The Great HTF Music Challenge (2 Viewers)

[John Dirk]

i still dunno what the lyrics are, i never am very good at the actual lyrics or know what they mean but i love the actual music itself. this isn't my normal genre... but i am a huge consumer of multichannel music and this track:


from the worst of quad album is amazing. they throw the vocals to the left rear and it's just astonishing. some people dont like it cause it's gimmicky maybe? but anytime musicans experiment with multichannel music, they have my vote!

I would call this a "folksy" love song. It has a pleasant mellow quality which I can appreciate but I don't think the characteristics which prompted your submission can be conveyed via YouTube as it only supports 2 channel audio. I'm going to see if I can find it somewhere else so that I can get the intended effect.

Don't forget to listen to some of the other submissions and provide your thoughts.

 

[ChristopherG]

That's probably a good idea. Honestly, for a lot of this type of music it is the mood that it sets, the general aesthetic, and the overall sound. (At least for me, with some exceptions.) Remember in the good old days, when there were albums; they were often accompanied by lyrics on separate sheet or printed on the album cover, so you didn't have to attempt to discern them from the audio track. It made things a bit easier.

The artist most responsible for my attraction to this sub-genre of rock is Jimi Hendrix. I had a really good high school friend, who along with his older brothers, turned me on to a lot of great Rock and Roll; Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, to name a few. But the one that has always stuck with me the most is Hendrix. Mostly for the sound which, at the time, was unlike anything I'd ever heard. But this is also about lyrics, and thought that Hendrix really painted some wonderful imagery with some of his lyrics.

If you can just get your mind together
Then come on across to me
We'll hold hands, and then we'll watch the sunrise
From the bottom of the sea

And the classic

Not necessarily stoned, but beautiful

In terms of lyrics, one of my favorite Hendrix songs is...



- Walter.

I think Walter hits the nail on the head here. For a lot of psychedelic rock anyway its more the mood - for instance look at the lyrics of "I Am The Walrus" by The Fabs. John Lennon loved wordplay and wrote this to basically not make any sort of sense....but a damn fine song.



On the other hand another great psychedelic song by the band Love "Alone Again Or" has intelligible lyrics that perhaps might be open to interpretation to some but I think tells a story of unrequited love. Another damn fine song...



My next post will hit a different genre.

 

[ChristopherG]

I'm starting to think maybe with this type of music the emphasis simply isn't on the lyrics and you should just relax and enjoy the music. Am I right?

I think in many cases for this genre of music you are spot on.

 

[ChristopherG]

i still dunno what the lyrics are, i never am very good at the actual lyrics or know what they mean but i love the actual music itself. this isn't my normal genre... but i am a huge consumer of multichannel music and this track:


from the worst of quad album is amazing. they throw the vocals to the left rear and it's just astonishing. some people dont like it cause it's gimmicky maybe? but anytime musicans experiment with multichannel music, they have my vote!

I have to admit that I've never listened to a whole lot of Jefferson Airplane beyond what they hit the charts with. That said I can appreciate this track - always liked Marty Balin's voice. I looked into the background of this song and according to wikipedia Marty wrote this song in an attempt to meet Tony Bennett who was recording in the studio next door when the airplane was recording Surrealistic Pillow. Apparently, he did not get to meet Mr. Bennett but the song made it on the album.

I have given up on multichannel music for the most part.

 

[DavidJ]

OK - Your mission [should you choose to accept it] is twofold.

• Submit a selection or two from your favorite genre along with an explanation of what makes it [them] special to you.
• Watch this thread for selections submitted by others from genres [or just songs] you are currently unfamiliar with. Listen to them and share your thoughts.

Simple enough, right? In the spirit of this thread the goal here is to learn about other genres and tastes. The goal is NOT to challenge or change anyone's views or preferences and, with that in mind, all comments should be constructive and not judgmental or inflammatory. If you like a song that's great. If you don't like a song, that is perfectly fine as your comments could still be equally informative.

I enjoy many forms of music but my first submissions will be from the Rap Genre.

I love this song because it is positive and expresses views men are generally reticent to discuss. Whodini was also one of the first rap groups [along with RUN-DMC] to fuse rap and rock, thus attracting a whole new fanbase.





