The Friday Five: July 8, 2011
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
“Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)” by Vertical Horizon (from Everything You Want, 1999)
I particularly like the version of this that Vertical Horizon leader Matt Scannell and Richard Marx perform on their Duo Live record.
“The Warrior (feat. Patty Smyth)” by Scandal (from Rock of the 80’s, Volume 14, 1994)
I never understood the whole “featuring Patty Smyth” thing. It struck me much in the same way as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. I mean, is it Maze without Frankie Beverly?
“Soundtrack” by The Damnwells (from One Last Century, 2009)
After you leave your Five in the comments, you should check out this excellent live performance by Alex of The Damnwells.
“Everything She Wants” by Wham! (from Make It Big, 1984)
I’m far less ashamed to admit my love for Wham! now, than I was when I was 10.
“Heart and Soul” by Huey Lewis & The News (from Time Flies… The Best of Huey Lewis & The News, 1996)
It’s, like, a totally awesome ’80s one-two punch to close out this week’s Friday Five!
What’s on your shuffle today?
The Friday Five: April 9, 2010
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
“One More Try” by George Michael (from Faith, 1987)
Oh, the overwrought teenaged melodrama that accompanies this tune in my memory bank. I could fill pages, upon pages, of the tales of the end of the world, listening to Chicago, Richard Marx, and so much more wuss-rock. It’s a wonder I didn’t get my ass kicked every day. (It was every-other day.)
“Runaway” by Bon Jovi (from 7800º Fahrenheit, 1985)
I never really gave a shit about Jon-Bon until Slippery When Wet, but I was fully aware of the band during the pre-slippery era thanks to the VCR tapes my aunt would send with 8 hours of MTV content.
“Feels Good” by Tony! Toni! Toné! (from The Revival, 1990)
This song was inescapable during the summer of 1990. In retrospect, I don’t think that I liked it then quite as much as I do now. To be fair, in 1990 I was likely still heavily under the influence of the crew of metal-heads that I associated with. I was forced – peer pressure is a bitch – to keep my guilty pleasures under wraps, stashing my Prince and MJ records in lieu of the latest Megadeth and Metallica.
“Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga (from The Fame Monster, 2009)
While on some level I agree with M.I.A.’s recent assertion that Gaga is “the industry’s last stab at making itself important,” I can’t help but secretly enjoy the hell out of her over-the-top shtick.
“The Dragon” by The Guggenheim Grotto (from Happy the Man, 2009)
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Ireland’s Guggenheim Grotto twice in the last month. With any luck, I’ll be seeing them again this weekend. If it seems a bit obsessive: I’ll fully admit it is, and with good reason. The duo’s songs are poetic and intimate, and tug at the heartstrings like few others can. If you are in the NYC area, I highly recommend making it to at least one of their upcoming shows. They are setting up residency at The Bowery Electric each Wednesday in June, and there is a good chance that you’ll run into me – and maybe Jason Hare – at any one of these shows.
What’s on your shuffle today?
Side Note: What do you guys think of the lala.com embedded tracks?
The Friday Five: February 26, 2010
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
“Loom” by Ani DiFranco (from Little Plastic Castles, 1998)
There are songs that define you; coming into your life at the exact right moment in your life, taking up residence next to the memory of that time. This song is one that finds place in a very distinct period in my life. Lyrically it spoke to a relationship that had consumed me in a decidedly unhealthy way. I will admit, I listened to this a second time before moving onto the next song.
“Endless Summer Nights” by Richard Marx (from Richard Marx, 1987)
Nearly a decade earlier, here is nostalgia in a jar. You see, before I grew into the wise old music geek that I am today, I was a young music geek — with an emphasis on the geek. Even at the tender age of 13, I was smitten with the schlock-pop of Marx. Fast-forward some twenty-odd years and I still get that tinge of youthful yearning that hearing this tune brings to mind.
While we’re on the subject, has anyone else heard the Adam Lambert single, “Whataya Want from Me,” and asked themselves, “Hey, does Richard Marx have a new song out?”
“The (Shipped) Gold Standard” by Fall Out Boy (from Folie à Deux, 2008)
I know I have stated it here before, but I dig Fall Out Boy. If you can manage to ignore the gossip-columnist drama of the band, and get past the image, the band has actually cranked out some quality pop music. It certainly does not hurt that Patrick Stump’s voice is golden.
“Bad Habits” by Maxwell (from BLACKsummers’night, 2009)
The lead off track from Maxwell’s triumphant comeback record, BLACKsummers’night; this song starts at a smolder and builds to its soulful climax before breaking it back down to a simmer. It might have taken him eight years to create this record, but it was well worth the wait.
“Don’t Stop ’till You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson (from Off the Wall, 1979)
In all, not a bad way to end this week’s installment of The Five and kick off the weekend. Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with this week!
What’s on your shuffle today?