Middle Aged Dummies - Artist - Round 3 - #1's have been posted! (8 Viewers)

[Mrs. Rannous]

Ronnie James Dio #2
Artist: Dio
Song: Rainbow in the Dark (off Holy Diver, 1983)

(music video) Dio - Rainbow In The Dark (Official Music Video)
(Live version) 1983 Ronnie James Dio "Rainbow In The Dark" (Rock Palace)

Do your demons
Do they ever let you go?
When you try, do they hide deep inside?
Is it someone that you know?
You're just a picture
You're an image caught in time
We're a lie
You and I, we're words without a rhyme

It’s difficult to say much about the video beyond just watch it. Come for the nearly shirtless Ronnie, stay for the businessman trying to be creepy to a random woman only to be chased off by Vivian Campbell and Jimmy Bain.

Anyway, this is another huge song for Dio, one that needs very little introduction. Probably a lot of people’s #1. Heck, if I were to redo the list right now, I’d likely push it up there. These things flow. More on that with the #1, though.

You can probably get why it’s stayed popular. It starts very strong, with a fairly upbeat intro. Ronnie belting out emotional lyrics about isolation, inner strength and potential. It’s catchy and rather poppy for a metal song. Because of that, it was almost cut (literally, in that the story goes that Ronnie had to be talked out of cutting the tape up with a razor blade) from the album by Dio. It’s… pretty fair to say that people are glad that didn’t happen.

Next on the countdown, our closing song, the final title track, comes appropriately at the end of the queue.

Greatest metal song of all-time, imo.

"Run to the Hills" or "War Pigs".

Good choices - I’ll throw Master of Puppets in there too.

Or "Enter Sandman".

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

*EWF has been the biggest surprise- came in with little familiarity and just haven't been feeling them

This sentence ended totally how I didn't think it would. I love EWF.

Most do, which is why I was looking forward to it. I don't know, maybe it was a misfit with the rest of the playlist? It's probably a me problem.

Oh wait. I thought you meant you haven't been feeling EWF through the whole countdown.

I haven't. I instantly recognize them and start paying attention then lose interest a minute in. Not what I expected pre-countdown

I thought that was just me. I was very surprised, especially since they can actually sing and play their instruments. I even like that style of music.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Too hard of a question to answer.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I finally got around to finishing up the artist playlists for Part 1. I added the missing names from part 2 into the spreadsheet and will start plugging away at them as well.

 

[Mt. Man]

MNF or listening to the #2s? Why, there’s simply no choice! And not just because I should listen to them tonight to get to the last round before Sunday. So then, shuffled for the last time (as #1 will be in playlist order), here we go:

Selected (and shuffled) #2s:
Brand New City - Mitski
Eight - Andrew Bird
On The Outside - Oingo Boingo
Getting in the Mood - Brian Setzer Orchestra
Kerosene - Big Black
I Know You’re Out There Somewhere - The Moody Blues
Coal Makes Diamonds - Blue October
Psychopomp - The Tea Party
Love is Like Oxygen - Sweet
Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles (/Susanna Hoffs)
Crush - Dave Matthews Band

Shuffle Adventures:

The transition from The Beach Boys’ “Caroline, No” into “Out of the Blue” by Roxy music was super smooth, and the tone rather carried over, too. Plus, you know, liked both songs.

 

[Raging weasel]

CHVRCHES is gonna get shutout from the medal stand, but I've appreciated this sound way more than I thought it would. It's just too modern for my old man shakes fist at cloud tastes.

Thats interesting. The whole reason i like them is that they sound like they come out of the early 80s.
Yeah theres bells and whistles with modern production and dance. But even edm dance etc is just 90s house music recycled.

Modern music scares me lol

At the end of the day, a good melody, good singing and music can be dressed up anyway and be enjoyable.
Scandinavian death metal, Country, Synth Pop, Reggae, Opera etc

You're probably hitting on more of the right key words- early 80's, edm dance, and 90's house are all big misses with me

Me too

 

[falguy]

 

[KarmaPolice]

Kupcho =

 

[Don Quixote]

Waiting for my actual birthday to post the #1s. All right.

(Birthday in my profile is just reference to publication date of Don Quixote + 300 years).

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Waiting for my actual birthday to post the #1s. All right.

(Birthday in my profile is just reference to publication date of Don Quixote + 300 years).

You don't look a day over 250.

 

[-OZ-]

Power deuces

Psychpomp - getting sort of Alice In Chains vibes, not quite that but good tune

Vasoline - I didn’t actually like this one when it was first released, I like it more now

Gettin in the mood - his best are fantastic

Crush - another song I like more now than when it was first released

The Good stuff - one of his earliest, one of his best.

Hazy shade of winter - this might be my favorite playlist other than BO.

Disintegration - I liked the cure before the playlist, this has not disappointed!

Getaway - next week’s strava theme is EWF, for obvious reasons.

Clearest blue - another hit by a band I didn’t think I liked.

Eight - I hadn’t heard about the bird, but he is the word

Say hello - rocks

 

[kupcho1]

Did I miss a memo? Weren't the #1s to be posted yesterday?

 

[KarmaPolice]

Did I miss a memo? Weren't the #1s to be posted yesterday?

That has been the usual schedule. Im guessing (hoping) zegras got busy this week. Usually he "likes" the post when i send him the link for the playlist, but i didn't see that yesterday either.

 

[zamboni]

He’s just trying to scare us on Friday the 13th.

I’m fine with the suspense though - I appreciate the amount of effort these things take.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Hopefully he didn't get cleaned out in Vegas and proceed to drown his sorrows in Everclear (the alcohol, not the band) or something.

 

[falguy]

I tend to listen while working so prefer it sooner, rathe than later today. That said, not complaining, hope all is well and am sure he will post when he can.
Have no clue what you guys will think of my #1 song. Had some I thought would be popular and were't and others I didnt expect much and got a fair but of love so
I suspect 2/3 of you have never heard it before.

 

[MAC_32]

2 words for the 2's - holy ****...

The 2's

Medal Stand
Gold DMB- Crush, sorry to the rest of you but this is one of the greatest songs ever made. I was somewhat nervous it was going to get snubbed by Tau. I can guarantee that whatever #1 is won't medal, so this should be a very interesting final round now that DMB has emerged from the 2's with a come from behind lead.
Honorable Mention1 given the volume of heavy hitters and the highlights mentioned yesterday, I'm taking a different approach (and order) with HM. It's criminal that STP got shutout the last few rounds, so I'm highlighting them. No hardware to show for it, but it's not because of them- the competition was just too strong.
Honorable Mention2 I spent more time thinking about this medal stand and the overall medal count than I care to admit. So many hearts with 4 that clearly stood out above the rest, 2 of which would have their medal count lives determined. Oingo Boingo and Tea Party put up valiant efforts, but not quite to the top tier. Andrew Bird, Blue October, and Fanny are all deserving of the silver but there's only room for one and another is going to be left off. Song depth was ultimately the deciding factor and there's only so much you can do in 2 1/2 minutes. So, sorry Fanny...
Silver Blue October- Coal Makes Diamonds, lost track of how many times I've listened to this since yesterday, as I mentioned on first listen, it's flawless.
Bronze Andrew Bird- Eight, also lost track of how many times I've listened to this since yesterday. Words alone can't do this cut justice. It deserved a better medal.

