Weakest Link: John Cougar Mellencamp "Scarecrow" - Round 3

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Oatsdad, Jun 30, 2020.

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  1. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Two more songs departed last time: "You've Got to Stand For Something" and "Between a Laugh and a Tear".

    Let's go ahead and eliminate more Side Two songs now! :laugh:

    Pick the two weakest links!

    Discussion: did you ever see Mellencamp live? If so, how was it, and did he do any "Scarecrow" songs?

    EXILED SONGS:
    -Between a Laugh and a Tear
    -You've Got to Stand for Something
    -Grandma's Theme
    -Kind of Fella I Am
     
  2. Hokeyboy

    Hokeyboy Nudnik of Dinobots

    Same as before, Justice and R.O.C.K.

    I have never seen Mellencamp live, which depresses me so.
     
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  3. a customer

    a customer Forum Resident

    Location:
    virginia
    Between a laugh and a tear (rickie lee jones backing vocals i think) is one of my all time favorite mellecamp songs . Im devastated. The other is golden gates.
     
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  4. Badlands

    Badlands Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    Still to see him live. Never managed it on his rare trips to the UK. He is second on my must see live Bucket List.
     
  5. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Who's first?
     
  6. PhoenixWoman

    PhoenixWoman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lancaster, NY
    I agree. There's some tough competition here but "Between a Laugh and a Tear" is one of my two or three favorites on this album, which is to say one of my favorite Mellencamp songs, and it's really hard to order them once I get to the top three. BTW, yes that's Rickie Lee Jones singing harmony.

    Going with "State of the Nation" and "Justice and Independence". Really... you voted off "Between a Laugh and a Tear" and kept these?

    I saw Mellencamp on tour for The Lonesome Jubilee, so of course he was still playing these songs.
     
  7. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Hey, don't blame me - I didn't vote it off! :help:
     
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  8. Badlands

    Badlands Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    Mark Germino. I think he only plays gigs in Nashville these days. He's done 5 albums over about 35 years. He got a bit a of airplay in the UK in the 80s with a track called Rex Bob Lowenstein. Well worth checking out. He has also written for quite a lot of country / Americana artists - Johnny Cash covered one back in the day I think.
     
  9. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    When the pandemic ends, treat yourself to a trip to Nashville! :D
     
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  10. Elton

    Elton I Hope Being Helpful, Will Make Me Look Cool

    Location:
    Carson Ca.
    Face of a Nation and Justice and Independence '85 to go

    I also saw Mellencamp on The Lonesome Jubilee Tour, with the big band, and of course he was still playing these songs;
    Rain on the Scarecrow, Small Town, Minutes to Memories, Lonely Ol' Night and ROCK In the USA.
     
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  11. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    Justice
    Face

    Everything else is indispensable...I quit.
     
  12. Mike McMann

    Mike McMann Forum Resident

    Face of the Nation
    Rumbleseat

    Never did see any of his live shows unfortunately.
    Would like to have seen the "Lonesome Jubilee" tour.
     
  13. Dr. Bogenbroom

    Dr. Bogenbroom I'm not a Dr. but I play one on SteveHoffman.TV

    Location:
    Anchor Point
    Shame to see Between A Laugh And A Tear gone. That's a top 4 track (maybe top 3?)! Stronger song than Justice And Independence...and gone by one vote...1 vote! True democracy has failed us...where's the representative republic when you need it? :D

    Justice And Independence
    and
    ROCK

    Never have seen Mellencamp live.
    So YOU'RE one of the ones endangering our Face Of The Nation! :wantsome:That's probably my 2nd favorite track!
     
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  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    It ends up being really difficult here.

    R.o.c.k. and Face of the nation... begrudgingly.

    I saw John on the Lonesome Jubilee tour. It was brilliant.
    Lonely ol' night
    Rain on the scarecrow
    Rumbelseat
    R.o.c.k.
    Small town
    Minutes to memories

    He had a really good band, augmented by Lisa Germano, and everything was excellent.
     
