Mar 022010
 

The following questions are meant to elicit a sense of your rock ‘n roll values and experiences. Your gut answers are requested – don’t think too hard! For newcomers to the Halls of Rock, this is an occasional exercise we conduct to get to know each other better and to open possible new avenues of exploration. There’s not always a unifying theme, but today’s theme is Formative Musical Experiences. Let’s get to it, shall we?

When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

I look forward to your your responses.

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  26 Responses to “Dugout Chatter: Formative Musical Experiences Edition”

  1. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    when i realized i had listened to my mom’s Abbey Road album more than she had. I was 12 and it was 1985.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    I had regretted not getting Miami by The Gun Club until I found it again a few years later.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    Springsteen

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    Telling all my Licensed to Ill friends that The Beatles were where it’s at!

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

    too many to name

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    Bowie-The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars.

  2. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?
    Hard to say – I come from a musical family. I did spend a great deal of time as a kid just listening to records and I was aware that other kids did not do this, but I don’t know when I noticed it.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?
    I spent a summer at an arts program in Canada and deliberately took NO music with me. I thought I’d get a vacation from my CD collection. I bought two albums when I was up there – a Blue Rodeo album (when in Rome…) and Wilco’s “Being There.” However, I wish I had bought “OK Computer,” because I know that would’ve been the sound of my summer. But then, I was listening to chamber music all day, so that was good too.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?
    Probably Kiss. I think I realized I had been marketed to, somehow, and realized that I had all these albums by a band I really didn’t like. I gave them all to the kid next door, he didn’t want them either, but his mom probably threw them away. I guess I associated rejecting Kiss with getting older, I didn’t need that cartoon kiddie music anymore. The neighbor kid moved away when I was 9, so it was probably around then that this happened.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?
    My dad came home from a visit to the library with a Bay City Rollers album, handed it to me and said he thought it might be good. I took one look at those dopey haircuts, the big teeth and the stupid plaid outfits and told my dad I was not interested.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)
    Oh man, like all of it. I had a subscription to Musician Magazine from the 9th grade up through college and I read it cover to cover, every month. I can’t remember the names of the streets that intersect my street, but I can name bandmembers, songwriters, producers, engineers and equipment. But it could be worse, it could be sports trivia!

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?
    Gotta be the Cocteau Twins. I dug the art chicks.

  3. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    Early high school. Before then, I was really into it but I assumed that everyone else was too.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    I was at a school carnival and I won an album. I could have chosen Darkness On The Edge Of Town but instead I picked London Town (I think). Shortly thereafter, I became obsessed with Springsteen. I don’t regret it now but I really did back then.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    My first two loves: KISS and Elton John. Elton John because of Blue Moves and KISS because they just really seemed uncool all of a sudden.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking… ?

    When I was in college, everyone was way, way into the Dead. I was at a party and they were playing bootleg after bootleg. They would just let the drums and space parts play too in the middle of a party. So anyway, I told one of the women who lived there that I had a cool version of reggae cover and I ran back to my room and got Black Market Clash and had her put on Pressure Drop. It kind of sucked the air right out of the room. She shot me a look that was equal parts disbelief and disgust, and we went back to the Dead as soon as it was over. That’s certainly not the earliest stand that I took, but it’s the first one that popped into my head.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain….

    Geez, where to start… The Velvet Underground’s first drummer was named Angus McLeish

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    Traffic

  4. I can give a more broad answer to these questions as opposed to specifics.

    I have had an affair with rock music for as long as I can remember. No one in my family is particularly musical. I wasn’t raised around a bunch of writers and pickers, so my own musical journey was forged by my own hand. My parents did have a rather small collection of albums that influenced me in some ways.

    My earliest musical memories are of Kiss. I was born in 1975, but I was very familiar with Kiss (particularly the Love Gun album) prior to the departure of Peter Criss (which may have been my first major “breakup” in my musical world). I realize now that Kiss was marketed to kids like me. I bought into the whole rockstar/superhero bit, but their influence was definitely a musical one. For better and for worse, I liked their music. It wasn’t about just playing with the toys and reading the comics. I played their records and knew the tunes. (I have a friend who likes a lot of shallow pop music by the likes of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. I have always tried to figure this out, but to his credit, he must actually like the music. If it was just about their looks, he could stare at pictures downloaded from the internet all day. The same must be said of Kiss fascination.)

    To my credit, I did like other rock music. I had inherited someone case of LPs. In addition to Kiss, it also contained some Queen and others which escape me now. I used to pretend that I was hanging out people like Ace Frehley and Rod Stewart when I was kid. I also used to beg my mom to buy 45s for me by folks like Blondie and Gary Numan. I think that’s pretty progressive for a five-year-old.

