Middle Aged Dummies!! Artists #1's have been posted!! (5 Viewers)

[Dr. Octopus]

#8 - The Stranglers - Always the Sun

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Year - 1986 and 1990
Album - Dreamtime

my SLAM-DUNK numero uno from this lot ... there are one more coming up that are absolutely mind blowing, yes - but this one hit me in '86 like a sock fulla jack hammers.

FLOORED.

they did grimy/sleazy/filthy/decadent/sludgy c0ck rock so well at their peak that they made Jagger look like Morrissey in comparison.

but "AtS" is such complete maturation - the boys done growed up ... sure, there were snippets of their burgeoning transformation prior to this, but no band/artist from London Class of '77 ever made my jaw drop with something this shimmering and luscious - not even the ModFather can touch this.

these (once) foul moufed yobs just knocked this melody and vibe out the park - the synth hit after the "Always The Sun" lyric passage in the chorus ( der ner ner nerr nerrrr ) still sends the shiver.

bonus for this being the exact slice of the song that were playing during the most gorgeous 20 seconds of me life.

I had the song in my UK Dummies Countdown. That album got played all the time in college, but I never really dove deeper. I’ve enjoyed their inclusion in this exercise.

 

[otb_lifer]

#8 - The Stranglers - Always the Sun

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Year - 1986 and 1990
Album - Dreamtime

my SLAM-DUNK numero uno from this lot ... there are one more coming up that are absolutely mind blowing, yes - but this one hit me in '86 like a sock fulla jack hammers.

FLOORED.

they did grimy/sleazy/filthy/decadent/sludgy c0ck rock so well at their peak that they made Jagger look like Morrissey in comparison.

but "AtS" is such complete maturation - the boys done growed up ... sure, there were snippets of their burgeoning transformation prior to this, but no band/artist from London Class of '77 ever made my jaw drop with something this shimmering and luscious - not even the ModFather can touch this.

these (once) foul moufed yobs just knocked this melody and vibe out the park - the synth hit after the "Always The Sun" lyric passage in the chorus ( der ner ner nerr nerrrr ) still sends the shiver.

bonus for this being the exact slice of the song that were playing during the most gorgeous 20 seconds of me life.

I had the song in my UK Dummies Countdown. That album got played all the time in college, but I never really dove deeper. I’ve enjoyed their inclusion in this exercise.

JML doin' work on the peel.

it's a pretty tasty catalog, no doubt - the dives and highs and swoops are aplenty.

if you were at Rutgers (N.B.), then i heard it - my visits down there that fall of '86 were always highlighted by hearing it blasting from any number of rooms.

woulda been a pefect Autumn if not for those effin' Muttsies - thanks, Johnny Mac

 

[Dr. Octopus]

if you were at Rutgers (N.B.), then i heard it - my visits down there that fall of '86 were always highlighted by hearing it blasting from any number of rooms.

Seton Hall.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

New-to-me songs I liked from #8 included:

Menina Muhler...
Staralfur
Little Things. Excellent guitar work, one of my favorites from them so far.
Always the Sun
Wish You Were Here (not the tribute to Syd Barrett)
Slam the Hammer Down. Badass.
The Devil & Me
Mutineer. I had never heard Zevon's version but I did see Bob Dylan cover it live.
Just for a Thrill
Got Nuffin
3 Kilos. Funky!
Heartless. Excellent guitar and bass work here.
Nautical Disaster -- The guitar sounds like Neil. In fact, Mascis sounds a bit like Neil on the Dino Jr entry Get Out of This, which I had heard before but not in a long time.

 

[Zegras11]

