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Nov 8
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Rick T.'s avatar

“If you are over 40 years old and you claim to not know “Faithfully” by heart, you are either a recent immigrant from a non-English-speaking country or a congenital liar.”

Well I am but I don’t and I’m neither. But I do know that - despite or partly because of its odd arrangement - Don’t Stop Believin’ is the greatest rock and roll song ever.

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Gaz's avatar

Same. Oddly. Over 40, lived entire life in English speaking countries, and have never knowingly heard faithfully before let alone memorized. Perhaps Jack having older brothers and being into music - this feels slightly older than me.

Of course I would say all that if I was a congenital liar...

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Gaz's avatar

I also don't recognise open arms, at all, so now I'm thinking its just an everyday parallel universe berenstein bears thing...

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Rick T.'s avatar

Open Arms is slightly familiar. I guess the ballads didn’t really land for me. Now Wheel in the Sky….

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Chuck S's avatar

"Wheel In the Sky" is a great song. So too are "Any Way you Want It" and "Feelin' The Way." The harmonies on that song are stunning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg5vziU-qIs

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Stan Galat's avatar

"Wheel In the Sky" was far and away their best song. "Feelin' That Way/Any Way You Want It" a distant second.

All else was "also ran".

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Chuck S's avatar

I'm gonna respectfully argue that Stone In Love tops the list.

We'll put aside the amazing riff, a guitar solo that seamlessly blends technical precision and emotional storytelling, a stellar performance from one of the best rhythm sections of its day, and lyrics that so effortlessly bring to mind the romanticized ideal of late teen-age love. That alone would make it a candidate for the band's best song. What seals it for me is the exceptional combination of musicianship and emotion with lyrics that perfectly blend myth and memory in the very best distillation of the band's frequent themes of romance, memories, and emotion. Their mastery of tone; songcraft; sentiment; and propulsive, anthemic, arena-filling sound come together in a masterpiece that combines everything Journey did so well.

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Nplus1's avatar

Jack has an older brother?

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Gaz's avatar

I thought bark was older but I might be wrong.

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Nplus1's avatar

Pretty sure it’s the other way by quite a bit.

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Gaz's avatar

Ok never mind. Don't know where I got that.

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Chuck S's avatar

As great as that song is, your assertion is objectively false because everyone knows Stone in Love is by far the best song on _Escape._

:-)

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0020's avatar

...."Schon sent him “an email of his large penis, said email being sent for no other purpose than to humiliate and injure the Plaintiff.”

Had to re-read that line twice, as I thought Schon sent him his actual large penis via email, which is absurd.

I'm pretty sure you would hit an email server's MB sending limit by default when you do that. Also, Schon referencing King Missile's song Detachable Penis if he really did this is hilarious.

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Shooter's avatar

Hell-to-the-fuck-yeah!!!!

Holy crap, Jack!

I cannot believe how similar our life experience has been. I grew up in Austin, Texas and would regularly go see Eric Johnson play live.

You are the first person I have ever read or seen who has mentioned Eric Johnson. I was at the release party for “Tones” and many other shows.

And yes, Alex Lifeson had a hard time matching his studio riffs. “La Villa Strangiata” was never quite right.

And of course, Tony was wacked by “Members Only Jacket Guy”, all the bread crumbs were there in previous episodes explaining the ending.

Bravo!!!

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Eric Johnson is the reason I ran the cheap Radio Shack batteries in my distortion pedal!!!!

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

I'm not sure if I admire Steve Ridinger for selling cheap-ass carbon 9V zinc-carbon Danelectro batteries or think it's a grift.

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Alex Nunez's avatar

I saw him in 1991 or 92 (I need to check the ticket stub) on the Ah Via Musicom tour. Cameo Theatre in Miami Beach. It was incredible.

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Fat Baby Driver's avatar

I saw Eric Johnson play at the Cullen Auditorium at the University of Houston when I was a student there in 91 or 92. Good times!

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Chuck S's avatar

Alex gets a pass for not being able to replicate the albums note-for-note on stage, given the complexity of the music and how meticulously he constructed solos like his masterclass in Limelight. I've read, for example, that Alex, Geddy, and Neil wanted to record La Villa Strangiata in a single take and tried repeatedly to make it happen before realizing it couldn't be done. There are just too many places to screw up.

