After having a dreadful time finding favorite songs with Wednesday and Thursday in the titles, I am relieved to be at Friday with a plethora of songs from which to choose. Why are there so many songs about Friday? Well, it’s the start of the weekend and time to party, so people want to sing about it. I may be humming a tune myself as I clip my fingernails later on a Friday night. Now that’s a party!
Back in my younger days, I knew it was the weekend and time to party when Chicago radio station WXRT 93.1FM played Another Drugland Weekend by local band The Hounds at 5PM on Fridays. If not for that song, I’d probably still be in the church choir today. If you missed The Hounds in the 70s, don’t fret. You can catch them later this month playing in a bowling alley just across the border in Madison, Wisconsin. Really!
Who’s up for a short road trip? I know the promotional blurb above suggests ordering a cheeseburger, but when I eat at the Bowl-A-Vard Lanes, I prefer their coq au vin or lobster thermidor to satisfy my palate. Highly recommended!
But this isn’t supposed to be a post about songs with weekend in the title. I need to have Friday on my mind as I write this post, which leads me to …
Walter Becker of Steely Dan passed away a while back, but take a listen to this new song by the band PREP released in the US in late January and see if you hear Steely Dan in this song …
I know you are asking, “Why would Jim post a YouTube video where nothing visually happens?” Ah, but there are subtle movements in the video that complement the music.
I definitely hear Steely Dan in this song by PREP, and I think this song would fit nicely on the Aja album. The vocals in the high register remind me of Donald Fagen but in the lower register sound more like Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins. And you can’t tell me the chord progression at the 3:44 mark isn’t pure Steely Dan.
Now, if you like this song, I have a special treat for you …
After yesterday’s Part 1 post, I am sure that most readers would have preferred if I had taken the Tide Pod challenge to eliminate any possibility of a Part 2. Sorry, but here it is. Let’s get right into another 6 albums that shaped my musical landscape.
Before Steely Dan fans stone me, I know this is not their best album. But it was the Dan album that caught my attention with the funk of “Kid Charlemagne” and opened my eyes and ears to their whole catalog. No regrets. Listening to Steely Dan has helped refine my musical sensibilities.
I regret I never saw them in concert. Walter Becker has now passed away, but Donald Fagen is still touring as Steely Dan. I don’t feel good about that. I think he should tour as Donald Fagen or Steely or Dan, but not Steely Dan. RIP Walter.
Now this next guy looks out of place on this album cover …
I’m trying not to have a cow, but am struggling. Since this issue has to do with Steely Dan, I threw into the Bart Simpsonish title the Black Cow reference to their great song of the same name. I know, really clever. Another day, another clever title. But I am upset about what I see advertised for Steely Dan this summer …
Welcome to a new feature this year on Jim Flanigan Looks at the World. I love music, so I asked myself why I wasn’t writing more about music. I didn’t get a reply since I wasn’t speaking to myself at the time, but I didn’t wait until I was speaking to myself again after having make-up sex with myself. I moved forward with this bold concept. Each week I plan to reveal my favorite song from my favorite musical artists, and along the way provide some insight as to why that song is my favorite. It may not be the best song ever done by the artist profiled according to critics, or the best-selling song, but the song I like the best. You are welcome to disagree and offer your own fave song. There is no wrong answer (is what I always wanted to hear my teachers say, but never did).
Let me just start out by saying that the title of this blog makes no sense except that this post is about music and my quest to become one with music. You will only find out at the very end if I reached that lofty goal. I workshopped many alternate blog post titles, and they all sucked as much as this one, so what’s the point of even trying? It’s good enough (maybe too good?) for the likes of us.
Moving on, this is my longest blog post ever, and perhaps the longest ever in the history of blogging. I have no interest in checking, so let’s just take my vague hunch as gospel truth that this is a record-setting post. It is chock full of nonsensical words in a seemingly random order that would rival a Sean Spicer press conference, links to older posts (in a pathetic attempt to increase views), pictures, animated gifs and video links. If you are not up for a herculean, visually-stimulating blog post, bail out now. Warning, do not click the “Continue reading.”
My summer concert plans are a disaster so far. I entered the summer with grandiose plans to see about 10 performers, some old & some new. Those plans were quickly derailed, crashed and burned not unlike any weekend “to do” list I have ever made or any financial plans for retirement I have ever structured. The culprit? As always … an evil-doer using the alias of “family obligations” has been identified, arrested, tried & convicted for viciously murdering my summer concert plans.
I had wanted to kick-off my summer concert plans by seeing Lord Huron headline at a festival. They are an up & coming indie band that I really enjoy.
My oldest daughter gave me one of their CD’s. She would certainly want to see them. Nope, despite being a big fan, she had no interest. My friends had no interest since they typically cannot be enticed to a concert unless it is a Beatles reunion with an original line-up featuring both Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe. But of course I can count on being able to drag my wife to a concert that she has absolutely no interest in attending, right? Nope, those family obligations rise up in the form of a daughter’s dance recital rehearsal. I refused to be a total loser and attend a festival by myself (Yay, I am alone and festive!), so I succumbed to having my butt caressed by the couch monster at home.
Despite the lackluster start, I figured I could recover and get my concert plans back on track when I saw tickets still available to see Steely Dan, a old fave of mine that I have never seen. Once again, news of this concert opportunity spread among family and friends generated about as much interest as a Bay City Rollers reunion tour. Wait, what? Never mind, the Bay City Rollers are already reunited and touring.
Sigh! But I had an ace up my sleeve, a more casual friend who is a known Steely Dan fan, bordering on stalker. Once again the heinous family obligations rose up, this time from his side, requiring his attendance at an out-of-town family reunion.
Then doubt crept in. These dudes (major dudes for any Steely Dan fans) are old. Their vocals were never the best in their prime. What will they sound like now? I saw 2/3 of the formerly golden-throated warblers called America in concert a couple years ago, and if I could have found a pencil to puncture my eardrums, I would have. If America sounds so bad, how bad will Becker and Fagen sound? So I grabbed caution from the wind and passed, preferring to remember their original vinyl sound complete with scratches rather than their potentially scratchy voices of today.
At that point, I needed a new concert plan. What I came up with was a plan to see 5 concerts for ZERO dollars. That’s right, 5 FREE concerts. I’m not talking about money for gas, train fare, a Mott the Hoople Reunion Tour 2016 commemorative t-shirt, or overpriced hot dogs and beer. I’m just talking about admission … $0.00. I successfully launched that plan over the Independence Day holiday weekend.
Jim Flanigan Looks at the World 