Tuesday Afternoon With The Moody Blues
For your "Tuesday Afternoon," The Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed was another childhood soundtrack staple along with so many of their other orchestral-rock masterpiece compilations. Their second album from 1967 and the first to launch their unique sound, this one put them on the map with "Nights In White Satin"as the final track on this record that, fitting for today's world, depicts one long day from morning until night across both sides of the album. Their later albums would produce a bevy of songs for anyone's quarantine playlist, including "Lovely To See You," "Lazy Day," "Dear Diary," "Isn't Life Strange," "Lost In a Lost World," but definitely not "Send Me No Wine."
Sweet Music for Sailing
Drifting back to Dad's sailboat with this cassette deck ripper, Sweet's Desolation Boulevard from 1975 was by far their best effort, never to be matched again in their career. This one includes "Fox On The Run," "The 6-Teens," "A.C.D.C." and their signature "Ballroom Blitz" (inspired by a performance in Scotland that resulted in beer bottle-throwing mayhem) that has enjoyed many film appearances including Wayne's World. I can hear Dad now: "Oh! Ted Riehle tune! Crank it up Parks!"
Love Stinks, But Covid Really Stinks
Sadly missing from my record collection, I remember buying this one in the summer of 1980 and have always loved it too much to not include here, albeit in CD surrogate form. This one's loaded with great ones, including "Love Stinks," "Come Back," "Just Can't Wait," "Takin' You Down,""Trying Not To Think About It," "Desire," "Till The Walls Come Tumblin' Down," and the bizarrely funny "No Anchovies, Please" ("Say Don, there sure is something familiar about that bowling ball!") that you'll want to pack for Quarantine Island.
Let's Go Crazy with Prince
Let's go crazy and let's get nuts at your next Saturday night zoom party with this epic Prince gem from the summer of '84. Riddled with top hits like the title track, "Let's Go Crazy," "When Doves Cry," "I Would Die 4 U," and "Take Me With You," Purple Rain traded the #1 spot twice with Springsteen's Born In The USA in '84 and '85, and Prince joined Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the only artists ever to have the #1 album, single and film at the same time.
Glass Houses In Quarantine
A memorable selection from when I jumped into the Columbia House deal where you bought 14 albums for a penny and committed to buying over-priced records for what seemed like the rest of your life, Billy Joel's Glass Houses from 1980 flooded the airwaves with "You May Be Right," "Sometimes A Fantasy," "Don't Ask Me Why," "All For Leyna" and his first chart-topper with the doo-wop throwback "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me." Drop the needle on this one and you too will be ready for the Catalina Wine Mixer.