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Shooter's avatar

I am a huge RUSH fan. I was fortunate to see them numerous times.

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Mr Furious's avatar

They are going on tour one more time. Without Neil, obviously, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. They said it would never happen, but they have his family's blessing and they just want to keep playing music...

Saw them countless times in the 80s and 90s, but missed the R40 Tour, when they really emphasized the older stuff (as opposed to new album+greatest hits tours I grew up seeing), so I may go to the 50-something tour in Detroit...

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Shooter's avatar

I get it. Thanks.

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Todd Zuercher's avatar

I still have my Ah Via Musicom cassette somewhere in my collection somewhere, despite doing my best to wear it out in various cars in the early '90s.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Fine musicians, but I think Bad Company was a better band. Journey was a bit too by-the-numbers and MOR for me. Also, there's no such thing as "south Detroit". That's called Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

My 10 best bands?

No particular order and I'm leaving out individual virtuosos like Rory Gallagher.

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

Miles Davis: Bitches Brew

Grateful Dead: The '70s band with Keith and Donna Godchaux and both drummers is my favorite.

Allman Brothers

Mountain

Cream

Led Zeppelin

Any of Frank Zappa's bands, but the ones with Ian and Ruth Underwood are favorites (is there a pattern here?)

J. Geils Band

Benny Goodman (either the big band from the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert or the sextet with Charlie Christian).

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Shooter's avatar

https://youtu.be/L05gLEZ83tw?si=cxD8LquLdue1RtYX

To quote Doc Holiday, “I beg to differ, Sir” what you call “South Detroit” is a thing, we call it “Down River” as the linked documentary above explains.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Your mileage may vary, but I've lived in Detroit for 70 years and I've never heard Downriver (note the proper spelling) called South Detroit. The only time people use that phrase is ironically, when singing along with the song at Red Wings' games.

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Shooter's avatar

Fair enough, I was tongue in cheek. I only visit Detroit for work a few times a year and work Downriver in Taylor area. 😀

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Louis Nevell's avatar

Benny Goodman! A real BRAVO to you, amigo. BTW, did you know that BG was the first nationally know musician to integrate his band? That was with Lionel Hampton. Couldn't give you a time frame.

Can't understand the blind disrespect for blacks at that time. People had to look at various ball players and musicians, for example and say, "These guys are really good." "Why aren't we using them?"

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

There was a lot of cross cultural stuff going on in music in the first half of the 20th century that gets obscured by focusing on racism. Goodman did a couple of klezmer tunes: And The Angel's Sing, and Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen and the clarinet in Rhapsody in Blue is straight out of klezmer. Conversely, there are a bunch of klezmer songs that were influenced by jazz and blues.

In my experience from hanging around musicians, they tend to respect chops, no matter who's got them.

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Fat Baby Driver's avatar

To clarify, I took it to mean the part of Detroit south of its geographic center.

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Wyatt LCB's avatar

The geographic center is Highland Park ;)

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unsafe release's avatar

Paul Rodgers lives not far from me in the small oceanside community of White Rock, BC. Apparently he sometimes takes a guitar down to the beach and sits on a bench and plays. People come up to him and marvel how much he sounds like “that guy from Bad Company!”

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Apparently, he's having some health issues.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-11-05/bad-company-paul-rodgers-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-health

His work with Free and The Firm wasn't bad either.

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unsafe release's avatar

That sucks. It’s far too often these days that the talented artists from our youth are getting sick and/or dying. I know it’s a sign of my age, and ultimately inevitable for all of us, but it sucks anyway.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

When I was a kid, most of my musical heroes were just 10-20 years older than me. I was nine years old when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. Paul McCartney was 21. I'm now 70. Do the math.

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Gianni's avatar

Same with F1 drivers. Saw a picture of Prost a while back. He’s a little old man now.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

He always was a little old man! At least in spirit. Felipe Massa now looks like an Oompa Loopma. Age is hard on men below five ten sometimes.

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Mr Furious's avatar

Bad Company’s first album is one of the best debut albums ever.

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Stan Galat's avatar

Van Halen would like a word.

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Mr Furious's avatar

Van Halen is unquestioningly the stronger side 1, but Bad Company is a better album front-to back. In one man's opinion, of course...

