Twice this morning, I thought, "This is inconvenient. Leaning back too far in my chair and pulling out the headphone jack means I'll have to plug it back in and move the computer speaker around until I can hear both channels again."
Both times, however, I also thought, "This is a compliment to the song. I'm so into it that my head shaking and moving around made me inadvertently disconnect the headphones."
These two songs elicited that reaction:
Chicago, or more precisely, Chicago Transit Authority, as they were known on their debut album--recorded a strong leadoff track, "Introduction." Lyrically, the band admits to feeling a little ill at ease but confident in its ability to win fans. Terry Kath's vocals sell the group's conviction convincingly, and every instrumentalist rises to the occasion. Not just any singer, horn section, or guitarist could pull off the transition from blistering rock declaration to slow dance number to anthemic rock march in the course of one song.
Fairport Convention's "Possibly Parsons Green" is an outlier in the group's catalog. The British folk-rock group's 1973 incarnation featured Australian lead singer Trevor Lucas in an eclectic array of styles on the underrated "Nine" album. On "...Parsons...," Lucas sounds like an American country-rock vocalist nailing a well-structured tune with a strong hook.
Actually, I'm surprised I only pulled the headphones out once during each track.
