This was great fun! I have that Jim Stafford songs on a treasured K-Tel compilation - ahh, the 70s, LOL. If you wanted an instrumental to break things up, you could add this slab of funk from Herbie Hancock: https://youtu.be/2EQlKntLH2o?si=wy9NshoFvufi9Sm9
This was a lot of fun to listen to! I imagine you must have had a great time researching and pulling this together. Compiling theme or word-focused playlist like this seems like a great musical discovery exercise. I’ve certainly learned a lot!
There’s so much on here I’ve never heard before which means a lot of musical rabbit holes for me to wander down later this week. Quite a few bands I’d heard of but not listened to (Uriah Heap, TMBG, Cage The Elephant, Wilco) and some new (to me) artists. Really liked that Benee song, so will need to dive into that musical pool.
Highlights for me were The Mommhyeads and Elf Power tracks. Are those songs reflective of the rest of their music? Any suggestions on where to start with their back catalogs?
And that whole Dolly Parton/Jim Stafford segment was all just a bit ewww! Creepy indeed!
Oh yeah-- I love putting together themed playlists! They tend not to get a lot of discussion as they require more time and effort from the reader/listener, but we music obsessives seem to find a way to find the time to dive deep!
I was super excited to find the Benee song. Haven't had time to look into her other stuff yet, but I'm looking forward to. I would say that if you like that The Mommyheads song, I'd highly recommend their first 4 or 5 albums: Acorn, Coming into Beauty, Flying Suit, Bingham's Hole, and Mommyheads. The latter was produced by Don Was and is the most slick of them all, but it's truly excellent. After that, they broke up/went on hiatus--maybe the jump to a big label with a big producer was too much for them. They returned a decade later, and although I like some of the songs, they were never the same smartly-progressive power-pop band that guided me through my 20s. To be honest, I never gave their later albums the time to get to know them. So maybe there are far more gems.
I'd say something similar about Elf Power. I got into them early and then my life got busy and I more or less forgot about them. But they kept making new music ever since the mid-90s and according to allmusic.com all their later albums have high ratings, so I've got to go check them out. My favorites from them are their second and 3rd albums, When the Red King Comes and A Dream in Sound. But it is making me want to do a deep dive back into their catalog. They are super underrated.
That happens for me too with bands that I was totally into in my 20s and then I just drift away from them. Until 30 years later I wonder what happened to them and find out they’ve just continued making music and I wasn’t listening to it! I’ll check out those albums you recommended. Thanks
Thanks for sharing this, Rick! I really didn't know anything about Stafford before researching this. I had no idea he'd been in a band with Gram Parsons -- I'll have to look into that. Did they have albums? I'm surprised/not surprised that Stafford didn't have a longer recording career. If he was writing mostly novelty songs, then by definition, they wear off quickly. I just listened to the Bobby Gentry episode of the Cocaine and Rhinestones podcast (which I discovered years after it was recorded). I'm sure it was mentioned that she was married to Stafford, but I didn't connect the dots!
Thanks for taking the time to listen to the list, Michael! Yeah - I felt the same as you about Slipknot, but I dug that song and they have others that are excellent, but it's generally a mixed bag with them. Mommyheads and Elf Power have lengthy discographies, most of which are worth checking out (I admit to not having heard about 1/3 of each's oeuvre).
I've loved Euthenasia the Arachnid's airy abode ever since I spied her web. I've only heard or heard of a small handful of your spider songs, and I look forward to listening later today, but I wanted to give a holla to Alice Cooper and their "Return of the Spiders" from their second album, "Easy Action" from 1970: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiZx4TzMU1k
BTW, I hear Euthenasia is up to no good, and is planning a massive endeavor to cover the entire planet with her spindly output. Yep, and she'll have no problem, thankyouverymuch, in calling it the Web Wide World.🕸🌎🕷
Good pick on the Alice Cooper suggestion! For some reason that one didn’t appear in any of my searches. Perhaps I shouldn’t have entered in the criteria “ songs that Brad Kyle would not pick“
Great compilation! As soon as I saw the Jim Stafford entry, the song started playing in my mind... I've not heard that for decades and likely would never have excavated it on my own.
