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Middle Aged Dummies - Artist - Round 5 - #1's have been posted. Link in OP. (9 Viewers)

Eric Clapton #6

Eric Clapton - Cocaine

"Cocaine" is a song written and recorded in 1976 by singer-songwriter J. J. Cale. The song was popularized by Eric Clapton after his version was released on the 1977 album "Slowhand." A live version of "Cocaine" from the album "Just One Night" peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980. This is the version I chose for the countdown.

Clapton described the song as an anti-drug song intended to warn listeners about cocaine's addictiveness and deadliness. He called the song "quite cleverly anti-cocaine", noting:

It's no good to write a deliberate anti-drug song and hope that it will catch. Because the general thing is that people will be upset by that. It would disturb them to have someone else shoving something down their throat. So the best thing to do is offer something that seems ambiguous—that on study or on reflection actually can be seen to be "anti"—which the song "Cocaine" is actually an anti-cocaine song. If you study it or look at it with a little bit of thought ... from a distance ... or as it goes by ... it just sounds like a song about cocaine. But actually, it is quite cleverly anti-cocaine.

Because of its ambiguous message, Clapton did not perform the song in many of his concerts; over the years, he has added the lyrics "that dirty cocaine" in live shows to underline the anti-drug message of the song.

Clapton’s live version of "Cocaine" from "Just One Night" is a standout performance that captures the energetic, improvisational spirit of Clapton’s live shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This version of the song takes the studio version of "Cocaine" and injects it with a raw, live energy that makes it feel even more alive and electrifying. It became a crowd favorite and remains a classic from Clapton’s live catalog.

The most instantly recognizable part of "Cocaine" is its iconic guitar riff, and in the live version from "Just One Night," Clapton plays it with even more punch and attitude. The riff is tight and saturated with energy, keeping the crowd engaged and the song moving. Unlike the studio version, where the solos are relatively short and to the point, Clapton’s live solos on this version are extended, often filled with improvisation and expressive bends. His solos are marked by fluid runs, bluesy phrasing, and vibrato that adds emotional weight to the song.

Clapton’s live version of "Cocaine" captures the raw power and spontaneity that makes live performances so exciting. The energy of the crowd and the band working together creates a live vibe that’s more infectious than the studio recording. The way Clapton interacts with the audience, along with his improvised solos, shows why this version of "Cocaine" has become such a definitive live performance in his catalog.
 
MA-D Round 5: Metallica
#6: Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Album: Master of Puppets (1986)


(Youtube version) Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
(Live Version) Metallica Welcome Home (Sanitarium) Live 1993 Basel Switzerland
(live version 2) Metallica: Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Fresno, CA - December 9, 2018)

Dream the same thing every night
I see our freedom in my sight
No locked doors, no windows barred
No things to make my brain seem scarred



Random fact: The first apartment I rented in college (after mandatory time in the dorms) had a sign reading “Welcome Home” in front of it. So of course I mentally added “Sanitarium and/or hummed some of this song. This was particularly funny to me after 8 hours of work.

That’s all to say that this song is one that’s stuck with me for pretty much my whole life. Compared to some of the others, it’s a rather soft and subdued song most of the way through before Metallica cranks things up for the final few verses.

Welcome Home at #6 starts a small block of tunes on this playlist that were at least partially inspired by a book. For this song, it’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Though, as far as I can tell, the movie of the same name served as much inspiration for the band. “Santarium” loosely means “health resort”, and though historically they were often used for people to recover from physical long-term illnesses such as tuberculosis. Mental health like in the song usually is instead done in a psychological hospital or an asylum. But you know, artistic license and all that.



Next on the countdown, time for another book. Ask not which book. Just know that it's for thee.
 
6s

Known
Belinda Carlisle: Mad About You
Otis Redding: (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay
Meat Loaf: Paradise By The Dashboard Light
Metallica: Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Eric Clapton: Cocaine

Caught My Attention
PUTS: Anotha' (BBQ)
John Waite: Wild One
Charlie Wilson: If I Believe
Waterboys: A Girl Called Johnny
Moonman: Galaxia
Izzy Lindqwister: Who's Gonna Lite It Up?
 
6. The Red Telephone
Album: Forever Changes (1967)

The remaining songs on my list from Love's Forever Changes are some of the most brilliant compositions of their era, IMO up there with the masterpieces from Lennon/McCartney, Wilson, etc.

"The Red Telephone," which closes side 1, has been described as "exquisite," "philosophical" and "apocalyptic". As with some of his other songs from the time, Arthur Lee's lyrics may not make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but they do if you know that he was haunted by the idea of his friends being sent to die in Vietnam, by his belief that his race put him in danger, and by his belief that he was terminally ill and dying.

The song opens with a simple folk figure on acoustic guitar, soon punctuated with bass notes and strings. The first verse is about what is happening in Vietnam.

Sitting on the hillside
Watching all the people die
I'll feel much better on the other side
I'll thumb a ride


The second verse is in the same vein and appears to touch on government control over its people, a theme that emerges more explicitly later in the song, as well as Lee's struggles over his own identity.

I believe in magic
Why? Because it is so quick
I don't need power when I'm hypnotized
Look in my eyes
What are you seeing? (I see...)
How do you feel?
I'll feel real phony when my name is Phil
Or was that Bill?


Then a musical transition happens, led by the bass and featuring a harpsichord played by Wrecking Crew session man Don Randi. During the next verse, we get the first of many crescendos from David Angel's string arrangement (the flourish after Lee sings the word "eerie" is stunning), and Lee addresses his fears about his own mortality and his uncertainty over his mental state. In a neat trick, when Lee sings "paint me white," other voices chime in with "yellow" or "pink".

(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
Life goes on here
(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
Day after day
I don't know if I am living or if I'm
Supposed to be
Sometimes my life is so eerie
And if you think I'm happy
Paint me (white) (yellow) (pink)


After another flourish from the strings, Lee mediates on reincarnation and asks the listener to "count me out," which could refer to his disillusionment from American society and government or to his belief that his life was about to end (or both). Adding further to the confusion, a voice says "in" when Lee sings "out."

