Latest FBG music countdown of >800 artists - #2 The Rolling Stones, #1 The Allman Brothers Band (1 Viewer)

[turnjose7]

Following @shuke's advice I will only do a couple rounds today. One this morning and one or two later this evening.


Tie-444 (6 points)

Amos Milburn, Billy Boy Arnold, Buckwheat Zydeco, Buffalo Springfield, Counting Crows, The Duck and the Bear, The Escorts, Gin Blossoms, Guess Who, James Cotton, Jeff Buckley, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, Joan Jett, Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys, Johnny Parker, Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys, Junior Wells, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Marvin Gaye, The Revivalists, Rob Wasserman, Sam Samudio, The Stanley Brothers



On the surface, the 6-pointers might not look like the most exciting group so far. But there are some real hidden gems here.



In her thread, @krista4 mentioned she couldn’t ever keep the Black Keys straight from the Black Crowes and I explained that the Black Keys are heavily influenced by the stripped-down blues of Junior Kimbrough. For those who like hill country blues who aren’t familiar with him you should check out his work. You might recognize some of his songs.



I really dig boogie-woogie piano, and if you are a fan of that style, Amos Milburn is definitely worth a look. We also have our first accordion player to make the list with Buckwheat Zydeco. Here he is covering a song most of you will know. Slide guitar master Sonny Landreth also plays on that track.



Of course, for me the most important entry this round is The Escorts. For those who don’t know, The Escorts was the first recording band featuring Duane and Gregg Allman, preceding even the Allman Joys. You can hear a cool take on a Ray Charles classic here. Fun fact: their first major concert the opened for the Beach Boys.

 

[turnjose7]

I'm a little surprised that @krista4 didn't comment on Jackie Lomax in the 3-point groups since it really is our first major Beatles connection on the list

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Bachman Turner Overdrive, The Barry Goldberg Blues Band, Ben E. King, Beryl Bryden's Backroom Skiffle, Better Than Ezra, Big Momma Thorton, Billy Squier, Blackfoot, Blink-182, Blondie, Blue Sky Boys, Bobby Lance, Bobby Parker, Brooks and Dunn, Buckethead, Buddy Johnson, Carey Bell, Carly Simon, Cephas and Wiggins, Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group, Chris Barber Skiffle Group, Chris Cain, Chuck Willis, Clarence Brown, Coco Montoya, The Cranberries, Dave Hole, Days of the New, Dierks Bentley, The Dixie Dregs, Dobie Gray, Don McLean, Earl Hooker, Eddie Boyd, Eddie Vedder, Eric Lindell, Eric Quincey Tate, Errol Garner, Faith No More, Five Man Electric Band, Frank Hunter and the Black Mountain Boys, Freddie Mitchell Orchestra, Genesis, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Golden Earring, Guitar Shorty, Hambone Willie Newbern, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Heaven and Hell, Hound Dog Taylor, Jack McVea, Jackie Lomax, Jake Holmes, James Carr, Janiva Magness, JB Lenoir, John Sebastian, Kenny Neal, Koko Taylor, Lazlo Bane, Live, Long John Hunter, The Lumineers, Luther Allison, Marcia Ball, Meade Lux Lewis, Michael Burks, Minnie Wallace, Molly Hatchet, Molly O'Day, Monte Montgomery, The Morris Brothers, The Nick Moss Band, Peggy Seeger Group, Preston Love, Procol Harum, Randy Rhoads, Redcaps, Reverend Shawn Amos, The Righteous Brothers, Roger Glover and Friends, Roy Buchanan, Roy Milton, Seven Mary Three, Sex Pistols, The Siegel-Schwall Band, Silverchair, Slash, Smiley Lewis, Son Seals, The Soul Stirrers, Spencer Wiggins, The Supremes, Tinsley Ellis, Tommy Brown, Toronzo Cannon, Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Will Shade, William Clarke, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Woody Guthrie

Those I'm most surprised to see here are Blondie, Genesis, Gladys Knight, and The Supremes. Not saying I'd have them terribly high either, but they seem to be beloved by many.

I bet I can guess the Dobie Gray and Don McLean songs!

Actually, Don McLean has two songs, both coming in at the two point range. "American Pie" is obviously amazingly brilliant in many ways, but I only enjoy it when I am in a certain mood. It could probably be higher, but I think I got annoyed at it once and bumped it down from a 4 to a 2.

The other Don McLean song is "And I Love You So." Again, not really my style and a little soft for me, but you should still check it out. It is an amazingly beautiful song.

I like Vincent as well.

