Over at MoFi there’s a discussion about Nightranger, and there’s an interesting comment…berncockle points out that the biggest hits of the following bands are, in fact, the “power ballads” referenced below:

Night Ranger – Sister Christian
Journey – Arms
Foreigner – I Want to Know What Love Is
REO Speedwagon – Keep On Lovin’ You
Poison – Every Rose Has Its Thorn (never heard it)
Motley Crue – Home Sweet Home (never heard it)
Warrant – Heaven (never heard it)
Cinderella – Don’t Know What You Got Til It’s Gone (never heard it)
Scorpions – Still Lovin’ You
Kansas – Dust in the Wind (wasn’t this 70s?)

Well, those may have been the most commercially succesful hits of each group, but I couldn’t stand any of them (with one exception, years after the fact). The whole purpose of 80s pop-rock was to be loud, clear, and strong! (more…)

Sam, Miss Bonkrood – THANK YOU! You were 100% correct – the band Combustible Edison is *perfect* in every way! Sadly, it appears that CE is no more, but I’ve got three (or four) of their albums to begin enjoying!

After years and years of enjoying random snippets and occasional listenings to Space-Age Pop music, I’m finally starting to take it a bit more seriously and really start enjoying it. If you’re not sure what it is, it roughly includes elements of instrumentals, synthesizers, and groovy rhythyms, and can be spun into such sub-divisions as exotica, lounge, crime/spy, jungle, space, and a few other types. I spent about two hours Saturday jumping back and forth between iTunes, Space-Age Pop, and Google, and my artist of the week is Juan Garcia Esquivel. If you’re not familiar with his music, a tune called Question Mark is a groovy introduction (1.4MB, right-click, save-as). Enjoy!

The worst pick-up line that I have ever heard comes from the George Strait song titled “The Chair.” In the song, some guy in a bar basically kicks a pretty girl out of the chair that she is sitting in, claiming that it’s HIS chair – despite the fact that there’s an empty chair right next to the one that she’s sitting in. And after the requisite “got a light?” and “can I buy you a drink?” lines, the guy faux-coyly admits that it wasn’t really “his” chair after all. Real smooth there, George…real smooth.

EDIT: Clarification – I was NOT trying to diss George Strait! He’s one of the few “modern” country performers that I enjoy. For instance, “Amarillo By Morning” is on my list of Top Ten Country Music Songs. I think George is pretty cool, with overall good music – if a little same-sounding at times. But definitely a force for Good in the world of country music.

After my recent online encounter with John Perry Barlow, I wondered if he had penned the lyrics to either of the two Grateful Dead songs that I like: “Hell In A Bucket” and “Touch of Grey.” Turns out, he did indeed write the lyrics to “Hell In A Bucket.” Cool…thanks, John!

I’m a big fan of Bobby Darin. Would it surprise you to know that I won’t be seeing the movie “Beyond The Sea,” then? The primary reason is that I don’t need to see it. Anything that I want to know about Bobby Darin can be found online. And if I want to hear Bobby Darin sing, then I just need to toss in a CD or fire up an MP3 player. If I want to see one of his performances, I can watch one of his movies.

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So, what possible value can there be in seeing the movie? Ah, you say, but what about Kevin Spacey’s performance? Don’t I want to see how closely he can mirror Darin’s voice, mannerisms, and appearance? Uh, frankly, no I don’t. Spacey has always been rather off-putting to me; for some reason, he seems to ooze sleazy contempt in every role that I’ve seen him in. He’s a relatively talented impersonator, but mimicry is just a bit to play on Saturday Night Live and in nightclubs – it doesn’t automatically translate into a 2-hour movie. And the fact that he has wanted to play this role and make this movie for years seems almost creepy – as if the only thing he cares about is wowing the public with his impersonation of Bobby Darin, as opposed to telling the story of Bobby Darin.

Oh - and I heard Spacey’s version of “Artificial Flowers” on the radio the other day, and it was a pale shadow of Darin’s recording.

Today would have been the 89th birthday of Francis Albert Sinatra: the Chairman of The Board, Ol’ Blue Eyes, The Voice. Some of my favorite Sinatra moments: probably “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” but “New York, New York” is simply amazing, too – it epitomizes Frank conquering NYC, and by extension, the world. And I’ve always enjoyed “The Tender Trap” - when he hits that “…just a dot ooooooon the map” section, it’s simply perfect. And of course, for when you’re feeling wistful, absolutely nothing can top ” One For My Baby.” And for my favorite movie, it’s either “On The Town” or “Guys & Dolls.” So what’s your favorite Sinatra song? Favorite movie?
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Two of my favorite holiday songs: “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses, and “Happy Holidays” by Andy Williams. The first one I like because of the bouncy, sing-song nature of the music, and of course the tale off humorous woe that ends happily. The Andy Williams song is great because his voice is just *perfect* for that tune, and it’s just a rockin’ happy song, especially the “…coming down the chimney!” part. In other holiday news, please go read Sara’s list of rules for enjoying this merry season; all I can say is “Right on, Sara!”