(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
I've been here once
(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
I've been here twice
I don't know if the third's the fourth or if the
The fifth's to fix
Sometimes I deal with numbers
And if you wanna count me
Count me (out) (in)


After another verse where Lee questions his reality and expresses his preference for isolation

I don't need the times of day
Any time with me's OK
I just don't want you using up my time
'Cause that's not right


we transition to the song's breathtaking coda, where Lee goes full paranoid, expounding on how his freedom, and that of people like him, is in jeopardy.

Ahh...
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?
We're all normal and we want our freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
I want my freedom
All of God's childrens gotta have their freedom


Lee's singing here is almost hypnotic, almost disassociated from reality. Which I think is the point. "The Red Telephone" provides a glimpse of a man so disillusioned with society and his life that he is ready to leave it behind, and, in fact, is resigned to doing so.

The coda took on extra resonance in performances after Lee was released from prison, and its line "we're all normal and we want our freedom" became the title of the 1994 tribute album to Love.

The title appears to be unconnected to the lyrics but is probably a reference to the image in popular culture at the time of the two predominant nuclear powers, the U,S. and the U.S.S.R., having a "hot line" to communicate with and threaten each other. It is also rumored that there was a red telephone in "The Castle," the band's residence. My friend's record store named after Forever Changes has an old red telephone in it. It's a conversation starter; when a customer asks what it's doing there, he tells them about this song and album.

Given that most of its musical dynamics come from the string arrangement, it is no surprise that there are no documented live performances of "The Red Telephone" before 2002, the first tour after Lee's release from prison. But it has been played consistently since then, including by The Love Band with John Echols as recently as this spring.

Alternate mix: https://open.spotify.com/track/7LtlZdm3iA0pag2jpCNBXM?si=2bfe0d5c86a04f2a

Live version from the Roskilde Festival in 2002 (appears on Coming Through to You: The Live Recordings (1970-2004)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=810VoYXxJ04

Live version from Anaheim in 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uflOX5s8-QI

Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYE-Fw38pIo

Live version from the Glastonbury Festival in 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpXw_DUMxg

The Love Band with John Echols live in Philadelphia in 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTXxXwjzpOA

At #5, perhaps the most direct evidence we have that Arthur Lee was convinced he was dying in 1967.
 
Last edited:
6. The Red Telephone
Album: Forever Changes (1967)

The remaining songs on my list from Love's Forever Changes are some of the most brilliant compositions of their era, IMO up there with the masterpieces from Lennon/McCartney, Wilson, etc.

"The Red Telephone," which closes side 1, has been described as "exquisite," "philosophical" and "apocalyptic". As with some of his other songs from the time, Arthur Lee's lyrics may not make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but they do if you know that he was haunted by the idea of his friends being sent to die in Vietnam, by his belief that his race put him in danger, and by his belief that he was terminally ill and dying.

The song opens with a simple folk figure on acoustic guitar, soon punctuated with bass notes and strings. The first verse is about what is happening in Vietnam.

Sitting on the hillside
Watching all the people die
I'll feel much better on the other side
I'll thumb a ride


The second verse is in the same vein and appears to touch on government control over its people, a theme that emerges more explicitly later in the song, as well as Lee's struggles over his own identity.

I believe in magic
Why? Because it is so quick
I don't need power when I'm hypnotized
Look in my eyes
What are you seeing? (I see...)
How do you feel?
I'll feel real phony when my name is Phil
Or was that Bill?


Then a musical transition happens, led by the bass and featuring a harpsichord played by Wrecking Crew session man Don Randi. During the next verse, we get the first of many crescendos from David Angel's string arrangement (the flourish after Lee sings the word "eerie" is stunning), and Lee addresses his fears about his own mortality and his uncertainty over his mental state. In a neat trick, when Lee sings "paint me white," other voices chime in with "yellow" or "pink".

(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
Life goes on here
(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
Day after day
I don't know if I am living or if I'm
Supposed to be
Sometimes my life is so eerie
And if you think I'm happy
Paint me (white) (yellow) (pink)


After another flourish from the strings, Lee mediates on reincarnation and asks the listener to "count me out," which could refer to his disillusionment from American society and government or to his belief that his life was about to end (or both). Adding further to the confusion, a voice says "in" when Lee sings "out."

(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
I've been here once
(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
I've been here twice
I don't know if the third's the fourth or if the
The fifth's to fix
Sometimes I deal with numbers
And if you wanna count me
Count me (out) (in)


After another verse where Lee questions his reality and expresses his preference for isolation

I don't need the times of day
Any time with me's OK
I just don't want you using up my time
'Cause that's not right


we transition to the song's breathtaking coda, where Lee goes full paranoid, expounding on how his freedom, and that of people like him, is in jeopardy.

Ahh...
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?
We're all normal and we want our freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
I want my freedom
All of God's childrens gotta have their freedom


Lee's singing here is almost hypnotic, almost disassociated from reality. Which I think is the point. "The Red Telephone" provides a glimpse of a man so disillusioned with society and his life that he is ready to leave it behind, and, in fact, resigned to doing so.

The coda took on extra resonance in performances after Lee was released from prison, and its line "we're all normal and we want our freedom" became

The title appears to be unconnected to the lyrics but is probably a reference to the image in popular culture at the time of the two predominant nuclear powers, the U,S. and the U.S.S.R., having a "hot line" to communicate with and threaten each other. It is also rumored that there was a red telephone in "The Castle," the band's relevance. My friend's record store named after Forever Changes has an old red telephone in it. It's a conversation starter; when a customer asks what it's doing there, he tells them about this song and album.

Given that most of its musical dynamics come from the string arrangement, it is no surprise that there are no documented live performances of "The Red Telephone" before 2002, the first tour after Lee's release from prison. But it has been played consistently since then, including by The Love Band with John Echols as recently as this spring.

Alternate mix: https://open.spotify.com/track/7LtlZdm3iA0pag2jpCNBXM?si=2bfe0d5c86a04f2a

Live version from the Roskilde Festival in 2002 (appears on Coming Through to You: The Live Recordings (1970-2004)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=810VoYXxJ04

Live version from Anaheim in 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uflOX5s8-QI

Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYE-Fw38pIo

Live version from the Glastonbury Festival in 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpXw_DUMxg

The Love Band with John Echols live in Philadelphia in 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTXxXwjzpOA

At #5, perhaps the most direct evidence we have that Arthur Lee was convinced he was dying in 1967.
Stunningly haunting song - so good.
 
