Tell us!

DO IT!

Lifehouse's "Broken", "Storm" and "Everything" - can't get enough of listening to those songs over and over again

Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody" is my current "can't get that outta my head" song

Barbara Lynn's versions of "Misty Blue" and "What'd I Say ?" (Yay, youtube !)

The only thing better than fabulous R&B is fabulous R&B played by lefty guitarists.

Okay, to our music experts...

I have just watched EDtv for the umpteenth time and the scene where he and the english chick are on the table about to have sex...there is a score of two songs there. I have finally found the first one, Dirty Water, but not by the artist that did it for the movie. I am looking for the second portion. It sounds like it is done by someone with a foreign accent or it actually is foreign language.

I cannot find it and i have looked for it for years. IF anyone knows, please drop me a line and tell me. Thanks, Rick.

By the way, right now i am listening to cobrastrike by the Teddybears. Heard it on the benchwarmers and looked it up. For some reason, i dig it.

Ozzy Osbourne, Let It Die. Great first track on his new album, Scream. Probably his best album since No Rest/No More Tears. The band line-up's all new to me, but Ozzy seems to attract stellar musicians. Other standout tracks are the first single, Let Me Hear You Scream and Time Won't Wait but I'm digging the whole album.

"Wake Up Everybody" by John Legend is a phenominal song I've quickly grown to love. I don't know who the female is dueting with him but she's terrific too. The Roots back him and Common, who has basically emerged as my favorite rapper, adds in a solid verse.

The Monkees -- CHANGES (1970)


"Oh My My" is STILL one of my favorite songs of all time!

Grizzly Bear's _Veckatimest_ CD seems to keep finding its way back into my player. Man, this is a beautiful record.

KPM 1014: ALL THAT JAZZ -- David Lee (1967)

Wake Up Everybody was originally written and recorded in the 70s, in my home town of Philadelphia, by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes . The Legend/Roots version is part of an all-covers album.

The big deal at the Spidey-Jazz Yahoo Group over the last 2 days was that a particularly MOST-SOUGHT track used in the cartoons was FINALLY identified! It's the loud, blaring piece heard when Spidey is "Swinging To the Zoo" in the 2nd season episode DIAMOND DUST. As it turns out, it's called "POWER DRIVE" by Johnny Pearson, and was used as the theme song of the Australian cop show, DIVISION 4.


Trying to find this one track has been driving members of the group crazy for the last several years...

An old Gil Evans recording, There Comes A Time. I'm actually a huge Evans fan, but I don't think it's one of his better works overall. As the cliche' goes, there are some sparks of brilliance, but it's generally a mish-mash.

I have unholy amounts of love for Into The Hot, though. One of the first jazz LPs I ever bought. Really should get the stereo fixed one of these days. Not being able to hear my vinyl the right way kinda' bites.

I had no idea it was a cover! I'm really loving their version of it! I'll def have to check out the original now.

Hope you enjoy it; Blue Notes' lead singer Teddy Pendergrass had some powerful pipes.

And I should make an addendum -- I think my previous post made it sound like the Blue Notes authored the song. They didn't -- it was written by John Whitehead, Gene McPhadden, and Victor Carstarphen, and produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff.

Jethro Tull -- LIVE BURSTING OUT (1978)

Funny that - I just finished listening to Tull's _STAND UP_ from 1969.

Speaking of Tull, I'm kind of digging The Fancy Toys , featuring Ian Anderson's son, James Duncan.

Red Heaven, the 1992 Throwing Muses masterpiece. Everything about it is perfect, so far as I'm concerned.

(And let the record state: TM was never "grunge" or "alternative." They've always done their own damn thing, though they flirted with the stereotypical "college sound" on 1989's hunkpapa. Which wasn't bad, but kind of diluted what I think of as their distinctive sound.)

band of horses


they're kinda 80s power ballad/90s depressing.

David Garrett - Rock Symphonies

Stalk-Forest Group -- ST. CECILIA

Today it's Peter Case's second solo album: The Man With The Blue Postmodern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar (1989).

Most reviewers just called it Blue Guitar.

Case was taking a break from the rawer, "power-pop" sounds of his work with The Plimsouls and going more into folk-rock mode, as with his previous solo record.

I guess to a lot of people, the arrangements are dated, but to me it holds up beautifully. I also remember people made fun of him for supposedly ripping off Springsteen, which just made me roll my eyes. I've always found Springsteen to be overrated, and the idea that nobody had the right to sing about the down-and-out without getting Bruce's permission first was pretty damn stupid.

Anyone who really knows me knows what a huge fan of System of a Down I am. Well, they've been on "hiatus" since 2005, but I've loyally supported the interim projects of its lead singer Serj Tankian as a solo artist and its guitarist & drummer performing as Scars on Broadway. Both first albums were very good and helped fill the void SOAD has left pretty admirably.

Serj released his second solo album Imperfect Harmonies last month, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit despite (or perhaps because?) it's quite a departure from his solo debut and especially from anything SOAD ever did.

Serj has a really unusual voice to say the least. It's very rangy and he frequently explores his range with some pretty dissonant and unpredictable notes. I don't think his is a voice that everyone would automatically enjoy. It's kind of nasal at times, and he enjoys using it in unconventional manners. But to me it's haunting at times, often beautiful and just unique and exciting.

In Imperfect Harmonies, he moves pretty much completely away from electric guitar and instead heavily favors orchestration as his primary music. There's not a single one of its eleven tracks that doesn't feature a good deal of orchestral backup. Yet he uses it in such a way that it still feels like a rock album and most of the tracks are fairly up-tempo, so it's not a snoozefest full of sappy love songs. In fact maybe one or two of the tracks can be possibly classified as such.

If there's a downside to Serj's lyrics, it's that there's a tendency to at times to be overly verbose. Witness a sample of his lyrics to "Borders Are":

fear is the cause of separation
backed with illicit conversations
procured by constant condemnations
national blood-painted persuasions

here's my song for the free
no it's not about praise and publicity
corporatocracy what a hypocrisy
aristocracy versus democracy

fear is the cause of separation
backed with illicit conversations
procured by constant condemnations
national blood-painted persuasions

If those read kinda verbose, you can see that the lyrics sound awkward and crowded at times. Also obvious, like with System, Serj tends to have a heapin' helping of politically-skewed songs which can turn some off. There's also a good share of relationship and otherwise non-political songs as well.

The more I listen to this album, the more and more I'm enjoying it. I was skeptical about buying it as the pub made it clear this was orchestra-heavy. Normally, I don't go for that sort of thing in large doses; I'm definitely a lover of the electric guitar. But if the execution can be this entertaining and multi-dimensional, then I'd definitely be game for more of the same. A solid effort through and through.

If you're curious at all, here's a link to two videos from the album:

A lyric video for "Borders Are" and the official video for "Left of Center"

If you decide to check them out or have already listened to the album yourself, please post some comments.

Today it's Marilyn Mazur's Future Song, from 1992. (Recorded in 1990.)

Mostly instrumental jazz-rock. Aina Kemanis provides some vocals, but they're usually abstract and meant to blend in with percussionist Mazur's soundscapes, rather than to draw attention to themselves.

It's a big sound for a small group (Most tracks are just Mazur and another drummer/percussionist, Kemanis' vocals, and alternating electric/acoustic bass and guitar. Occasionally there's a horn or two added.) I'm always freshly surprised to be reminded that the ensemble is so small.

The tone veers violently between sunny and stormy. So to me it's very Autumnal and appropriate to where I live. The first track in particular ("First Dream") has some nightmarish passages that seem right for the day, as well. A lot of Mazur's work veers more into New Agey or minimalist territory, but I find this side of her much more satisfying to listen to.

You can find her on youtube , if you feel so inclined.

^I'll listen to yours if ya listen ta mine, clee!

A compilation of bands labeled "Dream Pop". Sigur Ros, Cocteau Twins, Beach House, and others. Some of these seem to be to in thrall to their effects pedals, but there's some nice stuff here.

Just got back from spending Halloween weekend down in Asheville, North Carolina for Moogfest 2010. Ostensibly a celebration of Robert Moog and his famed synthesizer, I only actually saw one band using one. That being said... awesome time!

It was really more my wife's genre of music than my own, but I still had a blast. We saw Mountain Man (sort of an acapella old-timey folk group), School of Seven Bells (fantastic guitar), my wife's favorite singer, Jonsi (the lead from Sigur Ros - billed solo, but backed up by the rest of Sigur Ros anyway ), Massive Attack, and my absolute favorite show of the weekend, Thievery Corporation.

Thievery Corporation was just sooooo good! I can't pin them down to a specific genre if you're not familiar with them, but it's sort of world beat meets trance. The energy at their show was just so positive, I'm an immediate convert.

The fact that almost everyone at the show was in costume made for a surreal experience... especially when, after having seen about my 20th girl dressed as Ramona Flowers, I did a double take when I saw a guy in the same costume in the men's room!

This


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPjhHcLpfr4

the temper trap

mumford and sons

and still band of horses

and this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KQmps-Sog

Recently, songs from Gliss, Phantogram, The Twang, Micachu & The Shapes are getting a lot of play.

Dude, that's actually a good review. I may take you up on it if I can just focus a little.

I almost posted this in my Fantabulous World of Eighties Enchantment thread in MMB, but I've started feeling a little funny about posting about music on MMB when all the musical action is going on in The Anywhere Machine.

Anyhow, lately Side Two of my old Go-Gos Greatest cassette -- originally released two decades ago;how time flies! -- has been getting played and re-played. Much as I love the pop hits on Side One, it's the more obscure songs on Side Two that I keep coming back to recently. They're darker, spunkier, harder, and punkier than people might expect if they only know the hits.

Long as I'm posting about it, I might as well run down the tracklist of Side Two and hopefully inspire some people to either fulfill their curiousity or have a nice trip down memory lane:

"You Thought"

"I'm the Only One"

"This Town"

"Lust to Love"

"Mercenary"

"How Much More"

"Turn to You"

...and just for good measure, Side One's "Get Up and Go" kicks up some dust as well, using the reliable old Bo Diddley beat.

Mark Salling's (Puck from Glee) new album "Pipe Dreams", it's really well-done!

Totally fawning over Finn Andrews of The Veils right now and a video I'd missed of "Calliope"

I'm revisiting Low's The Great Destroyer disc now that Robert Plant's been covering songs from it.

Muse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KQ...ob&playnext=1&list=TLNio4UI73nGU

killers:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5fB...ob&playnext=1&list=TLNfb1Xjq6ih0


the Undisputed Rick James:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsXzDMRFWkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTChzv6UPEI&feature=related

Teddybears:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsFnQFRKrqM&feature=related

My Darkest Days with Pornstar Dancing. I'd throw a link, but it'd probably tick some people off, lol.

MERRY XMAS, EVERYBODY

Seger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2aBOTNGWMY&feature=related


Santana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o65NeEr4zM0

Coltrane/Davis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjwVwASlVn4

For Christmas my wife got me the huge Beatles package that has every single Beatles album & single. I've listened to the Beatles all my life but most of those CD's were actually my parents, so now I have my own.

First up, the album I now consider to be my absolute favorite by them: Help!.

When I tell you I love this album, I can't overstate it. I'm listening to it like a pre-teen who just discovered music for the first time.

Man, what a solid album. I love, love, love the Beatles 'middle era' of their career (my parents favorite period of their music).

Just about every song on the album is an absolute classic. "Help!", the title song (and opener) is one of their best, catchiest tunes ever. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" has long been one of my favorite songs ever (and if I could play guitar the one I would learn immediately), "You're Going to Lose That Girl" and "It's Only Love" are quintessential Beatles classics.

But my favorite right now (and it wasn't always) is "I've Just Seen a Face". What an incredible song! After all these years, it still feels so fresh and new to me. It's quick tempo and the breezy way Paul sings it make me remember the first time I realized I really had serious feelings for a girl and how happy that made me feel. It totally captures that feeling.

Great album--one of the best ever.

"Help!" itself is one of the greatest Beatles songs ever! As much as I love the chorus, the verses are just special with how the lead and background vocals interact. LOVE that song!

Personally, I'm more a fan of the Sgt. Pepper/White Album/Abbey Road era, but I admit that I haven't focused as much on the albums pre-Sgt. Peppers. Only a couple of years ago did I purchase Revolver and Rubber Soul and experienced them as their own things. I enjoyed both a lot and pledged to get all of their albums at some point, but I still haven't done so as yet. Maybe soon.

Rubber Soul is my favorite Beatles album.

Traditionally, Rubber Soul has always been my favorite, but just now (within the last 48 hours) I think I'm ready to proclaim Help! as my all-time favorite. Of course, that's a tongue in check comparison because they are both utterly fantastic.

One album I've never given a chance before but I'm also listening to (rotating with Help) is Magical Mystery Tour. Mainly, the end sequence in Across the Universe with "All You Need is Love" was so damn AMAZING that I've just been obssessed by the song (see: thread I started several months ago where FL harmonized for me ).

I plan to give each album a solid listen to over the next few months, as well as all the singles. I'll be doing it all out of order though to keep things as fresh as possible.

Been listening to My Chem's DANGERDAYS: the true lives of the Fabulous Killjoys pretty much nonstop since I got it for X-Mas. I love how it's so different from Black Parade yet still so good. I could see LASH clubbing to Planetary (GO), and the first two singles, Na Na Na and Sing are great songs-- love the videos, especially in that they're opposites, with the upbeat feel of NNN and the downbeat vibe to Sing. My current fave is the final track Vampire Money, a punked-out old-school rocker taking a jab at the current Twilight (

Interesting. I haven't listened to the pre-Rubber Soul albums in years, as I'd rather snobbishly dismissed them as a bit lightweight. You've inspired me to go back for another listen.

ATM, though, I'm listening to XTC's "Skylarking", the band at its most Beatles-esque thanks to Todd Rundgren's amazing production. (I think if John had still been alive in 1986, he'd probably have loved "Dear God.")

this.


Tito Nieves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO0R_QTnKzA&feature=related

SANTA MARIAS (2008)

Mitzi Dodge, Betsy Todd & Palmyra Delran!

