“Q” Bombs: September 25, 2011

Posted on September 25, 2011 by PhilMaq

A “Q”bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.
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This week has a new #1 and some confusing moments. A bad video finally drops off, but it’s immediately replaced. Ah, “the circle of life….”
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Worst Videos for the week of September 25, 2011
1. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
2. Dirt Road Anthem—Jason Aldean
3. Pumped Up Kicks—Foster the People
4. I Love You This Big–Scott McCreery
5. Skyscraper—Demi Lovato
6. You and I–Lady Gaga
7. If I Die Young–The Band Perry
8. Good Life–One Republic
9. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw
10. Hell on Heels—Pistol Annies

1. “Remind Me”—OK. Another week at #1 on this week’s CMT’s Top 20 Countdown.
So, let’s talk about this one. Brad Paisley starts on one end of the salt flat. Carrie Underwood is on the opposite end of the same flat and they sing this song as they start walking towards each other. But when they get close enough to touch, Brad reaches for…his guitar!!! (Actually, that’s a pretty wise choice since you never know where she’s been!) Look, the point I want to make is that this is a “love” song. They have hosted many awards shows together and you would think that they and their significant others could at least handle a platonic hug. That is why this video is so disappointing.
2. “Dirt Road Anthem”—Still hanging on at #2 for no inexplicable reason. So it moves up again…
3. “Pumped Up Kicks”—I overheard my daughter say that she requested this at yesterday’s homecoming dance (!!!) Yes, the same daughter who alerted me to the lyrics. When the song comes on, I hear fingers snapping in the house….I am sooooooooo confused! As I’ve said before: “It’s so darn catchy….”
4. “I Love You This Big”—He seems like kind of a little guy, so it can’t be that much love…..
5. “Skyscraper”—This song gets more irritating every time I see or hear it!
6. “You and I”—It appears to have peaked. I can’t wait for the free fall.
7. “If I Die Young”—Oh, it is dying so painfully slow. Can’t someone take pity and put it out of its misery…………….
8. “Good Life”—Nobody offered it assistance to slide off the charts, so it found some footing and hung on…
9. “Not Over You”—Well, it slipped again. Let’s see if it’s for good……
10. “Hell on Heels”—A new entry on the trash list. Look, Courtyard Hounds weren’t The Dixie Chicks and Pistol Annies aren’t Miranda Lambert—even if she is in the group. Definitely subpar…

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, September 18, 2011

Posted on September 25, 2011 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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Another week at the top on both of my “faves” categories for Wally Pleasant again! But Taylor Swift is knocking on the door. I thought I heard some great music this week that I hadn’t listened to in a while. And just like on my “faves’ videos list, this one also contains a commercial!

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Top Ten Songs for the Week of September 18, 2011

1. Stupid Day Job–Wally Pleasant
2. Sparks Fly-Taylor Swift
3. Bring on the Lucie (Freda People)-John Lennon
4. Brighter Than the Sun-Colbie Caillat
5. Down at the Plaza-Pat Bergeson featuring Dan Anderson, Tom Roady, and Steve Shapiro
6. Time Spent in Los Angeles-Dawes
7. I Wanna Go-Britney Spears
8. It’s So Easy (Alternate Take)-Paul McCartney
9. Medley: You Need a Man/Coming to You-Loggins & Messina
10. 1-800-DONATE CARS

