What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

Middle Aged Dummies - Artist - Round 3 - #1's have been posted! (3 Viewers)

31. "Didn't We Deserve a Look At You the Way You Really Are?"
Band: Shellac
Album: Terraform

Shellac described themselves as a "minimalist rock trio" and it's hard to imagine a song more minimal than this one. Three instruments, three sentences, and three chords that repeat for more than 12 minutes. The lyrics are, in toto

For decades, you paraded as a crazy *****
Wretchedness, your lucky charm
Hung on a bracelet displayed on your arm

All we saw is not how you are

Caught a glimpse of you
In an unselfconscious smile
Revealing yourself
Didn't we deserve a look at you the way you really are?


This plodding, creeping, song is about the kind of terror one might feel upon learning in a glance that someone has disguised some truly horrific aspect of their personality with a mask of conventional problems. Like, it MIGHT just be about someone who MIGHT say “I am a wild and crazy rock star with drug issues who happens to be married to a rock star with drug issues. I am obviously not a psychotically ambitious and selfish person who would have my husband murdered.”
 
He and Sue stayed together; she got a new job in Philadelphia so they moved there in the "New Brooklyn" era of the late-2000s. He was able to make friends in the burgeoning local scene helped his career and artistic development.
I had no idea. I mostly stopped keeping up with new music in the mid-00s, so when I saw he/they open for My Morning Jacket in Philly (technically Upper Darby), I hadn't a clue about a local connection.

As it so happens, the person I saw that show with was also someone who had moved to Philly in the '00s (in his case, the gentrified area of South Philly) and was doing his best through his activities in the music and beer scenes to make the "New Brooklyn" thing happen.

I have no idea to what extent the "New Brooklyn" thing took root, but everyone I know who lives in the non-gentrified areas of Philly seems to think the city has gone to sh!t in recent years.
 
Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me

A man broke into my neighbourhood
He threatened the family with a loaded gun
He tied them all up and beat 'em real good
He took everything, and he got away clean


There's more after that, but this was one of the songs I had in mind when I was talking about what replaced the songs I posted in the last outs. It got similar WTF?? reactions from me as I listened more, but seemed slightly more subtle funny enough. I also get a similar feel from this tune as I do Gratitude that I posted above. I think the more important connection is that I was laughing at this one where I was hiding liking Little Girls. Nit picking for sure, but I started with 45+ Oingo songs and was surprised how many songs I had on initial pass. We have to justify cuts somehow. I realized I forgot to include youtube links when I sent to commish, so I am going to try to remember to include them on write ups I do.
 
OINGO CUTS

These aren't actually my last few cuts. Most of mine are from the albums I lean heavy on in the countdown and I want anybody a green to them as I was a better feel of me last December. These are a few outside their usual sound or on albums I don't lean on as much but I still think are worth a listen and blurb about.


Home Again was a painful cut, as this was the one Oingo song I saw on my daughter's playlist (still no Dino). We had fun listening in the car, but in the end I understood that's why it was sticking around. I like it, but like the rest of the Boi-Ngo album it's a bit repetitive and synthy. It was #31 when I posted my intro but was replaced by yet another from the Good for Your Soul album with the dark inappropriate humor that surprised me when I dug in.


An interesting miss would be how I describe their last album from 1994. This was '94? Such an odd album, and I am trying to picture what it's reception was like around that time. Insanity is the album opener and one that was on my initial playlist. It got cut, but there is one more song respresenting this album that made it.


I got a little confused on the Danny Elfman album So-Lo about which were Oingo tracks and which weren't. In the end the more I listened the more it didn't matter. I found it a bit lacking and even this track reminds me of an earlier Oingo track I like more. Gratitude is a fun tune and shows up on their live shows a bit, but it got booted from the first playlist.


In the end, Little Girls is a bit too much even for me. In hindsight, it is serendipity that I started with the album that I did. If I started with their last one, I'm not sure I would have been as driven to continue. This is the opener for their debut, and I wonder if I would have been as driven to listen more, combined with the Kinks cover that I couldn't skip fast enough. There are a few on here I really like and are on the playlist and one that I adore. But overall not my favorite album and despite my WTF reaction that put it on my playlist it got cut in the end.
Home Again would have ranked pretty high on my list, as would Little Girls. Can’t wait for your list.
 
Fox on the Run (Original, not the hit Version)
wait.... wtf?

Fox on the Run (Original, not the hit Version)
wait.... wtf?
That song kicks so much ***.
Listen to the version on the playlist.

