Listmeister Listens - My Top 106: The Fame

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dihansse



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  • #101
  • Posted: 03/14/2018 08:49
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Oh this really one of the guilty pleasures dating from mu youth where single after single shot up high on the charts and were all over the place on Dutch music shows: Ballroom Blitz, Fox On The Run, Action, etc.
So indeed a singles band where you’re best off with a best of. Mine has always been this one on CD which has all the hits I cherish:

Starke Zeiten by Sweet

The only regular album of theirs which is ok but doesn’t have any of those hits is:

Sweet Fanny Adams by Sweet

Other guilty pleasures in that league and at that time were Mud and The Rubettes. I remember that I awaited their singles with an eagerness you can’t imaginaire in these times were everything at your fingertips.
And then i got disappointed when The Sweet issued The Lies On Your Eyes, which was a lot mellower but which I started to like afterwards, and Lonely This Christmas by Mud which is still terrible.
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  • #102
  • Posted: 03/23/2018 02:18
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35. On the Mastery of Three Genres


Up! by Shania Twain

BEA Ranks: 154th of 2002; 1539th of 2000s; 6,410th of All Time
Ranked highest by Listmeister

Where I work there is country music playing all the time. That's fine. My job is fixing laptops, so my eyes and hands are busy, and my ears are free to do what they want, and I have headphones and Spotify and YouTube. But, sometimes I have to put the headphones down and step away from my workbench, and I'll hear what's playing in the background. One day, the song playing was "Up!", by Shania Twain. So, I looked up the album, played it, loved it, it blew me away.

Forgive me for quoting myself, but this is what I wrote on the album page:

Quote:
Best country album this city boy has ever heard. I'll admit that's not a very long list, but still. I'd decided it was the best country album I'd ever heard by the time I was halfway through the album -- and then it got better.


In 2002, Shania Twain released three albums called "Up!" There was a Pop version of the album, released on a red CD; a Country version of the album on green CD, and an International version on blue CD. Now, Shania Twain has an absolutely gorgeous voice and she knows what to do with it for maximum effect. The vocals are so flawless and perfect for the songs that it works with almost any instrumentation.

The Pop album, the one I heard first and made the above comments on, is the version of the songs that are probably most familiar, and "Up!" and "Forever and Always" were legit pop hits in 2002. The Country version fits a tiny bit more with her style of songs, with more banjo, more fiddle, more acoustic guitar. It's different enough to be interesting, and it works well. "In My Car" and "She's Not Just a Pretty Face" sound really good on this one.

The International one, the Blue CD, comes as a shock once you're used to the pop and/or country version. There are all sorts of international flavors there. Bits of Latin, bits of Bollywood, bits of French, bits of K-Pop, bits of African, all blended together and emphasized in different ways and different arrangements. "Juanita" gets the prize for best International arrangement, but any of them make for a really good remix.

I don't know if anyone else made three versions of the same album. Sometimes someone might produce an album of remixes, but even then you're not going to get track-for-track parallel universes of music. Not since Zaireeka by the Flaming Lips have I heard of such an interesting idea for an album.

Country music doesn't score a lot points at BEA, but if you want to hear a great country album, give the green CD a try. Then listen to the red and the blue ones, you won't be disappointed.

35. Bat Out Of Hell
36. The ArchAndroid
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick
41. Lonely and Blue
42. On the Threshold of a Dream
43. Moody Blue
44. Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We
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  • #103
  • Posted: 03/29/2018 03:10
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34. And now it's time for silly songs with Johnny and Johnny


Flood by They Might Be Giants

BEA Ranks: 12th of 1990; 184th of 1990s; 871st of All Time
Ranked highest by nachosbob (6th of All TIme, out of 100); t08121981 (4th of All Time, out of 40)

"Incredible album, funny as hell and amazingly eclectic and complex when it comes to execution, it is one of those little gems that may be far more trascendental than what they appeared to be..." --covercove

