Middle Aged Dummies - Artist - Round 5 - #1's have been posted. Link in OP. (45 Viewers)

[KarmaPolice]

#1: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - HERE, FOR A GOOD TIME

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This song as the closer to the playlist was the plan all along. In all honesty I can't really give a true Top X songs, which is why I decided to chicken out and do my playlist the way I did. I feel hard enough for these dudes that I was having more trouble narrowing down songs than I had with other favorite groups like Radiohead and Opeth. It is a truly impressive feat they pulled off by calling their shot of doing 12 albums, sticking to it, and having their last album be as strong as this one is. Because that was the plan, it is a tad more emotional than ones before it with songs we've heard so far like Letter to My Son. I think the vibes on this one are a perfect end cap to their career and playlist because it's a fun tune and with the samples at the end the focus is on the two of them and their love for each other vs. shouting out family and friends so I went here. The section when Thes kicks in is some of my favorite of all their music, and it was one of the handful of songs that REALLY made me click with them and want to listen to everything. Perfect stuff for this middle age listener from a middle aged artist:

I'm only here for a short time so lets no confuse it
The goal is simple, yea everybody have fun
Let go of your anxiety you've already won
I mean we've only begun the night is young and we don't stop
So call me pinot grigio yo lets watch a flip or flop
Geez what kind of rapper watches hgtv
This one thes one and some can relate to me
A couple normal guys spreading love and some hiphop
Sincerely the P
P.s have fun and ya' don’t stop


Overall Sincerely, The P isn't my favorite album but it packs a punch as a planned retirement album, even more considering Double would be gone 2 years later. The Sound of a Memory is the last song they recorded and a great send off for the album and them as hip hop duo, but I personally liked a few others more. Others like Reach Out, Streetsweeper, and The Red Onion Wrap were some of the last waves of cuts as I painfully went from 100+ songs down to 31 for you all.

For anybody out there who liked even 1/2 the songs that they heard on my playlist, I can't encourage you enough to try a few albums. These cuts were painful, and could easily list 50 more songs in a playlist I think are every bit as good as what I ended up with on my playlist. The songs and references that clicked with me or made me laugh might be different than what clicks for you.

I focused on 9 albums of their 12, and I would personally rate them something like:

Tier 1: Carried Away, O.S.T, Fun DMC
Tier 2: Stepfather, Question in the Form of an Answer, Sincerely the P
Tier 3: The Next Step, Highlighter, 12 Step Program

Even that is nitpicking and those tiers are REALLY close. The minimum I would rate any of those 9 albums is 8/10. IMO all are top to bottom quality albums, and I can only think of one other band that has a 100% hit rate with me, and that is Opeth. That is quite the combo . As I posted above, who I have to thank is all of you for creating these weird music adventures and providing a reason to push myself to dig into things that have been hovering in the background for years, but I probably would have never gotten to if not for thinking of artists to present in this format. 2 years ago all I knew was barely one album in the background and now I have found what is probably a top 5-10 artist for me overall in a genre I seem to struggle with. I am not spoiling much as there is 0% chance they are showing up on the album countdown but Carried Away got a top 10 score for me, and I can't imagine not having these albums in my arsenal of albums going forward in life. Truly, thank you all!!!

Sincerely, KP.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I'm pretty sure I thought they were saying "It's still the music". I have no idea why that even made sense in my mind .

 

[Yo Mama]

Thanks @KarmaPolice for again doing great work on the lists!

Thanks to both of you. Great work.

Yes, thanks to you both!

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I'm pretty sure I thought they were saying "It's still the music". I have no idea why that even made sense in my mind .

To be fair, they sing “listen to the” so fast that it’s hard to tell what exactly they’re singing. I used to sing along with “whoa, whoa, it’s the music” before I learned the title.

 

[KarmaPolice]

NOW, time to get serious and even more emotional. For anybody remotely interested in these dudes, I also recommend the tribute album that Thes put out after Double K's passing in 2021. I have listened to a few interviews with them as a duo, but mostly Thes One after Double K's death and they hit me like few musician's deaths have. He struggled for a couple years, but in 2023 he put out an album that was a tone poem and tribute to his best friend of decades. I will link the album and an interview that I recommend for anybody interested in their story and the thought process that he had behind the album below. This absolutely destroyed me when I was doing my initial research, which was the reason the I was dragging my feet to re-listen to it to try to form a decent post about it and them as a duo. Both the interview and album are a tough listen given the context, but I still recommend anyway.

