Listen to a Song Challenge Thread

[Annoying Twit]

I propose a thread to get us sharing music.

Here's what I suggest. I'll be 'it' first. Someone can challenge me to listen to a song, which should be available on youtube or Spotify or other accessible source. For the first song I'm challenged to listen to, I'm expected to come back and post a few comments on it.

Then, anyone else (first poster gets priority) can challenge my challenger to listen to a song. And so on.

E.g. I'm 'it' first. So, someone called EaglesFan75 may challenge me to listen to 'Her Town Too' by James Taylor. I'll listen to it, and come back and give my thoughts.

Then 'Desperado1981' might challenge EaglesFan75 to listen to 'Wild Life' by Wings. EaglesFan75 will listen to it, come back and post his/her thoughts. Then perhaps I come back, and challenge Desperado1981 to listen to 'Language' by Dave Dobbyn. And so on.

This wouldn't work if the songs were too obvious, e.g. if someone was challenged to listen to 'Hotel California'.

It may not work at all. but, if this thread doesn't take off, it'll fall down the listings and disappear forever, not much harm done.

Anyone?

[UndertheWire]

Would it work if it was a general challenge rather than just one person? Eg you would name a song and then anyone could listen and make comments. Allow for multiple people making comments but only the first one can set a new challenge - or whatever rules you care to invent.

[Annoying Twit]

World it work if it was a general challenge rather than just one person? Eg you would name a song and then anyone could listen and make comments. Allow for multiple people making comments but only the first one can set a new challenge - or whatever rules you care to invent.

It might do? Do you want to name a song?

[DJ]

I'll name a song for anyone to listen to, Disco Sucks, by Chuck Wagon and The Wheels. Way off the charts, but it's a keeper, for anyone that despised Disco.
P.S. It is on Youtube.

[Annoying Twit]

Thanks DJ. I've listened to it and think it's a great country novelty song. I like the actual disco outro, the smashing, and the humorous lyrics (e.g. disco dancing stolen from country swing.) But what is happening at the end with all the liquid sounds?

If we were playing the original rules, then now anyone can challenge DJ to listen to a song.

[travlnman2]

I challenge you to listen to one of my favorite songs of all time.

There Was A Time by Guns N Roses off of Chinese Democracy

The ending solo by Buckethead:bow:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FHMcXmYYgw4

[Annoying Twit]

You don't say who 'you' is, so I'll take it.

It sounds like a good hard rock song, made interesting by the production touches. I note that 'Chinese Democracy' is the album that is more like a solo album by Axel Rose with additional help from many musicians. I like the chord progression from the verse. The chorus is OK, but could be a touch more musical.

I'll challenge DJ to listen to an Australian novelty song, 'The Newcastle Song'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yXinPYK-Jk

[travlnman2]

Slash and Duff are still playing Chinese songs. It is a guns n roses album. As Axl said himself. If he made a solo album it would be a lot different then GNR songs.

[Freypower]

You don't say who 'you' is, so I'll take it.

It sounds like a good hard rock song, made interesting by the production touches. I note that 'Chinese Democracy' is the album that is more like a solo album by Axel Rose with additional help from many musicians. I like the chord progression from the verse. The chorus is OK, but could be a touch more musical.

I'll challenge DJ to listen to an Australian novelty song, 'The Newcastle Song'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yXinPYK-Jk

With the greatest respect, I would love to know why you chose that. I grew up in Newcastle.

I'm not sure why one particular person is being challenged. How do you know they will listen to the song? At least if you throw it open to everyone someone will take it up. If you restrict to one person you have to wait for them to answer.

[Annoying Twit]

With the greatest respect, I would love to know why you chose that. I grew up in Newcastle.


It's a novelty song and DJ had challenged me with a novelty song. Hence, I thought one was a reasonable response to the other, but moving the theme from the USA to very 'Ocker' Australian.



I'm not sure why one particular person is being challenged. How do you know they will listen to the song? At least if you throw it open to everyone someone will take it up. If you restrict to one person you have to wait for them to answer.

The reason was so that recommendations could be personalised to the person being challenged. Otherwise, it becomes very much just a 'listen to this song, everyone' thread which I thought less interesting than if people were challenging individuals with something chosen for them.

[Gnrguy]

Slash and Duff are still playing Chinese songs. It is a guns n roses album. As Axl said himself. If he made a solo album it would be a lot different then GNR songs.

