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Middle-aged Dummies are back and bursting at the "themes" to get going! Full theme ahead! (4 Viewers)

OK, I'm confused. The theme states umlauts, and yet not an umlaut to be seen. Nada (which is also in Spanish which, unless I'm mistaken, doesn't use a lot of umlauts).
Spanish ballads aren't usually my thing, but this was a nice change, particularly on a random walk: KG&LW before and this one next ...
Nobody reads my posts.

Round 28 - Dias de Escuela - Magma

Magma is a French prog rock band formed in 1969. You might be wondering where the little dots are. You might also be wondering why you don't quite understand the lyrics. Magma record most of their songs in a constructed language. It's called Kobaïan. LOOK! There they are, the little cuties. Kobaïan is the language of the fictional planet Kobaïa, where the songs are set. This might be the proggiest thing ever.
:shrug:
I read 'em, but I'm not committing them to memory. I get that these themes are pretty elastic, but man that seems like a stretch. Might be a bit of a spoiler, but there aren't any songs yet to come on my rain playlist that were sung by farmers that need rain for their crops to grow. :D
You do realize that most of the dots on these band names aren't acually umlauts? Motörhead isn't pronouced as if that were an actual umlaut. I think there are maybe five or six selections that have actual umlauts. The rest are rock dots or something similar. The fact that Deathtöngue was in my intro bit should have been a clue.
 
You do realize that most of the dots on these band names aren't acually umlauts? Motörhead isn't pronouced as if that were an actual umlaut. I think there are maybe five or six selections that have actual umlauts. The rest are rock dots or something similar. The fact that Deathtöngue was in my intro bit should have been a clue.
OK, so I did a search and found your small intro bit. Sure enough, Deathtöngue and Barbariön are both listed. Both, as you note below, have "rock dots"/umlauts.

Rock dots and unlauts - the sprinkles on the music of life.

I'm keeping a cheat sheet so I can understand which theme goes with which song as I listen to the playlists. I've got them in krista's order. When I was trying to match Dias de Escuela – Magma with a theme I thought there must be a mistake, or that one of the songs wasn't on Spotify and threw the order off. Anyway, not a big deal. I'll make sure to read your forthcoming posts more closely.
 
I'm keeping a cheat sheet so I can understand which theme goes with which song as I listen to the playlists. I've got them in krista's order. When I was trying to match Dias de Escuela – Magma with a theme I thought there must be a mistake, or that one of the songs wasn't on Spotify and threw the order off. Anyway, not a big deal. I'll make sure to read your forthcoming posts more closely.
Wow. The cheat sheet is very extra. Nice. I did promise that I would explain how the dots apply to each song. This one is the most obscure of the bunch; but when I found out about the constructed language, I just had to have it.
 
I'm keeping a cheat sheet so I can understand which theme goes with which song as I listen to the playlists. I've got them in krista's order. When I was trying to match Dias de Escuela – Magma with a theme I thought there must be a mistake, or that one of the songs wasn't on Spotify and threw the order off. Anyway, not a big deal. I'll make sure to read your forthcoming posts more closely.
Wow. The cheat sheet is very extra. Nice. I did promise that I would explain how the dots apply to each song. This one is the most obscure of the bunch; but when I found out about the constructed language, I just had to have it.
It rocketed up to #1(and only) on my list of favorite songs sung in a made up language!
 
Sorry I missed my cue. According to some random podcast, the answer is a definitive "yes."

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: In the Meantime
Band: The Railway Children
From: Wigan, Greater Manchester (stretching it)


I can't find proof of this, but I swear I heard this song for the first time when MTV did a live 120 Minutes from Auburn University with The Sugarcubes, Living Colour, and the Godfathers. The Railway Children did tour with the Sugarcubes that year, but there's no record of them at that particular show, so maybe Kevin Seal just played the video for In The Meantime on the same episode. I bought the CD a few days later because they reminded me of a favorite non-Manchester band at the time - The Mighty Lemon Drops. A couple of years later, The Railway Children had a US Modern Rock #1 with Every Beat of the Heart - more pop and less jangle.
 
Musically, Tiffany and Debbie Gibson were “that kind of thing” in the late 80s.

