Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I'm only familiar with half that equation.
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Middle Aged Dummies - Artist - Round 5 - #25's have been posted. Link in OP. (34 Viewers)
- Thread starter Zegras11
- Start date
zamboni
Footballguy
The earliest Doobs don't get enough accolades - vintage Tom Johnston-era stuff here. And John Hartman is a scary mofo on that album cover.[td]The Doobie Brothers[/td][td]New Binky The Doormat[/td][td]Nobody
[/td]- 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
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Polythene Pam is a short 1 minute vignette in the Abbey Road medley. Highly recommend.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
"Nobody" has an interesting history -- it was released as a single three times.The earliest Doobs don't get enough accolades - vintage Tom Johnston-era stuff here. And John Hartman is a scary mofo on that album cover.[td]The Doobie Brothers[/td][td]New Binky The Doormat[/td][td]Nobody
[/td]- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
First as the debut single from their debut album. It failed to chart because the Doobies didn't catch on with the public until their second album.
Then as a standalone single in 1974 after the Tom Johnston version of the band had had a few hits. This time it made #58.
Then it was re-recorded for their 2010 album World Gone Crazy, and that version was released as the first single from that album.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Abbey Road?
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I think they do NOW, but - wait for it, because you know it's coming from me - Jann Wenner's acolytes dissed them at every turn back in the '70s as trash-pop.The earliest Doobs don't get enough accolades - vintage Tom Johnston-era stuff here. And John Hartman is a scary mofo on that album cover.[td]The Doobie Brothers[/td][td]New Binky The Doormat[/td][td]Nobody
[/td]- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
This was a good band through all of their iterations. I've never heard a song from them I didn't (at least) like a lot, no matter who was fronting it.
This isn't directed at you, zam - you know I love you and we've been having these discussions for decades here - but the "they were better before they got really famous" thing drives me crazy.
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Yes?
Eephus
Footballguy
Michael Head #31 - The Pale Fountains - "Reach" (1984)
The Pale Fountains were Head's first band, founded in Liverpool in 1980 while Mick was still a teenager. Their first singles came out in 1982 but the band had to wait two more years before the release of their first LP Pacific Street. It contained so much old material that Head later joked it was like a greatest hits album except it didn't have any hits. Pacific Street's commercial prospects probably weren't helped by a very curious choice of album art; the cover was a tinted photograph of a Hungarian freedom fighter from the 1956 revolution taken immediately after he had killed a group of Soviet collaborators.
"Reach" was the album's opening track. It begins with 45 seconds of Head's hushed vocals over a bongo drum before the melody jumps in with a rush of 80s optimism and a lovely chorus typical of Head's songwriting. The bridge introduces the trumpets which will be another recurring presence in this countdown. The horns were played by band member Andy Diagram who later headed up the M62 to join Manchester band James.
The Pale Fountains were Head's first band, founded in Liverpool in 1980 while Mick was still a teenager. Their first singles came out in 1982 but the band had to wait two more years before the release of their first LP Pacific Street. It contained so much old material that Head later joked it was like a greatest hits album except it didn't have any hits. Pacific Street's commercial prospects probably weren't helped by a very curious choice of album art; the cover was a tinted photograph of a Hungarian freedom fighter from the 1956 revolution taken immediately after he had killed a group of Soviet collaborators.
"Reach" was the album's opening track. It begins with 45 seconds of Head's hushed vocals over a bongo drum before the melody jumps in with a rush of 80s optimism and a lovely chorus typical of Head's songwriting. The bridge introduces the trumpets which will be another recurring presence in this countdown. The horns were played by band member Andy Diagram who later headed up the M62 to join Manchester band James.
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
Enjoyed this one as well.Michael Head #31 - The Pale Fountains - "Reach" (1984)
The Pale Fountains were Head's first band, founded in Liverpool in 1980 while Mick was still a teenager. Their first singles came out in 1982 but the band had to wait two more years before the release of their first LP Pacific Street. It contained so much old material that Head later joked it was like a greatest hits album except it didn't have any hits. Pacific Street's commercial prospects probably weren't helped by a very curious choice of album art; the cover was a tinted photograph of a Hungarian freedom fighter from the 1956 revolution taken immediately after he had killed a group of Soviet collaborators.
"Reach" was the album's opening track. It begins with 45 seconds of Head's hushed vocals over a bongo drum before the melody jumps in with a rush of 80s optimism and a lovely chorus typical of Head's songwriting. The bridge introduces the trumpets which will be another recurring presence in this countdown. The horns were played by band member Andy Diagram who later headed up the M62 to join Manchester band James.
