Ah! Wings!

"Ah! Leah!" / Donnie Iris

The strange thing about this song for me is that it came out in 1980 and I never heard it until I moved to Orlando in 1994. Even though I listened to radio stations that should've played it in Madison, none of them did. Anyway, I really liked this song from my first listen. The duetted lead vocals, steady eighth-note staccato bass line, and smooth three part backup vocals all make this song great. The chord progression doesn't seem that incredible at first, but I think the resolution to the I after every phrase of the verse and the lack of resolution through the four chords of the chorus might be what makes this song distinctive. Points also go to the punctuated voice tone synth used after the chorus, which are palatable because they aren't used to excess. The exclamation points in the song title also push the limit for song titles without being over the top.

Give Up the Wings

????

I had a hard time figuring this one out (obviously) because I had a tough time understanding the lyrics. I do remember this one being featured in a commercial awhile back, probably Intel with the guys in the clean suits. This one is distinctive in the guitary sounding key riff, which has a half-note trilly thing going on which is hard to use without sounding cheesy. Also notable are the string synths, and that the chord structure is quite simple--only 3 chords, and mostly one.

"Smooth Criminal" / Alien Ant Farm

Aha, a cover that improves on the original. This song is too hard rock/punk sounding for Michael Jackson. AAF does it more appropriately. They should've also lost the high harmonies, which remind me of MJ's version.

"Give Up the Funk" / Pariliament

You can always tell this group because they have a chorus all singing the same melody in every voice--bass, soprano, tenor, etc. Its neat that the brass part is for once one of the more subtle parts--brass usually stands out. Instead, the string synth line is really separated from everything else and the bass line is mixed heavier than normal.

Wing Extravaganza

"We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" / Jermaine Stewart

I do like "lesson or command in the chorus" songs (like "Don't Talk to Strangers") and especially the longer title of this one, but isn't this totally against everything R&B/Pop music is about? Yeah we could have a good time without taking our clothes off, but it would certainly help and it definitely wouldn't hurt. I could almost understand a girl singing this song. Until tonight I thought this was sung by a girl--this guy certainly sounds like one. I can only justify the existence of this song now is by thinking that he's just singing this to keep her from leaving immediately, and the clothes WILL be taken off if he ever gets his game on.

"It's My Life" / Bon Jovi

Geez not this song again! Just proving my previous entry

"Can't Get Enough Of You Baby" / Smash Mouth

Wow, when I'm in the middle of eating wings I actually don't think of the Pizza Hut commercials immediately. I was getting into the keyboard intro riff and I/IV chords for a good five seconds before I reminded myself how the commericals ruined this song. Maybe there's still hope.

"Ebony Eyes" / Bob Welch

This is one of those sorta obscure songs from a one-hit wonder that I downloaded from Napster or Limewire or something when they were free and had no risk of legal action. I had a great group of songs but I lost them all due to a hard drive crash a few years back. This is great 70's stuff: the vocal is in "soft guy voice," we have duelling guitar vs. strings riffs, and lots of harmonies in thirds. Also notable are an ending bridge that kinda catches you off guard, and the chorus being in a different key than the verses.

"I Think We're Alone Now" / Tiffany

It's sad that I quite possibly might have heard this cover before the original by Tommy James & the Shondells. She completely destroyed this song, though she was probably just a puppet and some anonymous, soulless producers are truly to blame. Instead of galloping bass, punctuating guitar chords and vocals, and an organ that cuts through everything, we get bells, emotionless synth drums, and a melty smooth vocal track. The short synth solo is a joke too--someone noticed the mod and pitch bend wheels and HAD to use them, excessively.

Wing's My Life

Wow, that was weird.

"It's My Life" / No Doubt

It is just strange that anyone decided to cover this 80's song. I think its important that if a group puts out a cover that they need to add something to the original, except of course if you're in a cover band and must sound EXACTLY like the original. No Doubt did a good job with their version, so much that I probably think of this one more than the original now. Also I would like to mention that I love everything No Doubt and Gwen Stefani has done, and I'm surprised I don't own any of their music.

