Friday, March 20, 2015

Weekend Listomania's Greatest Hits: Special Brevity is the Soul of Wit Edition)

[This one originally ran in 2009, which for some reason now lost in the mists of time was the high point of my I Hate Smashing Pumpkins period. In any case, I've done a little rewriting, added a new entry, and most important changed some of the permissible parameters, if you will pardon the alliteration. Please enjoy, if at all possible.

Oh, and I'll have something to say about the sad news regarding the Left Banke's Michael Brown on Monday. --S.S.]

Best or Worst Post-Elvis Song or Record With a One Word Title!!!

Self-explanatory, I think, but I should add that any one word title comprised of the names of men and women or those of geographical places is disqualified. So, fuck you, CSNY and "Ohio." Blow me, Sue Thompson and "Norman."


Okay, with that out of the way here's my totally top of my head Top Ten:

10. Collective Soul -- Gel



A great kick-ass rock song featuring a lead singer who I always found charmingly unhinged. Plus, let's face it, "Let's gel" is possibly the most imaginative sexual euphemism since the young John and Paul wrote "Thinking of Linking."

9. Madonna -- Cherish



Not the crappiest or most reprehensible Madonna single -- that would be most of the others -- but I for one have never forgiven it for sullying the good reputation of 60s hit of the same name by The Association.

8. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs -- Stay



I actually prefer the completely over the top cover by the Four Seasons, but everybody is probably sick to death of my carrying on about those guys. In any case, the original is one of the sublime glories of early rock, and at a terse 1:39 an obvious candidate for All Time Best Single Under Two Minutes Long.

7. The Beatles -- Help!



C'mon -- according to George Martin, they learned the title of the movie was going to be Help! on Monday, they wrote the song on Tuesday, and they had figured out the entire arrangement and recorded it by the end of Wednesday. It doesn't get any more brilliant.

6. The Rolling Stones -- Think



The Aftermath song the Stones had previously given to Chris Farlowe, who had the hit. One of the best of the early Jagger-Richards collaborations, I think, and the riffage between the acoustic guitar and the fuzz electric is inspired and haunting.

5. Smashing Pumpkins -- Disarm



Still not a fan of this band, and Billy Corgan remains one of the most pompous putzes in the popular music field, but this is really good nonetheless. The Pumpkins waxing anthemically White Album-ish, and quite convincingly too, I think.

4. Fleetwood Mac -- Tusk



The original of this is Lindsay Buckingham at his most wacky and wonderful, but I still think this MST3K sort-of version is the best one evah.

3. The Loud Family -- Aerodeliria



My favorite song from perhaps my favorite album of the 90s, and only one of the reasons PABARAT was the only genuinely psychedelic experience legally available in that decade. And if you've ever heard the EP they did right after, you know these bastards could nail the damn thing live.

2. The Moody Blues -- Stop



The follow-up to "Go Now," and in some ways even more sad and beautiful; Denny Laine really is one of the most underrated figures of the British Invasion.

And the all-time coolest one word song, it's so obvious why are we even discussing this, is --

1. Soupy Sales -- Pachalafaka



Pachalafaka, pachalafaka
They whisper it all over Turkey
Pachalafaka, pachalafaka
It sounds so romantic and perky
Oh, I know that phrase
Will make me thrill always
For it reminds me of you, my sweet
Just the mention of
That tender word of love
Gives my heart a jerkish, Turkish beat

I won't say c'est si bon
Or l'amour toujours
For they can't express what I'm feeling
Even mairzydoats or
Other foreign quotes
Don't seem to be quite so appealing
But pachalafaka! pachalafaka!
Takes me back with you to passionate desert scenes
And it's there we'll stay
Till the very day
We find out what pachalafaka means!


That, my friends, is true poetry.

Awrighty then -- what would your choices be?

35 comments:

dirk gently, socio-pathetic said...

so many choices! From this list I'd choose Help, but then the Beatles had a lot of them. You missed Aqualung, for which I might not forgive you. Although I suppose the case could be made that it's a name.

edward said...

Kid - Pretenders
Cryin' - Roy Orbison
Days - The Kinks
Heroin- Velvet Underground
Crazy - Patsy Cline
Awesome - Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit
Telstar - The Tornados
Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen (and the five million others who have covered it)

nintochka said...

Maybe - the chantels

buzzbabyjesus said...

