What I Would Have Played – January 24, 2012 – 1979

By now, we’re all aware of the passing of iconic Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.  I recently saw the 1979 Sugar Bowl on TV, in which Paterno’s #1 Nittany Lions played (and lost to) #2 Alabama, 14-7.  Today, we look back at my five favorites of 1979, in no order.

1. Joe Jackson – Is She Really Going Out With Him?

This song was not originally released in 1979 (there was a single release in 1978), but the re-release in 1979 got this song the fame it eventually saw.  The song charted just outside the top 20 in the US, and became one of Jackson’s most memorable tracks in his short five-year history on the pop charts.  The song was later covered by Sugar Ray (among many others) and appeared in the movie There’s Something About Mary.

2. Blondie – Heart of Glass

It’s really hard to find a band that has been at the forefront of three musical movements, but Blondie manages to fit that bill.  Blondie was a huge part of the pop punk scene in New York City in the late 1970s, the disco-to-pop transition and the rap movement (with their song Rapture, which came later).  The video for this song was filmed in the legendary Studio 54, and it seems (despite critical backlash at the time) to make as much fun of the disco movement as it does to glamorize the movement.  For all of the resistance to Blondie’s performance of a disco record, the song hit #1 on the pop charts in 1979, and their musical variety was on display throughout their catalog, including another big 1979 single, Dreaming (bonus!).

3. Supertramp – Goodbye Stranger

Despite its release approaching the end of the decade, Breakfast in America was one of the true landmark records of the 1970s.  Roger Hodgson’s band reached their pinnacle with this release, which saw four huge hits in the US.  This song was a top 15 track here, and it still gets regular airplay on classic rock stations.  Supertramp’s distinctive sound resonated across genres, and still does so 33 years after this album’s release.  If this is not in your catalog, it needs to be.

4. Toto – 99

This song was quite the departure for Toto — not so much in the sound, because it featured a lot of the same adult contemporary sound fans of the band grew to know and love, but more for the concept behind it.  This song has a very science fiction feel to it (it is said by several sources that it was a tribute to the 1971 George Lucas movie THX 1138), and the video is equally strange.  I’m not quite sure what connects with me about the song, but I can’t seem to get it out of my head after hearing it.

5. Gerry Rafferty – Days Gone Down

Gerry Rafferty had a long track record of success before this song ever hit the charts, but it still rivals — if not surpasses — anything he ever recorded.  The former lead singer of Stealers Wheel (known for Stuck in the Middle With You), Rafferty had a monster hit with Baker Street a year before the release of this track, and he also saw quite a bit of success with Right Down The Line on the same record (this song was rather successful itself, reaching #17 on the US charts).  Rafferty was another of many artists who was more concerned with his craft than the spoils that came with it, and this resulted in some truly inspired creations throughout his career.  Rafferty’s demise was a sad one, but we luckily have this masterpiece (among others) by which to remember him.

What I Would Have Played – January 17, 2012 – Forgotten Favorites!

Today’s feature is songs in my collection that I haven’t heard in a while, plus a request!

Enjoy!

1. Joe Jackson (w/Elaine Caswell) – Happy Ending (1984)

Joe Jackson was as huge as anyone in the late 70s and early 80s, racking up a string of hits such as Is She Really Going Out With Him?, I’m The Man and others.  By the time this song made a minor impact on the charts, Jackson had already begun to tire of celebrity and of “corporate” music.  This song and many others from the Body & Soul record on which it was featured displayed Jackson’s predilection toward jazz.  Jackson’s musical efforts only got stronger as his popularity waned, and this is a great example.

2. The Outfield – Voices of Babylon (1989)

Yes, the band you know for the song Your Love actually charted again a couple of years later with this gem.  This song was musically better than their previous chart smash, but experienced very little of the same success.  The song peaked just outside the top 20 in the US in 1989.  The musical landscape had already started to change, and the band got swept away with many similar acts of their day.

3. Living Colour – Type (1990)

Despite mostly being known for the radio smash Cult of Personality, this band carved out a pretty solid niche for themselves, seeing a number of their songs go down as rock classics.  This socially-aware rock outfit cranked out three hits off their Time’s Up record, including this track, Elvis is Dead and the previously-featured Love Rears Its Ugly Head.  This song was a top 5 charting single on the Billboard rock charts, and still holds up quite well 22 years after the fact.