"It's My Life" / Bon Jovi

As I was googling "It's My Life" to verify I was remembering the original artist of the above song correctly (Talk Talk), this song came up first. What's weird is that this song played here about half an hour ago, I debated blogging about it, and decided not to. It didn't even cross my mind that these two songs have the same name. Anyway, now that I've mentioned it I'll include my comments which are: I hate this song, probably because it never goes away. It came out in 2000 and doesn't seem to ever have left the airwaves. I was thinking this before I started bowling a few years ago and it was on that same damned mix CD they played every week.

Wings in the City

"Hot in the City" / Billy Idol

I'm thinking, oh yeah, a cover by Billy Idol, but who did it originally? I can't think of who did it, or what it sounds like. Hmm. It turns out that no, I'm wrong, it only sounds like a cover. It's a Billy Idol original, on the same album with the bigger hits "Dancing with Myself" and "White Wedding." It must be the alternating tonic major and relative minor chords during the chorus that gives it an oldie type feeling.

Look Through Any Wingdow

"Look Through Any Window" / The Hollies

This Hollies' hit has faded over time in comparison to songs like "Bus Stop" or "Long Cool Woman...," which makes me surprised to hear it played, but being surprised by the music is the reason I started this series in the first place. You can tell this is Hollies pretty quickly with the harmonies (not only thirds but sometimes sevenths) and Graham Nash's distinctive voice (it stands out to me, anyway). I guess I never listened to the lyrics that closely because I assumed this probably had to do with some girl and some love struck guy--who therefore must be a peeping tom, looking in through a very specific window. Upon listening more closely tonight, I realize the song is completely clean and innocent: it's about looking through ANY window from the inside to the OUTSIDE. This song is much more boring now...

Also notable in this song is the once overused (like 40 years ago) but now sorely missing half-step modulation of the last verse/chorus. And the relative minor ending chord.

Six Wings Ate

"Got my Mind Set on You" - George Harrison

From Cloud Nine, George's 1987 album and first album in 5 years. This might actually probably the first Beatles/post-Beatles CD I ever bought. It was part of my NES collection of CDs I would listen to while playing Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda. It is one of those rare songs that songs with a multi-measure drum intro. Like most of the music I like, it is simple and catchy. Not much going on lyrically either--remember Weird Al's parody "This Song is Just Six Words Long?" This was a good album, with other hits such as "Devil's Radio" and "When We Was Fab." You can also hear Jeff Lynne's influence. This was the beginning of the Travelling Wilburys sound I imagine.

W-w-w-wings

"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" - Bachman Turner Overdrive

My favorite BTO song! It has a fun galloping beat, AND it makes fun of a member of the band's speech impediment (or is a relative of a member of the band, I don't remember) How can you possibly dislike it?

Winged Hooters (Owls)

"And We Danced" / The Hooters

This one must be part of the playlist for obvious reasons. Note that this song features a melodica (which you may have seen me play occasionally). Coincidentally enough, the melodica also is known as a "hooter."

I just looked up The Hooters on wikipedia, and apparently they named themselves after this nickname for the melodica, and not owls as I had previously thought.

Wing Away

"Got to Get you into my Life" / Earth, Wind & Fire

The Beatles' original is fading from my memory fast. I just don't hear it anymore. So, it's no surprise that I had forgotten about EW&F's cover which "showcases EW&F's signature groove in a way to make it their own, yet it remains true to the original." (text in quotes as I'm sure some music critic has written that one before)

"Why Can't we be Friends?" / Smash Mouth

Nothing special about this one, other than when it started I thought it was the original version. After this song, some benign newer song played. Then, the original version (by "War") played. Who programs a set like this? Also, I want to write a sequel titled "Can We All Get Along?" and perform it on the 20th anniversary of Rodney King's LAPD beatdown.

"The Rockafeller Skank" / Fatboy Slim

I was going to write something about the feeling of recognizing a sound sample in a song (in this case, one of the guitar samples) but, after looking it up, I don't think it is what I thought it was. I will have to listen to the tracks listed on the wikipedia page and figure this out.

"One Week" / Barenaked Ladies

Not much to say about the song particularly, other than it is original and different, and I don't think anyone would notice if they forgot to remove the click track (maybe they did?) The reason I brought this one up is to mention I have a memory of this song being all over the radio. And I remember that because it is part of one of those little things that happens when you get back from a long deployment. All the songs on the radio are completely different from the ones that were on when you left, you have to quickly relearn how to drive your car, etc.

