ok...how is Friday aug 3 for the cd club...the friday of the long weekend....

I recently came across an album on Rdio by Tronic that, Brian, made me think of you and thought it might be right up your alley.  So much so that i suspect you already know it.  Love Backed by Force was originally released in 1981 but "lingered in obscurity".  Of particular note on the album is a cut called "My Baby's In a Coma" ...hummmmmm, sounds a little familiar ... I can't quite my finger on it Mr Morrissey!

ok...calm down all of you...I can only take so many requests... im glad you all want to do this but please just give me holiday dates you cant make.......

I was bemoaning to derek the other night about the theme cd club battles like the 80's night seem to have been dominating our time and we are losing our edge in terms of the primary purpose of our get togethers...that being namely to drink...er.....I mean that being to find new music .... That said i am offering to host the summer event in late July or early August  perhaps w a casual BBQ before....and the topic will be...new stuff that you are loving from 2012.....are any of you away on holdays for that period?
s

Well, fuck.. Very sad. Here's the No Sleep Till Brooklyn video I mentioned a few weekends back.

Full confession: I have never watched 'The Song Remains the Same'. I will now do so, if only so I can come back here and mock Mike for his positive assessment or endorse it full-heartedly. I foresee no middle ground. Also, came across this, which I think is pretty amusing.

I've got a quick post - backward looking, rather than forward, I'm afraid.  On CBC radio this morning, the DJ referred to "the late Robert Plant", and I started thinking maybe I'd missed his passing.  I came into the office and looked it up, and he appears to still be alive.  It was a bit of a coincidence because although I don't listen to much Led Zeppelin anymore, my son gave me, "The Song Remains the Same" on DVD for Christmas, and I got around to watching it on Friday night.  It was actually much better than I remembered it - at least the live music part.  I had remembered Jimmy Page as being particularly sloppy, but upon re-watching it, it was a good performance.  Not without mistakes here and there, but very listenable.  What struck me about the band as I listened to it was how good they were at putting together cool musical riffs and interludes based on very simple instrumentation - 1 guitar with bass and drums, or 1 guitar with keyboard and drums.  Sure, there were lots of self-indulgent jams (guitar with violin bow, the extended drum solo, etc), but the songs are very well written and arranged.  I've significantly upgraded my opinion of that film.  Except the goofy vignettes.  They're pretty terrible. 

There's a noticeable lack of posts on the blog gents.  No musical thoughts to share?  No new listens upon which to expound?  I'm skeptical.   What's everyone's favourite 2012 release?

To complete that thought, the "match-up" view:

Stuart 2 vs Marc 10
Stuart 6 vs Derek 6
Jeff 6 vs Kyle 6
Marc 4 vs Brian 8
Jeff 5 vs Marc 7
Stuart 8 vs Brian 4
Derek 6 vs Kyle 6
Kyle 7 vs Brian 5
Derek 7 vs Marc 5
Stuart 6 vs Kyle 6
Jeff 6 vs Derek 7 (odd, that)
Jeff 4 vs Brian 7 (that too)
Brian 8 vs Derek 4
Stuart 7 vs Jeff 5
Marc 5 vs Kyle 7

ouch...Marc beat me 10 points to 2 on our combined matches.....
otherwise remarkably close battles by all

Final 80s Night Results

Round 1


Stuart - Steve Earle - Copperhead Road - 2

Derek - The Jam - That's Entertainment - 4


Jeff - The Clash - Somebody Got Murdered - 3

Kyle - New Order - Age of Consent - 3


Marc - Michelle Shocked - Fogtown - 1

Brian - Steve Kilbey - Pretty Ugly, Pretty Sad - 5


Round 2

Jeff - The Housemartins - Flag Day - 2

Marc - The Waterboys - Don't Bang the Drum - 4


Stuart - Roxy Music - Same Old Scene - 3

Brian - Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way - 3


Derek - The Smiths - Death of a Disco Dancer - 3

Kyle - The Pixies - Where is My Mind - 3


Round 3

Derek - The Cure - A Night Like This - 2

Stuart - Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy - 4


Kyle - Echo and the Bunnymen - Killing Moon - 4

Brian - Sonic Youth - Expressway to Yr. Skull - 2


Marc - REM - I Believe - 3

Jeff - REM - South Central Rain - 3


Round 4

Kyle - Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again - 3

Jeff - Beastie Boys - No Sleep Til Brooklyn - 3


Brian - The Rain Parade - Prisoners - 1

Stuart - Billy Bragg - Milkman of Human Kindness - 5


Marc - U2 - In God's Country - 2

Derek - House of Love - Christine - 4


Round 5

Stuart - The Replacements - Unsatisfied - 3

Kyle - Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun - 3


Jeff - Pop Will Eat Itself - Wise Up Sucker - 4

Derek - Lloyd Cole - Perfect Skin - 3


Brian - Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet - 3

Marc - Lou Reed - Romeo had Juliette - 3


Round 6

Stuart - The Pogues - Fairytale of New York - 1

Marc - Sinnead O'Connor - Jackie - 5


Jeff - Stone Roses - I am the Resurrection - 2

Brian - Mike Oldfield - To France - 3


Kyle - The Smiths - Panic - 3

Derek - Elvis Costello - Beyond Belief - 3


Round 7

Brian - Dumptruck - Going Nowhere - 3

Derek - Tears for Fears - Head over Heels - 3


Kyle - The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary - 3

Marc - Daniel Lanois - Where the Hawkwind Kills - 3


Stuart - Simple Minds - Someone, Somewhere in Summertime - 4

Jeff - Rolling Stones - Waiting on a Friend - 2


Round 8

Marc - Pete Townshend - Give Blood - 2

Kyle - Love and Rockets - Haunted When the Minutes Drag - 4


Jeff - XTC - Grass - 3

Stuart - Bob Marley - Redemption Song - 3


Derek - Kate Bush - Suspended in Gaffa - 1

Brian - The Feelies - It's Only Life - 5


Round 9

Derek - Orange Juice - Blue Boy - 4

Jeff - Tom Waits - Downtown Train - 2


Brian - Fleshtones - The Dreg - 3

Kyle - Split Enz - I Got You - 3


Marc - Nirvana - About a Girl - 5

Stuart Neil Young - No More - 1


Round 10

Kyle - Prince - Kiss - 3

Stuart – Robbie Robertson - Showdown at Big Sky - 3


Brian - That Petrol Emotion - Cellophane - 4

Jeff - The Chameleons - Swamp Thing - 2


Derek - New Order - Temptation - 3

Marc - Violent Femmes - Add it Up – 3





Final Points Tally:

Brian, Kyle – 32

Marc – 31

Derek – 30

Stuart – 29

Jeff – 26



Not quite sure how Jeff ended up with 4 points in Round 5 with him and I sharing 7 votes for the round and then he and Brian sharing only 5 votes in Round 6. I did a recount of ballots cast yesterday afternoon and this was the case. Still worked out to 180 votes in total.

metaBeats

Verboten songs for this evening

Sad to see this. RIP Levon.

Pshaw Mercer you have an 80's song in your head right now.  Don't deny it.    Everything Counts?  Wrapped Around Your Finger?  Shout?

Re your comfort, good strategy.   Two thoughts: one is you're probably still chuffed from your win at the last smackdown, and/or have realized how unimportant winning actually is, given thet it confers, um. nothing, or two, you've forgotten the cautionary tale of the man who knew a decade cold (let's say, the 90's) and believed he could show up with a list of 200 great songs and dominate by choosing as he went. 

5pm works for me. How does it suit the rest of you?

Can't say I've put in nearly as many hours poring over the music this time as I did for the 90s or the 1979/2004 combo. Don't know if it is complacency or I figure I should know this period in music inside/out (good 80s song by the way) so suffice to say my head is actually not stuck on a perpetual 80s groove and it's a good thing. (another great 80s number). Perhaps I'm fooling myself.

