Thursday Thirteen: Short and Sweet. 13 Cool Songs about Woman.

mjc-2012-08-15-IMG_0996 (Photo credit: wiccked)

Not feeling very original today, lol, when I found this post sitting in my draft folder from April.  It was mostly complete, only missing the last three songs, which at that time seemed impossible… That was until SongPop came along. 

I love SongPop.

Too much.  I’m good at it.  REALLY good at it.  Every, every genre, I can hold my own and some I kick ass in and some make me laugh but I feel bad for new challengers because with the tournament format of this game I’ve only been owned by 2 or 3 people.  And by owner I mean losing all 10-15 games we play.  In most cases, it’s me winning all the games, and certainly winning the tournaments. 

Not that I’m keeping count, but in the 200 tournaments I have played, I would suspect that I have lost maybe 20 of them. 

But let’s move past SongPop (challenge me if you would like to lose) and onto the this week’s Thursday Thirteen.  So sit back, grab a box of kleenex, turn on iTunes and get ready to find your inner female.

Here are 13 cool songs about women.

13. “Beth” -Kiss. This 1976 tearjerker was a big hit for the rock group Kiss and although the name “Beth” was fictional, the song –  about band members missing their ladies while they were out on tour – was all true.

12. “Rosanna” - Toto - The song was written by David Paich, who has said that the song is about several girls he had known.  As a joke, the band members initially played along with the common assumption that the song was about Rosanna Arquette, who was dating Toto keyboard player Steve Porcaro at the time and coincidentally had the same name.  Hmmmm.  Had me fooled too.

11. “Sweet Caroline”- Neil Diamond. Although the identity of the “Caroline” in this 1969 song wasn’t discovered until 2007- when Neil Diamond revealed that the song was about Caroline Kennedy, who was 11-years-old at the time the song was recorded.  

10. “Angie” – The Rolling Stones. The “Angie” in this 1973 Rolling Stones hit song has always been speculated upon, with the most common story being that it’s about Mick Jagger’s rumored affair with David Bowie’s ex-wife, Angela.  Jagger never gave the story any credibility, though.  And since Stones guitarist Keith Richards had a daughter named Angela born in 1972 (she was also immortalized in the song “Dandilion”) it’s possible they just used the name “Angie” because they liked it.

9. “Diana” - Bryan Adams - The song, written in March 1984, was intended as a light, comedic song about the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.  The song was not included on Adams’ Reckless album because Adams was worried about offending the royal couple so it was later released as a b-side on the single, “Heaven” which happens to be our wedding song.  Though the song is assumed to be about Diana and Prince Charles, the song never explicitly identifies the characters as such. Furthermore, is it never mentioned what Diana does (other than being a well-known celebrity), nor is Charles mentioned by name or title.  A royal connection is made, though, in that Diana is identified by the narrator as “the queen of all my dreams”.  Adams often performed the song during his live concerts up until the day of Diana’s death after which he retired the song permanently.

8. “Amanda” - Boston - This was the first single Boston released after a 7-year layoff and was their first and only #1 hit.  The song is actually very romantic, with Brad Delp singing about telling his girl “I Love You” for the first time.  ”Amanda” was most likely chosen as a name because it scans so well, the perfect word to follow lines like “I’m gonna tell you right away, I can’t wait another day…”

7. “Billie Jean” - Michael Jackson – There are contradictory claims to what the song’s lyrics refer to. One suggests that they are derived from a real-life experience, in which a female fan claimed that MJ had fathered one of her twins.  Jackson himself, however, stated that “Billie Jean” was based on groupies he had encountered.

6. “Cecilia” - Simon and Garfunkel – Paul Simon who this song and suggested that it’s about St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music in the Catholic tradition, and thus the song might refer to the frustration of fleeting inspiration in songwriting, the vagaries of musical fame or in a wider sense the absurdity of pop culture.  The song is generally interpreted as a lament over a capricious lover who causes both anguish and jubilation to the singer.

5. “Nikita” - Elton John.  This song was about the Cold War from John’s 1985 album.

4. “Oh Sherrie” - Steve Perry.  The song was Perry’s biggest hit as a solo artist and written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford, who also appeared in the music video.