"It's hard not to sing along with ever song." --surfdaily

"Why is the world in love again? Why are we marching hand in hand? Why are the ocean levels rising up? It's a brand new record for 1990, They Might Be Giants brand new album, Floooooooood." --From track 1. Theme from Flood

It's not brilliant music, but each song is a lyrical wonderland and catchy as hell. John Flansburgh and John Linnell, the guys who Might Be Giants, have constructed an album of surrealistic wisdom, and singable tunes. The big hit, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" one of those earworms that, once you get it in your skull, you are never getting rid of, and why would you want to? [Footnote]

You're not convinced. "What are these wondrous lyrics you speak of?" you say. Get a load of these lines:

Quote:

Blue canary in the island by the light switch, who watches over you? Make a little birdhouse in your soul. Not to put too fine a point on it, but say I'm the only bee in your bonnet. Make a little birdhouse in your soul.

Every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople, so if you've a date in Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istabul.

This is where the party ends. I can't stand here listening to you and your racist friend. I know politics bore you, but I feel like a hypocrite talking to you and your racist friend.

Particle Man, Particle Man, doing the things a particle can. What's he like? It's not important. Particle Man.
Is he a dot or is he a speck? When he's underwater does he get wet, or does the water get him instead? Nobody knows, Particle Man. Triangle man, triangle man. Triangle man hates Particle Man. They have a fight, Triangle wins. Triangle Man.

I said if I was smart, then I would save up for a rock to wind a piece of string around. Everybody wants a rock to wind a piece of string around.
If I were a carpenter, I'd hammer on my piglet eyes, collect the seven dollars, and I'd buy a big prosthetic forehead and wear it on my real head. Everybody wants prosthetic foreheads on their real heads.

Mr. Horrible, Mr. Horrible, got a phone call for Mr. Horrible.

Minimum wage! Hyah!

There's only one thing that I know how to do well, and I've often been told that you only can do what you know how to do well, and that's be you. Be what you're like. Be like yourself. And so I'm having a wonderful time but I'd rather be whistling in the dark.



I think I've made my point.

34. Flood
35. Bat Out Of Hell
36. The ArchAndroid
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick
41. Lonely and Blue
42. On the Threshold of a Dream
43. Moody Blue

[Footnote] "Istanbul (Not Constantinople) was not actually written by TMBG. It was written in 1953 to commemorate the actual renaming of the city in 1930. It was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon.
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Location: Ohio
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  • #104
  • Posted: 04/03/2018 17:47
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33. BOH BAH BOH BAH BAH BOH


Brill Bruisers by The New Pornographers

BEA Ranks: 84th of 2014; 734th of 2010s; 5236th of All Time
Ranked highest by jepstein, 17th of All Time

"The title track is pretty difficult not to like." --pearljammer13

"This was one of my favorite albums of 2014. Nearly every track is remarkably crafted and full of energy. " --larryrr

"The New Pornographers have largely recaptured the magic of their first 3 albums, pumping multiple hooks into the majority of these abnormal pop/rock tracks. The poppiest tracks still mostly emanate from AC, the loveliest from Neko and the strangest from Bejar (harmonica solo!), but the tracks are tighter than they have been since Twin Cinema. If one article i read is true, this is in no small thanks to Kathryn Calder. Thank you, Kathryn. And thank you New Pornographers for once again bringing me an album more complex than simple pop but carrying all of the smiles. (And i still heavily heart Neko.)" --paladisiac

Sometime in late August 2014, I was listening to the current hits on Spotify, and somewhere in between Bailando by Enrique Iglesias and Bartender by Lady Antebellum came a commercial interruption. Normally I ignore commercials like everybody does, but this one caught my attention. It went "BO BAHH BO-BAH-BAH BO" in magnificent multi-part harmony. "And the sea was allright, and it was all right, yes (BO BAHH BO-BAH-BAH BO)" it continued. Someone spoke, "Check out the new album, Brill Bruisers, by the New Pornographers, right here on Spotify." Thank you, Spotify, I would like to check that out.