This is NOT the version that was a hit.
It is the original version produced by Chinn and Chapman only available on the UK edition of Desolation Boulevard.
The original has lots of aimless guitars and a lack of structure

The US edition of Desolation Boulevard has the hit single version of the song and we will see that later.
The original has the framework, but not the flesh and bones that were added by Andy Scott to turn it into the hit it became.

The first 10 seconds as a starting point are radically different. More on it later.
 
STP #31 - Plush (Acoustic)
Album - Unreleased (on the greatest hits album Thank You from 2003)

OK, this one is cheating. And yes, the studio version is also further up in my rankings.

This was a live recording from the MTV studios for the Headbangers Ball show. I don’t know about anywhere else, but here in the L.A. area, there was a time this was played on the radio as much or even more than the original.

It’s such a great recording, it would probably rank much higher on my list, but I figured it was a good place to start off my list with since I’m also including the studio version. I would have had a hard time picking just one version of this song.
 
I spent my day organizing for our move and packing - 15 boxes of books, wardrobe boxes, blah blah. Backbreaking for me. To make the time more enjoyable, I fired up my playlist called "Rabbit," which was named after the first song I saved from the M-aD British Isles countdown. I thought I'd saved "new to me" songs, but it included a lot I had already known, so I think I'd done a "new or forgotten" list.

DAMN, is this a freaking great playlist. If you have to do anything unenjoyable, I recommend this to give you more zip and pep in your step. What was fun about it, too, is that as songs came up, it made me think of a lot of you. "Hey, that's Tom Jones! I bet @Mrs. Rannous chose this!" or I remembered that @cosjobs had taken this Hollies song.

Anyway, I had the bestest time with the playlist and have you all to thank! You, and Tom Jones, Hollies, ELO, The Kinks, Coldplay, Muse, Badly Drawn Boy, Radiohead, Mumford & Sons, Faces, The Bluetones, The Smiths, Underworld, The Undertones, Small Faces, Oasis, Rizzle Kicks, Traffic, The Jam, David Bowie, The Bluetones, and Snow Patrol.

Looking forward to more tomorrow! (the music, not the ****ing packing)
 

Chvrches

#31 - Bela Lugosi’s Dead (Cover - Original by Bauhaus)

Producer - Iain Cook
Writer - Peter Murphy, David J, Kevin Haskins, Daniel Ash
Album - Vampire Academy 2014 Official Soundtrack
Year - 2014
Notes - Taking on the Goth national anthem is a bold move that didn’t really work out for the band. It was a throwaway cover, like the band is want to do. Some sound great, some not so much. Its about taking risks. The 9 minute original by Bauhaus with all its build up and atmosphere is condensed into a 3 minute synth pop version.
Now, while I like this one a lot, it really pisses some people off. Which is why I included it lol.

Undead, Undead, Undead

Next up - One of their biggest hits. Way too early right? Nope. The song is pants and barely makes my list..
 
First (last?) five out for The Beach Boys, apropos on the 4th of July. You may have heard most of these before.

31. Sloop John B
32. Cabinessence
33. Catch A Wave
34. Little Deuce Coupe
35. Fun, Fun, Fun

ETA: the top 31 won’t be nearly as beachy
I am astounded Sloop John B didnt make the list and high at that.
After the covers draft i flogged it relentlessly and can say without hesitation it would have been my #1 choice for the Beach Boys.
I know it will be a strong list and looking forward to it. 👍
I guess it’s a personal choice. I like Sloop a lot, just less than many other of their songs and less than others do. Really just shows how incredibly deep their catalog is.
It's really personal. I think I'm the only one here who doesn't really like it at all. It seems very over-produced to me. I prefer the 1958 Kingston Trio cover.
 
The Tea Party song is interesting. Morrocan-roll? Really? Still, it's kind of cool now that I know where it's going. Looking forward to more of this odd Canadian stuff.
 
I had no idea. I mostly stopped keeping up with new music in the mid-00s, so when I saw he/they open for My Morning Jacket in Philly (technically Upper Darby), I hadn't a clue about a local connection.

As it so happens, the person I saw that show with was also someone who had moved to Philly in the '00s (in his case, the gentrified area of South Philly) and was doing his best through his activities in the music and beer scenes to make the "New Brooklyn" thing happen.

I have no idea to what extent the "New Brooklyn" thing took root, but everyone I know who lives in the non-gentrified areas of Philly seems to think the city has gone to sh!t in recent years.

I'll have some other Philadelphia stories along the way but I honestly don't have much in the way of Strand of Oaks content and I'll have to stretch it out another month.
 