So I listened to two of the Singles compilations over the weekend, which was cool, but now I want to move onto a new Beatles album. Since I'm purposely not doing in any sort of order, I went next to SGT Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said--and I've always enjoyed the album--but I plan to at least try to give it a fresh listen this week.

One thing I've noticed is I'm actually enjoying the Beatles "With a Little Help from my Friends", where I usually skipped over it since Joe Cocker has the definitive, awesome version of that song.

Nothing lately. Life's been crazy.

this: Mondo bongo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B9OaJIFumg

Trawling through YouTube, I recently came across a few songs from the early 70's by a singer named Emily Bindiger. It was sort of a psychedelic-folky sound (sort of early Grace Slick crossed with Natalie Merchant). Here's a few samples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iqpL6_q3Lg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCw7VGtv74s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsUPQA1baaU

I tracked down the rest of the album, just called "Emily" and the whole thing was just phenomenal. It seems it was her only solo album, recorded when she was just 16, backed by the French psych band Dynastie Crisis. It was so good, though, I wondered how why I had never heard her before.

Well, a bit of googling later and it turns out that I have heard her... obscurely... in every decade of my life. It seems that after this album, she toured with Leonard Cohen, and later recorded with him, being the female half of the duet on "Who by Fire," which was one of my favorite songs as a teen. A few years later, she was cast in the children's program, "The Great Space Coaster," which I watched every morning before school as a little kid. She later got into voicing TV jingles, being the voice behind, "Wait'll we get our Hanes on you..." and "Trust Sleepy's... for the rest of your life." More recently, she's been performing with an a capella group who, somewhat notably, sang the "Spider Pig" song from the Simpsons Movie.

What an absolutely bizarre career!

Do you think she may be stalking you, Exnihil?

I've been listening to the Oxford American's latest Southern Music CD. Alabama (the state, not the band) is the focus this year. Some great stuff you've probably never heard before.

Amos Lee, my new favorite. Started with his newest, Mission Bell, and also his self-titled album.

Rick Wakeman:
THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII
JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
NO EARTHLY CONNECTION
WHITE ROCK
CRIMINAL RECORD
RHAPSODIES
ROCK N ROLL PROPHET
1984
G'OLE
COST OF LIVING
CRIMES OF PASSION
SILENT NIGHTS


(The early-80's albums tend to be a low point, sadly... but he got much better again in the mid-late 80's... at least for awhile.)

BLASPHEMY!!!!!!!

^I'm with Prof on this one Cobie.

On the other hand, I dig BIG DADDY'S album "SGT. PEPPER'S". They redid the entire album in the style of various 50's rock & roll artists.


"With A Little Help..." in the style of Johnny Mathis' "It's Not For me To Say"

"Lucy In The Sky..." in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"

"Within You Without You" done as a spoken-word poem recited by a Greenwich Village coffee house beatnik

...and the kicker...

"A Day In The Life" as a Buddy Holly tribute. The "John" section in the style of "Peggy Sue", the "Paul" section in the style of the flip side, "Everyday", the finale as a tribute to "Heartbeat", and the END, as the sound of a plane crash followed by the news report of Buddy Holly's death.

He hasn;t crossed my mind in years. What a jolt!

Rick Wakeman\'s current project...

Wakeman went thru what I'd consider a rough period in the early 80's. Then from about 1986-93, he seemed to get more inspired than ever. Not only was he doing some of his best albums ever, but he was also knocking about about 4 albums PER YEAR.

But about 1994 the inspiration seemed to fade... and sadly, the number of albums didn't. So he was continuing to knock out dozens of albums which just weren't grabbing me, and a lot of these were hard to track down or expensive, or both.

then I read how due to mind-numbingly bad business management, he was somehow-- incredibly-- NOT getting any royalties at all for ANYTHING he wrote before 1996... (It's no wonder he kept knocking out so much new stuff.)

Dave Matthews' 2010 concert in Atlanta...right now.

"Electro-cute" by Babamars.

Rev Theory:

Hell Yeah and Light it up.


Hey, sometimes this old dude likes to listen to the hard stuff, lol.

Uhh, *cough* "Firework" by Katy Perry *cough* ...

But then I rock out super-hard with slipknot right after!

The Down 'n Outz, "My Regeneration."

This is a side project of Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliot, a highly knowledgable fan of the obscure (to Americans) British rock of his 70s adolescence. Here he sings on a collection of covers of the various offshoots of his all-time favorite band, Mott the Hoople. Kudos to Elliot, especially for unearthing the title track of Ian Hunter's "Overnight Angels." That album was considered a disaster at the time, and even most Hunter fans (as well as Hunter himself) haven't a kind word to say about it; I've never heard the album (it was never officially released in the States), but this song, at least as interpreted by Elliot & company, is awesome.

Have to admit it, Glee. Every song they've done on the show is on rotation on my iPhone's iPod.

My entire BILLY PRESTON collection. A lot of what I have is out-of-print or very expensive, and I transferred everything I had to CDs last year.


PRESSIN' ON (1982) has the distinction of being my favorite disco album!

Some old religious stuff of Amy Grant's... seeing her in concert tonight in NYC...

Hey, my overpriced CD from Italy arrived today. In perfect shape-- a miracle,
the guy wrapped it in a thin plastic store bag with some tape, and only put some bubble-wrap on one side. Amazing the jewel case wasn't cracked. Cheapest mail-order packaging I've ever seen anybody do.


The Brotherhood Of Man was a "studio group" put together by a producer, and presumably its members were all unknown and anonymous to the public back in 1969-71 when this stuff was done. Someone online made the sarcastic (and somewhat funny) comment that "Nobody between the ages of 12 and 30 would be taken in by this". At the time, I was 13, my Dad was 53. HE bought the 45, not me!


I'm guessing at one of his weekend playing jobs, someone asked him about the
song, "California Sunday Morning", the next day he went out and bought the record, played it, learned it, and the next weekend, was able to play it on the job. He did that sometimes! It's just funny, considering he was so "out of it"
when it came to "popular" music, and as it turns out, this song was never on an
album, and the single NEVER charted in any country! Wow. Great song, though.
You'd never know it was by a group from England.

This .

(Just a little shout-out to all those fans of a certian comic strip. Also, eff the haters on YouTube's comments. It's a splendid cover version. Somebody save me from old fogies, especially the ones half my freakin' age.)

It's okay, Drake. I think they make a patch for that.

When I feel melancholy, nothing soothes me like the Latin ballads of my childhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhU4HKxkg2k

Tempted, saw a link here on legionworld somewhere and now its stuck in my head.

Gnarles Barkley

'sall good.

Apocalyptica is my flavor du jour.

I Don\'t Care is awesome. End of Me, S.O.S. and I'm Not Jesus are also cool.

Lately, Elvis Crespo. My best friend from college was half-Ecuadorian and I used to listen to Elvis Crespo a lot then; lately just been feeling it.

Also, the T-Pain / Pitbull song. I know in my heart its not good...but I can't help but jam to it in my car.

Master of Puppets by Metallica for about a week. On to Ride the Lightning!

At the moment...Prince's "Valentina."

"Hey, Valentina, tell your mama she should give me a call."

Uh huh.

So as I mentioned a few months ago, I’ve been cycling through several Beatles albums while also taking breaks in between to listen to other things. As I mentioned, I listened to my two favorites albums, Rubber Soul and Help for quite awhile, and hear are some random thoughts on others. Of course, take any comments within the context of me being a huge Beatles fan, which is something I inherited from my parents.

I listened to Revolver for several weeks, and its an album I still like. I don’t like as much as the previous two albums, though it’s still a good listen. I’ve found over the years that “Eleanor Rigby” has just been too over-exposed for me on the radio and television shows and such that I end up skipping it more than listening to it. Being a big George fan, I like this two songs on the album “Love You To” and “I Want to Tell You”, but I know this is George just starting to show his stuff, and his best is still to come.

I jumped ahead then to Magical Mystery Tour, since I didn’t want to do them in order. Traditionally this album would get a pass from me in my listening for really no reason, so I really wanted to give it a listen. You know what? It’s quickly become one of my favorites. I have the release with all of the B-sides as well (I know its an EP based on the tv film, etc.). When listening to it like that, with the first 6 EP songs followed by the B-sides, it really kicks into high gear around the sixth song, “I am the Walrus”. I used to pass that song off as a bit of nonsense but it really grew on me in the “Across the Universe” film as done by Bono with the visual background to the scene. “Hello Goodbye” is next and that remains a powerhouse pop-song that is yet another example of why Paul is such a dynamic musical force. “Strawberry Fields are Forever” is another favorite which I interrupt as a Viet Nam song (caring little if that was the original intent). One song I still don’t love is “Penny Lane” for whatever reason, feeling its too poppy without the punch I like. Yet, I love, love, love “All You Need is Love” at the end, which I always have.

I then jumped back to SGT Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band, and my thoughts verge on the blasphemous. You know, its really not one of my favorites. I like it, don’t get me wrong, and don’t dislike it, but I kind of feel it’s a bit ‘meh’. It does contain one of absolute favorite songs, and a contender for favorite Beatle’s song, “A Day in the Life”, which I can listen to literally 20 times in a row and not get sick of (and talk about a song just holding up over time). But the rest of the album is a lot of ‘take it or leave it’ for me. I like “Lucy” and as I mentioned sometime earlier in the thread I enjoyed the Beatles version of “A Little Help from my Friends” more now than I used to (but still disagree with Prof and Dev, believing Joe Cocker still dominates that song as the quintessential performer of it). When I was younger, I feel like it I liked it a lot more than I do now.

Being surprised at this turn of tastes, I then jumped ahead to Abbey Road, which I believe is the last real recorded album chronologically, as the Let it Be album was recorded before Abbey but released after. And I’ve been listening to it for basically an entire month at this point. Because what really surprised me is just how damn much I LOVE THIS ALBUM. I always liked it but never really dove into it before as I did with some others. Its good enough to deserve bullet points:

- the album starts with a juggernaut of a song, “Come Together”. It’s perhaps the greatest Beatles song for working out, driving, getting into a gang fight, etc. You can just feel the edge to it in every chord.

- As I said, I’m a fan of George so his two best songs “Something else else” and “Here Comes the Sun” are songs I absolutely love. George was my Mom’s favorite Beatle. To me, “Something else else” is one of the greatest love songs ever. Frank Sinatra does a magnificent version which I’ve always loved but George has the quintessential version. Like Frank says, it’s the greatest love song in the latter half of the 21st century. It is just so full of emotion and yet so unique.

- “Oh Darling!” is another favorite. It’s got that gritty sound they had at the end of their career and just so musically appealing in the background with the guitar. I’ve been singing it on and off for a month now, annoying my wife to no end. I listen to this song almost every day.

- “I want You (She’s so heavy)” is another song that is just a freaking monster. I really like it now after seeing it done so well in “Across the Universe”, where I can really dig the ominous portion of the song when it switches back and forth. Its really just a fantastic song that is two really good songs combined into one.

- And then at the end, the final series of songs just runs together so well it feels like its one long, groovy song to just take in all at once. From “Mean Mr. Mustard” to “Carry that Weight” I can almost get lost in the music, making me wish I was laying in the grass high on all kinds of drugs. “She Came Through the Bathroom Window” is in the middle there and it’s a great, great song.

I think Abbey Road has emerged as my other new favorite along with Help! Magical Mystery Tour (whatever you want to call it, album or whatever) is up there too, maybe not quite at Rubber Soul’s level but close.

^ The first time I ever heard Abbey Road, I was blown away by "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"! It's such a peppy song with such a dark theme, that I couldn't help but love it!

And that last run of songs bleeding into each other is quite a fun ride! And don't overlook "Because", Des!

I shall listen to it on the ride home to give it my full attention!

Listened to it more carefully.

It's a great song, perhaps too easily skipped by me still reeling from the power of "I Want You (She's so Heavy)" and then relaxed by "Here Comes the Sun".

I do appreciate it's brevity like the last half of the album. (Maybe I should think of it as the first part of the album?)

Anyway, that's a good amount of over-analysis.

Been listening to Queens greatest hits. Since I have a vehicle with a CD player at the moment.

Been listening to Metallica's Re-Load as I've recently been filling out my collection of their CD's. This one isn't really bad at all, though it lacks as many memorable songs as their best albums. It's definitely better than Load.

And "The Unforgiven II" is just a freaking TERRIFIC song! Would it be heresy to suggest it may be better than the original "Unforgiven" song it's a sequel to?

Now I have to listen to that...

Yes.

Re-Load isn't bad at all, and IMO neither is Load, which has several great songs (like "Ronnie").

When Load and Re-Load came out I was totally the teenage fan who was devastated at the time. Metallica was my FAVORITE band in my youth. I eventually came to really dig Load a lot, though prob have never given Re-Load the same attention.

I love Metallica pre black album, and mostly like them since.

I always keep at least one album in my car. 'Puppets' is my favorite but all of the first 5 are great.

Right now it's Kill 'Em All, their most under-rated album. It's still killer.

Explaining a little more about my teenage / pre-teen obsessive tastes, my favorite bands were the four slash metal bands (though more Metallica & Megadeth than Slayer and Anthrax), Pantera (first four albums) and Iron Maiden, which came slightly later (mid-teens). From age 12-17, they rules my CD player.

Confession time: I didn't ever give Metallica a listen until the release of the Black Album. I was in college and only started getting into metal during the latter half of my four years there. Guns n' Roses was my "doorway" into metal mania. My friends got into GnR and the Black Album, and gradually so did I. From there, I started getting into Van Halen and a number of other metal standards.

Sonce my friends weren't into exploring earlier Metallica stuff, neither was I. I bought "...And Justice for All", but frankly it didn't please my ears the way the Black Album did. It's not hard to see why because the Black Album was their most commercial release to date. So it was a "gateway" album to get people to try metal, but the previous albums might not automatically thrill people who liked the Black Album...especially "Justice" which is their most 'Death Metal'-esque contribution, IMO.

When "Load" came out, it was a big disappointment for me because of it's fairly big departure in style from the Black Album. So I kinda checked out from Metallica fandom for a long time.

In the age of music downloads, I started to reconnect with them, discovering the awesomeness of their catalogue in the process. "Death Magnetic" also helped. I bought it and found it to be a pretty strong release overall that was a fairly successful effort to recapture the sound and feeling of some of there earlier albums.

