Similar to the Jam/Style Council thing, here we have the punky, glam New York Dolls; serious, straightforward David Johansen; and tongue-in-cheek faux lounge lizard Buster Poindexter. There’s only one song on this list I’ve ever heard. Guess whom it’s by?
Rock
MC5
Is it OK to give a group a list if they only have three albums? I guess if their name only has three characters, it kind of balances it out, maybe?
Leon Russell
The two songs that come to mind when I think of Leon Russell are “Right Place, Wrong Time” and “Frankenstein.” The former is by Dr. John, the latter by Edgar Winter. Which basically means I have no idea who Leon Russell actually is.
Kate Bush
If you ever want a laugh, ask my friend Pete to do his rendition of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” There’s a lot of “R” action: “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrunning up that road, Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrining up that hill.” Part of the reason it’s funny is that it’s exactly what Kate Bush sounds like when she sings it, except not on purpose.
Jam/Style Council
This list contains nine loud, punky, politically charged tunes, and one radio-friendly, smooth-as-silk track. Guess which one is the one I like? For that matter, guess which one is the only one I’ve even heard?
Iggy Pop/Stooges
The (un)harmonic dissonance of Mr. “Lust for Life/I Wanna Be Your Dog” Iggy Pop getting the Christmas playlist is so hilarious to me, I’m not even going to comment any further. Enjoy with your eggnog.
Harry Nilsson
Bonus points for naming an album “Nilsson Schmilsson,” which is the kind of goofy thing I’d probably do (if I had an album, which would imply that I have any musical talent, which would be incorrect). On the other hand, dock points for naming one song “Without Her” and another “Without You” (somewhere in his catalog there’s probably a “Without Me” and, if he was feeling sexually frisky, maybe even a “Without Him” and/or “Without Them”). That’s just cheating.
Graham Parker
He was supposed to be equal to Elvis Costello, but he never had any hits, and I’d be surprised if anyone can name at least one of his songs. On the plus side, he never did a country album or duets with Burt Bacharach, so there’s that.
George Harrison
OK, my conscience wouldn’t let me do it. After I gave in on McCartney, I just had to give “favorite Beatle” Harrison a list. Sure, after he got the (very non-quirky) spiritual stuff out of the way, he mostly produced quirky pop. But so do They Might Be Giants, and I didn’t hesitate to give them a list.
Gang of Four
There were four of them. They were a gang. Based on their song titles alone, I’m pretty sure they were more important than the Go-Gos. Although by now you have a pretty good idea which one I listened to.
Playlist of the Day 