Bracie Smathers
Footballguy
No one would ever guess who it was if you didn't tell them.
No one would ever guess who it was if you didn't tell them.
What's funny about Life on Mars? is that it doesn't really have anything to do with space (other than the title). A girl gets into a fight with her parents and storms off. She goes to a movie and gets stood up by a friend. She watches the movie, doesn't find it interesting, and while steaming and being extremely pi$$ed off at her existence, she wonders if life would be better somewhere else. ANYWHERE else. Like on another planet else. It's basically a coming of age song about escapism and dealing with some undefined real life issues as a young adult.Good stuff squistion.
I knew vids came out prior to 73 but not as far back as early 60s other than videos I've seen directly tied to movies.
In the mid 80s I was oblivious to anything other than his popular singles till I met a GF who was on a huge Aladdin Sane binge.
I don't see Life On Mars as a masterpiece. Looks and feels like a derivative of Space Oddity and an over-produced over-theatrical transition towards Ziggy.
He put out his video of Space Oddity in 72, a year prior to the one you shared.
David Bowie – Space Oddity (Official Video)
I consider that to be his signature tune and feel he was chasing that success with songs of similar themes. My take but YMMV and that's fine.
it was before Li'l America, cuz i remember that was my target - to get lifts from truckers. Wyoming then had bar bounties on the hair of any hippies (i knew of at least a dozen guys been beaten half to death and three girls who'd been raped & shaved under the terms of that), so i was wary of cowboys and this guy was the opposite of a cowboy. it's beautiful country which i hadnt got to appreciate cuz i didnt stray from the 80, so i went along. i walked 6 days (western hitchers who dont carry a thermos deserve to die) til i caught a N/S rte that i knew was in Utah and turned north (which sucked cuz it was just getting cold at night - early sept). for my next year on the road i hadda either hop trains across Basin/Rockies or go from SLC south to 70 (or vice versa) and pick 80 back up in NPlatte when i crossed countryThat's three days walking high desert.
Where did you get water and that had to be near Rock Springs.
OK, more past Green River. Six days is about right and the rail parallel's 80 to the South side of the highway for much of 80 but not sure at that locationit was before Li'l America, cuz i remember that was my target - to get lifts from truckers. Wyoming then had bar bounties on the hair of any hippies (i knew of at least a dozen guys been beaten half to death and three girls who'd been raped & shaved under the terms of that), so i was wary of cowboys and this guy was the opposite of a cowboy. it's beautiful country which i hadnt got to appreciate cuz i didnt stray from the 80, so i went along. i walked 6 days (western hitchers who dont carry a thermos deserve to die) til i caught a N/S rte that i knew was in Utah and turned north (which sucked cuz it was just getting cold at night - early sept). for my next year on the road i hadda either hop trains across Basin/Rockies or go from SLC south to 70 (or vice versa) and pick 80 back up in NPlatte when i crossed country
some people need feudalism - if there's only one area above the Mason/Dixon that does, i can handle that. /hijackOK, more past Green River. Six days is about right and the rail parallel's 80 to the South side of the highway for much of 80 but not sure at that location
Bad juju in that area. I think its cursed due to a massacre of Chinese in Rock Springs in the 1800s. A guy named Robert Parker used to be a butcher in Rock Springs and later picked up the nickname Butch Cassidy. The 'Outlaw Trail' runs right through that place.
That wasn't my only 'odd/threatening' adventure in that general are of Western WY. I took a week off from college and went skiing up at Jackson Hole. On the trip back I stopped at the grocery store in Rock Springs and decided to eat my lunch in a private part of the parking lot. I finish and put my stick in reverse and am just starting to pull back when all of a sudden a cop car came out of nowhere and pulled up right at my driver's side door. Scared the crap out of me but I smile and nod thinking nothing of it when... ANOTHER cop pulls up to my passenger side and I'm looking around like WT F?
I look up and see that I was facing a bank. I kinda chuckle to myself since they must think I was casing the joint but it wasn't funny because a cop was on my ### the entire way out of town up to the highway.
I thought, weird but I had a drive back to Steamboat Springs in Colorado. Its pitch dark, twenty below, I am 35 miles out and I've got to piss like a racehorse. On top of that my feet are frostbit because my heater sucked. I was tempted to floor-it but knew the highway patrol are all over that stretch and where they hung out. Just as I'm about to chance it a CHP is on my ###.
