Middle-aged Dummies are back and bursting at the "themes" to get going! Full theme ahead! (11 Viewers)

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Goody Two Shoes

Adam Ant · Friend Or Foe · Song · 1982

open.spotify.com

"Goody Two Shoes" is the debut solo single by Adam Ant, released on 7 May 1982. It became Ant's third overall number one in the UK and his highest-charting song in the US, where it peaked at number 12.

Desperate but Not Serious

Adam Ant · Friend Or Foe · Song · 1982

open.spotify.com

Friend Or Foe

Adam Ant · Friend Or Foe · Song · 1982

open.spotify.com

Strip - Single Version

Adam Ant · Strip · Song · 1983

open.spotify.com

Adam and the Ants borrowing heavily from the Burundi Beat
Antmusic

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Kings of the Wild Frontier

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Stand and Deliver

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Prince Charming (Ridicule is Nothing to Be Scared of)

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

 

[Eephus]

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

Living Color – Jill Sobule

MADs coincidence.

We're going to see Jill Sobule tonight. She's the opener for a John Doe acoustic show.

Thank you for giving me a lead-in to mention this:

Sobule and Doe covered Neil's "Down by the River" for Cinnamon Girl: Women Artists Covering Neil Young for Charity.

And it has a mallet instrument! (As well as the first part of the guitar solo being played on banjo.)

Down By the River

Jill Sobule, John Doe · Cinnamon Girl: Women Artists Cover Neil Young for Charity · Song · 2008

open.spotify.com

Do you really need an invitation to post a Neil cover?

 

[Mt. Man]

#, Please # 25
Song: 2000 Miles
Artist: Pretenders
Year: 1984

(Official Music Video) Pretenders - 2000 Miles (Official Music Video)
(Live version) The Pretenders - 2000 Miles - 1995

4 Lines:
Sometimes in a dream
You appear
Outside under the purple sky
Diamonds in the snow

Number Theory:
A near miss here as we’ve seen a Pretenders song from the 1984 List. Only that was “Middle of the Road”. There are plenty of very good songs on “Learning to Crawl” though, so no complaints on my end. Just wondering if this is the closest I'll get to a crossover.

The major force behind this song was the death of the band’s guitarist James Honeyman-Scott due to drug overdose. The song’s about missing a man, with “2000 MIles” being long, yet a kinder distance than death. It’s set in the heart of winter, where “the snow is falling down” and it “gets colder day by day”. This leads the singer to that idea that “it must be Christmastime”, including the idea that he might return for it. No doubt thanks to mentioning “Christmas” 4 times in the song, this has become a Christmas song, despite its meloncholy, longing overtone..

Significant Digits:
Off album#: 3
Track #: 10 (final track on original release)
Top 15 Single in Belgium (11), Ireland (14), Netherlands (13), and the UK.

Artist crossover with other playlists: 5
(Known: 3)

–
Next on the countdown, we only drop 1 number, but that’s not the end of the world.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

#25 songs

kupcho1 – rain

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - B.J. Thomas


Mrs. Rannous – umlauts

Sex On The Beach - Yächtley Crëw


Mt. Man – Number, Please

2000 Miles – Pretenders


titusbramble – Grand Theft Auto, specifically the 3D era

Change - Conor & Jay (III - Head Radio)


shuke – Saxytime

Sir Duke (Spotify) - Stevie Wonder



rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in

So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star? – The Byrds


MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom

Locust Laced - Sleigh Bells


Tau837 – Hair metal

Round and Round - Ratt


DrIanMalcolm – Songs about New York

In the City - Joe Walsh


higgins – Instrumentals with places in the title

Love On A Real Train (Risky Business Soundtrack) – Tangerine Dream


Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???

Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

Fun fact: Superbowl XXV was won by the Giants. I only mention it because I love Roman numerals and the number 25, much like these XXV's.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

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

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top



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

Songs in 4/4 time

Broadway shows

Songs that all charted in the same six countries:
UK
Australia
Germany
France
Ireland
Netherlands

Songs under 5 minutes

Songs where artists let out excessive vocalizations of the “ahh,” “ooh,” “dee,” etc. variety

A break up and starting over

Things that will drive a bunch of middle aged dummies who are trying to find a pattern go crazy

Stages in Rustoluem’s marriage

Guinness World Records

Songs by people with facial hair.

 

[simey]

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

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

All songs use an instrument with keys.

