Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Forum your favorite obscure music

Okay, here's something to have some fun with:

No matter what your taste in music, I'm sure most of us have in our collections, an obscure or little known album that we love for no reason other than we just love it. It never sold a million copies or topped any charts or won any prizes, but we treasure it and listen to it a lot because it's music brings us joy.

Now, I'm not talking about albums that were underappreciated when they came out but are now considered classics of their genre. I am talking about albums that were, perhaps, even modest successes, but have remained obscure or largely unknown ever since their release, and will probably remain so.


Some of mine are:

Blues/rock genre: Paul Butterfield's Better Days - It All Comes Back

Cast album: The Grass Harp

Big Band genre: Raymond Scott - Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights


Those are a few of mine. I have a number of others, particularly in the Broadway musical genre, as there have been a lot of shows that I loved but which never became hits.

What are the obscure or unknown albums in your collection that you love?


Spenser23

Dixie Dregs - AWESOME Prog. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t6n6TxPDp8&mode=related&search=

UK - Allan Holdsworth, Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Listen Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30c-wEGRwig

Gentle Giant!!! Listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWfmfgHXAfE

And let us not forget KING CRIMSON!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHkisNZH77Y

Rob

I have a secret confession.

Bubblegum music~
Shaun Cassidy:
Thats Rock N Roll...Come on everybody get down get with it..........and Da doo ron ron ron da doo ron ron....and throw in a bit of Captain and Tenille with Muskcrat Love.

How sad is that? There isnt even a youtube video for that.

Can we still be friends? LOL!

Woke up this morning and felt guilty that I did not tell you the whole truth. Spilling my guts about my fascination with Bubblegum music took every ounce of being out of me.

Here it is..
I also like Jim Brickman- piano music
Moody Blues: Days of Future Past
and the only Christmas CD that I play over and over is by Johnny Mathis. Without him, Christmas would not be the same. Thank you Johnny!!

Neat topic Spenser. Since I played trumpet thru school before getting serious about guitar I listened to alot of different trumpet players. I had records of guys like Harry James, Jonah Jones, Al Hirt, Doc Severenson, Louis Armstrong, Conte Condoli, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. For guitar I was into Hendrix albums for the great material he recorded that you never, or very rarely ever heard. Also alot of rarely heard Jethro Tull, Zeppelin, Mike Bloomfield, Emerson ,Lake and Palmer. And tons of other stuff that escapes me at the moment.

Christy did you forget "The Archies"?
Just teasin' ya.
Those are fine choices.

Hey Rob, I went to see the Dixie Dregs once at the Ritz here in NYC. THEY WERE VERY LOUD!! (But really GOOD!!) The ringing in my ears didn't go away for two or three days.

I remember King Crimson!

Jonathan, I love old jazz. King Oliver and 'Red' Allen are my trumpet nominees for this list. I also have a soft spot for an old 78rpm record called the Casa Loma Stomp by Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra. Kind of cheesy, but I really liked it when I was a kid. It took me years to find it again after I broke it. Mike Bloomfield, is a great choice for this list. Someone that should not be forgotten.

And don't worry about liking Bubble gum music, Christie. It's okay, your secret is safe and we can still be friends.


Spenser23

Last year at the county fair here I got to see the Doobie Brothers!! They were FANTASTIC!!! I like a lot of the old time rock and roll. I like to play classical on the piano. Christmas music the oldies like Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, etc.
I am not much into jazz.
LOVE the blues! Buddy Guy is one of mu favs.
Gail

Everybody knows my love affair with Bob Seger,
but also, gimme the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away...or...otherwise known as Dobie Gray.
And a southern piano player (imagine that!) who recently passed away by the name of Floyd Kramer,
his "Last Date" is heartbreakingly beautiful. Oh so many so little room. CCR and Proud Mary, Bad Company's "Shooting Star". And on and on. I have a ton of cd's and a ton of cassettes, which I now have nothing to play them on.

Eddie Cochran and Édith Piaf. Is that broad and eclectic enough? :p

toby

Yup, Toby, I'd say that covers a lot of ground.
That's about as broad and eclectic as one can get.

Ms Jay, are you into other country performers as well? I love some of the oldtimers.

Isn't it amazing how many different types of music can appeal to us and touch our souls?


Spenser23

Oh yeah, Spenser, I got all of Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, all the Time-Warner sets of oldies, back to Hank Williams, Don Williams, Faron Young, all those that were around that my older brothers and sisters listened too, including my mother. I remember, barely, when it was announced on a Sunday morning that Hank Williams had been found dead in the back seat of a Cadillac I think. Right now I like Big & Rich, they're kinda out there, you know save a horse, ride a cowboy...I don't know why but I just don't very much care t listen to female singers. I do like this new girl Kelly Pickler, she looks exactly like my niece, so much so it's scary, except for the blonde hair. I was very disapppointed when my sister and I went to Branson. Lots of the old timers opened studios there, but the only name there that I recognized was Mickey Gilley and only because of Gilley's in Urban Cowboy. I like that song Alan Jackson sings,
"Gone Country" don't know if you ever heard it, kind of a take off on people in rock, and dancers in Vegas and writers etc. who can no longer make it in the big time, so they buy them some boots and a cowboy hat, and they're "gone country", so many new ones coming along, hard to keep up with them, there are about four blondes that look like they were stamped out of the same mold, one from Sugarland who has a song out with Jon Bon Jovi, Kelly Pickler, Lambert, Underwood, Taylor Swift,
and on and on.

Some of the old-time country singers I like are George Jones, Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, Roy Acuff, The Carter family, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson (who aren't really old, old-timers. lol) and Woody Guthrie, who, I guess, laps over into the folk genre, which I also like a lot. Leadbelly, Cisco Houston and The Weavers are a some of my faves in the that genre. Oh, and Bob Dylan, who laps over from folk to rock.

Then there's Robert Johnson and the Delta Blues ...

I'm sure with a little effort, someone could map out a chain that would tie all American music together. Just as you can go from European Opera to Gilbert and Sullivan operettas to Broadway musicals. (I love those genres too.)