OK gents it's a week and a day until the big 80's showdown.   I have too many songs (surprise!).  

The question for Friday morning is, which 80's song is playing in your head today, likely from too much "research"?  And of course, by disclosing this song it pretty much rules out playing it.   Prepared to anty up?   Mine is "The Unguarded Moment".  

Derek - How about 5 o'clock?  I'll be at Oliver's ball hockey until 4:00 or so.

The posting of the 1980s tracks played by Brian on that fateful evening can be found on the blog in a post by myself dated January 11, 2012. Not that it needs repeating but for those who don't listen the first time around none of the tracks played in previous contests can be played again on the 21st.

Stuart if you feel the need to play Bach, Bix Beiderbecke, Bieber, Blur or anything else not released in the 1980s feel free to amuse yourself as you usually do with your selections anyway and rule yourself out of the "competition" before it begins. At least you'll have a stress free evening.

Speaking of which when would you gents like to kick this thing off next weekend? I'm very flexible on the start time.

It's heartening to note that you recall that decisive ass-kicking as well as I do M. Watson.  

I can probably piece together my track list, but I thought Derek had already posted them sometime in the last couple of months.  Looked and didn't find them, mind you.  If I'm right and they are posted, someone please take over......otherwise I'll figure it out.

Brian what 80's picks did you use to bludgeon Dereks head to a bloody pulpy mess?
I plan to either use them all if allowed....


also......

How many non 80's songs can we use?

As we build our lists for the pending smackdown on the 21st, some more amusing lists to contemplate, including:

• Death Metal Act or Hardy Boys Novel
  
• Hip Hop Act or Entry on US Government Watch List
  
• Rapper or Toiletry

Just so we're all clear on this:

Timeframe - January 1, 1980-December 31, 1989

ie no London Calling by the Clash and no Nevermind by Nirvana

15 songs by the Smiths, New Order and Depeche Mode should see you through Stu. That and some good bottles of wine.

sorry Brian, do you mean we are only playing music from the 80's?

Stu, there are three key rules as I understand it:

(1) Just 80's
(2) Only 80's
(3) Exclusively 80's

I would prefer to not read through all the emails re the upcoming cd club......I am not expecting to fare well in this 80's event , (so i shall bring good wine)....in short, if i bring 15 or so bad 80's tracks...is that all i need to get through this....Or do i need a smattering of songs from other eras...(please I donrt need all the rules , here)
thanks
s

It's unfortunate when people publish irresponsible and inaccurate information like that. To return MetaBeats to the firm ground of established fact and sound analysis, I offer this take on copyright law, SOPA and the economic cost of piracy.

....i guess i should be more careful.....unless perhaps this isn't Derek....but someone hacking onto metabeats.... at any rate I hope "Derek" is correct as I would miss the boxing day ritual...

More room and selection for me at Soundscapes for me I guess. Don't believe all the crap that's on the internet.

its official cds toast later this year...the major labels will no longer make them...so long soundscapes it was good to know you....

I like the new Rdio lay out quite a it. Navigating and building playlists much more straightforward.

Thought of our recent competition and in particular Marc's challenge that night when I read this allmusic post.

Taking awhile to warm up to the new Field Music; seems like they've been listening to a lot of Queen lately. Haven't listened to the new Bruce but I'm meh on Bruce at the best of times (ducking for cover). Bowerbirds is nice but very much a continuation of their previous discs. Ditto Yellow Ostrich, Damien Jurado, Andrew Bird. I've enjoyed their previous efforts so I should listen to them and all that but...just not psyched about doing so. Please chime in if you feel passionately about any of these and I'll give them some attention.

Thanks for the suggestions re: Soft Swells, which I'm giving my first spin right now, as well as the other suggestions.

Not sure if any of you have tried the new web-interface for Rdio but it's a nice improvement. Much closer to Itunes format, easier to create and add to playlists, and you can now shuffle through playlists, which is also nice. Still no ability to sort or shuffle by Genre, which I find a limiting, but shuffling through the collection, both online and through the 'Play Station' feature in the iphone/ipad app, are pretty cool.

Hey boys, millions of interesting new releases right now. Field Music, Damien Jurado, GBV, Beirut, Andrew Bird, Bowerbirds, Yellow Ostrich, Bruce and many, many more!! ....What's everyone been listening to?

I've also happened upon a few new artists that I'm quite enjoying Soft Swells and Bart Davenport, and the Golden Awesome (nice 'gaze music, this one).

Ok back to the 80's for un petit peu. How do Saturday April 28 or Saturday May 5th sit with you boys? My place around 4 pm'ish. Showdown #3 about to commence.

ah yes...I went to see the monkees at ontario Place around 1982 and recall Davy Jones' unorthodox comment about the 60's "I remember those days and I remember those gays , and I'm that man" WTF? Rob and I never could figure out what that meant coming from a straight man....

Notwithstanding the incoherant between song banter I remember dearly loving that day in the sun with rum and coke disguised in a slurpy cup or something like it baking on the grassy slopes....How many shows did I see at that greatest of venues in the summer? 30? 40?.....great show by the "non-band" .....of course I cant help but to say some of their best songs .....Im a believer, Little bit me and Look out here comes tomorrow are of course by this little known fellow whom Mike G and I love...of course I could just as well of picked this photo instead..

but I digress.......

good night Davey......

Now Kyle, couldn't you have chosen one of the countless, execrable Davy Jones' vehicles as your song to post? How about I Wanna Be Free, or Forget That Girl, or hey, how about one of the most laughable songs in the history of pop "The Day We Fall in Love"?

So yes, Davy was almost without exception absolutely godawful and horrendous. The only Monkee that couldn't play an instrument or write a song - get a load of his bass-dance in the Pleasant Valley video - OMG that is hilarious. Whereas Tork and Nesmith were bona fide musicians at least, and Dolenz learned the drums (well, that's being kind) and wrote a bunch of pretty great songs. First to die, and fair 'nough I say.

So I appreciate the chance to eulogize as I do like the Monkees, particularly the brief period after they broke away from the tyranny of those bastard record labels and fascist producers and made their own record, the outstanding "Headquarters"! Yeah baby. (well, it's pretty good anyway - four or five songs that are genuinely cool and of-the-moment). And then the follow up, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, is filled with strong, lesser known tracks. Both those records will be featured by moi at a future music night, as a solemn memorial to Pre-Fab Four.

So, while acknowledging all of the absolute dreck that Davy Jones will be remembered for, I guess the question I'm left with is, what was his best song? Slim pickings, and many would say Daydream Believer, or, even better, this one, but not I. For me this track always packed a bit of punch very uncharacteristic of Davy's "ouevre".

(Wacky semi-live recording here too, though Dolenz isn't playing the drum part and Nesmith is only playing part of the guitar part - fair enough, he's not a flamenco expert :) ). The pure studio version sounds better but I love the visual of this one, with Davy getting on the crane.

Davy Jones RIP.

Isn't 'My Devotion is Queried' one of Robi's signature tracks? You should have seen it coming, man. Of course, having to trek out to Glencairn was likely a very discombobulating experience.

Brian, any final thoughts on Davy J?

My faith has been crushed, my devotion queried, my
world turned topsy-turvy ...my preconceptions of performance thrown ruthlessly into
the quagmire of day to day life. Oh, how
the mighty have fallen from the rafters on high!

Last night m.e. and i went out to Chalkers Pub to
check out Robi Botos. I thought, hey we
need to eat, the food at Chalkers is decent, m.e. has never seen Robi live and
i just can’t seem to get enough of his energy and creativity. We took the TTC to Chalkers and i gotta say
that for a place stuck in the middle of butt-fuck-nowhere it is really pretty
easy for us to get to by transit, possibly less time than it might take to get
to the College Street strip ...it’s just around the corner from the Glencairn
station.

