Obscure Singles Heard at CVS

The Beginning of the End - Funky Nassau

Aztec Camera - Oblivious

!

I heard I Want You by Elvis Costello at my suburban New Jersey supermarket the other day, and it was loud. I normally enjoy that song but as it turns out, aching sexual obsession doesn't go well with shopping for cat food and Raisin Bran. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

The Cyrkle — Turn Down Day

Turn Down Day again this morning! And the ten minute long extended mix of 'Fascination Street' by the Cure.

OMD - Talking Loud and Clear

And more Cyrkle! 'Red Rubber Ball' this time.

Molly Hatchet: "Dreams To Remember" or whatever it's called, at Denny's

and now Elton John: "Take Me To The Pilot"!

...and as i'm leaving, most obscure of all--The Doors: "Gloria"

R.E.M. - Seven Chinese Brothers

Tom Petty: "You and Me" at Jack In The Box

.,.and now Beach Boys: "Don't Worry Baby"

^ not so obscure

Yeah, but it's now like the 10th or 12th most popular Beach Boys song on outlets that still play the Beach Boys.

FWIW, I heard "Feel Flows" at this very same JITB several years ago.

"Feel Flows" got a mini-sized "Tiny Dancer" boost from Almost Famous; I've never heard it in a chain establishment, but it's not the obscurity it once was. "Don't Worry Baby" is definitely fading from the radio landscape but it's something I would hear on oldies-type stations in the 90s and is presumably known to millions.

Kool and the Gang — Let the Music Take Your Mind

This evening I was treated to:

New Order — Ceremony
Kate Bush — Running Up That Hill

Not necessarily obscure (considering I've already heard 'Ceremony' at work once before), but the fact that they were back to back like that made me feel like I had my own iPod on shuffle.

Shuggie Otis — Strawberry Letter 23
April March — Somewhere Up Above

And the full fourteen minute version of James Brown — Papa Don't Take No Mes

Okay, that last one is ace. I would be so stoked to realize that my entire CVS trip had been soundtracked by that.

Austin, you should come up with a thread called Obscure Singles Heard at Goodwill.

Oh right. Yeah, that's still weird in its way. My Goodwill muzak experiences have either been imitation good-time workday radio stations (with nothing much rougher around the edges than idk "Brighter Than The Sun")... or Christian versions of same.

38 Special's "Second Chance" plays in my Publix all the damn time. literally twice it has come on while I was in the medicine aisle.

think it's a ploy to sell Advil

Phil collins "Dance into the Light". Ew.

^^That's another one of those songs that seems to live only on Muzak playlists.

Definitely how I got to know it.

the only time in my life I remember anybody even talking about it was when I was in high school choir and for whatever reason these two dudes were raving about it.

it was a very hot day.

heat stroke may have been involved

Otis Redding: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Jerry Butler: "Hey, Western Union Man"
Wilson Pickett: "Don't Knock My Love" (Pt.1)

All on this deep cut Soul Oldies channel at my local KFC.

Would almost swear I heard KING today in Walgreens but it was near the end and I couldn't make out enough words to say for sure that it wasn't something from twenty years ago from which KING took inspiration. "Try to stop" and "By your side" the only phrases I got down.

that was them ("the right one")

Not obscure, but nice to hear "Closer to Fine" staying in the background-music mix (Panera).

xpost wow, neat! Clearly I need to spend some more time with the album.

Talking Heads — Girlfriend is Better (live)

The Style Council — A Solid Bond in Your Heart

Split Enz - Six Months in a Leaky Boat

Talking Heads: "Uh Oh Love Has Come To Town" at Kroger.

Pretenders: "Mystery Achievement" at Jack In The Box

Lonnie Liston Smith - Expansions

i wish we had this playlist at the cafe where i work

Not really obscure but I certainly didn't expect to be bopping along to it down the aisle at Foodtown last night: Velvet Underground "Sweet Jane"

similar: "caught a lite sneeze" by tori amos at pret a manger (sandwich to-go place)

The Dukes of the Stratosphere - Vanishing Girl

Dave Matthews Band - Satellite

Translator - Everywhere that I'm Not

Dammmn, nice one. I know that from exactly one playing of it on my local alt-rock station in the late 90s. Was years before I tracked down an MP3 even.

Yes, I was rather pleased to hear it.

That is probably my all-time least favorite song from my local alt-rock station (early 90s), but still really impressed that it made your in-store play.

Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Stone Free" at Freebirds World Burrito

...and now The Doors: "20th Century Fox"