Sunday, July 5, 2009

How I Discovered RR

This week's topic of dialogue moves me to relate how I discovered RR in the first place. I had compiled topical CDs before - mainly Christmas songs - but a couple of years ago I found myself interested in songs with talking parts. The most famous one is probably Elvis's Are You Lonesome Tonight which features a 50 second long soliloquy in the middle. There were others that came to mind such as The Diamonds' Little Darling. So I set about looking for other songs with spoken parts to put together a CD. But my limited musical knowledge only produced about 15 songs so I decided to do a Google search. The right combination of search words finally led me to the RR column on Spoken Word songs ( http://rrindex.com/topics/spokenword.htm) I had not heard of a single one of the songs so my reaction was, "Damn! I've hit the motherlode!" Even more so when I checked out the blog leading up to it.

After that I compiled not one, but two 20-22 song CDs which I called Talkies Volume 1 and Talkies Volume 2. I even wrote liner notes for the first one explaining that there were five different kinds of songs with talking in them and I even designed CD covers (from an image I scrounged off the net).

The liner note for the first CD went as follows (it includes the songs for the first CD as well).


Talkies - Volume 1

Many pop songs from the 50s and 60s had talking parts – spoken monologues as part of the song. The quintessential “talkie” which is the first song in this collection was Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight. About halfway into the song, Elvis speaks those classic lines:
“I wonder if you’re lonesome tonight. You know someone said that the world’s a stage and each must play a part. Fate had me playing in love with you as my sweetheart. Act 1 was when we met. I loved you at first glance. You read your lines so cleverly and never missed a cue. And then came Act 2. You seemed to change. You acted strange. And why I’ve never known. Honey, you lied when you said you loved me and I had no cause to doubt you. But I’d rather go on hearing your lies than to go on living without you. Now the stage is bare and I’m standing there with emptiness all around. And if you won’t come back to me, then they can bring the curtain down.”
This passage takes up a full 50 seconds, almost a third of the song.
Spoken parts like this add a certain dimension to a song and so I started cataloguing songs with recitations as part or all of the piece. There are, I discovered five different kinds of talkies. The first kind are like the Elvis number – A bit of singing, a bit of dialogue and some more singing to end the song.
The second kind are songs with spoken narration only at the beginning of the song to set the scene for the song that follows. An example of this is Tom Dooley by the Kingston Trio also in this collection. A variation of the intro narration is a dialogue involving more than one person as is heard at the beginning of the Shangri-Las classic Leader of the Pack.
“Is she really going out with him? Well there she is. Let’s ask her. Betty, is that Jimmy’s ring you’re wearing? Mm Mm.”
The introductory monologue is popular in songs from musicals such as the opening number from Little Shop of Horrors. Interestingly, a throw-away spoken line from Leader of the Pack – “Look out! Look out! Look out!” just before the motorcycle crash, is reprised in a different context in Little Shop of Horrors. (It’s also used in New Girl in Town from the 2007 movie Hairspray – not included here.)
The third type of talkie is the aside or comment. The best example is the Barenaked Ladies If I Had a Million Dollars which has asides about stocking a fridge in a treehouse and eating Kraft dinners.
The fourth type is the song that is mostly spoken with the possible exception of a sung chorus line. Classics of this type include Jimmy Dean’s Big John.
The fifth type is only spoken word with musical background music. A brilliant example of this is the hilarious Judge Dread by Prince Buster.
Here is the playlist with “talkie type” indicated:
1. Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley – Type 1
2. Little Darling – The Diamonds – Type 1
3. You Can Depend on Me – Brenda Lee – Type 1 (Brenda Lee is big on monologues and has four songs featuring them in one of her greatest hits collections)
4. A Letter from Sherry – Dale Ward – Type 1 (This song differs than the preceding ones in that the monologue is recited by someone other than the singer)
5. Have You Seen Her? – The Chi-Lites – Type 1
6. Deep Purple – Nino Tempo and April Stevens – Type 1
7. Tom Dooley – The Kingston Trio – Type 2
8. Leader of the Pack – The Shangri-Las – Type 2 (with a touch of Type 3 thrown in)
9. Little Shop of Horrors – Soundtrack – Type 2 (with a touch of Type 3 thrown in)
10. Miss Otis Regrets – Bette Midler – Type 2
11. If I Had a Million Dollars – Barenaked Ladies – Type 3
12. Mr. Custer – Larry Verne – Type 3
13. Dentist – Steve Martin – Type 3
14. Big John – Jimmy Dean – Type 4
15. The Boll Weevil Song – Brook Benton – Type 4
16. Hot Rod Lincoln – Commander Cody – Type 4
17. Patches – Clarence Carter – Type 4
18. Somewhere Down the Crazy River – Robbie Robertson (The Band) – Type 4
19. Judge Dread – Prince Buster – Type 5
20. Past, Present and Future – The Shangri-Las – Type 5
21. Say Man – Bo Diddley – Type 5
22. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott-Heron – Type 5

