Friday, May 21, 2010

FOUR FRIENDS' "FIFTEEN FANTASY ISLAND FAVORITES" (Part 2 Of 2)

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FOUR FRIENDS’
“FIFTEEN FANTASY ISLAND FAVORITES”

(Continued from above - Part 2 Of 2)

This is still ‘A McBirdDogg Production’

MR. PAULBOY PRODIGALMAN THE VI

[I met Mr. Paulboy over at BigBitch.com (that’s “Amazon.com” to y’all). He posted some comments on a discussion board I had started in which I revealed what I believe(d) is the least hated song of all time. I call him “Mister” because the dude’s so intelligent he was reading Ayn Rand at the age of 14. Heck, when I was 14, I was sniffing model airplane glue and upchucking Boone’s Farm strawberry wine into the toilet at
2 AM. I myself didn’t get around to reading Ayn Rand until the terrible ‘Liquor Store Strike’ of '96, when there weren't nothin' else to do.]

Mr. Paulboy sez . . .

(I have no images of my choices. Not sure how to put them in this doc file, anyway.)

First, I will tell you what I am NOT going to take. No strains of Gregorian chant, Country and Western, military music, rap or hip-hop will be heard competing with the whispering trade winds for my auditory attention.

Obviously, if we were leaping off the ship as it goes down then I am probably not reaching for any albums. My Ipod and solar charger, maybe. But since we are thinking this out and planning on being marooned, then selecting what to take must be a logical and practical process.

I need to pack a lot of music into my 15 choices. I must have at least some of each of the following genres represented: old school rock, alternative/punk, classical, pop, blues, and opera. Even if my 15 favorite things to listen to at this moment may not include opera, going without it forever is not acceptable. The finer side must be cultivated, even if wearing ragged (or no) pants.

So in no particular order:

Opera (1):


1 – The Seraphim Guide to Opera.

This is a compilation of some of the most memorable and important opera arias, presented in a linear and historical manner and done by some of the best artists ever. The examples on this disc are not usually my VERY favorite renditions of each of the arias, but a great compilation, nonetheless. It includes performances by Franco Corelli, my favorite tenor ever, as well as Victoria de LosAngeles, one of my fave sopranos. I know what you are thinking. “OPERA? WHAT THE...?” If you do not appreciate opera you are missing something. Opera – at its best – combines the drama of a great play with the emotion and romance of music. My father studied voice for 13 years and was an excellent bass singer, so I grew up listening to opera and came early on to appreciate it. I urge you to attend one sometime... but pick one of the more accessible ones. Bizet’s “Carmen”, Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”, or Verdi’s “Rigoletto” are good first choices and may indeed get you hooked. Do NOT – upon pain of torture – attend a Wagner opera unless you are an experienced opera-goer. With those you are in for 4 hours or meandering German sing-up-in-your-head bellowing, and you would go away thinking: “how can people listen to this stuff??”

Classical (3)
Are disc sets cheating? If so, throw me out of the game. I have a couple coming here in the classical section.

2 – Bach – The Well Tempered Clavier, by Glenn Gould.

In my book, this full set of Bach’s Preludes and Fugues for piano is the best ever. Gould was an absolute genius, though very eccentric. You can hear him (famously) humming sometimes during the recordings. Anyone else would have been made to play it over and over and to ‘STOP HUMMING”, but not him. It is part of the charm and genius. This Bach is amazing music to “think” to. Not that there will be homework to do on the island, but it would bring out “the Professor” in me. Perhaps I’d figure a way off the island with the logical progressions found in Bach.

3 – “Beethoven – The Nine Symphonies”, conducted by Herbert Karajan.

The symphonies are purchased as a set, but it includes about five discs. It represents the most complete illustration of Beethoven’s musical genius, the towering pinnacle of all music. Karajan was a great conductor, also. When listening to Beethoven I always remember how stone deaf he was by the end of his life. Try composing the Ninth Symphony (with full orchestra - all pieces playing their own complimentary parts) WITH hearing... let alone with none. We are all blithering morons compared to this guy! As Stephen would say: “Uhp! I’m an idiot!”

4 – “Mozart’s Greatest Hits” – Columbia Records

Behind Beethoven and Bach (and Verdi), Mozart ranks third (or 4th) among history’s greatest composers. (By the way: what are they all doing now? Decomposing.) Mozart’s music is more light and structured than Beethoven, but heavier than the previous generation’s style, which included Haydn. I’d be very sad if I had to spend a lifetime on the island without any Mozart.