3. “Dirty Diana”- Michael Jackson. This song is quite different from most of MJ’s other songs as it’s darker and more seductive.  This song is about a groupie.

2. ”Jenny/ 867-5309″- Tommy Tutone.  Snopes confirmed that the phone number mentioned in the song- 867-5309- has been a thorn in the phone company’s side for years.  But it has made for a very memorable song. For a good time, call.

1. “Venus” – Shocking Blue. A song about Venus which became the most popular when covered by Bananarama, however in their version they sing, “Venus was his name”.  Silly Bananarama…

Honourable Mentions:

“Maria” – Rage Against the Machine

“Judith” – A Perfect Circle

“Pamela” – Toto

“My Michelle” - Guns “n” Roses 

Related articles

• Thursday Thirteen: Our kids go Gangnam Style. We had hairy armpits. (urbandaddy.wordpress.com)

Thursday Thirteen: Our kids go Gangnam Style. We had hairy armpits.

My kids asked me to crank up the satelleite radio in the car last week when the K-pop song “Gangnam Style” by Korean rapper Psy came on.  My kids love the song that over 900 million people have viewed on YouTube and it got me thinking about a couple of things.  First off, what is “Oppa Gagnam Style” and secondly, what other songs made it huge internationally which were not in English. 

So I thought this week’s Thursday Thirteen should focus on the thirteen non-English songs that have “made it” over here in Canada in the past 50-60 years.  Surprisingly, there are not that many, Gangnam Style aside…  You should, however, recognize each song on this list and if you’re not sure about the song, head over to You Tube, watch the video, and you’ll be sure to recognize it.

Before we get to the list, however, for those of you who may not know, “Oppa Gangnam Style” is funny because it makes fun of the gangnam district – a very wealthy district in Seoul, South Korea – and how people who frequent that district are known for their frivolous spending of  their money and that they order people around.  These people really abuse their wealth and allow their children to go out partying, creating chaos wherever they go because they know their parents money is going to get them out of trouble.  It’s about the uber-privilidged and their bratty children.

On to the Thursday Thirteen…  Please sit back, take out the bell-bottomed jeans, hide away the 8-track, and check your armpits for hair and let’s go! 

13. Trio’s ‘Da Da Da’ (from the VW commercial)

12. Austrian Rock group Falco who had hits in Austrian with Der Komissar, and Rock Me

Psy’s Gangnam Style

Amadeus

11. Los Lobos with the huge hit “La Bamba”

10. “Ich Bin Ein Auslander” (German for “I am a foreigner”, by Pop Will Eat Itself, from 1994.  

9.  “Numa Numa” by O-Zone

8.  “Bailamos” byEnrique Iglesias

7.  French-Canadian hottie, Mitsou, and one of her hits, “Bye Bye Mon Cowboy”

6. ”Oye Como Va” by the legend Carlos Santana

5.  For the hard rock / heavy metal lovers, there is “Du hast” by Rammstein.

4.  The ’90s music scene saw the pop success of the Chanting Monks, who chanted in Latin

3.  Enigma’s “Sadeness (Part 1)”.  You know this song for sure…  

2.  “Bamboleo” by The Gypsy Kings

1.  ”99 Luftballoons” by Nena.  Did you know that Nena was not the name of the woman who sang the song, but the name of the band?  And how many of you remember the German version video, where ts wearing either black or red leather pants, and a black tank top, and she danced with her arms over her head and for us prudish North Americans, all the talk was about her very natural hairy armpits. 

Honourable mention to:

“Macarena” by Los Del Rio, which is sung partly in English.

The Ole Ole Ole song they sing at soccer games.

Related articles

• Here’s The English Translation Of ‘Gangnam Style’ (businessinsider.com)

Thursday Thirteen guest post. Best Comedies of ALL TIME!!!

Cover via Amazon

This week’s Thursday Thirteen comes to us from Elliott Hurst, CEO SoCast.  www.socastsrm.com

Knowing I’m not much of a movie guy, Elliott has provided me with a list of the 13 best comedy movies of ALL-TIME!

