TDDS - 2020 Shelter-in-Place on a Desert Island Music Draft - BONUS 5
- Thread starter VF21
- Start date
I have agonized over this choice as much as one can agonize over the 15th pick in an imaginary desert island album draft.
Hope Sandoval is a living legend in some circles, and among my very favorite vocalists. I’ve learned her voice alone can help me enjoy a variety of genres ranging from dream pop to bluesy western.
As such, I knew I was going to take a project with her talents involved, but the question became which one.
There is the obvious choice with her most critically and popularly acclaimed album, but Gadget chose that one last time, and I’d like to tread new ground (And not be thought of as little more than a pirate.)
Plus, if Sandoval is on the album, chances are I’m going to like it, so I’m given a lot of space to roam here. While nothing she’s done since could be called prolific, they’re solid enough to scratch the particular itch I have.
I had an album of her’s in that vein slotted for this spot all draft, and was ready to pick it here. That is until I listened to it and the more obvious choice back-to-back, realized the former was little more than Sandoval with some atmospheric accompanying music, while this was a complete artistic expression with Sandoval included, and decided it was a pirate’s life for me.
So Tonight That I Might See - Mazzy Star (1993)
The best term I can readily apply to this one might be “heavily atmospheric.” By that I mean it feels quite like the hazy state in the morning while waking up from a particularly perplexing dream. I can’t say that feeling is always an especially welcome one, as that heavy atmosphere swirls like a hangover, but it certainly is evocative and effective.
Which might be why I was a little reluctant to take this one over some more pedestrian works that included Sandoval’s vocals. While So Tonight That I Might See is always phantasmagorically beautiful, there are times I may not have the stomach for it. Perhaps a situational listen and why I haven’t sat down to it in many years.
But again, it covers a lot of interesting sonic ground from track to track, and when going through it again for this pick, it only took until Five String Serenade before I knew this was the way to go.
Fade Into You is mystical in its beauty, and certainly deserving of its popularity and praise.
Tracklist
1."Fade into You"
2."Bells Ring"
3."Mary of Silence"
4."Five String Serenade"
5."Blue Light"
6."She's My Baby"
7."Unreflected"
8."Wasted"
9."Into Dust"
10."So Tonight That I Might See"
Hope Sandoval is a living legend in some circles, and among my very favorite vocalists. I’ve learned her voice alone can help me enjoy a variety of genres ranging from dream pop to bluesy western.
As such, I knew I was going to take a project with her talents involved, but the question became which one.
There is the obvious choice with her most critically and popularly acclaimed album, but Gadget chose that one last time, and I’d like to tread new ground (And not be thought of as little more than a pirate.)
Plus, if Sandoval is on the album, chances are I’m going to like it, so I’m given a lot of space to roam here. While nothing she’s done since could be called prolific, they’re solid enough to scratch the particular itch I have.
I had an album of her’s in that vein slotted for this spot all draft, and was ready to pick it here. That is until I listened to it and the more obvious choice back-to-back, realized the former was little more than Sandoval with some atmospheric accompanying music, while this was a complete artistic expression with Sandoval included, and decided it was a pirate’s life for me.
So Tonight That I Might See - Mazzy Star (1993)
The best term I can readily apply to this one might be “heavily atmospheric.” By that I mean it feels quite like the hazy state in the morning while waking up from a particularly perplexing dream. I can’t say that feeling is always an especially welcome one, as that heavy atmosphere swirls like a hangover, but it certainly is evocative and effective.
Which might be why I was a little reluctant to take this one over some more pedestrian works that included Sandoval’s vocals. While So Tonight That I Might See is always phantasmagorically beautiful, there are times I may not have the stomach for it. Perhaps a situational listen and why I haven’t sat down to it in many years.
But again, it covers a lot of interesting sonic ground from track to track, and when going through it again for this pick, it only took until Five String Serenade before I knew this was the way to go.
Fade Into You is mystical in its beauty, and certainly deserving of its popularity and praise.
Tracklist
1."Fade into You"
2."Bells Ring"
3."Mary of Silence"
4."Five String Serenade"
5."Blue Light"
6."She's My Baby"
7."Unreflected"
8."Wasted"
9."Into Dust"
10."So Tonight That I Might See"
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yeah, I have my first Blu-Ray player hooked up to an old receiver with nice speakers that don't work in my theater as my CD player but I maybe only have played one CD in it, which was my old band's recording session. I have a Sonos set up that I stream through and also a turntable set up but it's just so convenient to stream. Especially since I can run the Sonos throughout the house.
