Hey there. I was gonna do another list of Great Lost Singles, but I don't have much left that's 2 shocking -- but I've still got this list of great (mostly overlooked) music I wanna write about (& some of the songs listed below were never close 2 Bing singles), so whattheheck.... Here's some songs we could all stand 2 hear more often....
* REO Speedwagon: "Roll With the Changes" & *"Blazing Your Own Trail Again" -- Now here's a real Classic-Rock-Radio classic: Is it just me, or is "Roll With the Changes" the happiest breakup song of all time? (Or mayB it's a new-love song: Singer/lyricist Kevin Cronin sings about "the break that we are on the brink of," but mayB it's a break 2 a NEW relationship?) It almost doesn't matter what the song's ABOUT -- all that really matters is when U put it on & Neal Doughty's rolling piano & Gary Richrath's smeary, slide-y, slashing guitar start in, it's pure adrenaline-rush from start 2 finish, & it always cheers me up no matter what else is goin on! "Blazing Your Own Trail Again" is the track from REO's 1978 YOU CAN TUNE A PIANO BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FISH album that didn't get NE airplay & shoulda. It's a real Lost Classic about Taking Chances & Thinking Positive, & it's brilliant -- musically it sorta echoes their almost-hit "Time for Me to Fly" (from the same album), but w/ superb lyrics, great group vocals & choruses, & an uplifting msg that'll put a smile on yr face.
* The Waterboys: "A Life of Sundays" -- Mike Scott's swarming 7-member Irish folk-rock ensemble, w/ the best thing they ever did, from their 1990 album ROOM TO ROAM. Scott's singing & gtr, Anto Thislethwaite's great sax, & the gritty support vocal by drummer Noel Bridgeman team-up 4 a sound that's like a blast of brisk, salty sea air in2 yr room. Bracing & brilliant, sorta a folkie-big-band sound, very diffrent. The album has some other nice stuff on it 2, but nothing else that jumps outta the speakers like this. Whatever happened 2 these guys?
* The Doobie Brothers: "Neal's Fandango" -- From 1975's STAMPEDE. I heard this ONCE on the radio years ago (think I was in San Jose, so that makes it 1992), so I'm going from memory here. Great nostalgic lyrics about the old good times & places they useta hang-out at (something about the hills above Santa Cruz & the place where I 1st met you), lotsa great show-offy gtr, & a lotta room 4 the whole band 2 show off their chops w/o it getting in the way of a marvelous rolling melody. I've gotta track this album DOWN. If Classic-Rock/Album-Rock Radio was doing its job, we'd hear this a LOT more often....
* Journey: "Daydream" & *"People and Places" -- These were both B-sides. The dreamy, spacey "Daydream" was the flip-side of "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," & includes what I think is Neal Schon's best gtr-work ever, along w/ a gentle, lulling melody & a very good (not-2-overly-dramatic) vocal by Steve Perry. The mood of it is very unlike most post-1977 Journey. "People and Places" was the flip of the minor hit "Walks Like a Lady" -- it's also kinda spacey, & may B a sorta love-letter 2 the band's fans, Ncouraging them 2 stay positive when things get tough. It has a nice echoey Perry vocal & more great Schon gtr. U know me, I love my melodrama & spaceyness....
* Don Henley: "The Heart of the Matter" -- Wow, an actual hit! I was never much of an Eagles fan, tho I think they did a few pretty good songs ("Outlaw Man," "James Dean," "Seven Bridges Road," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "I Can't Tell You Why," "The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks" -- "Hotel California" died 4 me a LONG time ago). I was even less of a Don Henley-solo fan, Xcept 4 the irresistable "Boys of Summer" -- I thot he was kinda stuck on himself. I've heard this song a coupla times over the yrs, & the 1st thing that grabbed me was its modesty, humility. This guy's grown-up a lot & learned a lot since back in the day. & the moving choruses get 2 the real heart of the matter: "Forgiveness, even if you don't love me anymore." That's a motto 4 life we can all go w/....
* Brewer & Shipley: "Witchi-Tai-To" -- "What a feelin' spring is bringin' round my head/Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead...." This hypnotic 7-minute ode 2 Spring is, 4 me, 1 of the greatest 4got10 rock songs ever. These R the same guys who did "One Toke Over the Line," & if some1 coulda figured-out how 2 cut a coupla mins outta this song back in 1969 it coulda bn another Top 10 hit. It's so hypnotic & infectious & involving that U'll B singing along w/ the choruses 1/2way thru yr 1st listening. & the choruses R amazingly joyous -- the singing's great. Track this song down, put it on, & crank it up -- it'll make U feel glad that U're not dead, 2....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
A nice credible list there Tad... I too haven't been much of a Don henley solo fan, and REO speedwagon would be my best choice from the above list, coz I just love the guitar in it... And actually, no where except our blogs do these OLD songs ever play... No TV channel, no Radio has ever thought of bringing any of these lost songs up ... We have every reason to be proud to blog !
I agree with the fact these are some tunes that we could hear more often. The problem is the classic rock stations keep playing the true and tired songs. I mean, how many more times we going to listen to Purple Haze and Stairway to Heaven before we are finally sick of them? (No disrespect to these songs)
B: Thanx, & as U've probly noticed, I've added yr blog 2 my list of "U'll Like These" sites. Gotta admit that Cing my blog's name & the title of my most-recent post SOMEWHERE ELSE is pretty cool. It's a 1st 4 me....
Drew: I like yr use of the phrase "True and tired," sorta a play on "Tried and true," isn't it? I think "Stairway to Heaven" still works pretty well (especially the Nd), tho I'd rather hear "When the Levee Breaks," "Battle of Evermore," "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Immigrant Song"....
As 4 Hendrix, never cared 4 "Purple Haze" much, but I'm still a sucker 4 "All Along the Watchtower" & "Crosstown Traffic" -- & "The Wind Cries Mary" -- wow.
But I am REALLY TIRED of "Hotel California," "Smoke on the Water," "Free Fallin'," "Whole Lotta Love" (great comedy song -- now THERE'S an idea 4 a post), "Dreams" & "Don't Stop," "The Long Run," "Life in the Fast Lane" (sorry 2 pick on the Eagles, but....), "Another Brick in the Wall," "Aqualung," "Squeeze Box," "American Woman," "Another One Bites the Dust" ...& so many others that've gotten WAY overplayed over the yrs (I'm sure I've missed some obvious 1's, it's late). All these artists have WAY better stuff that could B played way more often. This is mayB why I can't remember the last time I turned on the radio....
OK, I've got it, the ultimate list: The Most Overplayed Rock Songs of All Time. Shouldn't B hard 2 compile a Top 20 or 50. Even a Top 100. 4 me, either "Smoke on the Water" or "Hotel California" would lead it off....-- TAD.
hey Tad, i did notice my link here ... thanks for adding me ! and dont thank me for adding your blog... I had every reason to add such a nice, and dynamic friend as you are on my list ! Rock On!
Post a Comment