Middle Aged Dummies!! Artists #1's have been posted!! (1 Viewer)

[Dr. Octopus]

So this playlist will help contribute to a good cause. It was all worth it.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Random thoughts on some of the #17s that I already know:

International Feel is the opening track on A Wizard, A True Star, the follow-up to Something/Anything?, and tells you right away that you are in for a deeply weird experience that bears little resemblance to S/A. Despite the Beatles-on-crack arrangement, it's actually got an incredible melody. Side 1 ends with a reprise, Le Feel International, which includes the line "wait another year, utopia is here" -- and the next year we got the debut of Todd's band Utopia.
Can't Stand Losing You is another slamming tune from the earliest batch of Police songs. The urgency in it is palpable.
The Battle of Epping Forest is some of the proggiest prog that ever progged. I love it. It may be hard to digest for some of you.
I don't remember anything about Trail of Dead's Summer of '91 from Worlds Apart. Instead I'll devote this space to a song not on plinko's list that I think is the best song on Worlds Apart, Caterwaul. It's a rumbling rocker that features triumphant bursts of exhortations from Jason Reece and was a great showpiece in concert, featuring some of the band's most chaotic playing and Reece climbing on speakers and whatever else while singing. I only know the first half of TOD's recording career, but if I ranked those songs, this would probably be the highest-ranking tune not on Source Tags and Codes.
A Well Respected Man is one of Ray Davies' earliest and best character studies and social commentaries. And it's got quite a hook as well.
Red Sector A is one of my favorite post-Moving Pictures Rush songs. The lyrics are harrowing and the music matches the narrator's urgency.
Brooklyn is a rare Steely Dan song not sung by Fagen, though I have heard a demo version with him on lead vocals. (The vocal on the Can't By a Thrill version is by David Palmer, who was intended to be the band's lead singer until Becker and Fagen realized that most of their songs sounded better with Fagen singing them.) It's a compelling tale that you can't quite put your finger on.
We Are the World is hot garbage except for certain vocal performances like Stevie's. There's a reason why you still hear Do They Know It's Christmas on the radio during the holidays but not this -- one is not a terrible song, and the other is.
Back on the Train is one of Phish's more straightforward and accessible songs. It has a shuffling groove that reminds me a bit of Clapton's Lay Down Sally.
I mentioned that the Discovery album consists mostly of Jeff Lynne's takes on disco. Last Train to London is one of those.
Old Friends is the musical equivalent of a warm blanket.
Backstreets is one of my favorite Bruce tunes. Here's what I said about it in my 1975 countdown:

22. Backstreets -- Bruce Springsteen (from Born to Run)

As I mentioned in the Neil countdown and elsewhere, I'm not really into Springsteen. Luckily, one of my favorites from him happens to be a song from 1975 that didn't appear on Tim's list. The piano/organ interplay, especially at the beginning, works really well, and while I'm not normally a fan of Bruce's loud/gruff vocals, here they do a good job of conveying the desperation of the characters. And the "hiding on the backstreets" coda is an earworm that is impossible to get out of your mind.

 

[MAC_32]

Panic Song is one of Green Day's least streamed songs (most probably by me) and they've never played it live, but I don't think it is it because of song quality. In one of Rock and I's talks a few days ago we were talking about their sound late 94/early 95 - when they were hopped up on speed and not dealing with success well. The Insomniac sessions were their release, which resulted in their fastest music. This particular song was so fast Tre's hands started bleeding out, but he pressed on anyway...several more times, writhing in pain in between each take. I just don't think this song can physically be played live - not to standard anyway. Thank the combination drugs, coffee, and anger for what they were able to accomplish in the studio. The drums and bass have never been crisper than they were on this epic (by early Green Day standards) and this is when Billy Joe and Dirnt perfected their harmonies, as heard in the outro. I could've added this whole album, but while I exercised some restraint with redundancy including this one was important.