Mind blown.

It seems that the first album I hear by a band quickly becomes my favorite by said band. I suspect it's because the first time you hear the band, it's a new sound, and it's exciting, and it's wonderful. The second album you hear by them doesn't have the same impact. Anyway, that's my theory. I'm not ready to say definitively that Brilll Bruisers is the best New Pornographers album, but it's the one I heard first. That initial BOH BAH BOH-BAH-BAH BO still gets me excited, and I know I'm going to hear a good album.

So, it's got a great initial hook. What else ya got? Well, the New Pornographers' vocal sound is a co-ed harmonies ('Back Stairs', 'Dance Hall Domine'), intrumentally, their sound is overlapping video-gamey synth ('Champions of Red Wine', 'Marching Orderes') and guitar ('War on the East Coast') and drummed ('Born with a Sound') hooks. There are intriguing lyrics all over the place ("There is another west, and a new one when you arrive" --'Backstairs') ("They say we can't make this stuff up, but what else could we make?" -- 'Marching Orders').

It turned out the line in Brill Bruisers was "And the sea was all right and it was all lighters". I don't know what that means.

33. Flood
34. Bat Out Of Hell
35. The ArchAndroid
36. Brill Bruisers
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick
41. Lonely and Blue
42. On the Threshold of a Dream
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Listmeister



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Location: Ohio
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  • #105
  • Posted: 04/24/2018 22:00
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32. Raise your hands from New Jersey to Tokyo


Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi

BEA Ranks: 12th of 1986. 119th of 1980s. 748th of All Time.
Ranked highest by: big-mama, 3rd of All Time, out of 24; bobbyd24, 4th of All Time, out of 45; Fade2Black, 8th of All Time, out of 100.

"I know this isn't really saying much, but BY FAR, this is the greatest hair album of all time! Sure, half the songs are overplayed, but they still all are a ton of fun." --Applerill

"Few other albums capture the times as good as this one. And why this one is so good? it stood the test of time, the great songs are still there and everybody recognize the hit-singles. " --ponkine

"Stop being a snob and just enjoy it for what it is. Fun! Light-years ahead of the other hair metal dreck." --junodog4

"Beethoven's favorite works include Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet" --Bill S. Preston, Esquire

From the extended opening chord to the high-energy finale that is "Wild in the Streets", Slippery When Wet a relentless torrent of high energy rock and roll. Stadium Rock is showcased in its purest form, not just in the guitar work (which is incredible) but also in the harmonics of the vocals. Those harmonies are designed to fill a large space, to the point where it almost feels wasted just hearing it on headphones.

Each song has its unique intro. The a cappella beginning to "You Give Love a Bad Name" ("Shot through the heart! And you're to blame! You give love a bad name! I play my part! And you play your game! You give love a bad name!" Then the ooga-wooga intro to "Livin' on a Prayer" sucks you right in and then the song doesn't let go until you're halfway through "Social Disease." The sad acoustic guitar riff demonstrates a western theme to open "Wanted: Dead or Alive".

Even the slow songs, the ballads, are filled with energy and power. "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and "I'd Die For You" have all the force behind it that five guys from New Jersey can muster, by which I mean, you believe them, and you aren't going to argue with them. "Die for you? Really?" is not something you will be saying after you hear the song.

32. Slippery When Wet
33. Flood
34. Bat Out Of Hell
35. The ArchAndroid
36. Brill Bruisers
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick
41. Lonely and Blue
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Listmeister



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Location: Ohio
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  • #106
  • Posted: 05/08/2018 14:42
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Top Ten Movie Soundtracks

1. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
2. Help! (the Beatles, 1965)
3. Xanadu (Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John, 1980)
4. American Graffiti (1973)
5. Chicago (2002)
6. Saturday Night Fever (Bee Gees, others) (1977)
7. That Thing You Do! (1996)
8. O Brother Where Art Thou (2000)
9. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
10. Pitch Perfect (2012)

Not counting albums that were later made into a movie (like Alice's Restaurant) or albums for concert movies.