I gave up the little Aiwa mini rig with dual tape decks when I did a home purge in 2018. Not sure if I tossed whatever cassettes were laying around as well. We also put all my DVDs and CDs into bins on a shelf in the garage, a few VHS and lasers as well. Mostly really specialty stuff like BMX videos and the original Star Wars without special edition "enhancements".
I gave up the little Aiwa mini rig with dual tape decks when I did a home purge in 2018. Not sure if I tossed whatever cassettes were laying around as well. We also put all my DVDs and CDs into bins on a shelf in the garage, a few VHS and lasers as well. Mostly really specialty stuff like BMX videos and the original Star Wars without special edition "enhancements".
Fade Into You is one of the most beautiful songs smart choice @Löwenherz.
Supernatural - Santana - 1999
Track list:
1 (Da Le) Yaleo
2 Love of My Life
3 Put Your Lights On
4 Africa Bamba
5 Smooth
6 Do You Like the Way
7 Maria Maria
8 Migra
9 Corazon Espinado
10 Wishing It Was
11 El Farol
12 Primavera
13 The Calling
There are some times when I wish music critics would just get over themselves. This album scratches an itch (to steal a phrase) I didn't even realize I had. I had no idea who Rob Thomas was, but the first time I heard "Smooth" I knew his sound combined with the magic that is Carlos Santana was something I wanted in my collection. I got Supernatural for that song - not really thinking I'd find much else on the album that I'd listen to. ... Wrong.
When you have guest artists from Eric Clapton to [redacted], your album cannot be "directionless." To me, this album is a prime example of what makes music speak to us. Different artists coming together with Santana to celebrate the music in their (and our) souls.
I'm not absolutely in love with all the tracks but there enough here to make this album a worthy addition to my island. (POST NOTE: Santana is another group I was lucky enough to see in San Francisco.)
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Deftones - Deftones (2003):
01 Hexagram
02 Needles and Pins
03 Minerva
04 Good Morning Beautiful
05 Deathblow
06 When Girls Telephone Boys
07 Battle-axe
08 Lucky You
09 Bloody Cape
10 Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event
11 Moana
Genre(s): Alternative metal, experimental rock, post-hardcore, shoegaze
These next couple of picks of mine are going to be Sacramento-centric. For whatever reason, this city that is hardly the center of the music universe has managed to turn out some really influential bands. Deftones are the sound of my youth. That much is certain. They are also one of the most important and revered bands in "heavy" music across the last two decades.
Some years ago, Philly post-hardcore wunderkinds mewithoutYou managed to leapfrog Deftones as my favorite band of all time, due in no small part to the strength of mwY's latter day output. By comparison, I've been a bit less enamored with the more scattershot quality of Deftones' songwriting after founding bassist Chi Cheng sustained serious injuries from a car accident that left him in a coma in late 2008, a condition that would persist until his passing in 2013. They've released some really great music with Sergio Vega filling in on bass, but Chi's accident represents a clear dividing line in the Deftones' discography.
I was a junior in high school when Deftones was released. The band's previous album was, in my opinion, the year 2000's best record. It's absolutely unf***wittable. Nothing sounded like it then, and I honestly believe nothing has sounded like it since. It is a truly unique and complete statement. I've also picked it in a previous music draft, and am choosing not to tread the same ground for this draft. However, I've got to bring the 'tones with me on my desert island. It must be done. So I'm selecting their fourth album, an underrated follow-up to their masterpiece.
Deftones may lack the towering influence of its predecessor, but by 2003, the band had carefully honed their formula: monolithic riffs and bouncy grooves suffused with the romantic gloom and wistfulness of 80's new wave and dream pop. The album was originally going to be titled Lovers, but lead singer Chino Moreno was overruled by his bandmates, who felt the title was too flowery for the music contained therein. Thus, the rather prosaic choice to self-title the record was made.
However, I find myself on Moreno's side in this argument. Deftones carries with it the boiling passion, occasional combativeness, and deep sensuality of lovers entwined. From the hardcore punk strut of "Hexagram" to the shoegazing grandeur of "Minerva" to the funereal beauty of "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event," this is Deftones at their most fire-and-ice, a band that can better capture the see-sawings of human emotion than most.
