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Music artists with themes in their entire body of work

SteveJRogers Mar 23 2007 08:41 PM

Not sure exactly what got me into this, but I just listened to some John Denver on the iPod and it made me think that he and Jimmy Buffet may be among the few artists to actually have a theme, or a setting that one thinks of every time they sing a song. John Denver: Nature, mostly forrest land in Colorado, and any season. Be it the cool chills of winter, or a breezy summer. Jimmy Buffet: A Voice of Summer if there ever was one. Mostly the Southeastern US (Florida, Louisianna, Mississippi) and the Caribbean. Almost a beach frat bum mentality. Of course there are artists, whose songs are generic or elcetic in terms of themes are still "owned" by their region of the country and often are looked upon as "representing" that region or state Billy Joel, New York City/Long Island Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Frank Sinatra, New York City/New Jersey Buck Owens, Baskersfield, California Started a movement of country music called "Baskersfield Sound" Willie Nelson, George Strait, Texas Bob Seeger, Detroit Trying to rack my brain of other examples. And I'm going for generally accepted notions, I know a song or an artist can mean one thing to someone, but to another it can mean the opposite or something different entirely.

metirish Mar 23 2007 08:55 PM

The Rolling Stones /money When I think of Bruce I think the working man more than I think NJ, U2 - / christian/salvation/politics.

DocTee Mar 23 2007 09:10 PM

Johnny Cash (and Tracy Chapman): the downtrodden

Johnny Dickshot Mar 23 2007 09:50 PM

A Flock of Seagulls -- Space-Age Love Songs

Edgy MD Mar 23 2007 10:20 PM

Morrisey: Being gay and alienated ain't a box of chocolates. There are three John Denvers. A. The coffeehouse folksinger. B. The cornpone humor country goofball. C. The heroic western naturalist. I think he was geniallly decent about playing Part B, which made him a star, but it killed him. He wanted to be taken more seriously. His audience stayed with him through incarnation C, but not beyond it. After that dreadful duet with Placido Domingo, they moved on. Watch John duet with the forgotten David Essex ("Rock On"), bringing an Everly Brothers buzz to the Buddy Holly songbook:

cooby Mar 24 2007 07:19 AM

I love John Denver. My daughter has followed in my footsteps. You shoulda heard her singing Calypso when she was a baby

Edgy MD Mar 24 2007 10:14 AM

Confession: I could talk about John Denver all day. I guess it keeps me out of the cooler fraternities, but there it is.

Johnny Dickshot Mar 24 2007 11:26 AM

That's a nice duet, tho I wish they weren't up there pretending it's extemporaneous, what with the strings and drums and all. David Essex had a voice. I didn't realize he was a British guy, tho I can't say I ever gave it any thought. I saw a John Denver concert at the Nassau Colesium when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, which I guess woulda been my first concert. Floor seats! My oldest sister was the big fan, and I guess my folks taking us all there was an acknowldedgement JD was cool with them. My favorite rock and/or rollers wouldn't be afforded the same courtesy.

Edgy MD Mar 24 2007 12:43 PM

RealityChuck Mar 24 2007 02:59 PM

Bonzo Dog Band: Dada and humor. Procul Harum: Weird people and events. Led Zepplin: Let's have sex. The Band: Celebrating American history and mythology Frank Zappa: American Society is screwed up and corrupt. The Kinks: Celebrating and observing British society The Who: Violence

Willets Point Apr 25 2007 02:42 PM

metirish wrote: The Rolling Stones /money I tend to classify the Stones as the Woman-hatin' Blues.

RealityChuck Apr 26 2007 08:00 AM

Flash and the Pan: Disaster and apocalypse B-52s: Party!

Johnny Dickshot Apr 26 2007 08:23 AM

Yeow, you knocked something loose in my brain.

RealityChuck Apr 26 2007 09:22 AM

I hadn't seen that before. It's cute, but the group's songs were much darker than the video implies. Trivia: Flash and the Pan was made up of the two main songwriters of the Easybeats ("Friday on My Mind") -- Henry Vanda and George Young. Young's younger brothers, Angus and Malcom, gained some fame with a group named AC/DC, which George and Henry helped to produce.

Vic Sage Apr 26 2007 09:24 AM

Edgy DC wrote: Watch John duet with the forgotten David Essex ("Rock On"), bringing an Everly Brothers buzz to the Buddy Holly songbook: David Essex starred in the movie THAT'LL BE THE DAY and its sequel STARDUST. These 2 gritty Brit films from the late 60s-early 70s that told the story of the rise and fall of a young rock star. The movies are dated but kind of interesting, and michael Apted directed STARDUST with a bit more flair.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 26 2007 09:24 AM

That's amazing. I get them (Flash and the Pan) confused with Sniff n' the Tears, which was an English group with a dynamite debut single, Driver's Seat, who was never heard from again.

Sandgnat Apr 26 2007 11:43 AM

Slayer: All things evil.

Edgy MD Apr 26 2007 11:50 AM

VU: The life and times of the hip and addicted. Sex Pistols: The necessity of anarchy.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 26 2007 12:06 PM

Midnight Oil: White people who make weapons, run corporations, pollute the sea, violate human rights, burn beds, poison workers, drill for oil, run crooked boxing promotions, steal land, and don't realize they're thisclose to being stopped by a surf band.

Edgy MD Apr 26 2007 01:13 PM

The Beach Boys: Surfin and dragging through the endless West Coast summer (and eventually the melancholy of that whole myth). The BBs are probably the most successful act with such a narrow theme.

Gwreck Apr 26 2007 01:17 PM

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Midnight Oil: White people who make weapons, run corporations, pollute the sea, violate human rights, burn beds, poison workers, drill for oil, run crooked boxing promotions, steal land, and don't realize they're thisclose to being stopped by a surf band. Don't forget stealing aboriginal lands.

Edgy MD Apr 26 2007 01:19 PM

steal land.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 26 2007 01:21 PM

What I forgot was mine for uranium I smell a Very Important Poll