 

[MAC_32]

Backstreets is one of my favorite Bruce tunes. Here's what I said about it in my 1975 countdown:

22. Backstreets -- Bruce Springsteen (from Born to Run)

As I mentioned in the Neil countdown and elsewhere, I'm not really into Springsteen. Luckily, one of my favorites from him happens to be a song from 1975 that didn't appear on Tim's list. The piano/organ interplay, especially at the beginning, works really well, and while I'm not normally a fan of Bruce's loud/gruff vocals, here they do a good job of conveying the desperation of the characters. And the "hiding on the backstreets" coda is an earworm that is impossible to get out of your mind.

Before I met my now wife I was not a Bruce fan. A couple cool songs, a couple a'ights, several meh's, and Dancing in the Dark (blegh). She said she would change that...which she triumphantly did. There were 5 songs in particular that stuck out and caused me to say what the hell is this and where has it been all my life.

This was one of them. What a banger.

 

[zamboni]

#17 "We Are The World"

Musically, this is junk - there's nothing even remotely interesting going on here. Lyrically, it's even worse - a pile of Lionel Richie & Michael Jackson Hallmark Greeting Card non sequiturs about how rich people "care". Then they pat each other on the back, hop into limos, go back to mounds of food (& cocaine) at their mansions in Bel Air, and forget all about the 10,000 kids who starved to death while this record was being made.

So, why is this here? The singing, of course. Sans Prince and Madonna, pretty much every major American pop star of 1985 is on this record.

The Bad:
Poor Tina Turner got saddled with Billy Joel. Luckily, he only had one harmony line and - even better - he didn't write it.
They trotted out Bob Dylan - then at a career nadir - to try and tap into the whole '60s "protest" thing(?). He pretty much kills whatever momentum this limp disk had.
Kim Carnes - who couldn't out-sing a bad muffler - was there only because one of the producers was her manager.

The Good:
I don't always like Springsteen's "scream it all out" style, but that makes me a hypocrite - Otis Redding is my God. That's on me. The Boss brings it here.
Cyndi Lauper should have sung this whole song.
I always though James Ingram was underrated. It's like he's too conventional, but not conventional enough. That man could sing.
Ray Charles is on this. As wikkid used to say "nuffced"
Oh, and Stevie Wonder goes the **** off in his vamp with Bruce.

Just imagine how much worse it would have been if Dan Ackroyd wasn’t there to prop it up.

ETA: I actually purchased the album a few years ago for 50 cents while dumpster diving at a record store. I think I overpaid.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

We Are the World is hot garbage except for certain vocal performances like Stevie's. There's a reason why you still hear Do They Know It's Christmas on the radio during the holidays but not this -- one is not a terrible song, and the other is.

I knew this selection would make people puke. I apologize to all of your playlists.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Missed a lot of discussion so to catch up:

1. First 45/LP: Don't know if this counts since I didn't buy them, but apparently when I was an infant, I would not fall asleep until/unless the theme song from the movie Born Free and Petula Clark's Downtown were played multiple times. I really have no memory of this, but does explain why my brother and sister didn't like me all that much when we were younger. I also didn't buy this one, but I was also a big fan of and had the 45 of I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, thanks to the iconic Coca-Cola commercial. The first 45 that I did buy was Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke, and the first LP was Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--the movie soundtrack.

2. First TV/movie crushes. One of the hosts of Romper Room, circa 70-72. I don't' remember her name and I've done google searches looking for her, but none of them remind me of anything. All I remember is that she was young and a brunette. My first age-appropriate crush was Tatum O'Neal, circa Paper Moon-Bad News Bears.

3. Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me) is the third song to appear on my list from Can't Buy a Thrill.

A scathing jab wrapped in flowery words and a disarming melody.

A race of angels bound with one another
A dish of dollars laid out for all to see
A tower room at Eden Rock
His golf at noon for free

Brooklyn owes the charmer under me
Brooklyn owes the charmer under me

His lady's aching to bring a body down
She daily preaches on where she wants to be
An evening with a movie queen
A face we all have seen

Brooklyn owes the charmer under me
Brooklyn owes the charmer under me

A case of aces done up loose for dealing
A piece of island cooling in the sea
The whole of time we gain or lose
And power enough to choose

Brooklyn owes the charmer under me
Brooklyn owes the charmer under me
Yeah, Brooklyn owes the charmer under me
Brooklyn owes the charmer under me

 

[zamboni]

"We Are The World" is putrid. Of course, being a Chicago 17 stan, and a soulless thief, I had the 45.

