Mark Stratton's Blog: AGGASPLETCH, page 7

63 – Songs Left Behind (iPod Challenge)

People come and people go. It’s a fact of life. Some barely make an impression and others who stick around for a season have a place in our memories that seems outsized for their time invested. This is one of those stories

I used to work at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. It was one of many food service jobs I held over the years and I came across a lot of interesting people. A few became more than co-workers. Some I still don’t care if I ever see again.

There was this manager named Roger. We hit...

64 – I’ll Be Alright With Irony (iPod Challenge)

Irony is a funny thing.

Having been a fan of Journey since my Jr. High School days, news of a new album was exciting to me. The lead single “Be Good to Yourself” was enjoyable, the next left me with an overwhelming sense of Meh. Then came “I’ll Be Alright Without You” and I was hooked. Except the rest of the album was likewise Meh, in the complete sense of the word. Boring, pedestrian and just Meh. But “I’ll Be Alright Without You” was a killer track in my ears. It immediately became my favori...

65 – 9th Grade Memories

Remember 9th Grade?

Remember those days when you made your first steps towards not being a snot-nosed brat kid anymore? When you were busy running hell bent for leather straight into being a pain-in-the-ass teenager? Remember those days? Do you smile or cringe? Or both? Yeah, me too.

See, I remember those days; barely at times and with almost total recall at others but I do remember 9th Grade. Some of us looked 16 or 17 and some still looked about 12 years old. Yet we were all 14 or 15, full of...

66 – 10,000 Reasons May Not Be Enough

I did not put two and two together when I selected this song for today, but it being All Saint’s Day today’s choice makes sense.

I love praise music and church hymns. Not simply because of my faith, but because some of them are nothing short of gloriously beautiful. I mean, when you hear somebody nail “How Great Thou Art” or sing “Amazing Grace” with dignity and beauty, leaving the schmaltz and treacle behind, it moves me.

I love the opening chorus as it lays it all out there, the reason for pr...

67 – Wonders from the Unknown (iPod Challenge)

I love me the internets. Not like T.O. loves him some him, but I do enjoy the vistas of awesome the internets offer. Aside from pictures of cats and places to argue about stupid stuff with total strangers, I’ve found a lot of new (to me) music on the intertubes and one genre has been richly rewarding to me; That’s Power Pop!

If you need some ideas as to what Power Pop is, think The Knack or Cheap Trick. Off Broadway or Pezband are also great examples of Power Pop. In the 90′s, power pop made a...

68 – Songs You Know But You Don’t Know You Know (iPod Challenge)

Standards. A term used to denote songs that have percolated in the public psyche long enough you know them even if you don’t know you know them. They become part of the culture, our collective memory if you will (or even if you won’t). There’s a reason artists like to record albums of Standards. They are a musical and cultural yardstick to measure yourself against.

This particular version of this song is pulled from the Duke Ellington box set “Never No Lament – The Blanton-Webster Band”, a col...

69 – Heard it Somewhere Else First (iPod Challenge)

When I was working in Country Radio in the late 80′s, there was a sister act, The McCarters, whose harmonies and big hair caught my attention. I truly loved their soft country sound, with close family harmonies. Even the uptempo numbers on their albums were restrained.

The second album was titled “Better Be Home Soon“(link to YouTube) and it was also the first (and only) single released. I loved it, when I heard it. Jennifer McCarter, with her high, keening vocals, brought a sense of life to t...

70 – Slithery Southern Funk (iPod Challenge)

And….we’re back. Thank you for your patience…

I remember hearing the Classics IV sing this song on the radio when I was a wee bairn. It was okay, nothing to get excited about, but a pleasant enough song. Then, I was driving some years later when I heard a familiar riff but damn did it sound different.

Call it Southern Fried Funk, Slithery Southern Funk or whatever you will, but the Atlanta Rhythm Section‘s cover of “Spooky” struck me as head and shoulders above the original. At least to my ears...

Guilty Pleasure – Songs You Should Never Admit Liking (iPod Challenge)

You do realize that there are songs, should you admit to liking them, that are akin to wearing plaid shorts, dark socks and sandals, right?

Can I get an Amen here?

You feel me on this one right? Because I can hear the cogs grinding in your head as you try to think of which songs you like that fit this fashion faux paux. That your children would mock you for liking now, much less when we were their age or younger. You have a short list already don’t you?

Yeah, thought so. Here’s one of mine…

Click...

71. Crunchy Guitar Stays Crispy in Milk (iPod Challenge)

Yeah, I know. A song that is well known, was a big hit, what’s wrong with this guy?

Nothing, I assure you. I like a lot of songs that were popular at one time, and some have great staying power with me. Toto’s “Hold the Line” is one of those. I mean, I like the piano opening. At the time, it reminded me of some of the exercises my sister played when she practiced her piano lessons. The crunchy guitar with that anthem-atic riff (a killer riff) that plays at dramatic points in the song.

I have to...