Biggest Fan Songs - March 2020

[Hymie]

432. Axelle Red – Je t’attends

4

[Rob]

LCD Soundsystem - The Great Release: 8
The last track on LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut and I think you can guess it on sound alone. It just feels like good end credits music. The type that makes you sit around until all the names have scrolled by, reflecting on the film.

Axelle Red - Je t'attends: 6
Very pleasant, soft music. The definition of inoffensive, unless the lyrics when translated turn out to be very nasty. I don't mind listening to this, honestly, even if it hardly sets my world on fire.

[Schüttelbirne]

432. Axelle Red - Je t'attends: 7/10

[Rob]

The age of Hymie over. The age of Nassim has arrived. He brings along the Gorillaz for the second time:

433. Gorillaz – New Genius (Brother)
Year: 2001
Album: Gorillaz
Biggest Fan: Nassim (#668)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

Gorillaz - New Genius (Brother) - 6
I only know that this band is the next band of the previous band, Blur. As "Blur", they are best known for their song, "Song 2", sometimes "Woo Hoo" as the working title due to the opening lyrics of this song.

[Wezzo]

429. Vince Staples – Crabs in a Bucket - 7.5
430. Space – Magic Fly - 6.5
431. LCD Soundsystem – Great Release - 7
432. Axelle Red – Je t’attends - 6
433. Gorillaz – New Genius (Brother) - 5

[Rob]

Gorillaz – New Genius (Brother): 5
I was listening to the album Super Ape by The Upsetters earlier today and than to this song. It matches very well actually. Sadly, that doesn't mean that this is as good as the general Super Ape track. This one never becomes more than background music for me. Pleasant, but unmemorable. It's been a while since I last heard the Gorillaz album and I didn't recall this existing.

[Schüttelbirne]

433. Gorillaz - New Genius (Brother): 5/10

[mileswide]

Puppetmastaz - Hip Hop Police 5 Neither a satisfying satire spoof nor a completely credible rap track, even if there is a bounce to it that keeps me listening. (I really expected straight-up satire in hip-hop fronted by puppets?? What was I smoking?)

Klaatu - Everybody Took a Holiday 4 I can tell Klaatu have made an effort to keep everything less disjointed than Politzania but I just have a gag reflex against the forced cheeriness of psychedelia when it gets this childlike.

Rufus Wainwright - One Man Guy 7 While not one of his most distinctive works, it's worn down my defences and his understated delivery is a reminder that the 'Tit Man' has inherited the wit of his dad.

Vince Staples - Crabs in a Bucket 6 Would've been an eye-opener if he'd continuing rapping over the 2-step beat (he would've got closer than most US rappers to making grime). As it is, it feels unfinished.

Space - Magic Fly 6 One of those tunes I didn't realise I knew! I can't put my finger on why it feels like it hits a dead-end because I adore a lot of disco and this is melodious enough, I just know I'll be whistling it out of tune when I've finished writing.

LCD Soundsystem - Great Release 4 I'm not entirely immune to James Murphy et al- I got into 'how do you sleep?' during the Overlooked tournament to the point that I'd give it an 8. Saying that, Great Release doesn't culminate in the catharsis it appears to be straining for.

Axelle Red - Je t'attends 6 A French 'Time after Time', anyone? I do tend to cut Francophone music more slack unconsciously, though, and it doesn't waste a second of its duration.

Gorillaz - New Genius (Brother) 8 So this is Damon Albarn going trip-hop? He throws melodica in there to tie in with the singles off the album and to add to the smoky ambience. Although I can't foresee a revival of the genre, I do think the song's mood of wariness towards the outside world may strike a chord with the coming zeitgeist (excuse the shoehorn). Regardless, it feels full of life, albeit a life of paranoia.

[Hymie]

433. Gorillaz – New Genius (Brother)

4

[Rob]

Hymie hell-bent on vengeance:

434. Smiley Lewis – Down the Road
Year: 1954
Released as a single: B-Side to Blue Monday
Biggest Fan: Hymie (#551)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

Smiley Lewis - Down the Road - 6

[Wezzo]

434. Smiley Lewis – Down the Road - 6

[Rob]

Smiley Lewis – Down the Road: 5
More like middle-of-the-road. Not a bad performance, but too much your average blues song to be really taken with it.

[Hymie]

Smiley Lewis – Down the Road: 5
More like middle-of-the-road. Not a bad performance, but too much your average blues song to be really taken with it.

"Your average blues song from 1954" is far better than "anything" done in the past 35 years or so IMO. Although this record is not blues, but it is New Orleans Rhythm And Blues. It features rock and roll hall of famer Fats Domino on piano and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Bartholomew on trumpet and as the producer. Lee Allen and Herb Hardesty on the saxophones.

