Here’s a new category I’m starting up here on TheFrontloader.com. I don’t really have any rhyme or reason for these lists, but they’re fun to write and hopefully fun to read. Everybody loves lists… it’s an entertaining way to assess what we feel sucks and what doesn’t.
So for this first list, I’m going to tell you the Top 6 Cd’s I’m NOT Embarrassed to Own. I came up with this list based on the reactions of my friends who have gone through my Cd collection. It never fails… when they come to these certain selections, they HAVE to make a comment like, “Ummmmm… dude?” or “Really, dude?” or “Geeez…. dude,” or just simply, “Dude.”
Then I have to come up with a reason as to why I own it… the story usually starts with “So one time these ten Ninjas attacked me,” and ends with, “After I KICKED THEIR ASSES, I promised them I would buy this particular Cd out of respect for their ancestors.”
These are listed from Cds with the STRONGEST “Dude?” reaction on down.
WHOA! Hey, what’s THIS album doing in my collection??????? Ha ha, must be a joke… I mean, why the hell would I have this Cd???? Who’s the wise guy????
A f*** it. It’s mine.
I bought this record because of the hype. I had seen a few episodes of Ashlee Simpson’s MTV show and knew she couldn’t sing worth dirt… my curiosity got the best of me and I had to see how much studio magic was used to make her sound decent.
Well, the producers did a bang-up job because she actually sounded decent.
And there were a few good cuts on the record, most notably “Shadow.” I read somewhere that this song is about Ashlee feeling like she’s always in her sister Jessica’s shadow.
Awwww… poor little rich girl who can’t sing worth beans but got a television show and a record deal because of daddy.
It PISSED me off when I discovered that her first live gig in support of this album was ACTUALLY HER FIRST GIG EVER. Did she ever have to book her own gigs? NO. Did she ever have to go put up/pass out flyers? NO. Did she ever “pay her dues” and work her way up through the clubs around town? NO. Instead of, “Daddy, can I have a pony?” she said, “Daddy, Jessica has a TV show AND a record deal! I want them too and I’m gonna hold my breath until you say ‘Yes!’”
I’ve kept this album because it’s a reminder to me of all that’s wrong with the music industry today.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Shadow
Buy Ashlee Simpson on Amazon
Buy Ashlee Simpson on iTunes
Yeah, I really can’t believe I have this album, but I gotta say, I still dig the music. “Conga” always got to me because of how fast the vocals in the chorus are. As a kid, I remember sitting with my tape deck, trying to figure out what the HELL Gloria Estefan was saying. I’d hit play, rewind, play, rewind, play, rewind, play, rewind… my brother would burst into the room, yelling “Will you STOP that????? I’m gonna go tell mom!!!! Who CARES what she’s saying!!!! YOU ARE DRIVING ME INSANE!!!!!” Just between you and me, sometimes I did that just to annoy him.
It wasn’t until I got a little older that I discovered what the lyrics were:
Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga
I know you can’t control yourself any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger
Don’t you fight it till you’ve tried it
Do the conga beat
Her backing band, The Miami Sound Machine, kick f***ing ASS in this song. I mean, no matter if you like her music or not, you HAVE to admit that the band is amazing. The piano solo itself is worth the price of admission here. Come on, I know you like the song… nobody’s around… go ahead and hit “play” below and DO THE CONGA BEAT!
Sing it, Gloria!!!! Sing it!!!!!
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Conga
Buy Gloria Estefan on Amazon
Buy Gloria Estefan on iTunes
There used to be a music store in San Diego called Music Trader. I have no idea if it’s there anymore, so if it is, then GOOD they survived! Anyhow, I would frequent the establishment on a regular basis, checking out the new music and picking up some used Cds. They had a great selection of music and I could spend hours in there. The employees knew my name and would often recommend things to me. It was a cool, cool music store…
So one day I’m in there and come across Rick Springfield’s Greatest Hits. Taking a look at the track listing, I realize that I totally dig like ALL of the songs in the collection. I mean, who doesn’t like the greatest song ever written by man, “Jessie’s Girl?” And how can anyone resist the question, “What Kind of Fool Am I?” Gems, I tell you… GEMS.
I look around and see that I’m all alone in the store, save the cashier. I grab that Cd and walk up to pay… I’ve got a stack of maybe four Cds. The cashier rings up each disc, and when he gets to the Springfield Cd, he stops… looks at me, and says:
“So YOU’RE the one who’s gonna buy this, huh?”
