Artificial title songs #4: Electric Six

Dylan, Devo, Depeche Mode

Electric six.fireHere is the fourth attempt to identify artificial title songs. The album name appears as a lyric, but it’s not the title song. There is no actual title song, but these can be artificial title songs.

Right Next Door (Because of Me) – Robert Cray. Album: Strong Persuader. Lyrics: ” Oh, she was right next door and I’m such a strong persuader”

Down On The Corner – Creedence Clearwater Revival. Album: Willy and the Poor Boys. Lyrics: Down on the corner Out in the street.” I have this LP.

The Last Waltz – Rodney Crowell. Album: Diamonds and Dirt. Lyrics: “Sometimes it’s diamonds and sometimes it’s dirt”
Don’t Let Your Feet Slow You Down – Rodney Crowell. Album: Keys To The Highway. Lyrics: “‘the keys to the highway hang right on the wall.”

Close To Me – The Cure. Album: The Head on the Door. Lyrics: “Oh, if only I was sure That my head on the door was a dream.”

Dee

Rock Of Ages – Def Leppard. Album: Pyromania. Lyrics: “Drive me crazier, no serenade. No fire brigade, just pyromania.”

Pipeline – Depeche Mode. Album: Construction Time Again. Lyrics: “Get out the crane Construction time again.”
Lie To Me – Depeche Mode. Album: Some Great Reward. Lyrics: “Some great reward Will be coming my way.”
The Darkest Star – Depeche Mode. Album: Playing The Angel. Lyrics: “Playing the Angel Isn’t so easy where you’re from.”

Jocko Homo – Devo. Album: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Lyrics: “Are we not men? We are Devo.” I own this on vinyl.
Devo Has Feelings Too – Devo. Album: Smooth Noodle Maps. Lyrics: “Snake through the chaos with a smooth noodle map.”
Sumthin’ – Devo. Album: Something For Everybody. Lyrics: “I got sumthin’ for everybody.”

Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners. Album: Too-Rye-Ay. Lyrics: “Too-ra-loo-ra Too-ra-loo-rye-ay.” I have this in some vinyl form.

Black Wall – Dennis DeYoung. Album: Back To The World. Lyrics: “Let Johnny come back to the world.”

Knocked Around – Dinosaur Jr. “Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not”. Lyrics: “And it hurt me to love. Give a glimpse of what yer not.”

Skateaway – Dire Straits. Album: Making Movies. Lyrics: “She’s making movies on location.”

Too Many Broken Hearts  – Jason Donovan. Album: Ten Good Reasons. Lyrics: “I’ll give you ten good reasons to stay.”

The End  – the Doors. Album: Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine (compilation). Lyrics: “Weird scenes inside the gold mine. Ride the highway west, baby.”

Forest Fire – The Dream Academy. Album: A Different Kind of Weather. Lyrics: ” It’s bringing down a different kind of weather.”

Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk – Dr. Hook. Album: Players In The Dark. Lyrics: “The queen of all the night birds, a player in the dark.” Oy. I’d never heard this song before.

Robert Zimmerman

Idiot Wind – Bob Dylan. Album: Blood on the Tracks. Lyrics: “Blood on your saddle”…” down the tracks.” Possibly my favorite Dylan album.
You’re Gonna Quit Me – Bob Dylan. Album: Good As I Been to You. Lyrics: Baby, good as I been to you, Lord, Lord.” I couldn’t find that iteration on YouTube; this is a live version.
Under Your Spell – Bob Dylan. Album: Knocked Out Loaded. Lyrics: I was knocked out and loaded in the naked night.” Can’t find this either, so you have a live version with the Grateful Dead.

Magnet and Steel – Walter Egan. Album: Not Shy. Lyrics: With you, I’m not shy To show the way I feel.” I actually own this album on vinyl.

Electric Six: Album: Fire, named for the fact the word appears in half the songs.
Electric Demons In Love. Lyrics: “We’re starting a fire, electric demons in love.”
Danger! High Voltage. Lyrics: “Fire in the disco, Fire in the taco bell, Fire in the disco, Fire in the gates of hell, Don’t you want to know how we keep starting fires? It’s my desire.”
She’s White. Lyrics: “She returned my fire and shot me in the heart.”
I Invented The Night. Lyrics: “And should your invention be destroyed in a fire.”
Improper Dancing. Lyrics: “And I want to reach into the fire of your heart.”
Vengeance and Fashion. Lyrics: “I saw fire when I looked in my lover’s eyes.”

Mirror In The Bathroom – The English Beat. Album: I Just Can’t Stop It. Lyrics: “Mirror in the bathroom, I just can’t stop it.” I have this on a compilation CD.

My Size – John Entwistle. Album: Smash Your Head Against The Wall. Lyrics: “I’m gonna bring you down to my size, Smash your head against the wall.”