Ep. 149 - Thes-One ('Farewell, my friend' - in conversation)

The House List · Episode

open.spotify.com

Farewell, my friend.

Thes One · Album · 2023 · 10 songs

open.spotify.com

Thes said in that interview that he doesn't know if he will rap again. What he was going for on this album was a story through music he and they loved of him and Double K's life together, from the first time they met through the night he died. He went so far (explained better in the interview above) as to imagine the night he passed and what was going on in the room. It's better from him, but I will still highlight a few things:

• Double K had been calling around to a lot of people including Thes the week before he passed to check in with his friends. He called it the "homie check"
• Thes was one of the last people he talked to. In that conversation, he was bustin' Thes' balls for selling off albums during covid. (Thes was trying to get some money from albums during that time and was selling crap online.
• Thes wanted to surprise his best friend, so he packaged a bunch of those albums up and sent them overnight to Double K, including a sample that he had wanted for years right on top of the pile in the box.
• Said box was delivered to Double K after he passed and was on the porch untouched as they took his body from the house.
• On top of that, Thes tells a story that Mike fell asleep most nights to a P-Funk VHS tape from a Houston show (maybe @Uruk-Hai knows this??) most nights, and the night he passed - Jan 29th, 2021, was a night that lights were spotted over LA and he was going to joke with him that the Mothership came for him. What a weird coincidence , and the reason the penultimate song on said album is titled Midnight January 29th, The Mothership comes for Mike. Holy ****,
• I can't get through even 10secs of this album before bawling my eyes out because the first thing you hear is Double K's mom talking about them, their relationship, and how it was inevitable.

Again, thank you all!!! , but also also F you all for making me this emotional about about a group, their story, and their albums.

ETA: my daughter literally just came out as I posted all this with tears in my eyes, asking me if I was Ok. Yes, I am OK, but again thank you all for these weird music adventures and driving me to connect with music as strongly as I am I now. This is what it's all about....

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#1 - Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine​

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These Arms of Mine

Otis Redding · Pain in My Heart · Song · 1964

open.spotify.com

Comments sometimes from Wikipedia

JML Rank - #1
Krista4 Rank - #5 to 8
Uruk-Hai Rank - #2
Album - Pain in My Heart
Recorded - 1962
Is this a Cover? - No
Songwriter - Otis Redding
Notable Covers - Jerry Butler, Sam and Dave, Tiffany, The Proclaimers,

Comments - From wiki

Atlantic Records representative Joe Galkin was interested in working with guitarist Johnny Jenkins and proposed to send him to a Stax studio in Memphis. Jenkins, who attended disc jockey Hamp Swain's "The Teenage Party", saw Redding's performance with the backing band, but he was not satisfied with their performance. Subsequently, he offered Redding to help winning the contest; with his help he won several weeks in a row.[5] On the way to a gig, Redding drove for Jenkins, as the latter did not possess a driver's license.[6] Jenkins performed with house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. When that set ended early, Redding had the opportunity to perform. The first song was "Hey Hey Baby", but studio chief Jim Stewart thought it sounded too much like Little Richard. The next song was "These Arms of Mine", which featured Jenkins on guitar, Steve Cropper on piano, Lewie Steinberg on bass, Booker T. Jones on organ and Al Jackson Jr. on drums

When Redding performed the song "These Arms of Mine" during a session, featuring Jenkins on guitar and Cropper on piano, producer Jim Stewart praised his performance and noted, "Everybody was fixin' to go home, but Joe Galkin insisted we give Otis a listen. There was something different about [the ballad]. He really poured his soul into it.

The performance of the latter song was highly praised; Jim Stewart was so impressed that he offered Redding a contract to record for Stax Records of Memphis, Tennessee, which Redding signed soon afterward. "These Arms of Mine" became Redding's first-released Stax Records single, with "Hey Hey Baby" on its B-side. After a series of unnoticed numbers, the song "These Arms of Mine" became Redding's first successful single and sold around 800,000 copies.

Next Up - FIN

 

[Mt. Man]

The #2s was a fantastic playlist. I really had trouble thinning this down.

