Middle-aged Dummies are back and bursting at the "themes" to get going! Full theme ahead! (3 Viewers)

[Eephus]

I should have mentioned that today is fellow Piscean Rihanna's 37th birthday.

 

[shuke]

A lot of great stuff in the 19s, here are a few notables.

shukelist songs!
Mt. Man – 96 Tears - ? & The Mysterians
Zegras11 – Senses Working Overtime – XTC

Best song posted in this thread so far
kupcho1 – Box of Rain - Grateful Dead

Is this Saxy??
simey – Train - Leo Sayer

New to me favorites
Don Quixote – Love Affair (Spotify) - SJOB Movement
landrys hat - What's She Done To Your Mind - Rain Parade
MrsKarmaPolice – Furr - Blitzen Trapper
krista4 – Gary – Shellac

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I also remember my dad talking the Chicago Skyway to Gary when we went on family vacations to points east. This was back when the steel mills were still open so there were smells I wasn't familiar with.

Here, we call that Pasadena or La Porte.

 

[Eephus]

MADs adjacent new album releases for Feb 21 (Pisces)

Patterson Hood of Drive By Truckers

Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

Patterson Hood · Album · 2025 · 10 songs

open.spotify.com

New Seu Jorge

Baile à la Baiana

Seu Jorge · Album · 2025 · 11 songs

open.spotify.com

Single named lady who made my longlist. Track #1 is a booty shaker

Wildflowers

Nao · Jupiter · Song · 2025

open.spotify.com

A newly remastered box set of David Lee Roth's Warners stuff. The band he put together for Eat 'Em & Smile was phenomenal.

The Warner Recordings (1985-1994) [2025 Remaster]

David Lee Roth · Album · 2025 · 50 songs

open.spotify.com

One of ditkaburgers' few rock n roll faves, kind of like a millennial Springsteen from Newcastle

People Watching

Sam Fender · Album · 2025 · 11 songs

open.spotify.com

My first listen was the streaming debut of Jack Frost, a 1991 side project of Steve Kilbey of The Church and Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens. I loved this record when it came out and always hoped it would magically appear someday. On first relisten some of the songs have a bit of a "hey we just got a synthesizer" quality to them but some of Grant's songs are among my favorites from him. There's also a remaster of their second album together which I've never heard.

Jack Frost (Remastered 2025)

Jack Frost · Album · 2025 · 14 songs

open.spotify.com

I don't know who asked for it but there's a new disco remix of "I Was Made for Lovin You" by Kiss. Not gonna lie, it sounds great w/ headphones

I Was Made For Lovin' You - Disco Lines Remix

KISS, Disco Lines · I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Disco Lines Remix) · Song · 2025

open.spotify.com

 

[rockaction]

I don't know who asked for it but there's a new disco remix of "I Was Made for Lovin You" by Kiss. Not gonna lie, it sounds great w/ headphones

Presumably the same person who they claimed "Wanted the best and you've got it. The hottest band in the world! KISS!" right before they broke into Detroit Rock City on Kiss Alive II.

A newly remastered box set of David Lee Roth's Warners stuff. The band he put together for Eat 'Em & Smile was phenomenal.

And further proved that songwriting does not necessarily flow from chops. Still an okay album. The songs of note were notable to the ears of ninth-grade rockaction, but it was also notable that this wasn't Van Halen *sniffs like a connoisseur of good wine*

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Songs in D Minor - The Saddest Key of All​

19 - Alphaville - Big in Japan​

- 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

Lyric - You did what you did to me
Now it's history, I see
Here's my comeback on the road again
Things will happen while they can
I will wait here for my man tonight
It's easy when you're big in Japan

Source - https://musicstax.com/track/big-in-japan/3BZGi1yUqQyCNC868AqUGG
https://tunebat.com/Info/Big-in-Japan-Alphaville/3BZGi1yUqQyCNC868AqUGG

Sadness Quotient - 3/11. A sad topic, but this song isnt making me reach for the tissues. Unless i think too much about Japanese geishas

Comment - Debut single for German synth pop band Alphaville, who would become much more famous for the follow up, Forever Young. Much sampled and covered. Big in Japan actually reached #66 in the US. Forever Young made #65.