Seagull is a real sleeper last track and Rodgers vocal showcase.

Saw the Firm a few times in high school. Not old enought to have seen either ZEppelin or BadCo, so it was pretty exciting to see Page pull out the bow onstage.

"Midnight Moonlight" is an epic song. The Firm was undone by being forced to release the worst songs they recorded as radio releases. "Satisfaction Guaranteed" was the only good song as a single.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

The Firm was excellent. Largely lost to history, unfortunately.

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Fat Baby Driver's avatar

I always assumed he meant the south part of Detroit, not a separate municipality.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

That's the thing, because of the path of the Detroit river, the only thing due south of Detroit is Canada.

"I ran the phonetics of east, west, and north, but nothing sounded as good or emotionally true to me as 'South Detroit,'" Perry said. "The syntax just sounded right. I fell in love with the line. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve learned that there is no South Detroit. But it doesn’t matter."

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sgeffe's avatar

Syntactically, “East Detroit” would have been OK!

I can’t remember when the citizens of the Detroit inner suburb named thus, being embarrassed about the association with “Detroit” in their city’s name, changed “East Detroit” to “Eastpointe” (which just occurred to me—that name contains “pointe,” as in the name of the series of suburbs on the near-northeast Detroit border which go quickly from ghetto to big old-money Detroit, the Grosse Pointes), but I wonder if that would have happened if “East Detroit,” the name of an actual city, would have been used?

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

The funny thing is that "East Detroit" wasn't even east of Detroit, it's north of the city. The Detroit River, which flows in a southwest direction, is due east of Detroit.

One of my favorite city names is West New York, New Jersey.

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sgeffe's avatar

You’re correct: I should have been clearer. I was trying for “suburb bordering on the north,” but more concise! 😂😂

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Speed's avatar

"Also, there's no such thing as "south Detroit". That's called Windsor, Ontario, Canada"

thank you ronnie

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Ataraxis's avatar

Bad Company > Journey.

I can only take a bit of Steve Perry because of him singing in a high register, but I can listen to Paul Rodgers all day long. He also did a great job fronting Queen.

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Chuck S's avatar

Ronnie, don't be pedantic. "born and raised in Windsor, Ontario" doesn't have the same ring to it.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

A small town boy may have been born and raised in south Detroit, but I was born to be a pedant.

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Chuck S's avatar

Just a city boy

Born and raised to argue what’s implied

He took the midnight train just to test the line

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

"And Neal Schon is… well, go watch any other live rock guitar performance of the era then come back for comparison. "

What about Frank Zappa?

This is a show from 1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUZeNT6GJXs (some of the solos are Steve Vai).

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Put 100 guitarists in a room and 95 of them will pick Schon over Zappa.

Put 100 normal people and it will be 100 to 0. Intellectually I have a vague respect for Zappa but his music is unlistenable for most.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

There are lots of guitarists revered by guitar players who don't float my musical boat, like EVH or Malmsteen. I respect their technical abilities but I'd rather listen to Garcia, even with all his muffed notes and drunk-on-a-high-wire solos. Sounds more like music to me.

Frank could write accessible music like Peaches en Regalia, Blessed Relief, Joe's Garage, and Lucille (a great, great blues song) but he also wrote stuff that even musicians have a hard time liking, like Black Pages. I think he liked pissing people off too much. Still, I think he will be one of the few musicians from the '60s and '70s who will be listened to many years from now.

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James Burns's avatar

Yes anyone who writes “help I’m a rock” is definitely on another plane

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

"I am a rock

I am an island." - Paul Simon

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James Burns's avatar

There’s that but the context was way different armoring yourself not literally a rock as Zappa was implying

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Chuck S's avatar

the thing about Zappa is he had, what, six different eras or personalities - psychedelic satire, avante-garde compositions, some fusion stuff, straightforward rock and roll, etc. There's something for everyone, but not a lot of people who like it all.

I'm starting to get into the Dead through Phish. Been a huge Phish fan for, oh, almost 30 years and for some reason am only now giving the Dead a listen. Of course I started with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty and holy hell those albums are gorgeous. Box of Rain alone was worth the price I paid for American Beauty.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Phil Lesh wrote Box of Rain in regards to his father's death from cancer.