1) “Stupid Day Job”—Wally Pleasant nails down my favorite songs list for a record third week! I just wish this could happen for him in the “stupid ‘real’ world!” Look for it at wallypleasant.com!
2) “Sparks Fly”—The melody and words are really getting my attention right now! I like this song! She makes it seem so easy…
3) “Bring On the Lucie (Freda People)”—Wow! I hadn’t heard this song in so long, I forgot how good it was! “Bring on the Lucie,” appears to be a nonsense title. That is the only part of the song that is wasted. Over a nice constant slide guitar riff, Lennon inserts his version of “Masters of War” lyrics. He gets right to the point in the mean lyrics that are then offset by a happy chorus. It probably is my favorite John Lennon song.
4) “Brighter Than the Sun”–-The best pop song she’s done to this point!
5) “Down at the Plaza”—I continue to find a different section that gets my attention. This week, it was the vibes. Follow those “vibes” and check out this song!
6) “Time Spent in Los Angeles”—I really like the melody and arrangement on this song! It’s like an updated Jackson Browne!
7) “I Wanna Go” —Britney went a little further down this week. This song is supposed to be her most popular song ever according to radio plays. It’s good, but it’s no “Till the World Ends” or “Toxic…
“It’s So Easy” (Alternate Take)—The version I’m referring to is an extra track that does not appear on the Buddy Holly Tribute album “Rave On.” This is not the rave up “Helter Skelter” type version but one that more closely follows the original. It sounds great and it is “so easy” to like this song! (It’s only available on itunes.)
9) “Medley: You Need a Man/Coming to You”—Nine minutes of pure heaven from Loggins & Messina’s third album, “Full Sail.” “You Need a Man” is a funky upbeat jam with nice horns that then segues into a very upbeat almost reggae pop tune with great harmonies and flutes! This is stuff that is similar to the kind of melding of songs that “Abbey Road” excelled at! It is such a great song that, once again, is long forgotten…if it ever was remembered in the first place!
10) “1-800-DONATE CARS”—This hypnotic jingle is one of the best commercial jingles of the year! I sing along to it every time I hear it!

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Phil’s Faves: Videos, September 18, 2011

Posted on September 18, 2011 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos.

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos.

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Three weeks at the top for Wally Pleasant and three new entries—one of which is a commercial! (Huh?!!)

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Top 10 Videos for the week of September 18, 2011

1. Stupid Day Job–Wally Pleasant
2. Sparks Fly—Taylor Swift
3. Barefoot Blue Jean Night–Jake Owen
4. Brighter Than the Sun–Colbie Caillat
5. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)–Katy Perry
6. I Wanna Go–Britney Spears
7. Super Bass–Nicki Minaj
8. Knee Deep-Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffett
9. Time Spent In Los Angeles-Dawes
10. Take On Me (Geico Commercial)

1) “Stupid Day Job” —Wally Pleasant hangs on for another week! It looks very low tech but is currently better than any other video out there! www.wallypleasant.com
2) “Sparks Fly” —It’s obvious that Taylor’s Shows are better than your usual concerts! I watch it every time!
3) “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” —A pleasant video to watch and a good catchy chorus!
4) “Brighter Than the Sun” —The video has so much energy in it, it just has to hang on!
5) “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” —This one looks like it may not last another week. It was voted the Summer Video of 2011 on VH1. I could live with that……
6) “I Wanna Go” —I still find Britney’s battle against the cyborg paparazzi amusing!
7) “Super Bass” —Man, there’s a lot of pink in this video…….
8) “Knee Deep” —This had to make the list at least once. There’s a storyline and a lot of effort went into it—but in a fun way!
9) “Time Spent in Los Angeles” —This isn’t a great video, but I really like the song!
10) “Take on Me” —OK, out of left field and not even a millionth as great as the groundbreaking A-Ha video, this one makes me laugh out loud whenever I see that dog playing the keyboard!

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“Q” Bombs: September 18, 2011

Posted on September 18, 2011 by PhilMaq

A “Q”bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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No new entries onto this list, and that’s a good thing! It’s just recycled trash that we’re dealing with here. (Go Green!) Foster the People gets its appropriate ride to the top…

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Worst Videos for the week of September 18, 2011

1. Pumped Up Kicks—Foster the People
2. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
3. Dirt Road Anthem—Jason Aldean
4. I Love You This Big-Scott McCreery
5. Skyscraper—Demi Lovato
6. You and I-Lady Gaga
7. If I Die Young–The Band Perry
8. Good Life-One Republic
9. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw
10. Country Girl (Shake It for Me)-Luke Bryan