Jazz/Pop/Blues (3):


5 – “Call of the Wildest” by Louis Prima.
This album may make it onto another island refugee’s list also. We’ll see. LOVE this album! It is fun. It also evokes irreplaceable memories of people and a time of my life. Is it jazz? Is it pop? Yes, both, sort of. But who cares! This would make my top FIVE desert island discs if I packed a smaller trunk. Keely Smith was my favorite female jazz vocalist, and Prima’s style was sort of a Dean-Martinish casual cool, but with more growl to it. Great Stuff(s)!

6 – “Time Out”, by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.
I love small combo jazz. All of that great music from the 1950s with 4 or 5 players, a sax, a piano, a bass, drums is just an essential sound to have at least a taste of on the island. Dave Brubeck is my favorite of that style. I like how he takes his piano on these wild solo excursions, and you think: “How the heck can he get back from there??” And then he does.

7 – “Live from Madison Square Garden” - Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood.
Is this Jazz? No. But it IS blues, so I throw it in here, perhaps selling short my jazz needs. But I loved this reunion of Clapton and Winwood, two supremely talented musicians. Lots of music on this disc and they take on some tunes neither have played before, and “blueses” the heck out of ‘em.

Rock/Alternative/Folk:

8 – “Who’s Next” by The Who.
This is perhaps my favorite album ever, and would certainly be the first one snagged as the ship took on water. I like every cut. I absorb the raw energy of the Who. I saw them in concert several times back in the day, when the jumping crowd had the two concrete upper wings of Anaheim Stadium flexing up and down 5 feet. Daltry’s voice is savage, and I can picture Townsend’s guitar windmills as I listen. When I hear The Who I want to kick somebody’s ass. Too bad I’m alone on this island. Heck... pause the music, I’m gonna walk around and see who I can find!

9 - Beatles – “Abbey Road”.
All of what I will say here you all know and has been said 357 million times before. I like every track and can - and do - sing along to it. Although I like The Who better from that same period, it is clear to me that the greatest rock band of all time is the Beatles, far and away. And Lennon/McCartney during that period were perhaps the best rock composers ever. Heck, let’s remove the word rock and just say among the best composers ever. Just this last week I went to see “Rain”, the Broadway show Beatles tribute band. I saw them before, and probably will again. It is a great show and gives a pretty good feel for what it was like in the 1960s and what the Beatles experience was like. If only I could have experienced the Beatles growing up! Hey, wait! I did.

8 – “The Traveling Wilbury Collection” (Rhino)
I really enjoy the Wilburys. This is a cheap way to get a little ELO sound, a tad more Beatles flavor, some Bob Dylan (which I am missing on this list and probably should have included), a pinch of Tom Petty, and some Roy Orbison (who I am ambivalent about, but I’ll take him anyway).

11 – Cat Stevens – “The Very Best of Cat Stevens”.
OK, I have severe reservations about bringing “Yusef” with me to the island, and will only do so if I can steal the disc rather than pay for it. I don’t want my money funneled to any Islamic terror groups, as was alleged of him several years ago. But I loved Cat Stevens in the early 70s, and he was a great songwriter. He probably is not now, though I wouldn’t know.

12 – “Third Eye Blind” – Third Eye Blind.
I am getting into an area of the list here where the musical style will put you off. I really like punk and alternative music. 3eb is a melodic alternative rock band, with a great combination of acoustic and raunchy guitars and an excellent drummer. The tempo often varies within the song. Some tunes that made the charts are: “Semi-Charmed Life", "Graduate", "How's It Going to Be", "Losing a Whole Year", and "Jumper". "Semi-Charmed Life" peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for 8 weeks. Also their single "Jumper" went to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. I can listen to this over and over. Seen ‘em in concert, too.

13 – Killers – “Sam’s Town”.
A post-punk rock band. This album was voted the most underrated album of the decade by Rolling Stone readers. I’ve seen these guys twice in concert, and the music is right up my alley. I find it really inventive, with good melodies.

14 – Green Day – “International Superhits”.
This is sort of an early greatest hits disc, but I really like their latest work too. I’ve seen them in concert 3 times, and they give a great show. Hate their politics... but what can you do? I hate everyone’s politics! Their last two albums – not included here – borrow VERY heavily from The Who’s Tommy and Quadrophenia as rock operas.

