Favorite Track(s): "Saving All My Love For You" and "How Will I Know" and "All At Once" and "The Greatest Love of All"
Thoughts: This might be the only Whitney album on the list, which is a pity, but I'll take what I can get.
If I'm honest, "You Give Good Love" is just a weird song. Too many innuendo associations. Maybe if Prince was singing it, but with Whitney it just doesn't work for me. And I used to listen to "Saving All My Love For You" all the time, but now that I've listened to the lyrics again, is it about her being in love with a married man? That's sort of tainted it.
"The Greatest Love of All" is still a fun if super cheesy ballad. It makes me think of Miranda when she starts singing it in a job interview. And in School of Rock when Dewey is asked his opinion of testing. And now it also makes me think of Portlandia:
-"The Living Years? That song is poetry! Don't you want your child to be sensitive?" -"Ok, it's poetry in the same way that "The Greatest Love of All" is poetry. It is pabulum. It is juvenile."
The best song on the album really is "How Will I Know" and yes, what every one has said since her death is true: you should really listen to the audio-only version of it to experience her voice's unbelievable power.
Incredible.
Is This Better Than Help!?: No. There are a few good songs, but her voice is the only stand-out to me. Whitney, on the other hand, is better than Help!.
The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks (1968)
Favorite Track(s): "The Village Green Preservation Society" and "Do You Remember Walter?" and "Picture Book" and "Johnny Thunder" and "Animal Farm" and "Starstruck" and "Monica" and "People Take Pictures of Each Other"
Thoughts: Clatterford! Or as it's known in England, Jam & Jerusalem! Have you watched it? You should. Kate Rusby sings a cover of "The Village Green Preservation Society" for the theme. It's wonderful. Like this concept album about English country life. "Yes, people often change but memories of people can remain."
"Picture Book" was the first Kinks song I ever owned, and I still love it. The last track is similar to it, and while upbeat and maybe tongue-in-cheek, I was really affected by its lyrics:
People take pictures of each other, Just to prove that they really existed, Just to prove that they really existed. People take pictures of each other, And a moment could last them forever, Of the time when they mattered to someone.
(The post title is from a song in Evita.) As of today I am no longer 26. So what's ahead for 27? I have no clue. I've made no plans. So here's a song and then my favorite birthday quote.
Favorite Track(s): "Got 'til It's Gone" (for the Joni Mitchell parts) and "Go Deep" and "Together Again" and "Every Time"
Thoughts: It's time for one of Maryann's true stories. True Story: Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope world tour was the first concert I ever went to (and by a real I mean it wasn't a performance at my church or local schools). And my mom took me. My dad and sister were out of town on a choir trip, so my mom thought it would be fun for us to do something together. So we went to G.I. Joe's ticketmaster booth, and picked a concert to attend. I was excited because I was really loving "Together Again" every time it was played on Z100.
So on August 11, 1998 we went to the Rose Garden and we were in the nosebleed seats and Usher opened and dropped his pants TWICE when I had the binoculars. He wore navy blue boxer-briefs. Then Janet came on and for the song "Rope Burn" she brought a male audience member up on the stage and gave him a lap dance. This led me to believe that a 'velvet rope' was a kind of sex toy that couples used. According to wikipedia it's "an allusion to an individual's need to feel special, as well as a metaphor for emotional boundaries" so 13 year-old me spent all that time trying to figure out how you could use a velvet rope during sex for NOTHING. (Though the answer is right there in "Rope Burn": bondage.) The end.
So, the album! I kept thinking that "My Need" was going to launch into "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Tyrell (and I sort of wish it had). Janet's cover of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night" is an interesting choice, but not a bad one since a woman singing it is a nice change-up considering how sexual assault-y it sounds sung by a man (my mom hates it).
I know that this album was supposed to be the more autobiographical, experimental of her work (and according to the ranking, the best of her albums) but I absolutely prefer Rhythm Nation.
