Listen Up: Classic Artist of the Week • Page 11

That's awesome, man. Eva was always one I could reliably nag into a listen every week til she went on tour, so I'm assuming she was a positive influence. Lol

 

haha idk what the artist was that week cause we were too busy jamming to Ariana Grande and Tegan and Sara in that van.

Oh also I think she mentioned this to you, but my friend Tawni and I love that Hailey, It Happens EP and still spin it regularly. Looking forward to hearing more from that project.

 

She did mention it. That means a lot, man.

The s/t has been a bit of a process to say the least, but it should be out by the end of the summer and I honestly believe anyone who's liked any of our older stuff is going to think it's worth the wait. I'm so proud of it

 

I'll keep an eye/ear out for it!
and if you guys are ever out this way and need a show or place to stay just inbox me and I could help get something set up. I do a decent amount of booking around town for touring friends and have an extra bed here for people who are passing through.

 

If anyone's been listening, don't forget to post your thoughts in the Spinners thread. The more voices the better

 

The Cure
Goth-rock, post-punk, new wave, proto-emo, whatever you want to call them, The Cure were pioneers. Without a doubt one of Britain's most influential exports (and that's saying something), they outlasted people who pegged them as mopey music for sad teenagers to enjoy lasting influence and respect, and eventually racked up a bunch of hits on the way.

Recommended Listen:
Disintegration

Crash Course:
1. Disintegration
2. Pornography
3. The Head on the Door

Compilation Replacement:
Galore: The Singles 1987-1997

Signature Songs:
1. "Boys Don't Cry"
2. "Just Like Heaven"
3. "Friday I'm in Love"
4. "Lovesong"
5. "Pictures of You"

Personal Note:
Full disclosure: just about everyone has heard more Cure than I have. I only have two record from them. So I'm sure everyone has other favorites, but I picked 3 albums I know are widely loved and assembled 5 songs that even I knew as a neophyte. Don't stone me. I'm excited to get to know them better.

 

And here's the thread:

Band - The Cure

 

Pat Benatar
The undisputed queen of 80s hard rock and, pound-for-pound, as technically gifted a singer as there was in the decade. She had a run of five (six as some count it) killer albums to kick of her career and has kept on touring and recording into her 60s. Her relationship with husband/guitarist Neil Giraldo is also a benchmark to shoot for in maintaining a long-term person and professional partnership, too. Everyone knows the singles, but dig a little deeper and there's some really terrific hard rock and synth-pop to discover.

Recommended Listen:
Crimes of Passion

Crash Course:
1. Crimes of Passion
2. Precious Time
3. Tropico

Compilation Replacement:
Best Shots

Signature Songs:
1. "Heartbreaker"
2. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"
3. "Shadows of the Night"
4. "Love Is a Battlefield"
5. "We Belong"

Personal Note:
Most of her albums have at least one goofy weirdo song ("Evil Genius"/"My Clone Sleeps Alone") but are otherwise excellent. Her whole band is good, but pay particular attention to Neil Giraldo's guitar playing once in awhile. Easily one of my favorite guitarists of all time. He's always memorable/hummable in his solos (a must for me) but also brings in little avant-garde touches where he's working more with noise/sounds than actual notes (i.e. "Shadows of the Night"). I could definitely have included Get Nervous or In the Heat of the Night here, but I think if you're only going to hear three, I stand behind the ones I picked. Seven the Hard Way and Wide Awake in Dreamland are also completely worth the listen, just not quite on the same plane.

 

And the thread:

Band - Pat Benatar

 

Who's on the agenda for this week, @cshadows2887 ?

 

Paul McCartney
The "cute one". A Beatle. Macca. Sir Paul. Whatever you call him, he's one of the most consequential musicians in the history of popular music. He doesn't really need any introduction here.

Recommended Listen:
Ram

Crash Course:
1. Ram
2. Band on the Run
3. Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard

Compilation Replacement:
Wingspan

Personal Note:
I just saw him last night, so selfishly, he's all I really want to listen to this week. I'm including stuff he did with Wings because with the exception of an album or two it was almost entirely him with some vocals from Linda and Denny Laine. There is a LOT to discover with him. London Town is one of my top 2 McCartney albums, but probably not considered as "essential" and has him nailing soft rock. If you like the homespun feel of Ram, it'd be worth checking out McCartney and Wild Life. If you are into the "70s rock" vibes of Band on the Run, then Venus and Mars and Red Rose Speedway are great listens. If you want to hear him in full 80s mode, Press to Play is underrated. If you like weirdo experimentation, McCartney II is the way to go. And if you like late-career records, Memory Almost Full and New are vital releases. Also don't forget to venture into non album tracks like the magnificent "Mull of Kintyre" or his first hit "Another Day"

 

And the thread:
Band - Paul McCartney

 

Honestly nobody seemed to be listening anymore so I was debating stopping, but fuck it why not

 

Well I really enjoy them! I basically only post in these threads anymore ha. Maybe McCartney being a "big" artist will encourage more people to join in this week.

