Look, kids, it’s another quiz! It’s the lazy blogger’s way of posting up some quick ‘n’ easy content for your reading pleasure!
This one is a little different, at least. It’s about music:
What was the first recorded music you bought? I honestly can’t recall the first recording I ever bought, as in the first record for which money left my own hand and passed into the hand of a merchant. The first music recording I ever owned was probably a 45 of Ernie from Sesame Street singing “Rubber Duckie.” The first grown-up music I remember owning was a 45 of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” And, since I know you’re wondering, yes, I still have both.
What was the last? The latest Harry Connick, Jr., CD, Oh, My N.O.L.A..
What was the first “professional” music show you ever went to? Rick Springfield, live on stage, Halloween night, 1981.
What was the last? Oddly enough, Rick Springfield, live on stage, March 30, 2007.
What’s your “desert island” album? Hmmm… tough, tough decision. I think I’d get bored with just about any single album. How about a box set? Since I’m going to be on an island, I think Jimmy Buffett’s Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballads would be appropriate.
What’s your favorite album/song title?
Album: To Our Children’s Children’s Children has a nice ring to it. (That’s by The moody Blues, kids.)
Song: “Smart Woman (In a Real Short Skirt)” by Jimmy Buffett.
What’s your favorite album art (include an image of it if you can)?
I’ve always been partial to Molly Hatchet’s first record, because I like mid-1970s fantasy art like this (click to enlarge):
FYI, the painting is called “The Death Dealer,” and it’s by Frazetta, one of the preeminent fantasy artists of the day.
I also quite like this one, for what are most likely obvious reasons:
Ideal choice for a karaoke song? “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King.
Song you don’t like that WILL NOT LEAVE YOUR HEAD if you hear it? “Benny and the Jets” by Elton John. I’m not a big Elton fan anyway — aside from “Tiny Dancer” and a couple of his ’80s tunes, almost all of his output annoys the ever-loving crap out of me. But “Benny” is the worst, what with his whiny delivery of the chorus/title over and over and over. The song goes on at least a minute too long, in my humble opinion. “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Crocodile Rock” suck, too.
Which is cooler: vinyl, CD, Cassette, or 8-track? Viewing them purely as physical artifacts and leaving aside the argument of whether digital or analog recordings sound better, I prefer vinyl records. They’re larger than CDs or tapes, for one thing, which enables you to better appreciate the cover art, and many albums from the ’70s have some really nifty design elements. (The working zipper on early pressings of The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers comes to mind.) Plus the medium itself is pretty, the glossy black surface with its tiny but still visible grooves. The eye just skitters off the slick, reflective surface of a CD; there’s nothing there to study. But with a record, you can allow your vision to sink down into the grooves and study the textures and patterns, almost as if you can “play” the recording with your eyes. Neat stuff, Maynard.