Eventually, that lead to me making an effort to physically get all of their CD's, so I could play them in my car (during my long ride to work) and listen to all of them in their entirety without cherry-picking songs from downloads.

I'm glad I did! To me downloading songs can never compare to owning and playing an album. Metallica's albums are great listens front-to-back and deserve to be experienced as such. I now have CDs pf all except "St. Anger" (which I'm tempted to skip based on mostly poor reviews). I'll be giving "Load" its first re-listen since I first bought it after I give "Re-Load" a couple more.

"Master of Puppets" and "Ride the Lightning" are definitely the best! I waver between both as to which is my favorite. "Kill 'em All" is raw but definitely rocks really hard. "...And Justice for All" probably has Lars' most technical, pervasive and powerful drumming of all their albums.

Honestly, the Black Album suffers a bit over time by comparison. It feels like their most commercial work. The songs on it tend to get boring after a while, which is not true of their other albums. "Unforgiven" and "Wherever I May Roam" particularly just seem overblown and repetitive.

What's great, though, is seeing my kids get into them! They're loving "One", "Sanitarium", "Master of Puppets", "Ride the Lightning", "Seek and Destroy" and lots of others. I'm raising Metallica fans!!!!

I love that. I shall do the same!

Youre totally right about downloading losing a big part of the listening experience through the cherry picking of songs rather than listening to full albums. Definitely for a band like Metallica! That's also why I asked for the Beatles box set of CDs for Christmas.

'Ride' is my second favorite and my brothers favorite.

Totally agree on Death Magnetic, which was a huge surprise! IIRC, you're the one who told me to finally check it out.

I'd say pass St. Anger. I have it as a completist but after the initial listen when I bought it, I've never re-listened. Its their weakest effort by far.

Also, you're right on the Black Album. It's still a great, great album but it's a little too commercial when compared tithe first four. It's the less popular songs that I've come to love the most: "Of Wolf and Man", "My Friend of Misery", "Dont Tread on Me" and "The God that Failed". All of these songs are awesome live.

I own a ton of bootleg live CDs which are even better than the studio recordings. I used to collect them when I was a teenager.

You know, in the reverse way of you, I became interested in GnR through Metallica. I'd originally passed them over prob b/c they were too popular, but eventually got into them after listening to a bootleg copy of their concert with Metallica in 1992 in New Haven.

I've always LOVED "Don't Tread on Me"! A lot of people who reviewed that album cite it as their weakest track. They think it's overtly patriotic and refutes everything they said on "...And Justice for All". To me, it was always meant to be taken ironically. After all, the "snake" analogy doesn't strike me as particularly flattering! I also love "Sad But True" and "The God That Failed". They play "Sad But True" live a lot still, but those others rarely get played anymore.

What do you think of the latter two Unforgivens?

Ironically, I rarely listen to GnR anymore. "Appetite" is awesome, but everything else (what little there is) is downhill. "Chinese Democracy" is actually pretty listenable, but without Slash and the gang, I consider it more of an Axl solo album. It's a shame that GnR didn't do more. It's mostly Axl's fault but still a shame.

Oh, and Dev...."The Unforgiven II" has kind of emerged as my soundtrack for Lon and Kalla. Many of the lyrics (and the overall tone) really seem to fit their relationship:


Lay beside me, tell me what they've done
Speak the words I want to hear, to make my demons run
The door is locked now, but it's open if you're true
If you can understand the me, than I can understand the you.

Lay beside me, under wicked sky
Through black of day, dark of night, we share this pair of lives
The door cracks open, but there's no sun shining through
Black heart scarring darker still, but there's no sun shining through
No, there's no sun shining through
No, there's no sun shining

What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?

What I've felt, what I've known
Sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?, 'cause I'm the one who waits for you
Or are you unforgiven too?

Come lay beside me, this won't hurt I swear
She loves me not, she loves me still, but she'll never love again
She lay beside me, but she'll be there when I'm gone
Black heart scarring darker still, yes she'll be there when I'm gone
Yes, she'll be there when I'm gone
Dead sure she'll be there!

What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?

What I've felt, what I've known
Sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?, 'cause I'm the one who waits for you
Or are you unforgiven too?

(Solo)

Lay beside me, tell me what I've done
The door is closed, so are your eyes
But now I see the sun, now I see the sun
Yes now I see it!

What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?

What I've felt, what I've known
So sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?, 'cause I'm the one who waits,
The one who waits for you

Oh what I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?
(So I dub thee unforgiven)

Oh, what I've felt
Oh, what I've known!

I take this key (never free)
And I bury it (never me) in you
Because you're unforgiven too

Never free
Never me
'Cause you're unforgiven too!

Stevie Nicks latest album "In Your Dreams" is my most recent musical purchase. It's infectious. The reviews have been positive. Some saying that is the best that she's done in years. I even read one that called it the best of her career. I don't know if I would go that far -- but it is really, really good. It's just feels good to have her voice back in my life on fresh and new music.

I just discovered Iceage-a Danish punk band.
Very loud & loads of fun!

Naked Eyes - Promises Promises. My wife had it on in the car yesterday.

Adele- Rolling in the Deep.

Oh god, soooo much better than todays standard disney pop princess'. Gorgeous lady with a gorgeous voice.

Wow.

"Stand And Deliver" by Adam and the Ants.
One of my favourite songs of all time from one of the coolest bands to ever hit the the scene!

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals -- This is the hottest music I've discovered in a long while.

I've been listening to "In Italia" by Fabri Fibra. It's really fast-paced, powerful, and <strike>optimistic</strike> cynical.

When my last girlfriend and I were going through a rough time, this became my favorite song:

Perfect
by Marianas Trench

Please sing to me,
I can see you open up to breathe.
Fast words make it easier on me,
If the points to never disappoint you,
Somebody's got to tell me what to do
I just wish you could have seen me
When it used to come so easy.
I'd like to say that it's easy to stay
But it's not for me,
Cause I'm barely here at all.

Slow down now, the secrets out
And I swear now I can make this perfect.
What you want, what you need has been killing me.
Trying to be everything that you want me to be.
I'll say yes, I'll undress, I've done more for less and
I will change everything till it's perfect again.

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/marianas_trench/#share

Algebra by Airship.

I'm back into a goth metal faze again so i've been listening to lots of Seraphim Shock and Type O Negative

Don't forget We Are The Fallen and Rain Fell Within!

Dude, I asked you a question on "Your latest favorite song" thread (p. 49) almost two months ago. Go look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNiJx_WMB_s&NR=1&feature=fvwp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3SqYMgKhsk&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTCigoQf7MU&feature=related


Just inna funky, 70's Bob Welch mood.

really in a funky mood.

Love me some Boz Skaggs too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s8l75Oxf1U&feature=related


and 10cc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-d5UXxOCE8&feature=related

the Orleans. Great stuff like this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwK9gwX3ZBs&feature=related

Savage Garden's Hold Me - it's "our" song!

I've always been a sucker for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au0_4hE_4-g&feature=related

or any of their music actually.

Man, just clicking back through this thread brings up some great stuff. Still love me some Orleans.

Went bombin' round youtube and started making a list of songs just for fits and spickle.


Rock kills kid- Paralyzed
Foster the People- Pumped up kicks
Adelle- Rolling in the deep
Sixx AM- this is gonna hurt
Rev Theory- Hell yeah
The Racontuers- Steady as she goes
Seether- Remedy
Ugly Kid Joe- I hate everything about you
Godsmack- Voodoo
The killers- somebody told me
Wolfmother- woman
Wolfmother- Joker and the thief
Danzig- Mother
The Cult- Soul Asylum
Tantric- breakdown
Keane- somewhere only we know

I've decided to try to keep track of everything I listen to this year. Here's the CDs I've spun so far today, in no particular order, with commentary:

The Church, "Starfish" - The biggest-selling album by the Australian proto-goths is often criticized for its slick Hollywood production, but I find the sound to be a timeless tonic.

The Cure, "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" - Second only to its predecessor, "The Head on the Door" as my favorite album by the English proto-goths. It goes down like ice cream...or just like heaven.

Morrissey, "Kill Uncle" - The Morrissey album that it's always been hip to badmouth, and even my usually contrary self has to partly agree that it's not one of his better ones, although there's only a couple tracks that I find outright bad (I always skip over them, of course.) If the mix weren't so sterile, it would be a better listen. And for what it's worth, his hair never looked better than on this album.

Right now I'm listening to:

Julian Cope, "Saint Julian." Cope's first of two back to back "sell out to the mainstream" albums, and by far the better of the two, although his gift for melodic hooks deserts him on some of the album tracks, and "Planet Ride" sounds like a bad imitation of Peter Gabriel's more commercial stuff. But "Trampolene," "World Shut Your Mouth," "Spacehopper," "Eve's Volcano," and "Shot Down" all rock hard and true.

Currently listening to another Cope album, "Peggy Suicide," which I hadn't played for a while, because while his 90s albums are arguably the ones where he found his own voice, I now find that I much prefer Cope as a quirky 80s popster than a grumpy 90s hippie. Still, "Peggy Suicide" has some of the best psychedelic music recorded since the 60s.

So far today...

The Cars, "Heartbeat City" - My Anglophiliac listening tendencies make it only natural that I'd like the Cars, as they had far more left-field influences than most American bands of their generation (Ric Ocasek's vocal stylings owe as much to Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry as they do to Buddy Holly.) That said, "Heartbeat City" is the only one of their albums that I can listen to from beginning to end, and it's tempting to give the credit to super-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, arguably the greatest producer in rock music from 1979 (AC/DC's "Highway to Hell") to 1987 (Def Leppard's "Hysteria.") It's as 80s slick as 80s slick comes, but sometimes that's a good thing.

The Cars, "Door to Door" - Originally intended as a back to basics album after the painstaking approach of Mutt Lange, there is no small irony that the worst tracks are the ones that sound most like the early Cars albums, and the best are those most in the same vein as "Heartbeat City."

Morrissey, "Your Arsenal" - To my mind, this is Morrissey's masterpiece. Produced by guitar hero Mick Ronson (David Bowie, Ian Hunter, Bob Dylan), the album has a thick, muscular sound that nonetheless gives the songs plenty of room to breathe. And, oh, what songs! Kicking off with the brisk "You're Gonna Need Someone By Your Side," we then stomp along with "Glamorous Glue," where Morrissey laments globalization (in 1992!) The next two tracks are among Morrissey's most controversial -- the softly menacing "We'll Let You Know" refuses to flinch from the insular ugliness of hooligan culture, leading many to believe he was glorifying it; "The National Front Disco" is a bucking stallion of a rocker which again refuses easy answers to the queasy topic it broaches, in this case lost and confused youths who are easily led down the road of right-wing extremism. And just when the album threatens to become oppresively grim, we get a triad of frisky pop songs: "Certain People I Know" (an affectionately bitchy appraisal of Morrissey's circle of friends), "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" (a venomously bitchy swipe at Morrissey's rivals), and "You're the One for Me, Fatty" (self-explanatory.) Then, once again, before the album seems like it's going too far in one direction, comes another shift: the acoustic dirge "Seasick, Yet Still Docked", the most "typical" Morrissey song on the album, but a lovely number nonetheless. The album climaxes with the one-two punch of "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday" (a string-laden ballad featuring an unusually hopeful lyric) and "Tomorrow" (which seamlessly alternates between power chords and a steady chug-chug.) This, to me, is what should have been the future of rock and roll, not the thud and blunder of grunge. Still, I can take comfort in knowing that this album holds up much better than other, better selling and more influential albums of its time.

Morrissey, "Vauxhall and I" - The follow-up to "Your Arsenal", recorded after the death of Ronson and two other members of Morrissey's circle, does a 180-degree stylistic turn towards an ambient softness. The mourning singer wrote some of his best, most clear-eyed lyrics for this album. The only problem I have with it is the uniform sweetness of Steve Lillywhite's production, which works beautifully on the ballads but gums up the rockers with sticky aural caramelization. Still a remarkable album, a favorite of many Morrissey fans, and the singer's own favorite of his solo albums.

Currently playing...

Bob Dylan, "Live 1975" - Documenting the tour known as The Rolling Thunder Revue, on which the lead guitarist was the great Mick Ronson, this double-CD set makes a good case for Dylan as a still-vital writer and performer in the decade immediately following the one with which he is most associated.

At this moment, Treble Charger's "Brand New Low".

Today's theme has been (allegedly) lesser albums by great artists...

Morrissey, "Southpaw Grammar" - The follow-up to "Vauxhall and I" seems to have started out as a return to rockier territory, but something went awry. What we ended up with was a bunch of rather samey-sounding rock songs bookended by two overlong monstrosities, although at least the first monster, "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils" works as a sort of post-punk update of pomp-rock. "The Boy Racer" and "Reader Meet Author" stand out among the shorter tracks, while the middle track, "The Operation", would be the catchiest thing on the album if it weren't for the gratuitous drum solo and guitar wig-out. A hard album to love, but there's something perversely compelling about it.

Morrissey, "Maladjusted" - I think this one is underrated, and that the problem most people have with the album is that the mellow and/or frivoulous tracks are much better than the ones where Morrissey bares his teeth. Lead single "Alma Matters" has a lovely melody, "Trouble Loves Me" is a beautiful ballad that should have been a single, "Roy's Keen" is a camp delight, and "Papa Jack" is a sort of refinement of the previous album's sound. "Ammunition", "He Cried", and "Wide to Receive" are all pleasant enough. Overall, the album seems to anticipate the relocation to sunshiny, easy-going Los Angeles that Morrissey embarked on soon after its release.

Julian Cope, "My Nation Underground" - This is the one where he pretty much just gave up and tried to be a compliant little pop star. Thankfully, he shook off that malaise and has never looked back. And the album's not uniformly terrible -- the oldies covers are fun, "I'm Not Losing Sleep" is decent, and "Charlotte Anne" (charlatan, get it?) is a standout; even Cope admits, in hindsight, that "Charlotte Anne" was the one song on this album that he got just right.

It may come as a surprise that I like some of R.E.M.'s albums, even though they were the godfathers of mall-ternative rock. But they did it first, and they did it best.

