Guitar stuff that makes me happy

Rolling Stone was entitled to their opinion, as I am to mine. Without any of the pressure of trying to come up with a comprehensive list or rating, these are just random guitar things that make me happy.

First of all I should say that I listened to “Smoke on the Water” again, and as well as Boston’s “More than a Feeling” (also one debated in the comments). I have thought of both in the past has having good parts, but not really being great songs, but they sounded better to me today. Perhaps my ears have grown three sizes today.
Maybe someday I will even like Tool. For now, these are things that I already like, and liked right away.

12-string guitars: I still remember the first time I heard one. I think I was heading to soccer practice, and there was a guy sitting down on the grass and playing, and I had never heard anything like it. Honestly, it was kind of magical.

Guys playing Van Morrison on the grass—specifically Brown-Eyed Girl: I suppose it could be overdone, or that other songs could work, but there was this really nice guy in the dorms that was playing Brown-Eyed Girl outside one day, and if I had not liked him before, that would have tipped the scales.

“Blister in the Sun” by the Violent Femmes: If I understand correctly this is actually the bass, accompanied by the guitar playing the bass part an octave apart. Still, there is a guitar, and a bass is a guitar, right? So I’m counting it. There was a girl in the dorms who would play this and “Kiss Off” in an endless loop. Actually, I think it was the same person who was always playing the Warlock Pinchers “Morissey” song. Ah, college.

The Presidents of the United States of America: Speaking of non-traditional, they are missing strings from both their guibass and their bassitar, and it still totally works.

“Burning for You” by Blue Oyster Cult: It is really the only song I know from them, and it doesn’t really seem all that metallic, but I love it.

“Just What I Need” by Rufus King: This is also known as Cliff’s Song from “Bring It On”, and it is almost impossible to find anything on the performer, including whether it is a person or a band (this is partially due to there being a Rufus King High School, and historical figure for whom the high school is name, that clouds internet searches. I still love this song. Actually, both the guitar and the drums here make me happy.

“Take it Easy” by Andy Taylor: Yes I used both this and The Neverending Story to thwart Danielle, but this one rocks in a way that the other does not, and decades later it is still infectious. I usually listen to it with “Wild Wild West” by Escape Club”, and maybe “Inside Out” by Eve 6, because they kind of do the same thing for me.

“My Sharona” by the Knack: I was at a dance after not having been dancing for a long time, and this came on, and I just went nuts. I pulled out dance moves that I did not know I had. Honestly, I always thought it sounded like a Kinks song, and that is a compliment.

“Saturday Night” by the Misfits: This came up on the alternative love songs list. When I was memorizing this, in addition to the regular recording I listened to a few clips of Michale Graves doing an acoustic version too, and let me tell you, it is not the same. There guitar here is amazing, and you need the full effect.

I know I am obsessing a bit on the My Chemical Romance front lately, but I am going to limit myself to two here.

First off, “Summertime”. Unlike “Saturday Night”, this works as both acoustic and regular, which is nice because that makes it easier for kids to do in talent shows, which makes me kind of happy. And it is just beautiful. I can’t explain this right, but I was thinking maybe there was a mandolin or something—there is just a really different sound. It looks like it’s just regular guitars, though, and simply gorgeous.

Also, “I’m Not Okay”. This was my anthem for a while, so it holds a soft spot emotionally anyway, but when I did it for karaoke (after wanting to for three years and being intimidated), I was amazed at how the opening guitar affected me. Usually I was listening to it while working on the computer, or singing it around the house a capella, but standing up there something happened to my legs, like with “My Sharona”, where it was just ‘Where did that come from?’

Often music will suggest various visual images to me, and for that part, even before, the image was of turning up the volume. There is kind of an ascending thing going on there, which could explain it, but mainly I think it’s just because the only logical response to that music coming up is to play it loud. Love that song.