    I wrote a screenplay about a making out with a schoolyard crush while thinking about Cyndi Lauper’s “All Through The Night.”

    I lost interest in Kiss when the make-up came off, but not rock music. In the mid-80s, I made the decision that I would follow hard rock. I bought three tapes for my 11th birthday: David Lee Roth’s Eat ‘Em and Smile, Ozzy’s Ulitmate Sin, and AC/DC’s Who Made Who. AC/DC stuck. This all makes sense to me now. AC/DC was kind of the “anit-hair” band. They didn;t wear make-up and they looked like regular dudes in their videos (aside from the schoolboy). Then it was Metallica…

    Early in high school, I discovered The Beatles via The Blue Album (1976-1970) and the rest is history. I had worn out a copy of my dad’s Hey Jude American album and my mom was a Stones fan, so I had exposure to Out Of Our Heads. My dad likes to take credit for getting me away from that awful heavy metal music, but I know better. And I still like most of that crap today anyway so I never really got away from it.

    After The Beatles, everything blew wide-open in college and here I am. So, there’s the short musical upbringing of me.

    TB

    PS–Useless knowledge: In college, I bought a cassette tape of Love Gun from our campus bookstore (!) and popped it in having not heard it in over ten years and I still knew every word to every song. Imagine my realization when I discovered what “Plaster Caster” was really about. I called my mom and thanked her for not putting me into a musical bubble and allowing me to be exposed to such deviant lyrics as a child.

  5. Hey, cdm, someone once told me that that S/T Traffic record was “encrusted with goodness.” I must agree.

    TB

  6. BigSteve

    Sorry to pince nez your trivia, cdm, but it’s Angus Maclise, not McLeish.

  7. hrrundivbakshi

    Speaking of AC/DC, I watched Brian Johnson take a spin as the Celebrity in the Reasonably Priced Car last night on the extremely excellent BBC show “Top Gear” last night, and:

    1. He came off as a total… great guy! Seriously, completely humble and likeable, funny, etc. Not charming in a rascally way like Bon was, but charming anyhow.

    2. He came in *second-fastest* on the board of celebs who have taken the challenge to drive as fast as they can around the Top Gear track. Those who have seen the show know what a big deal that is. (More info at: http://topgear.wikia.com/wiki/Star_in_a_Reasonably-Priced_car )

  8. Mr. Moderator

    Think of all the things BigSteve just forgot to buy at the grocery store later today!

  9. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    When I was 10 or 11 and me and one pal in class were way into the Beatles and we found that none of the other kids were even remotely interested.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance? Augustus Pablo´s King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown. Saw it in a shop once, didn´t have the money and then it took me years to finally find me a copy.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    U2. Still do. Sting came second.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    When punk hit and most of my friends were still into prog.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

    I recently found I could still name the line-up of Eater.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    Not sure as I was too busy probably. Must have been the ususal suspects: Marvin Gaye, Dusty In Memphis etc.

  10. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    **Probably by 5th grade, when Mr Mod and I used to talk music with our 5th grade teacher who became sort of a musical mentor to us

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    **There was a great bootleg shop that I went to in high school that I should have bought more stuff at

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    **Led Zepplin

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    **Probably justifying Artists like The Clash too my sisters and parents

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary?

    **Being able to (or used to) list the Beatles british singles w/ b-side

  11. diskojoe

    When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    I think it was probably high school when I started buying records & I would get 60s Stones & Kinks albums while my friends would get albums by Peter Frampton, Rod Stewart and yes, Kiss.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    Too numerous to mention, but a look @ my collection shows that I eventually got what I wanted.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    I remember my sister telling me that I should listen to other stuff than her old Beatles albums and she suggested The Best of John Denver. That was a non-starter.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    Probably playing one of my Kinks cassettes during our Strat-O-Matic game sessions.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    “Wild Horses” & “After The Gold Rush”, two songs that were played at a party @ a house of a girl that I had a crush on
    in high school.

  12. Thanks a lot, Big Steve. Now I’ll be stuck remembering how to spell it properly and how to spell incorrectly. I hope this latest trivial tidbit doesn’t force something important out of the hard drive like the names of my kids or something. (especially what’s-her-name… you know, the little, screechy one…)

  13. Q – When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?
    A – When I got a job and all I wanted to with my newfound money was to shop for records while all of my friends were saving for cars or buying clothes, etc. Then when I got old enough to go see bands at Philly clubs. My friends would razz me for always wanting to go see “obscure bands”.

