Grand Slams (Four Great Albums in a Row) & The Strokes Review
Sound Opinions celebrates baseball's Opening Day with musical Grand Slams: four knockout albums in a row. Plus, they review the new record from New York garage rockers The Strokes.
Grand Slams (Four Great Albums in a Row)
With Baseball's Opening Day around the corner, Jim and Greg team up with Len Kasper, TV voice of the Chicago Cubs, to pay homage to their version of a Grand Slam. We all know how this works in baseball (though sports-phobe Jim DeRogatis is still getting the hang of the rules). A batter hits a home run with bases loaded, sending four players to home plate. In music, Jim and Greg define a grand slam as four masterpiece albums in a row. Which artists have achieved this rarest of rock feats? Jim and Greg sit down to compare stats.
Grand Slam Allstars
Greg
Jim
Comedown Machine The Strokes
It's been 12 years since The Strokes debuted with Is This It, but they appear to be going back in time rather than forward....to the 1980's to be exact. The new album, Comedown Machine, is packed with references to that era-everything from Flock of Seagulls to Technotronic. The result, according to Greg, is a chilly and overproduced album that sounds more like a Julian Casablancas solo project than that of an actual band. He says Trash It. Jim calls Comedown Machine a "dreadful record," and wishes The Strokes had been able to parlay their minimalist formula as well as Jack White has. Sad, but true: The Strokes gets a double Trash It.
Featured Songs
- Chance Halliday, "Home Run," Slow ... Boogie ... Rockin', Collector, 2012
- Stevie Wonder, "Jesus Children of America," Innervisions, Tamla, 1973
- Stevie Wonder, "Living for the City," Innervisions, Tamla, 1973
- Led Zeppelin, "When the Levee Breaks," Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV), Atlantic, 1971
- Led Zeppelin, "Thank You," Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic, 1969
- Sleater-Kinney, "Call the Doctor," Call the Doctor, Chainsaw Records, 1996
- Sleater-Kinney, "All Hands on the Bad One," All Hands on the Bad One, Kill Rock Stars, 2000
- Sleater-Kinney, "Dig Me Out," Dig Me Out, Kill Rock Stars, 1997
- The Baseball Project, "Past Time," Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, Yep Rock, 2008
- Kanye West, "Jesus Walks," The College Dropout, Roc-A-Fella, 2004
- Kanye West, "Heartless," 808s and Heartbreak, Roc-A-Fella, 2008
- Kanye West, "Roses," Late Registration, Roc-A-Fella, 2005
- XTC, "Dear God," Skylarking, Geffen, 1985
- XTC, "Generals and Majors," Black Sea, Geffen, 1980
- Husker Du, "Sorry Somehow," Candy Apple Grey, Warner Bros., 1986
- Husker Du, "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill," New Day Rising, SST, 1985
- The Velvet Underground, "The Black Angel's Death Song," The Velvet Underground & Nico, Polydor, 1967
- The Velvet Underground, "I Heard Her Call My Name," White Light/White Heat, Polydor, 1968
- Billy Bragg and Wilco, "Joe DiMaggio Done It Again," Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 2, Elektra, 2000
- Wilson Pickett, "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)," The Exciting Wilson Pickett, Atlantic, 1966
- Justin Timberlake, "Suit & Tie," The 20/20 Experience, RCA, 2013
- Justin Timberlake, "Pusher Love Girl," The 20/20 Experience, RCA, 2013
- David Bowie, "Aladdin Sane," Aladdin Sane, RCA, 1973
- The Strokes, "One Way Trigger," Comedown Machine, RCA, 2013
- The Strokes, "80's Comedown Machine," Comedown Machine, RCA, 2013
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