This song shines a light on a phenomenon that was relevant in 1996 when it was released and remains so today, the lack of originality and self respect in the industry and pandering for mass appeal. There was a day when rap artists created thoughtful and inspired content, before the days of formulas and templates designed to maximize sales at all costs. The lyrics here are cutting edge, even by todays standards and the song is nearly 25 years old. By comparison, much of todays rap music relies on shock value instead of true writing ability to generate sales.

 

[HawksFord]

I'm loving all the psychedelia showing up here. The reasons have already been articulated: it's music of a particular time, impressionistic, and, at it's best, features virtuoso musicianship.

I love the Mavericks, too. Raul Malo has such a great voice. I've heard Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It this Way" many, many times by a bunch of different artists, but I don't think I ever saw this video before -- it's just not the way I generally enjoy music. It's a good video with a great opening and closing for film buffs.

I'm much less familiar with John's submissions. I listened to some early hip hop back in the 80s but I haven't kept up. I probably heard Whodini years ago but never dug into them. I mostly know The Roots from the album they did with Elvis Costello. Of these two, I liked the rhymes more on the Whodini track, but I loved the soul groove the Roots were laying on "What They Do." Thanks for sharing those.

A couple of Americana selections from two of my three favorite songwriters:

 

[ChristopherG]

I'm loving all the psychedelia showing up here. The reasons have already been articulated: it's music of a particular time, impressionistic, and, at it's best, features virtuoso musicianship.

I love the Mavericks, too. Raul Malo has such a great voice. I've heard Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It this Way" many, many times by a bunch of different artists, but I don't think I ever saw this video before -- it's just not the way I generally enjoy music. It's a good video with a great opening and closing for film buffs.

I'm much less familiar with John's submissions. I listened to some early hip hop back in the 80s but I haven't kept up. I probably heard Whodini years ago but never dug into them. I mostly know The Roots from the album they did with Elvis Costello. Of these two, I liked the rhymes more on the Whodini track, but I loved the soul groove the Roots were laying on "What They Do." Thanks for sharing those.

A couple of Americana selections from two of my three favorite songwriters:

Good stuff and thanks for enlightening me. I had always assumed that LA Freeway was written by Jerry Jeff Walker (who's version is definitive for me at least). I enjoyed both of those songs a great deal - the question is who is your third?

 

[DavidJ]

I have no idea what happened to my reply above. It was incredibly poignant and profound.

I'll try to post again sometime when I've got more time.

 

[John Dirk]

@ChristopherG

"I Am The Walrus"

Again, I'll have to confess, I didn't find this one at all interesting and I absolutely love much of The Beatles catalog. I even read a comprehensive [unauthorized] bio on the group. I do love the title of this song as it explains a lot of references I've heard over the years. That alone was well worth the listen.

"Alone Again Or"

I found this one pleasant and musical. Nice background music as the lyrics don't demand your attention but are there if you choose to decipher them.

 

[John Dirk]

@HawksFord

"LA Freeway"

That's definitely a relatable concept, getting off that freeway before you're killed. I also like how it could be an apt metaphor for countless other things. Any song that features acoustic guitar is worth a listen in my book. This is a nice, easy listening song.

"Pancho and Lefty"

This was cool. It's like he's writing the song and giving us a rough listen before general release. Loved it.

 

[BobO'Link]

First, a couple of tracks from artists in my all-time favorite genre, Prog rock (aka Art rock and/or Classical Rock). I really don't pay much attention to lyrics as it's the music in this genre that's the primary draw for me. These are both a bit on the long side so...

From the classic Yes album "Close to the Edge" is "Siberian Khatru" - I love the time changes in this one:



And another top favorite from King Crimson is "Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Part 1" from the album "Lark's Tongues in Aspic" (no lyrics in this one):



I tried John's rap tracks. Didn't care for the first at all - too repetitive (for me, the main detriment to the genre). The second was better, sounding like some smooth 70s soul, but like all rap songs, no melody to hang on the rhythm. At least that one has a nice melody laid on as a instrumental section ending the song.

I really like the 60s psychedelic era and many of the songs. "25 O'Clock" from The Dukes of Stratosphere, posted by Chris, sounds like it could have originally come from that era. The Nazz are an old favorite as is Todd Rundgren.