    Q – What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?
    A – Forever Changes by Love. It came out when I was a kid, but had never even heard it until I worked at a record shop in Ardmore PA in the 80’s (Plastic Fantastic).

    Q – Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?
    A – Sting. And I used to really love The Police (still like the records). But solo Sting (the musician and the world-saver) makes my skin crawl.

    Mr. Mod will like this – my wife used to really love Sting and wanted to see him on one of his solo tours in the early 90’s. I told her that her chances of getting a good seat were better if she got herself ONE ticket. I drove her to the Spectrum, she went to the show. I walked across the street and caught a Phillies game at The Vet. Both of us had a great time. 🙂

    Q – What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?
    A – Being 15 years old and wearing my Knack t-shirt to high school after seeing them at the Tower Theater (1979). This was a time when a large number of kids in my high school wore Lynyrd Skynyrd shirts every day. I took a lot of crap for my shirt, but I didn’t care. I knew who made the better records.

    Q – What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)
    A – a lot of things I guess.

    Q – What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?
    A – “Stairway to Heaven” was always the last song of the night at junior high dances. It was the catalyst for some young fun.

  14. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    Family was immediate: they didn’t really listen to music, so any rock I played was a total mystery to them.

    My age group not until much later: maybe when I was a freshman in college and my roommates couldn’t fathom my Fairport Convention records.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    I don’t think I’ve ever not bought a record that I wanted.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    Journey

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    I can’t really remember. I do remember laying it on the line once with Mr. Mod.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary?

    I don’t remember much rock trivia or anything else.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    The Cars

  15. hrrundivbakshi

    Mod: we need a Big Choice Poll, asking RTHers to choose sides between the Knack and Lynyrd Skynyrd. I adore both bands, for different reasons, in different ways and to different degrees. I’d have a hard time choosing — but choose I would!

  16. Mr. Moderator

    I’ll play.

    When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    Probably the same answer andyr gave. We did something called the Human Jukebox (spinning our singles on a little record player under a card table decorated to look like a jukebox) at a 5th grade fair that was a clear sign of our commitment to the music.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    Ornette Coleman’s one album for Blue Note. I couldn’t afford the $40 the only time I saw it on a wall in a record store.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    Probably KISS. My little brother got into them when he was about 8 and I was 13. I remember having long, serious talks with him about the bad taste he was displaying and what that could mean for his future. Now I watch my nearly 13-year-old boy lecture our 8-year-old boy on the moral implications surrounding our little guy’s love for stuff like Taylor Swift. Sad.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    So many – and it never ends. Probably beginning in 10th grade, when I fully committed to a life of loving music, I hammered friends and school acquaintances with my opinions on all the popular FM rock they were into. I was real charmer.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

    September 23.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    My first make-out session was to the tunes of Led Zeppelin (slow-dancing to “Stairway to Heaven”) into Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (actual make-out time). I already didn’t like those bands, but I was fortunately a couple of years away from being such a rock snob that I would have halted these more formative activities to lecture my date and my fellow partygoers on the moral implications of those ’70s AOR standards.

  17. Mr. Moderator

    michael k, great choice you made for yourself and your wife! (Are you going to see Ben Vaughn at the M Room on Sunday? I just found out he’s playing there.)

    Mwall, the stand you took with me was a classic. I really bonded with you for life that night – no joke.

  18. hrrundivbakshi

    Q – When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?
    A – My amazing dad encouraged me to listen to all kinds of music, and helped me with my first school report on the topic, delivered in third grade, on Dave Bruebeck and Woody Herman, whom I adored. My teacher fairly beamed at me, I remember. The rest of the class was a bit lost as I spun my dad’s records on a school turntable.

    Q – What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?
    A – Can’t think of any offhand.

    Q – Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?
    A – I had my first know-it-all episode of rock revulsion when many of my friends started getting into Rush.

    Q – What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?
    A – I remember calling my idiot friends out as a late teen, when they scoffed at the brilliance of the Beatles, preferring Boston’s “Don’t Look Back” album to a readily available Beatles greatest hits LP.

    Q – What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)
    A – Hmm. Hard to say.

    Q – What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?
    A – Pete Townsend and much of “Empty Glass,” for sure. Though my first, very wonderful slow dance with buck-toothed Diane Bickford, to the strains of “Wild Horses,” is hard to beat, in the teen memory department. For make-out memories, though, gotta go with Pete. Oh, Carla Boswell! How you broke my heart!

