SCOTT's HIDDEN TREASURES #57 - Something Old Something New

[Scott]

SHT has been missing the last couple of weeks due to vacations and work load.  But I'm thinking of ways to make this list more accessible, more appealing.  I thought I would step back and establish a new starting point, a firm grounding if you will, by looking back at songs that changed the way I listen to music, songs that established my tastes and changed my opinions.

The most obvious change is that I’ve scaled back to 5 songs for two reasons.  1)  To make sure I can deliver this weekly given my new schedule, and 2) I think this makes the playlist more accessible to everyone on here.  We shall see...

Anyway, let’s re-start with this list and go forward....

PLAYTLIST VITALS ...

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LENGTH: 22 minutes 29 seconds
LINK: http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/344af2e422bdae1c2e541137ba937613

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TITLE: Crystal Blue Persuasion
BAND: Tommy James and the Shondells
ALBUM: The Best of Tommy James and the Shondells
YEAR: 1969
LENGTH: 4:05
DID YOU KNOW: The title of the song came to James while he was reading The Bible's Book of Revelation, according to James in a 1985 interview in Hitch magazine: "I took the title from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem. The words jumped out at me, and they're not together; they're spread out over three or four verses.

My earliest recollection of music is playing around with my Dads stereo.  A big huge console that took up half of a wall.  When you flipped it open it had a place to store records, turntable, radio and an 8 track player.  The record collection consisted of Tennessee Ernie Ford, Eddie Arnold, Herb Alpert, and Lynn Anderson (why I remember all of those is another story).  When my oldest brother played his Tommy James Greatest Hits album on it one day, I was mesmerized by Crimson and Clover and this track.  I wore it out and he was PO'd at me.  I think I still owe him a copy of this record.  I don’t know much about Tommy James other than his greatest hits, but I will be eternally grateful for them.

TITLE: Monday Morning
BAND: Fleetwood Mac
ALBUM: Fleetwood Mac
YEAR: 1975
LENGTH: 2:48
DID YOU KNOW: Both "Rhiannon" and "Monday Morning" were written during the Buckingham Nicks days, though only performed live. The early version of Rhiannon was played much faster, in what was described by one reviewer of the time as a 'polka' style.

Seminole moment #2 comes from my best friend’s sisters stereo.  It was a brand new unit, made of all sorts of components and it sat in a cool glass rack.  But the best part was the freakishly huge speakers in the corners of the room.  We sat back and this tune came on!  Got to get some peace in my mind indeed!  My quest for my personal rock and roll collection was now in full swing.  This and Night Moves were my first ever purchases shortly thereafter...

TITLE: Flaming Youth
BAND: KISS
ALBUM: Destroyer
YEAR: 1976
LENGTH:
DID YOU KNOW: Destroyer is the first Kiss album to prominently feature outside musicians, such as members of the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. However, one musician was not credited: Dick Wagner, from Alice Cooper's band, replaced Ace Frehley on tracks such as "Sweet Pain" (as Frehley did not want to interrupt a card game he was playing during recording sessions for the song) and even on a song that Frehley himself co-wrote, "Flaming Youth".

In 6th grade I had some friends who packed lunch boxes plastered with KISS Army stickers.  Typical KISS fan story really, they were laughed at and teased.  But I was interested in what they were, so we hung out one day in their room.  It was plastered with KISS posters.  Anyone remember the one with KISS at the top of the Empire State building?  Coolest thing I’ve ever seen up to that point!  Beth was on the radio, but I didn’t get that.  Then Flaming Youth interrupted my staring at the poster and that was it.  I was part of the KISS Army.  Sorry Jon, I'm a KISS fan!

TITLE: Serpentine Fire
BAND: Earth Wind and Fire
ALBUM: All 'N All
YEAR: 1977
LENGTH: 3:50
DID YOU KNOW: The band's concerts during this time were loaded with pyrotechnics, magic, laser lights, flying pyramids, levitating guitarists and elaborate production tricks, that included the entire group ascending in a pyramid and a disappearing act, which saw EWF literally vanishing from sight. Magician Doug Henning directed many of their tours throughout the 1970s with his young assistant, David Copperfield.