 

[scorchy]

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: One Day Like This
Band: Elbow
From: Bury, Greater Manchester

I bought Elbow's debut Asleep in the Back around the time of its US release in 2001 and it fell into a rotation of ones from similar post-Radiohead UK bands of the era, some of which I liked better (Travis, Doves, Muse) and others not quite as much (Coldplay, Starsailor). I don't think I paid attention to Elbow much thereafter and was pretty shocked when One Day Like This blew them up in 2008, helping its album (The Seldom Seen Kid) earn the Mercury Prize. I've been a big fan since, partly because of the music and partly because singer Guy Garvey seems like a total mensch. Some article I read a while back claimed One Day Like This has become one of the more popular "first dance" songs at UK weddings over the last decade - no source so maybe titus can back me up on that.

 

[Yambag]

25's

Known
B.J. Thomas: Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
Pretenders :2000 miles
Pink Floyd: Dogs of War
Stevie Wonder: Sir Duke
Spinal Tap: Sex Farm
Rolling Stones: Under My Thumb
Ratt: Round And Round
Joe Walsh: In the City
Adam Ant: Goody Two Shoes
ZZ Top: Sharp Dressed Man

Caught My Attention
Celeste: Stop The Flame
The Decemberists: The Infanta
Eels: Railroad Man
Interpol: C'mere
Eiffel 66: Blue
Jill Sobule: Living Color
Elbow: One Day Like This
Seapony: Dreaming
My Chemical Romance: Famous Last Words

 

[Eephus]

25. Living Color
Artist: Jill Sobule
Album: Things Here Are Different (1990)
Todd's role(s): producer, engineer, guitar
Writer(s): Jill Sobule

The song: "Living Color," the first song on Jill Sobule's debut album and one of its two singles, has a strong vocal and a stately arrangement that adds elements as the song goes on. The vocal melody is not unlike what we hear on some of producer Todd Rundgren's own records. After the main melodic themes are done, we are treated to a coda with what sounds like a sitar, though no one is credited with playing one, so it was probably a synthesizer programmed to sound like one. The song is about someone having enough of an effect on you that you see the world differently.

The album: When I first heard Sobule in 1995 due to "modern rock" radio picking up her song "I Kissed a Girl" (not the Katy Perry tune), I had no idea that she had issued her debut recording 5 years earlier and that it was produced by Todd Rundgren.

That debut album, Things Here Are Different, purveys the poppier kind of folk that was gaining traction at the end of the '80s and the beginning of the '90s (think Suzanne Vega). Despite the involvement of Rundgren, a single cracking Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and exposure from a tour opening for Joe Jackson, her label MCA didn't do anything to build momentum for Sobule. She recorded a follow-up produced by Jackson, but MCA dropped her before the record was released, and it has never seen the light of day. She did not release another album until her self-titled second record came out on Lava, a subsidiary of Atlantic, in 1995. This was her commercial breakthrough due to "I Kissed a Girl," and the reissued version includes her other well-known song, "Supermodel," which first appeared on the Clueless soundtrack. Since then, Sobule has made more "serious" music that gets more traction with critics than it does with the public.

Rundgren covered "Tell Me Your Dreams," itself a cover of a song by Chris Eaton, from this record on the (re)Production album. https://open.spotify.com/track/5cZ5MvzwXTI2YzDAVgptLI?si=9bbb698991a24930

You Might Also Like: The more successful of the album's two singles, "Too Cool to Fall in Love," sounds like Suzanne Vega crossed with Sade. This is a good thing. https://open.spotify.com/track/6xh7nrOtfNSWeSePnA3GtH?si=8cbf0923e3b54b0b

At #24, a band that was toward the end of its 15 minutes of fame when Rundgren came into their orbit.

Jill Sobule was excellent last night with great songs and hilarious banter. She performed a number of songs from her autobiographical off-Broadway musical F*CK7THGRADE

 

[Eephus]

I for one am enjoying the extra day to listen through the playlists.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I for one am enjoying the extra day to listen through the playlists.

 

[krista4]

I for one am enjoying the extra day to listen through the playlists.

?

 

[KarmaPolice]

I for one am enjoying the extra day to listen through the playlists.

?

Shhh. Let's let him enjoy his day.

 

[Mister CIA]

Leap year already?!

 

[KarmaPolice]

Doing the playlist now. @Mrs. Rannous - I get a "page not found" message with your link and didn't see it on search.