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
I think a band can be great through out but still better either early or late.I think they do NOW, but - wait for it, because you know it's coming from me - Jann Wenner's acolytes dissed them at every turn back in the '70s as trash-pop.The earliest Doobs don't get enough accolades - vintage Tom Johnston-era stuff here. And John Hartman is a scary mofo on that album cover.[td]The Doobie Brothers[/td][td]New Binky The Doormat[/td][td]Nobody
[/td]- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
This was a good band through all of their iterations. I've never heard a song from them I didn't (at least) like a lot, no matter who was fronting it.
This isn't directed at you, zam - you know I love you and we've been having these discussions for decades here - but the "they were better before they got really famous" thing drives me crazy.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Three known-to-me favorites:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps -- The Beatles ft. Eric Clapton -- my #2 Beatles song
The Golden Age -- Beck -- I feel almost as strongly about this album as KP does, as it was released soon after my divorce and it was like he was inside my head
Nobody -- The Doobie Brothers -- it's an accident of timing that this wasn't one of their Johnston-era big hits; it deserved to be
Three new-to-me favorites:
Looking for Love -- The Babys -- a banger, indeed
Automatic Rainy Day -- The Go-Gos -- I knew they were less poppy when they started out but I didn't realize the level of quality
Four Thousand Days -- Luna -- an unusual rhythm that sticks in your head
While My Guitar Gently Weeps -- The Beatles ft. Eric Clapton -- my #2 Beatles song
The Golden Age -- Beck -- I feel almost as strongly about this album as KP does, as it was released soon after my divorce and it was like he was inside my head
Nobody -- The Doobie Brothers -- it's an accident of timing that this wasn't one of their Johnston-era big hits; it deserved to be
Three new-to-me favorites:
Looking for Love -- The Babys -- a banger, indeed
Automatic Rainy Day -- The Go-Gos -- I knew they were less poppy when they started out but I didn't realize the level of quality
Four Thousand Days -- Luna -- an unusual rhythm that sticks in your head
Chaos34
Footballguy
So pleased we've finally launched. Doing a single artist for the first time became obsessive. Maybe it was just this dude's vast, diversified and difficult to track down catalog, but thank goodness for something else today.
I'll link to live performances of several types going forward. It really is the best way to enjoy any virtuoso guitar player doing his or her thing.
John 5 and The Creatures say Howdy
When I saw he opened his shows with a song named Howdy, it seemed an obvious way to open my list. So I put it at 31 regardless of perhaps better tracks and worked on 30. In previews I've shared Jerry's Breakdown, Sugar Foot Rag and Hell Haw. This is along those lines. Chicken pickin' bluegrass from a metal shredder. In an interview he said filling a small venue with fans ready to rock and hearing them cheer loudly when he opens with this "puts a smile on his heart."
He uses a light attack on this piece that might remind you of Prince's fret work. Shortly before Prince left us he had his management reach out to John to see if he'd like collaborating. John can't say no, something you'll notice going forward, so what a shame.
John credits his childhood teacher Robert Gillespie for insisting he learn to read and write music, chicken pick and master western swing if he wanted to be a great player. He said they were the hardest things he ever learned. It's easier to tap like Eddie than chicken pick like Jerry Reed.
I'll link to live performances of several types going forward. It really is the best way to enjoy any virtuoso guitar player doing his or her thing.
John 5 and The Creatures say Howdy
When I saw he opened his shows with a song named Howdy, it seemed an obvious way to open my list. So I put it at 31 regardless of perhaps better tracks and worked on 30. In previews I've shared Jerry's Breakdown, Sugar Foot Rag and Hell Haw. This is along those lines. Chicken pickin' bluegrass from a metal shredder. In an interview he said filling a small venue with fans ready to rock and hearing them cheer loudly when he opens with this "puts a smile on his heart."
He uses a light attack on this piece that might remind you of Prince's fret work. Shortly before Prince left us he had his management reach out to John to see if he'd like collaborating. John can't say no, something you'll notice going forward, so what a shame.
John credits his childhood teacher Robert Gillespie for insisting he learn to read and write music, chicken pick and master western swing if he wanted to be a great player. He said they were the hardest things he ever learned. It's easier to tap like Eddie than chicken pick like Jerry Reed.
Last edited:
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
#31: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - INTRO
www.youtube.com
The title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song about another main topic of their songs - booze.
- 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 title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song about another main topic of their songs - booze.
Last edited:
rockaction
Footballguy
#31: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - INTRO
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song another main topic of their songs - booze.
