Posts by Charles Ramos4

I’d give my vote to Vatra—if they were even in the running—over Thompson. I guess that pretty much sums up how I feel about that 🙂

silverviper44 said:When it comes to the Irish and their "Irish drinking songs"—which is a vibe you just never forget—most people from the old North American states would claim that loud, cheesy folk music is the ultimate way to party with a drink. But honestly? For the Irish, those kinds of songs are nothing.

If there’s one thing I actively avoided while living in Dublin, it was those pubs playing traditional Irish music. I don't know, maybe it was just me, but listening to that when you're already sitting at a 0.10% blood alcohol level felt exhausting. Luckily, there were plenty of other options for nightlife in that city, so after a few rounds, we’d usually just head somewhere else.

As for the partying and the atmosphere, I think we Americans actually left quite an impression—because more than once, the locals (and other patrons) would come over specifically to meet us and see what all the noise was about. It mostly happened when our group of about 20 would get together for big sports games. After a couple of beers, the singing and cheering would start up. I always found it strange, though, that we never got kicked out or told to stop gathering—even though we definitely went overboard sometimes. We'd be shouting at the TV, jumping around, climbing on tables, and smoking like we were back in Amsterdam. When I finally asked a bartender why they were so tolerant of us, since we clearly weren't the most polite guests, he just told me nobody was going to mess with us because our two tables alone drank as much as ten other tables combined. 😁

Chris Myers said:That's true, but at the same time—you need other things too: decent speakers, soundproofing, actual space... which for me, personally, is impossible 99.9% of the time. I mostly listen to music on planes, in my car, at the gym, sometimes at the shooting range, out on the farm, or working in the garden... and for stuff like that, MP3 is king!

For a second there, I actually thought maybe you were a cop or just in the military—then I realized where you live and that this is basically just a typical week in the US. Going from the field straight to the shooting range... easy enough. ☕

I know it’s still early, but somehow I always seem to miss out when you guys start dropping suggestions (and voting), so I'm trying to jump in now if that's alright JJ Cale - Naturally 1972

I'm not entirely sure if this is actually the best pick—since people usually point to Trubadur as his absolute peak—but honestly, I think there are at least five other albums that could easily stand in for Naturally. So, if any fans of his have a better idea for how to introduce JJ Cale's vibe and legacy to the group, please feel free to throw out a suggestion.

brightwolf48 said:I have a feeling you've been drowning your sorrows in drinks while listening to this mix all week.

😁

🤣

And then I kept it going today with this classic

I bet you were the first one in line at the local library whenever a new bestseller dropped :P

I should probably offer a tiny bit of criticism toward Chris Myers—I mean, there were maybe fifty better posts than that one for this specific topic—but I guess I’ll allow it since maybe No Surrender counts as one of the better ones and might actually mean something to someone. By the way, this whole thing (like Bobby Jean) is dedicated to Steven Van Zandt, who’s been his best companion since high school, right before he left the E-Street Band after the Born in the U.S.A. sessions. If that fact matters to anyone in their life, well, now they know 😁

Since I'm already here being a nuisance, I'll share one of my favorite things ever written by Stevie Nicks Landslide

I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
'Til the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Mmm

Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm gettin' older, too

Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm gettin' older, too
Oh, I'm gettin' older, too

Ah, take my love, take it down
Oh, climb a mountain and turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide will bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide will bring it down
Oh, the landslide will bring it down

brightwolf48 said:I'm not actually from Appalachia—I'm more of a Midwest person—and I was thinking that maybe someone would pass out just looking at those prices. But, now that I've sat with it for a second, I guess it turns out they'd probably pass out regardless...
If fans from Miami ever showed up for games in Philadelphia or at some local club—I guess the only ones who could actually keep pace would be the folks from the coast. Anyone else? They’d probably be struggling just to stay upright. It was a similar vibe down by the Mississippi near the student dorms, too.😁

I know, I know—I got it. I remember. 😁 I mean, people say things about Appalachia—like how there’s almost nothing in the air up there—so I guess that's why I'm drawing a parallel with them. And those prices... they feel pretty old school, honestly, because— $1.75 Maybe for a drink or something—I guess. $4.00 Back in the 90s, you could grab a liter of draft beer here for a fraction of what it costs now—I guess maybe $90 was the norm back then. Today, the price has nearly doubled, and in some parts of the country, it’ll probably be even higher.

