Saturday Night Tunage II

As the motivation to write anything in-depth and interesting seems to have departed my body as of right now, I've decided to do another Saturday Night Tunage post!  Come, be amazed at my myriad musical tastes!


Ray Charles - What'd I Say?

For some six years, I worked as a board op/on-air "talent" at a local oldies radio station.  Though a devoted fan of '80s music, I surely appreciated the classics... amongst them, the flat-out cool stylings of Mr Ray Charles.  Here's his first true crossover hit, which was supposedly improvised at a concert when he still had some time left.  Can you imagine any of the so-called musicians of today managing such a feat?

Dire Straits - Private Investigations
Imagine this... the year is 1989.  A young Wonderduck is a junior at Duck U, and he has a problem.  He's taking a creative writing class, and he has a short story due the next day.  The problem comes from the fact that he's got nothing to write about.  Outside the window in front of him, a thunderstorm is blowing in.  The typewriter before him sits mockingly.  His cassette deck auto-reverses the mix tape he'd been listening to... and this song, from the album "Love Over Gold," begins playing.  By the time the first few lines have been spoken, Wonderduck sits up in his chair... and begins typing.  A few hours later, the first eight pages of a noir crime story have been written.  He'd later go on to add another 80 pages to the story before he wrote himself into a corner he couldn't get out of, but the professor was impressed enough to give our young hero an "A" for the class... and a promise of three more credits if he could finish the thing.  Never did, but it was fun trying.  All due to this song.

Foo Fighters - Best Of You
There was once a time when I didn't much like the Foos.  This AMV, which was chosen Video of the Year for 2005 over at The Org, made me reconsider that dislike.  Now I'm a fan.  The end.

Joe Jackson - Jumpin' Jive (live)
One of the reasons that Joe Jackson is my favorite solo artist is the way he's not afraid to experiment with his music.  After his first two, he changes styles with every album.  Salsa, classical, new wave-punk... swing was the theme of his album "Jumpin' Jive," and it's probably my favorite of his... which is saying something.  Of course, that constantly variable style is probably why he hasn't had an US hit since 1982's "Stepping Out" or 1983's "Breaking Us In Two."  Like Orson Welles or Robert Heinlein, Joe Jackson's worst work is better than 95% of the crap that's out there.

The Motels - Suddenly Last Summer
Nothing clever to say here, just a fine song from a better, more simpler age.

Pseudo Echo - Funky Town
Over at TotalFark earlier today, there was a discussion thread for your favorite cover songs.  I rattled off Anthrax's cover of the Joe Jackson song "I'm The Man," Bryan Ferry doing the Rolling Stone's "Sympathy For The Devil," the Cowboy Junkies cover of "Sweet Jane" by Lou Reed, and 1000 Homo DJs (ie Ministry+NIN) doing Black Sabbath's "Supernaut."  But I completely forgot about this one.  Would you believe it was #1 on the Billboard Charts (back when that meant something) in 1986?  Keytars rule, man...

Suzanne Vega - 99.9F°

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