31's PLAYLIST

What Is the name of your artist?What is your FBG Screen name?#31 -
Blue October-OZ-Hate Me
FannyPip's InvitationBitter Wine
The Tea PartyScoresmanSister Awake
SweetJohn Maddens ****ing LunchboxFox on the Run (Original, not the hit Version)
Oingo BoingoKarmaPoliceNothing Bad Ever Happens to Me
Belle and Sebastiankupcho1What Happened to You, Son?
MitskiIlov80sTwo Slow Dancers
The Slambovian Circus of DreamsYambagThe Trans-Slambovian Bipolar Express
The Moody BluesCharlie SteinerOverture
Stone Temple PilotsYo MamaPlush - Accoustic
Brian SetzerMrs. RannousC'mon Everybody
Curtis MayfieldDon QuixoteGet Down, by Curtis Mayfield
Bryan Ferry/Roxy MusicBinkytheDoormatLimbo
Strand of OaksEephusEnd in Flames
Dave MatthewsTau837Let You Down
Mazzy Starlandrys hatStill Cold

Kenny ChesneyMACBeer In Mexico
The Beach Boyszamboni"Break Away"
Susanna HoffsZegras11Under My Thumb
Judas PriestRaging WeaselDesert Plains
The CureJuxtatarotOpen
Iron and WineTuffnuttSouthern Anthem
Jerry Jeff WalkersimeyPickup Truck Song
The DoorsjwbRoadhouse Blues
ChvrchesJML’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Secret IdentityBela Lugosi’s Dead (Cover of Bauhaus Song) - Spotify may require a click
Earth, Wind, & FireUruk-HaiCan't Let Go
DestroyerThe Dreaded MarcoThe Very Modern Dance
Andrew BirdMister CIAOpposite Day
Steve AlbiniOliver HumanzeeShellac - Didn't We Deserve a Look at You the Way You Really Are
Ronnie James DioMt. ManWe Rock
April WineFalguyThe Band Has Just Begun
The Sweet Version of Fox on the Run is the wrong one.
I submitted this one
@KarmaPolice please change to this one https://open.spotify.com/track/6CHnwA6P1uaF13TwtcQ6GG?si=WwNq-wFbT9GOhtypRkbo7w
 
The Sweet Version of Fox on the Run is the wrong one.
I submitted this one
@KarmaPolice please change to this one https://open.spotify.com/track/6CHnwA6P1uaF13TwtcQ6GG?si=WwNq-wFbT9GOhtypRkbo7w
That link is broken. Maybe that accounts for the switch.

On checking, I don't think the original is available on Spotify, only on YouTube.
Why do I make things so complicated lol?

Might be a regional thing.
Maybe preventing people in the US from hearing the original?
Do any of these work? I’m not a Spotify expert.

If the version is 3 mins 20 ish, thats the single version. Thats for later
If the version is 4 mins 40 something and starts with clunky guitars, thats the one I want
 
#31. Overture (A Night at Red Rocks, 1992)

The album A Night at Red Rocks (with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra) was a critical success and a great vehicle for material from their heyday. I feel this is a perfect way to kick off their countdown. It very nicely imitates the opening track of their Days of Future Passed album by teasing us with snippets of what's to come.

I've broken the Moodie's story into four parts, from proto-British Invasion wannabes to going gentle into that good night and points in between. As always, since I'm the only true dummy in this endeavor, I'll welcome the offering up of information that I may miss along the way. I learned a lot about the band while preparing my list, though there's certainly more that I didn't. I'll also add that my overall estimation of them was surprisingly improved as a result.
 
Curtis MayfieldDon QuixoteGet Down, by Curtis Mayfield
“Get Down” was hovering near the edge of my list, and eventually decided that could make a good opener for the playlist. It is the opening track of the Roots album. I will have some tracks that show off Mayfield’s songwriting a bit more as go through the countdown. This one just has a fun, funky groove with some nifty bass and guitar that I thought could kick things off like it did that album. “So, get down…”
 
Last edited:
Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me

A man broke into my neighbourhood
He threatened the family with a loaded gun
He tied them all up and beat 'em real good
He took everything, and he got away clean

Always liked this one - I actually remember it even more for the video with Danny Elfman's spastic dancing than the song itself.
 
Belle and Sebastiankupcho1What Happened to You, Son?
Much like round 1 (Decemberists) I cheated a little with #31 as it isn't really my 31st favorite (it's probably a little higher). But I wanted to show the longevity of this band. What Happened to You, Son? was released earlier this year, roughly 28 years after their first release. From their website:

...the new album is a full-hearted embrace of the band's brightest tendencies that is not only fresh and immediate but possessing of the groups tuneful ability to be there for you with the perfect word or melody for the moment.

I concur.

