching crescendo. It's on the Critical Junction playlist along with the reggae like Redondo Beach along with Free Money and the epic Land ( though at over 9 minutes long you'll have to tune in before 7am to hear the whole thing!)

Punk Rock was kick started by a girl....who knew?

Track listing
1. Gloria
2. Redondo Beach
3. Birdland
4. Free Money
5. Kimberly
6. Break It Up
7. Land: Horses / Land Of A Thousand Dances / La Mer
8. Elegie
9. My Generation

.....Baby One More Time - Britney Spears

The Album that created the ultimate Pop Princess and spawned a celebrity facination that perseveres to the present day. Britney Spears 1999 debut is Bubble Gum Senseless Fun and became THE teen Pop album of the decade. On Soda Pop she fairly belts it out, but what's lacking in vocal ability on other tracks is more than made up for in catchy beats, irristable Euro Dance rhythm and the unforgettable intro to Baby One More Time. In terms of affect and reach you can't argue with 14 times Platinum: Cute girl next door meets schoolgirl vixen, Britney is going to BRING IT to Thursday mornings Critical Junction!
Track Listing.
1. Baby One More Time
2. You Drive Me Crazy
3. Sometimes
4. Soda Pop
5. Born To Make You Happy
6. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart
7. I Will Be There
8. I Will Still Love You
9. Deep In My Heart
10. Thinking About You
11. E Mail My Heart
12. Beat Goes On

The Velvet Underground And Nico

With Lou Reed at the helm this self titled album took a long time to make an impact but when it did it reached out too punk, glam rock, and Goth and pretty much every other left of centre musical movement going.
Released in 1967 it reportedly took 10 years to crack 6 figures but its influence is immeasurable. Even if you haven't heard the Album you've heard echoes of The Velvets in David Bowie, U2, Nirvana, Roxy Music, Joy Division the list goes on. This is the Original Artsy concept Album and Andy Warhols Peelable Banana Cover wrapped it up nicely.
On Thursday Mornings Live Drive we'll be playing Femme Fatale, I'm Waiting For My Man, Venus In Furs, There She Goes.......Tune in you might discover something new!

Track listing
1. Sunday Morning
2. I'm Waiting For The Man
3. Femme Fatale
4. Venus In Furs
5. Run Run Run
6. All Tomorrow's Parties
7. Heroin
8. There She Goes Again
9. I'll Be Your Mirror
10. Black Angel's Death Song
11. European Son