Boston-Bowie+Benatar

Boston—Boston

My mom used to hang out with the members of Boston. She worked with the wife of the lead singer a million years ago and got to ride in limos and go to concerts and everything. That is really kind of cool, I think. But honestly, I only like Boston for the kitschy, overdramatic tone that they bring to pretty much every one of their songs. “More Than a Feeling” is the most typical example of what I like about Boston: drama, drama, drama. And it works for them—though I wouldn’t choose this record most of the time, I will admit that I’ve put “More Than a Feeling” on mixtapes for girls more than once.

Boston Pops Orchestra with Arthur Fielder—Pops Stoppers

This was an odd-yet-fun departure from rock music that led me to stomp around the apartment waving my arm as if it were a baton. That’s about all I have to say about this one, really. Fun, stompy romp with a gigantic, talented orchestra.

David Bowie—Changesonebowie

I know, I know, compilation albums are lame. Real fans have the real albums blah blah blah. But I buy records at yard sales and flea markets and if I see a great Bowie album with fantastic songs on it for a dollar, I’m buying that shit, stat. Anyway, Changesonebowie starts with the iconic “Space Oddity” and from the first “Ground Control to Major Tom,” I’m psyched to be listening to this record. It’s a funky mix of Bowie gems, mostly upbeat and with a number of well-known Bowie classics. First thing Saturday morning, it’s a great way to start my weekend.

David Bowie—The Man Who Sold the World

I’m going to go ahead and admit that this is an album that I really kind of shelled out for. Nothing crazy, I think I paid about $25 for it, but the excellent condition of the sleeve (1972 RCA worldwide release version, not the original UK cover), coupled with the facts that it still had the promotional poster inside and I happen to love this album made it seem worth the cash. I still feel that way, listening to the slow, building guitars and Bowie’s weird, winding vocals. I am a sucker for a dramatic song (could be related to my teenage theater geek past) and this album never disappoints. I love the drawl of it, the way the songs make you sway rather than bop around like the up-tempo jams on other albums. I guess I’m just a drama queen at heart, and The Man Who Sold the World really satisfies that piece of me.

Pat Benatar—Seven the Hard Way (I bought this after I had already gone through Pat's section of the alphabet)

Seven the Hard Way is vintage Pat Benatar to a tee. Sexy but not crass, melodic but a little “tough,” catchy and fun. “Sex as a Weapon” is a great song and the album is solid, if not one of Pat’s best. To be honest, I bought this record recently because I know I’m going to see Ms. Benatar this summer and my cousin said she has some of the songs from this album on her setlist. I like this album just fine, and it makes for good background music to making dinner, as I think is a lesser-known quality of all Pat Benatar’s albums.