"Life's Rich Pageant" - As I just don't "get" their first three albums, their fourth is my personal number one. Teaming up R.E.M. with John Melonhead's producer, Don Gehman, must have seemed a recipe for disaster, but the proof is in the pudding. The beautiful "Fall on Me" should have been a much bigger hit than it was, "Flowers of Guatemala," "Swan Swan H", "Cuyahoga," and "Why Don't We Give It Away" are all lovely, and most of the uptempo ones are both fun and thoughful. "Superman" (a cover of a sixties obscurity) and "Underneath the Bunker" are just plain fun.

I don't own the fifth album, "Document," because I think the only decent thing on it is the cover of Wire's "Strange," and otherwise it's a dreary and colorless attempt at a "rawk" album.

"Green" - A nice variety of styles on display on their sixth album and first for a major label, my favorite being the hit single "Stand."

"Out of Time" - Another grab-bag of styles, this one is more uneven than "Green", but it has two of my favorite songs of theirs, "Shiny Happy People" (yes, I like it, and I make no excuses) and "Losing My Religion." The only dud on it is the churlish opener, "Radio Song."

"Automatic for the People" - A masterpiece of contemplative ambience, comparable to Morrissey's "Vauxhall and I" from two years later. Not a bad track on this one, and if "Life's Rich Pageant" is their Saturday night album, then "Automatic for the People" is their Sunday morning album.

The whoosh through the furnace's air return vent.

wye oak

Felt sick, stayed in, listened to a lot of music:

Madness, "Madness" - A band that is not to blame for its load of bad American imitators, these Londoners playfully blended English music hall, Jamaican rhythms, and universal carnival keyboards, while adding enough substance and melancholy to avoid being purely whimsical. This compilation, which introduced the band to Americans, is a combination of UK hit singles with selected tracks from what is generally considered their best album, "The Rise and Fall."

Madness, "Total Madness" - A later compilation notable for including six of their later, less successful singles, which in hindsight are just as good as their earlier ones.

Nick Lowe, "Labour of Lust" - One of the best albums to come out of the New Wave movement, it was recently reissued with the proper amount of tracks and sequencing. Playing the role of irrepresible but nonetheless lovable rock & roll rascal, Lowe unleashed a dozen melodic tales from the road, including his biggest hit, "Cruel to Be Kind."

Elvis Costello, "The Very Best of..." - The only two Elvis C. albums I own are this compilation and the covers collection "Kojak Variety." I think the guy has a facility for the clever turn of phrase, an exquisite taste in music, and is great at talking and writing about music (his liner notes are often more entertaining than the albums,) but he's just not much of a composer or singer (although I find his much-mocked voice to be more endearing than annoying.) This compilation gathers most of the highlights from the first decade of his career. IMO, it peaks early with the peerless UK #2 "Oliver's Army" (sometimes the charts don't lie.)

Squeeze, "Singles 45 & Under" - At their best, bandleaders/singers Glenn Tilbrook & Chris Difford blended their contrasting voices and lyrical outlooks to make some terrific pop songs...and one terrfic album (see below.)

Squeeze, "East Side Story" - Another of the best albums to come out of the New Wave movement, this is a delightful assortment of tunes and styles from start to finish, and includes the band's career high, "Tempted," (sung not by Tilbrook or Difford, but by Paul Carrack, who has a richer, fuller white-soul voice that made all the difference -- if only Carrack had stayed with the band longer.)

More to come later.

Lily Allen, "It's Not Me, It's You" - Proving she was much more than a celebrity for its own sake, her second (and possibly final) album revealed her to be a sly social commentator while showing a greater emotional range than her relentlessly sweary and sarcastic earlier work; oh, she can still spit venom with the best of them (one track is titled "F*** You" -- maybe that's where Cee-Lo Green got the idea), but the most affecting moments are the confessional ones, my personal favorite being her ode to her complicated relationship with her mother, "Chinese" (as in, "We'll get a Choinese an' wotch TV.")

The Style Council, "The Singular Adventures of the Style Council" - My Anglophilia has, surprisingly, never translated into a real appreciation of Paul Weller. But of his three phases -- the angry young New Waver of the Jam, the pseudo-continental white soul crooner of the Style Council, and the gruff confessional singer/songwriter of his solo career -- I prefer the Style Council by far. It doesn't all hold up, especially the later songs, but the sincerity of Weller's love of black music puts it head and shoulders above the majority of his 80s peers.

Heaven 17, "Higher and Higher, the Best of..." Human League offshoot whose songs hold up better than those of their sister group, maybe because they weren't as popular in America and so didn't get overplayed on the radio and reduced to fodder for ironists with nothing better to do. Having said that, my favorite is their only US Hot 100 entry, "Let Me Go."

Have spent most of the day sick in bed, will get back in bed soon. Hopefully more music tomorrow.

This chestnut.

My favorite period for The Black Watch was during the time that J'Ana Jacoby was in the band. Their later stuff seems good, I grant you. But it somehow lacks the push-and-pull that John Andrew Frederick seemed to have with Jacoby when they were working together.

Anyway, if you have 77 cents plus postage that you're not doing anything with, you could do a lot worse than this mini CD. It's got Cure-ish flourishes and sugar-sweet strings (used more for irony than for real sentiment), and Frederick and Jacoby both sing like SoCalifornia angels with English degrees (or maybe just plain old Anglophilia) and snarky little horns visible just below their halos.

Hmmm...ironic use of strings could be a turn-off for me.

I'll listen to yours if you listen to one of mine.

(And hopefully Lardy won't sue me for stealing that line from him.)

Poor Lardy. I never did remember to follow through on that.

And if you want un-ironic strings, there's always XTC's Apple Venus (I only own the stringless demos: Homegrown and Homespun, at present.) Or anything by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

Cleome, you've given me the idea to play some XTC later. Thanks.

Funnily enough, my favorite albums of theirs are the two they recorded with outside producers -- "Skylarking" (Todd Rundgren), and the ever-underrated "Nonsuch" (Gus Dudgeon, who, unlike Rundgren, didn't see the album through to completion.)

Nonsuch had the bad luck to come out at the ascendancy of the <strike>Mallternative</strike> Grunge era.

So did the Throwing Muses' Red Heaven, which I think of as being one of the best rock albums ever. TM and XTC don't have much else in common apart from doggedly doing whatever the frak they feel like doing, and to blazes with what's popular. That's why I love them both so much.

Another album that got buried in the early 90s youthquake was the Psychedelic Furs' "World Outside," which was their best since "Forever Now." The Butler brothers then tried to jump on a bandwagon with their next band Love Spit Love, which has been lost to the tides while the best of the Furs endures. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

I like the Furs but could never have admitted that in the Eighties. I was too big a snob.

Donald Fagen, "The Nightfly" - One half of the Steely Dan braintrust retains the smooth sounds of L.A.'s finest sessioneers, but tones down the irony considerably. The result is a surprsingly warm and clear-eyed album, Fagen looking back at his formative years -- specifically the late 50s/early 60s -- affectionately but lucidly, avoiding the soppy nostalgia that most of the rest of his generation fell prey to (although that didn't stop Howard Jones from taking the lyrics to "I.G.Y." at face value and doing a clueless cover version.)

Lately I've been relistening to Simon and Garfunkels Bridge over troubled water. The only living boy in New York always reminds me of Oliver's dad. Things may not have worked out with him but I still love that song.

After reading the posts above I'm going to dig out some Madness and Psychodelic Furs and relive my twenties

Have fun, Harbi.

I like Simon & Garfunkel a lot, their solo careers not so much, especially not Simon's. I think that, like a lot of rock stars, he lost touch with the everyday world at some point, and his lyrics became patronizing and pretentious. Just my opinion.

Had a road trip to Dartmouth just before Christmas so I took the opportunity to switch out the CDs in the car. This is what's now been in rotation since then:

Led Zeppelin - Box Set Disc 2

Sloan - One Chord to Another

White Stripes - Elephant

Beck - Mellow Gold

Cure - Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me

Pure Funk (Various Artists)

I've been listening to a lot of 60s stuff lately. Right now I'm going through a Byrds phase. Their first half-dozen albums are rarely less than interesting. The one I have on right now is The Notorious Byrd Brothers, whose opening track, the brass-driven "Artificial Energy", just had to have influenced the first Teardrop Explodes album!

FWIW, Art Garfunkel's Scissors Cut is mostly a sweet, unassuming record that probably would've been heavily played on "Adult Contemporary" stations or on VH1 if either had existed at the time. Some of the songs cry out for full-blown cheese-laden arrangements that they sadly didn't get. Which makes sense, given that most or all of them were written by the dude who wrote "MacArthur Park."

Case in point. (The YouTube poster not only gets the title wrong, they attribute it to the wrong LP. "Watermark" isn't bad, but its arrangements sound even more dated now than the SC ones do.)

I'd love to hear this one again. Maybe it's about to cycle around into "so-bad-it's-good" territory, whereupon billions of irony-loving hipsters will pounce on the vinyl version and drive its price up into the triple digits. (Not that anyone should pay that much, but... )

Garfunkel sings songs by Jimmy Webb? How could I refuse? Thanks for the heads-up and for the sample track, Cleome.

Maybe it'll help me forgive Garfunkel for doing that smugly deadpan cover of Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

The saddest thing is that most of the current country-pop princesses actually make Amy Grant look good!

Funnily enough, one of the very few that I like is American Idol alum Carrie Underwood. Especially her first album, "Some Hearts."

Even funnier, one of the songs she sang on AI was..."MacArthur Park."

Been listening to mostly hard rock stuff. Old AC/DC, zep. And some country. Older stuff from the 90's somewhat.

Medusa by Annie Lennox, her version of the clash song Train in Vain is fantastic!

Love that album, Harbinger. You inspired me to post a Youtube link on the Amazing Covers thread. She also does the most haunting cover of "Whiter Shade of Pale" on Medusa.

The early Byrds albums are terrific! They not only had solid hits but put together nice broad perspective albums. They get tons of praise for their harmonizing--and rightly so--but u think sometimes they're underrated for their talent as musicians beyond that. Great array of instruments, grew lead vocals, the occasional off the beaten path arrangement...all groovy stuff!

I agree 100%, Cobie.

In fact, you've inspired me to give their "Mr. Tambourine Man" album yet another spin right now. Thanks.

Then, as an added bonus, I'll put on the Turtles' "You Showed Me", which was written by the Byrds' Clark & McGuinn, but abandoned at the demo stage.

Right now, I'm listening to this 80s gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c98qdFQF7sw

badmotorfinger

3 days on repeat in the car and it hasn't gotten old yet.

When the kids are in the car though, we're listening to The White Stripes' Icky Thump. My son loves "Conquest", and my daughter likes "Prickly Thorn"

I'm currently hooked on 3 divas: Rumer, Lana Del Rey & Imelda May.
Also recently discovered Dum Dum Girls & Those Darlins, two pop/punk girl bands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga8eRdFK710

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3QEKT2mk_Q&feature=related

One hit wonder, Alannah Myles!

Wow, lotta love for the White Stripes upthread. They too are a one-hit wonder for me. I love Seven Nation Army , but the rest of their music does nothing for me.

Ditto Finger Eleven and Paralyzer , or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Weapon of Choice , one hit wonders, the lot of them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRVSSwJYqh0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYH0iH8Oxmg

Freakin evil effin DISCO since the wife is drivin me up a wall with that evil disco crap. She's evil I tells ya evil.

me, play guitar badly. very ... very... badly.

Nothing and everything. Ripped a bunch of my cd's )old stuff) to my mp3 player.

Lots of 80's goodness there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cZT4vYiMxU

RIP Adam Yauch (MCA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJjuwutaCxQ

He was my favorite

"Desolation Row" by My Chemical Romance.

Enjoying the hell out of Lea DeLaria's Bulldyke in a China Shop CD (1992). I actually had a chance to pick it up years ago at a women's bookstore, and passed. Then hated myself, because I didn't see it again until two weeks ago-- in the marked-down bin at a record store in Seattle. Woo!

Since I loved mid-90s Comedy Central stuff (when they still had tons of stand-up) AND great jazz vocals, this is pretty much the best of all possible worlds for me. I love love love that Lea remembers Mary Lou Williams' "In The Land of Oobla Dee," which almost nobody on the planet ever plays or sings.

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die
http://vimeo.com/33716408

Florence and the Machine - Shake it out
http://vimeo.com/31668601

After coming across an article talking about a recent reissue, I decided to listen to an album I'd heard referenced a lot over the years, but never got around to checking out, the prototypical shoegaze album, My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj_duc1kFro&feature=relmfu

Damn. Just... damn!

I need to listen to that again.

Soundgarden's badmotorfinger made it's way back into my car CD player again, mostly because of Jesus Christ Pose...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14r7y6rM6zA&feature=related

So angry, cynical and powerful.

I'm halfway through the Lightning Seeds "Cloudcuckooland," listening to it for the first time. So far, it's a wonderful collection of pure pop (rather appropriately, there's a song on it called "Pure".) It's so wonderful, I had to post about it right away.

^^Loved the whole thing, I'm about to give it a second spin.

Borrow it, rip it, burn it, buy it, but however you do it, please give a listen to the Lightning Seeds' "Cloudcuckooland."

I guess it's rather sad that the most excitement I've felt for a CD since Lady Gaga's "The Fame Monster" EP is for a 22-year-old album.

Now I'm listening to a Church compilation -- I've never heard anything of theirs other than the brilliant "Starfish" album. The compilation is titled after their biggest hit, "Under the Milky Way", and has great liner notes.

^^The Church compilation turned out to be two-thirds excellent. Loved all the 10 pre-Starfish tracks, indifferent about the 5 post-Starfish tracks.

Will definitely try to track down all their pre-Starfish albums, especially Heyday, which was produced by Peter Walsh, who also produced Simple Minds' New Gold Dream, one of my favorite albums of all time.

In the meantime, I'm spinning Starfish for the first time since the beginning of this year, which I noted earlier in this thread. Still love it.

And up next: Bauhaus, 1979-83 Volume One and 1979-83 Volume Two.

Holy $&*(&(!!

I've long been familiar with Bauhaus' cover of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust", but not their cover of T-Rex's "Telegram Sam."

Just heard it for the first time -- it's AWESOME!!