15 - Angels and Airwaves – I-Empire.
Here is Tom DeLonge from Blink 182 with his side band... which I like even more than Blink. This is melodic, harmonious rock. I can listen to this over and over and not get sick of it. Which is good on this damned island. Do you use Itunes? You rank how much you like each track with 1 to 5 stars. Of the 12 tracks on the CD, 8 are fives, 2 are fours, then a 3 and a 2. Dems pretty good odds and illustrate how much I like the album. This would make my top 5 discs if the list was smaller.

So that is my 15.

But I really struggled with my final choices. I sincerely regret not having:

~ Avril Lavigne – “Let’s Go”.
No, really. It is a very good album! Love it. Her first, with great melodies and lyrics.

~ Blink 182 – “Enema of the State”.
This is the album with Jesse James’ new girlfriend on the cover. In spite of that, I like it.

~ Bob Dylan – “The Essential Bob Dylan”.

~ Bob Marley and the Wailers – “Uprising”

~ Fleetwood Mac – “Rumours”.
The best of their several very good albums. It hits memories of the time of my young life for me.

~ James Taylor’s Greatest Hits.
I’ve always thought he was the best folk songwriter and guitarist of them all.

~ Jethro Tull – “Stand Up”.
It is very early Tull, and has Clive Bunker on drums, who has a very jazz-influenced style. The whole album is very bluesy, with that combination of evil folksy flute sound tossed in. The track “Nothing is Easy” is just fabulous.

~ Joni Mitchell – “Court and Spark”.
Man, was I in a lovesick mood when this hit! Hearing this album pushes every emotional button in me. Except “The Who” button.

~ Led Zeppelin 1.
I was 13 when this came out. It really was a game-changer. Heavy, man.

~ Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto, with Entremont and Bernstein.
Ayn Rand’s favorite musical piece.

~ Styx – “Greatest Hits”.
Love me dem Styx!

~ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “Greatest Hits”.

~ Who – “Quadrophenia”.
The best rock opera, in my book. Where is more ass to kick?

I just was letting you know what was close to making the cut. It really wasn’t a way to sneak in more picks.

TN KAT:

[Kat is a lovely Christian woman and married mother of two, whom I met when she was only lovely and womanly and none of the rest of those things. She and I catted around and had great times and adventures (most of which I DO remember). Kat and I are professional authors, having collaborated on the (in)famous book ‘Calamity Cat’s And Black Cole Kid’s Uncomplicated Guide To Western Movies For The Simple-Minded Cowperson’, which actually sold like three copies in a movie video rental shop in Santa Monica, California back in 1990. Unfortunately, TN Kat has become rebellious and decided not to play by the rules. Instead of submitting a 15-album list, she submitted a list of 180 songs. It’s only because she put so much work into this and because she means so much to me (and because some of her favorite songs are also some of my favorite songs) that I have allowed her to get away with this and consented to post her list. But I remember back when she "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "we had it all, just like Bogie and Bacall".]

TN Kat sez . . .

Well, I never listen to albums/CDs anymore. I put individual songs on my MP3 player, and that's what I listen to. At any given time I have a plethora of different artists and genres of music which can suit my mood.

I thought about the old days of albums, and figured most albums had 10-12 songs each, so with the guideline of choosing 15 albums, I chose a mix of 180 songs (15x12) that I would take with me to a desert island. I know this takes up a lot more space, but tough! This is my list!