Medal Count
DMB- 4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze (18)
Tea Party - 4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze (17)
STP - 3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze (16)
Blue October - 3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze (16)
Fanny - 3 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze (15)
The Doors - 3 gold, 1 silver (11)
The Beach Boys - 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze (11)
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams - 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze (10)
Mazzy Star - 2 gold, 1 bronze (7)
Oingo Boingo - 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (6)
Brian Setzer - 2 silver, 2 bronze (6)
Jerry Jeff Walker - 1 gold, 1 silver (5)
Susanna Hoffs - 1 gold, 2 bronze (5)
Roxy Music - 2 silver, 1 bronze (5)
Dio - 2 silver (4)
Belle & Sebastian - 2 silver (4)
April Wine - 1 silver, 2 bronze (4)
Iron & Wine- 1 silver, 1 bronze (3)
Sweet - 1 silver, 1 bronze (3)
Strand of Oaks - 1 silver (2)
Judas Priest - 1 silver (2)
Mitski - 1 silver (2)
Steve Albini - 1 silver (2)
EWF- 1 bronze (1)
Andrew Bird- 1 bronze (1)
Curtis Mayfield- 1/2 bronze (0.5)
The Cure- 1/2 bronze (0.5)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Song depth was ultimately the deciding factor and there's only so much you can do in 2 1/2 minutes. So, sorry Fanny...

I guess you didn't listen to the two 5.5-minute live versions I posted.

 

[falguy]

Song depth was ultimately the deciding factor and there's only so much you can do in 2 1/2 minutes. So, sorry Fanny...

I guess you didn't listen to the two 5.5-minute live versions I posted.

He had no time after listening to Blue October and Andrew Bird countless times.

 

[Zegras11]

Hopefully he didn't get cleaned out in Vegas and proceed to drown his sorrows in Everclear (the alcohol, not the band) or something.

LMAO. So I officially retired last Friday. This morning, I looked at my calendar for next week and nothing was on it, so I just booked a trip to Vegas for 5 days, leaving this Sunday.

 

[Zegras11]

1's PLAYLIST

What Is the name of your artist?	What is your FBG Screen name?	#1 -
Blue October	-OZ-	Calling You - 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
Fanny	Pip's Invitation	Young and Dumb Young and Dumb - Live Fanny · Live on Beat-Club '71-'72 · Song · 2024 open.spotify.com
The Tea Party	Scoresman	Sun Going Down Sun Going Down Song · The Tea Party · 1993 open.spotify.com
Sweet	John Maddens ****ing Lunchbox	Blockbuster - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. m.youtube.com Blockbuster Song · Sweet · 1974 open.spotify.com
Oingo Boingo	KarmaPolice	Private Life Private Life Song · Oingo Boingo · 1982 open.spotify.com
Belle and Sebastian	kupcho1	The Boy with the Arab Strap The Boy with the Arab Strap Belle and Sebastian · The Boy With The Arab Strap · Song · 1998 open.spotify.com
Mitski	Ilov80s	A Pearl A Pearl Song · Mitski · 2018 open.spotify.com
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams	Yambag	Golden Slumbers/The Invisible - 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
The Moody Blues	Charlie Steiner	Say it With Love Say It With Love Song · The Moody Blues · 2008 open.spotify.com
Stone Temple Pilots	Yo Mama	Plush Plush - 2017 Remaster Stone Temple Pilots · Core (Super Deluxe Edition) · Song · 1992 open.spotify.com
Brian Setzer	Mrs. Rannous	Elena Elena Song · The Brian Setzer Orchestra · 2009 open.spotify.com
Curtis Mayfield	Don Quixote	(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go, by Curtis Mayfield (7:50 album version) - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. youtu.be https://open.spotify.com/track/5wdlG60d0WHoo8P3QzrlbG?si=Nfu1sKNmS-6YymLTPX1nYg
Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music	BinkytheDoormat	Avalon - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com
Strand of Oaks	Eephus	Weird Ways Weird Ways Song · Strand of Oaks · 2019 open.spotify.com
Dave Matthews	Tau837	Ants Marching - 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
Mazzy Star	landrys hat	Halah Halah Song · Mazzy Star · 1990 open.spotify.com
Kenny Chesney	MAC	I Go Back - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com
The Beach Boys	zamboni	"Surf's Up" Surf's Up Song · The Beach Boys · 2011 open.spotify.com
Susanna Hoffs	Zegras11	Walk Like An Egyptian Walk Like an Egyptian Song · The Bangles · 1986 open.spotify.com
Judas Priest	Raging Weasel	Beyond the Realms of Death Beyond the Realms of Death Song · Judas Priest · 1978 open.spotify.com
The Cure	Juxtatarot	Just Like Heaven Just like Heaven Song · The Cure · 1987 open.spotify.com
Iron and Wine	Tuffnutt	The Trapeze Swinger - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com
Jerry Jeff Walker	simey	Little Bird Little Bird Song · Jerry Jeff Walker · 2006 open.spotify.com
The Doors	jwb	Love Me Two Times Love Me Two Times Song · The Doors · 1967 open.spotify.com
Chvrches	JML’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Secret Identity	Tether - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. m.youtube.com Tether Song · CHVRCHES · 2013 open.spotify.com
Earth, Wind, & Fire	Uruk-Hai	That's The Way Of The World - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com
Destroyer	The Dreaded Marco	It’s Gonna Take An Airplane It's Gonna Take an Airplane Song · Destroyer · 2004 open.spotify.com
Andrew Bird	Mister CIA	Sisyphus Sisyphus Song · Andrew Bird · 2019 open.spotify.com
Steve Albini	Oliver Humanzee	Shellac - The End of Radio (Live on the BBC) The End of Radio Song · Shellac · 2019 open.spotify.com
Ronnie James Dio	Mt. Man	The Last In Line The Last in Line Song · Dio · 1984 open.spotify.com
April Wine	Falguy	Before The Dawn Before the Dawn Song · April Wine · 1979 open.spotify.com - 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

 

[Don Quixote]

Curtis Mayfield

Don Quixote

(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go, by Curtis Mayfield (7:50 album version) - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. youtu.be https://open.spotify.com/track/5wdlG60d0WHoo8P3QzrlbG?si=Nfu1sKNmS-6YymLTPX1nYg

Top billing now is killing, for peace no-one is willing
Kinda make you get that feeling
Everybody smoke, use the pill and the dope
Educated fools from uneducated schools
Pimping people is the rule, polluted water in the pool
And Nixon talkin’ ’bout don’t worry, he say don’t worry
But they don’t know, there can be no show
And if there’s Hell below, we’re all gonna go.

Oh, the playlist title for #1s. Yes!