 

[Yo Mama]

Doing the playlist now. @Mrs. Rannous - I get a "page not found" message with your link and didn't see it on search.

Try “pägě nōt föůnd”

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Doing the playlist now. @Mrs. Rannous - I get a "page not found" message with your link and didn't see it on search.

It seems Spotify got altered somewhere in there. I'm sending a link to a different piece.

I guess something isn't going to be in agreement here. At least the artist is the same.

 

[shuke]

Goody Two Shoes

Adam Ant · Friend Or Foe · Song · 1982

open.spotify.com

"Goody Two Shoes" is the debut solo single by Adam Ant, released on 7 May 1982. It became Ant's third overall number one in the UK and his highest-charting song in the US, where it peaked at number 12.

Considered for saxytime list.

 

[shuke]

Shukelist songs!
Tau837 – Round and Round - Ratt
DrIanMalcolm – In the City - Joe Walsh
Zegras11 – Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant

Known favorites
Dr. Octopus – Cumberland Gap - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
jwb – The Dogs of War – Pink Floyd
rockaction - So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star? – The Byrds

Great unfamiliar songs by known artists:
Charlie Steiner – The Infanta - The Decembrists
simey – Railroad Man – Eels
JMLs secret identity – C'Mere

Great totally new to me
Don Quixote – Mapendo Mapendo
falguy – She Comes Into The Room - Skydiggers
landrys hat - Brain Cycles - Radio Moscow
Chaos34 - Dreaming - Seapony
krista4 – Leave the City – Magnolia Electric Co.

 

[Mt. Man]

Hmm, the #25s or the (second half of the) Super Bowl? Oh, there’s no choice, regardless of score! Still, here’s 2 “teams” of songs that I really enjoyed.

Known Numbers:
Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head - B.J. Thomas
The Infanta - The Decemberists
The Dogs of War - Pink Floyd
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
Under My Thumb - The Rolling Stones
In The City - Joe Walsh

Total Surprises:
Stop This Flame - Celeste
Dr. Greenthumb - Cypress Hill
Sex On the Beach - Yachtley Crew
Living Color - Jill Sobule
She Comes Into the Room - Skydiggers
Brain Cycles - Radio Moscow

 

[rockaction]

26. "Whatever (Folk Song In C)" - Elliott Smith (1994)

Song about going to an AA or NA meeting with the intent of using the substance you are forswearing. Sort of a depressing bit, isn't it? Very much up Elliott's alley.

25. "So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star?" - The Byrds (1967)

I can't claim to be an expert on the comings and goings of these guys nor their career arc, but this has been one that evokes warm feelings in me since I was introduced to it through a Tom Petty cover during the late '80s. The Byrds—the writers of the song—give the song that unmistakable Byrds thing with the chugging guitar of Roger McGuinn and David Crosby and their otherworldly harmonies. We know what it's about, but the delivery is so beautiful that one might be sorely tempted to sell their soul to the machine to produce music this rockin' and sweet. Hugh Masekela, a jazz stalwart from South Africa, provides the trumpet that features a bit here.

 

[rockaction]

Rock Steady was great. I've digging through trying to find what I do like in the reggae genre. So far what I like more is the ska/rocksteady precursors and subgenres that followed.

Alton Ellis thanks you. As for the latter part of your comment, I've also found that I like ska and rocksteady better than reggae regardless of how brief their ascendancy was and that reggae seems more popular with our demographic. Ska and rocksteady have a touch of anachronism to them, but rocksteady is the sweet spot between the jump blues nature of ska (we'll get to that later in the countdown, maybe) and the smoothness and soulfulness of reggae.

I like the best examples of rocksteady probably best of all.

 

[rockaction]

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

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce?

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

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

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce?

Because the wife is cheating with the drummer?

 

[Yo Mama]

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

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce?

Because the wife is cheating with the drummer?

Maybe she just got wicked?

 

[rockaction]

Because the wife is cheating with the drummer?

I was thinking divorce or band break-up but you only get one guess.

And look at you second-guess my guess!

Heh. I shan't forget this, Mrs. R.

 

[rockaction]

No, kids, I was saying "Hear the drum? Her get wicked!"

 

[El Floppo]

Rock Steady was great. I've digging through trying to find what I do like in the reggae genre. So far what I like more is the ska/rocksteady precursors and subgenres that followed.

