Listen Up: Classic Artist of the Week

So to try and spur discussion and help everybody explore more music, I thought we could start a new project.

Every week (likely on Sunday), a new classic artist will be chosen and there will be a post introducing them. That post will include:
- A brief blurb about them
- A "recommended listen" album that seems to be a consensus place to start
- A 3-album "crash course" for people who want to dig a bit deeper
- A well-regarded compilation, for those who want an overview
- A few "essential tracks" for people who really just want to test the water

You can pick any one of those options, or just explore whatever draws your interest most for the artist/band. The whole point is just that everyone engages with/explores that artist's music and discusses it.

We'll put the discussion of that artist in their own thread, which should get those threads jump started for the new site, so people coming along later will have plenty to guide them. As we move forward, I'll take people's suggestions for artists to cover and work them in eventually.

I have a lot of hope for this. Happy listening.




Week #1: Stevie Wonder
(3/13/16)
Week #2: Elton John
(3/20/16)
Week #3: ABBA
(3/27)
Week #4: Nina Simone
(4/3)
Week 5: Merle Haggard
(4/10)
Week 6: Thin Lizzy
(4/17)
Week 7: Prince
(4/24)
Week 8: Gordon Lightfoot
(5/1)
Week 9: Otis Redding
(5/8)
Week 10: The Supremes
(5/15)
Week 11: Bill Evans
(5/22)
Week 12: Aerosmith
(5/29)
Week 13: Harry Belafonte
(6/5)
Week 14: Queen
(6/12)
Week 15: 'Til Tuesday
(6/19)
Week 16: The Spinners
(6/26)
Week 17: The Cure
(7/3)
Week 18: Pat Benatar
(7/10)
Week 19: Paul McCartney
(7/17)
Week 20: Sammy Davis, Jr.
(7/31)
Week 21: Jorge Ben
(8/7)
Week 22: Sam Cooke
(8/14)
Week 23: Steely Dan
(8/21)
Week 24: Leonard Cohen
(9/18)
Week 25: The Allman Brothers Band
(9/26)
Week 26: Heart
(10/2)

 

sunday is a good day for this, great idea!

 

I am all about this. You're one of my favorite people to talk about music with, so I'm excited to start having those conversations with some extra people sharing their thoughts!

 

First post will go up on Sunday, but a few guidelines:

- Try not to assume that anyone has heard anything before. Let's try to be inclusive and not make people feel left out for what they have or haven't heard.
- It's easy to go in with preconceptions, but I won't be posting any artists with the assumption that they'll be "guilty pleasures". If that's what they are for you in the end, great. But I plan on going in to each week giving the artist an honest listen, and hope you do, too.
- Don't worry about posting too much. Give a play by play when you listen. Talk about one song every day. Post cool facts you wiki'd about them or personal stories of how you heard about them from your mom. The more discussion, and the more variety of discussion the better.

 

Yeah keeping an open mind on all fronts of this (people having not heard stuff, having written a and off after hearing only 3 songs, etc.) is going to be key to this being a lot of fun

 

this could be interesting. I don't listen to nearly enough older music

 

That was part of my impetus for this. It seemed to me like people were fairly open to older music, but just didn't always think to listen to it or have the inspiration to go seek it out. Thought something like this might help.

 

sub

off topic but now that i remember, could you and i do this for older movies actually...? i literally don't know ANYONE besides you (and family duh) that has watched anything pre-70s. and you know how i feel about older movies haha

hmmm. i mean. i know they're not as easily accessible. i'm not sure what's on netflix/amazon prime. now i feel a bit depressed. haha.

 

Maybe eventually yeah. I'd like to focus on this first. But I think a classic movie of the month could be cool. One a week might be hard to keep up with.

 

Lead me into the promised land of milk and honey and great music I'm sure to have missed out on, @cshadows2887

 

Wow I need this. So down.

 

Suuubbbin'

 

I'm in.

 

@brandon_260 has been something kind of like this on AP

 

There is already a Film Club on AP started by @brandon_260 and we are planning to move it over once everyone is here. It isn't exclusively old movies, but so far it mostly has been



EDIT: oops, beat me to it

 

also yes, I am def down for this

 

I'm definitely into this. Sign me up!

 

I'm so happy that everyone seems positive about this. Cheerleading for classic music is such a huge passion of mine, and everyone is going to bring their own insights to these albums and that makes me so excited.

 

Plus, it helps that when I've checked out artists you've advocated for, I've really enjoyed them! Your track record is stellar.

 

Looking forward to this.

 

1. Thank you. Blushing.

2. What artists does that include?

 

Definitely Warren Zevon, for one. And Prince, although that was also the result of a bunch of users I respect gushing about him.

 

This makes me feel like I've accomplished something more than 3 years of teaching has. Haha

 

You've done good! Also, fingers crossed for a Paul Simon week. Mostly so I can talk endlessly about Graceland, haha.

 

I'll take suggestions for sure. Some will probably be ones I was already planning. Some I'll put on a list as future options.