"Red Sector A" is primo middle era Rush. Can we get some "Tears Are Not Enough"?

“Stars” by Hear N’ Aid still remains the measuring stick for musician charity collaborations.

 

[Raging weasel]

"We Are The World" is putrid. Of course, being a Chicago 17 stan, and a soulless thief, I had the 45.

"Red Sector A" is primo middle era Rush. Can we get some "Tears Are Not Enough"?

“Stars” by Hear N’ Aid still remains the measuring stick for musician charity collaborations.

Only if you count material written specifically as a charity fundraiser. Otherwise it's George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh

 

[Ilov80s]

I will also vouch for how great Backstreets is.

 

[simey]

#17 - Ray Charles - Lonely Avenue - Spotify

Brother Ray recorded this song as a single back in 1956. He used a girl group called The Cookies to sing backup on it. The Cookies were Margie Hendrix, Darlene McCrae and Dorothy Jones. They sang backup on a couple other singles from that year as well. Lonely Avenue appears on Ray's 1958 album Yes Indeed! (great album). Ray hired The Cookies to be on the album, and to be with him long term, and they officially were renamed The Raelettes.

The original Raelettes lineup was Margie Hendrix, Darlene McCrae, Patricia Lyles and Gwendolyn Berry. They were a big part of Ray's sound. He also started his own record label called Tangerine Records in 1962, and he produced and played piano on some records The Raelettes did solo on his label. Margie was the lead Raelette for several years, but Ray eventually fired her in 1964. It wasn't because her and Ray had an off and on love affair (I'm sure that didn't help), it was because her alcohol and drug use made her so volatile. She was fighting with Ray, The Raelettes, and would either be late or not show up at all to rehearsals and recordings. After one last big argument while on tour, Ray let her go. Her music career was checkered after that due to her addictions, and she would pass in '73 from what people close to her said was an overdose. There was no autopsy to verify it. The Raelettes lineup changed throughout the decades, and a couple notable members were Mable John and Merry Clayton.

Mable and Ray collaborated on a lot of songs, and they maintained a close friendship until he passed. She was the sister of blues singer Little John. Mable was the first female to be signed to Tamla Records, which became Motown. My favorite work of hers is her records with Stax, which she co-wrote some of the songs. I recommend her album Stay Out of The Kitchen, which is a compilation of her Stax material. I love that album. You are served a big helping of some great bluesy southern soul. Anyway, she left The Raelettes to become a minister in Los Angeles, and she died last year at age 91.

Back to Lonely Avenue, I dig the repetitious rhythm of the song. I think it gives that monotonous feeling of being lonely. The sax solo is courtesy of Mr. David "Fathead" Newman.

 

[zamboni]

"We Are The World" is putrid. Of course, being a Chicago 17 stan, and a soulless thief, I had the 45.

"Red Sector A" is primo middle era Rush. Can we get some "Tears Are Not Enough"?

“Stars” by Hear N’ Aid still remains the measuring stick for musician charity collaborations.

Only if you count material written specifically as a charity fundraiser. Otherwise it's George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh

Was half-joking but, yeah, just meant a one-off song collaboration.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

the first LP was Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--the movie soundtrack.

I thought you were about to redeem yourself and then…..

 

[Charlie Steiner]

the first LP was Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--the movie soundtrack.

I thought you were about to redeem yourself and then…..

All I can say is that I was 12, just discovering The Beatles for myself and had no sense of discernment.

 

[zamboni]

the first LP was Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--the movie soundtrack.

I thought you were about to redeem yourself and then…..

All I can say is that I was 12, just discovering The Beatles for myself and had no sense of discernment.

Charlie was a schoolboy
When he heard his first Beatles song
"Love Me Do", I think it was
And from there, it didn't take him long

 

[Dr. Octopus]

the first LP was Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--the movie soundtrack.

I thought you were about to redeem yourself and then…..

All I can say is that I was 12, just discovering The Beatles for myself and had no sense of discernment.

Im joking of course. I was a kid when that movie aired as well and loved it. Only later in life could I see how dreadful it was.

