The Breakup Albums

If you check this blog regularly (this is a joke, no one does) you may notice that I've barely posted anything in the last few months. This is because I was dealing with a very painful break up from a long-time girlfriend and had no motivation to do anything but lay in bed. Good news is...I'm over it and it's time to resume with things that do not involve feeling like a pile of shit all the time.

Thusly, and in the spirit of that affirmation, I bring you my tribute to the albums that helped me get through it.

The Police

Outlandos d'Amour

1978

A cursory glance at the song titles alone should explain this one. "Next To You", "So Lonely", "Hole In My Life", "Can't Stand Losing You"; kind of says it all right? Lyrically this record connected with me more than any other in this list. It's odd how, even if you've felt it before, heartbreak expressed in song tends to seem obligatory and often cliche until you experience it again in your own life. For myself at least many of these songs took on new life during a tough period.

Aside from the themes of lost love and loneliness throughout the album, "Outlandos d'Amour" is probably the best and most varied record The Police put out. It's a fine mix of punk, raggae and the African influence (heard on the excellent closer "Masoko Tanga") that would carry through the rest of their career.

Squeeze

East Side Story

1981

A great throwback to 1960s pop flavors. The A-side, specifically, is an impressive display of great songwriting and tight studio performances from what is clearly a very talented ensemble group. "Tempted" is obviously a classic but don't overlook the rest of the pack. "Heaven" flirts with the new wave tastes of their famous producer (Elvis Costello) while "Picadilly" and "Someone Else's Heart" supply plenty of hooks and driving bass.

The second side isn't quite up to scratch with the first; the two-song suite of "F-Hole" and "Labelled With Love" don't add up for me but "Is That Love", "Mumbo Jumbo" and "Vanity Fair" are memorable, Beatle-esque tunes.

Steve Miller Band

Fly Like An Eagle

1976

The hippie classic flies again. Having heard "Take The Money And Run" and "Rock N' Me" a million times on classic rock radio I never game this one a shot until recently. The opening three-song suite is just amazing. The title track shows Steve Miller finally rising above the average white blues he touted for so long and breaking through to his own sound. "Wild Mountain Honey" is one of the best covers I've ever heard while, on the flip side, his version of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" is one of the worst. Don't know what he was thinking on that. If you don't have soul singer pipes you better just leave it alone.

"Serenade" and "The Window", while still good, feel very typical of mid 70's pop-rock but I can forgive it for how damn good "Mercury Blues" and "Sweet Maree" are; the former with a sinful groove that ends far too soon. My only question is, for as famous as Steve Miller has become as a blues guitarist why doesn't he ever let loose and wail? The swing of "Mercury Blues" by the time it fades out is just begging for a tasteful solo. What's the deal?

The Smiths

Louder Than Bombs

1987

The world needs more Smiths albums and this might as well be their "lost" 5th LP. "Louder Than Bombs" is a collection of singles and b-sides (of which they released many) which adds up to being a killer record in its own right. It could have been The Smith's answer to "The White Album", a sprawling, disorganized collection of 24 songs that complement each other as often as they feel miles apart. "Half A Person", "Girl Afraid", "Ask" and "William, It Was Really Nothing" are all so good I want to throw my Morrissey albums out the fucking window. 


Anyone experiencing emotional turmoil can benefit from these songs, which run the gammet from the distorted guitar gallop and pop hooks in "Sweet And Tender Hooligan" to "Asleep", a sedate ode to resignation. Morrissey's lyrics on most of these songs are simply brilliant, cutting to the core of heartache and youthful rebellion, but especially on "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" where his hushed vocals wind beautifully between sentiments of nostalgic reverie and indifference.