Your Five Favorite Anything

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

I just find Ben Folds way too precious and/or musically uninteresting.

There are a lot of complaints that I would deem legitimate, but "musically uninteresting" is not one of them at all. Just the fact that they're doing power-pop without a guitar should be compelling enough as it is, to say nothing of the excellent piano work he does. For just being three people, there's a lot more sound than you'd expect, and the sound, especially on the s/t, is pretty unique. Just a lot of fun to listen to. I'm sorry, but I can't call Ben Folds "musically uninteresting."

 

I definitely got the feeling that he thinks he's a lot funnier than he actually is.

See, there's one I get. One of my gripes with Ben's lyrics is that he swears too much in an effort to seem edgy or something, but it always feels contrived. Some people can make fuck work. He can't. That said, I don't know how funny he thinks he is, so it's hard to gauge that part, but "Army," "Kate," and "Not the Same" are humorous in a way, I suppose. "Rockin' the Suburbs"? Ehhh.

 

Weezer wins because you can't pump your fist to "Brick" when drunk. Pussy-ass Ben Folds.

Obviously just joking around, but "Philosophy," "Not the Same," "Still Fightin' It," "Kate," "Where's Summer B?," "Best Imitation of Myself," "Jackson Cannery"?

[snuffbox 0]

I'd be embarassed if caught pumping my fist to Weezer. Rivers is such a weiner.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Ben Folds is a great, enjoyable live performer, but he gets a little tiresome on record, I find.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

They're both a couple of dinks.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Actually, my favourite Ben Folds stuff ever is probably Shatner's Has Been.

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

You know, I've never heard any of that Shatner stuff, nor the stuff with The Bens. I have Supersunnyspeedgraphic lying around the house here somewhere but I haven't seen it since like July. I wanted to listen to it tonight, since I'm obviously on a huge Ben Folds kick lately. I still can't get over "musically uninteresting." Jesus Christ.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Here, I'll go download the self-titled album and maybe Whatever and Ever Amen and see if my fleeting impressions of his boringosity are justified.

[razazteca 0]

Top 5 band named after food:

 

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Cranberries

Smashing Pumpkins

Korn

Veruca Salt

[snuffbox 0]

Will you ever stop?

[Guest Oedipus Rex]

Here, I'll go download the self-titled album and maybe Whatever and Ever Amen and see if my fleeting impressions of his boringosity are justified.

don't get snippy with me edward mcfistjob

[Henry Spencer 0]

Ben Folds has never made an album that holds together all the way through, and on certain songs, the accusations of head-up-own-assery are perfectly justified. That said, when he was on, he produced some of the best pop songs of recent memory.

 

Top five favorite Ben Folds Five songs:

1. The Battle Of Who Could Care Less

2. Best Imitation Of Myself

3. Smoke

4. Narcolepsy

5. Kate

 

With a few exceptions, Folds mostly falters on ballads, which are by and large cloying and unbearable (including Brick. Sorry, Czech).

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Here, I'll go download the self-titled album and maybe Whatever and Ever Amen and see if my fleeting impressions of his boringosity are justified.

don't get snippy with me edward mcfistjob

I might change my TSM name to that. And I was actually serious. I listened to the first album, and I guess it's fair to say that it's not musically uninteresting. It still doesn't interest me a ton, though--I bobbed my head a bit, but most of the time I just wished I was listening to "Oh Yoko." Which I'm doing right now. But I remember "Best Imitation of Myself" now and like that. I also like the way "Video" sounds, but am so-so on how that meshes with the lyrics. "Sports and Wine" and "Underground," however, sum up everything I don't care for about him, and just kill the middle of the album.

 

Five favorite "Oh" songs:

 

1. Oh Yoko (Lennon)

2. Oh! You Pretty Things (Bowie)

3. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (VU)

4. Oh Yeah (Can)

5. Oh Comely (Neutral Milk Hotel)

[Henry Spencer 0]

Oh You Pretty Things and Oh Sweet Nuthin' are better than Oh Yoko. C'mon now.

[godthedog 0]

top 5 lone bad songs on great albums:

 

1. michael jackson - "jackson," off the wall

2. jay-z - "encore," the black album

3. frank sinatra - "what's new," only the lonely

4. beatles - "when i get home," a hard day's night

5. wu-tang clan - "7th chamber part ii," enter the wu-tang: 36 chambers

 

not in any particular order, except for number 1.

[Henry Spencer 0]

90's albums:

 

1. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand

2. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

3. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup

4. Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

5. Morrissey - Vauxhall & I

 

If I didn't consider it bad form to have two albums by the same band on the list, I would have also snuck Alien Lanes into the top five. What a great band.

