Listen Up: Classic Artist of the Week • Page 3

Mid-week bump for anyone who wants to join in the conversation. Join us in the Stevie Wonder thread!

 

Elton John

The Rocket Man. Everyone knows he’s a hit factory. Everyone’s heard the soundtracks. Everyone’s seen the outfits. But what not everyone remembers is that from 1970-1975, he churned out nine classic records, a live album, a greatest hits, and a soundtrack. For a half-decade, there was nobody on Elton’s level of consistently excellent music being churned out at dizzying speed. Anything that he worked on with his classic band (Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Davey Johnstone) and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin is essential listening.


Recommended Listen:
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Crash Course:
1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
2. Honky Chateau
3. Tumbleweed Connection


Compilation Replacement:
Greatest Hits: 1970-2002


Signature Songs:
1. “Your Song”
2. “Tiny Dancer”
3. “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)”
4. “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”
5. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”


Personal Note:
I would make Honky Chateau the recommended listen based on personal taste, but the double album is definitely considered the consensus for his best. Similarly with the signature songs, I would be much more likely to select album cuts like “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”, “Indian Sunset”, “Sixty Years On” or “Amy”, but wanted to try and stay objective. Definitely dig beyond the stuff listed here and you won't be disappointed. If you already know his 70s stuff well and you’re curious about his 80s period, Too Low for Zero would be the place to start.

 

Oh shit! Bless you for throwing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" in there. My favorite.

 

Yes, I was hoping he'd be on the agenda

 

This will give me a chance to talk about my love for Madman Across the Water!

 

Also, how much resolve is it taking for Chris not to pick Billy Joel yet? I look forward to that week, whenever it happens.

 

I feel like Sunday's pick might be testing some open-mindedness and curiosity. Not sure many people take the artist/band seriously. Hopefully people are down to follow some different paths.

 

Very excited.

 

Should we guess? Sonny and Cher? Hall and Oates? Journey?

 

Two of those are totally happening eventually.

 

Which one isn't? Is it Journey?

 

Sonny and Cher. I don't know them well enough nor do they seem to have too many albums rated well

Journey, however, rule

 

ABBA
The Swedish hit machines. Starting with winning the Eurovision song contest, they were off and running on a world-dominating run of success. Their American reputation was never burnished with much cred but they combined an unerring nose for pop hooks with considerable ambitions and some of the cleanest, most detailed production of the era. Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson weren’t necessarily heralded for it, but were excellent songwriters and even better arrangers and knew how to write perfectly for their wives, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Their early records had a giddy joy of making great pop music, and as their marriages crumbled, the songs began to incorporate more personal and occasionally darker-tinged aspects.

Recommended Listen:
ABBA: The Album

Crash Course:
1. ABBA: The Album
2. The Visitors
3. Waterloo

Compilation Replacement:
ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits

Signature Songs:
1. “Waterloo”
2. “Mamma Mia”
3. “Dancing Queen”
4. “Knowing Me, Knowing You”
5. “The Winner Takes It All”

Personal Note:
A lot of sources put Arrival as their album to listen to, but I made an executive decision to try and represent them faithfully, but by all means listen to that one, too. They’re another band where most of my favorites are not on the signature list (“One Man, One Woman”, “Suzy Hangaround”, “When All Is Said and Done”, “On and On and On”), so their album tracks are definitely worth exploring. They could be dorky occasionally, but if you can embrace that, they have an incredibly unique sound and exceptional arrangement and production.

 

I feel like this is the week to remind everyone that it's okay for an artist we do to not be your jam. As long as you go in with an open mind and give it a shot, that's what matters.

I'm going to pick artists I don't love eventually too, but I'll know a little more and have experienced a little more and will be able to talk with actual knowledge after listening to them seriously that week.

 

I'm so excited about this you have no idea

 

You weren't kidding! I don't like the two songs I've heard from them, but I'll check them out. My introduction to them was The A*Teens, so.

 

I have never actually heard a full record of theirs, but I did see the touring production of Mamma Mia once.

 

subbin

don't know anything about ABBA but I'll check out chris' post

 

Hah you're probably not alone. And you may not like them much after you're done. Or maybe you will. Or maybe you'll love a few songs and not have them be an album band. Either way you'll know a little more and have experienced another pocket of music. And that's what it's all about

 

I think you might be surprised hearing them outside of their singles.

Basically what we're doing is just...listen to them that week. There are a lot of options there if you want to sample an album, do a comp, really hear a chunk of their stuff or just sample some songs. Whatever is your speed, listen and discuss and add to the conversation.

 

Thank you for pointing out what my corny 90s/00s pop contribution to Chris' throwback discussion posts will be

 

Sigh

 

Sometimes I think it's a miracle we're best friends

 

You go along with me constantly hounding you about music from the 40s to last week. That earns pretty broad leeway, kid

 

My mom very much enjoys Abba.