Alton Ellis thanks you. As for the latter part of your comment, I've also found that I like ska and rocksteady better than reggae regardless of how brief their ascendancy was and that reggae seems more popular with our demographic. Ska and rocksteady have a touch of anachronism to them, but rocksteady is the sweet spot between the jump blues nature of ska (we'll get to that later in the countdown, maybe) and the smoothness and soulfulness of reggae.

I like the best examples of rocksteady probably best of all.

Dancehall was a fun mini genre too.

 

[rockaction]

Rock Steady was great. I've digging through trying to find what I do like in the reggae genre. So far what I like more is the ska/rocksteady precursors and subgenres that followed.

Alton Ellis thanks you. As for the latter part of your comment, I've also found that I like ska and rocksteady better than reggae regardless of how brief their ascendancy was and that reggae seems more popular with our demographic. Ska and rocksteady have a touch of anachronism to them, but rocksteady is the sweet spot between the jump blues nature of ska (we'll get to that later in the countdown, maybe) and the smoothness and soulfulness of reggae.

I like the best examples of rocksteady probably best of all.

Dancehall was a fun mini genre too.

SHABBA

 

[krista4]

#24 songs

kupcho1 – rain

Rain - The Cult


Eephus – Single (Named) Ladies

Let Me Blow Ya Mind - Eve feat. Gwen Stefani


Charlie Steiner – songs from Mad Men

Early in the Morning - Peter, Paul and Mary


simey – train songs

Train Tracks - Jelly Roll


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

Chalice of Blood – Forbidden


Dr. Octopus – guitarists I’ve seen live

The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King


Yo Mama – World’s Worst Superheroes

Mr. Moustache - Nirvana


Mrs. Rannous – umlauts

Memento – Közi


KarmaPolice – songs from artists not on shuke’s list

Eye of the Storm - Gentleman's Dub Club


Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Dancing Time (Spotify) - The Funkees (Nigeria)


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

Forever (Spotify) - Chvrches


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

Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye


Mt. Man – Number, Please

1999 - Prince


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

All Right All Night - Tom Robinson Band


falguy – songs by 31 different Canadian artists

Too Many Hands - Jim Cuddy


Raging weasel – name-checking Beatles or their songs

Annie Christian - Prince


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

Cortez the Killer - Gov’t Mule


scorchy – songs by Manchester(-ish) artists

Dreadlock Holiday - 10cc


titusbramble – Grand Theft Auto, specifically the 3D era

Quagmire - Calyx (III - MSX FM)


shuke – Saxytime

All Your Way (Spotify) – Morphine


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

Stranger Eyes - The Cars


John Maddens Lunchbox – Batman

Lazy Eye (Spotify) - Goo Goo Dolls


Mister CIA – Texas Places in Song Titles

Tuscola - Nathan Hamilton


El Floppo – Mallet Rock

Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye, Kimbra


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

Wet Blanket - Metric - Old World Underground (2003)


rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in

Pop Style - Drake


ditkaburgers - Girl Groups X Boy Bands

He Loves You Not - Dream


MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom

Change (In the House of Flies) - Deftones


Tau837 – Hair metal

What Love Can Be - Kingdom Come


DrIanMalcolm – Songs about New York

New York - St. Vincent


higgins – Instrumentals with places in the title

Cathedral - Van Halen


Zegras11 – New wave

Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson


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

Spy School Graduation Theme - Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet


krista4 – Chicagoland

Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night – The Hold Steady


Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???

Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay


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

Whiskey Lullaby - Brad Paisley / Alison Kraus

 

[krista4]

#24 Playlist

 

[krista4]

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

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

24. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay



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

Songs in 4/4 time

Broadway shows

Songs that all charted in the same six countries:
UK
Australia
Germany
France
Ireland
Netherlands

Songs under 5 minutes

Songs where artists let out excessive vocalizations of the “ahh,” “ooh,” “dee,” etc. variety

A break up and starting over

Things that will drive a bunch of middle aged dummies who are trying to find a pattern go crazy

Stages in Rustoluem’s marriage

Guinness World Records

Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes

Songs by people with facial hair

All songs use an instrument with keys

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce

 

[El Floppo]

Rock Steady was great. I've digging through trying to find what I do like in the reggae genre. So far what I like more is the ska/rocksteady precursors and subgenres that followed.

Alton Ellis thanks you. As for the latter part of your comment, I've also found that I like ska and rocksteady better than reggae regardless of how brief their ascendancy was and that reggae seems more popular with our demographic. Ska and rocksteady have a touch of anachronism to them, but rocksteady is the sweet spot between the jump blues nature of ska (we'll get to that later in the countdown, maybe) and the smoothness and soulfulness of reggae.