Next Up - Conspiracy theorists rejoice. A band just for you.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Batman​

19 - Harry Nilsson - One​

- 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

Relevant Lyric -
No is the saddest experience you'll ever know
Yes is the saddest experience you'll ever know
'Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever know
One is the loneliest number even worst then two

Batman Vibe Score - 0/10. Does no one write about the caped crusader apart from those rapping about how big their d!cks are?

Where to Find - Lego Batman Movie Soundtrack

Quick Hit Comment - A classic song slotted into the Lego Batman movie. It made the official soundtrack unlike Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

Next Up - One of the innovators of hip hop takes us to his home planet

 

[kupcho1]

Best song posted in this thread so far
kupcho1 – Box of Rain - Grateful Dead

 

[shuke]

shuke – Saxytime

Brass Monkey (Spotify) - Beastie Boys

That awesome sax you here was sampled from Bring It Here by Wild Sugar, which is pretty fun itself, but that sax part is only prominent in the first 25 seconds of the song, so the rest seems like a little bit of a letdown.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Loved the Big Daddy Kane/Beasties combo on the playlist.

I did the #18s last night and there is an epic 1-2 punch coming tomorrow morning too.

 

[Chaos34]

okay 5:57 am and listening to the 20s finally. Volume is low. New Chi-Fi speakers are hooked up to new Chi-fi amp! They deserve a safe and sane 72 hour break-in to be fair but they sure took to The Weather Girls. I like humor in music. It's raining men, halelujah.

 

[Chaos34]

Damnit. I liked the Rush song.

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been too hard on Rush?

 

[kupcho1]

I did the #18s last night and there is an epic 1-2 punch coming tomorrow morning too.

Made me look!

 

[Chaos34]

Grötüs and Outkast were great tests for the low budget fiberglass woofer. Flying colors, woot. Also loved Wheelz of Steel. Hip hop for an old dubious white dude. That track is butter.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

 

[Chaos34]

Kiki Gyan, Disco Dancer, Afrobeat, 5 stars. Don Quixote prolly won't choose the song I hoped made the list. He prolly chose 31 better ones.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

(I can't understand most of them anyway).

Because you don't know the words or because Peart's lyrics are obtuse at best?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

(I can't understand most of them anyway).

Because you don't know the words or because Peart's lyrics are obtuse at best?

Both. The way Lee sings makes it hard for me to know what the words are. I have that problem with a lot of other singers, too (Robert Plant, for one). I've read lyric sheets and don't have a freaking clue most of the time what Peart is trying to say, and I don't care enough to want to know.

 

[Chaos34]

I confess. When I know a song all too well and don't feel like listening all the way through, I'll tap the skip button after 30 seconds or so. Hasn't happened once with the 20s through 16 songs. Sweet playlist and the Ramones are cheering it on atm. Rock and roll radio. Let's go!

 

[simey]

Damnit. I liked the Rush song.

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been too hard on Rush?

I like Rush. I'm not a hardcore fan, but I had their Moving Pictures, and Exit...Stage Left albums growing up, and I heard some of their other albums from friends. Their music can get a little bit too progressive for me, but I do like several of their songs, and as Uruk mentioned their musicianship is fantastic. They also seemed like good guys. The name Geddy Lee sounds like it would come from my family tree that has big branches in the NC mountains.

 

[Chaos34]

Done with the 20s. My favorite so far. I only hit skip once. For my own pick. Suddenly it's too quiet here, but I want to move the new speakers to my office and run them on the tube amps.

That last song, I Feel Home, gave me a perfect answer to a question I often hear. I was raised in a small town in the Mojave Desert. A common theme with kids raised here is a strong desire to get out and never come back. That described me in my late teens. I got out and believed I'd never come back. Well, here I am and I'm often asked why.