Robi’s performance was atrocious, miserable,
lifeless, soulless. I’m sure you’ve all
been in a bar or restaurant where there was a pianist playing in the background
...playing a loungey jazz that fails to move you ...a jazz that leaves you cold
and bored with your mind wandering, but you are forced to listen in the hopes
that the object of your attention is warming up and is going to open his eyes,
pick up the pace and let loose? ...it never happened.

Robi was billed as performing a single solo set
starting at 7:30; fine, i figured it was a nice way to spend an hour and a half
over dinner ...it was painful. I was
about to make a request (Night in Tunisia that i have seen him rock out on) so
that he might be ignited, but alas, he said he was done. I have never been so disappointed in a
show. If i am correct, i think he was
off to the Rex to play a real gig. I
have to hand it to Robi that he is an exceedingly hard working musician, and i often
wonder how great musicians get themselves motivated to play, night after night,
often playing in front of tiny audiences ...well, apparently sometimes they don’t!

Pool tables at Chalkers were a welcome substitute
for more disappointing music.

Two great gigs to review, (well I guess three). The first was Robi Botos and Hilario Duran at the Four Seasons Center, part of the after work free concert series. I had seen Robi the week before up at Chalkers Pub performing in front of an audience of about nine. Robi is doing a regular gig there on Tuesdays and I gotta say that it's not a bad setting. The pub is not small and has a load of pool tables but the space is laid out in an L shape with the noisier play far away from the performance space. The result is a nice focus on the music. Botos worked his way through an evening of standards moving a tad predictably between fast and slow numbers, but, always gave it heart and a boat load of soul. I confess to being drawn deeper into the music when it rocks out but then again, you can't appreciate it without the grace between the energy. I'm a huge fan of his. Still. It was funny. After his first set, as the last note still resonated from the grand, two massive plates of food appeared and Robi flopped himself down beside me to chow down. Despite the modest artists cover charge, I could not help but think that Robi was playing for his dinner. I asked him about the bill which said that he was going to playing with a trio and he said "'things are slow, it's cold outside, can't afford to pay the guys to come out to a gig like this" (paraphrased). BTW I now know why Robi is such a big boy; he wolfs like it's going to be his last meal!

The gig at the FSC was a marked contrast. Hilario Duran and Botos duelled and sparred on a pair of Steinways (Duran on an Orchestra Grand and Botos on a Small Concert Grand) on the second floor landing, hammering out a series of standards and a few traditional tunes from their homelands that left the crowd astounded; The week before when we were at Chalkers someone had asked about the upcoming gig and had asked if they had rehearsed together and Robi's response was "we have exchanged e-mails!"

The pairing was stellar. Botos and Duran danced around the lead feeling each other out and riffing off each other, but playing as if they had know each other for years despite the fact that it was the first time they had played together. Although they at times approached the music with wanton abandon, the music was always crafted and precise. On occasions Botos played the lowest register with his right in the guts of the grand dampening the strings and walking out a base line as if he were standing at an upright double, Duran improvising on a melody, allowing the moment to fuel his imagination as well as our own. Sweet mellifluousness tone floated into the gallery were I stood awaiting every fresh note.

The performance started at 5:30 and I arrived at 5:16 and was the penultimate one to be allowed entry as the hall was filled to capacity. I found John Good who was parked on the upper level. Cautionary note; if you ever go to a performance in the atrium, if you are on the upper level, try to keep your ear within a direct line of "sight" with the instruments below. I was standing about two paces back from the glass railing (or guard as Stuart will be sure to correct me). At first I found it a rather discombobulating experience to be able to see the pair playing but not being able to hear them directly, the sound (some of it) bouncing off of the acoustical ceiling that usually does such a stellar job of muting the din of the glass lined atrium.

The last gig i saw was Rachel Therrien and her Quintet on Thursday night. It was an awesome evening. It was my first time at the Trane Studio and it’s a pretty good space. The focus at the Trane is without a doubt on the music. The Trane has no taps, a modest selection of wines, beers, other libations and a limited dinner menu that is really quite nice. I had salmon with a mango salsa that was one of eight items on the entire menu, but then, when you do something reasonably well, why mess it up with too much diversity.

Therrien at the Trane
with all apologies for quality and editing

Rachel Therrien is a young up and coming composer and horn player from Montreal. The quintet played a sort of post-hard-bop-bop; rhythmic, soulful, at times hard hitting and even bombastic but almost always tight and full of ideas. The quintet played an entire evening of original compositions, both from the September 2011 release “On Track” as well as previously unreleased newer compositions. Therrien draws not only from the tradition of bop but as well from the Cuba where she studied for nine months and from the heart of African rhythm on some compositions. Listen closely and you can hear the energies of the likes of Tony Allen thrashing away on the skins. Nary a moment went by through the two sets when i found my mind wandering from the music, it was that good. Therrien has been recording for several years but only put her own quintet together about a year ago, the two night stand being their first visit to Toronto. Charles Trudel (keys), Simon Page (base), Alain Bourgeois (drums) all add a youthful insight and energy to the compositions that are steeped in a classic tradition of bop, but are somehow fresh and relevant. Perhaps my only reservation might have been towards Sebastien Fortin (sax), who for me, left me wanting. Oh well, four outta five ain’t bad! Rachel is moving to New York next year ...there’s a woman who’s taking her music seriously!

Derek, thought I'd respond to your comment around April / May and the 80's. Not sure everyone saw this. Yes.

Late to the Link Wray discussion but can definitely see the influences for Primal Screen, Gomez. Thanks for pointing it out, Stu.

Stu, I'll pass. Hated it when it was current, hate it now. The full throttled style bravado of the chorus delivery in "I Will Always Love You" belongs to the 'Let me show you how big my dick is' style of singing that continues to haunt American Idol and all its variants. Blech. Listening to music like this is like having a cockroach run up your arm. Unfortunately, this will likely mean more Whitney being played now than less. Thank God in heaven that I'm never in a position where I have to listen to the radio for any length of time.

one of the guys in our office as a lark has put whiney houstons greatest hits on....and really you will know every word to most of the songs...and we all joke that this sort of music is bad but....its actually so bad it is making me ill to my stomach... since this doesnt get much airplay anymore i find it interesting how grateful I am to not be subjected to this anymore if I happen to be out in public somewhere.... really just try it on rdio... it is so over the top bad it is absurd..

I dont think we have spent much time as a group playing past favorites Derek, , which is why Brians lost classics blog is a good one...I am hoping to delve into the others mentioned by you guys shortly..perhaps a future club night we can dust these off for each other....
Re Link Wray, I have recently heard that he was an important innovator with his guitar style but frankly I have recently listened to these early recordings and not liked them that much.....I tend to be a sucker for the early 70's era and stumbled across it back when i was obsessed with that singer songwritter period of 70-72......you may want to see if his early stuff works for you

Sitting here in my hotel room in bloody cold Charlottetown but much warmth emanating from my speakers here as I just listened to the Link Wray disc all the way through on Rdio. Pretty fucking great record. Wondering why you've kept this one a secret for so long Stuart.

The deeper I got into the record the more I kept thinking that Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie has to be a huge fan of this guy so I gave it a google and here you go.

I have been enjoying looking back thu my old vinyl replaying some gems not played in years in search of a worthy lost classic...2 more:

Thunderclap Newman : Hollywood Dream... Discovered this back in early university days and if I am not mistaken I think Marc VG and maybe a mutual friend Ray loved this too??? Marc???

At any rate wonderful pop rock from 69 I was going to play the single Something in the air on our battle night but forgot to bring the album.... It feels like a greatest hits to me especially side 2...its the songs that are melodic but messed with enough to be original and memorable...against a warm falsetto voice...

Link Wray : self titled from early 70's is a country / folk/ blues base, but with a singer songwriter originality dose thrown in...not just derivitive roots music which a lot of this stuff is...You may know Fallin rain the standout track.....no artiface on this lp

s

Super Bowl Blog. Derek and I talking music, trying to avoid the Madonna songs. Not hard to do. An idea to consider: the next all-in get together is all1980's music. No years assigned, just wide open within the decade, and may the best man win. Thoughts?

