Six of The Rest
Favourites of 2010 (thus far):
Album: Reimaginator - Rock Sugar
Runner-Up: Orchestrion - Pat Metheny
Honourable Mentions: Fidelis - Pat Travers Band; Artificial - Unitopia
The 'I'm sorry, I don't hear what all the fuss is about' Award (tied between):
Scratch my Back - Peter Gabriel; Omega - Asia
Concert (attended): Wolfstone - Celtic Connections, Glasgow, January 22nd
Concert (heard): Todd Rundgren, London, February 6th
Favourites of 2009:
Album: There's a Whole New World Out There - Francis Dunnery
Runner-Up: The Latest - Cheap Trick
Honourable Mention: 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
The 'I'm sorry, I don't hear what all the fuss is about' Award (tied between):
The Circle - Bon Jovi; No Line on the Horizon - U2
Concert (attended): Summers End Festival, Lydney, October 9th - 11th
Concert (heard): Bruce Springsteen, L.A. Sports Arena, April 16th
Favourite Albums – Top 20 (no preference - alphabetical):
Boston – Boston (1976)
Camel – The Snow Goose (1975)
Deep Purple – Come Taste The Band (1975)
Dream Theater – Score (2006)
Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue (1977)
Emerson Lake and Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery (1973)
Emerson Lake and Palmer – Works Volume 1 (1977)
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive (1976)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Genesis – Trick of the Tail (1976)
Journey – Trial by Fire (1996)
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975)
Lone Star – Firing on all Six (1976)
Lucifers Friend – Mind Exploding (1976)
Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell (1977)
Pat Metheny - Secret Story (1992)
Todd Rundgren – Initiation (1975)
Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom (1973)
Wings – Band on the Run (1973)
Yes – Relayer (1974)
I found this incredibly hard to restrict to only a Top 20, but otherwise it would have had to expand to a Top 50 or even 100, and although at least four fifths of it is set in musical stone, the other 20% I find is constantly 'subject to change'.
Favourite Concerts (pop/ rock/ symphonic) - Top 20 (no preference - alphabetical):
Blue Oyster Cult (Spectres Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1977
Cheap Trick - The Garage, Glasgow 2004
Francis Dunnery - King Tuts, Glasgow 2005 (inc. 'impromptu' unplugged set)
Rory Gallagher (Jinx Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1980
Billy Joel (River of Dreams Tour) - Glasgow SECC 1994
Journey/ Pat Travers Band (double headliner) - Glasgow Apollo 1979
BB King - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2001
Matchbox 20 - Glasgow SECC 2005
Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau - Glasgow Carling Academy 2007
Queen (The Crazy Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1979
Todd Rundgren (Arena Tour) - The Picture House, Edinburgh 2008
Rush (30th Anniversary Tour) - Glasgow SECC 2004
Slade (The Christmas Gigs) - Glasgow University 1984
Robin Trower (Victims of the Future Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1980
Utopia (The London Shows) - Victoria Theatre, London 1978
U2 (The Unforgettable Fire Tour) - Barrowlands, Glasgow 1984
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2006
Wolfstone (The Half Tail Tour) - Gaiety Theatre, Ayr 1995
Yes (Symphonic Tour) - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2001
Yes (35th Anniversary Tour) - Glasgow SECC 2003
Another list that's hard to 'restrict', although I have also seen some howlingly bad shows amongst the hundreds upon hundreds of concerts, club gigs, musical events and festivals I have attended. Also 'subject to further change'.
Favourite Vocalists:
Jon Anderson (Yes/ solo/ other projects)
David Byron (1947-85) (Uriah Heep/ solo/ other projects)
Brian Connolly (1945-97) (The Sweet)
Dennis DeYoung (Styx/ solo)
Steve Perry (Journey/ solo)
Robin Zander (Cheap Trick)
‘Six of the Worst' (The evil 'Mirror Universe' equivalent of Six of The Best).
Agadoo - Black Lace
The Birdie Song - The Tweets
If - Telly Savalas
Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
The Final Countdown - Europe
Open Arms - Mariah Carey
No, you won't find any audio to accompany this particular song list, and I can confirm no musicians were hurt during the making of this list & summary...
'Agadoo' and 'The Birdie Song' are two seriously infectious songs, but let's not forget that most serious infections cause a great deal of pain and discomfort.