Studio version

BBC Radio performance

My re-reading of the Bronze Age Defenders (see the Gy'mll's forum) has inspired me to spin some of my favorite weird 70s rock music. So far, I've listened to two albums by T-Rex (Electric Warrior & The Slider) and one by David Bowie (The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZrJLMTO-8&feature=related


I'm complete and total crap on the guitar right now, beginner would be generous to categorize it. But I'd love to be able to play like that.

I've been listening to "Life's Rich Pageant" by R.E.M. like I was a high school junior again. It's never fallen out of my top ten albums in what, 25 years? It's never sunk to just nostalgia, it sounds better now than it did when it came out. A song like "Hyena" is maybe not a classic but they beat the tar out of it and made it better than it had any right to.

Matlock, I love "Life's Rich Pageant." It's quite possibly my favorite R.E.M. album. My favorite songs on it are "Flowers of Guatemala", "Cuyahoga," and "Fall on Me."

I think "Flowers of Guatemala" is a pretty under rated track and kind of a turning point toward a more direct political theme. "These Days" has sort of been my personal anthem lately.
I could ramble on about R.E.M. for a long time - they really were the band I grew up with.

I'm marathoning all my Was (Not Was) LPs and discs. Hence the new subheading under my icon.

Focusing on Weird Al for some reason lately.

INXS Kick as well.

so I picked up Slash's apocolyptic love cd and decided that while I liked the song linked above, you're a lie, i like Bad Rain much better. Think its a song I could come closer to learning to play, simple, basic, powerful. that's how I like my hard rock.

On the subject of ex-Guns and Roses folk (like Slash), I'm loving Nikki Sixx's Life is Beautiful.

But I'm into old stuff lately, so I've been grooving to ELO\'s Time (full album on this youtube short) , and Manfred Mann's Somewhere in Africa with songs like Redemption Song and Eyes of Nostradamus .

Michelle Branch. My top 2 are All You Wanted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aViAxK3SKU&ob=av3e and Breathe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQZSL_tVsE&ob=av2n

...er...Sixx is from Motley Crue, not Gn'R, Set.

New favorite song: The Cab's "Endlessly".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TdgpoG00m0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7aOWIFgIZQ&feature=relmfu

Steady as she goes by the Raconteurs

Def Leppard's "Hysteria."

Love it so much.

Hard to believe it's been a quarter century since its release.

Now I feel old.

Love 'em, but thank GOD for lyric sheets!

This and Pyromania are tops of my albums to listen to almost daily at work.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Lard Lad:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Fanfic Lady:
<strong>Def Leppard's "Hysteria."

Love it so much.

Yeah, it IS a bit hard to make out what Joe is singing through all the sound effects.

The Foo Fighters Greatest Hits. Never realized how many songs I actually liked by them. As I listened to the cd the first time, I realized I knew pretty much every song on it.

It's not groundbreaking music, but good fun Rock and Roll.

Now I've moved on to the "other side" of 1987 in music: The Smiths' "Strangeways, Here We Come." Although there's not a huge gap between Lep and the Smiths on songs like the former's "Armageddon It" and the latter's "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before," as both bands were heavily inspired by 70s glam in general and T-Rex in particular.

"With the Lights Out", the Nirvana Box set of early recordings, later demos and rarities. It's pretty crazy stuff, including some awesome covers from house parties before they were signed, and a pretty cool rough cut of "Teen Spirit" with a different set of lyrics.

I have been listening to Lana Del Rey and Florence and the Machine's latest effort non stop ... for lack of anything better to listen while I work.

^LOVE Lana Del Rey.

Concrete Blonde The Bloodletting I think it is. That's the biggest problem with me, I know what I like, I almost never know who it's by, lol.

Two new to me bands...
Orange Goblin, who have that classic 80's heavy/trash metal sound
Battlecross, fall into the Nu-Metal genre for sure but in line with the better bands of that sound

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4466537824796013909

The Logical Song ...

Posted this on the wall of a friend for her Birthday. Have gone back and listened to it three times since then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFQPNApwJGU&feature=fvwrel

Slade: the Collection, '79-'87. Great as their rough-and-ready 70s songs are, in my opinion the quality of their output didn't decrease one bit during their slightly glossier 80s comeback. They were always one of the greatest good-time, good-humored rock and roll bands, and this is the rare two-disc anthology that is worth the extra disc.

^"I like rockin' wild,
Run runaway."

I watched the video of "Run Runaway" just a few days ago, and it reminded me of a friend who looked like Noddy Holder! Unfortunately, he took offense when I told him that.

He took offense? How dare he? What guy wouldn't want to look like this?

He's aged a lot better than anyone in the Stones. Then again, who hasn't?

Speaking of good-time sounds:

Marcia Ball's Let Me Play With Your Poodle (1997)

Now it always makes me think fondly of my pal, C... who was devoted to his cats and his standard-size poodle. He was also the guy who insisted on getting me so drunk on my 30th birthday that I literally could not stand up.

He passed away 12 years ago. I still miss him.

Believe it or not, THESE guys are young enough to be the Rolling Stones' children!

Each response I try and type out here sounds worse than the last, so never mind.

But wasn't the whole point of posting that unflattering photo to make fun of them?

Go on, post!

And by the way, this thread is still technically on topic, because I listened to their first album recently for the first time in years. It sounds very dated.

I can't. I used up all my free-floating hostility against Nickelback last week.

He might have been reacting to Holder's goofy antics in the "Run Runaway" video. In my view, Holder and the rest are having such a good time, who cares if they're goofy or not?

I love lots of Apocalyptica songs, but my current favorite is Not Strong Enough.

There are two versions, one by Brent Smith of Shinedown, and one by Doug Robb of Hoobastank. I like the Doug Robb version better.

I Don't Care, S.O.S. and I'm Not Jesus are also pretty awesome. Who knew cellos could rock so hard?

I've been busy and tired lately so I've also been lazy as hell when it comes to the cd's i've got in the truck.

for the last month it's been Slash, Apocolyptic love, Rick James greatest hits, and Concrete Blond, the Bloodletting.

I gotta break out some other stuff, like spacehog or the rippingtons or Vanessa Dao (if I'm remembering the correct spelling of her name.)

I could also go for some outlaws or BTO, or really go for some ELO.

Ooh, Concrete Blonde! I love Song for Kim, and Joey .

Lots of good stuff on the Time album. My favorite is Twilight. Rain is Falling, Yours Truly 2095, etc. are also awesome.

hard to go wrong with that, Set.

I seem to have misplaced a lot of my old cd's, cause some of the things I wanna listen too, I can only find the cd case for. Rick James' Icon album has been in the cd player for over a month now.

I listened to the Beatles' White Album on the way home from Charlotte today. I never gets old!

I think today, for the first time, I realized that it wasn't chock full of their biggest, signature hits like their other albums. In a way the White Album is all the better for that, I believe.

I'm preparing for a Kataklysm concert in Edmonton next week, so I've been getting pumped up on their music for the past few days

Good observation, Lardy. You've helped me finally figure out just what that certain je nes sais quoi about the White Album actually is. Thank you.

I agree about the White Album too. George Martin has stated he'd have preferred to pare it down to one album of just the "best" tracks more along the lines of "Rubber Soul" or "Revolver." I'm glad the band had the clout to put the whole thing out. I'm sure we would've lost at least two George Harrison songs and they rarely went back to songs they'd discarded after earlier sessions. Personally I've tried to figure out my own one-disc White Album and I can't do it.

As to what I listened to today: two Blake Babies albums, "Earwig" and "Sunburn." Even the throwaway tracks are steeped in that late 80's "college rock" sound that I'm still a sucker for.

Lately, I've been frequently spinning Kate Bush's debut album, "The Kick Inside." It's a testament to her talent that, while she has followed it up with even greater albums, the debut still sounds as fresh and frisky and bursting with potential as I imagine it must have back in 1978.

This is part of my chronological revisiting of Kate's complete discography. The IMO underrated "Lionheart" is up next.

Got my mother the Ultimate Bee Gees 2 disc set, so of course I finally ripped it to my MP3 player and have listened to it every day for the last week or so.

Even watched a documentary on them a few days ago. A truly talented group of brothers who are unfairly considered the Disco guys by way too many people.

They had a long career before and after that period. So sad that only Barry is left.

What Dev said.

There are few things that surprise me anymore about our shared taste in music Fanfie.

Getting into mega-obscure territory here, but:

Tops of Trees, by harpist Carol Emanuel (1992). She's somewhat well-known to jazz fans for working in improv groups with free/noisy jazz musicians like John Zorn. But here she's mostly in duos or trios, playing modern-day pieces with a half-classical, half-jazz feel.

There's some atonality, but also strong melodic sensations coming through most of the pieces. My favorite is "How Long is the Coast of Brittany?" I guess it's kind of dated now, but Emanuel's playing is energetic and atmospheric without lapsing into New Age noodling, while a group of female singers provide wordless "siren" vocals to punctuate the strings. "Listening to Robin" and "Singing Sands" are the most listener friendly pieces: good to wake up to on a Sunday morning.

I know she's made at least one other disc since this one came out, but I haven't bought much new music in the last few years.

[ETA- Just had a chance to hear the newer one, called Allow It To Happen (2010). So far, not impressed. There's way too much emphasis on New-Agey lyrics and "lite" classical arrangements this time around for my taste. Though technically the playing is good.]

Been watching the Strikeback series, and have gotten addicted to it's theme song, Short Change Hero.

It's totally catchy.

Listening to the Proclaimers, not something I'd admit to everyone but I just love them

500 Miles!

Well, I've got a new stereo in my old truck, one that will take cd's and has a usb port. So, Carol's gonna take a look at my gear, and see if we can take all my old albums on cd and copy them to a flashdrive. Then see if I can plug it in and listen to it in the truck. If I do, I can listen to about 100 different albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3QEKT2mk_Q

Lately I find myself really getting into strong guitar songs and adult voices. Thin, reedy voices... I get that they appeal to some folk, but I've always liked powerful tastes in food, powerful colors in art and powerful sound. Perhaps its because i'm trying to learn guitar (Well, I say I am, but Im usually too damn tired or dirty to do much lately. Ain't life a bitch.) so, I'll be posting some things I like that keep to the strength theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSROm-vgVRk&feature=related

Simple, nice hook, lots of fun. Alan Jackson, never heard a bad thing about him. Seems like a pretty typical country boy.

Gretchen Wilson. Lady's got chops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EflVJA6kKf0

Current car CD selection:

They Might Be Giants - Join Us
Tragically Hip - Fully Completely (honestly I didn't switch off of this disc for a good week or more).
Jimmy Fallon - Blow Your Pants Off
Ramones - Adios Amigos!
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Live!
Gorillaz - Gorillaz

Today I listened to selected songs from Morrissey's 2004 comeback album "You Are the Quarry." The album is half-brilliant, with some of the best songs of his career...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qgn1Rc0YJ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZEGkhzvZRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ8IRLScl3M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZS5scNrSVc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7F9RCsRezQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKoS5X4SMrY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6kf6olVaoo

...but the other half sounds...well...half-hearted.

It's still much better than anything he's recorded since.

T-Bone Burnett's first eponymous LP.

My receiver was already going, now the turntable is going, too.



I hate being broke!

Train's 50 Ways To Say Goodbye

James Bond theme songs, like;

The World is Not Enough

Goldeneye

and
Tomorrow Never Dies

We had the radio on a so-called classics station last night (so-called because music I listened to as a teen is no classic yet damn it!!)

Anyways, lots of great songs but the highlight was "Lonely is the Night" followed by "Sister Christian"

Genesis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9zj11gf9Qk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOCrYr7VaRI

"Follow You, Follow Me" was the first Genesis song I ever heard. It still pulls at the heart strings.

(And they look so young . . .)

My favorite Genesis song is Land of Confusion , in part because of the irresistible Splitting Image video but also because the song expresses the frustrations of the Reagan era/Cold War wind-down.

I love the lines, "I won't be home tonight/Our generation will put it right." They sound almost hopelessly naive but also optimistic for the future.

He Who, I love Land of Confusion, too. I think it's one of the hardest-rocking songs of the Collins era.

Agreed.

Even when Genesis wasn't rocking hard, they packed a lot of emotion, inventiveness, and even silliness into their music.

Here's another favorite, Abacab . The title comes from the chords of the song!

I Can\'t Dance is just awesomely catchy for me, it gets stuck in my head all the time.

Home by the Sea is another favorite. I have no idea what it's about, but I was reading a lot of Poe (Annabelle Lee, in her sepulchre by the sea...) and Lovecraft when it came out, and the song creeped me out with lines like 'shadows with no substance, in the shape of men.'

I liked Tonight, Tonight, Tonight until it became a beer jingle...

Ah...Genesis. Back when I liked Phil Collins enough to listen. Then he just became a...oh never mind.

I like Genesis. With Phil and Peter.

Those are great songs, too, Set.

Tonight's excusion into Youtube began with Genesis and to Murray Head's One Night in Bangkok . This song was part of a Broadway musical called "Chess," and was composed by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderssen (better known as the male half of Abba) and Tim Rice (lyricist of "Jesus Christ Superstar" fame).

The lyrics are a little hard to understand at first, so here's a transcript .

It's basically about a burglar breaking into a haunted house.

That's actually what's always bothered me about the song. Rutherford's lyrics just seem so hopelessly naive. It just always feels like there should be some sort of ironic twist in the song that never comes. I've always preferred the much-less-catchy but much-more-introspective
Feeding the Fire which covers similar Cold War themes.

It was announced today that Michael Dunford, guitarist and main composer of Renaissance, passed away yesterday.

So, I've been listening to a lot of their stuff today.

Their biggest hit, Northern Lights.

One of the most beautiful songs ever, Ocean Gypsy.

A recent tune, Mystic and the Muse.

I'd never heard "Feed the Fire" before. Thanks for posting it. It's a much more sophisticated treatment of the same themes.

Sorry to hear about Dunford's passing.

Renaissance never really grabbed me. I was only interested in them as a peripheral connection to the Yardbirds (Keith Relf and Jim McCarty were original members of Renaissance), but their music was very haunting and beautiful.

A few more thoughts on "Land of Confusion":

The song's naivete harkens back to the '60s, when bands of that era thought they could change the world with their music. Naive, yes, but I find it hopeful that every generation thinks it can make a positive difference.

