Day 0446 - At Budokan

Cheap Trick "At Budokan" (1979)

 
Cheap Trick had been working away in the US with 3 albums under their belts, but only moderate success. The band had however, scored success fairly early on in Japan so cashed in on that by recording this live album there to the adoring screams of hundreds of fans.

Whether it was those screams, the culmination of lots of hard work, or just sheer dumb luck, this album stayed in the US charts for around a year, selling over 3 millions copies and well and truly launching the band and their particular brand of power pop.   The success was no doubt aided by upbeat pop hit "I want you to want me".

Day 0281 - Let's Get it On

Marvin Gaye "Let's Get it on" (1973) - got it

Marvin follows up his hugely successful, deeply political "What's Goin' On" with his deeply sexual "Let's Get it On".

Though the politics had gone, this is still not a totally laid-back affair, with Marvin at times desperate and pleading in his desire.  This albums has elements of the 'song suite' approach that Marvin had used on his previous album and would use again on 'Here My Dear'; but unlike the previous release, he doesn't reuse the same musical ideas/themes quite as much, there's a bit more variety, with the Get it On theme only reappearing later in the album.

I read a semi-autobiography on Gaye a while back, and apparently the woman who would go on to be his next wife walked into the studio just before he recorded the title track.  One of his musicians said that with her in the room, his vocals went from 80% to 100%!  That genuine lust and need (along with some loose, burning seductive grooves and slinky bass-lines) make this a benchmark bedroom album.