HondoJoe's 60 Favorite-ish Albums

#29: Electric Light Orchestra--Time  (1981)  Top-Notch Tracks:  "Twilight," "Hold On Tight," "Here Is the News," "Yours Truly, 2095," "Ticket to the Moon," "Rain Is Falling," "From the End of the World" Album Depth:  "The Way Life's Meant To Be," "21st Century Man," "The Lights Go Down," "Another Heart Breaks" Weak Links:  None. Stand-Out Lyrics:  "It's either real or it's a dream--there's nothing that is in between."--"Twilight" "When you need a shoulder to cry on. When you get so sick of trying. Just hold on tight to your dreams."--"Hold On Tight" "I met someone who looks a lot you. She does the things you do. But, she is an IBM."--"Yours Truly, 2095" "Remember the good old 1980s, when things were so uncomplicated? I wish I could go back there again, and everything could be the same."--...

  #30: Midnight Oil--Blue Sky Mining  (1990) Top-Notch Tracks:  "One Country" ( HJ200  #18), "Blue Sky Mine," "Forgotten Years," "King of the Mountain" Album Depth:  "Shakers and Movers," "Stars of Warburton," "River Runs Red," "Bedlam Bridge," "Mountains of Burma," "Antarctica" Weak Link:  Nope Stand-out Lyrics:  "Who'd like to change the world?"--"One Country" "Hey, hey-hey, hey, there'll be food on the table tonight. Hey, hey, hey, hey, there'll be pay in your pocket tonight."--"Blue Sky Mine" "Our sons will never be soldiers. Our daughters will never need guns. These are the years between. These are the years that were hard-fought and won."--"Forgotten Years" "Tomorrow's child takes concrete first steps and they'll drink champagne or be damned."--"Shakers and Movers" "Well, you co...

#31: Paul McCartney--Flaming Pie  (1997) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Flaming Pie," "The Song We Were Singing," "The World Tonight," "Somedays," "Young Boy," "Calico Skies," "Little Willow," "Beautiful Night," "Great Day" Album Depth:  "If You Wanna," "Heaven On a Sunday," "Souvenir," "Used to Be Bad" Weak Link:  "Really Love You" Stand-Out Lyrics:  "I took my brains out and stretched 'em on the rack. Now I'm not so sure I'm ever gonna get 'em back."--"Flaming Pie" "For a while we could sit, smoke a pipe, and discuss all the vast intricacies of life. We could jaw through the night, talk about a range of subjects. Anything you like."--"The Song We Were Singing" "I don't care what you wanna be. I got back so far, I'm in front of me."--"The World Tonight" "It's no good...

  #32: They Might Be Giants--They Might Be Giants  (1986) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Absolutely Bill's Mood, ( HJ200  #45)" "Don't Let's Start, ( HJ200  #98)" "Youth Culture Killed My Dog," "(She Was a) Hotel Detective," "She's an Angel," "Boat of Car," "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head" Album Depth:  "Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes," "Everything Right Is Wrong Again," "Number Three," "Hide Away Folk Family," "32 Footsteps," "Toddler Hiway," "Rabid Child," "I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die," Rhythm Section Want Ad," "Alienation's For the Rich" Weak Links:  "Chess Piece Face," "The Day" Stand-out Lyrics:  "Wake up and smell the cat food in your bank account. But don't try to stop the tail that wags the hound."--"Don't Let's Start" "I was born ...

#33: P. Hux--Purgatory Falls  (2001)  Top-Notch Tracks:  "4258," "I Loved Everything," "Rubble," "Belief," "Red Eyeliner" Album Depth:  "My Sweet Nothing," "Goldmine," "Steer Clear," "Offer You the World" Weak Link:  "Chordothelord" Stand-out Lyrics:  "From 4/2/58 she came. Thank God she's writing down my name."--"4258" "I even loved the stuff I never loved about you."--"I Loved Everything" "I'm going down to the salt mine to start digging out of the rubble that's left of my broken heart."--"Rubble" "It doesn't take much: a book she never read, the last dress she wore, the first words we said. None of these things could ever definer her. All they make me do is wear red eyeliner."--"Red Eyeliner" "I'm a little bit blown away, can't you see that I've been handed a land mine....

  #34: The Traveling Wilburys--Vol. 1  (1988) Top-Notch Tracks:  "End of the Line," "Handle with Care," "Dirty World," "Heading for the Light," "Congratulations"  Album Depth:  "Not Alone Anymore," "Rattled," "Last Night," "Margarita" Weak Link:  "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" Stand-out Lyrics:  "Been beat up and battered around."--"Handle with Care" "Don't have to be ashamed of the car I drive. I'm just glad to be here, happy to be alive."--"End of the Line" "Oh baby, the pleasure would be all mine if you let me drive your pickup truck and park it where the sun don't shine."--"Dirty World" "I'm so tired of being lonely. I still have some love to give."--"Handle with Care" "If I had just one more chance to win your heart again I would do things differently, but what's the use to pretend...

  #35: Electric Light Orchestra--Face the Music  (1975) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Strange Magic," "One Summer Dream," "Evil Woman," "Poker," "Nightrider" Album Depth:  "Waterfall," "Down Home Town," "Fire On High" Weak Links:  Not really. Stand-Out Lyrics:  "You made a fool of me. But them broken dreams have got to end."--"Evil Woman" "You're sailing softly through the sun in a broken stone age dawn. You fly, so high."--"Strange Magic" "The ace that's hiding up your sleeve will cause the world to grieve."--"Poker" "I still see that vision of delight while cruising on the black of night. But she keeps a step ahead."--"Nightrider" "There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in. You took my body and played to win."--"Evil Woman" "Blue mountains high, and valley low; I don't know which way I sh...