So What Are You Listening To?

[Bastet]

Oh my, I had completely forgotten that Robert Palmer died.  I still possess an irrational love for his cover of I Didn't Mean to Turn You On.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I will always love his song "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley."  And just as ZZ Top said every girl is crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man and Robert Palmer certainly brought the sexy that way.   Same with my favorite Rolling Stone, Charlie Watts.

[JTMacc99]

My musical tastes has the common thread of blues based rock/pop/country.  So on the rock side, start with the Stones and Led Zeppelin and follow the path all the way through grunge, pop punk and end up at alternative and hard rock being made today.  

At the moment, I'm having a bit of a run with Seether. This song got me today:

The song is about suicide, which is not the specific reason it's getting to me today (thank God), but I am still drawing from the power of it's message.

[WendyCR72]

Ironically, I have been on a Seether kick, too. And I like this one from them. Sort of mellow for them (I don't think it was ever released as a single):

[JTMacc99]

I like that one too!  The other one I've been listening to at unreasonably loud volumes is Gasoline. 

[WendyCR72]

4 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

I like that one too!  The other one I've been listening to at unreasonably loud volumes is Gasoline. 

@JTMacc99, have you ever come across their recordings as Saron Gas? (The band's name when still in South Africa.) Some of it would later be re-recorded for subsequent releases on Seether's albums (Driven Under being one.) If you can't find it and are interested, send me a PM.

If not, also cool.  :-)

[JTMacc99]

16 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

have you ever come across their recordings as Saron Gas?

I have not, but will look for it today!

ETA:  Cool! A very raw version of Gasoline and a neat version of Fine Again as well. Thank you for pointing me in that direction @WendyCR72!

Today, for reasons I'm can't explain yet, I went into Spotify, searched for Led Zeppelin and hit play.  Other than the fact that it played Whole Lotta Love right after it played Whole Lotta Love (as there are multiple compilation albums, this might happen), I haven't gotten tired of it yet. I can probably keep it up all day as long as I skip through the second, third and fourth Stairways.

ETA: Holy high school flashback! I don't remember the last time I heard Misty Mountain Hop, but the second it started playing through my headphones I think my entire soul jumped back into my 16 year old self for a few seconds.  Heh. That was weird.  

Edited October 12, 2016 by JTMacc99

[WendyCR72]

9 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

ETA:  Cool! A very raw version of Gasoline and a neat version of Fine Again as well. Thank you for pointing me in that direction @WendyCR72!

You're very welcome!

[MyAimIsTrue]

The other day I came across a video clip of Neil Finn (oh how I love that man) performing a live cover of the Beatles' "Nowhere Man" and it's not just good, it's fantastic and I can't stop watching/listening to it.  John Lennon would be very, very pleased. 

[Shannon L.]

For those of you who enjoy the Hamilton soundtrack, there is a PBS special on the making of the show, along with historical information on Hamilton himself on Oct. 21st on PBS.   I've started a post in Specials, TV Movies and One Offs. 

[magicdog]

I came across a channel on YT which shows videos of Monkee songs which were covered by other groups.  It was through that I came to know an almost forgotten folk pop group from the late 60s called, "The Will-O-Bees".  From what I can tell they only released several 45 singles but never released an album and very little of their work is available on CD or digitally.  Their sound can be described as along the lines of The Seekers or The Mammas & Papas.

They covered The Monkees' classic, "Shades of Gray" (written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil - they were also signed by Columbia-Screen Gems as the Monkees were so they also had access to some great tunes).   I find myself enjoying their version of Shades of Gray (which has a completely different arrangement), plus another  Mann-Weil tune called "It's Not Easy".  The group also recorded the theme song for a TV series called, "The Ugliest Girl In Town", which is actually a cuter song than one would think!

[aradia22]

Lots of good albums coming out recently from my old(er) favorites. I'm getting through them slowly. Colbie Caillat's new album is pretty good if you like her stuff. It's not as good as her two best albums but there are some good songs in there. Same with Regina Spektor. The new one isn't as good as Begin to Hope or Far but she's still a great songwriter. The songs will probably grow on me as I sit with them but they're less pop-y and more stories set to music. 

