HondoJoe's 60 Favorite-ish Albums

  #1: Electric Light Orchestra--Out of the Blue  (1977) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Mr. Blue Sky," [ HJ200  #14,] "Jungle," [ HJ200  #111,] "Wild West Hero," [ HJ200  #119,] "Sweet Talkin' Woman," [ HJ200  #144,] "Night In the City," [ HJ200 shoulda been ,] "Believe Me Now/Steppin' Out," [ HJ200 shoulda been ,] "Turn To Stone," [ HJ200 shoulda been ,] "Sweet Is the Night," [ HJ200 shoulda been ,] "It's Over," "Across the Border," "Standin' In the Rain," "Big Wheels," "Summer and Lightning," "Birmingham Blues" Album Depth:  "The Whale," "Starlight" Weak Links: Stand-Out Lyrics:  "Hey you with the pretty face, welcome to the human race!"--"Mr. Blue Sky" "Running down the avenue, see how the sun shines brightly in the city. All the streets where once was pity, Mr. Blue Sky is living here today....

  #2: Billy Joel--Glass Houses  (1980) Top Notch Tracks:  "You May Be Right," [ HJ200  #15,] "All For Leyna," [ HJ200  #44,] "Sometimes a Fantasy," [ HJ200  #107,] "Sleeping With the Television On," [ HJ200  #120,] "Close To the Borderline," [ HJ200  #186 ( shoulda been higher, )] "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," [ HJ200-shoulda been ,] "I Don't Want To Be Alone," [ HJ200-shoulda been ,] "Don't Ask Me Why" Album Depth:  "C'etait Toi (You Were the One,)" "Through the Long Night" Weak Links:   Stand-Out Lyrics:  It just may be a lunatic you're looking for. Billy Joel-- Glass Houses Billy Joel-- Glass Houses (back cover) Album cover:  14 out of 10. Come on, how perfect is this? He's got the tough guy outfit and the tough guy pose, (which match the tough guy music on the album.) He's armed and cocked and ready to throw the rock. There's the reflection of him...

  #3: Billy Joel--The Stranger   (1977) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" [ HJ200  #3], "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) [ HJ200  #140], "Vienna," "She's Always a Woman," "Only the Good Die Young," "Just the Way You Are," "The Stranger," "Get It Right the First Time" Album Depth:  "Everybody Has a Dream" Weak Links: Stand-Out Lyrics:  I don't want clever conversation. (I never want to work that hard.) Billy Joel-- The Stranger Album cover:  8 out of 10. It's really a pretty weird album cover. The focal point , of course, is the mask, and the fact that Billy appears to be looking at it longingly. But, there are other oddities, such as the unmade bed, the fact that he's wearing a suit but has bare feet, and, the boxing gloves hanging from the wall. (Doesn't everyone have boxing gloves hanging on their wall?) It's odd, but it's familiar. I may never und...