I found The Mavericks to be fairly good but too rockabilly for my tastes. I like that genre in limited doses.

I'm intimately aware of The Beatles (there are only a handful of tracks from their entire catalog I don't much care for, mostly early covers), The Rolling Stones (again, not a fan of some of their early work and generally like mainly the "hits" from albums but there are a handful of albums I listen to in their entirety), Jefferson Airplane (about 50/50 with their releases, mostly favoring the material that had the most airplay although I own a copy of all their releases), Jimi Hendrix (taken away far too soon - a genius on the guitar. His version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is definitive).

A new discovery of sorts with "Love" and their "Alone Again Or" - a song I've heard before, and like very much, but never knew who performed it. It has a sound quite similar, vocally, to some Grateful Dead tunes. There's an album I'll be picking up...

I enjoyed the pair of Americana tunes posted by Maurice. I'm a sucker for a good singer/songwriter doing solo work like that.

In that vein, here's a favorite guitar player, Leo Kottke, in a live performance of "The Driving of the Year Nail" from his classic album "6 & 12 String Guitar":

 

[John Dirk]

First, a couple of tracks from artists in my all-time favorite genre, Prog rock (aka Art rock and/or Classical Rock). I really don't pay much attention to lyrics as it's the music in this genre that's the primary draw for me. These are both a bit on the long side so...

From the classic Yes album "Close to the Edge" is "Siberian Khatru" - I love the time changes in this one:



And another top favorite from King Crimson is "Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Part 1" from the album "Lark's Tongues in Aspic" (no lyrics in this one):



I tried John's rap tracks. Didn't care for the first at all - too repetitive (for me, the main detriment to the genre). The second was better, sounding like some smooth 70s soul, but like all rap songs, no melody to hang on the rhythm. At least that one has a nice melody laid on as a instrumental section ending the song.

I really like the 60s psychedelic era and many of the songs. "25 O'Clock" from The Dukes of Stratosphere, posted by Chris, sounds like it could have originally come from that era. The Nazz are an old favorite as is Todd Rundgren.

I found The Mavericks to be fairly good but too rockabilly for my tastes. I like that genre in limited doses.

I'm intimately aware of The Beatles (there are only a handful of tracks from their entire catalog I don't much care for, mostly early covers), The Rolling Stones (again, not a fan of some of their early work and generally like mainly the "hits" from albums but there are a handful of albums I listen to in their entirety), Jefferson Airplane (about 50/50 with their releases, mostly favoring the material that had the most airplay although I own a copy of all their releases), Jimi Hendrix (taken away far too soon - a genius on the guitar. His version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is definitive).

A new discovery of sorts with "Love" and their "Alone Again Or" - a song I've heard before, and like very much, but never knew who performed it. It has a sound quite similar, vocally, to some Grateful Dead tunes. There's an album I'll be picking up...

I enjoyed the pair of Americana tunes posted by Maurice. I'm a sucker for a good singer/songwriter doing solo work like that.

In that vein, here's a favorite guitar player, Leo Kottke, in a live performance of "The Driving of the Year Nail" from his classic album "6 & 12 String Guitar":

Great feedback all around @BobO'Link Looking forward to hearing these tomorrow evening! Prog Rock?!! This should finally draw @JohnRice out of hiding!

 

[HawksFord]

Good stuff and thanks for enlightening me. I had always assumed that LA Freeway was written by Jerry Jeff Walker (who's version is definitive for me at least). I enjoyed both of those songs a great deal - the question is who is your third?

No surprise with the third. Bob Dylan.

 

[BobO'Link]

I listened to the entire "Forever Changes" album from Love this morning. How have I not heard of this one before? Like I mentioned earlier, I know I've heard "Alone Again Or" but that's it and I'm 100% sure I've always thought it was a Grateful Dead song. The rest was new and a good example of the genre. I'll be purchasing a copy in the near future.

That makes me want to post more psychedelia from the era so, without further ado, here's "Strawberry Alarm Clock" performing their 1967 hit, "Incense & Peppermints":


**EDIT** Well... I've had that album in my Amazon queue to purchase for some time but have never actually heard the entire album, just the title track. I just finished listening to it on Spotify. Yep... I'll absolutely be picking it up. "Incense & Peppermints" is the most commercial track on that album with the rest being almost pure psychedelia.