So grab the popcorn, put on the earphones and hope no one is calling you and let’s go!

In no particular order.

These comedies are amongst the best of all time, I have selected them based on how many memorable moments/lines they have in them to truly make them classics:

1. Office Space

2. Blazing Saddles

3. Superbad

4. Animal House

5. Groundhog Day

6. Ghostbusters

7. There’s Something About Mary

8. Bridesmaids

9. The Breakfast Club

10. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

11. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

12. Annie Hall

13. Christmas Vacation

 

—————————————————–

Honourable Mentions

14. The Big Lebowski

15. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

16. The Hangover

17. Young Frankenstien

 

Sadly, I have seen three or 4 of them…

Do you agree with Elliott’s list or not?  Who makes your list for best comedy with the most memorable lines?

Related articles

• Movie Goodness: The Comedy List (dawningcreates.com)

A Thursday Thirteen on Saturday? Who? The Who, That’s Who. Read Why…

The Who – Baba O’Riley, Hard Drums 98% 5 Star (Photo credit: robad0b)

I delayed this week’s Thursday Thirteen for a very plausible reason.  My wife and I are heading out for dinner Saturday night with friends of ours and I just learned through a mutual friend that the husband is a HUGE fan of the 1960′s and 1970′s band The Who.

So I decided to impress him with my knowledge of the band and quiz him with 13 tricky questions about the band.  I hear he’s an “expert” so I pulled up some challenging questions.  If you’re also a big fan of the band ask someone else to quiz you since I put the answer right under the question.

So put on your ear plugs, hide the explosives and throw out those drugs so you can be ready to participate and learn about the legendary band The Who;

Here we go!

13. Which Song did Roger Daltrey refuse to sing and why?

A:  He refused to sing, “However much I Booze”.  It was written by Pete Townshend when he was struggling with alcohol. Roger found it’s lyrics too personal so he refused to sing it.

12. What year was the who’s “Live in Toronto” released?  How long was the show and what was the significance?

A:  The show was released in 1984. It ran for 1h53 minutes.  It was the last tour date of the band before the stopped touring (at that time) because of Pete Townshend’s drug and alcohol problems.  Roger Daltrey said the band would stop touring and break up in order to save Pete’s life, in 1981.  Pete was off drugs and alcohol by 1982.

11. Who played the Acid Queen in the Who’s Tommy?

A:  Tina Turner

10. Which other famous celeb appeared in Tommy and what was his / her role?

A:  Jack Nicolson played A. Quackson, Mental Health Specialist.

9. Elton John sung “Pinball Wizard” but what was his character’s name according to the billboard?

A:  ”The Champ”

8. Ann-Margaret was nominated for an Academy Award in 1975 for her role in Tommy. Did she win? If not, who did she lose to?

A:  She lost to Louise Fletcher from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.

7. Who is Baba O’Riley and why was a song mainly referred to as “Teenage Wasteland” called that?

A:  The actual name of “Baba O’Riley” was chosen in tribute to famed spiritual leader, Meher Baba, and musician Terry Riley, who provided the philosophical and musical influences for the song itself.  Meher Baba, the famed Indian spiritual guru and the self-proclaimed reincarnation of God, refused to speak for 44 years, stating that when he did speak it would be to convey the message of G-d.  He died before he spoke.   Terry Riley was simply a minimalist musician and classical composer that Pete Townshend admired a great deal.  Riley’s music also heavily influenced the composition of the song Baba O’Riley itself, particularly the keyboard riffs.

6. What is “Quadrophenia?  Go…

A: The 6th studio album from the band, released in 1973.  Its story involves social, musical and psychological happenings from an English teenage perspective, set in London and Brighton in 1964 and ’65.  The name is a variation on the popular (and misnomered) usage of the medical diagnostic term schizophrenia as dissociative identity disorder to reflect the four distinct personalities of Jimmy, the opera’s protagonist – each said to represent the personality of one member of The Who.  At the same time, the title is a play on the term quadraphonic sound, then a recent invention.

5.  What happened in 1981 to Pete Townshend as he performed solo with an acoustic guitar at a benefit for Amnesty International called the Policemen’s Secret Ball?