Luv luv gnr as is my username, but I do not think that album is a gnr album. I do not care much for that record

[DJ]

It's a novelty song and DJ had challenged me with a novelty song. Hence, I thought one was a reasonable response to the other, but moving the theme from the USA to very 'Ocker' Australian.



The reason was so that recommendations could be personalised to the person being challenged. Otherwise, it becomes very much just a 'listen to this song, everyone' thread which I thought less interesting than if people were challenging individuals with something chosen for them.

Well I did listen to it. It's pretty funny and he has a great singing voice. But that's about all I can say, not a lot of music to it, so.....But I accepted challenge and that's all that matters. :grooving:

[Jonny Come Lately]

I missed this game when it first started, but I very much like the idea and wanted to have a go at it myself. Although I think the initial idea is very sound, I do think UtW's suggestion about making the challenge open rather than to one specific person is also a good idea. As there was no challenge song left from when this thread was last posted in I hope no one minds if I start afresh.

One suggestion I do have is the idea of stating that other people don't reply if they are known to be a huge fan of the artist, or at least not be the first to post, but leaving it open to everyone else. Let's say someone might name an obscure Pink Floyd song and specify that it's open to everyone except me, or at least specify that I should not be the first to reply. I wouldn't be offended by that at all, in fact I think it would make the game better as long as people weren't being mean and excluding people without reason. I'm not sure it needs to be made into a rule - if people choose to follow this as a guide and keep away from challenges for big favourite artists it should avoid the game being short-circuited by users taking up the 'challenge' of listening to a song they know and love. If you disagree with me, fair enough.

I'll get this restarted with one that's probably an unsurprising pick from me artist-wise but hopefully not too well known a song. I'll leave this one open to everyone, link is below:

Short And Sweet - David Gilmour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vQTuCwpbIc

[Annoying Twit]

I missed this game when it first started, but I very much like the idea and wanted to have a go at it myself. Although I think the initial idea is very sound, I do think UtW's suggestion about making the challenge open rather than to one specific person is also a good idea. As there was no challenge song left from when this thread was last posted in I hope no one minds if I start afresh.

One suggestion I do have is the idea of stating that other people don't reply if they are known to be a huge fan of the artist, or at least not be the first to post, but leaving it open to everyone else. Let's say someone might name an obscure Pink Floyd song and specify that it's open to everyone except me, or at least specify that I should not be the first to reply. I wouldn't be offended by that at all, in fact I think it would make the game better as long as people weren't being mean and excluding people without reason. I'm not sure it needs to be made into a rule - if people choose to follow this as a guide and keep away from challenges for big favourite artists it should avoid the game being short-circuited by users taking up the 'challenge' of listening to a song they know and love. If you disagree with me, fair enough.

I'll get this restarted with one that's probably an unsurprising pick from me artist-wise but hopefully not too well known a song. I'll leave this one open to everyone, link is below:

Short And Sweet - David Gilmour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vQTuCwpbIc

This game didn't work out. It was meant to be a game where you challenged a particular person to listen to a track, not just generally listed a track. It's true that this way of doing it makes it much more open, but it loses the personal touch.

Anyhow, I'll challenge JCL to listen to Dave Dobbyn and the Stone People - Don't hold your breath (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmaPO-W8H1s)

[RudieCantFail]

I missed this game when it first started, but I very much like the idea and wanted to have a go at it myself. Although I think the initial idea is very sound, I do think UtW's suggestion about making the challenge open rather than to one specific person is also a good idea. As there was no challenge song left from when this thread was last posted in I hope no one minds if I start afresh.

One suggestion I do have is the idea of stating that other people don't reply if they are known to be a huge fan of the artist, or at least not be the first to post, but leaving it open to everyone else. Let's say someone might name an obscure Pink Floyd song and specify that it's open to everyone except me, or at least specify that I should not be the first to reply. I wouldn't be offended by that at all, in fact I think it would make the game better as long as people weren't being mean and excluding people without reason. I'm not sure it needs to be made into a rule - if people choose to follow this as a guide and keep away from challenges for big favourite artists it should avoid the game being short-circuited by users taking up the 'challenge' of listening to a song they know and love. If you disagree with me, fair enough.