There are few things pure in this world anymore,
And home is one of the few.
We'd have a drink outside,
Maybe run and hide if we saw a couple men in blue.
To me it's so damn easy to see
That true people are the people at home.
Well, I've been away but now I'm back today,
And there ain't a place I'd rather go.
I feel home,
When I see the faces that remember my own.
I feel home,
When I'm chillin outside with the people I know.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

In the Rush documentary I saw, Lee said he sang the way he did because Alex Lifeson and original drummer John Rutsey played so loud and otherwise no one would be able to hear him.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

In the Rush documentary I saw, Lee said he sang the way he did because Alex Lifeson and original drummer John Rutsey played so loud and otherwise no one would be able to hear him.

It worked, right? They sold a bazillion records and have locked-in fans to this day.

 

[Mister CIA]

Presumably the same person who they claimed "Wanted the best and you've got it. The hottest band in the world! KISS!" right before they broke into Detroit Rock City on Kiss Alive II.

Reminds me of my favorite band intro ever, from a guy I think I saw in an Eat-Off video.

- YouTube

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

www.youtube.com

 

[rockaction]

Reminds me of my favorite band intro ever, from a guy I think I saw in an Eat-Off video.

Down in flames! Down in flames!

 

[Raging weasel]

The 19's
Known and liked songs
Painkiller- in my last 5 out
When the Whip Comes Down
In the Blood- didn't know it by name but knew it upon hearing it
96 Tears
Rise
Brass Monkey
One- prefer the Three Dog Night cover
Survivor
Shake Me
Lightening Crashes

New to me likes
Wicked Game- this version is new to me
Believe It
Harlem
Gary
Dark Therapy

Whew,all caught up!

 

[-OZ-]

20s didn’t hit quite as good for me as previous lists but it was still enjoyable.

Highlights imo

Charlie Steiner – songs from Mad Men

Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford

Classic feel, love it

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

Smile Like You Mean It (Spotify) - The Killers

The killers were one of my favorite deep dives so far, some would call them over hyped but they’re fun.

Mt. Man – Number, Please

409 - The Beach Boys

Cleaning Time!

shuke – Saxytime

Give A Little Bit (Spotify) – Supertramp

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

I Feel Home - OAR

Maybe a generic band but most of their stuff is fun to listen to at the beach or pool. Not a song I expected to hear at a funeral but I dig.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

In the Rush documentary I saw, Lee said he sang the way he did because Alex Lifeson and original drummer John Rutsey played so loud and otherwise no one would be able to hear him.

It worked, right? They sold a bazillion records and have locked-in fans to this day.

Yep, though, as has been mentioned in other threads, their first three records didn't sell that well and their label said they were going to drop them if their fourth record also sold poorly. They decided to make the record they always wanted to make, figuring that if it failed, at least they went out on their own terms. That record was 2112 and after a few months it had outsold their first three records combined.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

In the Rush documentary I saw, Lee said he sang the way he did because Alex Lifeson and original drummer John Rutsey played so loud and otherwise no one would be able to hear him.

It worked, right? They sold a bazillion records and have locked-in fans to this day.

Yep, though, as has been mentioned in other threads, their first three records didn't sell that well and their label said they were going to drop them if their fourth record also sold poorly. They decided to make the record they always wanted to make, figuring that if it failed, at least they went out on their own terms. That record was 2112 and after a few months it had outsold their first three records combined.

One of the friends I mentioned above thought Rush "sold out" (a term I despise and will argue to the death with anyone who uses it for their favorite artist) with 2112. "Subdivisions" damned near sent him off of the deep end, but he'd still fight anyone who denigrated Rush

I think what Lee learned how to do was to synch his voice to his bass/keys - I'd say "to the rhythm" but Peart was off overplaying in his own world. Geddy was doing a lot of Bo Diddley stuff between his vocal and his instruments. "The opening to "Tom Sawyer" is one of many examples of this.

 

[krista4]

Whew,all caught up!

I'm caught up now, too! Until...checks calendar...tomorrow morning.

The #19s had some good stuff but not a lot of new-to-me favorites, so I'll just shout out "What's She Done to Your Mind" by Rain Parade as my new-to-me WOW(!) moment, and "96 Tears" and "Senses Working Overtime" as two of my already-favorite songs.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

In the Rush documentary I saw, Lee said he sang the way he did because Alex Lifeson and original drummer John Rutsey played so loud and otherwise no one would be able to hear him.

