Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 16)

 "Last Night" by The Mar-Kays (1961)

Back when this amazing studio house band could just jam for 3 minutes and release the recording as a hit.

"Gold" by John Stewart (1979)

If this sounds like a Fleetwood Mac song with a different vocalist, it's because it was put together, at the behest of the record label, adding Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. The song has a great 70s radio-hook sound to it but I can see why Stewart pretty much disowned it as it didn't really represent what he usually wanted to do as an artist.

"Coward of the County" by Kenny Rogers (1979)

This is quite the song and pretty dark, too.

"I Want to Live" by Talking Heads (1976)

Solid TH song and an early demo but Tina really needed to tone down the fret sound on the bass!

"Veronica" by Elvis Costello (1989)

This is of course a great EC song but I had no idea Sir Paul played bass on and co-wrote this. Makes sense.

"Walk With You" by Ringo Starr (2010)

Another Paul McCartney collaboration pops up. Nice tune.

"SWLABR" by Cream (1967)

I chose to stop here because this is one of the few Cream singles I haven't heard a million times.

"Sing a Simple Song" by Sly and the Family Stone" (1968)

Sly cannot be skipped!

"Breath of Life" by Erasure (1992)

This song sounds older than it is because if someone made a song that sounds like it today, it'd be thought of as an 80s (or even late 70s Kraftwerk) throwback.

"That Was Yesterday" by Foreigner (1985)

Phil Collins may have been the king of 80s relationship-end songs but this one is on the Phil level with perhaps less bitterness. Yes, Lou Gramm has been dumped but he's got his pride and he's moving on!

"Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (1990)

This is a good companion to the Erasure song and really the whole album reminds me of my last year or so of college as I happened to buy a used CD of it after hearing parts of it at a friend's place. It's likely the band's best album and got popular for good reason. Listening to it now also made me think of how much work went into these old electronica albums. They seem like they took a lot more effort to sequence/record than something like it would today. These songs were made on computers then, like today, but the hardware them was a LOT harder to use.

"Satellite"  by Elliot Smith (1995)

Some good angst-folk vibes here.

"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Prince (1995)

Funny how I get two of the same year in a row. Even "lesser" Prince is still damned good, even if he may have "borrowed" it.

"Ana Ng" by They Might Be Giants (1988)

An early TMBG song that shows they were pretty much fully developed before I'd heard them in the early 1990s.

"All U Can Eat" by Ben Folds (2006)

Ben goes on a rant against Americans ... who eat at buffets?

"It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over" (1991)

Lenny goes really deep into retro-Motownland. 

"Sleep Late, My Lady Friend" by Harry Nilsson (1967)

I swear I've never heard this one before. And who can argue with the sentiment here?

"Powder Your Face With Sunshine (Smile, Smile, Smile)" by Dean Martin (1948)

As this was written by someone who was recovering from spinal injuries, I'll take this as more of a guideline than a rule. Also seems somewhat stiff for a Deano tune.

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 15)

 I don't have anything quippy to add for the fifteenth installment. But I wonder, if Toto were still making albums, would they have used, "The Fifteenth One"? Deep.

"Lido Shuffle" by Boz Skaggs (1977)

And speaking of Toto...The Boz strikes again! 

"Would I Lie To You?" by Eurythmics (1985)

I stated a while back that I'd stop this crazy thing when I hit a repeat. For a second I thought I did but NO. This technically isn't a dupe since I have two versions of this song in ye olde music library. Why, you ask? Back in an ancient time, I was a member of this thing called a Listserv (kids, ask your parents about these) devoted to audiophile turntables and vinyl. Oddly enough, kids do know what these are! For a time, I found it entertaining to read a lot of discussion about a hobby I could barely afford but made my best effort at it participating in.