Song
Artist
Album

1
Pretty Women
Alan Rickman & Johnny Depp
Sweeney Todd

2
I Finally Found Someone
Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams
Mirror Has Two Faces

3
All The Time
Barry Manilow
?

4
Beyond The Sea
Bobby Darin
Various

5
You Made Me Love You
Bobby Darin
Spotlight On

6
All By Myself
Bobby Darin
Spotlight on

7
Don’t Rain On My Parade
Bobby Darin
The Shadow of Your Smile

8
Rainin’
Bobby Darin
The Shadow of Your Smile

9
The Ballad of Cat Ballou
Bobby Darin
The Shadow of Your Smile

10
Some Of These Days
Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee

11
Once Love Makes A Fool Of You
Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee

12
Break It To Me Gently
Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee Story

13
Americano
Brian Setzer Orchestra
?

14
Green Leaves Of Summer
Brothers Four
Alamo Soundtrack

15
The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
Gordon Macrae
Oklahoma Soundtrack

16
People Will Say We’re In Love
Shirley Jones & Gordon Macrae
Oklahoma Soundtrack

17
All That Jazz
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Chicago Soundtrack

18
Wishing You Were Here
Chicago
Greatest Hits Vol 1

19
Just You N’ Me
Chicago
Greatest Hits Vol 1

20
Nothin’ But The Taillights
Clint Black
Nothin’ But The Taillights

21
Once Upon A Dream
Mary Costa
Sleeping Beauty Soundtrack

22
You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly
Various
Peter Pan Soundtrack

23
Sixty Minute Man
Dominoes
?

24
Deep Purple
Donny & Marie
Donny & Marie Osmond

25
Pure Love
Eddie Rabbitt
Eddie Rabbitt

26
The Room At The Top Of The Stairs
Eddie Rabbitt
Variations

27
Such A Night
Elvis Presley
Love Songs

28
I’d Really Love To See You Tonight
England Dan & John Ford Coley
Best Of….

29
You’re Just In Love
Ethel Merman & Donald O’Connor
Call Me Madame Soundtrack

30
Here’s To Love
Ewan Mcgregor & Renee Zellweger
Down With Love Soundtrack

31
Someone To Watch Over Me
Frank Sinatra
Capitol Years

32
The One I Love Belongs To Someone Else
Frank Sinatra
Capitol Years

33
Change The World
Eric Clapton
Phenomenon Soundtrack

34
Fishin’ In The Dark
Garth Brooks
The Lost Sessions

35
Baby I Will
Gary Allan
It Would Be You

36
Nothing On But The Radio
Gary Allan
See If I Care

37
Dream Away
George Harrison
Gone Troppo

38
We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This
George Strait
One Step At A Time

39
Maybe This Time
Kristen Chenoweth
Glee Soundtrack

40
Gentle On My Mind
Glen Campbell
Classics Collection

41
Little Lamb
Cynthia Gibb
Gypsy Soundtrack (1993)

42
If Momma Was Married
Cynthia Gibb & June (?)
Gypsy Soundtrack (1993)

43
All I Need Is The Girl
Jeffrey Broadhurst
Gypsy Soundtrack (1993)

44
It Takes Two
Zac Efron
Hairspray Soundtrack

45
Big Blonde & Beautiful
Queen Latifah
Hairspray Soundtrack

46
Finders Are Keepers
Hank Williams Jr.
Greatest Hits Vol 3

47
My Sentimental Friend
Herman’s Hermits
Greatest Hits

48
Fabulous
Ashley Tisdale
High School Musical 2

49
I Don’t Dance
Corbin Bleu & Lucas Grabeel
High School Musical 2

50
Hip To Be Square
Huey Lewis & The News
Fore

51
Better To Have and Not Need
Huey Lewis & The News
Four Chords & Several Years Ago

52
You Left The Water Running
Huey Lewis & The News
Four Chords & Several Years Ago

53
Build Me Up
Huey Lewis & The News
Hard At Play

54
It Hit Me Like A Hammer
Huey Lewis & The News
Hard At Play

55
Do You Believe In Love
Huey Lewis & The News
Picture This

56
If This Is It
Huey Lewis & The News
Sports

57
The Power Of Love
Huey Lewis & The News
Back To The Future Soundtrack

58
East Bound & Down
Jerry Reed
Smokey & The Bandit Soundtrack

59
Unbreakable Heart
Jessica Andrews
Heart Shaped World

60
Helplessly Hopelessly
Jessica Andrews
Who I Am

61
Good Time
Jessica Andrews
?

62
Got Down
Jim Stafford
Not Just Another Pretty Foot

63
Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne
Jim Stafford
Not Just Another Pretty Foot

