With their fourth overall selection, in the Hip-Hop/Rap Category, The Rubes select Michael Franti & Spearhead - "Yell Fire!".
Tracks -
1 - "Time to Go Home"
2- "Yell Fire!"
3 - "I Know I'm Not Alone"
4 - "East to the West"
5 - "Sweet Little Lies"
6 - "Hello Bonjour"
7 - "One Step Closer to You"
8 - "Hey Now Now"
9 - "Everybody Ona Move"
10 - "See You in the Light"
11 - "Light Up Ya Lighter"
12 - "What I've Seen"
13 - "Tolerance"
14 - "Is Love Enough?"
Review from allmusic.com:
Quote:
Michael Franti's worldview and his music are so tightly entangled that it's difficult to imagine one existing without the other. So none of his fans could have been all that surprised when Franti returned from a 2004 trip to war-torn regions of Iraq, Israel, and Palestine and subsequently released both I Know I'm Not Alone, a documentary film/DVD based on his travels, and Yell Fire!, his most socially conscious album to date. While Yell Fire! is nothing as precious as a concept album, neither is there a song on the lyrically direct set that doesn't find Franti driving home a point, be it on the precarious state of our planet and those who've rendered it so, or the fragile condition of human relationships and the urgency with which people need to repair them. Recorded in both Kingston, Jamaica (the legendary Riddim Twins of reggae, Sly & Robbie, each guest on four tracks), and in San Francisco, Yell Fire! is stacked with deep grooves: the opening "Time to Go Home," "Everyone ona Move," the title track, and "Light Up Ya Lighter" all share a clarity of vision, attitude of great magnitude, and a levels-deep lyrical richness, all while kicking serious rhythmic ass. But even the texturally lighter moments — the ballads "One Step Closer to You" (with harmony vocals by Pink), "Tolerance," and "Is Love Enough?" — follow through on the album's thread of righteous positivity, no-brainer pacifism, accept-it-or-die tolerance, and the universal unification of spirit. Franti's brain-stimulating songwriting rises to a new level of proficiency here — the playful "Hello Bonjour" is as much a shout out to truth and justice as the knife-sharp "See You in the Light." If there is a weakness, it's that the arrangements to which Franti's listen-carefully lyrics are set often fall subservient to his boosted-in-the-mix vocals. At times that leaves Spearhead's reggae/funk/dancehall/hip-hop amalgams necessarily shadowed by their leader's real-life, life-affirming commentaries. But never does Yell Fire! suffer for it. What Franti is saying here is what needs to be heard — sooner than later.
Allmusic.com nails it pretty well dead on again. Franti's music is as politcal as it is danceable. This isn't neccessarily the best Franti/Spearhead album, but it's certainly the most energetic. I've now seen these guys twice in concert and I'm not sure there's a much more enjoyable concert experience out there.
The opening song and the title track propels this album out of the gates and it never looks back. It's hard to disagree with Franti's controversial world views when he makes them sound so damn catchy.
Go ahead - Ro says no one is likely to make the same pick.
Yeah, by all means.
I am currently in the midst of a crazy cold/flu that hit me like a ton of bricks early this morning, and am just not feeling up to putting something together for my selection tonight. So it's a self-imposed AK for at least 12 more hours, once this Cold FX kicks in and the Benylin wears off.
I am currently in the midst of a crazy cold/flu that hit me like a ton of bricks early this morning, and am just not feeling up to putting something together for my selection tonight. So it's a self-imposed AK for at least 12 more hours, once this Cold FX kicks in and the Benylin wears off.
Hope you feel better soon Ro!
__________________ I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love." - John Steinbeck
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Hmm do I go then too? Ahh, doubt Ro will take this one anyway so here goes nuthin'
The British Invasion are absolutely thrilled and delighted to be able to select a NEW album from one of my favourite bands that split up in 2001 only to reunite last year. We select in the Album 2006-2008 category for now:
Hey Ma by James
Track listing
"Bubbles"
"Hey Ma"
"Waterfall"
"Oh My Heart"
"Boom Boom"
"Semaphore"
"Upside"
"Whiteboy"
"72"
"Of Monsters and Heroes and Men"
"I Wanna Go Home"
I've been a fan of James for years. This is actually their 10th album and in my humble opinion possibly their strongest. Hailing from Manchester, England the group have been around since 1982.
