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Middle Aged Dummies!! Artists #1's have been posted!! (7 Viewers)

#9 Come Dancing (1982 - State of Confusion)
https://open.spotify.com/track/0cTwMCvozZBj8jCq6o27nk?si=4a4908cd7a4a4ea9

This is another song from my wheelhouse era. I literally wore out this cassette. Three of the tracks are on my countdown and a few others narrowly missed. Boosted by MTV popularity (honestly probably overplayed on both MTV and radio), this song was the highest charting song in the US for the Kinks at #6 (tied with Tired of Waiting - #22 on my list). You can’t help but bop around and sing along when it plays. I know some people who despise this song. I am sure in part due to overexposure, and some people just never cared much for the 80’s version of the Kinks. Obviously, I still think very highly of it.

The story behind this one is rather sad as it was inspired by the death of Ray’s sister Rene. Rene, who was older (31) and living in Canada, was visiting the family home in London at the time of Ray’s 13th birthday. She gave Ray a Spanish guitar as a gift, one that Ray had been trying to convince his parents to buy for him. That evening Rene died of a heart attack while out dancing at a dance hall. According to Far Out Magazine, “the song became a staple of Kinks’ live performances and a song Ray Davies connected with the most. He said that of all the songs he’s written, the lyrics in ‘Come Dancing’ are the ones he’s most proud of.” That’s a powerful statement given the body of work he is responsible for.

In an article for Uncut, “Ray claims, ‘I wanted to regain some of the warmth I thought we’d lost, doing those stadium tours. ‘Come Dancing’ was an attempt to get back to roots, about my sisters’ memories of dancing in the ’50s.’ Ray is capturing the nostalgia of a simpler time. [Arista’s] Clive Davis didn’t want to put it out, because he thought it was too vaudevillian. It was the video that changed his mind. It went on MTV when it first started, and they couldn’t stop rotating it.”

Music Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRUE0aAI5o8&ab_channel=TheKinksVEVO

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
Where the supermarket used to stand
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local palais
That's where the big bands used to come and play
My sister went there on a Saturday
Come dancing
All her boyfriends used to come and call
Why not come dancing, it's only natural

Another Saturday, another date
She would be ready but she's always make him wait
In the hallway, in anticipation
He didn't know the night would end up in frustration
He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek
Come dancing
That's how they did it when I was just a kid
And when they said come dancing
My sister always did

My sister should have come in a midnight
And my mom would always sit up and wait
It always ended up in a big row
When my sister used to get home late
Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate
The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died

Now I'm grown up and playing in a band
And there's a car park where the pally used to stand
My sister's married and she lives on an estate
Her daughters go out, now it's her turn to wait
She knows they get away with things she never could
But if I asked her I wonder if she would
Come dancing
Come on sister, have yourself a ball
Don't be afraid to come dancing
It's only natural

Come dancing
Just like the palais on a Saturday
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play
 
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Jorge Ben JorDon QuixoteZumbi

This song is again mostly about the interplay of the instruments for me, with the mix of the guitar and strings, but for some additional context…

The song’s title and subject is reference to Zumbi who was a Brazilian freedom fighter who fought to free Africans from slavery by the Portuguese. The song opens and closes with references to the geographic places in central Africa where the Brazil slaves were mostly taken from (Angola, Congo, Benguela, Monjolo, etc.) (no knowledge of Portuguese needed for that).

Song can be taken from point of view of Brazil slaves wanting to see what will happen when Zumbi shows up at the big slave auction that day (refrain of “eu quero ver” = “I want to see”). Melody gives it a bit of hopefulness to it. Video with translated lyrics here.

ETA: Just realized that the song itself has its own Wikipedia page and I did not have to pull all of those strands together myself. At least my interpretation was right. Link
 
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Lot of great songs this time around (as there should be for the 9th pick.)

Taylor’s “All Too Well” is probably her epic. The video (which she directed) is great. It’s largely believed to be based on her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, though she’s never admitted it. Anybody see the SNL live performance from a few years back? Awesome.

“Mohammad’s Radio” is my favorite song off of Zevon’s first album.
 
As for “My Fathers Gun”- I regard Tumbleweed Connection as Elton John’s best album. Ironically it won’t make my 100 classic rock list since it produced no radio hits. But I’ve already chosen several songs from it for here, with more to come. Bernie Taupin imagines himself as a Confederate soldier here; this song has a lot in common with the Band’s “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” for subject matter.
 
As for “My Fathers Gun”- I regard Tumbleweed Connection as Elton John’s best album. Ironically it won’t make my 100 classic rock list since it produced no radio hits. But I’ve already chosen several songs from it for here, with more to come. Bernie Taupin imagines himself as a Confederate soldier here; this song has a lot in common with the Band’s “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” for subject matter.
Whoa!
 
Genesis #9 - The Cinema Show

Album - Selling England by the Pound
Year - 1973

Another Prog masterpiece on this powerhouse album.