  19. BigSteve

    When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    I have almost no memories of the time before I realized I was not like everybody else.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    I’ve always spent too much money on records, rarely denying myself, and then only temporarily.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    The main thing that comes to mind is my sharp turn against heavyosity, where my fairly recently purchased albums by Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and Vanilla Fudge were ruthlessly rejected, in favor of my new, more sophisticated taste.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    I recall publicly rejecting ELO, but that was in a group of people who wouldn’t challenge me. I guess a good example would be continuing to buy my Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan albums in the middle of the punk era, which really confused record store clerks.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music,
    yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

    The spelling of the name of the original drummer for the Velvet Underground.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    No, I realized early on that I’d rather listen to music than have sex.

  20. Re: Brian Johnson on Top Gear.
    Sorry to name-drop or brag, but I did meet him many years ago, he was friends with somebody working on a session on which I was an assistant. He was completely down-to-Earth and hilarious. I recall he had purchased an obviously fake Rolex on Canal Street and had apparently been to a very fancy restaurant where he showed it off, pretending that he didn’t know it was fake. He was showing it around saying, “isnt this great?!” Also, when we ordered food, the delivery guy got huffy with me because he thought he was going to get a 15-20% tip, which uh, no. And Brian actually came to the door was was saying, “you didn’t SERVE it to us!” What rock star does something like that, especially for the meek little assistant? It was very cool of him.

    But my favorite memory of those two or three days was his story of going to a car dealership because he wanted to buy a hard-top Aston Martin. This may not seem as funny to you guys, because it lacks his gregarious delivery, but the story was that all they had were convertibles. He was saying how hard the salesman was trying to convince him to buy the car anyway but he shot the guy down by saying, “look… I’m not going to pay twice as much money for HALF a fucking car!” Ah, maybe you had to be there…

  21. Mr. Mod, methinks BigSteve´s last comment calls for another poll.

  22. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    Probably 5th grade when I begged my parents for a record player and everyone else was getting new baseball gloves and bats.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    The 12″ single of Miss You. Had it in my hands and put it back in the bin. Still dig this longer version.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    Steely Dan.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    Being a major AC/DC fan and seeing them twice before Bon Scott died, I wore a black armband to school the day after he died and had to tell everyone who asked why I was wearing it and who the hell Bon Scott was. Those high school squares didn’t deserve to know Bon, I thought. And they called themselves music fans. Off with their heads!

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

    February 19, 1980. The day Bon Scott died.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    My girlfriend and I used to hang out in her basement and she had an older brother and sister. She would put on either Rod Stewart’s A Night On The Town or the Buckingham/Nicks record. Occasionally, she’d mix it up and drop Old And In The Way.

  23. Ramone, re your comment about Big Steve’s comment, it’s a good thing for people around here that we don’t have to choose, not that I wouldn’t know the answer–but still.

  24. 2000 Man

    When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    Probably around eighth grade. My friends liked whatever was on the radio, and I was trying to get them to listen to college stations.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    A Stones boot called The Black Box. I found one with the whiskey bottle and everything and thought 80 bucks was too much. Probably couldn’t touch it for less than 500 these days. I DID manage to score a Stones MoFi box for 90 bucks, and I actually managed to put it on layaway cuz I was broke!

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    Boston. God I hate those guys.

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking – you know, a time when you made a point of putting your neck on the line and telling other folks what needed to be said regarding a crucial musical issue?

    I took Never Mind the Bollocks to a high school party. I got it played, and only one guy stayed in the room the whole time it was on. He thought it was awesome, and so did I. Everyone else thought we were dinks and called us fags.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain to the probable detriment of remembering more important things, like what you’re supposed to get at the grocery store or the date of your anniversary? (For instance, I know The Boss’ birthday despite never having been a big fan of Him and His music, yet I forget forget the birthdays of relatives almost monthly.)

    I hate Led Zeppelin, but I think I know the order of the release of all their albums (except for after Coda. I think they were done by then). I go to the store to get milk, eggs and butter and come home with beer, peanuts and a Twix bar.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    The first thing that came to mind was the woman I had dinner with last weekend with my wife and her husband. We had a pretty innocent makeout session in Jr. High and Foreigner’s first album was on. I have a bunch of friends I went to school with still to this day, and we were talking about it at dinner the other night.

  25. Hey Monsieur Mod, I still would like to see the poll based on BigSteve’s comment about preferring music to sex. Please make sure that the poll is anonymous.

  26. When did you first notice that you related to music in a way that was different than how other family members or kids related to it?

    I was trained early by my older 2 siblings that Queen, Grand Funk & Jethro Tull = GOOD. Dad’s Roger Whittaker Greatest Hits = BAD. It was all downhill from there.

