Things have been a little quiet so far this week. I sense we’re burned out from the stunning conclusion of that recent Last Man Standing. It’s time we get a little chatter going. What do you say? Most of you know this drill by now, but if you’ve been following along from the sidelines and want to make your initial splash in the Halls of Rock the following questions require nothing more than your gut answers! Let’s roll!
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
I look forward to your responses.
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
KISS – Creatures Of The Night
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
KISS – CRAZY NIGHTS (same guy, we’re on a Kiss kick)
Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
..that’ just sad
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
Colin Bloodstone, Rod Argent…I’m out!
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
Host Of Family Feud? Disco Diva?
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
Crazy Little Thing Called Love is #1 in my book..but I also like…
Lonely Summer Nights – Stray Cats
An Innocent Man – Billy Joel
Diddy Do Wop (I Hear The Voices) – Hall & Oates
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
The XX
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
Turn Ons by The Hot Rats
Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
Adderal
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
Rod Argent and Anton Newcombe
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
fag haggin
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
Drive in Saturday
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
i read this one wrong, sorry. what WOULD surprise me is if she would like, write a song or something.
Q: What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
A: Arthur by the Kinks or Destination Out! by Jackie McClean if we can count non-rock.
Q: What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
A: Dunno. My friends have pretty much written off trying to get me to listen to anything.
Q: Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
A: Shall I regard this as a rhetorical question?
Q: Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
A: Argent, Blunstone, Chris White. Don’t know the others. Side question: How is that Argent’s solo “Hold Your Head Up” is so awesome but I don’t think I have ever heard another song by Argent? (Performing on the Midnight Special here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5fYPz8dKbg)
Q: Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
A: Forming a duo with Mo Tucker. No, wait: a TRIO with Mo Tucker and the woman drummer from The Honeycombs! Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9C3tZwDpx4 Have they the right, or what! Yes they do! Great look!
Q: What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
A: If I had been smart enough to think of it, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” is a good call by shawnkilroy. I don’t know, then. Does “I Can Help” by Billy Swan count? Anyway, another great Midnight Special clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv54nLzBtLI
Q: What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
A: “Topless Dancers Of Corfu,” by the very unfortunately named Dick Hyman.
Q: What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
A: I guess that “Cherry Bomb” song by Spoon. The last *album* I heard and mostly liked was some very fey guy whose name I can never remember, that Oats sent me. The good tracks on that thing were outstanding!
Q: Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
A: You forget about Li’l Wayne and his “drank” — heavy duty cough syrup, that he used to drink continuously, all day, until a year or so ago.
Q: Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
A: Argent, Blunstone.
Q: Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
A: Having kids, opening up an art gallery in the New Mexico desert.
Q: What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
A: “Power Of My Love,” Roy Wood (Top THAT, Mr. Mod!
HVB
Whoops — I meant “This Is the Story Of My Love” by Roy Wood.
crazy little thing is jland’s pick.
mine was drive in Saturday.
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
The first Izzys album. It kicks ass, by the way.
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
The North Mississippi All Stars, The Early years. I liked it, so he gave it to me!
Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
All they do is come up with different ways to make walls melt, so even if the drugs are different, the results are the same. Big Pharm is lazy.
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
Rod Argent
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
Continuing a music career and getting more than one record out.
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
Rip This Joint by The Stones.
Oh, Yes! After my as usual successful way of getting the Stones into the conversation, I look up and see the Rolling Stones Pinball Machine in the upper right corner. Totally awesome!
Isn’t it great when a banner image matches something you’ve just posted?
Great answers, so far. misterioso, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was probably my runner up to another late-70s ’50s pastiche, Squeeze’s “Messed Around,” but if we can count “I Can Help,” that may top them all. That’s a song from childhood I’d include on my personal covers album, if I could pull off such a thing. (That may be another thread for another day…)
HVB, good call on Li’l Wayne’s cough syrup. GROSS!
The Zombies question, by the way, was inspired by catching the tail end of a recent concert on one of my HD channels. It was like Rod Argent’s band with Colin Blunstone (and others, whose names I won’t mention) joining him to celebrate his tremendous achievements. Maybe Argent really was the driving force…
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
The I’m Not There soundtrack.
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
Post-Nothing by Japandroids.
Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
Yeah ‘purple drank’ was the inspiration for a subgenre of slowed down (like 60 bpm) Houston hiphop called ‘chopped & screwed.’