[JTMacc99]

Pandora suggested a couple New Found Glory songs in my Thumprint Radio station, and I concur, I like these guys. I already knew My Friends Over You, but I like a bunch of their other stuff too. In particular Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing. 

[aradia22]

I listened to Lady Gaga's new album. It's pretty good. It's the album I've wanted her to make since I heard Speechless, which I still think is one of her best songs. I do think there's a good bit of filler. I've gotten used to the fact that she kind of plays "characters" when she picks up different genres and influences but I think it works on the earlier stronger songs of the album and then gets a little tiresome towards the middle/end.

[Joe]

Wow. Seriously, wow! In completely unexpected news, Metallica have come out with an awesome song! It's been so many years since that last happened, I'd long since thought they'd forgotten how. I was expecting all right at best. Yeah, it's formulaic, I guessed when the solo would happen straight off. But is that a bad thing? If it's a good formula, I won't complain. I can only hope this is a reflection of the whole album.

[UYI]

I absolutely love Miranda Lambert's new album (a double album at that!). Whatever mainstream country she may have stuck to in the past, her new album is a great mix of traditional country, alternative country, country-rock, and modern Americanas. She deserves a lot of praise for it. And of course, Blake who? ;)

[TrininisaScorp]

I'm slightly obsessed with Bruno Mars new album 24K Magic.  We are close-ish in age, so all that late 80s/early 90s school dance/house party R&B is totally my bag.  The songs really flow nicely and the music is totally fun, from funk to slow jamz, it really works.  I'm a little (teeny tiny bit) disappointed at the short length (~34 mins with 9 songs), but I will say there is absolutely no filler.  If you like fun pop music, a little escapism, and a party groove, Bruno's album is for you.  He writes songs with tongue firmly in cheek with nice amounts of swagger, but he has the artistry and voice to really make it work.  Standout tracks:  Versace on the Floor, Finesse, 24K Magic, Perm.  I've already got my tour tickets (For October!!  Geez...) and knowing he is a consummate showman, I can't wait to hear these tracks live.

[aradia22]

I listened to 24K Magic. It mostly sounds good but like it's run through the pop machine that makes everything sound a little duller and more homogenous. I prefer something like Vintage Trouble. But anyway, Bruno Mars has a good voice and a compelling stage presence but sometimes, and especially with this album, he's songs are a little too skeevy for me. They're very "nice guy" and occasionally bitter and problematically objectifying and violent but I feel like he doesn't get called on it as much as someone like Justin Bieber or Robin Thicke. I could let it go more with songs like "Treasure" and "Just the Way You Are" which were just like low-level One Direction negging.

[prican58]

On 11/19/2016 at 10:11 AM, UYI said:

I absolutely love Miranda Lambert's new album (a double album at that!). Whatever mainstream country she may have stuck to in the past, her new album is a great mix of traditional country, alternative country, country-rock, and modern Americanas. She deserves a lot of praise for it. And of course, Blake who? ;)

Oh man! So much agreement here. Miranda is back to being herself and is on her way to greatness.  She is getting back to being a Texas girl. 

[TrininisaScorp]

On 11/23/2016 at 11:59 PM, aradia22 said:

They're very "nice guy" and occasionally bitter and problematically objectifying and violent but I feel like he doesn't get called on it as much as someone like Justin Bieber or Robin Thicke.

This is such an interesting point!  I don't necessarily agree, but I respect your POV and can see it.  For me, I read his music with a firm tongue in cheek.  For example, "Natalie" from Unorthodox Jukebox feels considerably more like "Goodbye, Earl" than a Beiber/Thicke violent put down song in my eyes.  Based on interviews I've seen with him, including the 60 Mins piece from last week, I would say he is a consistent ham who tries to express his brand of silly humor through some melodic, fun albums with a lot of "wink wink nudge nudge".  In the last tour he and the band did, they did this hilarious bit of nonsense about the appropriate way to do a R&B song to the crowd.  Read straight, it seems kinda funky, but seeing it happen on stage and the antics make it hysterically funny, silly and a bit self-deprecating. But, I totally see how YMMV.  