Cassidy may have been the end of this specific male archetype, though.
This is the second time we've had a Shaun Cassidy conversation in one of these threads. Last time, I posted a pic of my ancient 45 rpm of him covering Da Doo Ron Ron. The sleeve was a dreamy pic of Shaun with a lipstick kiss on it. I brought it in a few times for music day in my first grade class and a couple of the girls would kiss his face in the same spot. I just bought the 45s because I was an avid Hardy Boys reader, though I still think Frank (Parker Stevenson) was much cooler than Joe.
 
Andy Gibb was a teen idol for longer than Shaun Cassidy. Do you remember when Andy was co-host of Solid Gold with Marilyn McCoo in the early 80s? Andy's drug addiction went full throttle around this time, and other than a few glimpses of recovery, it did him in.
This would have really come full circle if you told us that big-haired twerkin' Sherry eventually became one of the Solid Gold dancers.
 
The cheat sheet is very extra. Nice.

1 kupcho1 – rain
2 Eephus – Single (Named) Ladies
3 Charlie Steiner – songs from Mad Men
4 simey – train songs
5 Yambag – Metal songs from 1988-1992 that became the gateway into the world of music for a young Yambag
6 Dr. Octopus – guitarists I’ve seen live
7 Yo Mama – World’s Worst Superheroes
8 Mrs. Rannous – umlauts
9 KarmaPolice – songs from artists not on shuke’s list
10 Don Quixote – Afrobeat
11 JMLs secret identity – songs in D#Minor, the saddest key of all
12 -OZ- - song / music moments from the Marvel cinematic universe
13 Mt. Man – Number, Please
14 Pip’s Invitation – songs from albums produced and/or engineered by Todd Rundgren
15 falguy – songs by 31 different Canadian artists
16 Raging weasel – name-checking Beatles or their songs
17 jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system
18 scorchy – songs by Manchester(-ish) artists
19 titusbramble – Grand Theft Auto, specifically the 3D era
20 shuke – Saxytime
21 Ilov80s - One song from each of the 31 best albums of 1984
22 John Maddens Lunchbox – Batman
23 Mister CIA – Texas Places in Song Titles
24 El Floppo – Mallet Rock
25 landrys hat - favorite Side 2 Track 1s from my record collection
26 rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in
27 ditkaburgers - Girl Groups X Boy Bands
28 MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom
29 Tau837 – Hair metal
30 DrIanMalcolm – Songs about New York
31 higgins – Instrumentals with places in the title
32 Zegras11 – New wave
33 Chaos34 - Post Surf Rock Surf Rockish (80s fwd)
34 krista4 – Chicagoland
35 Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
36 MAC_32 – Songs to play during (and after) a funeral
 
Just listened to the #28s, and they were my favorites yet. Tons of new-to-me goodness, so I'm just going to give a special shout-out to one of my favorites, Wilson Pickett's "Engine Number 9," and give kudos to simey for selecting it even though it must have scared her. We know how she feels about the number 9. :scared:
I was very reluctant to pick it, but since I was already on a bad luck streak I figured it couldn't get worse. I was wrong. :<_<:
 
This would have really come full circle if you told us that big-haired twerkin' Sherry eventually became one of the Solid Gold dancers.
😀 Sheri would never have made it as a Solid Gold dancer unless she started picking up her feet. My freshman year when I lived in the dorm, we would know it was Sheri getting off the elevator coming towards the door, because she always dragged her feet. It's probably why she liked to rotate in a circle and shake her booty when she danced, cause she just had to slowly shuffle her feet around during the rotation.
 
This would have really come full circle if you told us that big-haired twerkin' Sherry eventually became one of the Solid Gold dancers.
😀 Sheri would never have made it as a Solid Gold dancer unless she started picking up her feet. My freshman year when I lived in the dorm, we would know it was Sheri getting off the elevator coming towards the door, because she always dragged her feet. It's probably why she liked to rotate in a circle and shake her booty when she danced, cause she just had to slowly shuffle her feet around during the rotation.
"Solid Gold dancer who drags her feet" sounds like the premise of an SNL sketch.
 
There were definitely more unfamiliar songs in the #28s. That category had far more than its share of possible tunes to include. Here’s some of them along with ones I already loved.