Turns out the Cd has been in the store for AGES, and all the employees were wondering who was finally going to buy it. I proudly said, “Yep!” and paid the man. Then I went home and blasted “Human Touch” because it’s a song about a computer, man. And I’ve always wanted to do it with my Apple IIe.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Human Touch
Buy Rick Springfield on Amazon
Buy Rick Springfield on iTunes
I bought this Cd because it reminded me of high school.
Being a musician in high school was pretty cool for me. I would always grab all the attention at parties because well, I knew practically every song on the radio at the time and could play it at the drop of a hat. People would gather around the piano and call out songs to sing to… and man ALIVE the girls loved Richard Marx! “Right Here Waiting” was hands down the number ONE most requested song.
The greatest part of this was that when I started the song, all the guys would say, “Uuuuugh!” and go away, leaving all the girls to me. Girls would surround me, sitting at my sides at the piano, leaning in with their long, gorgeous hair… they smelled SO good and I could just play that song all night because sooner or later, one of them would lean in so far that their boobies would touch my shoulder or back… then I could say that I TOUCHED Margaret Bulbe’s boobs.
For some reason, when I played “Hold On to the Nights,” the guys would come back and sing along. So I mainly stuck to “Right Here Waiting.”
But “Hold On to the Nights” is a great song. Marx has done well for himself… he’s penned hits for Keith Urban and let me cop a feel with some girls in high school.
I owe Richard Marx a LOT.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Hold On To The Nights
Buy Richard Marx on Amazon
Buy Richard Marx on iTunes
I first saw M2M on some live television broadcast. The girls (Marit Larsen and Marion Raven) looked SO cute and adorable on stage… but the music was also quite good. I switched the channel before catching their group name. It was maybe a couple of years later when I heard a song, “Everything,” on the radio. The song was incredibly catchy… the DJ said the name of the group and I went online to find the Cd.
Don’t you hate it when the DJ doesn’t tell you who the artist is? They just roll on to the next song without word of who the hell sings the damn songs. GAH it’s annoying! Then they tell you “You can find a list of the most recent songs we’ve played on our website…” well, why don’t you frikkin’ TELL us what the songs are and who sings them, then I won’t have to go look? GEEEEEEZ!!!!!
Anyhow, when I saw the album cover, I recognized the two cute girls from the television program. I don’t think they were 18 at the time, so I’ll just say they were “cute” and leave it at that.
The album turned out to be an excellent collection of songs. “Everything,” “Love Left For Me,” and the song posted below, “Wanna Be Where You Are,” were all so well written it was hard to believe the girls were still in their teens.
The two girls went their separate ways in 2002 for solo careers.
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Wanna Be Where You Are
Buy M2M on Amazon
Buy M2M on iTunes
I really never understood why this Cd got such a strong “Dude?” reaction. I mean, Miami Vice is one of the most important television shows EVER. Aside from the obvious things like Crockett and Tubbs kicking ass every week, the show was groundbreaking in that it used the ACTUAL original recordings from the ACTUAL artists. Most every show prior to Miami Vice used cover versions that sounded “close” to the original, but sorry… no cigar.
PLUS, the show used the music in a stylish way. Remember the Miami Vice pilot movie where they used Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight?” That one segment changed the way television shows used popular music. It made the music an actual PART of the show, not just filler.
Jan Hammer’s score for the show was brilliant as well. His “electric guitar” patch was revolutionary and redefined the synthesizer’s uses in pop music. Just take a listen to the “Miami Vice Theme” and TELL me that ain’t a real electric guitar!
COOOOOOL.
So yeah, I went out and bought Jan Hammer’s Cd full of Miami Vice music. There’s a “Complete Collection” available somewhere, but I think it’s difficult to find, as the Cd is discontinued.
Man, I still love this theme. The song apparently re-entered the charts in 2006. Pretty cool. Didn’t the Miami Vice movie come out in 2006?
Your Dig-It Download:
Download: Miami Vice Theme
Search Miami Vice on Amazon
Buy Jan Hammer on Amazon
Buy Jan Hammer on iTunes
So what are some of YOUR albums you’re NOT embarrassed to own? Come on and share… and remember, you bought these Cds to honor the ancestors of all the NINJAS you beat up…
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