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Musical Goodies From A To Z Part Two (JAGUARDOG WO)Jun 28 '05 (Updated Jul 14 '05) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line "Sue me if I play too long." - Walter Becker & Donald Fagen
When I received the invitation from JAGUARDOG to participate in his A-Z write-off of favorite music, I didn't realize how many express reviews I'd feel compelled to write. I simply enjoy exposure to any sort of good music. I've always enjoyed a good song, and I always will. Here are more fine songs I've had the pleasure of enjoying. N - People watched Rick Nelson grow up on TV, and witnessed his transformation to teen idol with cheerful ditties such as "Hello Mary Lou." Willie Nelson first became known as the writer of "Crazy," but he didn't become known as a singer until he reached his forties, often covering the material of others, like "Always On My Mind." Aaron Neville has done a lot of work with brothers Art, Charles, and Cyril, but his biggest chart success has come with his solo recordings, where his high-pitched tenor starred on the soulful ballad "Tell It Like It Is." Randy Newman effectively uses his voice to cover his feelings, such as he did on the apocalyptic musing "Political Science." The German-born singer Nico received her initial notice as a singer with the Velvet Underground, but her mournful voice also was used to great effect on songs like "These Days." One of the leading names in grunge Rock was Nirvana, and their hard-edged sound became popular with songs such as "Come As You Are." O - Chicago's Off Broadway has been a part of the Chicago musical scene for over 25 years, but the song of theirs that received the most airplay is the bouncy, upbeat "Stay In Time." Before he became known as a film composer, Danny Elfman led the new wave outfit Oingo Boingo, with a distinctive tenor featured on tracks like "Dead Man's Party." Since this is a write-off about musical favorites, I am including the song "I Love Music" by the O'Jays because it voices the overall theme of my pieces. The musical "Hair" inspired four pop hits, including a cover of "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver. Many of her original compositions have both religious and secular overtones, and Joan Osborne deftly mixes music and message on tracks like "Spider Web." He's enjoyed success and infamy during his musical career, but Ozzy Osbourne has made metal popular with head-banging rockers like "Crazy Train." P - Parliament, led by George Clinton, joyfully brought joyful funk to the masses in the seventies, and even had a couple of million selling singles, one of which was "Flash Light." Pearl Jam is another of the foremost names of the grunge movement, and they made an indelible imprint on music with "Jeremy," a song about a troubled student who snaps. Liz Phair, a singer who was once based in Chicago, first made her mark with blunt and humorous songs about relationships, such as "Never Said." Pink Floyd became known for songs that took a dim view of everyday life, and songs like "Money" are a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of daily pursuits. The Police became one of the most popular rock trios of all who first combined punk and reggae influences, and later polished their sound on tracks like "Demolition Man," which could be a tale about all men from time to time. Elvis Presley was rock's first bona fide star, bringing together genres to define a new genre, and paid tribute to the artists who inspired his style with covers like Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog." American emigre Chrissie Hynde turned from rock critic to rocker with the Pretenders, and she's been a rocker ever since, with hits like "Back On The Chain Gang." Chicago native John Prine was once a postman, but he found his niche in the Chicago folk scene with a gravelly voice and story songs like "Hello In There." Q - Dennis Quaid not only starred in "The Big Easy," but he also wrote and sang the nice ballad "Closer To You." In the early eighties, Quarterflash, led by singer-saxophonist Rindy Ross, had their moments in the sun with a few hits, but none was bigger than their breakthrough single, "Harden My Heart." Freddie Mercury had the opera-like voice, Brian May had the distinctive screeching guitar, and as Queen, they were a part of a band that had a string of infectious hits, including the medley "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions," which stand as well alone as they do together. R - Bonnie Raitt has been recording for over thirty years, but some of her most popular recordings, including "I Can't Make You Love Me." The Ramones spent over two decades making punk rock, and are remembered for three-chord classics like "Blitzkrieg Bop." Joey Ramone even kept the punk persona alive as a solo artist, with a unique cover of "What A Wonderful World." Lou Rawls has the smooth baritone behind a few hits, including "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine." Redbone was a native American group who scored on both the pop and the soul charts, most notably with "Come And Get Your Love." The work of Otis Redding was one of the keys to the Memphis sound, and one of his most beloved Memphis recordings was his cover of "Try A Little Tenderness." R. E. M. recalled sixties rock, and defined it in their own terms on tracks like "Talk About The Passion." Once dubbed the "British Elvis," Cliff Richard showed he had a style that evolved beyond rockabilly and skiffle on tracks like "A Little In Love." Smokey Robinson and