Monday, April 14, 2014

#743: Songs it took me years to like

What was I thinking?
Ever have songs it takes you YEARS to learn to like? I've got a bunch of 'em.
But then it's often taken me years to catch on to stuff. It took two years of continuous, daily infliction before I was willing to admit that The Cars' first album had some good stuff on it. It took me a decade to decide that Madonna was an Artist. (Still not convinced? Track down her "The Look of Love.") I'm still not sure about Prince....
Here's a list of rock/pop/soul classics I've only finally decided I liked in the last year or so. And the list is getting longer....
* The Temptations: "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Get Ready," "I Can't Get Next to You," "Ball of Confusion," "I Know I'm Losing You," "Cloud Nine," etc. -- OK, some of this involves getting used to the in-your-face production style of Motown's Norman Whitfield. I HATED "Papa" when it came out, thought it was a great example of everything that was wrong with AM radio in 1972. I was an idiot. The lyrics are amazingly direct and brutal, the vocals are phenomenal. And the groove could go on for 30 minutes and I wouldn't care.
I thought nobody could top Rare Earth's version of "Get Ready." Wrong. That ascending-vocal chorus gets me every time -- one of the best 10 seconds of group singing ever. And I've really started to love the Tempts' late-'60s stuff: I thought no one could top Rod Stewart on "I Know I'm Losing You." Wrong again. Love the motivation of "Can't Get Next to You." And how 'bout those chaotic, revolutionary singles "Ball of Confusion" and "Cloud Nine"? They still sound like the late '60s. "Ball of Confusion" sounds like TODAY.
* Stevie Wonder: "I Wish," "Sir Duke," "My Cherie Amour" -- Hated most of Stevie's stuff from SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE at the time -- don't know what I was thinkin'. I guess it was just TOO POPULAR. A nostalgia nut like me shoulda ate up "I Wish." And "Sir Duke" is a lot of fun -- Stevie almost always has a lot of fun. About "My Cherie Amour" I don't know what to say except I think it's beautiful, but it took me years to figure that out. Still, I think some of Stevie's mid-'60s stuff is kinda cheezy: "For Once in My Life," "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" -- where'd they rent that choir from?
* Undisputed Truth: "Smiling Faces Sometimes" -- Norman Whitfield again. Did this guy have paranoia issues or what? And it's taken me 40 years to figure out some of the lyrics. Weird how the words are getting clearer as my hearing gets WORSE....
* Marvin Gaye: "Trouble Man" -- Didn't exactly HATE this when it came out, but thought it was quite a few steps below "What's Goin' On" and "Inner City Blues." Man, was I wrong. The breezy orchestrations are a great backdrop for Marvin's relaxed vocal style, and at one point in the middle Marvin goes into a sort of winding vocal rap that is an absolute joy to hear and sing along with. Shoulda been a bigger hit.
* Contours: "Do You Love Me?" -- I can't dance. I sorta thrash and writhe around instead, so this song never meant that much to me. But then I got Motown's DOUBLE GOLD various-artists best-of, and man does this thing MOVE! They're screamin', they're shoutin', it's nothin' but a party, and I don't even mind the fake ending. Watch me now! Huh!
* Tommy James and the Shondells: "Crystal Blue Persuasion" -- For years this was way too relaxed for me -- it don't rock like "Mony Mony" or even bounce along like "I Think We're Alone Now" or "Mirage." Don't know why I didn't notice the shimmery guitar and Tommy's laid-back vocals. Is it really about drugs? At least it's a nice, relaxing trip....
* Eric Clapton: "Blues Power" -- I'm a sucker for a lot of Clapton's early stuff, back when he was passionate ("Layla," "Bell Bottom Blues," "Let it Rain," "Badge," etc). I thought "Blues Power" was just some thrown-off second-rate blues ramble -- at least the live versions I'd heard over the years seemed like that. But this past weekend at work I heard the original studio version for the first time in YEARS, and it actually sounded to me like Eric had some FUN with it, like he was sort of laughing at the whole idea of anchoring your career, your whole life-outlook on a firm grounding in the blues. Well, I thought he was laughing....

1 comment:

R S Crabb said...

Norman Whitfield can do some amazing songs and arrangements and he could stretch them out, as Papa Was A Rolling Stone went for 12 minutes and Masterpiece an overlong 15! Which probably made the Temptations sick of this and eventually would part ways with Norman. If James Jamerson could play the same five to six notes of Papa on the bass for that time the guy earned his best bass player ever mantra.

I think oldies radio killed off Sir Duke or I Wish since they played them to death but I don't deny that they are classic songs. The background singers on Yesterme,you,yesterday, and For Once In My Life sound like something that you would hear on Dean Martin's songs, dated. But even in that time A Stevie Wonder single was something to look forward to and he had plenty of them, We Can Work It Out, Signed Sealed And Delivered.

As they say they don't make them like that anymore ;)