Known Numbers:
Love Shack - The B-52s
It Makes No Difference - The Band
Whale & Wasp - Alice in Chains
Save Your Love - Great White
Can’t Change Me - Chris Cornell

Total Surprises:
Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) - Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers
Dias De Escuala - Magma
Digging A Hole - Big Sugar
& - Tally Hall
Magneto - Messer Chups

Go Figure:
I feel like I have to shout out the Double (double) dip into Talk Talk. I really enjoyed both the unknown “Tomorrow Started” and the very well-known “It’s My Life” from them.
 
#27 songs

kupcho1 – rain


November Rain - Guns N' Roses


Eephus – Single (Named) Ladies


Days Move Slow – Bully


Charlie Steiner – songs from Mad Men


Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio - Miles Davis


simey – train songs

Train Song - Vashti Bunyan


Yambag – Metal songs from 1988-1992 that became the gateway into the world of music for a young Yambag


A Room With A View – Death Angel


Dr. Octopus – guitarists I’ve seen live

Slaves & Bulldozers - Soundgarden (Kim Thayil)


Yo Mama – World’s Worst Superheroes

Living Loving Maid - Led Zeppelin


Mrs. Rannous – umlauts

Louie Louie – Motörhead


KarmaPolice – songs from artists not on shuke’s list

Juicy Socks - Cherry Glazerr


Don Quixote – Afrobeat


Lazy Bones (Spotify) - WITCH (Zambia)


JMLs secret identity – songs in D#Minor, the saddest key of all

The Robots (Spotify) - Kraftwerk


-OZ- - song / music moments from the Marvel cinematic universe

Walk – Foo Fighters


Mt. Man – Number, Please

10538 Overture – Electric Light Orchestra


Pip’s Invitation – songs from albums produced and/or engineered by Todd Rundgren

Elevator – New England


falguy – songs by 31 different Canadian artists

Up We Go - Lights


Raging weasel – name-checking Beatles or their songs

The Na-Na Song – Sheryl Crow


jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system


Heart and Soul – Huey Lewis and the News


scorchy – songs by Manchester(-ish) artists

Gorecki – Lamb


titusbramble – Grand Theft Auto, specifically the 3D era


White Wedding - Billy Idol (SA - K-DST)


shuke – Saxytime

Hold On (Spotify) - Sam and Dave


Ilov80s - One song from each of the 31 best albums of 1984

Almost Paradise - Mike Reno, Ann Wilson


John Maddens Lunchbox – Batman

Tell Me Now - Mazzy Star


Mister CIA – Texas Places in Song Titles

Dracula From Houston - Butthole Surfers


El Floppo – Mallet Rock

Hey, Snow White - The New Pornographers


landrys hat - favorite Side 2 Track 1s from my record collection


Continental Breakfast - Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice (2017)


rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in


Rock Steady – Alton Ellis


ditkaburgers - Girl Groups X Boy Bands

I'm Good (Radio Version) - Blaque


MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom

Wolves - The Barr Brothers


Tau837 – Hair metal


Girls, Girls, Girls - Motley Crue


DrIanMalcolm – Songs about New York


Something in the Water - Lawrence


higgins – Instrumentals with places in the title


City of Angels – Gabriel Yared


Zegras11 – New wave

Girls on Film - Duran Duran


Chaos34 - Post Surf Rock Surf Rockish (80s fwd)

If You Still Want Me - Veronica Falls


krista4 – Chicagoland


Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce


Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???

Another Chance - Roger Sanchez


MAC_32 – Songs to play during (and after) a funeral


One Last Drink - Enter The Haggis
 
Last edited:
28.

Who?
– Kim Thayil

What? – Soundgarden

Where? – Garden State Arts Center, Madison Square Garden, The Armory

When? – 1992-1994

Why? – Soundgarden is one of the heaviest bands that I’ve seen live and Kim’s droning guitar is a big part of the sound. He’s my favorite guitarist in the Big 4 Seattle bands. Incidentally the show at The Armory (with TAD as opener) was the night of OJ’s white Bronco police chase. It was also 95 degrees outside and The Armory being an old military armory has no air conditioning so it was likely close to 130 degrees inside with all the people packed in – many people were carried out during that show.
 
#28 songs

NEW OR UNFAMILIAR, AND LIKED:
Rain - The Beatles: Just hadn't heard this one, or maybe not in a long time.
Lay Down - loved this. Just really great.
Paper Mountain Man - sort of a bit bluesy, a bit jazzy. You can see the original Traffic doing this.
19-2000, Gorillaz - any time I think I'm not gonna be interested in a song by these peeps, I'm proved wrong. This one's infectious.
Digging a Hole - that's a groove, man.
It Makes No Difference, The Band - this is one I didn't know. Boy, it's lovely.