I've made no secret of my love for EWF, but I purposely leave them off my playlists because I think maybe they don’t have a place on a site like this, and maybe that’s true, but for this list they have a prominent place, because this band changed my thinking about what music could be.  My friends Dad had the best sounding stereo I’ve ever heard, even to this day.  I swear you could hear the pick hitting the strings on the guitar it was so clear.  Anyway, his older brother plays Stanley Clarke and EWF all the time, so every time were there were hearing this band.  Then he brought home this "new" EWF, and the needle hit this track and all was well in my ever expanding understanding of music and rock and roll.

TITLE: Its A Long Way There
BAND: Little River Band
ALBUM: Little River Band
YEAR: 1975
LENGTH: 8:44
DID YOU KNOW: In Australian terms, the original lineup of LRB can be considered a "supergroup". Glenn Shorrock had been the lead singer of leading Australian 1960s pop band The Twilights and highly regarded early 1970s country rock band Axiom. Beeb Birtles had been the bassist in the popular 1960s band Zoot (which launched the career of singer-guitarist Rick Springfield), and Goble had led Adelaide folk rock group Allison Gros before forming the harmony-country-rock band Mississippi, which had enjoyed some chart success in Australia

My sister was infatuated with this band, it’s all she listened to and so by association me to.  But it wasn’t the repetition of hearing them that stuck with me, it was the geetar in this song.  Still one of my top 5 songs ever.  And for their pop-savviness, LRB was really very talented and an extremely technical band, it was the lesson I learned by digging deeper into this song


Song’s that are still important to me today...

So there's the baseline going forward, I know I double dipped on a couple tracks but isnt it important to stop, reconnect with what got you here?

[RJhog (Admin)]

Man, nothing wrong with this playlist.  Well, I can's say I'm crazy about the lead track, but I certainly have no problem listening to it. 

 

Love the Fleetwood Mac track.  This song is somewhat new to me.  I didn't really know it until I saw them in concert a few years ago.  They opened with it and it sounded fantastic.  I've liked it since.

 

Well, you know how I feel about Kiss.  This is the second album (first Kiss album) that I bought.  As Jon pointed out a while back, it was obviously a little later than I originally thought I had purchased it, because I know my first purchase ever was VHII.  So I must have purchased this in '79 or '80.  Anyway, great tune that you picked.  I'm glad you didn't go with the usual of DRC or Shout It Out Loud.

 

I'm definitely familiar with EWF and I really like the songs After The Love Is Gone and September.  But that's all I really know, which is an oversight on my part, 'cause this track is very cool.  I have to pick up some of their work.

 

And I love the closer.  Again, with LRB, I'm only really familiar with the hits.  I love the guitar on this song, which I didn't have any idea they featured in their music.  Of course, the vocal harmonies are tremendous, and that really matters to me in my love of music.

 

I'll get my list together as soon as possible.  Don't worry, five songs only.  And by the way, I kinda like the five song format.  Good call.

[Niels (Mod)]

Well, I like the lenght of this SHL, not that it's been too long before, but it's more easy to find 22 minutes, than 50 minutes of your "spare-time". Now the music:

1. This is ...........not good. I can honestly say, that I hate this song. (1/10)

2. This is a good track. I've been very close, buying this album a few times. Some day, I'll get it. Buckingham is easily the brain in that band!! (8/10)

3. One of my favorites from Destroyer. When I first heard the album back in april '77, I realized that I had heard that track before. This was when KISS ruled the world!!! (10/10)

4. Scott........NO, Scott!!!!  This is called CRB. The R is for ROCK, so go to CFB and post this ......music.(3/10)

5. I really like this one.  I can't remember if I've heard it before. Nice easy-listening track. (9/10)

[Scott]

[Niels (Mod)]

I guess, I wasn't CLEAR enough???????? I AM the MODERATOR, you know (or one of them, anyway)!!!!

[Scott]

I have some more suggestion for an upcoming VOTW if you want them....

[Niels (Mod)]

I'll bet you have!!

[Jon]

Play nice guys....or else!