I still admire the lyrics, "There's too many men, too many people/making too many problems/And not much love to go round. . . . This is the world we live in/And these are the hands we're given/Use them and let's start trying/To make it a place worth living in." It's not the most profound statement, but in plain language they urge the listener to take action with whatever talents and skills are at his or her disposal to bring more love into the world. Not a bad goal, indeed.

There was definitely a surge in 'musical activism' with things like Farm Aid and 'We Are the World' and various bands making a commitment to not play Sun City (in South Africa) as a protest against Apartheid, etc. Suddenly rich and popular people with tons of money and tons of fans, asking themselves, 'is there something I should be doing with all this other than blowing it all on parties and coke?'

Various bands and artists touched on the Cold War / Soviet theme, the Scorpions singing 'only love can bring down the wall, someday', Sting singing that Russians 'love their children too,' even Elton John singing about a forbidden romance with someone named Nikita 'with eyes like ice on fire,' etc. (back when he wasn't 'officially' gay yet, and people could poke fun that he'd 'accidentally' used a Russian man's name for the woman he was expected to be singing about...).

And Billy Joel, with 'We Didn't Start the Fire,' trying to wrap his head around how strange the world had gotten in his generation.

Don't forget Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun," about child molestation. (Or, better yet, maybe we should forget it.)

Some of these songs probably genuinely attempted to address wrongs; others may have been bandwagon jumpers: "So-and-so wrote a socially relevant hit; let's see what we can come up with."

Back in the '60s, songs with socially relevant or political protest lyrics were new enough that they seemed more genuine, particularly when they were obviously not intended for radio airplay ("I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag" by Country Joe & The Fish). Even popular artists like John Lennon risked being laughed at for using their fame as a bully pulpit to express their views.

In the era of MTV, though, there was nothing controversial (from an American standpoint, at least) about "Sun City," "We Are the World" or "Russians". Those songs merely confirmed sentiments already agreed upon most listeners. A bit more controversial and more clumsily genuine was "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid (the song that kicked off the charity movement of the '80s)--clumsy because, as someone on TV pointed out a few years ago, it was condescending to people in Africa (of course they knew it was Christmas), but at least the song's heart was in the right place.

Social relevance and rock 'n' roll is always an awkward marriage. Many rockers simply don't know what they are talking about, but they have the clout to get their message across, and they have the means to motivate young people. On the other hand, simplistic views of complex social issues (such as the "our generation will put it right" mentality of "Land of Confusion") can do more harm than good. Young people who try to make change and find out it's not so simple may give up or retreat into cynicism and selfishness. Some argue that's what happened to the Woodstock generation in the '70s.

Part of the difference between the 60s and the 80s is that rock bands of the 60s were typically young people from solidly working class backgrounds, and so "socially relevant" songs often reflected more directly their experiences. A band like Genesis (and I think this generalizes to a lot of 80s "rock stars"), by contrast, were from a mostly upper middle class background (they were formed at an exclusive private school), and were well in their thirties and quite wealthy by the mid-80s, and so their attempts to come off as "socially relevant" tend to come off much more artificial.

With regards to the "naivete" of "Land of Confusion", part of what's frustrating to me is that typically they tend to be a much more cerebral band, and that there tends to be a theme running through a number of their songs that one should distrust the hubris of anyone who claims that they're going to suddenly make the world better. So LoC kind of generates a reaction of "haven't you guys listened to your own songs?" whenever I hear it.

Good points, Eryk.

As I recall, Phil Collins came from a working class background whereas Rutherford and Banks had been students at Charterhouse. But, as you point out, Collins was in his 30s and quite well off (and extremely popular as a solo artist) by the time of "Land of Confusion" -- the lyrics of which were written by Rutherford, in any case.

In the '50s and '60s, rock 'n' roll was by its very nature controversial, socially relevant, and a form of protest. By the '80s, this was no longer the case, and so attempts by artists of that era to come off as such do seem to fall flat if not come off as hypocritical.

I wouldn't say that the activism of the 80's fell flat. An event like Live Aid was unheard of at the time in terms of its scope and benefitted a lot more people than Woodstock ever did. Yes, they were very different things, but while the pop musicians of the 80's did not represent the counter-culture, they represented a segment of the "haves" that made sure to remind us of the "have-nots", which in the "me" decade, perhaps was a bit counter-culture.

Artists like U2 were certainly protesting. Springsteen was certainly protesting. (despite what Reagan might have thought) Just because they didn't represent a counter-culture didn't make their message less relevant. Personally, a lot of the people in that overly-romanticised counter-culture of the 60's weren't doing much more than being self-indulgent - especially in rock. Folk was the more socially-minded music of the time anyway.

IMO.... \m/ \m/

Drake, welcome back!

I agree with you, up to a point. There is romanticizing of the Sixties, but it comes from both sides: the worshipers and the detractors.

Over the last year, I've done some reading on the history of People's Park, for instance. It's not something that was ever mentioned in the mass media nostalgia trips that took place in the Eighties when the Sixties were being discussed. I think one reason it wasn't mentioned is because it flew in the face of many myths about the era: both pro and con.

I have mixed feelings about events like Live Aid. Yes, they pointed towards the generosity of some very wealthy, influential people. But they also pushed a notion that it was no longer realistic for we, the "commoners" to expect economic and social justice from our own elected leaders. Our main hope was random largesse from celebrities. (I feel the same way about events like Comic Relief, which grew against a backdrop of social programs being slashed all over the place during the Reagan Era.)

Trying desperately to jump-start my day here. I started with the Traditional Jazz show on KMHD. Now I've moved on to a mix of Black Watch songs. (The California pop band I've plugged here before, not the Scots with bagpipes.)

Though if I can't pull myself together soon, I might need some bagpipes. Or else a collection of Viridis Lament's Greatest Hits.

"Maybe maybe maybe you just haven't met
The Wrong People yet..."

Current car CD selection:

Parliament - Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Beastie Boys - Anthology
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Soundgarden - King Animal
Tragically Hip - Now for Plan A
Sheepdogs -Sheepdogs
Black Keys - El Camino

I have been listening to "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls for the past hour or so. It goes very well with Wolverine and the X-Men.

"Godzilla" by BOC. Was a nice introduction to a math lesson on proportions. Well, I thought it was nice. Students thought it corny.

In the half-year or so since I made the above discovery, I did listen to "Loveless" again... and again... and again.

I was basically kicking myself for letting what was the perfect capstone to the music of my youth fly under my radar for so long (21 years!). After listening this thing to death, I can say that "Loveless" feels like the definitive statement on the mid to late '80s wave of post-punk, goth, and shoegaze music that defined my teens.

On the other hand... if I had discovered it any earlier, I would have had to wait the over 2 decades that everyone else did for My Bloody Valentine to issue their follow-up album.

As it stands, I only had a six month wait as - this past weekend - the new My Bloody Valentine album, simply called "m b v", was released... and it's freaking amazing.


Apparently, "m b v" was started just after "Loveless" but wound up getting shelved for the next two decades. The first few songs definitely feel that way, almost as though they could have been "Loveless" outtakes that have been polished up for reissue. Somewhere around track four, though, the entire thing takes a sharp turn into the unknown... and blows my mind.

I don't know if there are any other My Bloody Valentine fans on LW, but - if so:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5Dj2xlNnONJWlHRLnxoEDHp89rKoNpO


Favorite track - no doubt - "wonder 2". It's like someone took my dreams of flying and recorded them.

Am going through a classical phase - Brandenburg Concerto by JS Bach (especially part 3 in G major). Ol has Muse Black Holes and Revelations playing almost constantly from his room these days and Bach makes a nice counterpoint to that racket.

I dug out some Belle and Sebastian last weekend! I'd almost forgotten how much they channeled Roxy Music at time in particular the Blues are still Blue.

The "Rock/Pop" setting on iTunes. Does that now officially count as either a quaint or passe' way to listen to music?



"Meet Za Monsta" by PJ Harvey (from To Bring You My Love) is playing. If that doesn't wake me up in the next minute, I probably died in my sleep and just haven't admitted it to myself yet.

Ol's addiction to Muse has reminded me that I used to quite like Queen so I've dug up my copy of Innuendo. A good friend passed away two years ago and had These Are The Days of Our Lives played at his funeral. It makes me sad, but in a strangely good way.

50 Ways to Say Goodbye by Train. Fun lyrics!

Lately... mostly country music and sports news. I'm very out of touch with anything new in rock. Not to much real rock out there for me (and by real rock, I mean rock as I know it. Other's mileage may vary.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blrHHRWKygw

Junior


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAWnb1yxr5M

Steven Wilson is usually pretty hit or miss for me, but when he hits, he really hits.

EDE, how do you get it todo that instead of just me copy and pastinga link? That's pretty dang cool.

If you go to the full reply screen, one of the buttons at the top is "Enter a media tag" (It's the fourth one over from the smiley face). Click that, then select "Youtube Video", and copy/paste the link to that.

Thank you very much. It is appreciated.

Oh hell, I can link some stuff now.

RIP Richie Havens, forever to be remembered for opening Woodstock, though this is where I first heard him.

I've gone back to "Hot Sauce Committee Part II" in my car this week. The album continues to grow on me, though I'd still say "Make Some Noise" and 'long Burn the Fire" are the strongest tracks.

The video may be 'meh', but the track is FRESH.



http://youtu.be/WdgLMslbDuY

Aaron Neville's latest is called "My True Story" and is advertised as revitalizing some of his favorite songs from the doo-wob era and beyond. Works for me. I'm having trouble finding new music that resonates with me, so Neville's smooth vocals wrapped around some classic tunes is getting me by.

I'm there with you Jerry. Not a lot of new stuff grabs me.


Im more into stuff like this right now.

Anything by her. Damn.

Thrift Shop

Caught a variation of that the other day...

Thrift Shop - Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox

...what led me to that...

Fever Variations - Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox

...and I really liked this.

Gentleman - Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox

Current Car CD compliment:

Tom Wait's "Bone Machine"
Pixie's "Surfer Rosa"
Jack White's "Blunderbuss"
Original London cast recording for "Les Miserables"

Brazilian goddess Nara Leao's Nara 67.

Considered a transition from Bossa Nova to "Tropicalia," I believe. What a talent she was. If I was drawing comics, I'd totally model my next character after her.

I've often wondered if Tracy Chapman was inspired by

Avenue Q: It Sucks To Be Me

Totes loving this tune at the moment.

Lately, I've just been bobbin' round youtube. Most nights startin' off with Stevie Wonder.

Yep, discovered youtube and 60s music the first time they put the fast internet on sale. It was the only thing I missed about fast internet when the year was up.

Bathroom Dance - a Filipino spoof of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.

And Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Won best song with a social message at the VMA.

Listened to this album tonight while running:

I am listening to "who can it beeeee now"

at top volume in the hotel bar downstairs as i have my dinner ....


omg ... "with or without you" is coming on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


i am vibrating from the sound but it is nice.

Right now I'm spinning the Sundays' "Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic," quite simply a wonderful album. It's ethereal and wistful but without overdoing the sweetness.

Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day" and "It's My Life". I need a vacation.

"Dirty Deeds Done With Sheep"

Marianas Trench's Perfect

Stone - Alice in chains

Can't stop listening (or watching).

It's back to the 90's!!

Goo Goo Dolls' "Rebel Beat",

and Fallout Boy's "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark".

Simple Minds' "New Gold Dream", one of my favorite 80s albums and in my opinion the band's best album. I like their next two albums more than a lot of fans do, but "New Gold Dream" was lightning in a bottle.

I really liked Empires and Dance, but agree that New Gold Dream was a definite turning point where a number of things seemed to fall into place.

I've been playing the first side of Sparkle in the rain more recently though + All the Things She Said.

This is amazing! Your choice of tracks from Sparkle in the Rain and Once Upon a Time are the same ones I favor!

That's great! Speeding my love to you for that

Yesterday, it was a couple of CDs by jazz great Dexter Gordon, via YouTube.

It was very helpful, too. Because a ton of stupid crap happened that I couldn't get a handle on no matter what I did. Also, my boss was being a royal butt and there was nothing I could do about that, either.

My favorite Gordon CD is Our Man In Paris. It's definitely on YouTube. If I was sending a new fan out for 5-10 jazz cds to get them started collecting, that one would have to be in there.

This week I have mostly been listening to Devo.

This.

only...I have different words in my head than what they sing, and their dirty version has nothing on mine.

And this. my listening tastes have been running very heavy lately. Don't know why.

Shatner can really put a lot of gravitas into stock phrases.

6CycleMind's Sandalan (I don't think any of you can understand the lyrics though...)

A the risk of completely obliterating my street cred here, I'm compelled to admit that I just watched nearly two hours of programming on Great American Country centering around Lady Antebellum tonight. First a concert; then a special on how they got together and hit the big time. I swear I listen to practically NO country music at all--I mean, my three favorite acts are Metallica, System of a Down and the Beatles, and I generally like heavy guitar rock--but I have an inexplicable weakness for Lady A!

I've never admitted this to ANYone! But I'm among friends here...right?

Lardy, the boys of Lady Antebellum grew up here in my community. (The county's new venue is the Lady Antebellum Amphitheatre.) They're friends of friends. So that makes you a friend of a friend of a friend of Lady A.

The presence of Nick Lowe's wonderful song Cruel to Be Kind in He Who's latest Top 40 thread has inspired me to spin the two Lowe albums in my collection, the excellent "Labour of Lust" and the more uneven but often inspired "Jesus of Cool."



Of course you're among friends, Lardy. You don't ever have to worry about that. Especially considering some of the stuff I've admitted to liking.

I guess they just disappointed a bunch here, canceling a concert. I'm pretty sure the concert had been sold out so they must have had some other reason.

Never heard of them myself before they made the news for canceling but I don't tend towards those channels.

Thing is, I could probably only name and sing a bit of maybe five of their songs...if that!

It was definitely "Need You Now" that put them on my radar. Hearing it on the Muzak at work and, oddly enough, on literally the only episode of "Glee" I've ever watched kind of ingrained it into my consciousness.