Wow, I never realized how many different types of music I love.

To me, good music is good music, no matter what the style or genre.

Spenser23

Yes, and Ricky Skaggs is keeping the Blue Grass jondra going, with help from people like Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris *who he once sang backcup for) and Vince Gill. I have a Bose stereo, holds just five cd's and when I load it there is most likely some country, some rock and roll, and even some instrumental classical. Country and rock are moving closer together all of the time, I think hip hop and techno has kind of pushed rock toward country, along with rap of course, which, just for me, is mumbo jumbo. I prefer what Vince Gill calls that "high lonesome sound"

Ahhh, Emmylou Harris ...


Spenser23

On one of the country tv stations, either CMT or GAC, back about a year ago they did the top 100
truly touching country songs. George Jone's "He stopped loving her today" was no. 1. Now that's a real tear jerker if there ever was one

The good ole Delta Blues, I love all of it...all kinds of blues music, Robert Johnson being one of them.

Gary Moore's "Still got the blues for you"

Buddy Guy's "Feels like Rain" (this one is fabulous and includes Bonnie Raitt)

Buddy Guy's "Damn Right I've got the Blues" (this one has the best version of Mustang Sally I've ever heard, including Clapton and Jeff Beck.
PS. Clapton has called Buddy the best guitarist in the world)

Albert King's Mastercard (this was a single)

John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom Boom Boom"
(also a single)

this isn't a blues one but
Billy Joel's "Songs in the Attic"
which is a live album and the first album that I ever bought with my own money. I still love it to this day.

Oh! By the way, I LOVED Shawn Cassidy and had two of his albums as a kid.

HA! What was I thinking??

Char

I'm not sure if this will resonate with anyone here; but I'd thought I'd offer it on the odd chance that someone will find it of interest. A film about the life of Édith Piaf is currently playing in some larger markets and will thereafter be making the rounds to the smaller arts oriented
theatres. Here are the two official movie web sites of which I am aware:
In English and
In French
The American release is entitled "La Vie En Rose" while the French release title is her nickname "La Môme".

I love the line from the english site's trailer when her doctor tells her,"Vous jouer avec votre vie". She assumes a very Gallic posture and replies in a wonderfully rendered parisian accent,
"Et alors, il faut bien jouer avec quelque chose". If your French is up to snuff and you poke
around a bit on the French site, there are several of her performances there.

Also, there is a great russian site where one can
find probably darn near every thing she ever recorded. My favorites are:
j\'ai dansé avec l\'amour
padam padam
milord

In an effort to pique your interest a little here are some fascinating points of her life which
I have garnered from several sources. She was supposedly born literally on the street under
a lamp post to parents who were street performers. She was poorly cared for as a child resulting
in poor health that included rickets, periods of blindness and deafness. Abandoned by her parents,
she was sent to live in a brothel which was run by her alcoholic paternal grandmother. Her only child,Marcelle, died at the age of two. The greatest love of her life, Marcel, died in a plane crash on his way to see her. When her agent died she was accused of involvement in his murder. She was in a car accident and suffered broken ribs and a broken arm. She was prescribed morphine for pain which lead to her battling a life long addiction to that drug. She died at the young age of 47, her body racked by malnutrition, alcoholism, hepatitis, kidney disease, rheumatism, drug addiction, heart disease, tuberculosis, and cancer.

toby

I discovered Piaf when I was still in high school. I think my French teacher played some of her records, then I saw her on an Ed Sullivan show. (That really dates me doesn't it? LOL) There was a very interesting Broadway play about her some years ago, simply entitled, Piaf.

To me, her recordings always had more than a tinge of sadness, even when the songs were happy and upbeat. But they also had an undying optimism in spite of being battered by life, which is, I think, part of her appeal; that, in spite of sorrow and heartbreak, one carries on and keeps going forward.

As I recall, Marcel Sr. was Marcel Cerdun, the middleweight boxing champion.

Spenser23

Oops. Cerdan, not Cerdun.

Hee hee, you're absolutely right about Marcel Cerdan. I might add that he was a married man, umm
to someone else. Don't feel too dated Spense. I'm almost right there with you. I remember seeing her on the Ed Sullivan show too. And like you, my high school French teacher played one of her songs in class, I think it was Milord, which is still my all-time favourite. At that time I could only understand a few of the lyrics. I do a little better now.

I think she is a good example of the human condition. I think optimism and despair were equal partners in her life. We have to carry on as best we can even knowing how things will end.

There's a llanero song whose lyrics go something like this, sorry I'm not going to put in accent marks.

"La vaca mariposa tuvo un ternero, un beserito lindo como un bebe. Da me lo papaito dicen los ninos cuando lo ven nacer, y ella l'esconde por los jojotes que no se da que la mariposa tuvo un ternero. Y los pericos van, y el gabilan tambien con frutas criollas acerca d'el. La mariposa no sabe que hacer, porque ella sabe la suerta d'el."

There might be some mistakes. I'm working off memory and my Spanish isn't as good as my French.
Sorry, I absolutely hate translating. I do so much of it at work.


toby

I tried using a web-page translator to put those lyrics into English, but the results were ... well, confusing. Although, it may not be your memory entirely, the lyrics may just not make much sense literally.

According to the babel fish translator, the song has something to do with a cow butterfly having a bull calf ... (then it becomes confusing) ... and somehow Creole fruits are involved. Oh well ...
Sometimes lyrics just don't translate. LOL

Spenser23

Computer translating programs are horrible. I'm sure some of it is my bad too though. My Spanish skills are mostly verbal and some of the spelling is probably off. It doesn't help that the letters "v" and "b" sound the same in Spanish. Also, I'm pretty sure some of it is local slang of the llaneros, the cowboys from the plains of Venezuela.

Anyway, since you seem interested and I have a moment, here ya go.

"The cow named Mariposa (Butterfly) had a calf, a little calf as pretty as a baby. Give me the little guy said the children when they see him born and she hid him in the corn so no one would know that she had calved. And the parakeets come, and the eagle as well, bringing local fruits all around him. Mariposa doesn't know what to do because she knows his fate."

