What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Middle-aged Dummies are back and bursting at the "themes" to get going! Full theme ahead! (2 Viewers)

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

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out – Anthrax

16. There's Nothing I Won't Do – JX

15. You - Bad Religion

14. Don't Stop Me Now – Queen

13. Moving – Supergrass

12. The Time Is Now – Moloko

11. Ms Jackson – Outkast

10. Ray of Light - Madonna

9. Winter Hill – Doves

8. Carnaval de Paris - Dario G

7. Seven Days and One Week - B.B.E.

6. Coffee and TV – Blur

5. Losing My Religion - REM



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 Rustoleum’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

Addiction

Songs with 125 BPM or more

Songs that sample other songs on the list

Songs representing different Nicholas Cage movies / characters

Songs

This is your life, Krista

Something to do with Tina Turner/abused women

Jimi Hendrix

Detailing Britney Spears’ descent into madness

Addiction ... to love

Songs in A Minor

The plot to Thelma and Louise

Kourtney Kardashian

Songs about a major change in someone's life

Midlife crisis

Songs with a subject you should see a therapist about

Mental illness

Songs about the world's worst super heros

Mania

Things you do impulsively

Songs that use the word “The” at some stage in the lyrics

The Ballad of @krista4 and OH

Songs the were on the UK official singles chart for the week ending on Aug 16, 2008

Songs from multiple decades

Songs about exploration of identity

Dancing

Each of these songs holds a special place in the hearts of listeners, and they remain influential in the genres they represent

krista's iconic playlist

struggle, rebellion, and survival

songs that have no connection to each other whatsoever - y'all are just wasting your time - ha ha ha suckers

Id, ego, and superego

Each song is somehow connected to one of the first 31 themes submitted for this countdown

Songs that qualify for more than one of the MAD31 themes submitted

Obscure chess strategies

All of these songs tie into the movie Thelma and Louise

history repeating itself

Songs for which there exists another song with the exact same title

Songs that implicate the seven deadly sins

The plot of a movie

the arc of Pink Floyd’s The Wall

Being in an oppressive relationship, and the journey to take back control of your life

the arc of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

trapped in a continuous cycle and finding a release that feels like freedom

Moving on through suicide

Things that require immediate action

Determining your own destiny

the life and tribulations of Pamela Anderson

[Eliminating/adding characters to a title -or- re-ordering the words in a title] give you the title to another song.

the Kiefer Sutherland life story

Awakenings

Coming full circle

Trials and tribulations involving breasts?

My dad sucks

finding liberation

The trips Judas made and the things he did before he turned Jesus over to the Romans

If you add up the number of characters in the song titles and divide it by pi, you get the key to the universe.

the song/artist contains the letter J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y or Z

Birth to Death

Playlist of artists and songs that contain all letters of the alphabet

This a Jesus theme as we head towards Easter

Some voodoo with the running times of each song that I haven’t figured out yet
 
New-to-me songs from #7 that caught my ear:

simey – train songs

Dusty Boxcar Wall - Eilen Jewell


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

Bullet In The Head - Rage Against The Machine

KarmaPolice – songs from artists not on shuke’s list

How I Got Over - The Roots


Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Talkin’ Talkin’ (Spotify) - Matata (Kenya)


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

Forever Autumn (Spotify) - Justin Hayward


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

On And On - Curtis Harding


Mt. Man – Number, Please

21 Guns - Green Day


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

Eye to Eye - Chaka Khan


El Floppo – Mallet Rock

The Silent Orchestra - Hamilton Leithauser


MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom

Kangaroo Court - Capital Cities


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

Lost In The Dream - The War On Drugs


krista4 – Chicagoland

Slow Down Chicago – Canasta
Surprised you didn't know Bullet in the Head
I just didn't follow Rage at all, as rap-rock was not my thing. I realize now that there is more to them than just that.
 
Exciting day in the thread! We finally get to the Yo Mama selection that has had me laughing since I first saw it (and shout-out to KP for picking a great picture for the playlist, too), and we have a particularly kick-***-looking playlist.

