Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Georgia since I have no idea who Candy Slice is.

I would imagine that even those who don't like Dylan like the copycat Steeler's Wheel hit "Stuck in the Middle with You". Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

Joe Jackson's "Breaking Us in Two", which is just a re-write of Badfinger's Day After Day", though I like both songs.

Excluding the likes of Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee, who are key singer/songwriters in their bands, who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band? This excludes a great studio cat like James Jamerson and friend of RTH, Lee Sklar. The bassist can write and sing an occasional song, but I'm looking for band-oriented bassist credentials exclusively. You may ask yourself, Which band would suffer most from the loss of its bassist?

Although he's not really a songwriter, I nominate Graham Maby, who has played bass for Joe Jackson for most of the last 30 years. I can't imagine those early JJ songs without him and on at least one occasion (the title track for Beat Crazy), he sang lead as well. He's also provided great backing vocals over the years, too. I guess I must have JJ on the brain today or something.

What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

Oh, there are so many. I'd love to never read the word "quirky" to describe bands like XTC or They Might Be Giants, for starters.

Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

Fun House

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for? For those with less musical lingo than even myself, an example would be the 3-chord structure that's at the root of "Louie Louie" and "Wild Thing". You don't need to report this pattern in musical terms; in fact, we'd all have a better understanding if you provide an example from a part where it stands out in a song you love. Mad props to any Townsperson who takes a crack at this one!

I know very little about chord structure, but I'll take a crack at it. I've been listening to Black Sabbath a lot lately, so I'll go with whatever chord combinations are at the root of the riff to "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and "Iron Man".

JJL always

"On the Dark Side" by John Cafferty is better than all of Springsteen's stuff.

Entwhistle anf JPG. There's no WHO or ZEP without 'em.

Shoegazer

Sandinista or Abbey Road or Guilty

can't come up with any special interval.

JPJ i mean

1. I've never seen Georgia, so I'll have to go with Candy. (Matt, this was Gilda Radner character on the old SNL, kind of a cross between Joan Jett and Patti Smith, but heavily drugged out.)

2. I'm still flummoxed by the idea that the Stealer's Wheel song was a Dylan rip, but anyway .... When I first heard Japan's Ghosts (which oddly was a hit in the UK), I was excited that there was a new Roxy Music record. I became a big fan of Japan and am still a fan of David Sylvian, but his appropriation of Bryan Ferry's vocal style was pretty extreme.

3. The Attractions without Bruce Thomas on bass would be impostors.

4. "Having studied with pioneering minimalist LaMonte Young...."

5. Never Mind the Bollocks. I'd like to know exactly how many tracks of overdubbed guitars there are on there.

6. The I-IV-V-IV (Louie Louie/Wild Thing) pattern is also ubiquitous in South African and especially Zimbabwean music, although at a faster tempo, and I do love that. Same with I-IV-I-V.

I like the corniness of the C-Am-F-G rock ballad progression.

And I'm a sucker for big rhythm guitar I-IV riffs, like the opening bars of Start me Up or Street Fighting Man, as well as its poorer cousin, the suspended 4th.

Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

I love Gilda Radner's "Candy Slice" but also think JJL is pretty cool too.

I would imagine that even those who don't like Dylan like the copycat Steeler's Wheel hit "Stuck in the Middle with You". Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

I certainly wouldn't say I like it any better than, but upon hearing Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" song on XPN the other night - was struck at how it was completely a Rolling Stones song/ripoff.

Excluding the likes of Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee, who are key singer/songwriters in their bands, who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band?...Which band would suffer most from the loss of its bassist?

Not sure I can add anything here but completely off topic: while channel surfing last night I caught a few artists from the Clapton Crossroads fest on PBS. John Mayer was terrible, Los Lobos was great, and then one of my all time favorites - Jeff Beck came out and killed. He has a young lady playing bass with him. She looks to be about 12! (is really 21 says her website). Her name is Tal Wilkenfeld. Was pleased to see that even playing Jeff's fusion rock she stuck to 4 string bass...

What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

Yes, "quirky" or "joke-rock" hits a nerve...

Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

How about "Element of Light" by Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians (also qualifies as a fine example of "autumnal album" for me.

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for?...

I'm a sucker for suspended notes or 7th chords...

Definitely Candy Slice!

"Lies" by the Knickerbockers is a great song that almost equals the early Beatles

Defnitely Bruce Thomas or Colin Moulding

Cliche - "Ex-addict"

I'd like to be there for "London Calling" or the first Dukes of Stratosphear EP

The two patterns I really love would be like (i think) C-Cm-G. Think the chorus in the Beatles "Devil in Her Heart" and the end of the chorus in the Supreme's "Come See about Me"

and

The progressionof the chorus of Please Please Me

Tremendous answers so far. Keep them coming! I'll chime in with my own answers later, but a few notes:

BigSteve, there is one of those VH-1 docs on the making of Never Mind the Bollocks. It's pretty good. The breakdown of guitar overdubs is among the highlights.