It worked, right? They sold a bazillion records and have locked-in fans to this day.

Yep, though, as has been mentioned in other threads, their first three records didn't sell that well and their label said they were going to drop them if their fourth record also sold poorly. They decided to make the record they always wanted to make, figuring that if it failed, at least they went out on their own terms. That record was 2112 and after a few months it had outsold their first three records combined.

One of the friends I mentioned above thought Rush "sold out" (a term I despise and will argue to the death with anyone who uses it for their favorite artist) with 2112. "Subdivisions" damned near sent him off of the deep end, but he'd still fight anyone who denigrated Rush

I think what Lee learned how to do was to synch his voice to his bass/keys - I'd say "to the rhythm" but Peart was off overplaying in his own world. Geddy was doing a lot of Bo Diddley stuff between his vocal and his instruments. "The opening to "Tom Sawyer" is one of many examples of this.

I will say that Lee's vocal on the #20 playlist version of Red Barchetta, from a live show very late in their career, is rough. The Exit Stage Left version is a better example of what he was capable of on that song.

 

[Raging weasel]

Mistook Geddy for Steve Perry. Thought someone pulled out an early Journey. Hmm, one of the most criticized rock vocalists sounds like one of the most talented? Have we been to hard on Rush?

Back in the '70s, I had a couple of friends who were die-hard Rush fans. I saw them fight people who would criticize the band. So, I would poke at them sometimes but they knew it was tongue-in-cheek coming from me (they'd still get steamed, though). I like Rush and, while I don't think I'd want to marathon 7 hours of Lee singing, the voice doesn't bother me. They learned how to write to his voice and the musicianship is fantastic, so the lyrics (the other biggest complaint about the band) don't get in the way for me (I can't understand most of them anyway).

In the Rush documentary I saw, Lee said he sang the way he did because Alex Lifeson and original drummer John Rutsey played so loud and otherwise no one would be able to hear him.

It worked, right? They sold a bazillion records and have locked-in fans to this day.

Yep, though, as has been mentioned in other threads, their first three records didn't sell that well and their label said they were going to drop them if their fourth record also sold poorly. They decided to make the record they always wanted to make, figuring that if it failed, at least they went out on their own terms. That record was 2112 and after a few months it had outsold their first three records combined.

One of the friends I mentioned above thought Rush "sold out" (a term I despise and will argue to the death with anyone who uses it for their favorite artist) with 2112. "Subdivisions" damned near sent him off of the deep end, but he'd still fight anyone who denigrated Rush

I think what Lee learned how to do was to synch his voice to his bass/keys - I'd say "to the rhythm" but Peart was off overplaying in his own world. Geddy was doing a lot of Bo Diddley stuff between his vocal and his instruments. "The opening to "Tom Sawyer" is one of many examples of this.

I will say that Lee's vocal on the #20 playlist version of Red Barchetta, from a live show very late in their career, is rough. The Exit Stage Left version is a better example of what he was capable of on that song.

I didn't highlight it as a known and liked song for that reason.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

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

Mockingbird – Carly Simon and James Taylor

Different songs are here for different reasons. Although it uses the speakers and placement of sound just fine, this one isn't a classic audiophile recording by any stretch. But vocalists are a big part of the listening experience, and here are two of the 70's best having a heck of a time singing this one (and I believe they were married to each other at the time). You can just hear the fun they are having, and they both sound great (especially Carly). They are next to each other in the mix, but they switch front and back positions for the two verses, which is pretty cool. Pretty solid sax going on here too.

They were married to each other at the time.

My parents (pre-divorce) didn't have very many non-classical records in their collection, but they had quite a few Carly Simon records, and we especially enjoyed this track.

Obligatory anecdote from wikkid that he dropped into my 1971 countdown:

48. Anticipation -- Carly Simon (from Anticipation)

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

My parents had most of Simon's '70s albums, and most of their other records were classical, so I had more exposure to her music in that decade than that of most artists. There will be another reflection of this later.

She became a star in 1971, which saw the release of her first two albums that yielded two massive hit singles. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be from her debut album, which appeared on Tim's list, was one. This, the title track of her second album, was the other.

