oh i know who is the ultimate example of this for me is bjork
― Tome Cruise (Matt P), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 05:40 (eleven years ago) link
America - A Horse With No Namei love about 9 songs by this band
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 06:33 (eleven years ago) link
Fela "Lady"Neu! + La Dusseldorf "Hallogallo"
I don't think saying "this band can be reduced" is a bad thing. I think it shows a clarity of intent.
― capital in ruins, thousands dead (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 07:48 (eleven years ago) link
Until recently, the only Grateful Dead song I ever needed (or wanted) to hear was "Box of Rain."
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 13:53 (eleven years ago) link
Rod Stewart - Young Turks
Is surely what you meant.
No I think he said "Hot Legs"
― xanthanguar (cwkiii), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 15:36 (eleven years ago) link
"cat power - metal heartJukebox or Moon Pix version?"
moon pix
― nostormo, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 15:36 (eleven years ago) link
otm, but i like them both. fortunately, the rules do not limit different recordings of the one song
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 15:39 (eleven years ago) link
Blue Cheer's version of "Summertime Blues." I like that one OTT cover tune, have no need for any more by them.
― Rocking Disco Santa (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 15:45 (eleven years ago) link
coldplay - yelloweminem - my name iskanye west - through the wirethe strokes - last nightbright eyes - waste of paintthe smiths - how soon is nowgorillaz - clint eastwooddelibes - lakme (the flower duet)
― nicky lo-fi, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 16:00 (eleven years ago) link
how soon is now is a good smiths pick. kinda get all your smithiness right there. could definitely understand someone picking ace of spades by motorhead for the same reason.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 17:51 (eleven years ago) link
I was about to say that "How Soon Is Now" is a distinctly bad Smiths pick, since it doesn't sound much like anything else they did! It's a total one-off in their catalog. And is 2-3 minutes too long. If I had to pick one song to get all your Smithiness from, it'd be "Still Ill".
― JRN, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 17:57 (eleven years ago) link
Thinking the same myself, a very un-Smiths song to me.
― Chewshabadoo, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 17:59 (eleven years ago) link
its so epic though. and i can definitely see someone who doesn't care about the smiths listening to it a lot. i just meant that lyrically/emotionally its got all the smithiness but then it has the rock wallop and it makes sense for a non-fan to pick that one. more so than the other well known stuff like this charming man or whatever.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:05 (eleven years ago) link
no non-smiths fan is gonna pick still ill as the one smiths song they listen to!
― scott seward, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:06 (eleven years ago) link
and suedehead would be prefect for non-moz people too.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:07 (eleven years ago) link
Oh, I wasn't thinking about what song the non-fan would be most likely to enjoy--I was thinking about what song nails the basic essence of the band so well that you could hear just that one track and understand what they're about. But I see now that I may have missed the point of the thread.
― JRN, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:20 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, I'm in the camp of loving "How Soon..." and really not being much into other Smiths.
― Rocking Disco Santa (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:31 (eleven years ago) link
Smiths don't fit in here imo (my POO would be "Ask" though, duh)
― capital in ruins, thousands dead (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:34 (eleven years ago) link
I don't think there's any sort of "don't fit" about this though. It's highly subjective, one song I think is awesome and a bunch of others by the same artist that don't do much for me.
― Rocking Disco Santa (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:36 (eleven years ago) link
Which isn't the same as picking one song that encapsulates the band.
― Rocking Disco Santa (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:37 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah I'm a bit confused on the intent of this thread. For example I think "Clint Eastwood" by Gorillaz is a bad pick since their other stuff really isn't like it, but if you're saying "this is their only good song", well I guess I'm kinda on board. But then "Hallo Gallo" is named which makes sense but the Neu!/La-D discography is pretty stellar so it also feels wrong.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:40 (eleven years ago) link
I think this is essentially for bands you don't really care for but you like one of their songs--thus, fans of said band will be disappointed because you're usually choosing something atypical or peripheral to what fans like about them (cf. my picks like "Train in Vain" above)
― Iago Galdston, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:44 (eleven years ago) link
Muse, 'Supermassive Black Hole'
― earth of (snoball), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 18:45 (eleven years ago) link
I guess that would have a different answer depending on what you like best about The Clash. Lots of their best elements are all in "I'm So Bored With the USA" but I dunno if I would choose that as "only need to hear one song"
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:19 (eleven years ago) link
although "Guns of Brixton" might work
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:20 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah this is a subjective discussion, obv.
With "How soon is now" as my first and repeated exposure to The Smiths it was more of a deterrent, not that it's a bad song, but that it's so non-indicative that it held me off a few precious teen years from investigating a band that I would later love to death (see also "Never met a girl like you before" Edwyn/OJ)
― capital in ruins, thousands dead (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:30 (eleven years ago) link
So far I haven't read another example that's made me say "yeah" as much as Scott's original mention of "Pump it up" I could listen to that song five times in a row
― capital in ruins, thousands dead (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:32 (eleven years ago) link
yeah i recall being disappointed in myself for not having gotten into the smiths sooner/earlier in my adolescence, too
― flopson, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:35 (eleven years ago) link
Oh I definitely feel this way about "Love is a stranger" re: Eurythmics and Annie's entire catalog
― capital in ruins, thousands dead (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:43 (eleven years ago) link
i see this question as being like, i get the right amount of x every time i hear x by x. like, one or two vodka red bulls is good for me, maybe four or five if i feel like going nuts, but it's not going to lead me to explore the world of clear alcohol + energy drink pairings, though there is absolutely nothing wrong with that world and its enthusiasts.
