2006/11/17
Music - The Guiltiest Pleasure
OK, I admit that I spent my formative musical years listening to classical and in doing so missed most of the 1970s. Well...with the exception of disco, that is. And this little admission brings me to my point. There's a lot of music out there that we'd be embarrassed to admit we like. Are you a Paul Anka fan? Not me, but I do have a fetish for Bananarama. In fact, I've often been reluctant to lend out the flyPod because of some of the stuff that's in there.
So Kvatch asks the question: What are your guiltiest musical pleasures? And just so you won't think I'm a slacker, here are mine:
So Kvatch asks the question: What are your guiltiest musical pleasures? And just so you won't think I'm a slacker, here are mine:
 | America Chances are, if you were any older than 7 by 1970, you could count yourself a fan of at least one of the dozens of lite "folk rock" groups. They were everywhere. You couldn't escape 'em. |
 | The B-52's Sure the B-52's wrote some catchy stuff, but they also recorded a whole lot of dreck. I don't care. I love it all. "Channel Z! All static, all day...forever!" |
 | Prince On his infamous Black Album, Prince Rogers Nelson describes himself as "...that skinny motherf*cker with the high voice," but until you seen this funky little pipsqueak scream while playing a penis shaped guitar, you haven't lived. |
 | Frankie Goes To Hollywood Saving the best for last. All hail the indomitable, unstoppable, greatest one-hit, filthy, party-monster band of all time!!! Frankie says... RELAX---WHOAAAA!!! |
22 Comments:
http://blogs.ink19.com/soundcrowd/archives/002470.html
My current guilty pleasures are the new Justin Timberlake singles off of his latest album.
America, lame as they may have been, actually recorded a few good songs. (Stop! Don't hit!) And I also love the B-52s, and have seen Prince in concert, so I don't find your post so far-fetched.
My guilty pleasure is old-school country music. I love Hank Williams and George Jones and Patsy Cline and Merle Haggard. I love Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. There, I said it, and I'm not sorry.
But to really embarrass myself, allow me to admit to owning CDs by Neil Diamond, Glen Campbell, Three Dog Night, Peggy Lee, Jamiroquai and the Guess Who, among others. Of course, that's in a collection of approximately 2000 CDs, so there are bound to be some clunkers in there (at least to someone). Right? ...Right?
My guilty pleasure is old-school country music. I love Hank Williams and George Jones and Patsy Cline and Merle Haggard. I love Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. There, I said it, and I'm not sorry.
But to really embarrass myself, allow me to admit to owning CDs by Neil Diamond, Glen Campbell, Three Dog Night, Peggy Lee, Jamiroquai and the Guess Who, among others. Of course, that's in a collection of approximately 2000 CDs, so there are bound to be some clunkers in there (at least to someone). Right? ...Right?
I love old school country, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and Lefty Frizzell, but don't feel guilty about it. Nor do I feel bad for being a huge Monkees fan. I think my guiltiest pleasure would have to be music from the seventies. Abba, Journey, John Denver, Elton John, and the Eagles (but only when Don Henley is singing). Of course, then there's my Johnny Mercer and Tony Pastor CDs as well.....
Mags...Justin Timberlake? AAAAUUUGGG!!!
Generik, Lew, you know the moment that I put up this post I realized that I didn't inlcude Def Leppard. Hair bands...yeah baby!
Generik, Lew, you know the moment that I put up this post I realized that I didn't inlcude Def Leppard. Hair bands...yeah baby!
The first two B-52's albums are fantastic. After that comes the dreck.
Guilty pleasure - Electric light Orchestra.
Guilty pleasure - Electric light Orchestra.
You guys have named some good ones, imo: ABBA, The Eagles, Elo, B-52s, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Def Lepard, America...
My likes are probably the biggest range you would find for an old person of the 70s, so I can comfortably agree with most of you. I recently started a music blog (for therapy from politics) from one of my old web pages that has a huge listing from the 70s.
I think that if The Carpenters sounds as good to you as the Sex Pistols", then you're pretty flexible.
In general, there are two kinds of music I dislike- rap/hip-hop and country (except Glen Campbell- I think he's extremely talented).
I will admit that I can't really listen to anything past, say, 1995. The last sound I liked was Fastball.
OK, just remember I'm an old man. :)
My likes are probably the biggest range you would find for an old person of the 70s, so I can comfortably agree with most of you. I recently started a music blog (for therapy from politics) from one of my old web pages that has a huge listing from the 70s.
I think that if The Carpenters sounds as good to you as the Sex Pistols", then you're pretty flexible.
In general, there are two kinds of music I dislike- rap/hip-hop and country (except Glen Campbell- I think he's extremely talented).