Nice. I never knew that's how they viewed O.S.T. You know what? That album is probably my least favorite of the first three and maybe for that exact reason (?). I don't know. But I am going to love buckling in and getting a curated tour of PUTS. Very cool.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Another duo who did that at a young age: Ween.
rockaction
Footballguy
Perhaps interesting timing. I'd bet you're on top of it, Pip. These guys could probably use your help, but somebody started this thread yesterday. @Pip's Invitation
forums.stevehoffman.tv
Arthur Lee & Love Blue Thumb period
I understand the albums Four Sail and Out Here are a hodgepodge of various sessions. I always thought they were simply the latest albums by the guys on...
forums.stevehoffman.tv
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I could be, but I also probably can't stress enough - IMO they don't have bad songs and albums I love them all. I think for me a big part as I listened over and over is to my ears I started hearing them become more and more what they wanted to sound like in their music. I love The Next Step (I am listening to it now), but I also can hear nuggets of sounding like early Cypress Hill, Tribe Called Quest, and others as I go through the album. My theory after listening to them talk is that O.S.T. is finally what they wanted their first wave of albums to fully sound like. Similar to Opeth and a couple of their albums, they felt they did what they wanted to for that phase/sound, and went in other directions. They start to embrace more disco and dance on the next album and incorporate that into the music.#31: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - INTRO
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song another main topic of their songs - booze.
Nice. I never knew that's how they viewed O.S.T. You know what? That album is probably my least favorite of the first three and maybe for that exact reason (?). I don't know. But I am going to love buckling in and getting a curated tour of PUTS. Very cool.
I do remember Thes saying they felt one of things they felt elevated them above many of the artists in the genre is they like music in all forms, where others were 100% hip-hop and that limited them. In that way they had a connection to The Roots - as Questlove talked in very similar ways in his book.
rockaction
Footballguy
I could be, but I also probably can't stress enough - IMO they don't have bad songs and albums I love them all. I think for me a big part as I listened over and over is to my ears I started hearing them become more and more what they wanted to sound like in their music. I love The Next Step (I am listening to it now), but I also can hear nuggets of sounding like early Cypress Hill, Tribe Called Quest, and others as I go through the album. My theory after listening to them talk is that O.S.T. is finally what they wanted their first wave of albums to fully sound like. Similar to Opeth and a couple of their albums, they felt they did what they wanted to for that phase/sound, and went in other directions. They start to embrace more disco and dance on the next album and incorporate that into the music.#31: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - INTRO
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song another main topic of their songs - booze.
Nice. I never knew that's how they viewed O.S.T. You know what? That album is probably my least favorite of the first three and maybe for that exact reason (?). I don't know. But I am going to love buckling in and getting a curated tour of PUTS. Very cool.
I do remember Thes saying they felt one of things they felt elevated them above many of the artists in the genre is they like music in all forms, where others were 100% hip-hop and that limited them. In that way they had a connection to The Roots - as Questlove talked in very similar ways in his book.
Nice. We stopped allowing bands to get their footing in the MySpace era and beyond. They predate that era, so it's very likely that their mastery of sampling and understanding of how to use the technology grew and allowed them to be more creative than they otherwise might have been able to be. I just was saying how difficult DJ'ing is as an art form (I related the anecdote of my friend who used to get nominated for best Boston drummer in the Boston Phoenix telling me to forget turntables and pick up a guitar if I wanted to make music and do it within a few years which is really telling) so that's really understandable. I also look forward to the disco and dance tracks. There's one on O.S.T. that's my favorite on the album. I won't ruin it, but it's pretty obvious. "Party people in the place to be . . . "
Cool.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
#31: BECK - THE GOLDEN AGE
I thought the 1st track off Sea Change was a great intro to the playlist. As @Pip's Invitation hinted at above, this is a Beck breakup album. He had broken up with his girlfriend of 9 years after discovering an affair. A sea change as far as life goes, but also a change in his music after going from being quite electronic and sample heavy sound to a more acoustic sound using live instruments. What I didn't know until know is for this album (and the next two) he teamed up with producer Nigel Godrich. Nigel produced all of FFA favorite Radiohead's albums from The Bends on.
The sun don't shine
Even when it's day
Gotta drive all night
Just to feel like you're okay
Oh-oh, these days I barely get by
I don't even try, I don't even try
NEXT: alright, @Eephus - you got me. You were correct.
I thought the 1st track off Sea Change was a great intro to the playlist. As @Pip's Invitation hinted at above, this is a Beck breakup album. He had broken up with his girlfriend of 9 years after discovering an affair. A sea change as far as life goes, but also a change in his music after going from being quite electronic and sample heavy sound to a more acoustic sound using live instruments. What I didn't know until know is for this album (and the next two) he teamed up with producer Nigel Godrich. Nigel produced all of FFA favorite Radiohead's albums from The Bends on.