Well, you probably figured that I needed to end it with a message song; so, here we go. This was the lead single and opening track off Curtis Mayfield’s first solo album. It announced his break from The Impressions with authority, with some apocalyptic lyrics and an atomic bomb dropping at the end. I’ll quote from Todd Mayfield’s Traveling Soul (for the last time):

No one could have been prepared for the album except my father and those who helped him make it. It starts with the sinister opening strains of “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go.” Lucky’s bass growls menacingly as a woman exhorts the book of Revelation, and my father, with a heavily processed voice, shouts, “Sisters! *******! Whities! Jews! Crackers! Don’t worry. If there’s hell below, we’re all gonna go.” Then, he lets out a demonic howl as Slabo’s horns and Hampton’s strings ride atop the bass, drums, guitars, and percussion, laying down a wicked backdrop for some quasi-apocalyptic soothsaying. While Sly Stone had recorded a song that said “******” several years before, “Hell Below” was among the first mainstream recordings to use the word, setting the scene for both the unflinching honesty of my father’s solo career and the hip-hop age it helped spawn.

As the song progresses, my father’s obsession with producing different sounds in the studio—assisted by his newfound love for weed—takes off like a V-2 rocket, with trippy guitar and vocal effects that sweep across the sonic field, sounding like the haunted hangovers of a nightmare. The drilling bass, the urgent string arrangement, the pounding rhythm section, and the fuzz guitar intertwine in cascading crescendos. Curtis didn’t just have his finger on the pulse of the new decade; he was in the bloodstream.

Clocking in at almost eight minutes, the song played more than twice as long as anything he’d done with the Impressions. It focused on the groove, with few chord changes. Part of that came from his new recording habits. Instead of handing Johnny a demo tape and waiting until the session to hear the arrangement, now he locked in the rhythm beforehand with Lucky, putting more emphasis on the bass guitar than ever before. “He used to sit down with Lucky and they just would do rhythm,” Sam said. “They’d sit down and learn songs. Lucky would listen, and they would play along with what Curtis was playing, and learn the songs, so that when they went into the studio, he knew exactly the way the song was going.”

The heaviness of the groove meant the melodies had less room for complexity, something critics would disparage my father for on much of his solo work. It took critics years to understand that Dad had a hard message to deliver, and he needed a solid musical platform to deliver it. Too many chords would have impeded the message. He knew what he was doing, and he didn’t have time to wait for critics to catch up. With his new lyrics, Dad became a true street poet in the vein of Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets, who had recently debuted with politically charged, nationalistic poetry set to music, aimed at raising the consciousness of black people. He now used the dialect of the street and the terror of the times to create something as devastating as a shot of heroin to the vein…

By the end of the song, as Hampton’s nervous string line meanders around the hard groove, Dad takes a moment to question himself, to hope there might be some light within the bleak picture he has painted. He sings:

Tell me what we gonna do
If everything I say is true?
This ain’t no way it ought to be
If only all the mass could see
But they keep talkin’ ’bout don’t worry.

I mentioned that depending on the day Movin’ Up could be #1. While they appear on the same album, that one opens Side B with the more optimistic note. But I more often appreciate the heavier lyrics of Don’t Worry.

…Well, that’s my 31. Hope you enjoyed. With my trying to share songs from 20 different albums (including some of the soundtracks he wrote and produced with other artists), I could have gone deeper on, let’s say, the Curtis or Superfly albums. Definitely a lot of good stuff that I left off.

 

[Yambag]

1's PLAYLIST

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Yambag

Golden Slumbers/The Invisible - 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

At non-holiday shows, this is always the final song of the night. This version below starts off with The Beatles Golden Slumbers before transitioning to The Invisible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2WftC5kvLM

It was great being able to share a band I love so much with others. The order of the songs was geared to take you on a journey through their different sounds, styles and themes, and ending as if it was a live show.

This final quote is from Joziah, “Everybody has the potential to be infinitely creative. We can create ourselves out of difficult situations. There's always hope in the world, no matter how bad, how dark it gets. Our music is about that, trying to encourage people. You can become an enlightened person and save yourself and the people around you. Just get off your *** and create.”

 

[tuffnutt]

1.
The Trapeze Swinger- Iron and Wine
from Around the Well (2009)

But please, remember me, my misery
And how it lost me all I wanted

This one breaks all the standard rules of a pop song...It’s over 9 minutes long. Its only verses (8 in Total) and has no chorus. but its Hypnotically repetitive and is an absolute masterpiece. it paints a portrait in your head of life, it's highs and lows, it's beauty and ugliness, that feeling of aimlessness and mystery; thousands of souls trying to make sense of a universe they don't fully understand. And Those brave trapeze swingers daring to live.

I find new meaning in this song nearly every time I listen to it and depending on my own emotional state, the effect is either comforting or utterly heart shattering, And... to me, that is what make a perfect song. Hope you all enjoy this one.

 

[Scoresman]

The Tea Party # 1 - Sun Going Down
I don’t know what to write about this one other than how much I think this song just hits so hard. The blues elements mixed with the in your face percussion and perfect vocals. I dare you not to like this song on some level.

This song was never released as a single and was more of a deep cut that gained in popularity but that said, it does appear to be a fan favorite when played live. In fact, here’s a bonus live version.

I woke up this mornin’
Someone was knockin’ at my door.

I said “Hello sweet Satan, it’s time for us to go”…

- YouTube

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

youtu.be

 

[-OZ-]

@MAC_32 did I miss it?

Bar at the End of the World

Kenny Chesney · Cosmic Hallelujah · Song · 2017

open.spotify.com

Obviously Kenny has a lot of songs, but that’s my jam. It always reminds me of our favorite vacation spot and Land’s End tavern: https://saltydog.com/dine/landsend.html

FWIW, I go back is absolutely worthy as the top dog.

 

[-OZ-]

The Blue October playlist on Pandora:

https://pandora.app.link/vTrfD3UKRMb

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

The Sweet​

#1 - Block Buster!​

- 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

Nazi version

- 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

Producer - Phil Wainman
Writer - Nicky Chinn and Nike Chapman
Chart Positions - UK #1, Australia #29, Germany #1, US #73
Album - The Sweet
Year - 1973
Lead Vocal - Brian Connolly

Steve Priest Vocal - “We just haven't got a clue what to do” x 2 and W-we just haven't got a c--ow!

Notes - This is the only Sweet song to reach #1 in the UK, but it stayed there for 5 weeks. Guess it makes up for the 5 Sweet songs that got stuck at #2.
If the riff sounds familiar, its because it is an old Muddy Waters blues riff and identical to the one in Jean Genie by David Bowie. By an amazing coincidence, Bowies song was released one week before Block Buster! and was kept off the top spot by the Sweet song.
It was the only song to chart in the US between Little Willy in 1972 and Ballroom Blitz in 1975. It only reached #73. Andy Scott thinks the opening siren caused workers to think it was break time when it was played on the radio and the version without the siren wasnt as good.

