Boo!
Happy Halloween Gouhls and Boys!
Today we are gonna keep it short and sweet with another Halloween music post that you can bump at all of your parties today and for the rest of the Halloween season!
Herc has definitely pulled out all the stops for this playlist MANIA! He's unstoppable.
Herc's Halloween Playlist MANIA
HALLOWEEN PLAYLIST MANIA
7 Songs with the word “DEVIL” in the title“Devil Inside” - INXS
“Sympathy For The Devil” - The Rolling Stones
“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” - Charlie Daniels Band
“Running With The Devil” - Van Halen
“Shout At The Devil” - Motley Crue
“Devil Woman” - Cliff Richard
“(You’re The) Devil In Disguise” - Elvis Presley
7 Novelty Songs from the 50s and 60s“Monster Mash - Bobby “Boris” Pickett
“Purple People Eater” - Sheb Wooley
“Haunted House” - Jumpin’ Gene Simmons
“Transfusion” - Nervous Norvus
“Frankenstein of ‘59” - Buchanan & Goodman
“They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” - Napoleon XIV
“Witch Doctor” - David Seville
7 Songs about the Female of the Species“Evil Woman” - Electric Light Orchestra
“Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” - Santana
“Maneater” - Hall & Oates
“A Girl Like You” - Edwyn Collins
“Season of The Witch” - Donovan
“Little Miss Dangerous” - Ted Nugent
“Spooky” - Atlanta Rhythm Section
7 “KILLER” Songs“Riders On The Storm” - The Doors
“Psycho Killer” - Talking Heads
“Night Prowler” - AC/DC
“Red Right Hand” - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
“Killer Queen” - Queen
“Killer In The Home” - Adam & the Ants
“Murder By Numbers” - The Police
7 80s Songs“A Nightmare On My Street” - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince [1988]
“Haunted House Of Rock” - Whodini [1983]
“Thriller” - Michael Jackson [1982]
“Ghostbusters” - Ray Parker, Jr. [1984]
“Cry Little Sister” - Gerard McMann [1987]
“Weird Science” - Oingo Boingo [1985]
“Somebody’s Watching Me” - Rockwell [1984]
7 Cover Songs“Abracadabra” - Sugar Ray
“I’m Your Boogie Man” - White Zombie
“Summer Breeze” - Type O Negative
“Last Kiss” - Pearl Jam
“Tainted Love” - Marilyn Manson
“Thriller” - Ian Brown
“Ain’t It Fun” - Guns N Roses
7 Sinister Sounding Songs“Gimme Shelter” - The Rolling Stones
“(Don’t) Fear The Reaper” - Blue Oyster Cult
“How Soon Is Now?” - The Smiths
“Mama” - Genesis
“Lullaby” - The Cure
“White Rabbit” - Jefferson Airplane
“Love Bites” - Judas Priest
Showing posts with label Herc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Herc. Show all posts
10.31.2011
10.27.2011
Seven Candy Bars
Hey Everyone!
Are you excited? I'm getting excited.
The one day of the year where you can eat as much candy as you can get your hands on is fast approaching and Herc is back to give you a piece of his mind on the subject of candy bars.
I haven't enjoyed several of these treats and sincerely feel like I'm missing out. *sad face*
7 Candy Bars
Herc has a bit of a sweet tooth - more than 30 of them actually. On a health kick now, it’s been a few months since he’s tasted any candy bar but if he could, these would be the ones he’s seek out. No tricks, just these treats please.
SnickersHerc’s go-to candy bar whenever given a choice, he likes them in all sizes, flavors and states of refrigeration.
Mr. Goodbar
In junior high, Herc let it be known that the way to his heart was through his stomach via these yellow wrapped wonders. More than a few times he opened his locker to find bar after bar after bar waiting for him - they fit perfectly in the slotted vents of the locker.
PaydayIt’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s delicious.
MunchBasically, a thin rectangle piece of peanut brittle. Mmm, peanut brittle. Only it has more peanuts. And only six ingredients. Check it.
Baby RuthHands down, the messiest candy bar Herc’s ever had the pleasure to consume. Pieces of chocolate and peanut halves rain down around him every time.
AvalancheIn 2007, for a few months, the makers of Payday bars had the bright idea to cover the Payday in milk chocolate. Genius. Then they stopped. Nooooooooooo!
Marathon BarThis bad boy was Herc’s favorite candy bar back in the day. It was 8” and there was a ruler on the wrapper so you knew it was true. For those of you who never had the pleasure, it was braided caramel covered in chocolate. They stopped making them in 1981. The interwebs tell of a similar bar still manufactured by Cadbury in the United Kingdom called the Curly Wurly. Herc’s Kingdom for a Curly Wurly!
Are you excited? I'm getting excited.
The one day of the year where you can eat as much candy as you can get your hands on is fast approaching and Herc is back to give you a piece of his mind on the subject of candy bars.
I haven't enjoyed several of these treats and sincerely feel like I'm missing out. *sad face*
7 Candy Bars
Herc has a bit of a sweet tooth - more than 30 of them actually. On a health kick now, it’s been a few months since he’s tasted any candy bar but if he could, these would be the ones he’s seek out. No tricks, just these treats please.
SnickersHerc’s go-to candy bar whenever given a choice, he likes them in all sizes, flavors and states of refrigeration.
Mr. Goodbar
In junior high, Herc let it be known that the way to his heart was through his stomach via these yellow wrapped wonders. More than a few times he opened his locker to find bar after bar after bar waiting for him - they fit perfectly in the slotted vents of the locker.
Gone but not forgotten category:
10.24.2011
Seven Underplayed Songs For Halloween Times
Hey Everyone!
Theme week comin' your way! Herc is here to kick us off with a Halloween playlist. He's got a knack for themed and appropriate music. ENJOY!
7 Underplayed Songs For Your Halloween Playlist
(part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists)
The Halloween Playlist is a little more elusive, the pool of songs a little more shallow, than almost any other seasonal or situational playlist. Do you go all atmospheric musically? Do you go Goth? Do you go the familiar horror movie music? Do you go the “scare the children” route? Do you get all high concept? Do you use songs only about the Devil? Herc’s done it all and he’s been everywhere, man, and now he’s gonna share a few lesser known tracks from throughout all time with you.
Spoti-BOO!
“In the Shadows” - The Rasmus [2003]
A rousing, bass heavy anthem that rocks hard, this track from 2003 will kick your party up a notch or three. The lyrics (“I’ve been watching/I’ve been waiting”) paint a darker picture, abstract enough to hint at vampirism (They say/That I must learn to kill before I can feel safe”). There are three different videos for this song by the Finnish band so check them out next time your surfing the Web.
“Lil Red Riding Hood” - Sam The Sham & the Pharaohs [1966]The band that brought us “Wooly Bully” was no one-hit wonder - they followed up that massive hit with this 1966 gem which also made it all the way to #2 on the charts. It’s been featured in more than a few TV shows and movies and has been covered by several artists including those crazy nut rockers from Texas, Bowling for Soup.
“Heartbreak Hotel” - The Jacksons [1980]
Essentially a Michael Jackson solo effort, his brothers are credited with “percussion” while Tito lays down the tasty guitar solo. It predates the paranoid pathos that later blossomed full blown in songs like “Billie Jean” and “In The Closet” and features a creaky rhythm making it sound like a haunted house. Without explanation, the song’s official title was amended to “This Place Hotel” sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s when the CD version of the 1980 album was released.
“Cat People (Puttin’ Out Fire)” - David Bowie [1982]
The original version of this song was written for and featured in 1982 movie Cat People. It is longer and more atmospheric, with a simmering slowness and features one of Bowie’s most haunted vocal performances. (It was used with surprising effect in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds as well.) Due to contractual conflicts, Bowie was unable to use the same recording for his 1983 album Let’s Dance so he re-recorded it with producer Nile Rodgers laying back on guitar, Tony Thompson pounding the drums and Carmine Rojas anchoring the bottom with his bass as a faster, sturdier rocker. The icing on this musical cake is then relatively unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan bringing the wicked solos - his debut solo album wouldn’t be released until a few months later.
“Strong As I Am” - The Prime Movers [1985]
Sounding eerily like a young U2 lyrically and musically, The Prime Movers released this song on their self-titled EP. Director Michael Mann, hot off his hitch on Miami Vice, heard it, loved it and snagged it for the soundtrack of his 1986 film Manhunter. He even personally financed the video for the song. The lead singer left shortly after but the band regrouped without him as Dread Zeppelin and released several reggae infused Led Zeppelin hybrids with Elvis-sounding vocals. Just like U2.
“Wicked Game” - Stone Sour [2006]
A live, acoustic cover of Chris Isaak’s impossibly high-voiced 1989 love lament by the lead singer of the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, Corey Taylor. His reading adds a little more masculinity to the song while retaining the sadness and heartbreak.
“Used To Love Her” - Guns N Roses [1988]
Axl and the boys snuck this darkly funny acoustic yet metallic ballad out on the stop-gap EP, GNR Lies. It catches you off-guard lyrically and makes a delightful addition to any spooky set. Who knew those bad, bad boys had such a good, good sense of humor?
Spoti-BOO!
Theme week comin' your way! Herc is here to kick us off with a Halloween playlist. He's got a knack for themed and appropriate music. ENJOY!
7 Underplayed Songs For Your Halloween Playlist
(part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists)
The Halloween Playlist is a little more elusive, the pool of songs a little more shallow, than almost any other seasonal or situational playlist. Do you go all atmospheric musically? Do you go Goth? Do you go the familiar horror movie music? Do you go the “scare the children” route? Do you get all high concept? Do you use songs only about the Devil? Herc’s done it all and he’s been everywhere, man, and now he’s gonna share a few lesser known tracks from throughout all time with you.
Spoti-BOO!
“In the Shadows” - The Rasmus [2003]
A rousing, bass heavy anthem that rocks hard, this track from 2003 will kick your party up a notch or three. The lyrics (“I’ve been watching/I’ve been waiting”) paint a darker picture, abstract enough to hint at vampirism (They say/That I must learn to kill before I can feel safe”). There are three different videos for this song by the Finnish band so check them out next time your surfing the Web.
“Lil Red Riding Hood” - Sam The Sham & the Pharaohs [1966]The band that brought us “Wooly Bully” was no one-hit wonder - they followed up that massive hit with this 1966 gem which also made it all the way to #2 on the charts. It’s been featured in more than a few TV shows and movies and has been covered by several artists including those crazy nut rockers from Texas, Bowling for Soup.
“Heartbreak Hotel” - The Jacksons [1980]
Essentially a Michael Jackson solo effort, his brothers are credited with “percussion” while Tito lays down the tasty guitar solo. It predates the paranoid pathos that later blossomed full blown in songs like “Billie Jean” and “In The Closet” and features a creaky rhythm making it sound like a haunted house. Without explanation, the song’s official title was amended to “This Place Hotel” sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s when the CD version of the 1980 album was released.