I hope that clears it up for you. Geez, I hate that song in a way. It always makes me want to cry, kinda like Ol' Yeller. I guess it's partly cause I was raised on a farm and that sappy hick stuff still gets me. I'm such a wuss for some things.

Keeping with the country theme, back in my farm days I used to love some of the old timey country performers, Jimmy Rogers, Montana Slim, Hank Williams, and Bob Wills. Anybody else remember Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys? LOL

Now the cd player in my rig has either My Chemical Romance or Green Day. My tastes seem to go all over the place.

toby

Thanks Toby. I guess it loses something in the translation.

Old Yeller was a real tear-jerker when we were kids wasn't it? I haven't seen it in 40 years at least, but I still remember that climactic scene.

I remember Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys too.
Although I don't have any of their music in my collection.

My taste is all over the place too.

I've got Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" playing as I write this.

Spenser23

There's a new guy in Nashville, a friend I believe of Dr. Phil's. Maybe a relative. He is
one of the new crop that has shot up in the last two years, he sings Amarillo Sky or something like that, and another song called Johnny Cash. I have a feeling he's going to make it bigtime.
If he can get through the herd of blondes who have taken over Nashville..Do you, Spenser, or Toby remember a singer named Robin John I think it is, sang a song called "Sad Eyes". I didn't know until after, that he had like two albums go platinum before that album, was late 80's. And I loved one song the Commodores sang when Lionel Richie was a commodore, called "Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady"..Remember it? Same time as
Billy Joel sang some song I loved about "I don't want you to tell me it's alright, you don't have to tell me when to go home, on and on and then "either way you wake up with yourself". I cannot remember what the name of it was. I used to scan from station to station on my way to work, usually managed to hear both, I had a pretty long drive

Spenser, after I wrote that I was thinking the same thing, that it just didn't carry the same weight in English. That's another reason I hate to translate, especially lyrics and poetry. Poetry is really, really hard. You have to keep the same meaning, rhymes and cadence. I do better with prose. I could have punched it up a bit; but then someone would have pointed out that the translation wasn't exact. It's always difficult to balance literal meaning with connotations and intent when you translate. It's waaaaay more than just swapping out words, which is what computer programs do. That's why they're always off, that and they don't generally compensate for the different word orders of languages.

MsJay, I don't remember the name Robin John, maybe Spenser does. I do remember the song "Sad Eyes" though. It was a slow, lyrical ballad sort of song, no? I loved it at the time. It's funny you mentioned Lionel Richie and Billy Joel. My wife loved them both. I ended up buying Billy Joel's "The Stranger" album because of her. I still have it too. It was the first album we listened to together. If memory serves, we used that as an excuse to go to *ahem* a more private part of my family's house back when we were just dating.
There was a song on that album with the line, "She'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleedin'" That song pretty much described to me the gf a couple of gf's before I met my wife. LOL
That one actually pulled a knife on me once. And no, I didn't deserve it. The worst thing is I kept seeing her after that.... the sex was that good!

Funny the power of music to transport us to a different place and time, huh?

toby

In the 70's my Mom use to play a vinyl record called Plantasia. When played, it would make your plants happy and GROW! No kidding.

Mort Garson's spacey electro pop music made with a synthesizer was soooo 70's that it "grew" on you. Wonder why it hasn't made a comeback?

I don't remember "Sad Eyes" or the singer. I'll have to look it up. The Billy Joel lyrics are from his song called "My Life." I grew up in Huntington on Long Island, which is where Billy Joel is from.

One of the fathers of electronic music was one of the musicians I mentioned earlier, Raymond Scott (1908-1994). He influenced a lot of other musicians including a young Robert Moog with his early electronic work and his development of the "Electronium".

Of course, he's also remembered for the fact that Warner Brothers used a lot of his music in the background of their Bugs Bunny cartoons. Check out this cool website devoted to him:

www.raymondscott.com

and this webpage which shows the electronium:

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2006/07/28...ne-sits-silent/

I always loved how quirky Scott's music is, even his old 78's that my parents had in their collection. I've got him on CD now, but I still have the 78's. LOL

Spenser23

I had his name wrong, after all, it's been a long time

Robert John, (born Robert John Pedrick, Jr. in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer/songwriter. He is best remembered for the 1979 song "Sad Eyes". This song, which features John's falsetto vocals, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 that summer.

In addition, John had a #3 hit in 1972 with his version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Hey Spenser,
I was checking out King Oliver this morning and found this You Tube of Him and his Jazz Band. Very cool. Even shows an old Paramount 78 record in the days when they cost 75 cents! Its a real blast to the past. Glad you mentioned him, I'll check out Red Allen next and see if they have anything.
Here's the You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-iEtTfgv4w

You Tube is being helpful so far today more cool stuff, I found Red Allen and his group! (along with a dancer ) Its a neat video. Couldn't find anything yet on the Casa Loma Stomp, I'll keep looking tho.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP6vNHsRfUM

I'd never heard of Raymond Scott. Interesting and pioneering if not exactly my cup of tea. Actually the Billy Joel lyrics I quoted were from a song called "She's Always a Woman" from The Stranger album. As I said, I still have the album and I just had to check.

toby

Oops, I think you were addressing MsJay's post on the first page. I wuz

toby

Sorry Toby, I was talking about the lyrics Ms. Jay posted. Those were from "My Life".

Jonathon, if you figure that in the 1920's a full steak dinner in a fancy restaurant probably only cost around $1.75, 75 cents was kind of pricey for a record. LOL

King Oliver was the mentor of Louis Armstrong, giving him his first cornet. Later, in the early Twenties, Armstrong played in King Oliver's band in Chicago for a few years before striking out on his own.

I found Red Allen simply through hearing one song, "You Might Get Better, But You'll Never Get Well." That led me to buy one of his CDs and I came to really appreciate how great he was. I'm amazed he isn't more well-known.

I had no idea Youtube had stuff like that on it.
Very Cool. I'll have to do some exploring.