#7's PLAYLIST

		#7-
Todd Rundgren	New Binky the Doormat	Hello It's Me - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Jorge Ben Jor	Don Quixote	A Minha Menina, by Os Mutantes (Jorge Ben Jor guested on the song, playing acoustic guitar and on vocals. It is a cover of an earlier single by Jorge Ben Jor.) - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. youtu.be
Brandi Carlile	JB Breakfast Club	Broken Horses - In These Silent Days https://open.spotify.com/track/0vAGNjNpJhjZTxvtcGeAib
The Police	Zegras11	Invisible Sun Invisible Sun The Police · Ghost In The Machine (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1981 open.spotify.com
Modest Mouse	The Dreaded Marco	Missed The Boat - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Genesis	Yo Mama	Supper's Ready Supper's Ready - 2007 Stereo Mix Genesis · Foxtrot (2007 Stereo Mix) · Song · 1972 open.spotify.com
Stevie Ray Vaughan	Sullie	Tightrope (Live From Austin City Limits - 1983) - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
The Decemberists	kupcho1	Grace Cathedral Hill Grace Cathedral Hill The Decemberists · Castaways and Cutouts · Song · 2002 open.spotify.com - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. youtu.be
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead	plinko	Life So Divided (2006) Life ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead · So Divided · Song · 2006 open.spotify.com
The Kinks	Galileo	Days (1968 - European version of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society) Days - Stereo Mix; 2018 - Remaster The Kinks · The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (2018 Deluxe) · Song · 1968 open.spotify.com
Rush	higgins	Xanadu - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Sigur Rós	Scoresman	Við spilum endalaust (We Play Endlessly) - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - 2008 Við spilum endalaust Sigur Rós · Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust · Song · 2008 open.spotify.com
Donald Fagen	Charlie Steiner	Babylon Sisters - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Green Day	MAC_32	Walking Contradiction Walking Contradiction Green Day · Insomniac (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) · Song · 2021 open.spotify.com
Big Thief	Ilov80s	Mary Mary Big Thief · Capacity · Song · 2017 open.spotify.com
Daft Punk	rockaction	Contact - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. youtu.be
Taylor Swift	Jpalmer	Question... ? Question...? Taylor Swift · Midnights · Song · 2022 open.spotify.com
Elliott Smith	Tuffnutt	Antonio Carlos Jobin - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Chicago	Pip's Invitation	Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - 2002 Remaster Chicago · Chicago Transit Authority · Song · 1969 open.spotify.com
The Stranglers	John Maddens Lunchbox	Something Better Change - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. m.youtube.com
Ryan Adams	Dr. Octopus	Highway Patrolman Highway Patrolman Ryan Adams · Nebraska · Song · 2023 open.spotify.com
Stevie Wonder	Uruk-Hai	Do I Do - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Slade	Mrs. Rannous	In The Doghouse - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Phish	shuke	Free Free Phish · Billy Breathes · Song · 1996 open.spotify.com
Electgric Light Orchestra (ELO)	jwb	Nightrider Nightrider Electric Light Orchestra · Face the Music · Song · 1975 open.spotify.com
Frank Black	Mister CIA	Chip Away Boy - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Clutch	Raging Weasel	Rising Son Rising Son Clutch · Slow Hole To China, Rare & Rereleased · Song · 2009 open.spotify.com
Dinosaur Jr.	KarmaPolice	Loaded - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com

Warren Zevon	worrierking	Don't Let us Get Sick Don't Let Us Get Sick Warren Zevon · Song · 2000 open.spotify.com He wrote this one before the cancer diagnosis. It's a prayer, essentially, with the usual Zevon sardonic wit. Lyric: Don't let us get sick Don't let us get old Don't let us get stupid, all right? Just make us be brave And make us play nice And let us be together tonight
Alice in Chains	Mt. Man	Got Me Wrong Got Me Wrong Alice In Chains · Song · 1992 open.spotify.com
Queen	snellman	39 '39 - Remastered 2011 Queen · Song · 1975 open.spotify.com
AC/DC	falguy	Jailbreak Jailbreak AC/DC · Song · 1984 open.spotify.com
The Hold Stead	scorchy	A Slight Discomfort A Slight Discomfort The Hold Steady · Song · 2010 open.spotify.com
Damon Albarn	Eephus	Blur --- Badhead Blur - Badhead (Lyrics) "Badhead"So far I've not really stayed in touchWell you knew as much it's no surprise that todayI'll get up around two from a lack of anything to doAND I MIG... www.youtube.com
Ray Charles	simey	- YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com America the Beautiful Ray Charles · America the Beautiful · Song · 2021 open.spotify.com
Doves	landrys hat	Caught By the River Caught By The River Doves · Song · 2002 open.spotify.com
Spoon	Hov34	The Underdog - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com
Foo Fighters	Just Win Baby	My Hero My Hero Foo Fighters · The Colour And The Shape · Song · 1997 open.spotify.com
Simon & Garfunkel	zamboni	"Baby Driver" Simon & Garfunkel - Baby Driver (Audio) “Baby Driver” by Simon & Garfunkel Listen to Simon & Garfunkel: https://SimonAndGarfunkel.lnk.to/listenYD Subscribe to the official Simon & Garfunkel YouTube... www.youtube.com
Bruce Springsteen	DrIanMalcolm	Something In the Night Something in the Night (Live at The Paramount Theatre 2009) Listen to more Bruce Springsteen - https://LegacyRecordings.lnk.to/springsteen_essentials!26NDarkness on the Edge of Town: Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park - B... www.youtube.com
The Prodigy	titusbramble	Invisible Sun Invisible Sun The Prodigy · Song · 2015 open.spotify.com
Bauhaus	otb_lifer	Third Uncle Third Uncle Bauhaus · Song · 1982 open.spotify.com
Heart	Doug B	Straight On Straight On Heart · Song · 1978 open.spotify.com
The Tragically Hip	Northern Voice	The Dark Canuck The Dark Canuck The Tragically Hip · Song · 2002 open.spotify.com
deadmau5	zazale	So There I Was So There I Was deadmau5 · Song · 2008 open.spotify.com
Elton John	timschochet	Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com

 

[Don Quixote]

@Zegras11 I think post is cut off, as I don’t see the artists below KP’s Dino.