Here are a few of my faves from that much maligned and sadly negelected decade the 80s.

Few of these might be considered classics and there are others from this period that I love and you lot are probably well aware of so let's call these some lesser known gems. Sorry I won't be providing a rationale for my love of these records. I'll leave that up to Brian. He's pretty good at it.

The Undertones - Hypnotized (1980)
Teardrop Explodes - Wilder (1981)
The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge (1983)
The Men They Couldn't Hang - Night of a Thousand Candles (1985)
The Woodentops - Giant (1986)
Jazz Butcher - Bloody Nonsense (1986)
That Petrol Emotion - Manic Pop Thrill (1986)
The The - Infected (1986)
The Triffids - In the Pines (1986)
Bill Pritchard - Three Months, Three Weeks and Two Days (1989)

Nico? Wow. Nice! The Moby Grape is much more of a relic of its age than the Quicksilver, Stu. It's remarkable for its time but isn't always very contemporary sounding. The QMS has some of those issues too but I think it translates better. Then again, it might only take some extraordinary artist to re-create elements of the sound for it to sound fresh again, who knows.

I am defintiely re-trying the Faces - I'm not sure why I've resisted that one. And the Crosby is a great album. Some tracks very reminsicent of his later Byrds work, plus leading the way for CSN. It's only when you hear Crosby in isloation that you realize how influential he was on the sound of those more commonly acknowledged-as-major artists all round him. Crosby's sound is CSN's sound, to a great degree.

A similarly great (not as great, mind, let's say very good) record from a little after that is Roger McGuinn's first solo record (self-titled). Worth a listen if you haven't.

forgot to mention am actually starting to get into Nico thanks to that mix cd Brian but that Moby album aint turnin my crank yet, just picked up that quicksilver , but will try those others out..

I too had somehow missed your post too, which is odd as I recall reading posts above and below it...let me put down my scotch now and carry on...

I do have a feelies record but not that one and did have a cracker record once but generally all this is new to me for the exploring thanks Brian.....

as for the early stuff , as I looked through my music I found that the stuff that I used to play people as unkown gems have mostly been found out now with the plethora of lost masterpieces being released every year now on cd....so what constitutes a lost gem masterwork of the past these days...I will post a few that I think qualify as really unknown to most but for me I am finding that there are a number of great albums by known artists that have never been acknowledged as such and will post some now....

:

1) FACES ...OH LA LA.....(I know you are sick of me plugging this band) This album was panned by Rod on the eve of its release to the labels amazement...and it then got duely panned by all shortly after , never to resurface.....The album only has roughly half the songs with involvement of Rod... It is really a Ronnie Lane songwriting showpiece...It also has Ronnie Wood lead vocals on the hit Oh La La....though most credit that vocal to Laine....

great mix of english rock and pop...hugely under rated

2) David Crosby....If Only I could remember my name....roundly slammed by American press , who typically rate anything American 3 stars above the british as a starting point...his etherial vocals and writing style are timeless now and age better then a lot of post CSN solo material..For me this is better then anything by and ex alumni of that band and beat a number of records a famous member of an expanded CSN group of greater notoriety

It's a good thing that you mentioned your tome, because I completely missed it. I thought I had kept up on the thread, but after I saw your somewhat whiny message, I scrolled down and realized that I had somehow missed your thousand word contribution. I'm glad I found it, though. I don't know all of the albums that you listed, but the ones that I do know I like a lot. So I'll have give them a listen and maybe pick some of them up.

Just to point out that my tome of a post is now sitting three posts down given that it took me two days to write it. Nice, Brian.

I agree that perserverence can make a difference - some albums have certainly taken a long time to grow on me. When I was a young music fan with boundless enthusiasm and very limited funds, perserverence was natural. I listened to everything I had over and over again and deliberately forced myself to keep the less loved music in the mix. However, with such ready access to massive volumes of music now, I am much less likely to invest the time to perservere with a challenging album. It's too easy to just move on to something else.

Seems to be some general themes here...
- generalization bias : firstly, I find like Marc that Q does have some great artists on the playlist, like those mentioned by kyle , but the problem is they only play the same 4 songs from each artist, whether it is Bowie or the beatles...2 artisits of whom you could play hundreds of different songs....( How many great stones, dylan and bowie songs have never been played on Q107? 300?) , Second, One does tend to seek out lesser known artists or lesor known albums of major artists as it is good sport for one of out lot to bring an unkown gem into our circulation...This is a good thing , in that i tend to feel, If I dont like it , i am the loser and i prefer not to be a loser .....however, If after 5 or 6 plays and i still dont like it then I tend to give up to a degree, unless one of you wankers insists I am so wrong... It is true that some like Villiage Geen, Stony ponys and Yankee Foxtrot I came to love , after a longer period of attempts, and others like Sonic Youth and that Frank black band which name excapes me have not , so there is something to be said for perserverance......
S

Mike that's a great off-the-top-of-your-header. Dulcinea's a great listen, Melville is a completely unique record, and I loved the Alan Parsons when I was in my teens....that one far more than some of his others.

You're right that it's impossible to boil it down to few enough records to make it digestible. I started writing records down as they came to me, and two days later have ended up with way too many. And I'm nowhere near done....but in the interest of offering some of my favourite music to the gang, I'll jot these ones down. They seem to be concentrated initially into 80's / early 90's records and 60's records.

Cracker - Kerosene Hat (1993) Great mix of grunge sensibilities with roots rock and former Camper lead man Dave Lowery's acerbic view of the world. Low might be my favourite song of that year and that's saying something. But the record as a whole is brilliant. Tracks - Low, Movie Star, Kerosene Hat

The Feelies - Only Life (1988) Not considered their most influential record, but for me this one was a revelation. May have listened to it more then any other record over the few years of its release. Tracks - It's Only Life, the Undertow, Higher Ground.

The Chills - Submarine Bells (1990) A great, intelligent (almost too brainy) pop record, far and away their best, to my ears, from Kiwi band. Lots of edge, melody, lyrical depth, and very clever arrangements. Tracks - Oncoming Day, Singing in my Sleep. Don't be Memory.

That Petrol Emotion - Babble (1987) Pretty ferocious (at times anyway) politically motivated eighties hard pop from a few of the former Northern Irish band Undertones, plus a great American singer (Steve Mack). So brilliant. Tracks - Spin Cycle, For What It's Worth, Big Decision, Chester Burnett.

The Mekons - Rock and Roll (1989). Just a great surprisingly hard -rocking record from this perennially underground English band, who at this point were already ten years along. Tracks - Blow Your Tuneless Trumpet (great song), Only Darkness Has the Power, Learning to Live on Your Own (a lovely melodic 60's-reminiscent number).

Big Dipper - Heavens (1987) - possibly my favourite record of the 1980's from this Boston-based band. Full of guitar-fuelled energy, clever if obscure lyrics, and a rocking modern sound that still sounds fresh to my ears. Tracks - She's Fetching, Lunar Module, When Men Were Trains, Mr. Woods.

Eleventh Dream Day - El Moodio (1993) Great year for guitar music, and these guys exemplify that. The fact that they rocked from 1987 to today (2011 release "Riot Now" is great) is what is sometimes lost....they preceded and have outlasted the trend of the day. This is moody, American indy rock with mixed girl/boy singing. If you don't know this band and/or this record, I urge you to listen to it! P.S. It's good!

John Cunningham - happy-go-unlucky (2002) Oh look, the 00's!! Great hushed Beatlesque-meets-Elliot-Smith singer-songwriter with (Kyle, this word is for you) lush orchestral arrangements. This guy has subsequently disappeared. Brilliant record.


And some 60's: These ones are more iconic in some cases, but you'll still never catch 'em on the Q!

