I sit here pondering the many advantages to the hobby of listening to music after sanding the end of my finger a bit with the belt sander. :-L Of course, I was making cable elevators at the time, so I guess the extended hobby isn’t all roses… anyway, holding my right index finger in the air while typing doesn’t slow me down a bit. I suck at it.
I was thinking of stuff we do that we might not want others to know about. Come on… we all do it, we just hope that our Mothers don’t catch us in the act. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Listening to stuff thats "forbidden."
Each of us would put different parameters around just what that is, to be sure. In high school being caught listening to, say, Frank Sinatra would get you kicked off all but the debate team, or at least open to ridicule by your peers. Now I wouldn’t bat an eye at admitting to it. One person’s crazy extravagance might be the next’s benchmark artist. Who are yours? PDQ Bach? Bieber? Snoop Dog (Lion)?
Come on, Cowboy Up! Here’s my short list:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers (ehr my gerd!)
The Dead Kennedys >:) (modern punk hath no equal)
The Offspring (no excuses here)
Jimmy Buffett (SOME days this, and only this, will do)
Gordon Lightfoot (I don’t understand it, but many I know pan Gordon. Just why escapes me.)
Green Day (authentic punkers)
Chili Peppers are good even if some of their recordings suck.
PDQ Bach - Schikele is Sickele, or at least warped. 
Switched On Bach
Don Dorsey
Doctor Demento
Barry Manilow (why do people ridicule him so?)
John Denver
The Carpenters (only occasionally)
I’ll add more as I think of them.
J.P.
Just listened to some carpenters last night. Such a beautiful voice.
I saw Peter swing onto the stage long ago. Hard to forget that!
Thanks for sharing.
Bieber? SnoopDog? I’m afraid not. I did, however, listen at absolute full power last night to Smoke On The Water from the 24/96 HDTracks version of Machine Head. As cliche as that song has become (or became), it was glorious to hear Ritchie Blackmore’s blazing Strat… The riff aside, Mr. Blackmore’s solo in that song (and many other DP tunes) has a killer tone m/
The live version from “Made in Japan” is killer, too. That was one of the first albums that I ever bought.
My first album was McCartney & Wings Band on the Run and I still enjoy it. Also one of the first 96/24 albums I bought from HD Tracks (unlimited version).
J.P.
Weird Al
soundtracks, esp. Battlestar Galactica (Bear McCreary version, season 3)
Rick Zehringer (aka Derringer) did the guitar soloing on much (maybe all) of Weird Al’s tracks. He is virtually unknown for his incredible guitar slinging abilities but can hold his own with the best of them.
wglenn: He held his own when he played along side Johnny Winter, and that’s saying a lot. Do you have his album, “Free Ride,” which is a jazz album…Killer stuff!
Every once in awhile, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, it takes me back to a time, an apartment, a stereo, single, woo… better stop there
Love the 'Ole Commander… Great album indeed; the same era as “It’s A Beautiful Day,” another oldie-but-goodie…
wglenn: He held his own when he played along side Johnny Winter, and that's saying a lot. Do you have his album, "Free Ride," which is a jazz album...Killer stuff!
No, I am not familiar with it. I will check it out.
I posted some time back about the Ray Charles album "Ray Singe, Basie Swings.
I was listening to it again at a friend’s home and it is indeed special and an amazing production engineering project.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6187781
My guilty pleasure is “We’re Only In It for the Money” by the Mothers of Invention, ca. 1968. Not only is it the most accurate musical picture of the yeasty 60s/70s in America, it contains some astounding music and some that is as funny as music gets. Not to mention the cover – a parody of Sargent Pepper – which must be compared side by side to Sargent Pepper for full appreciation.
@Gordon: C’mon, Gordon. Guilty-er, giiiiiillllllteeeeeeeurrrrr… let it out. Seriously though, I love that Ray Charles. Bought it after you posted it. Slightly contrived but priceless to hear him in this light.
Bet Paul’s listening with some guilt while renovations are going on… B-)
guiiiiiltier?
mmmm, there have been some really great posts here.
I have to admit that I too listen to the “mothers”.I saw them LIVE at the “image” in Miami in the early 70’s while attending flight school. They were amazing and Zappa hooked me big time.
Only in it for The Money is also one of my favorites, They were amazingly tight and listening brings me back to the event. Timeless.
“…He took a dog-doo snow-cone and rubbed it in his eye…” You gotta love Zappa…
you bet!
Yellow snow just don’t taste the same anymore. :o3
Kenny G!
On Zappa. Definitely genius, just not a genius I care for much. Sexual harassment in the workplace is my favorite Zappa tune.
On guilty pleasures:
eminem (pure genius if you ask me).
George Michael (phenomenal singer)
Plenty of late Beethoven, serious jazz, acoustic rock and world-music flowing through my system to atone for my sins.