6. The Red Telephone
Album: Forever Changes (1967)

The remaining songs on my list from Love's Forever Changes are some of the most brilliant compositions of their era, IMO up there with the masterpieces from Lennon/McCartney, Wilson, etc.

"The Red Telephone," which closes side 1, has been described as "exquisite," "philosophical" and "apocalyptic". As with some of his other songs from the time, Arthur Lee's lyrics may not make a whole lot of sense on the surface, but they do if you know that he was haunted by the idea of his friends being sent to die in Vietnam, by his belief that his race put him in danger, and by his belief that he was terminally ill and dying.

The song opens with a simple folk figure on acoustic guitar, soon punctuated with bass notes and strings. The first verse is about what is happening in Vietnam.

Sitting on the hillside
Watching all the people die
I'll feel much better on the other side
I'll thumb a ride


The second verse is in the same vein and appears to touch on government control over its people, a theme that emerges more explicitly later in the song, as well as Lee's struggles over his own identity.

I believe in magic
Why? Because it is so quick
I don't need power when I'm hypnotized
Look in my eyes
What are you seeing? (I see...)
How do you feel?
I'll feel real phony when my name is Phil
Or was that Bill?


Then a musical transition happens, led by the bass and featuring a harpsichord played by Wrecking Crew session man Don Randi. During the next verse, we get the first of many crescendos from David Angel's string arrangement (the flourish after Lee sings the word "eerie" is stunning), and Lee addresses his fears about his own mortality and his uncertainty over his mental state. In a neat trick, when Lee sings "paint me white," other voices chime in with "yellow" or "pink".

(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
Life goes on here
(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
Day after day
I don't know if I am living or if I'm
Supposed to be
Sometimes my life is so eerie
And if you think I'm happy
Paint me (white) (yellow) (pink)


After another flourish from the strings, Lee mediates on reincarnation and asks the listener to "count me out," which could refer to his disillusionment from American society and government or to his belief that his life was about to end (or both). Adding further to the confusion, a voice says "in" when Lee sings "out."

(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
I've been here once
(Sha-la-lala-lala-lala-lah)
I've been here twice
I don't know if the third's the fourth or if the
The fifth's to fix
Sometimes I deal with numbers
And if you wanna count me
Count me (out) (in)


After another verse where Lee questions his reality and expresses his preference for isolation

I don't need the times of day
Any time with me's OK
I just don't want you using up my time
'Cause that's not right


we transition to the song's breathtaking coda, where Lee goes full paranoid, expounding on how his freedom, and that of people like him, is in jeopardy.

Ahh...
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it will be tomorrow, you or me?
We're all normal and we want our freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
I want my freedom
All of God's childrens gotta have their freedom


Lee's singing here is almost hypnotic, almost disassociated from reality. Which I think is the point. "The Red Telephone" provides a glimpse of a man so disillusioned with society and his life that he is ready to leave it behind, and, in fact, resigned to doing so.

The coda took on extra resonance in performances after Lee was released from prison, and its line "we're all normal and we want our freedom" became

The title appears to be unconnected to the lyrics but is probably a reference to the image in popular culture at the time of the two predominant nuclear powers, the U,S. and the U.S.S.R., having a "hot line" to communicate with and threaten each other. It is also rumored that there was a red telephone in "The Castle," the band's relevance. My friend's record store named after Forever Changes has an old red telephone in it. It's a conversation starter; when a customer asks what it's doing there, he tells them about this song and album.

Given that most of its musical dynamics come from the string arrangement, it is no surprise that there are no documented live performances of "The Red Telephone" before 2002, the first tour after Lee's release from prison. But it has been played consistently since then, including by The Love Band with John Echols as recently as this spring.

Alternate mix: https://open.spotify.com/track/7LtlZdm3iA0pag2jpCNBXM?si=2bfe0d5c86a04f2a

Live version from the Roskilde Festival in 2002 (appears on Coming Through to You: The Live Recordings (1970-2004)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=810VoYXxJ04

Live version from Anaheim in 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uflOX5s8-QI

Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYE-Fw38pIo

Live version from the Glastonbury Festival in 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXpXw_DUMxg

The Love Band with John Echols live in Philadelphia in 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTXxXwjzpOA

At #5, perhaps the most direct evidence we have that Arthur Lee was convinced he was dying in 1967.
Stunningly haunting song - so good.
Yeah I really liked this.
 
The #6s were overloaded with excellent songs, including some of the most famous songs from artists. I wanted to list them all, but instead:

Selected Favorites:
Mad About You - Belinda Carlisle
X Hits the Spot - Michael Head & The Strands
Anotha’ (BBQ) - PUTS
Radio King - Golden Smog
30 Days in the Hole - Humble Pie (/Steve Marriot)
1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
Ukiah - Doobie Brothers
Nightmare Hippy Girl - Beck
Who’s Going to Lite it Up? - Izzy Lindqwister (/Cornershop)

Small spotlight:

There’s too much to love in this playlist, so let me shout out two songs. Namely, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding & Meat Loaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”. Very famous songs from both, with each very much deserved. I knew these songs would (/should) be high up, and I wasn’t disappointed.
 
9s

new to me likes:

Another fine Day- Golden Fog- Last 2 rds have been GREAT songs
I confess- The English Beat- (y)
Completely- Caro Emerald
E Too D- Small Faces- DANG! love this one- my favorite new to me this rd
Math Wiz- Luna
I still Wonder- Love- enjoyed most of their songs
Of space and Time- City and Colour- my favorite by them thus far.
Rock Your Body Rock- Ferry Corston- Not my usual jam but this one got me head nodding!

Known Likes:

Bullet with Butterfly Wings- Smashing Pumpkins - I also had this one ranked at #9!
Bat out of Hell- Meatloaf- always enjoyed this one
Takin' it to the Streets- Doobie Bros-❤️❤️❤️
Movin' Out (Anthony's song)- Billy Joel- another banger!
 
Three known-to-me favorites from #6:

Cocaine (Eric Clapton) -- Never gets old no matter how much "classic rock" radio loves it.
30 Days in the Hole (Humble Pie/Steve Marriott) -- The Black Crowes essentially based their entire career on this song/sound.
(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) -- A true classic and you wonder what it would have led to had he lived.