A:  He fell asleep onstage which was the first public sign of his deepening  drug addiction.

4.  What was the slogan of the Who, coined in their early years?

A: Maximum R&B.

3.  Who is drummer Zak Starkey‘s famous daddy?

A: Ringo Starr.

2.  What year was the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

A: 1990.

1. What award did Pete Townshend win in 1994 for the 1993 stage production of Tommy..

A: A Tony award.

So?  I think he will get 7 out of the 13.  What do you think and how did you do on the quiz?

Details to follow!  Dinnier is in 27 minute.

Related articles

• Pete Townshend and Brian May attack Google over piracy (telegraph.co.uk)

Have You Heard About the C.C. Mixed & Ready Canadian Cover Challenge?

Let me first get something off my chest.

I love Canadian music!

There.  I said it.  From Platinum Blonde to Colin James, Bryan Adams to Shania Twain, Alanis Morisette to Amanda Marshall.  Old, new… Headstones, Nickleback, Andrew Scott, Tragically Hip, Gowan, Our Lady Peace, rock, pop, country, jazz… I love Canadian music and support the artists where possible by buying their music on iTunes and in the olden days, buying their CD’s (and even older their records and 45′s).

So when the Canadian Club, C.C.® Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge launched June 29th, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in this wonderful event which provides a platform for undiscovered Canadian talent to cover one of 5 unique Canadian songs and compete to be noticed for doing the best cover.

I checked out the uploads last week and I have to be honest, these bands are fantastic!   It’s going to be a great contest!

The songs being covered are;

• Steal my Sunshine by Len
• Superman’s dead by Our Lady Peace
• Striptease by Hawksley Workman
• Fat Lip by Sum 41
• Pullin’ Punches by the Arkells.

Here is how the C.C. Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge works:

Beginning June 28^th, 2012, Canadian bands are invited to submit their covers on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CanadianClubCanada).  They have until August 27, 2012 for the chance to win an opportunity to have three of their demo songs recorded, mixed and mastered in Toronto, plus $3,000 for band gear and / or transit to Toronto for the recording session.

Winners will be selected based on a combination of Facebook voting (25%) and C.C. Mixed & Ready’s judging panel (75%), consisting of music industry experts and brand representatives of which I will proudly be involved.

The winning submission will be announced by September 15, 2012.

The Canadian Club Canada’s Facebook page will contain, in addition to the clips, comments on the bands, feedback, tweets on the event by Canadian Club insiders and the general public, as well as information about some C.C. Mixed & Ready live music events being held in Ontario and Alberta in August featuring some great Canadian bands.

C.C. Mixed & Ready Music Events:

Ontario:

• Thursday, August 16^th to Sunday, August 19^th: The Havelock Country Jamboree, featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lynyrd Skynyrd -  Havelock, Ontario
• Saturday, September 1^st and Sunday, September 2^nd: Saugeen Summer Nights featuring Hawksley Workman – Clifford Ball Park Arena, Clifford, Ontario

Alberta:

• Thursday, August 2^nd to Sunday, August 5^th: Big Valley Jamboree, featuring Blake Shelton , Toby Keith and Rascall Flatts, Camrose, Alberta
• Saturday, September 1^st: X-Fest, featuring fun., Silversun Pickups, MuteMath, Incubus, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Linkin Park and more, Calgary, Alberta
• Sunday, September 2^nd: Sonic Boom featuring fun., Silversun Pickups, MuteMath, Incubus, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Linkin Park and more, Edmonton, Alberta

C.C. Mixed & Ready will wrap the summer at a special concert event in Toronto, headlined by an exciting Canadian band.  Details on this concert to be revealed in late-July.

About the Product:

As a bonus to being involved in this contest I received a care package from the fine folks at Matchsticks.ca which contained a product I have never heard of, the Canadian Club’s new C.C. Mixed & Ready drink, designed to expand Canadian whisky into the ready-to-drink market and capture interest from consumers who are new to the world of whisky.    The brand focused on the most popular mixes – Ginger Ale and Cola – to create a convenient, refreshing ready-to-drink option.  CC and Ale happens to be my go to drink, so this was a welcomed treat and a fantastic product considering Ready-to-drink beverages are becoming increasingly popular, having risen in volume by almost 4% globally in 2011 over 2010.

