Gonzo: Ayo!
Blerd: Howdy senor!
So, I had an idea, and of course, your opinion is most welcome here.
Every once in a while-instead of listening to covers, we listen to several songs that have the same title but are different songs.
G: I like it!
B: I don’t know if we should call it something different, though.
Maybe we have a contest?
G: Contests are good.
B: Yeah, so i’ll post that on the FB page…and you & me pick the winner?
G: Sounds great!
B: Cool…well, ready to get busy? This will be sort of a combo plate…
G: Let’s get bizzzzzzzaaaaaayyyyyyyy!
B: Ready for the smoothest soul music you’ve ever heard in your life?
G: Is it going to get me pregnant?
B: That’s entirely possible.
G: I’ll make Limbaugh pay for it.
B: You slut.
G: Oh, hell yes.
This might be a subtle geek thing, but something that I love about most of Al’s tunes are the drum arrangements and their unique use of the toms.
B: OK, since i’m a little less geeky on the instrumental scale, you’re gonna have to help me out here. I know what a…high hat is, and a cymbal.
G: The basic kit has the bass (kick), snare and toms. Generally the toms are reserved for fills and whatnot.
But in a lot of Al Green’s tunes (this one included), the snare and tom hit on the two and four, which gives it that deep sound, on top of the snare.
B: I think i get it! Kinda.
I’m trying to think of something to compare Al’s voice to…and i was gonna try to avoid breakfast food comparisons for obvious reasons. But it’s like…I don’t know, taking a bath in milk. Luxurious.
G: Damn, that works.
B: That’s what i see visually when i hear his voice.
At any rate, are we ready to move on?
G: Oh snap. Pulling the Above the Rim soundtrack?!
B: Hell yeah. The album that gave us Warren G and Nate Dogg.
G: Still smooth. Certainly has that early ’90s soul production.
B: Yeah, it’s a little overproduced, but pretty solid overall.
Al B. is nowhere near the singer Al G. was/is.
G: Who is?
What the hell is Al B. Sure! doing in 2012?
B: He put out an album two years ago (actually three) that was GOOD!
G: Holy shit. I don’t think I ever knew that it was him on Bowie’s “Black Tie, White Noise.”
B: Ah, that i knew. They performed it together on Arsenio.
G: The concept of Bowie on Arsenio.
G: Ha. I was already watching it!
B: You dont miss a beat!
G: Damn. Bowie fine.
B: If i had any fashion sense at all, Iwould want to be David Bowie. That man can wear the shit out of anything.
G: Oh God, yes. I mean Prince can make ridiculous shit look good, but Bowie actually has a really keen fashion sense. To be fair, you can’t be traipsing around in jeans and t-shirts when you’re married to Iman.
B: They would have to be very expensive, tailored T-shirts.
G: Gucci t-shirts.
B: OK, lets step away from Bowie for a second, and go to quite possibly our oldest and standbyest of old standbys.
G: Post ‘stache Hall and Oates!
I’ll say, I walked away impressed by Hall’s voice when I saw them live a couple of years ago.
B: I’m still debating going to see him in concert next month.
G: Solo?
B: With Sharon Jones.
G: Well, their episode of Live From Daryl’s House was pretty great.
B: Haven’t seen it.
As i’ve mentioned before, I’m fairly ambivalent about Sharon Jones.
G: Oh man. I mean, on record, I can understand. But she’s got a great voice, and is pretty awesome live.
But, how much do you want to spend on all Hall, no Oates? That’s the real question.
B: Well, let’s be real here. How much does Oates add to the equation?
G: Point taken, I guess. But you know…”the real deal.”
B: I honestly would rather see Hall & Oates together, but who knows when/if i’ll get that chance?
So, wanna go in a different direction? we’re not done yet!
G: All ears, mate!
G: Oh man.
B: There was a time when i adored this song. One of Jam & Lewis’s better moments.
G: It’s definitely even more typical ’90s production than Al B. Sure!
B: You might be right. And the video screams ’90s.
G: Yeah. White suits, boats, sunsets…
B: S.S. Candy Girl!!
G: Ha!
B: OK, one more! Into the 21st century!
Oh wait, Hall & Oates was the 21st century. Anyway…
G: Tag this with “shit I totally forgot about”
B: Sean Paul needs subtitles…and i grew up around Jamaicans.
I can say this is a fun song, but probably not much in the same league as the others.
G: But there’s a hell of a lot more rump shakin’ going on here.
B: Welcome to every reggae video made post-1990
So there we go. Five songs. All with the same title. Three of them different compositions entirely. Whatcha thinking?
G: I’m going to be totally and brutally honest here. My interest kind of waned as we went along.
B: Is that due to the songs getting progressively worse?
G: I don’t know that they necessarily got worse, but there wasn’t a whole lot to keep me interested.
G: “I’m Still in Love with You” is a great song, one of Al Green’s many classics.
I’m generally pretty uninterested in Hall & Oates doing covers – I know exactly what I’m going to get there. I’m also not so interested in anything that they’ve produced post Big Bam Boom. So double whammy there.
The Al B Sure! and New Edition sounded exactly as I expected them to.
B: You hadn’t heard either one of them before?
G: I honestly don”t believe so. I did enjoy hearing the Sean Paul track again, though
B: Hmmm…slightly odd. The ABS song wasn’t a very big hit, but the N.E. song was huge, and certainly from a time period where you’d remember it having been a radio hit.
G: Maybe I drank too much Surge that year.
B: Actually, nerd alert. It was the 3rd highest charting song of their career on the pop charts.
G: Jesus.
Behind “Candy Girl” and “If It Isn’t Love?”
B: Actually, “Candy Girl” never even made the top 40.
“Hit Me Off” hit #3, “Cool It Now” hit #4, ” I’m Still In Love With You” and “If It Isn’t Love” both hit #7.
G: Wow, I’m a little amazed.
I would have guessed “If It Isn’t Love” was their highest charting single.
I think it’s obvious that neither of us are going to go against the Reverend. Perhaps the more interesting question is what’s your pick of the others?
B: I’d probably go with New Edition…the Sean Paul song loses it’s luster outside of a club, and the two remakes are just kind of Xerox-y.
G: It’s hard for me to even pick one, honestly. I might go with Al. It has a bit more of it’s own spin.
B: You’re so picky!!
G: Damn right I’m picky!
B: I will say that this particular conversation has cost me 99 cents thanks to “Black Tie White Noise.”
G: “oiyoiyoise”
B: You think if i point at people and say that randomly, they’ll know what I’m talking about?
G: Aside from me? Probably not.
B: Damn it!!
Al Green wins in a cakewalk here, while second place is split between Al B. Sure!’s cover and New Edition’s completely different song with the exact same title.