There are several videos on youtube, including the controversial top of the pops version. Because it was #1 for several weeks they appeared a few times on the popular chart rundown program. The second time the wardrobe department in conjunction with bassist Steve Priest thought it a good idea for Steve to wear a Nazi uniform. Steve added a hitler moustache and performed very camply.

FIN

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Chvrches​

#1 - Tether​

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

m.youtube.com

Eric Prydz V Chvrches version

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

m.youtube.com

Producer - Chvrches
Writer - Chvrches
Album - The Bones of What You Believe
Year - 2013
Notes - There are 2 versions of this track

The original builds slowly into a smashing synth crescendo that hits me in my sweet spot.
The Eric Prydz V Chvrches version dispenses with all the build up and just concentrates on the amazing synths. But its like a great chocolate bar rather than the amazing three course meal that the original provides.

The band themselves are rather dismissive of the track despite its popularity among their fans.

The structure of this is fascinating. It hinges around that turning point midway through instead of a verse/chorus structure. How did that come together?

COOK: Yeah, the chorus never really arrives, does it? That one started off with some chords Martin came up with on the guitar — lots of open string droning, simple kinds of shapes. I guess the end dancey section, when it kicks in, was kind of a joke. We were taking the piss out of trance music — those fist-punching arena dance acts. That’s one of the things I really like about the early Chvrches stuff: We were just trying to make each other laugh. A lot of the time, those ideas ended up staying because they worked.

DOHERTY: I thought it was so absurd that we could have this honest and overwrought and beautiful and sad front of the song, and then have a Euphoria [breakdown]. There used to be these mix CDs in the UK called Euphoria that were hardcore trance records. I loved them. When I hear trance records, even the ones people think are the corniest, some of them still get me in the feelings. That was a $20 VST synth [on “Tether”] with a funny little arpeggiator on it. We thought, “Wouldn’t it be really funny if we just had a mad trance moment at the end of this song?” And it ended up working!

MAYBERRY: Your original lyrics for that were really cool. The pre-chorus was about Laura Palmer: “Wrapped in plastic/ Why’d you water the dead flowers?” It was a Twin Peaks concept piece. And we kept the cool, creepier lines from those original lyrics. I like that it feels slightly more emotive, maybe, but it still sits in that eerie, strange universe.

COOK: There’s something creepy about it, isn’t there? In the harmonies!

MAYBERRY: Yeah! The harmonies are so weird. I feel bad — whenever I perform it live, I have to take them totally out of my ears because it messes with my pitch too much.

COOK: I feel like we accidentally pitched them up to the wrong interval, and it created this really weird dissonance. And then I think you took that and rounded off a few of the notes to make it work, but kept the weird intervals in there too.

MAYBERRY: If they were more traditional harmonies, they would lose all that edginess. Happy accident!

COOK: And then it goes into a big trance bit at the end! For no apparent reason!

MAYBERRY: But then you get to do cool guitar stuff in that. Live, that’s always really good. And then I’ve got nothing to do for ages, so I just… [mimes punching the air].

As a tribute to the scene?

MAYBERRY: If you’re gonna lift from it, you should pay homage.

FIN

 

[-OZ-]

Blue October

-OZ-

Calling You - 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

initially released in 2003 as the only single from the album history for sale, peaking at number 35 on the top 40 chart. It later gained a resurgence of popularity and radio play after it was included on the American Wedding soundtrack.
You might recognize the chorus, as a snippet was played on Hate Me way back at 31, before the mother starts talking, women can be heard singing a portion of the chorus from this song, and two lines are spoken in the chorus of "X-Amount of Words". The women singing the song are Justin and Jeremy Furstenfeld's mother and her coworkers singing along to "Calling You" in a voicemail to Justin when they heard the song playing on the radio at their office.

I played this song way too often while in Iraq back in 2008. It really hit then, still does.

There's something that I can't quite explain
I'm so in love with you
You'll never take that away
And if I've said it a hundred times before
Expect a thousand more
You'll never take that away

Well expect me to be
Calling you to see
If you're OK when I'm not around
Asking "if you love me"
I love the way you make it sound
Calling you to see
Do I try too hard to make you smile?
To make us smile

I thought that the world had lost it's sway
(It's so hard sometimes)
Then I fell in love with you
(Then came you)
And you took that away
(It's not so difficult)
(The world is not so difficult)
You take away the old
Show me the new
And I feel like I can fly when I stand next to you
So while I'm on this phone
A hundred miles from home
I'll take the words you gave me and send them back to you

I will keep calling you to see
If you're sleeping, are you dreaming
If you're dreaming, are you dreaming of me
I can't believe you actually picked me

 

[Yo Mama]

STP #1 - Plush
Album - Core (1992)

Chalk, chalk, chalk, chalkity chalk. I don’t care. This is the song that blew up and put the band on the map. One of the biggest rock hits of the era, it won them a Grammy and a MTV video award. We started off the playlist with the acoustic version, and it’s fitting to end with this as #1.

Even though I’ve heard this a gazillion times, I still can’t restrain myself from loudly singing along. Even though I didn’t know all the correct words until the acoustic version came out, it still was always a great sing along for me.

In fact, it makes my Mount Rushmore for songs I’ve sung along to the most despite not knowing all the lyrics and frequently making up my own words:

STP - Plush

Alice In Chains - Would?

Pearl Jam - Evenflow (actually a bunch of their songs fit this category)

and of course

Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes (although after a million listens I think I finally know all the lyrics)


That’s All Folks!

 

[Mister CIA]

For those interested in the entire Andrew Bird playlist from start to finish, here it is. A lot of great songs missed the cut.

Andrew Bird

Playlist · originalsynapse · 31 items · 4 saves

open.spotify.com

 

[Zegras11]

Susanna Hoffs Playlist

Susanna Hoffs

Zegras11

Walk Like An Egyptian Walk Like an Egyptian Song · The Bangles · 1986 open.spotify.com

Hazy Shade Of Winter Hazy Shade of Winter Song · The Bangles · 1990 open.spotify.com

And Your Bird Can Sing And Your Bird Can Sing Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · Under The Covers Vol. 1 · Song · 2006 open.spotify.com

Manic Monday Manic Monday Song · The Bangles · 1986 open.spotify.com

Cinnamon Girl Cinnamon Girl Song · Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · 2006 open.spotify.com

If She Knew What She Wants If She Knew What She Wants The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs · Different Light (Expanded Edition) · Song · 1986 open.spotify.com

Girls Talk

Second Hand News Second Hand News Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · Under The Covers Vol. 2 · Song · 2009 open.spotify.com

Something That You Said Something That You Said - Jeremy Wheatley Mix The Bangles · Doll Revolution · Song · 2003 open.spotify.com

In A Different Light In a Different Light The Bangles · Different Light (Expanded Edition) · Song · 1986 open.spotify.com

In Your Room In Your Room Song · The Bangles · 1988 open.spotify.com

Tear Off Your Own Head Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) Song · The Bangles · 2003 open.spotify.com

Go All The Way Go All The Way Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · Under The Covers Vol. 2 · Song · 2009 open.spotify.com

