Guest Michael Rife
GuestForum Replies Created
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Reminds me of an ancient SNL skit: “It’s a dessert topping!” “No, it’s a floor wax!!” “No, its’ really both!!” MLT is both rockers and balladeers, e.g., Johnny Be Good, If I Fell, God Only Knows, Revolution. The Beatles were both, e.g., Yesterday, Helter Skelter, I’m Down, In My Life. And there are multiple examples for the Beatles and MLT that come from both genres. MIke.
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A Sweet Lorraine video could be one of their most creative and edgy videos. I would be very interested in watching what they do with it. Mike.
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Oh gosh….even my top 10 list changes from day to day….number 1 is a no brainer….the Beatles. Well, here it is for today.
1) Beatles
2) Poco
3) MLT
4) Pure Prairie League
5) James Taylor
6) Simon and Garfunkel
7) Badfinger
9) Stephen Stills (various groups and solo)
10) Richie Furay
11) Buffalo Springfield (contains 9 and 10….but I’m trying to separate out the works)
12) John Denver
13) Gordon Lightfoot
14) Kinks
15) Queen
16) McCartney and Wings
17) Paul Simon (solo)
18) Dylan (could be higher)
19) Lonestar
20) Norah Jones
21) Nick Drake
22) Mamas and the Papas
23) Rascals or Young Rascals
24) Nilsson
25) Turtles (Flo and Eddie)
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OK. Does it work this way, too. They recorded For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield (Stephen Stills) which puts them in close proximity (4 steps or less) to everyone in the Country-Rock genre (Poco, Pure Prairie League, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Eagles, Byrds and others)…..and if you go one or two steps from some of those, they are likely in touch with 90% of the music business. Mike.
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Whenever I see “wool goose” it reminds me of my college days. I had a history prof back then named Wilgoos and wool goose is so close to that…..silly, I know. Mike.
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By a number of sales and songs charting…..Paul wins, I believe when he had Wings….at least during the 1970s and early 1980s with Wings and solo work. But, in terms of quality…..about the only work Paul did during the solo years on par with the Beatles is Band on the Run….almost……I also like Red Rose Speedway. I personally didn’t care for John’s solo work, but it is all due to personal taste. George’s All Things Must Past cannot fairly be compared to his Beatles’ work…there was such a backlog of songs there. On this album some songs almost equal his work….My Sweet Lord, etc. Of their solo work the songs that sound most like the Beatles are: Paul (No Words For My Love), John (Woman), George (Blow Away). Those three are closest in style to the Beatles for me. But, again we are in a subjective area. Mike
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Hi all;
Whenever I listen to this song, I find it incredibly difficult to not sing along. It is one of those songs that just causes someone to tap along or sing along. In other words……I really like it…..one of my favorites on Orange. Mike.
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Hi Mona;
The approach sounds very good and professional. I worked 30+ years in corporations in the US and the approach sounds very familiar. I also wondered how the team got so much accomplished. My only concern is that you two have time to rest and for recreation. Mike.
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Hi Jacki;
I like Patsy Cline, too. She was ground breaking as a country artist……refused to be treated differently because she was a woman and had a lot of strength. I was born in the town where she lived (Winchester, VA) and grew up 20 miles from there. So, to me she’s a home-girl. Now Winchester is a small town (around 20,000 people) and the town I grew up in is also a small town (also around 20,000). So, I grew up in the next small town 20 miles to the north of her and many in my home town didn’t like her because of how she did things. There are no secrets in small town USA and the rumors about her private life spread. Even so, she was a ground-breaking artist. Mike.
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Howard;
To be honest in the US they didn’t get much air play in the US either. They were too country to be on AM top 40 and they were too RnR to get much airplay on country stations. So, they slipped through the cracks. They were played a lot on FM which tended to play good music regardless of music type. To me they were overlooked. Also during the 1970s they pissed off Clive Davis and David Geffen which didn’t help much. Mike.
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Hi Michael;
Yes, Poco is something to me. I was aware of them in the 1970s and then I got their 1997 greatest hits CD. Then around 2002 they started to have an internet buzz by their fans from the 1970s. From there they had a reunion-type show in 2004 and have been touring heavily since then. Since 2005 I have
1) Been to around 15 of their shows.
2) Become an official fan member called of all things Poconuts.
3) In 2011 they invited 20 Poconuts into the studio to record some background things for their 2013 CD. I was fortunate enough to be one of them and we ended up in a video (cameo only).
4) Bought all of their CDs. They have had about 20 released since 1968. I also have a bunch of their shirts, hoodies, and other merch. I joke around and call part of the walk-in closet the Poco wing.
5) Probably most important, partly due to them, I picked up my guitar again and started playing in 2005 after a 25 year absence of playing. I also started playing the drums again. After that I learned the mandolin. It influenced my wife to pick up the violin and keyboard again. She has also learned the viola and bass fiddle since then. From there we joined other musicians and play every weekend. To be honest……I can’t put a value on that.
6) Have explored deeper the country-rock genre: Byrds (Sweetheart of the Rodeo), Pure Prairie League, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Frank Walsh, Outlaws, Marshall Tucker, Unicorn, Turnpike Troubadours. In short, I have turned into a music-nut again.
Thanks for calling me “top shelf”. That is such an honor. Also, glad we are FB friends. Your fellow Michael.
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Thanks for your answer and I hope you, Mona, Rudi, Michaela, and the team have the best holiday season yet. Congrats on the 50,000 “likes” and may more follow!! Mike.
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Hi Tim;
I’d have a difficult time saying that George’s post Beatle work is better than “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Here Comes the Sun”, and “Something”. But, judgment about songs and art remains subjective. Mike.
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Howard;
I agree that commercial success is not the only determinant of quality….only one indicator. How else can we explain that “Sugar Sugar” was considered by some to be the song of the year in 1969 or explain disco in the late 1970s. Those records sold a lot, but I would not consider those songs to be very good. Again it is subjective. There are bands and musicians who have had very little commercial success but are very high on quality, e.g., Poco, PPL, NGDB. These bands are in the country-rock category but can really play their instruments and some of their songs are very good. From there I found out about groups like Marshall Tucker, Outlaws, and Unicorn (more recently). Unicorn is an interesting band from the mid 1970s…..they are from England and play country-rock. Other artists that never found commercial success but worth a listen: Frank Walsh (a current day country-rocker from England) and Nick Drake (not sure how to classify his music). Mike.
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It would be great if Little Drummer Boy would be on Sirius. Mike.