ALREADY IN:
Shoot to Thrill - If I were president, I would make listening into this song in the car illegal, because I invariably push the gas pedal to 100 mph.
Cult of Personality - One of the best riffs ever. And the solo is killer. Deserves the sobriquet "face melting"
 
Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez



Incorrect guesses:


Songs that give advice

Bands That Have Never Been in My Kitchen

Songs by artists who have headlined Glastonbury

Songs featuring the Mellotron

Fear mongering

Song titles that could be part of geometry proofs

Bands who have a member whose first or last name is a James Bond reference

Bands with family members

Songs that reference a location in another country

Songs that have nine or more words in the title

Songs that mention famous streets

Bands who had a member mysteriously disappear, get declared dead, but no body has ever been found

Songs that reference footballguys user names

Songs without a guitar

Song titles that are commands

First two words of song titles in order of lyrics from The Youngbloods’ Get Together

Songs about resilience in the face of adversity

Songs about the importance of progress

Songs to make people overthink and speculate about an imaginary theme that doesn't really exist

31 songs that MADs submitted in prior MAD rounds, but judge disqualified because the submitting MAD failed to get the long-form birth certificate of all band members before submitting

Songs NOT produced by Todd Rundgren

Artists without umlauts

Songs Sam Rockwell has danced to in a movie

Songs about navigating and adapting to a constantly changing world

Songs credited to more than one songwriter

UK top ten singles

Singles released by UK artist/bands

31 British Isles Songs That Did Not Appear in the MAD British Isles Countdown
 
#27 songs

Yambag – Metal songs from 1988-1992 that became the gateway into the world of music for a young Yambag


A Room With A View – Death Angel

Summary: Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California and is considered one of the most popular Bay Area thrash metal bands of the 1980s. They are also often credited as one of the leaders of the second wave of thrash metal movement from the 1980s and considered one of the "Big Eight" of the genre as well as one of the so-called "Big Six of Bay Area thrash metal"

Times Seen Live in Concert: 0

Personal Connection: A ballad you say? Yup, in a sea of heavy, fast metal, this song was one of the first ballads that I truly appreciated. A Room With a View is from their only big label album release, Act III. This song grew to be one of my favorites and a frequent flyer on mix tapes. I also appreciated this band as they were all of Filipino descent, which was very rare compared to others in their genre.

Other songs to consider: Seemingly Endless Time
 
krista4 – Chicagoland

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce

Sorry for the earworm.

Artist connection to Chicago (1-5 scale): 1 - Croce is as Chicago as the Liberty Bell.
Song connection to Chicago (1-10 scale): 4 - I included this because it's one of the songs people immediately think of as associated with Chicago. But really it's not that Chicago-y. It is based on a guy from Chicago that Croce met while serving in the Army, and I gave it an extra point for his being from the South Side, which most non-hip-hop Chicago songs ignore.
Total: 5

I've now posted all but one of the songs by artists who get a "1" on the artist connection scale. It's not surprising that, given they have no connection here, their songs aren't really that Chicago-y either. But I do have one more song by a "1" artist, and that artist knocked it out of the park on the "song connection" scale. It will come up much later.
 
#27: CHERRY GLAZERR - JUICY SOCKS

We already got one with WILD FLAG, but as I posted in the intro about 25% of the playlist was in this zone of music. I have a playlist of female artists and female lead bands that I have come across and liked in the last decade of listening, and that was one of the first places I looked for ideas on the song selections. Cherry Glazerr is one that I came across for research during some draft or another. The song title makes me laugh, and I like the swings of music on this one. Lower on the list because they are not in my core rotation and I am not too familiar with the newest album.

Recommended listening: I know I have taken Told You I'd Be With the Guys before in something, and pretty sure myself or somebody else has thrown Wasted Nun in the mix as well. The albums they come from are worth a listen: Apocalipstick and Stuffed & Ready.

