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May 05, 2003

Thinking About Music: Five + Ten

Responding to that Negro & Friday Five
I hate to admit that I like 'Drips' by Eminem, but I do. If there is any tolerance left in our society for misanthropy, one can heap it on sluts who give you STDs. It's a good place for rap's raunchy rigor. Who better than the black hole himself?

There's only one song that always makes me cry, and that is "Sometimes It Snows in April" by Prince. I even get weepy thinking about it. In second place, the song that almost always makes me cry is "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder. These two songs remind me of love lost, aw boo hoo, he said masking his true feelings. In another vein, there are two songs that remind me of the WTC collapse and that whole season of nine-eleven. The first is Phillip Glass' "Pruit Igoe" from Koyaanisqatsi. The other is none other than Al Green, singing "How Do You Mend A Broken Heart". And to think, some people didn't even know about that song until the Notting Hill soundtrack.

Three songs that turn me on? Hmm. I've pretty much limited myself to allowing myself to be turned on by Prince music. Go figure. I'd have to say "Temptation" was a fairly regular cut on the auto-erotic Friday night charge-up. Just before a trip to go... er. I'm getting beyond the scope of this.

There have got to be some better examples - I just can't think of any at the moment. Janet's "Rope Burn" is quite a thriller. I'm going to listen to it right now. And for the hell of it, let's go way back to the Old School and dig up "I Wann Do Something Freaky to You", way before Dr Dre got his gansgsta mitts on it for "The Next Episode".

Feel good songs are easy. That's what I mostly play music for. Bobby McFerrin's "Friends" always makes me feel good. So does Track 4 of the Sex Packets album. Black Eyed Peas "Joints & Jam" is a sure fire feelgood jam, except when it's the bleeped version. Most definitely an all-time favorite has to be the Kid Loco Mix of Traveller by Talvin Singh. That is just my mood.

Five Songs I Could Not Do Without

  1. Living for the Love of You - Isley Brothers
  2. Nuttmeg - Fishbone
  3. Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
  4. Pannonica - Monk
  5. Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven

The Ten Greatest Funk Bands

10. Lakeside
9. AWB
8. The Gap Band
7. Zapp
6. The Barkays
5. Bootsy's Rubber Band
4. Kool & The Gang
3. Ohio Players
2. Cameo
1. Parliament/Funkadelic

Honorable Mention
{Slave, Commodores, Mandrill, BT Express, Brass Construction, SOS Band, Steve Arrington, Brick}

Posted by mbowen at May 5, 2003 10:57 PM

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