    What record do you most regret not buying when you had the chance?

    Kind of the opposite. I’m glad I didn’t buy a lot of it cuz now most of it can be found at the bottom of the discount bucket.

    Who’s the first rock ‘n roll artist/band you recall disliking profoundly?

    Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Bruce & the Beatles

    What’s the earliest rock ‘n roll stand you can recall taking?

    I made a guy who was just given my phone number (by me) return it after it became apparent he had no idea who Jim Morrison was and how “just another dead rocker” could possibly matter 8 years later.

    What piece of useless rock trivia does your mind retain?

    It’s not rock but Maryland, My Maryland is the song played while the horses are brought out to run the Preakness Stakes every year. It’s a guaranteed stumper for that idiot who bets that “I can’t be stumped at music trivia”. we all know one.

    What songs/artists do you associate with your earliest make-out sessions?

    The Cars & Pink Floyd

Jul 232007
 

What band not known for its use of backing vocals makes the best use of them in the rare times backing vocals are employed?

Certainly you’ve had an experience hearing a song that you pooh-poohed when it was a hit to realize, years later, it wasn’t all that bad. Please share an example and, if possible, what you realized was actually good about that song.

What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?

Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often? In other words, as an example, Ray Davies produced The Turtles Soup but little if anything else for outside bands. Someone might wish he’d produced more bands. Who’s that person for you?

Musicians of any stripe, is there an artist whose music you learned to appreciate only after having learned to play it?

Which artist do you think you might truly dig if only you could get your head around around the genre in which said artist works? For instance, I think I’d be a big Steve Earle fan if only I could fully embrace country music, including country rock.

I look forward to your responses.

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  19 Responses to “Dugout Chatter”

  1. What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

    The first two cars I owned were VW Beetles. They were $100 old cars and both lasted only a few years – the heat needed to be “wired on” in the winter and the floors were rotting out. So – the song that might best represent them for me would be the Flintstones theme song.

    Musicians of any stripe, is there an artist whose music you learned to appreciate only after having learned to play it?

    There was a show that Baby Flamehead did at the Khyber once where in the middle of our set we played 3-4 Foreigner tunes. I remember rehearsing them in Eden’s living room and scratching our heads in amazement at the arrangements and the strangely difficult task of learning them. I suddenly had more respect for the craft that went into writing those tunes. Though it didn’t make me want to go out and buy any of their releases…

  2. meanstom

    ‘What band not known for its use of backing vocals makes the best use of them in the rare times backing vocals are employed?’

    Led Zeppelin

    ‘Certainly you’ve had an experience hearing a song that you pooh-poohed when it was a hit to realize, years later, it wasn’t all that bad…’

    Recently heard a New Order song that used to drive me batty. The one that goes ‘ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh.’ Hearing it the other day I realized the rhythm chugged along nicely despite all the cutesy hooks (some stuff about eye color included).

    ‘What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?’

    ’74 Dodge Dart. Beige. ‘Helen Wheels’ best represents the teen driver if not the car itself.

    ‘What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?’

    ‘Ooh La La’

    ‘Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often?’

    Nick Mason.

    ‘Musicians of any stripe, is there an artist whose music you learned to appreciate only after having learned to play it?’

    n/a

    ‘Which artist do you think you might truly dig if only you could get your head around around the genre in which said artist works?’

    Don’t know that I can separate things like that or that I have that much resistance to a particular genre. Maybe I’d like Santana better if they didn’t have that Latin vibe. I like the rocking bits.

  3. ‘What band not known for its use of backing vocals makes the best use of them in the rare times backing vocals are employed?’

    I don’t know – Bruce and the E street Band?

    ‘What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?’

    Well, my second car was a Monte Carlo until it blew up in front of Mike Fingeroff’s house. It did give me a band name for a covers band Chickenfrank and I were in during college “The Expoldin’ MC’s”

    ‘What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?’

    Any song where he plays his Dobro

    ‘Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often?’

    Ray Manzerek

  4. Mr. Moderator

    Manzarek’s a great answer, A-Dogg! I was listening to both Morrison Hotel and the second X album this weekend and digging the productions of each. Not that that’s anything new for me to do…

  5. hrrundivbakshi

    Say, Velv — who was the bass player in the Exploding MCs? RTH might be interested to know who was holdin’ down the groove as you belted out “Mustang Sally.” As I recall, it *wasn’t* Townsman Chickenfrank.

  6. Mr. Moderator

    I’ll answer that question, Hrrundi, for the special price of $372!