The sun don't shine
Even when it's day
Gotta drive all night
Just to feel like you're okay
Oh-oh, these days I barely get by
I don't even try, I don't even try
NEXT: alright, @Eephus - you got me. You were correct.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
The personnel and recording history of the 1968-74 versions of Love is stunningly complicated. I covered some of it in my introductory essay.Perhaps interesting timing. I'd bet you're on top of it, Pip. These guys could probably use your help, but somebody started this thread yesterday. @Pip's Invitation
Arthur Lee & Love Blue Thumb period
I understand the albums Four Sail and Out Here are a hodgepodge of various sessions. I always thought they were simply the latest albums by the guys on...
Basically, Love was Arthur and whoever he wanted at that time. And he was always changing his mind. And some of the guys probably left on their own because Arthur was never easy to work with.
rockaction
Footballguy
I haven't read it yet, but I figured that you had covered it. Kind of funny that was posted yesterday over at Hoffman. Just a coincidence.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I could be, but I also probably can't stress enough - IMO they don't have bad songs and albums I love them all. I think for me a big part as I listened over and over is to my ears I started hearing them become more and more what they wanted to sound like in their music. I love The Next Step (I am listening to it now), but I also can hear nuggets of sounding like early Cypress Hill, Tribe Called Quest, and others as I go through the album. My theory after listening to them talk is that O.S.T. is finally what they wanted their first wave of albums to fully sound like. Similar to Opeth and a couple of their albums, they felt they did what they wanted to for that phase/sound, and went in other directions. They start to embrace more disco and dance on the next album and incorporate that into the music.#31: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - INTRO
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song another main topic of their songs - booze.
Nice. I never knew that's how they viewed O.S.T. You know what? That album is probably my least favorite of the first three and maybe for that exact reason (?). I don't know. But I am going to love buckling in and getting a curated tour of PUTS. Very cool.
I do remember Thes saying they felt one of things they felt elevated them above many of the artists in the genre is they like music in all forms, where others were 100% hip-hop and that limited them. In that way they had a connection to The Roots - as Questlove talked in very similar ways in his book.
Nice. We stopped allowing bands to get their footing in the MySpace era and beyond. They predate that era, so it's very likely that their mastery of sampling and understanding of how to use the technology grew and allowed them to be more creative than they otherwise might have been able to be. I just was saying how difficult DJ'ing is as an art form (I related the anecdote of my friend who used to get nominated for best Boston drummer in the Boston Phoenix telling me to forget turntables and pick up a guitar if I wanted to make music and do it within a few years which is really telling) so that's really understandable. I also look forward to the disco and dance tracks. There's one on O.S.T. that's my favorite on the album. I won't ruin it, but it's pretty obvious. "Party people in the place to be . . . "
Cool.
I think most of the technical side was all them DIY, and making that a priority to know the equipment and master all that themselves. Per wiki he did apply for a music engineering degree:
Upon graduating from Loyola High School in 1995, he applied to Berklee School of Music in Boston for a BA in Audio Engineering but received a writing scholarship to USC, where he was chosen for the prestigious honors English program. While there, he received the Seibert Fellowship for poetry, acceptance to the Golden Key Honors Society and walked in 1998 Magna Cum Laude with Dean's Honors.
Unfortunately, there is not a ton of info about them out there as a duo and even less about Mike. I am sure as these months go for the countdown I will revisit some interviews for interesting things to talk about. What you bring up in the bolded is something I was very ignorant about for a long time. For decades I mostly wrote off hip hop and electronic music because they weren't playing instruments and "real music", but reading up about it and listening to Thes talk about the craft in interviews really opened my eyes even more. Here is a little 5min video of him on a program showing a little what it takes using some T.Swift...
- 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
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KarmaPolice
Footballguy
Also, Thes shares a birthday with my lovely wife and son. I just noticed that when I was on wiki.
rockaction
Footballguy
I could be, but I also probably can't stress enough - IMO they don't have bad songs and albums I love them all. I think for me a big part as I listened over and over is to my ears I started hearing them become more and more what they wanted to sound like in their music. I love The Next Step (I am listening to it now), but I also can hear nuggets of sounding like early Cypress Hill, Tribe Called Quest, and others as I go through the album. My theory after listening to them talk is that O.S.T. is finally what they wanted their first wave of albums to fully sound like. Similar to Opeth and a couple of their albums, they felt they did what they wanted to for that phase/sound, and went in other directions. They start to embrace more disco and dance on the next album and incorporate that into the music.#31: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - INTRO
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
The title aside, I thought this was a perfect intro to these guys. Yeah, the intro to Intro is a little long, but it is fitting for them because it puts the focus on one of things that they never got away from - the love of all music and doing your own work in the genre. It takes about 2 lines from Thes One to get to a pop culture reference that makes me smile ('touring like a Griswold), and the rest of the song is all about digging for records, LA, and the fans.