 

[turnjose7]

Bachman Turner Overdrive, The Barry Goldberg Blues Band, Ben E. King, Beryl Bryden's Backroom Skiffle, Better Than Ezra, Big Momma Thorton, Billy Squier, Blackfoot, Blink-182, Blondie, Blue Sky Boys, Bobby Lance, Bobby Parker, Brooks and Dunn, Buckethead, Buddy Johnson, Carey Bell, Carly Simon, Cephas and Wiggins, Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group, Chris Barber Skiffle Group, Chris Cain, Chuck Willis, Clarence Brown, Coco Montoya, The Cranberries, Dave Hole, Days of the New, Dierks Bentley, The Dixie Dregs, Dobie Gray, Don McLean, Earl Hooker, Eddie Boyd, Eddie Vedder, Eric Lindell, Eric Quincey Tate, Errol Garner, Faith No More, Five Man Electric Band, Frank Hunter and the Black Mountain Boys, Freddie Mitchell Orchestra, Genesis, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Golden Earring, Guitar Shorty, Hambone Willie Newbern, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Heaven and Hell, Hound Dog Taylor, Jack McVea, Jackie Lomax, Jake Holmes, James Carr, Janiva Magness, JB Lenoir, John Sebastian, Kenny Neal, Koko Taylor, Lazlo Bane, Live, Long John Hunter, The Lumineers, Luther Allison, Marcia Ball, Meade Lux Lewis, Michael Burks, Minnie Wallace, Molly Hatchet, Molly O'Day, Monte Montgomery, The Morris Brothers, The Nick Moss Band, Peggy Seeger Group, Preston Love, Procol Harum, Randy Rhoads, Redcaps, Reverend Shawn Amos, The Righteous Brothers, Roger Glover and Friends, Roy Buchanan, Roy Milton, Seven Mary Three, Sex Pistols, The Siegel-Schwall Band, Silverchair, Slash, Smiley Lewis, Son Seals, The Soul Stirrers, Spencer Wiggins, The Supremes, Tinsley Ellis, Tommy Brown, Toronzo Cannon, Uriah Heep, Whitesnake, Will Shade, William Clarke, Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, Woody Guthrie

Those I'm most surprised to see here are Blondie, Genesis, Gladys Knight, and The Supremes. Not saying I'd have them terribly high either, but they seem to be beloved by many.

I bet I can guess the Dobie Gray and Don McLean songs!

Actually, Don McLean has two songs, both coming in at the two point range. "American Pie" is obviously amazingly brilliant in many ways, but I only enjoy it when I am in a certain mood. It could probably be higher, but I think I got annoyed at it once and bumped it down from a 4 to a 2.

The other Don McLean song is "And I Love You So." Again, not really my style and a little soft for me, but you should still check it out. It is an amazingly beautiful song.

I like Vincent as well.

Yep, also a good song that for some reason isn't in my library but certainly could be.

For those who haven't heard them, a link to "And I Love You So" and to the aforementioned "Vincent."

 

[zamboni]

There's a ton to unpack here, but I really dig the diversity you have among artists.

Just a suggestion if it's not too much of a PITA: provided your highest ranked song for each artist you list. It may help corral some of the analysis as we read it.

 

[turnjose7]

There's a ton to unpack here, but I really dig the diversity you have among artists.

Just a suggestion if it's not too much of a PITA: provided your highest ranked song for each artist you list. It may help corral some of the analysis as we read it.

Yeah that's a reasonable suggestion and I thought about doing it initially, but with the way the artists are bunched at the beginning doing it for the first couple of days would have meant typing out hundreds of songs. I can certainly do it going forward, though, and while I won't get to it in the next few days at some point I can probably go back and add that info for previous rounds.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

There's a ton to unpack here, but I really dig the diversity you have among artists.

Just a suggestion if it's not too much of a PITA: provided your highest ranked song for each artist you list. It may help corral some of the analysis as we read it.

Yeah that's a reasonable suggestion and I thought about doing it initially, but with the way the artists are bunched at the beginning doing it for the first couple of days would have meant typing out hundreds of songs. I can certainly do it going forward, though, and while I won't get to it in the next few days at some point I can probably go back and add that info for previous rounds.

The blocks of text also makes it difficult to read. I realize the scrolling issues if you listed one artist per line - but a big block of text with the names of artists is very un-inviting to read through.

 

[zamboni]

There's a ton to unpack here, but I really dig the diversity you have among artists.

Just a suggestion if it's not too much of a PITA: provided your highest ranked song for each artist you list. It may help corral some of the analysis as we read it.

Yeah that's a reasonable suggestion and I thought about doing it initially, but with the way the artists are bunched at the beginning doing it for the first couple of days would have meant typing out hundreds of songs. I can certainly do it going forward, though, and while I won't get to it in the next few days at some point I can probably go back and add that info for previous rounds.

No worries if it's a PITA, as mentioned. You're already doing yeoman's work.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Buffalo Springfield was an incredible live band. Unfortunately there are no live recordings with release-able sound quality.

 

[zamboni]

Buffalo Springfield was an incredible live band. Unfortunately there are no live recordings with release-able sound quality.

Their Monterey Pop set is up on YouTube, but not sure if they ever released any of it.

I remember about 10 years ago that Neil, Stills, and the remaining survivors were going to do a reunion tour, but it was shelved. Was really bummed about it.

 

[shuke]

Following @shuke's advice I will only do a couple rounds today. One this morning and one or two later this evening.

Please, this is your thread, do what you want. I was just assuming this would be a slower rollout and we would get some song selections from each artist. There are a number you have listed that I have never heard of.

 

[shuke]

There's a ton to unpack here, but I really dig the diversity you have among artists.

