John Cougar - "American Fool" (1982)

Although I hate "Jack and Diane," I still attempted to listen to this record with an open mind. I even got a surprising amount of enjoyment from leadoff single "Hurts So Good," which although not exactly a masterpiece, has a memorable Stones-esque riff and a catchy chorus. In an alternate universe where I hadn't heard "Jack and Diane" so much on the radio, I could even imagine enjoying it, as the combination of single guitar chord and hand clap that opens the song is at least novel. But this isn't that alternate universe and I hate this song for those same obnoxious hand claps and the sub-level Springsteen lyrics about two kids growing up in the heartland.

Still, after two tracks, there was one hit and one miss, and I don't look for that high of a ratio when determining what I want to keep. But when after five tracks, there were three more misses, a series of rockers that failed to rock due to weak, strained vocals and boring riffs, I didn't even bother to listen to the second side. So sorry, John Cougar (Mellencamp), you mark the first blue bin record since I started this blog. But I will still try listening to your other record that I own, The Lonesome Jubilee, since it did get 4.5 stars on AllMusic.com, though I reserve the right to remain skeptical.

Paul McCartney - "Tug of War" (1982)

My collection of solo Beatles records is growing rather impressive and although I have always professed to be a fan of solo George, I've been reluctant to declare a similar admiration for solo Paul. That time is over. I admit that the much-discussed flaws of his output (nonsensical lyrics, maudlin sentiment) all exist in small or large degrees throughout his solo career and as such, any Beatles fan who hasn't listened to a lot of Wings albums needs to prepare themselves for the fact that it's rarely Beatles-level material. But setting all that aside, I am an unabashed lover of pop music, and as such, I am charmed by some of his better albums like Venus and Mars or Ram and outright love Band on the Run.

That said, I had heard mostly negative things about his 80s career, so I was pleased to discover that Tug of War, dating to 1982, is actually a pretty decent album. It's definitely lightweight pop, but it's diverse, melodic, and best of all, consistently interesting, as the songs develop in unexpected ways (see the title track for a great example). I even like "Ebony and Ivory" or at least don't find it particularly offensive, thanks to a striking horn intro and other Beatleesque arrangement twists (George Martin produced the album to wonderful effect). I did find the other McCartney-Stevie Wonder collaboration on the record ("What's That You're Doing?") to be rather abominable, as it is the only song on the album to feature a sterile early 80s electronic sound and like any good album-killer, is the longest song on the album as well, at over six minutes. But all that aside, I enjoyed this album quite a bit more than I expected, and would certainly recommend it to solo Paul fans.

Tracy Chapman - "Tracy Chapman" (1988)

I don't know that I would have ever listened to Tracy Chapman's debut record if it wasn't one of three hundred records in a box, but I decree that it is a pretty good album. Chapman is a fiery singer-songwriter whose lyrics deal with a lot of racial and political themes. Although I do consider myself a liberal, my resume as an activist is rather lacking, and I am rarely inherently interested in political music, finding often that it is heavy-handed and obvious. From a pure lyrical perspective, I don't find Chapman an exception to this. But what I really care about when I put on a record is the music itself, and her raw, husky, almost masculine voice has an undeniable power that lends a lot of gravity to words that sound much more trite on an album sleeve.

The best songs here pull off a cross between James Taylor folk and Bruce Springsteen, as when Chapman reaches the choruses on songs like "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" and "Fast Car," she invokes the populist, anthemic appeal of The Boss. The downside of the record is that the instrumentation is generally too bland and quiet for an album intended to inspire and motivate, meaning that on songs where the vocal hooks lack punch, there is not a lot to fall back on. Because of this, and the fact that the rest of Chapman's oeuvre was not as well-received critically, this record is not enough to make me interested in the rest of her albums. But I will definitely keep this one, and undoubtedly put it on again sometime in the not so distant future.

Foreigner - "Foreigner" (1977)

Foreigner is one of those bands that can't help but make an appearance when you buy hundreds of random records, 90% of which are from the 1970s. On an artistic level, it is no secret if you have heard any of their omnipresent singles on classic rock radio that this group has no taste. The lyrics are at best generic ("You're as cold as ice/You're willing to sacrifice our love") and at worst are banal and pretentious ("I would climb any mountain/Sail across a stormy sea"). They rip off a lot of better 70s bands and don't write particularly memorable riffs or choruses to make up for it. But as much as it sucks if looked at from a certain perspective, "Cold as Ice" at least is also kind of a great song. The combination of over-the-top vocal delivery, staccato piano riff, double-tracked choirs, and triumphant guitar fanfares turn what should be generic 70s rock into something surprisingly enjoyable.

So on the relative strength of "Cold as Ice" and the cock rock anthem "Feels Like the First Time," Foreigner's Foreigner avoids the blue bin. But I would be remiss if I said I didn't consider jettisoning it. For when they try to be Queen, they do alright, since Queen basically followed the same formula of adding a lot of bombast to classic rock material with shitty lyrics (of course, Queen had much more songwriting, playing and singing talent). But when they try to be Kansas and try their hand at plaintive, pseudo-progressive balladry (see "Starrider"), the results are nauseating. There is a fine line between being campy and just being shitty, and Foreigner, for me at least, falls right on the line.