The record goes from blue to gold…

I believe I’ve mentioned this band before, but allow me to say few more things about the “punk-cabaret” band, The Dresden Dolls. I was introduced to their music several years ago. The first album I heard was Yes, Virginia and was the music immediately caught my attention. What is so cool to me is that the music is, more or less, rock, but is played on the piano. Also, for a band that doesn't consist of anything more than a piano and drums, the tracks are huge, your brain won't even realize that there are only 2 instruments being played here. I’m in love with the piano parts Amanda Palmer always has – really crazy chords, kind of a bastardization on Jazz and Classical… and the consistently dark and twisted lyrics… I dunno, there’s something about all of that that really appeals to me. And let’s not forget about Brian’s drumming – inventive and powerful.

 

The song I first became infatuated with was “Backstabber". It’s kind of a 4-minute litany of insults aimed at some unknown critic, but it has an amazingly catchy piano riff and a captivating melody – with fantastic drumming by Brian. For all of her venom and sometimes-frightening intensity, Amanda has a sharp wit and I think it’s quite apparent in this song. The other song that quickly became a favorite of mine is “Dirty Business”. I love the feel of this song, the powerful chords, and some of the sarcasm that Amanda delivers in the lyrics – and the way the song builds throughout the last chorus. It’s really an amazing song.

 

Fairly recently, I dusted off the DVD of a concert The Dresden Dolls did quite a few years ago and was immediately impressed again with their commanding stage presence and energy during a performance – and they obviously love performing. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to see them live, because it was an amazing experience. One thing you can say about The Dresden Dolls, their brand of theatrics, cabaret, and dark confessionals is a refreshing change of pace. So yeah, if you can get past their somewhat unusual appearance and not be freaked out by them, check ‘em out. You may enjoy them!

Just being self-indulgent

Basics
What kind of iPod do you have? 16 GB Nano
How many songs are in your iPod?: 3586 on my iPod, but 5432 in my iTunes.
What song are you listening to right now?:  Unforgettable – Nat King ColeFirst Song Added: Isolation – American English (from my old iPod – 8/6/2006)
First Full Album Added: Please Please Me - The Beatles (from my old iPod – 8/6/2006)

Last Song Added: Oh Well, Okay (Live) – Elliott Smith (8/16/2012)
Last Full Album Added: Music Box – The Monkees (3/27/2012)

 
Put the songs in alphabetical order.
What is the first song?: Aba Daba Honeymoon (from Two Weeks With Love)–Debbie Reynolds & Carlton Carpenter
What is the last song? 99 Luftballoons - NenaPut the songs in album order.
What is the first song?: S. O. S. – ABBA (from ABBA)
What is the last song?: 99 Luftballoons – Nena (99 Luftballoons)Put the songs in artist order.
What is the first song?: Take On Me- a-ha
What is the last song?: Hide Another Mistake – The 88Put the songs in time order.
What is the first song?: KXOK Jingle – Bruno J. Grunion (0:04)
What is the last song?: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever Medley – Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops (15:26)

Put it in genre order.
What is the first song?: I’m Yours/Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Straight No Chaser (A Cappella)
What is the last song?: Romance to Holocaust – Ravi Shankar (World)

Top 10 most played songs, with number of plays
1.: Landed – Ben Folds (113)
2.: See You Later – Elliott Smith (109)
3.: Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud – Elliott Smith // Paper Bag – Fiona Apple (93)
4.: Plainclothes Man – Heatmiser (92)
5.: LA – Elliott Smith (91)
6.: See You Later – Heatmiser (89)
7.: Cry Baby Cry – The Beatles (84)
8.: Rainy Days and Monday – Carpenters // After You’ve Gone – Judy Garland (78)
9.: Dirty Business – The Dresden Dolls (71)
10.: Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise – The White Stripes // Oliver’s Army – Elvis Costello (70)
Top 10 least played songs, with number of plays
1.: too many with 1 to list

Random Questions
How long have you had your iPod?:November 2008
Does if have a crapload of scratches on it?: No
What is your most favorite song of all time?: I don’t have a favorite song of all time
What is your favorite foreign language song?: Le Festin (from Ratatouille) - Camille
What's the most embarassing song that you have?: I have a number of embarassing songs on my ipod, but possibly "Cool Rider“ from Grease 2. That’s just not dignified, but have been too lazy to take it off
Search for the following terms:
"love" – 325 songs
"hate" – 6 Songs
"sex" – 7 Songs
"abstinence" - 0 songs
"light" - 38 songs
"dark" - 12 songs
"life" - 52 songs
"death" - 3 songs
"earth" - 5 songs
"fire" - 18 songs
"wind" - 23 songs
"water" - 12 songs
"heart" - 62 songs

Put your iTunes on shuffle and answer the following questions –

Describe yourself :
Crossroads – Eric Clapton

What do people feel when they’re around you?
Stardust – Hoagy Carmichael

Describe your current relationship :
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now – The Smiths

Where would you like to be right now?
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight – The Jam

