Chart-a-thon Final Day, Final Release! C3 NYE Bash!
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An all time punk classic, this is the debut single of Northern-Irish punk band The Undertones. Ever since it’s release, it became a hugely popular song, a lot of it thanks to legendary radio broadcaster John Peel. Peel loved that song so much, he awarded it 28 stars on the scale of 1 to 5 (which he otherwise never broke). He played it twice in a row in his show – another thing he’s never done before or since – with the explanation that “it doesn’t get any better than this”. And eventually, he asked for the opening line of the song – “Teenage dreams so hard to beat” – to be engraved on his tombstone, which it was.
The EP was supposed to be the band’s swan song, as they were on the verge of breaking up – but the huge success kept them together up until 1983, and they made 4 full-length albums. True classic right here.
Song Count: 257
Next up – HighFlyingBirds with yet another British rocking band, but a bit more modern.
Haven’t even posted yet but bah gawd, some really good stuff has come out. Pretty incredible seeing the sheer number of tunes coming out. You guys are amazing.
amazing work guys! this song scares me. at least parts of it does. is it rude to say i kind of wish the kerry king what we’re all about spiderman version was a chart of it’s own? that’s my favorite part…of course it’s played different live than the video as the drummer is rapping
I’m in the same boat. I actually won’t even bother with this version. Spidey version is way better and What We’re All About is by far the best part of the song.
Oh well, beggers can’t be choosers!
An all time punk classic, this is the debut single of Northern-Irish punk band The Undertones. Ever since it’s release, it became a hugely popular song, a lot of it thanks to legendary radio broadcaster John Peel. Peel loved that song so much, he awarded it 28 stars on the scale of 1 to 5 (which he otherwise never broke). He played it twice in a row in his show – another thing he’s never done before or since – with the explanation that “it doesn’t get any better than this”. And eventually, he asked for the opening line of the song – “Teenage dreams so hard to beat” – to be engraved on his tombstone, which it was.
The EP was supposed to be the band’s swan song, as they were on the verge of breaking up – but the huge success kept them together up until 1983, and they made 4 full-length albums. True classic right here.
Song Count: 257
Next up – HighFlyingBirds with yet another British rocking band, but a bit more modern.
Thank you so much, this is a classic for sure! Our New Year’s party is looking better and better.
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />Thanks for ‘The Ocean’. I Hope other Zepplin tracks get the full band makeover also.
That’s my plan
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_smile.gif” /> Its not going to be an exhaustive discography project but I’ll update some more of my favourites and a few that were overlooked.Keeping the content Canadian since 2017!
SomeOldGuys: https://db.c3universe.com/songs/all/__user/someoldguys
MrPrezident: https://db.c3universe.com/songs/all/__user/MrPrezidentHey!
I’m filling in for HighFlyingBirds because of timing/language issues, but make no mistake – this release is his! I’ve helped with some keys and harmonies, but the huge bulk of this quality job was done by HighFlyingBirds.
So we’re bringing you… Arctic Monkeys!
The band’s third album, “Humbug”, wasn’t as huge or rocking as their first two, but it remains a fan favorites and it showcased new musical direction for the band, with the help and influence of co-producer Josh Homme. Those two songs also appear in a row on the record, and they compliment each other very well.
“Fire and the Thud” is a very personal and raw song about Turner’s then-girlfriend Alexa Chong. In fact, it was so personal that Turner initially didn’t want to sing it, recording a version with Alison Mosshart singing lead instead, but eventually decided to “grow up” and record it himself. Mosshart still sings backing vocals in it.
“Cornerstone” was a single, and to this day remains a live staple of the band’s shows, it was featured in every show on their latest tour. Alex Turner told Uncut Magazine that he wrote this breezy love song about meeting girls in pubs who remind him of the one he’s trying to forget, “one morning, quite quickly.” He added: “There’s something to be said for writing in the morning. At other points in the day you’re a bit more defensive. I saw it as a challenge to write something in a major key, but that wasn’t cheesy.”