64
Gina
Johnny Mathis
16 Most Requested Songs

65
Small World
Johnny Mathis
16 Most Requested Songs

66
Wonderful Wonderful
Johnny Mathis
16 Most Requested Songs

67
Didn’t We
Johnny Mathis
16 Most Requested Songs

68
Le Jazz Hot
Julie Andrews
Victor Victoria

69
Bare Necessities
Phil Harris
Jungle Book Soundtrack

70
I Wanna Be Like You
Louis Prima & Phil Harris
Jungle Book Soundtrack

71
I’ll Take Care Of You
Kathy Mattea
Willow In The Wind

72
Mary Did You Know
Kathy Mattea
Good News

73
Life As We Knew It
Kathy Mattea
Untasted Honey

74
Goin’ Gone
Kathy Mattea
Untasted Honey

75
Late In The Day
Kathy Mattea
Untasted Honey

76
Lonesome Standard Time
Kathy Mattea
Special Collection

77
Harley
Kathy Mattea
Time Passes By

78
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Hank Williams Jr.
Greatest Hits Vol 3

79
I Wish You Love
Keely Smith
Keely Smith

80
Fools Rush In
Keely Smith
Keely Smith

81
Cancion Del Mariachi
Antonio Banderas
Desperado Soundtrack

82
Reminiscing
Little River Band
?

83
Don’t Let The Good Life Pass You By
Mama Cass
Mama’s Big Ones

84
Ain’t Nobody Else Like You
Mama Cass
Mama’s Big Ones

85
El Paso
Marty Robbins
A Lifetime Of Song

86
Ballad Of The Alamo
Marty Robbins
No 1 Cowboy

87
Red River Valley
Marty Robbins
No 1 Cowboy

88
Spider –Man Theme
Michael Buble
Spiderman Soundtrack

89
When Does A Dream Begin
Neil Innes
?

90
Spirit In The Sky
Norman Greenbaum
?

91
Good Morning Starshine
Oliver
?

92
There’s A Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute
Jim Dale
Barnum Soundtrack

93
I Like Your Style
Jim Dale & Glenn Close
Barnum Soundtrack

94
I’ll Never Say No
Harve Presnell
Unsinkable Molly Brown Soundtrack

95
They Call The Wind Maria
Harve Presnell
Paint Your Wagon Soundtrack

96
Wand’rin’ Star
Lee Marvin
Paint Your Wagon Soundtrack

97
Razzle Dazzle
Richard Gere
Chicago Soundtrack

98
All I Care About
Richard Gere
Chicago Soundtrack

99
We Both Reached For The Gun
Richard Gere & Renee Zellweger
Chicago Soundtrack

100
If Ever I Would Leave You
Richie Cole
Signature

101
Addicted To Love
Robert Palmer
?

102
Carousel Waltz
Orchestra
Carousel Soundtrack

103
Along The Navajo Trail
Roy Rogers
Home On The Range

104
Don’t Fence Me In
Roy Rogers
Home On The Range

105
Home On The Range
Roy Rogers
Home On The Range

106
Hold On Partner
Roy Rogers & Clint Black
Tribute To Roy Rogers

107
Final Frontier
Roy Rogers & Kathy Mattea
Tribute To Roy Rogers

108
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Roy Rogers & KT Oslin
Tribute To Roy Rogers