Fascinatin' Rhythms.


Spenser23

Boots Randolph died a couple of days ago. He was well know as a saxaphone player, but he loved country music, biggest hit was Yakkety Sax I think. He belonged to the million dollar band on Music Row in Nashville, Him, Chet Atkins, Floyd Kramer, and couple of more can't remember off hand. Just like Allison Krause, a violin prodigy,
grew up and says she just likes to "pick and play with her band", Union Station. Go figure. She sings pretty good too, although she discovered that by accident with that song "You say it best when you say nothing at all".

I bet Boots got a resurgence of popularity when British comedian Benny Hill began using Yakkety Sax as his show opening and closing.


Spenser23

Man, my son loved Benny Hill. When he was in like 9th grade, I would "force" him to go to bed for school, and he would sneak up after I went to sleep, put on head phones for the tv to watch Benny Hill. He was laughing outloud (guess he forgot) one night, I sneaked in the family room, and Benny Hill had come out of the bathroom after shaving and had these little pieces of toilet paper all over his face and neck. I started laughing too. He came on like at 12:30 at night, and so my son started taking a nap so he could stay up. I know, I know, he was/is my baby. He did some pretty wierd things, had a bad cough, got up, took a big snort of nyquil, told me he didn't wake up until 4th hour. It must have been like 4 or 5 in the morning when he took the dose of nyquil...when I had no cough medicine I would give my kids a shot or two of cherry kiafa (sp).
Tasted like cough medicine to me

Don't Worry, Be Happy - sorry but someone had to go here. Don't know why but this was the easiest song I ever learned the words to. I miss hearing it once in a while.
I really do like it.

Mary,
That singer, Bobby Farrell I think his name was,
who wrote and sang that song died not long ago.
It would be my guess he couldn't have been more than 50, he was young when he wrote that. I remember a story about him on one of the shows like 20-20 or 60 minutes, and I believe his parents were classical musicians. I will have to look that up, you have tweaked my one little brain cell

Nope, it was Bobby McFerrin according to Snopes,
there was a widespread suicide rumor that he had killed himself but he still conducts and performs
just in smaller venues according to the article on him. Don't know where I got Bobby Farrell, but seems like there was a connection between the two. Oh well, don't worry....

I love Nat "King" Cole, Etta James (At Last...sigh), Michael Buble'(Home is my favorite), Enya, and Bette Midler...but I also like Brad Paisley, REM, Warren Zevon (Werewolves of London...excellent!), Edwin McCain, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and John Denver. I also was a fan of Bubblegum music...we couldn't help it Christy...we are a product of our generation...remember The Bay City Rollers...I also like KISS, I can't help it, they sing MY song...Beth. My favorite bizarre song is by The Beat Farmers and "Happy Boy", a radio station got me hooked on that one..hubba, hubba, hubba, hubba, hubba! I also tend to like movie soundtracks..with and without lyrics...don't know why, I just do.

Thanks for this thread Spenser, I'm enjoying it.

And MsJay!!! The Billy Joel song that you're talking about is "My Life"...if my memory hasn't failed me. They used it for the opening of an old T.V. show called "Bossom Buddies"...that's where Tom Hanks got his start.

OMG Beth!!!

Ready??

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

NIGHT!!


ROFL, I LOVED that song!

Char! Hehehehe! Don't you just love hearing it on the Planter's Peanut Commercial? I was in the 6th grade!!!! Hahahahaha! LMAO 'cause I can't ROF (hehehehehehe)! This is fun!

R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" was like my "mantra" for about three or four months after my mom passed away. I would play it at bedtime two or three times, ger up in the morning have my cry while it played, and on and on. I think it is one of the best songs they have done so far, but I like their tribute to Andy Koffman or Hoffman, can't remember "man on the moon". I like "night swimming" Michael Stipes does a great job mimicing
Elvis on 'Man on the Moon'. I only knew Andy H(K)offman from Taxi as Latka, but i guess he was a comedic genius, so I have read. Course I think Taxi was one of the best shows ever on TV, man the stars, Marilu Henner, Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Judd Hirsch, and the girl who played Latka's wife, can't recall her name but think she was on Saturday Night Live. Loved the ones when she made the brownies laced with weed or coke, can't remember, but everybody was going crazy for them until Latka broke one apart, and said "oh yeah, Peru, right before the rains". That was a truly great show and would be just as funny today.
Of course, that's just my opinion. Not worth a lot. The one cast member that didn't go on to better things was Jeff Holloway, think his name was, and that Marilu Henner wrote a book about how the sex with various male members of the cast differed. I call that not just cheezy but desperate.

Yikes. The Bay City Rollers. What was the deal with the Plaid? Just shows that hype alone can't make a career.

Andy Kaufman was Latka. And Carol Kane played his wife. I met Andy once when he first started out. I was a page on SNL in 1975, and he came on one of the first couple shows and did that routine where he mimed the recording of the Mighty Mouse theme song. It was hilarious. Offstage, he seemed very shy, but another page and I were standing near him and we just started talking. Of course, I think he was actually hitting on the pretty female page standing next to me, but never mind that. lol

I kick myself sometimes because I didn't realize the musical legends that were playing in the original SNL band. I wish I had known then that I was brushing shoulders with the likes of Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn, to name a few. And of course, Howard Shore, who's gone on to win a couple Oscars for his movie scores.

Hard to believe that was over 30 years ago.


Spenser23

SNL??

It was actually a commercial jingle. For the airline ATA. It went something like...It's time to find some sun..and the music sounded "beachy" LOL I don't even want to remember it as it "got stuck in my head" for about a year!

As a huge Aerosmith fan, I love some of the little known tracks from a lot of Joe Perry's (their guitarist) solo projects. He makes that guitar sing.

I like all of aerosmith's songs, some better than others. Particularly like 'Jamie's God A Gun'

Remember Three Dog Night's "Jeremiah was a Bull Frog, was a good friend of mine, never understood a single word he said but he always made mighty fine wine. Joy to the World I think. Song made absolutely no sense but you couldn't help liking it.