Garcia said that they knew they were the best band, in terms of musicianship, in the Bay area, but that they consciously went into the studio recording those two albums to prove that they could sing. The harmonies are gorgeous. I recommend the deluxe 50th anniversary reissues of Workingman's and American Beauty, which include alternate takes, as well as the Angels Share releases related to them, which document the way the songs were put together. As much as the Dead were a band to be experienced live, those two albums showed that they could make great music in the studio as well. They belong on any greatest albums list.

I should make another effort to get into Phish. For some reason they left me cold. If you like Phish and the Dead you'd probably like the stuff Steve Kimock has done, including as a member of Zero, which I believe John Cippolina founded after Quicksilver.

Speaking of Quicksilver, onetime member Nicky Hopkins' career is worth exploring. Edward The Mad Shirt Grinder is a personal favorite:

With Quicksilver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJBPlmqQ2DY

With the Jerry Garcia Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm_RPfHJr0U

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Chuck S's avatar

Phish is not for everyone, that's for sure. Most of my friends can't stand them - one of them, a musician, frequently tells me, "they can't actually write _songs_." lol.

Goose is another jam band I ought to give a listen to.

Now if you'll excuse me ... gonna go listen to Europe '72

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Robert Hunter had a way with words and Jerry Garcia was able to flesh out Hunter's chord changes into beautiful melodies. Weir's stuff is a bit more quirky and he wrote some tuneless songs, but some of my favorite Dead songs are Weir/Barlow compositions.

I was just listening to a show at Duke University in 1978. Donna Godchaux (who passed away a few days ago) sounded great.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

American Beauty is one of the all time great records, front to back.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Which Led Zeppelin album do you think is better I or II? I tend to favor II but it's a tough call.

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Mr Furious's avatar

Led Zeppelin II is the first CD I ever bought, so I'm partial to it. (My college roommate had the stereo the got me hooked on HiFi, and he already had LZI.

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Leon Clark's avatar

tie

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ScaryLarryPants's avatar

I've tried to listen to Zappa, I've really really tried, thinking I was somehow functionally or musically illiterate (or all three) because I couldn't somehow get excited or even mildly interested with him. There are people I know that think I'm somehow brain dead for not enjoying his music. I don't hate it, it just doesn't...work.

I'd rather listen to most of the albums by WASP (Blackie Lawless), or even worse, all of the music (?) from the Crash Test Dummies than listen to anything by Zappa.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Yeah. I can't stand Zappa. He is "Very Smart Boy" set to tuneless music.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

A valid point about some of his work. He was a misanthrope making music for other misfits.

I don't know if you've heard either Waka Jawaka or Grand Wazoo, two fusionish albums with bigger bands but you might actually enjoy them. They're mostly instrumental and there isn't much of FZ's bullshit.

Frank was too cynical for his own good and could have been more engaged with his kids. Some of his compositions, like Black Pages, were intentionally inaccessible. He was scatologically gross and kinda preoccupied with butt stuff. I recently got a copy of Joe's Garage on CD because playing my vinyl versions (it was released as two issues originally) is a pain in the ass. Most of it is, frankly, no pun intended, disgusting, though two of my favorite songs are on the album. Go figure.

That being said, he was an original, lyrical guitar player who could write quite lovely melodies when he cared to.

Peaches en Regalia is the ringtone on my phone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoYdeEDdtK4

My friend, Erich Goebel, who is a working guitar player, recommends Five Five Five: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7TWtcpO1zE

Lucille should be a blues standard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFjj63LJTHY

Big Swifty, with a big band, has some atonal stuff from George Duke but in general is tuneful and even swings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObX0UEzxzwE

Blessed Relief, with the same band, even has some hummable melodies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zXp4ZfRGsA

For a while Frank fell in love with the Synclavier, which I supposed allowed him to work by himself without having to deal with, you know, actual musicians. G-Spot Tornado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvpdiIaZZLg

Joe's Garage is just fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KINj7I42PlU

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Wyatt LCB's avatar

Broken Hearts are for Assholes makes me giggle.