How do you feel about love?
Supersonic - Oasis

What is your life like?
Picture Book – The Kinks

What would you wish for if you only had one wish?
It's Too Late - Sondre Lerche

Say something wise :

Friday On My Mind – The Easybeats

How would you describe yourself?
Your Wonderful Parade - Carpenters

What do you look for in a girl/boy?
Where or When – Frank Sinatra

How do you feel today?
Doing All Right – Queen

What’s your life’s purpose?
Time Bomb – Rancid

What is your motto?
Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley

What do your friends think of you?
The Kill – The Dresden Dolls

What do your parents think of you?
Bend Me, Shape Me – The American Breed

What do you think about very often?
My Favorite Things – Julie Andrews (from The Sound of Music)

What do you think of your best friend?
Suffragette City – David Bowie

What do you think of the person you like?
Snow – Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen (from White Christmas)

What is your life story?
The End – The Beatles

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Love Child – Diana Ross and the Supremes

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Too Cool Queenie – Stone Temple Pilots

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Jet (Live) – Paul McCartney

What will play at your funeral?
Miss Misery – Elliott Smith

Biggest fear?
Leave My Kitten Alone (Take 5) – The Beatles

Biggest secret?
Sentimental Fool – Roxy Music

Okay, so yeah... That was kind of a waste of time, but some of those answers in the last section kind of make me laugh.

 

Don't let 'em tell you what you wanna be....

What can I say about Paul McCartney that hasn’t already been written somewhere? Probably not too much, but I’m gonna try.

 

Paul McCartney is my favorite Beatle. I think it was the White Album picture that officially hooked me. I remember after I had gotten The White Album while I was in high school, I was laying on my bedroom floor looking at the photos included with that album. I remember looking at that picture of Paul (you know the one) and thinking, “Okay yeah, he’s pretty good looking.” Of course, there’s much more to Paul McCartney than a pretty face. He is an amazingly talented musician, songwriter, entertainer… I mean, how many people have written such a vast amount of songs that basically everyone knows? I can tell you, there aren’t that many songwriters you can say that about. His voice is so extraordinary – it’s distinctive, but so versatile at the same time. It’s pretty amazing that he could sing “Here, There and Everywhere” in such a sweet voice and alternatively launch into a song like “Lady Madonna” or “Helter Skelter”. There was a time when I didn’t realize the same person sang those songs! And as a musician – his bass lines were always melodic and distinct, he played some pretty awesome guitar solos, he can rock on the piano, and can even hold his own on the drums.
 

Anyhow, I’ve recently had the good fortune to get tickets to see Paul McCartney in concert – again! I’ve been lucky enough to have seen him twice before. In fact, my first real concert was to see Paul McCartney. Let me tell you, that was an amazing experience. I was able to see him towards the height of my Beatlemania – with my best Beatle friend – and it was the most incredible concert I’ve ever been to. Even the second time I saw him couldn’t compare. Also, up until that concert, I really couldn’t understand the girls during the ‘60s screaming and carrying on the way they did when they saw the Fab Four. And while I still don’t completely understand the logic of screaming during the performance of a song (how can you hear it if you’re screaming?), I do understand the involuntary emotional response that happens being so near such a magnetic and charismatic presence. I’ve never been a very scream-y person, but at the beginning and ending of each song, the excitement just is too much to keep bottled up.

 

Since I found out I’m going to see Paul again, I’ve dug up all of my Paul-related CDs and have been listening to him and The Beatles almost exclusively. This is something I haven’t done for about 7 or 8 years. It’s been interesting and amazingly, despite the fact that I know all of this music so well, it still triggers that emotional response in me. Giddiness, exhilaration, and a bit of wonder at the awesomeness of the songs.

 

I think my favorite Paul album post-Beatles is Ram. “Too Many People” has been one of the songs I’ve been constantly going back to this week. I really love the song. The guitar, the drums, the way it builds… To me, it’s a pretty great way to open an album.  “Dear Boy” is another track on the album that I tend to keep going back to. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m such a sucker for harmonies, and this song is saturated with them. Absolutely catchy melody, simple lyrics, and so many layers of McCartney,  that one could almost get lost in it. My favorite bit is the last 30 seconds of the song when there are all those parts going on at the same time. Oh my god! It’s almost as good as a guitar solo for me!  I also must mention the fantastic guitar riff in “Smile Away”. But really, the entire album is incredible. It’s strange for me to think that this album was actually met with a fairly poor critical reception – especially since it’s so well revered now.

 

Oh well, before I close for now, I do want to say one last thing. While I am definitely a Maccaholic, I don’t want you to think I play that stupid game of “who was better? John or Paul?” I just refuse to play that game, just as I reject any suggestion that the Beatles could have done what they did, been what they were (or are) to millions of us, without George or Ringo. They all had a very important part in the band and are all amazingly talented individuals. And like Paul said in Living In The Material World, “I always likend us [The Beatles] to four corners of a square. People say, ‘Ah, well, John and Paul were the important ones.’ But I say, ‘No, no, it’s a square.’ Without any of the four corners, you collapse.”