Just a suggestion if it's not too much of a PITA: provided your highest ranked song for each artist you list. It may help corral some of the analysis as we read it.

Yeah that's a reasonable suggestion and I thought about doing it initially, but with the way the artists are bunched at the beginning doing it for the first couple of days would have meant typing out hundreds of songs. I can certainly do it going forward, though, and while I won't get to it in the next few days at some point I can probably go back and add that info for previous rounds.

What about sharing your playlists, so we can look/listen for the songs we want? Are these on Spotify?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Buffalo Springfield was an incredible live band. Unfortunately there are no live recordings with release-able sound quality.

Their Monterey Pop set is up on YouTube, but not sure if they ever released any of it.

I remember about 10 years ago that Neil, Stills, and the remaining survivors were going to do a reunion tour, but it was shelved. Was really bummed about it.

There were a couple of songs that appeared on a Monterey Pop box set. But Neil was absent -- it was during one of several periods where he quit the band.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Buffalo Springfield was an incredible live band. Unfortunately there are no live recordings with release-able sound quality.

Their Monterey Pop set is up on YouTube, but not sure if they ever released any of it.

I remember about 10 years ago that Neil, Stills, and the remaining survivors were going to do a reunion tour, but it was shelved. Was really bummed about it.

They actually started said reunion tour and then Neil wasn't feeling it and bailed. He had done something similar on the 1976 Stills-Young Band tour.

 

[krista4]

I'm a little surprised that @krista4 didn't comment on Jackie Lomax in the 3-point groups since it really is our first major Beatles connection on the list

I never much liked his version of "Sour Milk Sea" and didn't dive into the rest of his recordings.

 

[krista4]

Tie-444 (6 points)

Amos Milburn, Billy Boy Arnold, Buckwheat Zydeco, Buffalo Springfield, Counting Crows, The Duck and the Bear, The Escorts, Gin Blossoms, Guess Who, James Cotton, Jeff Buckley, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, Joan Jett, Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys, Johnny Parker, Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys, Junior Wells, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Marvin Gaye, The Revivalists, Rob Wasserman, Sam Samudio, The Stanley Brothers

I just...ahhhhh...I.... Gonna need a moment.

 

[turnjose7]

Following @shuke's advice I will only do a couple rounds today. One this morning and one or two later this evening.

Please, this is your thread, do what you want. I was just assuming this would be a slower rollout and we would get some song selections from each artist. There are a number you have listed that I have never heard of.

No it's good feedback. I'm doing this because I enjoy it, but I also want it to be a good experience for everyone reading.

Ultimately I am going to need to change formats several times over the course of the project as the number of artists decreases but the number of songs dramatically increases. Pretty soon I intended to start giving each artist a separate paragraph anyway. Until then, I can at least give each a separate line.

I'll try this for the next few rounds. Artist Name - total songs in the library - top ranked song(s) in the library and number of points for that/those songs. I'll do that for a few rounds and then revisit.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-422 (7 points)

Billy Idol – 2 total songs – Rebel Yell, acoustic (4 points)

Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys – 4 total songs – Milk Cow Blues (3 points)

Bon Jovi – 3 total songs – Wanted Dead or Alive (3 points)

The Cars – 6 total songs – Just What I Needed (3 points)

The Clash – 4 total songs – Should I Stay or Should I Go (3 points)

Coheed and Cambria – 15 total songs – Welcome Home, from Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 1 (3 points)

Dirty Mac – 2 total songs – Yer Blues, live (5 points)

Emmylou Harris – 3 total songs – Born to Run (3 points)

Irma Thomas – 3 total songs – I Need Your Love So Bad; Time is on My Side (3 points)

Jim Croce – 4 total songs – Bad, Bad Leroy Brown; Time in a Bottle; Working at the Car Wash Blues (2 points)

John Denver – 4 total songs – Take Me Home, Country Roads (3 points)

Lowell Fusion – 3 total songs – Reconsider Baby (3 points)

Mac Wiseman – 6 total songs – Going Like a Wildfire; I Wonder How the Old Folks are at Home, live; Little Footsteps in the Snow, live; Love Letters in the Sand, live

Matthew Sweet – 3 total songs – Cortez the Killer; Girlfriend (3 points)

Montgomery Gentry – 4 total songs – Gone

New Lost City Ramblers – 4 total songs – Pretty Little Miss, live; Train Forty-Five, live; Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel, live

Reno and Smiley – 4 total songs – Tennessee Cut Up Breakdown (3 points)

REO Speedwagon – 3 total songs – Roll with the Changes (3 points)

Sly and the Family Stone – 5 total songs – Dance to the Music; Thank You: Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin (2 points)

Steve Goodman – 3 total songs – A Dying Cub’s Fans Last Request (3 points)

Sublime – 2 total songs – Santeria (4 points)

Tool – 3 total songs – Lateralus



I’m not sure how many are familiar with the legend of The Dirty Mac. I think they came up in @krista4's original Beatles thread, though I can’t remember for sure. Basically it John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell playing together one time for the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus. They did a cool version of Yer Blues which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. John’s vocals on it are phenomenal. They also did a very interesting jam called “Whole Lotta Yoko” with violinist Ivry Gitlis. This had the potential to be really great as well if it didn’t, you know, feature Yoko.