 

[Yo Mama]

Genesis #7 – Supper’s Ready

Album – Foxtrot
Year - 1972

OK, here’s the big one. Genesis’s grand opus. 23 minutes of pure prog perfection.

It only ranks at 7 at my list because it is a big commitment to take on, and has some serious prog silliness in the middle, but it has some incredible moments throughout. Some of my favorite Genesis offerings are in this epic - from the triple 12-string acoustic portion by Hackett, Banks, and Rutherford at around the 2 minute mark, to some magic in the 7-9 minute section where the whole band collectively leaves their bodies, to the unbelievable last two sections titled “Apocalypse in 9/8” and “As Sure as Eggs is Eggs” where the band puts out its strongest, hardest work in its time together.

This epic is “a personal journey through the Book of Revelation” and was written by Gabriel after a couple drug-induced episodes with his first wife – one where she started speaking in a different voice and Pete had to perform a makeshift exorcism on her, and another where he looked out the window of her apartment and saw a completely different yard outside with seven hooded figures watching him.

Gabriel treated this song as performance art on stage, wearing different costumes for each of the different parts – changing from a fox suit, to a headdress of flowers, to a robe and robotic-looking mask like something Muse or Daft Punk would wear. They even wrote up a full program to sell at concerts outlining the separate parts and describing the accompanying story behind the song. It was truly their masterpiece.

Supper’s Ready
I – Lover’s Leap (0:00-3:47)
II – The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man (3:48-5:43)
III – Ikhnaton and Its-a-Con and Their Band of Merry men (5:44-9:42)
IV – How Dare I Be So Beautiful? (9:43-11:04)
V – Willow Farm (11:05-15:36)
VI – Apocalypse in 9/8 (15:36-20:50)
VII – As Sure as Eggs is Eggs (20:51-22:54)

 

[Galileo]

#7 Days (1968 - European version of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society)

Days - Stereo Mix; 2018 - Remaster

The Kinks · The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (2018 Deluxe) · Song · 1968

open.spotify.com

This is a sad song of goodbye, but it has such an infectious groove that you can’t help but feel good listening to it. The Kinks have a magical way of doing that with depressing subject matter. Said to be inspired by the departure of Ray’s sister, Rosie, to Australia, this one has some beautiful lyrics. Although it is a very personal song for Ray, he has crafted it in a way that becomes universal. Anyone who has ever experienced loss can relate to these lyrics…a lost love, a family member, a friend, maybe even losing a part of your own life like your youth…it all fits. It all leaves us pining for those Days. I originally had this song much lower on my list, but as I listened over and over and weighed it against the backdrop of other songs, I kept nudging it higher and higher.

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I'm thinking of the days,
I won't forget a single day, believe me.

I bless the light,
I bless the light that lights on you believe me.
And though you're gone,
You're with me every single day, believe me.

Days I'll remember all my life,
Days when you can't see wrong from right.
You took my life,
But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me,
But it's all right,
Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me.

I wish today could be tomorrow,
The night is dark,
It just brings sorrow anyway.

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I'm thinking of the days,
I won't forget a single day, believe me.

Days I'll remember all my life,
Days when you can't see wrong from right.
You took my life,
But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me,
But it's all right,
Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me.
Days.

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I'm thinking of the days,
I won't forget a single day, believe me.

I bless the light,
I bless the light that shines on you believe me.
And though you're gone,
You're with me every single day, believe me.
Days.

 

[Yo Mama]

@Zegras11 I think post is cut off, as I don’t see the artists below KP’s Dino.

We hit our Prog limit and couldn’t fit in anything else.

 

[Yo Mama]

I think I did the Kool-Aid Man “Oh Yeah!” at least five times reading the playlist

 

[Zegras11]

@Zegras11 I think post is cut off, as I don’t see the artists below KP’s Dino.

fixed..thanks

 

[Galileo]

Genesis #7 – Supper’s Ready

Epic journey on this one.

 

[Zegras11]

Elton John

timschochet

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com

Easily my #1.