Youtube:
Hey Ma (From the Later with Jools Holland show. Excellent show btw)
"At the end of the day there's nowhere to go...but home to Avenue Q!"
With our 4th pick, Anal Bum Cover selects Avenue Q in the Soundtrack category.
a little explanation of the show, first:
Quote:
The show is largely inspired by (and is in the style of) Sesame Street: Most of the characters in the show are puppets (operated by actors onstage), the set depicts several tenements on a rundown street in an Outer Borough of New York City, both the live characters and puppet characters sing, and short animated video clips are played as part of the story. Also, several characters are recognizably parodies of classic Sesame Street characters: for example, the roommates Rod and Nicky are versions of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie, and Trekkie Monster is based on Cookie Monster. However, the characters are in their twenties and thirties and face adult problems instead of those faced by pre-schoolers, thus making the show more suited for the adults who grew up with Sesame Street
Quote:
Princeton, a recent college graduate, is looking for an affordable apartment in New York City ("What Do You Do with a BA in English"). At Avenue Q, he meets a group of neighbors: Kate Monster, a single assistant kindergarten teacher; Nicky and Rod, two long-time roommates; Brian, an unemployed comedian; Christmas Eve, Brian's Japanese fiancée, who is a therapist but has no clients; and Gary Coleman, former child star of the TV show Diff'rent Strokes, now the apartment superintendent. They all complain about their lives ("It Sucks to Be Me"), and all agree that Gary's life sucks the most. Princeton takes an apartment, and everyone welcomes him to the block.
also, a review from allmusic.com of the album:
Quote:
...suppose all the puppets on Sesame Street had potty mouths? What if, for example, Bert and Ernie (or, as they are called here, Rod and Nicky [John Tartaglia and Rick Lyon]) were closeted gays ("If You Were Gay")? What if Cookie Monster (sorry, Trekkie Monster [Rick Lyon again]) craved not baked goods, but pornography ("The Internet Is for Porn")? And what if Miss Piggy's name was, instead, Lucy the Slut (Stephanie D'Abruzzo)? It's fair to say that the viewer and listener's reaction to Avenue Q will depend on a visceral response to the "original concept" of a hard R-rated version of Sesame Street.
Tracklisting:
1. The Avenue Q Theme
2. What Do You Do (With A B.A. In English)/It Sucks To Be Me
3. If You Were Gay
4. Purpose
5. Everyone's A Little Bit Racist
6. The Internet Is For Porn
7. Mix Tape
8. I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today
9. Special
10. You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want (When You're Making Love)
11. Fantasies Come True
12. My Girlfriend, Who Lives In Canada
13. There's A Fine, Fine Line
14. There Is Life Outside Your Apartment
15. The More You Ruv Someone
16. Schadenfreude
17. I Wish I Could Go Back To College
18. The Money Song
19. School For Monsters/The Money Song (reprise)
20. There's A Fine, Fine Line (reprise)/What Do You Do (reprise)
21. For Now
DAMMIT, I thought I submitted the one I compiled last night, I had it typed up and everything. Here is the readers digest, I will add youtube tonight. Sorry, been out of town with work.
With my 4th overall pick, in the 1986-1990 category I choose Vivid the debut release from the funk metal group Living Color.