4. Rolling Stones – Out of Tears (1994)

This was not one of the greater chart successes for the Stones, as it didn’t even crack the Top 40 stateside.  That said, this song is so out of character for the Stones — and such a musical marvel — that it merits inclusion.  Much of the Voodoo Lounge record was utterly forgettable in comparison to its hype, but this song left me wishing Jagger and company had gone to the ballad well a bit more later in their career.

5. Del Amitri – Kiss This Thing Goodbye (1989)

This Justin Currie-led Scottish outfit had a decent amount of success in the States, arguably led by this song that kickstarted their career.  The leadoff track from their record Waking Hours (this also featured the brilliant Hatful of Rain, which sparked the name of their greatest hits compilation, there is an interesting mix of straight-ahead rock, jangle pop and even a slight country tinge that helped define Del Amitri’s career.  This band deserved more accolades than they received, despite making a rather solid career for themselves.

6.* When in Rome – The Promise (1988)

This was requested by Ryan, and I’m rarely going to turn down a request.  This song seemed to be all over the radio for years, though it only maxed out at #11 on the charts.  It also was featured in the movie Napoleon Dynamite, which never hurts.  Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’ll go relive the summers of the better part of half a decade…

The Sixer – January 10, 2012

Basketball makes its first ever Sixer appearance! Enjoy!

Click here to play!

What I Would Have Played – Better Than Facebook!

Everyone (well, just about everyone) who reads this has a Facebook account, and you’ve seen everyone and his/her brother putting up the video of whatever song was at the top of the charts on the week of their birth.  After seeing some really terrible songs on there for the better part of a week — and not participating myself — I present to you the five songs I wish had been #1 on the week of my birth.

1. Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

This breezy yet longing waltz is a perfect capture of Simon during the pinnacle of his career.  Sandwiched between experimental periods (1972′s Mother and Child Reunion and 1986′s Graceland, for instance), this song captures Simon in a period after his divorce.  There are, as with everyone in those places, more questions than answers, and that really comes through in the song.  The absolutely beautiful and haunting sax solo from Michael Brecker is the highlight here, set up by the string accompaniment.  Of all the essentials in Simon’s catalog, this song is at the top of the list.

2. The Housemartins – Caravan of Love (1986)

Most people in America got very limited — or no — access to the music of The Housemartins, and only a little more to the music of the “spinoff” group, The Beautiful South.  This cover of an Isley-Jasper-Isley song certainly got a lot of attention in the UK, however, gaining the band a #1 single across the pond.  Paul Heaton’s boys were known for being a little more overtly sarcastic in their music, but this beautiful a capella performance was a welcome departure.  Despite this band’s major claim to fame being the production of Fatboy Slim (who performed in The Housemartins under his given name), this song serves as a great memory of a band that called it quits far before their time.

3. Extreme – Decadence Dance (1991)

A lot of people came to know (and lampoon) Extreme for their “lighter” fare (Hole Hearted and More Than Words), but this was a straight-ahead rock band with a solid sense of sarcasm.  This video takes a pretty open shot at the “hair metal” of the day, as well as the uptight parents groups that seemed to sense impending doom coming out of kids’ stereos.  As dated as this video is, crank your speakers and prepare to rock.

4. Eli “Paperboy” Reed – Pick a Number (2010)

I’m a huge fan of soul music throughout many generations, but this is one of the less expected sources of soul imaginable.  I happened upon this talented musician on the show Live From Daryl’s House, and this song stuck with me.  This devotee of 60s Chicago soul sings the hell out of this — and every other — song he records, and I’ve included this bonus performance from the aforementioned program.

5. Living Colour – Love Rears Its Ugly Head (1990)

It’s not every day that a song about a struggling relationship has a funk groove behind it, but Living Colour made a career of shattering stereotypes.  This track was a success on the charts for the band, reaching number eight, but it still never seemed to get its due.  Sit back and enjoy one of the more musically unconventional “love” songs out there.

What I Would Have Played – Eerie #1 Light Rock Hits

1 – Dan Fogelberg – Leader of the Band (1982)

This (quite frankly, beautiful) song written by Dan Fogelberg in honor of his father seemed to be a great eulogy; however, his father wasn’t dead at the time.  This led to a lot of questions about whether or not Fogelberg’s father had passed, and a lot of media attention for his dad.  A lot of guys will scream and complain about hating this song — and Fogelberg — but it can tend to get a little dusty when this song plays.