The Cars, Tool, Sly and the Family Stone, and Jim Croce form a pretty strong group that I expect many people would have higher on their lists, depending on what type of music you favor.



For those who aren’t familiar with Coheed and Cambria, they are a progressive metal band with extensive concept albums with complicated story lines. I discovered them playing Rock Band and because I liked “Welcome Home” so much I bought the entire album. I didn’t end up liking the rest of it nearly as much but kept the whole thing in my library to keep the story intact.



Folk singer Steve Goodman is on the list because I am a huge Cubs fan and he wrote the Cubs’ anthem, along with a much better and more interesting song about being a Cubs fan. For the larger audience, though, he is probably better known for writing “the perfect country and western song.”



This round also features some outstanding female vocalists that get a little more love than the underrated singers I mentioned in the earlier rounds. Emmylou Harris will of course be mentioned later in association with another artist. One artist I have recently been getting into that I want to highlight is Irma Thomas, who has an amazing voice. Here she is doing a great version of a song most will recognize.

 

[turnjose7]

Let me know if that looks better. It is a little more work but nothing too bad and I could certainly use that for the next few rounds.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-444 (6 points)

Amos Milburn, Billy Boy Arnold, Buckwheat Zydeco, Buffalo Springfield, Counting Crows, The Duck and the Bear, The Escorts, Gin Blossoms, Guess Who, James Cotton, Jeff Buckley, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, Joan Jett, Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys, Johnny Parker, Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys, Junior Wells, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Marvin Gaye, The Revivalists, Rob Wasserman, Sam Samudio, The Stanley Brothers

I just...ahhhhh...I.... Gonna need a moment.

Sorry Krista. I don't think this is the last time I cause you some heartburn. I think in general we have a lot of similarities in musical taste, but I think we also have some big differences. I don't think you will be super happy about one of the artists I leave off my list.

Though with respect to the two you highlight, I actually like them both. I just haven't spent a ton of time exploring the work of either, so happy to get some more recs. Just to start so you know where I'm coming from, "Baby Don't You Do It," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," and "Let's Get It On" all got two points for Marvin. "Grace" and "Hallelujah" both got 3 points for Jeff.

And don't worry - there will be some soul and R&B singers who do fairly well on my list.

 

[turnjose7]

There's a ton to unpack here, but I really dig the diversity you have among artists.

Just a suggestion if it's not too much of a PITA: provided your highest ranked song for each artist you list. It may help corral some of the analysis as we read it.

Yeah that's a reasonable suggestion and I thought about doing it initially, but with the way the artists are bunched at the beginning doing it for the first couple of days would have meant typing out hundreds of songs. I can certainly do it going forward, though, and while I won't get to it in the next few days at some point I can probably go back and add that info for previous rounds.

What about sharing your playlists, so we can look/listen for the songs we want? Are these on Spotify?

Not on Spotify, just on my hard drive. Don't know an easy way to share off hand but I'll look into it at some point and see if I can figure something out.

 

[turnjose7]

Buffalo Springfield was an incredible live band. Unfortunately there are no live recordings with release-able sound quality.

Sound quality is actually an issue with a lot of older artists, unfortunately. Even some groups at the top of my rankings suffer from this in some respect. I will point out some instances where this had a big effect as we go along.

 

[turnjose7]

Since no one has come up with the "43 version song" (and no one beside Pip has guessed, I guess I can give a hint. One of the artists in the 4 point round recorded a version of the song.

 

[zamboni]

Dirty Mac – 2 total songs – Yer Blues, live (5 points)

You've got their entire extensive collection in your library

 

[zamboni]

Matthew Sweet – 3 total songs – Cortez the Killer; Girlfriend (3 points)

I haven't heard his version of Cortez in ages - nice.

My favorite cover he does (along with Susanna Hoffs) is "Marquee Moon"

 

[krista4]

The Cars – 6 total songs – Just What I Needed (3 points)

I thought I sorta understood the scoring system but now realize that I don't. If their highest-ranked song got three points, and they have five other songs, how do they not end up with at least eight points?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

The Cars – 6 total songs – Just What I Needed (3 points)

I thought I sorta understood the scoring system but now realize that I don't. If their highest-ranked song got three points, and they have five other songs, how do they not end up with at least eight points?

It threw me off, too. I know he said he had some subjective adjustments, but I got a little lost. Well, we asked for it!

 

[krista4]

I’m not sure how many are familiar with the legend of The Dirty Mac. I think they came up in @krista4's original Beatles thread, though I can’t remember for sure. Basically it John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell playing together one time for the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus. They did a cool version of Yer Blues which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. John’s vocals on it are phenomenal. They also did a very interesting jam called “Whole Lotta Yoko” with violinist Ivry Gitlis. This had the potential to be really great as well if it didn’t, you know, feature Yoko.

Yes, we discussed them in one or more Beatles threads. Nice to see this appearance!

The one on this list whom I like most is Jim Croce. I'm a little surprised not to see "I Got A Name" on your list, as in our current top 31 countdown it's the clear favorite.

