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I had no idea I owned this album. I was searching for something to listen to tonight and I stumbled on Gary Numan's The Pleasure Principle.This album was just re-released and I almost downloaded it from emusic. The original release was September of 1979. I would've been about one and a half at that time. I don't really remember much from this record and I can guarantee you that growing up in Alabama in the 80's it would've never been too cool to play this record for your friends. I guess that's the difference between 1979 and 1980? Is that when everyone officially became a douchebag?Now that I'm older I can very much appreciate this record. I was reading about it online and Gary recored the album without the use of any guitars and even the drums are from a machine. So in a weird way it's like a record from a robot. Probably exactly what he was going for.This record contains the hit Cars which I'm pretty sure no one expected to be a hit. I would imagine the label sitting down and thinking, okay, we have to pick a single and Cars is the one that was most single-esque so to speak so they ran with it. And then it turned out to be a smash. Also, remember that song Where's Your Head At? by Basement Jaxx? That contains a sample from M.E. on side 1 from this record.One other thing I appreciate about this record is the one word song titles. Airline, Metal, Complex, Films, Tracks, Engineers, etc, etc. And finally, here's a little fact for you...The pleasure principle is a psychoanalytic concept originated by Sigmund Freud that continuously drives one to seek pleasure and to avoid pain.Sounds like a regular Friday night to me...Album #2 officially listened to.
This album was definitely one I inherited. In fact, this album was just reissued and available on emusic so I picked it up again.
The obvious single here is the title track which is actually a cover of an original version written by a band called The Arrows. Something I didn't know was Joan orginally recorded this with two members of the Sex Pistols but that version wasn't a hit. It wasn't until she cut it with The Blackhearts that it became number one hit. Think about this...it was a hit for seven weeks! That seems insane to me for some reason.
And of course the other great cover on here is Crimson and Clover...a classic. She turned that into another top ten hit in the eighties after the success of I Love Rock N Roll. I'm imagining every songwriter in the eighties saying, "I just wrote the next Joan Jett hit."
Another great cover is Bits And Pieces originally by Dave Clark of, well, you know, The Dave Clark Five. Okay, if you have a minute, follow the DC5 link I just posted. Their website is actually a Jukebox that plays all of their hits. You even select the song by clicking the letter. Crazy. Now I'm listening to DC5 instead of Joan Jett.
Back to Joan, there are some really good songs written by her on this record. My favorite is (I'm Gonna) Run Away. I wonder if that had anything to with playing in the Runaways with Lita Ford? And it's never to early in a blog to reference Lita Ford. Mostly the song reminds me of another girl group that I'm found of.
There is one thing I don't like about this record...the cover of Little Drummer Boy. Yes, as in the Christmas song. It doesn't fit anywhere on the record and it's just odd to be at the end of a great rock record.
Beware...Britney Spears covered I Love Rock N Roll in 2006. My computer wouldn't let me listen to it because it is aware of it's own good taste.
Album #1 officially listened to.