You're So Vain is (rightly) considered her best and signature song these days, but in the '70s, this song may have been even more ubiquitous, thanks especially to its appearance in Heinz ketchup commercials which tried to turn the difficulty of the old ketchup bottles into a positive.

Anticipation is as good an example as anything to summarize Simon's appeal -- emotional but literate lyrics backed with superb melodies and arrangements.

never owned a Simon record - too anticeptic, though her songs work immensely well in movies - but had the rare pleasure to watch the Simon Sisters and Taylor Brothers sing together many times @ JT's house (where i believe Miss Simon still lives) on Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard. Taylor had a house on top of a bluff and his brothers Liv & Alex had houses below the main one and it seemed an eternal party bounced between the three dwellings. I had a ladyfriend who was the Vineyard's unofficial drug courier and was her body man for several visits (once an emergency call on a helicopter - dont think my gonads have fully descended from that experience 46 yrs later) to the island. three things i most remember are the the Taylors & Simons (Carly started out in a duet with her sister) singing all together on several occasions, the invasion of the SNL people upon that party scene and, mostly, that Carly is one of those beautiful people who is actually more beautiful in person hanging out than she is when all dooded up. almost impossible to take one's eyes off her (Madonna was like that, too, in her Mudd Club days).

We should also acknowledge that the personnel lineup on "Mockingbird" is a who's-who of '70s-ness:

Vocals -- Carly Simon and James Taylor
Guitar -- Robbie Robertson
Bass -- Klaus Voorman
Drums -- Jim Keltner
Piano and Organ -- Dr. John
Saxophone -- Michael Brecker and Bobby Keys

 

[Eephus]

A handful of other new MADs adjacent album releases I missed last night

Very early live recording of Guy Clark from five years before his debut album

Looking For the Words

Guy Clark · Album · 2025 · 18 songs

open.spotify.com

A new remaster from proggers Soft Machine

Drop (2025 Remastered version)

Soft Machine · Album · 2025 · 10 songs

open.spotify.com

A compilation from 90s Chicago alt-country band Souled American

Rise Above It: A Souled American Anthology

Souled American · Album · 2025 · 20 songs

open.spotify.com

New re-recordings of songs by disco legend Cerrone with a 50 piece orchestra.

Disco Symphony

Cerrone · Album · 2025 · 21 songs

open.spotify.com

Classical baritone Theo Hoffman with an album that alternates Beatles songs with Schubert lieder

Schubert Beatles

New York Festival Of Song · Album · 2025 · 16 songs

open.spotify.com

 

[KarmaPolice]

Gary is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, so it kinda qualifies, but most people don't really think of it as "Chicagoland." It's its own thing. Close enough for a 3, but not more than that.

Today I learned . . .

....Mockingbird is an actual song, not just some Jim Carrey shtick in Dumb and Dumber.

 

[Eephus]

Gary is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, so it kinda qualifies, but most people don't really think of it as "Chicagoland." It's its own thing. Close enough for a 3, but not more than that.

Today I learned . . .

....Mockingbird is an actual song, not just some Jim Carrey shtick in Dumb and Dumber.

But "ing" isn't really a word

 

[Yo Mama]

Gary is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, so it kinda qualifies, but most people don't really think of it as "Chicagoland." It's its own thing. Close enough for a 3, but not more than that.

Today I learned . . .

....Mockingbird is an actual song, not just some Jim Carrey shtick in Dumb and Dumber.

But "ing" isn't really a word

Mock! Yeah!
Ing! Yeah!
Bird! Yeah!

 

[jwb]

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

Mockingbird – Carly Simon and James Taylor

Different songs are here for different reasons. Although it uses the speakers and placement of sound just fine, this one isn't a classic audiophile recording by any stretch. But vocalists are a big part of the listening experience, and here are two of the 70's best having a heck of a time singing this one (and I believe they were married to each other at the time). You can just hear the fun they are having, and they both sound great (especially Carly). They are next to each other in the mix, but they switch front and back positions for the two verses, which is pretty cool. Pretty solid sax going on here too.

They were married to each other at the time.