Didn't know you were a Cubs fan. The Steve Goodman inclusion is !

 

[Dr. Octopus]

. Basically it John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell playing together

With Keith on bass.

 

[krista4]

Sorry Krista. I don't think this is the last time I cause you some heartburn. I think in general we have a lot of similarities in musical taste, but I think we also have some big differences. I don't think you will be super happy about one of the artists I leave off my list.

Though with respect to the two you highlight, I actually like them both. I just haven't spent a ton of time exploring the work of either, so happy to get some more recs. Just to start so you know where I'm coming from, "Baby Don't You Do It," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," and "Let's Get It On" all got two points for Marvin. "Grace" and "Hallelujah" both got 3 points for Jeff.

And don't worry - there will be some soul and R&B singers who do fairly well on my list.

For Marvin, "What's Going On" is the one I would have expected most to see (it ends up in the top 10 overall in our top 31 thread now happening!), but also "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)."

For Buckley, my favorite song of his is "Last Goodbye," but I'd also add "Lover, You Should've Come Over" and his cover of "Lilac Wine."

And I'm just joking about being horrified at anything. It's your list, and I can't get worked up about someone else's taste! It's a very fun exercise.

 

[krista4]

I’m not sure how many are familiar with the legend of The Dirty Mac. I think they came up in @krista4's original Beatles thread, though I can’t remember for sure. Basically it John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell playing together one time for the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus. They did a cool version of Yer Blues which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. John’s vocals on it are phenomenal. They also did a very interesting jam called “Whole Lotta Yoko” with violinist Ivry Gitlis. This had the potential to be really great as well if it didn’t, you know, feature Yoko.

Yes, we discussed them in one or more Beatles threads. Nice to see this appearance!

The one on this list whom I like most is Jim Croce. I'm a little surprised not to see "I Got A Name" on your list, as in our current top 31 countdown it's the clear favorite.

Didn't know you were a Cubs fan. The Steve Goodman inclusion is !

Should have added for Croce, probably my personal favorites: "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" and "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)".

 

[turnjose7]

The Cars – 6 total songs – Just What I Needed (3 points)

I thought I sorta understood the scoring system but now realize that I don't. If their highest-ranked song got three points, and they have five other songs, how do they not end up with at least eight points?

Negative bonus points. If you look at the bonus grid, artists that have tons of song in the library but a very low average score can have points deducted from their base score. This is to adjust for groups that I felt compelled to keep a lot of songs in the library (the Coheed and Cambria example), but I didn't want them ranked way ahead of other groups that on average I like their songs better.

 

[timschochet]

Following @shuke's advice I will only do a couple rounds today. One this morning and one or two later this evening.


Tie-444 (6 points)

Amos Milburn, Billy Boy Arnold, Buckwheat Zydeco, Buffalo Springfield, Counting Crows, The Duck and the Bear, The Escorts, Gin Blossoms, Guess Who, James Cotton, Jeff Buckley, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys, Joan Jett, Johnny Duncan and the Bluegrass Boys, Johnny Parker, Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys, Junior Wells, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Marvin Gaye, The Revivalists, Rob Wasserman, Sam Samudio, The Stanley Brothers



On the surface, the 6-pointers might not look like the most exciting group so far. But there are some real hidden gems here.



In her thread, @krista4 mentioned she couldn’t ever keep the Black Keys straight from the Black Crowes and I explained that the Black Keys are heavily influenced by the stripped-down blues of Junior Kimbrough. For those who like hill country blues who aren’t familiar with him you should check out his work. You might recognize some of his songs.



I really dig boogie-woogie piano, and if you are a fan of that style, Amos Milburn is definitely worth a look. We also have our first accordion player to make the list with Buckwheat Zydeco. Here he is covering a song most of you will know. Slide guitar master Sonny Landreth also plays on that track.



Of course, for me the most important entry this round is The Escorts. For those who don’t know, The Escorts was the first recording band featuring Duane and Gregg Allman, preceding even the Allman Joys. You can hear a cool take on a Ray Charles classic here. Fun fact: their first major concert the opened for the Beach Boys.

Junior Kimbrough is sooo good. I only discovered him about a year ago. Now I listen to him obsessively. He’s categorized under blues but it’s like no other blues I’ve ever heard.

 

[Zegras11]

Let me know if that looks better. It is a little more work but nothing too bad and I could certainly use that for the next few rounds.

Thanks for typing down, instead of across. For some reason, I can't read the across lists well. I get lost about line 3 and then I give up.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

Sorry for the error on the spelling and thanks for point it out. Fixed it in the original post.

The Carter Family - Keep on the Sunny Side
Edwin Starr - War
Hoyt Axton - A Rusty Old Halo
Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft
Mavis Staples - There's a Devil on the Loose
Men at Work - Down Under
The O'Jays - Use ta Be My Girl
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - So You Think You're in Love
Tears for Fears - Break It Down Again

Lots of great choices, especially for Starr and Tears for Fears. My favorite from Men at Work, and it's not even close is, "Overkill." Colin Hay also did it as a solo act, and I think it's even better.