The other reason I started here is because this is about as "hard" as they get. When I was listening to Thes' interviews he was saying that O.S.T. was probably their album that is the angriest and when they were at their peak of being frustrated with the state of the genre and artists they thought were doing it wrong and not repping L.A. correctly. He basically said they got it out of their system for the most part on this album (and tracks from the previous 2), and from their they were more comfortable in their skin and started having a little more fun with their music. The cover of the album is them on Cambridge Street outside Thes' house where most of the first 5 albums were recorded. He jokes about how they were High Schoolers when they were making the first album and how they were touring but still relying on their parents for housing and a studio. It still blows my mind a bit that they made these songs on their own with no help from start to finish.
There is also a progression of music and samples as they go from each album. As they toured, they spent a lot of time and money on more records to improve their music and try to find some more original samples to make them stand out from their peers. For example, there is a song coming up from this album where they took 20 tiny samples from Jamaican tourist souvenir records. I gravitate to this album more than the first 2 a little more because of the step up of production, and of course because it's the one I had a previous connection to.
NEXT: a song another main topic of their songs - booze.
Nice. I never knew that's how they viewed O.S.T. You know what? That album is probably my least favorite of the first three and maybe for that exact reason (?). I don't know. But I am going to love buckling in and getting a curated tour of PUTS. Very cool.
I do remember Thes saying they felt one of things they felt elevated them above many of the artists in the genre is they like music in all forms, where others were 100% hip-hop and that limited them. In that way they had a connection to The Roots - as Questlove talked in very similar ways in his book.
Nice. We stopped allowing bands to get their footing in the MySpace era and beyond. They predate that era, so it's very likely that their mastery of sampling and understanding of how to use the technology grew and allowed them to be more creative than they otherwise might have been able to be. I just was saying how difficult DJ'ing is as an art form (I related the anecdote of my friend who used to get nominated for best Boston drummer in the Boston Phoenix telling me to forget turntables and pick up a guitar if I wanted to make music and do it within a few years which is really telling) so that's really understandable. I also look forward to the disco and dance tracks. There's one on O.S.T. that's my favorite on the album. I won't ruin it, but it's pretty obvious. "Party people in the place to be . . . "
Cool.
I think most of the technical side was all them DIY, and making that a priority to know the equipment and master all that themselves. Per wiki he did apply for a music engineering degree:
Upon graduating from Loyola High School in 1995, he applied to Berklee School of Music in Boston for a BA in Audio Engineering but received a writing scholarship to USC, where he was chosen for the prestigious honors English program. While there, he received the Seibert Fellowship for poetry, acceptance to the Golden Key Honors Society and walked in 1998 Magna Cum Laude with Dean's Honors.
Unfortunately, there is not a ton of info about them out there as a duo and even less about Mike. I am sure as these months go for the countdown I will revisit some interviews for interesting things to talk about. What you bring up in the bolded is something I was very ignorant about for a long time. For decades I mostly wrote off hip hop and electronic music because they weren't playing instruments and "real music", but reading up about it and listening to Thes talk about the craft in interviews really opened my eyes even more. Here is a little 5min video of him on a program showing a little what it takes using some T.Swift...
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Just watched it. Very cool. Have you ever watched some of the how-to shows or even gimmicky stuff like Rhythm Roulette on YouTube? It's a heck of a rabbit hole to go down. This one might be my favorite sample. This and Backseat Freestyle by Kendrick.
https://youtu.be/aW_hx9Ao5rM - Rock Co.Kane Flow
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7rqpeq - Backseat Freestyle
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
I did go down that Rhythm Roulette rabbit hole. Great stuff.
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Gary's Old Towne Tavern . We know what to do, gals and guys.Perhaps interesting timing. I'd bet you're on top of it, Pip. These guys could probably use your help, but somebody started this thread yesterday. @Pip's Invitation
Arthur Lee & Love Blue Thumb period
I understand the albums Four Sail and Out Here are a hodgepodge of various sessions. I always thought they were simply the latest albums by the guys on...
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Spotify just determined to fill me with disdain. My browser sessions has been logged out three times in 10 minutes. Let me go grab that God awful app.
simey
Footballguy
Since he thinks you aren't familiar with Polythene Pam, ya reckon he thinks you're a tweaker?
Yo Mama
Footballguy
The English Beat Family Tree #31
How Can You Stand There?
Artist - The Beat starring Dave Wakeling
Album - Here We Go Love (2018)
The first two songs on my countdown wouldn’t have made my top “favorite” 31 songs from these groups, but I wanted to share something from most of the band’s iterations.
Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger each decided to create their own versions of The Beat in the past decade. Dave’s attempt had some good nostalgia to it but overall fell a little flat for me.