In case you are wondering how you missed this product, Canada, it’s because it was test-marketed in Alberta in 2011 and is currently available in Ontario and Alberta in 473 mL cans for approximately $2.95 and 355 mL 6-packs for approximately $12.95.

Feel free to join and follow the conversation: #mixedandready.

The Fine Print:

C.C. Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge contest is open to residents of Canada (not including Quebec) who are of legal drinking age, of course.

So if you are interested in uploading a song, you had better get moving!   And if you appreciate Canadian music and wish to check out some up and coming bands and lend some support and encouraging words, come by.

Related articles

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You Gotta Fight… Beastie Boys Adam Yauch Passes Away at Age 47.

It’s always surprising when someone so young dies, especially when famous, but the death of Beastie Boys Adam Yauch today, May 4th after a 3 year-long battle with a rare form of cancer, salivary gland cancer, caught me by surprise.

Yauch, 47, also known by his rap moniker “MCA” co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz in 1979 in Brooklyn, N.Y.  The Beastie’s smashed onto the music scene in 1986 with the album ”Licensed to Ill” and from that the anthem ”Fight for your right to Party” which was a massive hit for the band putting them on the charts and bringing hip hop into the mainstream.

After transforming the hip hop industry – white guys don’t rap, let alone Jewish ones (Yauch was born to a Jewish mother and Catholic father but was a practising Buddhist) - Yauch turned his attention to Buddhism and Tibetan independence in which he helped set up the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, which helped raise money for Tibetan independence.  He felt that he needed to give a voice to the Tibetan cause and help them get free from Chinese rule.

Yauch also helped form the successful production company Oscilloscope Pictures, which many did not know about him, which released acclaimed films such as “Wendy and Lisa,” “Burma VJ” and “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

Under the pseudonym “Nathanial Hörnblowér” (his middle name was Nathanial), Yauch directed many of the Beastie Boys’ music videos, making his televised debut as Hörnblowér at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards as he stormed the stage in costume to protest after R.E.M. won the award for Best Direction over the Spike Jonze-directed Beastie Boys video “Sabotage”, which was a great video and a really good song.

I suspected he was starting to lose his battle with this disease when the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, and Yauch was not there – the award was accepted by Diamond and Horowitz although they read a letter written by Yauch and them, nad the other bands dedicated their performances to Yauch.

Yauch leaves behind his wife and daughter who would be around 14-years-old.

Did you know this fact about the Beastie Boys; According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term mullet – the hairstyle which is short on the top and long on the back – was “apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by the Beastie Boys who used “mullet” and “mullet head” as epithets in their 1994 song “Mullet Head”.  The Beastie Boys’ fanzine Grand Royal Magazine was the first to use the term in print

Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch dies at age 47 (Photo credit: rusty-boxcars)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=evA-R9OS-Vo

Check out www.beastieboys.com for more!

Related articles

• BREAKING NEWS: Beastie Boys Adam (MCA) Yauch Dead At 47 (formatmag.com)
• Beastie Boys Member Adam Yauch Dead at 47 (abcnews.go.com)

America’s Oldest Teenager, Dick Clark, has died. Some things you may not have known…

Richard Wagstaff “Dick” Clark was 82 years old when he died today of a massive heart attack.  Depending on your age, you will have different memories of him.  If you are under 40-years-old you will know Dick from ABC’s Dick Clark New Years’ Rockin’ Eve party in New York City’s Times Square.  If you are older you will know Dick Clark as the host of American Bandstand, a dance show which brought Rock and Roll to mainstream America.  In the show, clean-cut teens danced to the latest and greatest tunes while Clark walked around and spoke to them and asked them about the music.