Next: based on the ordering of my playlist, a song that based on the last week of listening, should be in the top 10, if not 5. Front runner for MAD31 V8? ;)
 
27. Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio) - Miles Davis

My mom always said that life was like a horseshoe; it's fat in the middle, open on both ends and hard all the way through - Abigail Whitman, Season 1, Episode 8, The Hobo Code

In the scene in which this song appears, Don has received a cash bonus and wants to spend it taking his mistress to Paris; she declines because she prefers sitting around her apartment with her hipster friends, getting high to Miles Davis, something they all seem to think is an important, profound event. Their music of choice is Davis' 1960 album Sketches of Spain, making it his most current work for the time of the episode. Of the piece, Davis had this to say:

That melody is so strong that the softer you play it, the stronger it gets, and the stronger you play it, the weaker it gets.

I see this observation working as a metaphor for how Midge's friends act in this scene; the less they say and do, the stronger they seem, and when they open their mouths and confront 'the establishment', aka Don, the more foolish they become.

The song's composer, Joaquin Rodrigo, was not asked for permission by Davis' label, Columbia, to record this song, was angry that it had been recorded and tried to block its release. Rodrigo's opinion softened when he saw that his music was reaching a greater audience courtesy of Davis, though his wife would recall later in life they still felt Davis had committed 'an act of piracy.'
 
Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez



Incorrect guesses:


Songs that give advice

Bands That Have Never Been in My Kitchen

Songs by artists who have headlined Glastonbury

Songs featuring the Mellotron

Fear mongering

Song titles that could be part of geometry proofs

Bands who have a member whose first or last name is a James Bond reference

Bands with family members

Songs that reference a location in another country

Songs that have nine or more words in the title

Songs that mention famous streets

Bands who had a member mysteriously disappear, get declared dead, but no body has ever been found

Songs that reference footballguys user names

Songs without a guitar

Song titles that are commands

First two words of song titles in order of lyrics from The Youngbloods’ Get Together

Songs about resilience in the face of adversity

Songs about the importance of progress

Songs to make people overthink and speculate about an imaginary theme that doesn't really exist

31 songs that MADs submitted in prior MAD rounds, but judge disqualified because the submitting MAD failed to get the long-form birth certificate of all band members before submitting

Songs NOT produced by Todd Rundgren

Artists without umlauts

Songs Sam Rockwell has danced to in a movie

Songs about navigating and adapting to a constantly changing world

Songs credited to more than one songwriter

UK top ten singles

Singles released by UK artist/bands

31 British Isles Songs That Did Not Appear in the MAD British Isles Countdown

Non-guitar driven songs?
 
27. Elevator
Artist: New England
Album: Walking Wild (1981)
Todd's role(s): producer, engineer, guitar
Writer(s): John Fannon

The song: New England was managed by the same guy that oversaw the career of KISS, and two of its members went on to form the metal band Alcatrazz, but by the time of their third and final album, the Todd Rundgren-produced Walking Wild, they were dabbling in new wave, especially on its penultimate track "Elevator".

"Elevator" is peppy and poppy, with energized guitars, bumping rhythms and the kinds of harmonies commonly heard on Utopia records. It fits in perfectly with the cavalcade of power pop-oriented new wave bands of the time. Only the guitar solo hints at the arena-rock sound of their previous albums. With better marketing and decision-making, this could have been a hit. (It was the B-side to an inferior song, "DDT".)

The album: As with many AOR acts formed in the '70s, New England (based in Boston, naturally) named themselves after a geographic region, but unlike Boston, Kansas, Chicago, America, etc., mass success eluded them, the closest they came being their debut single, "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya," which cracked the bottom of the Top 40. They were managed by Bill Aucoin, who helmed KISS, and opened for that band, but none of KISS' success rubbed off on them despite Paul Stanley co-producing their debut album. Sonically, their first two albums resembled Queen more than anyone else, which made sense given that they were co-produced by Mike Stone, who worked on the first six Queen albums.

With their original approach gaining no traction, for their third record, New England brought in Rundgren and ditched the Queen-like intricacies for a more streamlined sound. But success continued to elude them, and singer/guitarist John Fannon left the band soon after the album's release, effectively ending its run. The other three members formed a short-lived band with Vinnie Vincent called Warrior, which recorded some demos but dissolved after Vincent replaced Ace Frehley in KISS. That prompted bassist Gary Shea and keyboardist Jimmy Waldo to form Alcatrazz with Graham Bonnett, former vocalist for MAD 2 artist Rainbow, former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr and a Swedish guitar hotshot named Yngvie Malmsteen. After Malmsteen left to hotshot on his own, he was replaced by Steve Vai, whom we have already seen in this countdown.

