Go On Then, Surprise Me

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What is the one band or record you love that would most surprise people who think they know what you're into?

― Tom, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

For me it would be the Carpenters. I was even told once that liking the Carpenters was pushing friendship to its limits, kind of an extreme reaction. Fool.

― jel, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmm...good question. If we're talking 'judging on initial appearance,' then Marc Almond is a good example. If we're talking 'someone who more or less knows you well,' then...Hill of Beans. Because outside of about three other people, nobody else knows who the hell they are. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fleetwood Mac and Slayer.

― Omar, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ned, you surely cannot seriously be claiming that anyone would be surprised by your liking something nobody's ever heard of?

To answer the question: I got shocked responses at one point when I said I liked Supersuckers' "I Want The Drugs", but that's hardly a big favourite so it doesn't count. I think I have really really predictable tastes.

― Tom, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I suspect that people would be surprised that I have a liking for drum and bass. played loud, obviously. that, and my growing interest in classical music. they're genre buggers in regard to compilation tapes, mind you.

― alix, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Um, IS there anything that would surprise people coming from me? Um, I really, really like the song Fantasy by Mariah Carey despite my anti-Mariah ravings. That's all I can think of.

― Ally, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My love for some quality (!) American dadrock (as you call it) usually scare people a little bit. Fleetwood Mac, mighty Springsteen, Neil Young, "Run Baby Run" by Sheryl Crow and a few Counting Crows tunes I found profoundly touching. Don Henley's "Boys of Summer", obviously. Anything vaguely romantic about "the road", dust, tumbleweed and decrepit Esso stations in the desert usually works quite effectively on me. Cant help it.

― simon, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, and "Graceland". I cannot resist "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes", it has to do with a novel I read at 15 which mentioned the song. It's delightful.

― simon, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Go West: Dancing On The Couch

― the pinefox, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Great question. This is something like a "guilty pleasure" question, but more honest, I think. Most people don't feel guilty at all about what they like, and in fact love to show off all the "uncool" stuff they're into.

It's more fun for this one to pick a specific album. For me, the answer would probably be The Allman Brothers Eat A Peach. I'm not a "guitar guy" at all, but Duane Allman's playing moves me. I love his solos on "Mountain Jam," and "Blue Sky," so melodic and such a warm tone. Classic rock is pretty indefensible in these parts (esp. of the "All-American Freedom Rock" variety), but I appreciate my fair share.

― Mark Richardson, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

boston -- s/t

but you knew that.

― sundar subramanian, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Probably Joni Mitchell's back catalogue from 71 through to 76. But then if you knew me four years ago it would probably make all too much sense.

― Tim, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Probably Blur, because I'm usually a lot more vocal about hating Damon. And don't get me wrong, I *do* thing he's a completely loathsome cesspool of humanity who probably should have been snuffed out at birth, but they did create some great songs once upon a time.

― Nicole, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

To answer yer question, Tom -- it was about the only thing I could think of. I don't know, what am I not supposed to be into? Reel me off some names and I'll bite if anything leaps out at me. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 22 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The record that always seems to surprise people in my collection is the Proclaimers 'Sunshine On Leith'. They either think I must be embarrassed by it or else they think it's a greatrecord, stick on the bloody annoying '500 miles' and do a terrible Scottish accent.

That's my friends. Of course your average Joe is surprised that I own anything but sensitive weed pop. "You like Eminem *and* Doris Day? Crazy!"

― Nick, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Funny someone should mention Mariah Carey's Fantasy: I almost got chased out of the Select office with burning torches for voting for it in the writer's end of year poll. And I'm still willing to defend over Live Forever or whatever it was that we were meant to be endorsing whichever year that was. Other than that, I don't own it, but I have fond memories of the second Swing Out Sister album, which was a lounge simulcrum ten years ahead of the g

― mark morris, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ten years ahead of the Guardian :) ?

Erm, no idea. The Style Council, maybe. That, and my archivist's penchant for corporate / programme music (even as it became steadily more off-the-shelf and predictable during the late 70s and 80s).

― The Collective Freemasons of Fotheringhay, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ha ha ha, Select...their writer's lists are always so predictable that I have to wonder if someone just sat down and pre-wrote them themselves, and then just had the writers vote as a formality. I don't actually own Fantasy but it IS a good song.

I also, inexplicably, like Sheryl Crow. It really doesn't make sense with the rest of my collection, but she does Rod Stewart's best of better than HE does.

― Ally, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't know how my message got mangled. Probably my fault this time. But that sentence was supposed to read 'They either think I must be embarrassed by it or else they think it's a great comedy record [...]'

― Nick, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My girlfriend was surprised that I put Warrant's "Heaven" on a mix tape I gave her, she thought maybe it was just a nod to her hair- metal roots, but I genuinely love the song. Chuck Eddy calls that sort of ballad "mall-blues" and that's a perfect description.

― Patrick, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've been thinking some more and people who know me still frown when eventually conversation comes to a point were I say "E.L.O. are indeed very good." Always have been. Also in that category "Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama' is the shit" after which i always have to go into an analysis of "Freebird" having the same euphoric and machine-like build-up as a banging trance track.

― Omar, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't see why anyone would be surprised by anything in my collection, except maybe things I tend to forget I own, like Luke Vibert's Big Soup.

― Otis Wheeler, Friday, 23 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"katy lied" by steely dan is one of my all time albums. for real. that, and "number of the beast" by iron maiden.