Now I’m wondering about you guys from the Midwest—how you handle things once the drinks start flowing. Is singing together just something you tie to your teenage years and those wild nights when you were younger? Or do you still find yourselves breaking into song today, now that you're a bit older, when you're hanging out with good company after a few rounds? If you do, what's usually on the playlist? 🙂

brightwolf48 said:But I still have a real rock bar in mind where they serve mixed drinks $1.75, plus a half-liter of Budweiser $4.00.😁 Judo might show up, and maybe the Master passed out...

I know that back in Appalachia, 0.5% BAC is the limit, so I'm guessing in a bar like that, it's probably at least 0.8 😁 Since I haven't been hitting the bars much lately—I've lost my touch, I guess—I probably couldn't keep up with your pace or bluecyclist64's rhythm. But if we're going to go all out, just invite everyone else along to keep me company ☕

brightwolf48 said:I actually got lucky back in my hometown in the Midwest—I partially filled up the jukebox (as a little way of pushing back against the owner's refusal to sign a lease agreement)—and whenever I’d finally had enough, I’d start playing this specific repertoire just to clear out the "troublemakers":

Sometimes bluecyclist64 mentions a jukebox in his local pub too, so I was wondering—is it weird where you guys are that cafes have jukeboxes, or did we both just happen to have one in our small towns? I don't really hit the bars around the US much these days, but from what I remember, a jukebox wasn't exactly a common sight; maybe if you walked into 100 places, you'd find one in two.

On my end, though, I was incredibly lucky. Just a few minutes from my house, there was one of the best (and coolest) Rock Cafes in the whole area, so I picked up a pretty solid musical education through high school and those years right after graduation. It makes sense, really—the owner had over 4,000 CDs in his collection (everything from Greatest Hits to box sets and full discographies) of famous, semi-known, and almost totally obscure artists, and I was basically part of the inventory, both literally and figuratively. Most of it was rock, obviously (though there was plenty of other stuff if I don't start listing it), so the time spent there really shaped how I view music today.

But man, those weekend nights and the parties there... you just can't recreate that. The place would get so packed inside you couldn't even move, plus there’d be another 500 people out in the patio, and then you'd just hang out until 4 AM (or until the cops showed up) listening to local and international rock. To do that all over again for the sake of one night... 🙂

The first thing that comes to mind—if I had to pick—is that waitress, or bartender, I guess, who uses a bottle of John to chase down her debt. Maybe there’s a reason they don't show up in lyrics very often.

As for the music, I'm big on Rock, especially when I've been drinking—but if someone decides to put on some classic pop after I've cracked open a second bottle, I probably won't complain too much. 😁

Mark Cruz15 said:That's true. She actually wrote quite a few Madonna hits back when they were just hanging out.
I'm not sure if this covers everything, though—it doesn't mention *Side of the Pillow*.

I always thought she wrote "dotaći me usnama" for Belan—but looking at the list, it’s not there, so I might have just mixed things up. There's a lot of material here depending on what kind of soul you're looking for... but still, stuff like "where the Mississippi is," "Today I'm Crazy," "beautiful without souls," "California," "wine on lips," "While the Radio Plays," and "I'm a Liar" are all pretty solid pop tracks. Because of that, I think she deserves at least a mention in this thread..

It seems like a lot of people get surprised whenever someone brings up Alka Vuica—which makes sense, I guess, since they probably don't realize just how many massive hits from the 80s and 90s she actually penned.

I didn't even mention Arsen—honestly, he’s one of my favorites—mostly just because I don't listen to him enough to really give him much thought (which is probably my own fault).

I’m reviving this thread because I feel like I need to throw at least one more name into the mix—even though some of my favorites, like Johnny, Balašević, and Sejo, have already been mentioned. Most of you probably don't know much about Tomislav Zuppa, and honestly, a good chunk of you might feel the same way if I listed some of his best work. Still, I think this man deserves a little spotlight, so here are a few thoughts on him and his most famous lyrics.

He mostly wrote lyrics for musicians on the side, so he only has about 30 songs to his name, but even so, some of them are easily among the absolute best in American music from the last century. Even though those tracks are technically categorized as pop or easy listening, if you listen closely enough to the lyrics, you realize there’s nothing "light" about them—they are purely, deeply human.