I tried to listen to Mothers of Invention when I'd cruise in the Imperial (fun juxtaposition I thought) but I just couldn't get into it so I'd switch back to the Doors (still got to keep the juxtaposition but with music I actually like)

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Stan Galat's avatar

All day, every day. Never could do it. Where do you stand on Warren Zevon?

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Flashman's avatar

My opinion depends on nobody else’s: Warren was a near-genius and holds true to Jack’s theory that artists are a bit unbalanced by normal human standards. And he’s deservedly going into the Hall of Fame. Also, his earlier eponymous album was better than Excitable Boy.

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Leon Clark's avatar

Really? Muffin Man, Pojama People? Most of his blues-based stuff?

Only tuneless to the tone-deaf.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Hey, I feel the same way about Mike Stern and Robert Cray; a lot of people can't STAND how they sound.

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generationsago's avatar

I, too, have tried, really tried, to like Frank Zappa's music but just can't.

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LyriqalGenius's avatar

Agree with you on all counts.

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sgeffe's avatar

…”95 of them will pick Schon over Zappa….”

Interesting turn of phrase when discussing guitarists! 😉😉

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Leon Clark's avatar

No way on the 95 guitarists. Also, Ronnie and I would screw up your "100 normal people" stat if only we were "normal". Zappa forever.

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smitherfield's avatar

Aha, the perfect hook for a super-obscure music recommendation, the super-obscure band "Shot in the Dark" (153 monthly Spotify listeners, presumably including yours truly) and their super-obscure (to the point that the version on streaming services is obviously a recording of a slightly worn LP) 1981 self-titled debut/only album: https://open.spotify.com/album/0BuTHaPJTf7p8DWP9w6RZ1?si=CiuQ8cjDQiWkmvre21GO3Q

Despite the total obscurity and potato quality recording it's a really good pop album that could just about pass for a lost Fleetwood Mac record.

Anyway info about the band is understandably hard to come by but it was apparently a side project of several of Frank Zappa's backup musicians on said 1981 tour.

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Peter Collins's avatar

"Potato quality" - an excellent expression, albeit hard on the humble spud.

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unsafe release's avatar

While I’m not the hugest Journey fan, there are quite a few of their songs stored in my favourites.

I’m listening to the Escape concert right now while I clean the garage. It really is phenomenal.

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Andrew White's avatar

I very much appreciate this piece. While I do not have the music experience and encyclopedic knowledge you have, I can appreciate Journey and Neil himself.

One of the many observations I've made about the 80s is that no one hated Journey. There were people who hated hair metal. There were people who hated trucker country. There were people who hated all the unending loops of Elton John party rock and yacht rock. But no one, not ever, hated Journey.

I think that alone makes them special because Neil more or less crafted something very high level but approachable for the average knucklehead listening to Casey Kasem dole out the American top 40. I guess he deserves to be not quite normal and a bit privileged for properly using his youthful genius to throw everything at a passion project.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

Once Perry came aboard, I hated Journey.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Gregg Rollie and Aynsley Dunbar thank you for your service!

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

I saw the 1971 version of the Mothers with Dunbar and Flo & Eddie. Yes, they did Happy Together. Mark Volman R.I.P.

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Chuck S's avatar

Journey was always gonna be a jazz-inspired sausage fest until Steve and, later, Jonathan came aboard. I think Neal himself admitted that they didn't start seeing women in the audience until then.

Rush never learned that lesson. lol

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Jeff Winks's avatar

Journey rocked and girls liked them. Win win.

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Stan Galat's avatar

1980s chicks definitely dug Journey. This cannot be disputed.

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Todd Zuercher's avatar

And when we heard 1980s chicks playing certain Journey songs in their dorm rooms, we knew they had just broken up with someone!

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LyriqalGenius's avatar

You may not like the direction he took the band…but that voice is undeniable.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

Great voice.

Awful music.

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Todd Zuercher's avatar

Until recently, I never knew there was a Journey before Steve Perry.

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sgeffe's avatar

“Open Arms” kinda wore itself out on me, but “Don’t Stop Believin’” is always gonna have a place! As will “Faithfully.”

Maybe after service tomorrow I’ll try knocking out the driving intro on one of the pianos at church (was that what you did Jack, or the entire song?). And fail miserably! 😂😂

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

"When Journey was reimagined for the Eighties as a pop-rock band with the addition of Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry, they went to #1 on the charts with “Open Arms”, the most effective power ballad in human history... If you are over 40 years old and you claim to not know “Faithfully” by heart, you are either a recent immigrant from a non-English-speaking country or a congenital liar."