Fun note: Andy Cox (from the original English Beat band) is credited with playing the garden shears on this album.
How Can You Stand There?
Artist - The Beat starring Dave Wakeling
Album - Here We Go Love (2018)
The first two songs on my countdown wouldn’t have made my top “favorite” 31 songs from these groups, but I wanted to share something from most of the band’s iterations.
Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger each decided to create their own versions of The Beat in the past decade. Dave’s attempt had some good nostalgia to it but overall fell a little flat for me.
Fun note: Andy Cox (from the original English Beat band) is credited with playing the garden shears on this album.
simey
Footballguy
This has a retro and modern sound combined that I like.Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw[/td][td]-OZ_[/td][td]Wake up Romeo
The first single Caro released in three years would also be the last single Caro emerald would release before Carol ended that project and started The Jordan. This song never made it to an album after being written during COVID.
simey
Footballguy
Well Howdy do. I like this instrumental. That's some good pickin' with some other things thrown in.
I'm curious about this chuck steak you mentioned recently. I've had chuck roast tons of times, but I've never had chuck steak. I looked it up, and it appears lots of people marinate it to make it more tender, and then grill it. Is this what you do?
kupcho1
Footballguy
FYI I'll be popping in and out occasionally to nitpick and crack wise. But this is in all seriousness, how the hell is this #31?
Eephus
Footballguy
Wakeling's band still puts on a fun live show. He's been based in LA for a long time so he tours the Bay Area regularly. They draw decent crowds of old geezers in Ben Sherman polos and trilby hats.
tuffnutt
Footballguy
Oh it would be ranked WAY higher… but I try to start each of my countdowns with what I think is a “hook.” Don’t know if anyone else does that, but I’m hoping to reel in the listener. I’d guess this one would be top 15 for me… but the rest of my rankings are in order.
simey
Footballguy
When this came up on the playlist, I could instantly tell once the intro was over and the music and vocals kicked in that it was an 80s song. It's good.
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Turns out I meant Polythene Pam & cocaine. My bad.
simey
Footballguy
I thought I was starting out with an energetic hook only to be told it was busy, pretentious, Little Richard could do it better, and Billy is better when he is quiet.
I like your Bright Eyes "Road to Joy" song.
KarmaPolice
Footballguy
@rockaction and anybody else actually reading our back and forth: I was just thinking about something to do with OST and why they had the chip on their shoulder. I commented somewhere that another reason I had been loving them more and more is that they oddly had things in common with Opeth. One was the record obsessions and them talking about old music and vinyl. Another odd one was that neither hit it big in their own countries at first. When bands overseas come to Madison and Milwaukee, I sort of wonder why they are slumming it. For Opeth it was because one of their first big gigs was in Milwaukee at the Metal Fest. They thought they were duds and doubting themselves touring around Sweden and Europe - at that time anything not like the harshest death metal coming from Sweden was tossed aside. But they had a cult following in the States and were surprised how much more popular they were here. The same was true for People Under the Stairs. The first album didn't hit in the states. Maybe in similar way people were looking for much harder acts from the LA scene and I could see them getting passed over early. They went on a European Tour as a general tour with groups from Om records, and by the end they were the headliner. They had a cult following over there.
The chip they had on their shoulder for O.S.T. was because of that - feeling they didn't get any credit from where they were from, despite actually being from L.A. and being truly underground and DIY. Thes seems to joke about it in recent interviews, but still brings up from time to time to this day not getting mentioned by people, critics, or awards when talking hip hop or L.A. artists. He said that was the peak of the frustration, but there are mentions in songs from time to time in later albums. They do seem to have let it go in the music and have more fun from that album on, and IMO the music largely reflects that.
I was curious about something and did my own experiment - I remember seeing at the back of Questlove's new book Music is History there was an add on to the book. It was around 15 pages of songs he titled "Hip Hop Songs I Actually Listen To". You guessed it - not one song of the 100s by People Under the Stairs. I laughed and grabbed another book instead.
For Opeth it was because one of their first big gigs was in Milwaukee at the Metal Fest. They thought they were duds and doubting themselves touring around Sweden and Europe - at that time anything not like the harshest death metal coming from Sweden was tossed aside. But they had a cult following in the States and were surprised how much more popular they were here. The same was true for People Under the Stairs. The first album didn't hit in the states. Maybe in similar way people were looking for much harder acts from the LA scene and I could see them getting passed over early. They went on a European Tour as a general tour with groups from Om records, and by the end they were the headliner. They had a cult following over there. The chip they had on their shoulder for O.S.T. was because of that - feeling they didn't get any credit from where they were from, despite actually being from L.A. and being truly underground and DIY. Thes seems to joke about it in recent interviews, but still brings up from time to time to this day not getting mentioned by people, critics, or awards when talking hip hop or L.A. artists. He said that was the peak of the frustration, but there are mentions in songs from time to time in later albums. They do seem to have let it go in the music and have more fun from that album on, and IMO the music largely reflects that.
