Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine So, what are you listening to?

When it's Oldies Time at our house, it's usually mr_cleome's fault:

Slowly getting the Discworld series on cd. You can read his stuff and see clearly the explainations for why and how people act the way they do right now in this current climate.

As well, Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger series as I sloooooowly collect it.

What I think makes this song great is that, while love IS obviously the answer, the lyrics totally honest about how difficult it can be in practice. Another reminder of Todd's songwriting genius (BTW, he's celebrating his 70th birthday this coming June. Will I be starting a new thread to celebrate the occasion? Oh, yes.)

Love this song! I agree about the honesty of the lyrics.

It was a hit for England Dan & John Ford Coley in 1979 (US # 10). I didn't even know about the Utopia version until a few months ago.

Thanks, He Who, for the kind words and for the link to the more well-known version of that song.

I like that version perfectly well, and I'm glad it got a Rundgren-penned song on the radio (IIRC, Todd R burned a lot bridges with radio programmers around the middle of the 70s.) But even though Dan & John are technically better singers than Todd, I do think his vocal has more passion and raw emotion to it.

Rundgren's version comes across as more ethereal and "arty" to me (nothing wrong with either). ED & JFC were the acceptable voices of mainstream pop radio in the late '70s. They were as middle of the road and white bread as you could get. That said, I like Dan's vocal performance here. He puts in a lot of passion as the song builds.

I know I'm making my biggest effort yet at keeping negativity in my posts at a minimum, but I can't hold back on this (though I'll keep it brief.)

"Green Light," Lorde's long, long, LONG-awaited official new single (not counting "Magnets," by Disclosure, on which she was technically a featured guest), is, IMHO, bloody awful. "Green Cheese," more like. Gives me flashbacks to the very worst of Alanis Morrissette.

And I really liked both "Magnets" and her moderate hit single "Team" a lot, so I had hopes...

Now I'll stop, so that you can all judge for yourselves:

Oh, and before anyone asks what I think of "Royals," see below:

On March 25th of this year, Elton John will be turning 70.

It's all too easy to take him for granted. I certainly have gone through extended patches of listening to very little of his work.

But in recent months, I've been spinning a lot of his stuff, particularly the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" double-length album, which IMHO would have been his best if it had been five tracks shorter, and if the sequencing had been different.

So here's an alternate sequencing I came up with for the album, and, to reiterate, with 12 tracks rather than 17:

1. "SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING"
2. "ROY ROGERS"
3. "I'VE SEEN THAT MOVIE, TOO"
4. "SWEET PAINTED LADY"
5. "THE BALLAD OF DANNY BAILEY (1909-34)"
6. "YOUR SISTER CAN'T TWIST (BUT SHE CAN ROCK 'N ROLL")"
7. "GREY SEAL"
8. "FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND/LOVE LIES BLEEDING"
9. "GOODBYE, YELLOW BRICK ROAD"
10. "CANDLE IN THE WIND"
11. "BENNIE AND THE JETS"
12. "HARMONY"

"Steal Away" by Rob Dupree. I heard it on the radio and it haunts me occasionally. I am starting to hate the formality in "mature" adult relationships.

That takes me way back...to my late teens and early 20s, when I was retreating from "mall-ternative" rock and prefab rap, and seeking refuge in the soft rock and pure pop of my childhood. Of course, the difference the 2nd time was, I was actually paying attention to the lyrics -- and relating to them.

Good times, good times. Thanks, Emily.

HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY, ELTON JOHN!

I'll be posting videos and thoughts on him off-and-on all day.

I'm starting with the ONLY ONE of his truckloads of early-to-mid-70s US Top 10 hits that NEVER gets spun on either oldies stations or classic rock stations, even though I think it's one of his very best songs ever! Pay close attention to the lyrics and you'll see why I 'd have loved to hear Axl Rose in his prime sing this song. Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, "HONKY CAT":

One of my goals with this Elton John 70th Birthday Tribute is to avoid the most obvious, and most overspun by radio, songs, in favor of illuminating other sides of his artistry.

With that in mind, here's one of my favorite EJ deep-cuts of all time, from his breakthrough self-titled album, released in 1970:

Like a lot of showbiz survivors, EJ has been quite savvy at adjusting his style to fit the moment, but unlike some lesser artists, he's never forgotten that a decent tune and a good beat take priority over a desperate grab for street cred.

That said, his next album, "Tumbleweed Connection," is one of his most dated, being as I think it is an over-deliberate pastiche of one of his biggest influences of the time, the roots-rock icons known as The Band. OTOH, the closing track, "Burn Down the Mission," does come pretty darn close to capturing some of his heroes' woodsy flavor, and it has one of his lifelong collaborator Bernie Taupin more pointed set of lyrics:

Guitarist and singer Aiko Shimada (still living in Seattle, last I heard) only made a few CDs. But most are small gems, especially her last to date: Like Hannah.

They're not easy to describe, and if a major label tried to package her as either the usual Adult Contemporary lady singer-songwriter or peddler of New Agey-World stuff, listeners would probably be confused and disappointed. Her lyrics are sparse and mysterious, and the unconventional arrangements on discs like Another Full Moon often create a sense of alienation and even occasional menace that make them linger in my mind for hours afterwards. Still waters, and all that.

https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/aiko

EJ's fourth album, "Madman Across the Water," is arguably his most consistently rocking album, and having wisely decided to dispose of the cornball Bad Hollywood Western Movie trappings of "Tumbleweed Connection," it holds up as a decent, if samey-sounding, platter of earthy early-70s rock.

Ironically, the original 9-minute version of the title track was actually recorded during the "Tumbleweed" sessions, with one of my favorite guitarists of that generation, MICK RONSON, shredding like there's no tomorrow. The version they went with is perfectly good, but the Ronson one...WOW.



And here's an actual track from "Madman", and a very good one:

I am listening to wrestling themes. I am currently listening to Edge's theme.

Gaining new appreciation for Bernardo Lanzetti:

Black in Black? Overfamiliar.

For Those About to Rock? Overproduced.

Flick of the Switch? Most underrated hard rock album of the 80s. AC/DC shoulda called it Back to Basics. 'Cause that's what it was...in the best way!

Now turn up them speakers!

Was feeling nostalgic for the early 2000s today