My parents (pre-divorce) didn't have very many non-classical records in their collection, but they had quite a few Carly Simon records, and we especially enjoyed this track.

Obligatory anecdote from wikkid that he dropped into my 1971 countdown:

48. Anticipation -- Carly Simon (from Anticipation)

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

My parents had most of Simon's '70s albums, and most of their other records were classical, so I had more exposure to her music in that decade than that of most artists. There will be another reflection of this later.

She became a star in 1971, which saw the release of her first two albums that yielded two massive hit singles. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be from her debut album, which appeared on Tim's list, was one. This, the title track of her second album, was the other.

You're So Vain is (rightly) considered her best and signature song these days, but in the '70s, this song may have been even more ubiquitous, thanks especially to its appearance in Heinz ketchup commercials which tried to turn the difficulty of the old ketchup bottles into a positive.

Anticipation is as good an example as anything to summarize Simon's appeal -- emotional but literate lyrics backed with superb melodies and arrangements.

never owned a Simon record - too anticeptic, though her songs work immensely well in movies - but had the rare pleasure to watch the Simon Sisters and Taylor Brothers sing together many times @ JT's house (where i believe Miss Simon still lives) on Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard. Taylor had a house on top of a bluff and his brothers Liv & Alex had houses below the main one and it seemed an eternal party bounced between the three dwellings. I had a ladyfriend who was the Vineyard's unofficial drug courier and was her body man for several visits (once an emergency call on a helicopter - dont think my gonads have fully descended from that experience 46 yrs later) to the island. three things i most remember are the the Taylors & Simons (Carly started out in a duet with her sister) singing all together on several occasions, the invasion of the SNL people upon that party scene and, mostly, that Carly is one of those beautiful people who is actually more beautiful in person hanging out than she is when all dooded up. almost impossible to take one's eyes off her (Madonna was like that, too, in her Mudd Club days).

We should also acknowledge that the personnel lineup on "Mockingbird" is a who's-who of '70s-ness:

Vocals -- Carly Simon and James Taylor
Guitar -- Robbie Robertson
Bass -- Klaus Voorman
Drums -- Jim Keltner
Piano and Organ -- Dr. John
Saxophone -- Michael Brecker and Bobby Keys

We have similar musical taste, and I always though I was knowledgeable, but man, you know everything. I have always appreciated the little tidbits you've added to my picks/posts in these threads.

 

[scorchy]

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: A Song from Under the Floorboards
Band: Magazine
From: Manchester, but it's complicated*

I am angry, I am ill and I'm as ugly as sin
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking

I identify way too much with the opening lyrics (except the ugly as sin part, hopefully). In reality, it's cribbed from Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground. ...Floorboards is the last track on the last great Magazine record, The Correct Use of Soap. Magazine co-founder/guitarist John McGeoch left the band shortly after its release to join Siouxsie and the Banshees, and despite putting out one more album the following year, that was pretty much that, at least until they reunited in 2011. Those live shows were great but the magic just wasn't there for me on the soon-to-follow reunion record.

Morrissey apparently loves ....Floorboards too, as he covers the song frequently.

* Co-founder Howard DeVoto was born in floppo's favorite town (Scunthorpe) but grew up in Leeds. While in university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, he met Pete Shelley and they formed the Buzzcocks. The bands first real show was opening for the Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester proper in July 1976. DeVoto left The Buzzcocks less than a year later, went back to university, then formed Magazine with McGeough, who was Scottish but went to art school in Manchester. So for MAD purposes, this falls under what I call the REM/Athens exception.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Gary is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, so it kinda qualifies, but most people don't really think of it as "Chicagoland." It's its own thing. Close enough for a 3, but not more than that.

Today I learned . . .

....Mockingbird is an actual song, not just some Jim Carrey shtick in Dumb and Dumber.

But "ing" isn't really a word

Mock! Yeah!
Ing! Yeah!
Bird! Yeah!

"Hey, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?? "













FFA: please, no more Rush!

 

[El Floppo]

El Floppo – Mallet Rock

The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders Part I: The Great Frontier Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now - Sufjan Stevens

This is a crazy album by a crazily talented dude.