I'm going to go with two songs so opposite in sentiment, that they illustrate the yin and yang.
Here is my new favorite old Kinks song, a bonus track from last year's "Lola" reissue, "Anytime"

http://alanwalkerart.com/audio/kinks_anytime.mp3

And here's Lou Reed's incredibly hateful ode to one of his managers,
"Dirt" from "Street Hassle" (1977). Lou plays everything but the drums.

http://alanwalkerart.com/audio/dirt.mp3

J. Loslo said...

Drive- The Cars
Groovin'- The Young Rascals
Rehab- Amy Winehouse
Thirteen- Big Star

Can't wait to play that MST3K clip for my wife & daughter. Giggling will ensue.

Anonymous said...


D-Rings - The Embarrassment
Cannonball - The Breeders
Dizzy - Throwing Muses
Sweetheart - Died Pretty
Honeyslide, Rubberband, Motherland - Eleventh Dream Day (El Moodio was a hawt album)

Anna said...

Days–The Kinks.

End of.

And I'd take "Cherish", but by the Association, ultra-whitebread though they were; it was just a good tune.

cthulhu said...

The Who - "Bargain", from Who's Next of course, and I can't believe you missed this one Steve!!! Perhaps the tightest ensemble work the band ever did. The instrumental part of the bridge sends chills up my spine even today.

Others:
Richard Thompson - "Gethsemane" from The Old Kit Bag
Tonio K - "Trouble" from America
Joe Walsh - "Meadows" and "Dreams" from The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (really terrific album, and "Dreams" is one of the loveliest songs Walsh ever did)
The Who - "Overture" from Tommy (the acoustic guitar chordage is just brilliant, as are Entwistle's French horn figures)

cthulhu said...

(damned autocorrect - Tonio K.'s second album was Amerika with a "k")

Chris Whitley - "Weightless" and "Aerial" from his much underrated third album Terra Incognita
And more Whitley - "Accordingly" from the starkly beautiful Dirt Floor
Even more Whitley - "Bordertown" from his first album Living With the Law, and "Ultraglide" from his second album Din of Ecstasy

Mark said...

Now I know why we give people and places names: to r-e-m-e-m-b-e-r them!

A few things first. Numero uno: NORMAN, and Sue Thompson. Who knew that it was written by John Loudermilk? And the song itself, and songs like it, were pushed aside almost entirely, with the Beatles and the first wave of the British Invasion. Yes, there were novelty songs afterwards, but few as icky as NORMAN.

Second, STOP by the Moody Blues. Great song.

Third, AERODELIRIA, by The Loud Family. Another great song, and yes, PLANTS AND BIRDS is a great, great album. I’d also add the song 24, from Scott Miller’s pre-Loud Family band, GAME THEORY, and the 1986 album, Real Nighttime.

As a note to Scott Miller fans, after Miller’s death in 2013, a musician friend of Miller’s, Jozef Becker (Thin White Rope, True West, among others) set up a still active GoFundMe Memorial Fund for Miller’s wife and two young daughters. If you were influenced by Miller in any way, you can make contributions at http://www.gofundme.com/2nz0vk, where there’s some nice photos of Miller, his wife, and his daughters. And late last year, I found out that Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate, The Miracle Three, The Baseball Project, and his own many fine solo albums, and one of my all-time faves) was a friend of Miller’s from their common UCLA days. Again, who knew? And finally (in this paragraph, anyway) Miller’s final album as Loud Family, What If It Works? (2006) is also great, and contains a cover of the opening track from Exile On Main Street, ROCKS OFF.

In addition to those listed by you, Steve, I’ll add the following.

MUSEUM, Donovan, on Mellow Yellow (1967).
DAYS, The Kinks, on The Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
RENEGADE, Steppenwolf, on 7 (1970).
WATERFALL, If, on Waterfall (1972).
TASTY, Good Rats, on Tasty (1974). RIP, Peppi Marchello.
LONELINESS, Horslips, on The Man Who Built America (1979)

TEENARAMA, The Records, on The Records (1979).
HALLOWEEN, The Dream Syndicate, on The Days Of Wine And Roses (1983).
SILVER, Echo And The Bunnymen, on Ocean Rain (1984).
BITTERSWEET, Hoodoo Gurus, on Mars Needs Guitars (1985).
24, Game Theory, on Real Nighttime (1986).
BLOOM, Gigolo Aunts, on Full On Bloom (1993).