Saturday Night Fever by Various Artists
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Location: Ohio
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  • #107
  • Posted: 05/08/2018 21:51
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31. Science Fiction Double Feature


The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Various Artists

BEA Ranks: 50th of 1975; 508th of 1970s; 2,631st of All Time
Ranked highest by: timtooky, 9th of All Time

"This album seems to be a bit underrated so far. I hope it will catch up." -- zonrod

"A Glam Rock Musical which has never lost its glam. Lovin' it" --Nepology

How do you describe something that's simply a lot of fun? There are songs that make you want to dance (Hot Patootie, Time Warp), songs that move you (Goin' Home, Eddy's Teddy), songs with interesting lyrics (Science Fiction Double Feature, Super Heroes), and songs with amazing vocals (Over At the Frankenstein Place, Sweet Transvestite).

On the vocals, almost everyone in the cast has amazing pipes. Little Nell's vaguely American twang (as Columbia), Meat Loaf's operaticness (as Eddy), Susan Sarandon's soprano (as Janet) and Tim Curry's baritone (as Frank N Furter) pull you in with every note. Richard O'Brien does this igor-characterization thing with his voice that's just perfect.

However, there visuals of the film are colorful costumes and surrealistic sets. The set decorations are straight out of the science fiction double features that the first song pays homage to. The music reflects the tone of the visuals.

And then there's these amazing moments. Sarandon's vowel glides on "Over at the Frankenstein Place." Little Nell's mini-bridge in "Time Warp". "Hot Patootie" (the whole song). Curry's reprise of "I Can Make You Man", interrupted by Sarandon singing a sopranissimo line ("I'm a muscle fan!). Everybody in the cast repeating "Creature of the Night" . Jonathan Adam's (he played Dr. Scott), his rich bass in "Eddy's Teddy". I could go on.

Let's do the Time Warp again. It's just a jump to the left.

31. Rocky Horror Picture Show
32. Slippery When Wet
33. Flood
34. Bat Out Of Hell
35. The ArchAndroid
36. Brill Bruisers
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick
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  • #108
  • Posted: 05/15/2018 22:00
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30. Disco surprise party


Nightflight To Venus by Boney M.

BEA Ranks: 127th of 1978; 1173rd of 1970s; 7,019th of All Time
Ranked highest by Listmeister, 30th of All Time

"Great dance-pop. Don't turn up your nose - it's a dancefloor filler." --junodog4

"for half of it's running time this album is a fresh and fun disco/pop record that still sounds great today. The rest? Arghh!" --garycottier

If you look at my top 30, most of the albums are your standard Classic Rock staples. Pink Floyd, Beatles, Heart, the Who, you get the idea. Then you have this weird euro-disco thing from 1978. I discovered Boney M. while I was surveying the hit songs of 1977, and they had a hit that I'd never heard before, called "Daddy Cool", in which they expressed the poetic sentiment of being "Crazy like a fool / about Daddy Cool". Okay, the lyrics were not spectacular, but their sound was electric, and I wanted to hear more.

At the time, Spotify didn't have the album Daddy Cool was on (called Love For Sale), but it did have Nightflight to Venus, and it blew me away. Each song had their sound, which I would describe as "Soulful harmonies, driving disco beat, simple lyrics." So, it was a surprise discovery for me, and if you give it a chance, it will surprise you as well.

It turned out I was already familiar with four songs on the album. You have "King of the Road", a cover of Roger Miller's classic and "Heart of Gold", covering Neil Young. "By the Rivers of Babylon" is quoting Psalm 120, and I'm sure I sung some variation of it in church camp when I was growing up. "Brown Girl In the Ring" was later covered by the Wiggles, to which I had mandatory exposure when my kids were pre-schoolers. One of those kids is now in high school, and when she heard "Rasputin", she mentioned that she had had to play that in band.