So much to love on this song, but my favorite is around the 3-4 or so minute mark where everything just levitates. One of my favorite segments from the band.

This was supposed to be the second part of [redacted], but the band didn’t want it to be compared to [redacted] from their prior album, so they broke them apart into separate songs.
 
What is everyone's view on profanity? I have a pretty good idea of who I want to do for the next list, but the earlier work especially has more profanity. I will try to find the clean versions when possible, but some songs don't have a clean version. May have to change artists if it is looked down on.
Have you listened to Green Day?

Also, we are only using links. Just do the NSFW thing. Krista drafted "Closer" in one draft. Seems profane enough for me.
As I shared earlier this week I played a song called **** off and die in 5th grade music class.
 
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I just started on The Pointer SIsters. This is going to be amazing.
Personally, I loathe the Pointer Sisters solely due to I'm So Excited. I look forward to you enlightening me.
Wikipedia say that: Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as R&B, pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, blues, soul, funk, dance, country, and rock. Something in there should appeal to you.
Kupcho would probably admit to liking some of their songs, but he’s so shy.
 
Foo FightersJust Win BabyAnother Round

Another Round is the 6th song I chose from the In Your Honor album, which I described in a previous post. This song is the 4th I chose from the acoustic disc of that double album. The Spotify link is the album version of the song. John Paul Jones (yes, him!) plays mandolin on the studio version.

This is a video of the song on the Skin And Bones live album. Danny Clinch plays harmonica, and I love it. You can see 9 musicians playing on this one.

This is a video of Dave playing the song acoustic by himself on the Howard Stern show.

Dave said this about this song o_O :

Sitting in my control room in a studio that I built with my friends, looking at John Paul Jones, remembering the times I dropped acid listening to 'Going to California', was amazing.

I'm not sure if that implies that the song is inspired by Going to California, but I will point out that I ranked GTC as my #6 Led Zeppelin song in the @Anarchy99 countdown.

In 2023, Consequence of Sound ranked what they characterized as all 156 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking Another Round #68. Obviously, I don't agree with that ranking, but I like their writeup:

It’s funny the little things that make you love a song. For me, it’s the inflection on the chorus as Grohl asks, “Can you go another round?” It’s a pledge as much as a question, and I’m not sure that it’s possible to exist as long as Grohl has (or I have or you have) without someone offering that support at some point. Likewise, I couldn’t imagine never having been that crutch for someone else. Damn, that line gets to me for some reason.

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 Another Round #69. Again, I like their writeup:

So languid in its bleary-eyed, empty-bar desolation that it almost feels like a late-period Walkmen song. No one will ever confuse Dave Grohl for a hopeless romantic (emphasis on hopeless) like Paul Westerberg, but a good harmonica solo can make any singer sound like a beautiful loser for one song.
 
The state of Connecticut is absolute torture to drive through.

I grew up there and lived there from age 28-40. Mostly in Hartford, but spent two years living in New Haven. I never knew it was bad. New York and Boston are so much worse. Sorry about the tree. They'll do that in CT. We had a horrible snowstorm a decade or so back with so many huge, downed trees that it was a miracle that our house went unscathed. Dangerous ****.

Anyway, I suppose it depends what leg of CT you're doing. I grew up around I-91 and it was generally smooth sailing other than the typical rush hours.
 
Prodigy #9 - Beyond the Deathray was a new track to me, and another one that fits into the "sounds nothing like the Prodigy" bucket. Clocking in at just over 3 minutes, it's unusually short for them (would guess the average of the playlist as a whole is safely over five minutes, but I'm not counting) - an atmospheric, somewhat more relaxed number, that I've seen described as suiting the soundtrack to some bit in a near-future sci-fi film in the aftermath of AI having taken over, in some ways it feels like half a track in that you're waiting for the beat to drop and then it doesn't. A definite outlier in their back catalogue and a new favourite of mine
 
#9 - The Stranglers - London Lady (Live)


Year - 1977
Album - Rattus Norvegicus
UK Chart position - Non Single
Vocals - Jean-Jacques Burnel
Key Lyric - Little lady
With Dingwall's ********
You're so stupid
Affected brainwaves
Little lady
What really happens
When you see mirrors
You get the shivers

Ah

Interesting Points
1- The highpoint of audience interaction at a Stranglers gig is the “Ah” on London Lady

2- This song was inspired by Caroline Coon, a journalist, artist and political activist. She was well known as “seducing” lots of the prime movers of the punk movement.
In the 1970s, she became involved in the London punkscene, writing about bands for Melody Makerand providing artwork for groups including the Clash, whom she briefly managed, and the Police. Her interviews and reviews were noted for interrogating the attitudes of leading punk bands toward gender and sexuality.

Coon also inspired Robert Wyatt's lyrics for the Matching Molesong "O Caroline", the Stranglers' "London Lady" and, in her view, Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me", although other women have also been identified as the subject of the song.