I was a little ahead of him and got around a blind corner when a ####### DEER is in the middle of the road. I swerve and just 'barely' scrape its side but don't impact it. My heart is POUNDING out of my chest but I see my opportunity as the deer was still in the middle of the road with the CHP just about to round that corner.
I look back in my rear view mirror and see the headlights twist and turn from one-side to the other and he stopped.
I punched it and got the hell out of there ending one strange road trip punctuated with another weird Western WY incident.
Its an all-time classic and great tune worthy of any top-ten from 71.8. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (from Every Picture Tells a Story)
As a general rule, any early Rod Stewart with organ is the schiznett. Some of his best stuff (solo or Faces) featured Ian McLagan on the Hammond organ.8. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (from Every Picture Tells a Story)
https://youtu.be/EOl7dh7a-6g
Before “Maggie May” Rod Stewart was a well known, well respected blues frontman for a couple of famous bands (The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces) who occasionally dabbled in solo material as well. After “Maggie May” Rod Stewart was a rock superstar, suddenly ascending to the level of Elton John and Mick Jagger. In retrospective, this turned out not so good for music, as Stewart has basically spent the remainder of his career in a desperate attempt to maintain his stardom, ever sacrificing more and more of his great talent for commercial success. Though he would produce other great songs occasionally, “Maggie May” was his zenith, and the last 48 years have been a slow walk downhill.
What’s ironic is that the song, which is supposed to be about the first woman Rod ever had sex with (he was a teenager, she an older adult), was not meant to be a hit at all. It was the B side to Stewart’s fine cover of Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe”, but DJs discovered that listeners enjoyed “Maggie May” more, and the rest was history. Martin Quittenton of the British rock band Steamroller is listed as the co-writer of the music but he only wrote the 20 second instrumental introduction.
sidebar: a contemporary rule of thumb was that any girl mad for Maggie - and there were plenty - was good for one extraordinary date, if you could get away with only one8. Rod Stewart “Maggie May” (from Every Picture Tells a Story)
https://youtu.be/EOl7dh7a-6g
Before “Maggie May” Rod Stewart was a well known, well respected blues frontman for a couple of famous bands (The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces) who occasionally dabbled in solo material as well. After “Maggie May” Rod Stewart was a rock superstar, suddenly ascending to the level of Elton John and Mick Jagger. In retrospect this turned out not so good for music, as Stewart has basically spent the remainder of his career in a desperate attempt to maintain his stardom, ever sacrificing more and more of his great talent for commercial success. Though he would produce other great songs occasionally, “Maggie May” was his zenith, and the last 48 years have been a slow walk downhill.
What’s ironic is that the song, which is supposed to be about the first woman Rod ever had sex with (he was a teenager, she an older adult), was not meant to be a hit at all. It was the B side to Stewart’s fine cover of Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe”, but DJs discovered that listeners enjoyed “Maggie May” more, and the rest was history. Martin Quittenton of the British rock band Steamroller is listed as the co-writer of the music but he only wrote the 20 second instrumental introduction.
He’s riding a skateboard on bluestone slate sidewalk, so it’s only a matter of time before Timmay takes a dump & posts a groaner. But give him credit, he hasn’t taken a wrecked in the second half nearly as often as he did starting out.Its an all-time classic and great tune worthy of any top-ten from 71.
HE HAD A HAVERSACKThat's three days walking high desert.
Where did you get water and that had to be near Rock Springs.
IMO, the most overrated song in the LZ catalog and possibly the most overplayed song of all time. But other opinions may vary.7. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (from Led Zeppelin IV)
https://youtu.be/QkF3oxziUI4
There’s no way to separate this song from its iconic, legendary status. There are very few songs that are as important to the classic rock genre- perhaps “Hey Jude”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Based on that alone “Stairway to Heaven”, which truly is a great song, has to be in this top 10, and few would argue with me if I put it in the top spot. Except that there are still 6 other tunes that are just a little better...
New here? The O/U is 7+ additional mentions before the end of the countdown.It's probably time to put your Osmonds fetish to rest....
I'd actually put Maggie May above it on the overrated list, but still a good point. Just because something is played to death doesn't make it an all time great.IMO, the most overrated song in the LZ catalog and possibly the most overplayed song of all time. But other opinions may vary.
Whether or not it is their best, it is by far their most iconic song, which is why it has been overplayed. It's a great song that deserves to be ranked higher than #7 in this list IMO.IMO, the most overrated song in the LZ catalog and possibly the most overplayed song of all time. But other opinions may vary.7. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (from Led Zeppelin IV)
https://youtu.be/QkF3oxziUI4
There’s no way to separate this song from its iconic, legendary status. There are very few songs that are as important to the classic rock genre- perhaps “Hey Jude”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Based on that alone “Stairway to Heaven”, which truly is a great song, has to be in this top 10, and few would argue with me if I put it in the top spot. Except that there are still 6 other tunes that are just a little better...
