Songs you like from bands WAY past their prime

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Right now I am listening to the Who's "Eminence Front" and have fallen under the opinion that it is one of the five best songs they've ever done, despite the fact that it's the fucking Who in the early 1980s ferchrissakes. Why do I like it?

1) For some bizarre reason, John Entwistle is suddenly possessed with the idea that his bass, if not his technique entirely, should take a turn for the Bootsyish.

2) That keyboard stuff at the beginning that fools you into thinking it's Kraftwerk, or at least an audacious guiteyboard-wielding Steely Dan-obsessed Holiday Inn version of Kraftwerk.

3) THE BEAT. Without Keith Moon's whamadoodle-bickety-bam-isms they get reined into this steady metronomic ultra-minimalist funk that actually fulfills that whole "R&B" thing they're supposed to be so Maximum of. Are 3rd Bass really the only hip-hop act to sample this? MY GOD.

So what songs do all y'all get a kick out of even though the act that's playing it has long since passed its prime? (For some reason I expect at least one Cut the Crap track to make it here.)

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 29 December 2002 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

If only Townshend's lyrics could have stood up to the music on that.

My nomination...

Pink Floyd - "Lost For Words"
David Gilmour tells everyone to go fuck themselves and it actually sounds genuine. "High Hopes" (also from Division Bell is my number 2)

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Sunday, 29 December 2002 04:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I read the title of this thread and thought "Hey, how 'bout the Who's Eminence Front" But you already got it. I guess if you make any Turbonegro or FEAR or Supersuckers posts I won't hafta answer because you'll have already said whatever I'd say anyhow.

But, yeah, the Who could have never done funk with the Loon. He just wasn't a funk player. He's my favorite member of the Who ever, but he had to die to make Eminence Front (in my mind one of their top 15) happen. It is a great fucking track.

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Sunday, 29 December 2002 05:07 (twenty-two years ago)

i really like 'mixed emotions' by rolling stones.

i will now go fall on my sword...

"well button yo lip, baybeee...."

― stevie (stevie), Sunday, 29 December 2002 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

More than likely alone on this, but I really liked Weller's last two singles. The trumpet loop on It's Written In The Stars was just oh.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Sunday, 29 December 2002 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh for crissake, "Mixed Emotions" is the pits. And the lyrics are embarassing. Some would argue the "Some Girls"-era Stones were past their prime, but I love that trashy sound.

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 29 December 2002 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I always thought Lord Kitchener's "The Bees' Melody" had to be an early-'90s remake of some amazing old mid-'50s calypso of his, with slightly suspect synth backing. Turns out he actually wrote it in 1992. Wow.

― Douglas, Sunday, 29 December 2002 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

"Highwire" by the Rolling Stones. The only cool thing they've done since...oh..."Beast of Burden"

― Lord Custos Omega (Lord Custos Omega), Sunday, 29 December 2002 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

"Undercover of the Night" was great.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 29 December 2002 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of Weller, not entirely OT but his contributions to the Death In Vegas and Noonday Underground albums are probably my favourite vocal performances of his. Perhaps he should just quit writing songs.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Sunday, 29 December 2002 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

(For some reason I expect at least one Cut the Crap track to make it here.)

"This Is England" is Strummer's greatest song, though possibly not the best Clash track. I haven't heard the rest of the LP, but it can't be any worse than most of Combat Rock.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 29 December 2002 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

jaded aerosmith

― gaz (gaz), Monday, 30 December 2002 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Worst" from the Stones Voodoo Lounge album. Its a Keith song. It could be on Sticky Fingers and it wouldn't sound out of place.

― Marshall Stax (Marshall Stax), Monday, 30 December 2002 09:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Worst" is great, as are "Had it With You" & "Let Me Go".

I quite liked Bowie's "Hours" or "...hours" or "[...hours]" or however the fuck he tried to make the title interesting. ['Heathen' remains a gangrenous waste of space however)

― dave q, Monday, 30 December 2002 10:23 (twenty-two years ago)

"Hash Pipe" by Weezer.