It was hard to leave off "Mad About You," "Radio King," "Suspicious Minds," "1979," "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "Welcome Home" and "Ukiah" (the song that pairs nicely with The Captain and Me's title track). This round was a murderer's row.

Three new-to-me favorites from #6:

X Hits the Spot (Michael Head and the Strands) -- Achingly beautiful.
Lucky (Hugh Dillon) -- Great arrangement -- I could see this passing for a Waterboys song.
Lost in Space (Luna) -- Splendid ethereal guitar work.
 
#6: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - ANOTHA' (BBQ)


This closes out Fun DMC which is at least top 3 album of theirs for me. This is the album that really sealed the deal for me with these guys. I had listened to and really dug a few albums already, then I hit this one. It is a concept album about a day in the life of a typical LA resident, quite autobiographical, and the song we have here is the song I would sing over and over at work and irritate people as I rapped different things to it. Yeah the stuff at the end of the song is a bit much, but as it goes through the album things like that flow better and add to the atmosphere. Another song that really stuck in my head was Gamin' On Ya - the song put in the Theme31 draft. If there is anybody reading who was thinking about a deep dive or trying an album, Fun DMC is the album I would suggest. As they run through the idea of a day they also work their way through their various styles, so it is a fantastic intro into their music. It's also a middle album, so you could branch out from their and go backwards or forward in their sound.

Flip meat like I flip beats cooked with soul
Only use the best ingredients available
That’s my word, they're cooking turds over Kingsford
Charcoal but ain't goin' out like that
Tortillas and corn and we can all get fat
And if you want another plate, get you some more
Hey, the dog’ll eat whatever meat falls on the floor
Empty handed new jacks back to the store, hit the shelf
And don’t bring back beer your gonna drink yourself


NEXT: the opener of my favorite album.
 
Last edited:
BECK

#6 ALBUM - MELLOW GOLD
SONG - NITEMARE HIPPY GIRL



Instead of a roadblock, Loser is now just a speedbump for me. While I do like the album start to finish there are also a couple of other songs that just on the edge of me skipping, so that is why it is here at #6 for me and maybe lower than people might have expected. This one has always been a favorite song of mine and would have been

She took me off my guard with disappointment
I got sucked inside of her apartment
She's got dried up flowers, flakey skin
A beaded necklace and a bottle of gin



NEXT: we get to one of the post-Sea Change albums left and a song sharing a name with a favorite Ministry song.
 
Lots of MADs adjacent album releases

New Arista-era Kinks Kompilation with a Royal Albert Hall performance from 1993

Aural weirdness from Beck's (and Oasis') drummer Joey Waronker

Posthumous compilation by Beach Boys/Brian Wilson collaborator Jeffrey Foskett

Another entry in Damon Albarn's Africa Express series

Single named lady of the week is Gwenno singing in English and Welsh. Simply lovely.

Bronski Beat remixes :pickle:

Power Pop royalty

I should like Half Japanese because I am but I never really dug them

25 years already since Backstreet Boys

E x p a n d e d

Plus Wet Leg, Clipse, Allo Darlin', Mark Stewart (RIP), Burna Boy and Justin Bieber
 
5's PLAYLIST

[td]Belinda Carlise[/td][td]Zegras11[/td][td]How Much More
[/td]
[td]Michael Head[/td][td]Eephus[/td][td]Shack -- Comedy
[/td]
[td]People Under the Stairs[/td][td]KarmaPolice[/td][td]Set It Off
[/td]
[td]John Waite[/td][td]Charlie Steiner[/td][td]Don't Lose Any Sleep
[/td]
[td]Golden Smog[/td][td]Dr. Octopus[/td][td]You Make It Easy
[/td]
[td]The GAP Band/Charlie Wilson[/td][td]Don Quixote[/td][td]Season’s No Reason to Change - The GAP Band
[/td]
[td]The English Beat Family Tree[/td][td]Yo Mama[/td][td]Best Friend
[/td]
[td]Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw[/td][td]-OZ_[/td][td]Riviera life
[/td]
[td]Neil Diamond[/td][td]Mrs. Rannous[/td][td]Hooked On The Memory Of You
[/td]
[td]Steve Marriott[/td][td]zamboni[/td][td]"All or Nothing" - Small Faces
[/td]
[td]Conor Oberst[/td][td]Tuffnutt[/td][td]Lua
[/td]
[td]Smashing Pumpkins[/td][td]Yambag[/td][td]Tonight, Tonight
[/td]
[td]Otis Redding[/td][td]John Maddens Lunchbox[/td][td]Satisfaction (Live in Europe)
[/td]
[td]Meat Loaf[/td][td]snellman[/td][td]All Revved Up With No Place To Go
[/td]
 
[td]Hugh Dillon[/td][td]Mister CIA[/td][td]Laugh Lines
[/td]
[td]Luna[/td][td]landrys hat[/td][td]Speedbumps

[/td]
[td]Metallica[/td][td]Mt. Man[/td][td]For Whom The Bell Tolls
[/td]
[td]The Doobie Brothers[/td][td]New Binky The Doormat[/td][td]Black Water
[/td]
[td]Billy Joel[/td][td]simey[/td][td]The Stranger
[/td]
[td]Arthur Lee and Love[/td][td]Pip's Invitation[/td][td]You Set the Scene
[/td]
[td]Beck[/td][td]KarmaPolice[/td][td]Scarecrow
[/td]
[td]John 5[/td][td]Chaos34[/td][td]I Want It All - John 5 and The Creatures
[/td]
[td]City and Colour[/td][td]MrsKarmaPolice[/td][td]The Death of Me
[/td]
[td]The Waterboys[/td][td]Ilov80s[/td][td]Ladbroke Grove Symphony
[/td]
[td]Eric Clapton[/td][td]Tau837[/td][td]Blues Power
[/td]
[td]Ferry Corsten[/td][td]titusbramble[/td][td]Gouryella - Gouryella
[/td]
[td]Cornershop[/td][td]The Dreaded Marco[/td][td]Something Makes You Feel Like
[/td]
 