Cough syrup was Lester Bangs’ drug of choice too. Considering how productive he and Lil Wayne were, maybe I should try it.
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
George Romero is the only one I remember.
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
I’d be surprised if her future involved the drums.
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
I do like Crazy Little Thing Called Love, even though I generally hate Queen. I’ll go with Keith Sykes’ Big Time.
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
The Big Star #1Radio City/Radio City two-fer. He kept hearing about Big Star and how great Third was so he got Third and was understandably left scratching his head at what the hubbub was all about. I convinced him to give the first two albums a shot, he got way into them and then went up to Brooklyn with me last fall to see them live.
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
The same friend just burned me a copy of Axis: Bold As Love, which I’ve never heard. I just heard some snippets and they sounded really good. I can’t wait to get it onto my iPod and give it a proper listen.
Are there no new drugs…?
Mod Man, don’t knock the syrup. I only take it when I actually have cough but it makes me wish I had a cough more often. I’m not condoning recreational use of narcotics but I certainly understand the appeal.
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
Argent, and although I wouldn’t have come up with Bloodstone by myself, I would have been able to spot it in a multiple choice test.
What might you see Meg White doing after the White Stripes?
Recording on her own. The more likely scenario is a line of wistful, childlike paintings.
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
Marie Marie – Blasters
I’ll play…
John Cale’s Fear
A Townsman recently sent me a good chuck of Robert Pollard’s 2009 output. There’s a lot of cool stuff, which I’ll be covering over the next few weeks. A CD by Cosmos (Pollard and Richard Davies, I think his name is – one of those Aussie chamber pop guys) is especially good.
The cough syrup trend definitely answered my suggestion. sammymaudlin remembers the days when a man knocked down shots of vodka and Listerine, vodka and PeptoBismol, etc. Kids!
I could always name Blunstone and Argent. If I really thought about it I could have remembered Chris White. The concert I watched also featured the original drummer, I believe, with a name that rang a bell, and another bassist beside White, whose name I’d identified as a replacement member of another English band. I don’t know if he was ever in The Zombies during their prime or not. Argent mentioned that the original guitarist had died, but he did not say his name – and I still can’t recall what his name might have been.
She’s going to win the rights to the band name and hire herself a new guitarist/singer!
The more I think about it, “I Can Help” is not so much a ’50s pastiche but a natural performance by a guy who dates back to the ’50s, so I can’t count that. I’ll stick with my initial thought, Squeeze’s “Messed Around” – by a nose over the excellent Queen contribution. How I wish each of those bands made more songs in that style!
“Messed Around” is a great choice. There must also be a ton of Edmunds/Rockpile songs that I cannot even remember names of right now that fit the bill, too. (Did Edmunds produce East Side Story?) I accept the dismissal of Billy Swan’s “I Can Help.” It’s a fine line between pastiche and, uh, not pastiche.
Elvis Costello produced East Side Story, which is by far my favorite Squeeze album.
I’m glad you’re a good sport about the disqualification of “I Can Help.” To make it up to you, I did just launch a new thread in which that song plays a vital role in my ongoing fantasy life.
East Side Story is brilliant, a great record, one of my favorite of all time, and certainly the best thing Squeeze ever did. (I am a big fan of Argybargy, too, but it is not in East Side Story’s league.)
I remembered that Edmunds had some connection with the record–I know his name is on the sleeve somewhere for some reason. Not having either record or cd at hand I must trust wikipedia which says that he produced “In Quintessence.” What I did not know is that supposedly the album was intended as a 2-lp set with sides produced by Edmunds, Costello, Lowe, and McCartney (!).
Hey hrrundi, I’m glad you’re still enjoying that! The artist is The Divine Comedy, which is basically a nom de plume for Northern Ireland singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Neil Hannon. That wasn’t an album per se, just a mix of songs I thought you’d find edifying and enjoyable. For the rest of you, The Divine Comedy are basically The Left Banke fronted by E.M. Forster, which explains why I rarely mention them on RTH.
I didn’t know you guys were getting some side action, Oats! This may be the theme of yet another RTH Insider thread: Townspeople with whom you’re getting a little rock-nerd action on the side!
Love is all around!
As for those double-album plans for East Side Story – damn, where are the tracks that didn’t make the final cut? Their next album had a couple of good songs, but they went downhill fast with inappropriately glossy production and too many attempts at capturing “Tempted” in a bottle.