You know it's true.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 30 December 2002 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Louis Armstrong and 'Wonderful World'. That was a real bolt from the blue.

― Peter Porchos, Monday, 30 December 2002 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Rolling Stones -- Hang Five. Because we all know the last great song they had was Start Me Up.

― jm (jtm), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

B-but Hang Fire and Start Me Up are on the same album!

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 02:59 (twenty-two years ago)

That's the joke, innit?

― jm (jtm), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 03:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Man I can find lots of good tunes on all the stones albums up through 'Voodoo Lounge.' Never heard Bridges to Babylon. "sad sad sad" "had it with you" "you got me rockin", most of the 'undercover' lp. But I guess I'm a nut as I'm gonna see 'em play next month as well.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 03:43 (twenty-two years ago)

What was that song Robert Plant did? Not 'Big Log', though that could qualify, the one in about 94? Just can't think of the name.

― Pete Porchos, Tuesday, 31 December 2002 04:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Re "Eminence Front" -- cool to read that Larry Levan would spin it at the Paradise Garage in the early '80s -- he heard the same thing you did, Nate.

How about Elvis' version of "Unchained Melody"? He was so far past his prime he was dead 9 months after he started singing it.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 04:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Tall Cool One? yeah!

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I've been to the Robert Plant website. The track I was thinking about was '29 Palms'. 1993.

― Pete Porchos, Tuesday, 31 December 2002 04:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"Down" by Suede

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 31 December 2002 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Roxy Music, "Ain't That So"
Kiss, "Tears are Falling", "Get All You Can Take", "Spit"
Metallica, "Sad But True"
P McCartney, "Coming Up"
J Lennon, "No.9 Dream"
Chicago, "Street Player", "Window Dreamin'"
Yes, "Owner of a Lonely Heart"(actually, I just realised I hate it. Dunno why! Maybe there's a critical amount of times you can hear something before you've identified every conceivable flaw in it and that's the 'tipping point' [which of course varies with every single 'unit of music', and ppl who can identify tunes with personal highest-critical-mass-in-terms-of-amount-of-times-heard and come up with externalized correlation theories are the ones who get to decide what's broadly-&-sometimes-specifically thought of as 'quality'])
Beach Boys, "Here Comes the Night(1980)"(sorry, I really tried with 'Keepin' the Summer Alive' and still can't find a single worthwhile thing on it)
Rush, "New World Man"(only for the Squire/Entwistle bass pastiche/homage, at that)
Aerosmith, "Amazing", "Living on the Edge"
Oasis, "Go Let it Out"
PiL, "Rise", "Bags","Where Are You"
REM, "Stand", "Shiny Happy People"[alt - P Smith, "E-bow the Letter"]
Scorpions, "Tease Me Please Me"
Guns'n'Roses, "Bad Obsession", "Pretty Tied Up"
Jethro Tull, "Living in the Past"
Ice Cube, "It Was a Good Day"
Slayer, "Dittohead"

― dave q, Thursday, 2 January 2003 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Lou Reed & John Cale, "Style it Takes"
Van Halen, "Hang 'em High", "The Full Bug"
Cars, "Maybe Baby"
Hole, "Malibu" (OK i don't really LOVE it - more like, it doesn't make me want to wrap a towel around Courtney's head and smack her with a lead pipe as much as the other stuff on 'CS')
Police, "O My God"

― dave q, Thursday, 2 January 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, "Money Rock&Roll Tonite"

― Horace Mann, Thursday, 2 January 2003 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Nirvana "You Know You're Right"

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Paul McCartney, "Your Way" off of Driving Rain. It would fit perfectly on Rubber Soul, a lilting melody with some beautiful contrasting pedal steel bits. The song kills me.

I always loved "You Don't Have to Mean It" from Bridges to Babylon. Keith does reggae!

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

The Convincer by Nick Lowe, which is more someone ASSUMED to be WAY past his prime. But that, to me, is his bast album ever.