I also could have answered “Grease:Soundtrack” if the question was the first “adult” album I owned rather than first I bought myself.

 

[Mister CIA]

First album: We're an American Band by Grand Funk. I remember riding home in the front seat, ripping off the cellophane, and flipping open the album cover only to see the band posing naked in a hay stack. I slammed the cover shut and my dad was like, "whatcha got there, bud?" ... Oh, I might have to get this t-shirt.

First crush: my babysitter. She was 14 and I was 7. I remember her reading the paperback version of Billy Jack, and I think of her every time I hear One Tin Soldier.

First celebrity crush: not sure. It might have been Jaclyn Smith.

 

[simey]

Brief random ramblings of some #17s.

I Can't Stand Losing - My second favorite song on Outlandos d'Amour.
Son of Sam - This is what you call Elliott jamming out. This has to be musically one of his most upbeat songs, and he plays every instrument on it. Talent!
We Are the World - Watching this old video sure brings me back in time.
Ziggy Stardust - Awesome cover.
Sweet Painted Lady -
The Summer of '91 - I like this song a lot. I like the piano, his voice, when the music changes pace, etc.
A Well Respected Man - I love it.

More later

 

[JB Breakfast Club]

First cassette I owned: Whitesnake
First CD I purchased: Nirvana
First vinyl I owned: Jolene by White Stripes 7" picture disc

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

I truly cannot remember which one it was ...but the first album I ever purchased is one of these three:

* Carole King - Tapestry
* James Taylor - Mud Slide Slim
* Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story

Ginger on Gilligan's Island is the first to make me feel "all tingly"

bonus link.

 

[MAC_32]

First cassette was Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation. CD was Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness.

 

[Ilov80s]

First cassette I owned: Whitesnake
First CD I purchased: Nirvana
First vinyl I owned: Jolene by White Stripes 7" picture disc

Cassette was MC Hammer as I mentioned, when I upgraded to a CD player...that's a tough one, if I had to guess it would be the Forrest Gump Soundtrack, The Beatles blue and red greatest hits (got them together) or Dookie.

 

[Scoresman]

17 - Sigur Ros - Festival

Another in Sigur Ros' line of songs that start slow and blow up into something bigger (4:40 is when the instrumental eruption begins if you're impatient).

If it sounds familiar, it was featured at the end of the movie 127 Hours.

 

[Scoresman]

I like We Are the World.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I like We Are the World.

Let's you & I fight the rest of the world together. Some of them are probably Rush fans.

 

[zamboni]

I like We Are the World.

I like it too from a nostalgia perspective more than the song itself. Can still probably name every performer in order without hearing it.

 

[Hov34]

Listening to my list and re-thinking I should have put this song higher - top 10, maybe top 5.

Rent I Pay - Spoon

 

[plinko]

I meant "putrid" in a good way

 

[Galileo]

I like We Are the World.

Let's you & I fight the rest of the world together. Some of them are probably Rush fans.

I like We are the World also. Sure it is simple and repetitive, but with all those vocal powerhouses coming together to collaborate, it is a hell of a spectacle that you don't get to see very often.

I am a Rush fan too.

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

Some of my favorites from the 19s and 18s:

Awestruck
Losing It
Tolerate It
Old Days
Young and Lovely
Don't Make Me a Target
Harder to Forgive
Mariner's Revenge Song
Destroyer
Working Man
Olsen Olsen
Technologic
Pitselah
You're My Best Friend

 

[simey]

Some more #17 rambles

Hotel Chelsea Nights - Great slow burner
Last Train to London - I haven't heard this song in so long. I hear some thumpin' sounds of disco.
I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh) - I like this, especially that saloon piano running through it.
Back on the Train - This song has an Americana feel to it.
Sing Shout - na na na na na na na na na
To The End (La Comedie) - Dreamy
Song of the Evergreens - They had two good lead singers.
Follow - I like her vocals in this one.
The Ambassador - This one is now my new favorite from them.
Orange - Old timey folk
Ivy - New timey folk
Festival -
Panic Song -
Rent I Pay -
Alive -
Truckers Atlas
Bitter Kitten -

Shut Up -

 

[simey]

I like We are the World also. Sure it is simple and repetitive, but with all those vocal powerhouses coming together to collaborate, it is a hell of a spectacle that you don't get to see very often

In the video, Willie was not sporting his signature pigtails. I think he looked good with the short hair.