And, the final - and at least the 30th - hint I'll give you for the Mystery Theme. People who've been reading my posts, which is no one, might have a good shot at this now:

Two sides to the equation
 
Now that we're in the top 5, I guess it shouldn't be shocking that there are a lot of "know and like" tunes for me.

kupcho1 – rain

It Never Rains In Southern California - Albert Hammond


Eephus – Single (Named) Ladies

Hyperballad - Björk


Charlie Steiner – songs from Mad Men

You Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge


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

18 and Life - Skid Row


Dr. Octopus – guitarists I’ve seen live

Pride - Living Colour (Vernon Reid)


Yo Mama – World’s Worst Superheroes

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam


Mrs. Rannous – umlauts

Big Bottom - Spın̈al Tap



Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Soul Makossa (Spotify) - Manu Dibango (Cameroon)


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

That's How Strong My Love Is (Spotify) - Otis Redding


Mt. Man – Number, Please

19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones


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

Baby Blue - Badfinger


Raging weasel – name-checking Beatles or their songs

All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople


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

Old Man (live at Massey Hall) - Neil Young


titusbramble – Grand Theft Auto, specifically the 3D era

Mother - Danzig (SA - Radio X)


shuke – Saxytime

Us and Them (Spotify) - Pink Floyd


Mister CIA – Texas Places in Song Titles

Luckenbach, Texas - Waylon Jennings


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

China Cat Sunflower - Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa (1969)


rockaction - Songs that state the genre they’re in


Rock 'n' Roll Suicide - David Bowie


MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom

When Doves Cry - Prince


Tau837 – Hair metal

Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne


DrIanMalcolm – Songs about New York

Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack


Zegras11 – New wave

We Got The Beat - The Go-Go's


krista4 – Chicagoland

Stratford-on-Guy – Liz Phair


Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???

Losing My Religion - REM
 
Exciting day in the thread! We finally get to the Yo Mama selection that has had me laughing since I first saw it (and shout-out to KP for picking a great picture for the playlist, too), and we have a particularly kick-***-looking playlist.

And, the final - and at least the 30th - hint I'll give you for the Mystery Theme. People who've been reading my posts, which is no one, might have a good shot at this now:

Two sides to the equation
We were told there would be no math!!
 
simey – train songs

Empty Trainload of Sky - Gillian Welch, David Rawlings
Gillian and David wrote this song for their 2024 album Woodland. I love the melody, and the sound of David's lead guitar. He uses a 1935 Epiphone Olympic Archtop acoustic, and it's a beauty both in looks and sound. Gillian sings lead and also plays acoustic. Their voices blend great together, and lyrically I also love the song. This song goes out to SMlll.

Saw a freight train yesterday
It was chugging, plugging away
'Cross a river trestle so high
Just a boxcar blue
Showing daylight clear through
Just an empty trainload of sky

Well, it hit me and it hurt me
Made my good humor desert me
For a moment I was tempted to fly
To the devil or the Lord
As it hung there like a sword
Just an empty trainload of sky

Was it spirit? Was it solid?
Did I ditch that class in college?
Pulled the curtain from my eye
I said hey hey, my my

Saw a freight train yesterday
It was chugging, plugging away
Just an empty trainload of sky
Just an empty trainload of sky
Just an empty trainload of sky
 
Last edited:
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

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out – Anthrax

16. There's Nothing I Won't Do – JX

15. You - Bad Religion

14. Don't Stop Me Now – Queen

13. Moving – Supergrass

12. The Time Is Now – Moloko

11. Ms Jackson – Outkast

10. Ray of Light - Madonna

9. Winter Hill – Doves

8. Carnaval de Paris - Dario G

7. Seven Days and One Week - B.B.E.

6. Coffee and TV – Blur

5. Losing My Religion - REM



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 Rustoleum’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