― Tome Cruise (Matt P), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 19:46 (eleven years ago) link
i was just thinking about bands that i NEVER listen to on my own. ever. not cuz i hate them or anything but just because...i don't know could be lots of reasons. but even with those bands there is usually at least one song that i'm always happy to hear. it COULD be the most representative/distilled song in their catalog, but not always. like i said about "ace of spades" i could definitely see people loving that song and never listening to a motorhead album. and with that song you do kinda get all of what makes motorhead great in one short sharp package.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 21:48 (eleven years ago) link
i mean there are other talking heads songs and elvis costello songs that i like but i am always in the mood for the two songs i mentioned. they always sound great. doesn't mean i would change the station in the car if psycho killer or allison came on the radio. (that's the only way i hear their songs pretty much. car radio. unless they are playing in a movie or something)
― scott seward, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 21:50 (eleven years ago) link
Starlight is obviously the right pick for Muse. As a bonus, it makes Keane superflous as well.
― Frederik B, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 22:51 (eleven years ago) link
ok, that description is pretty much how i chose the stuff i posted earlier. xp
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 26 December 2012 23:52 (eleven years ago) link
Cream - Badge
― Rocking Disco Santa (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 23:55 (eleven years ago) link
I wondered whether Rick Springfield would qualify as having a "large catalog," and when I looked it up it said he has 17 studio albums, which is ridiculous, but also allows me to add "Jesse's Girl" to this list without any trepidation.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Wednesday, 26 December 2012 23:59 (eleven years ago) link
:( sad to admit this but every time I put on Laura Nyro I actually just want to hear "Sweet Blindness". Her voice is too strident for me to enjoy her in anything other than short bursts and man "Sweet Blindness" has it all, I love all her songs yes but That's The Song
― capital in ruins, thousands dead (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 27 December 2012 00:12 (eleven years ago) link
Eagles - In The Long Run is probably the only song I *like* to hear from them, but I dunno if any of their catalog qualifies for 'wanting' to hear
Motley Crue - On With The ShowI actually like them up to Dr Feelgood but this is the only AWESOME song they ever did
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 27 December 2012 00:25 (eleven years ago) link
Led Zeppelin - Kashmirto be honest i only listen to zepp for bonham. i abhor plant's vocal mannerisms and page's riffing doesn't do much for me either. but man, kashmir is the fucking bomb.
The who - I Can See for Milesanother shitty vocalist bringing diminishing returns to a bunch of songs that could've been great otherwise. this one works for me anyway, best chorus they ever made.
― cock chirea, Thursday, 27 December 2012 01:55 (eleven years ago) link
For Beatles i would pick "Happiness is a Warm Gun".
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:09 (eleven years ago) link
Psychedelic yet at times universal lyrics, 50s rock nostalgia, weird interlocking time signatures that somehow feel natural, cheeky humor, childlike singalongs, John Lennon trying out for the best rock n roll singer, immaculate Everly Brothers-style harmonies, R&B girl group backing vocals, all ending with a minimal Ringo drum solo (snare roll into a single kick drum hit).
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:13 (eleven years ago) link
Great thread idea. Anyways:
Pastels - Nothing to be Done
― formerly EDB (ed.b), Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:14 (eleven years ago) link
if i had to pick it would probably be helter skelter. there is probably a thread for that. man i have listened to the beatles sooooo much in the last 3 years. its frightening. they're fun to obsess over though. i can feel the obsessives. plus having kids who like them...its a whole thing. and i really didn't do that. they just had it in them. they are very easy to love if you are a kid. and i totally stood by cyrus during his Kiss phase. i didn't really want to listen to that much Kiss but i was nice. there's a good one actually. i never listen to kiss. i don't really have a favorite kiss song. i guess an ace song if i thought about it.
― scott seward, Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:16 (eleven years ago) link
and oh yeah, still relevant lyrics! (xp)
― Iago Galdston, Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:16 (eleven years ago) link
oops, you led with the lyrics, adam, apologies. it's just stunning here in america the pathology of the gun nuts in this country. and it won't change in our lifetimes.
― Iago Galdston, Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:18 (eleven years ago) link
"Jessie's Girl" is not only not Springfield's best song, it's probably not even the best song on his greatest hits albums. I know you're not a power pop fan, NYCNative, but he's got a pretty underrated catalog IMO.
― Gollum: "Hot, Ready and Smeagol!" (Phil D.), Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:24 (eleven years ago) link
Patti Smith - Because the Night(i also dig Ask the Angels tho)
― cock chirea, Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:29 (eleven years ago) link
re: Rick Springfield, "Working Class Dog" is a solid 10 songs IMO
― billstevejim, Thursday, 27 December 2012 02:38 (eleven years ago) link
Probably have to split her into two eras, but:PJ Harvey - "Dress"
― Only Built For Cuban Linux (Leee), Thursday, 27 December 2012 07:18 (eleven years ago) link
I'll go with Janis Joplin - "Piece Of My Heart". I mean, of course there's plenty of other good stuff in her catalogue, but that one song neatly encapsulates what she was about.
― Lee626, Thursday, 27 December 2012 09:14 (eleven years ago) link