(unheard) Elton John
A few weeks ago on FB, I told folks about a series of playlists I have curated on Spotify. In case you missed it, they're easy to find - just search for "KNLH" and you'll find them. ('KNLH' are the call letters of my imaginary radio station). I'm constantly editing them so don't be surprised if they change from one listen to the next. I'm also open to suggestions for individual songs or ideas for new playlists.
Now, in the past, I've often derided myself for all the time I spend on music (as opposed to doing all the many things I thought I 'should' be doing instead). I beat myself up: "Why are you wasting so much time 'playing' with music?" But this is where things get interesting. If you look back at all my past blog posts dealing with music, I always brag about how y'all should follow my recommendations because I'm so good at identifying great music. This is funny on two fronts: (1) I am usually my own worst critic; and, (2) My introverted nature abhors drawing attention to myself. Something about music brings me out of myself, and I've finally learned that this is actually a good thing. And sharing my love with the world makes it even better.
Without further ado, here is a description, in reverse order, of my (currently) available playlists:
KNLH # 17: (Unheard) Elton John I was recently watching Elton John's final U.S. concert (from Dodger's Stadium in LA), and found myself thinking that I knew very little of his music beyond his greatest hits. While it is true that he has many 'greatest hits,' it is also true that he has released over thirty albums in his career. A few of them suck out loud, but I discovered that most of them had great, great music that I had never heard before. By the time I got done going through his discography I had found over 80 songs. If you've ever been a casual fan of Elton you'll probably know a few of these songs already, but so what? FWIW: The version of "Saturday's Alright For Fighting" is a live, ass kicking take (which is why it's included).
KNLH #16: Cover Tunes Almost every song is a cover of a rock or pop song made famous by someone else. In a few cases, the cover has become the more famous version ("All along the Watchtower," for example), but for the most part I tried to avoid those situations. I also tried to avoid cover versions that didn't really do anything different from the original version. I've had a lot of fun with this one, and I'm adding to it all the time.
KNLH #15: Nora's Playlist My own personal greatest hits playlist. I add to this one intermittently. One day it will have the most songs by far. If you're interested in knowing what makes Nora tick...
KNLH #14: Pop Favorites A personal favorite. The included songs are all 'pop' songs (by my definition). I love how it skips around over many different decades and styles.
KNLH #13: 60's pop, rock, & soul (self-explanatory)
KNLH #12: 70's rock (self-explanatory)
KNLH #11: Goddess's of Pop Another favorite. Powerful women singing across genres and decades. From Billie Holliday to Aretha to Lady Gaga (and so many more ass kicking women).
KNLH #10: 10+ Epix This playlist is a bit of a lark. All the songs on this playlist are at least 10 minutes longs. Except for one that is nine seconds short of the mark, and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" which I included because it is such an epic piece of musical cheese.
KNLH #9: Power Ballads Break out your Bic lighters for this one folks.
KNLH #8: Broadway & Movies Favorite songs from a variety of broadway shows and movies.
KNLH #7: Oldies A great selection of songs from the 1950s and early 60s.
KNLH #6: (Un)hard R 'n' R I hate the term 'soft rock.' This is a great group of songs if you're with a group of people and you don't know their musical tastes. It's also great if you enjoy singing along.
KNLH #5: Heartland Rock with a shade of country. Country with a shade of rock. Maybe a slight touch of folk.
KNLH #4: Dance Mix This started as an homage to the disco music of my youth (that I abandoned in my teenage years). It has grown to include any song that puts a little wiggle in your fanny or a tap in your foot.
KNLH #3: Cyn's Playlist 'Cyn' is my beyond awesome sister-in-law. I put this together for her. (If you see her, tell her I need to add some more songs.)
KNLH #2: RnR A long time ago I thought I would eventually grow out of my love for rock 'n' roll. It hasn't happened yet.
KNLH #1 Popular RnR Of all my playlists, the one that's the closest to an actual radio station. But without all the commercials.