Is This Better Than Help!?:
No, I'm afraid. This album felt overproduced and I would have cut at least 5 songs.
Favorite Track(s): "Stardust" and "September Song"
Thoughts: I think this is our first Willie Nelson album on the list! Fun. And don't you love that album cover? I do.
BUT. This is an album of covers, with Willie singing songs from the American Songbook. Which opens a whole can of worms for me. Because when we have someone from the era of these songs singing them (i.e. Frank Sinatra) I don't necessarily consider it a 'covers' album by strict definition. In many cases they made those songs famous themselves and they were often written by their contemporaries. Willie Nelson, while well along in years, recorded these songs well after they were contemporary (1978--most of the songs he covers are from the 30s).
What am I getting at? The fact that this album of COVERS not only made it on the list, but made it almost halfway in! And so that means that at no point did Rolling Stone tell its voters for the list to ONLY include albums that were written by the artists, and/or made famous by them. Which brings me to a serious contention I have with the list: WHERE THE EFF ARE PETER, PAUL AND MARY? Where is Everything But the Girl's Acoustic? Where's Judy Collins? To quote Linda Richman, "I ask you."
To add insult to injury, Willie's covers aren't anything all that special or different or unique! His voice and the arrangements are nice and pleasant, but not ground-breaking, at least not to my ears. This is an album I could see Starbucks selling. Which isn't to say it's not good! It's very good. But #254? No. Just...no. If it were in the 500s I would let it slide, but I'm not sure what happened here. Unless my PP&M rage is so intense that it ruined this album for me, which is a real possibility.
Is This Better Than Help!?: I liked it but this not be above Help! on the list, among many, many other albums.
Favorite Track(s): "Box of Rain" and "Friend of the Devil" and "Sugar Magnolia" and "Brokedown Palace" and "Till the Morning Comes"
Thoughts: Another Dead album, and so soon!
Good news everyone: you don't have to be high to enjoy this album! I might be the first person to ever try it completely sober, and I'm happy to say it still stands up. It was quite a happy surprise to find that the Dead aren't this super psychedelic/experimental rock band (at least from what I've heard so far). That was always the impression I got from their fans and any references made to them in pop culture. These last two albums have been so folksy and blue-grassy. I love it.
Yet in the end, I think I preferred listening to Workingman's Dead over this album.
Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
Favorite Track(s): "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "Marrakesh Express" and "Guinnevere" and "You Don't Have to Cry" and "Wooden Ships" and "Lady of the Island" and "Long Time Gone" and "49 Bye-Byes"
Thoughts: YES! CSN! The men whose harmonies God likes to live in. Caffeine up, this is going to get looooong.
First, some True Confessions.
True Confession #1: I thought they wrote this album AFTER Neil had left CSNY. But instead, it was the debut album of the group! I'm not sure where my misconception came from, except that I thought they started out all 4 of them together first. Silly me.
True Confession #2: Graham Nash is my favorite member, even though Stephen Stills has a song called "Marianne." Is it because Graham's British? Or because he dated Joni Mitchell? And wrote "Our House" about their lives together? And they had a house together in Laurel Canyon? A house that he was re-doing the floors in when the telegram arrived from Joni saying “if you hold sand too tightly in your hand it will run through your fingers" thus breaking up with him? And because he in turn wrote "Simple Man" with the lyrics "I just want to hold you/I don't want to hold you down"? And the fact that the rest of that album, Songs for Beginners, is amazing, and should be on this list? Maybe. Just maybe.
Ok, the album! "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is of course referencing Stephen Still's former girlfriend singer Judy Collins, who I did not care for for a long time thanks to what I considered her wretched cover of "Both Sides Now." In fact, the last time I was in for an MRI the technician who was HIGHLY disturbing for other reasons (to the point that I probably should have reported him) he decided he wanted to read my tattoo. "Ah," he said, "That's such a great song, by Judy Collins!" and I, already upset, may or may not have retorted, "JONI MITCHELL!" It took my friend Kj giving me the song "Since You've Asked" to open me up to loving Judy Collins and her style.