I have enough songs to put together a third CD but haven't got around to it yet.

Anyways - that's how I discovered Readers Recommend. I loved the concept and have been a loyal fan ever since

62 comments:

goneforeign said...

There might be another category, there's one that I got into the B list some time back that involves 'real' dialogue. A bloke walks into the studio during the recording and a dialogue ensues 'twixt the producer and the intruder, when it's resolved the song continues. It's 'Skank in Bed ' by Scotty & Lorna, it's at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weH5EaBFjOY
Thought about nomming it for this week but I can't be bothered.

gordonimmel said...

Marconius, are you asking how we discovered RR? Not sure. It's an interesting question anyway.

My answer is that back in January 2006 I was a bit underworked at work so had time to surf the GuardianUnlimited site and to study this new thing called 'blogging'. I happened upon a site which was talking about songs about famous people. I would have contributed but didn't have time and when I got back to it the subject had changed to 'Joyous Songs' which I contributed to but (looking back on it now) with the uncouth naivety of many who join us for the first time.
I hope I've managed to gain some maturity in my contributions since.

DarceysDad said...

And I got onto RR because Gordon kept nagging me to! I've forgiven him now, mind.

;o)

tincanman said...

I kept seeing it in the paper.

How old-fashioned am I?

saneshane said...

I saw the first one in the Film and music section,, I had four hour train journeys on Fridays to get back to where my kid Ms and friends were each week.
I had compliled 20 songs in my head to make the compilations.. and then me and my mates rattled off songs in the pub, over the weekend.. they managed a few compilations, I did one every week.
My contract finished.. so I took 3 months off with little one (setting up and taking down gig sets for extra cash) at 3 in the morning I rocked the unsleeping Z-boy to give his mum a break and read through this new fangled blog thing.
No idea when I became saneshane , I was on 3 different computers under their owners names at the time.

but still after 4 years, just something like 7 songs is a little dire.

Marconius7 said...

Interesting to learn how different people discovered RR. That wasnn't my intention but fascinating to get that feedback.

BTW: I've dropped the entire Volume 1 into the Drop Box. Tried to upload to Podbean but it took forever. I gave up after two songs.

Proudfoot said...

1. Great 'spoken word' selection M7.
2. Can't remember which Guardian RR coloumn actually impelled me to chip in. I do blush at some of my earlier recommendations (usually just a favourite song with a specious connection to the theme) and the way in which they were made (like a drunk in a pub, hearing a word they can latch on to and then butting in to a conversation with hideous inappropriacy). I hope I've since learned to listen and think a bit more before hitiing 'post a comment'. But, hey, if we all did that it would be a bit boring.

mnemonic said...

I'd been reading it in the paper for ages but it was the combination of a new computer at home, broadband wifi, and the topic of "songs about other musicians" that had me leaping to the blog with "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". Been addicted ever since.

Chris said...

Like several others, I'd been reading the Friday column for ages (since it started, I suppose). There had never been a Grateful Dead song in there and I thought that should be rectified. I can't remember which particular topic I started with but it was my first step into the blogworld.
I haven't venured much beyond the Graun blogs since as (if you ignore the occasional troll) they seem to be populated by articulate, informed people. This is true of RR, in spades. I am in awe of the sheer quantity of songs that some of you know, let alone how you can present them so quickly and appropriately.