1. “Pumped Up Kicks” —Alright. This one deserves at least one week at the top of the heap. I said what I wanted to say in the September 11th “Q’sings. It’s so darn catchy though…….
2. “Remind Me” —Well, I was right about this one. It’s #1 this week on CMT’s Top 20 Countdown. My headache isn’t quite as bad since I anticipated the move…..
3. “Dirt Road Anthem” —I think this one is finally going down for good. I hope, I hope, I hope……….
4. “I Love You This Big” —If only the song lived up to that kind of sentiment……
5. “Skyscraper” —Still way too high on the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown……
6. “You and I” —OK. I definitely don’t like it. And since it’s climbing the video ladder it will also climb the “Q” Bomb one.
7. “If I Die Young” —Oh, I’m getting tired of making up stuff for this one. How about: Not young enough! (Not literally, of course.)
8. “Good Life” —It did level off. Can we grease the slope and offer assistance…..
9. “Not Over You” —It went up a notch again this week, so it moves up here….
10. “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” —Apparently, too many “girls” are still willing to do this. Maybe next week it’ll disappear…..

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, September 11, 2011

Posted on September 12, 2011 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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Wally Pleasant holds the top spots on both of my “faves” categories! This week’s song list brings in a double dose of John Hiatt as well as a double shot of Paul McCartney, both as a solo artist and with The Beatles! A pretty good week of listening!

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Top Ten Songs for the Week of September 11, 2011

1. Stupid Day Job–Wally Pleasant
2. Riding With the King–John Hiatt
3. Brown Eyed Handsome Man—Paul McCartney
4. Brighter Than the Sun-Colbie Caillat
5. Long Way to Go-Alan Jackson
6. I Wanna Go-Britney Spears
7. Sparks Fly-Taylor Swift
8. Down at the Plaza-Pat Bergeson featuring Dan Anderson, Tom Roady, and Steve Shapiro)
9. You May Already Be a Winner-John Hiatt
10. Yesterday-The Beatles (Full band version from a 1966 West German broadcast courtesy of “Dennis Mitchell’s Breakfast with The Beatles.”)

1) “Stupid Day Job” —I made it my “stupid day job” to count how many times he uses the word ‘stupid’ in the song. Your “stupid day job” should be watching the video at wallypleasant.com!!
2) “Riding with the King” —One of the heaviest and funkiest bass lines ever laid down on a record by producer and bassist Nick Lowe! I am not aware of this version of the song ever being sampled, but I have no idea why you wouldn’t! A song about Elvis Presley that I go crazy about every time I hear it and then try to figure out why I haven’t listened to it in so long! The bass alone must push the boundaries of the recording industry standards just like The Beatles tried to do with “Paperback Writer!” The organ is great, too, but the bass wins the match! If you are unaware of this song, check it out and turn it up to 11!
3) “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” —I have no idea why Paul decided to make this one a Cajun flavored romp of this Chuck Berry/Buddy Holly song, but it was a great idea! I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the past few weeks, so it pops up on my favorites again in remembrance of Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday! Rumor has it that Run Devil Run is next in line to get the expanded box treatment like McCartney and McCartney II. Bring it on, baby!
4) “Brighter Than the Sun” –-Still brighter than most songs out there right now, but the luster is wearing off.
5) “Long Way Home” —I thought this song might have dropped off by this week, but I heard it a couple more times and it continues to grow on me. But will I hear it this week….
6) “I Wanna Go”  —Getting ready to be retired. But still so darn catchy…..
7) “Sparks Fly” —This one’s beginning to stick. Taylor is so good with her melodies!
8) “Down at the Plaza” —How can you keep from moving while listening to this song? This one is really starting to grab me. Pat Bergeson, Dan Anderson, Tom Roady, and Steve Shapiro put together a “musical gumbo” that Pat describes as “a combination of Dirty Dozen Brass Band, meets Bela Fleck, meets Dave Matthews Band.” I’m pretty sure I left another band out of that quote, but you get the idea. If you don’t, listen to a sample or buy it at patbergeson.com!
9) “You May Already Be a Winner” —Another long forgotten jolt of John Hiatt! Nice organ highlights along with a latin type of double beat on the bass drum tom tom, once again produced by Nick Lowe! Hiatt’s character sounds lazy but contented with his lot in life in this song. Shouldn’t sound as happy as it does, but it’s also very understated!
10) “Yesterday” —This is not one of my favorite Beatle songs. The interesting thing about this version is that instead of a solo Paul McCartney singing it with his guitar, you get the whole band playing it probably like they did before they went to the string quartet. This is a very interesting artifact!
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, September 11, 2011

