Monday, February 18, 2008

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


Jackson, Joe: “Steppin’Out” – I‘m not terribly familiar with Joe Jackson’s work, but “Steppin’ Out,” with all its tightly woven piano and synthesizer parts, transcended the whole 80s New Wave genre and remains a classic today.
Jackson, Michael: “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” – Michael Jackson is possibly the creepiest person ever to make it big in American pop music, but his Off the Wall album was huge in Chile when I was there, and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” reminds me of many places and faces from that time of my life.
James Gang, The: “Tend My Garden” – I didn’t become a James Gang fan until Joe Walsh had already left the group, but I still like their first three albums. “Tend My Garden” was my favorite song as a young teenager, although I didn’t realize until much later that it was about cultivating home-grown marijuana. I saw Walsh at “The Beach” in Las Vegas during COMDEX a number of years ago; I think he was backed up by a group of local union musicians, so the songs weren’t as tight as they could have been, but he did nice arrangements of several James Gang numbers, including “Tend My Garden.”
James, Tommy & The Shondells: “I Think We’re Alone Now” – It’s hard not to associate this tune with Tiffany (and a shopping mall) these days, but I still like the original version.
Jam, The: “Going Underground” – The Jam wasn’t a phenomenon in the U.S. like it was in the U.K., but I have a greatest hits CD and like several songs on it, including “Going Underground.”
Jefferson Airplane/Starship: “White Rabbit” – I could never get into the Airplane or the Starship (although I own the extended DVDs of both Monterey Pop and Woodstock, and it’s fascinating to watch what the Airplane passed off as “music” in those chemically altered days). However, “White Rabbit” stands out as their best tune.
Jethro Tull: “Aqualung” – I loved this tune when I was thirteen, undoubtedly due to the scandalous lyrics (e.g., Snot is running down his nose/Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes). Later on, I would have chosen “Teacher” as my favorite, but my memories tend to go further back in time now.
Joel, Billy: “Just the Way You Are” – This tune will always remind me of my freshman year at BYU and the following summer and fall, when I was getting ready to be a missionary. I will never forget making an early-morning delivery run in the fall of 1978 to Alamogordo, New Mexico when I was working for an office-machines company. As I was driving east from I-25 to Carrizozo, I happened to be listening to this song on headphones (using my family’s portable 8-track stereo) when the sun came up. The beauty of the scene and the song, together with the emotions I was feeling anyway about the prospect of leaving home for two years, was overwhelming.
John, Elton: “Tiny Dancer” – Until relatively recently, I would always have chosen “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” as my favorite Elton John tune, just for the out-front guitar and rocking nature of the song. I guess I’ve mellowed a little bit, as I can appreciate Elton’s ballads more nowadays.
Journey: “Anyway You Want It” – I’ve never been a Journey fan, and even less a Steve Perry fan, but at least “Anyway You Want It” has the distinction of being the tune that blasts from the stereo in Rodney Dangerfield’s golf bag during the fairway-dancing scene in Caddyshack.