I'll get this restarted with one that's probably an unsurprising pick from me artist-wise but hopefully not too well known a song. I'll leave this one open to everyone, link is below:

Short And Sweet - David Gilmour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vQTuCwpbIc

I'm not a Pink Floyd fan only because I haven't gotten around to it yet. This doesn't hit on their musicianship at all. I thought this song was good, but it didn't compel me to want to buy it on iTunes. It's a bit slower than what I would like, and the singing is ok and fits the tone of the song. I like the slow-building quality of it throughout, and the guitars are pretty good too. However, it's just too slow for my tastes and I wish the drums were more emphasized. It just feels like it's lacking a punch in the drums, but I understand that the style of the song is more guitar driven than anything. But hey, what do I know, since I'm not as good at describing music like the rest of you. Thanks for sharing, JCL.

I agree that we should share stuff that we think that other Borderers may not be as familiar with.

With that being said, I challenge JCL or AT to listen to Ulili E from The Descendants soundtrack (YouTube link below):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOpxKI4OMbc

I know that this would be going against AT's wishes, but if anyone would like to share their thoughts on this piece of Hawaiian music after a day or two has passed, then the challenge is open to anyone. Anyone could reply after October 12, 2016, so it's open to anyone from October 13, 2016 and onwards.

[Annoying Twit]

Having grown up in NZ, the Hawaiin music sounded like Maori music to me. (I don't speak Maori.) It's a nice song produced well, though I would like to hear a ukulele only version! :)

I'll challenge RCF to listen to The Patea Maori Club's "Poi E". This was a huge hit in New Zealand. In hindsight, it sounds a bit dated in terms of its production (including the video), but is still IMHO quite catchy. This song was an important one in NZ music history as the radio stations would refuse to play NZ music much, including this song. It was shown on TV, went to No. 1., and was the highest selling single in NZ in the year it was released.

Patea Maori Club: Poi E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQLUygS0IAQ)

The personal side of this thread was to be aware of people's likes. If RCF likes the reggae-ish side of The Clash, then you/he might like the NZ band Herbs. (Guess the reason for the band name.) Here's one of their most famous songs "Nuclear Waste".

Herbs: Nuclear Waste (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOfqMRIhAh0)

[RudieCantFail]

Here's what I think is a ukulele version. I don't have a good ear for instruments, so forgive me if this is in fact guitar.

Ulili E - Iz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P80zBwDqymw

I thought that Poi E sounded like a national anthem produced for the 1980s. I looked at the comments section of the video, and a few comments agreed with my sentiment of the song. It's funny how you mention that part about stations not playing NZ music over there. I thought at first you meant it in a way that they refuse to play Maori music, but I realized afterwards that you meant just NZ music in general either from white people or Maoris. Anyways, this summer I talked to a couple from NZ at a hot tub in Hawaii, and we talked about politics a little bit. I asked them what the political climate was like over there, and they said that there's much less conflict or you know, not as poisonous as it is in the US right now. They just said that mainly it's just about policies that have to do with the relations between white people and Maoris. Sorry that this is way off-topic, but my initial misunderstanding of your statement on stations not playing NZ music led me to recall that memory.

It also took me a while to realize that the Poi that they're singing about were the balls on strings that they're dancing with. Poi in Hawaii is a taro dish/dip that doesn't taste like much but it adds flavor to meat.

The song itself is catchy, and the chanting/singing are pretty good. It threw me off at first, since it's percussion-heavy and I don't hear any stringed instruments. Thanks for sharing.

As for Nuclear Waste, it's a little too blatantly political of a song for me. If songs are political, I prefer it if the lyricism wasn't as obvious and/or there are metaphors. I don't catch them all the time, but it captures my attention when a song has very obvious lyrics. There's nothing wrong with that, but if I'm trying to do a study guide, it throws me off a little. It has a nice island beat and reggae vibe to it. I'm not that into Polynesian/Pacific Islander reggae, but I do enjoy the stuff from the Caribbean. My dad likes Hawaiian reggae though. Well, at least he did, since he's not listening to it much anymore. He said that it made good work music in Hawaii. Once again, thanks for sharing AT!

I know that my response to your post has just been a jumble of thoughts that popped into my head, so sorry about that if it bothered you to read something that lacks cohesion.

I'd like to challenge a song for you AT, but I'm not sure about what kind of music you like exactly. It seems like you're pretty open to all kinds, since you've posted some foreign songs and people on the song threads.