Addiction

Songs with 125 BPM or more

Songs that sample other songs on the list

Songs representing different Nicholas Cage movies / characters

Songs

This is your life, Krista

Something to do with Tina Turner/abused women

Jimi Hendrix

Detailing Britney Spears’ descent into madness

Addiction ... to love

Songs in A Minor

The plot to Thelma and Louise

Kourtney Kardashian

Songs about a major change in someone's life

Midlife crisis

Songs with a subject you should see a therapist about

Mental illness

Songs about the world's worst super heros

Mania

Things you do impulsively

Songs that use the word “The” at some stage in the lyrics

The Ballad of @krista4 and OH

Songs the were on the UK official singles chart for the week ending on Aug 16, 2008

Songs from multiple decades

Songs about exploration of identity

Dancing

Each of these songs holds a special place in the hearts of listeners, and they remain influential in the genres they represent

krista's iconic playlist

struggle, rebellion, and survival

songs that have no connection to each other whatsoever - y'all are just wasting your time - ha ha ha suckers

Id, ego, and superego

Each song is somehow connected to one of the first 31 themes submitted for this countdown

Songs that qualify for more than one of the MAD31 themes submitted

Obscure chess strategies

All of these songs tie into the movie Thelma and Louise

history repeating itself

Songs for which there exists another song with the exact same title

Songs that implicate the seven deadly sins

The plot of a movie

the arc of Pink Floyd’s The Wall

Being in an oppressive relationship, and the journey to take back control of your life

the arc of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

trapped in a continuous cycle and finding a release that feels like freedom

Moving on through suicide

Things that require immediate action

Determining your own destiny

the life and tribulations of Pamela Anderson

[Eliminating/adding characters to a title -or- re-ordering the words in a title] give you the title to another song.

the Kiefer Sutherland life story

Awakenings

Coming full circle

Trials and tribulations involving breasts?

My dad sucks

finding liberation

The trips Judas made and the things he did before he turned Jesus over to the Romans

If you add up the number of characters in the song titles and divide it by pi, you get the key to the universe.

the song/artist contains the letter J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y or Z

Birth to Death

Playlist of artists and songs that contain all letters of the alphabet

This a Jesus theme as we head towards Easter

Some voodoo with the running times of each song that I haven’t figured out yet
He said, She said
 
MAC_32 – Songs to play during (and after) a funeral

Pnuema - Tool
Consider this a very strong recommendation for those unfamiliar with this (probably most of you) to carve out 11 uninterrupted minutes and soak in this epic. Then queue this up and jump to about 6 minutes in - that breakdown, he's a damn octupus.

But why's it here?

Pneuma
Reach out and beyond
Wake up, remember
We are born of one breath, one word
We are all one spark, eyes full of wonder


For me, it was a spiritual awakening.
 
5. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge

We find ourselves rich in goods, but ragged in spirit--reaching with magnificent precision for the moon, but falling into raucous discord on Earth. We are caught in war, wanting peace. We're torn by division, wanting unity. We see around us empty lives, wanting fulfillment. - Richard M. Nixon, season 7, episode 1, Time Zones


While many covers of this #1 hit by The Supremes have been made over the years, Vanilla Fudge's stands apart, and perhaps the band's approach to it differed from the other hit-seekers. Per drummer Carmine Appice:

We used to slow songs down and listen to the lyrics and try to emulate what the lyrics were dictating. That one was a hurtin' song; it had a lot of emotion in it. "People Get Ready" was like a Gospel thing. "Eleanor Rigby" was sort of eerie and church-like ... like a horror movie kind of thing. If you listen to "Hangin' On" fast ... by the Supremes, it sounds very happy, but the lyrics aren't happy at all. If you lived through that situation, the lyrics are definitely not happy.

This unique version reached #6 on Billboard's Hot 100, and to their credit, this version stands alone in its uniqueness without taking away from the original.

The "hurtin'" the band looked to convey was captured perfectly by both Peggy and Don at the end of the episode.

During Don's conversation with the widow on the plane, he has his epiphany: Have I broken the vessel? His reaction in the closing scene tells us he found his answer.

My last write-up mentioned how SC&P's actions in the previous episode were affecting most of the characters; I saved Peggy for this one because of how we see her in the clip.