I like the best examples of rocksteady probably best of all.

Dancehall was a fun mini genre too.

SHABBA

Lol.. yeah.

There were 2 Jamaican guys on my college soccer team. Got a lot of good info from them... Shabba before he was SHABBA! Pinchers.. spacing on the rest. There was an incredible album that was a bunch of different tunes mashed together with a new unifying rhythm section- 1st side a different rhythm than the. 2nd side, but each side was its own 20 min party. The dorm party where I heard that the first time was a crazy night. Became my go-to when I hosted people.

Duckdance vs Chinatown

Duck Dance vs. China Town

Various Artists · Compilation · 1992 · 2 songs

open.spotify.com

 

[KarmaPolice]

Btw, the #24 playlist is great.

 

[krista4]

krista4 – Chicagoland

Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night – The Hold Steady

Artist connection to Chicago (1-5 scale): 2 - I'm giving the band a 2 because, while they're not from Chicago, when they stopped doing big tours they did "residencies" in Chicago, Brooklyn and London for several years. And one of the residencies helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Empty Bottle, and they continue to play there even though they could be at larger venues. Anyone with a soft spot for the Empty Bottle automatically gets at least a 2.
Song connection to Chicago (1-10 scale): 4 - Frankly I have no idea what this song is about, but the Nelson Algren references give it a 4. Algren's last residence is a historical landmark, with a plaque and everything, that I often walk by on my way to my neighborhood farmers market.
Total: 6

 

[Charlie Steiner]

24. Early in the Morning - Peter, Paul and Mary


There is no sin too great to bring to God. You can reconcile yourself with him and have a whole new start. You're a smart, beautiful young girl. You have so much to offer. Do you feel you don't deserve his love? -Father John Gill, season 2, episode 8, A Night to Remember

During the second season, a multi-episode arc involved Peggy Olsen and a young priest played by Colin Hanks. It is over the closing moments of the show that the priest ends his day by getting out his guitar and singing Early in the Morning. Full credit to Colin Hanks for his performance and willingness to let his very average singing voice be heard before the actual version by Peter, Paul and Mary takes over. This scene can be viewed by clicking here.

While many songs share the title Early in the Morning, the songwriting credit for this version goes to the 'Paul' of the group, though his actual first name was Noel. The song appears on the group's debut album released in 1962, a little over a year before the events of the episode. Like many early Boomers or folks from the Silent Generation that just preceded them like my parents, Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as folk music in general was in their wheelhouse. As a kid, I remember their record cabinet containing Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Chet Atkins, Jim Reeves, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as the comedy albums The First Family Rides Again and Bob Newhart's Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart. The sad thing is that I can't remember any of these albums ever playing in my house growing up. Maybe it was because apparently all I wanted to hear was Downtown and Born Free.

 

[Raging weasel]

The 24's
Annie Christian - Prince
Key Lyrics
She killed John Lennon,shot him down cold

 

[Don Quixote]

Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Dancing Time (Spotify) - The Funkees (Nigeria)

The Funkees formed as an army band in the wake the Nigerian civil war. There was nothing complex about their music. It’s all about the dancing, as the opening of this one calls “It’s dancing time for dancers.”

Here is a bit more about them from a review of a collection of songs by The Funkees. They fall a bit more into Afrorock than Afrobeat, as the below notes their contrasts with the likes of Fela Kuti. I’ll get back to some more straight Afrobeat soon.

Now Soundway returns with another of these focused collections, Dancing Time: The Best of Eastern Nigeria’s Afro Rock Experiments 1973-1977, which shines a light on Afro-rock Nigerian band the Funkees. The Funkees were featured as part of the Nigeria Special series, but here we get to dig deeper into their catalog. In it we find a fiery band with some serious chops. If Fela Kuti’s music got big and confrontational, spreading out on giant horn sections, the Funkees are a surgically lean counterpoint, a band every bit as energetic but much more contained in their attack. The results are unique and arresting, showing a tighter rock approach to the wide-open sound of Afro-beat and Afro-funk.