I was curious about something and did my own experiment - I remember seeing at the back of Questlove's new book Music is History there was an add on to the book. It was around 15 pages of songs he titled "Hip Hop Songs I Actually Listen To". You guessed it - not one song of the 100s by People Under the Stairs. I laughed and grabbed another book instead.
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Chaos34
Footballguy
The Aussies are the masters of chuck steak. In a survey of favorite cuts of steak there, it finished #1. I generally slow cook chuck roast until it is almost falling apart. Chuck steak likes a good pulverizing and marinading for sure, but the one I did in the middle of nowhere was for the giant puppy. I'm too cheap to grill a dog a ribeye. He seemed to absolutely love it tough and chewy.
rockaction
Footballguy
@rockaction and anybody else actually reading our back and forth: I was just thinking about something to do with OST and why they had the chip on their shoulder. I commented somewhere that another reason I had been loving them more and more is that they oddly had things in common with Opeth. One was the record obsessions and them talking about old music and vinyl. Another odd one was that neither hit it big in their own countries at first. When bands overseas come to Madison and Milwaukee, I sort of wonder why they are slumming it.
The chip they had on their shoulder for O.S.T. was because of that - feeling they didn't get any credit from where they were from, despite actually being from L.A. and being truly underground and DIY. Thes seems to joke about it in recent interviews, but still brings up from time to time to this day not getting mentioned by people, critics, or awards when talking hip hop or L.A. artists. He said that was the peak of the frustration, but there are mentions in songs from time to time in later albums. They do seem to have let it go in the music and have more fun from that album on, and IMO the music largely reflects that.
I was curious about something and did my own experiment - I remember seeing at the back of Questlove's new book Music is History there was an add on to the book. It was around 15 pages of songs he titled "Hip Hop Songs I Actually Listen To". You guessed it - not one song of the 100s by People Under the Stairs. I laughed and another book instead.
There was the dynamic where Los Angeles rap music was dominated by gang culture or hardcore violence. To be cutesy crate diggers that might as well have been on Stones Throw Records was not earning them any points in even the American underground, never mind the mainstream outlets. And hip hop never escapes racial dynamics. I'm not going to go too far into it because you know what? As much as I lived a hard sort of urban life for about a decade; I still can't tell you what passes. I can often; however, tell you what doesn't, and PUTS's good vibes, inclusively universal topics, and crate digging almost assuredly don’t. They weren't acknowledged by black culture almost at all. I first heard of them when I saw and heard their song on a surfing (ahem!) show. That's evidence of something a little deeper in the reveal, you know?
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Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
Put me in mind of Postmodern Jukebox.This has a retro and modern sound combined that I like.Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw[/td][td]-OZ_[/td][td]Wake up Romeo
The first single Caro released in three years would also be the last single Caro emerald would release before Carol ended that project and started The Jordan. This song never made it to an album after being written during COVID.
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
Please know that I like it fine. I generally like Billy Joel. Just not the most famous bit.I thought I was starting out with an energetic hook only to be told it was busy, pretentious, Little Richard could do it better, and Billy is better when he is quiet.
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
What is "OST"?
Eephus
Footballguy
rockaction
Footballguy
Delicious Vinyl was also huge in the suburbs with Tone Loc, Young MC, and the Pharcyde. A yesteryear's Stones Throw Records.
Owned by:
Matt Dike
Michael Ross (scroll down a bit)
eta* This was not serious in origin in any way, nor does it betray or crystallize any judgment or any grand comment about things. It's not even a nudge towards anything. It just is and was. It was supposed to be a lark born from curiosity. This was the reality of it. Peace, folks.
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The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
31. Cornershop - England's Dreaming
Like I said before, I didn't have time to rank the 31 songs I selected because I was out of town and I started late and wasn't super familiar with the band other than their breakout album, When I Was Born For the 7th Time.
I was driving on the left side through northern England a few weeks ago and put on a 90's UK rock/pop Spotify playlist and a Cornershop song played that I'd never heard before. So I decided to dig in to their other albums thinking it might work for this MAD5.
This song is from a compilation album of their 2 EPs from '92 and '93. Not much resonated with me other than this song.
Tjinder Singh is their lead singer and songwriter. He was born in Leicester. He has written politically charged songs from day one, including this one. And many more to come.