― mac., Saturday, 24 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(whispers it very quietly) I always have had a peculiar liking for one-hit wonder Tasmin Archer's 'Sleeping Satellite'. God knows why. At the time, I had a vague feeling that it had something to do with the video looking a bit like a cheap version of a Peter Greenaway movie - equally embarrassing to admit I like his films. Sorry, I'll go now.

― Vaughan, Sunday, 25 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Damn that Pinefox - I was going to say Dancing On the Couch (From Baltimore To Paris is a really classy tune). On a similar tip - how about Then Jerico's The Big Area (Outside).

People are often surprised by my predilictation for Rodgers And Hammerstein - but that's hardly a surprise for you Tom.

― Pete, Monday, 26 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well alright then, if you must...

I'm actually quite proud to say this (which shows some kind of elitism probably) but I've got every record that Freur ever issued. Freur being the mid-80s New Romantic band that spawned Karl and Rick from Underworld. And I'm not ashamed about loving the records too. I still listen to them often, and I've even got some peculiar video footage of two unrecorded songs played on a BBC Wales TV show.

― Rob M, Monday, 26 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pete: yes, 'From Baltimore To Paris' is a wonder. But so are the rest of them: 'I Want To Hear It From You', 'Chinese Whispers', 'Little Caesar', almost the whole lot.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 27 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I really liked a lot of the last Idlewild album; don't know how many people that will surprise. It surprised me, anyway..

― Ally C, Tuesday, 27 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

People who don't know me are generally surprised to discover that I absolutely love Insane Clown Posse. People who _do_ know me have been subjected to at least one semi-rant about how anyone who takes their shtick seriously (including themselves) is an idiot and that it's really about Mike E. Clark's beats and the entire ludicrous nature of the Dark Carnival (you all know who you are, and I'm NOT sorry).

Of course, Tom, you're one of the people who's had to scroll through one of those rants, so I guess my ICP love doesn't shock you. :)

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 27 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A) Eric Clapton, B) Melanie C, C) About three Mariah Carey songs

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 27 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Carpenters is fantastic. Karen was wonderful-

― Jens, Tuesday, 27 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It strikes me, thinking about it, that because I don't talk about him much and because I probably seem like the kind of person who's not got much time for classic rock, that people here might be surprised by how much I like Bob Dylan.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I am a philosophy major. My stereo CD tray as of this moment comprises of these CDs. Anthrax-Fistfull of Metal/Dvorzak-Symphony from the New World/Metallica-Ride the Lightning/John Coltrane/Primus-Porksoda/some swedish thrash mix

Hows that?

― Luptune Pitman, Thursday, 8 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What does being a philosophy major have to do with it?

― Josh, Friday, 9 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tom...re your Dylan interest: How far into the 70s do you go? That's what I always wonder about Dylan fans. I've been finding all the 70s LPs cheap on vinyl and some of that stuff is apalling (like Street Legal) but still fascinating in some strange way.

― Mark Richardson, Friday, 9 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark: up to the Christian era. I'm pretty conventional in terms of my Dylan likes and dislikes - I think Blonde On Blonde is way overrated and New Morning very underrated but apart from that I don't rock the critical boat much. The Nick Cave theory of Dylan, i.e. Christian stuff is great, I don't hold much with. Street Legal is an OK album, nowhere near as good as Desire. The best thing from that period is "The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar" which gets the apocalyptic thing down nicely.

― Tom, Tuesday, 13 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

Level 42 esp. c. World Machine.

(And no I'm not joking, and yes I can defend this eloquently.)

― mark s, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Journey, 'Escape', for "Open Arms" and the Santana-metal coda on "Stone in Love", which is doubly weird since I fucking loathe Santana.

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Go on then, Mark ...

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm afraid my sweet-tooth of pop that upsets certain friends wouldn't impress anyone here. I'm sure there's respect for the Bee Gees, but does anyone else go as far as 'You Win Again?'

― K-reg, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keith Jarrett - 'The Moth and The Flame' , Sally Oldfield , The Triffids - 'Calenture'

― geordie racer, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nine months pass...

Grateful Dead - Bear's Picks

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm so sweet and innocent looking (and acting) that the only people who introduce themselves to me are born-again Christians. They'd prolly drop dead if I played my near-complete collection of eighties- era Butthole Surfers records. (They'd be even more shocked if they heard about my sex life, but that's not on-topic here.)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I listen to so much that depending on what people think of me there view of what i like is suprising, sometimes its chart pop, sometimes its punk, sometimes its folk, sometimes its funk.

― anthony, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Bee Gees.

― charlie va, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Although I would give the same answer as Omar, I doubt people would be surprised. Certainly FM since I have had (and still do) a MAJOR obsession with s/t, Tusk and Rumours especially. Biggest surprise? Prooooobably Noise as I rarely talk about liking this genre (in *real life*).

― Nathalie, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i have a bad habit of keeping quiet and not sticking up for things i love when people are pulling it to pieces... so there are probably many examples waiting to jump out from behind the bushes.

but the one that really sticks out like a sore thumb would be cat power, i think. i've slagged off 'girl with guitar' stuff a lot in my time.

― minna, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

Revive

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 5 January 2004 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

"Mmmbop".

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Monday, 5 January 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

This was stoked by my listening to "Mountain Jam" last night -- god I love that song.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 5 January 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

foetus. in all his guises. such a sweet innocent quiet man such as i would actually possess a record called All Nude foetus Review would indeed come as a shock to several of my friends.
though most know of my sonic weirdness now.
others .. sputnik/wakeman/t dolby. we all have our little guilty pleasures ..

― mark e (mark e), Monday, 5 January 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

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