Tallest Man etc, is one of the more orchestral numbers, utilizing vocal choir, strings, horns and I think both Vibraphone and Glockenspeil (both played by Stevens himself). has an almost Musical-esque vibe.

I've included a handful of tunes that feature mallets this way- part of a larger composition rather than used one-off for a melody (like a lot of 80s bands), counter-melody or punctuation. That Zappa song was basically jazz, with the marimba playing right up against the other featured instuments. Here, the vibes are layered into the overall sound and instrumentation adding texture.

this album also made me think of K4s theme... hopefully no spoilers.

 

[Eephus]

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: A Song from Under the Floorboards
Band: Magazine
From: Manchester, but it's complicated*

I am angry, I am ill and I'm as ugly as sin
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking

I identify way too much with the opening lyrics (except the ugly as sin part, hopefully). In reality, it's cribbed from Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground. ...Floorboards is the last track on the last great Magazine record, The Correct Use of Soap. Magazine co-founder/guitarist John McGeoch left the band shortly after its release to join Siouxsie and the Banshees, and despite putting out one more album the following year, that was pretty much that, at least until they reunited in 2011. Those live shows were great but the magic just wasn't there for me on the soon-to-follow reunion record.

Morrissey apparently loves ....Floorboards too, as he covers the song frequently.

* Co-founder Howard DeVoto was born in floppo's favorite town (Scunthorpe) but grew up in Leeds. While in university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, he met Pete Shelley and they formed the Buzzcocks. The bands first real show was opening for the Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester proper in July 1976. DeVoto left The Buzzcocks less than a year later, went back to university, then formed Magazine with McGeough, who was Scottish but went to art school in Manchester. So for MAD purposes, this falls under what I call the REM/Athens exception.

Magazine made my UK 31 as did Buzzcocks

 

[El Floppo]

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: A Song from Under the Floorboards
Band: Magazine
From: Manchester, but it's complicated*

I am angry, I am ill and I'm as ugly as sin
My irritability keeps me alive and kicking

I identify way too much with the opening lyrics (except the ugly as sin part, hopefully). In reality, it's cribbed from Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground. ...Floorboards is the last track on the last great Magazine record, The Correct Use of Soap. Magazine co-founder/guitarist John McGeoch left the band shortly after its release to join Siouxsie and the Banshees, and despite putting out one more album the following year, that was pretty much that, at least until they reunited in 2011. Those live shows were great but the magic just wasn't there for me on the soon-to-follow reunion record.

Morrissey apparently loves ....Floorboards too, as he covers the song frequently.

* Co-founder Howard DeVoto was born in floppo's favorite town (Scunthorpe) but grew up in Leeds. While in university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, he met Pete Shelley and they formed the Buzzcocks. The bands first real show was opening for the Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester proper in July 1976. DeVoto left The Buzzcocks less than a year later, went back to university, then formed Magazine with McGeough, who was Scottish but went to art school in Manchester. So for MAD purposes, this falls under what I call the REM/Athens exception.

didn't know this tune (or didn't remember it)... loooove it.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Those first 3 Magazine albums were great. They somehow combined a punk energy with a sometimes prog sound.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

New-to-me songs from #20 that caught my ear:

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

The Evil That Men Do - Iron Maiden

Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Disco Dancer (Spotify) - Kiki Gyan (Ghana)

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

Smile Like You Mean It (Spotify) - The Killers

falguy – songs by 31 different Canadian artists

All Uncovered - The Watchmen

scorchy – songs by Manchester(-ish) artists

Voodoo Ray - A Guy Called Gerald

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

Stay - The Blue Nile

El Floppo – Mallet Rock

Perfect Sound Whatever - Jeff Rosenstock

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

Step out of Time - Plan 9 - Dealing With the Dead (1984)

ditkaburgers - Girl Groups X Boy Bands

How You Like That - BLACKPINK

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

Space 1991 - Man or Astro-Man?

krista4 – Chicagoland

The El – Rhett Miller

Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???

Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Gary is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, so it kinda qualifies, but most people don't really think of it as "Chicagoland." It's its own thing. Close enough for a 3, but not more than that.

Today I learned . . .

