Pearl Jam - Ten

Label: Epic
Year: 1991
Genre: Grunge
Recommended by: Kirsten Turnqvist

This is an album in which I am very familiar. Early in my life my sister was collecting all of the Pearl Jam albums.

Now I've enjoyed Pearl Jam, but have never understood the cult-like mainstream status they have achieved. They are a more commercially successful Bruce Springsteen. They have their own satellite radio station! I mean "Even Flow" is pretty great. They continued to have more success, but I don't sense greatness out of any of their single albums. They are the Eddie Murray of the music industry. He played baseball for 21 years, was always good until the very end, and hit all the benchmarks for the Hall of Fame. There was never a single season you would say was amazing. Craig Biggio was the other baseball player I was going to use. Either way Ten is very enjoyable, it's familiar, and it's an EVEEEEEEENNNNNNN FLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.

Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell

Label: Cleveland International/ Epic
Year: 1977
Genre: Hard Rock
Recommending Person: Rose Sherry

For an extremely popular album there is a lot of varied elements. There are ballads, operatic elements, hard rock, and some very folk like story elements through out the record. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is probably the most well song from Meatloaf's second album, but I enjoy "Two out of Three Ain't Bad" more even though it sounds like an Elton John song. 

Meat Loaf was originally famous from the musical Hair, which led to his unsuccessful debut album, that led to him going back to perform in Hair and later to audition for More Than You Deserve where he first met Jim Steinman. 

While Meatloaf is a great performer, he never wrote anything that became popular. Many Baby Boomers complain that no one currently writes their own songs, it's probably been about the same percentage as their have always been, but some of the biggest acts in their hay day had song writers. It's a silly argument, just say you like the music or you don't. Whoever wrote it is inconsequential to how good the song is. Johnny Cash didn't write "Hurt" or "Personal Jesus" on American IV that caused a late renaissance, it doesn't detract from Johnny Cash at all. 

Fun Fact: Ellen Foley, the female lead from the Duet on "Paradise" appeared in Night Court as Billie Young. That fact is fun.

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Label: Epic
Year: 1982
Genre: Pop
Recommending Person: Jeanne Haut

The best track on the record is PYT. This is an issue. Michael Jackson has issues when dealing with anything to do with young things. 

Every song is great. It deserved to sell as many albums as it did. The question is how should we consume art by people that should be met with disdain. Also, what is the cut off of morality if we should no longer enjoy the works of terrible people? Kanye West seems to be a crazy egomaniac, but we have no reason to believe he ever perpetrated rape. We have that reason for Michael Jackson and R. Kelly.

I'm not sure, maybe I should just separate the performers from people. I just know that we shouldn't watch Cosby Show re-runs.