That works both ways though. I think at least some people might diminish some of these songs because they are overplayed.Just because something is played to death doesn't make it an all time great.
6 songs from 1971 better than Stairway? I dunno, Tim. That's a tall order.7. Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (from Led Zeppelin IV)
https://youtu.be/QkF3oxziUI4
There’s no way to separate this song from its iconic, legendary status. There are very few songs that are as important to the classic rock genre- perhaps “Hey Jude”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Based on that alone “Stairway to Heaven”, which truly is a great song, has to be in this top 10, and few would argue with me if I put it in the top spot. Except that there are still 6 other tunes that are just a little better...
Taken already at #26.6 songs from 1971 better than Stairway? I dunno, Tim. That's a tall order.
Janis Joplin's "Me & Bobby McGee" comes to mind as a possibility. After that....
I would not have Stairway In the Top 7 of the LZ4 album. It’s my least favorite song of the 8 songs. That’s not a knock on the song as much it is a tribute to the strength of the entire album. That being said, Stairway would be a ways down on my LZ list of favorite songs. Clearly I am in the minority compared to the masses, but I find the first 3/4 of the song very repetitive. Add in that they stole the intro and it’s not their best work (IMO).Whether or not it is their best, it is by far their most iconic song, which is why it has been overplayed. It's a great song that deserves to be ranked higher than #7 in this list IMO.
I can think of 30 better , 8+ from Physical Graffitti alone.And while I don’t believe Stairway is LZ’s best song, there’s only a couple better IMO. So I don’t know if overrated really applies.
I doubt Stairway would fall in my Top 25 or 30.I can think of 30 better , 8+ from Physical Graffitti alone.
Like you stated, its really nothing against the song. The album has been played to death on AOR radio.I doubt Stairway would fall in my Top 25 or 30.
Sounds like you don't have a whole lotta love for them.Zeppelin, Schmeppelin
i'm sprinkleen on their May QueenSounds like you don't have a whole lotta love for them.
Well you devoted a whole thread to Bowie.IMO, the most overrated song in the LZ catalog and possibly the most overplayed song of all time. But other opinions may vary.
Love that version.I also prefer other LZ songs over Stairway, but it’s a great song. Agree with Tim that there’s a reason it’s so overplayed, not unlike the Free Birds and the Bohemian Rhapsodies of the world.
These days though when I want to hear Stairway, I’ll listen to this version.
From 1971? Remember, this isn't a "greatest of all time" list. I'd be curious to see your list of 30 songs from 1971 that are better.I doubt Stairway would fall in my Top 25 or 30.
Of LZ songs.From 1971? Remember, this isn't a "greatest of all time" list. I'd be curious to see your list of 30 songs from 1971 that are better.
Too late for another tonight. I’ll do it in the morning.All of this bickering and hyperbole about LZ and Stairway has taken us away from the mission of this thread, on to Song #6 in the Countdown!
That's the way to do it Tim, leave us wanting more! Until tomorrow then.Too late for another tonight. I’ll do it in the morning.
we discuss STH.That's the way to do it Tim, leave us wanting more! Until tomorrow then.
This. I’m not one to complain about rankings but this is clearly a top 5 song of 1971... probably #1. It’s one of the most iconic rock songs of all time. Yes it’s been overplayed but it’s the most iconic song from one of the greatest bands of all time.Is Stairway to Heaven overplayed? Sure.
Is it also a great song and worthy of pretty much all praise it gets? Abso-freaking-lutely.
You're in my blood like holy wine you're so bitter and so sweet. I could drink a case of you, and I would still - i'd be on my feet. I'd still be on my feet.“A Case of You” Joni Mitchell
up there with 'freebird'.Sorry if I’m coming in from the peanut gallery, but stairway is only 7???
It’s like top 7 ever.
Hope they didn’t have Edwin Starr or N.W.A. on the set listJust heard about peaceful protestors early in the day in Minneapolis playing Marvin Gaye's What's Going On?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M
Gonna leave her where the guitars playwikkidpissah said:i'm sprinkleen on their May Queen
Fact check, Ed wasn't endorsing his title song.Hope they didn’t have Edwin Starr
Say it againFact check, Ed wasn't endorsing his title song.