Sometimes It Takes Awhile
For regular readers of my column on Fridays you know it’s usually an eclectic mix of music from four different decades. I really dont waste my time with music after lets say 1997 and while I do enjoy music from the early 60’s and some 50’s stuff, i focus on my formative years.
During those formative years there was so much good music it is hard to go through it all, let alone songs that I have passed over because they were too poppy or too sappy. Some music just did not ring true when first heard, but I have come to realize that there were a few songs that I have grown to like now.
No, “Sister Christian” will still remain the worst song ever recorded. In history. Considering that almost everything recorded after 2000 is pure crap, that’s saying something.
Yet, I have found a few songs I actually like for some unknown reason. I don’t think any song on this list is great but I will say these songs sound better now than when they were released.
The first song by Brian Adams was always a “I will listen to it but won’t like it” number until recently. “Summer of ‘69” is the Canadian artist’s story of coming of age and I actually think that Adams is a pretty talented musician.
“Never Had Any Reason” by Head East is my next choice. A sort of guilty pleasure since this band never really had any other hit songs that I can recall. I like the vocals and it really is a solid piece of rock and roll.
This next song is probably further down the guilty pleasure chart but I can’t help it. I heard it a couple of weeks ago and I said to myself,”That’s really not as bad as I first thought”. The Babys “Isn’t It Time”. I know, where in God’s name did I come up with that one? Well sometime songs stick for whatever reason and this one stuck.
Something a little more recent and equally obscure is The Violent Femmes’ “Blister in The Sun”. Again, no reason but I just recently started playing the song again. The Violent Femmes are not everyone’s cup of tea for sure. They create songs or musical peices that do not fit any standard idea of what a song should be. “Blister in The Sun” is a perfect example. Most of their stuff is similar.
A band I never really got was Kansas. They were a progressive rock band out of Topeka Kansas. For a time, they could be considered the most popular rock act of a certain era and they played highly produced almost symphony like songs. I never doubter their sophistication nor their talent, i just never really got into them. Yet, yesterday I heard “Dust in The Wind” and I realized how much I actually like this song. I know it’s been played to death on classic rock stations over the years and for the longest time, I would just switch the station but yesterday i gave it a full listen and I have to say, it is a beautiful song and while it may be formulaic, it’s still a great song.
Since I am peeling back a layer into my odd taste in music the next two songs are songs that at the time, I could never admit I liked them. God forbid I play U2 or Metallica after playing Laura Branigan’s “Self Control” or George Michael’s “Father Figure”. Maybe it was that MTV thing that drew me into these songs or it was something else.
My next choice is not obscure at all and I think these guys are very very talented singers but still, I head bang with Motley Crew, how can I listen and enjoy Hall and Oats? I ams what I am and Hall and Oats’ “Sara Smile” is really one of my all time favorites. Hall and Oats were this Blue Eyed Soul group from the Philly area and they had dozens of hits crossing over from soul to rock. I have seen them live and they were as good live as any of their records.
Ok, I have delved into my soft side, now it’s time to turn up the volume on “Pure, Pure Pitiful Me” by Metallica.