3- Like a lot of British bands at the time, they got their first airplay break with legendary disc jockey John Peel championing this song, as it was the B side to a song still to come

4-in the misheard lyric category, the line “Plastic's real when you're real sick” is often misheard as “Plastic straw when you’re real sick”

5- After the departure of Hugh Cornwell in 1990, Paul Roberts was drafted in to sing for 16 years. Longer than Cornwell. Just. Roberts sung ALL the songs, including those previously sung by JJB. When Robert was replaced/left in 2006 the guitarist Baz Warne who had been with them since 2000 took over all the vocals that had previously been sung by Hugh. JJB took over his previously vocaled tracks

Summary to date
Year

1977 - 10
1978 - 5
1979 - 2
1980 - 0
1981 - 1
1982 - 1
1983 - 0
1984 - 2
1985 - 0
1986 - 0
1987 - 0
1988 - 2
1989 - 0
1990 onwards - 1

Where to find
Rattus Norvegicus - 7/9
No More Heroes - 2/11
Black and White - 2/12
The Raven - 2/11
The Gospel According to the Meninblack - 0/10
La Folie - 1/11
Feline - 0/9
Aural Sculpture - 2/11
Dreamtime - 0/10
All Live and All of the Night - 2/13
10 - 1/10
1991 onwards - 0
B Sides - 1
Greatest Hits - 1
Standalone Single - 3

Running Vocal Count
Hugh Cornwell - 14
Jean-Jacques Burnel - 9
Other - 0

Rundown
#31 - Walk on By
#30 - Ugly
#29 - All Day and All of the Night
#28 - Meninblack
#27 - Goodbye Toulouse
#26 - Princess of the Streets
#25 - Sweden (All Quiet on the Eastern Front)
#24 - Duchess
#23 - Sometimes
#22 - La Folie
#21 - North Winds
#20 - No Mercy
#19 - 5 Minutes
#18 - Strange Little Girl
#17 - Shut Up
#16 - Bitching
#15 - Bring on the Nubiles
#14 - 96 Tears
#13 - Down in the Sewer
#12 - Hanging Around
#11 - Straighten Out
#10 - Nice ‘N’ Sleazy
#9 - London Lady

Next we have the only song that gained any traction in the US and the record company messed up what should have been a huge hit.
 
The state of Connecticut is absolute torture to drive through.

I grew up there and lived there from age 28-40. Mostly in Hartford, but spent two years living in New Haven. I never knew it was bad. New York and Boston are so much worse. Sorry about the tree. They'll do that in CT. We had a horrible snowstorm a decade or so back with so many huge, downed trees that it was a miracle that our house went unscathed. Dangerous ****.

Anyway, I suppose it depends what leg of CT you're doing. I grew up around I-91 and it was generally smooth sailing other than the typical rush hours.
I am specifically talking about I-95, which one must take at least a portion of when driving from NJ to Cape Cod. Every summer there is construction, it seems.

I have plenty of experience going through Hartford to visit my mother and sister in western MA, and it’s usually not so bad.
 
Also on the drive, we had on SiriusXM’s The Bridge (“mellow classic rock”), and I heard the Eagles’ Try and Love Again, Randy Meisner’s one song from the Hotel California album, on the radio for the first time. And then after we arrived I saw the announcement that Meisner had died.
 
The Decemberists
#9 Valerie Plame


Who is Valerie Plame?

From Wiki:
The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal and Plamegate) was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak's public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003.[1][2][3]

In 2002, Plame wrote a memo to her superiors in which she expressed hesitation in recommending her husband, former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson, to the CIA for a mission to Niger to investigate claims that Iraq had arranged to purchase and import uranium from the country, but stated that he "may be in a position to assist".[4] After President George W. Bush stated that "Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Wilson published a July 2003 op-ed in The New York Times stating his doubts during the mission that any such transaction with Iraq had taken place.[5]

A week after Wilson's op-ed was published, Novak published a column in The Washington Post which mentioned claims from "two senior administration officials" that Plame had been the one to suggest sending her husband. Novak had learned of Plame's employment, which was classified information, from State Department official Richard Armitage.[2] David Corn and others suggested that Armitage and other officials had leaked the information as political retribution for Wilson's article.

Basically, senior officials in Bush administration publicly leaked that she was a cover CIA agent which destroyed her career.

Why write a song about her? Won't she and the resulting scandal be gone and forgotten in a short time given the news cycle and America's attention span of a fruit fly?