He also happens to be a talented guy, so some of the weakness of the writing on this album (it isn't the strongest in many cases) falls aside from his talent and sheer charisma (IMO).    

I do agree that it is a bit overworked, but IMO that sheen comes strongly from the influence.  That 90s R&B vibe was nothing if not totally overworked.  I ate it up as a kid/tween, so it hits a nostalgic chord for me (a little BBD here, a dash of Jodeci there, a vibe of Bobby Brown, a touch of Boyz II Men).  I am very curious how it is going to do long term, as it is a bit niche, almost concept pop album.  Some of the criticism from friends is that it is "too R&B" and that wasn't the Bruno they were expecting.  

[aradia22]

Quote

This is such an interesting point!  I don't necessarily agree, but I respect your POV and can see it.  For me, I read his music with a firm tongue in cheek.  For example, "Natalie" from Unorthodox Jukebox feels considerably more like "Goodbye, Earl" than a Beiber/Thicke violent put down song in my eyes. 

I mean, it shouldn't be this way but I think there's still a difference in a "he did me wrong" song from a woman like Goodbye, Earl, Bust Your Windows, or Before He Cheats and a "she did me wrong" song like Natalie. Male aggression just comes across as different from female aggression. And if Natalie is supposed to be tongue in cheek, it has a tone problem. Unlike the female POV songs with a upbeat sense of empowerment (again, not saying it's right, just that that's how the songs are... they're written as anthems), Natalie is very dark. It has a real threat of physical violence and this really intense bitterness with "You'll be begging me, please, please, please/And now I look at you and laugh, laugh, laugh." The specter of domestic violence looms large. It's not just, I'm going to wreck your car or dispatch of you. It's, you "bitch," I'm (probably) going to beat you while you beg me to stop. I see the playfulness in something like Uptown Funk which is brags but in such a silly way, it can't entirely be serious. To me, Natalie comes across like an Eminem song. 

I finally started listening to The 1975. I was burned by the xx... which don't sound like anything to me but I get why people were recommending The 1975. They're not going to set the world on fire but I like them. It's a bit like if somewhat took The Police and added the production of CHVRCHES with some other things thrown in. They're the kind of band I would listen to.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the passing of my favorite Beatle, George Harrison, so I listened to a lot of his solo work when I got home last night.  His great yet underrated single "Blow Away" has been my earworm ever since.

[Yokosmom]

I am in the middle of reading Tune In, a real doorstopper of a book and the first of a projected 3 volume set on the Beatles.  It goes up to the end of 1962 (I'm at the point where they're on their way to Hamburg.)  If you have an interest in the Beatles, it is pretty informative and a bit eye-opening.  At any rate, although the Beatles have always been a fave of mine, I hadn't really listened to them intently in years, so it has been fun to go back and go through, album by album. Looking forward to revisiting some of the solo work too.

It's also a break from listening to Hamilton, which I have done for about a solid year now.

I'm loving this thread, as there are mentions of all sorts of artists that I'm unfamiliar with.  

Edited November 30, 2016 by Yokosmom

[MyAimIsTrue]

Thank you for the info about the book!  I've also been listening to 'Hamilton' non-stop for about a year and always find time for the Beatles since they will always be my favorite.

[cpcathy]

Just getting started on Hamilton, if you can believe it (was I under a rock?)

"There's a million things I haven't done, just you WAIT!!"

[prican58]

Yeah, George Harrison was my fave as well and "Tune In" sounds like a deep read. I read "Shout!" back in the 80's and just ate it up. I was thinking of trying to buy it again (not sure it's still in print) but Tune In sounds like a ride! I am still reading  Last Train to Memphis about Elvis' rise so it could take me a while to read the Beatles' book.

I may now have to remove Miranda Lambert from my car cd for a while and revisit the lads. 

