Free And Singles Part 3 (Last Part)
February 23, 2006
16. Snowbound – Donald Fagen
Very smooth again. It does my fagen head in.
17. Billy Joel – Allentown
Wait – don’t go. Let me explain. I grew up not far from Allentown. Philadelphia is one of those places with an identity, so they played a lot of their own talent and like-minded stuff on the radio, like Manchester or Seattle. So I grew up with Hall & Oats, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and a lot of soul. Early Billy Joel is cool. It is. Moving Out? Good song. All you Ben Folds fans? Pick up a copy of Glass Houses. The later stuff’s just awful though, when he was trying to be a pop star.. Uptown Girl? Urgh. “In da middle odda/I go walkininda/In da middle odda….” Play us a song, you’re the piano man.
19. Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered
When this comes on, I go silly. And a sitar opening riff? Fuck. Fucking. Me. Who knew? Who has dared since? No one, that’s who, cause they ain’t Stevie. I like wierd combinations in music. I like songs that mix it up some with things you wouldn’t've reckoned. And this coming from a guy who spreads peanut butter on apples.* Also, listen hard, you’ve got two drummers, one left, one right – panned hard. And the horn riff when it changes for the “…heeere I aaam baby…” Mmm-hmmm.
20. Richard and Linda Thompson – Wall of Death
This is is sweet soulful bitterness at its finest. The Thompsons were ending their marriage as they made this album and they wrote beautiful songs which echoed their sour break-up, like Shoot Out The Lights and this one, comparing a bad relationship to fairground rides heading nowhere and the apathy of going through the motions.
21. Ray Charles – Georgia On My Mind
Yeah – I know. I should have owned it. But it’s like living next to the Taj Mahal. You should really go, but because it’s always going to be there, there’s always tomorrow, right?
22. Canned Heat – Boogie Music
Dirty filthy rotten grooves. I like songs about music. It’s shameless and fun. It’s like those renaissance paintings where they have paintings of people painting. Doesn’t work in books though – just in case you’re taking a break from writing a book and you’ve stopped by here, I throw that one out for you to take or leave. Hi, though.
23. The Doobie Brothers – What A Fool Believes
This song makes me feel like dancing and that’s something I generally don’t do. When I hear this, at the very least I do the “Dad steering wheel bongos”. With the face. That’s the one. It sounds like Michael McDonald is putting everything into the singing and that makes it great.
24. Randy Travis – Look Heart, No Hands
It sounds like he’s putting nothing in the singing and that makes it sound great.
*Seriously. Spread on cold apple slices right from the fridge. You’ll thank me.
6 comments
Random fact: “Allentown” was my mother’s favorite song. Ever.
I cannot even tell you my mother’s favorite song.
I wish I could though.
Was gutted when Ray Charles died. My father was in the music business and I kept saying no to the free tickets because, as you say, there’s always tomorrow. More fool me.
(I think I preferred Unbreak My Heart to Georgia On My Mind, but it’s a close one.)
There is a verse in that that kills me.
But the restlessness was handed down/And it’s getting very hard to stay
Well we’re waiting here in Allentown/For the Pennsylvania we never found
Beautiful. Word to your mom.
Katy – I know the feeling. I have seen so many jazz greats because I thought it was going to be the last time I would see them. I ended up seeing Stephane Grapelli about 6 times and in the end I just gave up, because he lived forever.
BB King – 4 times
Dizzy Gillespie – 3 times
Miles Davis – 5 times
Johnny Cash – Once
[...] This goes back to these posts here, here and here as I finally spend blow what’s left of my £25 gift of singles. [...]
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