Chris said...

In fact, I haven't been doing much venuring at all recently....

nilpferd said...

I think I'd been contributing on GU blogs for a month or two, I was aware of the RR concept but I have to say I had initially assumed it was a bit of an impenetrable clique, as I'd already discovered some pretty snobby people under some of the other GU stones.. anyway, for some reason I came across a mention of "In a silent way"- EJD in a comment to Alexak, if I remember correctly- and I thought I'd pop a comment in- EJD, Darceysdad, Gordonimmel and Frogprincess were in immediately with some witty banter, and that was me hooked.. so it's them you have to -um- thank for the Nilpferd presence on RR...

DaddyPig said...

I'd been reading the column in the Friday newspaper (you're not alone tin) for months before I started reading the paper online occasionally, and realised eventually that the column was all to do with a blog. I like to think I've brought that same sharpness and speed on the uptake to my RR contributions.

As for the playlist and classification system - excellent ! A favourite "Type 2" for me is the Gladys Knight version of "Help Me Make It Through The Night".

AliMunday said...

Marconius 7, I admire your dedication.

I think I must have read about RR in the paper, and then got directed to the 'Spill by somebody (Tincanman??)

Or, it could have been during a fallow spell at work when I was browsing the Grauniad site and came across RR on the music blogs - we don't seem to get fallow spells any more so I have to post when I can. Which is more often than I should but less often than I would like, given that I'm using my husband's computer.

Abahachi said...

Have to admit that the RR column was something that I regularly skipped over every Friday, until for some reason my eye was caught by the rubric "songs about musical genres" and my head was instantly filled with AC/DC. I just had to pitch in with that, foolishly imagining that no one else would have thought of it, and of course as a typical newbie had no notion of the need to respect other people's prior nominations (these were pre-dond days, mind you) or even to read all the other comments properly. Nevertheless, despite this faux pas, I felt welcomed - DarceysDad, who'd originally suggested Let There Be Rock, pitched in to endorse my argument in its favour - and never looked back. It was abundantly clear that the blog was the main event (well, so I kept telling myself in the long months before I even got a sniff of the B-list), and of course it's really about all you wonderful people. Amazing to look back and see how short the threads were in the old days...

TracyK said...

I used to read it online in Japan, when GU was my main link back home for news and decent popular culture gossip (the NME cost quite a lot, but we sometimes made the effort and you could buy the Saturday Guardian in Tower records Shibuya for almost £10! Beyond even the most dedictaed of readers...). Then I started chipping in (FP, DsD and gordonimmel were the first people I became aware of, along with Tim'n'Hazel: whatever happened to them?) and then I got my first song on Dorian's 10 (HMHB, Breaking News). Hooked, still here, though admittedly more here than there recently.

steenbeck said...

It's funny how many of these include DsD. And mine does too! I'd been reading The Guardian online for a while, and I saw RR a few times when it appeared on the home page. I remember discussing songs about men's names with David. I thought it was a great idea--I even e-mailed all my friends to see if we could get some kind of similar thing going (no interest). But I thought a blog would be like youTube comments or some of the NYT or CNN online blogs--abusive, ignorant, pointless. Then I started reading along and everybody was so funny and smart. I remember a conversation between Nilpferd and Ejaydee about jazz that was very goodnatured and a conversation between FP & DsD about her vacation in Greece that was bewildering but hilarious. And then I made a few suggestions--I got one in the A list first time! (Fela, Viva Nigeria, songs about Africa). Then after a few weeks, I mentioned a strange dream I'd had about RR, and DsD commented on it (first time somebody had actually talked to me, personally) and the rest is history.

To borrow a phrase from Isaac--you're the best, Darceysdad.

ToffeeBoy said...

DarceysDad said...

And I got onto RR because Gordon kept nagging me to! I've forgiven him now, mind.

We haven't ...

:0)

Abahachi said...