Living Colour is an American funk metal band from New York City, formed in 1983. A prominent all-African American band of that movement, which also included Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Primus, and 24-7 Spyz in the late 1980s, Living Colour rose to fame with their debut album Vivid in 1988. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, hard rock, free jazz, hardcore punk and hip hop, containing lyrics that attack the Eurocentrism and racism of America. Although the band scored a number of hits, they are best remembered for their anthemic single "Cult of Personality", which won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1989, and their highest charting single "Type". They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
Original
1. "Cult of Personality" - 4:54
2. "I Want to Know" - 4:24
3. "Middle Man" - 3:47
4. "Desperate People" - 5:36
5. "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" - 5:32
6. "Funny Vibe" - 4:20
7. "Memories Can't Wait" (David Byrne, Jerry Harrison) - 4:30
8. "Broken Hearts" - 4:50
9. "Glamour Boys" - 3:39
10. "What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)" - 3:56
11. "Which Way to America?" - 3:41
2002 Re-Release
1. "Cult of Personality" - 4:54
2. "I Want to Know" - 4:24
3. "Middle Man" - 3:47
4. "Desperate People" - 5:36
5. "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" - 5:32
6. "Funny Vibe" - 4:20
7. "Memories Can't Wait" (David Byrne, Jerry Harrison) - 4:30
8. "Broken Hearts" - 4:50
9. "Glamour Boys" - 3:39
10. "What's Your Favorite Color? (Theme Song)" - 3:56
11. "Which Way to America?" - 3:41
12. "Funny Vibe (Funky Vibe Mix)" - 3:43
13. "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (Mick Jones) - 2:27
14. "What's Your Favorite Color (Theme Song) (Leblanc Remix)" - 5:39
15. "Middle Man (Live)" - 3:49
16. "Cult of Personality (Live)" - 4:59
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so with the next round all primed to start im wondering if a decision was ever made on the time limit being reduced or are we gonna stick it out with the 24hr limit that currently exists?
also, wondering what standard we are using for classifying bands into genres/styles?
are we using the genre/style listings that are found on allmusic.com?
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Thank you for not discussing the outside world
so with the next round all primed to start im wondering if a decision was ever made on the time limit being reduced or are we gonna stick it out with the 24hr limit that currently exists?
also, wondering what standard we are using for classifying bands into genres/styles?
are we using the genre/style listings that are found on allmusic.com?
My vote is if you can reasonably include an album in a category, go for it.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
With my next pick, from the category of 2000-2002...
Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head!
Quote:
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Coldplay, released on 26 August 2002 in the United Kingdom by record label Parlophone. Produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, the recording of the album began a week after the September 11 attacks in the United States, which gave the band a fresh perspective on songwriting. The songs featured in the album have a greater use of piano and guitar than Coldplay's debut album, Parachutes.
The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one in the United Kingdom and later placing at number seven of the country's 20 biggest-selling albums in the 21st century. The British Phonographic Industry has since certified the album eight-times platinum for its accumulated sales of over 2.6 million units. The album has spawned the hit singles "In My Place", "The Scientist", "Clocks", and "God Put a Smile upon Your Face". A Rush of Blood to the Head has been praised by the critics, considering it better than Parachutes. It won the 2002 Grammy for Best Alternative Album and Record of the Year for the song "Clocks", becoming Coldplay's largest hit to date
Quote:
Track Listing
1. "Politik" – 5:18
2. "In My Place" – 3:48
3. "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" – 4:57
4. "The Scientist" – 5:09
5. "Clocks" – 5:07
6. "Daylight" – 5:27
7. "Green Eyes" – 3:43
8. "Warning Sign" – 5:31
9. "A Whisper" – 3:58
10. "A Rush of Blood to the Head" – 5:51
11. "Amsterdam" – 5:19
With my 5th round selection I am very pleased to select in the Rock Category The Who's Who's Next. One of my favorite albums by one of the best bands of all time.
I'm going to stretch it here, and perhaps the pick will have a non-confidence vote, and I will then attempt to prorogue, but In the Live category, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Live/1975-85
Quote:
Side one
1. "Thunder Road" – 5:46
* Recorded October 18, 1975 at The Roxy Theatre.
2. "Adam Raised a Cain" – 5:26
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
3. "Spirit in the Night" – 6:25
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
4. "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" – 6:34
* Recorded December 31, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
[edit] Side two
1. "Paradise by the "C"" – 3:54
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
* Song never released by Springsteen before. The version on this release omits Bruce saying "All you bootleggers out there in radioland, roll your tapes" right before the song.
2. "Fire" – 2:51
* Recorded December 16, 1978 at the Winterland. The short spoken intro is from July 7, 1978 at The Roxy.