Peggy was still reeling from Ted's decision to break off all contact with her and move out west, something she blames Don for. She's also frustrated with Don's replacement, Lou, who doesn't have the same passion that Don had that fueled her own creativity, and he seems to settle for 'lesser' ideas. Seeing Ted back in the office while internally fighting this battles forces her to try to keep it all inside, though she does erupt on her staff:

I'm tired of fighting for everything to be better. You're all a bunch of hacks who are perfectly happy with ****. Nobody cares about anything. No one wants things to be better, I got it. I'll just stand out here all by myself.

This song captures the mood of other characters as well and manifests in different ways: Joan having to fight to hold on to the Butler Footwear account, Roger dealing with his materialistic daughter's discovery of religion, and even though it's less dire, Ken lamenting not having time to even go to the bathroom due to all the calls he has to make and receive. Almost everyone seems to be barely hanging on to something in this episode, so in a rare case, the song is on the nose instead of ironic.
 
Eephus – Single (Named) Ladies

Hyperballad - Björk
this is my very favorite tune of hers, so I'm loving this pick.

I had a remix CD of POST, that had what became my definitive version of the song... will try to find that on spots. brb

eta: nm... it was the Brodsky Quartet redoing, not a proper "remix". and at this point, I think I prefer the original eeph linked.
 
Last edited:
El Floppo – Mallet Rock

You! Me! Dancing! - Los Campesinos! (for 3yo Floppinho)
#5 (I'll have to get to my #6... sorry- was on vacation)

this is another case of using a mallet (glockenspiel) to plonk along melodically and rhythmically with the other instruments to add some texture to both.

nothing incredible about it's use here, imo. but I include it because I've always loved the song, on its own but primarily because it was the first "my" song that little floppinho took to... at 3yo. he had a whole dance routine worked up whenever it came on (also had one for "the bucket" by kings of leon around the same time) building in crazy energy as the song did.

so whenever I hear this song, I think of him at 3yo in our temporary digs (back when we had a fire) going joy-filled apeshit. fills me with so much happiness- can't even describe. second only to the other song I have attached to him- Heart it Races, by Architecture in Helsinki- which popped onto my ipod (ipod!!) as I headed back to the hospital the first time after he was born to bring mom some stuff. hell yeah, my heart it races.
 
6s (Damn, just got caught up and new playlist dropped!)

New Songs That Caught My Attention
The Pack a.d.: Teenage Crime
Keane: Clear Skies (sounds like Thom Yorke)
Curtis Mayfield: Move On Up
City and Colour: Fragile Bird
INXS: Don't Change
Arctic Monkeys: Brainstorm
Allister: Somewhere on Fullerton

Known Songs
Blind Melon: No Rain
Rusted Root: Send Me On My Way
Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell
Eurythmics: Missionary Man
My Chemical Romance: Famous Last Words
Go-Go's: Vacation
T. Rex: 20th Century Boy
Stones: Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Tramps: Disco Inferno
 
Exciting day in the thread! We finally get to the Yo Mama selection that has had me laughing since I first saw it (and shout-out to KP for picking a great picture for the playlist, too), and we have a particularly kick-***-looking playlist.

And, the final - and at least the 30th - hint I'll give you for the Mystery Theme. People who've been reading my posts, which is no one, might have a good shot at this now:

Two sides to the equation
Yeah, love the playlist picture @KarmaPolice
 
#5 songs

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


18 and Life - Skid Row

Summary: Skid Row is an American rock band formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey. The group achieved commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with its first two albums Skid Row (1989) and Slave to the Grind (1991) certified multi-platinum, the latter of which reached number one on the Billboard 200. Those two albums also produced some of Skid Row's most popular hits, both in and outside of the United States, including "18 and Life" and "I Remember You", which peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Times Seen Live in Concert: 1

Personal Connection: I’m pretty sure Youth Gone Wild on MTV was my first exposure to Skid Row. I sort of passed them off as nothing much, just a band that Jon Bon Jovi helped get started. But of course then came along Ricky with 18 and Life and I figured I better listen to this album. It’s a great album that rocked harder than I thought it would. I gave Slave to the Grind a chance but it didn’t stick beyond the title song and Monkey Business.