#5 - Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Live in Europe)​


Comments sometimes from Wikipedia

JML Rank - #6 :pickle:
Krista4 Rank - #9 to 14 :pickle:
Uruk-Hai Rank - #
7 :pickle:
Album - Otis Blue
Recorded - March 1967
Is this a Cover? - Yes
Songwriter - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Notable Covers - Too Many to List, but heres a few
Devo, Dolly Parton featuring Pink and Brandi Carlile, Tom Petty, Bucks Fizz, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Britney Spears, ? And the Mysterians, Four Tops, Sly and Robbie, Rolf Harris, The Chipmunks, Tom Jones, Samantha Fox, Jerry Lee Lewis, Television, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby and Jose Feliciano

Comments - direct from wiki
Otis Redding recorded a rendition of "Satisfaction" for his album Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul, released in 1965. Redding claimed that he did not know the lyrics of the song. "I use a lot of words different than the Stones' version," he noted. "That's because I made them up."[70] Of that session, Steve Cropper said, "...if you ever listened to the record you can hardly understand the lyrics, right? I set down to a record player and copied down what I thought the lyrics were and I handed Otis a piece of paper and before we got through with the cut, he threw the paper on the floor and that was it."[71]Music writer Robert Christgau described it as an "anarchic reading" of the Stones' original.[72]Redding's soul-style arrangement featured horns playing the main riff,[73] as Keith Richards had originally intended. In 2003, Ronnie Wood noted that the Rolling Stones' later concert renditions of the number reflect Redding's interpretation.[10] Redding performed the song in June 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Festival.[74]

Next Up - Another cover, but Otis made it his own
 
The Stranger

Billy wrote this song for his 1977 album The Stranger. I love the matching intro and outro, and the in-between funky groove. It's a cool arrangement. The song touches on the hidden sides of people, and when sometimes those sides are revealed. It's one of my favorites from the album.

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes
 
The Stranger

Billy wrote this song for his 1977 album The Stranger. I love the matching intro and outro, and the in-between funky groove. It's a cool arrangement. The song touches on the hidden sides of people, and when sometimes those sides are revealed. It's one of my favorites from the album.

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes
I think this is one of his very best songs, as your ranking shows.
 
The Stranger

Billy wrote this song for his 1977 album The Stranger. I love the matching intro and outro, and the in-between funky groove. It's a cool arrangement. The song touches on the hidden sides of people, and when sometimes those sides are revealed. It's one of my favorites from the album.

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes
I think this is one of his very best songs, as your ranking shows.
Somehow I had never heard this one and really dug it.
 
Smashing Pumpkins #5

Song
: Tonight, Tonight
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Summary: Believe it or not this was the 4th single from Mellon Collie, but it reached number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Corgan has said that the song pays homage to Cheap Trick, with its black humoresque lyrics and theme, and that the song is addressed to himself, who escaped from an abusive childhood against all odds, so as to keep him believing in himself. It is still considered one of the greatest music videos of all time, ranking number 40 on Stylus Magazine's list of the top 100 music videos of all time.

And you know you're never sure
But you're sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
 

#5 - Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Live in Europe)​


Comments sometimes from Wikipedia

JML Rank - #6 :pickle:
Krista4 Rank - #9 to 14 :pickle:
Uruk-Hai Rank - #
7 :pickle:
Album - Otis Blue
Recorded - March 1967
Is this a Cover? - Yes
Songwriter - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Notable Covers - Too Many to List, but heres a few
Devo, Dolly Parton featuring Pink and Brandi Carlile, Tom Petty, Bucks Fizz, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Britney Spears, ? And the Mysterians, Four Tops, Sly and Robbie, Rolf Harris, The Chipmunks, Tom Jones, Samantha Fox, Jerry Lee Lewis, Television, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Phyllis Diller, Bill Cosby and Jose Feliciano

Comments - direct from wiki
Otis Redding recorded a rendition of "Satisfaction" for his album Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul, released in 1965. Redding claimed that he did not know the lyrics of the song. "I use a lot of words different than the Stones' version," he noted. "That's because I made them up."[70] Of that session, Steve Cropper said, "...if you ever listened to the record you can hardly understand the lyrics, right? I set down to a record player and copied down what I thought the lyrics were and I handed Otis a piece of paper and before we got through with the cut, he threw the paper on the floor and that was it."[71]Music writer Robert Christgau described it as an "anarchic reading" of the Stones' original.[72]Redding's soul-style arrangement featured horns playing the main riff,[73] as Keith Richards had originally intended. In 2003, Ronnie Wood noted that the Rolling Stones' later concert renditions of the number reflect Redding's interpretation.[10] Redding performed the song in June 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Festival.[74]

Next Up - Another cover, but Otis made it his own
Cropper's story is hilarious and tells listeners what they need to know about how Stax worked in the 1960s.

Otis: "Y'all find the groove. I'll take care of those word things".
 
5.

Song:
You Make It Easy
Album: Another Fine Day
Songwriter: Gary Louris, Kraig Johnson
Smog Lineup:

Kraig Johnson – background vocals, guitar
Jeff Tweedy – guitar, background vocals
Gary Louris – lead vocals, piano
Dan Murphy – guitar, background vocals
Marc Perlman – background vocals, bass
Linda Pitmon – drums

Some more power pop from the alt-country boys.
 
5. Don't Lose Any Sleep (Rover's Return, 1987)

Written by Diane Warren, Don't Lose Any Sleep was the second track from the album to be released as a single, spent four weeks on Billboard's Hot 100, reaching #81. Upon its release, it drew comparisons to his previous hit Missing You.

TBH, I put this on the list because I couldn't find his single "If Anybody Had a Heart" from the soundtrack to About Last Night on Spotify and wanted to avoid using youtube clips this time.
 
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5.

Lua
from I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2004)


Lua is Bright Eyes highest charting song and was number 89 of Rolling Stone's "100 Best Songs of the 2000s." It is also my wife's favorite Bright Eyes song, so that alone gets it into the Top5 lol. the song deals with two people as they struggle through depression, addiction and an interminable night. “Lua” is simply flawless, as Conor Oberst finds the touching humanity in a pair of down-on-their-luck lovers.
 
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The English Beat Family Tree #5

Best Friend

Artist - The English Beat
Album - I Just Can’t Stop It (1980)

This song just brings me back to early high school parties - drinking Bartles & James wine coolers and being too scared to talk to any girls.