“Cat People (Puttin’ Out Fire)” - David Bowie [1982]
The original version of this song was written for and featured in 1982 movie Cat People. It is longer and more atmospheric, with a simmering slowness and features one of Bowie’s most haunted vocal performances. (It was used with surprising effect in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds as well.) Due to contractual conflicts, Bowie was unable to use the same recording for his 1983 album Let’s Dance so he re-recorded it with producer Nile Rodgers laying back on guitar, Tony Thompson pounding the drums and Carmine Rojas anchoring the bottom with his bass as a faster, sturdier rocker. The icing on this musical cake is then relatively unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan bringing the wicked solos - his debut solo album wouldn’t be released until a few months later.
“Strong As I Am” - The Prime Movers [1985]
Sounding eerily like a young U2 lyrically and musically, The Prime Movers released this song on their self-titled EP. Director Michael Mann, hot off his hitch on Miami Vice, heard it, loved it and snagged it for the soundtrack of his 1986 film Manhunter. He even personally financed the video for the song. The lead singer left shortly after but the band regrouped without him as Dread Zeppelin and released several reggae infused Led Zeppelin hybrids with Elvis-sounding vocals. Just like U2.
“Wicked Game” - Stone Sour [2006]
A live, acoustic cover of Chris Isaak’s impossibly high-voiced 1989 love lament by the lead singer of the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, Corey Taylor. His reading adds a little more masculinity to the song while retaining the sadness and heartbreak.
“Used To Love Her” - Guns N Roses [1988]
Axl and the boys snuck this darkly funny acoustic yet metallic ballad out on the stop-gap EP, GNR Lies. It catches you off-guard lyrically and makes a delightful addition to any spooky set. Who knew those bad, bad boys had such a good, good sense of humor?
Spoti-BOO!
10.17.2011
Seven Of The Greatest Albums Of All Time
Hey Howdy!
Another installation of Music Mondays is coming your way. I can tell you that Herc is the single most music driven person I have ever known. He has an incredible knowledge of it, an amazing history built around it, and great stories all about it. This is a wonderful post by Herc, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
7 Of The Greatest Albums Of All Time
(that just happened to be released in 1982!)
[part of ongoing series 7 Greatest Albums]
In 1982, Herc was in his teens, a crucial time for any music lover: bonds are formed, memories are made and allegiances are pledged that will affect the rest of our lives. Herc was one of those kids who walked around with headphones on, listening to cassette tapes he recorded, in his trusty Sony Walkman. Walking down the street, sitting in class or riding the bus, the headphones and Walkman were ever-present. Music was his drug of choice, the one thing that got him through the day, all day, every day. It fueled the fires of his passions, bandaged his bruised ego and helped heal his heart. Over the past 30 years, these albums (like Herc) have withstood musical trends and fashion fads, not too mention the epic and expensive transition from physical media (records, tapes) to digital media (CDs, files). Music is still his drug of choice, though, and these are some of his biggest highs.
all 7 albums in one Spotify playlist
or click on each album title to listen, one at a time
Blackout - Scorpions
unleashed 3/29/1982
The lead single from Blackout was entitled “No One Like You” and in interviews with the band they say it was originally written in their native German and lost its meaning in the English translation. It must have been inconceivably brilliant because the song as it was released is absolutely fantastic from that first drum beat. The album itself begins with a rocking guitar siren on the title track and gets better and better from there. The second track, “Can’t Live Without You”, is a throwback to 70s British Glam Rock with its counted off intro, self-referential lyrics and helium-voiced sing-along chorus. Then comes “No One Like You”, a blast of harmonic high guitars and longing lyrics. There are other songs, most notably the tour memoir valentine “Arizona”, that round out the album but after those first three tracks the rest of the album sounds familiar.
Rio - Duran Duran
unleashed 5/10/1982
From it’s stylish cover illustration to the equally stylish grooves within, Rio hastened the arrival of the New Romantic portion of the New Wave: pretty boys in pretty clothes playing gussied-up disco music for the next generation. A major factor in their popularity was the ability to see the band in music videos filmed in exotic locales, yet another layer of stylishness. Simon, Nick and the three unrelated Taylor boys played dance/pop music and released a series of 12”s and EPs featuring enhanced dance remixes of the songs from Rio making them a feature in clubs as well as the radio and the (M)TV on both sides of the Atlantic. In hindsight after nearly 30 years, some of the music does sound stuck in the Eighties but most of it holds up.
Combat Rock - The Clash
unleashed 5/14/1982
“This is a public service announcement/With GUITARS!” are the first words your hear when you drop the needle/press Play on The Clash’s fifth full-length release. The guys had toured the world, read the newspaper and, after six years together, they were reaching a breaking point both as a group and in their popularity. The songs they recorded for the album that eventually became Combat Rock were musically as diverse as ever, a sonic trademark of the musical alchemists known as The Clash. Two of the band’s biggest hits emerged from the album, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” and “Rock The Casbah.” But the one Herc keeps going back to is “Straight To Hell” which was later sampled in M.I.A.’s global smash “Paper Planes”. By 1983, the band that had recorded Combat Rock was all but extinct, limping along after firing two members. Fortunately for us, we’ll always have this memento.
The Lexicon Of Love - ABC
unleashed 6/25/1982
As rhythmically funky as it orchestrally lush and packed with more heartbreak scenarios than any romance novel, The Lexicon Of Love still manages to sound contemporary almost 30 years after its release. Love, after all, is timeless. and this is love in its purest romantic form. Martin Fry is hardly original in his delivery, drawing on everyone from Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Bryan Ferry before him, but somehow it doesn’t matter because the words he sings and the way he sings them ring true. All of this hopeless romanticism is set against a wall of sound constructed by Trevor Horn (featuring many of the players who would later go on to form Art Of Noise) that melds the burgeoning new wave sound of the time with classic soul and rhythm & blues sounds of the late Sixties and early Seventies. The album flows lyrically and musically towards an all too soon end but that’s okay because you can play it again. And again.
Friend Or Foe - Adam Ant
unleashed 10/14/1982
On the morning of May 16, 1981, Herc watched Adam & the Ants perform (lipsync) “Antmusic” and “Dog Eat Dog” on American Bandstand. After lunch, he rode his bike up to the Base Exchange (BX) and bought their album Kings Of The Wild Frontier. Six months later, Adam & his Ants issued Prince Charming, which was more of the same music but the make-up and costumes had changed, from a Pirate/American Indian mash-up to a Pirate/Dandy Highwayman mash-up. Within 12 months, Adam had jettisoned all but one Ant and released this, his debut solo album. This time out, he wore minimal make-up and dressed like a Pirate/Cowboy hybrid. The music was just as dense and as rhythmic as the previous two outings, proving he had chosen to retain the right Ant and, on the first day of 1983, Adam returned to American Bandstand performing what would become his biggest hit, the hyperkinetic “Goody Two Shoes”.
1999 - Prince
unleashed 10/27/1982
One night in November 1982, while ironing a couple of shirts to wear to school the following week (snicker, snicker), Herc was listening to “The New Music Test Department” on a local radio station as he usually did on Sunday evenings. It was a chance for the deejay to break from the “rock” format and play new releases in all genres from punk to funk. On that particular night, he first heard “Little Red Corvette” and a lifelong obsession began with the music of the artist who will always be known as Prince. A sprawling and ambitious double album, 1999 featured tight funk jams and longer, looser workouts with drum machines and layered synths paving the way for what would become known in the Eighties and early Nineties as the “Minneapolis sound”. The music was the soundtrack to parties, the background for make-out sessions and inspiration for at least one American Government term paper. Within two years, Prince would be the biggest recording artist in the world, rivaled only by Madonna and Michael Jackson. But his ascent is easily traced back to this, his launching pad and proving grounds.
Thriller - Michael Jackson
unleashed 11/30/1982
Herc ain’t gonna lie, he probably slept on this record until Christmas 1982, when he finally picked up a copy for himself after listening to his father’s copy far too often. “Billie Jean” was an awesome song and his live performance of it on the Motown 25 show, where he revealed his new Moonwalk, lit the fuse on this firecracker which went on to become the biggest selling album of all time even before MJ’s untimely death. All but two songs were released individually and became Top Ten singles and when the mini-movie for the title track was released, millions would stop whatever they were doing and just watch. The performances are breathtaking but it is the polished production by Quincy Jones that does it for Herc. Even after all the tabloid tales, this is still a great listen.
>>>Bonus 1982 Spotify Playlist<<<
For the record (get it?), Herc also played the groove out of these vinyl albums from 1982 and has since owned compact disc versions. Tracks from these albums (as well as the albums above) are the bedrock of Herc’s Digital Music Archive.
Asia - Asia***Picture This - Huey Lewis & the News***8th Wonder - The Sugarhill Gang***Just Another Day In Paradise - Bertie Higgins***Mountain Music - Alabama***The Golden Age Of Wireless - Thomas Dolby***Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet - Rick Springfield***All Four One - The Motels***Toto IV - Toto***American Fool - John Cougar***Diver Down - Van Halen***A Flock Of Seagulls - A Flock Of Seagulls***Hot Space - Queen***Built For Speed - The Stray Cats***Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor***Eye In The Sky - Alan Parsons Project***Night And Day - Joe Jackson***Emotions in Motion - Billy Squier***Billy Idol - Billy Idol***The Party’s Over - Talk Talk***Screaming For Vengeance - Judas Priest***Upstairs At Eric’s - Yaz***What Time Is It? - The Time***Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack***New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) - Simple Minds***H2O - Hall & Oates***Kissing To Be Clever - Culture Club***The Nightfly - Donald Fagen***Shabooh Shoobah - INXS***Spring Session M - Missing Persons***Hello, I Must Be Going - Phil Collins***Long After Dark - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers***Computer Games - George Clinton***Oh No, It’s Devo! - Devo***Gap Band IV - GAP Band***The Distance - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band***Business As Usual - Men At Work***Dare - Human League***Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing - Soft Cell***The Message - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five***
Another installation of Music Mondays is coming your way. I can tell you that Herc is the single most music driven person I have ever known. He has an incredible knowledge of it, an amazing history built around it, and great stories all about it. This is a wonderful post by Herc, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
7 Of The Greatest Albums Of All Time
(that just happened to be released in 1982!)