There were a number of somewhat well-known audiophile magazine reviewers who contributed there and one of them was reviewing this super high-end turntable setup that cost north of $100,000 (in early 2000s dollars) and he made a CD-R (Do kids know what these are? Never mind, no kids are reading this anyhow) that was a sampling of tracks he played back from a lot of different LPs to give people an idea of what this machine could do with everyday ordinary vinyl. The guy asked the membership of this list to reply with an address and he'd mail a copy of this CD to the first one. That guy (let's be honest, it was a dude) would mail the CD to the next person down and so on after presumably listening to it and, like me, making a copy. The songs sounded fantastic and had virtually no "noise" even though some of them were decades old even then. The Eurythmics song was slightly better, to my ears, than the regular CD version I had, perhaps more bass if I remember that right. In any case, Apple Music doesn't consider it the "legit" version in their database so it's in there twice and does sound slightly different. Aren't you glad you asked?

"Caught in the Rain" by Revis (2003)

While we're on an early 'aughts mode, here's a one-hit wonder of post grunge. I have this track because I once stayed at the Hard Rock Resort hotel in the Orlando Universal park and in the room, along with the bars of soap, shampoo and bible, there was a sampler CD (what's with all the sampler CDs?!) that, if memory serves, was created for the hotel with tracks of...rock. It was a bit more legal than the previous CD, I'm thinking. This is the only reason I would have this song and probably didn't listen to it since then. It was also "notable" for being on the soundtrack to the 2003 Daredevil movie that no one liked. 

"Do You Realize" by The Flaming Lips (2002)

This is getting to be as bad as the 1978 pattern. This song works pretty well on its own even though it's part of a concept album. Cool.

"When You Come" by Crowded House (1988)

Out of all the solid Crowded House hits, this one flies under the radar a bit but very solid.

"Candela" by Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

One of these days I should look up the English lyrics for these tunes.

"Urge For Going" by Joni Mitchell (1972)

A classic among classics for JM that expresses the constant movement in life so well.

"Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong and The Commanders (1953)

Yeah, it's a holiday song but one of my favorites; written by Steve Allen, who wrong a lot of songs (8,500 supposedly)! The recording has the horns sounding like they are coming from Grant's Tomb, but still great.

"Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" by Jethro Tull (1975)

A song (supposedly) about climate change...in 1975!

"Loneliest Star" by Seal (2003)

OK, so I stopped paying attention to Seal not long after this song came out but this is mid-shelf Seal. Very slickly produced, shiny pop.

"It's Now Or Never" by Elvis Presley (1960)

To be honest, I lingered on this one with the thought that it's be a good tune to do at ballroom dance gigs; Elvis cha-cha.

"Walking The Long Miles Home" by Richard Thompson (1999)

I could imagine this being a bitter sequel to the previous song.

"Toolmaster of Brainerd" by Trip Shakespeare (1989)

If there's one song in all of these posts you should go check out, it's this one. "Up in Brainerd where the children go to milking school. " It sounds like a Midwestern Jefferson Airplane. 

"Son of Your Father" by Elton John (1970)

It's nice to hear one of the EJ songs that doesn't come up very often, from one of his "American" style LPs.

"Ride Captain Ride" by Blues Image (1970)

A classic one-hitter who's membership went on to play in a number of notable 1970s rock acts.

"I Sat by the Ocean" by Queens of the Stone Age (2013)

2013? That's like super contemporary for this list!

"Imposter" by Oingo Boingo (1981)

Gee Danny, tell us what you really think.

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 14)

 Full disclosure: a couple of these I ended up listening to because I was cooking and wasn't able to wash my hands in time. I won't tell you which ones.

"Bottle of Blues" by Beck (1998)

Here's one by an artist I can say is one of the last "cool" acts I was into when their material was new. Beck seemed to, at the time I was listening, alternate between pseudo retro acoustic songs and electronic tracks. This is the former. I always liked his versatility but, "you can't make love to no Beck!".

“Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings (1978)

An old-fashioned fadeout for an old-fashioned song.

"Side" by Travis (2001)

I enjoy the music on this song more than the lyrics which try a little too hard to be profound.