01 Hexagram
02 Needles and Pins
03 Minerva
04 Good Morning Beautiful
05 Deathblow
06 When Girls Telephone Boys
07 Battle-axe
08 Lucky You
09 Bloody Cape
10 Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event
11 Moana
Genre(s): Alternative metal, experimental rock, post-hardcore, shoegaze
These next couple of picks of mine are going to be Sacramento-centric. For whatever reason, this city that is hardly the center of the music universe has managed to turn out some really influential bands. Deftones are the sound of my youth. That much is certain. They are also one of the most important and revered bands in "heavy" music across the last two decades.
Some years ago, Philly post-hardcore wunderkinds mewithoutYou managed to leapfrog Deftones as my favorite band of all time, due in no small part to the strength of mwY's latter day output. By comparison, I've been a bit less enamored with the more scattershot quality of Deftones' songwriting after founding bassist Chi Cheng sustained serious injuries from a car accident that left him in a coma in late 2008, a condition that would persist until his passing in 2013. They've released some really great music with Sergio Vega filling in on bass, but Chi's accident represents a clear dividing line in the Deftones' discography.
I was a junior in high school when Deftones was released. The band's previous album was, in my opinion, the year 2000's best record. It's absolutely unf***wittable. Nothing sounded like it then, and I honestly believe nothing has sounded like it since. It is a truly unique and complete statement. I've also picked it in a previous music draft, and am choosing not to tread the same ground for this draft. However, I've got to bring the 'tones with me on my desert island. It must be done. So I'm selecting their fourth album, an underrated follow-up to their masterpiece.
Deftones may lack the towering influence of its predecessor, but by 2003, the band had carefully honed their formula: monolithic riffs and bouncy grooves suffused with the romantic gloom and wistfulness of 80's new wave and dream pop. The album was originally going to be titled Lovers, but lead singer Chino Moreno was overruled by his bandmates, who felt the title was too flowery for the music contained therein. Thus, the rather prosaic choice to self-title the record was made.
However, I find myself on Moreno's side in this argument. Deftones carries with it the boiling passion, occasional combativeness, and deep sensuality of lovers entwined. From the hardcore punk strut of "Hexagram" to the shoegazing grandeur of "Minerva" to the funereal beauty of "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event," this is Deftones at their most fire-and-ice, a band that can better capture the see-sawings of human emotion than most.
With my 15th pick in the Shelter-In-Place Album Draft I select:
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III Sides to Every Story - Extreme (1992)
Track Listing:
Yours
1 Warheads
2 Rest in Peace
3 Politicalamity
4 Color Me Blind
5 Cupid's Dead
6 Peacemaker Die
Mine
7 Seven Sundays
8 Tragic Comic
9 Our Father
10 Stop the World
11 God Isn't Dead?
12 Don't Leave Me Alone
The Truth
13 Everything Under the Sun: I. Rise 'N Shine
14 Everything Under the Sun: II. Am I Ever Gonna Change
15 Everything Under the Sun: III. Who Cares?
Somehow, this album didn't make it into my last draft. It was always sitting there, waiting to be picked and after the obvious top albums had come off the board, I found excuse after excuse to put it off until the next round until finally I just didn't take it. It was probably a silly decision, and it was kind of happening again, so I'm just fixing it right now. III Sides to Every Story is one of the first albums I bought when I arrived to college, basically sight unseen on the strength of their prior record. Well, their prior record has a few radio hits, but for me this is by far the better album despite being a commercial failure, having no radio single and being one of the last gasps of '80s rock in the rise of grunge. (It is also, incidentally, the only album I have ever written a term paper about, a record that at this point seems very likely to stand.)
The album is broken into three "sides", labeled "Yours", "Mine", and "The Truth". "Yours" consists of straight, in-your-face hard rock with an ironic and continually undermined warmongering theme throughout. "Rest In Peace" opens with a string motif that gives some hint of things to come, rocks hard, then closes on an acoustic ballad version of itself. "Mine" is a big change of pace, heavy on the acoustic guitars and keyboards and overtly sappy lyrics that would never fit on the first side, before falling into some plaintive spiritual questioning in "God Isn't Dead?" and "Don't Leave Me Alone", setting the stage for side three.