 

[Galileo]

Elton John

timschochet

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com

Easily my #1.

I think I see three songs on this #7 list that may be my #1 for that artist.

 

[Yo Mama]

Whoa, two songs titled Invisible Sun on the same playlist

 

[Yo Mama]

Xanaduuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

 

[Don Quixote]

Jorge Ben Jor

Don Quixote

A Minha Menina, by Os Mutantes (Jorge Ben Jor guested on the song, playing acoustic guitar and on vocals. It is a cover of an earlier single by Jorge Ben Jor.) - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. youtu.be

I mentioned in my write-up of Rita Jeep (which was written about Rita Lee of Os Mutantes), there would be another Os Mutantes connection in my list, and here we go…

This song made a couple of appearances in the Worldwide countdown, but I don’t think the connection to, or involvement of, Jorge Ben Jor was mentioned then — both writing it and playing on it.

During the period when Jorge Ben was dropped by his record label for leaving bossa nova for more Tropicalia-oriented sounds, he released an album and some singles. One of the singles he wrote and released was A Minha Menina. Here is the original 1968 single.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I’m not quite sure how it came about or the order of things, but Os Mutantes included the song on their debut album. Jorge Ben was obviously close to the members of the band; he guested on their recording of it, playing rhythm guitar and performed the vocals. Maybe a bit of helping them out and also hoping that it may help to resurrect his own career.

 

[Zegras11]

Whoa, two songs titled Invisible Sun on the same playlist

wow... didn't see that

 

[landrys hat]

#7 Days (1968 - European version of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society)

Days - Stereo Mix; 2018 - Remaster

The Kinks · The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (2018 Deluxe) · Song · 1968

open.spotify.com

This is a sad song of goodbye, but it has such an infectious groove that you can’t help but feel good listening to it. The Kinks have a magical way of doing that with depressing subject matter. Said to be inspired by the departure of Ray’s sister, Rosie, to Australia, this one has some beautiful lyrics. Although it is a very personal song for Ray, he has crafted it in a way that becomes universal. Anyone who has ever experienced loss can relate to these lyrics…a lost love, a family member, a friend, maybe even losing a part of your own life like your youth…it all fits. It all leaves us pining for those Days. I originally had this song much lower on my list, but as I listened over and over and weighed it against the backdrop of other songs, I kept nudging it higher and higher.

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I'm thinking of the days,
I won't forget a single day, believe me.

I bless the light,
I bless the light that lights on you believe me.
And though you're gone,
You're with me every single day, believe me.

Days I'll remember all my life,
Days when you can't see wrong from right.
You took my life,
But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me,
But it's all right,
Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me.

I wish today could be tomorrow,
The night is dark,
It just brings sorrow anyway.

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I'm thinking of the days,
I won't forget a single day, believe me.

Days I'll remember all my life,
Days when you can't see wrong from right.
You took my life,
But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me,
But it's all right,
Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me.
Days.

Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I'm thinking of the days,
I won't forget a single day, believe me.

I bless the light,
I bless the light that shines on you believe me.
And though you're gone,
You're with me every single day, believe me.
Days.

One of my favorites. At one point, I had this #1 on my UK list.

 

[Zegras11]

Five songs over 7 minutes....

 

[Galileo]

Whoa, two songs titled Invisible Sun on the same playlist

wow... didn't see that

Should be the playlist name

 

[Ilov80s]

Whoa, two songs titled Invisible Sun on the same playlist

Yeah some real bangers on the list

 

[Ilov80s]

And my heart is playing hide and seek
Waiting, count to four
Will you love me like you loved me
And I'll never ask for more?

 

[Zegras11]

Chicago

Pip's Invitation

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - 2002 Remaster Chicago · Chicago Transit Authority · Song · 1969 open.spotify.com

Love the horns on this one.

 

[Galileo]

Chicago

Pip's Invitation

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - 2002 Remaster Chicago · Chicago Transit Authority · Song · 1969 open.spotify.com

Love the horns on this one.

Agree, but we can say that about many Chicago tunes. Love this song, but I do not recall hearing that piano intro. Did that just get hacked off back in the day for radio play purposes?

 

[Zegras11]

Love this song, but I do not recall hearing that piano intro.

I was going to mention this also. I don't recall hearing it on the radio back in the day, but I have heard it the three times I've seen them live.

 

[Zegras11]

Ray Charles

simey

- YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com America the Beautiful Ray Charles · America the Beautiful · Song · 2021 open.spotify.com

Simply superb.