Well, two things probably prevent this from happening.
(1) It's a damn good tune with the lyrics summing up the situation while the singer pines for her. Which leads me to ...
(2) If I was a Soviet agent, I'd jump willingly into her honeypot. :biggrin:

Oh Valerie Plame, if that really is your name
I would just shout the same to the world
Dear Valerie Plame, so they made a wreck of you
But give me the rest of you and I'll give the world

But you were just some silly girl
Taking in the sights of your empire's colony
So I took you into my confidence
Without a thought of consequence to my heart or to my mind

But Valerie Plame, if that really is your name
I would just shout the same to the world

La da da de da
La da da de da
La da da de da
La da da de da

Oh Valerie Plame, if that really is your name
I would just shout the same from on high
Dear Valerie Plame, I'll look for that long exchange
Outside of the Bureau Change in Shanghai

But I was just some stupid boy on a bus
When your nom de guerre was Codename Caroline
And so my Vespa became your chariot
From the Green Zone Marriott to be etched upon my mind
 
The Decemberists
#9 Valerie Plame


Who is Valerie Plame?

From Wiki:
The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal and Plamegate) was a political scandal that revolved around journalist Robert Novak's public identification of Valerie Plame as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer in 2003.[1][2][3]

In 2002, Plame wrote a memo to her superiors in which she expressed hesitation in recommending her husband, former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson, to the CIA for a mission to Niger to investigate claims that Iraq had arranged to purchase and import uranium from the country, but stated that he "may be in a position to assist".[4] After President George W. Bush stated that "Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Wilson published a July 2003 op-ed in The New York Times stating his doubts during the mission that any such transaction with Iraq had taken place.[5]

A week after Wilson's op-ed was published, Novak published a column in The Washington Post which mentioned claims from "two senior administration officials" that Plame had been the one to suggest sending her husband. Novak had learned of Plame's employment, which was classified information, from State Department official Richard Armitage.[2] David Corn and others suggested that Armitage and other officials had leaked the information as political retribution for Wilson's article.

Basically, senior officials in Bush administration publicly leaked that she was a cover CIA agent which destroyed her career.

Why write a song about her? Won't she and the resulting scandal be gone and forgotten in a short time given the news cycle and America's attention span of a fruit fly?

Well, two things probably prevent this from happening.
(1) It's a damn good tune with the lyrics summing up the situation while the singer pines for her. Which leads me to ...
(2) If I was a Soviet agent, I'd jump willingly into her honeypot. :biggrin:

Oh Valerie Plame, if that really is your name
I would just shout the same to the world
Dear Valerie Plame, so they made a wreck of you
But give me the rest of you and I'll give the world

But you were just some silly girl
Taking in the sights of your empire's colony
So I took you into my confidence
Without a thought of consequence to my heart or to my mind

But Valerie Plame, if that really is your name
I would just shout the same to the world

La da da de da
La da da de da
La da da de da
La da da de da

Oh Valerie Plame, if that really is your name
I would just shout the same from on high
Dear Valerie Plame, I'll look for that long exchange
Outside of the Bureau Change in Shanghai

But I was just some stupid boy on a bus
When your nom de guerre was Codename Caroline
And so my Vespa became your chariot
From the Green Zone Marriott to be etched upon my mind
Loved this one. And was singing along into it by the end. Her attorney was one of my professors in law school.
 
As for “My Fathers Gun”- I regard Tumbleweed Connection as Elton John’s best album. Ironically it won’t make my 100 classic rock list since it produced no radio hits. But I’ve already chosen several songs from it for here, with more to come. Bernie Taupin imagines himself as a Confederate soldier here; this song has a lot in common with the Band’s “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” for subject matter.
My Number 1 Elton John song.
 
#9 Gimme a Bullet (Powerage)

This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Nothing spectacular although the bass is one thing that stands out. No guitar solo either. It’s short so if you don’t like it you won’t suffer for long. :)

This concludes my songs selected from Powerage.
Riff Raff
Gone Shootin’
Gimme A Bullet

Sin City is another great tune and, in hindsight, I feel I should have had it in my top 31.

Interestingly, and unintentionally, this song starts a run of 9 different albums for my final 9 songs.

Spoiler: If you’ve kept track of my selections there are 2 big hits from Back in Black that have not yet appeared. One has been left off my list.

Album breakdown
0 74 Jailbreak
5 High Voltage
2 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
3 Let There Be Rock
3 PowerAge
3 Highway To Hell
3 Back in Black
1 For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
1 Flick of the Switch
0 Fly On The Wall
0 Who Made Who
1 Blow Up Your Video
0 The Razor’s Edge
0 BallBreaker
1 Stiff Upper Lip
0 Black Ice
0 Rock or Bust
0 Power Up
 
9

Song: My Love For You Is Real
Album: Follow the Lights
Artist: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Released: 2007

Finally a love song that isn't forlorn in nature. This is a beautiful ballad and features some of Ryan's best vocals. melodious and heartfelt.

