WTF, 43? At some point I will have to do a follow up installment where I go through this as one playlist and see which ones I linger on. Yes, "Songs I (still) Didn't Skip". Don't get too excited.
"Pull Up the Roots" by Talking Heads (1983)
The album this is from, "Speaking in Tongues" is such a classic that it's hard to find anything new or interesting to say about stuff from it. This song is such a fun 'Heads take on Funk, and yet retains the essential oddness of the band.
"Back in the USSR" by The Beatles (1968)
I'm sure I've talked about The White Album before here, but it's the first Beatles LP I became familiar with as a youth and so it occupies a larger than normal place in my brain, even though it really isn't, in my view, the strongest Beatles album. It is, however, the one I am most fond of. I think I barely knew what "Back in the USSR" was parodying when I first heard it, but it rocks out, no matter what.
"245 Days" by Peter Himmelman (1989)
I think I first heard this song on one of those music-only cable/satellite TV channels in the late-1990s. This channel really had some great 1990s+ alternative pop that wasn't at all on my radar. The channel was so good that I recorded hours of it for later review on my Minidisc recorder. Wow. This song is still really good with some great, super-TWANGY, fretless electric bass playing. Oh, and Himmelman is from Minnesota, so that's a bonus.
"Get Up Offa That Thing" by James Brown (1976)
Speaking of bass players, the guy on this track, Will Lee, was the longtime bassist for David Letterman's house band. Cool.
"On Interstate 15" by Wall of Voodoo (1982)
I'm pretty sure I was driving somewhere when this song came up. Perfect.
"Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" by Isaac Hayes (1969)
Ever the intellectual, Mr. Hayes uses a lot of ten dollar words in this song. But, the groove is the thing.
"Welcome Back" by John Sebastian (1976)
Yes, back when TV shows had hit songs for their theme songs. This one is really good, and lyrically has a lot going on! Of course, the song, even in its broadcast TV length, must seem intolerably long for an opening credits sequence. "They tease him a lot, 'cause they've got him on the spot. Welcome back."
"Cuts You Up" by Peter Murphy (1989)
Apparently, this guy is known as the "Godfather of Goth". Fun fact!
"Broken Jaw" by Foster the People (2011)
The instrumental break in the middle of this song sounds like it could be the music for the latest Mega Man game.
"Tell the Truth" by Ray Charles (1960)
Hmm, did James Brown borrow the horn lick from this tune for "I Feel Good"?
"We Never Change" by Coldplay (2000)
Despite its age and lots of use in movies/TV, the tunes from this band's debut album still sound pretty fresh.
"Proud Mary" by Ike and Tina Turner (1971)
Damn, this really cooks! I think this outdoes the original.
"Lodi" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
A natural choice to linger on after the last tune. It's hard to believe this was the "B" side to "Bad Moon Rising". It's not the usual filler they usually used for that.
"You Happy Puppet" by 10,000 Maniacs (1989)
There's that droning organ again.
"Wake Up Little Susie" by Simon and Garfunkel (1982)
Such a natural song for these two to cover.
"Gone Hollywood" by Supertramp (1979)
One of the few full LPs I bought with my own money in 1979. I pretty much played it to death. The album itself doesn't aspire to prog rock but settles into what the band was meant to be, '70s pop with just a bit of an edge.
"Sweet Dreams" by Patsy Cline (1963)
A heartbreaking classic, of course, but they should have ditched the strings. Cline herself, apparently agreed.
"I Can Help" by Billy Swan (1974)
This must have sounded old, even in 1974.
"Love Rollercoaster" by Ohio Players (1975)
Aside from the silly story that surrounded the recording of the song, it's just FUN.
"Hole in the River" by Crowded House (1986)
I think Mr. Finn needs to explain how exactly a hole can get into a river.
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