Quicksilver Messenger Service - self-titled (1968). First was best for this core San Fran band, a jazzy, folky psych rock classic. Tracks - Pride of Man, Gold and Silver.

Moby Grape - self-titled (1967). The other great never-quite-made-it San Fran band, famous for their implosion despite enormous talent. Perhaps an overly obvious choice, but I adore the music. Another first record that nails what was great about that scene and that sound. Definitely not timeless though, specific to its time and place. Tracks - Omaha, Someday, Hey Grandma.

The Move - self-titled (1968). Rough and raw English pop with multiple personalities. May seem unremarkable upon first listen, but huge grower, as are the next three or four records after this one. 6 or 7 extraordinarily memorable pop songs. Eventually this band spawned ELO, but you won't hear it much here. Tracks - Lemon Tree, Night of Fear, Walk Upon Water, Fire Brigade.

Left Banke - Left Banke Too (1968). Beautiful and unusual baroque pop from this NY-based band. It was the year after their big hit record, and the main songwriter had left....yet this record is so great. Still that lush baroque/psych pop sound, a little prescient of the early 70's arrangement-wise. I have a hunch that many current bedroom-popsters making one-man-band masterpieces know this record well. Tracks - Bryant Hotel, Desiree, Nice to See You.

Nico - Chelsea Girl (1967). I may have mentioned I love this record? Not sure. A standard bearer for early baroque pop, which also breaks the "loving" tone of the sixties with a mix of irony and detached pain. Tracks - Little Sister, I'll Keep it With Mine, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.

Beau Brummels - Triangle (1967) Great early country-folk-chamber-pop record, as the Brummels evolved from their pure pop early-60's personae from a few years previous. Distinctive vocal style of Sal Valentino dominates the songs at times. Stuart didn't love this when I leant it to him, but then, he didn't love the Kinks Village Green the first time he borrowed it either. Tracks - Magic Hollow, Are You Happy, Painter of Women.

The rest of you lads posting your lost favourites? I'm looking forward to doing some listening.

I could go on for a very long time listing highly regarded albums that I've never really bothered with. Many have already been mentioned. But I'm more interested in the other side of the challenge - albums that I consider to be wonderful that never garnered the respect that they deserve. It would take more time than I have to do a thorough stroll through my collection looking for these, but here are a few off the top of my head:

Dulcinea by Toad the Wet Sprocket

Laid by James

Melville by Rheostatics

One Job Town by Grievous Angels

Robbie Roberston's first solo album
Starfish by the Church

Tales of Mystery and Imagination by the Alan Parsons Project

Vegetarians of Love by Bob Geldhof

I'm not suggesting that these albums are all significant in any way other than the music. But as far as the music goes, these are all among my favorites, and I don't think they're generally considered to be that strong.

i'm now working through the Joy Division and New Order catalogue. I know some of it but wonder why i never latched onto it when it was actually current. I'm latching now though!

Isn't storing jewellery in a work shop a safety hazza...oh wait, you meant your testicles and penis. Got it. Rock on.

don't get me wrong Kyle, i find it loathsome that i listen to the station ...and i'm often really not sure why i do. In reality, i often only listen when i'm doing physical work on site or in the shop. I think it helps me get into workymanjojo head space ...accompanied by frequent cursing, horking and scratching of the family jewels!

Marc,
re: Springsteen, Derek - Protestations to the contrary, it sounds like you do care. And that's perfectly fine, of course, to passionately care about an artist that someone else may disparage, or fail to appreciate, as you point out further down in your screed, i mean, post. :) But you care. A little. It comes across. The 'dragged from the bowels' line hints at frustration. A smidge.

re: the Q, you make some good points. In my rush to add my voice to the discussion, I may have crapped on the station in haste. A quick google search of their website, in fact, reveals a playlist of recently played songs that, though not exactly teeming with novelty, is one I could easily imagine myself compiling and listening to on a weekend: Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Roxy Music. I cheerfully concede that they can and do play artists that I like. And yet, if I asked to come up with words to describe Q's brand/identity, and prevented from using the words 'classic rock', then 'sexually retarded adolescent boy rock' would be next. Perhaps this is my own idiosyncratic take and others feel differently.

Kyle, i take your point about cock rock, but be aware (being the not so closet Q listener that i am on occasions) that you are lumping a huge swath of generalization into what you might think is the playlist of Q107. Don't get me wrong, i see its limitations, its sexism, its commercialization and the repetition of the rather narrow playlist as rather perplexing, but seriously, are you, of all people going to tell me that the entire Beatles catalogue is not to your liking. or that you never get honest pleasure from Dylan, Young, Marley, The Birds, the Kinks, The Velvet Underground, Nirvana, The Hip etc? ...i can see your point that over exposure breeds discontent, is that it? or is it a matter of "if it's on the Q, i must disassociate myself from it".

...can't believe i'm setting myself up for such a slaughter...it actually sounds like i'm defending the Q!

Derek, it's all fine and dandy to drag some 28 year old review from the bowels of history texts or comment on how ridiculous the star rating is for his albums, but what do you think of the albums in question. And no you don't need to go out and listen to it. Frankly i don't care. Really. There is no reason you should like my favourite album and no, i'm not 14, and so no, it won't make us bff.

I don't mean it personally, but i frankly feel it's fine to not like something, or to not even give it a chance. We all have biases in life and we are all individuals with individual tastes and association. I think you all hit the nail on the head but all for your own reasons. I would say that the last thing that any of us are is conformists and yet we are trying to conform ourselves and each other by trying to like shit that we are supposed to like. It's almost like people who like indie bands but stop liking them when they get popular because they don't want to be part of the mainstream ...but in reverse.

A more fulsome list will have to wait, but I'm enjoying the debate, particularly the figurative dagger throwing, vagueness of intended target notwithstanding.

My interjection, and here I'm quoting a band a song Stu played at the contest, "It's not the band I hate/it's their fans" ('Coax Me'. Sloan, speaking of Consolidated) may be a big factor for me.

The guys at my grade and then high school who liked heavy metal? Yeah, not people I gravitated towards and therefore avoided any band whose name happened to be etched onto the back of their jean jackets, embossed on their 3/4 length baseball shirts, or scratched onto their desks. So metal, or anything tangentially in the harder rock category, into which, however incorrectly, a band like Rush fell, were never gonna fall into my zone of interest during their hey day. I've since come to dig 'Tom Sawyer' to a certain extent, but in the same way that I appreciate that GNR's 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is a great song but never, ever listen to it of my own volition.

In fact, it's safe to say that anything that falls into the brand category of Q107 (Toronto classic rock station, for the uninitiated) is never going to be more than a guilty pleasure. This is in part due to the inane cock-rock (Motley Crue, Poison, Van Halen, etc) that is still played round the clock but mostly due to the culture, which I associate with the smoking of Players Light cigarettes, reading of the Toronto Sun, a political philosophy defined largely by negative visceral reaction to the unfamiliar, and tired sexist bullshit. So if you're a Q band, rightly or wrong, I'm never going to give you the time of day.

A corollary to the Sloan maxim is the 'Because a friend overlikes a band and seemingly won't shut the fuck up about how great it is, I'm hesitant to embrace its greatness'. I think this accounts for a lot of the widely divergent takes on certain bands among the posters here, especially the lack of appreciation for bands which, artists who, tend to be held in wide esteem, like the Beatles, Arcade Fire, and Bruce Springsteen.

Anyhoo, my list coming up. That it will kick the shit out of whatever Stu gets around to posting almost goes without saying. But I thought I'd say it anyway, just to stir the pot, throw another dagger, butcher my way through other metaphors, etc.

ha! 2112 ...just another hundred years to go!

In regards to Mr. Springsteen for one last go around I actually own two records of his. The aforementioned "Born in the USA" purchased solely to placate my 3rd year university girlfriend at the time. My parents subsequently must have assumed I was a big Boss fan and several years later gave me my most WTF Christmas moment ever when they dropped his 5 LP live set in to my unsuspecting lap.