[part of ongoing series 7 Greatest Albums]
In 1982, Herc was in his teens, a crucial time for any music lover: bonds are formed, memories are made and allegiances are pledged that will affect the rest of our lives. Herc was one of those kids who walked around with headphones on, listening to cassette tapes he recorded, in his trusty Sony Walkman. Walking down the street, sitting in class or riding the bus, the headphones and Walkman were ever-present. Music was his drug of choice, the one thing that got him through the day, all day, every day. It fueled the fires of his passions, bandaged his bruised ego and helped heal his heart. Over the past 30 years, these albums (like Herc) have withstood musical trends and fashion fads, not too mention the epic and expensive transition from physical media (records, tapes) to digital media (CDs, files). Music is still his drug of choice, though, and these are some of his biggest highs.
all 7 albums in one Spotify playlist
or click on each album title to listen, one at a time
Blackout - Scorpions
unleashed 3/29/1982
The lead single from Blackout was entitled “No One Like You” and in interviews with the band they say it was originally written in their native German and lost its meaning in the English translation. It must have been inconceivably brilliant because the song as it was released is absolutely fantastic from that first drum beat. The album itself begins with a rocking guitar siren on the title track and gets better and better from there. The second track, “Can’t Live Without You”, is a throwback to 70s British Glam Rock with its counted off intro, self-referential lyrics and helium-voiced sing-along chorus. Then comes “No One Like You”, a blast of harmonic high guitars and longing lyrics. There are other songs, most notably the tour memoir valentine “Arizona”, that round out the album but after those first three tracks the rest of the album sounds familiar.
Rio - Duran Duran
unleashed 5/10/1982
From it’s stylish cover illustration to the equally stylish grooves within, Rio hastened the arrival of the New Romantic portion of the New Wave: pretty boys in pretty clothes playing gussied-up disco music for the next generation. A major factor in their popularity was the ability to see the band in music videos filmed in exotic locales, yet another layer of stylishness. Simon, Nick and the three unrelated Taylor boys played dance/pop music and released a series of 12”s and EPs featuring enhanced dance remixes of the songs from Rio making them a feature in clubs as well as the radio and the (M)TV on both sides of the Atlantic. In hindsight after nearly 30 years, some of the music does sound stuck in the Eighties but most of it holds up.
Combat Rock - The Clash
unleashed 5/14/1982
“This is a public service announcement/With GUITARS!” are the first words your hear when you drop the needle/press Play on The Clash’s fifth full-length release. The guys had toured the world, read the newspaper and, after six years together, they were reaching a breaking point both as a group and in their popularity. The songs they recorded for the album that eventually became Combat Rock were musically as diverse as ever, a sonic trademark of the musical alchemists known as The Clash. Two of the band’s biggest hits emerged from the album, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” and “Rock The Casbah.” But the one Herc keeps going back to is “Straight To Hell” which was later sampled in M.I.A.’s global smash “Paper Planes”. By 1983, the band that had recorded Combat Rock was all but extinct, limping along after firing two members. Fortunately for us, we’ll always have this memento.
The Lexicon Of Love - ABC
unleashed 6/25/1982
As rhythmically funky as it orchestrally lush and packed with more heartbreak scenarios than any romance novel, The Lexicon Of Love still manages to sound contemporary almost 30 years after its release. Love, after all, is timeless. and this is love in its purest romantic form. Martin Fry is hardly original in his delivery, drawing on everyone from Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Bryan Ferry before him, but somehow it doesn’t matter because the words he sings and the way he sings them ring true. All of this hopeless romanticism is set against a wall of sound constructed by Trevor Horn (featuring many of the players who would later go on to form Art Of Noise) that melds the burgeoning new wave sound of the time with classic soul and rhythm & blues sounds of the late Sixties and early Seventies. The album flows lyrically and musically towards an all too soon end but that’s okay because you can play it again. And again.
Friend Or Foe - Adam Ant
unleashed 10/14/1982
On the morning of May 16, 1981, Herc watched Adam & the Ants perform (lipsync) “Antmusic” and “Dog Eat Dog” on American Bandstand. After lunch, he rode his bike up to the Base Exchange (BX) and bought their album Kings Of The Wild Frontier. Six months later, Adam & his Ants issued Prince Charming, which was more of the same music but the make-up and costumes had changed, from a Pirate/American Indian mash-up to a Pirate/Dandy Highwayman mash-up. Within 12 months, Adam had jettisoned all but one Ant and released this, his debut solo album. This time out, he wore minimal make-up and dressed like a Pirate/Cowboy hybrid. The music was just as dense and as rhythmic as the previous two outings, proving he had chosen to retain the right Ant and, on the first day of 1983, Adam returned to American Bandstand performing what would become his biggest hit, the hyperkinetic “Goody Two Shoes”.
1999 - Prince
unleashed 10/27/1982
One night in November 1982, while ironing a couple of shirts to wear to school the following week (snicker, snicker), Herc was listening to “The New Music Test Department” on a local radio station as he usually did on Sunday evenings. It was a chance for the deejay to break from the “rock” format and play new releases in all genres from punk to funk. On that particular night, he first heard “Little Red Corvette” and a lifelong obsession began with the music of the artist who will always be known as Prince. A sprawling and ambitious double album, 1999 featured tight funk jams and longer, looser workouts with drum machines and layered synths paving the way for what would become known in the Eighties and early Nineties as the “Minneapolis sound”. The music was the soundtrack to parties, the background for make-out sessions and inspiration for at least one American Government term paper. Within two years, Prince would be the biggest recording artist in the world, rivaled only by Madonna and Michael Jackson. But his ascent is easily traced back to this, his launching pad and proving grounds.
Thriller - Michael Jackson
unleashed 11/30/1982
Herc ain’t gonna lie, he probably slept on this record until Christmas 1982, when he finally picked up a copy for himself after listening to his father’s copy far too often. “Billie Jean” was an awesome song and his live performance of it on the Motown 25 show, where he revealed his new Moonwalk, lit the fuse on this firecracker which went on to become the biggest selling album of all time even before MJ’s untimely death. All but two songs were released individually and became Top Ten singles and when the mini-movie for the title track was released, millions would stop whatever they were doing and just watch. The performances are breathtaking but it is the polished production by Quincy Jones that does it for Herc. Even after all the tabloid tales, this is still a great listen.
>>>Bonus 1982 Spotify Playlist<<<
For the record (get it?), Herc also played the groove out of these vinyl albums from 1982 and has since owned compact disc versions. Tracks from these albums (as well as the albums above) are the bedrock of Herc’s Digital Music Archive.
Asia - Asia***Picture This - Huey Lewis & the News***8th Wonder - The Sugarhill Gang***Just Another Day In Paradise - Bertie Higgins***Mountain Music - Alabama***The Golden Age Of Wireless - Thomas Dolby***Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet - Rick Springfield***All Four One - The Motels***Toto IV - Toto***American Fool - John Cougar***Diver Down - Van Halen***A Flock Of Seagulls - A Flock Of Seagulls***Hot Space - Queen***Built For Speed - The Stray Cats***Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor***Eye In The Sky - Alan Parsons Project***Night And Day - Joe Jackson***Emotions in Motion - Billy Squier***Billy Idol - Billy Idol***The Party’s Over - Talk Talk***Screaming For Vengeance - Judas Priest***Upstairs At Eric’s - Yaz***What Time Is It? - The Time***Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack***New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) - Simple Minds***H2O - Hall & Oates***Kissing To Be Clever - Culture Club***The Nightfly - Donald Fagen***Shabooh Shoobah - INXS***Spring Session M - Missing Persons***Hello, I Must Be Going - Phil Collins***Long After Dark - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers***Computer Games - George Clinton***Oh No, It’s Devo! - Devo***Gap Band IV - GAP Band***The Distance - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band***Business As Usual - Men At Work***Dare - Human League***Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing - Soft Cell***The Message - Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five***
10.13.2011
Spotify Almost Two Months Later
Dudes. Herc wrote this post a while back and I neglected it. Now, its almost a month after he intended for you to see it, and my lazy behind is just now putting it out for you.
Its a really clever post, and more spotify playlists, get on it!
SPOTIFY - (almost) TWO MONTHS LATER
“Why?” - Bronski Beat
Isn’t Spotify great? Wait, are you listening to Spotify yet? Why not? Herc has never listened to so much music in his life as he has since Spotify finally came to the United States (& his beloved iPod Touch) and he has listened to a lot of music. A. LOT.
“Change” - John Waite
A work in progress, Spotify continues to evolve - no fewer than half a dozen software updates in the last two weeks alone. New features, new functions and new music...
"Gimme More" - Britney Spears
Since our last Spotify chat on August 31st, almost one million tracks have been added to Spotify’s library. (Let me do the math...carry the one...exactly 955,033 tracks.) More music than any human could possibly listen to in their lifetime but don’t let that stop you from trying.
“The Waiting” - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
It was never a Golden Ticket kind of phenomenon but when Spotify came to these shores, an invitation was required to partake in the musical goodness. You signed up and waited. Maybe you haven’t tried Spotify because you never got an invitation. Invitations are no longer required to get Spotify because...
“Power” - Kanye West
...Spotify is now fully integrated with Facebook, for better or for worse. If you haven’t signed up for a Spotify account yet it now requires you to sign in with your Facebook account. No Facebook account, no Spotify account for new users. There were some over-sharing issues initially but those have now been resolved.
“Radio, Radio” - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Spotify finally has unleashed their Radio function Stateside - it’s on the left panel main menu just under What’s New. Sadly, they have removed some of Herc’s favorite channels (Disco, Funk, New Wave and Techno) and replaced them with three flavors of metal (Black, Death and Heavy). Play around with the Spotify Radio function by selecting more than one button at a time and see what pops up. While it lacks the fine-tuning capabilities of Slacker, Spotify Radio lets you skip as many songs as you want until you find one you want to hear.
“Let’s Go Crazy” - Prince & the Revolution
Remember when you had to ration your Spotify listening time because, as a Free User, there were monthly caps imposed by Spotify? Well those days are gone - you get unlimited listening for the first six months now before you have to start rationing. Go crazy, get nuts.
Its a really clever post, and more spotify playlists, get on it!
SPOTIFY - (almost) TWO MONTHS LATER
“Why?” - Bronski Beat
Isn’t Spotify great? Wait, are you listening to Spotify yet? Why not? Herc has never listened to so much music in his life as he has since Spotify finally came to the United States (& his beloved iPod Touch) and he has listened to a lot of music. A. LOT.
“Change” - John Waite
A work in progress, Spotify continues to evolve - no fewer than half a dozen software updates in the last two weeks alone. New features, new functions and new music...
"Gimme More" - Britney Spears
Since our last Spotify chat on August 31st, almost one million tracks have been added to Spotify’s library. (Let me do the math...carry the one...exactly 955,033 tracks.) More music than any human could possibly listen to in their lifetime but don’t let that stop you from trying.
“The Waiting” - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
It was never a Golden Ticket kind of phenomenon but when Spotify came to these shores, an invitation was required to partake in the musical goodness. You signed up and waited. Maybe you haven’t tried Spotify because you never got an invitation. Invitations are no longer required to get Spotify because...