Hero Takes A Fall Hero Takes a Fall - Single Remix Song · The Bangles · 1984 open.spotify.com

Walking Down Your Street Walking Down Your Street Song · The Bangles · 1986 open.spotify.com

Going Down to Liverpool Going Down to Liverpool Song · The Bangles · 1984 open.spotify.com

Be With You Be With You - Single Mix The Bangles · Everything · Song · 1988 open.spotify.com

You're So Vain You're So Vain Song · Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · 2009 open.spotify.com

Different Drum Different Drum Song · Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · 2006 open.spotify.com

Crash and Burn Crash And Burn The Bangles · Everything · Song · 1988 open.spotify.com

Something To Believe In Something To Believe In Song · The Bangles · 1988 open.spotify.com

Silent Treatment Silent Treatment Song · The Bangles · 1984 open.spotify.com

Where Were You When I Needed You Where Were You When I Needed You Song · The Bangles · 1984 open.spotify.com

Run To Me Run To Me Song · Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · 2006 open.spotify.com

Everything I Own Everything I Own Song · Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · 2009 open.spotify.com

Stuck In The MIddle With You Stuck In The Middle With You Susanna Hoffs · Susanna Hoffs · Song · 1996 open.spotify.com

Eternal Flame Eternal Flame The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs · Everything · Song · 1988 open.spotify.com

More Than This More Than This Susanna Hoffs, Matthew Sweet · Under The Covers, Vol. 3 · Song · 2013 open.spotify.com

This Time This Time Song · Susanna Hoffs · 1991 open.spotify.com

Raining Raining Susanna Hoffs · Someday · Song · 2012 open.spotify.com

Under My Thumb Under My Thumb Susanna Hoffs · The Deep End · Song · 2023 open.spotify.com

 

[Yo Mama]

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS TOP 31

Spotify Playlist:

STP Top 31

Playlist · bigjoel31 · 31 items

open.spotify.com

1 - Plush
2 - Vaseline
3 - Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart
4 - Big Empty
5 - Wicked Garden
6 - Interstate Love Song
7 - Sex Type Thing
8 - And So I Know
9 - Dancing Days *
10 - Crackerman
11 - Days of the Week
12 - Sour Girl
13 - Sin
14 - Hello It’s Late
15 - Pretty Penny
16 - Wonderful
17 - Tumble in the Rough
18 - Still Remains
19 - A Song for Sleeping
20 - Lady Picture Show
21 - Unglued
22 - Naked Sunday
23 - Too Cool Queenie
24 - Creep **
25 - Lounge Fly
26 - Dead & Bloated
27 - Adhesive
28 - All in the Suit That You Wear
29 - Atlanta
30 - Big Bang Baby
31 - Plush ***

Core (1992)
Purple (1994)
Tiny Music . . . (1996)
No. 4 (1999)
Shanghai-La Dee Da (2001)
Other / Previously Unreleased

* Purple bonus track
** MTV Unplugged version
*** Acoustic version

 

[Scoresman]

The Tea Party have been notified and all of Canada is waiting for the final medal board count.

In the meantime, here is the playlist.

Anmelden - Spotify

open.spotify.com

 

[Pip's Invitation]

1. Young and Dumb
Album: non-album A-side (1972)
Writer: Ike Turner
Lead vocals: Jean Millington

It's REALLY hard to match Tina Turner. But that is what Fanny did on their greatest performance.

Soon after being introduced to Fanny via the Beat-Club version of Special Care, I came across the Beat-Club version of their cover of Ike and Tina Turner's Young and Dumb. I was absolutely stunned. I thought then, and still do, that it sounded like an ungodly combination of Black Sabbath being fronted by Janis Joplin. That is how vigorous and passionate Jean Millington's vocal is, and how heavy and mindblowing the band's performance is.

I was baffled as to why it didn't appear on any of their five albums. That as much as anything tells you how much their label, management and producers misunderstood them. They did record a studio version in 1972, in a one-off session separate from those for the Fanny Hill album, and released it as a non-album single. It did not chart and, according to drummer Alice de Buhr, was banned by the BBC for being "too provocative." It did not appear on an album until the release of the box set in 2002, and later appeared as a bonus track on the deluxe version of Fanny Hill.

For those of you who read my post when I selected this in the covers countdown (that is, none of you), you may remember that I said that one of the greatest ironies of Fanny's career is that their greatest performance came on a song written by one of the biggest sexists in music, Ike Turner. The song is even more a testament to the power of female sexuality and assertiveness than Seven Roads (my #4 song) is, and its lyrics leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.

I've got too much time on my hands
I've gotta find me a Superman
And when I get him in my bedroom alone
He'll never wanna go back home

'Cause I'm a hot lovin', good lovin'
Sweet lovin' woman and I know how to love

Young, dumb, full of, come on to me (x3)
I've gotta find someone, find someone to love

Ike and Tina's version appears on their 1970 album Come Together (yes, the title track is a Beatles cover). It begins with a march-like flourish -- fans of the hi-hat will want to hear this -- before Tina starts doing her thing, starting off subtle by her standards before she lets loose during the title phrase while Ike stabs away at his guitar. For the second half of the song, Tina sings around the beat before plowing through the title phrase again. It's an excellent performance but not in their top tier of recordings, which is probably why it was relegated to an album track.

Fanny's version -- particularly the Beat-Club rendition, which is represented on the playlist -- doesn't try to do exactly what Ike and Tina did but takes some elements of the original and turns them up to 11. The heaviness is apparent immediately, as their cover opens with bursts of guitar and organ and then Jean and de Buhr lay down the heaviest of rhythms. The transition into the "I would work/Slave all day/Til that right man/Comes my way" verse is one of the most triumphant musical passages the band achieved, with June Millington offering some of her heaviest power chords while everyone else plays as hard as anything the guys from Cream laid down a few years earlier. June's guitar solo is probably the closest the band ever got to what would become heavy metal and Nickey Barclay's organ flourishes underneath it push everyone to get even heavier. Out of this, we get the most raw and fevered vocal passage of Jean's career, which really does sound like it could pass for Joplin -- I hear touches of Steve Marriott in there too. As she wails "I need you, baby" and so on, Fanny again cranks hard on one of patented outstanding codas. When it's over, smoke will be coming out of your ears.

The band had added Young and Dumb to their live sets by January 1971. We know this from an Alice de Buhr diary entry from Jan. 6, 1971 that was posted on Youtube 2 weeks ago. It says: "Practice was much better today, after publicity shots with Don Lewis. We listened back to the tape of us at the Whiskey, and I really got a lot from it. There were parts in some songs where I'm still playing too much, and messing up the flavor of the tune. Nickey was in a bad humor, but we pierced through the bullsh!t and got a lot done on 'Young and Dumb' and 'Place in the Country.'" Her note about it today says: "I’m turning 75 this year, and while I’ve always said my 'sappy' journal pages would never see the light of day, my vanity is much more in the rear window… so, I figured, what the hell? Why not? The Way It Was: January 6, 1971. I didn’t remember that we’d started playing 'Young & Dumb' this early in our time together, but I am SO glad we did. I loved playing that song. Nickey’s 'Place in the Country' was another favorite of mine and a b!tch to play, but I’m proud of what we all chose to play to make this song so special."