A b-side for 2007’s “Brianstorm”, this short song kicks off with a strings intro, and then turns into one minute of the loudest, angriest and hardest-rocking punk song the band ever did. It’s not hugely well known but it’s a fan favorite, and an entertaining minute for sure.
Song Count: 260
Coming up, probably – AJFOne23 and Bansheeflyer will be taking on a rocking 90’s album!
Good evening friends. I and my good friend Bansheeflyer are here to bring you the completed Pearl Jam classic album vs. When it was released in late 1993 it shattered any doubts about a sophomore slump and was arguably the most raw and aggressive record they would ever release. The playing and songwriting is superb from start to finish. I hope you will all enjoy this mammonth effort. A few song were previously released but have been updated with the authors blessings. Check my own archives for the missing tracks and stay tuned for mb1nightmare’s update for the opening track “Go”.
GUITAR: froogle
BASS: Kloporte
GUITAR: Bansheeflyer
GUITAR/BASS: Nunchuck/Sygenysis
GUITAR: Bansheeflyer
GUITAR: Bansheeflyer
GUITAR: Bansheeflyer
GUITAR: Bansheeflyer
GUITAR: mb1nightmare
GUITAR: Bansheeflyer
Song Count: 269
Coming up – grubextrapolate & MrPrezident come through with a curious release for y’all.Thank you for this! This is beautiful. I had been wondering if anyone was going to tackle the Vs album.
grubextrapolate and MrPrezident present… The Cure – Early Cure Pack
Hey gang, it’s me again. I’ve been a part of bringing you guys tracks from several of the “middle” Cure, but today we’re going back to the beginning for songs from their debut. Three Imaginary Boys was released on 8 May 1979 by Fiction Records. It was later released in the United States, Canada, and Australia with a different track listing as Boys Don’t Cry. We’ve got some of my favourites from both. These early tracks differ a fair bit from their later material, many in the punk vein, with amazing bass parts (which is part of why I love ’em) and some fun guitar solos – quite a contrast to where they’d be a few years later.
First up, the album opener, 10:15 Saturday Night. According to interviews in the booklet for the Deluxe Edition of Three Imaginary Boys, the demo of this song is what caught Chris Parry’s attention in 1978 and led him to sign the band to his newly founded record company, Fiction. The track was written by Robert Smith at the age of 16 one evening while sitting at the kitchen table feeling “utterly morose” watching the tap dripping and drinking his dad’s homemade beer. It was first performed as part of sets performed by Easy Cure at gigs around the band’s local area of Crawley. This one is on the slower side but still pretty fun, and has a great guitar solo. (Note: this one was previously available as a partial custom by naginalJJ and has been redone from scratch with his blessing).
The Cure – 10:15 Saturday Night
Authored by grubextrapolate & MrPrezident
Next up is a nice fast one with one of my favourite Cure bass parts, Object. This one comes with a bit of controversy: The record company decided which songs were put on the album, as well as the cover artwork, without Robert Smith’s consent. Smith has stated that “songs like ‘Object’ … were [Chris Parry’s] choice”. The bass part will keep you moving pretty well on this one.
Authored by grubextrapolate
Coming from the other version of their debut “Boys Don’t Cry”, another contender for “best Cure bass part” has to be Jumping Someone Else’s Train. This song flies by at a pretty blistering pace and will definitely keep you on your toes on pretty much all instruments.
The Cure – Jumping Someone Else’s Train
Authored by grubextrapolate
The fourth and final song in this pack… well it’s a little behind schedule, but don’t fear, we’ll have it for you soon!
I hope you enjoy these classic Cure tunes. I’ll see you again at least once more before this event is done…
These songs are a part of Chart-a-thon. If you download these songs, or if you enjoy my content, please consider making a donation at http://chartathon.com. All proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society.
SONG COUNT: 272
Next up, yaniv297 and ejthedj bring you a big pack from an American icon.
Next up, yaniv297 and ejthedj bring you a big pack from an American icon.
and AJFOne23!
And thanks for the Cure, great tracks!