So! "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." This song is amazing. This whole album makes me think of being with my parents. My favorite part has these lyrics just before launching into the amazing "Do-do-do-do-do-do"'s:
Chestnut brown canary Ruby throated sparrow Sing a song, don't be long Thrill me to the marrow
Voices of the angels Ring around the moonlight Asking me said she so free How can you catch the sparrow?
Lacy lilting lady Losing love lamenting Change my life, make it right Be my lady
And if I had to pick one of those lines, it would be "thrill me to the marrow." I want that as a tattoo! Amazing.
"Wooden Ships" always makes me think of the 1970 film Woodstock which I watched on a library VHS in college (and later the 2009 documentary Woodstock: Now and Then), and the song itself is about the Vietnam War. Jefferson Airplane released it the same year on Volunteers, but it was written by CSN. I don't think I prefer one version over the other--but it is hard to deny the epicness of Grace Slick's voice.
Holding you close undisturbed before a fire The pressure in my chest when you breathe in my ear We both knew this would happen when you first appeared My lady of the island
The brownness of your body in the fireglow Except the places where the sun refused to go Our bodies were a perfect fit in afterglow we lay My lady of the island
Letting myself wander through the world inside your eyes You know I'd like to stay here until every tear runs dry Do, do, do, do, do, do, do ... My lady of the island
Wrapped around each other in the peeping sun Beams of sunshine light the stage the red light's on I never want to finish what I've just begun with you My lady of the island
And when you're breath is caught and you think, "That's it! This album can hold no more treasures! The rest will be meh," a little song called "Helplessly Hoping" starts up next. I'm just going to post it for you.
How do you harmonize like that? HOW? HOW? HOW? It's the undoing of one's ears.
"Long Time Gone" is just sexy, dirty late 60s rock. With a message of course! "49 Bye-Byes" is just fun and I love the way Stephen Stills sings "'Til the drifter comes" in the chorus.
Is This Better Than Help!?: Yes, and we should all listen to it. On vinyl if at all possible.
Buena Vista Social Clubby Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
Favorite Track(s): "Chan Chan" and "De camino a la vereda" and "Pueblo nuevo" and "El Carretero"
Thoughts: I saw this movie in college, and while I loved the music, I couldn't be more annoyed with the number of scenes shot as a 360 spin-around of the musicians by hand-held cameras. I became extremely nauseated long before the movie was over.
But the music! It makes me want to be somewhere hot sipping something cool. I wish it was easier to Americans to visit Cuba.
Favorite Track(s): "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" and "Fast Car" and "Across the Lines" and "Baby Can I Hold You" and "Why?" and "For My Lover" and "For You"
Thoughts: I had no idea this album came out as long ago as 1988! I would have thought for sure it was from '93 or later. This album was in heavy rotation in our house growing up, and as a teenager I became immensely attached to two of its tracks: "Fast Car" and "Baby Can I Hold You." I could write or talk for hours about how much I love these two songs and why.
"Tracy is not some adolescent looking for action on a Saturday night. This is a song for adults if there ever was one--caring for your aging parents, dissatisfaction with your dead-end job, etc. The car represents the ability to escape with someone you love, now or never, to make a better life for yourselves. How many of us haven't been in a car late at night with someone we liked, with the 'city lights lay [lain? laid? whatever] out before us' and feeling like we belonged? That's definitely my favorite part of the song:
I remember when we were driving, driving in your car the speed so fast I felt like I was drunk city lights lay out before us and your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder and I had a feeling that I belonged and I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone"
There's something captured in this song that is so desperately hopeful but ultimately doomed at the same time. Like neither you nor Tracy actually believes 'things will get better' but you let yourself believe otherwise for the moment.
When we were playing the album at home and "Behind the Wall" came on, I would get very uncomfortable (understandably). It's stark re-telling of domestic abuse and lack of police action is scary and sad. Then I saw this parody on In Living Colorand now it's all I can think of when I hear the song. Which is bad...?