Selected Favorites:
Long Train Running - Doobie Brothers. My #1 from them.
Sissyneck - Beck
Stranger - Shack (/Michael Head)
Forget Me Not - Bad English (/John Waite)
Try A Little Tenderness - Otis Redding
The Tender Name - Cornershop
Alone Again Or - Love
Save It For Later - The English Beat
Captain Jack - Billy Joel
America - Neil Diamond

Small spotlight:

The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the bands I knew best coming in, and thus were more likely to be “saved” for near the top of the countdown. And so I’m rewarded with “Soma”, a slow, introspective song that kicks into high gear about halfway through, following up with a piercing guitar solo.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Thanks to zegras and KP for their hard work.

For me a special thanks to Krista and Uruk for indulging my wish to be collaborative.
Otis Redding is not usually someone I would listen to, so I was a little out of my depth. Their guidance solidified my thoughts.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

NOW, time to get serious and even more emotional. For anybody remotely interested in these dudes, I also recommend the tribute album that Thes put out after Double K's passing in 2021. I have listened to a few interviews with them as a duo, but mostly Thes One after Double K's death and they hit me like few musician's deaths have. He struggled for a couple years, but in 2023 he put out an album that was a tone poem and tribute to his best friend of decades. I will link the album and an interview that I recommend for anybody interested in their story and the thought process that he had behind the album below. This absolutely destroyed me when I was doing my initial research, which was the reason the I was dragging my feet to re-listen to it to try to form a decent post about it and them as a duo. Both the interview and album are a tough listen given the context, but I still recommend anyway.

Ep. 149 - Thes-One ('Farewell, my friend' - in conversation)

The House List · Episode

open.spotify.com

Farewell, my friend.

Thes One · Album · 2023 · 10 songs

open.spotify.com

Thes said in that interview that he doesn't know if he will rap again. What he was going for on this album was a story through music he and they loved of him and Double K's life together, from the first time they met through the night he died. He went so far (explained better in the interview above) as to imagine the night he passed and what was going on in the room. It's better from him, but I will still highlight a few things:

• Double K had been calling around to a lot of people including Thes the week before he passed to check in with his friends. He called it the "homie check"
• Thes was one of the last people he talked to. In that conversation, he was bustin' Thes' balls for selling off albums during covid. (Thes was trying to get some money from albums during that time and was selling crap online.
• Thes wanted to surprise his best friend, so he packaged a bunch of those albums up and sent them overnight to Double K, including a sample that he had wanted for years right on top of the pile in the box.
• Said box was delivered to Double K after he passed and was on the porch untouched as they took his body from the house.
• On top of that, Thes tells a story that Mike fell asleep most nights to a P-Funk VHS tape from a Houston show (maybe @Uruk-Hai knows this??) most nights, and the night he passed - Jan 29th, 2021, was a night that lights were spotted over LA and he was going to joke with him that the Mothership came for him. What a weird coincidence , and the reason the penultimate song on said album is titled Midnight January 29th, The Mothership comes for Mike. Holy ****,
• I can't get through even 10secs of this album before bawling my eyes out because the first thing you hear is Double K's mom talking about them, their relationship, and how it was inevitable.

Again, thank you all!!! , but also also F you all for making me this emotional about about a group, their story, and their albums. ;

ETA: my daughter literally just came out as I posted all this with tears in my eyes, asking me if I was Ok. Yes, I am OK, but again thank you all for these weird music adventures and driving me to connect with music as strongly as I am I now. This is what it's all about....

The Houston 1976 P-Funk show has clips all over the internet. Best version of “Cosmic Slop” I’ve ever heard.

 

[tuffnutt]

Vienna

My favorite Billy Joel Song.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Round 1 - Soolaimon/Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show - Neil DIamond

To finish the concert, we need an encore piece. This is from Hot August Night (1972). The latter song is from 1969, from the album of the same name.

Goodnight, America!

(And everyone else, too!)