“Power” - Kanye West
...Spotify is now fully integrated with Facebook, for better or for worse. If you haven’t signed up for a Spotify account yet it now requires you to sign in with your Facebook account. No Facebook account, no Spotify account for new users. There were some over-sharing issues initially but those have now been resolved.
“Radio, Radio” - Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Spotify finally has unleashed their Radio function Stateside - it’s on the left panel main menu just under What’s New. Sadly, they have removed some of Herc’s favorite channels (Disco, Funk, New Wave and Techno) and replaced them with three flavors of metal (Black, Death and Heavy). Play around with the Spotify Radio function by selecting more than one button at a time and see what pops up. While it lacks the fine-tuning capabilities of Slacker, Spotify Radio lets you skip as many songs as you want until you find one you want to hear.
“Let’s Go Crazy” - Prince & the Revolution
Remember when you had to ration your Spotify listening time because, as a Free User, there were monthly caps imposed by Spotify? Well those days are gone - you get unlimited listening for the first six months now before you have to start rationing. Go crazy, get nuts.
10.10.2011
Seven One Hit Wonders Of The 80s
Hello Monday!
You remember what Monday means, right? It means we are all about to be graced with Herc's presence.
Today he is gonna talk about the 80s which, as we all know, is the best decade EVER!
So many awesome things hailed from there, the most important is ME!
Go Herc!!!
7 One Hit Wonders of the 80s
[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]
Herc has a problem with certain terms: “chick flick”, “military intelligence” and “one hit wonder” are among his biggest peeves. By definition, a one hit wonder should be an artist’s one and only hit. This calls into question the definition of a hit - do we measure sales or airplay or both? Do we rely on the charts and, if we do, which chart? So many questions, so little time and space. Here are seven songs that show up whenever one hit wonder lists are compiled. Herc likes these songs and hopes you do as well.
ONE HIT WONDERS
“Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go” - Soft Cell [1981]
As originally released, “Tainted Love” was the radio single, a remake of a classic Northern Soul track. For the dance clubs, “Tainted Love” was coupled with the Supremes signature song, to form a seamless, damn near ten minute medley. Upon initial hearings, it’s hard to fathom that all that music is made by just one man and a couple of synths. Today, you can recreate the song on your iPad with Garage Band/
“Take On Me” - a-ha [1985]
The video for this song was groundbreaking for it’s time and has been lovingly recreated and parodied on Family Guy. The boys in a-ha recently performed a worldwide farewell tour celebrating more than a quarter century together and almost two dozen hits outside of America’s borders.
“Come On Eileen” - Dexy’s Midnight Runners [1982]
This one stands out from a lot of its contemporaries because of it’s gypsy, folksy instrumentation and pubbish sing-a-long vocals as opposed to smooth, polished vocals backed by synth drums, keytars and other electronic noisemakers. The sheer joy of the escalating vocal makes this a beloved standard in the Hercmobile. Also seek out the cool cover version - with female lead vocals - by Save Ferris.
“The Safety Dance” - Men Without Hats [1982]
Back in the day, this was Herc’s jam. He’d dance and sing across the floor while sweeping or mopping at his very first job. It’s where he met the future Mrs. Herc who wore the brown polyester uniform like no other. Most recently featured in an episode of Glee from earlier this year in which the wheelchair bound Artie gets up offa that thing and dances his butt off. But before you bow down and worship the music as miracle, you should know ***SPOILER ALERT*** that it was a daydream. Equally catchy is the band’s 1987 release “Pop Goes The World”.= which sounds like it is played on a toy piano.
“Turning Japanese” -The Vapors [1980]
Did you know that this song is about self-pleasure? Yup. Featuring an Oriental musical motif and an otherwise fast-rocking backing track, “Turning Japanese” is the tale of a man’s obsession with pictures of his lovely lady. He misses her so much that he learns to “love” himself. Repeatedly. Catchy, no?
“Mickey” - Toni Basil [1982]
Cheerleader rock returned to the charts some 20 years after Beach Boy Brian Wilson invented it with his classic “Be True To Your School”. But “Mickey” was different. The song’s lyrics had nothing to do with school spirit but the stop start beat and music video made it abundantly clear that cheerleaders were AWESOME. Singer Toni Basil was a choreographer first and foremost and after here brief singing career she went back to it but not before recording “Mickey” en Espanol.
“Funkytown” - Lipps, Inc. [1980]
This was Disco’s last breath if you will. Another two person outfit making all that joyful noise, this one was available as shortened yet still catchy radio single or a full length disco dancer featuring wonderfully manipulated voices decades before Auto-Tune. In 1986, Psuedo Echo covered ”Funkytown” in a guitar heavy, New Wave rocking sheen and scored their only U.S. hit thus making “Funkytown” that rarest of all birds, a one hit wonder for two artists.
ONE HIT WONDERS
Did Herc forget anything? Is that the greatest 7 song playlist ever? I vote YES.
You remember what Monday means, right? It means we are all about to be graced with Herc's presence.
Today he is gonna talk about the 80s which, as we all know, is the best decade EVER!
So many awesome things hailed from there, the most important is ME!
Go Herc!!!
[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]
Herc has a problem with certain terms: “chick flick”, “military intelligence” and “one hit wonder” are among his biggest peeves. By definition, a one hit wonder should be an artist’s one and only hit. This calls into question the definition of a hit - do we measure sales or airplay or both? Do we rely on the charts and, if we do, which chart? So many questions, so little time and space. Here are seven songs that show up whenever one hit wonder lists are compiled. Herc likes these songs and hopes you do as well.
ONE HIT WONDERS
“Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go” - Soft Cell [1981]
As originally released, “Tainted Love” was the radio single, a remake of a classic Northern Soul track. For the dance clubs, “Tainted Love” was coupled with the Supremes signature song, to form a seamless, damn near ten minute medley. Upon initial hearings, it’s hard to fathom that all that music is made by just one man and a couple of synths. Today, you can recreate the song on your iPad with Garage Band/
“Take On Me” - a-ha [1985]
The video for this song was groundbreaking for it’s time and has been lovingly recreated and parodied on Family Guy. The boys in a-ha recently performed a worldwide farewell tour celebrating more than a quarter century together and almost two dozen hits outside of America’s borders.
“Come On Eileen” - Dexy’s Midnight Runners [1982]
This one stands out from a lot of its contemporaries because of it’s gypsy, folksy instrumentation and pubbish sing-a-long vocals as opposed to smooth, polished vocals backed by synth drums, keytars and other electronic noisemakers. The sheer joy of the escalating vocal makes this a beloved standard in the Hercmobile. Also seek out the cool cover version - with female lead vocals - by Save Ferris.
“The Safety Dance” - Men Without Hats [1982]
Back in the day, this was Herc’s jam. He’d dance and sing across the floor while sweeping or mopping at his very first job. It’s where he met the future Mrs. Herc who wore the brown polyester uniform like no other. Most recently featured in an episode of Glee from earlier this year in which the wheelchair bound Artie gets up offa that thing and dances his butt off. But before you bow down and worship the music as miracle, you should know ***SPOILER ALERT*** that it was a daydream. Equally catchy is the band’s 1987 release “Pop Goes The World”.= which sounds like it is played on a toy piano.
“Turning Japanese” -The Vapors [1980]
Did you know that this song is about self-pleasure? Yup. Featuring an Oriental musical motif and an otherwise fast-rocking backing track, “Turning Japanese” is the tale of a man’s obsession with pictures of his lovely lady. He misses her so much that he learns to “love” himself. Repeatedly. Catchy, no?
“Mickey” - Toni Basil [1982]
Cheerleader rock returned to the charts some 20 years after Beach Boy Brian Wilson invented it with his classic “Be True To Your School”. But “Mickey” was different. The song’s lyrics had nothing to do with school spirit but the stop start beat and music video made it abundantly clear that cheerleaders were AWESOME. Singer Toni Basil was a choreographer first and foremost and after here brief singing career she went back to it but not before recording “Mickey” en Espanol.
“Funkytown” - Lipps, Inc. [1980]
This was Disco’s last breath if you will. Another two person outfit making all that joyful noise, this one was available as shortened yet still catchy radio single or a full length disco dancer featuring wonderfully manipulated voices decades before Auto-Tune. In 1986, Psuedo Echo covered ”Funkytown” in a guitar heavy, New Wave rocking sheen and scored their only U.S. hit thus making “Funkytown” that rarest of all birds, a one hit wonder for two artists.
ONE HIT WONDERS
Did Herc forget anything? Is that the greatest 7 song playlist ever? I vote YES.
10.03.2011
Seven Devo Songs
Its the first Monday of October!
You know what that means, right?
Good. Glad I don't have to explain that to you. I hope you make it count.
I'm fond of my name, did you know that?!
I keep it pretty well under wraps and would never do something so foolish as name a blog after myself. Not to mention have my car's license plate be my name. I would never dream of starting a business using my name and I absolutely wouldn't fantasize about naming all of my children after myself. Oh wait...I guess that is me completely to a T.
I'm very fond of things that are reminiscent of my name too, kinda like the band Devo. Herc is back and gonna tell you about 7 awesome songs of theirs today for Music Monday!
7 Devo Songs
[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]
Devo was seen by many as a novelty, a cartoon-ish band with only one song, “Whip It”. But those of us who are into their music know that they actually have more than a few good songs. They crashed onto the scene with a punky, robotic reading of the Rolling Stones classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. Their look and sound evolved with each release until they finally broke up in 1990. Rediscovered by nerds and hardcore geeks in the dawning of the cyber-age, the band has reunited several times, most recently last year, when they released their first new album in 20 years, with band member in their sixties, but still sounding the same musically, lyrically and vocally. And if you ever watched Rugrats (don’t lie), all the music was written and performed by Devo’s chief songwriter and lead singer, Mark Mothersbaugh. His original music has been featured in hundreds of other movies and television shows as well.
Devo-tify!
“Girl U Want” [1980]
A quirkier rewrite of The Knack’s “My Sharona”, “Girl U Want” was actually the first single off the Freedom Of Choice album. It has been covered several times in varying tempos, cementing the song’s lyrics as universal truths.
“Whip It” [1980]
The second single from Freedom Of Choice, this is the group’s biggest hit and therefore the one Devo song almost everyone knows leading to its inclusion on several One-Hit Wonder lists. Combining a guitar riff cribbed from Roy Orbison’s classic “Oh, Pretty Woman” with a fully mechanized rhythm track, “Whip It” should not be taken at the face value of it’s lyrics. It is not about kinky stuff. It is a positive song about overcoming adversity and challenge.
“Beautiful World” [1981]
Although it failed to crack the Hot 100, “Beautiful World” and its accompanying video of wonderfully sequenced film archive footage are beloved by fans who enjoy the cold, detached vocals ironically singing about “a sweet, romantic place”. The lyrics paint a pretty picture but the ultimate meaning is revealed in one of the final lines.