Rob, I am not surprised that you cannot tell the difference between blues and rhythm and blues from this era. Just as I cannot tell the difference between any of these crazy sub-genres in modern music.

9

[Schüttelbirne]

434. Smiley Lewis - Down the Road: 5/10

[Brad]

427. Klaatu - Everybody Took a Holiday: 6.5
428. Rufus Wainwright - One Man Guy: 4
429. Vince Staples – Crabs in a Bucket: 6
430. Space - Magic Fly: 6
431. LCD Soundsystem – Great Release: 7
432. Axelle Red – Je t’attends: 6
433. Gorillaz – New Genius (Brother): 7
434. Smiley Lewis - Down the Road: 6.5

Thanks!

[Rob]

The second appearance by U2, again from War:

435. U2 – Red Light
Year: 1983
Album: War
Biggest Fan: Listyguy (#421)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

[Wezzo]

435. U2 – Red Light - 7

[Akhenaten]

416. Linda Ronstadt – Hurt So Bad - 6
417. Kylie Minogue – Secret (Take You Home) - 5.5
418. Steve “Silk” Hurley – Jack Your Body - 3
[I've never liked this one]
419. The Beach Boys – This Whole World - 5.5
420. Kylie Minogue - Shocked - 4.5
421. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gimme Back My Bullets - 4
422. The Flaming Lips – A Spoonful Weighs a Ton - 7.5
(AT #6590)
423. The Eyeliners – Think of Me - 5.5
424. The Knife – From Off to On - 5
425. Gastr del Sol - Mouth Canyon - 4
426. Puppetmastaz - Hip Hop Police - 3
427. Klaatu - Everybody Took a Holiday - 8.5
[I love Klaatu - well at least the two tracks I've discovered through Biggest Fan. It's no "Long Live Politzania" (!), but it's still very good.]
(New AT #2157)
428. Rufus Wainwright - One Man Guy - 5
[Rufus had recorded some brilliant songs, but this isn't one of them]
429. Vince Staples – Crabs in a Bucket - 2.5
430. Space - Magic Fly - 6
431. LCD Soundsystem – Great Release - 4
432. Axelle Red – Je t’attends - 6.5
433. Gorillaz - New Genius (Brother) - 7.5
(AT #6274)
434. Smiley Lewis – Down the Road - 7
435. U2 – Red Light - 6

[spiritualized]

432. Axelle Red – Je t’attends - 3
433. Gorillaz - New Genius (Brother) - 3.5
434. Smiley Lewis – Down the Road - 6
435. U2 – Red Light - 4

[Hymie]

435. U2 – Red Light

3

[Rob]

U2 – Red Light: 6
Although I've known U2 all my life, I have only recently come to the conclusion that I rate by far most of their work as decent. There are some brilliant songs through their career and I love Achtung Baby to death; and there are also some clunkers, but especially once I get to the deep cuts I mostly think: "Yeah, this is decent". So is this one. It almost lifts off at a certain point, but it turns out it's already the end.

[Hymie]

U2 – Red Light: 6
Although I've known U2 all my life, I have only recently come to the conclusion that I rate by far most of their work as decent. There are some brilliant songs through their career and I love Achtung Baby to death; and there are also some clunkers, but especially once I get to the deep cuts I mostly think: "Yeah, this is decent". So is this one. It almost lifts off at a certain point, but it turns out it's already the end.

"Decent" should be a 4 or a 5 , not a 6.

10-Incredible Awesome
9 - Great
8 - Excellent
7 - Very Good
6 - Good
5 - Pretty Good
4 - Okay
3 - Not Very Good
2 - Bad
1 - Terrible
0 - Unbelievable Horrible

[Brad]

That's might be the scale you use, but it's not necessarily how everyone else rates their music - nor has a specific scale been assigned to this endeavor.

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

U2 - Red Light - 9
Not to be confused with "Green Light" by Lorde or "New Light" by John Mayer.
First time ever I hear U2 on the radio was a long time ago when I learn about how English-language songs played on the radio. At that time, I only know this band for their power ballad, "With or Without You", also one of their biggest hit singles when it reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100. Thinking of them a one-hit wonder, today I'm very understand English-language and they aren't a one-hit wonder because they have more songs reaching the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 outside the latter song by them.

Edit: In Wikipedia, Billboard is written in Italic.

[Schüttelbirne]

435. U2 - Red Light: 6/10

[Hymie]

That's might be the scale you use, but it's not necessarily how everyone else rates their music - nor has a specific scale been assigned to this endeavor.

What scale could be used where a 6 = decent?

BTW, I believe when this started that my scale (minus the zero) was the suggested one for the project. Either way, I don't see how there can be 5 rankings that are all lower than "decent."