What you may not have known about Clark are some of these facts:

• The Museum of Broadcast Communications figures that Dick Clark Productions has turned out more than 7,500 hours of television programming, including more than 30 TV series, 250 TV specials, and more than 20 movies for theatre and TV.
• Clark has won: Emmys, Grammys, been induction in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• In March 2012, Clark and his 3rd wife whom he married in 1977 put one of their homes on the market, asking $3.5 million.  The house was an one-of-a-kind house on 22 acres in Malibu, modeled after Fred and Wilma’s house on “The Flintstones.”  It was recently featured as being one of real estate’s most unique houses
• Clark would sign off his shows by saying “For now, Dick Clark…so long,” which he delivered with a military salute.
• Clark suffered a significant stroke in 2004 which required Clark to teach himself how to walk and talk again, yet he returned to his New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show in 2005.  Regis Philbin took over the show for him in 2004.
• American Bandstand was credited with introducing many artists to national audiences, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Chubby Checker.
• Shortly after taking over American Bandstand, Clark also ended the show’s all-white policy, and introduced numerous black artists, such as Chuck Berry
• Clark did not include the Beatles or the Rolling Stones on his show when they came to America, thinking they would not become significant groups
• Clark later became host of The $10,000 Pyramid, which premiered on CBS March 26, 1973 (the same day as The Young and the Restless). The show continued through 1988.
• From 1985 to 1988, Clark hosted both the CBS $25,000 version and a daily $100,000 Pyramid in syndication with the daytime version winning nine Emmy Awards for best game show.  It also won Clark three Emmy Awards for best game show host.
• In 1973, Clark created the American Music Awards show – which he produces annually.
• In 1984, Clark produced and co-hosted with Ed McMahon TV’s Bloopers and practical Jokes.
• Amazing statistic: For a period of several years in the 1980s, Clark simultaneously hosted regular programs on the 3 major American television networks: ABC (Bandstand), CBS (Pyramid) and NBC (Bloopers).
• In July 1985, Clark hosted the ABC prime time portion of the Live Aid concert.
• Clark did a brief stint as announcer on The Jon Stewart Show, in 1995
• From 2001 to 2003, Clark was a co-host of a daily mens talk show called The Other Half, meant to offer a male perspective to the wildly success show The View.
• Clark was featured in the 2002 documentary film Bowling for Columbine in which Michael Moore criticized him for hiring poor, unwed mothers to work long hours in his chain of restaurants for little pay. The significance is that the mother in particular works over 80 hours per week and is unable to make rent and gets evicted which results in her having her son stay at his uncle’s house. At his uncle’s house the boy finds a gun and brings it to school where he shoots another first grader. Clark refuses to answer any of Moore’s questions, shutting the car door and driving away.
• On November 13, 2002 Clark was appointed as a director of Krispy Kreme U.K. Ltd.
• In The Simpsons 1999  Y2K  episode “Treehouse of Horror X,” at midnight a computer glitch causes Dick Clark to melt and he is revealed to be a robot.

What is your fondest memory of Dick Clark?

Thursday Thirteen – 13 Iconic Canadian artists

A while back I posted a Thursday Thirteen on the 13 essential Canadian music acts that everybody living in Canada should know about, regardless of the type of music they listen to.  They should either be able to recognize the name of the band or name a song, or recognize them on the radio. 

Some of the bands that made that list included; Rush, The Guess Who, Platinum Blonde, The Tragically Hip, etc.

But what about solo artists? 

So please find this week’s Thursday 13 – with some help from Social media guru and all around music genius, Elliott hurst – the 13 must know, Iconic, Canadian individual or solo artists.

1. Neil Young
2. Joni Mitchell
3. Leonard Cohen
4. Oscar Peterson
5. Bryan Adams
6. Gordon Lightfoot
7. Celine Dion
8. K.D. lang
9. Alanis Morrissette
10. Shania Twain
11. Robbie Robertson (of The Band)
12. Stompin’ Tom Connors
13. Avril Lavigne

Honourable Mentions:

Bruce Cockburn
Anne Murray
Rita MacNeil
Sarah McLachlan
Andrew Jacob Scott
Paul Anka
Lee Aaron
Gowan

Justin Bieber
Michael Buble
Nelly Furtado
Robert Goulet
Corey Hart
The late, great Jeff Healey
Colin James
Sass Jordan
Diana Krall
Chantal Kreviazuk
Multiple Grammy award winner Walter Ostanek
Amanda Marshall
Raffi

Whew.