“Through Being Cool” [1981]
After the success of “Whip It”, Devo gained many pop music fans who were unaware of the band’s “de-evolution” beliefs. They wrote this song in direct response to all these trendy band wagoneers, alerting these fairweather fans that the band was indeed “through being cool” and they planned on eliminating the “ninnies and twits”.
“Jerkin’ Back And Forth” [1981]
This was the song that hooked Herc on the band. He witnessed their glorious performance on an episode of the late night comedy show Fridays as an impressionable youth. Those wild Devo dudes were performing live on treadmills DECADES BEFORE OK Go even attempted their flashy choreography in a video.
“Going Under” [1981]
Released on a special three song 12” to club DJs along with the above two songs, the herky jerky “Going Under” actually made the Disco Charts. But it wasn’t until the song was featured in the second episode of Miami Vice that it was permanently placed in Herc’s rotation. There are some sweet, rumbling bass notes so beware.
“That’s Good” [1982]
A single from the spudniks fifth album, “That’s Good” found the boys completely immersed in electronic music making. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who is best known for producing Queen and creating the ultra-clean sound of The Cars, the song was featured on an episode of Sarah Jessica Parker’s first (and best) series, Square Pegs. The video for this song actually was banned from MTV for a time thanks to a “suggestive” french fry, donut and naked lady.
Devo-tify!
I love Devo. I love this playlist and Spotify is so very cool. I really hope you are on that bandwagon guys, its pretty awesome. Tell us what you think!
You know what that means, right?
Good. Glad I don't have to explain that to you. I hope you make it count.
I'm fond of my name, did you know that?!
I keep it pretty well under wraps and would never do something so foolish as name a blog after myself. Not to mention have my car's license plate be my name. I would never dream of starting a business using my name and I absolutely wouldn't fantasize about naming all of my children after myself. Oh wait...I guess that is me completely to a T.
I'm very fond of things that are reminiscent of my name too, kinda like the band Devo. Herc is back and gonna tell you about 7 awesome songs of theirs today for Music Monday!
7 Devo Songs
[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]
Devo was seen by many as a novelty, a cartoon-ish band with only one song, “Whip It”. But those of us who are into their music know that they actually have more than a few good songs. They crashed onto the scene with a punky, robotic reading of the Rolling Stones classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. Their look and sound evolved with each release until they finally broke up in 1990. Rediscovered by nerds and hardcore geeks in the dawning of the cyber-age, the band has reunited several times, most recently last year, when they released their first new album in 20 years, with band member in their sixties, but still sounding the same musically, lyrically and vocally. And if you ever watched Rugrats (don’t lie), all the music was written and performed by Devo’s chief songwriter and lead singer, Mark Mothersbaugh. His original music has been featured in hundreds of other movies and television shows as well.
Devo-tify!
“Girl U Want” [1980]
A quirkier rewrite of The Knack’s “My Sharona”, “Girl U Want” was actually the first single off the Freedom Of Choice album. It has been covered several times in varying tempos, cementing the song’s lyrics as universal truths.
“Whip It” [1980]
The second single from Freedom Of Choice, this is the group’s biggest hit and therefore the one Devo song almost everyone knows leading to its inclusion on several One-Hit Wonder lists. Combining a guitar riff cribbed from Roy Orbison’s classic “Oh, Pretty Woman” with a fully mechanized rhythm track, “Whip It” should not be taken at the face value of it’s lyrics. It is not about kinky stuff. It is a positive song about overcoming adversity and challenge.
“Beautiful World” [1981]
Although it failed to crack the Hot 100, “Beautiful World” and its accompanying video of wonderfully sequenced film archive footage are beloved by fans who enjoy the cold, detached vocals ironically singing about “a sweet, romantic place”. The lyrics paint a pretty picture but the ultimate meaning is revealed in one of the final lines.
“Through Being Cool” [1981]
After the success of “Whip It”, Devo gained many pop music fans who were unaware of the band’s “de-evolution” beliefs. They wrote this song in direct response to all these trendy band wagoneers, alerting these fairweather fans that the band was indeed “through being cool” and they planned on eliminating the “ninnies and twits”.
“Jerkin’ Back And Forth” [1981]
This was the song that hooked Herc on the band. He witnessed their glorious performance on an episode of the late night comedy show Fridays as an impressionable youth. Those wild Devo dudes were performing live on treadmills DECADES BEFORE OK Go even attempted their flashy choreography in a video.
“Going Under” [1981]
Released on a special three song 12” to club DJs along with the above two songs, the herky jerky “Going Under” actually made the Disco Charts. But it wasn’t until the song was featured in the second episode of Miami Vice that it was permanently placed in Herc’s rotation. There are some sweet, rumbling bass notes so beware.
“That’s Good” [1982]
A single from the spudniks fifth album, “That’s Good” found the boys completely immersed in electronic music making. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who is best known for producing Queen and creating the ultra-clean sound of The Cars, the song was featured on an episode of Sarah Jessica Parker’s first (and best) series, Square Pegs. The video for this song actually was banned from MTV for a time thanks to a “suggestive” french fry, donut and naked lady.
Devo-tify!
I love Devo. I love this playlist and Spotify is so very cool. I really hope you are on that bandwagon guys, its pretty awesome. Tell us what you think!
9.30.2011
Seven Songs From Seven Eighties Movie Soundtracks
Friday again! A happy one to all!
Today I have Herc again with an 80s film themed music post. He is an 80s expert and as you know he knows a thing or two about music as well. Let him educate you today!
7 Songs From Eighties Movie Soundtracks
[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
“Goodbye, Goodbye” - Oingo Boingo from Fast Times At Ridgemont High
A frantic, manic and rollicking number from Danny Elfman and his gang of merry men. Check out that speed rap breakdown a little over two minutes in. If you’ve never oingo’d nor boingo’d and only know Elfman from his prolific soundtrack work on the films of Tim Burton and others, Herc has provided you a few choice cuts on this article’s accompanying Spotify playlist.
“Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young” - Fire, Inc. from Streets Of Fire
It’s a Jim Steinman penned mini-opera, one of two that bookend the movie. That’s not Diane Lane singing, though. Steinman recorded it with his stable of session people but the boys in the band (“the Attackers”) on film are actually the group Face To Face who had a couple of small hits of their own later that same year: “10-9-8” and “Under The Gun”.
“Only You” - Yaz from Can’t Hardly Wait
Depeche Mode, Yazoo (“Yaz” to us Yanks) and Erasure - that’s Vince Clarke’s resume. The keyboardist/songwriter was a founding member of DM, left to form Yazoo and then recruited vocalist Alison Moyet sound-alike Andy Bell to form Erasure. This song is one of his greatest works, a simple, beautiful melody coupled with heartfelt vocals from Ms. Moyet. (The YouTube link is to Herc’s favorite performance - unfortunately, Vince Clarke is not playing.)
“Ring Me Up” - Divinyls from Sixteen Candles
Back before Al Gore invented the interwebtubes, it was possible not to know what the name of a song was for years after you heard it. You could spend hours at the library (anyone remember those?) but if you were really lucky, someone would call in and request it by name on your favorite radio station. This was one such song for Herc - it took six years before he dropped the needle on this record, the band’s 1983 debut and realized it was what he had been looking for. (If you don’t recognize it from the opening notes then get thee to a TV and break out that DVD copy of Sixteen Candles.) Eight years later, the band would achieve one-hit wonder status with “I Touch Myself”.
“Danger Zone” - Kenny Loggins from Top Gun
Loggins - Mr. 80s Soundtrack to you - was actually the third choice to record this song: first choice Bryan Adams refused to as a Canadian/conscientious objector and Toto were not allowed to for “legal reasons” which is usually code for record company greed. Quick! Name two other awesome 80s soundtrack songs by our boy Kenny who is also known as the patron saint of “yacht rock”. Tick-tock. If you answered “I’m Alright” from Caddyshack and “Footloose” from Footloose, you win. Yay you!
“Relax” - Frankie Goes To Hollywood from Body Double
No, the song is currently not available on Spotify in any of it’s over bazillion remixes and versions by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Yes, it caused quite a stir back in the day and was banned from the public airwaves in their homeland. Yes, it is a great dance song - another Trevor Horn production - although the band performed it on TV in a much different style before he signed them. Yes, Herc saw the band in concert way back when and still has his original “Frankie Say...” shirt. Guess what song was played in it’s entirety when the lights went out just before the band took the stage? “Planet Claire” by the B-52’s. No, that song is not yet on Spotify either. Must be “legal reasons”.
“Tender Years” - John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band from Eddie & the Cruisers
The movie bombed (only $4.7M) at the box office and was subsequently pulled after only three weeks. The soundtrack died quietly with it in September 1983. Then it showed up on HBO the next year and radio stations were flooded with requests for two songs: “Tender Years” and “On The Dark Side”. The record company re-released the soundtrack and watched it sell more than four million copies almost a year after it’s original release. The bigger hit, Number One actually, was “On the Dark Side” but Herc has a soft spot in his heart for this one despite the fact that John Cafferty openly mimics Bruce Springsteen musically and in the way he dressed.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
BONUS PLAYLIST!!! If you didn’t find it, look in the “Danger Zone”!
Today I have Herc again with an 80s film themed music post. He is an 80s expert and as you know he knows a thing or two about music as well. Let him educate you today!
7 Songs From Eighties Movie Soundtracks
[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
“Goodbye, Goodbye” - Oingo Boingo from Fast Times At Ridgemont High
A frantic, manic and rollicking number from Danny Elfman and his gang of merry men. Check out that speed rap breakdown a little over two minutes in. If you’ve never oingo’d nor boingo’d and only know Elfman from his prolific soundtrack work on the films of Tim Burton and others, Herc has provided you a few choice cuts on this article’s accompanying Spotify playlist.
“Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young” - Fire, Inc. from Streets Of Fire
It’s a Jim Steinman penned mini-opera, one of two that bookend the movie. That’s not Diane Lane singing, though. Steinman recorded it with his stable of session people but the boys in the band (“the Attackers”) on film are actually the group Face To Face who had a couple of small hits of their own later that same year: “10-9-8” and “Under The Gun”.
“Only You” - Yaz from Can’t Hardly Wait
Depeche Mode, Yazoo (“Yaz” to us Yanks) and Erasure - that’s Vince Clarke’s resume. The keyboardist/songwriter was a founding member of DM, left to form Yazoo and then recruited vocalist Alison Moyet sound-alike Andy Bell to form Erasure. This song is one of his greatest works, a simple, beautiful melody coupled with heartfelt vocals from Ms. Moyet. (The YouTube link is to Herc’s favorite performance - unfortunately, Vince Clarke is not playing.)