Spoiler - it will come up later under Colin Hay. I actually prefer his solo recordings for many songs above the Men at Work recordings.

just catching up your list

I was thinking it would be from this guy ...

 

[turnjose7]

Sorry for the error on the spelling and thanks for point it out. Fixed it in the original post.

The Carter Family - Keep on the Sunny Side
Edwin Starr - War
Hoyt Axton - A Rusty Old Halo
Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft
Mavis Staples - There's a Devil on the Loose
Men at Work - Down Under
The O'Jays - Use ta Be My Girl
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - So You Think You're in Love
Tears for Fears - Break It Down Again

Lots of great choices, especially for Starr and Tears for Fears. My favorite from Men at Work, and it's not even close is, "Overkill." Colin Hay also did it as a solo act, and I think it's even better.

Spoiler - it will come up later under Colin Hay. I actually prefer his solo recordings for many songs above the Men at Work recordings.

just catching up your list

I was thinking it would be from this guy ...

Wow that's completely new to me. I've honestly never heard of him which is rare for one of these music threads. Does he also do Men at Work covers by chance?

 

[turnjose7]

This will be my last one for today.


Tie-412 (8 points)

Alexis Korner – 3 total songs – I Ain’t Gonna Worry No More; Roundhouse Stomp (3 points)

America – 3 total songs – Sandman; Sister Golden Hair (3 points)

Andy Griffith – 6 total songs – Sourwood Mountain (3 points)

Blind Willie Johnson – 12 total songs – all are 1 point; see below

David Allan Coe – 7 total songs – Willie, Waylon, and Me (3 points)

Earth, Wind, & Fire – 5 total songs – Shining Star (3 points)

Goo Goo Dolls – 3 total songs – Iris; Slide (3 points)

Nina Simone – 3 total songs – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free; Sinnerman (3 points)

Paul Riddle and Friends – 2 total songs – Can’t You See; Southern Woman (2 points)

R.E.M. – 3 total songs – Everybody Hurts; Losing My Religion (3 points)



Yes, it is THAT Andy Griffith. It is probably clear to everyone that I am a bluegrass fan, and a lot of the music television show was quite good. This may be common knowledge, but a lot of it was actually recorded for the show. The Darling Family was a real bluegrass band called the Dillards (who will appear later on the list). Andy himself was actually a musician who put out albums. Anyway, obviously many of the artists appearing earlier in the list are better musicians than him, but this has a lot of sentimental value for me and reminds me of watching the show with my dad growing up.



Alexis Korner is one of my favorite skiffle and British blues musicians. He has been called the father of British blues. Stuff like this is the kind of thing I picture the Rolling Stones listening to in their early days.



Blind Willie Johnson is an example of what Pip mentioned earlier about sound quality being an issue. He recorded some of the most iconic blues tunes ever, among them “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” (a version by Gov’t Mule will come up later), “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine” (famously re-interpreted by Led Zeppelin), “Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed” (which Zeppelin recorded as “In My Time of Dying”), and “John the Revelator” (interpreted by many musicians and with multiple versions in my library). The problem is that the audio quality is so bad they couldn’t make it further up my list.



David Allan Coe’s most famous song is the one I previously mentioned he took from Steve Goodman, but his best song is Willie, Waylon, and Me. It’s a great tour through early country-rock music.



Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” has been discussed quite a bit in Krista’s thread so I don’t need to say more about that. “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” is an amazing song, and I love her version, but there are other versions I love more and I will revisit later.



If you aren’t aware, Paul Riddle was the drummer for the Marshal Tucker Band. The tracks featured here are from The Benefit Concert, an annual Christmas charity event that Warren Haynes leads. So Paul Riddle and Friends is basically an ad hoc group of Southern jam rock guys doing some great versions of these tunes like this.

 

[shuke]

Since no one has come up with the "43 version song" (and no one beside Pip has guessed, I guess I can give a hint. One of the artists in the 4 point round recorded a version of the song.

How many different artists comprise the 43 versions you have?

Did the artist from the 4 point group release the recording on a studio album?

Is it El Paso?

 

[turnjose7]

Since no one has come up with the "43 version song" (and no one beside Pip has guessed, I guess I can give a hint. One of the artists in the 4 point round recorded a version of the song.

How many different artists comprise the 43 versions you have?

Did the artist from the 4 point group release the recording on a studio album?

Is it El Paso?

5 artists. The artist in the 4-point group would have released it as a recording of 8 singles, though I don't know that it would properly be described as an album as it sort of predates that concept.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-405 (9 points)

Albert Ammons – 3 total songs – The Boogie Rocks (4 points)

Alvin Youngblood Hart – 3 total songs – Mama Don’t Allow, live; Million Miles; The Devil Got My Woman, live (3 points)

Boston – 7 total songs – Foreplay/Long Time; Peace of Mind (3 points)

David Gray – 14 total songs – Babylon (3 points)

James Taylor – 4 total songs – Fire and Rain; How Sweet It Is (3 points)

Rod Stewart – 4 total songs – Have I Told You Lately, unplugged (3 points)

Sister Hazel – 3 total songs – All For You; All For You, live; Happy, live (3 points)



Quick update this morning. Sorry if it seems like I am flying by these early rounds too quickly. Just excited about what’s coming. The 9-point round actually seems a little boring to me, but the 10-point round, which I will post tonight, gets more interesting. Then when we get to the 11-point round things really start to pick up and we get into some great stuff.