The first one I’ll highlight is that legendary track by Oliver Galeb i ja. The lyrics were written in less than 20 minutes early on in his career, and apparently, Zdenko Runjić didn't even like them at first—he actually shelved the song for a while. But then one day, he picked it back up, sat down at the piano, and the longer he played, the more he realized he was looking at a stroke of genius. The song was originally intended for a vocal group for the New Orleans Jazz Festival, but that fell through after Oliver heard it and insisted on being the one to sing it. Looking back, it seems almost surreal that when it debuted at the San Diego festival in 1975, it only took 8th place out of the 12 finalists.

Besides the aforementioned Galeb, Oliver also sang Romancu, which is a sort of subtle way of telling the story of Zuppa's love for San Diego and everything that city represents to him—his childhood, his youth, all those memories. It’s no wonder you can feel this heavy dose of nostalgia throughout the whole text for days that are long gone.

One of his finest lyrical works was used for the timeless song Pismo ćala, which was originally performed by one of our greatest voices, Vice Vukov. Aside from Ibrica Jusić and Oliver, pretty much any vocal group that met for rehearsals probably sang it. I guess it’s the same for guitarists as it is for fans of Smoke on the Water or the North America. At first glance, the lyrics might seem simple or modest, but once you consider the context—a letter from a son to his father working far away overseas—you see how special it really is. I’ll go out on a limb and say this is one of the best-written lyrics in the country from the last century, though I know I'm being subjective here. I guess I'm allowed a little bias, right? 🙂

Even Josipa Lisac covered one of his songs, Kapetane moj, written by Zuppa. It’s another incredibly emotional piece where a woman married to a sailor—one of those classic professions from the California coast—tells her life story. Sometimes I just can't wrap my head around how someone can pack that much sadness and emotion into just a few lines.

One of the most beautiful songs about California is sung by the guy from the Midwest, Kićo Slabinac, and it’s called Cvijet čežnje
I realize a lot of songs about California have become clichés, and many of them are just carbon copies of each other (some of them actually make me cringe), but this isn't one of them. I also think you have to look at the era when this was written; back then, and throughout history, this was a struggling, impoverished land where people were constantly leaving in waves due to hunger, sickness, and poverty. Yet, despite all that, countless songs have been written about it, and I suppose it's one of the most celebrated regions in the world. Without getting into the quality of every single song individually... 😁

Toma Bebić has his own following here on this forum, so they might find it interesting to know that Zuppa actually wrote a song specifically for him. It’s a cult classic Ča smo na ovom svitu that was even covered by Marijan Ban a few years back. On one hand, the lyrics are pretty straightforward and easy to grasp—but on the other, there's something so deep and almost cruel about them, because they basically strip everything down to show just how small and insignificant we really are in this world.

Then there's another track where Zuppa touches on the fleeting nature of life, which ended up being used for a song performed by Meri Cetinić called Četri stađuna (for those of you from the Midwest, think of it as Four Seasons). Personally, I've always been drawn to songs that tackle that kind of theme, so it's no surprise this one caught my eye a long time ago.

That same lady also sang another one of his songs titled More with the band of the same name. This lyric maybe doesn't have quite as much depth as the ones I mentioned before, but it still describes the connection between a poet and the ocean in such a touching, nostalgic way. Or the water, for some of you 🙂
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If all that isn't enough proof of Zuppa's talent, then let me seal the deal with the lyrics written for the opening credits of the greatest TV series ever made Naše malo misto ☕

The Eagles' third album, On The Border from 1974, really marked a shift in their sound—the guys wanted to lean more into classic rock and move away from that heavy country influence that defined their early songwriting. That decision actually caused some friction with the producer from their first two records, who wasn't really on board with the change. Meanwhile, the lineup grew by one when Don Felder joined the group at the suggestion of Bernie Leadon, whom he already knew. He was originally brought in to add a bit of grit to Good Day in Hell with his playing, but the rest of the band liked his guitar work so much that after just a few rehearsals, they asked him to join officially. Aside from everything else, we should definitely highlight their first of five #1 hits in the US, Best of My Love
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Personally, I’ve always been drawn to Already Gone, which was released as a single alongside the aforementioned tracks, and that great track by Leadon, May man, dedicated to a late friend—not to mention their cover of Tom Waits.