This Spainish or Mexican Singer, named Freddy Fender, sang country, sang one of the most beautiful songs. one was 'I'll be there before the next teardrop falls' Part English, part Spanish. And Olivia Newton John's "Delta Dawn". Man, I could just totally visualize this song. We see so many odd characters, it seemed very possible that could have been based on a true story. Come to think of it, I think Helen Reddy sang Delta Dawn, yep, pretty sure. Newton-John sang "Downtown".

Better stop, I'll be on Minnie Pearl next!

Delta Dawn, wasn't that originally done by a very young Tanya Tucker, then both Helen Reddy and Bette Midler covered it? I know Petulia Clark was the first one to have a hit with "Downtown".


As Minnie Pearl used to say: How-DEEEEEEEEEEEE!


Spenser23

Yes, Tanya Tucker was kind of like Brenda Lee,
made it big by 14, course Brenda Lee knew from age 16 that she was going to marry at 18. Tanya Tucker didn't get a big audience on Delta Dawn, but I did know she did it. I like her songs, she had such a rough and tumble life with Glen Campbell that it's a miracle they are still alive.
I like her Sparrow in a Hurricane. And of course it was Petula Clark that sang Downtown, I must have been about asleep or off my game, not unusual
for me. I tell you one up and coming female singer that just doesn't do it for me and that is Gretchen Wilson. First song was something about Redneck girls, then, Glad we're not all California Girls, then All Jacked Up. She just seems sleazy to me, just my take on her. Course she does stand out in what is now Blonde Music City. I'm just so glad to meeeeet ya! Price tag where it belonged

Spenser,

You got to see Andy Kaufman do the Mighty Mouse skit live?? I am so envious!

I think that was one of the funniest moments on tv ever....Andy's delivery was so on the money.
Didn't he stand there and say absolutely nothing...just until the part where he says "Here I come...to save the dayyyyyy!" and he sort of threw his arms out and kind of bounced a little bit??

Totally hysterical-


Char

Yup. That was the bit. Hilarious.

They're not exactly obscure, but did anyone see the two PBS music-related shows in the last couple weeks? One was on American Masters and featured Les Paul and the other was a kind of documentary on the music that was found on an old Jukebox belonging to John Lennon. Wonderful stuff.


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/paul_l.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/lennon/


Spenser23

I'm a huge Ramones fan and Bay City Rollers was actually one of their biggest influences. Ramones were up and coming until they got lumped into the 'punk scene' with The Sex Pistols who liked to throw up on people and do other obscene things, and got tagged by association, never got any airplay and were basically just a touring band with a cult following.

And of course I was an 80's metal girl, but liked the 80's dance/pop music as well.

Growing up as the youngest of eight, I also grew up with The Jackson Five, The Supremes, The Beatles, Carole King, Janis Joplin.

As far as obscure goes for me-I like the oldies....My six year old's favorite is 'Come a little bit closer, you're my kind of man-so big and so strong'--don't actually know the name of the song. 'Sheila' (damn, that little girl is fine)-was that Buddy Holly? Not sure but sounds like him.....Wake up Little Suzy

I guess I like all kinds of music.....One tin soldier....Billy-don't be a hero, with the flip side-The night Chicago died. And one of my all time favorites--Brandy (you're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be)

REO Speedwagon, Boz Scaggs, Paul Simon-Simon and Garfunkel

Not much of a Country fan, but that one song I sing which drive my family crazy......John Deere Greene.

Guess I'm pretty open minded when it comes to music......I like alot of Mozart, one or two Beethovan, Handel (sp) I think they are all different periods. Not very knowledgeable about classical, just like how some of it sounds, some of it I don't care for.

Andres Segovia(sp?) Jerry turned me on to that. And we wore out two CDs of 'The Natural Guitar'-classical guitar music with nature sounds in the background. Very, very relaxing.

Do I ever shut up??

no.

Sarah

Ooo, Sarah reminded me when she mentioned Classical music ... Like her, I enjoy classical music, although I don't always know who composed what. (BTW, I agree, Segovia IS wonderful.) Ooo, and don't forget Yo-Yo Ma!

My theory has always been great music is great music, no matter what the genre. (and of course, the opposite also holds true; cheap shlock is cheap shlock no matter what the genre. LOL)

Classical pieces I like and can actually name include, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #1, Mozart's The Magic Flute, Strauss' Die Fledermaus, and operettas like Romberg's New Moon and almost any Gilbert and Sullivan show. Also Beethoven's Brandenberg Concertos are great listening.

There is a wonderful old Raymond Scott number called Minuet in Jazz, which takes a classical sounding melody and gives it a big-band beat. I remember listening to my parent's 78 recording of it when I was about 10. I have it now on CD, and it still swings.


Spenser23

Oooo, I thought of another sub-genre of Rock and Roll that a lot of people enjoy, (myself included), but which is often overlooked or forgotten; Doo-Wop! I love Doo-Wop ... from Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers to Dion and the Belmonts to The Drifters, to The Chiffons. to The Cadillacs and The Shirelles ... and on and on ... great stuff. Anyone else into the doo-wop sound?

I went to see a Doo-Wop show in New Jersey a few years ago, near where my sister lives in Haddon Heights. (I think the town was Collingwood) It was great!


Spenser23

Was it the Drifters who sang; walked in the classroom cool and slow, who called the English teacher daddyo, Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown,
he's a clown, that Charlie Brown. Also this one, can hardly remember the words just the melody,
gonna find her, yeah gonna find her..

Nope. That was the Coasters. I think that's another Lieber and Stoller tune isn't it? They wrote Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, On Broadway, Stand by Me, and a host of other great songs in that era.

Charlie Brown was the first 45rpm record I ever owned, (followed by a novelty song, Beep, Beep on the Roulette label. Why do I remember this trivia?) I made my mom buy it for me one day, in the Supermarket. (I have no idea why they were selling 45 records in the supermarket. LOL) I think it was something like 89 cents. Probably the only time I ever succeeded in pestering my mom into buying me something in the supermarket. LOL Ok, maybe not. LOL

It appealed to me at first because I liked the Peanuts comic strip and I thought it was a song about Charlie Brown from Peanuts.