[Yokosmom]

Quote

 

so it could take me a while to read the Beatles' book.

 

No worries.  Volume 2 won't be out until 2020! The interesting thing about the book is that you have a real feel for their personalities and what they were up against.  All that I knew about George, for example, was that he was working class and his father was a bus driver.  Turns out, he was extremely strong willed at a very young age (quite frankly, they all were).

Sorry for all of the book talk.

[hendersonrocks]

The Hamilton Mixtape, released in full today! It's pretty good. Some songs are definitely more successful than others* but on the whole it's a fun listen. I think it's great they're going to do a volume 2.

*My faves: My Shot, Immigrants, Say Yes to This, Congratulations, and Burn.  

[whiporee]

I thought the Mixtape was good -- I'm with you on all of your favorites, and would add all the omitted stuff, Open Letter Valley, Forge and Cabinet Battle #3, as well as the Chance the Rapper version of Dear Theodosia -- but overall I'm a little disappointed. I thought Helpless and Satisfied were bad, Quiet Uptown and That Would be Enough were pretty but nothing different from the originals and not much improvement. 

I guess I'm glad that have it -- and My Shot could be a song that stirs revolutions -- but I thought a lot of it was just rather lacking versions of songs I already love. 

[magicdog]

Decided to go down the path of 60s garage band music and I found myself listening to a lost tune called, "La Do Da Da" by The Blue Things (1966).  Turns out it was originally written and recorded by Rock & Roll pioneer Dale Hawkins back in 1958 but seemed to get covered a lot by bands in the 60s.

[UYI]

Since the Grammy nominations are out and she was snubbed AGAIN, I want to mention my favorite new artist of the year: country singer Margo Price. Overlooked by the CMAs, and now overlooked by the Grammys. I don't get it.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Right now I'm listening to John Lennon's "#9 Dream" as today is the 36th anniversary of his murder :(

[FanOfDorks]

Anything by Savage Garden/ Darren Hayes.

I recently downloaded the Evan Peters version of Come As You Are on iTunes to add to my iPod as I am a tad obsessed with it atm.

I'm also liking Twenty One Pilots:  Heathens, Shawn Mendes:  Stitches and a few others that I cant think of right now.

[aradia22]

I've been listening to Ivy Levan's EP and full album (recommended by Spotify). They're good. There are some solid songs and some decent pop/soul filler. But I can't get away from the fact that she makes me uncomfortable. There's no way of knowing if I'd feel differently if I heard this in the 90's but it's 2016 and yes, I am uncomfortable. I do think her voice is different from all the other "blue-eyed soul" (for lack of a better term) performers that set off my low level uncomfortable sensors (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Haley Reinhart, Kelly Clarkson). She's not like Kelly Clarkson who is bringing more rock and country which was influenced by African American performers but has evolved into a different sound. She's in Iggy Azalea territory. She's doing a mimicry that is at once a little too close and still painfully far from the real thing. I think she's a good singer but she's not Christina Aguilera who is technique without mimicry. She's... guys it just makes me feel weird.

[aradia22]

I finally listened to Jennifer Nettles' newest album, Playing with Fire (not the Christmas one). I think it's really solid. For the most part, it's a pop album sung with a twang. If straight up country music isn't for you, it might be a good entry point for her music. She's got an incredible voice. I don't think her songs are always the strongest but I like her way more than Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert. 

[Splishy Splashy]

Listening to the Halsey Badlands CD.

[MyAimIsTrue]

"The Trees" by Rush has been looping in my head since last night.  Good thing it's a damn good song or I'd be insane by now.

[TrininisaScorp]

Thanks to the AMAZING bio pic on BET, I've been relistening to New Edition (esp NE Heart Break and Home Again).  Mannnn, that is some slick, great stuff.  I feel like NE doesn't get their due as some of the forbearers of modern R&B, but I'm happy to see people rediscovering how fantastic the music, choreo, and how far into current music their influence is felt. 