Could never figure this out though. Is he obsessed with his girl’s best friend? Did he realize his girl is his best friend? Is he only in love with himself because nobody else gets him?


I just found out the name of your best friend
You been talking about yourself again
And no one seems to share your views
Why doesn't everybody listen to you kid?
How come you never really seem to get through, is it you?
Talk about yourself again, you
Talk about yourself
Always you, you, you
Talk about yourself again

She's on a holiday
She's got her summer frock on
Suck on an ice cream
It's melting in the hot sun
First date's made you pray for more
I wanted you, wanted
Everybody knows the score
I wanted you, wanted
What are we pretending for?
Let's talk about ourselves on the floor
Let's talk about yourselves, nothing more I promise
Talk about ourselves again
 
The Stranger

Billy wrote this song for his 1977 album The Stranger. I love the matching intro and outro, and the in-between funky groove. It's a cool arrangement. The song touches on the hidden sides of people, and when sometimes those sides are revealed. It's one of my favorites from the album.

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes
My mom only liked a few rock tunes and artists but this was one of her favorites. The whistling intro and outro especially.
 
The Stranger

Billy wrote this song for his 1977 album The Stranger. I love the matching intro and outro, and the in-between funky groove. It's a cool arrangement. The song touches on the hidden sides of people, and when sometimes those sides are revealed. It's one of my favorites from the album.

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes
My mom only liked a few rock tunes and artists but this was one of her favorites. The whistling intro and outro especially.
This may be my second-favorite Billy song after the one that hooked me as a kid (the Bosom Buddies song).
 
#5: PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS - SET IT OFF


We finish up with my favorite album with the opener. That bit from :30-1:05 is some of my favorite in all their music. A fun tone setter for the rest of the album. I don't think it's showing up over in the other thread, so it's probably not a spoiler to say that I gave Carried Away top 10 points. This and Fun DMC were released about a year apart and I would put them up with any 2 albums from any other hip hop artist I've listened to. O.S.T is the other album in my top 3. I think other songs from this album have been ones that have gotten a few mentions: Beer, Trippin' At the Disco, DQMOT, and 80 Blocks From Silverdale. There are others that were in the next wave of favorites including the title track, My Boy D, Listen, and the weird Creepshow. Love this album so much.

NEXT: we get nods to everything from Facts of Life to Costco to a reference to one my favorite commercials to close out Highligter.
 
BECK

ALBUM #5: GUERO
SONG: SCARECROW



Love love the groove on this one, epecially as the guitars kick in with it. The breakdown at the end with Odelay vibes is great as well. There are other great tracks on here that I didn't get to like E-Pro and Black Tambourine. Both were hard cuts to make. I like this era of his albums production-wise, which is another reason I have it right above Mellow Gold.

I'm walkin to the other side
with the devil tryin to take my mind
and my soul's just a silhouette
in the ashes of a cigarette

illusions never fake their lies
trick cards fool the eye
carry zeros over till they add up
bury tears in the chapters you shut


NEXT: we finally get to the biggest riser of the countdown
 
BECK

ALBUM #5: GUERO
SONG: SCARECROW



Love love the groove on this one, epecially as the guitars kick in with it. The breakdown at the end with Odelay vibes is great as well. There are other great tracks on here that I didn't get to like E-Pro and Black Tambourine. Both were hard cuts to make. I like this era of his albums production-wise, which is another reason I have it right above Mellow Gold.

I'm walkin to the other side
with the devil tryin to take my mind
and my soul's just a silhouette
in the ashes of a cigarette

illusions never fake their lies
trick cards fool the eye
carry zeros over till they add up
bury tears in the chapters you shut


NEXT: we finally get to the biggest riser of the countdown
You also didn't get to my favorite from this album: Earthquake Weather

 
While we're talking about mid-00s Beck, one of the wildest concerts I've ever seen was when he played the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA (just outside Philly) on 10/23/06.

Throughout the show, marionettes representing Beck and his bandmates were dancing at the front of the stage along with the music. And the big screen above the stage, which normally would show the musicians, mostly showed the marionettes. And sometimes that screen had psychedelic vignettes -- incorporating the marionettes. At the start of the encore, they showed a film that had been shot earlier that day -- the marionettes went to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to reenact scenes from Rocky. Presumably they shot a new film in every city.

The music was bumpin', but the visual presentation was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

The setlist:

Loser
Black Tambourine
The New Pollution
Mixed Bizness
Devils Haircut
We Dance Alone
Que Onda Guero
Think I'm in Love
Landslide
Paper Tiger
Cellphone's Dead
Girl
Minus
Dark Star
Motorcade
The Information
Nausea
Where It's At
Broken Drum
End of the Day
Tropicalia
Lost Cause
Do You Realize?? (Flaming Lips cover)
You're Running Wild (Buddy Miller cover)
Debra
The Golden Age
Clap Hands / One Foot in the Grave / Emergency Exit

Encore:
(PuppeTron)
1,000 BPM
E-Pro
 
5. You Set the Scene
Album: Forever Changes (1967)

"You Set the Scene," the final track of Love's Forever Changes, is a grand summation of everything the record accomplishes musically and lyrically. That is to say, it sounds real nice, but there is a lot going on beneath the surface.

Arthur Lee's ambitions are at their height here, as the arrangement draws from folk, jazz, classical and pop. The track has even been likened to prog, despite featuring no electric guitars or keyboards, due to its use of unusual time signatures, changes in tempo and ornate uses of horns and strings. (It's also by far the longest song on the album at almost 7 minutes.) It sounds like the product of someone classically trained who was asked to write a Tin Pan Alley-style song.

If Arthur Lee had people micro-analyzing his lyrics like Bob Dylan did, then those folks would have had a field day with this song. For example, the second verse makes little sense at face value, but the allusions to Lee's contemporary obsessions with war, mental health, mistreatment by the music industry and by society at large, and what he thought was his impending mortality are all there.