The song remained in their setlists at least until de Buhr and June Millington left the band in late 1973, and sometimes segued out of their cover of Cream's Badge (#14 on my list).

Original: https://open.spotify.com/track/4g9WS4yBhMD2aUv4wLjDfR?si=c58e51392b9745ac

Studio version: https://open.spotify.com/track/0GOcuA5ce2mOZKFDvRWIcH?si=3cbdff8274f74d62
Live in Philadelphia in 1973 (appears on box set): https://open.spotify.com/track/7k8RiUziGVW6rl8uykiALN?si=4931a0bab54344c5
Is this version from French TV in 1972 even better than the Beat-Club version? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD2pjFEpX-M

Thank you all for going on this odyssey with me. I hope I've helped convince you how much the music world missed out by not appreciating Fanny during their time.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Uruk-Hai is away and asked me to write up his highest-ranking EWF song. So, here goes.

1". That's the Way of the World

Uruk told me this: "I don't think it's their "best", but I have "That's The Way Of The World" at #1. Maurice White called it their national anthem and that's good enough for me."

Some bands are lucky enough to have a song that resonates so deeply with their fanbase that they continue to get overwhelmed with emotion when they hear it even decades later. That's the Way of the World is that song for EWF.

It is the title track of and second single from the 1975 album that changed their career. EWF had grown steadily in popularity with each album, but That's the Way of the World put them in the very top tier of musical acts, where they stayed until the early '80s.

What casual listeners may not know is that That's the Way of the World is actually a soundtrack album. The movie, produced by the people behind Superfly, stars Harvey Keitel as a record producer and EWF itself as the band he covets. However, when the band saw a cut of the film, they were convinced it would bomb (which it did), so they released the soundtrack in advance of the film, so it would stand on its own and not be associated with the flick. That was a great decision, as audiences immediately embraced the record, sending it (and its first single, Shining Star) to #1 on the pop and R&B charts, and the title track to #12 pop and #5 R&B.

The title track, written by frontman Maurice White, bassist Verdine White and producer Charles Stepney, is some of the smoothest, most emotional R&B anyone offered in the '70s. Verdine's melodic bass and Larry Dunn's delicate electric piano set the tone for Philip Bailey's soaring vocals at the beginning, after which Maurice comes in and the two engage in dazzling interplay. The guitar solo by Al McKay is mellow and lyrical without ever devolving into snoozy territory.

As with many EWF songs, the lyrics are a major part of the tune's enduring appeal. It's basically a distillation of Maurice White's entire philosophy: Stay positive no matter what life throws at you.

We come together on this special day
Sing our message loud and clear
Looking back, we've touched on sorrowful days (well)
Future, past, they disappear

You will find (you fill find) peace of mind (yeah)
If you look way down in your heart and soul
Don't hesitate 'cause the world seems cold
Stay young at heart
Ah, 'cause you're never, never old at heart

Ethereal, sophisticated and uplifting: That's the Way of the World is the peak of what a certain form of R&B -- call it Quiet Storm if you want -- had to offer in the '70s.

As an aside, I'd love to know the story behind the That's The Way Of The World album cover. It's like the band were instructed to freak out just before the shot was taken. Dunn's expression of "what the HELL is going on here?" is hilarious. It also happens that the five members on the front cover -- McKay, Maurice White, Bailey, Verdine White and Dunn -- are the five that were inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. (The other four members are on the back cover.)

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Strand of Oaks.PIP Moon Landing
Album: Eraserland (2019)

Moon Landing

Song · Strand of Oaks · 2019

open.spotify.com

This song pushes so many of my pleasure buttons that I decided to write about it after Eephus told me it wasn't on his Strand of Oaks list. He didn't want to overload his list with songs from Eraserland, and I get that. There's a ton of strong material on that album, one I am drawn to because Tim is backed by 4/5 of My Morning Jacket, one of my favorite bands.

Despite coming in at less than 5 minutes, Moon Landing is an absolute epic on the order of Bob Dylan's Hurricane and Wilco's Spiders (Kidsmoke) -- it shares a similar kind of passionate vocal with the former and similar bursts of guitar at the end of the verses like the latter. The opening blasts of guitar and organ announce that you are going for a hell of a ride, and the twists and turns of the bass take you on that journey.

Tim sings with absolute command, but the lyrics, which might be references to personal incidents, are so random that the vocal conveys someone becoming unhinged. The music is similar because it evokes controlled chaos. Some of my favorite songs are those that build up tons of momentum and seem like they will careen out of control, but don't. That's the feeling here in spades, same as with Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey, Immigrant Song and others.

And how can you not love a song that references Malcolm Young and Buzz Aldrin, apparently randomly -- but they are two of the most renowned second bananas, so maybe not randomly.

Malcolm Young died some time late last year
I thought about his rhythm and I dreamed about his gear
Didn't no reverb, didn't care about trends
Held it down tight till the bitter, bitter end

I wrote this song with 35 lives
Walking on a beach, beyond space and time
The waves came crashing and the fog was rolling in
And I wondered if I'd get invited to the party again

Mid-way through the night, well beyond sleep
I became the cynic, all at once I felt relieved
Change your name, better open up the store
Sell out the show, why do you look so bored?

Producers cost money and your wife pays the rent
You told me in the bar, go ahead and have your kids
Do the math, watch the news
Bonfires keep burning, it's just me and you

I think about Carter and I think about Chris
Deven found a band that makes a lot more sense
Bobby's singing prophet with the futuristic eyes
I'm sorry how it ended, I was too dumb to try

Full kitchen for hard love, got your seeds and stems
Just be a better husband, you can be a better friend
Smile at the sun and bark at the moon
It's okay to feel happy, you got nothing, nothing to lose

Tide's coming in now and you're running out of land
A clever metaphor, something slipping through my hand
It's less about this music and more about the need
To prove you were right for chasing your dream

Cornell was born on the 20th of July
Same day I was born back in '82
Same day Neil Armstrong took Buzz's spot on the moon
Sometimes you get there first

 

[falguy]

Here's a link to my April Wine playlist. I expect some of these won't work outside of Canada so if someone points them out to me I can find a different link to the song. or, better yet, you send me a link that works for you and I'll use that.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7zBbaYjb23xauNUNXjJwXH?si=3655e9eb71be4cfd

Thank you, again, to the organizers - namely Zegras and Kupcho. We appreciate all you do to make this happen.

It was without a doubt, the best one for my listening pleasure.

I'll recap the 1s at some point but didn't have a chance today.


For any lurkers, Here's a sampling of 5 April Wine songs to showcase their versatility a bit. 5 songs off 5 different albums. Tried to pick songs that would not be known to you.

