October 2022 Vinyl Challenge: Chart Watcher's Edition

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Michael Jackson - Bad

The other week I was wondering why I didn’t own this album yet to complete the Michael/Quincy trilogy so I went out today to get it. Michael gets a lot of love as the King of Pop but we really should give Quincy more credit for his hand in these albums/hits

Edit: Whoops this is supposed to be in the What’s Spinning Thread, but tomorrow’s theme has to do with MJ so I guess it fits lol
 
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Day 23: “You Are Not Alone”

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The first song to debut on the Hot 100 chart all the way up at #1, something that happens with big name stars so often now that it’s even not an achievement anymore.

There’s a good chance you already know the context surrounding this song and how it relates to Michael at that point in his life (not to mention the guy who wrote & produced that song for him). On the off-chance you don’t, however, enjoy this review of the song from Tom Breihan of Stereogum bcuz I don’t feel like getting into it myself:

The Number Ones: Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”

 
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Day 23 - You Are Not Alone

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Matt and Kim - Grand

I don’t think this album aged that poorly but there is one lyric that makes me really uncomfortable in the age of “Me Too”. During “I’ll Take Us Home” Matt sings “
Red lights can mean go
I will take us home” and I doubt he means anything bad by it but every time I hear I get alittle uncomfortable because that sounds like he’s taking advantage of someone who told him to stop . Still love the album though but this one lyrics always sticks out to me for the wrong reasons
 
Day 23: "You Are Not Alone"
play a record that's aged... weirdly or badly

Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms" (1985 Vertigo; 2015 MOFI reissue)
"Money For Nothing" and its lyric trying to point out effeminate rockers aged very badly. Other big culprits for me are songs by a western artist with an ethnic theme, especially if the song also has some ethnic inflection in its music - I'm thing Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting", Bowie & Iggy Pop's "China Girl", Genesis' "Illegal Alien" and the like. There were many. These songs didn't necessarily have ill intent, but they didn't age well.

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Day 24: “Smooth”

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Santana (both the band & Carlos himself) already had a long & successful career in the 30 years prior to "Smooth", with hits like "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman" & "Oye Como Va", but "Smooth" was their first (of 2) songs to go #1 and went on to become the biggest group hit in Hot 100 history so far (still in the top 5 biggest hits overall)!

 
Have some catching up to do today....

Day 22: Me Against the World
play a record by a convicted criminal

The Blues Brothers - The Blues Brothers Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Jake Blues was sent to prison after trying to rob a gas station to pay the band. Upon his release he and his brother, Elwood, embarked on a "mission from God" to pay the overdue taxes of the orphanage in which they were raised. Pursued by Illinois nazis, a country AND western band, and several representatives of Illinois' law enforcement community (at least one of whom was fond of "Orange Whips") they were eventually captured after a long and incredibly chaotic car chase. Jake and Elwood were last seen performing to inmates in Joliet prison.

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BONUS POINTS: James Brown also appears on this album.
 
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