Note: To the extent this record was marketed at all, it was probably marketed as new wave.

You Might Also Like: "Get It Up", an obscure cut from this album about flying in a hot air balloon, which consists of nothing but piano, synth and vocal and is probably the most Queen-like track on the record, is by far the most popular New England track on Spotify. Why? Because a band called Sensity World reworked it as a EuroHouse song and took it to #1 in Spain in 1995. https://open.spotify.com/track/3Nd41wvVOjMlmxbwgdGiJp?si=a2375053ee5f49a6

At #26, more Canadian folk. Well, quasi-Canadian folk.
 
jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Heart and Soul – Huey Lewis and the News

"The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost." - Patrick Bateman talking about the Sports album before he does something very bad.

And he's right. Sports really does sound fantastic, and this was the first hit from it. It sounds big, full, lush... those are all good words to describe it. I will say this a lot in these writeups, but there's a lot going on here, and it's fun to listen for. In this case, it's the million little percussion fills that come at you from all sides and between the speakers as well. In the glut of hair metal and new-wavish groups, Huey and the gang were a fun power-pop band who probably could have made hits in any decade. Here's the video - it's fun.
 
The song's composer, Joaquin Rodrigo, was not asked for permission by Davis' label, Columbia, to record this song, was angry that it had been recorded and tried to block its release. Rodrigo's opinion softened when he saw that his music was reaching a greater audience courtesy of Davis, though his wife would recall later in life they still felt Davis had committed 'an act of piracy.'
This is a little like Tito Puente's initial reaction to Santana covering Oye Como Va (which I picked in the Worldwide Countdown). Wiki: "When interviewed, Puente explained how he was initially outraged by his song being covered by a rock band, until he received his first royalty check."
 
jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Heart and Soul – Huey Lewis and the News

"The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost." - Patrick Bateman talking about the Sports album before he does something very bad.

And he's right. Sports really does sound fantastic, and this was the first hit from it. It sounds big, full, lush... those are all good words to describe it. I will say this a lot in these writeups, but there's a lot going on here, and it's fun to listen for. In this case, it's the million little percussion fills that come at you from all sides and between the speakers as well. In the glut of hair metal and new-wavish groups, Huey and the gang were a fun power-pop band who probably could have made hits in any decade. Here's the video - it's fun.
I saw Huey perform this with Umphrey's McGee in NYC about 20 years ago. I was at the far right of the stage, and a few feet away from me on the other side of the rail were Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman.
 
jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Heart and Soul – Huey Lewis and the News

"The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost." - Patrick Bateman talking about the Sports album before he does something very bad.

And he's right. Sports really does sound fantastic, and this was the first hit from it. It sounds big, full, lush... those are all good words to describe it. I will say this a lot in these writeups, but there's a lot going on here, and it's fun to listen for. In this case, it's the million little percussion fills that come at you from all sides and between the speakers as well. In the glut of hair metal and new-wavish groups, Huey and the gang were a fun power-pop band who probably could have made hits in any decade. Here's the video - it's fun.
I saw Huey perform this with Umphrey's McGee in NYC about 20 years ago. I was at the far right of the stage, and a few feet away from me on the other side of the rail were Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman.
Still the best Huey performance??
 
Other songs to consider: Seemingly Endless Time

Recommended listening: I know I have taken Told You I'd Be With the Guys before in something, and pretty sure myself or somebody else has thrown Wasted Nun in the mix as well. The albums they come from are worth a listen: Apocalipstick and Stuffed & Ready.

You Might Also Like: "Get It Up", an obscure cut from this album about flying in a hot air balloon, which consists of nothing but piano, synth and vocal and is probably the most Queen-like track on the record, is by far the most popular New England track on Spotify. Why? Because a band called Sensity World reworked it as a EuroHouse song and took it to #1 in Spain in 1995. https://open.spotify.com/track/3Nd41wvVOjMlmxbwgdGiJp?si=a2375053ee5f49a6

I appreciate that you guys do this.
 
jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Heart and Soul – Huey Lewis and the News

"The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost." - Patrick Bateman talking about the Sports album before he does something very bad.