CANNONBALL, The Breeders, on Last Splash (1993).
ZEPHYR, Electrafixion, on Burned (1995)
SUPERMODEL, Jill Sobule, on the Clueless OST (1995).
718, 2 Skinnee J’s, on SuperMercado! (1998)
SOLID, The Dandy Warhols, on Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (2001).
SATELLITE, Guster, on the Satellite EP (2007).
LIFEGUARD, British India, on Nothing Touches Me (2015).

M_Sharp said...

Best:

Psycho - Jack Kittel
Commando - Ramones
Ramona - Ramones
Darlene - Ben Vaughn
Sheba - Johnny & The Hurricanes
Beercan - Beck
Tipitina - Professor Longhair
Connection - Rolling Stones
Heart - Rockpile
Maybelline - Chuck Berry
Carol - Chuck Berry
Transfusion - Nervous Norvus... doesn't beat Pachalafaka, though

Worst:
Venus - Frankie Avalon
Beth - Kiss

Hannes A. Jónsson said...

The glam rock special:

The Sweet - Blockbuster
T. Rex - Jeepster
Alice Cooper - Elected
Mud - Rocket
Mott the Hoople - Violence
Slade - Everyday
Sparks - Propaganda
Hello - Dean
Slik - Requiem
David Bowie - Starman

pete said...

I always thought "Girl" was a great title - subtle and mysterious even before you heard the song.

I do "Norwegian Wood," "Girl," and "You've got to hide your love away" as a medley I call Three Love Songs By John Lennon.

pete said...

And I think a case can be made for Aftermath being the greatest of all Stones albums - until you get to "Goin' Home," that is.

pete said...

No one has mentioned "Willin'" yet. I think it's overrated, myself, but it's there.

Alzo said...

I'll see your Pachalafaka and raise you a Prisencolinensinainciusol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcUi6UEQh00

Brooklyn Girl in Queens said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Brooklyn Girl in Queens said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Just back from surfin' The Wedge in kinda iffy conditions, otherwise I'd still be there. So with far too much sand in my suit ....

Miserlou - Dick Dale
Pipeline - The Chantays (if you consider it more a state of mind than a place)
Penetration - The Pyramids
Apache - The Shadows

Ah much better after rinsing the sand and a great forceful, psychoactive molestin'. Here goes the f-f-f-frrreeeee association (excuse any repeats):

Woodpecker - Tony Joe White (mmmm ssso sexy, come and get it, baby)
Rumble - Link Wray
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Crazy - Patsy Cline
Tequila - Champs
Drifting - Jimi Hendrix
Respect - Aretha
1969 - Stooges
Maybe - Chantels; Janis Joplin
Triad - Jefferson Airplane; David Crosby
Taxman; Rain - The Beatles
Breathless - Jerry Lee
Shout - The Isley Brothers
Cheepnis; WPLJ - Zappa/Mothers
Nobody - Larry Williams & Johnny Guitar Watson with Kaleidoscope (honorable mention Three Dog Night for their cover)
Undun - Guess Who
Pills - Bo Diddley
Abandoned; Buttercup; Essence - Lucinda Williams
Bargain - The Who (honorable mention 5:15)
Hungry; Kicks - Paul Revere & the Raiders
Time; Stay - David Bowie
Powderfinger - Neil Young
Surrender - Cheap Trick
Outfit; Cottonseed - Drive-by Truckers
Situation - Jeff Beck Group
Bitch; Sway; Connection - The Stones
Nag - John Jett
You - Marvin Gaye (honorable mention Chained)
Wheels - Flying Burrito Brothers
Guilty - Randy Newman and lotsa covers
Please - Kaleidoscope
Liar - Three Dog Night - their wonderful cover version of Liar which Danny Hutton sang into a smelly toilet at American Studios to get the great effect (honorable mention Chained, not the same as Marvin Gaye tune) (BTW R.I.P. Spooner)
Tramp - Lowell Fulson
She - Gram Parsons
Ritual - Yes
Stratus - Billy Cobham; Jeff Beck
Dealer - Traffic
Everyday; Heartbeat - Buddy Holly
Trash; Chatterbox - NY Dolls
Dreams - Allman Brothers
Words - The Leaves (honorable mention Monkees)
Wasted - Runaways
Politician - Cream
Scatterbrain - Jeff Beck
Songbird; Why; Underway - Fleetwood Mac
Rubberneckin' - Elvis
Strutter - Kiss
Mirage - Tommy James
Hush - Deep Purple exquisite cover is definitive version
Amazona - Roxy (more a state of mind than a place, right?)
Words - Bee Gees
She - The Monkees

