I have been following this thread and find it interesting to revisit some of these songs. But at least for me, I have heard most of these song zillions of times over the years, so there isn't much new there. I think an idea for a thread in the future would be to discuss the whole top 10 or 20 for each week, because there are so many songs to (re) discover that didn't quite make it to number 1.
I like "Cloud" but always felt it was an attempt to be "Satisfaction Part 2". Not that they're clones, but something about it strikes me as being a self-conscious attempt to milk that same cow...
I Feel Fine I'm trying to limit the number of posts I make referring to older songs in this thread, but I had to comment on this song. First, I love it. Lennon was very proud of the fact that this is the first song that had deliberate feedback in it. He may have been wrong, who knows, but it was definitely an attempt to do something that had not been done before. Which in turn shows that they were moving into a new era in their development, where they were going beyond merely writing great songs into trying to be innovative both in song writing and in the studio. This song rocks in a totally different way from their earlier stuff, and I find it hard to sit still when I hear it. But now, prepare to have your mind blown. Check out this little number, a song that was a favorite of John Lennon's, from 1961: John and George both freely admit that this song influenced the sound of I Feel Fine (I also hear a little Day Tripper in there). What do you think? Too close for comfort? Or similar but not too similar?
Mine, too. Loved it since I first heard it and while I can see the Satisfaction connection, the vibe is very different. Get Off Of My Cloud is very punky, Satisfaction has a much more laid-back, mid-tempo, bluesier feel. If I could only choose one it would be "...Cloud" every time.
I have fond memories of this song. I agree, that Dexterized version sounded great on the car's AM radio.
Uptown Girl had me fooled totally! I remember thinking it was a whole lot better than that Dec. 1963 song.
Odd that in the song, Billy Joel was mimicking Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, which he loved. December 1963 was a great song.
Here is the song performed live on Ed Sullivan, as part of a medley of songs from the entire album of the same title.
Very reminiscent of "Where did our love go" but with a better, more varied melody. One of Ross's better vocals. I wish the background vocals were WAY louder in this mix. The sax solo is abysmal - given the musicians available, I'm amazed they let this slide. The right instrument played by the right musician could play a great solo over those chords. Also, one of the few hit songs with a 4 bar bridge - it's very short, and also very meh. So, yeah, I like it, but it sags a lot in the middle.
Jesus, another epic, classic track. It's gonna be hard for another year to top this one. I think I've referred to these Motown classics as "little symphonies" before, and here we have one that literally references that fact.
Dude, I'm fine with oldies sounding "dated". When people talk about a particular song sounding "dated", they mean it sounds dated for the year it came out in. As in, it was passe on release. Which is a perfectly valid criticism. I'm fine with tracks that are intentionally retro as well ("Those Were The Days" for example). Uh, I think when people are calling a song dated for the time it was released in, they're demonstrating they know the "context of the times" pretty darned well.
I agree that the background vocals would have sounded better much louder. This live performance gives a taste to what that would sound like... Flo just NAILS that last note to the wall.
Eh...it's OK. But, i'm also burned out on it from hearing it so much on oldies radio back in the 90s.
I'm probably the only one, but all those "Baby, baby"s sound almost like a parody now. Especially since their first two big hits also included a lot of "Baby"s. At the time it was a very good song otherwise, but it's now among many where the enjoyment is almost ruined through overplay over the decades.
One of my favorite Supremes songs, and possibly my favorite to date in terms of their release (although soon to be eclipsed by the fantastic "My World Is Empty Without You," which didn't quite make it to #1).
Just not a Supremes fan I guess.Very talented but for whatever reason their music isn't appealing to me.
I like the sax sound on "I Hear a Symphony." It is simple but effective to me. Kind of a raw aggressive sound that is a nice contrast to the rest of the track.
I didn't recognize the Symphony from the title, but do remember hearing it as I listen to the Youtube link now. Guess I turned off when the Supremes were on, though I always liked When the Lovelight... and The Happening.
1960s Motown records always had lame sax solos, just kind of farting around in the lower register. Gladys Knight & the Pips'"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" is the only saxophone solo from that label/era that has any altitude.
