I took a rather simple road in choosing my tagged songs. Bryan somehow managed to find links from one song to the next I'd not even considered! Standing O for Mr. Padrick even before we start!
I love that Diana Ross track and I didn't know about that chart dispute!
And what can I say about Prince, one of my all-time faves... (and cool cover by Richard Thompson, as well!).
I love how interesting and multi-faceted the different tags between the two of you were, and the amount of fascinating stuff you guys have uncovered for us all!
Keep up the good work... and thanks for the continued education!
Thanks, Andy! Please know that Bryan's brilliance was all over this one.....from a research and new-factoids-uncovered POV! Plus, he found that "Kiss" cover by Thompson, as well as the uncovering of Susan Rogers, about whom I knew nothing!
I hope you enjoy all the Rogers info, and be sure to check out Thea Wood's podcast interview with her....I just added it at article's end, so in case you missed it.......Thanks again!
And, thanks for adding your Waits link here....I've added it to the article, but, by all means, please leave it here in the comments!
I love when Susan Rogers gets her flowers. Her stories about enginering for Prince are incredible. It was often just the two of them in a room together. I remember her telling the story of when she messed up the recording of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker." The recording came out muted and warbled and she was mortified and sure that she'd see Prince's wrath. Instead, he loved it and that's the version you hear on the Sign o the Times record. It's one of my favorite Prince songs because it sounds like that.
And, in the past week, I've heard several more interviews with her, and she's just so unendingly fascinating! And, how eye- (and heart-) opening for Prince fans that he was so open and willing to A) hire her, and, per your anecdote, give her space and grace to err on occasion to the point of celebrating those occasions!
As I've said elsewhere, I was never the Prince acolyte, with an unquenchable appetite for his output...just, really, what radio and MTV allowed. Aware he was astoundingly talented? Of course. But, that's why I'm so taken, now, by Dr. Rogers, as I've never been aware of her and her work with Prince.
You've been aware, of course, Jami; I just wonder, in general, how "visible" was Susan to many/most avid Prince fans during his heyday? Behind the scenes a bit, or "if you knew Prince's music, you were well aware of her?" Just curious.
Nice, as usual! I love a lot of the bands. I am going to start to listen to some of the old stuff I used to listen to again. Zappa, Sleely Dan, Joe Cocker... Good job, and nice to meet Bryan! Hey - these tunes don't tag themselves guys...
Thanks, Paul! Yes, this is a good one to start some good ole reminiscin'! Bryan and I were happy to answer the bell when the Tunes came a callin' to be Tagged!
Awesome tune tag to you and Bryan! I was wondering when you were going to hop on the Bus and get Mr. Padrick on here! Great, deep connections, a whole lot of trivia I had no inkling of, and a new band (Charlie) for me to explore more from! Fantastic job guys.
Thanks, Steve! As I've said before, this thing is so funny! He and I actually played this, easily, some 6 weeks ago! When I get to them the week before "airing," I go...."oh, yeah, I remember that....that was great!" And, that's how I was thru all of this, with all the things that Bryan unearthed.
And, perfectly, for a fitting finale, the Susan Rogers reveal, which I truly hope true Prince fans discover! I'm far from an expert on his catalog, but my fear is that longtime Prince acolytes have no idea who she is/was! But, her role was so influential on his Prince-ness, and her job was such a necessary one for him.
Now, as for Charlie, young man, please start with, really, the only album I ever had of theirs, the "No Second Chance" one we featured here (and the "Turning to You" song I linked to a GROW BIGGER EARS episode...both these songs are serious Earworms). Expand beyond that (as I should....they've got, like, TEN!) all you want, but that '77 album is a solid one. As melodically smart as a power pop outfit, but, as I mentioned, they do it from a "mature" POV and attack that, I think, is similar to a Dan (I was gonna add Alan Parsons Project, but that's not fair, 'cause he ran so many different players thru!)...but, you get the drift.
Wow; with Tom Waits* / Steely Dan & Richard Thompson, this Tune Tag episode hits a few artists that are fundamental to my musical tastes. For all three of those songs seeing the title I felt a little wave of nostalgia.
