Henry's Asylum

I Can Name That Tune in 1 Lousy Note

I previously wrote about the “declining trend” in popular music. Let me clarify that a bit, as I don’t want to appear like some old music snob waving a battered vinyl copy of “Electric Ladyland” (the original with all the naked ladies on the cover). My real beef is the dumbing down of popular music, in general, and not what may strike someone as entertaining. Trust me, I have a ton of guilty pleasures. I’m even a fan of “In the Year 2525” by Zager and Evans (yeah? well the same to you, pal). I have a step-daughter who’s a fan of “Belle and Sebastian”. Truth be told, I wouldn’t listen to that tripe if my alternative was to be tied to a saguaro cactus and forced to read Rosie O”Donnell’s blog (http://onceadored.blogspot.com/) with my eyelids sewn open. But my point is, if a tune reminds you of something deep inside yourself, a time or place, some memory, perhaps. Or if it just seems to resonate with a particular aspect of your nature, then no one should criticize that. Just don’t tell anyone you think it’s “good” music. Unless it’s Kate Bush or Joni Mitchell. But I digress.
Sure, I love Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, Charo (yes, Charo – for those of you unfamiliar with classical guitar, she studied with Andres Segovia, no less), Itzhak Perlman, Les Paul and a host of other masters of all types of music. But I also love:
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot
“Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean (I like his sausages, too)
“Town Without Pity” by Gene Pitney
“One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head
“Mexican Radio” by “Wall of Voodoo”
“Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush (yes, I know she screeches on that one)
… and quite a few other “classics”. Go figure. My one saving grace? I draw the line at William Shatner’s “Tambourine Man” (honorable mention goes to Leonard Nimoy for “Proud Mary” – but ironically, I own both).

posted by hbrennan @ 7:40 PM