“Ring Me Up” - Divinyls from Sixteen Candles
Back before Al Gore invented the interwebtubes, it was possible not to know what the name of a song was for years after you heard it. You could spend hours at the library (anyone remember those?) but if you were really lucky, someone would call in and request it by name on your favorite radio station. This was one such song for Herc - it took six years before he dropped the needle on this record, the band’s 1983 debut and realized it was what he had been looking for. (If you don’t recognize it from the opening notes then get thee to a TV and break out that DVD copy of Sixteen Candles.) Eight years later, the band would achieve one-hit wonder status with “I Touch Myself”.
“Danger Zone” - Kenny Loggins from Top Gun
Loggins - Mr. 80s Soundtrack to you - was actually the third choice to record this song: first choice Bryan Adams refused to as a Canadian/conscientious objector and Toto were not allowed to for “legal reasons” which is usually code for record company greed. Quick! Name two other awesome 80s soundtrack songs by our boy Kenny who is also known as the patron saint of “yacht rock”. Tick-tock. If you answered “I’m Alright” from Caddyshack and “Footloose” from Footloose, you win. Yay you!
“Relax” - Frankie Goes To Hollywood from Body Double
No, the song is currently not available on Spotify in any of it’s over bazillion remixes and versions by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Yes, it caused quite a stir back in the day and was banned from the public airwaves in their homeland. Yes, it is a great dance song - another Trevor Horn production - although the band performed it on TV in a much different style before he signed them. Yes, Herc saw the band in concert way back when and still has his original “Frankie Say...” shirt. Guess what song was played in it’s entirety when the lights went out just before the band took the stage? “Planet Claire” by the B-52’s. No, that song is not yet on Spotify either. Must be “legal reasons”.
“Tender Years” - John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band from Eddie & the Cruisers
The movie bombed (only $4.7M) at the box office and was subsequently pulled after only three weeks. The soundtrack died quietly with it in September 1983. Then it showed up on HBO the next year and radio stations were flooded with requests for two songs: “Tender Years” and “On The Dark Side”. The record company re-released the soundtrack and watched it sell more than four million copies almost a year after it’s original release. The bigger hit, Number One actually, was “On the Dark Side” but Herc has a soft spot in his heart for this one despite the fact that John Cafferty openly mimics Bruce Springsteen musically and in the way he dressed.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
BONUS PLAYLIST!!! If you didn’t find it, look in the “Danger Zone”!
9.26.2011
Seven Songs That Peaked At #7
Guess what, I really like sevens. Its been a thing my whole life.
When I was an athelete, I tried to always be number 7. Sometimes I was 14 cause it was seven times two. I also like math. Nerd Alert.
Its Monday and you know what that means, right? Herc is here with another installment of Music Mondays. He's onto my love of sevens and has maxed it out in this post. Check it!
Seven Songs That Only Peaked At #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Charts
(part of an ongoing series 7 Song Playlists)
“We’re #7! We’re #7!”
These songs reached their chart peak a mere six positions away from the pinnacle. They were the little engines that couldn’t. In an alternate universe, these shoulda-woulda-couldas … oh never mind, here they are:
“Beth” - Kiss (1976)
Long before those Glee-ful dudes re-introduced this ballad to your earholes, it originally languished as the b-side of “Detroit Rock City”, a rocking little ditty inspired by a fan killed in an auto accident on his way to a KISS concert, although this doesn’t make much sense until you hear the full length album version on Destroyer. Legend has it that a radio DJ somewhere flipped the record over and the phones lit up. Drummer Peter Criss co-wrote the song before he joined KISS and the woman’s name originally used was “Beck”, short for Becky. When performing this song in concert, Criss sang to a taped backing track while the other members took a breather backstage, probably reapplying their make-up and snapping Polaroids. I never would have guessed it but “Beth” is KISS’s highest charting single. (Yeah, yeah I know they are an album band. Whatevs.) Anyway, once Peter Criss was sacked and Eric Carr, The Fox, was brought in to take his place behind the skins, the band had the kabuki face painted stones to re-record and perform the song with his vocals. For me, the definitive Criss version is his lip-synched performance on Paul Lynde’s Halloween Special way back in 1976. The show is available on DVD and is notable for featuring KISS, Betty White, Tim Conway, Billy Barty and Donny & Marie Osmond amongst others. Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime gathering.
“Wanted Dead Or Alive” - Bon Jovi (1987)
Rock stars as cowboys. This song, like almost every other Bon Jovi song, encourages the listener to sing along at the top of his or her lungs. And with it’s echoing vocal style, this song has also inspired more dude duets than Hall & Oates ever did. Righteous. I might add that it has been my personal experience, after attending three Bon Jovi concerts in the late 1980s, that some of Bon Jovi’s female fans have some pretty spectacular ... “lungs”.
“Welcome To The Jungle” - Guns N Roses (1988)
In a drunken stupor, Axl Rose thought he was Balloo in The Jungle Book and wrote an epic dream song about it. Not really. Some people claim that the first songwriting collaboration between Axl and Slash is the greatest hard rock song of all time. Maybe it is or maybe it isn’t but this wailing piece of a hard rock cautionary tale pulled no punches in depicting the horrors that awaited big-eyed dreamers as they stepped off the bus that brought them from their podunk towns and hicksvilles to the big bad city. Should have brought knee pads, hayseeds. (“It’s gonna bring you to your knees!”) And flame retardant pajamas. (“You’re gonna burn!”) Does anyone else want a doormat with this song title on it? That would be so cool.
“Bust A Move” - Young MC (1989)
Young MC (not his birth name I’m guessing) was a college student at USC when he wrote three songs that would enable him to drop out of school and travel the world: “Bust A Move” for himself and two monster hits for Tone-Loc, “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina”. But Young MC stayed in school and got his degree, kids, so let that be a lesson for you. No matter how many rap hits you write, you should always finish what you start. And own your publishing, that’s where the money is. That and merch. Though technically no longer “young”, Mr. MC continues to write and perform to this day.
“7” - Prince (1993)
Not the best song Prince ever wrote, performed, recorded or released. Not even close. And then he released a bajillion remixes and edits of it. The video was a mess and I think he might have been using that symbol as his name at the time which didn’t help his case. No wait, the album’s title was that unpronounceable symbol. But it’s pretty cool that a song titled “7” only made to #7 on the charts, ain’t it?
“Barbie Girl” - Aqua (1997)
This was Devyn’s favorite song for a while back in the day. She even had the cassette single or “cass-ingle”. I wonder if it’s still her jam? The song regularly shows up on two all-time lists: One Hit Wonders and Worst Songs Ever. While they were initially litigious, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court before being advised to “chill”, Barbie maker Mattel later used a lyrically modified version of the song in their ads.
“Higher” - Creed (2000)
Oh sweet irony that a song entitled “Higher” could not make it any higher than #7. Before they became a punchline, this bombastic anthem about lucid dreaming was their first charted single and Creed performed it on the rooftop of a Las Vegas casino (The Rio!) for some music awards show so that they were higher than the other acts. Unless Snoop was there.
9.23.2011
Seven Songs From Seven John Hughes Movies
Herc's triumphant return!
Nobody is more excited than this than me. I just watched all of these videos(research) and am gonna go watch one of these radical movies next!
As you can see, Devyn's Day Off is about to get very busy, so you are on your own....go Herc!
7 songs from 7 John Hughes Movies
(part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists)
Is there another filmmaker who captured what being a teenager is like so well and so often? The late great John Hughes also kept his finger on the musical pulse of youth as well and was often inspired by the music he heard. His films often featured soundtracks so dense or diverse that it was near impossible to release them for public consumption. Here are 7 signature songs from 7 of his best movies. Save Ferris by making a comment.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
“Holiday Road” - Lindsey Buckingham from National Lampoon’s Vacation
Lost in the haze of history is the fact that this song was one of two songs Lindsey prepared for the 1983 film - the other one is titled “Dancin’ Across The U.S.A.”
“If You Were Here” - The Thompson Twins from Sixteen Candles
The penultimate song from this movie (the last one that plays before the credits) is one of only five tracks on the original soundtrack EP and was recently covered by the Cary Brothers for the tasty movie Easy A.
“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” - Simple Minds from The Breakfast Club
This song was originally offered to - and rejected by - three other established artists (The Fixx’s lead singer, Cy Currin, Billy Idol and Bryan Ferry) before up and coming Scottish band Simple Minds, who initially declined as well, recorded it at the urging of their record label.
“Weird Science” - Oingo Boingo from Weird Science
Despite the song’s popularity, the band has distanced themselves from it and has rarely performed it live in the years since its release.
“If You Leave” - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark from Pretty In Pink
Pop-punkers Good Charlotte covered this song for the soundtrack of Not Another Teen Movie.
“Oh Yeah” - Yello from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Initially ignored upon its original 1985 release, John Hughes used this song to great effect in the movie showing how “choice” Cameron’s Father’s Ferrari was.
“Christmas Vacation” - Mavis Staples from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
An official soundtrack has yet to be released for this film but this song was released as a single on Prince’s Paisley Park label because the legendary Ms. Staples was under contract at the time.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
9.18.2011
The Dirt! 12 Things Dev Doesn't Want You To Know About Her
Happy Birthday to ME!
Herc seems to have been up to some shenanigans, he emailed me this...just like this. I don't even want to ask him where he found all of this sensitive information!
Enjoy and since it made me laugh out loud, I hope it makes you do the same!!!
Herc seems to have been up to some shenanigans, he emailed me this...just like this. I don't even want to ask him where he found all of this sensitive information!
Enjoy and since it made me laugh out loud, I hope it makes you do the same!!!
The Dirt! 150 12 Things Dev Doesn’t Want You To Know About Her
After an expensive extensive exhausting half-arse investigation brief Google search, Herc’s International Exports and House of Global Espionage
has prepared quite a thick dossier on our Miss Devyn. Here’s the dirt,
the lowdown, the poop and the scuttlebutt. Use it as you see fit.
- Devyn is preternaturally afraid of Muppets, 1111111, yellow wooden pencils with pink erasers, 1111111111111111111 and British accents. Not people with British accents mind you but the actual accents themselves. This applies to all British, Irish, 1111111111111 and Scottish accents and Australian and some Canadian accents as well.
- Blessed with amazing athletic ability, Devyn fancies herself rather a good golfer but has consistently failed to make it past both the clown’s mouth and the haunted windmill on every course she has ever played. She prefers to play with an orange ball and club with at least a 3 degree angle while out on the links.
- Practically a fluent speaker in her native language, Devyn cannot wink, blink or operate a ventriloquist figure (“dummy”) without moving her lips. Or her nose.
- Because she possesses beauty beyond the range of perceptible human eyesight, astute mirrors have been known to look at Devyn before she looks at them. And the Sun follows her wherever she goes. Until it gets tired. And then the Moon takes over.