"The Look of Love (Part One) by ABC (1982)

Did anyone ever listen to Part Two?

"Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles (1968)

One of the best tracks on "The White Album" and it's by George.

"Hiawatha" by Laurie Anderson (1989)

I listened to this album a lot in college. It's pretty atypical Anderson but still great and has huge list of all-star session musicians on it, including that amazing bassist who played on the "Graceland" album.

"Mambo Italiano" by Rosemary Clooney (1954)

A very goofy novelty song that was trying to mock/take advantage of the popularity of latin music at the time, It sounds like the same obnoxious harpsichord player that's on her earlier hit, "Come on-a My House". Some people must have really loathed Mitch Miller in those days.

"The Payback" by James Brown (1973)

There's a reason this shows up so often in movies/TV.

"The Promised Land" by Bruce Springsteen (1978)

Again with the 1978!

"Can't Get There From Here" by R.E.M. (1985)

There's a baritone sax on this song! ("But I'm looking for the same Old Place")

"You Can All Join In" by Traffic (1968)

Steve Winwood really stands out in the background vocals. Catchy song.

"Give Me Strength" by Howard Jones (1986)

HJ does...reggae? And, there's a credit on this album for "tap-dancing".

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 13)

 How long am I going to continue doing this? Perhaps when I get a repeat which could be a very long time or not, knowing how the Apple Music app works.

"Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb (1978) 

The first stop by a Gibb/Bee Gees track. Another well-crafted disco hit.

"Hit The Road Jack" by Ray Charles (1961)

Did you know there's a follow up song called, "Well, I Told You"?

"Love In Song" by Wings (1975)

Growing up, this was the first LP from Wings I had a copy of so I listened to it a lot. It's not one of the best of their albums but it has a few good tracks. This is one of the better ones, though it sounds at times like Paul is trying a little too hard for an "exotic" sound with his chords. Never mind, it's miles better than the album's hit single, "Listen to What the Man Said" which I can't stand, even with Tom Scott playing on it.

"Hold On, I'm Comin'" by Sam & Dave (1966)

I love this song but I can't help but picture a beat-to-shit police car driving around suburban Chicago when I hear it.

"Whistlin' Past The Graveyard" by Tom Waits (1978)

Another Tom, though different. Love the lyrics on this one.

"Wheel in the Sky" by Journey

1978 is a big year in my music library it seems.

"Broken Arrow" by Robbie Robertson (1987)

This is positively drenched in Daniel Lanois production murk.

"Too Much Information" by The Police (1981)

Truly lesser-level Police but holds up today just for its theme.

"Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise (1986)

It's hard to screw up a song like "Gunn" but this one wears out its welcome after a while.

"Overkill" by Men at Work" (1983)

Not bad, but I prefer "It's a Mistake" from this album.

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 12)

 I'm starting to wonder if I should be a bit more picky.

"Breakdown Dead Ahead" by Boz Skaggs (1980)

Second-string Boz with his backup band at their usual Yacht Rock best.

"Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" by The White Stripes (2003)

Truly a song for our times.

"Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" by Ian Gillan (Jesus Christ Superstar, 1970 version)

The only thing keeping this track from being, "Deep Purple....WITH STRINGS" is the lack of an organ solo.

"Hold Your Head Up" by Argent (1972)

Wait, there's the missing organ solo!

"Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens (1971)

I've often thought that Cat Stevens wrote a perfect church song. Well, it turns out that this IS a church song, that he covered from 1931. Also, I swear Rick Wakeman is channeling Floyd Cramer on the piano track.

"Ministry of Love" by Eurythmics (1984)

I haven't seen the movie that this track came from but there's a good dark 80s groove in this bundle of synths and vocals.

"Ran Tan Waltz" by Kate Bush (1980)

This is a weirdo B side that sounds like it has a fuzzy fake tuba synth. All too appropriate for a song that Kate herself apparently called, "good, naughty fun".