I have just recently read Ellen Willis' "Out of the Vinyl Deeps" primarily a collection of her writings on rock music from the late 60s through early 70s for the New Yorker.

Enjoyed the book very much and was amused by this piece near the end of the book on our man Bruce: "...he is not a great songwriter. His melodies tend to be shapeless and to sound alike. As a result his first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., is virtually unlistenable...". This from a piece she wrote in November 1974. Granted this is before some of his so-called classic albums were cut but I tend to agree.

I sometimes get the feeling with artists like Springsteen that the mythology has surpassed the reality and that we're all meant to genuflect before his masterful body of work. Look at Allmusic for all the proof required. Albums 1-8 and all 4.5-5 stars so how can one argue with that. It was refreshing to say the least to get a perspective from someone in the thick of it while the music was being released.

OK enough from me on that topic.

As for Brian's list of coulda, shoulda, and never wills. I think as far as Genesis applies it's likely too late for them to make any impression on a non-believer. For me they were a late high school love primarily because the group of guys I hung out with counted amongst them some big fans of the band. They were also the first band I saw live when I was 17 at MLG. I don't really listen to them too much these days and that's not going to change going forward.

New Order on the other hand still does it for me and you should really give a listen to "Power, Corruption and Lies". Try the tracks "Age of Consent", "The Village" and "Your Silent Face" for starters. You could also go back to the 1st album which has (at least on Rdio) the bonus tracks of some sterling 12" single releases in "Ceremony", "Everythings Gone Green", "Temptation" and "In a Lonely Place".

As much as I enjoyed some of the songs on their next 3 or 4 records the initial Joy Division to New Order transition produced their most memorable music.

As for Frank Zappa I agree wholeheartedly.

Now you'll have to excuse me I'm off to see what Rush's "2112" has to offer.

marc's project of the day ...Fleet Foxes ...here we go.

Note on 8) BSS ...loved it to death when they where the nazz but now, not so much. It's good but not great. I thought it was great when it came out ...why did it not wear that well? Now speaking of releases that came out around then, Funeral ...why don't you love it Brian? That is an album you should love, but can't get into if i am not mistaken. ...could i be so bold as to say it is the most important album of the past ten years? ...is there a more important or significant album in our cultural sphere?

Nice list and post Brian. Far more thinking than i am capable of! Interesting note so as to harp on the Boss, the only BS album that Derek owns is Born in the USA which is his most commercially successful album but quite possibly the one which has worn the least well over time ...mired with and overabundance of capital P proudness and flag waving. Contrast that with his early work that is humble introspective poetic and frankly, spoke to me when i was "Growing Up" (which is in fact a great tune). Can i divorse the music from the time in which i grew up and look at it objectivelly, no. I would suggest listening to Greeting from Asbury Park as it is perhaps a little more accessible and really brings more meaning and understanding to his second album that came out in the same year, The Wild The Innocent and the East Street Shuffle. I think that the W.I.E.S.S would make a good back to back listen with Closing Time by Tom Waits. Two albums from the same neck of the woods and the same year.

I gotta say that i love rush in small doses and in part because i feel it is always over the top. Perhaps it jumped the shark from the get go, but that's what being prog is all about, is it not? Rush IS different. It has a sound that you can love or hate and it can be pretty hard to get past that and it might be what keeps me at a distance much of the time. The music explores themes for the working man and punches it out in screaming licks with both wild abandon and introspective reflection. I still throw on my copy of 2112 from time to time ...much to m.e's chagrin ....and the meek shall inherit the earth.

Brian, if you are looking for some Acid jazz, do check of Toshinori Kondo and DJ Krush, when you are in a mood to be frenetic, give the Soil and Pimp Sessions disk another spin if you still have the compilation i gave you. (i'll cut you another if you want) I still think they rock. For something a little more down beat to smooth out the ruffled edges, check out Carboot Soul by Nightmares on Wax

Oh nice,methinks a nerve has been touched. NOW I realize why we haven't had this conversation in 15 years! And (not to harp on it but) why I wrote a screenplay about you all. Such awesome deeply brewing conflict. Anyway, not to soften a fun rant, MVG, but Derek could very well have been shooting that arrow at me, as he and I have had the "Boss" discussion on more than one occasion (without blows, though I think he stuck out his tongue once....) I'm a big Springsteen fan, particularly his first 7 or 8 records. But in Derek's defence, I would say that, while he can appear a touch obstinate, the man is in fact a musical warrior, based on the amount of new / old music he has discovered over the past ten years. Pretty much always willing to listen to music, particularly a trusted recommendation. So perhaps the question to ask ourselves is, what is the best Springsteen record for Derek to re-spin, and why?

So moving on to my Voids and Vacuums, I loved both of your lists. Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask is a perfect example of a record that is deeply revered that's bloody hard to listen to. Among the Ulysses' of pop, if you will.

And unlike Derek, among my list are plenty of examples of me closing my mind down to styles, sub-genres, and artists. Some of which I know more with the fullness of time. Others probably not so much.

Genesis is at or near the top of the list for me. I never listened to them back in the day, and haven't really gone back in any committed way to re-try it. Would welcome some insight on which record(s) to start with. I'm fairly optimistic, unlike some of the other music on this list, that I may quite like it. How do the Genesis lovers feel about it standing the test of time?



(1) Genesis - Trick of the Tail? Lamb Lies Down?

(2) Rush - 2112 - Canadian prog rock classic, sure, but is it really any good? I have no idea.

(3) Frank Zappa - you name the album....I prefer the early records only slightly, but classic period like Hot Rats etc really doesn't do it for me.

pause, there is a trend here to Prog Rock....time to mix it up.

(4) New Order - just always sounded like light synth-pop to me, but it's level of belovedness is making me re-think. In truth I never listened to it much. So, which record and why? Other synth pop depressed me too, but New Order is a great example of music that was inspiring a lot of the cool people all around me, but left me cold. Alas, I was a man unhappy in his own musical time. But that's another story.

(5) Talking Heads - Fear of Music or anything after that. I always thought they were a far better band before they discovered African. Their first two records sound so fresh to me. When they got popular I checked out

(6) Hip hop, trip hop, rap, jungle, house or acid Jazz. Ok, those are categories ( and you knew it was coming...) but is there a classic record nestled in there somewhere? Outkast? Public Enemy? Black Planet maybe. Notorious BIG? Input please.

(7) Sweet Baby James - never really got James Taylor, though I do love a lot of other 70's singer / songwriter.

(8) Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People. Should probably love it but don't.

(9) Pearl Jam - 10. Always sounded like more old power rock than anything new to me.

To each, their own! I know i’m never going to be able to convince you to listen to Springsteen Derek, and i know that i should stop because you will only despise it having walked into it with a mind closed tight as a bear trap. But in all seriousness, why should i care? I do take it as a personal affront every time it comes up ...and i know that dig was thrown dagger-like in my direction ...but why should i care?

I am thankful for the fact that we don ‘t agree on everything. I don’t get Genesis. I tried 69 Love Songs again for the smackdown ...didn’t get it, again. I find there is a lot that people go on about that i spin and just go hunh? The flip side of that is that i can be slow on the uptake on a lot of stuff, so i know i need to give it a chance. So much music ...only so many chances to spread around.

BTW, Elton John's early work is pretty close to my heart and i still listen to it fairly regularly. I think that we all form bonds with certain music at different times in our life for different reasons. I can't necessarily expect someone to relate to a piece of good music in the same way that i do because our life experience to which we relate music are different. If i came to his music now it would not mean the same thing to me. It's interesting that although music in the recorded form is static, in that it physically does not change with time, the environment in which it is reflected is a moving target. So don't worry Derek, I won't take it too personally.

OK first off I'll throw in the albums I haven't bothered with yet:

Pet Sounds
Born to Run / Nebraska / Darkness on the Edge of Town... you get the picture
MC5 - Kick out the Jams
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (has anyone listened to this?)