You go through changes, it may seem strange
Is this what you're put here for?
You think you're happy and you are happy
That's what you're happy for
There's a man who can't decide if he should
Fight for what his father thinks is right
There are people wearing frowns who'll screw you up
But they would rather screw you down
At my request I ask for nothing
You get nothing in return
If you're nice she'll bring me water
If you're not then I will burn


Verse 3 is basically his goodbye message:

This is the time and life that I am living
And I'll face each day with a smile
For the time that I've been given's such a little while
And the things that I must do consist of more than style
There are places that I am going
This is the only thing that I am sure of
And that's all that lives is gonna die
And there'll always be some people here to wonder why
And for every happy hello, there will be good-bye
There'll be time for you to put yourself on


This is accentuated at the end of the song when Lee sings "There will be time for you to start all over." Even the title may be conveying that he wants the listener to make the most of their life after he is gone.

The second half of the song has incredible dynamics and its coda, despite mostly consisting of Lee repeating the word "time," sports some of Lee's most impassioned and compelling singing.

As with the previous entry "The Red Telephone," likely because of its heavy dependence on horns and strings, Lee and Love never attempted to perform "You Set the Scene" live until after his release from prison in 2002, but it has been performed consistently since then, including at my 2002 show and by The Love Band with John Echols after Lee's death, as recently as this spring.

Alternate mix: https://open.spotify.com/track/1D7PDajXpdbgsLRXvDWhlK?si=701995fd9f134b8e

Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sks2mjIIeZA

Live version from the Glastonbury Festival in 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19l1J8S3HJc

Live version from Hollywood in 2003: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk65Xd0NfTc

Live version from Bergen, Norway in 2004 (appears on Coming Through to You: The Live Recordings (1970-2004)): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiEk4FIVth8

The Love Band with John Echols live in LA in 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1uIPlJaT7k

At #4, the song that got Love signed.
 
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Eric Clapton #5

Eric Clapton - Blues Power

"Blues Power" is one of Clapton's most powerful tracks from his 1970 debut solo album, "Eric Clapton." For this countdown, I chose the live version from the "Just One Night" album, a dynamic and energetic performance that amplifies the original track's intensity and emotion. This live recording captures Clapton at his best as a blues-rock artist, with the band feeding off the energy of the audience and the atmosphere of the intimate yet expansive venue.

The lyrics focus on the strength and healing power of the blues, a theme that Clapton had explored throughout his career. The song is both a celebration and a testament to the blues as a genre. It speaks to how the blues is not just a style of music but also an emotional outlet, a source of comfort for those going through difficult times. The song also hints at personal transformation, as Clapton’s character in the song feels empowered and invigorated by the blues.

The song is a great showcase for Clapton’s guitar skills, as he moves between rhythmic groove and melodic solos. It opens with a blues-inflected riff that is both tight and infectious. Clapton’s riffing here is rooted in the blues but delivered with a bit of rock flair, creating a powerful groove that carries the track. Clapton’s solo is expressive, filled with blues licks, bends, and vibrato that showcase his deep understanding of the blues language. His use of fuzz and overdrive gives the solo and riff a rich, full-bodied sound, making it stand out without overpowering the rest of the track.

This song highlights Clapton’s deep roots in the blues and his ability to channel the genre's emotional depth into a rock context. "Blues Power" captures both Clapton's iconic guitar style and his signature vocal delivery, showcasing his passion for the blues while still being a part of the rock ‘n’ roll landscape of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
 
Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sks2mjIIeZA

Holy smoke! Arthur Lee was in such good form there. What a voice. The symphony backing was so very cool. What was that? Sorry, I’ll look it up if you’ve gone into at any length before.

He was nearly sixty, which seems old, but I guess doesn’t feel as old as it once did. That’s a wonderful performance of a great song. I just figured “What the heck?” tonight, but (unsolicited advice here) you should push the transcendent stuff you write about maybe a little more forcefully. You would get maybe more clicks and discussion about stuff you obviously have a passion for. I mean, you’re always laying out really good stuff, but one can get overwhelmed. I hope you take that as the compliment that it’s intended to be.

This was just excellent. Arthur Lee must have been something else, man. I have enjoyed reading this on and off. Cool stuff.
 
Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sks2mjIIeZA

Holy smoke! Arthur Lee was in such good form there. What a voice. The symphony backing was so very cool. What was that? Sorry, I’ll look it up if you’ve gone into at any length before.

He was nearly sixty, which seems old, but I guess doesn’t feel as old as it once did. That’s a wonderful performance of a great song. I just figured “What the heck?” tonight, but (unsolicited advice here) you should push the transcendent stuff you write about maybe a little more forcefully. You would get maybe more clicks and discussion about stuff you obviously have a passion for. I mean, you’re always laying out really good stuff, but one can get overwhelmed. I hope you take that as the compliment that it’s intended to be.

This was just excellent. Arthur Lee must have been something else, man. I have enjoyed reading this on and off. Cool stuff.
Lee and Love toured Europe in early 2003 with a horn section and string section, playing Forever Changes in its entirety for the first time. The London show was recorded and released as The Forever Changes Concert.

That summer, they returned for the Glastonbury Festival where they performed Forever Changes in order, “Your Mind and We Belong Together” (#29) and a song yet to come. The whole thing is on YouTube.

During that early 2003 visit, the full ensemble appeared on Later with Jools Holland, where they performed “Maybe the People Would Be the Times…” (clip linked in that post) and another song yet to come. Lee also visited Parliament, where they presented him with a resolution declaring Forever Changes one of the greatest albums ever made. In terms of getting the recognition he deserved, this tour was the highlight of Lee’s career.

Are you saying you want me to point out the clips that are most worth watching/listening to?
 
Live version from London in 2003 (appears on The Forever Changes Concert): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sks2mjIIeZA

Holy smoke! Arthur Lee was in such good form there. What a voice. The symphony backing was so very cool. What was that? Sorry, I’ll look it up if you’ve gone into at any length before.

He was nearly sixty, which seems old, but I guess doesn’t feel as old as it once did. That’s a wonderful performance of a great song. I just figured “What the heck?” tonight, but (unsolicited advice here) you should push the transcendent stuff you write about maybe a little more forcefully. You would get maybe more clicks and discussion about stuff you obviously have a passion for. I mean, you’re always laying out really good stuff, but one can get overwhelmed. I hope you take that as the compliment that it’s intended to be.

This was just excellent. Arthur Lee must have been something else, man. I have enjoyed reading this on and off. Cool stuff.
Lee and Love toured Europe in early 2003 with a horn section and string section, playing Forever Changes in its entirety for the first time. The London show was recorded and released as The Forever Changes Concert.