My love for you is real
It moves like a summer breeze
My love for you is strong
Lord it brings me to my knees
It's born in the wild
This real love
Love strong
True love is ours
Honey now
My love for you is real
 
9.
See You Later- Heatmiser (elliott smith)
from Mic City Sons Album


"You got a choke chain
Made out of nightrain
To keep your memory down"

"See you later
See you later
If I see you at all
See you later"




The best song on what is the best of the 3 Heatmiser albums... But not my favorite Heatmiser song... that will come later on in the countdown. Mic City Sons, to me, is one of the most underrated albums from the mid 90s and it sounds like the perfect bridge between the Heatmiser days and Elliott's solo work. See you Later is a perfect representation of that bridge and the best evidence of what the future would hold for Elliott and his musical evolution. There is a stripped down acoustic version of this song on the New Moon LP, but I much prefer the full band sound of the Heatmiser version. The melody, the rhythm, and feel to this one makes me wonder why it was never a huge hit... it just seems to have all the pieces of a great indie rock song. The verse riff is just so damn catchy. By the time Mic City Sons came out Heatmiser was pretty much dead and Elliott was onto his solo career, and as they say... the rest is History
 
9. New Frontier is the only hit from The Nightfly and is the fourth and final song from it to make my list.

John F. Kennedy coined the term "New Frontier" himself and it invokes the optimistic buzz young Donnie felt in I.G.Y. and is arguably the apex of the album's narrative. The song itself centers around a party in/at a bomb shelter. Not sure you can get more Cold War Era than that. I loved the video when it came out and still get a kick out of the 50's era animation. That period had become kitschy by the time this song came out, but to Fagen's credit, he was able to get past the kitschiness and find that tiny sweet spot between the optimism and the coming disillusionment of the time.

In the song, he name drops Tuesday Weld, someone completely lost on us post-Boomers, but if you peruse the wiki link to her, you'll see the peak of her activity as an actress was during this era, as she was featuring in movies (some of which seem more exploitative than others) and TV at the same time. She continued acting, but she wasn't as much in demand after this brief busy period. I don't think he could have picked a more apt female celebrity from this era.

He also name drops Dave Brubeck, a jazz pianist with a penchant for experimental time signatures in his compositions, his song Take Five being the most iconic. Based on Brubeck's work, as well as his look, it's pretty obvious where Fagen got his aesthetic.

As an aside, my fascination with the TV show Mad Men shouldn't have come as a surprise to me, given how much this particular album brought that era to life for me years before the show first aired.

A final word about this album: I've been mostly snarky in my estimation of Baby Boomers in general. Over the years, I've softened my stance, and part of that has been through more empathy toward them based on what they experienced. We Gen X'ers had nuclear war hysteria in the early 80's, they had the Cuban Missile Crisis and their parents digging bomb shelters. Where we had Regan getting shot, they had Watergate and many prominent figures assassinated, including the President they thought was going to usher in a new era of greatness for the nation and the world. We had Desert Storm, they had Vietnam. Basically, you Boomers had to navigate a lot more turbulence and trauma. I'm still not crazy about the general narcissism and sense of entitlement I had to grow up with and deal with while you guys grew up and started taking the reins, but I get it better now. While you deserve some ribbing still, you didn't start the fire, and full credit to this album for giving me a peek into what you guys were like before you lost your minds. ;)

Yes we're gonna have a wingding
A summer smoker underground
It's just a dugout that my dad built
In case the reds decide to push the button down
We've got provisions and lots of beer
The key word is survival on the new frontier
Introduce me to that big blonde
She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld
She's wearing Ambush and a French twist
She's got us wild and she can tell
She loves to limbo, that much is clear
She's got the right dynamic for the new frontier

Well I can't wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas

Do you have a steady boyfriend
Cause honey I've been watching you
I hear you're mad about Brubeck
I like your eyes I like him too
He's an artist, a pioneer
We've got to have some music on the new frontier

Well I can't wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas

Let's pretend that it's the real thing
And stay together all night long
And when I really get to know you
We'll open up the doors and climb into the dawn
Confess your passion, your secret fear
Prepare to meet the challenge of the new frontier
 
Is there supposed to be 2 Greenday songs on this playlist?
Yes - it was mentioned they always get played back to back like “Feeling That Way/Anytime” by Journey and other examples.
Huh, don't think I've ever heard the second song before
I'm surprised to read this as they were always paired together - music video and radio. Maybe that changed in the internet age?

But anyway, the Brain Stew riff is iconic. It was the first one every teenager growing up in the 90's played when they grabbed a guitar. I always joked that this must've been what it was like for our parents with Smoke On The Water. I linked to the music video because it depicts both songs so well - from the sludgy, heavy Brain Stew about drug induced insomnia to the frantic, loud, thrash of Jaded. Ying and yang if you will. I've talked about the speed, pun unintended, of this whole album before and while Jaded really isn't different in that regard I think it hits differently following Brain Stew.

That said, those looking for Geek Stink Breath in this countdown are going to be disappointed. Ultimately, while it is certainly in my top 31 I thought it was important not to include two dark, heavy tracks about the negative consequences of crystal meth use, but for those interested (and have an iron stomach) enjoy this barely 2 minutes of video that got yanked from MTV pretty quick.
 