I can't decide if I like Primus Claypool better than Duo De Twang Claypool or Claypool Lennon Delirium Claypool ... I foresee some listening sessions in my future to get it sorted.
I think at this time in my life I prefer the CLD stuff, but I used to be a big Primus fan. I have somewhat aged out of them over the years. I don't know the Duo De Twang, so will check that out! And did you watch the Dolly Parton/Jim Stafford video?
Including me! She was so savvy at playing into the stereotype of the sexy doll(y), while slyly subverting it. I watched many episodes of her show with Porter Wagoner and her ability to charm, disarm and captivate is innate and masterful.
I was mostly pointing at myself with that comment; I've never been a country music fan, so it was too easy for me to dismiss her. Watching her in "9 to 5" was my first clue-by-four as to her talents.
I was and still am a big Primus fan. I discovered Duo De Twang via their cover of "Stayin' Alive." The only CLD I've heard to date was their appearance on Colbert's show, so I'm eager to explore.
No, I haven't watched the Parton/Stafford video yet. But I will.
This was great fun! I have that Jim Stafford songs on a treasured K-Tel compilation - ahh, the 70s, LOL. If you wanted an instrumental to break things up, you could add this slab of funk from Herbie Hancock: https://youtu.be/2EQlKntLH2o?si=wy9NshoFvufi9Sm9
Great playlist! And you were absolutely correct to include 'Lullaby' - that's one of the first 'spider' songs to pop into my head!
I love the Hoodoo Gurus too, and I love "Mind the Spider"! One addition that comes to mind is "Spiders and Flies" by Deadsoul Tribe.
I'm not familiar with Deadsoul Tribe, will have to check them out! Thanks for the tip!
This was a lot of fun to listen to! I imagine you must have had a great time researching and pulling this together. Compiling theme or word-focused playlist like this seems like a great musical discovery exercise. I’ve certainly learned a lot!
There’s so much on here I’ve never heard before which means a lot of musical rabbit holes for me to wander down later this week. Quite a few bands I’d heard of but not listened to (Uriah Heap, TMBG, Cage The Elephant, Wilco) and some new (to me) artists. Really liked that Benee song, so will need to dive into that musical pool.
Highlights for me were The Mommhyeads and Elf Power tracks. Are those songs reflective of the rest of their music? Any suggestions on where to start with their back catalogs?
And that whole Dolly Parton/Jim Stafford segment was all just a bit ewww! Creepy indeed!
Oh yeah-- I love putting together themed playlists! They tend not to get a lot of discussion as they require more time and effort from the reader/listener, but we music obsessives seem to find a way to find the time to dive deep!
I was super excited to find the Benee song. Haven't had time to look into her other stuff yet, but I'm looking forward to. I would say that if you like that The Mommyheads song, I'd highly recommend their first 4 or 5 albums: Acorn, Coming into Beauty, Flying Suit, Bingham's Hole, and Mommyheads. The latter was produced by Don Was and is the most slick of them all, but it's truly excellent. After that, they broke up/went on hiatus--maybe the jump to a big label with a big producer was too much for them. They returned a decade later, and although I like some of the songs, they were never the same smartly-progressive power-pop band that guided me through my 20s. To be honest, I never gave their later albums the time to get to know them. So maybe there are far more gems.
I'd say something similar about Elf Power. I got into them early and then my life got busy and I more or less forgot about them. But they kept making new music ever since the mid-90s and according to allmusic.com all their later albums have high ratings, so I've got to go check them out. My favorites from them are their second and 3rd albums, When the Red King Comes and A Dream in Sound. But it is making me want to do a deep dive back into their catalog. They are super underrated.