And he's right. Sports really does sound fantastic, and this was the first hit from it. It sounds big, full, lush... those are all good words to describe it. I will say this a lot in these writeups, but there's a lot going on here, and it's fun to listen for. In this case, it's the million little percussion fills that come at you from all sides and between the speakers as well. In the glut of hair metal and new-wavish groups, Huey and the gang were a fun power-pop band who probably could have made hits in any decade. Here's the video - it's fun.
Glad you pointed out the video - definitely a fun one and they made a lot of good ones back then.

The bass work is killer on this - the bass player Mario Cipoillina (the gangly guy who is the Dracula at the 1:33 mark) is the younger brother of the late great guitarist John from Quicksilver Messenger Service.
 
Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Lazy Bones (Spotify) - WITCH (Zambia)
I mentioned that I was taking a broad definition of Afrobeat. Maybe I should have called my theme “African music circa 1970s”, but I called it what I called it.

WITCH (or “We Intend to Cause Havoc”) was a Zamrock band in the 1970s, and they may be the most famous band in that style. The lead singer went by the nickname “Jagari,” an Africanization of Jagger. The band formed in the wake of the Zambia’s independence, but disbanded when Zambia backslid to a more authoritarian government.

Their back catalogue all got re-released in the early 2010’s, and the interest in them prompted them to get back together. They released a new album in 2023.

I think their best album was “Lazy Bones,” with this song being the title track from it. It has a garage rock sound to it; some of the limitations related to recording quality.

This article is a great read on the history of WITCH:
 
28.

Who?
– Kim Thayil

What? – Soundgarden

Where? – Garden State Arts Center, Madison Square Garden, The Armory

When? – 1992-1994

Why? – Soundgarden is one of the heaviest bands that I’ve seen live and Kim’s droning guitar is a big part of the sound. He’s my favorite guitarist in the Big 4 Seattle bands. Incidentally the show at The Armory (with TAD as opener) was the night of OJ’s white Bronco police chase. It was also 95 degrees outside and The Armory being an old military armory has no air conditioning so it was likely close to 130 degrees inside with all the people packed in – many people were carried out during that show.
Great pick of artist and song!
 
Theme: 31 Best Albums of 1984

27. Almost Paradise by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson

Album: The Footloose Soundtrack
Released: Feb 17 (technically the album came out earlier but I just went with the release date of the movie)


What is more 1984 than the lead singers of Loverboy and Heart teaming up to record a ballad for a Kevin Bacon movie about dancing? This is how you do an original movie soundtrack. The number 1 selling album for 2 months, producing 6 top 40 hits. Footloose, Let’s Hear it for the Boys and this track all hit the Billboard top 10.

 
kupcho1 – rain

November Rain - Guns N' Roses
Power ballad time!!!!!!!

This is a good song, but I'll let someone who elevates it to the status of "modern classic" gush on about it for a while. From alt77.com (whatever that might be):
Guns n’ Roses was the band meant to bring angry, excessive rock n’ roll back on its perch. Despite all the odds against them doing so, or surviving for that matter, Gn’R did just that with their album “Appetite for Destruction.” But apart from one rather famous song, “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” the band didn’t do tender songs.
So already altt77 has established his bona fides with the statement that Appetite for Destruction had only one "rather" famous song. I suppose Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City were added to the album after alt77 got their copy. But I digress.

But could they make the leap to the big time without power ballads? Early Guns n’ Roses had opened for the likes of Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones and saw how it was done. Guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin may have wanted none of it. But Axl Rose had a vision for world domination. And it involved songs that sounded like they’d been written by Elton John. In fact, the chord progression to “November Rain” is similar to John’s heyday.
OK, so maybe this is satire. I'll let you read the rest and decide for yourselves. It truely is a rock criticism masterpiece.

'Cause nothin' lasts forever, even cold November rain
 
Ok... Wings of Desire is my favorite movie, so as lovely as that tune is... City of Angels is an abomination and disqualifies anything attached to it. :lol:

Also- no idea what the theme was, but there are so many fantastic songs from the WoD soundtrack, why not one of those?
 
World’s Worst Superheroes #27

Living Loving Maid

Artist - Led Zeppelin (1969)

Strengths - She works in the shadows and is easily overlooked; her master key gets her into almost any room

Weaknesses - She is slowed down by her heavy cart and questionable immigration status; everyone keeps bugging her for extra towels and TP


There Goes My Hero

Situation
- You (George) are a perpetual down-on-his-luck New Yorker who lives with his overbearing parents, but is starting to get back on his feet. You’re showing your best friend, a famous comedian, your new office at the publishing company you just started working at.

