Sound Off

Top 5 Shameful Guilty Pleasure Pop Hits of the 80's

corey@coreyshead.com (Corey Edwards) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 02:28:00 +0000

I generally don't like pop music, and of all the pop music I've been subjected to, I consider the pop music of the 80's to be some of the worst ever created (only because I stopped listening to and being regularly subjected to such music in the mid 90's - I'm sure there are songs just as bad, if not worse, being produced every year this decade and last).

That being said, there are certain songs that did manage to creep into my consciousness during the 80's and grab hold. Many of these I liked at first listen but never admitted because my friends would have questioned my sanity, my gender, whatever they felt would justify such awful, awful taste. Of course, they were listening to Judas Priest, AC/DC, Triumph, etc. -what the heck did they know?!?

Now, I don't claim to think these songs are good or better than any other pop songs created during the 80's, on the contrary, I think they're just awful, but I like them none the less. When I hear them they take me back in time when having a friend who could drive, getting a girl to notice me for a positive reason, and rolling up a sweet AD&D character were my goals - they are my shameful, guilty pleasure pop hits of the 80's, and if you say you don't have any, I'll bet you're lying.

Corey "toorah loorah toorah loo rye aye" Edwards'
Top 5 Shameful Guilty Pleasure Pop Hits of the 80's"

1. Cars - Gary Numan & Tubeway Army
2. Der Komissar - After The Fire
3. Our House - Madness
4. Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
5. Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds

All You Need Is Love

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:09:00 +0000

After shuddering at the thought of Rod Stewart covering "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" - which I promptly, in all my infinite wisdom declared "The worst song ever recorded with the word 'love' in the title"* - we decided to make our own lists of both the worst and best songs with "Love" in the title. As we started down that path we discovered that there were, much to our collective consternation, a number of songs which hung out in a fourth dimension of sorts - songs which could be considered in both categories simultaneously - sort of "quantum love songs" if you will. And so we added a third category (well some of us did, anyway).

Since there are thousands and thousands of songs fitting in one (or more - see above) of these categories, we welcome you to submit your own picks in the comments...

*Later I determined that this was, in fact only the fourth worst song with the word 'love' in the title - clearly I was being a bit rash and unfair...

Steve "Pull Your Love" Wilmart:

Top 5 -Best-
5. Love Cry - Albert Ayler
4. Love & Happiness - Al Green
3. Love For Sale - Abbey Lincoln (several good ones to choose from)
2. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - Stevie Wonder
1. A Love Supreme - John Coltrane

Top 5 -Worst-
5. Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille
4. Fooled Around And Fell In Love - Elvin Bishop
3. Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse
2. Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
1. Muskrat Love - Captain & Tennille

Top -Could go either way-
5. Love Stinks - J. Geils Band
4. True Love - Tiny Tim
3. Radar Love - Golden Earring
2. Love Machine - The Miracles
1. Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
0. Lick My Love Pump - Spinal Tap
-1. Love/Hate - Betty Blowtorch

Michael "Faded Love" Townsend:

BEST:
Soldier of Love - Arthur Alexander
Love Like This - Faith Evans
Lagan Love - Irish trad.
Love In Outer Space - Sun Ra
Faded Love - Bob Wills

WORST:
To Sir With Love - Lulu
I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder
Tell Laura I Love Her - Ray Peterson
Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Frankie Lymon
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley

GUILTIEST PLEASURES:
Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
Look Of Love - Burt Bacharach
Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
Everybody Loves Somebody - Dean Martin

Tom "Love In My Tummy" Ruttenbeck

AGIN’
1 - Let’s weep along with Torn Between Two Lovers & I Honestly Love You,
2 - Anything rendered by Phil Collins, e.g., You Can't Hurry Love & A Groovy Kind Of Love.
3 - A Paul McCartney medley: My Love, Silly Love Songs & Beware My Love. (Any more?)
4 - The Partridge Family’s I Think I Love You.
5 - And everybody knows that Yummy Yummy Yummy ain't the whole title.
5a - ARS’s “spooky” Imaginary Lover can’t beat (!) Richard Thompson’s Read About Love.