I remain unturned or turning for quite a while. Last thing I remember is some the tin pan alley guy Hrrundi mentioned, Billy Murray. I believe he in turn, finally listened to that Honeybus stuff last year that I duped for him a long time ago.
Argent, Blunstone, White – the last I only know because of the weird-ass Butcher’s Song on O & O.
Probably, the kidz are all drinking the hand sanitizer that seems to be everywhere and is likely a conspiracy by hand lotion manufacturers to force dry skin on everyone.
She could easily be in the next few zombie movies.
As a 50s knockoff I like The Usual Thing by Marshall Crenshaw.
The Usual Thing is good. Another one just occurred to me — Joe Ely’s Musta Notta Gotta Lotta (Sleep Last Night).
I will never forget the crushing disappointment of hearing Squeeze’s Sweets from a Stranger for the first time in anticipation of its being even better than East Side Story. A drag.
The last record I tried to turn a friend on to was We’re Only In It For The Money. He didn’t like it.
He got me a bit interested in… I can’t remember what it was..
As far as the dope.. I don’t know.. Nancy Reagan told me to “Just Say No”
(side note: on a recent trip to the Reagan library in California, I noticed that there was a whole damn cabinet devoted to “Just Say No” but only one really small picture of Ron & Jane Wyman stuck in a collage, very interesting..)
The Zombies.. I can name Chris White, Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Hugh Grundy (on drums), and Paul….
(I had to look up Paul’s last name)
Meg White can be a new host of Name That Tune when it get recreated in a few years. Then I’ll get to look at her in syndication every day.
Best psuedo-50s song.. well, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ comes to mind..
But ‘I Can Help’ is on my completely sucks list.
And.. I know I’ll get hit for this one, but what about Billy Joel’s ‘The Longest Time’.. it may not be cool, but it fits the bill..
overall, my vote ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’
Is “The Longest Time” Joel’s a cappella, doo-wop song? I hate that song, in some ways, but it’s better than all his songs that sound like Billy Joel songs. All those old-time rock ‘n roll songs he’s done since “Still Rock ‘n Roll to Me” blow away his Bar Mitzvah staples.
Oh, and GREAT work on naming The Zombies!
Mick wins the Zombies prize. I could remember three of them. (Little known fact: MickAvory owns the Zombie box set.)
Meg White is going to join Lately David and be my girlfriend. There. I said it and I feel better about it. I don’t care that she’s married. It will add a “Fleetwood Mac element” to the band.
The last record I turned somebody onto was Cake. My girlfriend. She’s become such a Cakehead that I bought her a vibraslap. I…err…I mean SHE needed one.
My bandmate Danny finally got me to jump into the waters of Wilco. I’m very late to the party, but we listened to their latest on some road trip and I was hooked.
TB
Mick: I was considering The Longest Time too, but ultimately rejected it because the questions was which is the “best” which I took to be different from the “most authentic sounding”. I think that it was a cool effort on his part to do the entire thing a capella but like most Billy Joel efforts, the song itself bite it.
Latelydavid: I bought my wife a vibraslap a few years ago too and burned her a playlist of ‘slap songs so she could play along and hone her chops. In fact, I even polled the folks at RTH for song suggestions. Let me know if you need the list so that your girlfriend can branch out. There’s nothing worse than a one dimensional vibraslap player…
I’m a huge fan of the vibraslap. Nice work, TB!
I’m still impressed by Mick’s work on naming almost all The Zombies!
Hey, cdm — my fave vibraslap number has got to be “(It’s Not The Express) It’s The JB’s Monaurail (Part 1),” by Fred Wesley & the JBs. And yes, that’s how it’s spelled.
I’ve not heard that one.
I think the discussion was back on the list serve days and included:
Sweet Emotion
All Along the Watch Tower
Crazy Train
Wrong Em Boyo and Jimmy Jazz by the Clash
Legs by Beretta 76
A song by my band, the Donuts
and my personal favorite, Reptile by the Church.
I think Nixon’s Head has some on their latest album, but that wasn’t out at the time.
I’m sure it we did this in a Last Man Standing, we’d get about 2,000 more suggestions.
