The Obligatory First Post

Well, internet, this is my latest web log project, and this is going to be a good one. For two reasons; one, I now actually have time where I can update this sucker, and two, the subject matter is focused enough to interest me.
And what is the subject matter? Well, reader, I love music more than life, and music is the subject matter of this particular web log. Specifically, one of the most important aspects of music, the album. In what I like to call the Download Age, many people have lost sight of how significant the idea of an album is. A great album has to be more than just a collection of songs. It has to be cohesive, well-polished, and most importantly, entertaining. A great album, in my opinion, flows together like one continuous piece (some, in fact, literally do), and yet the songs on it are distinctive enough from each other to be memorable. This rare nirvana has been achieved by few albums.
On this very web log, every day or so I will select one album to listen to in its entirety. During the album, live, I will be jotting down my thoughts on the songs and, after, the record as a whole. I have a feeling this will be a lot of fun for me, and hopefully you will gain some musical understanding, or a least a few chuckles along the way.
I probably shouldn't encourage illegal downloading of music on this site, but I'll just say, if you want to obtain the songs mentioned and follow along or (gasp) listen to and appreciate them, go ahead. If this site has a purpose (other than temporarily relieving my boredom), we can say that it is to get you to listen to some decent music.
Anyway, I feel I should lay down some rules before I begin. Each review needs to be consistent. I'll start with some background on the album, my personal knowledge of it, and impressions of the cover art (hey- say what you will, but you're lying if you say the cover art isn't important). The rules for listening are:
1. I must listen to the entire album. No pausing, rewinding, or skipping allowed. Period.
2. I can do nothing else but type and eat while listening to the album.
3. I'm allowed one Rush album for every two crappy albums.
This will produce a stream-of-consciousness review and/or rant about the album. That's it.
So, the first one will probably be going up later today. Feel free to give it a read. If you want, tell your friends.
This is going to be fun.