Wing with me

"Stand" / R.E.M.

This song is goofy sounding, but it's catchy enough that I like it anyway. Goofy carnival organ intro, goofy lyrics, goofy chords, etc. Also, it is the theme song to the best sitcom ever.

"Roam" / The B-52's

The lesser hit from Cosmic Thing. That album will always remind me of playing Legend of Zelda on NES. Along with A&M's Classics, Vol. 15. Yeah, I bought it. I'm not embarrassed. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to look up the group. Domo!

I guess I have an Athens theme going on. It's a nice fun college town. I used to drive 4-5 hours there from the sub base when I wanted to get away from the weekend. You can find my Hawaii license plate in whatever restaurant in downtown Athens has a bunch of license plates on the wall.

Wings in Disguise

"Judy in Disguise" John Fred and his Playboy Band

One of my favorite oldies. I've heard it's a parody on Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds but listening to it now I'm not getting why. The instrumentation is unique with saxes, a marimba, and a string section solo. The piano part is cool with I and IV chords rockin' back and forth simultaneously with a I-VI-V bass part.

Wings & Oates

Surprise, it's a wing entry!

Tonight's song is "Private Eyes" by Hall & Oates. Last night, I was watching an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force which featured the apparition of Bart Oates, the former center for the New York Giants (still alive by the way), telling Carl to right the things he's done wrong. I felt inferior not knowing who Bart was so I looked up his entry on wikipedia. Of course, I stumbled on the Hall & Oates entry and read their history as well. That made me remember that in my youth I bought the Rock & Soul Part I LP.

I didn't own a lot of LPs. There was a fairly short window between my first music purchase and the advent of CDs, so that's why. I also bought some cassettes in that period, but I can't recall any of them. Anyway I think we can all agree that cassettes suck.

What I didn't realize until just now is that Rock & Soul Part I was a greatest hits package. That means that this LP is the first greatest hits album I ever owned! Hall & Oates seems appropriate for that. It's hard to imagine being such a big fan of theirs that I'd own their real albums, but their songs were certainly catchy enough that owning a compilation is understandable. The other LPs I remembering owing were Men At Work's first two albums, and I remember that my sisters owned Phil Collins' solo album with the big orange head on it, Thriller (of course), and Wham!'s Make It Big.

I almost forgot to mention anything about the song. "Private Eyes"... nice prevalence of the "rock style" piano that you can find on any keyboard these days, also the usual Hall soulful lead vocals and Oates soothing back-ups. And a nice clapping thing going on during the chorus.

I must also mention that while I was reading the summary at the above ATHF link, which ends with a quote about the band Boston, the Boston song "Don't Look Back" is playing here. Freaky coincidence.

Yes I Did

"Shapes of Things" / Yardbirds - First song I hear upon entering. I miss my oldies station! Nice march feel.

"I'm Working My Way Back to You" / Detroit Spinners - Pick up the tempo and set it to a disco beat. A completely unnecessary version of the Four Seasons' hit.

"I Want Candy" / The Strangeloves - I've heard the Bow Wow Wow version so many times, I was no longer sure there was an original oldies version. That and it's so easy to get confused with "Hand Jive" which has that same Bo Diddley beat. Is there a more recognizable rhythm? Clap it for someone and guaranteed one of those two songs will come to their mind.

"Here Comes My Baby" / Cat Stevens - I can never tell at the beginning of this song whether I'm going to hear it or "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul cause they both start with similar drums and cheering. Frankly I'd rather have heard "Happy" cause that line must be so true. If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife! The Stevens song however features a whistle solo. More whistle solos, less guitar solos!

"It's Raining Again" / Supertramp - This song sounds FLAT. Not pitch wise, just.. no energy. They even use a synthesizer harmonica. Well hey they wouldn't want to risk anyone breathing any life into this one. Here is a song that if covered would easily improve on the original. Or if played live. The thing is, neither of those two things will ever happen.

Obligatory Song from Last Night (Nite?)

"I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" / Boyce & Hart
I wonder how many times in the last twenty years I've asked myself that question?  Not that I'd ever call and find out!  Boyce & Hart were a songwriting-duo that wrote a bunch of happy pop songs for other groups, most notably the Monkees.  This was their only song they recorded themselves that became a hit.  I like trumpet solos... other instruments too.  We need more solos performed by other instruments and less by guitar.