 

[tuffnutt]

7.
Antonio Carlos Jobim- Heatmiser/Elliott Smith
from Cop and Speeder album


This is the one song I was most excited about sharing on this countdown. It is certainly harder than anything we've heard thus far. For those who know Elliott as only a brooding, melancholic artist... here is a moment where he rocks.

The title is a tribute to the famed Brazilian composer, but the song itself is lyrically vague to as why... It starts out with Elliott Smith trademarks: soft guitar, vulnerable lyrics and almost-whispered vocals. It sounds heartbroken, sweet and sinister at the same time. Then, it builds. Another guitar joins in, the drumbeat picks up. And it all explodes in a burst of emotion halfway in. that wall of sound just come in all at once makes it so satisfying and hard hitting. I LOVE this song.

 

[Mt. Man]

7. Got Me Wrong (off Sap, 1992)

You, sugar taste
Sweetness doesn't often touch my face
Stay if you please
You may not be here when I leave

(Youtube Version) Got Me Wrong
(Unplugged Version) Alice In Chains - Got Me Wrong

Our only entry from Sap (more on that another time), “Got Me Wrong” naturally got a popularity boost from its appearance in 1994’s Clerks. In fact, Sap got re-released in 1995 (along with a compilation of it and Jar of Flies) and “Got Me Wrong” was only released a single afterwards.

My numbers #7 through #13 battled to be the top, and if you like them in a different order? Well, I probably would on certain days too. Still, Got Me Wrong rose slightly above that pack, with the Unplugged version not providing too much of a boost because I (not surprisingly) have a lot of love for both.

Next on the countdown, I (still) choose a song from Cantrell about a member of his family.

 

[zamboni]

Ray Charles

simey

- YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com America the Beautiful Ray Charles · America the Beautiful · Song · 2021 open.spotify.com

Simply superb.

Reminds me of the movie The Sandlot - in a great way.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

7. Babylon Sisters is the second song from the Gaucho album to appear on my list.

I've already given the back story of this album, so my focus in this write-up is the song's personal significance to me. FWIW, even without the following story, this is where I rank this song.

The years I spent working at a Tex-Mex place during and after college saw me go from a hyper-naive kid who lived a mostly sheltered life to a slightly less naive and less optimistic young adult, with a share of interesting experiences that forced me to grow up a little more. Don't get me wrong; I treasure all my time there, even the 'tougher' ones. Anyway, one of my co-workers was the daughter of a bona fide Grateful Dead-chasing hippie, and despite her being six years younger than me (editor's note: I originally wrote seven years, but honestly I recalled the age gap was six years instead of seven, FWIW), she had a level of maturity and perspective that commanded respect. Toward the end of my tenure there, while I was in grad school (and she had graduated high school), we were definitely platonic partners in crime, doing things like going to shoot pool together, and we even sang karaoke once.

As you can guess from that setup, things started going to the 'next level' when we were hanging out one night.

Before I go further, I want to make clear what my mindset was that night: As much as I wanted this to happen between us, I also didn't want to wreck our friendship. I knew that if it was going to happen, it had to be mutual beyond that night.

I also want to share something stupid I used to have in mind whenever the physical act of love was imminent: I wanted music to be playing in the background, so that 'we' could have that shared memory whenever that song played after that. The first time I tried this, I was with a brunette and Sister Golden Hair by America played.

This time, Babylon Sisters came on.

Within just the few opening notes, the entire song and all the lyrics played through my head, and it was like a big, red flag started waving. IIRC, my mind zeroed in on this particular passage:

Well I should know by now
That it's just a spasm
Like a Sunday in T.J.
That it's cheap but it's not free
That I'm not what I used to be
And that love's not a game for three (TBH, I thought the word was 'free' instead of 'three')

Despite my uncertain feelings, we still the deed, and things were left open-ended when I went home, where I sat down with pencil and paper, eventually writing a heartfelt but fairly cheesy poem to her about two comets that collided and returned to their original orbits, both retaining a piece of the other. That seemed to match her feelings as well, and somehow, we did indeed go back to our respective lives with no hard feelings towards each other. We worked together for a little while longer before we both moved on, and there was no drama and no apparent damage to our friendship.

As a post-script, when I posted on Facebook about my mother's passing two weeks ago, she was one of the first to express her condolences.

 

[krista4]

Crap, looks like I didn't get my #8 listening done in time. Well, here are a few highlights for me in the second half or so:

"Any World" by Steely Dan was very good. No, I am not being held hostage.

Ah, nevermind, I don't have much to say. Some other new-to-me favorites were those from S&B, Tragically Hip, Bauhaus, and ELO. And "3 Kilos" by The Prodigy was my favorite so far from this artist. Bumpin'.