Other songs to consider: Youth Gone Wild
 
jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Old Man (live at Massey Hall) - Neil Young

Neil appears twice in my list. What can I say, I'm a massive Neil fan. We already heard the electric garage-band Neil. Now here's the acoustic side. It's on this list because the vocal is outstanding. When he gets to that first chorus, man, he's serious. Neil just brings it.

This is my favorite version of Old Man. This is pre-Harvest-release, and the first time anyone in the audience heard it. It starts out by him asking an audience member to stop taking pictures because it distracts him, then gets into the story behind the song before singing it. Some people don't like Neil's voice, but he's in top form here imho.

I mentioned "nowhere to hide" in the Rush song for the last list, and that describes this version of Neil to a T. He's fearless like this - in this performance, he just turned 25. Massey Hall was kind of a Canadian homecoming for him. It was him, his guitar, and a harmonica... that's it. And if I recall, he had some serious back pain here too (Pip probably knows more on that). I mean, my 25-year-old nephew can't get off the couch, and here's Neil doing this by himself. That's partially what I get from really deep listening on a good system - how much doing this really means to him. He's singing for him, and we're just along for the ride.
 
Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
The first letter of the song title and artist name stand for contrasting elements in someone’s life story. Some examples are challenges vs achievements or resilience vs. fear and so on. The words combine to show the theme of duality or two sides/contrasts to a person’s journey.
 
MAC_32 – Songs to play during (and after) a funeral

Pnuema - Tool
Consider this a very strong recommendation for those unfamiliar with this (probably most of you) to carve out 11 uninterrupted minutes and soak in this epic. Then queue this up and jump to about 6 minutes in - that breakdown, he's a damn octupus.

But why's it here?

Pneuma
Reach out and beyond
Wake up, remember
We are born of one breath, one word
We are all one spark, eyes full of wonder


For me, it was a spiritual awakening.
Great tune and I knew what that link was before clicking. He is an unbelievable drummer.

Another by Tool on this topic I love is Wings for Marie 1&2. Powerful stuff.
 
Exciting day in the thread! We finally get to the Yo Mama selection that has had me laughing since I first saw it (and shout-out to KP for picking a great picture for the playlist, too), and we have a particularly kick-***-looking playlist.

And, the final - and at least the 30th - hint I'll give you for the Mystery Theme. People who've been reading my posts, which is no one, might have a good shot at this now:

Two sides to the equation
Yeah, love the playlist picture @KarmaPolice
Not sure if you have seen it, but what I wanted was a decent pic of Rainn Wilson in Super. That's what I kept picturing when I saw your theme. Then I just went down a "worst superhero" rabbit hole after that and found that gem.
 
El Floppo – Mallet Rock

Clear Skies - Keane
#6

Keane get a really bad "wanna be coldplay" rap, and tbh their stuff is a bit tepid. best known for "somewhere only we know", a nice tune that my kids have both played and sung.

Clear Skies is off of their 2010 "we're not wannabe coldplay- we've got african rappers!" album/ep that wasn't met terribly well.

but this tune seems more like their original sound, other than featuring guitar- and it fits into most tunes that I like, building from simple hook/quiet into richness and texture. they introduce the vibraphone here which gets a nice solo after the first verse/chorus, and continues throughout the song to offer counterpoint to the guitar work. love the tune. wish floppinho had played it with his pals at one of his HS coffee houses- right up their collective vibe (two of the guys rework an LCD Soundsystem tune and Radiohead every show)
 
Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
The first letter of the song title and artist name stand for contrasting elements in someone’s life story. Some examples are challenges vs achievements or resilience vs. fear and so on. The words combine to show the theme of duality or two sides/contrasts to a person’s journey.
If this is correct, may I be the first one to say “**** off” to the Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator.
 
Last edited:
Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
The first letter of the song title and artist name stand for contrasting elements in someone’s life story. Some examples are challenges vs achievements or resilience vs. fear and so on. The words combine to show the theme of duality or two sides/contrasts to a person’s journey.