I'm over 70, I had to look up both of those songs, and neither of them sounds familiar to me. Of course, I'm congenitally unhip.

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KoR's avatar

I’m 31, and I can’t imagine I was older than 6 or 7 when I first heard them lol.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

I’m 64, and “Faithfully” doesn’t sound familiar to me after just listening to it. I do know “Open Arms”. Both are really bad.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

When I see the Billboard Top 100 from the 1960s and early '70s, an era when I listened to Top 40 radio stations, I often see songs that were national hits that never got a lot of airplay in Detroit. Before the consolidation of radio stations, there was more regional individuality in terms of what got on the air.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

No question. Part of it was airplay for local bands mixed in. I’ll bet you heard “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” before most of us did.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Bob Seger wrote and recorded a song called Rosalie ("She's got the tower, She's got the power") in tribute to Rosalie Trombley, the music director at CKLW, the Windsor station that had a 500,000 watt signal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnR4g4jlQ8E

It's a great song but Trombley wouldn't put it in the station's rotation, out of concern that it might show favoritism. Thin Lizzy covered it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSo9CC2wKVI

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Dave Ryan's avatar

Someone in the music business with integrity!

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Jeff Winks's avatar

Great song.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

Ain't good lookin', but you know I ain't shy

Ain't afraid to look a girl, in the eye

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Most of America knows the version from Live Bullet, but it was a regional hit years earlier before Seger got signed to Capitol Records.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

The original is wonderful. That’s what I think of when someone mentions Seger. In fact, after I brought it up here; I listened to the original version.

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sgeffe's avatar

What other songs were there like that?

I usually had WXYZ, CKLW, and WCZY on, if anything. I became a young Dick Purtan fan thanks to my Dad, and I didn’t change the radio station otherwise, unless I listened to Earnie and Paul doing the Tiger games, or Frank Beckmann doing the Wolverines, on the “Great Voice of the Great Lakes,” WJR! (I do remember hearing Bob Ufer a few times, and wondering what the horn was all about! I just found his call of an Anthony Carter touchdown against IU that was classic! https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b4f46f3620b85c0f55325de/t/5b509614758d46506edade2f/1532007960094/Wrangler_Carter.mp3/original/Wrangler_Carter.mp3) Otherwise, I had my nose buried in a book.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

A friend of mine wrote jokes for Dick Purtan when he was still a junior in high school. He got paid with freebied tickets to concerts at Pine Knob.

I grew up listening first to Bud Guest and then J.P. McCarthy doing the morning drive slot on JR as my father drove me to school on his way to work.

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sgeffe's avatar

That’s right—I think I remember your story about your friend from another Comment thread! That’s awesome!

Is Dick still around, as they say? Or has God decided that he needs a hilarious morning DJ occasionally? (He’s already got J.P. around for a talker! He’s probably got Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, in his Rolodex AND on his speed-dial! 🤔)

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Steve Ward's avatar

no WRIF?

ah, Tiger baseball on WJR! Red Wings on Ch 50.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

I was talking about the mid-1960s. Before the call sign change in 1971, WRIF was WXYZ-FM, the FM station for the company that owned WXYZ-TV, and WXYZ-AM (which was the original broadcast station for The Lone Ranger radio serials). When "underground" FM stations like WABX started getting popular in the late '60s, WXYZ-FM used a soundalike format using taped announcers out of NYC from what I remember being the ABC radio network. Before the call sign change, though, WXYZ-FM started using local DJs, including Arthur Penhallow, who became a Detroit institution. I couldn't stand him, preferring the "Air Aces" at ABX. David Dixon, who later moved to public radio on WDET, was at ABX and I still think he's the most knowledgeable DJ I've ever heard. He had a writing credit for The Mama's and Papa's "I Dig Rock N Roll Music."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rOTKeoAs7M

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Flashman's avatar

I’m sure you mean Peter, Noel, and Mary. Also, I thought CKLW et al. were limited to 50,000 watts.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Is it possible you only had an AM radio?