FER
1 - Have You Every Loved A Woman - Eric Clapton
2 - I Do It For Your Love - Paul Simon
3 – I Love’s You, Porgy - Fitzgerald/Simone/Davis, etc.
4 - Love Struck Baby - Stevie Ray Vaughan
5 - Zepplin’s Whole Lotta Love (come on, it moved you)
5a - Robert Palmer’s Addicted To Love has that momentary clash of scimitars

Corey "Medical Love" Edwards:

bad

Creatures of Love - Talking Heads
Get Down, Make Love - Queen
Looking For Love - The Cars
City Of Love - Yes
Love Me Do - Beatles

good

True Love - Fred Frith
Impossible Love - Daniel Johnston
She's In Love - Brenda Kahn
Love You - Syd Barrett
Medical Love Song - Monty Python

both

I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You - Tom Waits
I Love You, You Big Dummy - Captain Beefheart
Satellite of Love - Lou Reed

Chris "I Need Love" Gunn:

top 5 best. . .

1. "All You Need Is Love" Beatles
2. "One Love" Bob Marley
3. "Love & Happiness" Al Green
4. "Make You Feel My Love" Bob Dylan
5. "Love Supreme" John Coltrane

and 5 worst. . .

1. "Can't Buy Me Love" Beatles
2. "Love Me Two Times" Doors
3. "Greatest Love Of All" Whitney Houston
4. "Love Is A Rose" Linda Ronstadt
5. "I Need Love" LL Cool J

Let your comments - like your love - flow...

CD burnining and the state of Independence

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 19:17:00 +0000

Hey everyone. By now many of you may have noticed the sign below posted prominently in the store:

Friends Don’t Let Friends Burn CDs

It might seem like a victimless crime, but burning copies of your CDs for friends and family is not only illegal – and unethical – it is also one of the biggest reasons well over 350 independent record stores went out of business in the first half of 2005 alone. Please - do the right thing.

Western Washington’s Oldest Independent Record Store thanks you!

Typically, I’m very reluctant to get on a soapbox. Nobody likes to hear a business owner lecture their customers – particularly about subjects which directly affect their bottom line. However, nary a day goes by in the store when one of us doesn't overhear a customer say (some variation on): “Oh, don’t buy that – I’ll burn you a copy of mine”. Often they do this at the register! Most of the time it seems like folks don’t even realize what they’re saying in front of us. It is no different then going into the Co-op and saying: “Oh don’t buy those groceries – I’ll steal you some later”. Every time a customer burns a CD for someone else it’s like they are reaching into the till and taking out a twenty (or whatever).

Now, I know that the record industry gouges folks on the cost of CD’s. As an independent record store they are constantly raising their wholesale costs (to small stores like ours) without raising the list price correspondingly. Our margins (the difference between what something costs us and what we charge you) have shrunk considerably in the last two years. Additionally, in an effort to push their most popular (and profitable) artists, they consistently offer huge wholesale discounts to ‘Big Box’ retailers in an effort to move the greatest volume of product. They see independents like us as a nuisance – and raise their prices in an attempt to squeeze us out. The end result of this strategy as that there are fewer and fewer choices at most retail outlets. Try getting most of what we sell at Best Buy, Target or Walmart (those three count for a full 50% of all ‘bricks and mortar’ sales – and this percentage is growing every quarter) and you will be sadly disappointed. The cost to us for carrying the kind of eclectic and quality music we carry is enormous.

We are not the bad guys. We give a huge percentage of our profits back to the local community. We actually lost money last year and still gave away over $5,000 in scholarships, free concerts and movies, and donations to local causes. Additionally we provide free ticket services and advertising to any and all locally produced arts events.

OK – I’ve stepped off my soapbox. I hope you all feel like we are fulfilling our obligation as not just a record store but also as a community resource. We are committed to doing everything we can to avoid becoming the dinosaur that so many other record stores have become. We welcome all feedback and hope that you will let us know whenever you feel we’re not doing the best job possible.

R.I.P. Wilson Pickett

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 06:48:00 +0000

Wilson Pickett died today. Another Tree falls in the forest...

