Throwback Tracks--November 3, 2016
Shaun Cordingley
I (Shaun) am quite sick, so I was largely looking for tracks that I really enjoy that we haven't featured yet, and put a smile on my face for one reason or another, which means we do have something of an eclectic sampling of music this week for Throwback Tracks, and some repeating artists, but that's future (healthy) Shaun's problem when making the Playlist.
Speaking of which, the October 2016 Throwback List is out now!
Oh, and I should also point out that my brain may not be braining well today, so if I get a little loopy in the descriptions, I am sorry...but not really...because cough medicine....
The Guys From do not hold the rights to any of these songs, it is more our hope to expose our readers to new (*cough*) and different retro music, or re-expose them to things they may have forgotten about.
At the top of each section, will be the song name, followed by the artists' name linked to their website (if possible...which is totally hit and miss with oldies), so you can fall down the rabbit hole, finding and supporting what you dig.
Jam - Michael Jackson
This is another one of those situations where I was looking over the playlists we've had for Throwback Tracks (as I've been really sick, I've been listening to a lot of them as well) when it suddenly struck me that we had never talked about a Michael Jackson song. Which is ludicrous, as the man was, while troubled, one of, if not the best pop musicians of all time. The number of absolutely amazing number 1 hits that Jackson produced, and the still great music across almost all of his albums is actually rather staggering.
I've decided to feature "Jam", the fourth single off of his 1991 album Dangerous this week as not only is it one of my favorite MJ songs (thanks in large part to it being a song I learned a dance routine for one of the most important theatre experiences of my life, thus it was on repeat a lot), but it is one that never really achieved the same sort of success as most of Jackson's singles, despite the fact that it's a really good club track. "Jam" is a new jack swing track (a fusion of hip hop, dance pop and R&B) that popped up in club-style dance music in the late 1980s-early 1990s, and features a rap bridge performed by Heavy D.
Not only is "Jam" catchy...despite being tricky to get the words down, but it's just one of those lesser-known MJ songs that has not been driven into the ground for me yet, like say..."Billie Jean"...which I have heard way too often at this point; it's also a great track to dance to, and there's something about new jack swing that on the right day, is just perfect.
Bark at the Moon - Ozzy Osbourne
Off of Ozzy Osbourne's 1983 solo album of the same name, "Bark at the Moon" is one of those quintessential 1980s metal tracks that everyone knows, and pretty much any classic metal fan can (at the very least) appreciate. I love the guitar in "Bark", performed by Jake E. Lee (originally from Ratt and Rough Cutt), and not just for the solo; just the backing guitar in this track gets down into my core so quickly...
There may also be something to be said for the fact that I heard "Bark at the Moon" a lot while playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and this was, again, one of those songs that meant that as soon as I heard it, meant I had about 3-4 minutes of driving around and doing nothing "in-game" to do, because I needed to enjoy it.
Rhinoceros - The Smashing Pumpkins
I figure I am about due to talk about The Smashing Pumpkins on Throwback Tracks again...
This time I thought I could talk about one of the best early songs, from the Pumpkins' 1991 debut album Gish: "Rhinoceros". I am almost sure that you know this song, as it really remains to be one of the staple tracks in the Pumpkins' canon (one of the few they still play regularly from their debut album). "Rhinoceros" features that juxtaposed loud to soft sound that Smashing Pumpkins came to be well known for, but there's also something about the simplicity of the track when combined with really excellent production.
It's just so crazy to me that after all these years, a track from their first album still stands to scream 'Pumpkins' to me as this one does--how many bands (who have been working for 20+ years) can say that?
And now just because I said that, I eagerly await their forthcoming salsa album...
Loser - Beck
Shaun's not feeling well so he's listening to music that makes him happy?
Beck.
This should come as a surprise to no one who reads any of the music content on theguysfrom.com, so I thought today we could talk about "Loser" originally released independently (then garnering alt-radio play, because "Loser" is amazing), then as a single under Geffen Records (where Beck was signed, largely thanks to "Loser") in 1993, and then as a part of Mellow Gold in 1994.
You know, the craziest thing to me is that with the wild, runaway success of "Loser", Beck faced a back-lash, and was for a time considered to be a 'one-hit wonder', as he was struggling to live up to the expectations...so he decided to settle into the studio to create an album in continuous, linear fashion, "just to see"
Which is how we got Odelay...
Heh.
"One-Hit Wonder"
Champagne Supernova - Oasis
"Champagne Supernova" has always been a song that...I don't know how to put this...I think that this is probably one of the more important songs that came out, to me, while I was growing up. (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis' breakthrough second album, which was released in 1995 (when I was 10) hit at just the perfect time, as I was transitioning into listening to more of my own music, rather than kids music, and what my parents listened to, and "Champagne Supernova" just clicked for me. That combination of psychedelic and modern, the epic ebbs and flows of the lyrics and the sound, the lyrics that...while they did not make a pile of sense to me, as I've grown up, I've found them to never be less relevant.
"Champagne Supernova" is one of those rare tracks that seems to change meaning depending on how I'm feeling, where it can feel peaceful, defiant, suffocating, or sometimes it is just the song that I need to hear at THAT moment, and I do not know why: this is just "one of those songs" for me.
Oh, and if anyone has access to The Killers' cover of "Champagne Supernova", which they apparently used to play live a lot before they were signed, please hit me up on Twitter--I have always wanted to hear that.
Here is the October 2016 Throwback Playlist, which is the completest list we have had in a long time. Enjoy!
In case you missed our previous Throwback Track playlists, here they are:
September 2016 Throwback Playlist
Remember, as I use Apple Music, that is where the playlists live, but if you want me to look into other services, just hit me up on Twitter and we'll chat about it.
See you again next Thursday with some new....oldies...*cough*, and I promise I won't talk about Beck again for a while...
-S (@Shauncord)