Not sure if this is worthy of another post but what is your favorite use in a song of:
the Vibra Slap?
the Cowbell?
the Tamborine?
the wood block?
the Guiro (aka the Fish)?
any other random percussion (sleigh bells, rainstick,etc)?
cdm, I’m pretty sure the Head has used a vibraslap on every record (as in collection of songs, not every single song) we’ve ever made. On the other hand, we think we’ve only used vibrato on a guitar two times.
To answer your questions…
the Vibra Slap? – I think we double-tracked vibraslaps on a song of ours called “Go Away,” one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written but which we’ve only played live one time and only appears on some Swedish compilation. I’m going to go with our own song for this one.
the Cowbell? – The intro to War’s “Low Rider,” a part that I used to be able to tap out on my nose before it was broken. Since the break, in 10th grade, I lost the tone I used to have.
the Tamborine? – I’m not coming up with an amazing choice, but I’m always fascinated by those fast shakes that are used to punctuate full-band rests following a power chord. Then the tambourine player fades out at just the right time. It’s something the ’65-era Beatles and The Monkees would do.
the wood block? – I like the wood block a lot and have employed it a few times, but I’m not coming up with a highly successful example to cite.
the Guiro (aka the Fish)? – I’m pretty sure this is a prominent percussion instrument in Eric Burdon and War’s “Spill the Wine.” Whatever is making that sound has been highly influential since boyhood.
Come ON, cdm! How can a list of “mainstream” rock percussion instruments not include the greatest of all rock percussion instruments, the maraca?!
a gross oversight on my part
Best use of the tambourine? CDM, you’re dangerously close to your “name a band with 2 guitarists” threat. Best use of maracas: the middle break of Jumping Jack Flash.
It doesn’t say “best”, it says “your favorite”.
This means you have to do the whittling down process and then just provide us with one. Totally subjective.
the Vibra Slap?
Reptile by the Church (but to be fair, I never heard that missing Nixon’s Head track)
the Cowbell?
the intro to Mississippi Queen
the Tamborine?
Down Down Down by Tom Waits That guy really plays the shit out of the tambourine.
the wood block?
Raindogs by Tom Waits (although I might be confusing this with the two thick, short round wood things that you hit together)
the Guiro (aka the Fish)?
Soul Island by the Meters
any other random percussion (sleigh bells, rainstick,etc)?
Sleigh bells during On The Bus by the Replacements
i got a vibra slap for Christmas… now I can play along with Crazy Train…
I forgot to add the maraca song: AC/DC Problem Child.
Maracas should always be plural. ‘Maraca’ looks and sounds weird.
Here are a couple for me:
Cowbell: Chambers Brothers, Time Has Come Today
Tambourine: Lemon Pipers, Green Tambourine (duh)
Sleigh bells: Capt. Beefheart, Hobo Chang Ba
Maracas played heavily in the Bon Scott-era AC/DC. Just so long as they don’t have the hidden microfilm inside…
TB
“Green Tambourine” must be the best tambourine song!
Listening to some new mono Beatles. The tambo urine on “Day Tripper” is pretty awesome.
TB
the Vibra Slap?
**Feelin Alright – Joe Cocker
the Cowbell?
**We’re An Amercian Band
the Tamborine?
**Any number of Motown Songs
the wood block?
**And I Love Her
Marracas
**Jumpin Jack Flash
What about the Cabaza (the sh-sh thing)?
The tambourine in “Day Tripper” does that trick I was thinking about but could not find an example to cite. Thanks, TB!
“Feelin’ Alright” is a GREAT vibraslap example. Doesn’t the intro to “Superfly” also feature some essential vibraslap playing?
Sleeper tambo winner: “Drive My Car,” which I’m listening to in glorious mono as I type.
What’s the last record you turned a friend onto?
Sadistic Mika Band – self titled
What’s the last record a friend turned you onto?
Sixto Rodriquez – Cold Fact
Are there no new drugs influencing young musicians these days, or have tales of albums inspired by Oxycontin and ADHD medications not yet been reported?
Medicated from a young age has left kids unable to truly enjoy the proper drug experience required to create art.
Without looking it up, how many members of The Zombies can you name?
just the two everybody else knows
Without being overly nasty, what might you see Meg White doing with her life that would surprise us after Jack White puts an end to White Stripes?
Writing and starring in the proper Shaggs biopic
What’s the best original mock-1950s song, recorded from 1970 forward?
any number of “originals” from the Cramps