The List Thread

[RGMike]

Was discussing the Stevie thing with the cow orker who posed the question. And "Isn't She Lovely" came up, and I remembered that -- because Motown bizarrely refused to put it out as a 45 -- this British guy did a cover and had a #4 UK hit.  I dunno why I assumed he was black but damn he's, like, the Whitest. Guy. EVAH. And dig the cheezy '70s moustache and suit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJtnuWVhzN8

[urth]

a cow orker has asked me to name my 3 favorite Stevie Wonder songs evah. Talk about an impossible task!  anyone here, feel free to chime in.

Impossible doesn't begin to encompass the futility of narrowing his catalog down to three songs. I'd suggest dividing his career into two parts: the 60s up until '71's Where I'm Coming From, and a second part comprising everything after, but most importantly the five albums released between '72 and '76: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Given those parameters, these would be my picks:

60s:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered; My Cherie Amour; If You Really Love Me

70s and later:  Superstition; Too High; Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away

And I could easily pick half a dozen more from each period.

[RGMike]

a cow orker has asked me to name my 3 favorite Stevie Wonder songs evah. Talk about an impossible task!  anyone here, feel free to chime in.

Impossible doesn't begin to encompass the futility of narrowing his catalog down to three songs. I'd suggest dividing his career into two parts: the 60s up until '71's Where I'm Coming From, and a second part comprising everything after, but most importantly the five albums released between '72 and '76: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Given those parameters, these would be my picks:

60s:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered; My Cherie Amour; If You Really Love Me

70s and later:  Superstition; Too High; Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away

And I could easily pick half a dozen more from each period.

good choices, all. But another question was: should I limit myself to songs he actually wrote himself? (that would eliminate much of the '60s)

[urth]

a cow orker has asked me to name my 3 favorite Stevie Wonder songs evah. Talk about an impossible task!  anyone here, feel free to chime in.

Impossible doesn't begin to encompass the futility of narrowing his catalog down to three songs. I'd suggest dividing his career into two parts: the 60s up until '71's Where I'm Coming From, and a second part comprising everything after, but most importantly the five albums released between '72 and '76: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Given those parameters, these would be my picks:

60s:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered; My Cherie Amour; If You Really Love Me

70s and later:  Superstition; Too High; Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away

And I could easily pick half a dozen more from each period.

good choices, all. But another question was: should I limit myself to songs he actually wrote himself? (that would eliminate much of the '60s)

Do you think that was the intent of the person who posed the question, i.e. composition and performance vs. performance alone? (Sounds like the criteria for some Grammy categories.)  Personally I would include all, as he did have cowriting credit on some of his 60s hits.

[RGMike]

a cow orker has asked me to name my 3 favorite Stevie Wonder songs evah. Talk about an impossible task!  anyone here, feel free to chime in.

Impossible doesn't begin to encompass the futility of narrowing his catalog down to three songs. I'd suggest dividing his career into two parts: the 60s up until '71's Where I'm Coming From, and a second part comprising everything after, but most importantly the five albums released between '72 and '76: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Given those parameters, these would be my picks:

60s:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered; My Cherie Amour; If You Really Love Me

70s and later:  Superstition; Too High; Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away

And I could easily pick half a dozen more from each period.

good choices, all. But another question was: should I limit myself to songs he actually wrote himself? (that would eliminate much of the '60s)

Do you think that was the intent of the person who posed the question, i.e. composition and performance vs. performance alone? (Sounds like the criteria for some Grammy categories.)  Personally I would include all, as he did have cowriting credit on some of his 60s hits.

she has clarified that yes, she's talking songs he wrote or co-wrote. Which means "Until You Come back To me" is instantly in my top 3... but excludes "Heaven Help us All", one of my favorite singles of his, written by Ron Miller who co-wrote "Place in the Sun", "For Once In My Life", "Yester-Me..." "Someday at Xmas", Diana's "Touch Me in the Morning" and (unfortunaltely) "I've Never Been to Me", for which drag queens are eternally grateful.

[RGMike]

well, I couldn't come up with less than 8...

Until You Come back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) [Aretha had the hit but Stevie (co-)wrote it]
My Cherie Amour
Please Don't Go
Golden Lady
Love's in Need of Love Today
Lately
I Believe When I fall in Love (It Will Be Forever)
Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer

[radical347]

Another Rolling Stone readers poll...worst songs of the 90s.  For me, #8 is the worst.  However, #5 is one of the best.  Go figure.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/readers-poll-the-worst-songs-of-the-nineties-20110831

I highly disagree with #1 & moderately disagree with most oft the others, which are are somewhat clever novelty songs and/or of average badness, meaning they have no place on a "worst songs of the 90s" list.  I mean, I'm not a fan of the Celion Dion song, but Top 10 worst?  Really?  The only one I really agree with, too, is Who Let the Dogs Out.

I would have included a few songs by Hootie & the Blowfish & RHCP's "Scar Tissue."

[RGMike]

I would have included a few songs by Hootie & the Blowfish & RHCP's "Scar Tissue."

LOL and thank you -- RHCP have been recycling themselves for what seems like an awfully long time. Every new song is like their 5 previous hits thrown into a blender. And not even in an interesting way.

[urth]

a cow orker has asked me to name my 3 favorite Stevie Wonder songs evah. Talk about an impossible task!  anyone here, feel free to chime in.