Tom Waits Talkin'

Michael Townsend — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 03:48:00 +0000

For me songwriting's also a craft. It's not something that drops out of the sky. It's not something where you sit at your picture window, and watch the sun glistening off the trees and a deer walks by and whispers in your ear. It's really a craft, and it's hard work.

Recording for me is like photographing ghosts.

You can put those Ray Charles records on and he's here; it's really like a hologram of your spirit.

New York is like a ship. It's like a ship full of rats and the water's on fire.

You know, I don't like straight lines. The problem is that most instruments are square and music is always round.

We all have a drum in our chest from the moment we're born. I think music where the tempo is faster than the heartbeat exites you and music that is slower than the heartbeat calms you down.

You know what I really love? The CD players in a car. How when you put the CD right up by the slot, it actually takes it out of your hand, like it's hungry. It pulls it in, and you feel like it wants more silver discs. "More silver discs. Please." I enjoy that.

Online Store Open For Business!

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 01:37:00 +0000

Hi everybody,

Sorry for the mid-week email - but I wanted to give you all the first chance at testing out our new online store! Visit http://www.quimpersound.com and check it out.

As an added incentive for helping us test and "break-in" the new store, we're offering a 10% discount until midnight this Sunday. When you are ready to check out just enter the word "skivvies" (without the quotes) in the "Enter Discount Code" box in your shopping cart and you'll get an automagic 10% discount off of everything you ordered. Take this discount as often as you like - but remember the offer expires at midnight on Sunday. Choose to have your stuff mailed to you for a small fee - or choose to pick it up in the store, no charge - either way you can expect to get your order fast.

We know there are a lot of improvements that still need to be made (the search capability needs to be improved for one) - but we're proud to have a fully functional online store. Now you can shop local 24/7... in your underwear!

Home Boyz 'Round the World

Michael Townsend — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 02:52:00 +0000

Catch up with a couple of PT's musical expatriots. Postbop guitarist Miles Okazaki has created an intriguing ever-evolving website at http://www.milesokazaki.com , and John Speck, featured tromboner with Spam Allstars (and Beatnik Zydeco!) is profiled at http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/2005-10-20/music/music2.html .

Cruise the Muze

Michael Townsend — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 01:15:00 +0000

An endless labyrinth of categories within categories, the Muze database is a perfect tool for researching specific recordings or just browsing. Access to this computer kiosk (updated monthly) is free-of-charge for Quimper Sound customers, so let's dive right in.
The first choice is very broad: Pop, Rock & Other. This includes all nonclassical musics and breaks down further into:

ARTIST - Look up your favorites, check out songlists and notes from their various releases.

SONG - Search by title or keyword therein. Find out who has recorded your favorite song(s).

ALBUM - Search by title or keyword.

RECORD LABEL - Got a spunky little label you dig? Check out all their releases.

CATEGORY - Now it starts to get interesting. Here's a very small sampling of styles listed in the subcategories:
Rock- experimental, glam/glitter, loFi, industrial, psychedelic...
Country - bluegrass, cowboy, outlaw...
Jazz - all the major trends, plus the cool option of searching by instrument...
Blues - delta to modern urban...
R&B - acid jazz, new orleans, UK house...
Rap - french, latin, southern...
World - aboriginal & afghani to zimbabwean & zouk...
Other - spoken word, comedy, electronic, easy listening (with further divisions like exotica lounge)...

A page accessed at the bottom of the screen, NarrowSearch, allows you to set even more parameters, such as guest artist, year of release and producer.

CLASSICAL MELTDOWN!
When searching for a recording from the classical canon or modern tradition, enter as many choices as needed on the NarrowSearch page:
Composer - extensive listing
Composition - a partial title phrase will sometimes work
Composition Type - an interesting browse, from agnus dei to zarzuela
Sequence Number - try opus numbers or BWV(Bach), K(Mozart) designations
Ensemble - find your favorites
Record Label - support good ones
Soloist - more voluminous listings
Conductor - the silent guy...
Instrument - here's a few to check out (I can't help myself!):
accordion (760 pieces!)
alto sackbut
alumiphone
bullroarer
conch shell
crwth
data glove
espejo plasmaht
JustStrokeRods
steel guitar
toy piano
zoomoozophone

After you get some hits, try changing between composition (more specific, with conductor, composer, ensemble & soloist) and album title.