2 – Jim Croce – I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (1974)

This song spent exactly one week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1974, but this isn’t the main reason for which it is notable.  Croce wrote this song after a fight with his wife, then sang it to her the next morning.  It was largely undiscovered on an album released the same week of his death, and didn’t reach #1 until seven months after he was gone.  This simple masterpiece from a man who left us far too early (he was 30 when he died in a plane crash in 1973) is a lasting tribute to his greatness.

3 -  Christopher Cross – Think of Laura (1984)

The song that became most associated with the show General Hospital (anyone remember that show?) because of the love story of the main characters, Luke and Laura, had nothing to do with the show whatsoever.

This song was written as an homage to a college lacrosse player who was caught in the crossfire of an argument and killed by a stray gunshot.  Though Cross lost a lot of his popularity when MTV came along and people saw the face behind the voice, his musical skill and distinctive voice never left.

4. Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown (1986)

Much like a lot of The Boss’ records, this song was co-opted for a lot of meanings that were unrelated to the actual song’s message.  Springsteen often sang of the heartbreak and troubles surrounding many Americans, and this song was no different.  It starts with what sounds like a wistful view of the singer’s hometown, but ends on a much more sorrowful note.  The journey between the first note and the last is quite the roller coaster.

5. Eric Clapton – Tears in Heaven (1992)

It seems really creepy to think of a singer pocketing a #1 single off the death of his son, but that’s what happened in this case.  Clapton’s introspective and plantive work exploring his inner monologue after this tragic event wound up also being one of his most commercially successful, netting him three Grammies and nearly universal critical recognition.  This touching track is no longer a part of Clapton’s repertoire, for the most part, but it defined his career — and himself personally — for well over a decade.

What I Would Have Played – Songs That Randomly Appeared In Movies

Everyone who reads this is a movie buff of some sort, and you’re all familiar with movie soundtracks.  What about the songs that don’t appear on the soundtrack, though?  They pop up in some strange moment in the film and seem to have absolutely nothing to do with the film at all.  We take a look at some of those this week…enjoy!

1.  ELO – Telephone Line (1977)

I keep looking for the moment Adam Sandler jumped the shark (it can’t have been until after Happy Gilmore, I wouldn’t think), but I’m also fixated on some of the strangest moments of his career.  Billy Madison was a hysterical movie (in places), and one of the most oddly funny parts of the film was when Sandler’s character decides to make amends for the people he’s wronged in his life.  One of those people is Steve Buscemi’s character, who crosses Madison’s name off his list of people to kill, then starts applying lipstick as this song plays.  I have no idea what the hell inspired it, but I laughed.  A lot.

2. Pat Benatar – We Belong (1984)

The first of two oddly random songs from the movie Talladega Nights, this song plays as Ricky Bobby races his driving adversary (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) on foot to the finish line.  Ferrell is known for having movies packed with non-sequitur songs, and this is no exception.

3. Wham! – Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (1984)

This song’s appearance in Talladega Nights was a bit more obscure, as it took place during the credit roll.  John C. Reilly’s Cal Naughton Jr. character sings this to Ricky Bobby as he attempts to smother him with a pillow during a dream sequence in a hospital.  Reilly absolutely slayed this character in the film, and this was one of his funniest bits.

4. Matthew Wilder – Break My Stride (1983)

This veteran of the more “behind the scenes” parts of the music biz had exactly one solo hit in his career, and this was it.   This track appeared over the credit roll of the Ed Helms/John C. Reilly (there he is again!) vehicle Cedar Rapids in 2011, and if you haven’t seen it, do so ASAP.  I guess this song applies to Helms’ character in the film, but there was no reference whatsoever to the song in the movie — it just pops up during the credits.

5. Statler Brothers – Flowers on the Wall (1965)

Pulp Fiction was, in itself, one of the most random movies in recent history, but one of the more memorable moments from this acid trip of a film occurred as Butch returned from getting his watch in his small white Honda.  This song happened to play as Butch drove, then had his “encounter” with Marsellus Wallace at an intersection.  I have no idea what inspired it, what it means or anything, but enjoy.

The Sixer – December 27, 2011

Before you make this week’s picks, here are your standings:

Current Standings

Brian:  14-4

Marci:  13-5

Ryan:  13-5

Brian’s Dad:  12-6

Pete:  12-6

Ed:  8-4

Tony:  7-5

Guaranteed Loser Standings

Brian:  10-2

Brian’s Dad:  10-2

Pete:  10-2

Ryan:  10-2

Marci:  9-3

Ed:  6-2

Tony:  6-2

Good luck!