The magnum opus on the album, and ultimately the reason that this rock album out of all the many rock albums in my collection has to make it into my Shelter-In-Place list, is the third "side" of the album, which consists of a single three-part song Everything Under the Sun. I have to admit that I love my 20-minute songs, as can probably be seen by my earlier selections of Pink Floyd and Rush (though neither of those albums have a 20-minute epic), and this one is probably my all-time favorite, alternately combining rock, piano, and a 70-piece orchestra in a song about trying to find spiritual meaning in life that perhaps has as many questions as answers but ultimately feels fulfilling anyway. It begins with the theme of the third part being played on a music box before diving into the song itself, finally rising to a conclusion where all three chorus parts are overlaid before collapsing back into the opening music box.
III Sides to Every Story - Extreme (1992)
Track Listing:
Yours
1 Warheads
2 Rest in Peace
3 Politicalamity
4 Color Me Blind
5 Cupid's Dead
6 Peacemaker Die
Mine
7 Seven Sundays
8 Tragic Comic
9 Our Father
10 Stop the World
11 God Isn't Dead?
12 Don't Leave Me Alone
The Truth
13 Everything Under the Sun: I. Rise 'N Shine
14 Everything Under the Sun: II. Am I Ever Gonna Change
15 Everything Under the Sun: III. Who Cares?
Somehow, this album didn't make it into my last draft. It was always sitting there, waiting to be picked and after the obvious top albums had come off the board, I found excuse after excuse to put it off until the next round until finally I just didn't take it. It was probably a silly decision, and it was kind of happening again, so I'm just fixing it right now. III Sides to Every Story is one of the first albums I bought when I arrived to college, basically sight unseen on the strength of their prior record. Well, their prior record has a few radio hits, but for me this is by far the better album despite being a commercial failure, having no radio single and being one of the last gasps of '80s rock in the rise of grunge. (It is also, incidentally, the only album I have ever written a term paper about, a record that at this point seems very likely to stand.)
The album is broken into three "sides", labeled "Yours", "Mine", and "The Truth". "Yours" consists of straight, in-your-face hard rock with an ironic and continually undermined warmongering theme throughout. "Rest In Peace" opens with a string motif that gives some hint of things to come, rocks hard, then closes on an acoustic ballad version of itself. "Mine" is a big change of pace, heavy on the acoustic guitars and keyboards and overtly sappy lyrics that would never fit on the first side, before falling into some plaintive spiritual questioning in "God Isn't Dead?" and "Don't Leave Me Alone", setting the stage for side three.
The magnum opus on the album, and ultimately the reason that this rock album out of all the many rock albums in my collection has to make it into my Shelter-In-Place list, is the third "side" of the album, which consists of a single three-part song Everything Under the Sun. I have to admit that I love my 20-minute songs, as can probably be seen by my earlier selections of Pink Floyd and Rush (though neither of those albums have a 20-minute epic), and this one is probably my all-time favorite, alternately combining rock, piano, and a 70-piece orchestra in a song about trying to find spiritual meaning in life that perhaps has as many questions as answers but ultimately feels fulfilling anyway. It begins with the theme of the third part being played on a music box before diving into the song itself, finally rising to a conclusion where all three chorus parts are overlaid before collapsing back into the opening music box.
Seeing as none of my picks appear to be in danger of being taken, I'm really trying to pick my 20 favorite records without repeating artists or choosing anything that sounds similar to another one of my picks. I've been playing many of my records and it's getting very hard to choose one over another. But when I put on Dome's first record, it just felt oh so right. Dome is a project by Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis, who are most notably members of a very prominent band that played a role in elevating punk music to new artistic heights. Apparently Bruce and Graham wanted to take their experimentation even further, and thus Dome was born. Their sound is marked by a mixture of electronic and rock elements, using lo-fi and ambient sounds, and a variety of experimental techniques. Dome is their first record and is probably their most out there.
Tracklist
01 - Cancel Your Order
02 - Cruel When Complete
03 - And Then...
04 - Here We Go
05 - Rolling Upon My Day
06 - Say Again
07 - Linasixup
08 - Airmail
09 - Ampnoise
10 - Madmen
Tracklist
01 - Cancel Your Order
02 - Cruel When Complete
03 - And Then...