Maybe you'll find new ways to use the mighty Muze. One little girl thanked us for letting her type to her Grandma, who is "up in heaven."

Neil Young In-stock & On Sale!

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 18:09:00 +0000

The wait is over. The new Neil Young (single disc): Prairie Wind is finally in-stock (manufacturing problem pushed it back). As a thank-you to all our loyal customers we've put it on sale for a limited time at $16.95* (list: $18.95). Additionally, we've got the new David Gray: Life In Slow Motion (single disc) on sale at $16.95* (list: $18.95) as well.

*Note: Now that we are phasing out the Frequent Buyer Program we are freed up to feature some of the more expensive new releases at a discount. Look at the box next to the register to see what's on sale any given week.

Top 5 Favorite Women Jazz Artists

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 19:39:00 +0000

OK - In response to Tracy T.'s comment here I made a list of my favorite jazz musicians who happen to be women. While I was thinking about it, it occurred to me that (as often happens with my taste in jazz) there could easily be another list of "New Music/Avant Garde" artists as well. I should note that, despite the overwhelming prominence of women vocalists in the jazz tradition, there are only two on my list because, well, vocal jazz isn't my bag - these are favorites after all...

Jazz Favorites:

5) Robin Holcomb
4) Myra Melford
3) Cassandra Wilson
2) Abbey Lincoln
1) Mary Lou Williams

Other notables in my collection: Jane Ira Bloom, Geri Allen, Billie Holiday, Shirley Scott, etc.

Avant Garde/New Music Favorites:

5) Pauline Oliveros
4) Marilyn Crispell
3) Meredith Monk
2) Joel Leandre
1) Jay Clayton

Other notables in my collection: Ikue Mori, Aiko Shimada, Carla Bley, etc.

Welcome to Quimper Sound Off!

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 05:26:00 +0000

Daddy, what is this noise you're listening to?

Hello everyone. Welcome to our new notebook (I can't stand the 'word' "blog"). This is a place where we can post reviews, concert info, advice, opinion, and other record store related hoo-haw in a timely and convenient fashion.

In the hope that we can include everyone who might want to contribute to the discussions herein, we're allowing comments from all comers. However, we reserve the right to turn this feature off if there are abusive or offensive comments. Let's all play nice. Some simple comment rules:

1) No profanity
2) No personal attacks
3) No anonymity - please identify yourself

It's our hope that this 'notebook' can be useful, informative and most of all, fun. Dive in!

The Gits

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 14:54:00 +0000

If you're a PT Film Festival goer I highly recommend seeing "The Gits" tonight at the Broughton Theater - 10pm. I saw it last night and, though I didn't think much of it as "a movie", I loved seeing all the footage of one of my favorite bands. While I generally think the late 80's/early 90's Seattle "scene" is overly romanticized, there were some truly remarkable bands. If you weren't lucky enough to see the Gits live this a great introduction to one of the greatest (and as the interviewees never fail to remind us) soulful punk bands of all time. The music stands on it's own - but there was a special magic to seeing Mia perform it and the film does a good job of giving you a peek at that magic.

Top 5 Albums Listened To At Home

swilmart@gmail.com (Steve Wilmart) — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 01:16:00 +0000

Ok - I'll start this out with a simple list - For your consideration I give you the top 5 albums from Steve's music room this week:

5) Johnny Hodges: Previously Unreleased Recordings [Verve - Lp]
4) Tommy Guerrero: Another Late Night [Teacle - CD]
3) Sam Rivers: The Live Trio Sessions [Impulse - Lp]
2) Henry Threadgill: X-75 Vol.1 [Novus - Lp]
1) Vandermark 5: The Color Of Memory [Atavistic - CD]

I've also been sneaking tracks from Lyrics Born's "Same !@#$ Different Day" Lp - what can I say - it makes me happy...

-Steve