Throwback Tracks -- March 30, 2017
David R. Smith
Well my friends, we've come to another Thursday and well know that this means a journey through 5 songs that all came out in the was-before. As I've said before, some times when I write these articles, there are themes to them and sometimes there are not.
Today's category is the former. But I'm not going to tip my hand yet. I'm going to wait and see what you think the theme might be. It's a pretty eclectic mix today, so I hope you enjoy it!
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.
After Hours - The Velvet Underground
I honestly had no idea Lou Reed didn't sing all the songs for the Velvet Underground. This is such a gorgeous song to begin with and the fact that it's one of the few songs sung by their drummer, Maureen Tucker, makes it even better!
I really haven't learned enough about the Velvet Underground. Really; the only song I ever knew Lou Reed sang was Take A Walk On The Wild Side. And I'm pretty sure that was post-Velvet Underground.
So really; while I appreciate getting to influence you readers on new songs and new people to listen to, apparently it's also been effective on me!
Love Reign Over Me - The Who
Ahh The Who. One of the best bands ever. Full stop. I had the chance to get to see them once and it was amazing. Now granted, this was well after their prime, so it wasn't the same as what they were like in the 60s and 70s, but it was still amazing.
Truth be told, I can't remember if I heard them play this song. I was buzzing pretty hard (from excitement, not booze. Well... call it an even split.) I do remember them playing Baba O'Reilly but that was about it.
Whether or not they did, in fact, play this song is moot. It's just so good! I'd say it's probably less known than a lot of their other stuff; you know... Baba O'Reilly, Who Are You, Won't Get Fooled Again, etc. But if you haven't listened to it yet, you probably should now. Because it's great.
Ain't Talking About Love - Van Halen
I bought Van Halen's greatest hits many, many moons ago. While it's not an album I listen to much anymore, I'm pretty happy to have it. This song is one of the ones that is worth listening to on a somewhat regular basis.
There's something to be said about classic Van Halen, am I right? I know I have already used one of their songs on TBT several articles ago, but at a certain point we have to recycle artists. I mean; we've already hit up Soundgarden enough times, why not Van Halen?
I planned the songs from the article well before I actually wrote them today. And then I left for work. So I had Ain't Talking About Love stuck in there for pretty much my entire shift. And you know what? I'm okay with it!
I Believe In Miracles - The Ramones
I don't know a ton of stuff by the Ramones beyond their radio singles but I'm glad I know this song. I feel as though much like the Velvet Underground, this is another group that maybe I should investigate more thoroughly.
I went through a punk stage when I was in high school. (Spoiler for future Throwback Tracks; there's a good chance we'll have a punk themed list.) A lot of that was influenced by the crowd that I ran with. But I never really listened to these guys. It just didn't seem like the right kind of punk to me, you know?
That said; if a lot of their songs are like this, then why SHOULDN'T I listen to them. Also, anybody who plays Mr. Burns' birthday party must be worth listening to!
I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty
If The Who weren't on this list, I would say that Tom Petty is easily my favourite artist on this weeks Throwback Tracks. But.. you know... The Who.
Tom Petty is easily one of the people who is on my bucket list of people I want to see. And sadly I don't know that's ever going to happen. I do know that if he ever comes to the Saddledome, or anywhere near me again, I'll be going for sure.
This isn't my absolute favourite Tom Petty song, but it was the only one I could put to complete the theme. That said; it is a maginificent one, isn't it?
So have you figured out the theme yet? Are you at all surprised it's Pearl Jam related? It's true! So as it turns out, every one of these is a song that Pearl Jam covered live. This playlist came together really quickly! And the nice thing is I have a bunch more songs that PJ has covered if I ever get stuck on a playlist and I have to get it together quickly!
But until that time, may I suggest you listen to some of our other playlists?
Throwback Playlist for Dec 16/Jan 17
October 2016 Throwback Playlist,
September 2016 Throwback Playlist
-D (@davidronn)