So, for this Chart-a-Thon I’ve tackled some big projects I wanted to do for a while. Finishing “Disintegration”, doing “Low”, a big Neil Young pack. And now it’s time for the last, and biggest project, and my other favorite musician (second after Neil) – Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce probably needs no introduction, and there’s quite a lot of songs so let’s get straight to it!
But before that, I want to deeply thank ejthedj – without whom some of those songs (And one particularly special one) wouldn’t have happened – and AJFOne23, who collaborated with me on a few Bruce tracks before (and in the future!).
Charted by AJFOne23 and me.
Bruce’s latest project was a Broadway show – with the not-so-creative name “Springsteen on Broadway” – where he tells his life story with songs (it’s on Netflix now – highly recommended if you didn’t see it). “Growin’ Up” was chosen to be the opening song of the show, and honestly it’s quite an obvious choice for a few reasons.
For starters, it’s the earliest chronological choice – it’s Bruce’s first album, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.“. It tells the story of Bruce’s childhood, as the name implies, and when performed live it frequently included long mid-song rants of Bruce telling stories of his childhood (even though some of them were exaggerated, or outright false). It’s also an historical song, as it’s pretty much the song that got Springsteen signed – it was played to John Hammond, the same guy who signed Bob Dylan, and apparently this song convinced him to sign Bruce.
Based on a catchy piano intro, “Growin’ Up” is upbeat, sharp, smart, groovy and fun to play on all instruments. It’s a classic that’s been covered by many, including David Bowie and Pearl Jam, and a clear highlight of Bruce’s early work.
Thanks ejthedj for keys and pro keys!
So, after the story of his childhood, it’s time for the story of how the band got together! Which is exactly the story told in “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out“. The song tells the story of “Bad Scooter” – wonder who that could be (check the initials maybe…) forming his band. The most famous line in the song is the “the big man joined the band” – quite an obvious reference to legendary saxophone player Clarence Clemons. When playing this song live, Springsteen would usually announce “this is the important part!” right before this line. After Clemons died, this line became a little memorial, where the band would pause the song and video footage of Clarence will be shown on screens.
This upbeat, groovy song features some funky piano playing by “Professor” Roy Bittan, and a legendary horns arrangement by guitarist Steve Van Zandt. It’s a live staple for Bruce shows since it’s released, played pretty much every night, and was chosen as the opening song to Springsteen’s halftime Super Bowl show in 2009. It’s the second song of Bruce’s legendary breakthrough album “Born to Run“, and one of his most famous songs. So we’re really glad to finally bring it to Rock Band.
Oh, and if you wondered what the hell is a “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out“, I can’t help you there. Let’s quote Bruce himself on this: “I still have no idea what it means. But it’s important”.
ATTENTION: This is my favorite custom of all the ones I’ve ever done.
In fact, I believe that’s why I started charting – I wanted “Backstreets” in the game. In a way, all the 200 songs I was involved in so far, were leading to this.
It was one of the first songs I’ve charted and released – drums only. Getting it full band was the dream – but there was always one major obstacle, namely Roy Bittan. That piano part was way beyond the level I could transcribe, and with no midis on the net either, this task was too tough. Enter ejthedj – who did an absolutely magnificent work on the keys here, and thanks to him, my dream custom is finally a reality. So thanks so much!
This song is so special to me. I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen live twice, in 2016. Traditionally, people bring signs to Bruce shows with songs they’d like to hear – which Bruce collects during the show and play. My sign request was “Backstreets“. First show it was ignored in favor of other signs. Second show it wasn’t picked either, and I was getting desperate. Bruce came close, and I held the sign high to make sure he sees it.
Now, what happened next was a split second and might have been completely my imagination. But I thought Bruce looked at me for a second, nodded and moved on. Nothing else happened, so I figured I was imagining things. The set ended, the band returned for an encore – and it opened with this. Might have been a complete coincidence, but my wish was granted! And the performance was amazing. By the way, you can see me in the video above, on the big screen, holding the sign around 8:20.