 

[zamboni]

Foo Fighters

Just Win Baby

My Hero

Brings back memories of that special moment after Taylor Hawkins passed

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Chicago

Pip's Invitation

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - 2002 Remaster Chicago · Chicago Transit Authority · Song · 1969 open.spotify.com

Love the horns on this one.

Agree, but we can say that about many Chicago tunes. Love this song, but I do not recall hearing that piano intro. Did that just get hacked off back in the day for radio play purposes?

Yes. It was common for the album versions of Chicago songs to be cut down when they were released as singles. The most drastic incidence of this is still to come.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Whoa, two songs titled Invisible Sun on the same playlist

wow... didn't see that

It’s invisible son*

*true dad joke

 

[Pip's Invitation]

7. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
Album: Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
Writer: Robert Lamm
Lead vocals: Robert Lamm
Released as a single? Yes (US #7 in 1970)

Written just before the band left Chicago for Los Angeles, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? played a major role in establishing the "rock band with horns" sound the band and Jim Guercio envisioned. Beginning with a piano solo (sometimes extended to great length in concert) before transitioning into a trumpet solo and then into a bouncy, bright, horn-driven melody, the song's music was designed to appeal to music fans of all ages. But its lyrics were aimed squarely at the hippie/college kid demographic, questioning the very definition of time, which the "straight" world was obsessed with. This played a role as to why the song was a cult hit before it was a mainstream one. James Pankow said in the Group Portrait box set liner notes: “AM radio wouldn't touch us because we were unpackagable. They weren't able to pigeonhole our music. It was too different, and the cuts on the albums were so long that they really weren't tailored for radio play unless they were edited, and we didn't know anything about editing. Actually, we released three singles off the first album. We edited three songs and released them, but AM radio was nowhere near ready for this kind of music. The album was an underground hit. FM radio was embraced by the college audiences in the late '60s. All of a sudden, the college campuses around the country discovered Chicago, and it was over. That was the beginning of the snowball. If you didn't listen to Chicago, you weren't hip. It was the college kids and word-of-mouth that made that album such an incredible, enormous mainstay on the pop charts."
The sustained success of the first album ended up giving the song a higher profile. After the first two singles from the second album took off into the top 10, Columbia decided to follow them up with Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?, which achieved top 10 success as well. Its melody is indelible and it boasts one of Robert Lamm's finest vocals.
Tanglewood version: https://youtu.be/_oAoSZ2y1cw?t=855
Leonid and Friends version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB-nXQc6LMU

At #6, the song that industry folks compared subsequent Chicago singles to.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Elton John

timschochet

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com

Easily my #1.

I think I see three songs on this #7 list that may be my #1 for that artist.

I have at least four that fit that description. What a beast of a playlist.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Elton John

timschochet

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com

Easily my #1.

I think I see three songs on this #7 list that may be my #1 for that artist.

I have at least four that fit that description. What a beast of a playlist.

3 for me.

 

[MAC_32]

This is a 100% a me thing and I own it, but from the beginning I have always aligned myself with Walking Contradiction rather than what I viewed as its contemporary. Right or wrong I have always associated it with When I Come Around and while it may have the catchier riff it isn't the one that connected with the teenage Brat that was me. I've always viewed each as simple pop songs with accompanying music videos depicting them wandering around the streets of Berkley, CA. Thing is, I grew up a wise ***. I'm still a wise ***, but nothing will compare to the wise *** from the mid 90's. That wise *** may have bopped his head along to one of this band's breakthrough single's (that didn't make the cut to 31), but the antics depicted throughout the follow up was always the stronger connection. In The End this one is what always gets that crooked smile to creep upon my face and remind myself who I am at my core - a smart *** but I'm playing dumb.

 

[Yo Mama]

My Hero brings back a less sad / more stupid connection for me:

The Other Guys - There Goes My Hero

-"You thinking what I'm thinking partner?"-"Aim for the bushes?"

youtu.be

 

[simey]

#7 - Ray Charles - America The Beautiful

Brother Ray recorded this song back in 1972, and it was released on his 1972 album A Message From the People. His soulful gospel infused version will always be my favorite.

Some of you may remember when he opened game 2 of the World Series with this song a little over a month 1/2 after 9/11 happened. I love his joyous expressions from hearing the roaring applause when he finishes the song. America the beautiful indeed.

 

[Scoresman]

7 - Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust (We Play Endlessly)

Another short, poppy song for those who have liked those so far. This is my favorite off their fourth album. I just love when the horns come in at the end.

For half of this album, Sigur Ros forgot they were a post rock band and gave us a few short songs, with choruses and hooks! Midway through the album, they remembered who they were and they went back to the long, droning epics. It was a very nice diversion.