Most Overplayed:

Tom Petty - Refugee
Fleetwood Mac - Landslide or Dreams
Yes - Roundabout
Van Halen - Jump
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Moody Blues - Question
Cream - Badge
David Bowie - Ch-ch-ch-Changes; Fame
Beatles - Blackbird; Revolution; Something
Eric Clapton - Cocaine
Journey - Lights; Faithfully
Styx - Renegade

Worst Ever:

Styx - Lady; Babe
Cream - Toad (live version)
Stones - Gomper
Boston - Smokin'

Gotta tend to the beef stew,

Vickie Rock - Slow Cooker

Anonymous said...

BTW Hannes: Mott - Violence (XLNT choice - I woulda picked it if you hadn't)

I knew two guys named Robert & Kenny who worshipped that song along with the Who's Dr. Jimmy. Those tunes both came out the same year. I went to the River with these guys and we had a great time as a threesome. Man were they dynamite. They were lovers and fighters.

As far as crazy bad boys went, they were pretty definitive. Later Robert cold bloodedly ran over and murdered a guy with his car and Kenny ended up getting stabbed in a LAX bathroom on a drug deal gone amiss. Sometimes they got a little out of hand.

Vickie Rock

Anonymous said...

Oh, forgot to include one that a client(?) of mine once dedicated to moi.

Cherry - UFO (I can totally relate) (such a great song and the only real goodun on Obsession)

Vickie Rock - Anyone mention Bad Company Seagull?

John Fowler said...

Well, Mark wins it all with "Bittersweet" by the Hoodoo Gurus ; and Vickie Rock nails the worst with "Babe"

My additions:
Liz Phair - "Mesmerizing", off of Exile in Guyville. That album is packed with great one word songs, though - "Flower", "Shatter", "Gunshy", "Canary"
Blondie - "Dreaming", off of Eat to the Beat. Love the drums!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps", off of Fever To Tell. Need at least a few from this century.
AC Newman - "Secretarial", off of The Slow Wonder. And another.
Big Star - "Feel", off of #1 Record.
Matthew Sweet - "Girlfriend", off of Girlfriend. Surprised these two hadn't shown up yet.
Squeeze - "Tempted", off of East Side Story.

Brooklyn Girl in Queens said...

"Yesterday" - Beatles
"Money" - Curtis Barrett/Beatles
"Money" - Pink Floyd
"Boys" - Beatles
"Blackbird" - Beatles
"Misery" - Beatles
"One" - U2
"Elevation" - U2
"Bad" - U2
"Vertigo" - U2
"Dreaming" - Blondie
"Jungleland" - Bruce
"Factory" - Bruce
"Badlands" - Bruce
"Bluebird"- Buffalo Springfield
"Truckin'" - Grateful Dead
"Refugee" - Tom Petty
"HATRED" - Tonio K
"Animal" - Kinks
"Thriller" - Michael Jackson
"Runaway" - Del Shannon
"Lithium" - Nirvana
"Crossroads" - Cream
"Honesty" - Billy Joel
"Shotgun" - Junior Walker
"Conquistador" - Procol Harum
"Substitute" - The Who
"Shattered" - Rolling Stones

Anonymous said...

