I've always enjoyed Eddie Money. His ballsy American bar-rock sound has never been especially popular with music critics, but the average classic rock fan can easily rattle off a string of his hits. Yet while I'm a big fan of those tunes, I have a soft place in my heart for the poorly received 1983 album "Where's The Party?"

This was album #5 for Money and it was the follow-up to 1982's "No Control," which included the hits "Think I'm In Love" and "Shakin'." But for whatever reason, Money caught a bit of the 1980s pop fever and released the slick, synthesizer-heavy "Where's The Party?" It was a definite shift in his sound and the result was an album that peaked at #67 on the Billboard charts, well below the gold status of his previous albums. At the time, Money described "Where's The Party?' as more "upbeat & positive" than his previous efforts. He also said the album was better than "No Control," which was produced by veteran producer Tom Dowd. Money fired Dowd part way through the production of "Where's The Party?" in an move he described as being an effort to make the album sound like "an Eddie Money album."

The irony is that looking back, it's an album that doesn't sound all that much like previous Eddie Money albums. And given the fact it sold less than half of the number "No Control" managed, it's probably no surprise the next album wasn't released for three years. But 1986's "Can't Hold Back" was a return to the classic Eddie Money sound and it included the hits "Take Me Home Tonight" and "I Wanna Go Back."

Yet while there's a consensus that "Where's The Party?" was a creative misfire, it's an album I find myself listening to more than any other Money album. While it doesn't have a hook-laden song like "Two Tickets To Paradise" or "Baby Hold On," the album has a solid consistency and sound that is irresistible. "The Big Crash" only hit #54 on the Billboard singles charts and the follow-up single "Club Michelle" stalled at #66. But both tracks are just crammed with 1980s-era musical joy and tracks such as "Where's The Party?" still manage to sound like the Eddie Money his fans know and love.

Track Listing:
"Maybe Tomorrow" (Eddie Money, Steve Farris, Alan Pasqua, Gary O'Connor) - 4:54
"Bad Girls" (Money, Duane Hitchings) - 3:26
"Club Michelle" (Money, Ralph Carter, Mitchell Froom, Raymond Charles Burton) - 4:06
"Back on the Road" (Money, Carter, Davitt Sigerson) - 3:05
"Don't Let Go" (Money, Carter, Mark Radice) - 4:05
"The Big Crash" (Money, Hitchings) - 3:39
"Where's the Party?" (Money, Carter) - 3:54
"Leave It to Me" (Money, Hitchings) - 4:07
"Backtrack" (Money) - 6:21

Listen to some of the album's tracks below. 

It's common to hear someone describe a piece of music by saying "I can't believe that wasn't a hit!" But with a few rare exceptions (*cough* Big Star *cough*), the reasons why a single or an album didn't find wider commercial success is that while the music might be good, it wasn't any better than dozens of other worthwhile releases.

But when it comes to the 1979 Ian Lloyd album "Goosebumps," it's pretty easy to wonder why the album didn't find an audience. Lloyd had one hit as part of The Stories - the memorable "Brother Louie" - and after a rocky start to his solo career, this album seemed almost guaranteed to be huge. He had a new label, his new manager Bud Praeger also managed the red-hot band Foreigner and the album was produced Bruce Fairburn, who went on to produce Loverboy's biggest albums, Aerosmith's comeback releases and other classic rock iconic albums like Bon Jovi's "Slippery When Wet" and Poison's "Look What The Cat Dragged In."

The band for the album included former Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo, along with various members of The Cars and Foreigner. And there were original songs from Ric Ocasek, Ian Hunter and Corky Laing and a pre-solo artist Bryan Adams. And there is barely a weak track on the album, especially when you listen to it in the context of what else was on the radio in 1979.

And yet it died a slow, painful death. The Ric Ocasek track "Slip Away" was originally considered for The Cars "Candy-O" album, but as you can tell from the demo track below, he and the band didn't quite have a handle on it. But the version that appeared on "Goosebumps" offers up some subtle nods to The Cars sound, while still allowing Lloyd to make it his own. Add to that bass and backing vocals from Ben Orr as well as backing vocals from Ric Ocasek and you end up with a song that sounds like it would have been a hit in some alternate universe. In fact, a number of the tracks from this album and the follow-up album "3WC" sound like they could be part of some greatest hits album from another reality. 

While country music in 2019 might seem like it's more about tight shorts and drinking beer in the bed of your truck than real emotions, the genre has always been much more than that. The best country music not only tells a story but it provides an emotional connection between the music and the listener. And as we remember the events on 9/11, I wanted to highlight the one great song to come out of that event: Alan Jackson's haunting "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)."

In the days following 9/11, Jackson had struggled to process the events and according to an interview he later gave to Christianity Today, he wanted to find the right tone: "I didn't want to write a patriotic song," Jackson said. "And I didn't want it to be vengeful, either. But I didn't want to forget about how I felt and how I knew other people felt that day."

Jackson resisted recording the song because he worried it might seem as if he was somehow trying to capitalize on the tragedy. But everyone he played the song for encouraged him to record and release it. And when he played the song for track for a group of executives at his record label days after recording it, "We just kind of looked at one another," RCA Label Group chairman Joe Galante said later. "Nobody spoke for a full minute."

The song was introduced to the public live at the Country Music Association Awards, which aired on CBS in November, 2001. He had originally planned to perform his then-current #1 Country song "Where I Come From," but the decision was made at the last minute for Jackson to sing "Where Were You" instead. The audience simply knew Jackson was going to sing a new tune, but four CMA executives had previewed the track ahead of time and they were all crying by the end of the song.

The performance was one of those rare television musical moments that everyone was talking about the next day. Within weeks, the song was a #1 hit on the Country charts and it reached #28 on the Pop Top 100 chart. "Where Were You" is one of the few songs inspired by 9/11 that isn't overtly political or patriotic. It's about the struggle to make sense of tragedy and loss and that's why it's easily the song you should know today.

Here are the complete lyrics to the song, with the video below:

Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
That September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or workin' on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones
Pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out with pride for the red, white, and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you
The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
That September day?
Teachin' a class full of innocent children
Or drivin' down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor?
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset for the first time in ages
And speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on I Love Lucy reruns?
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Stand in line to give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you
The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

And the greatest is love

And the greatest is love

And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turnin'

On that September day?