Let's start with MCA. He led a band, that made a lot of groundbreaking advances during their career. Starting off as a punk band, then changed their direction to the burgeoning hip-hop scene in the mid 80's. However, like a lot of white rappers, they weren't really taken too seriously; in fact, they were booed often when they opened for Madonna on her "Virgin Tour" in 1985. The Beasties, though hit the top with their "Licenced to Ill" album in 1986, and their (only) top ten single "You Gotta Fight For Your Right (To Party), a number 7 hit in early 1987. They were also noted for songs like "Hold it Now", "Paul Revere", "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" and many others. They had a good following, but the masses still treated them as novelties. I remember one song that rock station WDHA played. I don't remember who did it, but it went something like this "When I Turn On the Radio, I Hear A Rotten Noise / The Name of the Group is the Beastie Boys"....and "I wanna be real stupid and real rich". They became fair game for all the pundits.
Well, a quarter of a century later, no one is laughing at them any more. Their next album 1989's "Paul's Botique" took an initial hit sales-wise from "the masses", and the single, "Hey Ladies" just brushed the top 40. But over time, critics and fans have indicated that this was a great album, and what they lost in popularity, they picked up in credibility. And in the 1990's, when hardcore rap and hip-hop prevailed, they endured, even thrived, garnering three more number one albums containing important tracks. Their most recent endeavor, 2011's Hot Sauce Committee II, reached #2 nationally, and two of the tracks hit the SNS Top 40, "Make Some Noise", and "Don't Play No Game That I Want to Win", the latter featuring Santigold, currently on my list in her own right.
The band, and MCA in particular has championed many charitable causes, and headed the Tibetian Freedom Movement as well. I don't know if the Beasties will continue without him (early indications are that they will), but hip hop lost a significant figure two weeks ago.
And then we come to Donna Summer. What is left to say about her? She was definitely the "Queen of Disco", but dispite that typecast, she did manage to trancend that genre in some of her hits as well. Her first big hit, the 17-minute-but edited for radio, sultry "Love to Love You Baby", hit #2 in early 1976 and was a significant factor in the progress of disco. But the late 70's, and 1979 in particular, she owned. "MacArthur Park", "Heaven Knows", "Hot Stuff" (my favorite), "Bad Girls", "Dim All the Nights", "Enough Is Enough" (her epic duet with fellow diva Barbra Streisand), and the aptly named "On the Radio" went thru the roof.
And then, when disco "died", she changed direction. She wasn't as successful, but still had top 10 hits with the new wave-ish "The Wanderer", and the more dance-than-disco "She Works Hard for the Money". Her last pop hit was 1989's "This Time I Know It's For Real". She never left the dance genre, though, in fact, in recent years she's embraced it even more. Six of her 14 #1 songs on the Dance chart came after 1993, including three of them in 2008 alone.
But it was her disco hits that hit me the most. I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the genre, with few exceptions, but the era brought back a lot of memories for me. From 1977 to 1980, me and a few friends would frequent some clubs, most notably a place called Squire's At Far Hills, in Bridgewater. Starting out as a multi-room rock club, it converted a ball room to a disco following the second disco wave in 1978. Almost always, you could hear Donna Summer's latest being blared thru, amidst all the flashing lights. I did live this era, and frankly I don't know how it would have been if it wasn't for her music. I liked Donna's music, even during the early 1980's when she tried to change directions. "The Wanderer" and it's less successful follow-ups, the rock-oriented "Cold Love", and the straight poppish "Who Do You Think You're Fooling" were loved as well. 1983's "She Works Hard for the Money" brought memories of a weekend in Downington, PA during the fourth of July weekend that summer.
But my favorite will always be "Hot Stuff", especially the long version, with it's driving rock guitar augmented by a persistent dance beat. It just grabs hold and doesn't let you go. R.I.P. Donna....and MCA too.
TO THE CHART: As I mentioned last time, the chart was "frozen" last week, although the positions count a second time and the "weeks on list" also count, which is why you will see the latter figure jump by two this week. Thus, we now have a tie for the most weeks at #1. "Screws Get Loose", by Those Darlins hold that position for a fifth week; that ties "What's In It For?" by Avi Buffalo, from the autumn of 2010, for the longest duration at the top.
The question is, will it break the record? Well, at the #2 position, we have Gotye's "Someone That I Used to Know", it has been there in the runner-up spot for a whopping ELEVEN weeks in a row. It's still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and Alternative charts, and #2 on the Adult Top 40 list. My friend Wendy Intili has posted it this past week, and thus it has re-surged, breathing down Those Darlins' neck. I wouldn't be surprised to see this finally make the top next week. Stay tuned.
