Mr. Moderator

When not blogging Mr. Moderator enjoys baseball, cooking, and falconry.

What’s the Most Hurtful Act Committed by Anyone In or Closely Associated With The Beatles?

Aug 312011

America?

What’s the most hurtful act committed by anyone in or closely associated wth The Beatles? It could be a recording, a guest appearance, a public statement, a private affair, an actual felony, or whatever by anyone in or closely associated with The Beatles. If you need examples of what it means to be “in or closely associate with” the band, this old thread may help.

If Paul McCartney‘s dispicable treatment of Hamish Stuart doesn’t take the cake, I propose that George Martin producing America may be the most hurtful act committed by anyone in or closely associated with The Beatles. When I learned, as a Beatles-obsessed boy, that he produced America’s big hit records I felt sick in the stomach, like I’d learned some horrible secret about a favorite uncle or teacher. I still feel that way.

Once and For All: “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” and “Psychotic Reaction” Square Off to Determine the Best Song on the Original Nuggets Compilation

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 302011

With the Nuggets Divisional Playoff Series completed, only 2 songs remain to determine—once and for all—the Best Song on the Original Nuggets Compilation. The Electric Prunes’ “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” outlasted a fierce field on Side 1 and then beat The Nazz’s Side 4 winner, “Open My Eyes” to progress to this round. Count Five’s “Psychotic Reaction,” won Side 3 before readily dashing the dreams of enthusiastic supporters of Side 2’s “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” by The Thirteenth Floor Elevators.

Two songs remain. This Friday, September 2, 2011, only one song will be deemed—once and for all—the Best Song on the Original Nuggets Compilation. For the sake of rock history, please make your vote count!

Once and for all: What's the Best Song on the original Nuggets compilation, "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" or "Psychotic Reaction"?

"Psychotic Reaction" (Count Five) (66%, 31 Votes)
"I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night" (The Electric Prunes) (34%, 16 Votes)

Total Voters: 47

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Lou Reed…As His Music Was Meant to Sound!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 292011

Thanks to my close, personal Facebook friends Cobra Verde, here’s yet another reason to believe the long-awaited Loutallica collaboration is finally going to capture Lou’s music as it was meant to sound!

This is the best thing I ever did. And I did it with the best group I could possibly find. By definition, everybody involved was honest. This has come into the world pure. We pushed as far as we possibly could within the realms of reality. – Read more…

November 1, 2011 can’t come soon enough!

Rock Town Hall’s Saturday Night Shut-In: Reflections From The Road

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 272011

Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!

In this week’s edition of Saturday Night Shut-In your host, Mr. Moderator, shares some reflections from The Road, including the trouble with hearing acoustic bass solos on jazz albums and other hazards of middle age.

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-42.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 42]

[Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]

Gun to the Head: What’s the Most Overrated Beatles Song?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 262011

Picking up on what was most likely the most horrible feature ever proposed here in the halls… It’s like Dugout Chatter but laser focused and violent. It’s anathema to all that Rock Town Hall stands for. But the concept is simple. A question is posed. You answer it as quickly as possible with zero qualifications as if you had a… gun to the head. Ready?

Q: For you, what’s the most overrated Beatles song?

That is, what’s the Beatles song you know is good, that you’re not necessarily sick of hearing, yet you think to yourself whenever it comes on, You know what, this song is overrated.

I know there’s a gun to your head, but think about it: Your most overrated Beatles song should be a song that is by all accounts, even your own, actually a good (maybe even really good) song. It should be a song good enough that you once liked it—or still like it. It should be more than a great song that you’re simply sick of hearing. And finally, it should not be a song that you simply suggest is overrated because you hate Paul McCartney. In other words, don’t waste your opinion on “Michelle” or “Yesterday,” which I would argue are actually very good songs but songs that it is assumed we are too cool to have ever thought were anything but overrated.

Got me? My nomination for Most Overrated Beatles Song follows…after the jump.

The Electric Prunes’ “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” Progresses to Finals in Rock Town Hall’s Playoffs to Determine, Once and for All, the Best Song on the Original Nuggets Compilation

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 262011

By a 2:1 margin, The Electric Prunes’ “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” beat The Nazz’s “Open My Eyes” in the Side 1 vs Side 4 Nuggets Divisional Playoff Series to progresses to the Finals in Rock Town Hall’s playoffs to determine, once and for all, the Best Song on the Original Nuggets Compilation.

While the rock world patiently awaits the outcome of the album’s other Divisional Playoff Series, between the Thirteenth Floor Elevators’ “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and the Count Five’s “Psychotic Reaction” (voting runs through 11:59:59 pm this Saturday, August 27), chew on this great little story that Prunes’ singer James Lowe passed along last week, when notified of his band’s inter-division showdown:

After I left the EP I engineered the next 2 Nazz albums, Nazz Nazz and Nazz III (and 4 subsequent Todd Rundgren albums after that).

Todd played me “Open My Eyes” to show me what they had done on their first album. I had never heard it. Good record. Small world!

Thanks for remembering.

jAMES

Once and for All: Round 2, Side 2 (The 13th Floor Elevators) vs Side 3 (Count Five) Divisional Playoffs

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 242011

As ongoing Nuggets Divisional Series showdown between Side 1’s “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” (The Electric Prunes) and Side 4’s “Open My Eyes” (The Nazz) plays out (voting is open through August 24th at 11:59:59 pm!), it’s time to open the battle between the inner sides in this effort to determine—once and for all—the Best Song on the Original Nuggets LP.

This divisional battle pits The 13th Floor Elevators, whose “You’re Gonna Miss Me” narrowly edged out The Remains’ “Don’t Look Back” and The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard,” against runaway Side 3 winner “Psychotic Reaction,” by The Count Five. One team, I mean, song enters this round in peak form, having had to earn every vote it accumulated, while the other stormed through the competition with among the purest fuzztone riffs in rock history. Voting runs through 11:59:59 pm on Saturday, August 27. Then, on Monday, August 29 we begin the championship showdown!

SHOWDOWN (choose one): What's the BETTER song between the division winners of sides 2 and 3 of the original Nuggets?

The Count Five, "Psychotic Reaction" (72%, 33 Votes)
The 13th Floor Elevators, "You're Gonna Miss Me" (28%, 13 Votes)

Total Voters: 46

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