....Mockingbird is an actual song, not just some Jim Carrey shtick in Dumb and Dumber.

But "ing" isn't really a word

Yeah.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

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

Mockingbird – Carly Simon and James Taylor

Different songs are here for different reasons. Although it uses the speakers and placement of sound just fine, this one isn't a classic audiophile recording by any stretch. But vocalists are a big part of the listening experience, and here are two of the 70's best having a heck of a time singing this one (and I believe they were married to each other at the time). You can just hear the fun they are having, and they both sound great (especially Carly). They are next to each other in the mix, but they switch front and back positions for the two verses, which is pretty cool. Pretty solid sax going on here too.

They were married to each other at the time.

My parents (pre-divorce) didn't have very many non-classical records in their collection, but they had quite a few Carly Simon records, and we especially enjoyed this track.

Obligatory anecdote from wikkid that he dropped into my 1971 countdown:

48. Anticipation -- Carly Simon (from Anticipation)

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

My parents had most of Simon's '70s albums, and most of their other records were classical, so I had more exposure to her music in that decade than that of most artists. There will be another reflection of this later.

She became a star in 1971, which saw the release of her first two albums that yielded two massive hit singles. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be from her debut album, which appeared on Tim's list, was one. This, the title track of her second album, was the other.

You're So Vain is (rightly) considered her best and signature song these days, but in the '70s, this song may have been even more ubiquitous, thanks especially to its appearance in Heinz ketchup commercials which tried to turn the difficulty of the old ketchup bottles into a positive.

Anticipation is as good an example as anything to summarize Simon's appeal -- emotional but literate lyrics backed with superb melodies and arrangements.

never owned a Simon record - too anticeptic, though her songs work immensely well in movies - but had the rare pleasure to watch the Simon Sisters and Taylor Brothers sing together many times @ JT's house (where i believe Miss Simon still lives) on Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard. Taylor had a house on top of a bluff and his brothers Liv & Alex had houses below the main one and it seemed an eternal party bounced between the three dwellings. I had a ladyfriend who was the Vineyard's unofficial drug courier and was her body man for several visits (once an emergency call on a helicopter - dont think my gonads have fully descended from that experience 46 yrs later) to the island. three things i most remember are the the Taylors & Simons (Carly started out in a duet with her sister) singing all together on several occasions, the invasion of the SNL people upon that party scene and, mostly, that Carly is one of those beautiful people who is actually more beautiful in person hanging out than she is when all dooded up. almost impossible to take one's eyes off her (Madonna was like that, too, in her Mudd Club days).

We should also acknowledge that the personnel lineup on "Mockingbird" is a who's-who of '70s-ness:

Vocals -- Carly Simon and James Taylor
Guitar -- Robbie Robertson
Bass -- Klaus Voorman
Drums -- Jim Keltner
Piano and Organ -- Dr. John
Saxophone -- Michael Brecker and Bobby Keys

We have similar musical taste, and I always though I was knowledgeable, but man, you know everything. I have always appreciated the little tidbits you've added to my picks/posts in these threads.

I do have a lot of useless knowledge in my head from poring through "rock encyclopedias" and stuff like that in my youth, but in this case, I was curious about who played sax so I looked up the album credits on Wikipedia and saw the whole lineup was

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Gary is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area, so it kinda qualifies, but most people don't really think of it as "Chicagoland." It's its own thing. Close enough for a 3, but not more than that.

Today I learned . . .

....Mockingbird is an actual song, not just some Jim Carrey shtick in Dumb and Dumber.

Should we tell him that Carly and James' version is a cover?

 

[krista4]

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: A Song from Under the Floorboards
Band: Magazine
From: Manchester, but it's complicated*

Dammit! This was my other "WOW" moment from that playlist, and I forgot to mention it.

this album also made me think of K4s theme... hopefully no spoilers.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Theme: 31 Songs from 31 Manchester(ish) Artists
Song: A Song from Under the Floorboards
Band: Magazine
From: Manchester, but it's complicated*

Dammit! This was my other "WOW" moment from that playlist, and I forgot to mention it.

this album also made me think of K4s theme... hopefully no spoilers.

I guess all things are a go.