Glad you liked, Nick! That's one of the many neat things about Tune Tag....I've spent nary a minute listening to, say, Waits....but, none of that matters! If the Tag fits, I (and we) use it! It's about the artists and their songs (and art directors) leading the way! I guess that's why Tune Tag is so much more than (shudder) just another playlist!
Absolutely -- a big part of the fun of Tune Tag are the spontaneous choices that get made in the moment.
But it isn't _precisely_ true that you haven't listened to Waits. I just played "Shiver Me Timbers" for you a couple months ago (I had asked you and Andres if you preferred Waits original or Bette Midler's cover and you both chose Waits).
Of course.....but, I never went outta my way to listen to him was my point.....I even played him on the radio! There are so many artists (Waits, Prince, Queen) whose records I never bought (or whose promos I never kept)....it was enough for me to hear their hits on the radio, or maybe an album cut or two at friends' houses over the years!
Your article's a good reminder.....so many music fans (to save money, space, etc) only purchase artists' greatest hits albums, and that's the extent of their library on that artist.....now that I'm reminded, I can certainly verify that from my years at record stores!
I'm just proud of Tune Tag for being a vehicle for complete impartiality....in other words, players are encouraged to choose artists and songs that match....and, not choose them simply because they like 'em!
And, it's cool that we so freely and proudly expound on the ones we DO love, and how and why those are the songs and artists who've inspired us!
With a little bit of downtime in London between walking trips, I’m slowly digging myself out from under of a pile of unread Substack posts, only a week behind now!
This was another great one! I have to say, the inclusion of the Tom Waits, an artist I’ve always been fairly disdainful of, has prompted a desire for reappraisal. I honestly can’t stand much of what I’ve heard from him but perhaps that’s unfair as I haven’t heard much and a lot of it has been more recent than that album which I’ll give a listen. It might not change my mind but we’ll see.
I’m also learning to more fully appreciate Steely Dan recently. Not that I ever disliked their music, but perhaps didn’t fully appreciate just how good it was. I’ve read a lot on Steely Dan here on Substack over the last year and it’s opened my eyes to their technical precision.
Really liked the Charlie song, will have to check them out! And that Diana Ross connection was something special!!
So lovely to see The Bird and the Bee on here! I love love loved that tribute album to Daryl Hall and John Oates!! What I didn’t know, and was shocked to learn, was the connection between The Bird and the Bee and Geggy Tah. I really enjoyed Geggy Tah’s second album, Sacred Cow, and included a track from it on my Alphabet Soup series way back in April.
Many songs I'd never heard here and enjoyed checking them out. The rare Diana Ross song, a real find, and Joe Cocker doing a Squeeze song, loved it. The commentary as usual was so interesting to read. Those Toto guys -- everywhere!
I had totally missed that Cocker/Squeeze cover, so that was brand new to me! I'm glad I found a live performance vid. After 50 years, it's still hard to see a Cocker performance, and not think of John Belushi!
I enjoyed all of Bryan's contributions, and his driving "The Bus" was appropriate.....sometimes I feel that Tune Tag is like a tram taking a tour through a studio or amusement park, when it comes to the commentary: "Now, if you'll look to your left......" And, I mean that in the most complimentary and fun way! Each week, it's a new theme park we're touring our way through, and no two trips are the same! Thanks, Ellen!
Thanks, Mark! I knew you'd be hip to Charlie! Your taste and range of record/artist awareness is always astounding to me! I mean, I've got my "excuse"---nearly two decades (mid-'60s thru early-'80s) of promo acquisitions and voracious rock press and biz trades reading! Whatever your gift, hang onto it! You clearly have a unique 👂, and an inherent love and appreciation of the music and the people who make it, and an obvious drive to dig deep into the decades of rock'n'pop history...far beyond being ball-and-chained to the radio!
As for the Diana, a great pick by Bryan....so, that song and the Kasem mix-up was all during my "pop culture black hole": From '83-'86, I went back to college as a 30-year-old to maneuver a radical turn in my career path! So, I missed those 4 years regarding movies, records, radio, and TV! Gee, musta been studying....I certainly wasn't partying with a bunch of kids 10 years my junior!😂What surprised, if not stunned, me is that Charlie, of all acts, was part of that Ross chart mishap!