Good call on "Diamond Dogs", Mrclean! Speaking of that Crossroads festival, I caught about 3 minutes of some guitarist leading a bassist and drummer through a Jeff Beck-crossed-with-King Crimson-crossed with Dixie Dregs-like instrumental. The guy was kind of amazing, switching back and forth between fast, noodly parts and slide guitar. He was a middle-aged guy with long hair parted down the middle. The next act was Robert Cray, at which point I changed the channel. Who was this guy?

I've never seen Georgia, so I'll have to go with Candy. (Matt, this was Gilda Radner character on the old SNL, kind of a cross between Joan Jett and Patti Smith, but heavily drugged out.)

Thanks for the info. I've seen clips of this character on old SNL re-runs, but just never knew the character name.

Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

Can I take Jennifer Jason Leigh from Hudsucker Proxy instead?

Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

I’ll probably come back to this one…the previous answers and other questions bring Your Gold Dress to mind, which I probably do like as much as all the Nicky Hopkins-backed songs it’s meant to sound like, all of which I also enjoy quite a bit.

Which band would suffer most from the loss of its bassist?

The Bee-Gees. Maurice brings all the intangibles to the table. These intangibles include his hair.

What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

When someone is described as a shaman, or shaman-esque or anything related to a shaman.

Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

I’ll second the Dukes EP(s) and Abbey Road.

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for?

That bit from While My Guitar Gently Weeps, that’s also in Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, The Move’s Words of Aaron and, even though I’m not a big fan of the song itself, 25 Or 6 To 4. And probably countless others, and may even predate all those, for all I know.

1. Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

Candy says: "Yooooo, Mick Jaggah...are the leader of hte greatest rock and roll band in the world....and you don't even play an instrument yourSELF. Gimme Mick!"


2. I would imagine that even those who don't like Dylan like the copycat Steeler's Wheel hit "Stuck in the Middle with You".

You have a vivid imagination, my friend.

2a. Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

The Knickerbockers sound like wannabe hacks to me. I like songs by the Chords, especially "I don't wanna Know". They were shameless Jam ripoff artists.

3. Who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band?

The Ox, hands down.

4. What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

descriptions of jangle rock that use the phrase "dulcet tones". Ick.


5. Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

hmmm....Axis Bold as Love.

6. Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for?

How about 2 chords? A to G with "A" notes included in the G chord. The best example is in the Channel 6 Action News closing credits: "move closer to your world my friend....take a little bit of tiiiiiime." I stole it for the end of a song called "Maybe in November", on the PHoton Band's second album (speaking of Autumnal stuff).

Candy Slice, if the cherry variety is unavailable.


I would imagine that even those who don't like Dylan like the copycat Steeler's Wheel hit "Stuck in the Middle with You".

Eh, that song's too clunky for me. I would let them have the ball and go home.

Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

I like Down With My Face On The Floor by Emitt Rhodes as much as any solo non-rockout McCartney material.

I like the Ghost At #1 or Joining a Fan Club by Jellyfish more all but a few Queen songs.

I don't mind rip-off style too much as long as song itself is good and the intent is not completely crass.

Excluding the likes of Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee, who are key singer/songwriters in their bands, who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band? This excludes a great studio cat like James Jamerson and friend of RTH, Lee Sklar. The bassist can write and sing an occasional song, but I'm looking for band-oriented bassist credentials exclusively. You may ask yourself, Which band would suffer most from the loss of its bassist?

Mike Mills of REM. I think the Pretenders DID suffer the most by losing Pete Farndon. Lots of simple but cool bass riffs supplied. He always seemed to play the right thing.

What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

Eclectic. You may as well just say you don't have the space or expertise for the adjectives needed for the description.

Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

VH1 has probably done this. I think I saw a Who one, which was interesting. Certainly, any Kinks album from their golden period would be interesting, athough the Davies brothers would need to have separate appointments at the console. I did that! No, it was MY idea! I remember punching you like THIS, when you said that 40 years ago! I caught something like this about Dark Side of the Moon which could be a template for compartmentalizing band member estrangment. VGPS getting this treatment might be fun. I don't know as much about the production aspect of the Kinks as I do the other bigger 60s bands that had an influence over that side of things.

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for? For those with less musical lingo than even myself, an example would be the 3-chord structure that's at the root of "Louie Louie" and "Wild Thing". You don't need to report this pattern in musical terms; in fact, we'd all have a better understanding if you provide an example from a part where it stands out in a song you love. Mad props to any Townsperson who takes a crack at this one!

