After all, popular music has been around forever. From sing-a-longs, to people playing it on the piano from sheet music, onwards to cylinders, vinyl 78's and 45's, cassettes, CD's, mp3, and now streaming, it has existed for a very long time, with its presentation constantly evolving as well. Same for the way people talk about it, too. That has been pretty much evident during the computer age. Message boards discussing music. Social media as well. Discussions on artists, genres, eras, and anything relating to it.
Messages boards really popped up around the mid to late 90's. Although some of them dealt with current music trends, many of them were nostalgic in nature. One interest that I had was that of "Musicradio 77", WABC, New York, a top 40 station with its heyday in the 1960's and 70's and the soundtrack to many things growing up. It turned into a talk station in 1982, which it still is today. But around 1997, people starting discussing the way things used to be, the stations playlists, surveys, disc jockeys, news sounders, even the commercials back in the day (remember Robert Hall? Dennison the Mens Clothier, anybody). The topics never grow old. Although some radio professionals back in the day chimed in, it was mostly a fan site for "educated" radio lovers who grew up in that era, when top 40 music was melodic.
I was mostly a "lurker", going online just to read the topics and others' posts, and thinking to myself, "I remember that". Then I occasionally chimed in as well, making some comments. Later, an offshoot message board, the "Oldies Message Board", originally started by Bob Shannon who was a DJ for WCBS-FM, the oldies station in town. This board shifted the focus from WABC to music in general; mostly oldies of course with some newer stuff thrown in. It's amazing what kind of stuff was talked about. I did contribute occasionally, but frankly, I felt out of place.
Now, I consider myself a music expert, or at least one on the sixties thru the early nineties, at which time it became so varied that I focused more on alternative music with just a slight eye on the pop chart. But I had troubles "fitting in" to the proceedings of the board. Once, the board moderator was looking for songs that had women's names in them that hit number one, but used in ways that weren't specifically referencing them. Well, I chimed in with "My Melody Of Love" (Bobby Vinton, 1974), since "Melody" could be a girl's name. I was yelled at by the board moderator named Mike Riccio, for a reason I don't remember. Needless to say that was the last time I posted anything on that platform.
Well, along comes Facebook. The new social media. Total addiction. Discussions on many topics, both on people's walls and timelines as well as on public discussion pages. An outlet for posting and talking about the music I like. At the end of 2009, I reactivated my annual top 100 of the year list which had been dormant since 2003 since now I had an audience. And it was this month, three years ago that I published my first blog, then in Facebook Note form. I tried to parlay that into two public pages, both named after this blog, "Scenes 'n' Soundwaves", and "Scenes 'n' Soundwaves Music Page". The former was more of a "brand name" where I would post links to my weekly blogs as well as post various songs mostly new stuff. However, you had to send out the invitations to friends to join the page and were at their mercy to join. Only 11 people did, and I let it slip into oblivion. The "Music Page" was more accessible, and people could request to join it. That one was much more active, and friends were able to post songs on it. I also tried opening up discussions on the pages as well, and the few people who responded, mostly those who didn't like certain music, I tried to at least keep the discussion going. For that board, I did get 43 people to join. It culminated with my countdown of the top 100 of 2012.
In retrospect, that might have killed the page. Another reason was that I was weeks behind in the blog (and as of this writing, I am still about 11 days behind), and only when I got up to date, would I post information and songs on it once again. But that hasn't happened yet. The final reason for its dying was because of a WNEW-FM tribute page that popped up, which essentially cannibalized the music discussions. Hundreds of users were on that board, including some of my friends who once contributed to mine, but stopped.
Just recently, there was a topic on this board, which, as you'd expect from the title of the page, deals with classic rock, and the question was what song you think it was the most overplayed, and that you are now sick of. The poster cited Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets", a #1 hit from early 1974. However, many chose "Stairway to Heaven", "Free Bird", and certain songs from The Who (while lamenting that their better songs virtually get no airplay). Some familiar faces were on that thread from the ones back form the WABC board days, radio people like Ralph Hahn and Vince Santarelli have added their music expertise on the subject, also a guy I knew from Montclair State, Gary Altman, also is a regular. But again, adding my comments to the proceedings get very little recognition.
But that's OK. I still love music and I hope to reactivate at least one of my two boards again. I get 20 to 40 hits a week on my blogs and even a few Facebook friends like them each week. I'll be posting not only songs, but any pertinent updates on current artists featured in my blog list, as well as classic rock and pop musicians as well. Perhaps one day we can get a viable discussion going again. Better days are coming!
THE CHART: Although his song entry "My Home New Jersey" didn't make the top 3 finalists in New Jersey's "Stronger Than the Storm" contest, Paul Czekaj's "At the Beach" barely holds onto the #1 song for a sixth week, just holding off Phoenix's "Trying to Be Cool". "Keep You", by Wild Belle is still moving up, at the #3 position after 23 weeks! The Pixies, and Portugal. The Man, enter the top 20. For P.TM, they join Lana Del Rey as artists with two entries in the top 20.