The band has the driving percussion and bracing group vocals you might expect, but their sound is truly theirs. A song like “Akpankoro” drives forward on a sweaty thump, but it’s the jagged riffs — a brittle guitar braced by a skronky organ — that make the song so immediate and eccentric and beautiful. Elsewhere “Point of No Return” coasts on a deep bass, but organ and heavily wah-pedaled guitar weave tangled circles around it. The excellent “Dancing Time” offers no pretense to be more than it claims — a dancing song — but though it brings in horns, it’s the strange organ vamping in the middle of the song that will catch your ear.

The Funkees were, well, pretty damn funky, and Dancing Time proves this again and again, from the charged shuffle of “Acid Rock” to the soul rundown of “Baby I Need You”. What makes them distinct, though, are those strange details that break up the smooth groove of these songs — the seemingly improvised organ fill, the unruly guitar solo, anything to break up the flow of the song. It’s not to stop you dancing, necessarily, but more to confront you in a subtle way, to bring you back to the intention of the song, the freedom it’s representing, the freedom it’s striving for. The band can stretch out and explore, as they do on longer tracks like “Akula Owa Onyeara”, but they are at their most innovative and singular when they work within tighter constraints. They can do in three minutes what many of their contemporaries needed 10 to do.

 

[kupcho1]

kupcho1 – rain

Rain - The Cult

Hot sticky scenes indeed!

This song rocks hard and it's just one of a few great ones from the Cult's sophomore effort, Love.

It took me a listen or two to get what they meant by rain. Here she comes again.

Hot sticky scenes you know what I mean
Like a desert sun that burns my skin
I've been waiting for her so long
Open the sky (and let her come down)
Here comes the rain I love the rain
Here she comes again

 

[rockaction]

24. "Pop Style" - Drake (2016)

This one is a little difficult to write up after Kendrick Lamar just performed what has been elevated to the biggest diss track in modern pop music at the halftime of the Super Bowl with Drake sitting squarely as his target. One might even forget that Drake's presence on the pop charts the past decade and a half has been nonpareil upon hearing the opening strains of Lamar's "Not Like Us," a song which has captured America's imagination, for better or for worse, delivering both Lamar and Drake to the water cooler spotlight in ways that seem to cement each person's celebrity importance while simultaneously being completely unflattering in particular ways to each of the men in question.

“Pop Style" is free from any self-criticism or introspection. Drake can't possibly be bothered with problems save for Meek Mill, who he disses without naming—no, Drake has nary a problem he can't deal with given his celebrity and status. His own celebrity and wealth are all he needs. And tell us about them he does—the song takes him and his inventories as they are—and not in the emotional way. Its claims are impressive. The phrase “pop style” itself is a Jamaican slang term for showing out or ballin’, and that is what the listener gets.

The pop single features Jay-Z and Kanye in limited fashion (the album version, which you will hear on the playlist, is slightly different and features solely Drake), both of whom join Drake to brag over the sparse beats in a completely explicit fashion about possessions, sex, possessive sex, and everything else coming in between possessions and sex, an “everything else” that the listener wouldn't be blamed for finding negligible in some way in comparison to the possessions and the sex described therein. As for the beats, they are distant and ethereal, bass-heavy with synths. The song peaked at #16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified platinum twice over.

A pop song, delivered in pop style.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I haven't done my #24 writeup or listened to the #25s because Super Bowl. But I'll get to the latter today as I go through my day of working-but-not-really.

 

[Yambag]

#24 songs

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

Chalice of Blood – Forbidden

Summary: Forbidden is an American thrash metal band founded in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. They earned a loyal fanbase in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with their debut album Forbidden Evil (1988) regarded by critics as a classic thrash metal album and the follow-up, Twisted into Form (1990), as something of a masterpiece within the "tech-thrash" genre.

Times Seen Live in Concert: 0

Personal Connection: I don’t actually recall how I discovered Forbidden, I think I might have bought Twisted Into Form on a whim, which led my friend to buy Forbidden Evil. While not as strong as some of the other thrash bands, I really do enjoy these two albums. There was no debate for me of this song choice, Chalice of Blood is one of their most iconic songs.

Other songs to consider: Twisted Into Form

 

[falguy]

My #25 - Skydiggers (She comes into the room) Glad to see a couple people enjoy this. Skydiggers are one of my go-to artists when i just want to sit and relax with background music. Guess they are classified as a Roots rock band. They were best when they had the Cash brothers as Peter Cash has a great voice. I'm not as familiar with their post 2010 releases but there seem to be a number that I need to check out.

