CONGRATULATIONS, STADLER!Stadler's Childhood
1. Little River Band - Reminiscing
2. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - December, 1963 (Oh What a Night!)
3. Gary Wright - Dream Weaver
4. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
5. Ringo Starr - It Don't Come Easy
6. Mountain - Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)
7. Pete Townshend - Let My Love Open The Door
8. Bob Welch - Sentimental Lady
9. Leo Sayer - When I Need You
10. Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy
11. Bee Gees - Night Fever
12. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed
13. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven*
So, first off. I said one of these songs was almost cheating, and you were almost on the money. "Baker Street" was sent by jingle.boy as a post-roulette concept album that I reviewed late last year. However, listening to the whole album - the Ringo Starr song's hook sounds painfully familiar but I just can't say for sure if I've heard it before or not. "Let My Love Open The Door" is a song I *know* I've heard the hook to somewhere, but I can't tell you where. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song I've DEFINITELY heard before, but not in full. All of those songs are par for the course, as you more than anyone have sent songs that have made me go, "Wait, I know this..." but they're also good!
And the cool thing about this collection of songs is that they're all heavy on strong hooks - okay, mostly. The Mountain track, I admit, is probably my least favorite of the batch just because it doesn't have the same energy as everything else, and I expected to hear some huge reverb-laden rocker I could drink and be a dirty white boy to, like Mississippi Queen.
Otherwise, I have no complaints here. This is a fantastic group of songs. I just have to go song by song on this. The caliber of songwriting in this collection is extraordinary.
"Reminiscing" has a motif straight out the gate that is 1) deliciously infectious and 2) almost reminiscent of Glen Campbell's Southern Nights, one of my favorite 70s songs.
Frankie Valli - the only thing I know about Frankie Valli, other than him being famous, is that he did the title track to Grease, a soundtrack I have NO shame about loving to death. Sounds way different here, though. How much younger is he? It's a lovely song though. I dig how clean it is.
"Dream Weaver" is another song I know I've heard the hook to somewhere but oh my god, what a fantastic song. Soon as it started I knew this was a winner, but it's a contender for favorite song of the lot. Everything about this is great.
"Baker Street" makes me think of New York City. I think this has to be the biggest statement a sax player can ever make, it immediately grabs your attention, it builds into a screaming, infectious melody, only Careless Whisper comes close to matching it.
The Ringo Starr song is inoffensive and fun; I don't think it'll make my favorites playlist, but it's nice to hear something he wrote that apparently doesn't get made fun of by everyone else?
Bob Welch and Leo Sayer - I can't say I've ever heard of these two guys before, or these songs, but WOW. Instant fan if they have more songs like these. I dug the hell out of them. The singing and melodies are great (a theme of this album, clearly), but the songwriting and arranging is on point, too.
Rod Stewart - I think my pupils dilated when I heard that string bit. Holy shit! Disco! The first time I heard this I thought it was cringe/corny - "Dooo ya think I'm seeeexy?" - but oh man, that string bit with the beat... This music is SHINY, dude, and I love it. Do I smell a touch of ABBA? Fantastic song.
Bee Gees - smart choice including them. One of my favorite albums is "After the Disco" by Broken Bells and the big hit off that record, Holding On For Life, is 110% Bee Gees inspired, check it out sometime. This song slaps. I should listen to more Bee Gees. Until I heard Holding On For Life, I always thought of Jimmy Fallon when I heard Barry Gibb's voice. Thankfully that perception is now shifting and I can probably listen to an album of theirs now.
Paul McCartney - I'm not a fan of Paul. This song is a bit of a stumble toward the end, if I'm being honest. Is it a bad song? God, no, absolutely not. I just don't really think he has any balls, he's a powderpuff with a lame voice, a bad haircut, and poor taste in women. Although the grit here kind of surprised me.
Congratulations, Stadler! Consistently awesome from start to finish, a powerful and inventive EP, and an album loaded with home runs - a well-earned championship!
*Stairway is a cheeky inclusion, good on you, fantastic piece, and I can play the whole damn thing sans solo on piano. I didn't even listen to it because I can visualize every note in my sleep, but I get why it's there.
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