My first, and really only, thought (last week when I put all this together) was...."Wow, Charlie was on the charts?!?....Ever?!" I've been turning folks on (somewhere here) to their title track to their '79 album, "Fight Dirty". If I ever heard it, it was 45 years ago, but in the shadow of my just-asserted "Brit Steely Dan," I was stunned coupla nights ago when I heard it! Walter and Donald should sue! 👉https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBALc4wOPg
Terrific example of their less poppy sound, certainly in tempo, as I've always been attracted to their "smart power pop"(?) sound.
Charlie is easily diggable, Dee! Check out their song in the linked GROW BIGGER EARS, but, as I mentioned elsewhere, their 3 late-'70s albums are good places to start....."No Second Chance," "Lines," and "Fight Dirty". In fact, while refreshing my memory of "Fight Dirty," and its title song, turns out I was more spot-on with my "Brit Steely Dan" comparison than I had thought! Amiright? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBALc4wOPg
Let's face it....America has been sleeping on Charlie for far too long! Let's catch up!
Thanks so much, Matt, and mad props to Bryan for expert digging!
Do check out some Charlie…I’d recommend the three late-’70s successive albums (the first two on Janus, U.S.), No Second Chance ‘77, Lines ‘78, and their first for Arista, Fight Dirty ‘79.
Those are the only three I really know something about, although I think their entire output numbers 10!
This was fantastic. As for the tunes, I love that Tom Waits album, and I wrote about it here in case anyone is interested: https://vinylroom.substack.com/p/late-night-confessions
I love that Diana Ross track and I didn't know about that chart dispute!
And what can I say about Prince, one of my all-time faves... (and cool cover by Richard Thompson, as well!).
I love how interesting and multi-faceted the different tags between the two of you were, and the amount of fascinating stuff you guys have uncovered for us all!
Keep up the good work... and thanks for the continued education!
Thanks, Andy! Please know that Bryan's brilliance was all over this one.....from a research and new-factoids-uncovered POV! Plus, he found that "Kiss" cover by Thompson, as well as the uncovering of Susan Rogers, about whom I knew nothing!
I hope you enjoy all the Rogers info, and be sure to check out Thea Wood's podcast interview with her....I just added it at article's end, so in case you missed it.......Thanks again!
And, thanks for adding your Waits link here....I've added it to the article, but, by all means, please leave it here in the comments!
Thank you, Brad! So modest and generous, as always!
Yes, diving in… always so much to savour
Definitely one of the best Tune Tags ever… and there have been many many great ones!
Thanks again!
I love when Susan Rogers gets her flowers. Her stories about enginering for Prince are incredible. It was often just the two of them in a room together. I remember her telling the story of when she messed up the recording of "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker." The recording came out muted and warbled and she was mortified and sure that she'd see Prince's wrath. Instead, he loved it and that's the version you hear on the Sign o the Times record. It's one of my favorite Prince songs because it sounds like that.
And, in the past week, I've heard several more interviews with her, and she's just so unendingly fascinating! And, how eye- (and heart-) opening for Prince fans that he was so open and willing to A) hire her, and, per your anecdote, give her space and grace to err on occasion to the point of celebrating those occasions!
As I've said elsewhere, I was never the Prince acolyte, with an unquenchable appetite for his output...just, really, what radio and MTV allowed. Aware he was astoundingly talented? Of course. But, that's why I'm so taken, now, by Dr. Rogers, as I've never been aware of her and her work with Prince.
You've been aware, of course, Jami; I just wonder, in general, how "visible" was Susan to many/most avid Prince fans during his heyday? Behind the scenes a bit, or "if you knew Prince's music, you were well aware of her?" Just curious.
Nice, as usual! I love a lot of the bands. I am going to start to listen to some of the old stuff I used to listen to again. Zappa, Sleely Dan, Joe Cocker... Good job, and nice to meet Bryan! Hey - these tunes don't tag themselves guys...