[StevieFan13]

That's might be the scale you use, but it's not necessarily how everyone else rates their music - nor has a specific scale been assigned to this endeavor.

What scale could be used where a 6 = decent?

BTW, I believe when this started that my scale (minus the zero) was the suggested one for the project. Either way, I don't see how there can be 5 rankings that are all lower than "decent."

My scale is something like this (with personal examples):
10 - Absolutely brilliant and untouchable, actual masterpieces (ex: Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," MGMT's "Time to Pretend")
9 - Really really great, maybe not always a masterpiece but certainly the kind of song I could listen to on repeat all the time (ex: Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life," Sleater-Kinney's "Entertain")
8 - Excellent song, not quite an upper-tier all-time great but still a good listen (ex: Panic! At the Disco's "Crazy = Genius," Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine")
7 - Quite good. Not always on repeat, but a good listen when it comes on. (ex: The Beatles' "Eight Days a Week," Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady")
6 - Perfectly OK. The good side of meh, more or less, in that I won't turn it off but I'm not overly attached either. (Ex: Styx's "Come Sail Away," Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush")
5 - Less-good side of meh. "Hate" would be a strong word, but I can't say I really like them. (Ex: Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling")
4 - Really unremarkable. A song that doesn't really give me anything to work with. (Ex: Manfred Mann's "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy," Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You")
3 - Annoying and uninspired. Bad enough to change the radio station, not quite bad enough to ruin your day but close. (Ex: John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." Daughtry's "Home")
2 - Borderline-unlistenable, just absolute garbage. Physical negative reaction when this song comes on. (Ex: LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy (Pappy Mix")
1 - Worthless on every possible level, don't deserve to qualify as music. (Ex: Nick Berry's "Every Loser Wins," Charlie Puth's "Marvin Gaye")

[Hymie]

Okay Stevie, I suppose on your scale decent could be a 5 or a 6. Probably since you don't include zero like I do. With zero included, 5 should be average, as it's right in the middle. Without zero, then the middle is 5.5.

[StevieFan13]

Okay Stevie, I suppose on your scale decent could be a 5 or a 6. Probably since you don't include zero like I do. With zero included, 5 should be average, as it's right in the middle. Without zero, then the middle is 5.5.

I can't even imagine what would qualify as a "zero" to me. It'd have to be a song that actively offends me on a personal level.

[mileswide]

I'd have very different examples to Stevie but broadly similar classifications:

10 Indispensable Ok, maybe not literally but a 10 would only fall out my AT list if it were overplayed or displaced by a song from the same artist. Means a lot to me
9 Classic Thoroughly deserving of a place in my top 1000+. Still has the power to surprise or to make me sing along no matter how many times I've heard it. Or it's a new song that blows my mind straight away
8 Resonant It gives me strong positive feelings (it moves or excites me) and it'll be one of the more memorable songs from its respective year, if not quite of all-time
7 Impressive It's enjoyable and about as close to objectively good as you can get, just short of greatness. Where songs I've heard too much but still like generally cluster
6 Flawed Good but...maybe doesn't bear much repeating or one thing about it lets the rest of the side down
5 Mediocre It'd wrong to call it bad but I'd find it hard to pick out qualities
4 Dull to the point of annoyance
3 Risible Hard to take seriously but also lacking the distinctiveness to be a guilty pleasure. Likely to be unlikeably incompetent without being utterly hopeless
2 Painful Offensive to all my senses but I can (sort of) understand the appeal to its fans
1 Irredeemable The world is a worse place for it existing (I don't remember scoring anything this low but Prostitute and Welcome to My Life were the closest)

But I always saw the Hymie Scale as a guideline anyway and scoring's instinctive for me, it's not an exact science.

[DaveC]

425. Gastr del Sol – Mouth Canyon: 6.5
426. Puppetmastaz – Hip Hop Police: 4
427. Klaatu – Everybody Took a Holiday: 4
428. Rufus Wainwright – One Man Guy: 5
429. Vince Staples – Crabs in a Bucket: 5
430. Space – Magic Fly: 5
431. LCD Soundsystem – Great Release: 7.5
432. Axelle Red – Je t’attends: 7.5
433. Gorillaz – New Genius (Brother): 7.5
434. Smiley Lewis – Down the Road: 6.5
435. U2 – Red Light: 6

[Rob]

I think "the good side of meh" or the better kind of decent so to speak fits well with what I rate a 6. But grades are based on feeling more than reason for me.

More lights today, with the second appearance of Matchbox Twenty, again from More Than You Think You Are:

436. Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights
Year: 2002
Album: More Than You Think You Are
Biggest Fan: Henry (#365)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

[Hymie]

436. Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights

3

[Rob]

Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights: 7
The biggest Elton John imitation ever? At least it is a good one. I bet these people are a big fan of Tiny Dancer. I'm too and I like this song a lot as a result.