04 - Here We Go
05 - Rolling Upon My Day
06 - Say Again
07 - Linasixup
08 - Airmail
09 - Ampnoise
10 - Madmen
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Jimmy Smith - Root Down (1972)
(https://www.allmusic.com/album/root-down-mw0000609570)
01. Sagg Shootin His Arrow
02. For Everyone Under the Sun
03. After Hours
04. Root Down (And Get It)
05. Let's Stay Together
06. Slow Down Sagg
In the course of human history, I regard the invention of one musical instrument to be on par with such pillars of civilization as the wheel, the architectural arch, and the personal computer. That's right I'm talking about the Hammond B3 organ! A mad scientist's fever dream collision of a piano with a clockwheel, harnessing the power of electricity to bring its hulking form shudderingly to life, the electric organ defined the sound of live jazz in the 60s and 70s before snaking it's way into every other musical style. It's an instrument that is as at home in a church as it is in a jazz club or on the stage of a rock festival. Nothing else sounds like it. Aside from maybe a drum kit, nothing else plays like it either. It's many keys, tone bars, pedals, and switches require four limbs and your full attention. You don't so much play it as grab hold and hang on for dear life.
(https://www.allmusic.com/album/root-down-mw0000609570)
01. Sagg Shootin His Arrow
02. For Everyone Under the Sun
03. After Hours
04. Root Down (And Get It)
05. Let's Stay Together
06. Slow Down Sagg
One of the musicians most responsible for spreading the gospel of the Hammond organ to an unsuspecting world was Jimmy Smith, a self-taught pianist from the outskirts of Philadelphia who parlayed his organ playing prowess into a studio deal with Blue Note Records before eventually moving out to LA and founding his own jazz club in North Hollywood about 7 miles away from where I live now (sadly it's no longer there, in it's place: an insurance office, of course). This album represents a live session recorded on February 8th, 1972. I'm not familiar with the other musicians credited -- aside from the usual drums, bass, guitar, and organ there's a percussionist and a harmonica player.
There's nothing I can write about this music that would take the place of just stretching out on the couch with the lights out and your favorite cold beverage and letting it dance across your ears. So I'm going to give you a link to the album here (it's not long) and invite you to experience it in full.
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JD McPherson - Signs and Signifiers
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I wanted to have the backend of my draft feature albums that weren't available in 2008 the first go round, or ones that hadn't quite stood the test of time. JD McPherson has been one of my favorite contemporary artists over the last 10 years. I've enjoyed all of his albums so picking his 2010 debut is no slight to the others, it's just the one that I happen to know back to front like no-other. I actually chose to sing a song from a different album at my father's memorial service but I am giving the edge to this one on the strength of both the opener and closing tracks as well as a fantastic cover of Your Love (All That I'm Missing) (a tune by another one of my all time favorite lesser-known acts). Dimes for Nickels is the other song that I absolutely love on this album. JD is keeping the spirit of no-frills rock and roll recording alive and this is a fantastic introduction.
From the record label About the Album
Track List
1. North Side Gal
2. Country Boy
3. Fire Bug
4. Signs & Signifiers
5. Wolf Teeth
6. Scratching Circles
7. A Gentle Awakening
8. Dimes For Nickels
9. B.G.M.O.S.R.N.R.
10. I Can't Complain
11. Your Love (All That I'm Missing)
12. Scandalous
I wanted to have the backend of my draft feature albums that weren't available in 2008 the first go round, or ones that hadn't quite stood the test of time. JD McPherson has been one of my favorite contemporary artists over the last 10 years. I've enjoyed all of his albums so picking his 2010 debut is no slight to the others, it's just the one that I happen to know back to front like no-other. I actually chose to sing a song from a different album at my father's memorial service but I am giving the edge to this one on the strength of both the opener and closing tracks as well as a fantastic cover of Your Love (All That I'm Missing) (a tune by another one of my all time favorite lesser-known acts). Dimes for Nickels is the other song that I absolutely love on this album. JD is keeping the spirit of no-frills rock and roll recording alive and this is a fantastic introduction.
