HondoJoe's 60 Favorite-ish Albums

#17: Queen-- A Night At the Opera  (1975) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Bohemian Rhapsody" [ HJ200  #5], "I'm In Love With My Car," "You're My Best Friend," "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...,)" "Sweet Lady," "'39" Album Depth:  "Lazing On a Sunday Afternoon," "Love of My Life," "Good Company," "The Prophet's Song," "Seaside Rendezvous" Weak Link:  "God Save the Queen" Stand-Out Lyrics:  "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide."--"Bohemian Rhapsody" "Killjoy. Bad guy. Big-talking small fry."--"Death On Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" "With my hand on your grease gun, oooh, it's like a disease, son."--"I'm In Love With My Car" "In rain or shine, you've stood by me, girl. I'm happy at home."--"You're My Best Friend" "I come from London ...

  #18: Electric Light Orchestra--Eldorado  (1974) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Eldorado/Eldorado Finale" [ HJ200  #2], "Eldorado Overture/Can't Get It Out of My Head," [ HJ200  #40], "Mister Kingdom," [ HJ200  #53] Album Depth:  "Laredo Tornado," "Poor Boy (The Greenwood,)" "Boy Blue," "Illusions in G Major,"  Weak Links:  "Nobody's Child" Stand-Out Lyrics:  "Sitting here on top of everywhere, what do I care?"--"Eldorado" "Bank job in the city. Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot, they don't envy me."--"Can't Get It Out of My Head" "Oh, to sleep, perchance to dream, to live again those joyous scenes--the laughter and the follies that are locked inside my head."--"Mister Kingdom" "The dreamer, the unwoken fool. In dreams no pain will kiss the brow."--"Eldorado Overture" "So my friends who are gathered...

  # 19: Weezer--Weezer (Blue Album)  (1994) Top-Notch Tracks:  "In the Garage," "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here," Buddy Holly," "Undone (The Sweater Song,)" "My Name Is Jonas," "Say It Ain't So" Album Depth:  "Surf Wax America," "Holiday," "Only In Dreams" Weak Links:  None Problematic Song  (Maybe) :  "No One Else" Stand-Out Lyrics:  "I've got a Dungeon Master's Guide. I've got a twelve-sided die. I've got Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler too, waiting there for me. Yes, I do. I do."--"In the Garage" "I talked for hours to your wallet photograph, and you just listened. You laughed enchanted by my intellect, or maybe you didn't."--"The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" "I look just like Buddy Holly. Oh, oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore. I don't care what they say about us, anyway. I don't care 'bout that....

  #20: Yes--90125  (1983) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Owner of a Lonely Heart," "Hold On," "It Can Happen," "Cinema/Leave It," "Changes" Album Depth:  "Our Song," "City of Love," "Hearts" Weak Links:  Nope. Stand-Out Lyrics:  "Say you don't want to chance it. You've been hurt so before."--"Owner of a Lonely Heart" "Look up. Look down. Look out. Look around. Look up. Look down. There's a crazy world outside. We're not about to lose our pride."--"It Can Happen" "Justice to the left of you; justice to the right. Speak when you are spoken to, but don't pretend you're right."--"Hold On" "One difference between you and I? You're heart is inside your head."--"Changes" "I can feel no sense of measure. No illusions as we take refuge in young man's pleasure. Breaking down the dreams we make real."--"...

  #21: Styx--The Grand Illusion  (1977) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Miss America," [ HJ200 #22], "Come Sail Away  [ HJ200  #33], "Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)," "The Grand Illusion," "Superstars" Album Depth:  "Man In the Wilderness," "Castle Walls," "The Grand Finale" Weak Links:  Nothing to see here. Stand-Out Lyrics:  "Relax. Take it easy."--"Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)" "In your cage at the human zoo, they all stop to look at you. Next year, what will you do when you have been forgotten?"--"Miss America" "I look to the sea. Reflections in the waves spark my memory. Some happy, some sad. I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had. We lived happily forever, so the story goes. But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold. And we'll try, best as we can, to carry on."--"Come Sail Away" "Don't be fooled by the radio, the tv or t...

  #22: They Might Be Giants--Mink Car  (2001) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Older,"[ HJ200  #10] "Man, It's So Loud In Here," "Working Undercover for the Man," "Yeh, Yeh," "I've Got a Fang," "Bangs," "Mr, Xcitement," "(She Thinks She's) Edith Head," "Wicked Little Critta" "Drink!" Album Depth:  "Cyclops Rock," "Another First Kiss," "Hovering Sombrero," "Hopeless Bleak Despair," "Finished With Lies," "Mink Car" Weak Links:  "My Man" Stand-Out Lyrics:  "You're older than you've ever been...and now, you're even older."--"Older" "They revamped the airport completely. Now it looks just like a night club. Everyone's excited and confused."--"Man, It's So Loud In Here" "Glistening white triangular tooth, open up a can of tomato juice,"--"I've Got ...

  #23: Phil Collins--No Jacket Required  (1985) Top-Notch Tracks:  "Take Me Home," "We Said Hello Goodbye," "Sussudio," "One More Night," "Don't Lose My Number," "Inside Out," "Only You Know and I Know" Album Depth:   "I Don't Wanna Know," "Who Said I Would," "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore" Weak Link:  "Long, Long Way To Go" Stand-Out Lyrics:  "Seems so long I've been waiting, still don't know what for."--"Take Me Home" "You know it's really not surprising, it gets better when you get there."--"We Said Hello Goodbye" "Now she don't even know my name, but I think she likes me just the same."--"Sussudio" "And I was wondering should I call you, then I thought, maybe you're not alone."--"One More Night" "Nobody knew where to find him. No evidence was found. ...