[Henry Spencer 0]

I'll touch on the eighties, too.

 

1. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

2. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

3. Galaxie 500 - On Fire

4. Joy Division - Closer

5. The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Oh You Pretty Things and Oh Sweet Nuthin' are better than Oh Yoko. C'mon now.

I didn't really think about order on that list, but thinking about it now I would say that "Oh Yoko" is my favorite on there. One of the most jubilant and perfect love songs I've ever heard. There's some bias in that judgment, because:

 

1) it comes from Lennon, who I normally associate with more dour, less gleeful songs, and

2) it backs that great scene in Rushmore, probably my favorite movie.

[Henry Spencer 0]

It's used to great effect in Rushmore, I agree. I dunno, though, it always struck me as a rather slight, if pleasant, song.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

top 5 lone bad songs on great albums:

 

2. jay-z - "encore," the black album

 

"Change Clothes" is way worse than "Encore"

[Henry Spencer 0]

Yep. Moment Of Clarity is pretty bad, too.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

80s

1. Tom Waits- Rain Dogs

2. XTC - English Settlement

3. Roxy Music - Avalon

4. Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie

5. King Crimson - Discipline

 

That was easy, as five from my list of 10 all-time favorite albums were from the 80s. Only two of them were from the 90s, so no go on a top five.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

80s:

 

1. Prince - Sign o' the Times

2. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

3. The Replacements - Tim

4. Prince - Purple Rain

5. Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches

 

90s:

1. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

2. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang

3. Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die

4. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle

5. Outkast - Aquemini

 

My four favorite rap albums are all from the 90s, and in a genuine analysis I like them more than Radiohead and DJ Shadow, who both might have snuck on here otherwise.

[Gary Floyd 0]

I've already listed my favorite albums from the 80's, so here's my favorites from the 90's

 

5.) Coil-Love's Secret Domain

4.) Pharcyde-Bizzare Ride 2 The Pharcyde

3.) Massive Attack-Mezzanine

2.) Wu Tang Clan-Enter The Wu-Tang

1.) My Bloody Valentine-Loveless

 

5 favorite albums of the week

 

5.) Kraftwerk-Trans Europe Express

4.) James Brown-In The Jungle Groove

3.) Foetus-Love

2.) Nick Drake-Pink Moon

1.) GZA/Genius-Liquid Swords

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Okay, I'm gonna try the 90s:

 

1. OutKast - Aquemini

2. The Wedding Present - Seamonsters

3. Slint - Spiderland

4. uh...

5. um...

 

Well. I can't come up with something concrete right now for those last two; discussion makes me realize that I haven't listened to much 90s music, lately.

 

As for the three you see, #s 1 & 2 are from my all-time top ten list; Spiderland's a definite candidate for all-time top 20, if I ever get around to finishing that long in the works project.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

My turn

 

1. Seamonsters

2. Spiderland

3. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

4. Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

5. Pulp - His 'n' Hers

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

70s

1. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

2. Wire - Pink Flag

3. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

4. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

5. Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything?

 

#s 1 & 2 are from the top ten; 3-5 are candidates for the top 20.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Okay, contenders/definites so far for the 11-20 half of my all-time top 20:

 

Slint - Spiderland

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything?

The Clash - London Calling

New York Dolls - s/t

Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls & Marches

De La Soul - Three Feet High & Rising

 

Oh man, I just need two more. Then the task of ranking them.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

80s

 

1. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

2. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

3. Talking Heads - Remain in Light

4. Duran Duran - Rio

5. Pixies - Doolittle

 

Might as well do the 70s while I'm here

 

1. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

2. Neil Young - On the Beach

3. David Bowie - Station to Station

4. Wire - Chairs Missing

5. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

[godthedog 0]

top 5 lone bad songs on great albums:

 

2. jay-z - "encore," the black album

 

"Change Clothes" is way worse than "Encore"

 

i was actually thinking of "change clothes" when i wrote that. i don't know how "encore" came out.

 

80s:

 

1. cowboy junkies - the trinity session

2. pixies - surfer rosa

3. michael jackson - bad

4. prince - 1999

5. this mortal coil - it'll end in tears

 

90s albums that women sing lead vocals on:

 

1. sarah mclachlan - fumbling towards ecstasy

2. massive attack - mezzanine

3. portishead - dummy

4. elastica - elastica

5. mazzy star - so tonight that i might see

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

90's:

 

1. Mr. Bungle-California

2. Neurosis-Souls at Zero

3. Electric Wizard-Dopethrone

4. Sleep-Dopesmoker

5. Agents of Oblivion-s/t

 

I'm certain I've forgotten something.