Now back to the original post:

OK... here's another favorite from a completely different genre - Blues. I'd never heard of this artist before he died in a helicopter crash in 1990. I was working at a TV station directing news and a producer who loved the man's music ran the story during our mid-day news. Based on his endorsement I picked up a few albums and marveled at the material. I now own copies of all his albums. Here's Stevie Ray Vaughan with the Elmore James blues classic "The Sky is Crying":

 

[ChristopherG]

First, a couple of tracks from artists in my all-time favorite genre, Prog rock (aka Art rock and/or Classical Rock). I really don't pay much attention to lyrics as it's the music in this genre that's the primary draw for me. These are both a bit on the long side so...

From the classic Yes album "Close to the Edge" is "Siberian Khatru" - I love the time changes in this one:



And another top favorite from King Crimson is "Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Part 1" from the album "Lark's Tongues in Aspic" (no lyrics in this one):



I tried John's rap tracks. Didn't care for the first at all - too repetitive (for me, the main detriment to the genre). The second was better, sounding like some smooth 70s soul, but like all rap songs, no melody to hang on the rhythm. At least that one has a nice melody laid on as a instrumental section ending the song.

I really like the 60s psychedelic era and many of the songs. "25 O'Clock" from The Dukes of Stratosphere, posted by Chris, sounds like it could have originally come from that era. The Nazz are an old favorite as is Todd Rundgren.

I found The Mavericks to be fairly good but too rockabilly for my tastes. I like that genre in limited doses.

I'm intimately aware of The Beatles (there are only a handful of tracks from their entire catalog I don't much care for, mostly early covers), The Rolling Stones (again, not a fan of some of their early work and generally like mainly the "hits" from albums but there are a handful of albums I listen to in their entirety), Jefferson Airplane (about 50/50 with their releases, mostly favoring the material that had the most airplay although I own a copy of all their releases), Jimi Hendrix (taken away far too soon - a genius on the guitar. His version of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is definitive).

A new discovery of sorts with "Love" and their "Alone Again Or" - a song I've heard before, and like very much, but never knew who performed it. It has a sound quite similar, vocally, to some Grateful Dead tunes. There's an album I'll be picking up...

I enjoyed the pair of Americana tunes posted by Maurice. I'm a sucker for a good singer/songwriter doing solo work like that.

In that vein, here's a favorite guitar player, Leo Kottke, in a live performance of "The Driving of the Year Nail" from his classic album "6 & 12 String Guitar":

@BobO'Link we have very similar musical tastes! Love prog rock and always a Yes/King Crimson fan. "Close to the Edge" was the last album that Bill Bruford drummed on for Yes before joining....King Crimson! His rhythmic precision is a huge element in both bands sounds and he has always been in my top five for greatest rock drummers.

Also a fan of Leo Kottke and that particular album, "6 & 12 String Guitar" is something I haven't listened to in awhile so thanks for the reminder to fire that up.

Finally - agree 100% on "All Along the Watchtower". Hendrix now owns that song, IMHO.

 

[BobO'Link]

@BobO'Link we have very similar musical tastes! Love prog rock and always a Yes/King Crimson fan. "Close to the Edge" was the last album that Bill Bruford drummed on for Yes before joining....King Crimson! His rhythmic precision is a huge element in both bands sounds and he has always been in my top five for greatest rock drummers.

Also a fan of Leo Kottke and that particular album, "6 & 12 String Guitar" is something I haven't listened to in awhile so thanks for the reminder to fire that up.

Finally - agree 100% on "All Along the Watchtower". Hendrix now owns that song, IMHO.

"Close to the Edge" has been my favorite Yes album since its release. It was difficult to select just which track on that album to post. My preference for King Crimson is mainly the Bruford years with "Lark's Tongue...", "Starless & Bible Black," and "Red," although I also very much like the first two King Crimson albums.

The first time I heard that Kottke album was shortly after it was released. A friend had purchased a new system with a Marantz amp, AR turntable, and Advent speakers. He put that album on and I was blown away! I left his apartment and went directly to the local record shop and purchased a copy.