CAGED: The top debut is the new one by Cage the Elephant, "Come A little Closer", at #60. It's from the Bowling Green KY quintet's upcoming third album Melophobia, due in October. I absolutely love this song. It's a very melodic, soulful and even a bit dramatic. I've loved this band since its 2009 debut. Definitely, a song to watch. This fall they will be on tour opening up for Muse. The closest they get to North Jersey will be the Wells Fargo center in Philadelphia on September 9.
NO VOID HERE: Golden Void was one of the those bands I pretty much discovered on my own, mainly from the seemingly defunct rcrd lbl website which I discussed last week. "The Curve", from their self-titled debut album, recently spent 40 weeks on my chart; "Shady Grove', also from that album is in it's 22nd chart week. I was going to look for a third track to pull, when I discovered that they have a new stand-alone single released (actually two songs). The song I am featuring is "Rise to the Out of Reach". A bit more jamming than the two tracks form their debut, the song starts off with an extended instrumental. The indie-psychedelic tendencies are still there, but it has a bit of a fresh spin on it. This is another long you can hear live and wish they would just play on and on. They'll be playing mostly in the South for a few weeks in early September, but no dates in this area yet.
In the pop realm, Matthew Koma's follow-up to "Parachute", "One Night", debuts, along with the long-awaited new one by Katy Perry. Lady Gaga also has a new song out, which probably will debut next week. These two divas dominated the pop charts from 2007 until the end of 2011, but both went on extended hiatuses. Perry's "Roar" is already #2 on the charts; her previous album had five #1's, but on SNS she was very erratic. "Firework" and "Last Friday Night" I loved; the others were just mediocre. The same is true for Gaga, but the question is, has the music scene changed, where they are still viable. We shall see.
Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100
August 11, 2013
|
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
NUMBER ONE:
PAUL CZEKAJ
"At the Beach"
(Single Only)
(6 weeks at #1)
|
9
|
|
2
|
2
|
Phoenix - Trying to Be Cool
|
10
|
|
3
|
5
|
Wild Belle - Keep You
|
23
|
|
4
|
4
|
Cayucas - High School Lover
|
11
|
|
5
|
3
|
Foxygen - San Francisco
|
17
|
|
6
|
7
|
The Thermals - I Go Alone
|
10
|
|
7
|
10
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Under the Earth
|
9
|
|
8
|
6
|
Omnia Hegazy - Aziza
|
13
|
|
9
|
13
|
Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness
|
5
|
|
10
|
9
|
New Politics - Harlem
|
24
|
|
11
|
8
|
Portugal. the Man - Evil Friends
|
13
|
|
12
|
11
|
Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful
|
11
|
|
13
|
16
|
Train - Bruises
|
7
|
|
14
|
12
|
Kurt Vile - Waking on A Pretty Day
|
12
|
|
15
|
18
|
Paramore - Still Into You
|
7
|
|
16
|
17
|
I Am Dynamite - Hey Girl
|
9
|
|
17
|
14
|
Neko Case - Man
|
9
|
|
18
|
15
|
Daft Punk f. Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky
|
16
|
|
19
|
24
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
THE PIXIES
"Bagboy"
(Single Only)
|
4
|
|
20
|
22
|
Portugal. The Man - Purple Yellow Red & Blue
|
7
|
|
21
|
38
|
Rachel Allyn - Dear Prudence
|
3
|
|
22
|
21
|
Case Studies - Everything
|
9
|
|
23
|
29
|
Robin Thicke f. T.I. & Pharrel Williams - Blurred Lines
|
4
|
|
24
|
25
|
Palma Violets - Best of Friends
|
8
|
|
25
|
27
|
Silversun Pickups - Dots and Dashes
|
6
|
|
26
|
19
|
Matchbox Twenty - Our Song
|
13
|
|
27
|
28
|
Bruno Mars - Treasure
|
5
|
|
28
|
26
|
Dan Croll - From Nowhere
|
18
|
|
29
|
31
|
Foxygen - No Destruction
|
5
|
|
30
|
34
|
Pink f. Lily Allen - True Love
|
4
|
|
31
|
23
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of My League
|
26
|
|
32
|
20
|
KT Tunstall- Feel It All
|
10
|
|
33
|
32
|