As I've already mentioned in this thread, I ate up 80s/90s R&B and New Jack Swing, so to see it with a little shine again is really nice.  IMO, nothing and no one sound/felt like New Edition and while some of their solo stuff is amazing (Bobby's entire Don't Be Cruel album, my boy Ralph's Sensitivity, Johnny Gill's My My My, and BBD's Poison), the chemistry of this group is second to none. 

Priority listening for newbies:  If It Isn't Love, Can You Stand the Rain, Not My Kind of Girl, Still In Love, & Hit Me Off.  Also, the early, early stuff:  Candy Girl, Popcorn Love, Mr. Telephone Man, Cool It Now.  Trust me...you'll thank me. ;)

[Splishy Splashy]

Probably my all time favorite song: Bubble Gum Bitch by Marina and the Diamonds

[MyAimIsTrue]

I've been on a kick lately listening to Van Halen's "Diver Down" album.   I have it on vinyl but no longer own a working turntable so I've been listening on Spotify.

[WendyCR72]

Been revisiting my college years and have been listening to...grunge, namely, Alice In Chains and, in addition, its lead singer's, Layne Staley's, side project with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Mad Season, which regrettably, only released one album in 1995, "Above". The first track, "Wake Up", really had a lot of passion from Staley, probably because it was a song about trying to escape drug addiction. "Slow suicide's no way to go...", indeed.

If you like grunge/Alice In Chains, etc., give this a listen.

[proserpina65]

I've been going between The Band's Greatest Hits, The Best of Blondie, and Wild World by Bastille.

[MargeGunderson]

Disco - and I'm not ashamed to admit it. 

[cpcathy]

Hey, disco is fun and that's all it needs to be!

[amaranta]

Not a new band at all, but I only recently came across their music - Slightly Stoopid.  Still working through the catalog but what I've heard I've really liked. And I have to admit, if I'd seen their album artwork without listening I would have passed them by, thinking they were death metal or something.  

If there's such a thing as acoustic ska / reggae / rock / folk / a little hip hop then this might be it.  Don't really know how to describe them. This a short (2:47) little song called Closer to the Sun:

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Meat Loaf. Even some of his newer stuff, although for sheer bombast you really need to kick it old school with Bat Out Of Hell or with this song from Bad Attitude.

Yes, the video is very grainy, but I love the almost operatic quality of his voice here.

What?

Edited March 20, 2017 by Cobalt Stargazer

[WendyCR72]

I like ol' Meat Loaf, too, and Bat Out Of Hell (the entire album as well as the song) is a classic! Funnily enough, I also liked his stuff from Rocky Horror, where he played Eddie.

[WendyCR72]

I mentioned not long ago that I was listening to Mad Season's only album, Above; however, (because I must live under a rock?), I saw on Amazon that a deluxe version, with a total of 26 tracks, was released in 2013 for Record Store Day. Disc 1 is the original album with a couple bonus tracks (that were allegedly to be used on a second album, which did not happen due to the death of the bassist in 1999, three years before Layne Staley would also die) with Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan on vocals for two out of three of the bonus tracks (as one was a remix of a Staley-fronted tune, "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier"). Rumor has it Lanegan - while singing on this album - was to be sole lead singer for the second album since Layne Staley was in the midst of his issues by then. Of the bonus Lanegan tracks, I really like Black Book of Fear. Sad, yet really kind of beautiful, IMO.

The second disc was an appearance by Mad Season, Live At The Moore, from 1995, with the album tracks done live in concert. And it sounds good! (I'm listening to the mp3s on Amazon, but I read the concert tracks were on a DVD for the physical copy.)

So, if anyone here likes the Seattle sound and also missed that this album had a deluxe re-release, there you go. Take a listen.  :-)

[MyAimIsTrue]

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 6:09 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Funnily enough, I also liked his stuff from Rocky Horror, where he played Eddie.

Hot patootie, bless my soul!

[MargeGunderson]

The soundtracks to Crazy Ex-girlfriend seasons 1 & 2. I'm not normally one for musicals at all but really enjoy the show and the songs are both good and funny. I've been listening at work which somehow makes them more funny, since they are several that are not work-appropriate.