From the record label About the Album
Track List
1. North Side Gal
2. Country Boy
3. Fire Bug
4. Signs & Signifiers
5. Wolf Teeth
6. Scratching Circles
7. A Gentle Awakening
8. Dimes For Nickels
9. B.G.M.O.S.R.N.R.
10. I Can't Complain
11. Your Love (All That I'm Missing)
12. Scandalous
So few slots left...I have some super heavy albums that I love to choose from. Here's one:
Mastodon - Leviathan
1. "Blood and Thunder"
2. "I Am Ahab"
3. "Seabeast"
4. "Island"
5. "Iron Tusk"
6. "Megalodon"
7. "Naked Burn"
8. "Aqua Dementia"
9. "Hearts Alive"
10. "Joseph Merrick" (instrumental)
There are three cover songs on the vinyl box set which are ...epic. Since it's not in the regular release, I won't include them here.
But are they Prog? (no...welll...)
Stoner? (kinda)
Alt metal? (nah)
I feel like Mastodon harkens to back to the day of classic metal. Sure, there's some screaming that goes on, but it's tasteful and honestly, not really "screaming"...just loud. More of a growl, really. There's a departure from this sound in another album that I almost went with because it was a little more "proggy", but I just really love this album from start to finish. Even though it was released in 2004, I feel like it could totally fit into the 70s metal forefront with its Sabbathy vibe.
But not the 80s.
It doesn't fit there at all.
If you're not familiar, I recommend Megaladon as an introduction - it kills! Then I would go with Iron Tusk, which is a pretty straight-ahead metal rocker. Rock Band aficionados might recognize Blood and Thunder. And then a nice peaceful instrumental ditty to close out the album.
Mastodon - Leviathan
1. "Blood and Thunder"
2. "I Am Ahab"
3. "Seabeast"
4. "Island"
5. "Iron Tusk"
6. "Megalodon"
7. "Naked Burn"
8. "Aqua Dementia"
9. "Hearts Alive"
10. "Joseph Merrick" (instrumental)
There are three cover songs on the vinyl box set which are ...epic. Since it's not in the regular release, I won't include them here.
But are they Prog? (no...welll...)
Stoner? (kinda)
Alt metal? (nah)
I feel like Mastodon harkens to back to the day of classic metal. Sure, there's some screaming that goes on, but it's tasteful and honestly, not really "screaming"...just loud. More of a growl, really. There's a departure from this sound in another album that I almost went with because it was a little more "proggy", but I just really love this album from start to finish. Even though it was released in 2004, I feel like it could totally fit into the 70s metal forefront with its Sabbathy vibe.
But not the 80s.
It doesn't fit there at all.
If you're not familiar, I recommend Megaladon as an introduction - it kills! Then I would go with Iron Tusk, which is a pretty straight-ahead metal rocker. Rock Band aficionados might recognize Blood and Thunder. And then a nice peaceful instrumental ditty to close out the album.
So, @Warhawk took an album by P!nk in the third round and, while he didn't explicitly say so, it was strongly implied that he prefers P!nk as a pop/rock singer. It should come as a surprise to no one that I go the other way on that:
P!nk - Can't Take Me Home (2000)
I mean, don't get me wrong: I'm happy that P!nk has found what she considers to be her more authentic voice, and I'm happy that she is more comfortable making the music she's making now, compared to when she started. That said, EYE liked her better when she was more Pop/R&B than Pop/Rock. In fact, and I'm going to be honest here, since I don't watch music videos, when I first heard songs from Can't Take Me Home, and was subsequently told that she was produced by LaFace Records, I just sort of assumed that P!nk was black. Can't Take Me Home was P!nk's solo debut and, like a surprisingly high amount of artists I'm into, I tend to be of the opinion that she peaked with her first album. Personal tastes aside, this is obviously not true, commercially. Hell, her second album had more sales in the US alone, than her first album had worldwide, and her two most recent full-length albums hit Number One on the US Charts, whereas Can't Take Me Home peaked at #26, although it was certified platinum in five countries. Oh well, folks like what they like, I guess.
