Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

"Heartbeat" by Annie at a Vons grocery store.

Annie - Heartbeat at Giant.

http://www.youtube.com/v/f9Wf46tLonM&fs=1&hl=en

― how's life, Monday, November 23, 2015 8:04 PM (5 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

High five!

Some lucky people upthread. There's a small supermarket chain in Dublin called Fresh that has its own piped music of knockoff cover versions, presumably because it might be cheaper somehow? They're supposed to mimic the originals, but put you in uncanny valley territory when you hear the intro to, say, Pride (In The Name of Love) by U2, or Maria by Blondie with instruments that feel maybe 5% off, growing to 30% off when the vocals come in.

live version of Toto's "I'll Be Over You" in a pizza joint, followed not long after by Air Supply "Two Less Lonely People in the World"

The Cult - Revolution

Stray Cats: "She's Sexy (and 17)" at Fuddruckers

So I started a new job this week working at a Goodwill retail store and the musical choices are. . . interesting. Most of the time, it's totally nameless/faceless EDM pop garbage, but there's random 70's tune that will occasionally pop up. Some choice selections so far have been:

Yes — Long Distance Runaround
Bob Dylan — Buckets of Rain (two days in a row!) and Tangled Up in Blue
Joni Mitchell — Carey

And tons of Van Morrison. Seems like I get to hear him at least once every ninety minutes. All the primo stuff, too: everything from 'Caravan' to 'Wavelength.' I think the only of his 70's album that hasn't been repped for thus far is Veedon Fleece.

Londonbeat-Thinking About You

Wow, today I heard Crosby Stills and NASA's 'In my Dreams' at work. That's far and away my favorite CSN tune. I wasn't even aware it was a single.

*Nash's

Wow again, as I heard Crosby and Nash's 'Southbound Train' today as well. They were really on a roll with the folk rock stuff today.

ha, pretty good auto correct

"southbound train" is lovely. I don't really know csny's body of work but I dig a lot of that album. I would flip if I heard "immigration man" at cvs.

Austin, you were at CVS three times?

just goes for the music

No no no, it's the music beamed over the store speakers at the Goodwill retail shop where I work.

Nothing that great or out of the ordinary to report on from today.

Today's highlight was The Moody Blues - 'Timothy Leary's Dead.'

Heard R.E.M.'s "Talk About The Passion" in the supermarket yesterday. Not a single, never once heard it on the radio, was pleasantly baffled.

(Also, my favorite misheard lyrics: "Minty breath, minty mouth, it's Gumby in reaction. Minty breath, minty mouth, talk about the passion. Gumby in...Gumby in...Gumby into town...")

ha!

Jimmy Cliff: "You Can Get It If You Really Want" at Jack In The Box

not exactly obscure but i was surprised to hear Courtney Barnett's "Depreston" in a CVS today

heard that one in a movie theater bathroom last summer, too

The Records' "Starry Eyes" at a Chipotle the other day. Sorta surprising.

The Pretty Things: "Get A Buzz" at Freebirds World Burrito

Oooh, and now Bill Withers: "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?"

At work today, I was treated to the full twelve minute version of 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.'

Nice!

They're on a roll today! So far, I've heard:

Bob Dylan - Positively 4th Street
Squeeze - Pulling Mussels From the Shell
A Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song

In the second half of my day, I got to hear:

The Kinks — Set Me Free
The Jimmy Castor Bunch — It's Just Begun (probably the biggest surprise thus far)

Yeah wow, that last one is kind of all-time for the thread.

New Order - Age of Consent

The B-52's - Planet Claire

Lou Gramm - Midnight Blue

The Kinks — Sunny Afternoon

The Police - Walking in Your Footsteps

Romeo Void - A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)

Teenage Fanclub's "About You" at a joint called BurgerFi.

R.E.M. — Talk About the Passion

I love how Austin needs a CVS fix every three hours.

Modern English - Someone's Calling

Devo - Through Being Cool

this thread makes me want to go and just like hang out at the cvs for an hour or two and slowly peruse the eye shadow colors or w/e

i've always wanted to know in minute detail how these songs end up being played in these places, like is it sort of a roll of the dice among select back catalogs, are artists being measured according to some arbitrary standard, is it done in-house or contracted out, if the latter do these people offer the same service for other chains, how do they differentiate amongst their clients, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzak_(brand)#Original_artist_programming

i recall hearing "Truly Madly Deeply" at a Stop n Shop recently

Unfortunately that one's not obscure

what about "(i know) there's something going on"

hmm not sure why i thought there was a parenthetical there.

#13 on billboard hot 100

That one pops up in all kinds of strange places.

Frida was right, after all.