Agadoo is the ultimate inane singalong party-dance holiday song (it makes 'Macarena' sound like 'Stairway to Heaven'), while The Birdie Song is its partner in crime as THE ultimate dancealong (instrumental) party tune.
I envy those of you who have never heard either, and for those of us who have heard them, even if only a few times, it's too late - any mention of the songs trigger the entire playback in your head...
There are a few song 'narrations' that are truly brilliant - 'A Hard Day's Night' by Peter Sellers, some that are hilarious (intentionally or otherwise) - 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by William Shatner, and then those that have you looking for a rope to hang yourself. Not so much 'If', Mr Savalas, as 'Why?'...
'Achy Breaky Heart' and 'The Final Countdown' are actually similar beasts - both sold by the absolute bucketful and are amongst the favourite songs of many, but for me they are everything that's wrong with their respective musical genres.
ABH is the peak (or is that trough) of commercial pop based country foot-tapalongs, the song that launched a thousand linedancing clubs, and makes Shania Twain's manufactured country-pop-by-numbers hits almost listenable. Almost.
Europe's hit suffers a similar fate in that it truly is the definitive melodic metal song, but with every cliche' in the book thrown into the mix...
Naff lyric, infectious synth driven melody line (there's that infection again), fast flurry of notes guitar solo, harmony chorus singalong and, visually, the poodle-haired spandex bedecked video that set a template that many would follow.
The perfect marriage of formula and fashion (of the day).
And so to 'Open Arms' by Mariah Carey.
The original, by Journey, is one of the most powerful and well known power ballads in the business and Steve Perry's vocal on that original (and his definitive live rendition from Houston in 1981), as regards lyrical phrasing, vocal control, and delivery is, arguably, unsurpassable.
Miss Carey takes a different approach. She throws what seems like her entire vocal repertoire over each line and thus makes it all about her voice, and not the melody or the lyric.
The song therefore loses any of it's original grace and becomes the opposite of the original - lyrically passionateless, and vocally uncontrolled.
Vocal interpretation is all in the ear of the beholder, of course, but for me it's a criminal cover, and the (im)perfect end to my 'Six of the Worst'.
Favourites of 2010 (thus far):
Album: Reimaginator - Rock Sugar
Runner-Up: Orchestrion - Pat Metheny
Honourable Mentions: Fidelis - Pat Travers Band; Artificial - Unitopia
The 'I'm sorry, I don't hear what all the fuss is about' Award (tied between):
Scratch my Back - Peter Gabriel; Omega - Asia
Concert (attended): Wolfstone - Celtic Connections, Glasgow, January 22nd
Concert (heard): Todd Rundgren, London, February 6th
Favourites of 2009:
Album: There's a Whole New World Out There - Francis Dunnery
Runner-Up: The Latest - Cheap Trick
Honourable Mention: 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
The 'I'm sorry, I don't hear what all the fuss is about' Award (tied between):
The Circle - Bon Jovi; No Line on the Horizon - U2
Concert (attended): Summers End Festival, Lydney, October 9th - 11th
Concert (heard): Bruce Springsteen, L.A. Sports Arena, April 16th
Favourite Albums – Top 20 (no preference - alphabetical):
Boston – Boston (1976)
Camel – The Snow Goose (1975)
Deep Purple – Come Taste The Band (1975)
Dream Theater – Score (2006)
Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue (1977)
Emerson Lake and Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery (1973)
Emerson Lake and Palmer – Works Volume 1 (1977)
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive (1976)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Genesis – Trick of the Tail (1976)
Journey – Trial by Fire (1996)
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975)
Lone Star – Firing on all Six (1976)
Lucifers Friend – Mind Exploding (1976)
Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell (1977)
Pat Metheny - Secret Story (1992)
Todd Rundgren – Initiation (1975)
Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom (1973)
Wings – Band on the Run (1973)
Yes – Relayer (1974)
I found this incredibly hard to restrict to only a Top 20, but otherwise it would have had to expand to a Top 50 or even 100, and although at least four fifths of it is set in musical stone, the other 20% I find is constantly 'subject to change'.