109
That’s How The West Was Swung
Roy Rogers & The Kentucky Headhunters
Tribute To Roy Rogers

110
Maple Leaf Rag
Scott Joplin
Piano Rags

111
Christmas Children
Bob Crachit ?
Scrooge Soundtrack

112
Happiness
?
Scrooge Soundtrack

113
Ghost Riders In The Sky
Marty Robbins
?

114
My Redeemer Is Faithful & True
Steven Curtis Chapman
First Hand

115
Busy Man
Steven Curtis Chapman
For The Sake Of The Call

116
Burn The Ships
Steven Curtis Chapman
Heaven In The Real World

117
Facts Are Facts
Steven Curtis Chapman
Heaven In The Real World

118
Waiting For Lightning
Steven Curtis Chapman
More To This Life

119
Wait
Steven Curtis Chapman
Real Life Conversations

120
Tuesday’s Child
Steven Curtis Chapman
Real Life Conversations

121
Rubber Meets The Road
Steven Curtis Chapman
Signs Of Life

122
The Walk
Steven Curtis Chapman
Signs Of Life

123
The Great Adventure
Steven Curtis Chapman
The Great Adventure

124
Moon Over Bourbon Street
Sting
The Dream Of The Blue Turtles

125
In My Room
Beach Boys
?

126
The Night Before
Beatles
Help!

127
She Loves You
Beatles
Greatest Hits

128
Because
Beatles
Abbey Road

129
Papa Gene’s Blues
The Monkees
The Monkees

130
Love Is Only Sleeping
The Monkees
Pisces Aquarius Capricorn and Jones Ltd

131
Tapioca Tundra
The Monkees
The Birds The Bees & The Monkees

132
Brown Eyed Girl
Van Morrison
Bang Masters

133
The Smile You Smile
Van Morrison
Bang Masters

134
Real Real Gone
Van Morrison
Enlightenment

135
Bright Side Of The Road
Van Morrison
Into The Music

136
You Make Me Feel So Free
Van Morrison
Into The Music

137
Moondance
Van Morrison
Moondance

138
Queen Of The Slipstream
Van Morrison
Poetic Champions Compose

139
Someone Like You
Van Morrison
Poetic Champions Compose

140
Winnie The Pooh
Disney Chorus
Classic Disney, Vol 4

141
On The Front Porch
Burl Ives
Music Of Disney

142
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
Greatest Hits

143
Her Man
Waylon Jennings
The Eagle

144
Rough & Rowdy Days
Waylon Jennings
A Man Called Hoss

145
Marry Me Now
David Carradine & Co.
Will Rogers Follies

146
Key Largo
Bertie Higgins
?

147
Afternoon Delight
Starland Vocal Band
?

148
Shambala
Three Dog Night
?

149
It Only Hurts When I Cry
Donna Loren
Beach Party

150
High Anxiety
Mel Brooks
High Anxiety

151
The Night They Invented Champagne
Cast
Gigi

152
I Want It All
Ashley Tisdale & Lucas Grabeel
High School Musical 3

153
Beautiful Things
Anthony Newley
Doctor Doolittle Soundtrack

154
Fabulous Places
Anthony Newley, Samantha Eggar & Rex Harrison
Doctor Doolittle Soundtrack

155
Election Day
Arcadia
So Red The Rose

156
Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song
B.J. Thomas
?

157
Cowboys Are My Weakness
Trish Yearwood
?

158
Moon Over The Rio Grande
Michael Nesmith
?

159
Hello Goodbye
Beatles
Magical Mystery Tour

160
Lonesome, On’ry and Mean
Waylon Jennings
Greatest Hits

161
Good Hearted Woman
Waylon Jennings
Greatest Hits

162
Summer
War
?

163
Home In The Meadow
Debbie Reynolds
How The West Was Won Soundtrack

164
Meet Me Down On Mainstreet
The Mellomen
Music Of Disney

165
Half Past April & A Quarter To May
Gene Kelly & Bobby Rhia
Jack & The Beanstalk Soundtrack

166
The Three Song
Smothers Brothes w/Esther Ofarim
?

167
Ooh La La
Goldfrapp
?

168
That Darn Cat
Louis Prima
Aristocats & Other Cat Songs

169
Long Ago & Far Away
Gene Kelly
Cover Girl

170
My Baby Just Cares For Me
Gene Kelly
Song & Dance Man

171
The One That’s Run Away
Tommy Steele
Half A Sixpence

172
Longtime Blues
Smothers Brothers
Mom Always Liked You Best

173
Hey There
Tommy Steele
Sixpenny Millionaire

174
Too Close For Comfort
Tommy Steele
Sixpenny Millionaire

175
Down In The Valley
Smothers Brothers
Smothers Brothers Play It Straight

176
Sailors Lament
Smothers Brothers
Two Sides Of The Smothers Brothers

177
The Four Winds & The Seven Seas
Smothers Brothers
Two Sides Of The Smothers Brothers

178
She’s Gone Forever
Smothers Brothers
Tour De Farce…

179
That’s My Song
Smothers Brothers
Tour De Farce…

180
I Ain’t Workin’
Jim Stafford
Not Just Another Pretty Foot

It is my intention to return here in the next few days and post list-related remarks in the comment section to each of these four friends, praising them where I feel they should be praised and making smart-azzed comments whenever I can because . . . I CAN!

I gotta be ME! ;o)

But for right now, let me just say most sincerely: I thank you Pooh, Aard, Mr. Paulboy, and Kountess Kat for taking the time to play along with me. Your participation is greatly appreciated. And I hope ya had some fun with it.

See y’all again real soon . . .

Ukulelely Yours,

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
.