Wanna Rock - Off their biggest album (The Nature of The Beast) but not one of the big hits off it (Sign Of The Gypsy Queen and Just Between You and Me would be ones you may already know)

- 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

Mama Laye - Forever For Now

- 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

You Could Have Been a Lady - On Record

- 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

Before The Dawn - Harder...Faster

- 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

Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love - Stand Back. There are a number of cool songs on this album (Don't Push Me Around, Slow Poke to name a couple) but they are a great ballad band so I wanted to include one Here

- 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

 

[zamboni]

I'll do my writeup for Surf's Up over the weekend, but in the meantime, thanks a ton to Zegras and all the helpers. Always a fun and learning experience with these.

 

[zamboni]

Before The Dawn - Harder...Faster

- 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

falguy and I were having some offline chats about this one - glad it made his #1 as it was my #2 for AW (not that I have nearly the depth of knowledge in their material as falguy does). Love Brian Greenway's voice and shredding here.

Another video recorded at the same legendary Le Studio mentioned awhile back.

 

[-OZ-]

Like others said, thanks to the organizers!
I really like these countdowns. I don’t always like all the music but finding new stuff is great! This time I learned of a few I’ll follow more and my likes playlist is close to 280 songs.

 

[simey]

Little Bird

This song was written by Jerry Jeff, and it first appears on his 1968 album Mr. Bojangles. My favorite version is in the above link and on the playlist, and it is on his 1989 album Live at Gruene Hall. I also like his faster version on his Viva Terlingua! album. I didn't list my songs in order of favorites, but a few all-time favorites have shown up in the final 10. In reading a lot of interviews, several of his peers said that Jerry Jeff was a folk singer at heart, so I decided to make my final song in the countdown one of his folk songs, and it only seemed fitting to chose one that is done live since that is how he loved to do his music. Little Bird is one of my all-time favorites, and in describing it Jerry Jeff said, "It was about an early love thing, about having it and it drifts apart. One morning I woke up in Dallas, in the 1960s, and it was raining, and a bird was on the windowsill. I grabbed my guitar and started picking, and I was kind of watching my reflection on the window and the bird. That started it all. The bird became something that flies back and forth between me and her.”

And a picture of my face reflected on the pane
Is it tears or is it rain

Thanks to those who listened to Jerry Jeff Walker and gave him a chance. Thanks also to Zegras and KP for making this countdown happen.

JJW Playlist

 

[Mt. Man]

Ronnie James Dio #1
Artist: Dio
Song: The Last in Line (off The Last in Line, 1984)

(music video) Dio - The Last In Line (Official Music Video) - YouTube
(Live Version) The Last in Line- Live in London

We're a ship without a storm
The cold without the warm
Light inside the darkness that it needs, yeah
We're a laugh without a tear
The hope without the fear
We are coming
Hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome*

*Length of holding the word estimated

Multiple choice time. I chose this song as my #1 because:
A) I honestly think it deserves it
B) Just to be a little different
C) So it could be the last song on the playlist
D) All of the above.

The answer’s hopefully D, but of course I’ve got to tease myself with B (as if I didn’t enjoy matching with people in other M-ADs) and do wonder if C’s doing some heavy lifting. Part of the journey was discovering what my current favorite song with Dio involved was, and the answer might well be “Man on the Silver Mountain”. That all said, no regrets with having this here.There’s just some personal connection to keep it very high for me.

Anyway, one last (ha?) music video for you. Featuring a teenager on a bike who pulls into a building to make a delivery. Only to get stuck on an elevator which then falls downward far more floors than it rose, leaving the boy stranded in some strange land populated by a mix of creatures. It gets a little weird from there.

At heart, this song is a song for the underdog. About the darkness people face in the world, and have to overcome. A search for truth, thoughts about the blurred lines between good (or divine, if you will) and evil. But, to paraphrase Dio himself, it’s a song about strength and perseverance, about the pride of overcoming challenges.

With that, thanks for reading. Thanks for listening. Thanks for the comments, even if you struggled with the genre. Playlist below. Last 5 out, a song I accidentally left out, and then 31-1, from We Rock to The Last in Line. A bit of a retrospective into one man’s life, as well as the company he kept along the way. *flashes twin devil horns*

MA-D Round 3: Dio

Playlist · cheveldae · 37 items · 1 saves

open.spotify.com

 

[KarmaPolice]

#1 PRIVATE LIFE

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

www.youtube.com

My favorite song from one of my new favorite bands. Like I said in the beginning, this was the 80s sound I've been looking to listen to more of. In the last few years I've been getting into more Devo, The Cars, and Duran Duran because of our FFA musical adventures. I am so glad I decided to give Oingo Boingo a try last December as I looked for new stuff to get into. I loved the sound of the Nothing to Fear album the most and here we have odd isolated Elfman which I like the best, so here we are. Just doing a brief scan after I finished my playlist, I get the feeling my top 10 is not a typical Oingo top 10. I'd be interested in thoughts from anybody who knew them way more as to what I might have missed.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Here's a link to my April Wine playlist. I expect some of these won't work outside of Canada so if someone points them out to me I can find a different link to the song. or, better yet, you send me a link that works for you and I'll use that.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7zBbaYjb23xauNUNXjJwXH?si=3655e9eb71be4cfd

Thank you, again, to the organizers - namely Zegras and Kupcho. We appreciate all you do to make this happen.

It was without a doubt, the best one for my listening pleasure.

I'll recap the 1s at some point but didn't have a chance today.


For any lurkers, Here's a sampling of 5 April Wine songs to showcase their versatility a bit. 5 songs off 5 different albums. Tried to pick songs that would not be known to you.

Wanna Rock - Off their biggest album (The Nature of The Beast) but not one of the big hits off it (Sign Of The Gypsy Queen and Just Between You and Me would be ones you may already know)

- 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

Mama Laye - Forever For Now

- 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

You Could Have Been a Lady - On Record

- 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

Before The Dawn - Harder...Faster

- 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

Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love - Stand Back. There are a number of cool songs on this album (Don't Push Me Around, Slow Poke to name a couple) but they are a great ballad band so I wanted to include one Here

- 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

Yeah, there are a handful that are greyed out. I can put together a list using the links in the playlists I used.

 

[-OZ-]

As an aside, did anyone else think HTF did this go by already? It seems like yesterday we were at the Gulf of Mexico and I was picking my band. Now in two weeks we’re headed to Hilton head. This was a good extra spark to the summer.

 

[KarmaPolice]

As an aside, did anyone else think HTF did this go by already? It seems like yesterday we were at the Gulf of Mexico and I was picking my band. Now in two weeks we’re headed to Hilton head. This was a good extra spark to the summer.

100%. It felt like the last 10-15 rounds flew by.

 

[Zegras11]

Here's a link to my April Wine playlist. I expect some of these won't work outside of Canada so if someone points them out to me I can find a different link to the song. or, better yet, you send me a link that works for you and I'll use that.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7zBbaYjb23xauNUNXjJwXH?si=3655e9eb71be4cfd

Thank you, again, to the organizers - namely Zegras and Kupcho. We appreciate all you do to make this happen.