And pretty much anything you care to throw into the "classic record" category by CCR, Elton John or the Grateful Dead.

Am I missing out on something special here by not listening to any of those listed above?

Yeah I thought it might be surprising to see what crops up Stu. Interestingly, I have this feeling that after 15 years of playing music together we still haven't played some of our hard core faves to each other. And what better way to find some new (old) classics than from you lot?

Derek, I thought of doing some folk rock...in fact at one point when we were to be doing genres

I thought of folk rock as a great category...but up against heavy all out any genre wars I elected to play a handfull of songs that I thought were stronger as stand alone songs ( and they fell pretty flat anyway) ... I wasnt sure any 1 song off any of the classic folk albums could withstand a vote.. for me folk rock is an album thing...the whole albums are great right through but I wasnt sure any 1 song was so much better then the rest that it would translate.... (yet tuesdays gone with the wind by LS did exceptionally well), so maybe I was wrong......

Brian I like your through out and am deciding what 5 underrated albums to play.... some will be quite rare and some may be severely underrated albums by known artists for me.....

s

You're right Derek. Stuart IS really terrible at the smack down competition!

And speaking of terrible, how is it that you are listening to such a brilliant record for only the first time (as you approach your semi-centenary).

Brings up a good blog subject, which deserves scrutiny. Who knows, it's even possible that Gerald may opine on this one. And the question is two-fold.

Part A - are there any brilliant, acknowledged classic albums that you're aware of that you haven't bothered with yet? Ie Liege and Lief if you're Derek, or Velvet Underground and Nico if you're Stu? (Mine will come later).

Part B - What are the five incredible albums, personal faves of yours only please (ie nothing theoretical here), that you feel belong in the pantheon of greats but don't get mentioned (or mentioned much?). The more obscure the better.

Just listening to Fairport Convention's 1969 release "Liege and Lief". My first listen and I am already loving it. Pray tell Mr Watson why was this disc and especially a great track like Matty Groves left off last weeks playlist? Just wondering.

For those lovers of the Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs, a blog that attempts to set each song to a series of illustrations.

I also voted once for "the opposition". Agreed re 1980-91, and I would also like to explore mid-60's, mid-70's, (and, I suppose, early 00's). We may need to shorten the 25 year rule.

apologies, yes brian thanks much for the pizza , forgot that and yes more importantly thank you so very much for winning it Derek.....

I voted against myself once, and looking back i feel i voted fairly, with my gut and my heart. The one that really slayed me was Superstition.
Slight correction Brian, the Doobie's song i played is called Long Train Runnin' and not, as the chorus would suggest, Without Love.

I too voted against my songs twice and as you noted Stuart, in what may have been a common occurrence for many of us, I voted 4 times for songs that were brand new to me on Friday night.

Thanks for hosting Brian, for footing for the pizza and for all involved playing songs with great enthusiasm and most especially to me for winning this thing.

yes thanks much Kyle and Brian for hosting...so to speak... both efforts appreciated much....

Random thoughts:

-It is interesting how we all chose some obscure tracks...that actually won even though they were sometimes virginal listens for some people.... I was going to suggest that we formalise that you have to pick a couple of obscure tracks in the future matches but our tough bunch seem to self regulate...( In short if you only pick classics you are sure to pay for this with the voting)...so no need to add any rule changes here

- I voted against myself twice... I would be curious to see how often you all voted against yourself.( Mike was particularly selfless)..post this info if you already have not please......

I like Marcs idea of addign the 80's into the mix , so maybe 3 songs from three different decades plus 1 floater from another decade for a total of 10 rounds again next time??? I liked 10 rounds as a maximum, it felt perfect and not the gruelsome affair I worried about..

If we do this again with the no repeat rules , it may get more and more interesting each time we do it....

I'll echo everybody's gratitude - I had a great time! Brian's hosting and Kyle's project management skills were much appreciated. I'd also like to thank those of you who voted for my selections. For those who voted against me (and here I include myself no fewer than 3 times), I'll eventually find a way to forgive you. It's just a little too soon.

As well, a big thanks to you Kyle for being so pro-active with the ballot and, rules and regs making, without which the night might have fallen into drunken disarray.

What happened to Brian's original post? I see Derek's response but not the question about when the track appeared on the album?

I appear to have bucked the trend, in that most of my tracks were #4 or later on the albums. Perhaps this accounts for my loss.

Agree with Marc that the format was a blast. Big big big thanks to Brian for hosting.

So what you are saying Derek, is that playing the last track on the Jimmy Cliff album, The Harder They Come, makes it an obvious non-starter.

I really loved the format of the evening, it was a hoot. I suggest the next time we have a smackdown we use the same tried and tested format, with each drawing two random years from the hole in the night that was the twelve years from 1980 to 1991.

6 of my 10 choices were first side first track choices with two others being track #2 on the first side of an album. Obviously bands making an impact right out of the gate.

Derek and I at Betty's.....asking ourselves how many of the tracks played - particularly for records from the late 60's and 70's - were first tracks off of the records? In the era of "the album" the importance of the first song, and interestingly, first song of the second side, was huge. Without looking at the list carefully, our guess is that many of the high-vote songs were first track numbers.

Well Kyle, at least you didn't stick around until three in the morning listening to me moan about my lack of wisdom in spinning Jimmy Cliff!

In retrospect, Heries and Villains was a bad choice. Also, why the hell did I waste 3 good opportunities to vote for myself? Would have catapulted me out of the basement and into a solid second? Damn.

Well it's hard to say for sure but it's just possible that the (estimated) 63 empties I put in the recycling this morning may have contributed to the variance in last night's count, in which we ended up 6 votes short. When I re-did it this morning it seemed to fall in line. Small differences aside, Derek was the clear winner in either scenario. Unlike the rest of us he never had a round where he got killed - 1 or 0 votes.

Nice job Brian, that was an absolutely great night, thanks to all.

Brian, i am however starting to question the banking sector a bit and curious about the accounting practices by which we somehow found a bunch more ballots; were those the ones you had left in your pocket?

Thanks gents for an action-packed and great night of music. I've updated the play list below with votes per round, and done a sober recount this morning. Derek and his excellent play list triumphed relatively convincingly in an otherwise tightly grouped outcome.

Perusing the round by round wins and losses is interesting and surprising in some cases (at least to my eye). Overall though it's fair to say that unfamiliar music still fared pretty badly, and playing to the room was a successful tactic, employed to varying degrees by all of us at one time or another. There isn't much evidence to support the belief that going second in a pairing was an advantage.

The format was awesome, and well organized by Kyle. Let's do this one again.

1st round
Kyle - helpless by Sugar 3 votes
Marc - Funeral for a Friend by Elton John 3 votes

Mike - Paranoid Android by Radiohead 4 votes
Brian - Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty 2 votes

Derek - Neightbourhood 1 by Arcade Fire 5 votes
Stuart - Live forever by Oasis 1 votes


2nd round
Mike - Starman by David Bowie 3 votes
Derek - Making Plans for Nigel by XTC 3 votes

Kyle - Venus in furs by velvet underground 4 votes
Stu - This girl's in love by Dionne Warwick 2 votes

Marc - Caligula by Macy Gray 3 votes
Brian - 16 Military wives by the Decemberists 3 votes


3rd Round
Stu - Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan 1 vote
Brian - Miss You by Rolling Stones 5 votes

Mike - Listen to the Music the doobies 2 votes
Marc - without love by the doobies! 4 votes

Derek - Life During Wartime by Talking Heads 2 votes
Kyle - In the Mouth a Desert by Pavement 4 votes


4th Round
Stu - Coax Me by Sloan 3 votes
Kyle - Black Metallic by Catherine Wheel 3 votes

Brian - Moving in Stereo by The Cars 1 vote
Mike - Between the Bars by Elliott Smith 5 votes

