Mystery Date

 Posted by
Oct 112010
 


Let’s review the ground rules here. The Mystery Date song is not necessarily something I believe to be good. So feel free to rip it or praise it. Rather the song is something of interest due to the artist, influences, time period… Your job is to decipher as much as you can about the artist without research. Who do you think it is? Or, Who do you think it sounds like? When do you think it was recorded? Etc…

If you know who it is, don’t spoil it for the rest. Anyone who knows it can play the “mockcarr option.” (And I’ve got a hunch that there are a lot who know this one.) This option is for those of you who just can’t hold your tongue and must let everyone know just how in-the-know you are by calling it. So if you know who it is and want everyone else to know that you know, email Mr. Moderator at mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com. If correct we will post how brilliant you are in the Comments section.

The real test of strength though is to guess as close as possible without knowing. Ready, steady, go!

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/mysterydate101110.mp3|titles=mysterydate101110]

Today’s Mystery Date is brought to you by Townswoman ladymisskirroyale!

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Mystery Date Revealed: The Human League (or The Future)

 Posted by
Sep 302010
 


As ladymisskirroyale suspected, our latest Mystery Date, a song entitled “4jg,” was by early Human League, or maybe The Human League under their original name, The Future. I downloaded this track from a collection of early demos, The Golden Hour of The Future, and didn’t pay attention to which band name this track was recorded under.

There’s no doubting the band name for this track, from the same collection:

The Human League, “Dance Like a Star”
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Mystery Date

 Posted by
Sep 302010
 


Let’s review the ground rules here. The Mystery Date song is not necessarily something I believe to be good. So feel free to rip it or praise it. Rather the song is something of interest due to the artist, influences, time period… Your job is to decipher as much as you can about the artist without research. Who do you think it is? Or, Who do you think it sounds like? When do you think it was recorded? Etc…

If you know who it is, don’t spoil it for the rest. Anyone who knows it can play the “mockcarr option.” (And I’ve got a hunch that there are a lot who know this one.) This option is for those of you who just can’t hold your tongue and must let everyone know just how in-the-know you are by calling it. So if you know who it is and want everyone else to know that you know, email Mr. Moderator at mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com. If correct we will post how brilliant you are in the Comments section.

The real test of strength though is to guess as close as possible without knowing. Ready, steady, go!

RTH Mystery Date, 9/30/10

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Mystery Date

 Posted by
Jun 182010
 


Let’s review the ground rules here. The Mystery Date song is not necessarily something I believe to be good. So feel free to rip it or praise it. Rather the song is something of interest due to the artist, influences, time period… Your job is to decipher as much as you can about the artist without research. Who do you think it is? Or, Who do you think it sounds like? When do you think it was recorded? Etc…

If you know who it is, don’t spoil it for the rest. Anyone who knows it can play the “mockcarr option.” (And I’ve got a hunch that there are a lot who know this one.) This option is for those of you who just can’t hold your tongue and must let everyone know just how in-the-know you are by calling it. So if you know who it is and want everyone else to know that you know, email Mr. Moderator at mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com. If correct we will post how brilliant you are in the Comments section.

The real test of strength though is to guess as close as possible without knowing. Ready, steady, go!

Mystery Date 061810

NOTE: Although representative of the times, this tracks is not typical of the rest of the tracks on the album on which it appears, which is also keeping with the times. Also, it’s not so much the artist who’s our Mystery Date but one of the band members.

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Mystery Date Revealed: Alice Cooper

 Posted by
May 052010
 

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So your Mystery Date was “Shoe Salesman,” off the second Alice Cooper album, 1970’s Easy Action. As I figured, a few of our more rockin’ Townsmen knew this song right off the bat. Meanwhile, a number of you worked hard to get your heads around this awkward, highly unexpected (considering the artist) take on mid-period Beatles-style song structure.

According to Wikipedia’s entry on this album, the guitarists were NOT Hunter and Wagner, later of Lou Reed‘s Rock ‘n Roll Animal fame, but what do I know (and what does Wikipedia know, for that matter)? I thought the Townsman who guessed that there was a Lou Reed tie-in was onto something. At least that mis-clue probably helped the smartest man in the room, bobbybittman, hone in on his eventual correct, offlist guess.

As it turns out, the producer of this album was David Briggs, from Neil Young’s camp, so Mad Props! to the Townsperson who suggested the track sounded a bit like Neil Young. Neil Smith, the drummer from Alice Cooper, had this to say about Briggs:

David hated our music and us. I recall the term that he used, referring to our music, was “Psychedelic Shit.” I think Easy Action sounded too dry, more like a TV or radio commercial and he did not help with song arrangement or positive input in any way.

Whatever. Although not a masterpiece by any means, I thought this song sounded better than all the popular shit I’ve ever heard by Cooper beside “School’s Out.” I downloaded a couple of other tracks from this album and plan on checking out some more of the really early stuff, just in case it’s half decent. Growing up, Cooper always bugged me as being one of rock’s most fraudulant ka-raaay-zeeeee! artists. In recent years, however, whenever I see him interviewed I respect his self-awareness and obvious sanity. More power to him for making a career for himself with very little musical talent!

Here are two more tracks from the album Easy Action. Enjoy.

Alice Cooper, “Return of the Spiders”

Alice Cooper, “Below Your Means”

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Mystery Date

 Posted by
May 042010
 

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Let’s review the ground rules here. The Mystery Date song is not necessarily something I believe to be good. So feel free to rip it or praise it. Rather the song is something of interest due to the artist, influences, time period… Your job is to decipher as much as you can about the artist without research. Who do you think it is? Or, Who do you think it sounds like? When do you think it was recorded? Etc…

If you know who it is, don’t spoil it for the rest. Anyone who knows it can play the “mockcarr option.” (And I’ve got a hunch that there are a lot who know this one.) This option is for those of you who just can’t hold your tongue and must let everyone know just how in-the-know you are by calling it. So if you know who it is and want everyone else to know that you know, email Mr. Moderator at mrmoderator [at] rocktownhall [dot] com. If correct we will post how brilliant you are in the Comments section.

The real test of strength though is to guess as close as possible without knowing. Ready, steady, go!

Mystery Date 050410

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