 

[simey]

Criola is a fun song with a lot of instruments going on in it.

 

[zamboni]

I like We are the World also. Sure it is simple and repetitive, but with all those vocal powerhouses coming together to collaborate, it is a hell of a spectacle that you don't get to see very often

In the video, Willie was not sporting his signature pigtails. I think he looked good with the short hair.

I didn’t remember it being so short until I watched again - figured it was just in a single ponytail.

Good representation here in the countdown - Stevie, Ray Charles, Springsteen, Paul Simon.

 

[simey]

I've liked all The Decemberists and S&G songs.

 

[Doug B]

First albums I bought for myself - I bought the records of Journey Escape and Foreigner 4 on the same trip to the mall the summer of ‘81. It was so badass.

My sisters got exactly these two albums for Christmas 1981.

 

[tuffnutt]

17.
Son Of Sam- Elliott Smith
from Figure 8 Album

I may talk in my sleep tonight
Cos I don't know what I am
I'm a little like you
More like Son of Sam

Welcome to Banger town!
In addition to never really having a straight up "bad" song on any of his albums, Elliott also never did a poor job with choosing which track opens his albums, they all set the moods perfectly. Son of Sam is a blast of energy and it's no doubt one of my favorites on Figure 8. That piano and guitar bouncing off each other at the start leading into those awesome drums gets me every time... once it gets to the "king for a day" part, we're off to the races. That honky-tonk piano sound is all over this album too. One of my favorite aspects of Figure 8.

 

[zamboni]

First albums I bought for myself - I bought the records of Journey Escape and Foreigner 4 on the same trip to the mall the summer of ‘81. It was so badass.

My sisters got exactly these two albums for Christmas 1981.

There are probably few albums that are more representative of 1981 pop/rock than those two. Loverboy’s Get Lucky perhaps a distant third.

 

[Yo Mama]

First albums I bought for myself - I bought the records of Journey Escape and Foreigner 4 on the same trip to the mall the summer of ‘81. It was so badass.

My sisters got exactly these two albums for Christmas 1981.

There are probably few albums that are more representative of 1981 pop/rock than those two. Loverboy’s Get Lucky perhaps a distant third.

Between those two, Moving Pictures, and Ghost in the Machine, my record player got a workout that year.

 

[Mister CIA]

First albums I bought for myself - I bought the records of Journey Escape and Foreigner 4 on the same trip to the mall the summer of ‘81. It was so badass.

My sisters got exactly these two albums for Christmas 1981.

There are probably few albums that are more representative of 1981 pop/rock than those two. Loverboy’s Get Lucky perhaps a distant third.

J Geils Band's Freeze Frame was a huge hit album back in those days.

 

[zamboni]

First albums I bought for myself - I bought the records of Journey Escape and Foreigner 4 on the same trip to the mall the summer of ‘81. It was so badass.

My sisters got exactly these two albums for Christmas 1981.

There are probably few albums that are more representative of 1981 pop/rock than those two. Loverboy’s Get Lucky perhaps a distant third.

J Geils Band's Freeze Frame was a huge hit album back in those days.

…

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

I’m liking most of these songs. These are my favorites from 17…..

Summer of 91
Brooklyn
Hotel Chelsea Nights
Tarpit
Backstreets
Ziggy Stardust

I saw Bauhaus for the second time last year. So great. Their Ziggy cover is pretty awesome.

 

[Mt. Man]

Selected favorites from #17. In playlist order, for once.

*Criola - Jorge Ben Jor.
*Follow - Brandi Carlile
*Sons & Daughters - The Decemberists. I believe I’ve heard this before, but I’m not sure where. I could be way off, I guess.
*Alive - Daft Punk. I kept waiting for some big shift to this, but it was straight-forwardly solid. Good background music to eat dinner to.
*Son of Sam - Elliott Smith
*Carmelita - Warren Zevon.
*Lonely Avenue - Ray Charles
*Rent I Pay - Spoon
*Ziggy Stardust - Bauhaus. Faithful and well-done!
–
Of course, I share the <3 for The Police, The Kinks, Rush, Queen, Heart…
“We Are the World” embodies the spirit of the 80s, and I mean that as both a positive and a negative.