Favourite Concerts (pop/ rock/ symphonic) - Top 20 (no preference - alphabetical):
Blue Oyster Cult (Spectres Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1977
Cheap Trick - The Garage, Glasgow 2004
Francis Dunnery - King Tuts, Glasgow 2005 (inc. 'impromptu' unplugged set)
Rory Gallagher (Jinx Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1980
Billy Joel (River of Dreams Tour) - Glasgow SECC 1994
Journey/ Pat Travers Band (double headliner) - Glasgow Apollo 1979
BB King - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2001
Matchbox 20 - Glasgow SECC 2005
Pat Metheny & Brad Mehldau - Glasgow Carling Academy 2007
Queen (The Crazy Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1979
Todd Rundgren (Arena Tour) - The Picture House, Edinburgh 2008
Rush (30th Anniversary Tour) - Glasgow SECC 2004
Slade (The Christmas Gigs) - Glasgow University 1984
Robin Trower (Victims of the Future Tour) - Glasgow Apollo 1980
Utopia (The London Shows) - Victoria Theatre, London 1978
U2 (The Unforgettable Fire Tour) - Barrowlands, Glasgow 1984
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2006
Wolfstone (The Half Tail Tour) - Gaiety Theatre, Ayr 1995
Yes (Symphonic Tour) - Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow 2001
Yes (35th Anniversary Tour) - Glasgow SECC 2003
Another list that's hard to 'restrict', although I have also seen some howlingly bad shows amongst the hundreds upon hundreds of concerts, club gigs, musical events and festivals I have attended. Also 'subject to further change'.
Favourite Vocalists:
Jon Anderson (Yes/ solo/ other projects)
David Byron (1947-85) (Uriah Heep/ solo/ other projects)
Brian Connolly (1945-97) (The Sweet)
Dennis DeYoung (Styx/ solo)
Steve Perry (Journey/ solo)
Robin Zander (Cheap Trick)
‘Six of the Worst' (The evil 'Mirror Universe' equivalent of Six of The Best).
Agadoo - Black Lace
The Birdie Song - The Tweets
If - Telly Savalas
Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
The Final Countdown - Europe
Open Arms - Mariah Carey
No, you won't find any audio to accompany this particular song list, and I can confirm no musicians were hurt during the making of this list & summary...
'Agadoo' and 'The Birdie Song' are two seriously infectious songs, but let's not forget that most serious infections cause a great deal of pain and discomfort.
Agadoo is the ultimate inane singalong party-dance holiday song (it makes 'Macarena' sound like 'Stairway to Heaven'), while The Birdie Song is its partner in crime as THE ultimate dancealong (instrumental) party tune.
I envy those of you who have never heard either, and for those of us who have heard them, even if only a few times, it's too late - any mention of the songs trigger the entire playback in your head...
There are a few song 'narrations' that are truly brilliant - 'A Hard Day's Night' by Peter Sellers, some that are hilarious (intentionally or otherwise) - 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by William Shatner, and then those that have you looking for a rope to hang yourself. Not so much 'If', Mr Savalas, as 'Why?'...
'Achy Breaky Heart' and 'The Final Countdown' are actually similar beasts - both sold by the absolute bucketful and are amongst the favourite songs of many, but for me they are everything that's wrong with their respective musical genres.
ABH is the peak (or is that trough) of commercial pop based country foot-tapalongs, the song that launched a thousand linedancing clubs, and makes Shania Twain's manufactured country-pop-by-numbers hits almost listenable. Almost.
Europe's hit suffers a similar fate in that it truly is the definitive melodic metal song, but with every cliche' in the book thrown into the mix...
Naff lyric, infectious synth driven melody line (there's that infection again), fast flurry of notes guitar solo, harmony chorus singalong and, visually, the poodle-haired spandex bedecked video that set a template that many would follow.
The perfect marriage of formula and fashion (of the day).
And so to 'Open Arms' by Mariah Carey.
The original, by Journey, is one of the most powerful and well known power ballads in the business and Steve Perry's vocal on that original (and his definitive live rendition from Houston in 1981), as regards lyrical phrasing, vocal control, and delivery is, arguably, unsurpassable.
Miss Carey takes a different approach. She throws what seems like her entire vocal repertoire over each line and thus makes it all about her voice, and not the melody or the lyric.
The song therefore loses any of it's original grace and becomes the opposite of the original - lyrically passionateless, and vocally uncontrolled.
Vocal interpretation is all in the ear of the beholder, of course, but for me it's a criminal cover, and the (im)perfect end to my 'Six of the Worst'.