Your Time Will Come – Eurythmics. Album: In The Garden. Lyrics: “In the garden, In the stillness of morning.”

2020 Rock Hall of Fame noms

If I have a bias…

Doobie Brothers
Doobie Brothers
They are doing something different for the fan balloting with the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations. You can vote every day via Google until January 10, 2020 for five nominees, which, collectively, will be considered in the process.

My picks tend to be partly based on how long it’s been since they were first nominated, how many times they’ve been nominated before, their musical significance, and, frankly, whether I like them.

My Sure Things

#TODD RUNDGREN – Eligible year: 1995
Number of nominations: 2; Nominated in 2019, 2020
One of My Sure Things LAST year. I wrote: “I have his albums with the Nazz, Utopia and a number of his solo albums. He’s also produced a chunk of notable albums for others. It’s SHOCKING that he was never nominated before. He’s a wizard, a true star.”
Something to Fall Back On

#THE DOOBIE BROTHERS -Eligible year: 1996
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
The Doobies was one of my college-era bands. And I was impressed when they reinvented themselves with Michael McDonald on many lead vocals. I noted that only Walter Becker and Donald Fagan are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as Steely Dan. The group had initially included Skunk Baxter. On later albums, McDonald provided many vocals.
Members: Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, John Hartman, Michael Hossack, Tom Johnston, Keith Knudsen, Michael McDonald, John McFee, Tiran Porter, Patrick Simmons
What A Fool Believes

I voted for them because I like them

#DEPECHE MODE – Eligible year: 2006
Number of nominations: 3; Nominated in 2017, 2018, 2020
Members: Vince Clarke, Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder
Three noms in four years. Put ’em in!
People are People

#PAT BENATAR – Eligible year: 2004
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo
If I have a bias, it’s probably in favor of women in rock.
Heartbreaker

The ones who appear influential

WHITNEY HOUSTON – Eligible year: 2009
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Lots of complaints in my circle that she’s not “rock”. Whatever. One of the greatest voices in pop music.
How Will I Know

KRAFTWERK; Eligible year: 1995
Number of nominations: 6; Nominated in 2003, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
Members: Karl Bartos, Wolfgang Flür, Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider
“KRAFTWERK IS THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH ALL SYNTHESIZER-BASED ROCK AND ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC IS BUILT.”
Showroom Dummies

NINE INCH NAILS; Eligible year: 2014
Number of nominations: 3; Nominated in 2015, 2016, 2020
Members: Trent Reznor
Hurt

THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.; Eligible year: 2019
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Christopher Wallace/BIGGIE SMALLS
Hypnotize

SOUNDGARDEN; Eligible year: 2011
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Kim Thayil, Hiro Yamamoto
I actually have a few cuts of the group and Cornell solo cuts, and I was sad when he died.
Rusty Cage

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND; Eligible year: 2018
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Carter Beauford, Jeff Coffin, Stefan Lessard, Dave Matthews, Leroi Moore, Tim Reynolds, Rashawn Ross, Boyd Tinsley
They’ve played around here practically every year. I’ve never seen them.
What Would You Say

JUDAS PRIEST; Eligible year: 1999
Number of nominations: 2; Nominated in 2018, 2020
Members: Les Binks, K. K. Downing, Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Dave Holland, Glenn Tipton, Scott Travis
Hell Bent for Leather

MOTÖRHEAD; Eligible year: 2002
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: ‘Fast’ Eddie Carke, Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor
Not my cuppa.
Eat the Rich

I like them but I don’t know if they should be in there

MC5 Eligible year: 1991
Number of nominations: 6; Nominated in 2003, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Sixth nomination! Yet I can’t quite pick the Detroit group.
Members: Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, Dennis Thompson, Rob Tyner
Tonight

RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN; Eligible year: 1999
Number of nominations: 4; Nominated in 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020
Members: Dennis Belfield, Al Ciner, Andre Fischer, Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden, Nate Morgan, Kevin Murphy, Ron Stockert, Bobby Watson
I picked them a couple of years ago, but it was really for her. On the fence about the group.
Dance Wit Me

T. REX; Eligible year: 1993
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Marc Bolan, Steve Currie, Mickey Finn, Bill Legend
“The musical herald that ushered in the birth of Glam Rock.”
Jeepster

THIN LIZZY; Eligible year: 1996
Number of nominations: 1; Nominated in 2020
Members: Eric Bell, Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Phil Lynott, Brian Robertson
As I read their bio, they’re more impressive than I had remembered
Whiskey in the Jar

I vote for the first four. My fifth tends to float among Houston, Kraftwerk, and that last grouping. Who are YOU voting for?

Here is my annual pitch for Estelle Axton, the AX of STAX Records. Her brother, Jim Stewart, has been in nearly two decades.

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