Songs you love by artists you can't stand

[Dave]

Oh God, Starship was a wreck of a band. I think you're the first person I've heard of that actually liked Starship.

Capt. Bacardi

I've had a few of Starships' albums... In particular I've liked Red Octopus (yes, "Miracles" I make a guilty pleasure), but, yeh, Dragonfly was a messy tramsition between both groups & just seemed to be uncomfortable Airplane leftovers...

Jefferson Airplane was a better incarnation, and reminiscent of "those earlier, happier times"...!


-- Dave

 

[JeffM]

Starship's one of the more fun ones to watch, not in the least since they actually get introduced member-by-member (by Father Guido Sarducci, who for some reason, is flanked on both sides by the women from Tony Orlando & Dawn) and most of the show's cast also runs up onstage to join in on backing vocals. Everyone onstage - band and cast members both - looks like they're having the time of their life up there. Fun clip.

The oddest Starship guest appearance I recall seeing was on some awards show. Grace Slick had had one of her periodic run-ins with the law, and was, shall we say, unavoidably detained. So for "one night only," Starship was fronted by...Gloria Estefan?!?! (Maybe misplaced, but excellent as usual...)

 

[jfiedler17]

The oddest Starship guest appearance I recall seeing was on some awards show. Grace Slick had had one of her periodic run-ins with the law, and was, shall we say, unavoidably detained. So for "one night only," Starship was fronted by...Gloria Estefan?!?! (Maybe misplaced, but excellent as usual...)

Seriously??? Wow, now that is interesting! I've got to see if I can find a clip of that!

I've had a few of Starships' albums... In particular I've liked Red Octopus (yes, "Miracles" I make a guilty pleasure), but, yeh, Dragonfly was a messy tramsition between both groups & just seemed to be uncomfortable Airplane leftovers...

Gotta agree with you about Dragonfly. It's definitely a transition album, for sure. It wouldn't be so bad if the songs were catchier, but "Caroline" and "Ride the Tiger" are the only two I can ever remember, and I don't even think the former has an actual chorus, does it? Red Octopus was definitely a big leap forward. "Miracles" was obviously a massive hit (and the biggest hit any incarnation of the band had up until the late '80s), but I think "Play on Love" is probably my favorite on that album. Underrated song.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The Streisand album that really connected with me was the Broadway Album. And I still have a spot for an ancient album of hers called Color Me Barbra since I grew up listening to it

There was an album she did in the '70s called Butter Fly in which they were really trying to make her "cool" with younger people. She did songs like Bowie's "Life On Mars" and other hip tunes like that. I kind of liked it at the time but it's another one that hasn't aged well.

I heard "Woman In Love" from the Guilty album on the XM radio today and jfiedler is right, that song really sounds good on the radio still.

 

[Harry]

Streisand sort of fits for me in this thread too. While I can tolerate some of her stuff, largely I dislike her. But I absolutely love her Laura Nyro tunes on STONEY END. I can't play those loud enough!

Harry

 

[jfiedler17]

Gotta agree with you, Harry. There's not a lot of stuff by Streisand I can stand listening to, but the Nyro tunes on that album are admittedly really fantastic, especially the title cut. Richard Perry did a great job with the production on that one. I do like most of Nyro's own versions of the songs that other artists had hits with - her own version of "Stoned Soul Picnic" is probably my favorite in the bunch - but Streisand's version of "Stoney End" really blows away Laura's own rendition. It's just got so much more life to it. I'm not sure Streisand ever made a better 45 than that one.

 

[Harry]

Gee, does any radio station play any of those Streisand/Nyro songs anymore? They seem all but forgotten.

 

[JeffM]

I have to agree Streisand is no fave of mine either, she's just so self-conscious about her delivery. (Her Xmas album drives me bats every holiday season!) Nevertheless, I thought "Woman In Love" was terrific too, due to the songwriting and arranging skills of Barry Gibb. Seemed like he was producing half the artists in the record business back then; Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Frankie Valli, Diana Ross, as well as his brothers. Everything was in his own style; but if you liked that style (and I did) the results were often rewarding.

Barbra's "Stoney End" and her "Sweet Inspiration" medley (one of those seven-minute "bathroom break" records for the DJ) used to show up occasionally on an old-school AM easy-listening station here until they switched to talk radio a few years ago. Just last month the "Music Of Your Life" affiliate here switched to sports talk (what the hell, we only had two sports talkers in this market already); now there is no music left on the AM dial in this area.

