Poll: best of the worst

matt z wrote:

You must mean *Dr Quinn: Medicine Woman



I think it's the production of Cool Cat that wins out on it. It's pure swank but handled with gifted subtlety. Just listen to the demo (*although unmixed) w Bowie on it. It hardly sounds the same.

As a piece of minimalist lounge music it's really a great song. I'm not so much talking about Freddies voice either. More about the way each instrument plugs in at parts to emphasis.

The first time the keys walk at "feeling the beat of my heart" (where Bowie drops in on the demo, talking) right to the Deacon triple notes emphasizing bits in that point.

I really love the space between the notes and the fact that they pulled off a vibe with so little.

But, it is what it is.

I STILL can't really stand STAYING POWER. I've even tried to imagine another group rearranging it. It really is a mess and people have pointed out it's similarity to Zeps OUT ON THE TILES. ..but neither "rock", or "funk"

I think without the ARIF MARDIN horn section the whole thing is essentially a wreck of a cocaine nightmare of a song

"And this is the part where it gets bigger, and then here's the part where it goes down and then back up again! And then i come in with falsetto!"

(Everybody else) ..... well. ...that sounds ambitious. But where's the musical part of this, Fred?

Point is: everybody's got a different take on it.


I can imagine an alternate world where if COOL CAT had appeared on BOWIE's TONIGHT or NEVER LET ME DOWN albums it'd be sung to high praise.

Instead it's just a gem for fans left at the end of an album

You perfectly described it. Cool Cat is incredible. I love Staying Power though, it's a very good pop song

That said, Party and Staying Power are hand in hand as album 'intros' suggesting the first part of a larger whole. On the Miracle the journey from Party through to WIAWI is great - although flawed by the album being seemingly short and not the whole 'kitchen sink' deal having a throw away like Party as track 1 suggests. Same with Hot Space. SP is like - GET READY! but the album kind of falls a bit flat because the last 3rd kind of fizzles out. Which is weird considering it has one of their biggest songs right at the end.

matt z, cool words about cool cat - really nice, totaly agree/

speaking about staying power, did you hear this cover? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBkp4Bi3fI

I voted Calling all girls, but I actually like that song a lot!
As for the Cool Cat discussion, I have to agree with thomasquin.
For many songs that I don't like, I can Always think of a part in that song that I can somehow enjoy.
The guitarsolo in Delilah, the outro of Rain must fall. But nothing comes up for Cool Cat. Maybe they should have used the Bowie singing parts in it

I hated Cool Cat when I was young and naive. Now I appreciate it for a glorious slice of laid back summery funk soul it is, with superb bass and guitar from John, and outside 'You Take My Breath Away', possibly Freddie's greatest falsetto vocal (if only he'd be so tasteful on 'One Year of Love'!)

My Baby Does Me is actually in a similar vein but not as timeless, but still with it's merits, and I quite like Rain Must Fall, despite some questionable lyrics - it has however not dated well.

Worst Queen song for me is not even listed...'She Makes Me'.....incredibly tuneless dirge!

Duplicate post

"hated Cool Cat when I was young and naive. Now I appreciate it for a glorious slice of laid back summery funk soul it is,"

Agreed

I mean 'same'. Initial dislike because it was boring. Then I grew and widened my palette and came running back to it with great appreciation.

"My baby does me" is top class, worthy of "Hot Space" although by 1989 it sounded a bit retro.

Fun it and don’t lose your head

Jazz rules, especially tracks 1-7. Gets slightly weaker after but I listen to this album the most as it’s fun and rocking. Maybe not their best creatively but that does not matter.

I like Calling All Girls, and have never seen it as an embarrassment to the band like Staying Power.

no_stairway wrote:

matt z, cool words about cool cat - really nice, totaly agree/

speaking about staying power, did you hear this cover?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBBkp4Bi3fI

Oh yeah. I was at that gig. Posted about it here on that night. On another version i can be heard suggesting the song COOL CAT when they were announcing a song nobody would likely know. Haha.

I'm just glad they film these things. Tried recording from phone but my phone truly sucks.

Always love those SOUNDCHECK gigs and most gigs they do there are pretty pro.

If only one didn't have to work ;)

Btw Tom Morello's doing one there this weekend. Some music student thing.

I'm pretty sure this thing with Nuno and Gary was in between QAL gigs and Brian was in the back of the crowd. The night they did BoRhap with a motion choir onstage.

Brian was hopefulto play TYMD but did not.

Bump?

Cool Cat is a fantastic song. I would not put it on a worst songs list.

matt z "I was at that gig. Posted about it here on that night" - now i see how i knew about that, thanks for posting! :) you were there - lucky you're :) i also didn't know that soundcheck gigs are a regular thing.

And after all you still don't like "staying power"? :) i thought that night could change your opinion :)

Rain Must Fall is the best on that list, and it's a song I really enjoy listening to even though it is a bit dated these days. It's got a nice, upbeat feel with some lovely synth work and production. I also love Brian's guitars on the song too, particularly the solo.

If I had to choose another song off that list it would be Calling All Girls, a decent song from a fairly average (by their standards) Queen album.