It was without a doubt, the best one for my listening pleasure.

I'll recap the 1s at some point but didn't have a chance today.


For any lurkers, Here's a sampling of 5 April Wine songs to showcase their versatility a bit. 5 songs off 5 different albums. Tried to pick songs that would not be known to you.

Wanna Rock - Off their biggest album (The Nature of The Beast) but not one of the big hits off it (Sign Of The Gypsy Queen and Just Between You and Me would be ones you may already know)

- 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

Mama Laye - Forever For Now

- 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

You Could Have Been a Lady - On Record

- 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

Before The Dawn - Harder...Faster

- 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

Tonight is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love - Stand Back. There are a number of cool songs on this album (Don't Push Me Around, Slow Poke to name a couple) but they are a great ballad band so I wanted to include one Here

- YouTube

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

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Yeah, there are a handful that are greyed out. I can put together a list using the links in the playlists I used.

April Wine

Falguy

Before The Dawn Before the Dawn Song · April Wine · 1979 open.spotify.com - 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

Say Hello Say Hello Song · April Wine · 1979 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Sign of the Gypsy Queen Sign of the Gypsy Queen April Wine · The Nature of the Beast · Song · 1981 open.spotify.com Sign of the Gypsy Queen Provided to YouTube by Aquarius Records Ltd.Sign of the Gypsy Queen · April WineThe Nature of the Beast℗ 1981 Aquarius RecordsReleased on: 1981-01-01Main Ar... www.youtube.com

Oowatanite Oowatanite Song · April Wine · 1975 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Weeping Widow Weeping Widow Song · April Wine · 1973 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Roller Roller April Wine · First Glance · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com - 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

You Could Have Been A Lady You Could Have Been a Lady Song · April Wine · 1972 open.spotify.com - 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

Just Between You and Me Just Between You and Me April Wine · The Nature of the Beast · Song · 1981 open.spotify.com Just Between You and Me Provided to YouTube by Aquarius Records Ltd.Just Between You and Me · April WineThe Nature of the Beast℗ 1981 Aquarius RecordsReleased on: 1981-01-01Main Ar... www.youtube.com

Tonite Tonite Song · April Wine · 1979 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Bad Side of the Moon Bad Side of the Moon April Wine · On Record · Song · 1972 open.spotify.com - 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

I Like to Rock I Like to Rock Song · April Wine · 1979 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

You Won't Dance With Me You Won't Dance With Me Song · April Wine · 1991 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Enough Is Enough Enough Is Enough April Wine · Power Play · Song · 1983 open.spotify.com - 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

Tonite Is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love Tonite Is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love Song · April Wine · 1975 open.spotify.com - 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

Anything You Want, You Got It Anything You Want, You Got It Song · April Wine · 1983 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Tell Me Why Tell Me Why Song · April Wine · 1983 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Wanna Rock Wanna Rock Song · April Wine · 1981 open.spotify.com - 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

Don't Push Me Around Don't Push Me Around Song · April Wine · 1975 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Like a Lover, Like a Song Like a Lover, Like a Song April Wine · The Whole World's Goin' Crazy · Song · 1976 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Rock n' Roll is a Vicious Game Rock n' Roll Is a Vicious Game April Wine · First Glance · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com - 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

21st Century Schizoid Man 21st Century Schizoid Man April Wine · Harder.....Faster · Song · 1979 open.spotify.com 21st Century Schizoid Man Provided to YouTube by Aquarius Records Ltd.21st Century Schizoid Man · April WineHarder.....Faster℗ 1979 Aquarius RecordsReleased on: 1979-01-01Main Artist... www.youtube.com

I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love Song · April Wine · 1975 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

All Over Town All over Town Song · April Wine · 1981 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Holly Would Holly Would Song · April Wine · 1977 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Ladies Man Ladies Man Song · April Wine · 1979 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Child's Garden Child's Garden Song · April Wine · 1977 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Mama Laye Mama Laye Song · April Wine · 1977 open.spotify.com - 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

Slow Poke Slowpoke Song · April Wine · 1975 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

Lady Run, Lady Hide Lady Run, Lady Hide Song · April Wine · 1973 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

This Could Be the Right One This Could Be the Right One Song · April Wine · 1984 open.spotify.com - YouTube Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen. www.youtube.com

The Band Has Just Begun The Band Has Just Begun April Wine · Electric Jewels · Song · 1973 open.spotify.com - 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

 

[Charlie Steiner]

1. Thanks to everyone for their selections; I was reminded yet again of how little of the music world I've allowed myself to experience. It was also nice reconnecting with some long lost favorites, especially Sweet, EWF and April Wine. Iron and Wine reminded me that I'm still a sucker for a well-deployed banjo riff, and Steve Albini was a revelation. The ones not just mentioned were noticed as well and I may go back to re-listen without the pressure of needing to stay current.

2. Before I give my last write-up, I want to admit that I was both surprised and gratified by the feedback I got for so many of my selections. I was on a bit of an island about them when I was young, so it's nice to hear they meant something to others as well.

3. Finally, my last write-up and closing thoughts:

1. Say it with Love (Keys of the Kingdom, 1991)

Perhaps it was out of morbid curiosity or maybe just my stubbornness in wanting to see things to their end, I bought this album on cassette when it came out, and though it failed to have any kind of commercial success, I felt it was a return to form to a degree. Flautist/singer Ray Thomas, who did not appear at all on the previous album, returned, which I think helped the overall tone of this one.

Also of note regarding this album was that during its production, Patrick Moraz very publicly aired some grievances in an interview with Keyboard magazine, opining that the group had become stagnant, offered no musical challenge, none of the other band members wanted to use his material and that his only composition in his 13 years with them was "half a song with the drummer." Moraz was soon fired from the band, so he took them to court for back royalties, though the rest of the band claimed he was never actually a member of the band and rather only a hired musician. The case was aired on Court TV, and of the $500,000 he sought, he was awarded $77,175.

Though they would release one more album of new material in 1999, I've never listened to a single note, so the list concludes with this song because I think it's a great final message to the world from the band. Where they began their hiatus with a more defensive "I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band), here they ride off into the sunset with a more on-brand hippie vibe.

Although they no longer recorded material in the studio after 1999, the Moodies continued to tour through several more personnel changes: founding member Ray Thomas retired in 2002, passing away in 2018, just before the band's election into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both Thomas and Moraz were replaced for touring but their replacements were never made official members of the band. Drummer Graeme Edge passed away in 2021, and with Mike Pinder's passing a few months ago, only Hayward and Lodge remain with us at the time of this list.


A word from the author

Doing the write-ups for these songs rekindled my enjoyment of the Moodies' songs, particularly their earlier material, as most of what I wrote was new-to-me information. The fully collaborative nature of their early work not only gave them their best shot at success, it also helped them somewhat live the communal, hippie ethos they sang about. I came into compiling this list in a somewhat cynical mindset regarding their latter work, but as I learned more about their career, I softened my stance and respect them for learning to carry on without Mike Pinder and move forward to attract a new generation of fans. Present company included...?