Impossible doesn't begin to encompass the futility of narrowing his catalog down to three songs. I'd suggest dividing his career into two parts: the 60s up until '71's Where I'm Coming From, and a second part comprising everything after, but most importantly the five albums released between '72 and '76: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

Given those parameters, these would be my picks:

60s:  Signed, Sealed, Delivered; My Cherie Amour; If You Really Love Me

70s and later:  Superstition; Too High; Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away

And I could easily pick half a dozen more from each period.

good choices, all. But another question was: should I limit myself to songs he actually wrote himself? (that would eliminate much of the '60s)

Do you think that was the intent of the person who posed the question, i.e. composition and performance vs. performance alone? (Sounds like the criteria for some Grammy categories.)  Personally I would include all, as he did have cowriting credit on some of his 60s hits.

she has clarified that yes, she's talking songs he wrote or co-wrote. Which means "Until You Come back To me" is instantly in my top 3... but excludes "Heaven Help us All", one of my favorite singles of his, written by Ron Miller who co-wrote "Place in the Sun", "For Once In My Life", "Yester-Me..." "Someday at Xmas", Diana's "Touch Me in the Morning" and (unfortunaltely) "I've Never Been to Me", for which drag queens are eternally grateful.

Wow, I never knew that he had a hand in "Until You Come Back to Me." Just looked it up, and it appears that while he did record it, his version was released only on a couple of compilations, not on an album of new releases. Great song, in any case. I'm going to have to try to find his version now.

I checked the songwriting credits for the six I chose, and all qualify, as he had cowriting credit on all of the first three as well as Higher Ground, and wrote the other two in their entirety.

[RGMike]

Wow, I never knew that he had a hand in "Until You Come Back to Me." Just looked it up, and it appears that while he did record it, his version was released only on a couple of compilations, not on an album of new releases. Great song, in any case. I'm going to have to try to find his version now.

I had never heard his version of that one until I moved to SF -- the late lamented KDIA used to play it regularly and I was (yes) gobsmacked the first time I heard it. I believe it first showed up on "Looking Back", the 3-vinyl-disc anthol that Motown put out with the purple cover. Was always sorry I didn't buy that.

[Alicat]

Can you help me fill in the year? Working on a wish list

Pretty Things   SF Sorrow   196???
Traffic   Means to an End   
Joni   Ladies of the Canyon   
Badger   Fountain   1973
Nils Lofgren   Dirty Money   
Elvic Costello   Watching the Detectives   
Neil Young   Old Man   
Joe Cocker   High Time we Went   
Santana   I Aint Superstitious   
Deep Purple   Somebody Stole my Guitar   

[RGMike]

Can you help me fill in the year? Working on a wish list

Pretty Things   SF Sorrow   196???
Traffic   Means to an End   
Joni   Ladies of the Canyon   1970
Badger   Fountain   1973
Nils Lofgren   Dirty Money   
Elvic Costello   Watching the Detectives   1977
Neil Young   Old Man   1972
Joe Cocker   High Time we Went   1971
Santana   I Aint Superstitious   
Deep Purple   Somebody Stole my Guitar

the ones I don't know are deep LP cuts -- good luck getting AL to play any of those 

[Lightnin' Rod]

Can you help me fill in the year? Working on a wish list

Pretty Things   SF Sorrow   196???
Traffic   Means to an End  
Joni   Ladies of the Canyon   1970
Badger   Fountain   1973
Nils Lofgren   Dirty Money  
Elvic Costello   Watching the Detectives   1977
Neil Young   Old Man   1972
Joe Cocker   High Time we Went   1971
Santana   I Aint Superstitious  
Deep Purple   Somebody Stole my Guitar

the ones I don't know are deep LP cuts -- good luck getting AL to play any of those  

Quick internet investigations say:

Somebody Stole my Guitar 1996
Dirty Money 1981

ETA:  What kind of moron leaves his guitar sitting in the back seat of his car?  Of course somebody stole it!  Y & S!

[Tinka Cat]

Can you help me fill in the year? Working on a wish list

Pretty Things   SF Sorrow   196???
Traffic   Means to an End  
Joni   Ladies of the Canyon   1970
Badger   Fountain   1973
Nils Lofgren   Dirty Money  
Elvic Costello   Watching the Detectives   1977
Neil Young   Old Man   1972
Joe Cocker   High Time we Went   1971
Santana   I Aint Superstitious  
Deep Purple   Somebody Stole my Guitar

the ones I don't know are deep LP cuts -- good luck getting AL to play any of those  

Quick internet investigations say:

Somebody Stole my Guitar 1996
Dirty Money 1981

ETA:  What kind of moron leaves his guitar sitting in the back seat of his car?  Of course somebody stole it!  Y & S!

yeah, Ritchie Blackmore is supposed to be kind of a dick.  If it really happened to him, well, that sucks, but maybe it's karma?

how does that song go?  Nobody gonna take my car... but they might just take my axe?   

[Lightnin' Rod]

Can you help me fill in the year? Working on a wish list

Pretty Things   SF Sorrow   196???
Traffic   Means to an End  
Joni   Ladies of the Canyon   1970
Badger   Fountain   1973
Nils Lofgren   Dirty Money  
Elvic Costello   Watching the Detectives   1977
Neil Young   Old Man   1972
Joe Cocker   High Time we Went   1971
Santana   I Aint Superstitious  
Deep Purple   Somebody Stole my Guitar

the ones I don't know are deep LP cuts -- good luck getting AL to play any of those  

Quick internet investigations say:

Somebody Stole my Guitar 1996
Dirty Money 1981

ETA:  What kind of moron leaves his guitar sitting in the back seat of his car?  Of course somebody stole it!  Y & S!

yeah, Ritchie Blackmore is supposed to be kind of a dick.  If it really happened to him, well, that sucks, but maybe it's karma?

how does that song go?  Nobody gonna take my car... but they might just take my axe?  

I youtubed it after researching -- NTM before this.  Not quite to the same level of awesome-ness that is "Highway Star", but would def improve most '96 sets for me.

ETA:  According to wiki, 'twasn't Ritchie's guitar -- Steve Morse edition.