Wow, this is very intricate and clever! I wish it were correct.
 
Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
The first letter of the song title and artist name stand for contrasting elements in someone’s life story. Some examples are challenges vs achievements or resilience vs. fear and so on. The words combine to show the theme of duality or two sides/contrasts to a person’s journey.
If this is correct may I be the first one to say “**** off” to the Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator.

Or this, I suppose.
 
Round 5 - Big Bottom - Spinal Tap
My love gun's loaded and she's in my sights
Big game's waiting there inside her tights.


Whatever can they be talking about? This very quotable band has the three dots over the 'n'. They also have the no dot 'i', the only negative dot situation in my draft. I picked this song for a resident FBG.
 
DrIanMalcolm – Songs about New York

Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack

soooooo good. I bought the soundtrack just for this one. iirc, nothing came close to it.

Zegras11 – New wave

We Got The Beat - The Go-Go's

this was on the documentary/album URGH!!A Music War that was one album (double album) I could point to that literally changed my music listening life... all of my favorite early 80s bands were on that before they all got big in the US... and I rushed out and bought as many of the albums that I could find and afford. including Athletico Spizz '80.

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

Without U - Beach Goons

don't know this one- really dug it!

krista4 – Chicagoland

Stratford-on-Guy – Liz Phair

dammit- this is one of the best albums ever (and yet I keep forgetting and always happily reminded of it), and an amazing tune from it. is it the song or her that's chicago? I think theres a "divorce song" or soemthing from it that I freaking love... it's one of those top to bottom phenomenal albums. should put it in Furley's thread
 
Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
The first letter of the song title and artist name stand for contrasting elements in someone’s life story. Some examples are challenges vs achievements or resilience vs. fear and so on. The words combine to show the theme of duality or two sides/contrasts to a person’s journey.
If this is correct may I be the first one to say “**** off” to the Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator.

Or this, I suppose.
Can we no matter what the theme turns out to be? ;)
 
World’s Worst Superheroes #5

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

Artist - Pearl Jam (1994)

Strengths - Incredible stamina to be able to work double shifts in her orthopedic lifts; great memory to keep track of all her customers’ usual orders

Weaknesses - Agoraphobia; lack of a viable retirement plan; emphysema, thrombosis, and early-stage glaucoma; varicose veins on her legs that look like a bas-relief map of the interstate highway system after being on her feet for the better part of five decades


There Goes My Hero

Situation
- On a cross-country trip through the American Southwest, you stop at a small local diner to escape the heat and to grab a much needed bite. Little did you know the perilous ordeal you just walked into.

You: [walking up to take a seat at the counter] “Interesting, the guy next to me sitting alone has the number 50 in bacon on his plate. I’ll definitely leave him alone and never think about him again.”

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: [sporting a massive bouffant hairdo and makeup that looks like it’s been untouched since the Nixon administration, comes uncomfortably close to your face] “First time here, sweetie?”

You: “Hi, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, I swear I recognize your breath.”

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: [laughs] “Naw, that’s just sixty years of black coffee and menthols. What can I get for ya, hun? Our special is the meatloaf platter, but the word meat is doing some heavy lifting in that description if you catch my drift.”

Gruff-Looking Middle-Aged Man at the Grill in a Small Town: “Stow It, Dingy!”

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: “Kiss my grits!!!”

You: “I’ll just have two poached eggs on toast, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.”

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: [shouting loudly to the cook] “One order of Adam and Eve on a Raft for our handsome stranger!”

Just then, a massive ruckus erupts near the diner’s front waiting area. It appears the rival Door Dash and Uber Eats gangs are battling it out in an epic turf war. Nobody steps in to stop the fight.

You: [arms out trying to intervene but nobody is listening] “I just want to scream! Hello!!! Hey Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, grab me that bat up there on the wall.”

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: [struggling to reach above four feet due to her sciatica] “It’s hard when it’s stuck up on on the shelf. I can’t grab it!”

