SNoALP nos. 8–9
Two more vinyl sittings with Ian. It was a good weekend.
- Songs from the Big Chair – Tears for Fears (Rock * 1985)
March 8, 2026 | I knew this one (most of it, anyway) | Love this album, especially “Shout” and “Head Over Heels.” Listening to this, I had such strong nostalgia for babysitting the Maurstads’ and for my friend Anne’s basement – this album came out when I was twelve, so that tracks. Ian has been learning to play “Head Over Heels” on the piano, and I hadn’t remembered the intro, so it was fun to put together “Oh! That’s what he’s been playing!” (To clarify, he’s doing a great job; it sounds just right. I just didn’t realize that the intro belonged with that song.)
- Piano Man – Billy Joel (Rock * 1973)
March 8, 2026 | I knew only two songs and recognized the cover art | Ian told me that he thought the first song, “Travelin’ Prayer” was “weird,” and when I asked him “How so?” his response was simply, “You’ll see.” Ha. I did, though: it’s a strange instrumental riff near the middle. We agreed that the song seems kind of mismatched alongside the rest of the album. I still liked “Piano Man” best, but I found a couple of new ones to like as well, especially “You’re My Home.”