"Baby Can I Hold You" was one of my favorite teenager angst songs. And it is such a perfect pop ballad. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
At the request of Lisa, here is part of my condo! I chose my bedroom because it's the area that I feel like needs the least 'work.' There are these gawd-awful cabinets are in every. other. room and I can't wait to rip them off and put on new doors. Which will probably only happen when I win the lottery, so I need to just learn to love them. Or photoshop them out of pictures.
But it feels weird, I'll admit, to show pictures of my bedroom. Why is that? Well, my therapist would tell you it's because I'm afraid of men. My friends who don't have blogs might say it's my too-often repressed instinct of privacy trying to make it's way back into my life. My response: it's home decor, bitches! That shit is all over the internet. Besides, I have enough paranoia in my life to last me twelve lifetimes. I don't think showing a few pictures of my bedroom will make me that much more susceptible to home invasion. Please God, don't let it make me that much more susceptible to home invasion. (There is a 70% chance I will delete this post in less than 24 hours of publishing it.)
When you first walk through the door, this is on your immediate right:
It's the watercolor light-switch plate that the lovely Holly bought me as a house-warming present! I love it.
Those drapes aren't staying. They're going to move into the dining room. Someday I'm going to get a real headboard. Again with the winning the lottery stuff. I know to some people that looks like a lot of artwork, but I'm realizing I'm totally one of those people who needs LOTS of art on the walls. No art on the walls = not actually living in the space. I'm not sure why. So the plan is eventually to get more art up!
Here's one of my bedside tables. I got it from my last roommate Amber, and added the knobs. As I said in my previous post, I like to play my gameboy before going to bed. I mostly read memoirs, and I'm re-reading Madeleine L'Engle's Crosswick Series (reaaaally slowly). And The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo! So far, not as good as the 2011 movie. :) The hanky is from Holly's wedding, where they gave them out for tears of joy. It's one of my favorite things.
And the lady holding a Bible in the picture frame? One of my saints, Boadicea Geraldine Granger.
Then to the left is my pink bookshelf my former co-worker Jackie got me at a garage sale:
And more importantly, my Jack's Mannequin print. I don't usually listen to bands like Jack's Mannequin, but lyrically they're in my top 20. I listened to them a LOT in 2009 and 2010.
On the other side of the windows is one of my dressers. Yes, I have two. AND a closet.
You may notice that not all the dresser handle pulls are the same. That is because I am slowly switching them over a few at a time to the white ones. On the dresser are 3 very important things: my TV, my latest season of M*A*S*H, and my CD alarm clock, which has Elton John's Greatest Hits in it.
Next to the dresser is this planter/mirror:
It's sort of a weird item, but it was my in parent's room at our old house and they were going to get rid of it in the move, and the nostalgic pack-rat part of me made me keep it. My parents used it to hold the plastic pitcher we'd use for water for the iron, but I found this bouquet-ish type thing at Target and that's where it lives. The end!
Here's my second dresser. Both of them came from my grandparents. I have string lights along the mirror, which I have all kinds of reservations about. Aren't string lights what teenage girls have in their rooms? Maybe. But I like them anyway.
Above it are three records in frames. They are not evenly hung.
Finally, my favorite part of my room at any given time:
Someday I think I'd like to change the bedroom to hardwood floors and then have a big rug. We'll see if I ever get around to it (or afford it).
In general, I don't like playing board or card games.
This, I fear, basically makes me lose any nerd cred I may have. Almost every member of my age group (outside of maybe the people on Jersey Shore) seems to LOVE board games. When socializing it often comes directly after talking and eating. And when the games are brought out, a sense of dread spreads over me.
The one exception is trivia, in almost all forms (except sports-only). But any game that involves strategy, or skill, or exceptional brain power is like pulling teeth for me--IF played with others. When I'm only competing against myself, there's no problem. This also goes for video games. I keep a gameboy on my bedside table so I can play a few rounds before bed each night. But playing video games with others? No thanks.