- Devyn knows the difference between right and wrong but sometimes confuses right and left. And her password is “1234password” but don’t tell anyone
- It was Devyn’s suggestion that the Girl Scouts Of America slice up their slow-selling Mint Loafs and market them as Thin Mints. She was awarded the Bright Idea badge and got a personal visit from the National Leader of GSA, who then asked Dev for her autograph. On a non-disclosure agreement.
- As an avid celebrant of holidays, Devyn refuses to acknowledge the existence of or even decorate for International Hug A Tree Day and Universal Pig Latin Day which are usually more than 7 months apart.
- While playing the position of goalkeeper in AYSO soccer games, Devyn held opponents to fewer than 20 goals. Every. Single. Game.
- On the rare occasions Devyn deigns to have her car washed by trained professionals, she often chooses to have either Caribbean Breeze or Monkey Farts as the interior scent. But never both at the same time.
- She’s been known to hock up a small hairball on more than one occasion through no fault of her own.
- The Lord may move in mysterious ways but Devyn uses a 27’ U-Haul truck. And 37 of her closest family and friends.
- As a child, Devyn’s nose was “stolen” more than a dozen times by close relatives with the long-term effects yet to be determined. While her nose was always recovered, the guilty culprits have never been brought to justice.
9.12.2011
Seven Songs From Seven Adam Sandler Films
Music Monday it is, TV WEEK it is not!
We are taking a brief break from themed weeks and today Herc has a special post on Adam Sandler.
A veritable expert on all things tv, music, movies, among many other topics, Herc is very much qualified to tell you about these things here on 7w/D.
Take it away, Herc!
7 Songs From 7 Adam Sandler Films
(part of an ongoing series of 7 Song Playlists)
We are taking a brief break from themed weeks and today Herc has a special post on Adam Sandler.
A veritable expert on all things tv, music, movies, among many other topics, Herc is very much qualified to tell you about these things here on 7w/D.
Take it away, Herc!
7 Songs From 7 Adam Sandler Films
(part of an ongoing series of 7 Song Playlists)
Ignoring the argument whether or not Adam Sandler movies are worth watching, I’d like to propose a counterpoint discussion that the movies he is involved with as a star, writer or producer usually have really good soundtracks and are at least worth listening to. Nothing new or unheard, just a delicious mix of over and under-played songs from the Seventies up til now as well as cover versions (see 50 First Dates), mash-ups (see Just Go With It) and popular songs performed by characters in the movie (see The Wedding Singer).
from Billy Madison
from Happy Gilmore
from The Waterboy
from Bedtime Stories
from Funny People
from Grown Ups
from Just Go With It
FULL DISCLOSURE: My A.S.S. (Adam Sandler soundtracks) playlist contains more than 150 songs and these were the first seven that played in shuffle mode.
9.08.2011
Seven "Brett Favre" TV Shows
Hey Hi Hello!
We interrupt this TV week with an extra special post, also about TV shows.
Herc wrote this as a follow up to my shows that I miss post. Inspriation wins!
Herc’s 7 “Brett Favre” TV Shows
Shows that limped on too long when they should have gotten out while the getting was good. Most of them were due to either on-screen or behind the scenes changes. While Herc relishes and embraces change in all areas and aspects of his own life, these particular changes hastened the end of more than a few quality television shows. There are some “jump the shark” moments here as well.
1) Gilmore Girls - Do not misunderstand me. This was an awesomely written and performed show for six seasons because creator and show runner Amy Sherman-Palladino and her hubby, Mr. Amy, were very hands-on: they wrote, produced and or directed most episodes. They were the heart and soul of the show. At the end of their six-season contract, they could not come to terms with the CW network and were forced to leave their “baby” behind. If you can honestly watch it and not notice a HUGE change in the whole vibe of the show in Season 7, then you are a not a fan. It was basically a let’s tie up loose ends season devoid of any of the wit and charm of the earlier seasons. It all seems very forced. And, in the end, the show still left many questions unanswered and plots unresolved. There are rumors of a movie. Is it worth noting that the three projects the Palladinos have been involved with post-Gilmore have fizzled out? (Nah, they didn’t.)
2) The X-Files - Mulder and Scully. Nuff said. Seven Seasons and a theatrical movie. Fox wouldn’t pay Mulder/David Duchovny the bucks after season 7 so he “walked” but actually appeared on half of season 8’s episodes and returned for the two part series finale in season 9. And another theatrical movie. But there were subtle changes in the tone of the series even before his departure. After filming the first five seasons in and around Vancouver, production moved to Los Angeles. Many key crew members did not make the move and the look of the show suddenly brightened, a combination of a new director of photography and the new shooting locale.
3) Heroes - It’s old news now but season 1 of this show was nothing short of revelatory. Every. Single. Episode. Then came season 2 and the slow slide into mediocrity over three seasons as it limped on through season 4. So sad.
4) Miami Vice - The show was decent for about four seasons. However, after two seasons, show creator Michael Mann left to do another show and handed the reins over to Dick Wolf. There were a few changes - a new car for one and some elaborate multi-episode plots. But season 5 sucked - plain and simple. Did you know when star Don Johnson was threatening to quit, the producers had lined up Mark Harmon as a replacement before Don came to his senses?
5) CSI - I’ve been a Grissom man from episode one but I’ve lost interest in the series since he left less than halfway through season 9 (!) although there have been flashes of brilliance in the writing since then. Yeah, I still watch. But it ain’t the same. I’ll give Ted Danson a shot. And officially, in Herc’s world, there are no other CSI shows.
6) Alias - Forget your Nikkita and your Annie from Covert Affairs, Alias’s Syndey Bristow will always be the kick-ass female agent all others aspire to be. For three seasons, the show operated within and without the Rambaldi’s Artifacts arc beautifully. So many betrayals, so many double-crosses and so many reveals. But then it went horribly wrong in season 4 culminating in one of those surprise car crashes that have since been used way too much by other shows.
7) Charlie’s Angels - We’re talking the original trio of heavenly bodies of season 1 not the various replacements that followed in seasons 2-5, not the cast of the two movies and not the cast of the all new now we are in Miami version debuting this fall. Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett-Majors had chemistry and it was never the same after Farrah left after season 1.
Dishonorable mention to Ally McBeal, Happy Days, Three’s Company, Smallville, That 70s Show and 24.
We interrupt this TV week with an extra special post, also about TV shows.
Herc wrote this as a follow up to my shows that I miss post. Inspriation wins!
Herc’s 7 “Brett Favre” TV Shows
Shows that limped on too long when they should have gotten out while the getting was good. Most of them were due to either on-screen or behind the scenes changes. While Herc relishes and embraces change in all areas and aspects of his own life, these particular changes hastened the end of more than a few quality television shows. There are some “jump the shark” moments here as well.
1) Gilmore Girls - Do not misunderstand me. This was an awesomely written and performed show for six seasons because creator and show runner Amy Sherman-Palladino and her hubby, Mr. Amy, were very hands-on: they wrote, produced and or directed most episodes. They were the heart and soul of the show. At the end of their six-season contract, they could not come to terms with the CW network and were forced to leave their “baby” behind. If you can honestly watch it and not notice a HUGE change in the whole vibe of the show in Season 7, then you are a not a fan. It was basically a let’s tie up loose ends season devoid of any of the wit and charm of the earlier seasons. It all seems very forced. And, in the end, the show still left many questions unanswered and plots unresolved. There are rumors of a movie. Is it worth noting that the three projects the Palladinos have been involved with post-Gilmore have fizzled out? (Nah, they didn’t.)
2) The X-Files - Mulder and Scully. Nuff said. Seven Seasons and a theatrical movie. Fox wouldn’t pay Mulder/David Duchovny the bucks after season 7 so he “walked” but actually appeared on half of season 8’s episodes and returned for the two part series finale in season 9. And another theatrical movie. But there were subtle changes in the tone of the series even before his departure. After filming the first five seasons in and around Vancouver, production moved to Los Angeles. Many key crew members did not make the move and the look of the show suddenly brightened, a combination of a new director of photography and the new shooting locale.
3) Heroes - It’s old news now but season 1 of this show was nothing short of revelatory. Every. Single. Episode. Then came season 2 and the slow slide into mediocrity over three seasons as it limped on through season 4. So sad.
4) Miami Vice - The show was decent for about four seasons. However, after two seasons, show creator Michael Mann left to do another show and handed the reins over to Dick Wolf. There were a few changes - a new car for one and some elaborate multi-episode plots. But season 5 sucked - plain and simple. Did you know when star Don Johnson was threatening to quit, the producers had lined up Mark Harmon as a replacement before Don came to his senses?
5) CSI - I’ve been a Grissom man from episode one but I’ve lost interest in the series since he left less than halfway through season 9 (!) although there have been flashes of brilliance in the writing since then. Yeah, I still watch. But it ain’t the same. I’ll give Ted Danson a shot. And officially, in Herc’s world, there are no other CSI shows.
6) Alias - Forget your Nikkita and your Annie from Covert Affairs, Alias’s Syndey Bristow will always be the kick-ass female agent all others aspire to be. For three seasons, the show operated within and without the Rambaldi’s Artifacts arc beautifully. So many betrayals, so many double-crosses and so many reveals. But then it went horribly wrong in season 4 culminating in one of those surprise car crashes that have since been used way too much by other shows.
7) Charlie’s Angels - We’re talking the original trio of heavenly bodies of season 1 not the various replacements that followed in seasons 2-5, not the cast of the two movies and not the cast of the all new now we are in Miami version debuting this fall. Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett-Majors had chemistry and it was never the same after Farrah left after season 1.
Dishonorable mention to Ally McBeal, Happy Days, Three’s Company, Smallville, That 70s Show and 24.
9.05.2011
Seven Favorite "Soundtracked" TV Shows
Happy Music Monday! Its also Labor Day, but I'm not sure I should wish a happy one to people. I think that defeats the point, yeah?
Today we are kicking off TV Week in celebration of all the new TV shows and returning favorites that are gonna happen this month! Herc happens to be a TV connoisseur in his time away from the 7w/D offices. Combining two of his passions, he has put together the best sounding TV shows for you and of course compiled the Spotify lists that go with them
As far as the rest of the week goes, be on the lookout for 90s shows, Gilmore Girls, Muppets and even more!
Let's get this party started Herc!
Herc’s Seven Favorite “Soundtracked” TV Shows
These TV shows feature more of Herc’s favorite songs than all other shows combined. Some of them have had official albums and playlists released but none of those releases do any justice to the sheer quantity and quality of the songs played on the following television series. It is a paradox that it is these very songs that make it cost prohibitive to issue the majority of these shows on DVD or Blu-Ray with the original, as broadcast soundtrack intact. To give you a taste of each series music, songs from the premiere episode are listed. For a full serving, click the Spotify link for each show.