 

[KarmaPolice]

BECK

ALBUM #1: SEA CHANGE
SONG: IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND

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As if I need an emotional 1-2 tonight, but here it is. 0 Surprise that Sea Change is my favorite Beck album. This one is a spoiler for the album countdown, but it got a top 5 score. I ****in' love this album, and this is my favorite song on the album. Once the cello kicks in I am forever hooked. A beautiful, sad, haunting song that nearly brings me to tears whenever I hear it. I know I keep saying I don't pay too much attention to lyrics, but here is an exception that always has stuck with me. One of the shortest songs on the album, but the chorus and 3rd verse has always hit me hard:

And I wanted to be
And I wanted to be
I wanted to be
Your good friend

[Verse 3]
Well, you're all scared and stiff
A sick, stolen gift
And the people you're with
They're all scared and stiff


NEXT: the bar is set really high for me now with MAD31 artists. I need at least 9 albums I love and if not a 100% album hit rate, it has to be damn near that percentage. Not sure if Aimee Mann get to that level, but minimum she gets a 13 of 14 score with me. Time to start painfully narrowing down these songs....

 

[tuffnutt]

1.

Poison Oak- Bright Eyes
from I'm Wide Awake and It's Morning (2005)

"Poison Oak" is a song Oberst wrote about his gay cousin, who killed himself. This, to me, encompasses what Conor Oberst is as an artist. Amazing, deeply personal lyrics, performed with such great emotion. The song is like a eulogy. Just a sad, but beautiful song.

Thanks for listening... I hope some of you found a connection with at least 1 or 2 songs.

thanks @Zegras11 and @KarmaPolice These music countdowns threads have become something that I look forward to.

 

[Yambag]

Smashing Pumpkins #1

Song: Disarm
Album: Siamese Dream

Summary: Disarm was the third single from Siamese Dream and to this day it gets me every single time I hear it. A great memory was seeing the Pumpkins in 2019 where Billy opened the show playing Disarm on his own with only an acoustic guitar. It was an amazing experience hearing it played in a pitch dark stadium that was silenced by such a simple performance.

Billy: “The reason I wrote Disarm was because I didn't have the guts to kill my parents, so I thought I'd get back at them through song. And rather than have an angry, angry, angry violent song I'd thought I'd write something beautiful and make them realize what tender feelings I have in my heart, and make them feel really bad for treating me like ****.”

Disarm you with a smile
And leave you like they left me here
To wither in denial
The bitterness of one who's left alone
Ooh, the years burn

 

[Charlie Steiner]

1. When I See You Smile (Bad English, 1989)

And so we end the countdown an high note. When I See You Smile reached #1 on the American and Canadian charts.

Full writing credits go not to anyone in the band and rather to behind-the-scenes Svengali of M-AD countdowns, Diane Warren, who has written for alums Chicago, Whitney Houston, Meat Loaf, The Pointer Sisters, Susanna Hoffs, and new members Belinda Carlisle, John Waite and Bad English, and the Doobie Brothers' own Michael McDonald.

Despite a second album that Rolling Stone preferred to the first, Bad English broke up and John returned to performing solo, a welcome change as he stated in later interviews that he was uncomfortable with the band's "corporate rock" image. From 1995-2011, he worked sporadically but also steadily, releasing 6 albums in that time. As these all came out during a period of change in my life (namely being 'born again', getting married and raising a family), my priorities had shifted away from keeping track of my favorite musical acts and I didn't know about any of these albums until researching this list. TBH, if you've listened to his songs from this countdown, you've gotten the gist of his work and a fair assessment of this period of his material is that it's typical John Waite, low-ceiling/high floor quality honest music that only moves the needle for his most ardent fans.

He still tours to this day, and fans of his from back in the day still enjoy his performances.

As a bonus track, here is his cover of a song few people would expect from him.

Closing thoughts:

My original intention for this countdown was very ambitious; I was going to add some flavor to the write ups by describing what my life was like during the time each of the songs on the countdown came out, but I quickly found that was too time-consuming and honestly superfluous to spirit of the countdown, so I dropped that after a few songs, and instead let he truth of John's music speak for itself. He has more talent than many, to be sure, but his career didn't lie about the quality of that talent, as his biggest songs were always written by someone else, while the better ones he wrote were enjoyable yet forgettable at the same time. Ultimately, he punched above his weight class, though I'm not sure he's ever recognized it.

Anyway, I'm humbled by the passion and knowledge of the write-ups and grateful to you all for sharing. I was reminded yet again of how little of the music world I've explored. I don't know how many songs from these lists I have added to my Spotify playlist, but I know that whenever one of them plays, I'm glad I added it.

Finally, thanks as always to @Zegras11 and @KarmaPolice for all the legwork. You guys are the engine that makes these threads go.