I will admit that I can't really listen to anything past, say, 1995. The last sound I liked was Fastball.
OK, just remember I'm an old man. :)
Nice list. Prince is great. I saw him in St. Paul a couple of years ago.
I don’t think of them as guilty pleasures. To me, music is music; you either like a certain thing or you don’t. I like all the guilty pleasures you listed in the post. I listen to some classical music (mostly early 20th century), avant-garde jazz, heavy metal, Indian music, Top 40, you name it. There’s good and bad music in every category (well, almost every category).
Justin Timberlake??? (Just kidding, Mags)
Justin Timberlake??? (Just kidding, Mags)
Can I assume that nobody here has discovered Josh Groban or Michael Buble?
Tsk, tsk.
Tsk, tsk.
I like all music, except for really twangy country and some rap.
I'd have to say my guilty pleasures would include headbanger music like NIN or Ministry. I also love me some Rage Against the Machine and Beastie Boys. My deepest secret is that I really like Eminem, even though with his misogynistic lyrics, I'm supposed to hate him.
I also love a Fountains of Wayne remake of Brittany Spear's "hit me baby one more time". It's a great song when she's not singing it.
Frankie goes to Hollywood & Prince! Oh Yeah!!
I'd have to say my guilty pleasures would include headbanger music like NIN or Ministry. I also love me some Rage Against the Machine and Beastie Boys. My deepest secret is that I really like Eminem, even though with his misogynistic lyrics, I'm supposed to hate him.
I also love a Fountains of Wayne remake of Brittany Spear's "hit me baby one more time". It's a great song when she's not singing it.
Frankie goes to Hollywood & Prince! Oh Yeah!!
From 1999 to 2002 I was living in Germany and all I listened to was House, Trance and Techno. I loved Danny Tenaglia, Sasha and Digweed, and Armand Van Helden. As soon as I got back to the States it was like the era had never happen, and I had to listen to Korn and Fred Durst sing raaahbalb albarralbrba barlbrlalrbalrba raa on the radio. I miss Europe.
True Confession:
When I clean my house, I listen to Sir Mix-A-Lot.
My favorite tune? "Buttermilk Biscuits."
When I clean my house, I listen to Sir Mix-A-Lot.
My favorite tune? "Buttermilk Biscuits."
I really don't care for much of the music today. I do like Mariah Carey though. I think she has a great voice.
Most of my LP's are Classic Rock though I do have the Four Tops, Supremes, Temptations and other Mo Town sounds mixed in with Joplin, CTA and others.
I have also listend to Classical and New Age. Yanni is my favorite for new age music.
I also have a good mixture of Classic Rock from Black Sabbath to Jethro Tull.
I really need to get a new needle for my turntable and start putting them on cd.
What I would really like too see is a month long boycott of the Music Industry and maybe than they will stop prosecuting people for downloading and sharing songs. I don't download music, but I feel its an infringement on individuals who in the long run do buy CD's when they find a musician or group they like.
Too many times we have had to purchase the same music over as technology changed from 78rpm to 45rpm and 33rpm to 8 track than cassette and now cd's and other forms.
Hit them where it hurts the most {in the pocket book}money made in sales and they might rethink their polocies.
Have a good day and God Bless.
Most of my LP's are Classic Rock though I do have the Four Tops, Supremes, Temptations and other Mo Town sounds mixed in with Joplin, CTA and others.
I have also listend to Classical and New Age. Yanni is my favorite for new age music.
I also have a good mixture of Classic Rock from Black Sabbath to Jethro Tull.
I really need to get a new needle for my turntable and start putting them on cd.
What I would really like too see is a month long boycott of the Music Industry and maybe than they will stop prosecuting people for downloading and sharing songs. I don't download music, but I feel its an infringement on individuals who in the long run do buy CD's when they find a musician or group they like.
Too many times we have had to purchase the same music over as technology changed from 78rpm to 45rpm and 33rpm to 8 track than cassette and now cd's and other forms.
Hit them where it hurts the most {in the pocket book}money made in sales and they might rethink their polocies.
Have a good day and God Bless.
Did Babs say Justin Timberlake? Doh!
I can't think of anything I listen to that I'm embarrassed about. I'm way too cool to listen to embarrassing music.
Frankie says RELAX.....now that's a blast from the past...loved it.
I can't think of anything I listen to that I'm embarrassed about. I'm way too cool to listen to embarrassing music.
Frankie says RELAX.....now that's a blast from the past...loved it.
Although I was only 3 yrs old when it came out, I love to listen to Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'. It makes me think of all the times I would lay on the kitchen floor coloring in my coloring books while my mom was listening to it and fixing dinner.