 

So, be prepared for more entries about “My Boys”, but until then, I’ll leave you with this:

With only the blue light of the TV on…

I obviously have a thing for great pop songs with notable lyrics – I suppose it’s the writer in me that I always take notice of lyrics – particularly when unusual words are used or great imagery is utilized. So I suppose it would be no big surprise that I dig Elvis Costello, who once in an interview jokingly referred to himself as “rock and roll’s scrabble champion.”  His lyrics are unique, memorable, meaningful, funny, and clever.  As a songwriter, he’s really great. He’s written a ton of really tight pop songs. And his voice, while it’s been criticized rather often being called “limited and harsh”, in the opinion of this rather unimportant individual, it’s pretty great. It works well for his songs and is distinctive and I love it.

Elvis Costello has been a staple of my music collection for quite a few years now and I’ve even had the pleasure of seeing him live in 2008. The first song I had heard by him and truly took notice of was “Human Hands” off of the album, Imperial Bedroom. It’s a fantastic song with a cool piano part (Steve Nieve is a very talented pianist), great rhythm and amazing lyrics.  Starting with the crash of chords and drum fills before settling into a slightly reggae rhythm. The piano during the chorus is awesome. Some of my favorite lines are… well, the first line is pretty great: “I’ve been talking to the wall and it’s been answering me.” Paints a very specific image. And the chorus is also a lot of fun to sing along with because of the rhythm of the words with the music: “Whenever I put my foot in my mouth and you begin to doubt that it’s you that I’m dreaming about, do I have to draw you a diagram?” I also love the line “Tighter and tighter, I hold you tightly. You know I love you more than slightly.”

 

A couple other songs I’ve had moments of infatuation with are “Blue Chair” and “I Want You” from Blood and Chocolate, “Oliver’s Army” from Armed Forces, and “You’ll Never Be A Man” from Trust.

 

I love the chorus in “Blue Chair”... but my favorite part is the middle eight (though, I don't think that's what it’s called since it's actually 16 measures). I especially like the line "We can watch our troubles rise like smoke into the air and drift up to the ceiling". I also LOVE the ending. As for “I Want You”, that song does something to me. I disagree with some of the interpretations of the lyrics though... there are quite a few people who seem to think he's a psycho stalker who is going to kill the girl. I don't get that image at all... I think of it more of a guy who is devastated by his girl cheating on him. After finding out, he's obsessing over the situation... wanting to know every detail, even though it hurts him to know. But that's just me... The song itself though is awesome. I love the twang of the guitar after the intro. I love Elvis' passionate, slightly hoarse, sometimes sarcastic sounding vocals. The lyrics are pretty steamy too... though, it might have something to do with the fact that every other line is "I Want You"... but the line "did you call his name out as he held you down..." Very erotic. The whole song has a very steamy and erotic feel to me... My favorite part is (big surprise) the guitar solo.

 

“Oliver’s Army” is an upbeat melody with great piano flourishes and rather serious lyrics. My favorite part is during the last verse when he’s singing harmony with himself. I kind of have a thing for harmonies, specifically when the vocalist is harmonizing with themselves. And the line of the chorus, “And I would rather be anywhere else but here today” is a line that has run through my head in a number of different situations throughout my life! “You’ll Never Be A Man” I adore for the lovely countermelody in the piano (Steve really shines in this song), the harmonies, and the clever lyrics and rhymes in the chorus.

 

Anyhow, I suppose that’s enough for the time being, but you will undoubtedly be hearing more about Elvis Costello in the future.

And I couldn't help but sing along...

Another mini-post…

Like I’ve mentioned before, I had a major crush on Keith Partridge during my early-teenage years, so I listened to a lot of The Partridge Family. I owned every one of their albums and even would sit in front of the television with a tape recorder and microphone to tape the songs that weren’t available on a record. I even joined the David Cassidy International Fan Club after seeing the address inside one of the CD covers I owned. Yeah, I was a huge fan… I even got to see David in Vegas on my 17^th birthday.

Anyway, the first song I really liked of theirs was their biggest hit, “I Think I Love You”. Of course, it was very shortly after obtaining the CD of their greatest hits that I began to explore all their music. Looking back on it now, many years later, I can see why my dad complained that all their songs sounded the same, BUT they did have some pretty damn good pop songs.

A few of the non-hits that I keep coming back to are “Maybe Someday”, (It’s got a brass part during the chorus that hooks me – something I never noticed while watching the performance on the show), “Twenty Four Hours A Day”, “That’s The Way It Is With You” (lovely piano intro), “Rainmaker” (more pretty piano part), “Love Is All That I Ever Needed” (nice bass intro – and co-written by David Cassidy), “You Are Always On My Mind”,  “There’s No Doubt In My Mind” and “Last Night”. Are any of these songs super innovative or revolutionary? Not by a long shot. Are the lyrics sappy and silly? You bet. It’s unobtrusive ‘70s bubblegum pop. But what these songs do have to offer are carefully crafted pop music with cushy arrangements and some nice vocals provided by David Cassidy.