|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 24, 2022 3:25:08 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #229 - 6/23/22 Harvey Danger – “Wooly Muffler” from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?
Harvey Danger were a much greater band than their single hit (which is admittedly a great song in its own right but which oversaturated the airwaves) would lead people to believe. For a band who were formed by two people who learned to play music specifically so they could start this particular band, their writing was very creative.
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 25, 2022 1:58:24 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #230 - 6/24/22 Ani DiFranco – “Lost Woman Song” from Ani DiFranco
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 25, 2022 23:01:48 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #231 - 6/25/22 Steely Dan – “Aja” from Aja
It wasn’t until I became a musician that I appreciated Steely Dan. As a preteen I liked Reelin’ in the Years but couldn’t stand Rikki Don’t Lose That Number. And so I figured that they had nothing more to offer me. That mindset lasted years. As I got into my early twenties and I became more competent at writing music and playing it, I also was expanding my appetite for wider ranges of artists and began devouring music. It was in my mid-20’s that I was told I should give Steely Dan another shot.
Once I did, I realized the depth of their musicianship and writing and understood that I was just looking at them on the surface level before. More than any other band, there seems to be a gulf in between their hits and their deep cuts that is impossibly large. I mean, I still do not like Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, but I let that song prevent me from enjoying a duo who would become a favorite eventually. It got to the point where I looked up to them and began to wish I could write music like they did.
The title track to Aja could be my favorite of theirs but it is hard to say. All this is to say that I don’t think it’s right to cast off an artist over a few songs that may not hit the mark for you.
Life is short, but songs are REALLY short, so see what people have to say. Ask a big fan of any artist what their top tracks are, and listen to THOSE. It’s part of why I do this, too. Maybe somebody never gave a chance to, say, Whitesnake, because Here I Go Again just was too polished and clean for them, so I chose a song from before the polish. Same principle here. I let one song get in the way of some really transcendent music for way too long.
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 27, 2022 2:36:43 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #232 - 6/26/22 The Zombies – “Beechwood Park” from Odyssey and Oracle
One of my favorite chord progressions, absolutely chilling layered harmonies, gorgeous instrumentation, all make yet another Zombies classic.
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 28, 2022 2:23:39 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #233 - 6/27/22 Pat Benatar – “Don’t Let it Show” from In the Heat of the Night
Pat Benatar’s first album is primarily a cover album with a couple original tracks. I think the best is her cover of The Alan Parsons Project’s Don’t Let it Show. I would go so far as to say her cover is better than the original. While the original has more dynamic instrumentation and layering and Benatar’s rendition is more straightforward, her vocal power is what sells this song. Her voice is powerful and sells the emotion of this song.
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 29, 2022 2:40:08 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #234 - 6/28/22 Sam Cooke – “Cry Me a River” from Mr. Soul
One of the most beautiful voices to have ever graced soul music recorded numerous albums during a too short career. Willow Weep for Me and Cry Me a River from the phenomenal Mr. Soul are two favorites of mine in Mr. Cookie’s body of work. While this song has too many versions to count going back three quarters of a century, Cooke’s is my favorite.
|
|
|
Post by sirrastus on Jun 29, 2022 11:44:10 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #234 - 6/28/22 Sam Cooke – “Cry Me a River” from Mr. Soul One of the most beautiful voices to have ever graced soul music recorded numerous albums during a too short career. Willow Weep for Me and Cry Me a River from the phenomenal Mr. Soul are two favorites of mine in Mr. Cookie’s body of work. While this song has too many versions to count going back three quarters of a century, Cooke’s is my favorite. I had put this on a cassette years ago and we would listen to this at work back in the 80's.IMO one of his great unknown tracks.
|
|
|
Post by sirrastus on Jun 29, 2022 11:46:57 GMT
This was also on the cassette with Sam Cooke's Cry Me A River.I always liked making rarities tapes:
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 29, 2022 22:11:36 GMT
This was also on the cassette with Sam Cooke's Cry Me A River.I always liked making rarities tapes: Love this!