And I will defend Mags on the Justin Timberlake. Go ahead... laugh if you must. I didn't want to like him.... but back in 2002, when Rock Your Body came out, my then 11 month old BabyGirl would squeal with laughter and jump like a kangaroo in her baby jumper everytime she heard it.... of course, that lead to me downloading the song.... and well damn it.... he just kinda grows on you after that.
And I will defend Mags on the Justin Timberlake. Go ahead... laugh if you must. I didn't want to like him.... but back in 2002, when Rock Your Body came out, my then 11 month old BabyGirl would squeal with laughter and jump like a kangaroo in her baby jumper everytime she heard it.... of course, that lead to me downloading the song.... and well damn it.... he just kinda grows on you after that.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood? Heh! Guilty, guilty, guilty...
Just about ALL the music I have at my house is a guilty pleasure, because nobody else in my house wants to hear what I like. I am almost 50, but I love to stay current. Some of my favorite recent bands are Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard, Interpol, Yo La Tengo, Editors, The Dears, The Verve... if it's psychedelic, slightly dark, and has a good beat... I'm there. I also have all kinds of classic rock, and am a huge fan of Neil Young, Dylan, Who, Stones, Zeppelin... too much good music and not enough ears or time to hear it all!!
But my REAL guilty pleasures are "song poems", "novelty" music, and "outsider" music. Song poems are crappy tunes that resulted from magazine ads of the kind I used to see 30-40 years ago: We need your lyrics! We will set your lyrics to music! What would happen is, a person would send in lyrics, and studio musicians would make a recording and send it back to the person on a 45 rpm record, for a fee. This stuff is so abysmal it is often hilarious. One real genius of this little-known genre was Rodd Keith... you can get a collection of his stuff on a CD called "I Died Today". There is another collection called the "American Song-Poem Anthology" that has some really bad gems.
"Outsider" music is wonderful stuff. There are volumes 1 and 2 of "Songs In The Key of Z"... these are tunes by people who are/were probably certifiably insane but somehow made it onto records. Some of this bad stuff you might have heard of includes Wesley Willis, The Shaggs and Jandek. But take my word for it, you have not lived until you have heard Shooby Taylor ("the Human Horn") do his hilarious scat singing on "Stout-Hearted Men". The horrifyingly dreadful clarinet solo on "Baby, Your Love's In Town" by "Dusty Roads" Rowe is to die for. "Outsider" music covers all kinds of musical oddities... if you are a connosieur (sp?) of BAD, check some of this stuff out! Florence Foster Jenkins is another good one... recordings from the 30's of a woman who had little sense of pitch, trying to sing opera! It's on a CD called "The Glory of Human Voice", which also contains some duets between a woman with a nice voice and a guy who sounds like Elmer Fudd but without the speech sound errors!
My guilty pleasure? I love BAD stuff.
For novelty, I like just about any of the Doctor Demento collections... Barnes and Barnes
Voobaha" is fun, and contains their notorious cuts "Fish Heads" and "Boogie Woogie Amputee". If you can get ahold of any of Uncle Bonsai's stuff, that group did some great and amusing albums in the mid-late 80's. The Arrogant Worms is also a fun band that sings humorous songs.
If ever I need a good laugh, my CD collection is full of stuff that is guaranteed to get me smiling! But it is stuff that very few people I know appreciate.
Just about ALL the music I have at my house is a guilty pleasure, because nobody else in my house wants to hear what I like. I am almost 50, but I love to stay current. Some of my favorite recent bands are Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard, Interpol, Yo La Tengo, Editors, The Dears, The Verve... if it's psychedelic, slightly dark, and has a good beat... I'm there. I also have all kinds of classic rock, and am a huge fan of Neil Young, Dylan, Who, Stones, Zeppelin... too much good music and not enough ears or time to hear it all!!
But my REAL guilty pleasures are "song poems", "novelty" music, and "outsider" music. Song poems are crappy tunes that resulted from magazine ads of the kind I used to see 30-40 years ago: We need your lyrics! We will set your lyrics to music! What would happen is, a person would send in lyrics, and studio musicians would make a recording and send it back to the person on a 45 rpm record, for a fee. This stuff is so abysmal it is often hilarious. One real genius of this little-known genre was Rodd Keith... you can get a collection of his stuff on a CD called "I Died Today". There is another collection called the "American Song-Poem Anthology" that has some really bad gems.