[RJhog (Admin)]

Okay, so Scott posted 5 songs that shaped his muical tastes for life, and here are my 5 choices:

 

1. The Little White Church (The Dixie Caravan)

    Quite simply, I was raised in a Baptist Church.  That was undeniably my first exposure to music, at least as far

    as I can remember.  Anyone familiar with the Baptist Church knows that on one Saturday night every month the

    church put on a "singing".  That's what we called it.  Not a concert or a show, but a "singing".  This first song

    comes from one of those "singings".  A little traveling Gospel group named The Dixie Caravan played our church

    one night.  They traveled with and sold their own albums, which is how they made their money.  Luckily for me,

    my parents bought one of those albums, which I have now converted to mp3 files and can provide a tune for you

    here.  It's pretty simple.  You get a fiddle, some acoustic guitar accompaniment, and some fantastic old Gospel

    harmonizing.  And believe me, I still love vocal harmonizing today.

 

2. That's The Way Love Goes (Johnny Rodriguez)

    My second song is a country song.  My family listened to the radio when I was a child, and it was usually either

    a gospel station or a country station.  I also watched Hee Haw with my Father, and I'm sure this song made an

    appearance on that show at some time or another.  In addition, my sister had this old blue home made 8track. 

    I know for a fact that this song was on it.  Of course, that 8track tape is long gone, but here is the song.

 

3. Tramp (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

    My first taste of rock music came from my Sister's record collection.  I can't remember everything she had, but I

    distinctly remember two albums (Bad Company's Run With The Pack and BTO's II).  I have thoroughly struggled

    to decide which one to include here, so I have flipped a coin and decided on BTO.  Taking Care Of Business may

    have been the logical choice here, as it was also on that little blue 8track, but I've just always loved the song

    Tramp.

 

4. Light Up The Sky (Van Halen)

    Finally, this is the first album I bought with my own money.  That sucker got played a bunch, and luckily I still

    have the album.  I also have the CD, which is where this tune comes from.  Here is what stands out about that

    song for me.  Have you heard the saying, "the song remembers when"?  That basically means you can hear a song

    and you immediately think of a place and time that is planted firmly in your memory.  This song puts me back in

    the front yard of my cousins.  We spent so much time out there.  So many summer nights just listening to rock

    music.  I'll never, ever forget that time or this song.

 

5. Love Her All I Can (Kiss)

    Of course, you knew Kiss would be here somewhere.  Destroyer is actually the first Kiss album that I bought, but

    since Scott has used that one in his own list, I'm gonna go with something off of Dressed To Kill.  The production

    on this album is so much tighter and more crisp than the first two, but it doesn't really matter to me.  Once I got

    into Kiss, there was no looking back.  This is the one band that I would need on that deserted island.  The thing

    is that so many Kiss fans bicker about who said what, why this member isn't in the band, yada yada yada.  For

    me, it's simply about the music.  Take this song for example.  All 4 band members are at the top of their game.

    You can't listen to this and tell me that Peter Criss was not a good drummer at that time.  And Ace's blistering

    solo speaks for itself.  Just listen to the vocals.  Gene and Paul's voices sound great together.  This is what I 

    need to hear on the new album, but that's another thread.

 

To listen to this marvelous playlist, click HERE.

 

Finally, I want to say thanks to Scott.  This was a great excercise that helped me go back and remember some of the reasons I love music the way I do today.

[Scott]

Cool list, and no one can fuss about it either becuase its the reason your here on this site now!

 

Do you remember that KISS packaged their first three in albums into something called "The Originals??  The cover of that was what I was studying when my friends played Destroyer ...  Cool memories!  My parents owned a restaurant that had just opened and I was one of the first dishwashers, this was all back in the 5th grade!  I made a whole dollar an hour, and thats how I started to feed my music habit!

 

I first heard Van Halen when my brother bought that album and Foireigners debut.  I was blown away by both of them.  To this day I cant think of Van Halen without recalling Foreigner too.  I think "Runnin' With The Devil' and "Feels Like The First Time" could easily be tied for #6 on my list.

[Jon]

I'll let everyone enjoy Rjhog's list and then I'll post mine....

[Niels (Mod)]

...and then I'll give it a try. Do I have to post the music?

[Jon]

I would so we can see how you evolved into a rocker!