A couple of other thoughts:
The first time I heard about Cornershop was when they burned an image of Morrissey outside of his record company offices in London at the height of the “Flying the Flag...” controversy that engulfed, and very nearly extinguished, his career in the early 1990’s. At the time I was a disciple of Morrissey, more cult follower than pop fanatic. As a result I dismissed them as talentless no-marks not worth worrying about.
Yay for Morrissey and his flirtations with fascism.
Boo to Cornershop and their desire to shine a light on the more unsavoury aspects of this music icon. Can I be forgiven?
I was young. Cognitive dissonance too. Trying to craft an image of myself as an outsider. Dumb.
In an example of the twisted mindset of the young music obsessive I had to seek out the music of Cornershop...because they had featured in the Morrissey story, that also explains my owning albums by Jobriath and having seen “The Leather Boys” more times than is necessary.
So I bought “Elvis Sex Change” their debut E.P and dragged it back to my student digs ready to dismiss it as nothing more than the efforts of some chancers trying to make a name for themselves by grabbing the hem of Mozzer’s garment.
The trouble was...it was really good.
Raw. Punk. Violent. Soulful. Littered with cultural references I got and cultural references I didn’t get.
I knew who Frank Bough was but I wasn’t sure about Hanif Kureishi. I knew what a Kawasaki was but I hadn’t ever heard of a chapati.
The highlight of the whole affair, for me, was “England’s Dreaming” which was a glorious mess of fuzzy guitars, brutal drums...”Shut up shop, get on the streets, and fight...the powers that be.” It sounded like the Sex Pistols...familiar and yet frightening.
A blunt rejection of racism and prejudice, ‘England’s Dreaming’ was released as the British National Party gained support on the back of a recession. As an indie band comprised mainly of British Asians, Cornershop called out the wistful nostalgia for a lost England that infused the period and the genre, alluding to a recent controversy surrounding Morrissey’s waving the Union Flag (a gesture as reactionary as the ex-Smiths singer’s paeans to unrequited love and social isolation had once been liberatory
Like I said before, I didn't have time to rank the 31 songs I selected because I was out of town and I started late and wasn't super familiar with the band other than their breakout album, When I Was Born For the 7th Time.
I was driving on the left side through northern England a few weeks ago and put on a 90's UK rock/pop Spotify playlist and a Cornershop song played that I'd never heard before. So I decided to dig in to their other albums thinking it might work for this MAD5.
This song is from a compilation album of their 2 EPs from '92 and '93. Not much resonated with me other than this song.
Tjinder Singh is their lead singer and songwriter. He was born in Leicester. He has written politically charged songs from day one, including this one. And many more to come.
A couple of other thoughts:
The first time I heard about Cornershop was when they burned an image of Morrissey outside of his record company offices in London at the height of the “Flying the Flag...” controversy that engulfed, and very nearly extinguished, his career in the early 1990’s. At the time I was a disciple of Morrissey, more cult follower than pop fanatic. As a result I dismissed them as talentless no-marks not worth worrying about.
Yay for Morrissey and his flirtations with fascism.
Boo to Cornershop and their desire to shine a light on the more unsavoury aspects of this music icon. Can I be forgiven?
I was young. Cognitive dissonance too. Trying to craft an image of myself as an outsider. Dumb.
In an example of the twisted mindset of the young music obsessive I had to seek out the music of Cornershop...because they had featured in the Morrissey story, that also explains my owning albums by Jobriath and having seen “The Leather Boys” more times than is necessary.
So I bought “Elvis Sex Change” their debut E.P and dragged it back to my student digs ready to dismiss it as nothing more than the efforts of some chancers trying to make a name for themselves by grabbing the hem of Mozzer’s garment.
The trouble was...it was really good.
Raw. Punk. Violent. Soulful. Littered with cultural references I got and cultural references I didn’t get.
I knew who Frank Bough was but I wasn’t sure about Hanif Kureishi. I knew what a Kawasaki was but I hadn’t ever heard of a chapati.
The highlight of the whole affair, for me, was “England’s Dreaming” which was a glorious mess of fuzzy guitars, brutal drums...”Shut up shop, get on the streets, and fight...the powers that be.” It sounded like the Sex Pistols...familiar and yet frightening.
A blunt rejection of racism and prejudice, ‘England’s Dreaming’ was released as the British National Party gained support on the back of a recession. As an indie band comprised mainly of British Asians, Cornershop called out the wistful nostalgia for a lost England that infused the period and the genre, alluding to a recent controversy surrounding Morrissey’s waving the Union Flag (a gesture as reactionary as the ex-Smiths singer’s paeans to unrequited love and social isolation had once been liberatory
rockaction
Footballguy
Original Soundtrack
Eephus
Footballguy
"EAST" in German
Mrs. Rannous
Footballguy
Smartypants.
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