Posted on September 11, 2011 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos.

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Wally Pleasant retains the top spot for a second week as two new videos enter the countdown. There’s not much happening to knock it out at the moment, but Taylor and Colbie are making their moves………

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Top 10 Videos for the week of September 11, 2011

1. Stupid Day Job–Wally Pleasant
2. Sparks Fly—Taylor Swift
3. Brighter Than the Sun–Colbie Caillat
4. Holdin’ on to Black Metal–My Morning Jacket
5. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)–Katy Perry
6. I Wanna Go–Britney Spears
7. Barefoot Blue Jean Night–Jake Owen
8. Just Fishin’–Trace Adkins
9. Rain Over Me–Pitbull with Marc Anthony
10. Super Bass–Nicki Minaj

1) “Stupid Day Job” —Another deserved week at the top for Wally Pleasant! I can’t urge you enough to check out this video at wallypleasant.com!
2) “Sparks Fly” —Taylor jumps ahead of Colbie. I like the video better than the song at this point but I could do without some of the flying hair and the over-exaggerated hip action.
3) “Brighter Than the Sun” —This video might be peaking, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Colbie look so “bubbly!”
4) “Holdin’ on to Black Metal” —I like those little swimming monsters that do the back up singing!
5) “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” —It hangs on for another week! That spit take always makes me laugh!
6) “I Wanna Go”  —I guess Britney wants to go towards the bottom of the list….
7) “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” —A nice holding on to summer video!
8) “Just Fishin” —Not much happens in this video……Just everything! A precious moment of a dad with his daughter!
9) “Rain Over Me” —The third salt flat/desert video in the countdowns. Please take note Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood on how to do it right! Not much appears to happen in this video, but at least they touch! It makes a difference!
10) “Super Bass” —Not much plot here, but a lot of work was done to make this one look different than other videos!

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“Q”sings: Foster the People’s Pumped Up Kicks= “Deflated Tricks”

Posted on September 11, 2011 by PhilMaq

“Pumped Up Kicks”—Foster the People: How does a song go from being a favorite at one time to, several months later, change and almost top the trash heap? Well, I have my teenage daughter to thank for this one. Apparently, every time I heard the song, I was listening to an edited version it. That, plus the fact that he was singing into a bullet mike to distort the vocal (which I originally thought was very cool!) kept me from catching the lyrics.

So, as I was wandering around the house whistling the song, my daughter asked me if I had actually listened to the words. I responded that, for the most part, I couldn’t even understand them. She told me to check them out because they were kind of creepy. And I have to agree with her. The song, in my opinion, now fits into that little niche alongside other infamous songs like The Boomtown Rats’ “I Don’t Like Mondays” written by Bob Geldof, but without the substance or the message.

And one last important thing: The video really isn’t that good. In this instance, it was the song that made the video seem like it was better than it was. Now that the luster has been eroded, there’s nothing left but an empty shell of a video. That makes the transformation complete and explains why it is now on the “Q” Bomb list. I, too, can be snookered. A hypnotic melody can make something seem that it is better than it truly is.

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Until next time, take care of yourself, and take care of each other!

Peace!