[Schüttelbirne]

436. Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights: 6/10

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights - 6
Not to be confused with Bright Lights by Ellie Goulding, an alternative name for her previous album, Lights.

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

10-Incredible Awesome
9 - Great
8 - Excellent
7 - Very Good
6 - Good
5 - Pretty Good
4 - Okay
3 - Not Very Good
2 - Bad
1 - Terrible

What if:
10-Super Unusual (for example: "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd, "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, and other songs)
9 - Very Unusual (for example: "Still Into You" by Paramore, "Africa" by Toto, "Amanda" by Boston, and other songs)
8 - Unusual (for example: "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "Take On Me" by a-ha, and other songs)
7 - Pretty Unusual (for example: "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Through Glass" by Stone Sour, and other songs)
6 - OK (for example: "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, "Wind of Change" by Scorpions, "Poison" by Alice Cooper, and other songs)
5 - Not Very Unusual (for example: "(I just) died in your arms" by Cutting Crew, "Shout" by Tears For Fears, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, and other songs)
4 - Pretty Usual (for example: "One Last Breath" by Creed, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs, "Crash into Me" by Dave Matthews Band, and other songs)
3 - Usual (for example: "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger, "Listen to Your Heart" by Roxette, and other songs)
2 - Very Usual (for example: "Hey You" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, "Heaven" by Warrant, "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart, and other songs)
1 - Super Usual (for example: "Stay" by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by Great White, "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Bad Company, and other songs)

[Henry]

436. Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights - 8

[Rob]

Sorry for the delay today. I honestly forgot about it.

437. White Reaper – Judy French
Year: 2017
Album: The World’s Best American Band
Biggest Fan: Jap123 (#589)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

[Hymie]

437. White Reaper – Judy French

4

[Hymie]

1 - Super Usual (for example: "Stay" by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs,

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that "Stay" is the only record on your list by a non-white act. For me it's a 9, and better than almost every other song you mentioned.

[Schüttelbirne]

437. White Reaper - Judy French: 5/10

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

1 - Super Usual (for example: "Stay" by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs,

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that "Stay" is the only record on your list by a non-white act. For me it's a 9, and better than almost every other song you mentioned.

Oh! But, I also rate it 9 from the previous rate of 1. It is special because, first, it was The Zodiacs' only biggest hit single ("Little Darlin'" was performed under the name, The Gladiolas, but having a great success for The Diamonds). Second, "Stay" is from the beginning of the 1960s. Third, it was the shortest song on Billboard's Hot 100 with lasting at 1:36 or 19 seconds longer than "on the night like this" by Mocca.

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

White Reaper - Judy French - 6

[Rob]

Today marks the second appearance by Deerhunter:

438. Deerhunter – Twilight at Carbon Lake
Year: 2008
Album: Microcastle
Biggest Fan: Depeche Mode (#454)

Don’t forget you can always vote for earlier songs or change your vote!

[Wisnu Tirta Aji]

Deerhunter - Twilight at Carbon Lake - 9

[Henrik]

10-Incredible Awesome
9 - Great
8 - Excellent
7 - Very Good
6 - Good
5 - Pretty Good
4 - Okay
3 - Not Very Good
2 - Bad
1 - Terrible

What if:
10-Super Unusual (for example: "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd, "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, and other songs)
9 - Very Unusual (for example: "Still Into You" by Paramore, "Africa" by Toto, "Amanda" by Boston, and other songs)
8 - Unusual (for example: "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "Take On Me" by a-ha, and other songs)
7 - Pretty Unusual (for example: "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Through Glass" by Stone Sour, and other songs)
6 - OK (for example: "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, "Wind of Change" by Scorpions, "Poison" by Alice Cooper, and other songs)
5 - Not Very Unusual (for example: "(I just) died in your arms" by Cutting Crew, "Shout" by Tears For Fears, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, and other songs)
4 - Pretty Usual (for example: "One Last Breath" by Creed, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs, "Crash into Me" by Dave Matthews Band, and other songs)
3 - Usual (for example: "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger, "Listen to Your Heart" by Roxette, and other songs)
2 - Very Usual (for example: "Hey You" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, "Heaven" by Warrant, "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart, and other songs)
1 - Super Usual (for example: "Stay" by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by Great White, "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Bad Company, and other songs)

These ratings are supposed to reflect how much we like the songs, so do you mean unusually good? And super usual = totally bland? Otherwise I don’t get it.

[spiritualized]

436. Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights: 4
437. White Reaper - Judy French: 6
438. Deerhunter – Twilight at Carbon Lake - 7