That happens for me too with bands that I was totally into in my 20s and then I just drift away from them. Until 30 years later I wonder what happened to them and find out they’ve just continued making music and I wasn’t listening to it! I’ll check out those albums you recommended. Thanks
Not spider-related, but Jim Stafford had an interesting career arc. I wrote a bit about another one of his hits awhile back. Among other things, when he was younger, he played in a band with Gram Parsons and the guy who had a bunch of 1970s hits as "Lobo" https://www.allyourscreens.com/en/component/k2/item/3802-today-s-70s-song-you-should-know-jim-stafford-s-vaguely-homophobic-hit-my-girl-bill
Thanks for sharing this, Rick! I really didn't know anything about Stafford before researching this. I had no idea he'd been in a band with Gram Parsons -- I'll have to look into that. Did they have albums? I'm surprised/not surprised that Stafford didn't have a longer recording career. If he was writing mostly novelty songs, then by definition, they wear off quickly. I just listened to the Bobby Gentry episode of the Cocaine and Rhinestones podcast (which I discovered years after it was recorded). I'm sure it was mentioned that she was married to Stafford, but I didn't connect the dots!
Another great playlist, Steve - I love themes that result in eclectic mixes and this one was fabulous!!
Standouts selections for me:
Slipknot - a band I’d only paid slight attention to as a “not my thing” - very pleasantly surprised - I’ll also have to spend some time with them!
Unsurprising likes: The Mommyheads and Elf Power - had never heard of either - will be paying some attention to each now.
Really great tunes- thanks!!!
Thanks for taking the time to listen to the list, Michael! Yeah - I felt the same as you about Slipknot, but I dug that song and they have others that are excellent, but it's generally a mixed bag with them. Mommyheads and Elf Power have lengthy discographies, most of which are worth checking out (I admit to not having heard about 1/3 of each's oeuvre).
I think I avoided Slipknot subconsciously because my boys are big fans, and their tastes in music are always somewhat suspect....
Thanks so much for putting together some great music - the surprising part was that the theme, “spiders” had such cool stuff
I've loved Euthenasia the Arachnid's airy abode ever since I spied her web. I've only heard or heard of a small handful of your spider songs, and I look forward to listening later today, but I wanted to give a holla to Alice Cooper and their "Return of the Spiders" from their second album, "Easy Action" from 1970: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiZx4TzMU1k
BTW, I hear Euthenasia is up to no good, and is planning a massive endeavor to cover the entire planet with her spindly output. Yep, and she'll have no problem, thankyouverymuch, in calling it the Web Wide World.🕸🌎🕷
🥁🥁💥
Good pick on the Alice Cooper suggestion! For some reason that one didn’t appear in any of my searches. Perhaps I shouldn’t have entered in the criteria “ songs that Brad Kyle would not pick“
Great compilation! As soon as I saw the Jim Stafford entry, the song started playing in my mind... I've not heard that for decades and likely would never have excavated it on my own.
I can't decide if I like Primus Claypool better than Duo De Twang Claypool or Claypool Lennon Delirium Claypool ... I foresee some listening sessions in my future to get it sorted.
I think at this time in my life I prefer the CLD stuff, but I used to be a big Primus fan. I have somewhat aged out of them over the years. I don't know the Duo De Twang, so will check that out! And did you watch the Dolly Parton/Jim Stafford video?
Okay, I finally watched that video. What a hoot! Dolly has always been a national treasure ... some of us were just a bit slow to pick up on that.
Including me! She was so savvy at playing into the stereotype of the sexy doll(y), while slyly subverting it. I watched many episodes of her show with Porter Wagoner and her ability to charm, disarm and captivate is innate and masterful.
I was mostly pointing at myself with that comment; I've never been a country music fan, so it was too easy for me to dismiss her. Watching her in "9 to 5" was my first clue-by-four as to her talents.
I was and still am a big Primus fan. I discovered Duo De Twang via their cover of "Stayin' Alive." The only CLD I've heard to date was their appearance on Colbert's show, so I'm eager to explore.
No, I haven't watched the Parton/Stafford video yet. But I will.