I guess I challenge AT to listen to Alpha by Vangelis, in the hopes that he might not be as familiar with electronic instrumentals. If he is, oh well, I tried to find something not as mainstream.

Link (EDITED b/c the original link cut off a few seconds at the end.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jG--3elufo

This challenge is open to anyone from October 14 and onwards, if there's no response from AT.

[Annoying Twit]

I do like Electronic Music. The Vangelis piece is one I haven't heard before. I'm not familiar with his albums, just his better-known film music. This piece is a very simple melody that repeats throughout most of the length of the track, slowly building in terms of the instrumentation. The synthesiser sounds are simple but effective. I like the track. It's not a classic, but then not every song/tune has to be. It reminds me of Kometenmelodie 2 by Kraftwerk, Aqua by Kitaro, and some Jean-Michel Jarre, e.g. Equinox. A bit, the Vangelis track is its own thing.

What I'll do now is not challenge RCF, but leave it open for someone else to do. If this thread is to live, then it needs more people. If no-one does, I'll come back and challenge RCF in a few days.

[MortSahlFan]

Wha-Koo - You're Such A Fabulous Dancer

I always wondered what happened to Palmer after he left Steely Dan -- has a great voice. Did three albums with a guy, then did more backup vocals, and has been a digital graphics guy for the past 15-20 years..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryh5vVTK_1s

[Delilah]

Wha-Koo - You're Such A Fabulous Dancer

I always wondered what happened to Palmer after he left Steely Dan -- has a great voice. Did three albums with a guy, then did more backup vocals, and has been a digital graphics guy for the past 15-20 years..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryh5vVTK_1s

Thanks for this, MSF. I've never heard this song before. The guy playing the tambourine looks a lot like the tambourine player from Randy's former band, The Silverados (Don Francisco). Did you know David Palmer and Randy were going to form a band in the 80s? For some reason, it never materialized. However, Mr. Palmer did write a song, Darkness of the Heart, which Randy recorded for his 3rd solo album.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qEF2Z8kHWK8

[NightMistBlue]

Wha-Koo - You're Such A Fabulous Dancer

I always wondered what happened to Palmer after he left Steely Dan -- has a great voice. Did three albums with a guy, then did more backup vocals, and has been a digital graphics guy for the past 15-20 years..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryh5vVTK_1s

Thanks for this - never heard it before (nor ever seen what Palmer looks like).

Delilah, well spotted about the tambourine player, it sure does look like the dude from the first Silverados :rockon:

[WalshFan88]

If someone likes vocals and harmonies and earlier 74 and prior Eagles, they MUST give this song a listen. New band called Midland. They are getting a LOT of comparisons to the guys in their first lineup. Very "smooth".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eix1rbELtoM

I'm really a guy who prefers the Walsh/Felder later period but this song is as smooth as butter and I'll admit, I can't stop listening and for me to say that, it must be good lol. The lead singer doesn't sound like Glenn, but with the sound and when they start harmonizing I immediately think first/second album Eagles.

[NightMistBlue]

That's a very good song, well done. Doesn't remind me of the Eagles though, who had outstanding harmonies with each voice having definition and presence. Midland's harmonies, at least on this song played on computer speakers, are muted and very much in the background.

Still a good song though.

[Delilah]

I agree Walshfan, it is a good song, but I think it's a little too country for the early Eagles. Maybe it's the refrain, which sounds just like the one in David Ball's "Thinkin' Problem" --a straight-up country song. In fact, at first I thought Midland was doing some kind of revamped cover version. Since this is a "listen to a song" thread, I'll post it here for comparison.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YUqXWWb_ifA

[WalshFan88]

Interesting. They are being billed by the label in press and such as sounding like and being the new Eagles. To me they have that same smooth processed country rock sound as heard on the first album. The vocals to me are defined enough that you can tell who is doing what part but it's a combined effect. As far as an Eagles song comparison, I hear a little TLHTM although different progression. It just sounds like california country rock to me.

Thinkin' Problem sounds similar in the refrain but I think it's different enough that it won't cause for any lawsuits. I prefer the Midland song, again it's very "Eagles" to me. I guess everyone hears it differently. To me one of the guys sounds very much like Henley with the higher voice, the lead singer has a deeper voice than Glenn though.