Brittle words, my sympathy
I was so obsessed with doing things my own way
Then one day you realized
I don't stand for anything, I'm fading away
 
Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me

A man broke into my neighbourhood
He threatened the family with a loaded gun
He tied them all up and beat 'em real good
He took everything, and he got away clean

Always liked this one - I actually remember it even more for the video with Danny Elfman's spastic dancing than the song itself.
Thanks for that. I realized after the fact that unlike Mastodon, I didn't really seek out any videos. I watched a couple live sets and the video for my #1, but nothing else. Good idea - that will give me something to look into while this goes on and before write ups.
 
Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me

A man broke into my neighbourhood
He threatened the family with a loaded gun
He tied them all up and beat 'em real good
He took everything, and he got away clean

Always liked this one - I actually remember it even more for the video with Danny Elfman's spastic dancing than the song itself.
Thanks for that. I realized after the fact that unlike Mastodon, I didn't really seek out any videos. I watched a couple live sets and the video for my #1, but nothing else. Good idea - that will give me something to look into while this goes on and before write ups.
Yeah, they definitely embraced the video thing in the early MTV days, although clearly didn't get nearly as much airplay as most of the more popular acts of their day.
 
The Beach Boyszamboni"Break Away"
This 1969 tune was, to my knowledge, the only song written by Brian Wilson with his father Murry (the latter of whom went under the pseudonym "Reggie Dunbar" here). For those that don't know a lot of the backstory with The Beach Boys, Murry was a highly influential figure in forming the band and while driving their success, was a very domineering father figure to his sons (Brian, Carl and Dennis). Murry served as manager, co-producer and publisher, but early on (in 1964), the band had enough of his ways and kicked him out. He still remained in close contact with the band, and at this point in 1969, Brian was in pretty bad shape mentally and physically. By this time, Brian came out of semi-retirement and coined this with his dad. The song didn't chart well, but has some historical significance in the many ups and downs of Brian, in particular. I like the doo-*** tinge here myself.
 
Last edited:
Hey, that's Tom Jones! I bet @Mrs. Rannous chose this!
If you remember which song, I can tell you. But I expect you are correct.

I'll Never Fall in Love Again
I don't think I picked that. Maybe Simey?

I do have another of his covers for the next draft of that type all ready to go.
It wasn't me. I took "Release Me" by Tom's rival Engelbert in that countdown.
 
They are all greyed out for me.
:yes: That's what I kept seeing, and why I just through in one that did work randomly. Sorry, JML - wasn't trying to spoill anything for later, I didn't realize there was that much difference with the versions you were trying to draft.
Thanks. Its so bizarre why US audiences cant hear the original ****tier rawer version on spotify.
Its such a distinct difference.
At least theres the youtube version.
I will send the write up through later
Thanks for trying
 
31's PLAYLIST

The Slambovian Circus of DreamsYambagThe Trans-Slambovian Bipolar Express

Song: The Trans-Slambovian Bipolar Express
Year: 2013
Album: The Grand Slambovians

I figured the best song to kick off with is one of their most well known, and usually part of every show’s encore. Plus it gives a good hint as to the type of music they play.

"The exuberant romp begins with open tuned acoustic guitar licks that would be at home on The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet, until the mix quickly ramps up to rumble on rails laid parallel to Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.” Like an amusement park thrill ride based on Dante’s Divine Comedy, lead singer and songwriter Joziah Longo leads us through dreamscapes both “safe from harm” and hellish in nature. We awake in our own world, “it’s logic wearing thin” only to seek return passage – “let’s make it end and let’s begin.”
 
Following the idea that the Dio list has a bit of retrospective to it, here's a somewhat tailored Last Five Out List.

Elf- Ain't It All Amusing (from Carolina Country Ball, 1974) Youtube link

Black Sabbath - Children of the Sea (from Heaven and Hell, 1980) Youtube Link

One Night in the City (from The Last in Line, 1984) Youtube Link

Dio - Master of the Moon (from Master of the Moon, 2004) Youtube Link

Heaven & Hell - Bible Black (from The Devil You Know, 2009) Youtube Link

Definitely a few tough cuts. And by "a few", I mean around a dozen.
This list makes me sad. Not only is Heaven and Hell my favorite Dio song it's my favorite song of all time
 
Following the idea that the Dio list has a bit of retrospective to it, here's a somewhat tailored Last Five Out List.