Ed [2000-2004]
Music aside, this is one of the greatest shows ever to hit the airwaves. It aired from 2000-2004 and is criminally unavailable to watch legally. Sonically, it mines the familiar, popular songs of the Seventies and Eighties with the occasional contemporary song thrown in for good measure.
>>>Spotify Ed<<<
"Next Year" by The Foo Fighters (theme song)
"Tropicalia" by Beck
"Your Life Is Now" by John Mellencamp
"Do That to Me One More Time" by The Captain & Tennille
"Between the Sheets" by The Isley Brothers
"Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando & Dawn
My Name Is Earl [2005-2009]
A show that wasn’t afraid to take comedic risks, it rewarded its viewers with an eclectic soundtrack that spanned five decades. Unfortunately, when the DVDs were released, some of the music was replaced with generic filler.
>>>Spotify Earl<<<
“Been Caught Stealing” - Jane’s Addiction
“It Takes Two” - Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock (this one is Earl’s jam)
“Winning” - Santana
“99 Luftballons” - Nena
Freaks and Geeks [1999-2000]
Close to my heart for a number of reasons, this show was set in 1980 and featured songs from then as well as the late Seventies. It barely lasted one season, as it was cancelled before all the episodes had aired but is fortunately available on DVD with every song as originally broadcast.
>>>Spotify Sam<<<
“Bad Reputation” - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (theme song)
“Runnin’ With The Devil” - Van Halen
“I’m Alright” - Kenny Loggins
“Renegade” - Styx
“Come Sail Away” - Styx
Supernatural [2005-????]
The only show on this list still being produced, Supernatural has unleashed a collection of hard rock classics upon a new generation. Imaginative editing coupled with well chosen songs has left indelible images on the brains of the shows legion of fans. This show rocks!
>>>Spotify The Winchesters<<<
“Ramblin’ Man” - Allman Brothers Band
“Back In Black” - AC/DC
“Highway To Hell” - AC/DC
(It’s interesting to note that this episode, in its pilot form, contained different music, listed below)
“Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” - Green Day
“Disco Inferno” - 50 Cent
“Points Of Authority” - Linkin Park
“La Grange” - ZZ Top
“Enter Sandman” - Metallica
Cold Case [2003-2010]
Using music as an integral part of the atmosphere of the series, each episode featured songs from the same year, the year the original crime took place (shown in flashbacks) as well as a melancholy ballad near the end of the episode as the culprits were arrested. This ballad was exempt from the “same year” policy as its purpose was to show criminals being brought to justice and survivors getting on with their lives. A few episodes managed to use songs from only one artist to show cohesiveness yet allow for the passage of time. It is doubtful that this show will ever see a DVD release due to the large amount of music featured.
>>>Spotify Lil<<<
(Unlike later episodes, this one did not begin with a specific date, only the year “1976”)
“More Than A Feeling” - Boston
“You Sexy Thing” - Hot Chocolate
“I’m Not In Love” - 10cc
“Have You Ever Seen The Rain” - Creedence Clearwater Revival (the song at the end)
Miami Vice [1984-1989]
Watching Miami Vice is like watching dated, cliched Eighties music videos interspersed with cop action drama. Unlike the other shows on this list, mostly contemporary music was used and it plays a huge role in the show as does the tropical Miami setting.
>>>Spotify Crockett And Tubbs<<<
“Theme from Miami Vice” - Jan Hammer (a hit song in it’s own right)
“Miss You” - Rolling Stones
“All Night Long (All Night)” - Lionel Richie
“Somebody’s Watching Me” - Rockwell
“Girls Just Want To Have Fun” - Cyndi Lauper
“In The Air Tonight” - Phil Collins
The Good Guys [2010-2011]
If you blinked, you might have missed this action comedy ode to those cop shows that partnered opposite personalities as it was relegated to the TV wasteland known as Friday nights. Sadly it lasted just one season and that season was just last year. While no DVD release has been set, the series is out there in the stream-iverse, in the Cloud so what are you waiting for? The soundtrack for this show was pretty much Trans-Am rock with a few surprises thrown in.
>>>Spotify the Trans-Am<<<
"I Fought The Law" - The Clash
"20th Century Boy" - T. Rex
"The Stroke" - Billy Squier
"Thunderstruck" - AC/DC
Have you got a favorite that Herc should know about? Tell him in the comments! What shows are you looking forward to?
(In case you care, I'm excited for New Girl, the return of Bones, the return of Grey's Anatomy and too many others!)
8.31.2011
Listmania! Spotify Edition!
Hey!
Do you Spotify yet? How can you be a fan of music and not know what spotify is? Better yet, how can you read this blog and not spotify?
Herc puts a spotify playlist on all of his music monday posts and any of them that he thinks are worthy of a playlist. Even my brownie post has a playlist. You are missing out of half of the experience of his posts by not using the spotify links.
So, for those of you losers who aren't spotify-ing Herc has put together this Listmania! on all things spotify. Who's not on it, what to listen to, if its right for you, etc. Join spotify, ya'll. You'll thank us later. For the rest of the post, I give you, Herc himself:
So, for those of you losers who aren't spotify-ing Herc has put together this Listmania! on all things spotify. Who's not on it, what to listen to, if its right for you, etc. Join spotify, ya'll. You'll thank us later. For the rest of the post, I give you, Herc himself:
Image borrowed from here.
7 Questions To Help You Decide If Spotify Is Right For You
1) Do you enjoy waiting to hear the music you want to hear, when and where you want to hear it rather than typing in a song title and hearing it immediately, anywhere within cell or wi-fi range?(Dev says: Think of it as try before you buy!)
2) Do you enjoy trying to navigate buggy, difficult to use, resource intensive software rather than intuitive, familiar and easy to use programs and applications?(Your grandma could figure it out...)
3) Do you prefer a limited selection of songs to listen to rather than a mammoth 15 million song library that adds another 15,000 songs each and every day?(Its almost too much music, I have maxed out my allotted time more than once...)
4) Do you have an infinite amount of storage for your digital music collection rather than just a hard drive or smart phone?(No, Mr. Herc, I do not. You have a valid point here.)
5) Do you think the best way to share the music you are listening to is to drive down the street with your windows rolled down and the volume turned up rather than sending a simple link to an entire playlist?(My neighbors do!)
6) Do you prefer to listen to music chosen by other people or computers rather than actively participating in your listening experience?(Don't encourage the machine takeover...)
7) Do you think listening to music should be a complicated, mind-numbing hassle rather than a joyful, never-ending journey?(Music should not be work...)
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, Spotify may not be for you. [Full disclosure: Herc answered “yes” to number 5 and he’s so Spotify.]
7 Artists Not on Spotify...Yet
The Beatles
John Lennon
AC/DC
Metallica
Bob Seger
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd has only a live album so it doesn’t count
7 Reasons Spotify Sucks (Not)
- The commercials are jarring and disorienting. (It’s a choice you make - let the ads support Spotify or you support Spotify.)
- Your favorite artist isn’t on there. (Yet. But you own the CDs.)
- There is no music discovery feature. (There is no guided discovery. If you can’t discover new music in a library of over 15 million songs, that’s on you.)
- Difficult to use search. (Until you learn how.)
- The artists don’t get paid enough. (That’s between them and their label - Spotify pays the label.)
- Free mobile app is useless unless you pay for Premium service. (But it is pretty cool once you do.)
- It’s not Pandora/Slacker/Mog/Rdio/Rhapsody/iTunes or some other program you’ve grown accustomed to using. (It’s actually a little bit of all those and so much, much more.)
7 Spotify Tips, Tricks, Hints, Hacks and Add-Ons
- Press Ctrl+G when listening to a multi-album or multi-artist playlist to display album art for each album.
- When someone shares a playlist with you or when you import a playlist from outside Spotify and you want to keep it in your library for future listens, just press the Subscribe button. And because the playlists are dynamic and eternal, all future additions will automagically appear as well.
- Press Page Down one or more times after performing a search to fetch more results.
- Go HERE to see how many tracks there are on Spotify. As I type this, Spotify’s population is 15,643,093 which is roughly 16,000 more than yesterday.
- Unhappy with the sound of your Spotify stream? And a ten-band graphic equalizer and tweakify it. Equalify.
- Because listening to Spotify is best done with a playlist, find and listen to thousands of playlists at sharemyplaylists.com
- Add your music, the music already on your hard drive, to Spotify by pressing Ctrl+P and selecting or adding sources under Local Files (when you first launch Spotify after installing, it attempts to do this for you automatically but it only looks in predetermined places)
7 Super Sweet Spotify Playlists
Listening to Spotify is not like listening to Slacker, Pandora or any other radio station because you choose the music, you make the playlist, it’s all you - no scientific, demographic or robotic help. And, after all, who knows what you like better than you? No one. Still interested but at a loss as to what you want to listen to? Here are seven playlists made by others (Herc included) to get you started. Don’t say Herc never did anyhting for you. There may come a day, some day, when Herc may reach out to you for a favor.
7 Artists [You Might Not Heard Of Yet] To Check Out On Spotify
Herc’s not gonna try to paint you a pretty picture here, with facts and anecdotes. He’s just gonna give you a playlist for each artist, let you wade in and see if you sink or swim. Herc swims in the music of these artists. He hopes you find something you can use as an audio floatation device.
7 MORE Spotify Tips, Tricks, Hints, Hacks and Add-Ons
- Clicking on an artist’s name in Spotify takes you the Overview screen. Most of them feature an Artist Radio tab. What sets Spotify’s Radio apart from other services? It always starts with songs by your chosen artist AND you can skip an unlimited number of tracks to find something you like, either forward or backward. (Try that on Pandora.)
- Playlistify allows to convert your iTunes, winamp, YouTube and other playlists into Spotify playlists.
- Bringing up a shared playlist in Spotify gives you access to the list curator’s user name. If you click on it, all of their published playlists will appear and you can subscribe to those as well.
- To create a collaborative playlist, right-click on any playlist you’ve created (it won’t work on playlists others have created) and select Collaborative Playlist. Then share the link with whoever (as many as you want) you want to collaborate with and watch the changes happen in real time. Keep in mind that songs can be added AND deleted.
- In Play Que view there’s a History tab. This shows everything you’ve played in your current Spotify session which is helpful for those of us with short memories. Similarly, in What’s New view, there is a Top List tab which you can view in a variety of configurations such as everywhere, a specific country or “for me”, your personal Top List.
- “Starring” a song or an album automatically puts in the Starred playlist, which you can then review and create other playlists from. You can easily unstar as well.
- Library is basically the whole enchilada: all your imported Local Files, every song you’ve ever added to a playlist and all your Starred music.
There you have Herc's Listmania on Spotify! Hopefully now you are signed up for Spotify and eagerly awaiting your invitation to join! Any questions on Spotify? Herc is the master and will answer them. Ask away in the comments!
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