He’s gonna do it ’til he don’t like it.
Oct 012010
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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Sep 302010
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees have been announced.
And the nominees are: Beastie Boys, Chic, LL Cool J, the J. Geils Band, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Joe Tex, Chuck Willis, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Neil Diamond, Donovan, Dr. John, and Tom Waits.
Perhaps I’m still holding a grudge against Bon Jovi for his lunkheaded comments about The Replacements (“Last Great band of the decade? I don’t even know who they are.”) in the late ’80s, but really, the fact that he and Tom Waits might be sharing the same honor on the same night for their contributions is ridiculous. (Jon, if you’re reading this, Tom Waits is the guy who wrote that song “Downtown Train,” which Rod Stewart ended up butchering.)
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Sep 302010
I’ve noticed that since I started following RTH, I’ve been listening to music differently. So it came as a surprise that over dinner, Mr. Royale and I were initially unable to identify an instrumental version of a familiar song that we heard while we were waiting for our Pad Thai to arrive. There was that Wes Montgomery-style jazz guitar. There was a soft, burbling saxophone. Mr. Royale initially placed it as a cover of Charlie Parker’s “Little Brown Shoes.” But we noticed that we continued to listen alertly in that way that you do in that aural tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon. The lyrics of the song soon arose, unwelcomed, to curdle the taste of our just finished Som Tum, as we realized with horror that the song was “Light My Fire.” A cover. Not Doors-worthy. More like a cover of the Jose Feliciano version.
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Sep 302010
Sep 302010
I’m not saying “We need Rock Town Hall.” I’m saying “We enjoy Rock Town Hall.”
What are you high on these days?
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!
