48. F Machine, Here Comes the 21st Century

That performer that goes by the moniker Simon F was part of the mid-eighties band Interferon, which had a minor success or two before parting ways. He proceeded to release a couple of solo albums, but eventually the appeal of being part of an actual band tugged at his sleeve again. As he put it, “I wanted to be part of entity. Not just to hire pros, but to set up a band and play off one another to get that family feel.” The result was a group called F Machine with their debut album Here Comes the 21st Century. It’s hard to say exactly what sort of family feel Simon F has in mind given the album covers array of murderous villains like John Dillinger and Son of Sam. Some of the salacious lyrics don’t exactly make it sound like a product from the Osmonds either. That doesn’t mean it’s not good of course, and there’s a lot to like across the record’s two sides.

47. Ed Haynes, Sings Ed Haynes

There’s a long tradition of California folksters wielding guitars and happily lulling listeners with crisp storytelling skills. With his debut release, Ed Haynes adhered to that storied stylistic tradition while also turning it on its head. He traded the political earnestness and emotional mooning that was the stock in trade of the likes of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne, and instead employed a dark sense of humor to make his points. His predecessors may have expounded peace, but Haynes proclaimed “I Want to Kill Everybody” putting him more in line with rocket launcher fantasist Bruce Cockburn than with the well-meaning souls who opened their guitar cases for spare change while busking on the sidewalks of Haynes’ adopted hometown of San Francisco. It was in that city that Haynes was discovered by local legend Matthew King Kaufman, who’d previously shepherded Greg Kihn to unlikely chart success. Kaufman produced Haynes record, which was given a title wholly appropriate for a songwriter of such a singular, iconoclastic bent: Ed Haynes Sings Ed Haynes. Because really, what other songbook would be appropriate for him to crack?

Previously…
— Introduction
— 90 and 89
— 88 and 87
— 86 and 85
— 84 and 83
— 82 and 81
— 80 and 79
— 78 and 77
— 76 and 75
— 74 and 73
— 72 and 71
— 70 and 69
— 68 and 67
— 66 and 65
— 64 and 63
— 62 and 61
— 60 and 59
— 58 and 57
— 56 and 55
— 54 and 53
— 52 and 51
— 50 and 49