* Song never released by Springsteen before, although recorded by others most notably by The Pointer Sisters and Robert Gordon.
3. "Growin' Up" – 7:58
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre. This version doesn't mention the name of Bruce's lawyer, who later became the mayor in his hometown.
4. "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" – 4:39
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
[edit] Side three
1. "Backstreets" – 7:35
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
* This version edits out a long section in the middle which includes early versions of "Drive All Night" and "Sad Eyes"
2. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" – 10:08
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
3. "Raise Your Hand" (Steven Cropper/Eddie Floyd/Alvertis Isbell) – 5:01
* Recorded July 7, 1978 at The Roxy Theatre.
* Cover song never released by Springsteen. Eddie Floyd's version of the song is the most well known.
[edit] Side four
1. "Hungry Heart" – 4:30
* Recorded December 28, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
2. "Two Hearts" – 3:06
* Recorded July 8, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
3. "Cadillac Ranch" – 4:52
* Recorded July 6, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
4. "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)" – 3:58
* Recorded December 29, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
5. "Independence Day" – 5:08
* Recorded July 6, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
[edit] Side five
1. "Badlands" – 5:17
* Recorded November 5, 1980 at Arizona State University.
2. "Because the Night" (Springsteen/Patti Smith) – 5:19
* Recorded December 28, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
* Song never released by Springsteen before, although recorded by others most notably by Patti Smith and, later, 10,000 Maniacs.
3. "Candy's Room" – 3:19
* Recorded July 8, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
4. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" – 4:19
* Recorded December 29, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
5. "Racing in the Street" – 8:12
* Recorded July 6, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
[edit] Side six
1. "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie) – 4:21
* Recorded December 28, 1980 at Nassau Coliseum.
* Cover song never released by Springsteen before.
2. "Nebraska" – 4:18
* Recorded August 6, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
3. "Johnny 99" – 4:24
* Recorded August 18, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
4. "Reason to Believe" – 5:19
* Recorded August 18, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
[edit] Side seven
1. "Born in the U.S.A." – 6:10
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
2. "Seeds" – 5:14
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
* Song never released by Springsteen before.
3. "The River" – 11:42
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
[edit] Side eight
1. "War" (Barrett Strong/Norman Whitfield) – 4:53
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
* Cover song never released by Springsteen before. This was a hit for Edwin Starr in the 1970s.
2. "Darlington County" – 5:12
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
3. "Working on the Highway" – 4:04
* Recorded August 19, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
4. "The Promised Land" – 5:36
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
[edit] Side nine
1. "Cover Me" – 6:57
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
2. "I'm on Fire" – 4:26
* Recorded August 19, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
3. "Bobby Jean" – 4:30
* Recorded August 21, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
4. "My Hometown" – 5:13
* Recorded September 30, 1985 at the LA Coliseum.
* This performance previously released as the music video for "My Hometown" single
[edit] Side ten
1. "Born to Run" – 5:03
* Recorded August 19, 1985 at Giants Stadium.
2. "No Surrender" – 4:41
* Recorded August 6, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
3. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" – 4:21
* Recorded August 20, 1984 at Meadowlands Arena.
4. "Jersey Girl" (Tom Waits) – 6:30
* Recorded July 9, 1981 at Meadowlands Arena.
* This performance was released in 1984 as the B-side of the "Cover Me" single. The song was written by Tom Waits and originally released on his Heartattack and Vine album.
[edit] Personnel
[edit] The E Street Band
* Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer, background vocals
* Clarence Clemons – saxophone, percussion, background vocals
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, glockenspiel, keyboards, background vocals
* Nils Lofgren (beginning in 1984) – guitars, background vocals
* Patti Scialfa (beginning in 1984) – synthesizer, background vocals
* Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars, harmonica
* Garry Tallent - bass
* Steve Van Zandt (until 1984) – guitars, background vocals
* Max Weinberg – drums
[edit] Additional musicians
* Flo and Eddie (Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman) - backing vocals on "Hungry Heart"
* The Miami Horns (Stan Harrison – tenor saxophone, Eddie Manion – baritone saxophone, Mark Pender – trumpet, Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg – trombone) – horns on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
* Soozie Tyrell
Until hearing this set, I was pretty ambivalent about Springsteen. Yeah, he had a number of good tunes, but I didn't understand what the big deal was.
