Weekly Worthy List #19: Non-obvious or No longer hesitant to admit it!!!

What has moved you? What has changed you but still isn’t officially on your list of influences?

As my powers of retrospect sharpen, as my openness to revelation is broadened, and slowly as details in life that seemed trivial at the time prove to be cornerstones of direction and influence when their effects become realized, I have become convinced that it is true…most of us need to learn to GET OUT OF OUR OWN WAY!!! Musically I was always a sponge, but maybe at times resistant to being too influenced by music I liked but deemed cheesy or too far out of my sphere. I’ve always had a broad range of musical styles in my record and CD collections, but if I was going to be totally honest, at times I may have blocked myself off due to having a preconceived image of…get this…MYSELF!!! Well, trying to open up now and embrace the cheese…let it rain fondue…looking forward to brighter cheddar days. I am not going to give an explanation as to of the nature of this list, read the title and follow me…I hope you relate in your own way.

The Bee Gee’s:

I was born in 1971 and in 1977, 1978, and 1979, I was in grammar school and all my friends and I had little radios and one of the most popular activities for people 6-18 was to go to the roller skating rink. The Bee Gees were EVERYWHERE!!! I cannot deny, their music was catchy, sometimes deceptively complex, well written, and those harmonies and falsettos were THE BOMB!!! When I listen to their early material that touched on rock, soul, pop, and folk styles they are unique and strong. When I listen to their mid to late 70s work they are very focused and stylistically defined. Favorite songs: Lonely Days and How deep is your love.

*Non obvious with a smidge of No longer hesitant to admit it

Rod Stewart:

During the years I mentioned, Rod “The Mod” was HUGE, but his music had gotten bloated and stupid. As I got into my 20s I rediscovered the guy through his earlier music including the Jeff Beck Group and his First solo album all the way through The Faces and his solo album Never a Dull Moment. The loose and very gritty-beyond-casual approach that he and his band took towards the recording, the parts, and total arrangement…well, at it’s best it was lovely and infectious. Worth noting, on all of his best solo stuff he was using his other band The Faces as his “solo” band. Favorite songs: Love Lives Here and Mandolin Wind.

*Non obvious?

The Cure:

In high school a lot of my girlfriends and girl friends really liked The Cure. Being exposed to them lead to really enjoying them. Robert Smith has such a neat style, and his delivery is so perfect and unique for what it is. He can be so ominous, so playful, so melancholy, so tragic, and so romantic…and all in one song!!! I really like the keyboard lines he writes, the droning guitar melodies, and the acoustic guitar style he uses. His voice is one of a kind, most people either love it or hate it, I love it. Favorite songs (currently): Taking Off and In Between Days and If Only Tonight.

*Non-obvious

The Scorpions:

Interestingly, their lyrics tend to be super sexy if not outright sexist…But DAMN these guys rocked and WORKED the formula!!! On top of that, they could write the HELL out of a power ballad!!! Rudy Schenker’s riff work is absolutely a beautiful study in spiced up hard rock meat and potatoes, Klaus Meine has a wonderful range and excellent vocal tone, and Matthias Jabs has a knack for the signature lead and harmony. Favorite Songs: Always Somewhere, Holiday and Lady Starlight…just listened to Dynamite…hell, it ain’t bad either!

*Non-obvious

So, yeah, this is another list that can go on forever, and in areas other than music as well. This trip through influence, kind of like last week’s that really left an impression on me is a great way for me, and you, to give a nod to some of the great aspects of our life that may not receive much attention and that have remained hidden…from us even!!! It’s been a pleasure…take a trip to your own “non-obvious” and tell us what you find there!

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When he’s not enjoying fishing, road testing cables, or fielding musical or instrument cable questions over the phone/e-mail, Michael handles operations and purchasing and is simply loving life.
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