We could probably work out a variant on the RR map, with arrows pointing to the people who first acknowledged us or donded our suggestions or with whom we feel a particular affinity - and I suspect we'd find DsD as the centre of the RR universe, followed quite closely by - actually, no, I started writing out a list, and that just runs the risk of making some people feel less special than others, without the empirical data to confirm my sense of the prime movers round here. You;re ALL speshull to me, 'cos I've had a really bad day (total writer's block, one week past the deadline and counting), and you're a;; my friends, you are.

ToffeeBoy said...

Like many others, I'd been reading/skipping over the column in the Grauniad for ages before I realised that it was more than just a spectator sport. I think it was the Songs About Trains thread that encouraged me to embark on my first (and so far, only) adventure into the strange world of blogging.

From memory, the names of steenbeck, nilpferd, DarceysDad, Ejaydee and FrogPrincess were the first I was aware of as regulars - all seemed universally friendly and welcoming so I thought I'd hang around for a while ...

ToffeeBoy said...

@ Abahachi - I have the same problem with l's and ;'s - tricky little buggers, aren't they???!!!!

Abahachi said...

Depends how much I;ve had to drink abnd how despondent - and hence unconcerned about orthography - I;m feeling.

steenbeck said...

Oh, go on, Abahachi, quickly! before you sober up...make us a venn diagram of 'Spill interconnectedness. Wait...do I mean a venn diagram? What is that, exactly, anyway?

Mnemonic said...

Quite a few people I remember from when I first joined have pretty much disappeared, JAP, Alex K, Luke the Drifter.

Certainly it was the banter between DsD, FP, Nilpferd, gordonimmel etc that made it so welcoming. Has FP dared to buy a new microwave yet, I wonder?

TracyK said...

I wonder about Luke too Mnemonic, I've got questions about The Makioka Sisters which I read on his recommendation, wish he'd come back so I can quiz him! JAP does come back now and then, but I do kinda miss him.

ejaydee said...

I used to read the Friday Review (F&M's predecessor), and was curious/apprehensive about the new formula, which I had to witness online as I wasn't in the UK at the time. RR was the most recognisable new feature, I regularly checked it out, but didn't think I'd recommend anything, because I couldn't really relate to the songs in the final playlists, also I didn't really know what blogging was, and thought you had to send in your suggestions! Then it's the same old story, start reading the blog, finally contribute when a song is just too good, then Rich or FP interacts with you, and you're properly in this. I think the first theme I posted in was Long songs, and my first song in the A-list: CHic's Will You Cry for songs about crying.

Mnemonic said...

Ah, my first suggestion went straight into the A-list, making it seem all to easy to achieve. I certainly did extremely well under Dorian's regime, rather less well since.

TracyK said...

*whisper it* FP scared me at first. To one of my first posts she said "I'm sure we would have been chums at finishing school" and I genuinely thought for a month or so that she was proper posh. Then I found out about Dollar and Prefab Sprout and twigged and felt very stupid indeed.

ejaydee said...

Actually, checking the index, it looks like my first song in the A-list was for Long songs, so that was a small flush.

nilpferd said...

By the way, EJ, and seeing as your mention of In a silent way got me involved, have you heard the Five Peace Band version of It's about that time? If not, I'll dropbox it for you..

ejaydee said...

In the words of Liz Lemon, "I want to go to there", do it.
That MD conversation was brilliant, I'd never had a proper discussion about Miles like that before, don't think I had one since. Where's AlexaK?

DarceysDad said...

@ steenbeck - Aw, shucks!

@ ToffeeBoy - Yah-boo-sucks!

Seriously, people, stop it. On the one hand you're making me blush, and on the other I don't recognise this person you're on about.

Funnily enough, had I succumbed to Gordon's nagging earlier, my nom-de-blog wouldn't be DarceysDad; there's a weird thought.

I miss JAP and lukethedrifter too, and I'll always have this nagging worry about AlexaK until we find out she's OK.

Now I'm off to have a quiet moment in the corner ...

nilpferd said...

Dropping it in the box right now..
I think Alexak was under pressure with her course, and dropped out to concentrate on her studies, although she did mention once not so long ago that she was keeping an eye on the blog.

nilpferd said...