The Hold Steady “Realistic” Dream Setlist Song 23: Your Little Hoodrat Friend

Her claddagh ring was pointed at the people
She said, "St. Theresa came to me in dreams"
She said, "I ain't gonna do anything sexual with you
I'm kinda saving myself for the scene"


Album: Separation Sunday (Song 5 of 5)

Year: 2005

# of Times Seen Live: 38 of 39 shows

The Story: I always think of this as THS”s most popular song (probably b/c it is among oldheads) but it’s actually fourth according to Spotify. In fact, up until last year, their most listened to track was The Bear and the Maiden Fair from Game of Thrones, which is kind-of terrible but has at least been passed by Stuck Between Stations and Sequestered in Memphis.

Regardless, I loved Hoodrat from my first listen, putting it near the top on my Best of [insert year] mix CD that I used to send out to fellow FFA-offshoot clique members back in the day. Maybe it was the title itself that sucked me in, but I stayed for all the drug references and clever wordplay:

I was waiting for my ride and I got jumped from behind
I got punctured
I got stopped by the cops and they found it in my socks
And I got probed


Penetration Park: Craig first dubbed Minneapolis’ Loring Part as “Penetration Park” in a much earlier Lifter Puller song. Apparently it was known as both a cruising spot and a great place to buy drugs. It’s already made one appearance hear in Banging Camp with another one coming up on Sunday.

Live Notes: Hoodrat always holds a special place in the setlist (the only time it wasn’t played was the show in NJ that was cut short by lightning.) Along with all the bouncing and dancing, Craig typically tells a long, funny story about Minneapolis during the bridge, and then one of the highlights of the show: After he sings “sometimes the bus wouldn’t even stop, there were just too many kids!” everyone (or at least everyone near the front) throws handfuls of confetti and it rains down in joy. I will always love it, but it also makes quite the mess on my sweaty/stick bald head.

Most of the best confetti vids are in unlinkable social media posts, but here's a short clip from youtube: there were just too many kids

And a still shot if you're interested but have heard enough of Craig's voice: confetti
 
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In the song, he name drops Tuesday Weld, someone completely lost on us post-Boomers, but if you peruse the wiki link to her, you'll see the peak of her activity as an actress was during this era, as she was featuring in movies (some of which seem more exploitative than others) and TV at the same time. She continued acting, but she wasn't as much in demand after this brief busy period. I don't think he could have picked a more apt female celebrity from this era.

she was such a bombshell that she was mentioned in an early Flintstones episode

The Flintstones - s02e06 - The Rock Quarry Story
t/x 1961-10-20

A movie star tired of his life in the spotlight decides to hide out from his fans in Bedrock. Under his real name, Gus Schultz, he befriends Fred and Barney, who have no idea who he really is. Their wives, who are big movie fans, are not so easily deceived.

The character's name (and the episode's title), Rock Quarry, spoofs that of the Hollywood actor Rock Hudson. All characters on the show had comic names derived from some reference to stone (such as the Flintstones and the Rubbles).

The voice of Rock Quarry (performed by series regular John Stephenson) is a parody of the stilted voice of the film star Gary Cooper. The voice of the character Gary Granite, another stone-related surname, who appears briefly at the end of the episode, spoofs that of the film star Cary Grant.

The reference to the (unseen) movie star named Tuesday Wednesday is another Hollywood-based in-joke, parodying the name of real life actress Tuesday Weld.


when I looked her up didn't realize she was married to Dudley Moore for a few years in the late 70s. Got divorced in '80 ...so she missed out on that "Arthur" money.
 
9. "Uptight"

There are a couple of times when it sounds like Stevie is running out of breath. I don't blame him if he had to sing along to that drummer, who has lost his damned mind. The entire band shines on this record, one of the most iconic in the "classic" Motown period.

Has anyone ever had more truly great records about the joy of being in love?
 
9. Call on Me
Album: Chicago VII (1974)
Writer: Lee Loughnane
Lead vocals: Peter Cetera
Released as a single? Yes (US #6)

I may have heard it before, but the first time Call on Me really got my attention was when I heard it over the supermarket PA system sometime in the '90s. It was not played regularly, if at all, on the FM rock stations in Philly, so if I wasn't hearing it for the first time, it felt like it. For the next week all that was in my head was the chorus "I love you/You know I do/You love me too". And I had no idea what the name of the song was or where it could be found. Eventually the internet developed to the point where it was not hard to track it down.
The song was trumpeter Lee Loughnane's first composition for the band, and it almost didn't happen. During the Chicago VII sessions, band members were taking on different roles from usual, so Loughnane decided to try writing a song and brought it to the band. Peter Cetera said in the liner notes of the Group Portrait box set: "Lee had written a song. It wasn't called, 'Call On Me,' it was called something else, and it in fact was terrible. I talked to him at [Caribou Ranch] one day, and he was all bent out of shape. He said that he had played the song for the guys, and they had told him in fact to get the heck out of there with the song. I said, 'Well, come on, let's have a go.'" Cetera claims he helped Loughnane rewrite the song, but if that is true, he did not take/receive a writing credit.
The song may be the "jazziest" of the band's biggest '70s hits -- and could well be evidence of why they were friends with Doc Severinsen. There is great interplay between the horns and the drums/percussion, but it's that infectious chorus that puts it in my top 10.
Live version from 1977: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAozKzXEuD0
Leonid and Friends version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7yg_0gRUJI

At #8, another song with an incredible coda.
 