― Horace Mann, Thursday, 2 January 2003 17:41 (twenty-two years ago)

grease is the word.. is the the word that you heard!

― chaki (chaki), Thursday, 2 January 2003 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Paul Weller -- "Black Sheep Boy"

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 2 January 2003 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread should be subtitled "fans of current Wellah work come out the closet NOW".

Bernard Sumner's vocal turn on "Out Of Control" so much better than new New Order (even though the lyrics are kind of crap)? And speaking of the Chems, or at least people trying to be them, I heart Oasis' "Fucking In The Bushes".

― Dave M. (rotten03), Thursday, 2 January 2003 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I think I actually like all of Robert Plant's singles. "Skip's Song" from the new album is really good too. Aerosmith's "Rag Doll" has a great groove. Much of the new Rush is very good. I didn't mind Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and U2's "Beautiful Day". Oh, and the obvious choice is the Cure's "Friday I'm In Love"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 3 January 2003 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Madonna - "Die Another Day"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 3 January 2003 03:17 (twenty-two years ago)

AC/DC, "Shake Your Foundations", "Who Made Who", "Mean Streak", "Thunderstruck" I guess
Queen, "Back Chat"
Grateful Dead, "Terrapin Station"
Def Leppard, "Slang"
Bryan Ferry, all of 'Taxi'
Ian Hunter, 7/9 of 'You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic'
Alan Parsons Project, "Eye in the Sky" (which I stupidly neglected to mention in the 'Greatest Power Ballads' thread)
James Brown, "The Payback"
Prince, "Race", "Had U", "Peach"

― dave q, Friday, 3 January 2003 07:25 (twenty-two years ago)

The Beatles, "Two of Us (On Our Way Home)"

― Burr, Friday, 3 January 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

"Eye In the Sky" is amazing!

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 3 January 2003 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Duran Duran, Electric Barbarella. Dizzy pop fantastico.

― Zora (Zora), Saturday, 4 January 2003 00:13 (twenty-two years ago)

hmm.. Kokomo?

....nah

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 4 January 2003 00:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Church - Comedown

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Saturday, 4 January 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Queen - "I Want to Break Free"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 4 January 2003 03:10 (twenty-two years ago)

- "Too Much Blood" by the Rolling Stones (am I the only person who likes this song?)

- "Out of the Silent Planet" by Iron Maiden (off of BRAVE NEW WORLD)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 4 January 2003 06:55 (twenty-two years ago)

as for Beatles, considering that Let It Be was *recorded earlier* - Abbey Road so totally wins in evry aspect
(and "Across The Universe" is a much better song than "Two Of Us" anyway)

as per Queen - "I'm Going Slightly Mad": 1991, by which point this bunch had long ago ceased to be worth fly-shit

...do bands that've put out jus' one album, & never've reached any 'prime' worth speaking of, count? ... (oh wtf! -) Liverpool Express, "It's A Beautiful Day"

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Saturday, 4 January 2003 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

'Abbey Road' has way too much polish and no balls. I guess 'Come Together' would be the great Lennon/McCartney track.

The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, when he was known as that, released a song on his 'Emanciptaion' album called 'Joint 2 Joint'. There's a nice spoken word bit near the end where The Artist tells his lover what he likes to eat for breakfast. I thought that was pretty much on a par with the guitar solo from 'Purple Rain'. Also I have a guilty love for 'Letitgo'.

The last ODB album, the one with loads of cash-in remixes and 30 seconds of him on the toilet, had a track called 'Here Come's The Judge' which I liked...

What about 'This Time I Know It's For Real' by Donna Summer?

― richard stacey (analog75), Saturday, 4 January 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Didn't J. Lennon say during his scorched-earth period that "Love Me Do" was the last decent thing they did?

― dave q, Saturday, 4 January 2003 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Apart from him and Ringo playing on Yoko's "Plastic Ono Band" LP.

― richard stacey (analog75), Saturday, 4 January 2003 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

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