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Dave Ryan's avatar

Nope. Not sure how I avoided it— unless I subconsciously removed an unpleasant memory. My guess is once a few notes played I jabbed at another preset button on the radio. That doesn’t explain how I know “Open Arms”, though. I feel like that one was completely unavoidable; like it was played everywhere, all the time (unfortunately).

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

I don't think I could recognize a single Taylor Swift song.

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Dave Ryan's avatar

Agreed. Nor do I want to.

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Stan Galat's avatar

You wouldn't be able to. It sounds like all the other autotuned, vocally synthesized, nasal-pop masquerading as being listenable.

I was content to let Ms. Swift exist in her own Swifisphere before she invaded the NFL, and I was forced to look at a cutaway shot of her "cheering" for her beau 47 times per quarter.

I did not appreciate the invasion of my space.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

As huge of a phenomenon that Taylor Swift is, and despite the internet's ability to impact a global market, she'll never have the impact of Elvis or the Beatles. Entertainment is far too balkanized and siloed for another Elvis to happen.

Back then there were three television networks and other than a small number of big city newspapers who might have out of town bureaus in Washington or NYC, most national and international news was supplied by just two sources, the AP and UPI. You really couldn't pick your entertainment on radio or tv, other than change from a limited choices of channels and stations. Even big cities had only a handful of radio stations that dominated the market. There were just two Top 40 stations in Detroit when the Beatles broke, WKNR and WXYZ. You might have been in your 40s in early 1964, but you were exposed to the Beatles because your family watched Ed Sullivan. The same is true, by the way, of acts like Topo Gigio the little mouse puppet.

The only time I'm likely to hear a Taylor Swift song (assuming she hasn't started licensing them to advertisers) is if I'm in a store and it's playing on their Muzak system.

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Flashman's avatar

On the other hand, she single-handedly increased female viewership of the NFL by a not-insignificant amount ( I think 12%), so they’re pleased as Punch. We are just in the wrong demographic.

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Peter Collins's avatar

Yeah, I think there should be >40 AND <60 (or 65) qualifier in there. They don't move the dial for me at all, probably because they missed the window between childhood and real life took over.

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Stan Galat's avatar

62 years old here. I can completely see that, but they were everywhere until 1985 or so when I stopped caring about any of it.

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John Van Stry's avatar

Where would you put Glen Campbell as a guitar player? Friend of mine caught him opening for BrandX a long time ago and was shocked at just how good of a jazz player he was.

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Gianni's avatar

Has anyone ever figured out how many sessions he played on as part of the wrecking crew before he went solo?

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John Van Stry's avatar

I'm sure they have records on it. I just know it was a lot

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Gianni's avatar

People are still finding sessions that Eddie Cochran played on prior to his death in 1960.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

I'd place him among the very best. Tommy Emmanuel often is cited as the best acoustic picker but he has nothing on Glen.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Roy Clark could keep up with Campbell. There are lots of clips of them playing together (including on a single guitar). Jerry Reed played with him too.

Here's Clark on a Telecaster and Cambpell doing single note runs on an Ovation electric 12 string.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_kbgjsuCec

I'm glad to see that Tommy Emmanuel and Billy Strings have played together.

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Rick T.'s avatar

Let’s not forget Chet Atkins. Love the videos where’s he playing with Mark Knofler or Jerry Reed. Vince Gill can pick some. Jim Stafford was a pretty fair guitarist whose playing was overshadowed by his comedy songs.

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Gianni's avatar

Hank Garland before his car crash.

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Chuck S's avatar

I'll admit that for the longest time my exposure to Roy Clark was limited to his bits on Hee-Haw and I never took him all that seriously. For some reason YouTube served me up a video of him playing Malagueña not too long ago and I was stunned. The guy is phenomenal.

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Gianni's avatar

It’s a shame that he gets remembered for that cornball hee haw shit.

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Chuck S's avatar

Exactly! The guy is an amazing guitarist and he's remembered by a wide swath of the public for his cornpone humor.

He's about as good on banjo as he is on guitar, as well.

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Jeff Winks's avatar

Hee Haw was a great show.

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sgeffe's avatar

Didn’t appreciate it at the time, since I was in single-digit years, but some of the girls in the half-circle around Roy Clark and Buck Owens were pretty hot!