This album is just a lot of fun. You want to sing to it and dance to it at the same time.


30. Rocky Horror Picture Show
31. Slippery When Wet
32. Nightflight to Venus
33. Flood
34. Bat Out Of Hell
35. The ArchAndroid
36. Brill Bruisers
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick
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bobbyb5



Gender: Male
Location: New York
United States

  • #109
  • Posted: 05/15/2018 23:48
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Listmeister wrote:
30. Disco surprise party


Nightflight To Venus by Boney M.

BEA Ranks: 127th of 1978; 1173rd of 1970s; 7,019th of All Time
Ranked highest by Listmeister, 30th of All Time

"Great dance-pop. Don't turn up your nose - it's a dancefloor filler." --junodog4

"for half of it's running time this album is a fresh and fun disco/pop record that still sounds great today. The rest? Arghh!" --garycottier

If you look at my top 30, most of the albums are your standard Classic Rock staples. Pink Floyd, Beatles, Heart, the Who, you get the idea. Then you have this weird euro-disco thing from 1978. I discovered Boney M. while I was surveying the hit songs of 1977, and they had a hit that I'd never heard before, called "Daddy Cool", in which they expressed the poetic sentiment of being "Crazy like a fool / about Daddy Cool". Okay, the lyrics were not spectacular, but their sound was electric, and I wanted to hear more.

At the time, Spotify didn't have the album Daddy Cool was on (called Love For Sale), but it did have Nightflight to Venus, and it blew me away. Each song had their sound, which I would describe as "Soulful harmonies, driving disco beat, simple lyrics." So, it was a surprise discovery for me, and if you give it a chance, it will surprise you as well.

It turned out I was already familiar with four songs on the album. You have "King of the Road", a cover of Roger Miller's classic and "Heart of Gold", covering Neil Young. "By the Rivers of Babylon" is quoting Psalm 120, and I'm sure I sung some variation of it in church camp when I was growing up. "Brown Girl In the Ring" was later covered by the Wiggles, to which I had mandatory exposure when my kids were pre-schoolers. One of those kids is now in high school, and when she heard "Rasputin", she mentioned that she had had to play that in band.

This album is just a lot of fun. You want to sing to it and dance to it at the same time.


30. Rocky Horror Picture Show
31. Slippery When Wet
32. Nightflight to Venus
33. Flood
34. Bat Out Of Hell
35. The ArchAndroid
36. Brill Bruisers
37. Help!
38. Up!
39. Kimono My House
40. Kick


Nightflight to Venus is one of the coolest albums ever. I don't know if it's just the way that it's mixed, or the perfect Arrangements, or just the way the drums amd the bass sound, but every song on it kicks in and grabs you. No matter how silly it gets, the music just takes a hold of you. I'll never get tired of listening to it.
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bobbyb5



Gender: Male
Location: New York
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  • #110
  • Posted: 05/15/2018 23:51
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dihansse wrote:
Oh this really one of the guilty pleasures dating from mu youth where single after single shot up high on the charts and were all over the place on Dutch music shows: Ballroom Blitz, Fox On The Run, Action, etc.
So indeed a singles band where you’re best off with a best of. Mine has always been this one on CD which has all the hits I cherish:

Starke Zeiten by Sweet

The only regular album of theirs which is ok but doesn’t have any of those hits is:

Sweet Fanny Adams by Sweet

Other guilty pleasures in that league and at that time were Mud and The Rubettes. I remember that I awaited their singles with an eagerness you can’t imaginaire in these times were everything at your fingertips.
And then i got disappointed when The Sweet issued The Lies On Your Eyes, which was a lot mellower but which I started to like afterwards, and Lonely This Christmas by Mud which is still terrible.


I like Little Willy and Fox on the Run the best. They're awesome.
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