"This Time" by INXS (1985)

A just-OK INXS track but still decent. I have this in rotation because it was on LP called "Greenpeace Breakthrough" which was a compilation of 80s hits, distributed by the state-owned record label Melodiya. I picked this vinyl up on a band trip to the Soviet Union in 1988. People were selling this and other things to tourists in the streets of Moscow at the time. If you hit the wikipedia page with translation, you'll see that it is a very solid playlist of 80s alt pop hits. The double LP also came with a large booklet I could never read. Cool.

"Light My Fire" by Helmut Zacharias (1969)

I like to imagine that this was done by a middle-aged Esquivel who had gone soft and wanted something to listen to while playing golf with Gerald Ford.

"Moon Rocks" by Talking Heads (1982)

Another great dog exercising/poop patrol tune.

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 11)

 Yes, this blog goes to 11.

"Army Dreamers" by Kate Bush (1980)

Yeah, it's pretty on-the-nose but still a catchy/odd little anti-war tune.

"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce 1972)

This might be my favorite of Croce's songs. Tight. 

"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by The Sons of the Pioneers (1946)

The Dude abides. I don't think I ever noticed that this song has bass clarinet in it. I seriously doubt the old time cowboys played themselves a lot of bass clarinet. Come to think of it, the arrangement of this song sounds kind of faux exotic, like old songs about tropical islands. Sons of the hula dancers.

"Mongoloid" by DEVO (1977)

"He wore a hat and he had a job". 

"Bem, Bem, Maria" by Gipsy Kings (1987)

Great stuff, even if I have no idea what they are talking about.

"The Bug" by Dire Straits (1991)

Knopfler does straight (heh) ahead Country, works in the word, "Groovy"  and it sounds great. 

"Enough To Be On Your Way" by James Taylor (1997)

Another super-clean, polished cut from James T and on this one, he drops an F bomb.

"What Is This Thing Called Love?" by Keely Smith

Okay, a jazz-like tune slipped through. Great arrangement here by Nelson Riddle of this classic tune sung Smith who was married to Louis Prima for a while.

"Romeo And Juliet" by Dire Straits (1980)

Another Dire Straits tune in quick succession. This has to be one of their best songs that hasn't aged at all. Prove me wrong. 

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 10)

 Part 10? Are you kidding me?!

"D.I.Y." by Peter Gabriel (1978)

A classic PG track. The piano sounds like it came out of a saloon and it's perhaps one of the earliest uses of the Chapman Stick on a pop recording though it usually sounds indistinguishable from a conventional fretless electric bass here. 

"I Want Your Love" by Chic (1978)

On a lot of these old disco hits, I often think of all the string players who had steady work playing on these tracks.

"Romeo Had Juliet" by Lou Reed (1989)

I'm pretty sure this was one of the first Lou Reed albums I'd heard when it came out. It took me a while to warm up to it but this one is so lyrically dense that it rewards close examination. 

"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by CAKE (1996)

An interesting take on the old Doris Day song.

"Nothing's Changed" by Chris Isaak (1989)

Isaak does one thing and he does it well. This was from his most popular and probably best album of reverb-soaked retro crooning. 

"Party People" by Parliament (1979)

"Funky" doesn't even begin to describe this and other Parliament songs. This one grooves along until it adds this extra sax solo and a vocal that sounds like the guy from "You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch". 

"Mystified" by Fleetwood Mac (1987)

This was the first FM album I got familiar with as it came out at a time when I was buying CDs and the choices were more slim...maybe it was a "free" selection from BMG or Columbia House?

"Floater" by Bob Dylan (2001)

It sure sounds like Bob just came up with a tune and just wrote random goofy lyrics while he was having a smoke. Nonetheless, I like it.

"Tin Man" by America (1974)

Smoooooooooth. 

"Domino" by Van Morrison (1970)

Wow, he really nailed the American 60s R&B sound...or stole it but who's counting?

"ZZ Top Goes to Egypt" (1986)

Another song by a "Van". This one always cracks me up with the meandering slightly out-of-tune violin.