DD- in terms of what would have been your main focus of activity had you indeed been persuaded to join earlier, it's perhaps a good thing as far as your user name is concerned..

ejaydee said...

That's true nilpferd, but she also mentioned she had been bed-ridden for a while, hence the worry, and she was always strangely less keen to give out her personal contact details to a bunch a mostly middle-aged freaks, so there's no way of contacting her I think.

DarceysDad said...

Nah, nilpferd, it wasn't that far back. But I finally registered on GU just after I'd registered on eBay. As that was done to find replacements for Darcey of all the stuff we'd given away when Jess outgrew it, when eBay's site asked for a profile name, the first thought that occurred to me was DsD.

nilpferd said...

@EJ- I missed that. But you can't really blame her re we middle class freaks. Not including your young self in that description, of course.
@DD- I think my GU registration period coincided with a bit of a lull in work.. one big project finished, so I had more time on my hands, and less money.. that's when I started reading the paper online, instead of buying it every day..

steenbeck said...

Who are you calling a middle-aged freak?

I was just thinking about AlexaK the other day, and wondering where she'd gotten to. I got the feeling that spending less time on blogs was a very good thing for her, as it meant she was off doing better things. Miss her, though. Maybe all of us typing her name so often will be some kind of psychic draw, and she'll feel compelled to return to RR and let us know how she's doing.

nilpferd said...

Steen! I thought I said you were grounded.. now, get back to your DJ shack in the mid Atlantic..

steenbeck said...

OMG! You can totally ground me, but I can still Txt ppl, lol.

I'm perplexed about what to make for dinner. Maybe something with the seaweed that's clinging to the bottom of the platform.

I hope one of these bottles I smuggled out of the party goes well with a seaweed stew.

nilpferd said...

Dammit, I wish I could understand what you kids are typing on those things..

ha, you speak like totally the same way as Mara's 14 yr. old cousin, who we just saw at the weekend in St. Johann..

Wait- you smuggled WHAT out of the party?!
I don't think Mr. SOWC got the joke, btw...

gordonimmel said...

Considering as I misunderstood Marconius' post I seem to have started a pretty interesting discussion.
By referring back to Marconius' excellent archive I can see that it took me 4 weeks to get an A-lister ('Is That All There Is?' by Peggy Lee in the 'Songs with a Question' topic). Like mnemonic I did quite well under the Dorian Realm (42 A-Listers) but have done less well since (only 6 more). So, I'm only two off my half century and when (if?) it happens I hope I get some applause from the pavilion.
And my proudest and most unexpected A-lister is 'Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire' by the Small Faces in the 'Dreaming' topic. No donds, I wasn't even sure it was on topic but I made it the Small Faces first entry into the A-Z (oh, and coincidentally all of the Small Faces entries in the A-Z are mine. I'm not claiming any special kudos for that, just mentioning it).

@ToffeeBoy, re introducing Darceysdad to RR, I'm not sure I've forgiven myself for that yet.......

nilpferd said...

Fat chance! You go and have a posh celebration dinner with rest of the first eleven, shane and me and the rest of the orange carriers will be out the back with take-out and stubbies..

Abahachi said...

I did abysmally under Dorian, even worse under RobF, very well indeed under Maddy and kinda middling under PaulMac... Scary to think how long some of you people have been on here, but, yes, I miss JAP's lists too. And we could really do with an update on the LowerCaseLetterO

Mnemonic said...

Steen, how about a risotto with a white wine and vegetable stock liquid. Seaweed and basil go well together and you could give it some protein by adding grated parmesan to the risotto (makes a good stuffing for courgette flowers or peppers)

Abahachi said...

If by seaweed this has any resemblance to Welsh laverbread, then we should have it fried with bacon (Welsh back, natch) and bread, and whatever alcohol is left.

DarceysDad said...

Took me a-a-a-g-e-s to lose my RR cherry. First posted on List-y Songs, first time Dorian pointed at my raised hand was Dates with Talk Talk's April 5th, which I didn't justify at all. Shortly after that I lost around three months to those scummers Orange cocking up my internet connection.
I haven't analysed it, but I'd guess I probably did best under Maddy, though I'm still proud of the triple A-listing Dorian gave me on Smiling/Laughing week.
I'm not pushing the right buttons with Rob or Paul AT ALL, so must be falling back towards the RR Premiership relegation zone by now.