Thanks, Paul! Yes, this is a good one to start some good ole reminiscin'! Bryan and I were happy to answer the bell when the Tunes came a callin' to be Tagged!
Awesome tune tag to you and Bryan! I was wondering when you were going to hop on the Bus and get Mr. Padrick on here! Great, deep connections, a whole lot of trivia I had no inkling of, and a new band (Charlie) for me to explore more from! Fantastic job guys.
Thanks, Steve! As I've said before, this thing is so funny! He and I actually played this, easily, some 6 weeks ago! When I get to them the week before "airing," I go...."oh, yeah, I remember that....that was great!" And, that's how I was thru all of this, with all the things that Bryan unearthed.
And, perfectly, for a fitting finale, the Susan Rogers reveal, which I truly hope true Prince fans discover! I'm far from an expert on his catalog, but my fear is that longtime Prince acolytes have no idea who she is/was! But, her role was so influential on his Prince-ness, and her job was such a necessary one for him.
Now, as for Charlie, young man, please start with, really, the only album I ever had of theirs, the "No Second Chance" one we featured here (and the "Turning to You" song I linked to a GROW BIGGER EARS episode...both these songs are serious Earworms). Expand beyond that (as I should....they've got, like, TEN!) all you want, but that '77 album is a solid one. As melodically smart as a power pop outfit, but, as I mentioned, they do it from a "mature" POV and attack that, I think, is similar to a Dan (I was gonna add Alan Parsons Project, but that's not fair, 'cause he ran so many different players thru!)...but, you get the drift.
Wow; with Tom Waits* / Steely Dan & Richard Thompson, this Tune Tag episode hits a few artists that are fundamental to my musical tastes. For all three of those songs seeing the title I felt a little wave of nostalgia.
*_Specifically_ that Tom Waits album.
Glad you liked, Nick! That's one of the many neat things about Tune Tag....I've spent nary a minute listening to, say, Waits....but, none of that matters! If the Tag fits, I (and we) use it! It's about the artists and their songs (and art directors) leading the way! I guess that's why Tune Tag is so much more than (shudder) just another playlist!
Absolutely -- a big part of the fun of Tune Tag are the spontaneous choices that get made in the moment.
But it isn't _precisely_ true that you haven't listened to Waits. I just played "Shiver Me Timbers" for you a couple months ago (I had asked you and Andres if you preferred Waits original or Bette Midler's cover and you both chose Waits).
Of course.....but, I never went outta my way to listen to him was my point.....I even played him on the radio! There are so many artists (Waits, Prince, Queen) whose records I never bought (or whose promos I never kept)....it was enough for me to hear their hits on the radio, or maybe an album cut or two at friends' houses over the years!
Yes, of course, and quite fun for me to see that Tom Waits song pop up.
As you know, I think that there's nothing wrong with having some artists that you primarily know through their greatest hits ( https://earnestnessisunderrated.substack.com/p/greatest-hits ).
Your article's a good reminder.....so many music fans (to save money, space, etc) only purchase artists' greatest hits albums, and that's the extent of their library on that artist.....now that I'm reminded, I can certainly verify that from my years at record stores!
I'm just proud of Tune Tag for being a vehicle for complete impartiality....in other words, players are encouraged to choose artists and songs that match....and, not choose them simply because they like 'em!
And, it's cool that we so freely and proudly expound on the ones we DO love, and how and why those are the songs and artists who've inspired us!
With a little bit of downtime in London between walking trips, I’m slowly digging myself out from under of a pile of unread Substack posts, only a week behind now!
This was another great one! I have to say, the inclusion of the Tom Waits, an artist I’ve always been fairly disdainful of, has prompted a desire for reappraisal. I honestly can’t stand much of what I’ve heard from him but perhaps that’s unfair as I haven’t heard much and a lot of it has been more recent than that album which I’ll give a listen. It might not change my mind but we’ll see.
I’m also learning to more fully appreciate Steely Dan recently. Not that I ever disliked their music, but perhaps didn’t fully appreciate just how good it was. I’ve read a lot on Steely Dan here on Substack over the last year and it’s opened my eyes to their technical precision.
