Marc Fagel

YouTube video by ShakyShorty The National & War On Drugs - Bring On The Dancing Horses (Cover)(Toronto 2024)

As covered by The National (with War on Drugs):

Saddened to wake to news of John Lodge's passing. While the Moodies weren't always the most convincing "rock" band, his more upbeat tracks were a fun counterpart to their more melodic and arty numbers. Plus, still one of the best concerts I saw as a kid.

YouTube video by Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & The Bunnymen - Bring on The Dancing Horses (Official Music Video)

Hating all the faking, and I'm shaking while I'm breaking your brittle heart...

Today’s Connections gives a wink to Big Star fans!

My Top 2000 Songs #1115: Bring On The Dancing Horses Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1115: Bring On The Dancing Horses. While I hate when artists toss a new song onto a hits collection, compelling fans to pick up a record they don't otherwise need, @bunnymen.com offered the rare example of the new song being totally worth it. One of the definitive 80s tracks.

YouTube video by Yuck - Topic Bled White

Fun cover from indie rockers Yuck:

Crashing Dream album cover

“The real highlight on 'Crashing Dream' is Don’t Feel Bad, dueling bass and guitar lines that feel deeply indebted to 'Revolver', a punchy psych-pop track that carries on where the debut left off”

@marcfagel.bsky.social picks his top #RainParade tracks

www.toppermost.co.uk/rain-parade/

Emergency Third Rail Power Trip album cover

“The psychedelic opus This Can’t Be Today, a lysergic expedition, hypnotic keyboards, fizzy guitars, backwards tapes, stop-start tempos, wall-of-sound reverb”

@marcfagel.bsky.social picks his top #RainParade tracks – this one on ‘Emergency Third Rail Power Trip’

www.toppermost.co.uk/rain-parade/

Four Albums of the Week

#music #musicsky #nowplaying

#playlist: "Four Albums of the Week", an interleaved, resequenced, alternating mix of songs from four albums. This week featuring Rain Parade, The Beatles, The Bats, and The Asteroid No.4. Enjoy! 🎶

Hat tip to @marcfagel.bsky.social

open.spotify.com/playlist/59Z...

Sadly, the rest of the album (and later work) isn't nearly as good as the first album & EP; that's the one song that sounds like a holdover from Third Rail.

Have you ever heard the Things' Outside My Window? Pretty obscure mid-80s Paisley Underground band, clearly ripping off Rain Parade, but good album--out of print for decades but finally available. Or The Asteroid #4, An Amazing Dream, as a more contemporary take on the Rain Parade sound.

Fun combo. The Bats' Daddy's Highway is another one of my all-time favorite albums. I have to concede I've never loved the Three O'Clock (a little too twee, and the production on their records is kinda thin), though the early Salvation Army stuff on this particular record is decent.

YouTube video by Rain Parade - Topic Don't Feel Bad (2025 Remaster)

Yes, they totally nailed that Revolver guitar/bass sound. I'd add in "Don't Feel Bad" from Crashing Dream as a pretty explicit merger of "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Tomorrow Never Knows."

Totally with you! I hated Yes when I was in my high school prog phase, largely on account of Anderson’s vocals. But I like them more now; the remastered albums sound great, and I’m a little more tolerant of the vocals.

Oh, yeah, I'm still all in on prog! My faves remain Gabriel-era Genesis (Nursery Cryme, Selling England) and early King Crimson (Court of the Crimson King). But I'll occasionally spin some Yes (Yes Album, Fragile) and even Tull (Thick as a Brick).

YouTube video by Elliott Smith - Topic Bled White

It may not seem quite right; but I'm not fucked, not quite...

My Top 2000 Songs #1114: Bled White Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1114: Bled White. It was an open question how well Elliott Smith's dark, intimate songwriting would hold up when given a big budget and dense, Beatlesque production... and it turns out, pretty great.

Wilco: The Great Lates (2009-2023)

Ha! But, yeah, that Jay run was peak Wilco. Though the next two were pretty good. Very hit and miss since then, though there are some gems sprinkled about. I made myself of latter-day favorites and it gets the job done. open.spotify.com/playlist/64O...

I've only listened once. I'd say it's better than many of the Wilco records of the past decade, but still suffers from his reluctance to write the sort of catchy, straightforward rock/pop/Americana song at which he once excelled. Once I shrink it to a more manageable length I think it'll be better.

For the latest Toppermost, I gave a quick walk through the history of Rain Parade--responsible for one of the greatest albums of the 80s (and ever!)--and picked their Top 10 songs.

Yeah, definitely cut from the same cloth as the Gun Club. I should've name-checked them in the write-up.

YouTube video by Jet Black Berries - Topic Bad Hombre

In an instant it was over, one wrong move's all it takes. And the only one left standing, would be the bad hombre...

My Top 2000 Songs #1113: Bad Hombre Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1113: Bad Hombre. One of those songs from my 80s college radio days that still randomly pops up in my head, the Jet Black Berries blending 60s garage rock, cowpunk, and Spaghetti Western imagery. Perfect for a Tarantino soundtrack.

Great stuff. But I’m sitting out the Geese train.

Great song; hadn't really made the connection (didn't pick up that album until a few years back). I tend to think of the Feelies' "Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness" as kinda vibe-defining.

Thanks! (I think the name of the blog/book turns some people off, but it was how my taste in music was described by an old friend and it seemed... fair.)

Hope you can complete the film. I don't know much about Freedy's life outside his music, but sounds fascinating.

Oldie but a goodie… and a fine excuse to spend the afternoon listening to Badfinger.

Odd and unfortunate timing. And once again I have Mr. Hickey to thank for my understanding of Dreja's contributions to music history. Another good reason for those who haven't yet checked out the Dazed & Confused two-parter to do so ASAP.

Brushes with fame!

The Great Lost Feelies LP

Not to steal Jim's thunder on Feelies-adjacent music; but to whet your appetite, here's my Great Lost Feelies Album.