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“Q” Bombs:September 11, 2011

Posted on September 11, 2011 by PhilMaq

A “Q” bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be sub par in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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I’m still getting a cosmic smackdown this week, but for different reasons. One of my favorite songs of the summer crossed a line from which there can be no return. Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” transformed from one of my favorite songs of the summer to one of my worst. I can see a song going from “Q”Bombs to Faves as I get used to it or maybe made an original snap judgment of its worth. But once you make the journey from good to bad, I don’t see how a song can redeem itself to come back. Read more about it in a special “Q”sing on September 11, 2011.

Worst Videos for the week of September 11, 2011

1. Dirt Road Anthem—Jason Aldean
2. Pumped Up Kicks—Foster the People
3. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
4. Skyscraper—Demi Lovato
5. I Love You This Big-Scott McCreery
6. If I Die Young–The Band Perry
7. Country Girl (Shake It for Me)-Luke Bryan
8. Good Life-One Republic
9. You and I-Lady Gaga
10. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw

1. “Dirt Road Anthem” —#1 on the CMT Top 20 Countdown…..AGAIN!!!!! Nine weeks at the top???!!! ….TRIPLE INFINITY ODWITS!!!!!!!!!
2. “Pumped Up Kicks” —How does a song go from being a favorite at one time to, months later, change and almost top the trash heap? See the September 11, 2011 “Q”sings.
3. “Remind Me” —Oh, no. It’s moving up on The CMT Top 20 Video Countdown! It’s No. 2 this week, which means that it will probably knock out “Dirt Road Anthem” next week. I can feel next week’s headache starting already……………………..
4. “Skyscraper” —Another video, 1 of 3 this week that are on my lists, that takes place on the salt flats or desert. Maybe that’s why I’m not getting the “skyscraper” thing….
5. “I Love You This Big” —Still hanging on, but dropping slowly. Yay!
6. “If I Die Young” –A song and video that seems to have a perpetual life……
7. “Country Girl (Shake It for Me) —I’ve said enough about this one already. Why you choose to watch it or listen to it is your problem….
8. “Good Life” —It looks like it leveled off this week. So close to falling off, yet so far…..
9. “You and I” —It’s been three weeks now. I guess I don’t like this one. It’s too……..weird. And for Lady Gaga that’s saying a lot.
10. “Not Over You” —Almost “over you” as it falls a lot this week.

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, September 4, 2011

Posted on September 7, 2011 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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So, the same thing happened to my favorite songs category: There was a fire sale and more songs fell off this list than my favorite videos list. Well, I guess that means I have more space for Labor Day type of favorites including a pleasant double dose of one artist. Also, this is the first time that the same song tops both my favorite video and favorite song lists. Let’s hear it for Wally Pleasant!!!!

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Top Ten songs for the week of September 4, 2011

1. Stupid Day Job-Wally Pleasant
2. Brighter Than the Sun-Colbie Caillat
3. Industrial Disease-Dire Straits
4. I Wanna Go-Britney Spears
5. Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man-Travis Tritt
6. Long Way to Go-Alan Jackson
7. Post Graduate Overeducated Out of Work Blues-Wally Pleasant
8. Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall-Coldplay
9. Sparks Fly-Taylor Swift
10. Down at the Plaza-Pat Bergeson featuring Dan Anderson, Tom Roady, and Steve Shapiro