9. Call on Me
Album: Chicago VII (1974)
Writer: Lee Loughnane
Lead vocals: Peter Cetera
Released as a single? Yes (US #6)

I may have heard it before, but the first time Call on Me really got my attention was when I heard it over the supermarket PA system sometime in the '90s. It was not played regularly, if at all, on the FM rock stations in Philly, so if I wasn't hearing it for the first time, it felt like it. For the next week all that was in my head was the chorus "I love you/You know I do/You love me too". And I had no idea what the name of the song was or where it could be found. Eventually the internet developed to the point where it was not hard to track it down.
The song was trumpeter Lee Loughnane's first composition for the band, and it almost didn't happen. During the Chicago VII sessions, band members were taking on different roles from usual, so Loughnane decided to try writing a song and brought it to the band. Peter Cetera said in the liner notes of the Group Portrait box set: "Lee had written a song. It wasn't called, 'Call On Me,' it was called something else, and it in fact was terrible. I talked to him at [Caribou Ranch] one day, and he was all bent out of shape. He said that he had played the song for the guys, and they had told him in fact to get the heck out of there with the song. I said, 'Well, come on, let's have a go.'" Cetera claims he helped Loughnane rewrite the song, but if that is true, he did not take/receive a writing credit.
The song may be the "jazziest" of the band's biggest '70s hits -- and could well be evidence of why they were friends with Doc Severinsen. There is great interplay between the horns and the drums/percussion, but it's that infectious chorus that puts it in my top 10.
Live version from 1977: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAozKzXEuD0
Leonid and Friends version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7yg_0gRUJI

At #8, another song with an incredible coda.
Love this one (well, I've loved most all of them). Their music always reminds me of summertime.

You're right that rock stations didn't play this or even most of Chicago's music (besides a couple of obvious songs). But they got a big bump when FM Oldies expanded into the '70s (and pretty much nuked all '50s songs) sometime in the 1990s. The band got another airplay lift when the Jack format hit in the early aughts. And of course, as you mention, they've always been mainstays in the retail/healthcare piped-in music industry.
 
9. Call on Me
Album: Chicago VII (1974)
Writer: Lee Loughnane
Lead vocals: Peter Cetera
Released as a single? Yes (US #6)

I may have heard it before, but the first time Call on Me really got my attention was when I heard it over the supermarket PA system sometime in the '90s. It was not played regularly, if at all, on the FM rock stations in Philly, so if I wasn't hearing it for the first time, it felt like it. For the next week all that was in my head was the chorus "I love you/You know I do/You love me too". And I had no idea what the name of the song was or where it could be found. Eventually the internet developed to the point where it was not hard to track it down.
The song was trumpeter Lee Loughnane's first composition for the band, and it almost didn't happen. During the Chicago VII sessions, band members were taking on different roles from usual, so Loughnane decided to try writing a song and brought it to the band. Peter Cetera said in the liner notes of the Group Portrait box set: "Lee had written a song. It wasn't called, 'Call On Me,' it was called something else, and it in fact was terrible. I talked to him at [Caribou Ranch] one day, and he was all bent out of shape. He said that he had played the song for the guys, and they had told him in fact to get the heck out of there with the song. I said, 'Well, come on, let's have a go.'" Cetera claims he helped Loughnane rewrite the song, but if that is true, he did not take/receive a writing credit.
The song may be the "jazziest" of the band's biggest '70s hits -- and could well be evidence of why they were friends with Doc Severinsen. There is great interplay between the horns and the drums/percussion, but it's that infectious chorus that puts it in my top 10.
Live version from 1977: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAozKzXEuD0
Leonid and Friends version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7yg_0gRUJI

At #8, another song with an incredible coda.
Love this one (well, I've loved most all of them). Their music always reminds me of summertime.

You're right that rock stations didn't play this or even most of Chicago's music (besides a couple of obvious songs). But they got a big bump when FM Oldies expanded into the '70s (and pretty much nuked all '50s songs) sometime in the 1990s. The band got another airplay lift when the Jack format hit in the early aughts. And of course, as you mention, they've always been mainstays in the retail/healthcare piped-in music industry.
Yeah. The FM stations I grew up with in the '80s played the warhorses from the first two albums, Saturday in the Park and If You Leave Me Now regularly. Anything else from the '70s was occasional at best. But they would play the singles from the "crappy and sappy" era when they were current, at least up until Cetera left.
 
