Thursday, July 18, 2002

Name that Tune, or rather, who's the guy/gal belting it out?

The problem with radio here is that they never tell you who just played that song (again!) with that catchy riff or that catchy bridge or that singalong chorus. Not knowing who just entertained me or ticked me off completely is something I am very uncomfortable with. So I train my ears sharp for the lyrics (hidden in all that musical soup) and jot down key phrases, hoping that I have them right. The next step is to paste these fragments into Google's (each fragment within double quotes to let Google know it's a phrase) search box and hit the Search button. Never fails. Some recent breakthroughs I have had are More than a Feeling by Boston and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by the Bachman-Turner Overdrive (aka B.T.O.) (they were also responsible for that other radio favourite, Takin' Care of Business).

Of course, it's not always Google that helps me out. While at Borders some time last month, I sampled another excellent compilation from Rhino Records, Greatest Hits from the Doobie Brothers. This is when I found the names of two songs (and the artistes, of course) that I had heard innumerable times on the radio: Listen to the Music and Long Train Runnin'. As an aside, I'd highly recommend this album: very very listenable, as is Boston.

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