Friday, February 1, 2008

My Rock 'N' Roll Favorites - the 'B's

Continuing with my rock 'n' roll favorites, I'll address the 'B's in this post.
B-52's, The: "Loveland" - The B-52's' Mesopotamia album is often overlooked -- as well it should be, as it was an experimental effort produced by David Byrne that really didn't connect. (At best it was a foul tip.) However, it did contain "Loveland," which has an amazing, liquid-sounding texture that I still find cascading through my head from time to time. The best part is that someone did a remix in recent years that dialed down some of Byrne's synthesizer-based excrescence and brought up Ricky Wilson's guitar parts, making it even better.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive: "Takin' Care of Business" - BTO is one of those bands that I really liked as a teenager but have great difficulty listening to now. It's hard to say why, except that most of the tunes seem pretty clunky by modern standards; however, "Takin' Care of Business" has managed to stay somewhat fresh, in part due to the piano part that added much to the arrangement.

Bad Company: "Deal With the Preacher" - Bad Company is another favorite group from my youthful past that I likewise couldn't listen to for a long time as an adult. However, "Deal With the Preacher," off their second album Straight Shooter, is a great rock song and represents what was good about what we used to call "hard rock" back in the mid-70s.
Bangles, The: "Hero Takes a Fall" - In my book, the Bangles only made one decent album, and it was their first big-label album All Over the Place, featuring "Hero Takes a Fall." The album had catchy tunes, great vocals, and a raw sound that actually approximated four young women playing guitars, bass, and drums. Their follow-up album, Different Light, propelled them to stardom, but with crappy tunes (e.g., "Manic Monday," "Walk Like an Egyptian") and overdone arrangements that made me wonder if the members of the group did anything but sing on the album. Notwithstanding, "Hero Takes a Fall" stands as the best pop/rock song ever done by a girl band, and Susanna Hoffs simply had the sexiest singing voice of all time.
Beach Boys, The: "All Summer Long" - I'm not a great Beach Boys fan, but "All Summer Long" evokes so many images of the 1960s ("tee shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs") that I can't help liking it. A close second would be "Good Vibrations," but only because it was so non-surf.
Beatles, The: "Paperback Writer" - It's tremendously difficult to select a favorite song from the vast oeuvre of a band as talented and influential as the Beatles. I've only recently delved into great albums like Revolver, Abbey Road, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, all of which sound amazing even today; however, if I have to pick one favorite song, it's "Paperback Writer," a tune that stands out for its groundbreaking guitar riff, prominent bass in the mix, sharp-sounding harmonies, and social commentary.
Beck: "New Pollution" - Beck has produced an amazingly eclectic body of work, not all of which appeals to me, but I still like the retro-60s sound of "New Pollution," which he could have performed at Monterey Pop (had he been alive in 1967) and fit right in. ("Loser" would be a close second for me -- I guess I just like his "old" stuff.)
Bee Gees, The: "How Deep Is Your Love" - I admit I hated the Bee Gees back in the mid-to-late 70s, when they'd reinvented themselves as a disco band. (I loathed disco music in general, although I admit to having bought a pair of brown Angel's Flight pants in late 1978, which I only wore two or three times before I left on my church mission in January 1979. To underscore the sea change that occurred in popular music while I was on my mission, I like to say that I "went out" to the Bee Gees and "came back" to the B-52's.) Therefore, my favorite song of theirs was bound to be a slow song, and "How Deep Is Your Love" is easily the best of their ballads.
Blondie: "One Way or Another" - The whole Blondie phenomenon happened while I was a missionary, although, Chileans being the radio-listening people they are (or at least were), I heard plenty of Blondie songs going from here to there. I have a vivid memory of hearing "One Way or Another" one time while on public transport in Santiago -- I had to ask my missionary companion, who'd left the U.S. over a year later than I did, who it was. It's the one Blondie tune that really stuck in my head.
Bon Jovi: They deserve a mention, but I honestly can't think of a single Bon Jovi tune that wouldn't prompt me to change the station if it came on my car radio. Sorry!
Boston: "Foreplay/Long Time" - I'm not a big Boston fan now, but there was a time when "Long Time" was my favorite song, in part because the lyrics seemed to describe my life during and after high school: "It's been such a long time; I think I should be going / Time doesn't wait for me -- it keeps on rolling."
Bowie, David: "Golden Years" - I probably would have picked "Let's Dance" but for my fondness of the movie A Knight's Tale (starring the recently deceased Heath Ledger), in which "Golden Years" is featured prominently. I never really got the Bowie thing in the 70s -- I hated "Fame," which was played to death in 1975 -- but "Golden Years" has gotten better with time.
Bread: "Dismal Day" - Years ago, I would have listed "If," "Diary," "Everything I Own," or "Make It With You," but I have a Bread greatest hits CD, and "Dismal Day" is the song I listen to most.
Buffalo Springfield: "Rock 'n' Roll Woman" - Yes, Virginia, the Buffalo Springfield did record other songs besides "For What It's Worth" -- and "Rock 'n' Roll Woman" was easily the best of the lot.
Byrds, The: "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" - This song is as good as pop music got in the mid-1960s -- catchy beat, great vocals by Gene Clark, and an exemplary 12-string guitar solo by Roger McGuinn.
(This clip is one of my favorite videos on Youtube -- the dancing is amazing!)