11 comments:

  1. Having a spare hour I read your post. I knew many of the albums or pices of music you mentioned, the BeatleS Cat Stevens, Beethoven nine symphonies, The Travelling Wilburys, oh the list goes on. You certainly know and like music.
    I was brought up with music and passed many examinations but love got in the way and gave up the piano playing, but my interest in music both classical and otherwise have always been with me.
    How long did it take to write your post? that's the only question I have to ask.

    Enjoy your week-end.
    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can't argue with the album list too much except Yusaf Islam or whatever his name is. Never liked what I recall hearing by him, but never paid much attention to his albums either and now I certainly wouldn't-- they might cause me to jump on the peace train to wackoland.

    The song list seemed pretty innocuous but kind of weird. If I was listening to that string, I don't think there's anything that would make me hold my ears and scream for someone to turn it off.

    But it was nice that these folks all participated and it was interesting to hear some new suggestions.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. Paulboy, non-blogging friend of StephenMay 22, 2010 at 12:11 AM

    Yvonne -

    It was really fun to think about the list, and I am grateful to Stephen for helping us participate in this way. I spent about 3 hours writing the post, and about 2 hours going through all my vinyl and CDs to think about it.

    It is a shame that you had to give up your professional music aspirations, but I suspect that you are happy and would do it again. I think (guess, as I have no personal experience) that the music business is very hard to pursue. Competition, backstabbing, changing fads (in popular music, at least), necessary travel, lack of decent wages would all conspire against stability and family.

    I went through a period as a teen where I made a conscious decision to listen ONLY to classical music and jazz, and bought hundreds of albums during that period. I lightened up in college, and started following popular stuff too, soon going to hundreds of rock shows. Even though I am perhaps the oldest guy writing either blogs OR comments here, I still go to punk/alternative shows (along with operas) several times a year.

    All of the bloggers and commenters here love music! I certainly do. Thanks for the kind words.

    Lee -

    HA! I always try to separate the musicians from their message. Otherwise "the peace train to wackoland" would leave without me. As I mentioned in the Green Day paragraph, I hate the politics of almost all bands. I HAVE heard that the band members of Rush are libertarians though, so I'd like theirs!

    Thanks again to all you bloggers for letting some of us "nons" participate.

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  4. TN KAT ~

    I understand the way you listen. That's exactly how my wife listens these days. She never hears a whole album, just her fav playlist.

    Your list is wonderful, and reveals your gentle nature and your job as a mom, I think. All those cool Disney tunes (toons?) are not much of my current experience, but they were a few years ago when our son was younger. I love the Jungle Book tracks and Aristocats. Love Keely Smith big time, and Oklahoma is a toss-up for my favorite musical, with My Fair Lady.

    Oh, and High Anxiety by Mel Brooks is a hoot! Thanks for throwing that one in.

    Joy emanates from your list.

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  5. MR. PAULBOY VI ~

    #1 – The Seraphim Guide to Opera:
    When I think of opera, I get mental images of Woody Allen in the movie "Love And Death" and of Frasier and Niles Crane. I don't ever want to be those guys. Plus, I'm afraid that if I ever attended an opera and Ol' WP learned of it, he would deactivate my membership card in the "He-Man Woman Hater's Club". It's just too risky.

    #5 – “Call of the Wildest” by Louis Prima.
    I cain'ts argue wid dis one. Yes, it definitely iz Jazz! But let's not forget that Jazz wuz once "pop". Since you love this one so much, you would certainly also love Prima's "The Wildest Show At Tahoe". I like "Call..." best between the two (can't do without "There'll Be No Next Time", of course), but "...Tahoe" includes Keely on "Foggy Day" - which my Pa was always singing around the house - and "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", which I think Keely sings better'n anyone else I've ever heard perform it.

    #6 – “Time Out”, by the Dave Brubeck Quartet:
    Well, it's just a Jazz clazzic mazterpiece. Simple as that. Joe Morello's drum solo in "Take Five" is my all-time fav. Man, is that QUIRKY stuffs!

    #8 – “Who’s Next” by The Who:
    Well, not so much for me anymore, but I really loved it Once Upon A Time. I still dig "Behind Blue Eyes" and I'm still quoting on a fairly regular basis that great line, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". I cain't hardly discuss politics without dusting off that line again and again.

    #8 – “The Traveling Wilbury Collection” (Rhino):
    Spoken like a real Dylan fan.