ZZ Ward - 365 Days
|
8
|
|
34
|
37
|
Atlas Genius - If So
|
9
|
|
35
|
30
|
Sara Bareilles - Brave
|
10
|
|
36
|
41
|
Maroon 5 - Love Somebody
|
11
|
|
37
|
40
|
Jay Arner - Don't Remind Me
|
16
|
|
38
|
56
|
Foals - My Number
|
6
|
|
39
|
54
|
Blake Shelton - Boys 'Round Here
|
6
|
|
40
|
45
|
fun. - Why Am I The One
|
6
|
|
41
|
53
|
Tame Impala - Elephant
|
8
|
|
42
|
33
|
Candice Glover - I Am Beautiful
|
11
|
|
43
|
35
|
Matthew Koma - Parachute
|
17
|
|
44
|
36
|
Golden Void - Shady Grove
|
22
|
|
45
|
51
|
Swedish House Mafia f. John Martin - Don't You Worry Child
|
13
|
|
46
|
57
|
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
|
36
|
|
47
|
60
|
Franz Ferdinand - Right Action
|
4
|
|
48
|
44
|
Little Green Cars - Harper Lee
|
10
|
|
49
|
39
|
Calvin Harris f. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing
|
19
|
|
50
|
48
|
Waaves - Demon to Lean On
|
12
|
|
51
|
43
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
|
25
|
|
52
|
58
|
Grouplove - Ways to Go
|
7
|
|
53
|
82
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
TERRAPLANE SUN
"Get Me Golden"
Album: Ya Never Know (EP)
|
3
|
|
54
|
42
|
Rihanna - Stay
|
16
|
|
55
|
52
|
Michael Franti and Spearhead - I'm Alive
|
13
|
|
56
|
47
|
The Veils - Through the Deep Dark Wood
|
19
|
|
57
|
59
|
Smallpools - Dreaming
|
6
|
|
58
|
64
|
The Neighborhood - Afraid
|
8
|
|
59
|
65
|
Civil Wars - The One That Got Away
|
5
|
|
60
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
"Come A Little Closer"
Album: Melophobia
|
1
|
|
61
|
46
|
Dirty Beaches - I Dream In Neon
|
12
|
|
62
|
49
|
Lana Del Rey - Ride
|
27
|
|
63
|
50
|
Hanson - Get the Girl Back
|
19
|
|
64
|
55
|
Pepper - Fkarnd
|
9
|
|
65
|
79
|
Leila Hegazy - The Reason Why
|
2
|
|
66
|
66
|
Calvin Harris f. Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love
|
5
|
|
67
|
72
|
Pearl Jam - Mind Your Manners
|
4
|
|
68
|
71
|
Volbeat - The Hangman's Body Count
|
5
|
|
69
|
70
|
Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel
|
6
|
|
70
|
86
|
Field Mouse - How Do You Know
|
2
|
|
71
|
88
|
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Better Days
|
2
|
|
72
|
62
|
Mumford and Sons - Babel
|
10
|
|
73
|
61
|
Rachel Allyn -October
|
16
|
|
74
|
73
|
The Black Angels - Don't Play With Guns
|
13
|
|
75
|
68
|
Serena Ryder - Stompa
|
22
|
|
76
|
74
|
Florida Georgia Line - Cruise
|
6
|
|
77
|
----
|
Golden Void - Rise to the Out of Reach
|
1
|
|
78
|
67
|
Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire
|
20
|
|
79
|
76
|
Anna Kendrick - Cups
|
6
|
|
80
|
85
|
Kings of Leon - Supersoaker
|
3
|
|
81
|
63
|
Mayer Hawthorne - Her Favorite Song
|
9
|
|
82
|
69
|
Paul Czekaj - Even Better Than Before
|
18
|
|
83
|
80
|
Delta Rae - If I Loved You
|
10
|
|
84
|
81
|
Alt-J - Breezblocks
|
4
|
|
85
|
91
|
Man Man - Head On
|
2
|
|
86
|
75
|
Phillip Phillips - Gone Gone Gone
|
26
|
|
87
|
84
|
The Lumineers - Submaries
|
4
|
|
88
|
92
|
The Unlikely Candidates - Follow My Feet
|
3
|
|
89
|
----
|
Matthew Koma - One Night
|
1
|
|
90
|
87
|
Ariana Grande - The Way
|
5
|
|
91
|
90
|
Passenger - Let Her Go
|
4
|
|
92
|
93
|
Ellie Goulding - Burn
|
2
|
|
93
|
----
|
Katy Perry - Roar
|
1
|
|
94
|
77
|
Plain White T's - Should've Gone to Bed
|
11
|
|
95
|
98
|
OneRepublic - Counting Stars
|
2
|
|
96
|
83
|
Nine Inch Nails - Came Back Wanted
|
6
|
|
97
|
96
|
Gentleman Hall - Sail Into the Sun
|
4
|
|
98
|
97
|
Mona - Goons (Baby I Need It All)
|
3
|
|
99
|
100
|
Phosphorescent - Ride On/Right On
|
2
|
|
100
|
----
|
Vampire Weekend -Unbelievers
|
1
|
TREMORS:
101. The 1975, Chocolate
102. Lorde, Royals
103. The Mowglis, Great Divide
104. The Natural, Demons
105. On and On, The Hunter
106. Miley Cyrus, We Can't Stop
107. Nonono, Pumpin Blood
108. Taylor Swift f. Ed Sheerun, Everything Has Changed
109. Jack Johnson, I Got You
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