 

I haven't been good about commenting but I have been listening again the last few weeks. I'm enjoying Pat Benatar , who I probably would not have checked out otherwise

 

I'm trying to be better about contributing and I appreciate the effort

 

I feel like this came off more pity-party than I meant it to. Haha

As long as I know people still want me to do it, I'm happy to do it every week. I just wasn't sure if anyone still wanted me to or not.

 

I haven't been keeping up the way I would like, but I will say that your weekly posts are on my radar and that I find them really useful as "starters" for certain artists. Even though I didn't get to it that week, your post on Nina Simone finally gave me the push to really start listening to her, especially with the "Crash Course" list. Those are really helpful, actually. (Of course, I'm more of a lurker than an active contributor on here, so take that as you will.)

 

Yeah I think at the very least the OPs are a super useful resource. Pretty ideal way to get into an artist.

 

I am very much in accord with the previous two posts

 

All I need to hear. I'll keep 'em coming. Feel free to suggest artists or eras or genres you'd want to see represented. I try to keep time period, style, gender, etc. varied as much as I can.

 

Just so everyone knows I'm taking one week off because I'm out of town and this is hard to do on mobile. I'll have a new one on Sunday.

Catch up on an artist you missed this week

 

Sammy Davis, Jr.
"Mr. Show Business." Member of the Rat Pack. Or as he sometimes liked to call himself "the only Puerto Rican, black, one-eyed Jewish entertainer in the world." Sammy may have had the purest vocal skills of the Rat Pack (yes, even surpassing Sinatra). But that was only one facet of his gift. He could dance. He could tell stories. He was a terrific impressionist. All of which is on display depending on where you go in his catalog. You can't go wrong being pulled in by any facet of the Wham of Sam.

Recommended Listen:
At the Coconut Grove

Crash Course:
1. At the Coconut Grove
2. Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays
3. What Kind of Fool Am I and Other Favorites

Compilation Replacement:
The Definitive Collection

Signature Songs:
1. "What Kind of Fool Am I"
2. "Begin the Beguine"
3. "As Long As She Needs Me"
4. "I Gotta Be Me"
5. "The Candy Man"

Personal Note:
It was incredibly hard to make album picks for such a multifaceted artist. I went with At the Coconut Grove not because it represents his highest high, but because it gives you the most complete picture of all his talents. I think Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays is his masterpiece, showing what he could do when he was in a more serious jazz mood (Mood to Be Wooed hits that spot, too). What Kind of Fool Am I is a good example of his more grab-bag albums, where everything is good, but there's no discernable musical thread and he covers show-tunes, torch songs, percussion-driven numbers, dramatic ballads and an occasionally lighthearted, silly song. As Long As She Needs Me is another quality listen if you like his more varied sound, as is If I Ruled the World. Also worth giving a spin: his lone album for Motown, updated with the Funk Brothers and a bit of swingin' 60s called (appropriately) Something for Everyone and his excellent collaboration with Count Basie, Our Shining Hour. Throw out your preconceptions of the man and poke around in his catalog. He really was a gifted talent.

 

And the thread:
Band - Sammy Davis, Jr.

 

Jorge Ben
In honor of a Brazilian Olympics, a Brazilian legend. Aligned somewhat with Tropicalia, and mixing samba, funk, rock and bossa nova, there's so much to explore and love in his sound.

Recommended Listen:
A Tabua de Esmeralda

Crash Course:
1. A Tabua de Esmeralda
2. Forca Bruta
3. Africa Brasil

Compilation Replacement:
Minha Historia

Personal Note:
Hardly an expert here, but the 3 in the crash course are legitimately wonderful. Jorge Ben from 1969 is a bit tamer and less ambitious, but still really wonderful. And Gil e Jorge is a little long for me, but also thrillingly improvisational and exciting. If you find any other treasures in his catalog, speak right up and educate everyone (myself included).