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Gianni's avatar

We get RFD-TV and they show it. I tried to watch it a couple times. I like the classic country artists like Buck, Merle, George, Charlie, but just couldn’t take the corn pone.

My dad liked to watch it back in the day, but I think it was for other reasons.

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Jeff Winks's avatar

He opened for Brand X???? What alternate reality is this?

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John Van Stry's avatar

Some place in NYC. Might have been Radio City, might have been 'My Father's Place', I don't really remember. This was a long time ago. And I'm pretty sure it was a small venue. My friend was a guitarist (studio musician) as well as studying engineering, and he knew a lot of these people personally. Show was on a weeknight, if I remember correctly?

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Jeff Winks's avatar

Was Phil Collins with them for that show?

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John Van Stry's avatar

I don't know, I wasn't there. He only talked about it because Glen Campbell was there and a whole bunch of them were 'Wait? Glen Campbell? He's a country singer!'

This was before people knew he'd been on the Wrecking Crew for years and was an amazing guitar player. Everyone just knew the guy from his records and hit TV show.

Hell, I was surprised to find out that he and Alice Cooper were like best buds.

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Matthew Horgan's avatar

I often wonder what it would be like to play with such effortless fluidity. It must feel something like flying. I put together two bars and I think I’m really doing it.

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Joe's avatar

I know what you mean. Back when I used to take lessons, at one point I was working on Santana's "Europa", and during the moments when I was able to "flow", it did feel like flying. I at once understood odd and unusual facial expressions musicians can make during a performance, as well as the feeling(s) that lead them to it.

I haven't played for almost ten years, since I hurt my hand, and I miss that feeling desperately.

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Ronnie Schreiber's avatar

Try harmonica.

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Amelius Moss's avatar

What a lovely surprise on a Friday night.

First big concert I ever attended was the evening before starting my high school junior year, Aug 31 1981. Blossom Music Center. Journey.

As for anyone whining about South Detroit, people have been singing for decades of the Shenandoah River being in WV. Get over it already.

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Mr Furious's avatar

“Captured” is probably the most underappreciated live rock album of all time.

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Agreed. It deserves a wider listen but the track list is very much Early Jazzbo Journey.

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Jason Kodat's avatar

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

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David Florida's avatar

I still have the Schon & Hammer albums on vinyl; wonder if the old videos are on the web? When it comes to being an asshole, can any rocker claim to have ever exhibited more self importance than Frank Sinatra?

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Reading the Kitty Kelley book... my God, if a third of it was true, he should have been hanged by the neck.

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Scott A's avatar

Hanged or hung?

This is a penis joke

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Jack Baruth's avatar

He apparently was also pretty well endowed. Ava Gardner had a famous quote about it.

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Joe's avatar

So, two small men (Neal and Frank), each with a large appendage, behaving like jerks. It's starting to look like a pattern...

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Jack Baruth's avatar

Obviously its better to be a six foot two man with a thumb dick, a patient temper, and the ability to shoot birds out of the sky with a pistol.

I'm one of those anyway.

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Stan Galat's avatar

You can shoot birds out of the sky with a pistol?

Again... dang.

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Speed's avatar

"Schon sent him “an email of his large penis, said email being sent for no other purpose than to humiliate and injure the Plaintiff.” The text included with the picture was brief and to the point: “I am fucking your wife.”"

if this ever happens to me im committing a homicide or just cutting his off i dont care what happens after that

"There’s something about the creative process that demands a little bit of ego, a little bit of irrationality, a little bit of psycho-or-socio-pathy."

ive thought about this for a while with regards to "reimaginings" and restomods. it does take some ego to say "well yes what youve done is incredible and well loved but i can improve upon it". fortunately theyre right sometimes but usually wrong

"there is no “south Detroit”"

excuse me windsor might irrelevant but it still exists

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Scott A's avatar

When your gut says she’s cheating, trust it and move on.

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Scott A's avatar

Just a city boy

Born and raised in Canada

Just doesnt hit

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Scott A's avatar

He took the midnight train

Making sixty cents on the dollar

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sgeffe's avatar

Whether “Canada,” or “CAAAAAA-nadah!”

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Flashman's avatar

OMFG I hate that fargin’ song!

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