And then I heard the live version of Born to Run, recorded in Giant's Stadium, a homecoming concert for the New Jersey resident. The raw power and emotion that came through in that song still moves me to this day.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
The Four Elements select with their 4th round pick, in the Compilation category:
DJ Spinbad - 80's Megamix (Rock The Casbah)
Tracklisting:
A1 Hall & Oates* - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
A2 Simple Minds - Don't You Forget About Me
A3 Baltimora - Tarzan Boy
A4 M (2) - Pop Muzik
A5 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
A6 Rebbie Jackson - Centipede
A7 O.M.D.* - If You Leave
A8 Human League, The - Don't You Want Me
A9 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax
A10 Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
A11 Go-Go's - Vacation
A12 Toni Basil - Mickey
A13 Clash, The - Rock The Casbah
A14 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
A15 Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me
Vocals [Featuring] - Michael Jackson
A16 Sheila E. - Glamorous Life
A17 Prince And The Revolution - Erotic City
A18 Human League, The - Human
A19 Men At Work - Down Under
A20 Al Jarreau - Moonlighting Theme
B1 Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
B2 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
B3 David Bowie - Let's Dance
B4 Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F
B5 Madonna - Physical Attraction
B6 Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
B7 Madness - Our House
B8 Mary Jane Girls - In My House
B9 David Lee Roth - Just A Gigolo
B10 Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
B11 Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
B12 Nena - 99 Luftballons
B13 Soft Cell - Tainted Love
B14 Devo - Whip It
B15 Michael Sembello - Maniac
B16 Hall & Oates* - Maneater
B17 Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny
B18 Romantics, The - Talking In Your Sleep
B19 Cars, The - You Might Think
B20 Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
B21 Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
B22 Olivia Newton-John - Physical
B23 Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
B24 Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
B25 Phil Collins - Against All Odds (Hip Hop Rmx)
B26 DJ Spinbad - Spinbad's Cry For Unity
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This is the mix CD (along with 80's Megamix Pt. 2, which is equally as awesome) that I bring on every road trip, and make sure I burn a copy for anybody I think might enjoy it or grew up listening to 80's music. It's hard to describe- on the surface many of you will look at the tracklisting and laugh. I did too when I first got my hands on it. I not only would never listen to any of these songs if I had the choice, I downright despise some of them.
But this mix (a mixtape at first, when released in the mid 90's) is something special. At the time, nobody had really done anything like this before- create a hip hop style mixtape out of non hip hop music. For those unfamiliar with what that means, what you'll hear on Rock The Casbah is beatmatching/blending (seamlessly mixing one song into the next), beatjuggling/doubling (using two copies of the same record to allow the DJ to restart part of a track, or manipulate the music into something entirely different), and plenty of scratching (most know about this skill, but Spinbad scratches plenty of pop culture samples/references/movie soundbytes over the songs in addition to his almost perfect skills as a scratch DJ).
The result is something beautiful, and still somewhat unique to this day. Even though the music is, at times, so cheesy you would normally be embarrassed to play it, I can't help but roll all four windows down and blast this album for all to hear whenever it's in my deck. It is now widely acknowledged that Rock The Casbah is "the most bootlegged mixtape in history," with only 200 original copies pressed up and dropped off at Fatbeats in NYC. It truly was ahead of its time, and still sounds fresh to this day. Probably always will.
From Spinbad's website:
Quote:
The infamous Rock The Casbah '80s mixtape that started the resurrection of '80s pop music worldwide. This has been called the "most bootlegged mixtape of all time" and basically started the whole "mash up" craze. It features commercials, TV and movie snippets and tons of your favorite '80s tunes flipped, mixed and juggled turntablist style. Whether you're a die hard '80s baby or a hardcore hip hop/DJ head you NEED this in your collection. 34 tracks! What the hell are you waiting for?