the Miracles scored hit after hit throughout the sixties and early seventies like "I Second That Emotion," propelled by the Smokey's engaging tenor that verged on falsetto. As a solo artist, Robinson continued to provide many an engaging tune, such as the ballad "Let Me Be The Clock." The Rolling Stones are often considered the bad boys of the British Invasion, and they certainly lived up to that reputation with songs such as "Sympathy For The Devil." The Ronettes are synonymous with Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound, where strings and horns took the lead positions behind the ladies as they sang "Be My Baby." Linda Ronstadt made a career of covering other people's work, but she made the somber "Different Drum" a hit years before its author, Michael Nesmith, recorded it himself. S - Santana has made a career of blending rock, soul, and Latin music, typified by tracks like their cover of Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va." The Seekers are considered a part of the British Invasion, but these Australians, with Judith Durham on lead vocals, made a delightful mark with songs like "I'll Never Find Another You." The Shadows Of Knight were among the earliest bands to cover songs by British Invasion artists, but their cover of Them's "Gloria" was among the most successful. William Shatner is not a singer, but he is a unique interpreter of songs, and puts plenty of drama into his take of Pulp's "Common People." Allan Sherman had a knack for putting humorous spins on old songs, turning "Dance Of The Hours" into a look at summer camp entitled "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." Shoes was a favorite band in Chicago for nearly two decades, and provided fans with many a catchy pop song, such as "Tomorrow Night." Carly Simon has combined a sexy look with a sexy voice and scored many fans with hits such as "You Belong To Me." Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were one of the most successful duos of the sixties, with their sweet, high harmonies working to perfection on hits like "Mrs. Robinson." As a solo performer, Simon has continued to spin many a story song, such as "American Tune." Led by the eccentric East Chicago resident Jim Skafish, Skafish had some success in the new wave movement of the early eighties, scoring a hit in England with the in-your-face "Disgracing The Family Name." Billy Corgan was at the lead of the Chicago alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, with an angst-filled voice that drove tunes like "Disarm." "Goodnight Sweetheart" may have been a hit for the McGuire Sisters, and has been one of doo-wop's most popular tunes, but the song originated with the Gary group the Spaniels, which often featured the singing and songwriting of James Hudson. She was born Mary O'Brien, but we knew her as Dusty Springfield, one of the great voices of her generation, a dazzling blue-eyed soul singer whose voice is in full force on singles like "A Brand New Me." Bruce Springsteen has taken slices of real life and set them to music, with the song "Point Blank" serving as an example of a life all too full of reality. The Staple Singers were a family trio older than most hitmakers of the seventies, but their combination of soul, blues, and gospel found an audience with hits like "I'll Take You There." Ringo Starr may not write a lot of his songs, so perhaps it's a bit ironic that his first solo hit was his own composition "It Don't Come Easy." Steely Dan has spent a good part of their existence as a studio group, creating some literate - and often jazz-flavored - songs like "Deacon Blues." One of the most beloved singles of Chicago's Chess Records is their 1966 release of "Summertime," featuring the incredibly dynamic vocals of the late Billy Stewart. For the last three decades, Henry Farag has been the lead tenor in the Indiana doo-wop revival group Stormy Weather, using that style nicely on many cover tunes, such as their version of "Jingle Bell Rock," made famous by Bobby Helms. Styx was popular on the Chicago musical scene for a few years with their guitar and keyboard-driven rock, but made their breakthrough with the power ballad "Lady." With Diana Ross, the Supremes were the leading ladies of Motown, reeling off many sweet and catchy tunes like "Baby Love." In the eighties, the Ides Of March's Jim Peterik played a pivotal role in the Chicago band Survivor, whose biggest claim to fame is the fast-paced, energetic "Eye Of The Tiger," which was was the theme of the film "Rocky III." T - If I had to choose a theme song for work, I would select "Life During Wartime" by the Talking Heads, a driving combination of rock and funk from a New York quartet who were album rock favorites in the late seventies and throughout the eighties. James Taylor has one of music's most easy-going styles, a gentle tenor whose hits include quietly effective numbers like "Your Smiling Face." Koko Taylor has been a leading lady on the Chicago blues scene for many years, belting out songs like "Wang Dang Doodle." Before Rhino Records became a leading reissue label, they made a number of offbeat novelty records, including an all-kazoo cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" by the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra. The Temptations have employed a variety of lead singers, but their harmonies are always perfect, as witnessed on tracks like "Get Ready." When Van Morrison did a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Don't Look Back," he showed that even a Belfast Cowboy can sing the blues. Til