 

[AM Matt]

Foo Fighters "Big Me" (1996) is one great song but don't throw Mentos at the band!!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[JeffM]

Foo Fighters "Big Me" (1996) is one great song but don't throw Mentos at the band!!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI

As David Letterman says, "They're continuing the endless fight against Foo!"

 

[jfiedler17]

Gee, does any radio station play any of those Streisand/Nyro songs anymore? They seem all but forgotten.

Yeah, no kidding. Good observation. Heck, I can't remember ever hearing "Stoney End" on the radio in my lifetime, actually! But then, it's also been ages since I heard anything of Streisand's on traditional FM/AM radio.
Maybe not such a bad thing, I know ... , but like we've pointed out, she does have a few isolated singles that do still sound good, like "Woman in Love" or "Guilty", and I've, of course, always been a proponent for more variety on radio. I'd just as soon flip to another station to listen to a Streisand song I don't even like than listen to a song I do like that oldies stations can't go a single day without playing. I deejayed a party a few months back where I got asked to play "Evergreen," which is definitely not one of Streisand's records I'm fond of, but I'd actually never been asked to play that one before, so I was actually really excited to break that one out, even though I don't like the song. (Hey, it's at least more interesting than getting requests for something you get requests for on a nightly basis, like "Electric Slide" or "Love Shack." )
Streisand's practically become one of those artists like the Carpenters who you more or less never hear on the FM dial anymore except at Christmastime, when they suddenly become ubiquitous.

 

[Harry]

The first radio station I ended up working for played all three of those Streisand/Nyro tunes. It was an FM station whose sister AM was a powerhouse Top-40, the somewhat legendary WFIL, Philadelphia. The FM side dumped it elevator/classical format in around 1967/68 and went pop, calling themselves Popular 102, and they played a lot of softer current popular songs mixed in with album tracks and instrumentals. I had long shunned radio, but became interested in FM stereo around the time this station came on.

One of their "nicest music" jingles:


They had a "featured album of the week" where they played a lot of the good tracks off of whatever album they were pushing that week. You sent in a postcard and might win one of 25 copies they were giving away. Anyway, "Stoney End" was the big hit single from that album and got played a lot. The other two were played as featured songs from the album.

Today? Nowhere to be found on radio. Anyone who remembers the song is in too old a demographic for any radio station or advertiser to covet. No, it seems that today these kind of forgotten records are left to places like YouTube to be remembered by whomever stumbles upon them.



Harry

 

[JeffM]

Here's one..."Summer Sounds" by Robert Goulet. A light, fun song, a great sixties-style production (Jerry Fuller, I think) from a bellowing baritone who usually sounded like he needed to be milked...

 

[alpertfan]

I'm no Rod Stewart fan myself, but for some reason, I like "The Motown Song" and "Ooh La La". I'm not Elton John fan, either, but when "Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting", "The Bitch Is Back" or "Empty Garden" come on, I don't exactly reach for the dial.

 

[jfiedler17]

Funny! I do consider myself a Rod fan and have started collecting his records in recent years, but I really didn't take to him for a very long time, and those two songs you mentioned ("The Motown Songs" and "Ooh La La") were actually the exact same two records that finally made a convert out of me! Both very underrated singles. Also helps that they boasts cameos from The Temptations and The Corrs, respectively. It's hard to go wrong with either of those groups.
And I'd definitely consider "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" my favorite Elton song. It's just a fun, muscular piece of songwriting, and his band just absolutely tears that one up (love Nigel's drum work and Davey's guitar playing on that record!).

 

[Mark-T]

"Try" by Pink.

 

[JeffM]

Funny! I do consider myself a Rod fan and have started collecting his records in recent years, but I really didn't take to him for a very long time, and those two songs you mentioned ("The Motown Songs" and "Ooh La La") were actually the exact same two records that finally made a convert out of me! Both very underrated singles. Also helps that they boasts cameos from The Temptations and The Corrs, respectively. It's hard to go wrong with either of those groups.
And I'd definitely consider "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" my favorite Elton song. It's just a fun, muscular piece of songwriting, and his band just absolutely tears that one up (love Nigel's drum work and Davey's guitar playing on that record!).

Just proves there are as many different tastes in music as there are people in a room.