Track listing (links provided to songs released as singles):
And one more link, to my favorite non-single from the album: "Private Show"
Source: Wikipedia
P!nk - Can't Take Me Home (2000)
I mean, don't get me wrong: I'm happy that P!nk has found what she considers to be her more authentic voice, and I'm happy that she is more comfortable making the music she's making now, compared to when she started. That said, EYE liked her better when she was more Pop/R&B than Pop/Rock. In fact, and I'm going to be honest here, since I don't watch music videos, when I first heard songs from Can't Take Me Home, and was subsequently told that she was produced by LaFace Records, I just sort of assumed that P!nk was black. Can't Take Me Home was P!nk's solo debut and, like a surprisingly high amount of artists I'm into, I tend to be of the opinion that she peaked with her first album. Personal tastes aside, this is obviously not true, commercially. Hell, her second album had more sales in the US alone, than her first album had worldwide, and her two most recent full-length albums hit Number One on the US Charts, whereas Can't Take Me Home peaked at #26, although it was certified platinum in five countries. Oh well, folks like what they like, I guess.
Track listing (links provided to songs released as singles):
- "Split Personality"
- "Hell wit Ya"
- "Most Girls"
- "There You Go"
- "You Make Me Sick"
- "Let Me Let You Know"
- "Love Is Such a Crazy Thing"
- "Private Show"
- "Can't Take Me Home"
- "Stop Falling"
- "Do What U Do"
- "Hiccup"
- "Is It Love"
And one more link, to my favorite non-single from the album: "Private Show"
Source: Wikipedia
Last draft Brick chose another Pink album with a fairly high pick, and thought at the time "huh, that's unexpected."
I have nothing against her. Merely thought her appeal was more niche. In fact, kind of thought her whole schtick was targeting a specific audience burnt-out by or vehemently opposed to the Mickey Mouse Club-alum divas of the late 90s. To learn her career has most assuredly eclipsed them is not necessarily an unwelcome surprise.
Although, of the Moulin Rouge quartet, would not have pegged Pink at the time to become the runaway success 20 years later.
I have nothing against her. Merely thought her appeal was more niche. In fact, kind of thought her whole schtick was targeting a specific audience burnt-out by or vehemently opposed to the Mickey Mouse Club-alum divas of the late 90s. To learn her career has most assuredly eclipsed them is not necessarily an unwelcome surprise.
Although, of the Moulin Rouge quartet, would not have pegged Pink at the time to become the runaway success 20 years later.
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I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that P!nk was the "runaway" success of the four, though I will stipulate that I am surprised that she ended up selling more records than Christina. It wasn't exactly hard to predict that she'd end up outperforming Mya and Lil' Kim, since their appeal doesn't crossover to other demographics in the same way, and Kim isn't exactly a singer, anyway.
I still believe that Christina is a superior singer to P!nk, but I'd submit that her songs could be thought of as more... pedestrian, I guess? But, if they were having one of these IG "battles," and neither of them were performing their own music (say, they were each challenged to go through the same set list of standards), I'm taking Christina, at whatever odds you want to give me.
I still believe that Christina is a superior singer to P!nk, but I'd submit that her songs could be thought of as more... pedestrian, I guess? But, if they were having one of these IG "battles," and neither of them were performing their own music (say, they were each challenged to go through the same set list of standards), I'm taking Christina, at whatever odds you want to give me.
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I didn't even realize P!nk was in that four. ha. I mostly recall that number from karaoke bars of that time period.
The not altogether cynical side of me thinks Brick may have picked albums for post-draft voting purposes (in the original draft I think there were a small handful "trying to win"). If anyone is doing it this go, I wouldn't be able to tell you who.
The not altogether cynical side of me thinks Brick may have picked albums for post-draft voting purposes (in the original draft I think there were a small handful "trying to win"). If anyone is doing it this go, I wouldn't be able to tell you who.
With my 16th pick in the Shelter-In-Place Album draft I select:
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits (1985)
Track Listing
1 So Far Away
2 Money for Nothing
3 Walk of Life
4 Your Latest Trick
5 Why Worry
6 Ride Across the River
7 The Man's Too Strong
8 One World
9 Brothers in Arms
When I was in my early teens, my dad mostly listened to what was even then considered "Classic Rock", but I remember that he would mention basically any time he listened to two comteporary album releases that they were basically "perfect" records. One of those albums I took in the last album draft, the other was this one. While "Money for Nothing" is the big hit and a great song that had a revolutionary video (for the time!), in a lot of ways it's not a great representative for the album or for the band as a whole. Dire Straits pretty much never sounded like "Money for Nothing" - it was a bit of a gimmick song. (It worked.) And while the two other hit singles on the album (both "So Far Away" and "Walk of Life" made the Billboard top 20 in the U.S.) are a bit more representative of the band, the strength of Brothers in Arms is that it is able to blend those hits together with the slower, more introspective style more commonly associated with Dire Straits on the back half of the record. It's tough to pick tracks to highlight, but without worrying myself too much over it, the soothing "Why Worry" and the war-criminal confessional "The Man's Too Strong" are the ones I'm going to go with.