Donds to the thoughts of BoyO, and I'll raise you a junior Raindog. At least with tarxien, we know Pat's excuse is an GU-hating laptop!

Abahachi said...

Not fried with alochol, fried with bacon and bread and then drunk with alcohol. No, eaten while drinking alcohol. Hic.

DarceysDad said...

Actually, is there an updated spreadsheet that can be sorted by poster? I've no idea how many I have had listed, or who is where in the league table (of successful nominations)underneath runaway leader steenbeck.

Carole said...

I used to read the blog for ages before I first ventured any posts.

I think my first time posting was the week the subject was "Celestial Bodies".

steenbeck said...

That sounds absolutely delicious, Mnemonic. I won't be alone on this outpost for long, once the smells start wafting to RRers everywhere.

I'm not the leader!! I'm absolutely not!! Ejay and Beltway Bandit are far ahead of me. And probably others as well. That Beltway Bandit is a quiet one, but he (?) has been in the lead as long as there was a chart. (or as far as I know)

I didn't do too well under Dorian, but I did get 3 in twice with him (trains & sleep, although 2 of the sleep ones I might have stolen from Shane.)

Carole said...

Oh yeah, and my record of getting listed isn't great.

One B list under Dorian (King Crimson Starless), two A lists with Maddy (For what it's worth by Buffalo Springfield and The Pharoahs and Freedom Road) and two A listings with Rob (Dylan's Like a rolling stone and Talk Talk's Eden.

ejaydee said...

Steen, I think you may have overtaken me in recent weeks, your spell under Maddy was quite phenomenal. In fact, there was a plot to oust her, Mister Corvette was in on it, obviously.

DacreysDad said...

Yeah, I seem to remember guessing at the top three recently, and when I got it wrong was told that you were way past JAP and only BeltwayBandit was up there with you. Since BB doesn't contribute as much as he did, I figure you must be out on your own by now.

As there seems to be no updated league table appearing, it's bedtime!

DarceysDad said...

DEFINITELY BEDTIME! After I've written out my younger daughter's name a hundred times ...

D-A-R-C-E-Y
1.
D-A-R-C-E-Y
2.
D-A-R-C-E-Y
3.
D-A-R-C-E-Y
4.
D-A-R-C-E-Y
5......

DaddyPig said...

A-listings indeed, I try not to think too much about them. But DarceysDad, as I said on this week's blog, I'm not sure if I deserve the one that Marconius credited to me for "Carrickfergus" (songs about towns), if I were in your shoes I might be thinking that I (ie. you) deserved it. Do let me know.


My memories of who I first conversed with here, and how long it took, are all a bit hazy, even though it's not that long ago. But everyone's been brilliant and tolerant.

DarceysDad said...

@ DaddyPig re Carrickfergus - No, no, no, not at all. Different versions of a song can be SO different that, nominating the artist that actually gets picked is crucial.

As an example, when Dorian did "Numbers 1 to 10", I nominated both Johnny Cash and U2's versions of One, because I love both. As it happens, Dorian picked JC. Two years down the line, we're now being told that very different versions of songs (already zedded) CAN be considered, so U2 are still in with a chance. Where it would get tetchy is which of the Irishmens' own recordings is picked. On The Passengers Miss Sarajevo CD single is an Eno & choir-enhanced version which is by far my favourite, and the one (sorry!) I would nominate. If someone after me just said "U2 - One", and the studio version got A-listed, would I want THAT point? Probably. Would I deserve it? Debateable.

But the Carrickfergus one is undoubtedly yours.

DaddyPig said...

Hooray ! My A-list account is OPEN FOR BUSINESS !!

DaddyPig said...

....so for future reference, it's:
- check all posts / control-F;
- check A-Z;
- list all possible cover versions;
- engage services of crack legal team.

It doesn't get any easier over there...

Catcher said...