Spenser23

Talking about obscure, there was a group named
Shades of Blue, early sixties, had one big hit that I loved, not sure of the name of it but some of the words were "oh how happy you have made me,
oh how happy you have made me (needs to be heard)
I have never heard of them again.

Also, I have searched ebay, Music Row in Nashville, looking for a Marty Robbins album called "Songs from Old Mexico" and all of them are in Spanish, and includes my favoriete, La Paloma. We had the 33 rpm got lost in moving and the biggest music store in Nashville told me it was out of production, and only way to find it would be from a collector. No luck so far, anybody who has it probably wants to keep it.

Amazing what one can find on the internet.
I remembered the song, but not the group.

http://www.theshadesofblue.net/history.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c7LmJuvgk


Spenser23

Oh Spenser, never occurred to me to think in my wildest imagination that they would make it to the internet. I never heard another song from them and felt so sad, like thought maybe they got into drugs are too big for their britches and became one hit wonders. Was great to read about them and hear that again.
Now, have you had any luck on the Mary Robbins
Album......just kidding. Thanks for making me know I couldn't have been the only one who loved that song.

When I was young, my best girlfriend I met when I moved to Michigan to go to college was a senior in high school, which I should have been, wasn't even 18. She kept talking about these two guys from Kentucky that her cousin was going out with one of them and they were going to make a recording, I thought yeah right, well, it was the Everly Brothers, and her cousin married one of them, don't know how long it lasted, she and I lost touch after a while. But not before Bye Bye Love, and Wake Up Little Susie came out, and yes I ate my words. I like my crow barbecued..She was the one who also went with me to see Elvis Presley at the Olympia in Detroit, long ago razed.
left my brother all my records when I went to Michigan, he ended up with a collection worth a bundle, Carl Perkins, Elvis when they were at Sun,
a lot of old 45's, hundreds that you could never find now, and they are in their original jackets.
We did take care of our records. Somewhere along the way they became all his, but that's okay.

Anybody remember an instrumental titled il silencio, I think it was...sounded a little like
taps at the beginning. Loved that song. And a lady think her name was Gobi Grant? sang a song called The Wayward Wind. And lastly, one of my bestest ever instrumentals, bought a whole cd just for this song entitled "Stranger on the Shore". Anybody remember it? Talking instrumentals also really liked "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Canadian Sunset" and every single one of Floyd Cramer's piano solos.

When I was a kid, long ago, my sisters and I used to dance to I'm getting married in the morning. We could waltz, polka, whatever around the living room, to the kitchen and hall right back into the living room. Ding dongs we were.

Oh Mary, I remember that one too, ding dong the sun is going to shine, ah those naive days huH?

Or was it ding dong the bells are gonna chime, I think it is this latter and not the former..my senior moments are graduating

"I'm gettin' married in the morning" from the musical, My Fair Lady has the lyric, "Ding, Dong, the bells are gonna chime."

Gogi Grant did Wayward Wind, I believe.

Stranger on the Shore. Yes, I remember that. I played clarinet when I was a kid, so I had a recording of Pete Fountain playing that song.

Spenser23

I've been singing this song all day, think it was more from the "folk era" and can't remember half the words but that has never stopped me before. Goes something like, I've layed around, and played around, this ole town too long, got to travel on yeah got to travel on. And from the same era, Oh you can't get to heaven in an old ford car, cause an old ford car won't go that far,
no you can't get to heaven in an old ford car, cause an old ford car won't go that far..there were more verses with someone invariably starting a verse with you can't get to heaven in an old ford truck and there the words changed...extremely, depending on how late at night it was...

You're right, it's the folk era. "Gotta Travel On" is the title. I think it was either the Kingston Trio or the Limelighters who had a hit with it.

I'm not familiar with the old Ford truck song, but I did a little googling and found these similar versions:

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/song/song-1339.asp

http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/o003.html


Spenser23

Not to put a crimp in your thread, but I just got home from a "Little River Band" Concert in town. I haven't been to a rock and roll concert in years. It was a blast but the ears are ringing tonight and I can't get "Night Owl" out of my head.

I remember Little River Band ... didn't know they were still together and performing.


Spenser23

Yes, Little River Band, didn't they sing "Take The Long Way Home"? And a song about a whale, what do I know, to answer that "not much" but I do know the song was not "Free Willy" Seems like I remember a band Pogo and some of them joined Little River Band, and there is another band that was very popular at the same time and some of them ended up in Little River Band or vice versa. Then some joined a country band called Restless Heart or Little Texas (in all fairness, it has been a long time) All I can remember off hand is some words "and he's your brother". Have any of you been watching the summer replacement show with Wayne Brady " Don't forget the lyrics". Now talking about obscure, when the payoff gets "up there" there is such obscurity that the songwriter would probably have a hard time remembering it.., IMHO.

Oh, and Spenser, 500 Miles, wasn't that from the same group? Change in subject, but did anyone hear or read something about Ted Nugent going to help host or have a show on tv, not sure if it's about bow hunting or music, since the Motor City Wild Man might intermingle the two.

I thought "The Long way Home" was Supertramp? I know Little River did that song "Reminiscing" and didn't they also do "One is the lonliest number"?

Spenser, did you see the Stax Records show on PBS? I am sorry that I missed the Gibson one, but am glad I caught this one. Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes were featured among others. Up to now, I had no idea that "Respect" was Otis' song and not Aretha's.

Char

The little River band had hits like, Lady, Cool change, Take it easy on me, Help is on the way, The night Owls, which I can't get out of my head after two days, Lonesome loser, Happy Anniversary just a few. They have a web site with their tour dates and post cards from the road. Tonight they are playing in Jackpot NV.

I forgot about the Stax show being on, and stumbled on it three-quarters of the way through. I hope to see the rest of it sometime this weekend, when they usually do a re-broadcast.

MsJay, I think lots of groups did the song 500 miles, but the one I remember best was by Peter, Paul and Mary.