Did I miss anyone?

Related articles

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Are the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees really HOF worthy?

The 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has some new inductees, and they are;

Guns N’ Roses

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Beastie Boys

Late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro

Scottish folk icon Donovan

The Small Faces (which later morphed into The Faces featuring Rod Stewart)

Guitarist Freddie King.

Are you like me, and said, “who” to this list?  Sure I think GNR are great and I’m okay with the Beastie Boys and the Small Faces, but personally I hate the Chili Peppers and have no idea who the others are.  I gather this being the “Rock and Roll” Hall of Fame means quite little and really it’s just a music HOF nowadays.

Here is a little about the bands;

I always felt that Guns N’ Roses were the band that took the glam rock era and moved it into the grunge era.  Their first album, “Appetite for Destruction” featured the huge hit “Sweet Child of Mine” in which the band were portrayed with a little make up, a little hair spray and a little glamorous, but as their success peaked, they went more towards the jeans, and leather which made them famous. 

The band was led by volatile frontman Axl Rose and lead guitarist Slash, whose wicked guitar solos drove many of the band’s early hits including “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City,” the original lineup produced their debut album, Appetite for Destruction in 1987 which I’m pretty sure I bought on cassette tape.

After that album came the majorly disappointing G N’ R Lies, which produced only one song, ”Patience,” which I refused to listen to until a few years ago.  Once I heard the whistling at the beginning of the song I would turn it off.  Fortunately for fans, quite soon after that disaster the band came out with Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.  These albums produced a ton of monster hits including; 2 versions of “Don’t Cry” “Estranged”, “November Rain”, “Knockin on Heavens Door”, “Live and Let Die”, “Civil War”, “Garden of Eden” and “Yesterdays”.  Sadly, Axl pissed off the band and after no music for 15 years the new GNR put out the garbage that is Chinese Democracy, in 2008.

To me, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bass player Flea.  The only stuff they did that I could stand was with guitarist John Frusciante on 1989′s Mother’s Milk, which featured a scorching cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”; Once their next album came out, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and the songs  ”Under the Bridge” and “Suck My Kiss”, I was sick of them.  Overplayed indeed.  I like the Rollercoaster of Love… Sometimes. 

As for the Beastie Boys, the trio of Mike Diamond (Mike D), Adam Yauch (MCA) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) are three Yids from the Bronx (sorry, don’t recall where they are from), but their most famous song, “You’ve got the right… To Party!!” was the one I hated the most.  The rest is okay, but also in the category like above.  Are they Hall material? 

Nyro, a gifted pianist and composer who hailed from the Bronx, wrote numerous tunes that were recorded by such artists as Barbra Streisand, Peter, Paul & Mary, and the 5th Dimension before striking out on her own in the late ’60s/early ’70s and skyrocketing up the charts with such singles as “Up on the Roof.”

Donovan is best known for his ’60s folk-pop contributions, including “Catch the Wind” and “Sunshine Superman” and influencing the likes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, among others.

Famed music producer and promoter Don Kirshner, who died last January, also received a Hall Pass in the nonperformer category for launching the so-called Brill Building group of songwriters including Carol King and Neil Sedaka through his company Aldon Music.

Of course, what’s always fascinating about the Rock Hall’s selections is who got left out. Among the artists getting the shaft this year include Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, The Cure, Heart, Rufus with Chaka Khan,  Rush, Kiss, Bon Jovi, the Moody Blues?

I asked Supernova.com’s founder, Toronto’s own Elliott Hurst, his thoughts on who was left out…

He totally agrees that Rush need to be in there, probably the Cure, but none of the others really fit the bill for “Hall of Famers”.  Elliott also questioned the inclusion of lesser known artists, or the one-hit wonders.  Do people come to the Hall to see the barely known guitarists, or international performers or do they come to see the big bands, like GNR.  I think we all know the answer to that. 

I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more closely resembles the Hockey Hall of Fame in that there are some questionable folks getting in diluting the reputation of the Hall.  In baseball, however, some very good performers are not included in the Hall and not every Joe Shmoe gets in.