 

[Zegras11]

Some of you may remember when he opened game 2 of the World Series with this song a little over a month 1/2 after 9/11 happened.

I remember this well. I wound up going to games 6 and 7 in Arizona with Ron Shandler.

 

[shuke]

Five songs over 7 minutes....

Not Phish this time!

 

[shuke]

Genesis #7 – Supper’s Ready

I had never heard this until a couple years ago. WXPN did a top 2020 songs of all time countdown and I tried to listen as much as possible. I was shocked this was somewhere in the top 100. Made me remember that despite how much music I listen to, there is so much out there I've never heard that I'd appreciate and/or that is widely loved by others.

 

[Tau837]

Foo Fighters

Just Win Baby

My Hero My Hero Foo Fighters · The Colour And The Shape · Song · 1997 open.spotify.com

My Hero is the second song I chose from The Colour And The Shape, the Foos' 2nd studio album. The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard US Alternative Rock chart and #8 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.

In 2020, Kerrang ranked the top 20 all-time Foo Fighters songs and ranked My Hero #7. This is their writeup:

“My heroes were ordinary people, and the people that I have a lot of respect for are just solid everyday people,” Dave has commented on the inspiration behind the third single from The Colour And The Shape. “People you can rely on.” With the band struggling due to the departure of drummer William Goldsmith during recording of the album and Dave himself being forced to step back behind the kit, there was plenty to read into in terms of the value of loyalty and reliability at the time. As the years have passed, that build of drums, bass and showered-on guitar in My Hero has become representative of rock’s most dependable bands: light on drama but heavy hitters in the feels.

In 2023, Consequence of Sound ranked what they characterized as all 156 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking My Hero #10. Here is their writeup:

Now that we’re more than 20 years into Foo Fighters’ career, it’s hard to remember the early days when Grohl’s melodies, arrangements, and, most of all, lyrics were frequently combed over for comparisons and references to Nirvana. The band formed so quickly after Kurt Cobain’s death that fans were sure that Grohl must have been as preoccupied with his former bandmate as the general public was.

That idea gave way to a song like “My Hero” often being incorrectly interpreted as a song about Cobain, but the song is much more universal than that. It’s a song about less traditional icons, folks that walk among us and perform small, necessary acts that lift up others. As Grohl repeats throughout the songs, they’re “ordinary.” What’s not ordinary in the song is the Grohl’s performance on drums, recorded as one of the most urgent percussion elements of the Foos’ career. They move the song forward in a way that almost takes over the track, speaking to the strength of the other components when they don’t.

Earlier this year (2014 article was updated "4 years ago" but includes songs from their album released this year), Spin ranked what they characterized as all 152 Foo Fighters songs up to that point, ranking My Hero #2. Here is their writeup:

The list of songs in rock history that have a better first half-minute than “My Hero” is a remarkably short one: Dave’s thundering drums making the introductions, Nate Mendel’s eventually counter-melodic bass providing the anchor, and then the torrential downpour of guitars just showering the song in righteousness. The song is already a classic by the time the intro breaks and the vocals begin, but then you also get one of the group’s all-time great choruses, an impossibly exhilarating slow-build-to-climax, and the lyric that would basically find the group their band-of-the-people identity.

“My heroes were ordinary people, and the people that I have a lot of respect for are just solid everyday people,” Grohl has said about the song’s message. “People you can rely on.” And that’s the Foo Fighters — for nearly two decades of mainstream-rock domination, they’ve been the solid, everyday band that you can rely on. They just have better guitar riffs and drum parts than most.

Here is the official video.

Here is an awesome acoustic version that is just Dave on an acoustic guitar.

Here is another video of Dave performing the song with just an acoustic guitar with Billie Eilish.

Best of all, here is an awesome video from the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert, when Taylor's son Shane played the drums on this song. I love watching Shane play in this video.

 

[Doug B]

#7 - Ray Charles - America The Beautiful

Brother Ray recorded this song back in 1972, and it was released on his 1972 album A Message From the People. His soulful gospel infused version will always be my favorite.

Could have sworn Charles sang this on an episode of Who’s The Boss? in the 80s. Tried to track it down to no avail. Did I just hallucinate that?

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#7 - The Stranglers - Something Better Change

The Stranglers - Something Better Change

Original music video for Something Better Change by The Stranglers released as a single on 22nd July 1977.www.thestranglers.co.ukwww.facebook.com/thestrangle...

m.youtube.com

Year - 1977
Album - No More Heroes
UK Chart position - #9
Vocals - Jean-Jacques Burnel
Key Lyric -
Don't you like the way I dance, does it bug you?
Don't you like the cut of my clothes?
Don't you like the way I seem to enjoy it?
Stick my fingers right up your nose
Something's happening and it's happening right now
You're too blind to see it

Interesting Points
1- A deliberate rebellion song aimed at stirring stuff up. Thumbing their nose at any kind of authority.