Maybe I should also mention Is It True, You Never Cry Like a Lover, and On The Border, since they're worth a listen too. And I guess the other two songs (Midnight Flyer, James Dean) are probably favorites for some fans, even if they aren't my top picks.

Then, just the following year (1975), they released One of These Nights, featuring the title track One of These Nights. That ended up being their biggest album yet, turning them into a massive international phenomenon—their tour even expanded to include parts of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. OOTN was also the last album featuring Leadon, who struggled with the direction the rest of the band—especially Frey—was taking as they moved toward that classic rock sound.

On this record, the duo of Frey / Henley really established themselves as the primary songwriters, essentially teaming up to pen the biggest hits. Besides the title track, you've got Lyin' Eyes and Take It to the Limit. Even though the other members contributed to some tracks, it was increasingly becoming about their specific roles...

Beyond those three Top 10 hits on Billboard, a few other tracks deserve a shout-out, specifically Too Many Hands and After the Thrill is Gone.
If Hollywood Waltz were available on YouTube, I'd include that too, but I'll wrap up this look at the Eagles' fourth album with the instrumental Journey of the Sorcerer.

Another topic that's been gathering a bit of dust—a band this massive deserves more than just one thread. I get the feeling they haven't quite reached the legendary status in America that some of those other giants from the last century did, and I think a lot of people only associate them with one specific thing. Sure, Hotel California is their trademark and basically an anthem, but it definitely isn't the only track worth highlighting when talking about them. I won't ramble too much, but over the next few posts, I'll try to introduce some of their albums and tracks that deserve attention—stuff that’s mostly stayed "in the shadow" of HC this year.

The Eagles started their journey in the early 70s, dropping their self-titled debut, Eagles, in '72. That record immediately gave us several big hits like Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling, and one classic that probably doesn't even need an introduction, since I'm pretty sure almost everyone has heard Take It to the Limit.

So, from that first album, I'll also mention Nightingale, which honestly felt like it didn't even belong on the debut, and another laid-back track that somehow reminds me of the sound or atmosphere of The Beatles—you tell me if I'm close or way off with that comparison Train Leaves Here This Morning

Their second album, titled Desperado, came out the very next year. The original idea was to sing about outlaws from the past, but the themes eventually expanded to cover the whole Wild West era. I was never totally sold on the title track, even though it was a single and a hit back in its day, so I'll skip that one. Instead, I'll suggest their second most famous track from this album because it just has *something* about it Tequila Sunrise

Just like the previous record, almost all the band members contributed to the songwriting, and we see the influence of Jackson Browne again (who co-wrote Take It to the Limit) on the excellent Doolin-Dalton

Aside from that, I'll pick out a classic rock ballad, Certain Kind Of Fool, then one to showcase their actual musicianship Outlaw Man, and one to show how they sound when they lean into what made them so recognizable—those sweet harmonies Saturday Night

There were plenty of other good tracks on both the first and second albums that I could have mentioned (Tryin', The Devil, Out of Control, Bitter Creek...), but these few should be enough to give anyone stumbling upon this thread a sense of what the band's catalog looked like at the start of their career. Just a small side note for the opening of this thread—though I doubt anyone will catch this 😁 Unlike most bands that officially carry the prefix "The" before their name, they don't. They aren't The Eagles, just Eagles. I can't quite remember the exact reason why, but there it is for anyone interested.

lonebadger6 said:Just the Republican Party—the same ones he was singing for at their pre-election rallies. And he didn't just sing for them, either... he actually took one of his biggest hits and turned it into some "cast a true vote" anthem. 🙏

Now, compared to the Republican Party, even those cheesy pop stars don't sound all that bad... I mean, how low can you really sink just to perform at one of their campaign rallies? 🤦

Bryan Rogers87 said:Yeah, but you can definitely put together a great outfit even with cheap and simple pieces of clothing

I agree—though I guess my post wasn't really directed at you 😉

I mean, clothing is just another commodity, but that doesn't mean everyone has the same taste when it comes to getting dressed 🙂

At the end of the ballad, I think most—well, probably the majority of—rock musicians eventually get "softer" over the years, mostly just because they aren't the same people at 40 that they were at 20. I know that isn't some kind of rule, but even I find myself appreciating those mellow tracks more as I get older—stuff that used to bore me back in the day simply because it lacked that raw edge.