Tiresome Radio Edits

Somehow, long and redundant bits got into the radio edits of some songs. For example:

• "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring (instrumental, same nine notes for about 2 minutes)
• "Message in a Bottle" by the Police ("sendin' out an S.O.S...." about a thousand times at the end)
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" by KISS ("IIIIIIIII wanna rock and roll all night... and party every day!" about a thousand times at the end)

The bit in "Twilight Zone" is in the middle of the song, but I don't understand why the latter two aren't stopped early on the radio.

Yes, I still listen to the radio! It's called the car.

My Most Mysterious Musical...

Darn the lack of a synonym for "preference" or "taste" beginning with the letter M.


Anyway, I haven't posted in a while, but there are voices (outside my head, thank you very much) telling me that, contrary to popular belief, some people actually stop by here once in a great while.


Under such pressure (I'm wilting!), I'm certainly not beyond discussing contrived and uninteresting subjects. So, I will provide an opportunity for you to either (A) laugh at my musical tastes or (B) share your own.


Go ahead, you know it's option (A).


Anyway, I got all of the following from last.fm. (You can visit my full profile here. I know you're just thrilled!) Using the weekly charts, I have over the course of the better part of 2 years been charting my listening habits. (All in unison now: LAME!) Some weeks I haven't listened to a single song, but at the same time I often exceed 300. My record is.... wait, why the heck am I sharing all this? You don't care! Let's get to the tables and be done. Even though you don't care about those either. Whatever. Anyway.


First Table: Those artists who have "won" more than one week, i.e. been the artist I listened to most during any given week.



Most Weeks as #1 Artist
Weeks
Most Cons.
Last
VNV Nation
30
5
02/27/11
“Weird Al” Yankovic
27
4
03/13/11
Creedence Clearwater Revival
11
3
10/17/10
The Who
8
4
03/06/11
The Beatles
5
2
01/16/11
Ronski Speed
3
3
04/24/11
Mysto & Pizzi
3
2
10/11/09
Paul Oakenfield
2
2
05/08/11
Dire Straits
2
2
03/27/11
Led Zeppelin
2
1
01/16/11
Mike Oldfield
2
1
06/28/09


Here is the same info for 2011.




Most Weeks #1, Artist
Weeks
Most Cons.
Last
Paul Oakenfield
2
2
05/08/11
Ronski Speed
3
3
04/24/11
Dire Straits
2
2
03/27/11
“Weird Al” Yankovic
27
4
03/13/11
The Who
8
4
03/06/11
VNV Nation
30
5
02/27/11
The Beatles
5
2
01/16/11
Led Zeppelin
2
1
01/16/11
Deep Purple
1
1
01/09/11
Boston
1
1
01/02/11


So go ahead and either laugh, share, or select our most popular option: Ignore.

#1 Favorite Album

1. Who's Next - The Who

Definitely my favorite album of all time, even if the three behind it come close. It helps that the leadoff, “Baba O'Riley,” is my single most favorite song of all time.

If you didn't start on Monday, start now listening to each of the five albums here that you haven't heard. In 3-D may be a bit dated, but everyone's familiar enough with Michael Jackson, plus they did make a Rocky movie just a couple years ago. Otherwise, there's no reason not to listen to these albums if you haven't heard them before.

#2 Favorite Album

2. Of Faith, Power and Glory - VNV Nation

Most people have heard of Yankovic and CCR. Fewer have heard of Oldfield, although he is still somewhat popular. VNV Nation, closely associated with techno and dance, is more of an underground band. Yet I find none of the other “similar” bands to be very appealing. In my mind, there isn't a dud on this particular album, even if the penultimate track is a bit overdone. The first track belongs in a movie trailer someday, and the final track ends the album perfectly.

#3 Favorite Album

Cosmo's Factory - Creedence Clearwater Revival

By including CCR, we end the streak of solo artists, and of long careers. Underrated today, when The Beatles broke up, CCR was the most popular band in the world. They enjoyed an astoundingly prolific period from 1969-1971, releasing five albums. Cosmo's Factory was the best of these, although every single album from Bayou Country through Pendulum is terrific. “Up Around the Bend” is probably my favorite CCR single. I am also mostly alone in my enjoyment of the bookends of this album.

#4 Favorite Album

Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield

Like Yankovic, Oldfield has had a distinguished career in his genre, approaching 40 years. The similarities end there. There is the obvious distinction in the kind of music they produce. While Weird Al, if anything, gets more popular as time goes on, Oldfield's first album was his biggest and best. Everyone knows the first four minutes thanks to The Exorcist, but the whole album is wonderful. If Oldfield hadn't growled his way through an otherwise immensely enjoyable portion of side two, this album may have made number three for me.

#5 Favorite Album

In 3-D - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Weird Al is a phenomenon. He has made a 30-year career in a genre where most people are one-hit wonders at best. “Straight Outta Lynwood,” his most recent album, may be his most popular. But his first big hit, “Eat It,” a parody of Michael Jackson's “Beat It,” reached 12th on the charts. It appeared on this, his second album. Yankovic needed to be on this list somewhere, but it's a toss-up between those two albums. Both are a hoot, as are another three or four of his albums.