Listen Up: Classic Artist of the Week • Page 10

I honestly think Rocks is worth a spin for anyone as a complete thought, but if you know for sure you don't like them, then no sense wasting your time.

 

It may just be that I wore out a lot of their more popular songs. I'll give it a go

 

I'm not like a crazy huge Aerosmith fan, but my favorite song by them is "Angel". I remember seeing that video on MTV when I was really young. And I go nuts whenever I hear "dude looks like a lady", I love that song!

 

I listened to Rocks yesterday and couldn't really get into it

 

Harry Belafonte
Harry was many things: activist, actor, but most of all, he was a musician. He was one of the most vocal and crucial advocates of folk music, making use of the archives of the Library of Congress to build a repertoire of music from around the world. He single-handedly introduced calypso music to the American public, making Calypso the first album to ever sell a million copies in its first year and his Belafonte at Carnegie Hall was the first commercial and artistically successful live album outside of comedy. If you only know him from his beef with Jay-Z or Beetle Juice, I envy your discovery.

Recommended Listen:
Calypso

Crash Course:
1. Calypso
2. Belafonte at Carnegie Hall
3. Sings the Blues

Compilation Replacement:
The Essential Harry Belafonte

Signature Songs:
1. "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)"
2. "Jamaica Farewell"
3. "Jump in the Line"
4. "Midnight Special"
5. "Shenandoah"

Personal Note:
I went with Calypso because it's his biggest and has the song everyone knows best, but Carnegie may actually be the most complete picture of everything he did so well. Because he was so interested in various musical traditions, there are so many options I could have gone with for the third. My Lord What a Mornin' is probably the best of the rest, collecting Negro spirituals performed with so much passion and soul. Jump Up Calypso is killer but mines the calypso genre further. Swing Dat Hammer is a fantastic collection of chain gang work songs. Many Moods of Harry Belafonte is a great pop collection. An Evening with is a great mixture of folk styles. There are just untold riches in his catalog right up to his collaborations with international artists like Miriam Makeba and Nana Mouskouri or his final album, the protest record Paradise in Gazankulu.

 

And the thread:
Band - Harry Belafonte

 

Decided to pick him this week after seeing this picture in a memorial slideshow:

 

At my buddy's bachelor party so I may not be able to update until later tomorrow. Take the extra time to listen to Harry Belafonte though. Listen to more than one of his. You won't be disappointed

 

Queen:
A band that is both massively adored and still somehow enigmatic, Queen were one of the most innovative rock bands of the '70s. They covered a myriad of sounds and styles, still managing to score a consistent string of hits that remain in heavy rotation today. Freddie Mercury gets all the press, and certainly deserves it as one of rock's most magnetic and flamboyant frontmen. But the detailed layers of guitars with impeccable tone from Brian May, the high harmonies of Roger Taylor and the low-key funkiness of John Deacon were just as essential a part of their greatness.

Recommended Listen:
A Night at the Opera

Crash Course:
1. A Night at the Opera
2. Sheer Heart Attack
3. Jazz

Compilation Replacement:
Greatest Hits (1981)

Signature Songs:
1. "Bohemian Rhapsody"
2. "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions"
3. "Another One Bites the Dust"
4. "Fat Bottomed Girls"
5. "Somebody to Love"

Personal Note:
While I know quite a lot of their songs, the three in the crash course are the only proper albums I've heard, so there's a chance I might be missing one of their best.

 

The thread:

Band - Queen

Really sorry it's so late this week, guys. Been both busy and a bit of a rough few days.

 

Sweet. I have The Game on vinyl but haven't listened to any of their other albums. Bout time I venture outside the compilations

 

Listened to almost all their albums in succession over the last few years. The debut is insanely good and almost every after is hot fire. Great band

 

There's real love in me for Innuendo, now it's time to take a dive into the rest.

 

Feel free to post in the band's thread. Might give some people guidance on exploring

 

I'll hop in tomorrow and see what I can add

 

'Til Tuesday
Primarily known as a "one hit wonder" (ugh...that term) or the band who spawned Aimee Mann, 'Til Tuesday had a short run as one of the best bands of the '80s. Mann's excellent songwriting (and bass playing!) were evident right from the start, and the band parlayed winning WBCN's famed Rock and Roll Rumble battle of the bands into a record deal and a killer debut album with the definitive hit, "Voices Carry". Over a short career together, the band grew and matured at a remarkable rate, issuing three absolutely essential full-lengths.

Recommended Listen:
Welcome Home

Crash Course:
1. Welcome Home
2. Voices Carry
3. Everything's Different Now

Compilation Replacement:
Coming Up Close: A Retrospective

Signature Songs:
1. "Voices Carry"
2. "Looking Over My Shoulder"
3. "You Know the Rest"
4. "Coming Up Close"
5. "What About Love"

Personal Note:
They only had a 3-album career, so not much curating was necessary there. I left (marginally) more popular songs like "Love in a Vacuum" and "Believed You Were Lucky" to include the amazing "You Know the Rest", though leaving out "Lover's Day" and "Why Must I" was tough. Seriously just listen to all 3. Their career was so short and so consistently excellent.

 

Band thread:

Band - 'Til Tuesday

 

I completely flunked the Queen week, sorry Chris! Busy week at work and so I haven't really listened to any music at all this week. I'll try and check out at least one album at some point this week though.

I have never heard of this group before, which is kind of exciting. I'll make sure I find the time this week.

 

The Spinners
Despite forming in Detroit, The Spinners are the quintessential Philly Soul group. From the moment magnetic lead singer Philippe Wynne joined the band and they hooked up with legendary producer Thom Bell, they became the peak of the lush, romantic and heartfelt Philadelphia subset of soul music and churned out a staggering string of hits and killer records.

Recommended Listen:
The Spinners

Crash Course:
1. The Spinners
2. Pick of the Litter
3. Mighty Love

Compilation Replacement:
One of a Kind Love Affair: The Anthology

Signature Songs:
1. "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"
2. "I'll Be Around"
3. "They Just Can't Stop It (The Games People Play)"
4. "Then Came You"
5. "The Rubberband Man"

Personal Note:
I know Spo will riot at not selecting Pick of the Litter (which is also outstanding) but the s/t, in my opinion, is even more solid as a record and contains so many of their signature songs that it's a no brainer. All of the crash course albums are phenomenal, but if you want to dig further their run of greatness also includes 2nd Time Around and New and Improved.

 

And here's the thread:

Band - The Spinners

 

I'm really hoping I'll have more time this week to listen to these. The last two weeks have been pretty chocka with work and other stuff going on.

I like the Spinners a lot, and I haven't heard any of their later career stuff, so hopefully I'll find the time to hear a few this week. I'm a fan of all the records in the OP.

 

Cool thread

 

I love your willingness to go outside a band's prime without hesitation to see what gold you can sieve out of that river

 

Please by all means give things a listen and chime in. The more people listening or discussing the better

 

Going to try to get to this in time. I really love the Classic Artist idea and just haven't been able to keep up. Did listen to a Till Tuesday album last week that I really enjoyed though.