Really liked the Charlie song, will have to check them out! And that Diana Ross connection was something special!!
So lovely to see The Bird and the Bee on here! I love love loved that tribute album to Daryl Hall and John Oates!! What I didn’t know, and was shocked to learn, was the connection between The Bird and the Bee and Geggy Tah. I really enjoyed Geggy Tah’s second album, Sacred Cow, and included a track from it on my Alphabet Soup series way back in April.
Another fantastic episode, thank you gentlemen!!
Many songs I'd never heard here and enjoyed checking them out. The rare Diana Ross song, a real find, and Joe Cocker doing a Squeeze song, loved it. The commentary as usual was so interesting to read. Those Toto guys -- everywhere!
Thanks, Brad and Bryan!
I had totally missed that Cocker/Squeeze cover, so that was brand new to me! I'm glad I found a live performance vid. After 50 years, it's still hard to see a Cocker performance, and not think of John Belushi!
I enjoyed all of Bryan's contributions, and his driving "The Bus" was appropriate.....sometimes I feel that Tune Tag is like a tram taking a tour through a studio or amusement park, when it comes to the commentary: "Now, if you'll look to your left......" And, I mean that in the most complimentary and fun way! Each week, it's a new theme park we're touring our way through, and no two trips are the same! Thanks, Ellen!
Good picks! I got into Charlie a few years ago and "Pieces Of Ice" is a good one too. Didn't know that story about the Casey Kasem mix-up.
Thanks, Mark! I knew you'd be hip to Charlie! Your taste and range of record/artist awareness is always astounding to me! I mean, I've got my "excuse"---nearly two decades (mid-'60s thru early-'80s) of promo acquisitions and voracious rock press and biz trades reading! Whatever your gift, hang onto it! You clearly have a unique 👂, and an inherent love and appreciation of the music and the people who make it, and an obvious drive to dig deep into the decades of rock'n'pop history...far beyond being ball-and-chained to the radio!
As for the Diana, a great pick by Bryan....so, that song and the Kasem mix-up was all during my "pop culture black hole": From '83-'86, I went back to college as a 30-year-old to maneuver a radical turn in my career path! So, I missed those 4 years regarding movies, records, radio, and TV! Gee, musta been studying....I certainly wasn't partying with a bunch of kids 10 years my junior!😂What surprised, if not stunned, me is that Charlie, of all acts, was part of that Ross chart mishap!
My first, and really only, thought (last week when I put all this together) was...."Wow, Charlie was on the charts?!?....Ever?!" I've been turning folks on (somewhere here) to their title track to their '79 album, "Fight Dirty". If I ever heard it, it was 45 years ago, but in the shadow of my just-asserted "Brit Steely Dan," I was stunned coupla nights ago when I heard it! Walter and Donald should sue! 👉https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBALc4wOPg
Terrific example of their less poppy sound, certainly in tempo, as I've always been attracted to their "smart power pop"(?) sound.
Man I dug the band Charlie. 💪🏻
Charlie is easily diggable, Dee! Check out their song in the linked GROW BIGGER EARS, but, as I mentioned elsewhere, their 3 late-'70s albums are good places to start....."No Second Chance," "Lines," and "Fight Dirty". In fact, while refreshing my memory of "Fight Dirty," and its title song, turns out I was more spot-on with my "Brit Steely Dan" comparison than I had thought! Amiright? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBALc4wOPg
Let's face it....America has been sleeping on Charlie for far too long! Let's catch up!
Yes they were an immediate earworm to this Dan fan 🙏
This was a top notch tune tag! A few of my favorite artists and a new-to-me one (Charlie) that I really enjoyed. Great job!!
Thanks so much, Matt, and mad props to Bryan for expert digging!
Do check out some Charlie…I’d recommend the three late-’70s successive albums (the first two on Janus, U.S.), No Second Chance ‘77, Lines ‘78, and their first for Arista, Fight Dirty ‘79.
Those are the only three I really know something about, although I think their entire output numbers 10!