What if just like everyone else

Okay, fine. I give.

GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OR TWO OF AN ESPECIALLY GOOD OR INTERESTING:

1. Movie score: The Sweet Smell of Success, Elmer Bernstein. Yojimbo, Masaru Sato. Fargo, Carter Burwell.

2. TV theme: Hockey Night in Canada (original theme), Dolores Claman. (Perplexed non-Canadian readers click here.)

3. Melody: Mahler 9, mv. I, first theme. "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning," Bob Hilliard/David Mann. "Peace," Ornette Coleman. "The Long Honeymoon," Elvis Costello.

4. Harmonic language: "Half The Fun," Billy Strayhorn. "The Barbara Song," Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht, arr. Gil Evans. "God Only Knows," Brian Wilson. "Dreams," Bob Brookmeyer.

5. Rhythmic feel: Charles Mingus and Dannie Richmond on "Fables of Faubus." Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer on "Tête à  Tête." George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste on "Pungee." Bootsy Collins and Jabo Starks on "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" (14 minutes and 44 seconds of unstoppability). The Talking Heads on "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)."

6. Hip-hop track: "Check The Rhime," A Tribe Called Quest. "Blue Flowers," Dr. Octagon. "Virus," Deltron 3030.

7. Classical piece: Igor Stravinsky, Symphonies of Wind Instruments. Béla Bártok, Divertimento for Strings (second movement). Steve Reich, Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ. Frederic Rzewski, The People United Will Never Be Defeated!

8. Smash hit: "I Want You Back," The Jackson 5. "When Doves Cry," Prince. "... Baby One More Time," Britney Spears. "Hey Ya," Outkast.

9. Jazz album: Such Sweet Thunder, Duke Ellington.

10. Non-American folkloric group: Tom Zé (not really "folkloric," and, come to think of it, not really a "group," but... )

11. Book on music: The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film

BONUS QUESTIONS:

A) Name an surprising album (or albums) you loved when you were developing as a musician: something that really informs your sound but that we would never guess in a million years: Uh, yeah -- see this post for an exhaustive and embarrassing list.

B) Name a practitioner (or a few) who play your instrument that you think is underrated: Ran Blake. Paul Bley.

C) Name a rock or pop album that you wish had been a smash commercial hit (but wasn't, not really): Lewis Taylor's self-titled debut. The New Pornographers, The Electric Version. Also, while Sign O The Times was obviously a massive hit, I never understood why "Starfish and Coffee" wasn't a hit single.

D) Name a favorite drummer, and an album to hear why you love that drummer: Stevie Wonder, Talking Book (I'm happy to see that Jeff Ballard agrees with me that Stevie's drumming is underrated.) Mel Lewis, Make Me Smile.

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Feel free to play along in comments.

Comments

[Tim]

Right on. That Yojimbo score is a gem, like Japanese Morricone.

[mwanji]

"...Baby One More Time" is an awesome pop hit. Have you heard Mike Patton's (I think) version?

[Andy H-D]

High five 100% on the Yojimbo score, and I'm really embarassed that I blanked on Rzewski on my go 'round.

Also, I think the "...Baby One More Time" deconstruction might actually be the fault of the Zappa offspring. 'Cause if Patton did one, oh man...

[DJA]

Andy's right -- the widely-circulated Mike Patton(/Mr. Bungle) cover of "... Baby One More Time" isn't actually him, though I did not know that it was actually Dweezil and Ahmet's brainchild.

I also really like Richard Thompson's cover of "Oops! I Did It Again."

[Mark]

The Lewis Taylor acoustic album is out of control. Thanks for writing ritual or I might never have gotten around to checking him out

[Drew]

Great list. I am now officially embarrassed at the one I slapped together. TOTALLY agree re "Starfish and Coffee" and Stevie's drumming, which was always something I marveled at. I'm gonna plug another rock drummer here: Roxy Music's Paul Thompson -- see "Country Life." Huge sticks. Also big up for RT's "Oops."
Thanks for putting this up.

[Pat]

D- As usual, great stuff. I wish that NBC's "Football Night in America" theme was half as good as its Canadian equivalent. For all the money they spent, could it please NOT suck? I'm jealous. (And I'm not even talking about Pink's number. That's just embarrassing.)

[Tom Lunt]

Jesus, I'm just so thrilled to discover someone covering actual music that in addition to crapping my pants, I can barely write. But I'll offer, for a film score, "Henry Fool", for a melody, Brian Wilson's "Don't Talk, Put Your Head On My Shoulder" or Liam Hayes' "Born Together", for a smash hit "Dancing Queen", for a rhythmic feel, Jarrett, Haden & Motian on "Gypsy Moth" and my computer's about to croak so I'll come back later.

Now I must go launder my drawers.

[Tom Lunt]

Okay, classical piece, Valentin Silvestrov's "Metamusik", book on music, "Four Jazz Lives" by A.B. Spellman, Hip Hop Track, "Apache", the Sugarhill Gang, harmonic language, "Song Cycle", Van Dyke Parks, Jazz Album, John Coltrane, "The Africa Brass Sessions," non-american folkloric group, Vartina, surprising albums I loved when I was developing as a musician, "Herman's Hermits On Tour", "Lady Coryell", "Harry Belafonte Live at Carnegie Hall", underrated guitarist, Phil Judd, rock or pop album I wish had been a smash commercial hit (but wasn't, not really): "#1 Record", Big Star, a fave drummer and the album on which to hear him, Paul McCartney on The Steve Miller Band's Brave New World, "My Dark Hour".

[godoggo]

I remember a long time ago there was some sports show that had Don Ellis's "Final Analysis" as the theme song. That was pretty cool, I thought.