 

[Tau837]

Foo Fighters

Just Win Baby

Rope Rope Foo Fighters · Song · 2011 open.spotify.com

This is the third song I chose from Wasting Light, the Foos' 7th studio album. I talked about that awesome album in a previous post.

The original song is linked above, and this is a link to its video and another link to a behind the scenes look at making the video. This version of the song peaked at #1 on 3 Billboard charts: US Mainstream Rock, US Hot Rock & Alternative, and US Alternative. It debuted at #1 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative chart, only the second song ever to do so at that time.

There was a bonus track on the album, which is a remix by deadmau5, which makes this song an even better choice for this countdown. Here is a link to that remix version, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.

From Wikipedia:

The song's unusual rhythms and angular chords have a distinct influence from Rush as well as Led Zeppelin's album Presence, which Grohl declared "may be my favorite album of theirs". The main progression of chords is a flat seventh, a fourth and a minor third, warranting guitarist Chris Shiflett to comment that "What my guitar is doing over the bass makes no sense in a way. It does, but you don't know how." The intro is a sequence of minor sevenths with a suspended fourth, going from B minor to D, which Shiflett stated was "kind of illogical, in a way, to your ear..."

In 2020, Kerrang ranked the top 20 all-time Foo Fighters songs and ranked Rope #14. This is their writeup:

An unexpectedly proggy swerve that arrived as the lead single for seventh album Wasting Light (the first of the band’s post-Greatest Hits era), Rope felt like a direct riposte to those claiming that we’d already seen everything Foo Fighters had to offer. Layering-up a collection of rhythms and riffs that seem to barely hang together, breathy verses (‘These premonitions got me crying up a storm / Leave your condition, this position does no harm’) and a sporadic ‘YOW!’ that sounds like Dave channelling soul legend James Brown through a distortion pedal, we’re paid off with a chorus line – ‘Give me some rope I'm coming loose, I'm hanging on you’ – that’s pure stadium-rock gold.

In 2023, Consequence of Sound ranked what they characterized as all 156 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking Rope #14. Here is their writeup:

The “CHAAAOKE!” yowled by Grohl isn’t the chorus of “Rope,” but it may as well be. Every time it surges from the speakers, it revitalizes a song that needs no revitalization whatsoever, taking it to a higher plane several times over. But like many of the songs on Wasting Light, “Rope” has layers that go beyond loudness. In the verses, Grohl turns to his more soothing lower register. The dichotomy turns the term “stadium rock” (two words I’ve probably used several times already) into somewhat of an insult. Even in a cranked-up song like “Rope,” Foo Fighters manage to find more nuance than the typical radio giant. And hey, if loudness is your thing, just play (and scream along to) “CHAAAOOOKE!” again and again and again.

Around 2019 (2014 article was updated "4 years ago"), Spin ranked what they characterized as all 152 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking Rope #30. Here is their writeup:

The Foos’ proggiest single keeps you on edge with riffs and rhythms that seem on the verge of veering off the rails at any moment. As a bonus, you get Grohl doing his best James Brown “Yow!” yells throughout, though they’re not nearly as impressive as the wah-ed-out guitar solo and Taylor Hawkins’ aggressive drum fills.

Here is a good live performance on Letterman in 2011.

 

[shuke]

Hopefully not too late for first album talk.

First ever was Def Leppard's Pyromania. I picked it as an award for some school magazine drive thing.
First I ever paid for was VH's 1984.

 

[Zegras11]

My first album was T Rex, Bang A Gong. Got for Xmas from my uncle. My cousin got Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.. We listened to that twice on Xmas day. I never played the T Rex album twice LOL

 

[shuke]

Phish

shuke

Back On The Train Back on the Train Phish · Song · 2000 open.spotify.com

Not sure I should have ranked this this high. But a local band we used to see all the time when we lived in Indiana would cover this, and we loved dancing to it.