Albert Ammons is another one of the early boogie-woogie pianists that I really like, probably one of the best of them. Listen to how much sound he gets out of the piano here.



In Krista’s thread I mentioned that I consider Boston to be very generic. I understand why others really like them. They do have some great guitar work. But outside of that I simply find most of their songs pretty boring.



As I look at it now, David Gray is an interesting entry for me. He has 14 songs on the list which is the most of anyone in the countdown up to this point. This actually hurts his ranking, though, because many of them at the 1-point level so his average score gives him a negative bonus. I will on occasion go through my library and purge stuff that I don’t really care for anymore, but I guess I just never did that with him. If I were to do that, he would actually jump up in the rankings. I also think a couple songs on the 2-level like “You’re the World to Me” could be moved up to the 3-level. So I guess I am saying he is underrated here. BTW, I’ve seen him live and he actually puts on a great show. Much higher energy than I would have guessed and he shows his musical versatility by playing basically every instrument over the course of the show.



Rod Stewart is another interesting one for me (I guess I have more to say about this level than I had thought). I really like his early work with the Faces and Jeff Back and I think he is a great blues singer. His solo stuff is up and down for my but I think is generally more down. For me, “Forever Young” is an abomination (mostly because Dylan’s song is basically perfect and whether you consider the Rod Stewart version a true cover or not, when you put them side by side there is no comparison). To make matters worse, my mom loves Rod Stewart’s version and sang it non-stop when I was a kid. It kind of ruined the artist for me in general. Though I do really like when he does Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately,” especially the acoustic version.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Sorry for the error on the spelling and thanks for point it out. Fixed it in the original post.

The Carter Family - Keep on the Sunny Side
Edwin Starr - War
Hoyt Axton - A Rusty Old Halo
Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft
Mavis Staples - There's a Devil on the Loose
Men at Work - Down Under
The O'Jays - Use ta Be My Girl
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - So You Think You're in Love
Tears for Fears - Break It Down Again

Lots of great choices, especially for Starr and Tears for Fears. My favorite from Men at Work, and it's not even close is, "Overkill." Colin Hay also did it as a solo act, and I think it's even better.

Spoiler - it will come up later under Colin Hay. I actually prefer his solo recordings for many songs above the Men at Work recordings.

just catching up your list

I was thinking it would be from this guy ...

Wow that's completely new to me. I've honestly never heard of him which is rare for one of these music threads. Does he also do Men at Work covers by chance?

He was the singer for Roxy Music.

 

[zamboni]

Rod Stewart is another interesting one for me (I guess I have more to say about this level than I had thought). I really like his early work with the Faces and Jeff Back and I think he is a great blues singer. His solo stuff is up and down for my but I think is generally more down.

I’ve also been a bit hit or miss on Rod’s solo stuff, but if you haven’t already, I highly recommend listening to Every Picture Tells A Story from front to back. Recently got it on vinyl from one of those bargain bins at my local record store, and the album is awesome.

 

[turnjose7]

Tie-388 (10 points)

.38 Special – 4 total songs – Caught Up in You; Hold on Loosely (3 points)

Beastie Boys – 4 total songs – No Sleep till Brooklyn; Sabotage (3 points)

Clarence Ashley and Doc Watson – 4 total songs – Lee Highway Blues, live; Maggie Walker Blues, live (3 points)

Colin Hay – 4 total songs – Overkill, acoustic; Waterloo Sunset (3 points)

Collective Soul – 4 total songs – December; Shine; The World I Know (3 points)

Def Leppard – 4 total songs – Pour Some Sugar on Me; Rock of Ages (3 points)

The Doobie Brothers – 4 total songs – Black Water; China Grove (3 points)

Emerson Lake and Palmer – 4 total songs – Blue Rondo a la Turk, live; Tarkus, live (3 points)

The Everly Brothers – 11 total songs – Bye Bye Love; Lucille; Wake Up Little Susie (3 points)

Iggy Pop – 3 total songs – Search and Destroy (5 points)

Johnny Jenkins – 3 total songs – Rollin’ Stone (4 points)

Mumford & Sons – 5 total songs – Lover of the Light, live (3 points)

Percy Sledge – 4 total songs – When a Man Loves a Woman (4 points)

Ted Nugent – 9 total songs – Stranglehold (4 points)

Tower of Power – 5 total songs – What Is Hip, live (4 points)

Weezer – 4 total songs – My Name is Jonas; Say It Ain’t So (3 points)

White Stripes – 4 total songs – Ball and Biscuit; Seven Nation Army (3 points)



I think more than just about any round so far, the 10-point level is an impressive display of diversity. We have rap, punk, blues, R&B, country rock, southern rock, funk, hair metal. We probably won’t see this much diversity in a single round again.