  7. hrrundivbakshi

    Are there aenough folks who *don’t* know that we might make a fun guessing game out of this? Posting a typical set list for this bassist’s band might further amuse and amaze.

  8. You don’t remember, Hrrundi?

    It was John Curley, who later became a founding member and the bassist for the Afghan Wigs.

  9. Bauhaus got into backing vocals later in their career and it was dope.

    Sweet Child of Mine. I thought I hated it when it was out. Turns out, I love it.

    My first car was a 1980 Cutlass Supreme.
    ‘I second that emotion’ Smokey Robinson cover by Japan.
    cause I wore out that cassette in that car.

    Ron Wood: Gimmee some neck. Best album title, best Ron Wood self portraits on the cover. Best concept: neck

    David Byrne produced the first album by Specials/English Beat spinoff Fun Boy Three. It is called ‘Waiting’ and it starts off with a Go-Go’s cover that must have been out at the same time as the original single. Cool Album. Bossa Nova, Reggae, Dub, New Wave, and Pop.

    House Music

    Dylan if I could get Folk

  10. general slocum

    What band not known for its use of backing vocals…?

    Not having an answer offhand, let me soapbox for just a moment, and say this: not singing is a pet-peeve of mine. You’re wasting three or four instruments by simply not opening your yap. If you aren’t tuneful (which is usually more “won’t” than “can’t”) you can at least holler in unison to ratchet up the voltage.

    pooh-poohed:
    I couldn’t listen to Benny and the Jets when it came out. Mostly out of an Elton John allergy which is still largely in place. But that song gets in there with that elusive quasi-stomp rhythm. Now I love that song, so I tried an album or two out of the library, and it turns out I was right about almost all of it.

    What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

    In high school I shared with my brother a ’74 blue Mustang II with white leather interior. It made every song sound a bit more like Charlie’s Angels underscoring. I tried to listen to Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor for a whole summer to try to exorcise the spirit of shiny polyester and wine-coolers. The car remained unconvinced, and I was no closer to getting laid than previously. Later I got my own ’67 Dart 2 door, and that car always wanted to hear “I Feel Fine.”

    What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?

    None is identified as such.

    Which artist not known as a producer…

    I have a problem discerning the work of a producer much of the time. That early Beatles instrumental single recorded by Bert Kaempfert is so obviously a sound they never used, and a couple of other things are obvious, but on a lot of records, you can’t hear whether the producer corrected something problematic to get something interesting, or whether the band was heading there anyhow, and the producer just shoved in the right direction.

    Musicians of any stripe, is there an artist whose music you learned to appreciate only after having learned to play it?

    Doing 16 years of covers in Big Mess has given me at least a fondness for a lot of people whose music I might otherwise have never even heard. But often times when you get shoehorned into learning something outside your usual avenue, it only amplifies the reasons you weren’t sympathetic in the first place.

    I’d be a big Steve Earle fan if only I could fully embrace country music, including country rock.

    What few whole genres I haven’t ever enjoyed at all, I’m happy leaving crossed off the list. That said, the conquering of a genrephobia has as often been brought about by appreciating an individual as anything. Keep working on country, Mod, you deserve to enjoy it!

  11. 2000 Man

    What band not known for its use of backing vocals makes the best use of them in the rare times backing vocals are employed?

    I dunno – that’s hard. Most of the stuff I like is just a guy yelling over a din. I like Jet Boy. I like the backing vocals that go “Jet boys fly, jet boys gone, jet boy stole my baby…Ooooh Ooooh.”

    Certainly you’ve had an experience hearing a song that you pooh-poohed when it was a hit to realize, years later, it wasn’t all that bad. Please share an example and, if possible, what you realized was actually good about that song.

    Saturday Night Special. I don’t like Lynyrd Skynyrd much, but it’s cool to see that they weren’t just a bunch of redneck yabbo’s, even if a lot of their fans around here were.

    What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

    1974 Olds Custom Cruiser Wagon. Good god that car was huge, and I think I got around 9 mpg! It slept four comfortably, though. I think Iron Man was a good song for it, as it starts off lumbering, then picks up speed to a medium cruise. It’s not a car song, but then that wasn’t really a car so much as a moving studio apartment.

    What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?

    Stay With Me. With The Stones it’s the way him and Keith weave their guitars on Beast of Burden (a song which could also fit answer number two, I was a snotty young punk!)

    Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often?

    I suppose Todd Rundgren. When he went off the deep end with his albums, I think I’d have rather had him go full time producer. His albums always sound like they’re correctly made, even if the music blows. He did a lot of producing, but I think he should have done more. That a cappella stuff was painful.