Even Dylan says Hendrix owns "All Along the Watchtower"...

"It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using. I took license with the song from his version, actually, and continue to do it to this day."

"I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way ... Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

Dave Mason also did a worthy cover of that one:


And Dylan's original isn't bad at all...

 

[BobO'Link]

Posting that Dave Mason cover reminded me that the album with that track, "Dave Mason," introduced me to another classic that really spoke to me. Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home to Me." Here's Cooke singing the original which has backing vocals from Lou Rawls:




And the Dave Mason cover which introduced me to the song (I *really* like this version - Mason and his group really sell it):



That all segues into a HS favorite, and one I thought of when listening to John's first post, the smooth 70s soul classic I played this morning for my 10yo granddaughter on the way to work/school:

The Four Tops with "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got":



OK... I'll try to stop for a while and let you guys catch up. There are so many songs from all kinds of genres that I love I could go on for days...

 

[John Dirk]

I listened to the entire "Forever Changes" album from Love this morning. How have I not heard of this one before? Like I mentioned earlier, I know I've heard "Alone Again Or" but that's it and I'm 100% sure I've always thought it was a Grateful Dead song. The rest was new and a good example of the genre. I'll be purchasing a copy in the near future.

That makes me want to post more psychedelia from the era so, without further ado, here's "Strawberry Alarm Clock" performing their 1967 hit, "Incense & Peppermints":


**EDIT** Well... I've had that album in my Amazon queue to purchase for some time but have never actually heard the entire album, just the title track. I just finished listening to it on Spotify. Yep... I'll absolutely be picking it up. "Incense & Peppermints" is the most commercial track on that album with the rest being almost pure psychedelia.

Now back to the original post:

OK... here's another favorite from a completely different genre - Blues. I'd never heard of this artist before he died in a helicopter crash in 1990. I was working at a TV station directing news and a producer who loved the man's music ran the story during our mid-day news. Based on his endorsement I picked up a few albums and marveled at the material. I now own copies of all his albums. Here's Stevie Ray Vaughan with the Elmore James blues classic "The Sky is Crying":

Incense and Peppermints:

Like other submissions in this genre, once I understood the intent, I was able to enjoy the music without overthinking it. Nice enough tune.

The Sky Is Crying:

Stevie Ray Vaughan was the shit, plain and simple. He's like a cross between BB King and Carlos Santana. I love his music without exception and his death was a terrible tragedy.

 

[John Dirk]

"Close to the Edge" has been my favorite Yes album since its release. It was difficult to select just which track on that album to post. My preference for King Crimson is mainly the Bruford years with "Lark's Tongue...", "Starless & Bible Black," and "Red," although I also very much like the first two King Crimson albums.

The first time I heard that Kottke album was shortly after it was released. A friend had purchased a new system with a Marantz amp, AR turntable, and Advent speakers. He put that album on and I was blown away! I left his apartment and went directly to the local record shop and purchased a copy.

Even Dylan says Hendrix owns "All Along the Watchtower"...



Dave Mason also did a worthy cover of that one:


And Dylan's original isn't bad at all...

I remember this one from Forrest Gump. Great song!

 

[John Dirk]

Posting that Dave Mason cover reminded me that the album with that track, "Dave Mason," introduced me to another classic that really spoke to me. Sam Cooke's "Bring it on Home to Me." Here's Cooke singing the original which has backing vocals from Lou Rawls:




And the Dave Mason cover which introduced me to the song (I *really* like this version - Mason and his group really sell it):



That all segues into a HS favorite, and one I thought of when listening to John's first post, the smooth 70s soul classic I played this morning for my 10yo granddaughter on the way to work/school:

The Four Tops with "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got":



OK... I'll try to stop for a while and let you guys catch up. There are so many songs from all kinds of genres that I love I could go on for days...

I've heard and love both of these. Sam Cooke was am amazing talent and his death was yet another tragedy that was never fully explained. He was one of the rare talents of his day that actually wrote his own hit songs.

Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got is a timeless classic from a Golden era of music.

To her dismay, I routinely sing this to my wife, replacing "woman" with her name. She likes the sentiment, just not the singing.