Of course, for the direct link I'm going to pick my favorite song on the album, and that has to be the eponymous closer, in which a dying soldier addresses his comrades over a plaintive guitar. One of my friends also had this album on vinyl, and I think he eventually got tired of me repeatedly dropping the needle back to hear this track again as the record was ending every time he played it. Sorry, Jacob. (And luckily for me, I played the "more interesting visuals" of the single version of the track on YouTube before linking it, because it cuts off the hypnotic two-minute guitar outro for...reasons. This is for listening, not for watching!)
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits (1985)
Track Listing
1 So Far Away
2 Money for Nothing
3 Walk of Life
4 Your Latest Trick
5 Why Worry
6 Ride Across the River
7 The Man's Too Strong
8 One World
9 Brothers in Arms
When I was in my early teens, my dad mostly listened to what was even then considered "Classic Rock", but I remember that he would mention basically any time he listened to two comteporary album releases that they were basically "perfect" records. One of those albums I took in the last album draft, the other was this one. While "Money for Nothing" is the big hit and a great song that had a revolutionary video (for the time!), in a lot of ways it's not a great representative for the album or for the band as a whole. Dire Straits pretty much never sounded like "Money for Nothing" - it was a bit of a gimmick song. (It worked.) And while the two other hit singles on the album (both "So Far Away" and "Walk of Life" made the Billboard top 20 in the U.S.) are a bit more representative of the band, the strength of Brothers in Arms is that it is able to blend those hits together with the slower, more introspective style more commonly associated with Dire Straits on the back half of the record. It's tough to pick tracks to highlight, but without worrying myself too much over it, the soothing "Why Worry" and the war-criminal confessional "The Man's Too Strong" are the ones I'm going to go with.
Of course, for the direct link I'm going to pick my favorite song on the album, and that has to be the eponymous closer, in which a dying soldier addresses his comrades over a plaintive guitar. One of my friends also had this album on vinyl, and I think he eventually got tired of me repeatedly dropping the needle back to hear this track again as the record was ending every time he played it. Sorry, Jacob. (And luckily for me, I played the "more interesting visuals" of the single version of the track on YouTube before linking it, because it cuts off the hypnotic two-minute guitar outro for...reasons. This is for listening, not for watching!)
Based on the tastes of the majority of the participants, if I thought that anybody were "playing to win," I'd probably guess @Capt. Factorial. His draft board looks like it most closely resembles what you'd get if the program director of a classic rock station designed an AI to create an algorithm to create the ideal set list. 
I'd put @Cojc at a close second, for "playing to win" factor. In a way, they're probably both lucky that this isn't a serpentine draft.
EDIT - Actually, now that I think about it, Cojc's list looks a little more "Classic Rock Set List, Generated by an AI" than Capt.'s does, thanks to the Weird Al curveball. Even Cojc's curveballs rate high on the "I don't usually listen to that kind of music, but..." scale.
I'd put @Cojc at a close second, for "playing to win" factor. In a way, they're probably both lucky that this isn't a serpentine draft.
EDIT - Actually, now that I think about it, Cojc's list looks a little more "Classic Rock Set List, Generated by an AI" than Capt.'s does, thanks to the Weird Al curveball. Even Cojc's curveballs rate high on the "I don't usually listen to that kind of music, but..." scale.
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Based on the tastes of the majority of the participants, if I thought that anybody were "playing to win," I'd probably guess @Capt. Factorial. His draft board looks like it most closely resembles what you'd get if the program director of a classic rock station designed an AI to create an algorithm to create the ideal set list.
I'd put @Cojc at a close second, for "playing to win" factor. In a way, they're probably both lucky that this isn't a serpentine draft.
I'd put @Cojc at a close second, for "playing to win" factor. In a way, they're probably both lucky that this isn't a serpentine draft.
@Cojc's looks like my friends that had older step-siblings album collections. The ones who introduced us to good music in 2nd grade and bought us cheap beer in high school. If Cap was playing to win he stopped at Weird Al