    Which artist do you think you might truly dig if only you could get your head around around the genre in which said artist works?

    Miles Davis, I guess. I just can’t get into jazz no matter how hard I try.

  12. Fritz! If I’m not mistaken, didn’t Curley also have a hand in producing Bob’s Revenge?? He must have really mixed the guitar low if you’ve erased him from your memory. Am I mistaken? I didn’t think it was just AndyR with the handgun on the console.

  13. BigSteve

    Beefheart’s records almost never have bg vocals, but Strictly Personal has some good ones – Trust Us and Kandy Korn, for example.
    A song I once pooh-poohed was You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet. Back in the day, BTO was a laughing stock among people I knew. But you gotta admit the song’s got hooks. The b-b-b-baby, the way he rushes out the words in the chorus, that processed guitar sound, the dumb but cute riff, it’s got it all. Takin’ Care of Business isn’t bad either.
    The first car I owned all by myself was an ancient Ford Falcon. I do have a fond memory of driving to Baton Rouge with a cassette of the Sex Pistols album blasting at full volume, but that’s not exactly musically representative. More memorable was the night a drunk came along and crashed it into a telephone pole, thus turning it into a not very musical accordion.
    My favorite Ron Wood moment is that first Faces album, First Step. Lots of good slide playing there, good songs (Wicked Messenger, for example), and Rod Stewart when he was just a good singer.
    Robbie Robertson produced the first albums by Jesse Winchester and Hirth Martinez, both damn fine pieces of work. Did he ever produce anyone else? (I’m ignoring the Neil Diamond episode.) I’m not sure if I’d want him on the other side of the glass anymore.
    I had already appreciated Bacharach, but I couldn’t figure out how to play even the simplest songs by him. But then when I got my Martin, I picked it up and somehow magically figured out how to play I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself. That kind of broke the ice, and I subsequently learned how to play other Bacharach songs, though I admit I sometimes regularize the time signatures.
    I don’t know if I could ever learn to like Frank Sinatra, but those Nelson Riddle arrangements ruin the songs for me. The same thing with those big band arrangements on the Ella Fitzgerald songbooks. I like standards sometimes, but I prefer small combo stuff, like Chet Baker Sings or Nat King Cole’s After Midnight sessions. I’m afraid I can’t help but hear Joe Piscopo when Old Blue Eyes sings. Does that make me a bad person?

  14. Mr. Moderator

    What band not known for its use of backing vocals makes the best use of them in the rare times backing vocals are employed?

    I always looked forward to Tony Maimone’s call-and-response vocals with David Thomas on songs like “Dub Housing” and “Pere Ubu Dance Party”. Kind of reminds me of what General Slocum was saying about making use of all possible voices.

    Certainly you’ve had an experience hearing a song that you pooh-poohed when it was a hit to realize, years later, it wasn’t all that bad. Please share an example and, if possible, what you realized was actually good about that song.

    Good question. I’ve got to think about this for a second… “Born in the USA” is probably the first one that comes to mind, although it’s not the most recent turnaround I’ve had. As the mildest of Springsteen appreciators around leading up to the release of that mega-album, the bad ’80s production made it easy for me to hate The Boss with fresh ears. Over the years, however, I grew to enjoy the chooglin’ bass – probably the most chooglin’ bass in a miniscule collection of chooglin’ bass parts the guy ever allowed on record, and I also began to appreciate his effort at reaching out and making an enourmous STATEMENT. I’d much rather hear that song, to cite another relatively chooglin’ song, than that godawful “Pink Cadillac”, I think it’s called.

    What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

    1972 Chevy Nova. Orange with a black vinyl roof. It became known as the Devil Stallion. “Can’t Explain” or “Baba O’Riley” might have been its theme song.

    What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?

    “Ooh La La” and “Seven Days” come to mind, but I really like his guitar playing on “Bad ‘n Ruin” (I think that’s the title) from The Faces’ Long Player album.

    Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often?

    Andy Partridge should have produced a few more bands with bottom. I like his work with Martin Newell and Peter Blegvad. I would have liked to hear him produce a noisier band like Gang of Four.

    Which artist do you think you might truly dig if only you could get your head around around the genre in which said artist works?

    I answered this one already. Along with Steve Earle, I’ll say Jethro Tull. Whatever genre they were, I’m always close to really getting into them, but they’ve got too many stylistic touches that keep them at arm’s length.

  15. What band not known for its use of backing vocals makes the best use of them in the rare times backing vocals are employed?