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jun 30, 2022 1:16:49 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #235 - 6/29/22 The Four Tops – “I’ve Got What You Need” from Night Lights Harmony
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Reach Out I’ll Be There, Baby I Need Your Loving, Walk Away Renée, and more. The Four Tops led by Levi Stubbs produced hitafter hit after hit as a Motown group. But less known perhaps may be their continued output long after they left Motownwell into the late 90s. After leaving Motown they changed their sound dramatically after moving to ABC records, and while they never produced classics like their Motown years, I think there is great value in their ABC years.
This song from Night Lights Harmony is a great example of their later work and features a typical catchy chorus but with more funky instrumentation, and even a synth solo! I highly enjoy this era.
|
|
|
Post by sirrastus on Jun 30, 2022 4:08:23 GMT
Possibly their greatest song was "Ask The Lonely'Here they are lip-syncing on Shivaree back in '65:
|
|
|
Post by sirrastus on Jun 30, 2022 4:15:46 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #235 - 6/29/22 The Four Tops – “I’ve Got What You Need” from Night Lights Harmony I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Reach Out I’ll Be There, Baby I Need Your Loving, Walk Away Renée, and more. The Four Tops led by Levi Stubbs produced hitafter hit after hit as a Motown group. But less known perhaps may be their continued output long after they left Motownwell into the late 90s. After leaving Motown they changed their sound dramatically after moving to ABC records, and while they never produced classics like their Motown years, I think there is great value in their ABC years. This song from Night Lights Harmony is a great example of their later work and features a typical catchy chorus but with more funky instrumentation, and even a synth solo! I highly enjoy this era. Not sure when this came out but the song if it came out around the 80's or 90's was an homage to an early 70's radio soul sound. THe arrangement the sound is pure 70's. I saw them at Nassau Coliseum in '74 with The Four Seasons,Tommy James and the Shondells and The Chiffons. The group itself recorded their first record in 1956. Levi Stubbs was just a prolific vocalist. His brother Joe along with Wilson Pickett,Eddie Floyd and others had been in the group THe Falcons and had one monster hit "You're So Fine" and a second song that has become a classic of early soul "I Found A Love" :
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jul 3, 2022 0:20:37 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #236 - 7/2/22 Twisted Sister – “Run For Your Life” from Under the Blade
I’ll always eternally love Dee Snyder for standing up to the PMRC along with John Denver and Frank Zappa. What a gross era that was with the Satanic panic and fears of suicide inspired by metal music. Twisted Sister got more polish on their sound later, and I dig the Under the Blade album, although finding the original mix was not possible the first time I heard it, much like trying to find the original mixes of the first several ZZ Top or Ozzy albums. Thankfully a lot of these albums that were remixed are having the originals re-released.
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jul 4, 2022 4:51:07 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #237 - 7/3/22 Christopher Cross – “Minstrel Gigolo” from Christopher Cross
This song features an incredible guitar solo from Eric Johnson that is worth the price of admission alone. As much as Christopher Cross is derided by some as dad rock or yacht rock, I don’t mind listening to music such as this when I’m in a mood to. My tastes run the gamut from the softest folk to some pretty heavy metal, and I enjoy indulging in soft rock from time to time. Also, Christopher Cross is a fairly accomplished guitar player in his own right, even if it isn’t him performing the solo on this track.
|
|
|
Post by The Ocean on Jul 4, 2022 20:51:46 GMT
Deep Track of the Day #238 - 7/4/22 Alice Cooper – “Halo of Flies” from Killer
This song is quite a journey, and every second of it is brilliant from the unique synthesizer to the enveloped guitars. It is an epic rock track of a type that is rarely experienced. It is a long track for sure, bordering on Progressive Rock but firmly maintaining its foothold in early Hard Rock and Psychedelic Rock. It has many different elements that coalesce so well, including a brief melodic quotation of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music.
I want to point out, too, that Alice Cooper the band featuring Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, Neil Smith, and Michael Bruce, and Alice Cooper the man, are two different musical projects. The band is my favorite of the two from a writing and performance perspective. That said, this also means I will eventually choose an Alice Cooper song for an entry as a solo artist.
|
|