Runaway - Del Shannon
Cabinessence; Friends; Darlin' - Beach Boys
Spooky - Classics IV (tasty version by ARS as well) (honorable mention Stormy)
Apeman, Alcohol - Kinks (since Days is already gone and the most deserving choice)
Moonchild; Philby - Rory Gallagher
Lava - B-52's (honorable mention Roam)
Sun - Concrete Blonde
Soulshine - Allman Brothers Band
Heartbroke - Rodney Crowell (via Guy Clark)
Jealousy - Betty LaVette
Sunlight - Youngbloods
Fisherman; Lonely - Peach Kings
Clouds - Joni Mitchell
Rebound - Charlie Rich (Hacienda Brothers cover is even better)
Desperado - Eagles (honorable mention Nightingale)
Cerdes - Procol Harum
Shelter - Tedeschi-Trucks Band
Gone - Joey Heatherton
Marionette - Mott the Hoople
Shake - Sam Cooke
Saviour - Kevin Coyne
8:05 - Moby Grape (also He; Changes; Seeing)
Live - Merry-Go-Round
Dolphins - Fred Neil; Tim Buckley
Headkeeper - Dave Mason
Whisper - Jim Lauderdale
Epitaph; Red - King Crimson
Luna - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Electricity - Captain Beefheart
Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
Love - Lee Michaels
Colours - Donovan
Trane - Gov't Mule
Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy (honorable mentions Emerald; Showdown)
Seasons - Steve Miller Band
Ashgrove - Dave Alvin
Caravan - Van Morrison
Magnolia - J.J. Cale
Skatin' - Poco
Gone - Hacienda Brothers (not the same tune as the Heatherton-Ferlin Husky tune)
Breathe - Maria McKee
Stand - Sly & the Family Stone
Slut - Todd Rundgren
Pyjamarama; Ladytron - Roxy Music
Feelings - Grass Roots
Wheel - Jerry Jeff Walker
Hollywood; Hometown; History; Bittersweet - Elliott Murphy
Daydream - Lovin' Spoonful
Harder - PJ Harvey
One - Three Dog Night (via Nilsson)
Desperation - Steppenwolf
Haze - Bobby & the Midnites
Shelter - Lone Justice
Blackberry - Black Crowes
Echoes - Pink Floyd
Gold - Emmylou Harris
Chevrolet - Robben Ford; Derek Trucks Band
Woman - Free
Hurricane; Run; Bent Real
Outlaws - Ronnie Wood
Brontosaurus - The Move
Land; Birdland - Patti Smith
Subhuman; Astronomy - Blue Oyster Cult
Stop - Howard Tate; James Gang
Holocaust - Big Star
Struggle - Keith
Jamming - Bob Marley (honorable mention Exodus)
Boulevard - Jackson Browne
Direction - Grin
Why - The Byrds
Everydays - Springfield
Anyday - Derek & the Dominos
Laughing - David Crosby
Laughing - Guess Who
Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
Stone - Roger McGuinn
Tempted - Squeeze
Passion - Rod Stewart
Atomic - Blondie
Soily - Paul McCartney & Wings
Spindrifter - Quocksilver
Ripple; Loser; Deal - Grateful Dead
Operator - Jim Croce

Worst Ever:

If - Bread

Vickie Rock - off to water ski at Castaic Lake and then to Lancaster for Roseanne Cash show

Anonymous said...

I see our resident narcissist is back.

Anonymous said...

Precious - The Pretenders

Vickie Rock - Wet and Wild

Anonymous said...

Action - The Sweet

Vickie Rock - And while I'm at it, AC/DC - The Sweet

side3 said...

"Tonight"- Raspberries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsbdkjHwdEQ

buzzbabyjesus said...

I don't think I saw anyone mention "Bike" by Pink Floyd,
"Heroes" David Bowie,
"Anytime" by Family
"Exiles" by King Crimson
"Grass" by XTC
or"Roadrunner" by Jonathan Richman

Anonymous said...

BBJ Rocks!

Re: side 3's "Tonight" - I'll see you and raise you MC5's Tonight.

Here they are doing that number and not being too exciting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVfz5UcyeLg

Also for your perusal:

Elephant; Lucidity - Tame Impala
Lies - The Knickerbockers
Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Supervixen - Garbage
Dimples - John Lee Hooker; The Animals
Creep - Radiohead
Creep - Stone Temple Pilots
Superstar - Delaney & Bonnie; Rita Coolidge; Carpenters
Busted - Ray Charles version
Tomorrow - Strawberry Alarm Clock
Gold - John Stewart
Jukin' - Atlanta Rhythm Section
September - Earth Wind & Fire
Fire - Ohio Players
Tripmaker - The Seeds
Happy - Sunshine Company
Soulshake - Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson (also Delaney & Bonnie who split the words)
Freewheelin' - Bachman Turner Overdrive
Solitaire - Carpenters via Neil Sedaka
Windsoar - Tia Fuller
Think - The Five Royales; James Brown
Low - Cracker
Chains - The Cookies; Beatles
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn
Footprints - Miles Davis
Crossfire - Stevie Ray
Misty - Johnny Mathis
Epic - Faith No More
Maneater - Hall & Oates
Twilight - The Band
Silhouettes - The Rays
Sometimes - Fleetwood Mac
Queer - Garbage
Equinox - John Coltrane
Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto
Albatross - Fleetwood Mac
Traces - Classics IV
Bewildered - James Brown
Circle - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians
Drive - Incubus
Greenfields - The Brothers Four
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly
Magic - Pilot
Showdown - ELO
Hold - Rick Derringer
Heaven;See - The Rascals
Pink - Aerosmith
Butterfly - Charlie Grace
Malibu - Hole