A lot of new entries into my top 20 this week, led by two tracks from The Hunger Games' Soundtrack: The Decemberists "One Engine", and Maroon 5's Fleet Foxes-sounding "Come Away To The Water". Grace Potter, Toby Keith, and Town Hall also enter.
The top debut is the new one from one of my favorite nineties bands The Offspring. The song "Days Go By" enters at #57 and is the title track from their forthcoming set, due June 26. The band's "Smash" album was one of my favorites and served as the soundtrack to the Summer of 1994, a memorable one for me at the Jersey Shore. The punk-revival band will be playing mostly in Europe this spring and summer, and some North American dates, but nothing on the U.S. East Coast as of yet. Hopefully that will change soon.
Also entering is Mayer Hawthorne's follow-up to his SNS smash "The Walk", this one, 'Henny and Gingerale" is more in a seventies funk groove as compared to the sixties-ish soulful "The Walk". Still a great song. Yet another Florence + the Machine single, although not from their current set, but from the soundtrack to Snow White and the Huntsman, "Breath of Life". Maroon 5's latest official single, in contrast to the one mentioned above, is more in their typical style; "Payphone", is #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 this week and features Wiz Khalifa of "Black and Yellow" fame.
Scenes'n'Soundwaves 100 for Week of May 14, 2012:
|
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
THOSE DARLINS
"Screws Get Loose"
Album: Screws Get Loose
(5 Weeks at #1)
|
10
|
|
2
|
2
|
Gotye f. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know
|
17
|
|
3
|
3
|
Electric Guest - This Head I Hold
|
11
|
|
4
|
5
|
Ty Segall & White Fence - I Am Not A Game
|
8
|
|
5
|
6
|
Dante vs Zombies - Natural Disaster
|
9
|
|
6
|
7
|
Miike Snow - Paddling Out
|
8
|
|
7
|
4
|
Fun. f. Janelle Monae - We Are Young
|
24
|
|
8
|
8
|
Garbage - Blood For Poppies
|
8
|
|
9
|
12
|
Silversun Pickups - Bloody Mary
|
7
|
|
10
|
11
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - L.O.V.
|
10
|
|
11
|
14
|
Lady Antebellum - Dancing Away With My Heart
|
8
|
|
12
|
18
|
The Shins- The Rifle's Spiral
|
6
|
|
13
|
10
|
The Black Keys - Gold On the Ceiling
|
16
|
|
14
|
13
|
E'lissa Jones - Best I Ever Had
|
11
|
|
15
|
9
|
The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love
|
18
|
|
16
|
22
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
THE DECEMBERISTS
"One Engine"
Album: The Hunger Games (Soundtrack)
|
6
|
|
17
|
21
|
Maroon 5 - Come Away To the Water
|
8
|
|
18
|
25
|
Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup
|
8
|
|
19
|
29
|
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Never Go Back
|
5
|
|
20
|
28
|
Town Hall - Good Boy
|
7
|
|
21
|
30
|
Dirty Heads - Spread Too Thin
|
9
|
|
22
|
17
|
Rachel Allyn- Ain't No Fun
|
22
|
|
23
|
27
|
Beach House - Myth
|
9
|
|
24
|
15
|
Pageants - Edible Rust
|
18
|
|
25
|
20
|
Young the Giant - Apartment
|
13
|
|
26
|
31
|
Jack White - Sixteen Saltines
|
6
|
|
27
|
16
|
Veronica Falls - Bad Feeling
|
17
|
|
28
|
24
|
Gary Clark Jr - Bright Lights
|
16
|
|
29
|
32
|
Florence + the Machine - No Light, No Light
|
18
|
|
30
|
19
|
Wild Nothing - Nowhere
|
16
|
|
31
|
23
|
Nada Surf - Waiting For Something
|
15
|
|
32
|
36
|
Marriages - Ride In My Place
|
7
|
|
33
|
26
|
Caveman - Old Friend
|
16
|
|
34
|
44
|
The Hives - Go Right Ahead
|
7
|
|
35