The kind of declining progression that sets out the rocking part of Shangri-La by the Kinks is cool. A similar example is the opening of ther verses to Tales of Brave Ulysses by Cream.
Too many notes for what you're saying. But, your majesty, it's precisely the amount of notes needed, no more or less.

Down With My Face On The Floor is a great one. The Bowie thread reminded me that Blur’s MOR is a great Boys Keep Swingin rip-off.

Back to the last question…I don’t want to risk over-Beatling the joint so I’ll understand if this interests no one, but I’ve had this thought for a while that I don’t have the musical vocabulary to express re: Abbey Road, and whether there’s some kind of musical through-line or structure going on with all the ascending/descending parts of I Want You/Here Comes The Sun/Because/You Never Give Me Your Money.

Excluding the likes of Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee, who are key singer/songwriters in their bands, who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band?

I'll nominate J. Scott McClintock from Great Lakes Myth Society, who has always been a good bassist, but on their latest album has stepped up and knocked the ball out of the park completely, playing lines that are exciting, harmonically interesting, and melodic as hell, almost making the songs a duet between the vocal and the bass.

Cameraphone video here, which nullifies the vocal but brings up the bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKvdXunu3Dg

It mightn't do it for you, but that's exactly what i want to hear in a bassline, and there aren't many around today who can pull that kind of bass writing off.

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for?

A while ago i was experimenting with creating backing tracks purely by combining various instrumental parts of other songs together, kind of like doing mental crosswords using music in my head, and in the process I noticed how there's certain archtypes pop songs use, the most obvious being the I, IV, V chord sequence you mention - offhand i can think of 'Stand' by REM, 'Angel of the Morning' by Juice Newton, 'Mr E's Beautiful Blues' by Eels, 'Crash' by the Primitives, or 'All I want' by the Lightning Seeds.

I also discovered two interesting things:

Em is the chord that most songwriters use to express either discontentment or *sex*, usually playing over the subtle difference between Em and Em11.

Most songs I unconditionally love on first hearing seem to involve a cyclical rotation between the I and the IV chord. (C and F in C Major).

If anyone's curious, this is what i was doing, can you spot the four songs I used in the parts of in this test, gradually introduced one by one?

http://members.iinet.net.au/~hazchem/WantTestRendered.mp3

Very cool, Homefrontradio! Thanks for sharing. One riff in particular stands out. I need to think about what it is and see if I can work forward from there.

Townsman General Slocum, who's been quiet of late (and hopefully doing well with #2), has done a lot of work along these lines.

I'm really pleased by how many people are chiming in on this last question.

who's been quiet of late (and hopefully doing well with #2)

That's how they got Elvis.

Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

Huh?

I would imagine that even those who don't like Dylan like the copycat Steeler's Wheel hit "Stuck in the Middle with You". Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

Not sure how that silly Steeler's Wheel song is meant to rip off Dylan, but, lessee... I have to admit liking a number of Fab T-birds songs better than the grizzled swamp-blues veterans they adore/pay tribute to. But I think I can come up with a better example. Mockcarr's Emitt Rhodes example is an interesting one, as is his SHOCKING Jellyfish revelation (Mockcarr, we hardly knew ye!).

Excluding the likes of Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee, who are key singer/songwriters in their bands, who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band?

Gotta go with Colin Moulding... but wait, one of the reasons he kicks so much ass is because he was a better songwriter than Partridge. Hmm... well, Motorhead *is* Lemmy Kilmeister. But that's mainly for singing/songwriting duties. Waitaminnit... oh, how 'bout Larry Graham in the Family Stone? I'm trying to avoid agreeing with Entwhistle, but It's Hard.


What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

LOVED the "shaman" example. I don't think I ever need to see the word "pastoral" in a review ever again. My pet peeve used to be "punkish urgency," but that's about 20 years passe' now, I guess.


Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

Wow, great question! Off the top of my head:

3. "Exile On Main Street," Stones
2. "Browning Bryant," Browning Bryant (more on this soon!)
... and, by far, my number one choice in this category:
1. "12 Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus," Spirit


Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for?

I can't stop writing songs that include choruses that go from a m7 I to a maj IV -- Em7 to A, for example. I'm trying to think of where this pops up in popular song, but struggling under the weight of a big glass of wine and a shot of rum after dinner. Trust me, it's all over the world of rock. In general, I'm a huge pimp for 7ths, of all varieties: minor, major and normal to boot.

Back to my booze and cake -- kudos on an excellent dugout chatter session!

HVB

Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

I Want Candy.

I would imagine that even those who don't like Dylan like the copycat Steeler's Wheel hit "Stuck in the Middle with You". Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

I like Lies, too. But I also like Public Execution by Mouse and the Traps as much as any real Dylan songs.