Loses it's flavor real fast:

Heavy - Collective Soul (quite frankly, anything by this band has that quality)
Alive - Pearl Jam

Nilsson Schmilssons:

Coconut; Spaceman

For gettin' your Latina Caliente Hip-rollin' Groove on (you kinda needed to be there):

Savor; Batuka; Aspirations - Santana
Ballero - War
Suavacito - Malo

Overplayed Canuck Shit Which Is About as Good as Labatt's (Sorry hosers):

Limelight - Rush
Roller - April Wine
Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
Barracuda - Heart (yeah I know they're from Washington but Vancouver is where it all began)

Brown Santorum Sphincter Music:

Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

More Worst:

Half-breed - Cher
Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Hummingbird - Seals & Crofts
Legs - ZZ Top
Urgent - Foreigner
Brandy - Looking Glass
Centerfield - John Fogerty

Vickie Rock

Anonymous said...

Blistered - Johnny Cash
Nervous - Chris Spedding (dishonorable mention to Robert Gordon)
Halleluwah - Can (mid-70's ecstatic dance number from strange occult goings on at our Pico house while attending UCLA - vivid, vivid, vivid honey flowing hips in trance - so goooood the CIA came a-looking)
Downtown - Crazy Horse
Valentine - Nils Lofgren (dunno why, but I let Nils get away with very sentimental stuff like this, but it's well suited for one of the nicest guys in rock) (the Butt is on Harmonies)
Tattler - Ry Cooder
Bluebird - Toni Price(less) (via Butch Hancock) (honoarble mention Gravy; Daylight; Tumbleweed and more)
Satellites - Rickie Lee Jones (honorable mention Skeletons)
Kismet - Amon Duul II
R.O.C.K. - Garland Jeffreys
Wrapped - Kelly Willis
Ice - Camel
BSA - Steve Gibbons Band
Pendulum - Thieves (produced by Marshall Crenshaw)
Gone - John Hiatt
Collideascope - Dukes of the Stratosphear
Unchained - Johnny Cash
Funny - Willie Nelson and lotsa covers
Awaken - Yes
Watermelon - Leo Kottke (if you can play this, I'll be your filthy fantasy)
Burlesque - Family
Out-Bloody-Rageous - Soft Machine

and then there's this:

Dreams - Van Halen

I don't care how you feel about the band or Hagar. I'm not a fan. But I did grow up in SoCal, so they were kind of ubiquitous at parties and such during my youth. Hagar was also a fixture at Inland Empire clubs late 60's- early 70's. How one feels about the band shouldn't matter. This is a well put together song. Me and my friends have done it in different arrangements and no matter what, it works. Solo piano, Solo acoustic guitar. Country, roots, whatever ... this fucker holds up as a song. Which is not to say I like the 80's gloss or hysterical Hagar on the VH original version.

Good morning, Vickie Rock - Rattlesnakeplumcake

Phil Cheese said...

Where are the Chris Rea fans? He has about 35 one word title songs. Many of them killer! My favorite would be TEXAS, but AUBERGE, DAYTONA, GIVERNY, MISSISSIPPI are great too. Seeing him in concert is on my bucket list because it will involve a trip across the pond (he doesn't tour USA or Canada).

John Fowler said...

Very late add, criminal that it hasn't been suggested yet:

Prince - "Kiss" - off of Parade. The weirdest and coolest big hit Prince ever had, and that's saying something. Impossible to resist.

Norm said...

Without Sue Thompson and John D Loudermilk, the "Normans" of the world (like me) would be among the only people with no song to our name (including Boys Named Sue)

senormedia said...

Tonio K - H.A.T.R.E.D.

purchased entirely upon the advice of a rave in that old equipment magazine