|
40
|
Eve6 - Victoria
|
9
|
|
36
|
37
|
Jessie J - Domino
|
11
|
|
37
|
72
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
METRIC
"Youth Without Youth"
Album: Synthetica
|
3
|
|
38
|
46
|
The Wombats - Jump Into the Fog
|
10
|
|
39
|
34
|
Colbie Caillat - Favorite Song
|
8
|
|
40
|
39
|
Haley Reinhart - Free
|
8
|
|
41
|
33
|
My Morning Jacket - First Light
|
19
|
|
42
|
42
|
Grouplove - Tongue Tied
|
22
|
|
43
|
53
|
Lost n the Trees - Golden Eyelids
|
6
|
|
44
|
62
|
Oberhofer - Away From You
|
4
|
|
45
|
35
|
Omnia - Grace
|
22
|
|
46
|
54
|
Norah Jones - Happy Pills
|
10
|
|
47
|
38
|
E'lissa Jones - Sweet Surrender
|
13
|
|
48
|
60
|
Snow Patrol - This Isn't Everything You Are
|
4
|
|
49
|
43
|
The Cranberries - Tomorrow
|
20
|
|
50
|
50
|
Dr. Dog - That Old Black Hole
|
17
|
|
51
|
47
|
Florence + the Machine - Never Let Me Go
|
10
|
|
52
|
52
|
Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
|
15
|
|
53
|
66
|
Zach Heckendorf - All the Right Places
|
5
|
|
54
|
84
|
Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros - That's What's Up
|
3
|
|
55
|
41
|
Sarah Jean - At Last
|
16
|
|
56
|
61
|
Temper Trap - Need Your Love
|
6
|
|
57
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
THE OFFSPRING
"Days Go By"
Album: Days Go By
|
1
|
|
58
|
90
|
Linkin Park - Burn It Down
|
3
|
|
59
|
45
|
Bush - Baby Come Home
|
16
|
|
60
|
49
|
Leila - Black and White
|
11
|
|
61
|
----
|
Mayer Hawthorne - Henny and Gingerale
|
1
|
|
62
|
48
|
Santigold - Disparate Youth
|
12
|
|
63
|
55
|
Atlas Sound - The Shakes
|
23
|
|
64
|
58
|
Keane - Silenced by the Night
|
8
|
|
65
|
77
|
The Fray - Run For Your Life
|
4
|
|
66
|
51
|
Snow Patrol - New York
|
20
|
|
67
|
75
|
Train - Drive By
|
18
|
|
68
|
56
|
Sharon Van Etten - Serpents
|
22
|
|
69
|
74
|
Fun. - Some Nights
|
7
|
|
70
|
83
|
Smash Palace - Living It Lonely
|
3
|
|
71
|
----
|
Florence + the Machine - Breath of Life
|
1
|
|
72
|
70
|
Lana Del Ray - Born To Die
|
7
|
|
73
|
57
|
Islands - Hallways
|
13
|
|
74
|
67
|
Twin Atlantic - Free
|
6
|
|
75
|
64
|
Ingrid Michaelson - Ghost
|
14
|
|
76
|
63
|
Tennis - Origins
|
19
|
|
77
|
69
|
Mayer Hawthorne - The Walk
|
31
|
|
78
|
71
|
The Big Pink - Hit the Ground Superman
|
6
|
|
79
|
78
|
Tanlines - All of Me
|
6
|
|
80
|
86
|
Gotye - Eyes Wide Open
|
4
|
|
81
|
59
|
Kelly Clarkson - Stronger
|
19
|
|
82
|
82
|
Foo Fighters - Bridge Burning
|
4
|
|
83
|
----
|
Maroon 5- Payphone
|
1
|
|
84
|
81
|
Kellie Pickler - 100 Proof
|
6
|
|
85
|
73
|
Delta Spirit - California
|
12
|
|
86
|
93
|
Alabama Shakes - Hold On
|
9
|
|
87
|
100
|
Chromatics - Kill For Love
|
3
|
|
88
|
76
|
Cage the Elephant - Always Something
|
12
|
|
89
|
94
|
Morning Parade - Headlights
|
3
|
|
90
|
----
|
Graffiti6 - Stare Into the Sun
|
1
|
|
91
|
65
|
The All American Rejects - Bee Keepers Daughter
|
9
|
|
92
|
89
|
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw - Feel Like A Rock Star
|
3
|
|
93
|
68
|
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Heart Attack
|
18
|
|
94
|
80
|
That Ghost - Morning Now
|
12
|
|
95
|
96
|
Julia Holter - In the Same Room
|
7
|
|
96
|
----
|
Alex Clare - Too Close
|
1
|
|
97
|
88
|
Kimbra - Settle Down
|
6
|
|
98
|
79
|
Katy Perry - Part of Me
|
13
|
|
99
|
99
|
Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks
|
21
|
|
100
|
87
|
Wilco - Dawned On Me
|
21
|
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