Studio version does not do this song justice. Here is a random live version. That 4:50 to 7:20 segment is what I'm here for.

 

[kupcho1]

The Decemberists
#17 Sons & Daughters

Sons & Daughters is the second selection from 2006's The Crane Wife.
I found this interpretation on-line. I think it's pretty spot on.

The lyrics are intentionally anachronistic. There is no single time period where aluminum was a precious metal, and when cinnamon had the same value as gold, and when people traveled by dirigible and feared bombs. The song is not meant to represent any single time period. Rather, it is meant to gather the hopes and optimism of all the pilgrims and pioneers through many different time periods. The idea of escaping some horror and moving on to a new land and creating a better life is a recurrent theme throughout human history. This song is about all those people, not just any one particular set. The last several choruses of the song are sung as a round to further emphasize this point. As the song of one set of pilgrims progresses and fades away, a new song from a new set comes in and renews the hope.

When we arrive, sons and daughters
We'll make our homes on the water
We'll build our walls aluminum
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon now

These currents pull us 'cross the border
Steady your boats, arms to shoulder
Till tides all pull our hull aground
Making this cold harbour now home

Take up your arm
Sons and daughters
We will arise from the bunkers
By land, by sea, by dirigible
We'll leave our tracks untraceable now

When we arrive, sons and daughters (when we arrive, sons and daughters)
We'll make our lives on the water (we'll make our lives on the water)
We'll build our walls aluminum
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon

When we arrive, sons and daughters (when we arrive, sons and daughters)
We'll make our homes on the water (we'll make our homes on the water)
We'll build our walls aluminum (we'll build our walls aluminum
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon (we'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)
(We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)

When we arrive, sons and daughters (when we arrive, sons and daughters)
We'll make our homes on the water (we'll make our homes on the water)
We'll build our walls aluminum (we'll build our walls aluminum)
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon (we'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)
(We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)

When we arrive, sons and daughters (when we arrive, sons and daughters)
We'll make our homes on the water (we'll make our homes on the water)
We'll build our walls aluminum (we'll build our walls aluminum)
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon (we'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)
(We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)
We'll build our walls aluminum, now

Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs, they fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs, they fade away
Hear all the bombs, they fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away

 

[kupcho1]

We Are the World is hot garbage except for certain vocal performances like Stevie's. There's a reason why you still hear Do They Know It's Christmas on the radio during the holidays but not this -- one is not a terrible song, and the other is.

I knew this selection would make people puke. I apologize to all of your playlists.

I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed

(that we're not getting 31 good Stevie songs)

 

[plinko]

My grandma - who was also the closest thing I had to a rock in my life, make no mistake - bought me this record when I was very young. My mother had lost her marbles and left the scene for a while, so yeah I was a kid and it was sad but I was OK, still getting used to things at that point, you know. We had been Beatles people ... Beatles Beatles Beatles for us ... and I had pictures of all four of them in my room among other stuff, whatever. I never really understood why my grandma had bought me Paul Stanley, but I formulated a theory later in life that she got him confused with another Paul, and really thought that was Paul McCartney. Which is pretty funny and also a pretty solid theory knowing her, IMO, as she wouldn't have known a thing about any of those guys.

I never did ask her, it was safe to assume she wouldn't remember and didn't want to come off as ungrateful. I had that record for many years. It sucks real bad.

I really enjoyed the Stevie and Paul song, I had never heard that one. And I only said mean things about "We Are The World" because Uruk-Hai came out saying how bad it was. All crumminess aside, and I think the voices clash in a fairly hilarious way, they bought a lot of wheat flour for starving people.

Coming this week, on the Trail of Dead, another number from their third/best album, and then we're going right into their second album, with a couple of face rockers. There will be three songs from this one, Madonna, but not M*** D**** C****** ... Paul McStanley reminds us that this is the name that should never be spoken!!!

First record - Paul Stanley
First tape - Colour By Numbers
First CD - The Real Thing \m/
First crush - really no idea here. Mary Tyler Moore? The naked lady in Kramer vs Kramer? Miss Piggy?