1) “Stupid Day Job”—You can’t help but laugh, smile, chuckle, or guffaw at a song that has “stupid” in it fifty-three times! It has a comfortable folk feel reminiscent of early Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers. It is the perfect Labor Day song and one that should be kept in a glass container on the wall to be broken open on any awful work day!
2) “Brighter Than the Sun”–-As summer starts to fade, this one tries to keep it going!
3) “Industrial Disease”—This might be Mark Knopfler’s sharpest and funniest song with many memorable lines: “Two men say they’re Jesus/One of them must be wrong,” or “How come Jesus gets industrial disease?” The farfisa organ keeps everything sounding happy as things appear to be going terribly wrong. This is a masterpiece!
4) “I Wanna Go” —This one will remind me of last summer.
5) “Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man”—This is a seemingly unforgotten song with a lot of great observations! My favorite is “Why’s the fat man busy dancin’/While the thin man pays the band. Oh, they’re billin’ me/For killin’ me!” Unfortunately, things haven’t changed since this song came out and should at least be remembered on Labor Day! His best song as far as I’m concerned because it’s his most real song!
6) “Long Way Home”—Alan Jackson usually isn’t big on good melodies, but the chorus on this one is very catchy!
7) “Post Graduate Overeducated Out of Work Blues”—This was my favorite Wally Pleasant song until I stumbled upon until I heard “Stupid Day Job!” Set against a “Mystery Train” background, Wally lays it on really thick with a tremendous amount of great lines. My favorite line is so long that I don’t feel like copying it, but it has to do with a thirty-five page paper he wrote analyzing a business situation and now he’s out of work anyway. Probably the best unemployment song ever!
8) “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” —Fading fast. Not one of their best.
9) “Sparks Fly”—I’m liking it more, but it hasn’t really grabbed me yet.
10) “Down at the Plaza”—A song from an all instrumental album called “Hippy Dance” by Pat Bergeson that starts out slow in one direction and then makes a complete peppy U-turn, sort of like a New Orleans funeral! It has nice guitar and harmonica (by Pat), vibraphone (a nice touch by Steve Shapiro), and tuba, (Yes, tuba, done surprisingly in a melodic manner by Dan Anderson!) all thrown together in a kind of latin shuffle that’s kept on track by the understated steady drumming of Tom Roady! There are also plenty of cymbal splashes, that absolutely make me lose my mind! This is one of the happiest songs I’ve heard in a while! Check it out at www.patbergeson.com!

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Phil’s Faves: Videos, September 4, 2011

Posted on September 6, 2011 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos.

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Wow! I haven’t seen this much open territory on the countdown since…since…the zoning laws were changed! And maybe it’s because it’s Labor Day Weekend that two songs about fishing and a song about a “stupid day job” shows up on my faves list this week, but I don’t think so. Well that’s true about the fishing videos…

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Top 10 Videos for the week of September 4, 2011

1. Stupid Day Job-Wally Pleasant
2. I Wanna Go-Britney Spears
3. Brighter Than the Sun-Colbie Caillat
4. Sparks Fly—Taylor Swift
5. Holdin’ on to Black Metal-My Morning Jacket
6. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)-Katy Perry
7. Long Way to Go-Alan Jackson
8. Just Fishin’-Trace Adkins
9. Barefoot Blue Jean Night-Jake Owen
10. Fish-Craig Campbell

1) “Stupid Day Job”—A very funny relatively unknown song with a new video that visually resembles Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing!” It is astoundingly excellent!!!!
How can you not sing along to this song unless you’re one of the top 1% in the country who doesn’t have a “stupid day job?”
2) “I Wanna Go” —Britney surrenders the top spot to a song about something she’s never had!
3) “Brighter Than the Sun”—The words aren’t great, but the melody rules!
4) “Sparks Fly”—A great visual scrapbook of her summer tour!
5) “Holdin’ on to Black Metal”—The video reminds me of Neil Young’s “Rust Never Sleeps” Tour!
6) “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”—This video was really popular before I started making the lists. And since it will probably disappear from the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown in the next week or two, I thought it deserved recognition for the slick spoof of the movie “Weird Science” that it is! Having Hanson as the party band was an added bonus, and it includes the only time I haven’t found Kenny G annoying as a member of the band!
7) “Long Way to Go”—A bunch of bikini clad women and he’s “got a bug in his margarita.” What’s not to like?!
8) “Just Fishin”—One of those songs that only Trace Adkins can get away with singing. I mean, who else could rhyme “biggun” with fishin.’ His daughter’s pink fishing rod is really cute! How could you not like it?!
9) “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”—I like the chorus, and it’s another eye candy video—for both sides! Keep ‘em coming!
10) “Fish”—A song loaded with double entendres!!! Way to go Craig!!

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