Stole this from the infamous SamuraiFrog. Roger also participated recently.
List 10 musical artists (or bands) you like, in no specific order (do this before reading the questions below). Really, don’t read the questions below until you pick your ten artists!!!
1. Rush
2. Yes
3. Steely Dan
4. King’s X
5. Return to Forever
6. Weather Report
7. Porcupine Tree
8. The Cure
9. Led Zeppelin
10. Genesis
What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
This is going to sound funny, but it was “Birdland”, and it was the blasphemous rendition done by the Manhattan Transfer. “Black Market” though was the first true version I heard that got me hooked.
What is your favorite song of 8?
Hands down, it’s “Open” from the album “Wish”. I could choose “Fascination Street”, because I love that song, too. But the typical formula of a song by The Cure was dumped on “Open” for a different method of arranging, and it is by far their best tune. Had Robert Smith stepped out of that comfort zone more, there would be so much more to like about their music.
What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?
Their music has become the soundtrack of my life. Also, I have always thought that Neil Peart was the best lyricist in the business. I tried to write lyrics for a few people, and/or what you would call poems. I was so heavily influenced by him it was sickening.
What is your favorite lyric of 5?
Well, they don’t have many lyrics, and the songs that do I usually skip over. The core four albums that they recorded at the height of their popularity were all instrumental.
How many times have you seen 4 live?
Only once. And I wish so very much that I could have seen them more. The time I did see them was at a small bar in the Detroit area and I went by myself, because I couldn’t talk anyone else into going. It was a great show though!
What is your favorite song by 7?
Though it’s not like their typical songs, I guess I’ll go with “Blackest Eyes”.
Is there any song by 3 that makes you sad?
The smartass in me wants to say “Deacon Blues” (I cried when I wrote this song / Sue me if I play too long). But I would have to say anything off their last album, but it was no where near as good as anything from all the albums previously, including the come back album “Two Against Nature”.
What is your favorite song by 9?
Tough choice. “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”, “Achilles Last Stand”, “Black Dog”, and “In My Time of Dying” are the finalists … I guess.
When did you first get into 2?
The age old story for me. I heard “Owner of a Lonely Heart” on a Top 40 station we used to listen to as kids. I soon found out that Yes had been around since the late 60′s, and then found out that Steve Howe, who at the time was in Asia, whom I really liked at the time, used to be in Yes. So I started checking out their older albums and was soon hooked.
How did you get into 3?
I had heard a lot of Steely Dan on the radio over the years and liked it all, but never really took the plunge. That was until a radio station in Detroit, who had a segment every once in a while to play an album in it’s entirety, popped in “Aja” one day. I soon had to get a copy for myself.
What is your favorite song by 4?
Here are the finalists, because I can’t choose just one: “Dogman”, “We Are Finding Who We Are”, “Fine Art of Friendship”, “We Were Born to be Loved”, “Over My Head”, “Fall on Me”, “Silent Wind”, “Groove Machine”, and “Dream in My Life”.
How many times have you seen 9 live?
None, like most Led Zeppelin fans my age. Was too young to even really know who they were when the last played live. And I had no interest in seeing them in any kind of reunion.
What is a good memory concerning 2?
Met Marcia through the music of Yes. I have also seen them seven or eight times, every single time at a different venue, and other then one show that had some sound problems, they were all great shows. They may not write great music these days, but those old geezers can still play circles around a lot of musicians in the game.
Is there a song by 8 that makes you sad?
No one song sticks out, but given that nature of The Cure’s music, they really didn’t write many cheery songs to begin with.
What is your favorite song of 1?
Gotta go with “Red Barchetta” here.
How did you become a fan of 10?
Back in the early days of MTV and seeing the video for “Abacab” probably.
November 27th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
King’s X, Rush…I’m shocked, SHOCKED by these choices.
I remember specifically that I was in my roommate Mark’s car late at night when I first heard Owner of A Lonely Heart. There are very few songs that I could peg so clearly after my college days. whereas I could tell you about half of the songs I heard growing up.