During that visit, the full ensemble appeared on Later with Jools Holland, where they performed “Maybe the People Would Be the Times…” (clip linked in that post) and another song yet to come. Lee also visited Parliament, where they presented him with a resolution declaring Forever Changes one of the greatest albums ever made. In terms of getting the recognition he deserved, this tour was the highlight of Lee’s career.

Are you saying you want me to point out the clips that are most worth watching/listening to?

Thanks for the Love info.

As for the boldface, that's more work and has you rank ordering everything, so I immediately see the problem. I don't know, really. We don't want less links because we want rabbit holes of good stuff, and we don't want to cut your muse off. Maybe if there's something you think is particularly of note you might sell it harder? (upspeak) Maybe take five clips per thirty-one that you find exceptional for some reason and just riff off of it when you see it. But see, it's not my time I'm volunteering, it's yours and you put a ton of work into it already. Time is finite.

I don't know. Perhaps I don't have a ton in the way of constructive criticism other than I get the sinking feeling that given the experiences I've had with your stuff when you do these things it's that what you post is usually incredibly good even if not totally in my sweet spot. There's really no way I should like Peter Weller's conscience or Arthur Lee's psychedelic unnerving and beauty, but both are compelling in ways I didn't think they would be. So was Fanny when I got a moment.

You know, maybe it's me and just limited time and too many interests or something. Perhaps just consider it fan admiration from a peer. *shrugs*

That was really an excellent performance and thank you for posting. Guess I could have left it at that.
 
8s

new to me likes:

The LA Song- PUTS- I have liked WAY more than I thought I would from these guys. nice suprise!
Laydown- John Waite
Liquid Lunch- Caro Emerald- fun song
Stone Cold Fever- Humble Pie
I'd lie for you- Meatloaf- I hear "I would do anything for love" in this one
Meant to Be- City and Colour- my favorite new to me this Rd.


known likes:

Mayonaise- Smashing Pumpkins- my #1 SP song
Mr. Pitiful- Otis Redding- SO. DAMN. GOOD.
And Justice For All- Metallica
Rockin Down the Highway- Doobie Brothers
 
MA-D Round 5: Metallica
#5: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Album: Ride the Lightning


(Youtube version) For Whom The Bell Tolls
(S&M Version) Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls (live S&M 1999) (UHD 4K)
(live version) Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live) [Cliff 'Em All]

Stranger now are his eyes to this mystery
Hears the silence so loud
Crack of dawn, all is gone except the will to be
Now they see what will be, blinded eyes to see



Perhaps the second most famous song that starts with the sound of bells chiming, “For Whom The Bell Tolls” is of course largely inspired by the book of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. It’s more than a slight nod to it, as a few verses allude to Chapter 27 of the book. For that, it joins the collection of anti-war songs from the band.

Besides the bells (a mix of a sound effects reel and Lars Ulrich striking an anvil with a metal hammer), the intro is heavily bass guitar with distortion and the use of a wah pedal. The drums and guitars kick in, and you’re left thriving on an instrumental for slightly over 2 minutes of a song that is barely over 5. Regardless, this is another concert staple for Metallica, and well loved by fans. I plausibly should've subbed in a live version here (both above are excellent in my eyes), but that's no shade on the studio version, obviously.



Next on the countdown, most of you might appropriately put this song three spots higher.
 
My mom only liked a few rock tunes and artists but this was one of her favorites. The whistling intro and outro especially.
Check out how perfect his whistle is in this live version back in '77. Here is how the whistling intro came to be...

"After we recorded the song, I remember thinking, 'it needs some sort of introduction. It needs a prelude or a theme, and then it should slam into the song.' I played the theme on the piano to show Phil (Ramone, the album's producer) and whistled along with it, and I said, 'What instrument do you think should do that?' And Phil said, 'You just did it.' I heard it played back and went, 'That's kind of cool, I like that.' It was really the theme to the album because it was born in the studio during the process, and it just kind of captured the mood."
 
My mom only liked a few rock tunes and artists but this was one of her favorites. The whistling intro and outro especially.
Check out how perfect his whistle is in this live version back in '77. Here is how the whistling intro came to be...

"After we recorded the song, I remember thinking, 'it needs some sort of introduction. It needs a prelude or a theme, and then it should slam into the song.' I played the theme on the piano to show Phil (Ramone, the album's producer) and whistled along with it, and I said, 'What instrument do you think should do that?' And Phil said, 'You just did it.' I heard it played back and went, 'That's kind of cool, I like that.' It was really the theme to the album because it was born in the studio during the process, and it just kind of captured the mood."
Yes, and I'm glad you mentioned Phil "I'm not a Ramone". He did a nice job on that album's production.
 
My mom only liked a few rock tunes and artists but this was one of her favorites. The whistling intro and outro especially.
Check out how perfect his whistle is in this live version back in '77. Here is how the whistling intro came to be...

"After we recorded the song, I remember thinking, 'it needs some sort of introduction. It needs a prelude or a theme, and then it should slam into the song.' I played the theme on the piano to show Phil (Ramone, the album's producer) and whistled along with it, and I said, 'What instrument do you think should do that?' And Phil said, 'You just did it.' I heard it played back and went, 'That's kind of cool, I like that.' It was really the theme to the album because it was born in the studio during the process, and it just kind of captured the mood."
My favorite part of any Joel record is the whistling intro to this one.
 
My mom only liked a few rock tunes and artists but this was one of her favorites. The whistling intro and outro especially.
Check out how perfect his whistle is in this live version back in '77. Here is how the whistling intro came to be...

"After we recorded the song, I remember thinking, 'it needs some sort of introduction. It needs a prelude or a theme, and then it should slam into the song.' I played the theme on the piano to show Phil (Ramone, the album's producer) and whistled along with it, and I said, 'What instrument do you think should do that?' And Phil said, 'You just did it.' I heard it played back and went, 'That's kind of cool, I like that.' It was really the theme to the album because it was born in the studio during the process, and it just kind of captured the mood."
Yes, and I'm glad you mentioned Phil "I'm not a Ramone". He did a nice job on that album's production.
It is a great sounding album.
 

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