Colin Hay already came up earlier in the countdown but we kind of glossed over it for those who aren’t familiar. He was the front man for Men at Work but also has some really good solo stuff. “Overkill” was originally a Men at Work song, but Colin also does a great version of it as well, which I actually prefer. I am interested to get @timschochet 's take on his version of “Waterloo Sunset” since I know he is a big Kinks fan.



Tim will probably be less happy to see the two ELP songs that made the 3-point level since “Karn Evil 9” was not one of them. It might sound kind of strange but while I really like jazz fusion, I am not really a big fan of progressive rock (you may have noticed some of the biggest prog bands have already appeared and most of the remainder will be showing up pretty soon). So I prefer covers like Blue Rondo a la Turk to most of their original stuff.



This is probably a good time to point out that I have been marking live songs as such, though I haven’t been providing more detail than that. Later in the countdown I will provide more information on where many of the live tracks come from. This recording is, of course, from the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (many more tracks from several other artists will also come from that legendary festival).



I didn’t mention it at the 6-point level with The Duck and the Bear, but Johnny Jenkins is one of several artists on the countdown who strongly benefit from taking advantage of the talents of Duane Allman when Duane was doing a lot of studio work at FAME. Jenkins was an outstanding guitarist in his own right, having influenced Jimi Hendrix and playing with Otis Redding. But it’s Duane’s playing on songs like the blues standard “Rollin’ Stone” that bring Johnny up this high on the list.

 

[krista4]

Since he's come up again, but this song wasn't mentioned and might not be on your list, my favorite from Colin Hay - just a smidge over the acoustic "Overkill" - is "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You."

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Since your preference appears to be for the early Doobies, The Captain and Me is a terrific album all the way through.

 

[turnjose7]

Thanks for the recommendations. I am keeping a huge list of everything I need to purchase when I am done.

@Pip's Invitation, I am familiar with the album but haven't listened to it in a long time so it sounds like a good time to go back and check it out start to finish.

@krista4, no I actually hadn't heard that one before. That's a great song.

 

[Eephus]

Meg White is the only female so far today unless Sister Hazel counts.

 

[turnjose7]

Meg White is the only female so far today unless Sister Hazel counts.

No I don't think that counts. Interesting, though. I hadn't noticed that. We can fix that. Two more females coming up in a second.

 

[turnjose7]

I'm going to do one more today because I work all weekend so will probably have to slow down to one a day for the next few.


Tie-378 (11 points)

Bush – 5 total songs – Come Down (3 points)

Cat Stevens – 4 total songs – Foreigner Suite; Morning Has Broken; Peace Train (3 points)

ChessBoxer – 4 total songs – Bacon; Calon Lan, The Devil and Sally Jones (3 points)

Dave Brubek Quartet – 4 total songs – Take Five, live (4 points)

Dire Straits – 3 total songs – Money for Nothing; Sultans of Swing (4 points)

Fleetwood Mac (Buckingham/Nicks version) – 9 total songs – Gold Dust Woman (3 points)

Jet – 5 total songs – Move On (3 points)

Townes Van Zandt – 4 total songs – For the Sake of the Song, live (4 points)

T-Rex – 5 total songs – Get It On, live; Lean Woman Blues (3 points)

Velvet Underground – 4 total songs – Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (5 points)



I mentioned previously that I was really excited to hit the 11-point round because I felt like there was a big step up in quality. There are a lot of really great artists here. And also Jet. I have no idea what is going on there, and again, I can’t explain it. So, let’s just forget that is there and move on.



Kind of interesting to have Blue Rondo a la Turk listed in the previous round, and then to have Dave Brubek show up this round but not have that as his top song. Obviously, I really love his version of that, but Take Five is truly one of the great jazz songs of all time.



Certainly, I need to say something about the parenthetical note regarding Fleetwood Mac. In my library I basically treat the Peter Green band and the Buckingham/Nicks band as two completely different groups. Despite having a couple of overlapping members, they are so different I don’t know how one could possibly lump them together. Regarding this version, they have a lot of great songs, but like I mentioned in the first entry, over the years I got burned out on Stevie Nicks and I’ve never been able to get back into them. These days I more often listen to other bands covering them. Though I will say that every time I go back and listen to the originals it’s nice because I remember how great of a guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is. He isn’t quite Peter Green (pretty much no one is), but that’s ok because he has his own style that is also amazing.



ChessBoxer is a really cool bluegrass band that I first discovered touring as part of Warren Hayne’s Ashes and Dust Band. I saw them live and was blown away, so I made an effort to explore them more. I really like the complexity of their sound in songs like this. I guess it won’t spoil my later Warren Haynes entry too much if I post some Ashes and Dust here. I think I may have posted a similar video in my Allman thread, I can’t remember for sure, but here you can hear ChessBoxer contributing to “Jessica.” The sound quality is pretty poor, but I think you can still appreciate the great fiddlin’ about 3 minutes in.



I was pumped to see the love for “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” in Krista’s thread. Just a phenomenal song.

 

[turnjose7]

Oh and in response to @Eephus I obviously was referring to Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie as the two. I wasn't counting Nico for the Velvet Underground and don't know them well enough to know if Moe Tucker played on the tracks in my library.