Marc - Toh-Sui by Toshiro Condo w DJ Crush 3 votes
Derek - Next Exit by Interpol 3 votes

Round 5
Marc -The Harder they Come by Jimmy Cliff 1 vote
Mike - Superstition by Stevie 5 votes

Brian - Look out for my Love by Neil Young 5 votes
Kyle - Heroes and Villains by the Beach boys 1 vote

Stuart - Where Do You Go to My Lovely by Peter Sarstedt 2 votes
Derek - In the Evening - Led Zeppelin 4 votes


Round 6
Kyle - Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks 3 votes
Derek - London Calling by The Clash 3 votes

Mike - Isn't Life Strange by the Moody Blues 1 vote
Stuart - The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel 5 votes

Brian - Chicago by Sufjan Stevens 2 votes
Marc- Heartbreaker by the Stones 4 votes


Round 7
Derek - Just Another Night by Ian Hunter 4 votes
Mike - Rocks Off by the Rolling Stones 2 votes

Kyle - Baby You're a Rich Man by the Beatles 2 votes
Marc - Natural Blues by Moby 4 votes

Brian - Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner by Warren Zevon 2 votes
Stuart - Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen 4 votes

Round 8
Kyle - Confetti by the Lemonheads 3 votes
Mike - Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve 3 votes

Derek - Tornados by the Drive By Truckers 2 votes
Brian - Ageless Beauty by Stars 4 votes

Marc - It's Hard to be a Saint in the City by Bruce Springsteen 2 votes
Stuart - Space Oddity by David Bowie 4 votes

Round 9
Brian - The Music Must Change by The Who 1 vote
Derek - Powderfinger by Neil Young 5 votes

Stuart - Cut Your Hair by Pavement 3 votes
Marc - Tuesday's Gone by Lynard Skynard 3 votes

Mike - Supper's Ready by Genesis 3 votes
Kyle - See Emily Play by Pink Floyd 3 votes

Round 10
Kyle - Never My Love by the Association 2 votes
Brian - Dreadlock Holiday by 10CC 4 votes

Derek - Dancing Barefoot by Patti Smith 3 votes
Marc - The Great Gig in the Sky by Pink Floyd 3 votes

Stuart - Hallehuliah - by Jeff Buckley 3 votes
Mike - Crackling Rose by Neil Diamond 3 votes


Final tally
1st Place: Derek (1979 / 2004) with 34 votes!
2nd Place: Mike (1972 / 1997) 31 votes
3rd Place: 3-way tie with 29 votes
Stuart (1969 / 1994)
Marc (1973 / 1999)
Brian (1978 / 2005)
Rear guard: Kyle (1967 / 1992) 28 votes

geeesh, can we sign the declaration that we have read and understood the rules and regs when we get to Brian's or should we scan the form and e-mail it in ahead of time?

Greatest Songs Contest: Battle of the Years
2012 and Inaugural Edition
Rule Summary - Final Version

Object of the Contest: To pick the best songs, win the most points, claim the victory. No tangible prize specified. Intangible: bragging, gloating rights, schaedenfraudic revelling in others' bitterness

How it Works:

1) Each contestant must play a song from their chosen years, as follows:

Brian - 1978 and 2005
Derek - 1979 and 2004
Stu - 1969 and 1994
Marc - 1973 and 1999
Kyle - 1967 and 1992
Mike - 1972 and 1997

2) The contestant against which they're paired plays on song from his chosen years.
3) All contestants vote on what song played is the better/greater song.
4) Process repeats itself until all contestants have had a chance to play a song.
5) Round ends and the process begins again.
6) There are 10 rounds total
7) Any potential ties will be resolved with an additional round between the tied contestants. After all songs are played in the tie breaker, those not tied vote. A winner is then declared or another tie breaker commences with whomever remains tied until a winner is declared.

Specifics:

1) There are 15 possible pairings of contestants
2) Each contestant faces another contestant twice, for a total of 30 pairings total (3 pairings per round, 10 rounds)
3) The pairings will be as follows:

1. Brian-Derek
2. Brian-Kyle
3. Brian-Marc
4. Brian-Mike
5. Brian-Stu
6. Derek-Kyle
7. Derek-Marc
8. Derek-Mike
9. Derek-Stu
10. Kyle-Marc
11. Kyle-Mike
12. Kyle-Stu
13. Marc-Mike
14. Marc-Stu
15. Mike-Stu
16. Stu-Mike
17. Stu-Marc
18. Mike-Marc
19. Stu-Kyle
20. Mike-Kyle
21. Marc-Kyle
22. Stu-Derek
23. Mike-Derek
24. Marc-Derek
25. Kyle-Derek
26. Stu-Brian
27. Mike-Brian
28. Marc-Brian
29. Kyle-Brian
30. Derek-Brian

Note: I had originally suggested printing out all the pairings. However, this will cause some delays when pairings are pulled randomly and contestants who have already played in the round are pulled up again in the next draw; this will happen a lot. An alternative, better plan is to simply put all 6 contestant names in, draw the names, have players play in the order in which the names are pulled, and we simply cross off the pairing from a list.

4) Each round begins with two names being pulled out of a hat.
5) Contestants on the pairing play their songs. Order of play is determined by whose name was pulled first. The next time the two play, the order is reversed, regardless of whose name was pulled first from the hat.

6) Vote occurs; tear sheets with each person's name and round listed will be provided in order to help keep track of the voting, expedite the voting, and ensure that someone just doesn't repeatedly toss their own name in multiple times per round.

7) Process repeats itself until all 6 players have played a song.

8) Next round begins.

For example: Stuart and Brian are the first names drawn. Stuart plays a song. Brian plays a song. Everyone votes by tossing the name of the contestant they think has played the better song into a bowl. Two new names are drawn: Kyle and Marc. Kyle plays a song. Marc plays a song. We all vote. Two new names drawn: Mike and Derek. Mike plays a song. Derek plays a song. We vote. Round ends. We begin anew.

Additional notes:

-Year requirement: Contestant can play a song from whatever year but cannot play 3 songs in a row from the same year. So: Mike can play 1997, 1997 for the first two rounds and his next round he has to play 1972. He can then play 1997, 1997 for the fourth and fifth round, then has to play 1972 again. Etc. Note: This is just an example. He doesn't have to play any one year first.

-Song Length: It is asked that you not exceed the 5 minute length no more than twice in the contest. All songs will be cut off after 8 minutes. Players have the option of fast forwarding in order to highlight a section of the long song if they wish.

-Tie-breaker at the end of the rounds: If two or more players are tied in points at the end of 10 rounds, a sudden death final round occurs where each surviving player plays one song (chosen by a random selection) and we vote on the best played. The tied players do not get a vote in this round (that way, if an odd number are tied, we have a chance of quickly determining a winner).

Safe travels Mike and enjoy the prep everyone.

See you all tomorrow night!

oh, oh! can we link the mac to the plasma and have it display ESPN style scores with flashy graphics ...or get Wolf Blitzer commenting the play by play from the Situation Room?

ok sounds good to me......all voting all the time..

not a fan of a big score board....Derek will be load and clear and frequently updating me on how much I am losing by , so its redundant .....for me anyways....

whose twitter account are we going to use to tweet live updates to the rest of the world? ...this shit's important!

No need to print out chits, Marc. I'm going to print out everything we need to throw into the hat, marked by round, to prevent individuals getting really devious and putting their own names into a round more than once. More info here.

As for a big white board--thinking a visual tally makes sense. Will see about picking one up on the way to Brian's. But yes, this should be updated digitally as well, using the Mac in the living room.

i'm indifferent to the big board, but then, i don't come from a big-board white-board-marker culture ...i say we go electronic since i presume we will eventually record it for posterity that way anyway.

Yes, we did discuss this - not sure if Kyle had signed up for that or not?

Also, are we interetsed in scoring on a "big board"? If so I'll pick up some bristol board.