On “inventory”…

It’s time for one of the most anticipated (or dreaded, depending on your view) weeks of the year, as we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, a new calendar year and so much else.  We gather with friends, family — or maybe just with ourselves — to look back on the 350+ days past and ponder on what may be behind the next turn of the calendar’s pages.

Before all that takes place, though, we often find ourselves rifling through closets, screaming questions to significant others or mumbling under our breath as our latest fruitless attempt to locate decorative holiday items is well underway.  We know we tucked away that kitschy little item, a reindeer or whatever, sometime within those aforementioned 350+ days, but its exact location has vanished from our mental notepad.  These items live behind closed doors 11 months of the year, but when we need to fall back on them, we can never count on their being there.

As much as we would like to think we’re only this neglectful of our relationship with that $7 Santa figurine, this is quite simply not the case.  Our minds and hearts are not necessarily physical closets, per se, but the amount of clutter within them would rival the junk you tripped over just a few short weeks ago.  Yet, we seem to be more adept at physical inventory than at emotional inventory.

One has two ways in which to keep inventory.  There is the kind that you can do every day, by working as hard to maintain your relationships and sense of self as you do to watch that latest Glee episode, or heading to the bars.  Then, there is the type that life forces you to take, through the loss of a loved one, a prolonged illness or a financial setback.  If you think the former sounds a lot harder than the latter, you’re incorrect.  Voluntary reality is considerably easier than involuntary reality.

Think about all the things you currently do on a daily basis and rank them from 1 to 5 in importance, with 1 being the most important or the least important, whichever you prefer.  Be honest with yourself.  You’re doing yourself no favors if you fudge these numbers.  Then, think about what you could do, with a little effort.  Rank those things from 1 to 5.  You just might find yourself being amazed at what treasures you may find underneath all the junk in your heart and mind.  Also, force yourself to physically write all of these things down.  It is said that what is written becomes real.  Your personal inventory and “to do” list becomes a lot more real in black and white.

I’m no self-help guru; this much should be obvious.  I’m a snarky sports talk host who does what I do because it’s really cool to do something I love and share it with good friends and family.  As great as it would be to draw a consistent paycheck from my three hours each week or to be nationally-known, there are other ways of being rewarded.  When you’re making your list of what you could do, take a second and write down the potential rewards, too.  Sure, there will be risk involved.  There is inherent risk in everything we do.  Could, though, is one of the most powerful words in our language, an indication of the true riches (in one way or another) that we can reap if we just put in the necessary work.  You may become a better friend or sibling.  You may connect on a deeper level with a significant other or spouse.  You may give some of your time to help at-risk kids, pets, our military or others who could use a hand.  You may buy a wildly successful radio station in a major market and hire me.  (Okay, the last one’s not so likely.)

Let’s face it — that tangled strand of 800 lights is going back in your closet January 1st.  When would you ever use it otherwise?  It will take up residence in its dusty, dark cocoon for another 335 days or so while you go on with your everyday life.  Then, come December 1, 2012, you’ll go to find it again, while it silently screams to you, “I’m right here.“  Think of the things in your life that are silently screaming the exact same thing to you, and think of a place you can put them where they will never be lost.  If there’s something in your life worth keeping, don’t ever let yourself put it in a closet again.

The Sixer – December 20, 2011

Hooooo boy.  What a week.  Here’s your Sixer for December 20, and the standings:

Current Standings

Brian:  8-4

Ed:  8-4

Marci:  8-4

Pete:  8-4

Ryan:  8-4

Brian’s Dad:  7-5

Tony:  7-5

Guaranteed Loser Standings

Brian:  6-2

Brian’s Dad:  6-2

Ed:  6-2

Pete:  6-2

Ryan:  6-2

Tony:  6-2

Marci:  5-3

Best of luck this week, and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you all!

The Sixer – December 13, 2011

Here’s the Sixer for December 13.  Oh, by the way, despite there not being a show next week, there WILL be a Sixer!

Current Standings

Pete:  6-0

Brian:  5-1

Brian’s Dad:  5-1

Marci:  5-1

Ryan:  5-1

Ed:  4-2

Tony:  4-2

Guaranteed Loser Standings

Brian:  4-0

Brian’s Dad:  4-0

Ed:  4-0

Marci:  4-0

Pete:  4-0

Ryan:  4-0

Tony:  3-1

Good luck, everyone!