Wednesday, July 30, 2014

New Music Biz

How do artists make money when I can listen to anything I want for $9.99 a month.  This is the problem confronting the music biz.  It's why physical and download sales are down.  For $10 bucks you can listen to whatever you want.  The artists are mad because they millions of streams are adding up to nothing.  The consumer, though, is glad because it's a bargain.  We may be forever moving away from purchasing music.  Certainly, we are moving away from purchasing music as we used to know it.  Even albums that stick around for a year on the charts are barely going platinum.

I still buy records.  But I also stream a lot.  Using the streaming option to test albums that I once forked over money on.  But back to the artists.  How do you survive in this new musical environment?   Most are relying on that old standby:  touring.  No money goes to the record company.

But you can never pull the plug on recording.  Heritage acts can if they want.  They can live off of tours.  But newer ones have to establish an identity.  And the only way to do that is through good old-fashioned radio/streaming play.  Besides, most recording artist still loves to make records,  even if they now realize that their wonderful multi-platinum days are behind them.   It's why they got in the music biz to begin with.  Making records.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Playlist for 7/24

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal
Ed Sheeran - X
Robin Thicke - Paula
Bobby Womack - Communication
Bobby Womack - Understanding
Bobby Womack - Facts of Life

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Classic Rock Tracks Poll

How do you narrow 800 tracks to 100?  Impossible as I found out.  In this poll, you have to take 800 selected Classic Rock tracks and pick a Top 100.  So, what I decided to do was pick 1 song by artists that had multiple choices.  So, only 1 Zep, Stones, etc.  It's kind of foolish, but it made squeezing as many songs as possible a lot easier.
To me, the Classic Rock Radio era ends in the 80's.  If your local CR station is playing any Grunge era music, then they are stretching the format. Basically, I was trying to think of the songs I heard the most when I used to listen CR radio.  Maybe your CR played different songs, but these are the ones from my area.
So, below are a ranked Top 100 of songs that define the Classic Rock Radio format:

1. Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
2. Derek & The Dominos - Layla
3. Beatles - Come Together
4. Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash
5. Boston - More Than A Feeling
6. Doors - Light My Fire
7. Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
8. Aerosmith - Dream On
9. Eagles - Take It Easy
10. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
11. CCR - Bad Moon Rising
12. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
13. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
14. Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
15. AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
16. Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love
17. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Refugee
18. Elton John - Rocket Man
19. Journey - Lights
20. Pink Floyd - Money
21. Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way (live)
22. Steve Miller - Fly Like An Eagle
23. Rush - Tom Sawyer
24. Van Halen - Runnin' With The Devil
25. Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin'
26. Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time
27. Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
28. Bob Seger - Night Moves
29. Cars - Just What I Needed
30. Heart - Crazy On You
31. Allman Brothers - Ramblin' Man
32. Free - All Right Now
33. John Mellencamp - Hurts So Good
34. Santana - Oye Como Va
35. Who -  I Can See For Miles
36. Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
37. ZZ Top - La Grange
38. ELO - Evil Woman
39. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
40. Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear The Reaper
41. .38 Special - Hold On Loosely
42. Kinks - Lola
43. Jethro Tull - Aqualung
44. Styx - Come Sail Away
45. Steely Dan - Reeling In The Years
46. Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
47. Bruce Sprinsgeen - Born To Run
48. Guess Who - American Woman
49. Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way
50. Jefferson Airplane - Somebody To Love
51. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
52. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
53. Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff
54. Bryan Adams - Summer of '69
55. Thin Lizzy - Boys Are Back In Town
56. Yes - Roundabout
57. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Lovin' You
58. Foghat - Slow Ride
59. Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive
60. T. Rex - Bang A Gong
61. Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee
62. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy
63. Rick Derringer - Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo
64. Police - Roxanne
65. Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band
66. Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
67. Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
68. David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
69. Jackson Browne - Running On Empty
70. CSN - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
71. Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
72. Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me  (live)
73. Billy Squier - Everybody Wants You
74. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
75. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run
76. Def Leppard - Photograph
77. Bad Company - Can't Get Enough
78. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
79. Grateful Dead - Truckin'
80. Rod Stewart - Maggie May
81. Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side
82. KISS - Rock and Roll All Nite (live '75)
83. Marshall Tucker Band - Can't You See
84. Knack - My Sharona
85. Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You
86. Alice Cooper - Eighteen
87. Supertramp - Logical Song
88. U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
89. Don Henley - Boys of Summer
90. Faces - Stay With Me
91. Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
92. Hollies - Long Cool Woman
93. Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
94. Toto - Hold The Line
95. Genesis - Abacab
96. Don McLean - American Pie
97. Pretenders - Brass In Pocket
98. Eddie Money - Two Tickets to Paradise
99. Van Morrison - Domino
100. Joe Cocker - Feelin' Alright




Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Playlist for 7/16

Todd Terje - It's Album Time
Robin Gibb -Robin's Reign
Ned Doheny - Separate Oceans
Roberta Flack - First Take

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Yacht Rock Top 50 Songs

Updated March 2024

For this Yacht Rock list,  I only picked one song per artist.  This gave me an opportunity to give more songs by different artists a shot at the Top 50.  See below for a link to my expanded song list.

Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs:

1.  What A Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
2.  Ride Like A Wind - Christopher Cross
3.  Escape - Rupert Holmes
4.  Steal Away - Robbie Dupree
5.  Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
6.  Biggest Part of Me - Ambrosia
7.  I'd Really Love To See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley
8.  This Is It - Kenny Loggins
9.  Peg - Steely Dan
10. Cool Night - Paul Davis
11. I Just Wanna Stop - Gino Vannelli
12. Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
13. Africa - Toto
14. Feels So Good - Chuck Mangione
15. Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold
16. Baby Come Back - Player
17. Sentimental Lady - Bob Welch
18. Smoke From A Distant Fire - Sanford-Townsend Band
19. Love Will Find A Way - Pablo Cruise
20. When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman - Dr. Hook
21. Hey Nineteen - Steely Dan
22. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
23. Cool Change - Little River Band
24. Into The Night - Benny Mardones
25. Time Passages - Al Stewart
26. Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck
27. Kiss You All Over - Exile
28. Breezin' - George Benson
29. You Are The Woman - Firefall
30. Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson
31. Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
32. Saturday In The Park - Chicago
33. I Can't Tell You Why -- Eagles
34. On and On - Stephen Bishop
35. Lotta Love - Nicolette Larson
36. Rise - Herb Alpert
37. Heart Hotels - Dan Fogelberg
38. Dance With Me - Orleans
39. Magnet and Steel - Walter Egan
40. You Make Loving Fun - Fleetwood Mac
41. Mornin' - Al Jarreau
42. Easy - Commodores
43. Who'll Be The Fool Tonight - Larsen-Feiten Band
44. Crazy Love - Poco
45. Couldn't Get It Right - Climax Blues Band
46. You Can Do Magic - America
47. Chevy Van - Sammy Johns
48. I'm Not In Love - 10cc
49. Lost In Love - Air Supply
50. Baby, I Love Your Way - Peter Frampton

But wait!  I've got more:
More Yacht Rock Songs: Top 51-???

Greatest Yacht Rock Albums

Yacht Rock Hall of Fame:
Air Supply
Al Jarreau
Al Stewart
Ambrosia
America
Boz Scaggs
Chicago
Christopher Cross
Commodores
Dan Fogelberg
Doobie Brothers
Dr. Hook
England Dan & John Ford Coley
Firefall
Gerry Rafferty
Hall & Oates
Kenny Loggins
Little River Band
Michael McDonald (solo career)
Paul Davis
Rupert Holmes
Seals & Crofts
Steely Dan
Stephen Bishop
Toto

#1 Yacht Rock Artist of All Time:  Michael McDonald

#1 Yacht Rock Album:  Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute

Suggestions, complaints, etc.
tmlane12@gmail.com

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Ramones

I'm 50 years old and it's just hit me that I'm now seeing people I grew up with, musicians I loved in my youth and family members passing away.

The Ramones were a musical generation above me.  Tommy Ramone was 65 when he passed away yesterday, but I feel like I grew up with the Ramones music.

Here's what was special about the Ramones.  Although they made Punk records, at heart Joey Ramone and co. loved the discs they grew up with in the 60's.  That's why their 70's records sounded different than what other punk records came out in that time.

Now all the original Ramones are gone.  But with one album (their debut in 1976) they changed the music world.  Not many ever get to say that.

Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Playlist for 7/9

Big Youth - Screaming Target
Byrds - Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde
Byrds -  Ballad of Easy Rider
Robert Palmer - Some People Can Do What They Like
Robert Palmer - Pressure Drop
Robert Palmer - Double Fun
REO Speedwagon - Good Trouble
Jimmy Scott - Fabulous Songs
Daniel Lanois - Acadie

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Playlist for 7/2

Jimmy Scott - Fabulous Songs of
Charlie Parker - With Strings
Angels (Australian band) - Face to Face
REM - Dead Letter Office
Southside Johnny - Hearts of Stone
Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour
Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
Chrissie Hynde - Stockholm
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