Other tunes you may try if you liked this one:

I'm Wondering
It's a Pity
80 Odd Hours
What Do You See
You've Got a Lot of Nerve

My #24 - Jim Cuddy (Too Many Hands). Jim is one of the 2 lead singers for Blue Rodeo but has put out a lot of solo music as well. I am saving Blue Rodeo for a full MAD 31 as they have a number of songs I'd like to share. Mr. Cuddy has, what I believe, is a fantastic voice and this tune demonstrates it very well. I love the violin solo for the outtro in the extended version. Another tune I love to play when I just want to sit back and shut off the world.

Later on I'll have another artist who was famous for his work in a group but also has many great solo songs.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

25.

Who? – B.B. King

What? – B.B. King

Where? – NJPAC

When? – 1998

Why? – King was a very old man when I saw him (sitting one row ahead of Newark Mayor, Sharpe James) in Newark. His storytelling and jokes alone were worth the admission price, but while he had some trouble moving around and played sitting down on a stool for 95% of the set, he showed he could still play Lucille and make her sound pretty.

 

[rockaction]

krista4 – Chicagoland

Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night – The Hold Steady

Artist connection to Chicago (1-5 scale): 2 - I'm giving the band a 2 because, while they're not from Chicago, when they stopped doing big tours they did "residencies" in Chicago, Brooklyn and London for several years. And one of the residencies helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Empty Bottle, and they continue to play there even though they could be at larger venues. Anyone with a soft spot for the Empty Bottle automatically gets at least a 2.
Song connection to Chicago (1-10 scale): 4 - Frankly I have no idea what this song is about, but the Nelson Algren references give it a 4. Algren's last residence is a historical landmark, with a plaque and everything, that I often walk by on my way to my neighborhood farmers market.
Total: 6

Nelson Algren talking to Paddy in this song is a reference to Dillinger Four's "Doublewhiskeycokenoice" and Patrick Costello, who wrote the lyrics to "Double" and is D4's sort of spiritual leader.

Nelson Algren came to me and said, "celebrate the ugly things/the beat up side of what they call pride/could be the measure of these days" - P Costello

 

[El Floppo]

#24 songs

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

Chalice of Blood – Forbidden

Summary: Forbidden is an American thrash metal band founded in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. They earned a loyal fanbase in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with their debut album Forbidden Evil (1988) regarded by critics as a classic thrash metal album and the follow-up, Twisted into Form (1990), as something of a masterpiece within the "tech-thrash" genre.

Times Seen Live in Concert: 0

Personal Connection: I don’t actually recall how I discovered Forbidden, I think I might have bought Twisted Into Form on a whim, which led my friend to buy Forbidden Evil. While not as strong as some of the other thrash bands, I really do enjoy these two albums. There was no debate for me of this song choice, Chalice of Blood is one of their most iconic songs.

Other songs to consider: Twisted Into Form

Ive had to be in the right mood for metal this go around... But this song

I was in a band in grad school with some archi-friends that we called Chandigarh (for lou Kahn's project in India). The name was always said EXACTLY how the vocals on this song kick off in crescendoing metal falsetto... "Hello... We are ChandigaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAARH!!!"







***Note- this band only existed in our sleep deprived minds over 5am coffee sessions, but we were fully ready to make this happen.

 

[rockaction]

Note- this band only existed in our sleep deprived minds over 5am coffee sessions, but we were fully ready to make this happen.

If those kind of bands count for inclusion in the pantheon of great things, I'd like to nominate our tenth grade band Sex and Pancakes and our college band The Dar Dars/HTM/BGF (we couldn't decide) along with all the other legendary 5 A.M./classroom bands that never got off the ground because nobody had the requisite chops.

 

[-OZ-]

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

Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye

Obviously there’s a lot more to the song and Marvin Gaye than I’d get into here,
It is a masterpiece, complete - he’s out of line but he’s right.
On your left - best song. Best ending to the best movie of the MCU.

 

[El Floppo]

Note- this band only existed in our sleep deprived minds over 5am coffee sessions, but we were fully ready to make this happen.

If those kind of bands count, I'd like to nominate our tenth grade band Sex and Pancakes and our college band The Dar Dars/HTM along with all the other legendary 5 A.M./classroom bands that never got off the ground because nobody had the requisite chops.

Hey, we had the chops... Just no time or energy. Or guitarist.

But I had that Chandigarh falsetto down tight. Classmates loved it and we're ready for a show.









****Note... Classmates hated it.

 

[El Floppo]

Wow... Love hearing some drum and bass in here.