    How about the track “Tell It to the Judge on Sunday” by The Long Ryders. There’s rarely a moment when I don’t hear that song that I’m not shouting along when it comes to the chorus parts “Tell it to the judge on Sunday!”

    Certainly you’ve had an experience hearing a song that you pooh-poohed when it was a hit to realize, years later, it wasn’t all that bad. Please share an example and, if possible, what you realized was actually good about that song.

    Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. After years of hearing it on the classic rock stations, it’s always been my least favourite – but lately I’ve been listening to it again because of Mac’s book, and his notations about The Small Faces track “You Need Loving” which was a take on Muddy Waters’ “You Need Love” (a Willie Dixon tune) and how Zep nicked it and made it into what would become Whole Lotta Love. Food for thought, I guess. And you really can’t beat that breakdown when the volume’s up.

    What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

    Sadly, I’ve never owned a first car, but my father did make me try to back my mum’s Dodge Colt under the carport when I was 11 (and could probably barely see above the wheel). I was told that “even a baby could do it, it was so easy”. I think that may have been the 4th last time that I drove a car. I backed it into the carport alright – nearly knocking out one of the poles holding it up – my pop shouting “Whoooahhhh, whoooahhh!!” and my mum shouting at him through the window wondering what was going on with the big bang. I can’t think of a car song for this that would appropriately represent the hatchback brown Dodge Colt, but because my dad was always into Roy, I’d have to say Orbison’s “Communication Breakdown” yep.

    What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?

    I’m actually reading quite a bit about Ron in Mac McLagan’s autobiography “All the Rage” (lending it to Plurbie next, but it’s up for grabs if anyone wants to get next in line after him) – and my latest favourite track is “Engine 4444 ’69” (although Ooh La La – fantastic!) ‘Engine’ is a Quiet Melon track that I downloaded – it was the only one I could find a couple of weeks ago – does anyone have any Quiet Melon??? I want more!! rod’s voice sounds really incredible with ron, and what I can only assume is Mac on piano sounds awesome too. Anyone wants to hear it, just shoot me an email.

    Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often?

    I don’t know – Peter Buck, maybe? He’s done The Fleshtones and Nikki Sudden… I think some other stuff too, but I’d like to see him do something other than pet projects or good friends to see if it would be any good.

    Musicians of any stripe, is there an artist whose music you learned to appreciate only after having learned to play it?

    Tom Petty’s Damn The Torpedoes album, maybe. Our band covered Even The Losers. My boyfriend and I had found the cassette of that album at Value Village and neither of us had given it more thought before then, but that summer we really dug into it and I think our bass player was more happy for it as well.

    Which artist do you think you might truly dig if only you could get your head around around the genre in which said artist works?

    Hmmmm… let’s see. It’s always Neil Young for me. I wish I could get past his vocals and the repeats that I had to endure on Canada’s programme “Video Hits” of the video for Harvest Moon. Maybe I just need to be turned on to the “right” Neil Young. I haven’t given him a good starting chance since, really. But I do love Buffalo Springfield – and check out this one – what a weird band setup for a live performance, but even their promo vid for what it’s worth has Dewey Martin pushed way out in front(!):
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N82zbKpWRtw

  16. Mr. Moderator

    Sally C, if you get a chance, could you shoot me that Quiet Melon track to headstache [at] gmail [dot] com? (You would have to string together the address, of course.) I can post it to the list for all to enjoy.

    Great car story.

  17. Sure thing Mr. Mod – comin’ atcha! Glad you enjoyed the Car Story; I’ve got some other good “dad” ones too. He’s a character. I guess that explains A LOT;)

  18. What was your first car, and what car song best represents said wheels?

    It was a 1987 Honda Accord and the song that best represents it would be (thinking…) too many to mention since I would play tapes in it all the time.

    What’s your favorite Ron Wood moment?

    The Birds “Say Those Magic Words” (which appears on the Nuggets II box set) or maybe something from Some Girls?

    Which artist not known as a producer but having done some outside production work would you most like to have heard produce other artists more often? In other words, as an example, Ray Davies produced The Turtles Soup but little if anything else for outside bands. Someone might wish he’d produced more bands. Who’s that person for you?

    Unquestionably Elvis Costello since the few albums he did produce (The Specials and The Pogues’ Rum, Sodomy and The Lash) are absolute masterpieces. He was always able to get the best possible sound out of a band without any bells or whistles. Great question BTW!

  19. Matt, when I was 16, my Mom had a ’87 Honda Accord that I adored. This might’ve been because I inherited her previous car, a 1979 Pontiac Catalina station wagon and the Accord was a much, much smoother ride. Anyway, did you like yours?

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