Elf- Ain't It All Amusing (from Carolina Country Ball, 1974) Youtube link

Black Sabbath - Children of the Sea (from Heaven and Hell, 1980) Youtube Link

One Night in the City (from The Last in Line, 1984) Youtube Link

Dio - Master of the Moon (from Master of the Moon, 2004) Youtube Link

Heaven & Hell - Bible Black (from The Devil You Know, 2009) Youtube Link

Definitely a few tough cuts. And by "a few", I mean around a dozen.
This list makes me sad. Not only is Heaven and Hell my favorite Dio song it's my favorite song of all time
That’s the re-formed band Heaven and Hell, not the Sabbath song. I suspect the song will appear prominently on Mt. Man’s list.
 
31.
Southern Anthem- Iron and Wine
from The Creek that Drank the Cradle Album(2002)

But when a southern anthem rings
She will buckle to that sound
When that southern anthem sings
It will lay her burdens down


From his debut album, This song is a great representation of Sam Beam's earlier sounds... Low -fi, bare-bone 4 track recordings of hushed tones and whispery poetic lyrics. I once heard Sam beam described as an Americana Nick Drake... and I liked that.

Beam is a native Southerner. He was raised in South Carolina, and has lived in Virginia and Florida.

While the songs The Creek Drank the Cradle evoke a strong sense of place, Beam has said that he didn’t specifically set out to make a “Southern” record.

In an interview with Pitchfork, he admitted that Southern Anthem is about geography:

…That one in particular is about, pretty specifically, where we’re from, but most of the time I usually write the music first. I come up with the little melodies and they’re all so in tune with that sort of tone. If I was to do the song with that melody and then try to put something about inner city New York, it just doesn’t quite fit. So it just goes in tune with the tone of the song. But usually, at the same time, when I write it’s a bit more meditative, like I’m thinking about stuff like where my grandparents used to live in Chester. Little things you’re familiar with."
anyway obviously not my favorite Iron and Wine Tune, but a good introduction to my list none the less.

Edit to add: I am seeing Iron and Wine in concert tonight for the 1st time so I'm looking foreword to hearing many of the songs on my list
 
Last edited:
They are all greyed out for me.
:yes: That's what I kept seeing, and why I just through in one that did work randomly. Sorry, JML - wasn't trying to spoill anything for later, I didn't realize there was that much difference with the versions you were trying to draft.
Thanks. Its so bizarre why US audiences cant hear the original ****tier rawer version on spotify.
Its such a distinct difference.
At least theres the youtube version.
I will send the write up through later
Thanks for trying
No workey up here in Canada ether. Youtube to the rescue!
 
#31: Dio - We Rock , from The Last In Line (1984)

Dio - We Rock (Official Music Video)
(additional Live Version) Dio - We Rock

We pray to someone
But when it's said and done
It's really all the same, with just a different name
So many voices, all giving choices
If we listen they will say, oh we can find the way


I wouldn’t be surprised if this was much higher on Raging Weasel’s personal list. Heck, it would’ve been higher on mine! But I thought that, of a few very strong intro songs from Dio across albums, this fit the role the best.

It’s probably more or less what you expect from Dio. Loud, strong guitar work. Up tempo and high spirited. Dio’s somewhat raspy but powerful voice rising over it all. Steering the course of the chaos, if you will. Lyrics wise, this one is pretty straightforward. An anthem, meant for inspiration, about the power of the music. And, of course, about the band touring, giving some recognition and thanks to the audiences they play for (and, well, rock) night after night.


Next up on the countdown, 60s blues/doo-(apparently censored). As you’d expect.
 
The DoorsjwbRoadhouse Blues

This was really the only song I "placed", as I wanted a biggie for the opener (it's a top 5 Doors song for me). Plus, it's great to open with "Ladies and Gentlemen, from Los Angeles California, The Doors!!"

I linked to both the studio version from the Morrison Hotel album, and the live version that appears on An American Prayer (more on that album later when another song appears). The live version is really good, unlike a lot of live Doors, which are hit and miss. Almost all bands are affected by the recording limitations of the time, but the Doors can also sound pretty thin due to the lack of a bass player live. But this one is really good.

"I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer" is about as iconic a line as you get. Supposedly Alice Cooper inspired it by something he said to Jim earlier in the day. And John Sebastian plays the harmonica in the studio version.
 
Curtis MayfieldDon QuixoteGet Down, by Curtis Mayfield
“Get Down” was hovering near the edge of my list, and eventually decided that could make a good opener for the playlist. It is the opening track of the Roots album. I will have some tracks that show off Mayfield’s songwriting a bit more as go through the countdown. This one just has a fun, funky groove with some nifty bass and guitar that I thought could kick things off like it did that album. “So, get down…”
I chose this in my 1971 countdown, pairing it with the War song of the same name. You'd think Mayfield's would be the political one and War's would be the one about having a good time, but it's the opposite.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top