 

[Rudy]

Just proves there are as many different tastes in music as there are people in a room.

Yep, you've got it!

This is on a tangent, but I realized a handful of years ago that it was pointless for me to "hate" any kind of music, or say everything I don't like "sucks", or expect others to like what I like.

In my case, I was able to pinpoint my own philosophy about music I listen to. This is a list I created for a blogging project, and pretty much sums up my experience in music listening. This isn't something I consciously think about, but is more like eight facets of my musical experience, if that makes sense.

1. Personal likes and dislikes. I have very clear cut lines on what I like, or do not like. That lets me focus on listening to more of what I like, and putting aside the rest.

2. Tastes change. I may not like something today; I may like it five years from now if I revisit it. Or twenty years from now. Or I may never like it. But I never rule it completely out. Likewise, among favorites from 20 years ago, there may be one or two I cannot listen to comfortably anymore, or others that I burned out on simply from being overplayed either by myself or by radio.

3. To each his own. There are some artists, some styles (not many, though) of music, and some songs by favorite artists that I absolutely do not like, but can appreciate that others do enjoy them. It is not my place to put down others' tastes in music, nor can anyone decide my tastes are for crap. Others also cannot dictate what I am supposed to like.

4. No music "sucks". We may not like something, however we cannot truthfully draw a blanket conclusion that the music "sucks".

5. Respect and appreciation. Even if I do not like an artist, or a style of music, I have the decency to respect the work the artist put into it, and recognize its place in musical history. I can appreciate artists, and I can appreciate albums that are cornerstones or turning points for an artists or style without particularly having to like it (like some jazz music--I certainly don't like a lot of it, but I also don't hate on it or say it sucks).

6. Opinions, nothing more. Our tastes and preferences are our own opinions. And everyone's opinions are different. Larry's opinion on music is no more or less valid than Moe's or Curly's.

7. Explore with an open mind; experiment. I'm always wanting to explore music I haven't heard before. I am willing to try anything once. I get restless and need new sounds, while at the same time have familiar favorites to fall back on. I also go through phases. I'll buy albums that have an interesting cover or liner notes--maybe the music will be a keeper. I play Pandora Internet radio quite often, and I absorb all the unfamiliar tunes they play among my familiar picks. I've discovered many unfamiliar artists that way, and have enjoyed a lot of what I've discovered from choices I never knew existed before.

8. Can't listen to it all. Despite my wide tastes in music, there is far more than I can ever explore in a lifetime. I only mention this due to some friends who "can't believe" I haven't heard music by a certain artist or album. Maybe I haven't gotten to it yet, because I'm listening to so many other things. Chances are I've heard of it, but haven't heard enough to make it a priority to listen further in the near future. It takes time for me to absorb and "feel" the music. It may leave me less time for other music (I already know I can't listen to it all), but I need to "connect" with the music for it to be a meaningful experience.

 

[JeffM]

A most comprehensive commentary! The loudmouths who hang around the local record shop here (see my commentary "I love record collecting, BUT..." in the off-topic forum...) should all read it.

 

[Rudy]

A most comprehensive commentary! The loudmouths who hang around the local record shop here (see my commentary "I love record collecting, BUT..." in the off-topic forum...) should all read it.

Exactly. Putting down another's musical tastes is about as crude as it gets. Fortunately I've rarely run into that.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Disco sucks!





Capt. Bacardi

 

[JeffM]

Disco sucks!




Capt. Bacardi

Well...at least A & M's attempt at it did...

 

[Actorman]

That is an excellent manifesto, Rudy. I share the exact same philosophy, but you did a much better and more succinct job of putting it into words than I probably could have. Nice job!

 

[toeknee4bz]

Here's one..."Summer Sounds" by Robert Goulet. A light, fun song, a great sixties-style production (Jerry Fuller, I think) from a bellowing baritone who usually sounded like he needed to be milked...

ROFL! My side is hurting from laughing so hard!

 

[Dave]

"Wind Up" by Jethro Tull... Only NOT by Jethro Tull!

The cover-version by former child-evangelist, Marjoe Gortner, I prefer:

http://www.discogs.com/Marjoe-Bad-But-Not-Evil/release/4216238

Truthfully, I can't stand ANYTHING by Jethro Tull! You couldn't PAY ME to even listen to that lousy excuse of a band!



-- Dave