Now having never been to the Hall, I would think there is a super-group area where the majority of the folks go to see the big bands of today and yesterday and there must be an area tucked away somewhere for the families of the lesser lights to come and see their stories, because if I had to walk through the Hall and sort through the displays based on who got in this week, for example, I’d be pretty disappointed.

So in your opinion, do all the inductees deserve to be there and who would you add if you could?

 

Related articles

• Flea Talks About Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Hall Of Fame Induction With Kevin & Bean (kroq.radio.com)
• Snubbed!: Why the Cure Deserves to Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Sound Affects) (popmatters.com)

Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen Iconic Canadian Bands according to Supernova CEO Elliott Hurst and me!

 

I am a born and raised Torontonian and as a result, I grew up listening to AM and FM radio which under Canadian regulations were required to play a percentage of Canadian music.  Due to that ruling which I believe is still in place, I became fond of Canadian acts such as; Platinum Blonde, Glass Tiger, Gowan, Mitsou, Triumph, the Box, TPOH, and the list goes on.

When discussing music around my office, with so few people as, ahem, aged as I am, and so many 1st and second generation immigrants, they have no idea who Canadian bands are, so I thought about creating a list – checking it twice with the help of Supernova CEO Elliott Hurst, and sharing some Canadiana with my readers.

If you are Canadian, you should recognize at least half of this list regardless of what kind of music you listen to.

If you are a non-resident of Canada, you should recognize 3 bands on this list.

Can you guess which ones?

So here are the 13 most iconic Canadian bands, and some honourable mentions.  For each band I have attached a YouTube link to probably their most memorable song and the name of that song;

1. Rush – http://youtu.be/U7DFsBcVMDA - Tom Sawyer

2. The Tragically Hip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2joQsWXJg - Ahead By A Century

3. Guess Who – http://youtu.be/gkqfpkTTy2w - American Woman

4. Arcade Fire – http://youtu.be/NNfWC4Sgkcs - Rebellion (Lies)

5. BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive) – http://youtu.be/NCIUf8eYPqA - Takin’ Care of Business

6. The Band – http://youtu.be/-WoI95PTizs - Don’t Do It.

7. Max Webster / Kim Mitchell – http://youtu.be/WUhc8-vUp8o -> Max Webster’s Paradise Skies.  Kim Mitchell’s Go For Sode –> http://youtu.be/ymORCbgSyEA

8. April Wine – http://youtu.be/hoSVPiuNqHM - Could Have Been a Lady

9. Triumph – http://youtu.be/yahBtp_1jWE - Follow Your Heart (LOVE this song!!!)

10. Steppenwolf – http://youtu.be/xm5DPlNCmtk - Born to be Wild. 

11. Barenaked Ladies – http://youtu.be/wPh_6_u98tI - 7, 8, 9.

12. Blue Rodeo – http://youtu.be/7vw3jUZo9FQ - Try

13. Our Lady Peace – http://youtu.be/O94CW_tIEzU - Starseed

 

Honourable Mentions:

Chilliwack – http://youtu.be/yahBtp_1jWE

Trooper  – http://youtu.be/STiuregSvHg 

Billy Talent – http://youtu.be/RPg63uxYwN0

Saga – http://youtu.be/gx7XbV82JfQ

I Mother Earth – One More Astronaut – http://youtu.be/8cZT4vYiMxU

Sloan – http://youtu.be/tirqAVBoHFI

Honeymoon Suite – http://youtu.be/1_1AhimnRT0

Glass Tiger – http://youtu.be/Dl1DtF_5dkU

The Pursuit of Happiness – http://youtu.be/pSDF8VvU13M

My personal favourite band – Platinum Blonde – http://youtu.be/I4SOnBDe7qs

The Headstones.- http://youtu.be/BukWT54Cv4U

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider - http://youtu.be/uqUa_G1h3pw

Great Big Sea – http://youtu.be/f-oC-kNtPTs

Nickelback – http://youtu.be/BxgeSv88c2w

So, what do you think?  Have you listened to any of these songs?  Did you recognize the bands?  Who makes your list?