Re: Solo Roger

[Jim Topp <jtopp@ophelia.ucs.indiana.edu>]

I said:
> Maybe later we can discuss why Parting Should Be Painless
> is better than Under A Raging Moon.

Mark said:
See, I don't agree with you there either. The songwriting is definitely stronger on UARM, not to mention the performance.

Stefani says:
That (PSBP) album is without a doubt my least liked Who related recording :-P. 
I bought it when it came out and I've played about 5 times over 15 years trying to find something other than the cover to enjoy about it.


Then Mark said:
Personally, I rate it along side CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE MOVIE. A few good songs, a lot of slush. All but two Daltrey solo albums (IMHO) have such slush in varying degrees...the two being UARM and McVICAR. After that would come RARH and OOTB, with the first album finishing just above PSBP and CWTSTM.

Then Stefani said:
What about RITH? I believe it should have been a commercial success but it was struck by the TED under promotion curse. Case in point you didn't even mention it. On the other hand,  I know several people who didn't buy another RHD solo album after unhappily buying PSBP. BTW, Which songs do you rate good on PSBP? I'm due for another listen. 


Allow me to jump back in, since I started this. I listened to PSBP and UARM again since Mark's first response. I almost take back my provocative opinion. I concede that the performance and some of the songwriting is stronger. I just loathe Bryan Adams ("Let Me Down Easy", "Rebel") and like Bryan Ferry ("Going Strong") too much to totally agree on the songwriting issue. I've always thought "Under A Raging Moon" is one Roger's best solo songs.

Stefani: It seems the record companies might agree with your opinion of PSBP. It's the only Who solo album not available on CD (not counting Roger's Best Bits, which is unneccessary, due to the bonus tracks on his first 3 CD's). Still, I find PSBP more listenable than Roger's first two. How do you rank Roger's albums? (My ranking is below.)
To answer your question to Mark, I like "Walking In My Sleep," "Parting Would Be Painless," "Going Strong," maybe "Would A Stranger Do," and "Don't Wait On The Stairs," whereas the weaker tracks are "Somebody Told Me," and "One Day," and the rest are somewhere in between.

Let me throw out another unpopular opinion: I find CWTSTM to be my favorite of Roger's (I didn't say best). While it doesn't really have any stand-out songs like "Under A Raging Moon" (in other words, its high points aren't as high as that of other albums), its slush ("Alone In The Night," "Take Me Home") is minimal and at the end. The songwriting, performances, and arrangements make it his most consistently listenable album. I play it more than any other CD by Roger, John, or Keith. So there.

The All-Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com/, ranks CWTSTM lower than all Who solo albums, including Keith's. So I guess I'm the odd one. Anyone else out there think CWTSTM is, at least, underrated?

My ranking of Roger's original studio albums:
1 CWTSTM
2 RITH
3 UARM
4 PSBP
4 McVicar
4 OOTB
7 Daltrey
8 RARH

Jim

Stupid lyrics:
"It cuts like a knife/But it feels so right"

Bryan Adams