I will say it's very unusual for a band to have both a male and female lead singer who consistently sing together on every track (as far as I know anyway). I mean, you have bands like Fleetwood Mac with male and female leads, but they mostly switch off songs. Maybe part of what I secretly admire about Lady A is that their perpetual male/female duet singing/songwriting format is actually pretty innovative?

Tonight, it's one of my favorite albums of the 90s, De Republica by Deus ex Machina.

Lardy, I like my rock hard, fast, and loud. But.. with so many "rock" acts just being andro pop, I listen to a lot more country now than I ever did before. So, Lady A ain't bad. It's when you start getting the justin beeber's of country that I lose all hope and leave it on the sports channels for days on end.

But I like country honky tonk and hard blues. Just think "there ain't nuthin' bout you" or "Hillbilly Deluxe" for my country tastes.

One thing about the better country acts is that they can flat-out SING--as opposed to yell or scream or rap or whine, etc. Certainly, Lady A features some very appealing vocals that play off each other well.



See, I don't even know what those songs ARE!

This week I have mostly been listening to Sparks.

Don't feel bad Paladin...I'm sure by now you know how my tastes veer towards extreme metal but...

And I've been listening to my favorite 80's band lately

I have narrowed my favorite song down to my top two contenders:

Savage Garden's "Hold Me",

and

The Calling's "Our Lives"

Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied.

The Doobie Brothers' What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.

Oh, and a George Benson live concert.

Rebel Beat by Goo Goo Dolls

R.E.M.'s "Automatic for the People." If more music from the 90s had been like this, I'd have enjoyed the decade a lot more.

This week I have mostly been listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Today, I paid my respects to Lou Reed (R.I.P.) by listening to my favorite work of his, the great 1972 solo album "Transformer."

I had New York on when I came home. >sigh<

It's a terrible loss, and it's depressing to consider that the rock icons of Reed's generation are just beginning to leave us.

Ah well. We'll always have the music. I think I'll listen to the VU's "Loaded" later.

Fans of poppy Norweigian jazz won't want to miss out on the new Pixel album!

Right now, I'm listening to the Lightning Seeds' wonderful debut album "Cloudcuckooland."

I had Pure on a few weeks ago. I really liked Sense from the next album and the Life of Riley.

I remember a punk/post punk series of interviews and someone mentioning that the person she knew would do well was Ian Broudie. He was constantly working away trying to improve, while some of the others really didn't have that kind of drive at all.

Yeah, Broudie's fantastic. I wish he'd had more than a "walk-on cameo" in Julian Cope's otherwise great Liverpool Scene memoir "Head On."

After the teardrop...well exploded, I only really knew Cope from World Shut Your Mouth. Good single, which I kept seeing him perform on some elaborate chair thing. Then seemingly nothing.

I next heard about him when he released his book The Modern Antiquarian. It's that kind of work I know him best for now.

Cope's solo career is basically three phases, divided roughly by decade: there's the 80s, when he was burning with a creative fire but didn't quite know what he was doing or what he wanted to be. That's actually his best work, IMO; there's the 90s, where's he's much more self-assured, but also too much crustiness for me; and there's the 00s to date, where he no longer worries about meeting the masses halfway, real love-it-or-hate it stuff -- I, sad to say, hate it.

The Cope albums I'd recommend without hesitation are his first two, "World Shut Your Mouth" (which, cheekily, doesn't have that song on it), and "Fried." The third one, ("Saint Julian", which did have "WSYM"), is half a great album, half uninspired. Of the 90s stuff, "Peggy Suicide", "20 Mothers", and "Interpreter" still get the occassional spin from me.

[quote=Fanfic Lady]The Cope albums I'd recommend without hesitation are his first two, "World Shut Your Mouth" (which, cheekily, doesn't have that song on it)/quote]

That's naughty. Way to mess with people looking to pick up your album, just for that one.

IIRC, all he had at first was the title, which was a favorite expression of one of the Liverpool scenesters. He wrote the song either right before the WSYM album or right after, but didn't record it until after the Fried album.

Well, I just got home with a crate full of LPs given to me by a co-worker, most of which are 80s rock, so I guess that's what I'll listening to for the next few weeks. So far all 65 of them look to be in excellent condition (except for one that is missing its cover and is covered with dust).

Wow. World Shut your mouth is even better than I remember it.

I have a couple milk crates in the garage, along with a rather at one time middlin to high end stereo/amp/player that will probably never again see the light of day. I think I have Saturday Night Fever, lol.

Here's some fun steampunk-y trip hop.

At the moment, Mozart's Adagio for Violin and Orchestra.

Pizzicato Five.

Stylish, fun and great pop.


Following on from some Cibo Matta, earlier in the week.

Today, to celebrate the release of Morrissey's autobiography on the American side of the Atlantic, I had an all-day musical Moz-a-thon, playing in chronological order:

The Smiths, "Louder Than Bombs"

The Smiths, "Strangeways, Here We Come"

Morrissey, "Your Arsenal"

Morrissey, "Vauxhall & I"

Morrissey, "Southpaw Grammar"

Morrissey, "Maladjusted"

Morrissey, "You Are the Quarry"

About the only thing I listened to this week were some Joe Jackson albums.

^^My favorite Joe Jackson album is "Night & Day."

Korn- Never Never
Alice in Chains- Stoned
Rev Theory- Hell Yeah
Theory of a deadman- Bad Girlfriend

After posting some lyrics from Falco's "Der Kommissar" on Non Sequitir's Very Relevant Thread, I did some research (Wikipeida, natch) and was surprised to find that Laura Branigan had covered the song as "Deep In the Dark." Here's her version:



And the Falco original:

Da Cruise.

Rick Shaw, I like your taste in 70's music and icons.

So, here's what I'm listening to today.
http://youtu.be/PpRYi3BzBjE

Thanks, LWL. Not bad on your part either.

Had this one in my head today, after hearing it on the car radio last night coming home from work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo-J1wf2KHc

I like this. Good mix of retro sound with modern sensibilities.

I didn't realize this was Ozzy. I liked it before I knew. Still like it, and that's something considering I've never really liked his stuff. He's become like an idiot savant it seems. He's a doddering old man who can barely talk or walk, but put him in front of a microphone and he drops 30 years and two tons of drugs.

While surfing YouTube, I discovered a pop singer from Spain named Soraya Arnelas. She did an album of 80s covers, and they're all a blast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHSFIGKk5cI&list=PL95E7DC962A55F04D

Right now, I'm listening to the Teardrop Explodes' "Kilimanjaro."

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of vintage Pet Shop Boys music. From about 1986 to 1994, they rarely made a misstep.

Finding new stuff to me. Pharrell Williams' Happy. I don't remember the young ladies name but Tightrope. both have a modern motown feel to them.

^ Great song.

This is the Pharrell Williams song. I love the retro feel. Sounds a lot like Smokey Robinson to me.

and this is the "tightrope" song. Love that old Motown feel.

Two good songs, Rick! I've been a fan of Janelle Monae for a while now.

I just found both of them. Love the stuff.

"A Kiss in the Dreamhouse" by Siouxsie and the Banshees, who I recently mentioned in the Rock and Roll Trivia thread in Spaceopoly.

Currently listening to another S&tB album, the eclectic all-covers set "Through the Looking Glass". This one's available in its entirety on YouTube, so enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9m52BLVBtk

I especially like "Hall of Mirrors", "The Passenger", and "Trust in Me."

Thanks. I just had Peek a boo on.

Mining the oldies.

I've had Tom Wait's "Rain Dogs" on repeat in the car for about a week.

Discovered this one recently on my local rock station. I'd describe the song as Joan Jett meets "Another Brick in the Wall". Might have to check out their other stuff....

^OMG! The lead singer is Taylor Momsen, who starred as little Cindy Lou Who in the Jim Carrey Grinch movie!

I feel a little creepy watching her grab her boobs and ogling her as she flashes me wearing only a few strips of tape!

Another excellent Angry Grrrrl rocker that's been on my radar:

...You get used to it...

Something else else filled my heart up with nothing.
Someone told me not to cry.

Every once in a while a new song stands out for me. This is one of them.

Anthony, that Pretty Reckless song sounds a lot like 4 non blondes to me.

Random totally insane song I like;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoW_ZOfsrzA

We really need more alien opera!

I knew that's what it would be even before I clicked the link

I watched it again last month.

Guys got a really good sound to me. Love the harmonies.

I'm not much for the screaming part, but she's got great control and can place it perfectly in the song. I like the unplugged acoustic stuff as well.

One of the few covers I've ever heard that are close enough to being as good as the original. And Debbie Harry was a childhood crush no only for the body but for the voice and attitude as well.

Never heard of these guys before, but not bad.

This song used to be impossible to find (except live versions). Whatever company produced it did a great job of yanking it down whenever it popped up on youtube, but they seem to have relaxed that vigilance.

It's got a great sound to it.

When I was young, my parents were cross-country truck drivers, and we'd listen to what was 'trucking music' back then (now a days, it would be called country), and this song reminds me of the great music from those days.

Set, got the album, but it's on cassette.

Having just finished listening to the new Morrissey album, "World Peace Is None of Your Business", I thought I'd share my first impressions.

The opener and title track, co-written by guitarist Boz Boorer, Morrissey's best collaborator now that Alain Whyte is gone, is everything a Moz fan could want -- great tune, great vocal (he's in good voice throughout the album), lyrics that are sharp, witty, and timely.

The next track, "Neal Cassady Drops Dead", has nothing going for it other that its clever title. Co-written by keyboardist Gustavo Manzur, it's a plodding rocker with childish gross-out lyrics.

On the other hand, "I'm Not a Man" has great lyrics which find Morrissey demolishing the male stereotypes that he has never been able to live up to (best bit: rhyming "T-Bone steak" with "cancer of the prostate".) The music, written by guitarist Jesse Tobias, doesn't quite compliment the lyrics. At almost eight minutes, it's the album's longest track and a missed opportunity at a grand epic.

"Istanbul", co-written by Boorer, is a heartbreaking ballad about a father in the title city losing his son to senseless violence.

"Earth Is the Loneliest Planet", the second and final Manzur co-write, is, surprisingly, driven mostly by synthetic beats which do no favors to the Morrissey-by-numbers lyrics.

Things look to be moving back in the right direction with the frisky opening minutes of "Staircase At the University", co-written by Boorer, until the lyrics take a tragic turn that is ham-fisted where "Istanbul" is graceful, and the song meanders its way to the end.

Some much-needed levity follows in the next two tracks, both co-written by Tobias. "The Bullfighter Dies" is two solid minutes of blackly comical Shadenfreude, while "Kiss Me A Lot" is an uptempo joy despite Morrissey's surprisingly banal lyrics.

Then come the worst two songs on the album, also Tobias co-writes. "Smiler With Knife" is both lyrically and musically tedious, failing to mine the black humor inherent in the premise that Morrissey actually wants the title character to kill him. As for "Kick the Bride Down the Aisle", the title pretty much says it all; it's not as offensive as Morrissey's previous flirtation with "ironic" misogyny, the previous album's "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore", but it comes depressingly close.

"Mountjoy", is, surprisingly, the most forgettable song on the album, despite being co-written by the usually dependable Boorer. I can remember very little about it, other than it didn't have much of a tune and the lyrics were familiar Morrissey tropes.

The closing track, "Oboe Concerto", is, thankfully, not an instrumental. In fact, it's not clear exactly what the title phrase has to do with Morrissey's mourning of friends and people he admires who have passed away. But Boorer writes a decent melody which wraps up things on a moderately positive note.

The production on this album, by Joe Chicarelli, is a quantum leap over the late Jerry Finn's awful job on Morrissey's previous album, "Years of Refusal." The sound is full and rich, and the rhythm section of brothers Matt Walker and Solomon Walker get an overdue chance to strut their stuff in the studio.

Overall, the Morrissey album that the new one reminds me of the most is 1995's "Southpaw Grammar", which was also very uneven and had a tendency to meander. But unlike 2009's "Years of Refusal", this one at least has some songs I will be listening to again (and again and again) in the future.

"World Peace Is None of Your Business" is the first fruit of a two-album record deal. If nothing else, it proves that Morrissey can still deliver an album that has its shining moments. I'm hoping that the second one is an outright triumph rather than a qualified success.

I've been listening to Sinead O'Connor and Shane MacGowan "Haunted" almost non-stop ....

[video:youtube]http://youtu.be/C8oyxrrEk58?t=13s[/video]

Hadn't heard this one for ages and brought back some memories of student days.




I'll be listening to Lightning Seeds at this rate...

One Republic's Love Runs Out. Woooow. The instrumental riffs, the tribal feel, the lyrics... keep playing it over and over.

I heard Charlie Haden's Wayfaring Stranger for the first time on NPR's Fresh Air a few days after his recent passing. Quite a lovely and moving rendition, especially knowing that it was the first time he'd sung in public since he was 15 years old.

Anyone here into The Misfits?

The horror-movie-themed punk band or the mortal enemies of Jem and the Holograms?

Just kidding. I know you meant the former. Sorry, but I'm not a fan. But maybe there's a Misfits fan who missed your post the first time around.

And this is what I've been listening to:

I probably heard Japanese Whispers in bits and pieces numerous times before I ever got a copy. Come to think of it, I heard the Head on the Door even more, and didn't own a copy of that for quite a while. There were always Cure fans around if I wanted to listen to it.

I gave my best friend my copy of The Head on the Door after the reissues came out several years ago.

And a very good gift that was. I've not heard any of the reissues having drfited on to other listens after Wish (I guess, early 1990s?) Worth a look?

The reissues are definitely worth a look. But I think you did right to get off the train after Wish. None of their recordings since then have done anything for me.

Yes! that makes it look as though I had a clue. Thanks Fickles. Now I can be a music connes connosur snob.

Close to Me remains one of my favourites down the years. That was from The Head on the Door, I think? It was a few years before I knew anyone else that liked them.

LOL



Close to Me was indeed from The Head on the Door, as were In Between Days and A Night Like This. Of the tracks on that album not released as singles, my favorite is Push.

I keep repeating "Union City Blues" when I listen to Push.

Hey, borrow from the best, I always say.

I usually say Eat to the Beat, but at least people understand yours.

Right now?

Balfa Toujours: Deux Voyages- Cajun/Zydeco, 1995.