Spenser23

Ms Jay,
If we are on the right page....'oh how happy' was, I guess remade by Jackson Five...."I have kissed your lips 1000 times....(or is it 100) is that the song? That is one of my favorites.

Speaking of 'doo wop' music.....Ramones were slightly a doo wop band.....called 'bubblegum music. Joey Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone were the two songwriters, and Dee Dee was more the 'forceful' more punk songs, but Joey was the bubblegum songwriter. They were made fun of for writing music with the three chords, but with over 100+ songs, I'd say they did pretty good with those 3 chords.

In fact, Joey had an obsession with....can't think of her name, but he remade 'Baby, I love you (come on baby' and that was the only only song that really ever got recognition. They were huge in Japan and England. What fascinates me so much with them is Joey had severe, and I mean severe OCD and Marfans syndrome and was told he should be institutionalized, but he wnt on to right this music and perform, then he got into the stock market and make a killing. He made a remake of 'What a wonderful world' when he was dying of cancer, and it's an awesome song.

The sad thing is they put their heart and soul into their music and all of them died, now their music is being used for commercials and movie music. So now they are all dead (except the drummer) and they are getting their due recognition. I've read about 4 books on them and Joey Ramone was an amazing person, overcoming all his difficulties. Definitely a role model. He was 6'7 or 6'9 and I don't believe anyone is ugly, but he wasn't exactly easy on the eyes if you get my drift, but he was a beautiful person on the inside.

I think what ruined the music scene was the advent of MTV. Before, music was music, but now with visuals, all it takes is a sexy body, some dance lessons and you top the charts. Britney Spears is a perfect example.

How about talking about voices.......

Beautiful voices......

Karen Carpenter
The lead for Heart
Freddie Mercury
Christina Aguilara
George Michael
Annie Lennox
don't blast me....Ozzy Osbourne
Bette Midler

It's getting late, my mind is going blank....

Any to add?

Sarah,

BTW-Great fun topic Spenser23-thank you for this.

Sarah

Nice vocalist choices Sarah C. I would like to add a few favorites: Mariah Carey, Joni Mitchell,Cheryl Bentyne (Manhatten Transfer) and Basia.

Oh wait...wait...how could I forget, Anita Baker

All good ones, Sarah..I don't know where I got my love for music but I had it when Elvis hit it big.
I like Carly Simon and Kelly Pickler, the young blonde singer(well she is one of them, Nashville is so full of them, hard to keep up) who says she's country but could well be pop. I like that song she sings called "I Wonder" about the little girl who grew up not knowing her mom. I tell you, with the exception of her being younger she is the spitting image of my niece. They look so much alike it is actually scary., My niece is older, but they could have popped out of the same box.
Also I've been telling everybody that would listen about how great this guy is and you should know him, he's from Texas. His name is Pat Greene
not sure about the last e, but first big hit here was Wave on Wave. I knew he was gong to be big just like I knew Jason Aldean was going to hit it big. I wonder what happened to Jimmy Wayne, I think his name was. Had a big hit with a song about his dad who never gave him the time of day, and then he sees Jesus on the cross above the altar. He was named one of the 100 sexeist men last year by People Magazine. I would not argue with them, but he's kind of dropped out of site. If you want to know where the next big singers are coming from, keep up with Texas...that's my take.
From George Strait on....and if it's pop there are so few left that you can understand the lyrics, Celine Barbra (who is a ,well you know, from what I have read for years) Mariah Carey and actually Britney Spears has a good voice if she could just get her act together. I don't know if it's going to take a stint in the slammer for her to "get straight". I could talk music and books all day, guess you just figured that out lol. Sorry for being so long winded.

Manhattan Transfer. Great choice, Jonathan.

Karen Carpenter had a great voice and I love the sound of Heart.

It was weird watching the Ramones sing "I want to be sedated" on the Muscular Dystrophy telethon some years ago. LOL

What about Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders?


Spenser23

Do any of you on the East Coast get the PBS (Public Broadcasting Station)on television in your area?

They have been doing the oldies all week. Tonight was the 70's..last night was the 60's...which even had the Cadillacs. What was impressive was that in their golden years, they all sound fantastic...like they did years ago.

New recording technology has made "pretenders" out of today's singers..when you hear them in concert, they don't sound the same. But yesteryear's artist are the real deal and sound like the original recordings.

Yes, but that technology problem goes back a long way. At the turn of the last century, when they used to make piano rolls for player pianos, the performers would often go back and make a second pass, thus "sweetening" and enhancing their performance. Even Gershwin did it.

In the Sixties, I remember when people complained that Crosby, Stills and Nash were a "studio" group who couldn't re-create their sound in a "live" performance.

It seems like in the old days, the technology was used sparingly, an opera singer who recorded a bad note at the end of an aria, could have that noted re-placed or re-modulated to make it sound on-pitch, thus saving them and the orchestra from having to re-do the entire recording. Nowadays, the technology has been taken to the extreme, allowing complete non-singers to "sing" on pitch.


Spenser23

That's the shame of it....MTV created a whole new world of no talent, well I shouldn't say no talent, but a breed of people who can't actually sing. If you've got the look, and can be marketable, they can 'fix' your vocals.

Chrissie Hynde-one of my favorites. I love people with unusual voices. Another favorite is Darryll (sp?) Hall of Hall and Oates. So much great talent out there.

Sarah

Imagine how big a star Fabian might have been if they had the technology back in the early 60's.




Spenser23

Growing up I was into Metallica (garage days) and a band called Mary's Danish. They were local and never made it past a few years in the 90's, although I saw them probably 3 times in concert. I love, love that band. My fav album is circa.
http://www.marysdanish.com/

The ramones of course.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

I never heard of Marysdanish. I will give them a listen.

PBS has been on a music spree lately. They aired a good special on Sam Cooke the other night. What a great talent he was. I'd like to see PBS do specials on Jackie Wilson and Otis Redding as well.


Spenser23

This is a really fun topic!!
SarahC - I'm totally with you on the Ramones. They were the first concert I went to without someone's parents.
I also really love Jonathan Richman, Pixies, & Joy Division.