You are knocked unconscious after taking a chair to the head.

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town: [slowly sinking to the floor with a fork in her eye] “Lifetimes are catchin’ up with me. . . “
 
5.

Who?
– Vernon Reid

What? – Living Colour / Vernon Reid Band

Where? – Shea Stadium, Randall’s Island, Sea Hear Now Festival

When? – 1989, 1994, 2023

Why? – Living Colour stole the day at 2023 SHN mostly based on Reid’s blistering guitar. The guy plays with tremendous speed without losing the “feel”. Reid is so underrated as you seldom see him listed among the greats. I’m thrilled to be seeing the band again this Summer opening for Parliament/Funkadelic.
 
Anonymous Mystery Theme Dictator - ???
The first letter of the song title and artist name stand for contrasting elements in someone’s life story. Some examples are challenges vs achievements or resilience vs. fear and so on. The words combine to show the theme of duality or two sides/contrasts to a person’s journey.

Wow, this is very intricate and clever! I wish it were correct.
I'm sticking with the song titles being the plot of something, possibly a theme of duality. I have a few options in mind but will only throw out one at a time. First one is the plot to The Matrix.
 
New-to-me songs from #6 that caught my ear:

Eephus – Single (Named) Ladies

Borrow Trouble – Feist


KarmaPolice – songs from artists not on shuke’s list

Teenage Crime - The Pack A.D.


Don Quixote – Afrobeat

Khala My Friend (Spotify) - Amanaz (Zambia)


Raging weasel – name-checking Beatles or their songs

Who You Selling For - The Pretty Reckless


higgins – Instrumentals with places in the title

Florianapolis - John McLaughlin Trio


krista4 – Chicagoland

Somewhere on Fullerton – Allister

scorchy – songs by Manchester(-ish) artists

WFL - Happy Mondays

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

Unsatisfied - The Replacements

El Floppo – Mallet Rock

Clear Skies - Keane


MrsKarmaPolice – Animal Kingdom

Fragile Bird - City and Colour
 
Last edited:
jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Old Man (live at Massey Hall) - Neil Young

Neil appears twice in my list. What can I say, I'm a massive Neil fan. We already heard the electric garage-band Neil. Now here's the acoustic side. It's on this list because the vocal is outstanding. When he gets to that first chorus, man, he's serious. Neil just brings it.

This is my favorite version of Old Man. This is pre-Harvest-release, and the first time anyone in the audience heard it. It starts out by him asking an audience member to stop taking pictures because it distracts him, then gets into the story behind the song before singing it. Some people don't like Neil's voice, but he's in top form here imho.

I mentioned "nowhere to hide" in the Rush song for the last list, and that describes this version of Neil to a T. He's fearless like this - in this performance, he just turned 25. Massey Hall was kind of a Canadian homecoming for him. It was him, his guitar, and a harmonica... that's it. And if I recall, he had some serious back pain here too (Pip probably knows more on that). I mean, my 25-year-old nephew can't get off the couch, and here's Neil doing this by himself. That's partially what I get from really deep listening on a good system - how much doing this really means to him. He's singing for him, and we're just along for the ride.
Yes, I know more about the back pain. Neil was laid up for much of 1971 with debilitating back pain. It's why Harvest, which he started working on in 1970, didn't come out until 1972, and why it's mostly acoustic, because holding an electric guitar was too uncomfortable for him during this time.

Here's what I said about Old Man in my Neil countdown (and of the many links I provided, Massey Hall was the second one after the studio version):

12. Old Man (Harvest, 1972)
This is my favorite song on Neil's most popular album and always has been. It's perfectly constructed in every way, and performed expertly by the Stray Gators with harmonies from Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor (who also played banjo). It's about how we all share many needs regardless of age:

Old man take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that's true.


Neil's vocal brims with emotion and is one of his finest singing performances.

