I think Hal David died within the last year didn't he?

Jog my memory. Can't remember who sang "Rainy Days and Mondays always make me cry?"

Surprised you didn't like 3 dog night. Paul Williams wrote Old Fashioned Love Song. Have no clue who wrote the others.

Carpenters. I had forgotten that one. Jut listened to Superstar. That was a good one.

You're right. The NY Times ran a really nice piece on him, filled with interesting tidbits about some of his big songs. If I remember right, it said it took him over two years to write "What the World Needs Now."

Wholehearted agreement on the Monkeys, Carpenters (playing their Christmas album last night), everyone bigrun mentioned, and especially Three Dog Night. My fave:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ1tF6LgB40

Gosh, I'm feeling more mainstream than evah!

Don't forget the Doobies (this song really gets the synapses sparking)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_iTbzc2K4U

Does anyone know who wrote the lyrics in my sig below?

Love listening to these old songs. Problem is, if I get started, can't stop until 2 or 3 in the morning and then my dogs want to wake me up about 6 or 7. listened to 3 dog night, Carpenters, Dave Loggins, Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks, Joe Cocker and a few others last night and into the wee hours. Good stuff.

Here's the Chatroulette version of "Call Me Maybe." For those who aren't aware of Chatroulette, it's a random visual hook-up via the internet- you get randomly connected with other people on line to talk or whatever. As the Daily Show hilariously discussed a few years ago, the vast majority of users seem to be guys showing their dongs, but sometimes you get something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAQhG59zqZc

Sadly, since I last saw it, it looks like one of the people in the video found out he was in the video and demanded his face be blurred. Heh.

I've been on a Motown binge on Pandora this week.

I love Pandora. Though this summer it did seem like no matter what I put in- "The Hooters" (don't be hating), "Fountains of Wayne", "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir," within four songs, it was playing Journey.

tough voice to follow as kAREN CARPENTER WAS ONE OF THE GREAT VOICES THE COUNTRY HAS EVER PRODUCED, someone shoulda smoked some good green with her and got her eating again. Tragic loss. Not my kind of music, but that voice was incredible

Have a box full of old lp vinyls, here's a few.
Carpenters,Close to You & Now and Then...Karen died way too young.
Barry - I made it through the rain
Aretha's Gold
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles greatest hits
Introducing The Beatles
Andy Williams - The Shadow of your smile
Richard Pryor's Greatest Hits
Christmas with the Chipmunks Vol 2
A real old jazz fav, June Christy with Stan Kenton..
and a host of others.

Also have about 50-60 cassette tapes,Patsy Cline my fav..Four Seasons, Kenny Rogers, George Jones, Eddy Arnold,and an real old fav, Joni James and a ton of others...

My son worked for a major record company and i have several promo records.

Great thread.

Barry Manilow
Anne Murray
BJ Thomas
Carpenters

So true. That woman could phrase like no one's business. Those long sections of "Goodbye to Love" when you just can't figure out how she hasn't needed to take a breath yet are just incredible.

Eating disorders are a terrible mental illness because sufferers are so resistant to treatment. And I don't know that they're ever really cured; just controlled. In a high stress career like music, and because we didn't know much about anorexia nervosa then... just such a shame.

Oh my God. Richard Pryor. So freaking funny. I was a little too young for his stand up when he was big, but now I really love him. What a brilliant, brilliant comic.

My brother's and my first cassette tape was a copy of Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits. In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have been listening to it. Between "Coward of the County" and "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" those are some mighty adult topics for elementary grade kids to be singing along to.

Of course, we also knew every word to "Centerfold" so, you know, what're you going to do.

Okay, I just thought of another guilty pleasure- (deep breath)- Juice Newton. I admit it.

Oh... as a little kid I just loved Anne Murray's cover of "Daydream Believer." I knew that version long before I'd ever heard of the Monkees.

Wife and I were having a discussion the other day about Sitar music after Ravi Shankar died. I asked whether she like any of it. She said no. I said I thought I liked a song or two, but couldn't think of any songs. Finally remembered it was in BJ Thomas' song Hooked on a Feeling. Other than that I didn't care for it. Love Ravi's daughter, Norah Jones though.

My wife's fave was Snowbird, i liked yours but all her songs were great...

Wife and i love Norah Jones, Don't know why a fav...

The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" uses a sitar (though I read somewhere at the time they recorded it, George Harrison hadn't yet learned how to hold it properly).

Norah Jones was on an episode of Sesame Street and did an absolutely hilarious version of her big song. On Sesame Street it was, "Don't Know Why 'Y' Didn't Come."