We watch PBS all the time. They run some great musical shows..Tonight was Elvis and every once in a while some great movie classics..they had Endless Summer was on not too long ago.

This week in my area they are spotlighting Abba, the Chantels, the Clovers, the 5th Dimension, the Five Keys; the Four Knights; the Harptones; Jay & the Americans, the Marcels, the Shirelles, the Skyliners, and the Swan Silvertones and on another night, the Del- Vikings ("Come Go with Me"), the Penguins ("Earth Angel"), Gene Chandler ("Duke of Earl").

Sam Cooke, oh yeah, Summertime

and the living is easy,,,something and the cotton is high, you're daddy's rich and your mama's good looking, hush my baby...man he sure left us too soon, and Jim Croce, Bad Bad Leroy Browm, baddest man in the whole damn town, madder than old king kong,.meaner than a junk yard dog. Two more talents we lost way too soon.

Okay, here's a new thought to ponder:

Who are, or were, the best voices in Rock n'Roll?

I'll get things started with some obvious ones:

Roy Orbison
Elvis
John Lennon
Paul McCartney

and I'll add, Levon Helm (The Band), Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson, Janis Joplin, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot (both of the Mamas and Papas), Bill Medley(The Righteous Brothers), Levi Stubbs (Four Tops), Marvin Gaye, Freddie Mercury, Al Green, Smokey Robinson, Frankie Valli, Ray Charles, Dion, Little Richard, Frankie Lymon, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Wilson Pickett and James Brown.

Who would you add or subtract to the list?


Spenser23

My vote goes to Gene Pitney...
Cindy

Gene Pitney. Good one, Cindy!


Spenser23

Mr. Smooth Lou Rawls.

I would add B.B. King because he has a strong, distinctive voice and can really belt one out...

The Thrill is gone.....

I also love Van Morrison's voice...most of the time, anyway

Char

Funny, I never thought of Lou Rawls. I think I considered him more Pop than Rock. But, you're right, great voice.

B.B. King and Van Morrison, absolutely.

Personally, I think a great voice is not always a technically perfect, well-trained voice.

Sometimes, it's more about the ability to convey an emotion.


Spenser23

You know...BBKing is here in Huntington Beach every year for a Christmas fundraiser. It is held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel now. I have been several times.(I actually preferred it at the local library auditorium as it was more personal). The show actually stars Rick Braun and Peter White with another guest player. They are all friends of the guitar player from Air Supply who has a son named Sonic who suffers from Autism. They do this special local intimate fundraiser (dont even know if it is ever posted on their official pages) BBKing hosts it. All the proceeds go towards an finding a cure for Autism. Here is a BBKing link to it http://www.bbjazz.com/Autism_Sonic.aspx

Did I ever mention that at my kids elementary school we had parents of children who played for Air Supply, The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. 3 Dads at one school. We were pretty special huh? They are all very grounded people and extremely nice.

I like unique voices. Some of your choices are 'oldies, but goodies' are we sticking to older rock n roll or just in general?

I liked Buddy Holly's voice
Ritchie Valens
Marvin Gaye-not really rock n roll though, huh?
Carole King
Roger Daltry


newer age
Don't know his name-lead singer of Zebra
All time fav-Freddie Mercury
Lead singer to Triumph


How about adding certain songs that have touched your life in some way, and when you hear them, they take you back?

'Our Songs' (Jerry and I) are Patience by Guns and Roses, and Without You by Motley Crue

I almost want to cry everytime I listen to the Remake of "What a wonderful World" by Joey Ramone

Goodbye to Romance-Ozzy Osbourne-break up song

Forgiveness-the guy from the Eagles-can't remember his name-it was dedicated to me on the radio from the jerk from the break up song

More than words-don't know who sings that one

Emminence Front (sp?)-The who-memories of getting ready to go out with my friends

Sara Smile-didn't have any type of relationship with my father, but one time he sang it to me.

Getting back to R&R-dont' want to rip off your thread Spenser23--

Stevie Nicks
Grace Slick (from Jefferson Airplane/starship)
Dido
Christina Aquilera
Don't hate me, but I still like Michael Jackson
Pink Floyd
Michael Hutchence (sp?) from inxs
The guy who sang 'Tears of a Clown'
Selena

I always wonder what the influence of todays music would be if Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix hadn't died so young and unexpectedly.....Jim Morrison? I probably know the words to most of his songs, but they were so long and for the most part depressing.

I'll shut up now....great, fun topic though.

Sarah

The Christmas fundraiser Christy mentioned, reminded me that I left off a great female rock voice, known for her Christmas shows here in NYC, Darlene Love.

http://www.history-of-rock.com/darlene_love.htm


Spenser23

Glad to see Freddie Mercury listed twice! I'll add Elton John. Also, Etta James is a blues singer, but talk about being able to convey emotion!

How about The Spinners (Rubberband Man, ect) and Eric Clapton? Also, when I think Classic Rock I think AC/DC, The Who and The Rolling Stones.

Lee

Etta James ... "At Last" - Perfection.


Spenser23

Did anyone happen to see the movie on Hank Williams last nite on channel 58? They interviewed members from his old band and it showed original footage of him at different places in his short career. They showed the Grand Ol' Opry' and told the story about him playing there and finally getting fired. They also said he had alot of back problems and had to have surgery due to fusion. They didn't mention AS, but whatever he had sure sounded like it could have been. He was a huge sensation back in those days. It was a good movie.

Here's a link to a webpage which lists a lot of musicians and their ailments. It says Hank Williams may have had Spina Bifida.

http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1918


Spenser23

Very interesting site Spens, thanks for posting it.
I never knew some of the people listed had those conditions they mentioned.

Etta James....great call!

I would also like to add Koko Taylor...probably none of you are familiar with her, but she was known as Queen of the Blues. She did a version of Muddy Waters' "I'm a Man", but her version was "I'm a Woman".
I was lucky enough to see her live about 7 years ago and she was everything I had hoped.

Char