"Outsider" music is wonderful stuff. There are volumes 1 and 2 of "Songs In The Key of Z"... these are tunes by people who are/were probably certifiably insane but somehow made it onto records. Some of this bad stuff you might have heard of includes Wesley Willis, The Shaggs and Jandek. But take my word for it, you have not lived until you have heard Shooby Taylor ("the Human Horn") do his hilarious scat singing on "Stout-Hearted Men". The horrifyingly dreadful clarinet solo on "Baby, Your Love's In Town" by "Dusty Roads" Rowe is to die for. "Outsider" music covers all kinds of musical oddities... if you are a connosieur (sp?) of BAD, check some of this stuff out! Florence Foster Jenkins is another good one... recordings from the 30's of a woman who had little sense of pitch, trying to sing opera! It's on a CD called "The Glory of Human Voice", which also contains some duets between a woman with a nice voice and a guy who sounds like Elmer Fudd but without the speech sound errors!
My guilty pleasure? I love BAD stuff.
For novelty, I like just about any of the Doctor Demento collections... Barnes and Barnes
Voobaha" is fun, and contains their notorious cuts "Fish Heads" and "Boogie Woogie Amputee". If you can get ahold of any of Uncle Bonsai's stuff, that group did some great and amusing albums in the mid-late 80's. The Arrogant Worms is also a fun band that sings humorous songs.
If ever I need a good laugh, my CD collection is full of stuff that is guaranteed to get me smiling! But it is stuff that very few people I know appreciate.
Now I'll have to go back and find out what America did other than Horse With No Name.
Lew mentioned a lot of mine but I may be an older geezer than he is. I like the "folk" music of the 60's, synthetic though it may be.
Everything the purists say about it is true but it united us as a generation and that's not a bad thing.
I was raised with classical music and opera; still love them both, but I have room for almost everything I can identify as music. That eliminates a few things.
Lew mentioned a lot of mine but I may be an older geezer than he is. I like the "folk" music of the 60's, synthetic though it may be.
Everything the purists say about it is true but it united us as a generation and that's not a bad thing.
I was raised with classical music and opera; still love them both, but I have room for almost everything I can identify as music. That eliminates a few things.
Well, I hate to admit it but like I said I only started to tune into "pop" music during the disco era. I still have a soft spot for K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and back then I was a big fan of the Alan Parson's Project...you know before every album started to sound like every other album...I Robot, Pyramid.
And who was it who mentioned Yanni? I actually have a Yanni CD. Chamaleon Days.
And who was it who mentioned Yanni? I actually have a Yanni CD. Chamaleon Days.
I often consider that I was Saved by KISS and Alice Cooper when I was 10yo or so. 'Til that time, BTO was about the closest thing to rock I knew.
Anything Burt Bacharach did or could've written, I was likin' it. Barbara Streisand, Simon and Garfunkel, Diamond, Mathis, Manilow ... Those were my musical kid food. Hell! The first "concert" I saw was "Up With People"! LOL!
But that '76 Destroyer album, coupled with hearing Alice sing 'bout "Cold Ethyl" and what a good place Hell is for a vacation, transformed my tastes outta the Olds' music collection into its own evolutionary path. Now, like lots of you, the ability to enjoy any music performed live makes for an unashamedly electic - but sill too limited - collection.
Alright, some o' the Metal and Alt-Pop can still feel a little guilty, (is it guilty to sometimes wanna just let the muthaf***er burn?) but, hekk, it's only Rock n Roll. Right?
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Anything Burt Bacharach did or could've written, I was likin' it. Barbara Streisand, Simon and Garfunkel, Diamond, Mathis, Manilow ... Those were my musical kid food. Hell! The first "concert" I saw was "Up With People"! LOL!
But that '76 Destroyer album, coupled with hearing Alice sing 'bout "Cold Ethyl" and what a good place Hell is for a vacation, transformed my tastes outta the Olds' music collection into its own evolutionary path. Now, like lots of you, the ability to enjoy any music performed live makes for an unashamedly electic - but sill too limited - collection.
Alright, some o' the Metal and Alt-Pop can still feel a little guilty, (is it guilty to sometimes wanna just let the muthaf***er burn?) but, hekk, it's only Rock n Roll. Right?
{-;
Moby: Play. Ooooh gawd, does that peg me as an aging Gen-X or what?
Neil Diamond. Now how's THAT for guilty pleasure.
Def Leppard. Does it get any worse?
Apart from that, you've picked some good ones, kvatch!
Neil Diamond. Now how's THAT for guilty pleasure.
Def Leppard. Does it get any worse?
Apart from that, you've picked some good ones, kvatch!
I'm in total agreement with Chuck! However, I must add this (Will they still respect me?). . .I'm a huge fan of Manilow and Streisand! Stereotypically, I must add that I am a contented and happily married heterosexual man! ;)