  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Sorry mate. I love it too.
    For me he had too many great songs over about 4 or 5 albums to want to lose much at all
     
  16. Dr. Bogenbroom

    Dr. Bogenbroom I'm not a Dr. but I play one on SteveHoffman.TV

    Location:
    Anchor Point
    Et tu, Brute? I fear there is no hope for the Face to survive this round.

    All is forgiven. I'm used to seeing some of my most favored tracks getting the boot early-ish in these polls. My tastes seem to run a bit left or right of center. :)
     
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  17. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    So often the singles seem to win... that really surprises me on this forum
    Edit: looks like one of my favourites is getting the boot this round lol
     
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  18. I actually like all the songs on this record. I was going to vote off "Between a Laugh and a Tear" until I spun the record yesterday. It's a good song with a groovy vocal from Rickie Lee Jones.

    R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. & "Face of the Nation". I really like "FotN", most especially the opening, but just not enough to keep it around.

    I saw JM in February 1992 supporting the under-rated Whenever We Wanted. He played all the singles & "Minutes to Memories", my favorite song on Scarecrow.
     
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  19. Dr. Bogenbroom

    Dr. Bogenbroom I'm not a Dr. but I play one on SteveHoffman.TV

    Location:
    Anchor Point
    Indeed. That, and/or objectivity is tossed out because "overplayed" syndrome kicks in. C'mon, where's your objective subjectivity!?

    I do find these polls interesting, though I wish more people talked about the music. The addition of questions helped, but often it's just "vote and I'm out". Which makes little sense to me...I don't participate in polls I don't well know the music of, and if I know the music well, it kinda makes me want to see what others enjoy/don't enjoy about the album. :shrug: Different strokes for different folks.
    Really? Not even for the groove-breaking stops and starts? That jammin' acoustic solo? I could listen to a couple more minutes of that groove alone!
     
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  20. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I think the whole point is to strike up a conversation about an album.

    Justice and Independence was always a song I really like a lot. I liked the parallels being drawn between a relationship, the country, and sets of values.... I guess to some it was pretentious, but I thought it was a great Idea.
    I think it is the reach of those lyrics that makes it a special song for me.
    Break down of the family unit, break down of values, break down of a nation.... sad and poignant
     
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  21. Dr. Bogenbroom

    Dr. Bogenbroom I'm not a Dr. but I play one on SteveHoffman.TV

    Location:
    Anchor Point
    It is for those reasons I listen to Justice and Independence. I don't even call it pretentious, I think it's a great idea and lyrically executed brilliantly...though he doesn't do a terribly good job of closing the piece. It is but the music I find lacking. The jangling guitar riff is so-so, the drum solo into the bridge sounds lame, the key change is even worse, and those horns are worse still! Such a juxtaposition (for me) the music to the lyrics...and in the worst way. Great lyrics ruined by a lame-duck of a tune.

    Work those lyrics into the groove of Face of a Nation and that'd be a track which would be hard to beat on this album.
     
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  22. a customer

    a customer Forum Resident

    Location:
    virginia
    Lonesome jubilee was a solid album . I think that was his peak.
     
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Listening to the album now, and it reinforces to me, how unfair the Springsteen comparisons are.
    I love Springsteen, but Mellencsmp was generally lyrically more direct.
    Just revisiting Face of the Nation lyrics, and like most of these lyrics, they're very strong, and yes, it has a great groove.
     
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  24. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I think for most people, "Scarecrow" is a very Side One-heavy album.

    I know it is for me. Not that Side 2 is bad, but Side 1 is really, really strong, whereas S2 has some relative duds on it...
     
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  25. jdrueke

    jdrueke Handsome Man

    Location:
    Atlanta, Georgia
    I can't recall how "Face of a Nation" and "Justice and Independence"go, so I guess I'll vote them off. Never caught him live.
     
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