Excluding the likes of Paul McCartney and Geddy Lee, who are key singer/songwriters in their bands, who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band? This excludes a great studio cat like James Jamerson and friend of RTH, Lee Sklar. The bassist can write and sing an occasional song, but I'm looking for band-oriented bassist credentials exclusively. You may ask yourself, Which band would suffer most from the loss of its bassist?

I miss Bill Wyman.

What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

Melodic. Who needs it? I say, "Bring the ROCK!"

Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

Exile on Main St.

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for? For those with less musical lingo than even myself, an example would be the 3-chord structure that's at the root of "Louie Louie" and "Wild Thing". You don't need to report this pattern in musical terms; in fact, we'd all have a better understanding if you provide an example from a part where it stands out in a song you love. Mad props to any Townsperson who takes a crack at this one!

I guess it's three descending chords. like in Start Me Up, but the part after the Big Riff. I really like those big, fat chords. Played fast, I think that's heaven on earth.

HVB, are you sure the m7 is the I and not the ii7, which tends to be a commonly used chord to lead into the V? (In D, that would be D, Em7, G and A). Pick a Neil Young song!

If you're bored of it, change it to a II7 (Em7 to E7) and you have the most important chord in folk songs behind the big three, that usually falls in the middle of a chorus. (Think of the changes beneath 'one horse open sleigh' in Jingle Bells). It's great for cyclical songs to ensure the audience doesn't want to stop singing halfway through.

Candy Slice or Jennifer Jason Leigh's title character from the film Georgia?

I love JJL and Georgia's a pretty good role of her's but Candy Slice can't be beat.

Is there a copycat song that you like better than almost any song by the originator of that sound?

Mmm... Good question. I like "Sweet Soul Music" as much as almost any Otis Redding song, but not better than my faves, "I Can't Turn You Loose" and "Respect". Here's one: I think it was the hit single from the second Stone Temple Pilots album. In the video, they were playing in a desert, with lots of overexposed reds and oranges. The title may have had something to do with "the road" or driving. I like that song better than anything I've heard by Pearl Jam.

Who is your Most Valuable Bassist in a band?

Few will be surprised that I vote for Bruce Thomas in The Attractions. He's the main attraction in so many oherwise mediocre Costello songs (eg, "5 Gears in Reverse"). Pete Fardon was a good nomination by someone else, but it's hard to gauge who was a bigger loss for Chrissie Hynde, him or Honeyman-Scott.

What cliched rock-crit modifier (eg, "classically trained") could you do without having to ever read again?

Probably "classically trained..." Just say the musician actually studied his or her instrument and practiced. They're not playing classical music; all this phrase tells me is that they're wasting their training.

Which album would you most like to see a documentary on the making of, with the producer/engineer and band members breaking down track by track at the mixing board?

I'm constantly fascinated by Get Happy!! and English Settlement, but I've heard Costello and Andy Partridge blabber about their work for years. Surprise me with a track-by-track documentary on Roxy Music's first. I love the mix of speaker-shredding rock and oddball humor.

Is there a pattern of 3 or 4 notes or chords - not the specific notes or chords but their intervals - that you're a sucker for?

Yes! I'm going with the note cluster that's makes up the bassline in Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" - but not just as a bassline. I love hearing that 3-note interval in either a descending or ascending direction as a melody, such as in The Kinks' "Victoria". Plucking out the notes on guitar, in whatever order, if I can use my first finger to third finger on the A string and then my first finger on the same beginning fret on the D string, I'm set. Any direction, any rhythmic patter. That interval couldn't be more natural to how I feel.

For a chord progression, I'm attracted to just about any song that goes from the soothing I to the II, such as an E to F#m or a G to Am. Probably a half dozen Lennon songs work off this pattern, including variations on the second chord, such as "Sun King". The Clash's play those chords aggressively in "Police and Thieves" yet it's still a soothing sound.

Mod sez:

Here's one: I think it was the hit single from the second Stone Temple Pilots album. In the video, they were playing in a desert, with lots of overexposed reds and oranges. The title may have had something to do with "the road" or driving. I like that song better than anything I've heard by Pearl Jam.

I say:

http://images.outdoorinteractive.net/mgen/281514_d.jpg

Come on, dude. You can do better than that! Next you're going to tell us that Andrea Bocelli's version of "Ave Maria" is better than Michael Bolton's.

Oooh, shot with his own gun! Beautiful, HVB! Now when are we getting the second part in your series of how hippies ruined Western culture?

who's been quiet of late (and hopefully doing well with #2)

That's how they got Elvis.

Now THAT'S funny!

NOW I get it! Thanks, Rick.