    11 – Cat Stevens – “The Very Best of Cat Stevens”:
    I don't think I ever owned anything but the 'Greatest Hits' package, but I did enjoy it pretty well at one time. "Moonshadow" reminds me of that ol' Lisa you tried tracking down on my behalf, and I once wrote a poem that included internal dialogue that another girl said reminded her of the C.S. song where it's laid out like a generation gap discussion between a son and his dad. (Can't recall the title at the moment. Hmmm... is it just "Father And Son"?)

    14 – Green Day – “International Superhits”:
    In retrospect, I realize that the ground rules should have included this: A participant is not allowed to list any "singers" or "musicians" who are still suffering from adolescent acne and/or toting around framed report cards bearing a "C-" from the Introductory Guitar and Piano class.

    Had I thought of it earlier, this rule would have banned the Green Days and Evanescences (sp?) and a dozen or more other "artists" from all Desert Island music album lists. My most worthy ideas always come to me too late. ;o)

    Thanks much for playing, Mr. Paulboy 6! I really enjoyed reading through your list and the humorous commentary. Nicely done, Brotherman!

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McD-Fens

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  6. StMcC said:
    "A participant is not allowed to list any 'singers' or 'musicians' who are still suffering from adolescent acne and/or toting around framed report cards bearing a 'C-' from the Introductory Guitar and Piano class."
    ---
    Hmmm.... is this why you never show a current photo of yourself? Are you a major shareholder of Clearasil stock?

    Had you banned acne or required high grades, ONLY the opera singers would have been eligible, Bro!

    Mr. Paulboy

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  7. MR. 6BOY ~

    --> "Hmmm.... is this why you never show a current photo of yourself?"

    Whatchoo yakkin' 'bout, Willis? I did include a photo of myself taken just last year right here. Allz ya had to do was read it... or jus' scroll down to the photo of me. Although I ain't much to looks at.

    --> "Had you banned acne or required high grades, ONLY the opera singers would have been eligible, Bro!"

    Mmmm... Nah. Henry Mancini would still be standin'. But if I add "No fat people", now the opera folks 'gonna fall, too! :-o

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McD-Fens

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  8. TN KAT ~

    Well, you're a cheater, but you DID include some songs on your list that I loved, love, and will forever love. Some examples:

    Some Of These Days,
    Green Leaves Of Summer,
    Gentle On My Mind,
    Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne,
    Didn’t We (and didn't we?),
    I’ll Take Care Of You,
    Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Heh-heh!),
    Reminiscing,
    Don’t Let The Good Life Pass You By,
    Spirit In The Sky (see MY Desert Island list),
    Good Morning, Starshine (nothing says "Far out, groovy Sixties" like this song!),
    If Ever I Would Leave You (Richie Cole OWNS this song! And you got it from me; I gave you that! UCLA, 1988),
    You Make Me Feel So Free,
    That’s How The West Was Swung,
    Her Man (Well, ALL the Waylon!),
    Key Largo...

    There are others. No point in going on and on. But, you got some really A-List stuffs on there.

    I was a little surprised, however, that 'The Smile You Smile' beat out 'Who Drove The Red Sports Car' from that same album.

    And I'm still waiting for the day someone will release 'Not Just Another Pretty Foot' because I still don't have on compact disc "I Ain’t Workin’" which, along with "Bulldog Drinks Champagne", is the best of Jim Stafford. (Yeah, yeah. YOU gave me those:o)

    Thanks for cheati-- er,... I mean, thanks for PLAYING, Kat!

    ~ Bilge Rat

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  9. I'd go on and on about how sad the iPod mindset makes me, but I know that as a CD-buying album listening music junky, I am a lonesome and on'ry minority.

    TN Kat does take on my idea for the next list project-100 top songs.

    There's a mystery series by John Sanford. In one book, "Broken Prey," the lead character's wife buys him an iPod.

    He figures one ought to show some discipline, and decides to only put 100 songs on it. Throughout the rest of the book, grisly homicide scenes are the backdrop as the characters argue about which songs to include.

    LC

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  10. TODDFAN DISCMAN ~
    Yeah, that's a funny concept. I'll bet the most intriguing thing about the story was the curiosity it awakened in the reader regarding what would be the next song the dude added to his iPod.

    --> "I am a lonesome and on'ry minority."

    Ah-ha! Already quoting the highly quotable Waylon Jennings, eh? You're already half of the way to "Outlaw" fandom!

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McD-Fens

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