I'm not sure exactly what it is. I know that when I ran Hood to Coast back in 2008 I swore to myself I would never be part of a competitive team again. I hated the feeling of letting others down with my weakness or inability. Even competing on my own against others isn't fun. My feelings get hurt too easily, or too easily I begin to hurt others in trash talk or teasing. In those heated moments I feel like I lose most of my humanity for the sake of some stupid game.
That's why winning doesn't feel that great, because too often it means I've put myself and my own desire to achieve before connecting or relating to others. I become so competitive, so focused on winning, that I forget myself and can be a real bitch. Or, one time I started crying during a simple game of 'Scene It' because I felt like I was calling out the answers before the other teams, but no one would recognize it.
This is why I'd rather just talk with people or watch a movie or even do a puzzle, where there is no need for win or lose. And whenever the response to that is "It's only a game!" I want to shout, "THEN WHY THE F*** ARE WE PLAYING IT? If it doesn't mean anything, then let's do something where we don't have to be pitted against each other!" I would so much rather talk to you about the incredible allure of Alan Alda, or hear how your vacation was, or if we want to just unwind, watch a movie or read a book or go for a walk or do the crossword together.
Maybe part of this is that I live alone. When I'm with other people, I want to talk about life or share something. Sharing a game, to me, just doesn't feel worth our time together. For a while I did group trivia at a pub, but in between rounds we'd talk and connect. (Also, it was trivia, which as I've discussed, is my usual exception to the rule.)
In most areas of my life I am an all-or-nothing kind of person, and that means there is never a good end when playing games. If I lose, I feel like a complete idiot. If I win, I feel like I'm better than other people. I don't like either of those feelings. Really the solution is to only play games with people I despise, but all in all I'd rather just not spend time with them.
Maybe someday I'll get over whatever my problem is and LOVE games. Or maybe it will just take meeting the right person who loves them, and then they'll be like jazz in this quote:
Some people lie when they fall in love, some people tell the truth. Some people do both, by telling honest lies, which is what most of us do. ‘Yes, I like jazz,’ we’ll say, when we mean, ‘I could like it with you.’
— A character from Julian Barnes’ Love, etc.
'Yes, I like board games,' I'll say, when I mean, 'I could like them with you.'
But it felt like time. I think I switched the blog name to The Awkward Blogger back in like, 2007. (Did anyone read the blog when it was called The Rainbow Connection? Or its brief stint as The Maryann Connection?) It suited the site well when I wrote about that time, like talking virginity with my hairstylist, the song I play in my head when I have catheters removed, or how I respond when teenage boys try to pick me up at soup kitchens. Pretty awkward stuff.
But I don't really write like that anymore. And I feel like if people search google for 'awkward blog' this site doesn't really deserve to come up in the results. Instead that person would find photos of my cat/art and loads of music reviews/videos. So I decided it might be time to change the title again.
I had a few different ideas about what to call it for this chapter, but the one that stuck was Maryanimal. My dad called me that as a nickname growing up, so it's personalized AND nostalgic.
If you have my blog in a blogroll and want to change it, you can, but you don't have to. Maybe you're like me and have blogs listed by people's names, so it won't make a difference.
Favorite Track(s): "It Had to Be You" and "When Your Lover Has Gone" and "Just For a Thrill" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" and "Come Rain or Come Shine"
Thoughts: I definitely enjoyed listening to this album, but it just didn't knock my socks off. I know Ray Charles is one of the best ever, but I didn't love it as much I love this kind of music when sung by Frank or Ella or Billie or Nat.
Child is Father to the Man by Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)
Favorite Track(s): "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" and "Morning Glory" and "My Days are Numbered" and "I Can't Quit Her" and "So Much Love/Underture"
The "Overture" would have worked better for me without the creeping maniacal laughter. But the rest of the album was a pure joy. The organ and horns really made it sublime. It felt like Jens Lekman, so full of 60s goodness.