Neil wrote this in 1970 for Louis Avila, the caretaker of his ranch that he had recently purchased. Neil told the story in the Heart of Gold documentary: "Louis took me for a ride in this blue Jeep. He gets me up there on the top side of the place, and there's this lake up there that fed all the pastures, and he says, "Well, tell me, how does a young man like yourself have enough money to buy a place like this?" And I said, "Well, just lucky, Louis, just real lucky." And he said, "Well, that's the darnedest thing I ever heard." And I wrote this song for him."
 
krista4 – Chicagoland

Stratford-on-Guy – Liz Phair

Artist connection to Chicago (1-5 scale): 4 - Moved to Chicago at nine years old; formative years both personally and professionally in Chicago, but now resides in California.
Song connection to Chicago (1-10 scale): 8 - This score reflects moreso the whole album and the circumstances behind it than the specific lyrics to this song, though I did select the one that gives a "feel" of Chicago from the air. This article explains the Chicago scene at the time and how it inspired the album. (The article is short and worth a read.) Like Liz, I lived in Wicker Park in the mid-90s (and again from 2002-2009 and when we got back to the city last year), and the record simply exudes 1990s Wicker Park. The cover photo was even taken in the photo booth at Rainbo Club, which was (and still is) a rite of dive-bar passage in this area of Chicago.

Total: 12
 
5.

Who?
– Vernon Reid

What? – Living Colour / Vernon Reid Band

Where? – Shea Stadium, Randall’s Island, Sea Hear Now Festival

When? – 1989, 1994, 2023

Why? – Living Colour stole the day at 2023 SHN mostly based on Reid’s blistering guitar. The guy plays with tremendous speed without losing the “feel”. Reid is so underrated as you seldom see him listed among the greats. I’m thrilled to be seeing the band again this Summer opening for Parliament/Funkadelic.
I have seen LC twice (1990 and 2004) and, as you know, will also be at the Asbury Park show.

A few years ago, a friend and I went to see Vernon Reid at a tiny venue in the Philly suburbs, where he was doing some guitar improv and telling stories.

Us after we left: "We paid 35 bucks to hear Vernon Reid talk about aliens."
 
The #6s! Shuffled this time.

Known Numbers:
Disco Inferno- The Trammps
Missionary Man - Eurythmics
In My Dreams - Dokken
Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root

Total Surprises:
Somewhere On Fullerton - Allister
Coffee & TV - Blur
Misguided Angel - Cowboy Junkies
Fragile Bird - City and Colour
Money, Love & Change -Trey Anastasio

Go Figure:
Since I shuffled, let me go with two songs that ended up next to each other but still meshed with each other in their way. That being The Pretty Reckless’ “Who You Selling For” followed by My Chemical Romance’s “Famous Last Words”.
 
Also, Real Life is flaring up for me. Nothing dire, just things a-happening.
I should be able to keep up with writeups, but it's likely I'll go from "about even" on playlists to "several behind". Even though the 5s just dropped. Just an FYI for you.
 
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:

They are playing Gonerfest in Memphis at the end of September. :excited: (We bought tix to the fest and hope we'll be able to go.)
 
kupcho1 – rain

It Never Rains In Southern California - Albert Hammond
I will be the first to admit that this wouldn't be most people's choice for a top 5 rain themed song, but when I was putting this list together, there were some serious wildfires raging in Southern California. I thought this should be a top 5 at least.

Here's a very interesting story on the background of the song from americansongwriter.com:
The song is based on Hammond’s experience of trying to make it as a musician in Spain after having grown up in Gibraltar. Hammond recalled those times with Hazelwood when they were in London, and he specifically told him about a time he was asking people for money near a train station. As Hammond recounted to Songfacts, he unknowingly asked his cousin—who was on his honeymoon—for money. Much to his dismay, his cousin recognized him. Hammond was horrified and begged his cousin not to tell his father, but to avail.

At the point where Hammond shared this story with Hazelwood, the duo knew they would be leaving London for Los Angeles. Hazlewood took the details of Hammond’s account and switched the location, creating a plausible tale about someone struggling to find success in glamorous Hollywood.

Out of work, I'm out of my head
Out of self respect, I'm out of bread
I'm underloved, I'm underfed
I wanna go home
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top