Tuesday looked and sounded new wave when they debuted, and that gave songs like "Voices Carry" an ominous feel. Peter Tosh was once a member of Bob Marley's Wailers, and used reggae to put a whole new spin on the Chuck Berry classic "Johnny B. Goode." The Turtles were prominent on the pop charts in the sixties, with decidedly upbeat songs like "Happy Together." U - U2 has made a career of making songs filled with passion and activism, but one of my favorites of theirs is their cover of the Woody Guthrie song "Jesus Christ," which teaches an unexpected lesson about the religious leader of many. Long before "They Don't Know" became the theme song of "Tracey Takes On," Tracey Ullman had a hit with this charming take on sixties music, which was actually composed by the late Kirsty MacColl (and first recorded by MacColl's band, The Addix). Chicago's Urge Overkill often combined alternative rock with power pop, but they made their biggest mark with their cover version of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon." V - Frankie Valli had a falsetto that gave the Four Seasons its character, but it also served him well in his solo work, including "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Stevie Ray Vaughn played guitar that combined Jimi Hendrix's flash with Texas blues, and it was a style that electrified tracks like "Couldn't Stand The Weather." Suzanne Vega has spent two decades writing perceptive and witty songs, such as "Marlene On The Wall." The Velvet Underground launched the career of Lou Reed and others, with compelling songs that often depict the dark side of humanity, such as "Femme Fatale." The Ventures are known for a number of guitar-based instrumentals, including "Walk - Don't Run." Even though Billy Vera originally recorded "At This Moment" in 1981, he had to wait five years for his blue-eyed soul to make its way to the top of the charts. W - Genevieve Waite recorded just one album, but it was bolstered by a number of whimsical tunes written by her then-husband, John Phillips, such as "Girls," a good-natured look at relationships. Dionne Warwick is at her best when her strong vocals are accompanied by strong songwriting, such as the case of "I'll Never Love This Way Again." Muddy Waters brought his blues from Mississippi to Chicago, where he made his mark on the genre with declarations like "I'm A Man." The Who have often provided music with personality that emanated from each instrument, all of whom came together marvelously on the youth anthem "My Generation." Wilco has often been described as alt-country, but there's also a bit of Kinks influence in them on tracks like "Heavy Metal Drummer." Deniece Williams has sung with both Stevie Wonder and Johnny Mathis, but she's also fared well on her own on joyous tracks such as "Let's Hear It For The Boy." John Williams has scored the music for some of the most successful movies ever, but he also employed a synthesizer quite nicely on the theme from "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind." Paul McCartney went from the Beatles in the sixties to Wings in the seventies, and didn't miss a beat on the charts with numbers like "My Love." Stevie Wonder is a multi-dimensional talent who went from child prodigy to musical master, as songs like "Another Star" attest. X - Exene Cervenka and John Doe were the creative forces leading the Los Angeles band X, who mixed punk and rockabilly with California cynicism on tracks like "True Love." XTC has been a part of the British pop scene since the seventies, with songs such as "Generals And Majors" that contain subtle messages. Y - Her voice and style are an interesting combination of Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, and PJ Harvey, but Rachael Yamagata does distinguish herself on tracks like "Worn Me Down." Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page were members of the Yardbirds (though not at the same time), but their guitars provided a strong foundation to Keith Relf's lead vocals on songs such as "Heart Full Of Soul." Their hit with words is Barbara Acklin's record, "Am I The Same Girl, but the instrumental by Eldee Young and Red Holt was the song that garnered much more attention as "Soulful Strut" by their band, Young-Holt Unlimited (They were also the other members of the Ramsey Lewis Trio). Neil Young has had success with both acoustic and electric numbers, and a bit of both can be found on the title track of "Tonight's The Night," a sad tribute to two fallen friends. Z - Frank Zappa had exactly one Top 40 hit, and that came when he invited his daughter Moon to work with him on "Valley Girl," a humorous look at the consumer life. Warren Zevon may have written many sardonic songs, but his career concluded with the poignant "Keep Me In Your Heart." The Zombies were one of the best groups of the British Invasion, featuring the pleading vocals of Colin Blunstone and the keyboards of Rod Argent to good effect on hits like "Tell Her No." The Texas rockers ZZ Top may have had a hit with "Legs," but their first hit about body parts came with the quest for "Tush." This concludes my series in the "My Favorite Music Of All Time" write-off hosted by JAGUARDOG. I hope these articles have either recalled fond memories, or fostered interest in at least a few of the artists on these lists. Part One of this series can be found here: http://www.epinions.com/content_4413497476 Links to all other entries can be found here: http://www.epinions.com/content_4389118084 Thanks again Ron.  |
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