Late Entry

The wings are eaten, but I've got to mention this one: "867-5309 Jenny" by Tommy Tutone. I like this song, better than average definately--but the reason this song will be remembered is due to the havoc we all assume it caused to those unfortunate enough to have it as a real phone number. Or is this just one of those urban legends? Leave it to snopes to tell us the truth!

McWings

Here I am at the old place at long last! Tonight's song for comment is "Coming Up" by Paul McCartney. Now I remember really enjoying this song when it came out, though at the time I probably didn't realize it was from Paul's first solo album since Wings broke up. Wings, I realize now, was one of my favorite bands when I was 5 years old, so I probably would've been very crabby if anyone told me they broke up when they did. Or I would if I was able to realize I may never hear another song by the band that performed "Let 'Em In" ever again! I'm sure it was several years after this song came out before I realized the significance of "The Beatles," and that Paul was a part of that obscure group. Some guy named John Lennon was killed the year this album came out--who's that?

The song is quite catchy, and the video is fun in that Paul plays every band member, each in a different costume. At the same time, the song is quite corny and the video is embarrassing in that Paul plays every band member, each in a different costume.

The Wings Again So Soon

Dang wasn't gonna post this; now you know I've been here twice this week! The old location this time though. At least I got something done, I 'registered' to see a couple of apartment complexes online... more about that later. For now, thoughts about what's playing:

"Rock Me" - Steppenwolf - Huh, I didn't realize I knew anything by them other than "Born to be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride." I didn't even know it was them 'til I looked it up. Sorry I can't come up with the chords off the top of my head at the moment, but I love how the chorus seems to be in a different key than the verse. And how the chorus wraps up quickly "'til then... as best as we can!"

"Vehicle" - Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Ooh my favorite BST song. Love the brass line. Didn't the band (college b-ball, NBA, whatever) always used to play this one during games? Must be that brass part! I guess it was nice to be reminded of this song when they used it in some auto ad awhile back, but it did cheapen the song somewhat.

A Couple of Wings!

Found myself at a different wings location between work and downtown. I don't think I've been to this one before, but they are playing the music. I have just enough time for a few comments!

"Polk Salad Annie" / Tony Joe White - what the hell is Polk Salad? You don't need to look it up, just listen to the lyrics (or look the lyrics up like I had to) Man, her momma must've been a bad ass if she was workin' on the chain gang!! (a wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman, Lord have mercy. Pick a mess of it). This is some funky late 60's soul with the "sock it to me" brass parts (half-step 'trills', riffs that end on the minor seventh) Elvis covered this one, perfect choice for him. PS: the waitress told me they have a secret hotter than bentley sauce here called the 'Elvis'

"Old Time Rock & Roll" / Bob Seger - yeah, we've all heard this one (remember Risky Business, with the pre-scientologist non-judgmental Tom Cruise?) my comments has to do with oldies stations, so I haven't had to deal with this in awhile since our city doesn't have one. But why do they throw this song into the oldies mix? Just because it's about oldies doesn't make it an oldie. This came out in 1978, guys. You cause everyone to completely lose their oldies groove when you play late 70's classic rock on an oldies station.

Wingin' It

Well I did my usual Thursday night thing. But I forgot to bring a pen so let's see what I remember. I heard the Turtle's "You Know She'd Rather Be With Me." I've always enjoyed the Turtles, this just reminded me that I haven't listened to them in a long while. Then "But It's Alright" by J. J. Jackson. I knew exactly when the modulation was coming on this one. On both of these actually. I love modulation, and these songs both use the tried and true technique of modulating up near the end of the song. That got me thinking, Weezer is pretty good at using modulation in the middle of their songs, but they are sometimes clever enough to modulate back down to the original key, which is even cooler than the oldies-style technique. Also heard "Telstar" by the Tornados, a fun one to sing along with. Well, the lyrics are easy, anyway! Not to ignore the 80's, somehow "C'est La Vie" by some jerk name Robbie Nevil made it into the mix. I had to look that one up to find the artist, and it described the song as "infectious." I don't know about that... maybe they meant "infection" as in "ear infection."

By the way here is a picture of me and my niece enjoying some wings last week.

Last week