The Very Best of the Coasters poll

Poison Ivy.

I've never much liked the Coasters at all, but "Riot in Cell Block #9" is like a 1954 version of punk (ditto Richard Berry's "The Big Break"). And (at least according to Marcus) it provided the title for Sly's There's a Riot Goin' On.

I think "Charlie Brown" is my favorite of the big three. The fact that this group actually had a record that I like MORE than "Yakety Yak" or "Poison Ivy," though, is incredible. Love the Coasters.

the big three doesn't include "Searchin'"?

Yeah, maybe that's just me thinking in terms of what I was exposed to more growing up in the '70s/'80s. "Searchin'" is great. (Just looked it up on Wikipedia; it was actually the b-side of "Young Blood" and both sides of that record went top ten.)

(Thinking about it more, I don't think I ever had a hometown oldies station that played "Searchin'" much, if at all. Really don't think I ever heard "Young Blood" on one of those stations either.)

I think the Coasters begin and end with "Yakety Yak" and "Charlie Brown" on most any oldies station. I may have heard a couple of others once. You'd never hear "Riot" in a million years.

I have a huge huge soft spot for "Idol With The Golden Head," and it's kind of hard not to vote for "Yakety Yak," but I want to rep for "What About Us," which is due for a big revive or a high-profile cover or something. Really great delivery on every single line. It's also a pretty good premise for a song not often-used: sad sacks commiserate together about how they're both broke and unsuccessful with women.

He's with a beautiful chick
Every night of the week (Pretty slick!)
We're two, poor, hung-up souls
Girls won't touch with ten-foot poles.

They amp up their troubles so much that it's comical, but you laugh with them, not at them - they're the underdogs, making the most of their bad luck. I guess you could also extrapolate some race/class commentary too, probably was read that way by some portion of its original audience too.

He's got a car made of SUEDE
With a black-leather top (Got it made...)
If we go out on DATES
we go in a BOX on roller SKATES

Definitely recommended to anybody who doesn't know it.

my favorite band.

Their rendition of 'Love Potion #9' is the best one I've heard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzU3DMBW3Ik

Charlie Brown is funny

I know everything through "Along Came Jones" on this list really well, then after that I only know "Poison Ivy". (Did they leave Atlantic around that time? I know the ones I do from the massive Atlantic box set.) While I'd like to rep for something less huge like "Down In Mexico", I voted for "Yakety Yak".

you need to hear the rest. I'm a Hog for You, Run Red Run and Shoppin' for Clothes all classic.

Love this stuff so much. Of the ones above, "Riot..." but can I just:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJtX0JaROs

killer song. Anyone heard the 50 Coastin' Classics compilation? Is it as good as it should be?

At least half of "50 Coastin' Classics" is absolutely perfect, as far as I remember.

Down in Mexico.

'He wears a red bandana, he plays a cool piana, in a honky-tonk down in Mexico'

They make it sound like heaven.

It's jaw dropping. But I hate it when Tarantino does the pop archeology for all the lazy kids.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"You're father's hip, he knows what cooks."

Please don't let me be the lone Yakety Yak vote ...

Anyone heard the 50 Coastin' Classics compilation? Is it as good as it should be?

It's a great as it should be. Surprised you didn't poll that.

Of these, very easily "What About Us." And come to think of it, of the 50, "What About Us."

It's jaw dropping. But I hate it when Tarantino does the pop archeology for all the lazy kids.

― gospodin simmel, Monday, November 29, 2010 5:38 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

What Tarantino movie had the Coasters on the soundtrack?

Death Proof

At least half of "50 Coastin' Classics" is absolutely perfect, as far as I remember.

― pauls00

At least 80%, if you ask me. (And, curiously, there's actually 51 tracks on that collection. And it's not like there's a hidden bonus track or anything - all 51 are listed on the cover. And I've definitely mentioned that discrepancy at least once here, so zero search results is kinda puzzling...)

Anyways, "Run Red Run" for me. And I wish I could've voted for "Framed" or "One Kiss Led To Another" or "The Hatchet Man". Or "What Is The Secret of Your Success?", which I think does "What About Us?" one better. But it's all good anyways.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

shit, no votes for Searchin'. Xgau would be pissed

Surprised "Hog" didn't get any love in this - - it's been in regular rotation at the local monthly retro singles dance party and I sort of started thinking of it as a universally beloved classic. I love it anytime the Coasters (or any old rock act, really) start name-checking junk food.

The first line of the Coasters' Yakety Yak is "Take out the papers and the trash." Was there curbside recycling in the 50s?

I bought some calamine lotion today for the first time ever to treat a small insect bite on my leg. So I of course immediately thought of "It's gonna take an ocean..." I don't even particularly like that song. But that's how deeply the line is embedded in my mind.

it's all about "down in mexico" for me

though i will say hackamore brick's take on "searchin'" is mighty fine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iiER_k18lY

You always know exactly what to get me.

:)

people give charlie watts shit, but on the coasters' recording of "down home girl" the drummer speeds up by a good 15 bpm by the end of the song. admittedly it's a hard tempo to keep steady at. also admittedly i am not mr. drummers-need-to-be-metronomes but i just happened to notice