Can I just say that after reading this post, I'm in complete awe of Marconius7? I've skimmed through rrindex before, usually when looking for suggestions for a themed compilation, but I'd somehow never noticed the amount of effort that must have gone into making it. For that, I feel really embarrassed. I spent a hugely enjoyable hour or so faffing around on the site, and had a great time revisiting old threads. I'd never noticed the trivia section before, and was shocked to discover I'm in the top 10 of published pickers. Huh?

Marconius7's site was also great because it helped me confirm exactly when I started to make suggestions. Like others, I'd been reading the column, looking at next week's topic and nodding or shaking my head when the list was published for a while. It was the list about 'jealousy' (which I have a definite memory of being 'sexual jealousy') back in May '06 which finally prompted me to chip in, after the deadline, with Smog's 'Your New Friend', which I still think was one of the great Missed Songs For A Playlist (ooh, there's a topic for here). That was it, hooked. In August of that year, I finally made it on to the A-List, 'Long Songs', with a double barrel of Neu's 'Hallogallo' and Tortoise's 'Djed'.

I also remember there already being the beginnings of our current community already there. Usually, with blogs, I'd be wary of cliques, but I quickly came to realise that gordonimmel, DsD, FP et al weren't being a clique, they were just talking, sharing their passion, and, more importantly, welcoming of and open to debate with others who felt the same about a song, whatever song. I've never been much good at joining in with established groups, but I've kept coming back, and the warmth and inclusiveness I've felt from the RR community has me here three and a bit years later, posting on the mothership on a (nearly) weekly basis, and here on The 'Spill. And by the way, I miss AlexaK too, and LukeTheDrifter, and even JAP, everyone added something to the mix, and maybe opened a door.

At the risk of sounding overly gushy, I think what has happened with RR is amazing. It's taken on a life of its own, and it has people from such disparate walks of life and with such amazing experiences (goneforeign, I'm looking at you) coming together to bond over a shared passion. We have a blog. We have socials. We have a community.

You should all be proud.

Marconius7 said...

Fascinating to read all these accounts of different people got involved with RR and their memories of first making the A List, etc. I made my faux pas when I first started contributing, quickly learning RR etiquette, etc. Didn't ever make the A List with Dorian but struck gold with Maddy. First A Lister was Albedo 0.39 by Vangelis for Songs about Science. Didn't do so well with Rob but got one with Paul. But I love RR even if I don't make an A or B list. It's just fun.

This thread gives me lots of fodder for the next feature I'll add to the Index - All about the bloggers - all you wonderful people!

magicman said...

It's difficult for me to say when precisely I joined the RR community, felt like I hovered before becoming hooked sometime before Christmas 08. So as a newbie newt I'd just like to echo the sentiments of many who have praised the supportive communal nature of this blog, it's what I always imagined the internet would be like before it became evident (on youtube in particular) that there are a lot of people out there who one would avoid normally.
So thanks to you all for making me feel so welcome, for being so thoughtful, fair, witty, kind when there is distress expressed, indulgent when there is over-enthusiasm. I'm not going to single anyone out for special mention, but Marconius himself for maintaining the RR index cannot remain unacknowledged.
I also have a weakness M7 for songs with talking in them (which is indeed where you started on this thread, dragging it belatedly, too late of course, to the chatty chatty mouth),
BUT
howsabout all the Barry White ? Lots of talking there, as type 2 I believe intro chat. Marvin Gaye also went in for it more so in his later years, with Save The Children being an absolute super-classic talkie, 'Til Tomorrow also springs to mind. And how about James Brown ? Shall I take 'em to the bridge fellas ? Other great records with chat include Diana Ross 'love has never shown it's face since the day you walked out that door' - I'm Still Waiting and Remember Me also has a semi-spoken section. I could go on for years....etc
but for now
thanks ! Happy to be part of such a great community...

goneforeign said...

Catcher: You're right, and I keep saying the same thing over and over in different ways, I'm constantly amazed by this international group of friends who meet regularly to chew the fat but don't even know each others names. We owe Tim Berners-Lee and his mates at CERN an enormous thank-you for making it all possible.