The Hold Steady “Realistic” Dream Setlist Song 23: Your Little Hoodrat Friend
This is my #1 Hold Steady song and it's not even close.
I've only seen them once at a bar in Ithaca. It was my daughter's first concert ever and what a show. (I think she's been since disillusioned that you don't always get to stand 5 feet away from the band.)
We (and everyone else in the crowd) went absolutely bananas when they played this.
 
9. Call on Me
Album: Chicago VII (1974)
Writer: Lee Loughnane
Lead vocals: Peter Cetera
Released as a single? Yes (US #6)

I may have heard it before, but the first time Call on Me really got my attention was when I heard it over the supermarket PA system sometime in the '90s. It was not played regularly, if at all, on the FM rock stations in Philly, so if I wasn't hearing it for the first time, it felt like it. For the next week all that was in my head was the chorus "I love you/You know I do/You love me too". And I had no idea what the name of the song was or where it could be found. Eventually the internet developed to the point where it was not hard to track it down.
The song was trumpeter Lee Loughnane's first composition for the band, and it almost didn't happen. During the Chicago VII sessions, band members were taking on different roles from usual, so Loughnane decided to try writing a song and brought it to the band. Peter Cetera said in the liner notes of the Group Portrait box set: "Lee had written a song. It wasn't called, 'Call On Me,' it was called something else, and it in fact was terrible. I talked to him at [Caribou Ranch] one day, and he was all bent out of shape. He said that he had played the song for the guys, and they had told him in fact to get the heck out of there with the song. I said, 'Well, come on, let's have a go.'" Cetera claims he helped Loughnane rewrite the song, but if that is true, he did not take/receive a writing credit.
The song may be the "jazziest" of the band's biggest '70s hits -- and could well be evidence of why they were friends with Doc Severinsen. There is great interplay between the horns and the drums/percussion, but it's that infectious chorus that puts it in my top 10.
Live version from 1977: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAozKzXEuD0
Leonid and Friends version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7yg_0gRUJI

At #8, another song with an incredible coda.
Love this one (well, I've loved most all of them). Their music always reminds me of summertime.

You're right that rock stations didn't play this or even most of Chicago's music (besides a couple of obvious songs). But they got a big bump when FM Oldies expanded into the '70s (and pretty much nuked all '50s songs) sometime in the 1990s. The band got another airplay lift when the Jack format hit in the early aughts. And of course, as you mention, they've always been mainstays in the retail/healthcare piped-in music industry.
Also, since I got SiriusXM last fall, I've noticed that '70s Chicago is big on the 70s on 7 (pop hits of the '70s) and The Bridge ("mellow classic rock") channels. And occasionally pops up on Yacht Rock Radio and Classic Vinyl (classic rock from 1964 to 1975).

In fact, Call on Me showed up on The Bridge during our drive to Cape Cod yesterday, as did (I've Been) Searchin' So Long.
 
Random thoughts on some of the known-to-me songs from #9:

Couldn't I Just Tell You is one of the best examples of power pop -- another one that I place with Cruel to Be Kind and the best Big Star songs. It should have been as big a hit as I Saw the Light and Hello It's Me from the same album.
I believe I saw Carlile perform Right on Time on SNL. The way she sings "riiiiiiiiiiiight" is goosebump-inducing.
Due to overplay I'm kind of over the first 2/3 of Roxanne, but the part where it gets fast at the end still captivates me.
I took Cinema Show for the Keyboard Warrior playlist in GP4. Tony Banks' performance is incredible and the song as a whole is compelling and never drags, which was not always the case in early '70s prog. One of the instrumental sections was used in a medley that appears on the Three Sides Live album, giving it exposure to fans who jumped aboard because of Duke and Abacab.
Come Dancing is charming and has one of the best videos of the early MTV era. Of course it was played at the 1990 show at my college -- all of us grew up with it.
Anthem is a great early rocker from Rush, but beware of the dentist-drill vocals. Presumably this is one of their songs that drove wikkid nuts.
New Frontier is my favorite Fagen solo song and is another one of the best videos of the early MTV era.
Brain Stew/Jaded is a smorgasbord of what makes Green Day who they are.
All Too Well (Taylor's Version) is her magnum opus, and her SNL performance of it was indeed special.
Uptight (Everything's Alright) has all the ingredients that made '60s Motown such a joy to listen to.
You have heard part of The Curtain With before. In the early '90s Phish cut the coda from the song and used the riff for Rift, which appeared on this countdown earlier. Eventually they added it back. In setlists the song is identified as "The Curtain" when it is played without the coda and "The Curtain With" when the coda is there. The cascading guitar lines at the beginning are what makes this a top Phish song for me.
Mr. Blue Sky is the definition of "Beatlesque."
Start Choppin' has great dynamics.
I Stay Away has a stunning arrangement and one of Staley's best vocal performances.
I Want to Break Free is uplifting.
Another Round may be my favorite from the acoustic disc of In Your Honor.
Who Will You Run to is a pretty good '80s rocker. Excellent chorus.
 

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