2- The song was written in 1976 before most punk bands had recording contracts

3- in their not understanding foreign cultures situations, On their first tour of Japan, this was the opening song of their opening gig. Japanese audiences didnt react so they played it again. Same result. They ended up playing it 8 times in 25 minutes. Hugh Cornwell yelled at the crowd for their lack of reaction. One guy got up to dance and the crowd finally got into the band.

4- This was recorded at the same time as the Rattus Norvegicus songs, but had a different vibe according to the band. This song was too “Up” to be included there.

5- The video for this song was recorded on the same day as the Straighten Out video, the AA track to this single

Summary to date
Year
1977 - 11
1978 - 5
1979 - 2
1980 - 0
1981 - 1
1982 - 1
1983 - 0
1984 - 2
1985 - 0
1986 - 1
1987 - 0
1988 - 2
1989 - 0
1990 onwards - 2

Where to find
Rattus Norvegicus - 7/9
No More Heroes -3/11
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 - 1/10
All Live and All of the Night - 2/13
10 - 1/10
1991 onwards - 0
B Sides - 1
Greatest Hits - 2
Standalone Single - 3

Running Vocal Count
Hugh Cornwell - 15
Jean-Jacques Burnel - 10
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's
#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
#8 - Always the Sun
#7 - Something Better Change

We go back to the 80s for another of their international hits

 

[Uruk-Hai]

#7 "Do I Do"

I wasn't thinking about the playlist when I put these songs together. If I had, I would have left this one off. It's long - like 9 minutes ( @KarmaPolice if there's a radio edit on Spotify, feel free to use that one). It can also be repetitive, especially in the 2nd half.

That said, it's sort of a "Sir Duke"/"My Cherie Amour" mashup......and a great one at that. It's one of the four new tunes on the Musicquarium LP. This thing swings, man. Did you know the word "mention" could be sung in 12 different keys at once? The percussion arrangement is unbelievable. There's a gritty little guitar line running through it. Stevie even brings in Dizzy Gillespie for a horn solo. The rap towards the end has always perplexed me - it's really lame, but I think Stevie may have been jiving us and was being (gasp!) ironic.

 

[kupcho1]

The Decemberists
#7 Grace Cathedral Hill

At its heart, Grace Cathedral Hill is a "gorgeous tribute to San Francisco", referencing several landmarks along the way.
I found this quote, along with an interesting hypothesis about what Grace Cathedral Hill is about, on songmeanings.com.

"A gorgeous tribute to San Francisco, and a lovely escapism tune at the same time, the beauty of 'Grace Cathedral Hill' lies in how prosaic the tale is, yet how picturesquely told it is. It's New Year's Day. The male protagonist stares at the dying Cathedral hill, and decides to enter the basilica atop it. He coughs up a quarter to light a candle only to watch it melt to its wick. Turning on his heels, he and his 'green-eyed girl' traverse bustling Hyde St. Pier for a hot dog. In the distance the National Anthem is heard. It's made clear that his mate is crestfallen, and he hopes that a night on the town will cheer her up: 'on a motorbike...all the city lights blind your eyes tonight, are you feeling better now?' It doesn't. He stares into her moist eyes, cursing the charlatan's on the corner selling faux religious talismans: 'Fifty-three bucks to buy a brand new halo.' He inwardly declares his love for this Irish brat, finally understanding that he will go to the ends of the earth for her--and why not? He's already been to the Catholic church...."

Well, I don't know about that, but there's no disputing that it's an absolutely gorgeous song.

Grace Cathedral hill
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
All dust and stone and moribund
I paid twenty-five cents to light a little white candle

For a New Year's day
I sat and watched it burn away
Then turned and weaved through slow decay
We were both a little hungry so we went to get a hot dog

Down the Hyde Street pier
This light was slightly disappeared
The air it stunk of fish and beer
We heard a superman trumpet play the National Anthem

And the world may be long for you
But it'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike when all the city lights blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?

And the world may be long for you
But'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?

Some way to greet the year:
Your eyes all bright and
Brim with tears
The pilgrims, pills, and tourists here
Will sink fifty-three bucks to buy
A brand new halo

Sweet on a green-eyed girl
All fiery Irish clip and curl
All brine and piss and vinegar
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle

And the world may be long for you
But'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?