Under the desk, my feet are tapping up a storm. No, really they are...

Cure discussion? Since you didn't ask, the definitive (*) top 5 albums are

1. Head on the Door
2. Disintegration
3. 17 Seconds
4. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
5. Pornography

(*) Subject to change based on mood, the weather, time of day and what happens to be in the car at the time.

It's funny how tensions lead to removal of Lawerence Tolhurst (Lol, before the letters were used for something else), with Gallop and others famously declaring he did nothing in the band, yet the quality unmistakably dropped in his absence. He must have added something to the mix, even if it was just to antagonise everyone.

I thought Tolhurst was fired before Disintegration?

Anyhow, here's my Cure top five:

1. Head on the Door
2. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
3. Disintegration
4. Japanese Whispers EP
5. Wish

I've been on a Queen kick lately:

Princes of the Universe
Flash Gordon
Stone Cold Crazy
Another One Bites the Dust

Andy Bey's Shades Of Bey. (1998) Outstanding jazz singing, and a great cast of musicians. Including one of my all-time favorites: The pianist/composer Geri Allen.

Cure top 5

1. Head on the Door
2. Japanese Whispers EP
3. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
4. Disintegration
5. Wish

As for Queen I loved the video for Radio Ga Ga, set in Metropolis. I hadn't seen Metropolis when the Queen video came out, but the tiny clips and images I had seen had already marked it out as something special.

He was dismissed before it was released, but is still credited on the album ("Other instruments"). There are conflicting stories as to how much (if at all) he contributed.

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying that, Dave.

Regarding Queen, I think they were one of the classiest acts in an often crass genre. I have almost all their albums, as well as their videography.

Long as we're talking about the Cure, it's worth mentioning Robert Smith's contributions to Siouxsie and the Banshees. He had TWO stints as the Banshees' guitarist, and was the prime mover behind their wonderful cover of the Beatles' "Dear Prudence".



And, as heretical as it might sound, I think the Banshees' "Nocturne" and "Hyaena", both with Smith on guitar, are both underrated albums.

Siouxsie made it across to the comics...



...becoming Miss Wonderstarr, drawn by Steve Yeowell in Zenith. Yeowell sneaks in a number of British pop stars into the series.

Most likely inspired by the Dear Prudence cover posted above, I've spent a good portion of this weekend rediscovering the Beatles. And when all is said and done, my favorite Beatles album still is, and will always be, this one:

It's a great album, but my heart will always be on the promenade listening to Sgt Pepper.

No doubt in part because it was trying to keep up with Pet Sounds that was trying to keep up with Rubber Soul.

It just dawned on me that Rocket Raccoon is named after the Beatles Rocky Raccoon song. Sure enough, it's even on wiki.

But...is the Legion's Policy Pam based on Polythene Pam from Abbey Road? Giffen's paw in both characters?

This is a good example of how much I love Slade: I hate the Beastie Boys, but I adore Slade IMITATING the Beastie Boys!

You hate the Beastie Boys? This is where we must part ways, ma'am!

Play it loud with a smile

For being such a jazz fan, I don't own nearly enough of his work. Two of his excellent collaborations with Geri Allen on CD. Etudes being the most enjoyable of the two, I think. Plus, ECM's The Ballad of the Fallen on vinyl. But he's a very modest presence there. It's a very all-for-one-and-one-for-all effort.

Then, would you believe that today I found this for only two bucks at a church rummage sale? Mixed in with piles of easy listening. Of course I pounced on it. I will listen to it in the coming week and report back.

One band I listen to replaced their vocalist a while back and released a new album so I've been listening to them quite a bit. The new lady on the mic is a Canadian too, so extra bonus!

War Eternal by Arch Enemy

BBC2's 100 greatest guitar riffs

Back in the heyday of glam, Suzi showed us that girls could rock as true as the boys:

Cobie's positive reaction to my post in the Amazing Covers thread of the Runaways' cover of the Velvet Underground's "Rock 'n Roll" inspired me to post their entire debut album here:



Even though lead singer Cherie Currie is spelled by Joan Jett on said cover, I like Cherie's voice better than Joan's. It's deep and rich, anticipating Patty Smyth by several years.

Right now, I'm listening yet again to Def Leppard's "Hysteria". These are my two favorite non-single tracks from the album:





I've long thought that they would have made great opening and closing themes to an anime series.

And now I'm running down my favorites among Slade's 70s hits on YouTube in chronological order. I'm up to...



I love the way Noddy Holder sings "LIM-ou-siiiiine."

The Boom Clap sounds like a scary explosive STD...

"Boom Clap, need Penecillin/
Call the Dr., my vagina's illin' "

LOL

Oh, Pov, you have such a dirty mind -- and I love you for it!

I did my own parody of that song, too:

Poop, crap,
The smell of your fart
The shit flows on
Ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca

..resolves not to go to Legion World while eating breakfast...

Listening to lots from Jesus Jones today, as I'm off to see 'em soon. Thanks to Fickles posts to get me to check what they were up to these days, just in time for a tour.



thothkins: International Bright Not-as-young-as-I-used-to-be Thing.

You're very welcome, Thoth. And thanks for the trip down memory lane. I'd forgotten how underrated they were. Enjoy the concert.

On a Savage Garden kick now. The Animal Song, Hold Me, Crash and Burn, Affirmation.

Paula Fuga's Lilikoi (2006)

I like Ellie Goulding's voice, though I don't care her for music itself.

"Lights" is the one song of hers that I love unconditionally. Unlike "Burn", I didn't get sick of it after hearing it a million times. Her other songs I can take or leave.

This one goes out to matlock, who's visiting tonight:

It's not really going out on a limb but I've been listening to a LOT of Beatles lately. I'm a huge fan but I've never had a complete catalogue and what I had was a mix of battered CDs and useless cassettes (since I don't have a cassette player these days.) I made it a quest to replace them all earlier in the summer and I'm only missing Yellow Submarine to have everything lined up on the shelf. I may just iTunes the 4 songs I need from it for now.
I haven't really been able to listen to some of these songs properly in years. I listened to the first four albums plus related singles and b-sides at work the other day and it was pretty amazing to hear them back to back like that. My mp3 player is groaning under the strain of so much Beatles since I mixed in some Anthology and BBC tracks.
I've been listening to their second album, "With the Beatles" most of all; it's really the last time they flexed those late-night Hamburg muscles. They weren't quite in "cheeky mop-top" high gear yet.

*Technically speaking I am literally right now listening to Neil Young at the 2014 Farm Aid concert. He still sounds pretty much as good as ever. He's playing some old favorites and some newer stuff. The new stuff is pretty unvarnished in the messaging, but these aren't really times for subtlety I guess.

I'm dying for a little subtlety myself, but I get your point.

Well you nailed that. The band I grew up with and a song originally off what's probably my favorite album of all time. I just posted about buying up the Beatles catalogue, and R.E.M. will be next I think. I missed out on some good stuff in the later years (and some pretty weak stuff to be fair.) Thanks for the tip of the hat!

You're very welcome.

My favorite post-Berry song of theirs is "The Great Beyond."

A coworker passed me a copy of the next-to-last album "Accelerate" and I was really happy with it. It seemed like the "rock" album I always wanted "Monster" to have been.

Yeah, although I think Monster is pretty underrated. It was the elder statesmen showing the young'uns how it's done.

My best friend, who I've been trying to convert to REM, likes Crush With Eyeliner.

Yes, it is definitely better than I thought it was at the time. Based on the pre-release hype (Back to Rock!) I was expecting something more like "Document." Needless to say "Monster" was something else entirely so I was never going to like it right out of the box. I've heard live versions of some of the deeper cuts that made me re-evaluate it for the better.

Upon hearing Faith No More is working on a new album, I dug out their last album from 18(!) years ago, "King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime", and gave it a new listen. I remember hating it when I first got it, but it's been playing constantly these past few days, and while it's not my favorite FNM album (Angel Dust!), it's really good on its own merits. I think my initial disdain for KFAD,FFAL was the lack of Jim Martin on guitar, but I can see where he and the band had grown apart stylistically.

The title track, "Richochet", "Take This Bottle", and "Caralho Voador" are my favorite songs.

TBH, having been introduced to them through their first couple Warner Bros albums, I struggled for a long time with most of their IRS albums. I loved Lifes Rich Pageant straight out of the gate, but the other four took a lot of listens to appreciate. Challenging music can often be rewarding.

Thanks to Fickles, I've been on a Beatles kick this week too. So much I'd not really listened to before. Not to mention so many influences I can see on other bands. Chemical Brothers was the obvious one I'd not picked up before as their Let Forever Be is eerily similar to the Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows.

I've not listened to REM for a long time. I seem to recall thinking it was all getting a bit samey after over a decade (an opinion based on a passing thought probably). I remember The One I love being on a tape that my brother was given. So, when I saw an album at a second hand store I asked for it. That turned out not to be Document but Life's Rich Pageant going quite cheap for some reason.

As for Faith No More: musically some great stuff, but I never quite thought the vocals quite compared. Mind you, the lead singer must have passed puberty now, so that my well have got better too.;) What was the reason the old lead singer was dropped? Not that I thought that compared too well either to the music.

Thoth, glad to learn I inspired you to reacquaint yourself with the Beatles.

Regarding REM, I think albums like 1994's Monster and 1998's Up were a deliberate effort to prevent their sound from getting codified into formula. When audiences proved resistant to change, they retreated to safer ground on those albums' respective follow-ups, 1996's New Adventures Hi-Fi (one of my least favorite albums of theirs) and 2001's Reveal.

I liked "Up," it has a nothing-to-lose vibe since it was their first album without Bill Berry. I think some of the drift after that may have also been due to not having a permanent drummer. Having Bill Riflin play on their last couple albums gave them a more coherent "band" feel.

I am waiting patiently for a Mike Mills solo album, I'd be more interested in that than a Michael Stipe one to be honest.

It may still be Sunday for you, but That's Where the Story Ends for my Sunday. It's Monday here, and since I'm on holiday, it must be a...

^Not bad, but I prefer the Def Leppard version.

You don't like Mondays? Just like this lot...

LOL

I adore the Rats. Bob Geldof is one of my heroes.

Unfortunately, YouTube says that video isn't available.

Bah! Must be a locational thing, as I've just watched it.

Mind you, I heard they didn't like Mondays because they didn't like the Reading, Writing & Arithmetic. I had to tell them that they were thinking of the Sundays, and they disbanded in the huff.

Been thinking about this song since I mentioned it earlier in the Kill This Thread thread. Great song, great video:

As I may have given away in the shouty box...

the comics related...

I love XTC. Cleome loves them even more than I do. I wish she was here tonight.

I went for decades only ever hearing the making plans for Nigel one. Silly radio stations.

Most Americans only know them for "Dear God", which was actually a B-side until a disc jockey flipped it over.

I don't think I've heard that one....and now I have...I'd have thought that song would have certain groups out huffing and puffing.

Oh, it did, it most surely did. That just contributed to its popularity. Silly religious nutcases!

Oh, and it was from the Skylarking album.

I see you also decided to go down the path of tact

That's me, Miss Tactful.

On a related note, I'm currently on my first listen to the new Tin Spirits album, featuring XTC's guitarist Dave Gregory.

I'll listen to that shortly, EDE, but first, I want to post another XTC comic-book-related song, a rather apropos one considering that other thread you just started tonight:

Along with XTC, I've been listening to their alter-ego band The Dukes of Stratosphear who also did this one...

Andy Patridge: the fanboy to end all fanboys. In a good way.

Speaking of Andy Patridge. The reason I was listening to XTC was after I listened to someone else, following an interview he did.

I only caught the last few minutes, but he stopped a record on the programme as he he was a little to emotional to let it continue playing. It just had such an effect on on him. It was possibly the Kiss, and he said that Judee Sill was quite the influence on him. This is another one of hers...

This morning I listened to No Vacancy: The Best of the Motels. Wonderful 80s New Wave pop, thanks to Martha Davis's powerhouse voice and sharp lyrics. My favorite cut:

I'd love to listen to more of The Motels, but there's been a Crisis!

Oh wait. It's just...

Very nice. Thank you, Thoth.

I've been on a hardcore ska marathon the past few days:

From...




To...


It's all Go-Go go...

Feeling mellow

^^The sound of 70s Philly soul! Very nice, Rick.

Thank you, lil Lady. I put the "oo" in ....SMOOOOOOTH!

Indeed.

A little Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes would be nice as well.

Niiiiiiiice!

I would run away with Kim Deal if only she'd ask.

Prepare to be shocked -- I'm posting a YouTube video for a Madonna song! Everybody at Legion World knows I generally despise Madonna, and while i still dislike her as a person (I think she's a cultural vampire and a heartless, soulless poseur), I can't deny any longer that she's done some good songs over the past 30 years.

This particular one is special to me, because it was co-written with Alain Whyte. For those of you not in the know, Alain Whyte was Morrissey's principal co-writer from 1992 to 2009. Over the past few years, he has written a bunch of songs for current pop and R&B singers, and he had one song on Madonna's last album to date. I think it's good, and I hope it inspires people to investigate further into the extremely talented Alain Whyte's songwriting catalog.

I've been listening to the Breeders "Last Splash" album a lot the last few days. I've been exhuming some cd's from the 90's that I haven't listened to in ages. That one holds up very well for me, along with "Star" by Belly. They're kind of twinned in my mind since those albums came after a lineup of the Breeders that included Tanya Donnelly.

I realized that it seems like there's a lack of female fronted bands on the radio these days. We have 2 "alternative" stations in Atlanta (whatever that even means any more) and I can't remember hearing many female voices at all. Am I wrong there?

Sadly, matlock, what you say is all too true. "Alternative" or as I like to refer to it from about 1993 onwards, "Mall-ternative," has become a boy's club.

Who would have ever thought that a seemingly generic teen-bubblegum demi-star would turn out to be a fine interpretive singer? But that's exactly what Mandy Moore proved in 2003 with her wonderful all-covers album "Coverage". It's hard for me to pick just one song off it, but I decided on this sensitive reading of one of Elton John & Bernie Taupin's finest songs:



And as a bonus, here's the original plus its underrated sequel from Elton's best 80s album, "Reg Strikes Back":

I've been on a bit of a Helloween kick lately: