Getting angry already?
Welcome to another Saturday night of music, memories, and conversations!
Gentle reminder: Please continue putting the name of your artist selection in your comment along with your song. Those of us on our phones? We really appreciate it. And people using screen readers need this in order to identify the video.
You know how it works — Put your quarter in the slot and your song in the comments. This is your Saturday night jukebox and the party starts NOW!
And welcome any, all ASN newcomers. Please add whatever inspires you more or less fitting the theme, and enjoy the larger collective playlist as we all do each Saturday. Sunday too, with free coffee and analgesics as needed ;}
In an ASN thread some weeks ago I mentioned finding brand new smash hits like Madonna’s 1983 “Borderline” really pleasing despite a general radio pop aversion.
That in part from first hearing it on a happy springtime camping trip but it would have appealed anywhere. Van Halen’s “Runnin’ with the Devil”, Heart’s “Barracuda”, Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning” and many others same deal, except for Oil these examples also being artists completely new at the time. A minimum of musically interesting things happening at least, often more.
Whenever I got round to hearing the full albums in question revelations usually awaited, no matter how initially impressive the artist.
Sound familiar?
The industry practice can be justified within limits, especially if a ‘deep cut’ capable and inclined artist new. Few people in, er, ancient times or now have had the attention span or knowledge for real music appreciation and promotional budgets on the line, but in the end it’s the same if less lethal ignorance feedback loop we get in politics.
The biz creates its own walls, the best artists and a far vaster pool of fully appreciative fans the ultimate losers.
Now then, everyone surely sees what they can do about it tonight. Rabid fan or casual, please post what you know damned well any artist’s best that never got airplay. Or if it did, not nearly enough. Any era including present. Original studio or live, whichever you think the better performance.
Here be just a few of a hundred or more examples I could overload the diary with. Most will remember the hit songs by name so for brevity’s sake not posted. except where the “hit” itself less widely known. The hits were great, but these even better on many levels.
Prince — Album: Purple Rain. The hits: you know ‘em ;} Should have included at least “The Beautiful Ones” and “Darling Nikki”. This another lazy chaptering job by the YT uploader and the whole thing keeps posting instead of songs as desired. Move slider and hit Play as needed [Grrrr]: www.google.com/…
An attempt. Let me know if it starts on Chapter 3 as intended. Mine starts wherever I stopped playback [Google thing]:
Pretenders — Album: Learning to Crawl . The hits: you know ‘em. Should have included at least: “2000 Miles” and “Thumbelina”
Xmas theme coincidental to the amazing music here.
Midnight Oil — Album: Diesel and Dust. Hit: “Beds Are Burning”. Should have included at least “Dreamworld”
As a bonus one of the best ever stop fucking with the environment warnings. Climate change and biodiversity destruction being the evil twins, as Meteor Blades put it so well, that will end our dreamworlds [denialism] once and for all.
Supertramp — Album: Breakfast In America. Hit songs: you know ‘em. Should have included at least: “Just Another Nervous Wreck” and “Child of Vision”
Must admire this album’s subversiveness through and through including the hits.
Sorry, no escaping the Yes/related examples since I know best the most egregious industry no-airplay decisions involved. Two of them posted in many an ASN before but they make some of the starkest examples of what we’re contemplating now.
Jon Anderson — [Yes in all but name] Album: Animation. Minor hit song, airplay in limited markets: “All in a Matter of Time”. Should have included at least “Unlearning” and “Pressure Point”. These YT sources not the best for sound quality, recommend large high and low frequency boosts if any kind of equalizer available:
Note for the Van Halen averse among us, which I was in many ways: you’re in for a few nice surprises here. They packed a lot of diversity into their loosely metal-oriented cannon and had the musicianship needed to pull it off. The two Van Halen brothers especially.
Van Halen — Album: Diver Down. Hit songs: “Pretty Woman”, ”Dancing in the Streets”. Should also have been: “Big Bad Bill”, “Little Guitars” and “Cathedral”
Should note the two hits were also two of the best covers ever done by anyone, and what a great album cover imo.
Van Halen — Album: 1984. Hit songs: “Jump”, ”Panama”. Should have included at least: “I’ll Wait”
Someone please give that cherub a vape system. Might not kill it as fast at least. “Panama” was actually one of the best, and this very similar in structure but took it to a higher level. Did get some airplay.
Once again a rather narrow spectrum of examples on my part and I do have many more in mind, but hopefully it provides a guide if any needed for stunning all of us with things your favorite artists did across a wider one we never imagined. I know everyone will fill in the holes I’ve left, and it’s part of the fun.
I suspect this’ll be one of the best full jukebox loads ever.