You: [reclining in chair with feet on your desk] “Well, Jerry - what do you think? Pretty great, right?”

Jerry: “Not too shabby, Georgie. Pretty, pretty nice.”

You: “I’m back, Jerry! I tell you I’m back!”

Jerry: “So, what’s the deal with this mystery woman you’re seeing, George? Is she even real? A real living woman?”

You: “Oh, she’s living Jerry.”

Jerry: “And is there any romance? Some loving?”

You: “There’s loving, Jerry. Lots of loving!” [canned audience laughter]

Jerry: “So she’s a maid? What, does she wear one of those skimpy French outfits and use a feather duster?”

You: “She’s just a woman, Jerry. A cleaning woman. And we were together here just last night.”

Jerry: “Right here, in this office? On this desk?” [steps away from desk, wipes hands on pants, more audience laughter]

You: “Right here Jerry! Here she is right now!”

[cleaning cart wheels squeak as she gets closer]

Living Loving Maid: “Mr. George! The lovely cashmere sweater you gave me has a spot on it. I thought you loved me!! I’m telling the boss!”

HR Representative: [appears out of nowhere] “You’re fired, Mr. Costanza!”

[canned audience laughter and clapping, theme music starts]

Jerry: [on stage while closing credits play] “So what’s the deal with maids anyway? We’re not allowed to call them maids these days, did you know that? If she made my bed and made my apartment clean, why do I have to call her a housekeeper or a cleaning lady?” [heads nodding, clapping]
 
Will check back later on others and mine, but wanted to say how much I freaking loved the Vile/Barnett Collab when it came out, but for whatever reason haven't listed to at all since.. looooove hearing that tune in there today!
It’s a great album that I discovered after you drafted a song from it once.

One of my favorite post-2000 albums.
 
28. rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in

Rock Steady – Alton Ellis

Rocksteady is a genre of music that was prevalent in Jamaica from 1966-'70. (This isn't about rock n' roll, although there will be more of those coming.) After overseeing the popularity of ska and the sound systems that played ska for about four years from '62-'66, players in the bands began to slow down the tempo of the music. The rhythm section slowed down and the toaster (who had originally provided the lyrical stylings of ska) began to sing melodies more like a traditional soul singer in America. The slowed-down tempo allowed for the bass runs that would be the progenitor of reggae bass (that sort of running down or up the fretboard) and for more expressive singing. Toasters and singers were now usually supported by backup singers who brought harmony to the mix, providing a lusher vocal sound. Alton Ellis was one of the first and most famous to front a band that did all this, and here is an example.

One of the first rocksteady songs, "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis, was a song that was featured in a recent beer commercial in America to great effect. It's really a very mellow, smooth pop genre that has a lot of ska and some elements of reggae. It's a happy musical medium, as it were, and it also reflects the sociopolitical change coming in Jamaican society regarding its independence and economic situation vis a vis the youth of the country.

The link below is nearly perfect for a summarization or description of rocksteady and how it started. It gives the dates as '66-'68, though I've extended the dates because of the Jimmy Cliff soundtrack from The Harder They Come, which doesn't really have reggae but rocksteady instead, and was released in the early seventies, thus cementing rocksteady's popularity in at least America if not other countries.

 
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28. rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in

Rock Steady – Alton Ellis

Rocksteady is a genre of music that was prevalent in Jamaica from 1966-'70. (This isn't about rock n' roll.) After overseeing the popularity of ska and the sound systems that played ska for about four years from '62-'66, players in the bands began to slow down the tempo of the music. The rhythm section slowed down and the toaster (who had originally provided the lyrical stylings of ska) began to sing melodies more like a traditional soul singer in America. The slowed-down tempo allowed for the bass runs that would be the progenitor of reggae bass (that sort of running down or up the fretboard) and for the more expressive singing. Usually toasters and singers were now supported by backup singers who brought harmony to the mix. Alton Ellis was one of the first and most famous to front a band that did all this, and here is an example.

(Other rocksteady songs include "Draw Your Brakes" by Scotty and "Rivers of Babylon" (who I think we just heard in the last round) by the appropriately named Melodians.)
It wasn't about a Ninja Turtle villain?
 

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