So to the song itself… “Backstreets” is definitely one of the most intense pieces of music Springsteen have ever released. An heartbreaking story of a broken friendship, disappointment and betrayal. It starts with a beautiful piano introduction by Roy Bittan, before the full band kicks in. The band’s performance is so intense, that even though a full section was recorded, it was ultimately cut because Bruce felt it takes away from the band’s performance. It then proceeds to one of the greatest key changes in rock’s history, changing from G to A for the devastating and heartbreaking bridge, before going back to G for a big guitar solo. The song concludes with an epic buildup, with Bruce frantically repeating “Hiding on the backstreets”, before ending with a rousing, huge climax.
It’s just a legendary song, any Bruce fan will tell you. Easily among the best song he has written in his lifetime, a career highlight and an amazing moment in rock’s music history. I’m so glad to finally release it. Here’s a preview video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMHd6ndLzh4
If “Backstreets” was my favorite, “She’s the one” is ejthedj’s favorite! So I’ll let him introduce it:
She’s the One…or is she?This Bo Diddley-esque classic talks about how people can be drawn into toxic relationships by being blinded by beauty and good looks in spite of a lack of compassion. But you wouldn’t think that with the upbeat and cheerful tone of the instrumentals. I’ve always admired the old school bluesy feel of the keys and how it seamlessly blends into the modern rock and roll theme for which Springsteen is well-known.The heart wants what the heart wants.
Thanks ejthedj for keys and pro keys!
Moving on to 1978 and “Darkness on the Edge of Town“, yet another masterpiece from Bruce. The “Darkness” album was darker and bleaker. If “Born to Run” was the excitement, the promise of a better life, of conquering everything’s out there – “Darkness” is coming back down to reality, with the heroes of the previous album now stuck in dead end jobs and failing relationships.
“Candy’s Room” is a bit of a curious song for Bruce. It tells the story of a prostitute, that the narrator is having a relationship with – whether it’s a real relationship or he’s just one of her clients, is unclear. “Strangers in the city call my baby’s number”, clearly implies that Candy’s shared with other boys – her other clients. The narrator insists she’s in love with him and their relationship is real, but for me the last word gives it away – “to make Candy’s mine… tonight“, implying he’s just another client living his fantasy for one night.
Musically, it’s a rousing rocking song, starting from 16th hi-hate notes and keys before building in to snare rolls, a rousing chorus and a huge guitar solo. It’s fun, upbeat, ever-changing and challenging, and should be a great song to play.
Another one of Bruce’s all time classics, “The Promised Land” is “Darkness” in a nutshell. The essential Bruce story of a man losing hope, beaten down and stuck in his life. A man stuck “Working all day in my daddy’s garage”, “chasing some mirage”, and despite doing his best “to live the right way”, find himself stuck and depressed. Bruce said it’s about “an American workingman who has grown weary of living in a country that urges you to dream and then leaves ‘you nothing but lost and brokenhearted”, expecting and believing in a “Promised Land” he’ll likely never reach.
The song is hugely affecting, and even amazingly emo at times – “Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode/explode and tear this whole town apart/take a knife and cut the pain from my heart”. Musically, it’s one of Bruce’s anthems, a staple of his live shows, with a catchy chorus, great instrumentation, with two solos – guitar and saxophone. It’s been in every Greatest Hits compilation and is considered one of his trademark songs.
From the biggest hits, to the best unreleased song! Bruce made some weird decisions in his time, but leaving “Loose Ends” out is probably his worst, weirdest and least explainable decision.
I mean, they knew it was good. For the early versions of “The River” album, called “The Ties That Bind“, “Loose Ends” was supposed to be the closer – a worthy followup to “Jungleland” and “Darkness” as amazing album closers. But somehow, with absolutely no explanation, even though the River was being expanded to a double album – “Loose Ends” was dropped, with mediocre stuff like “I’m a Rocker” and “Crush On You” being included instead. What the hell Bruce?!
It would have easily been considered among the best songs of his career, but anyway. We still have it – it was eventually released in “Tracks”, a compilation released in 1998 – it’s still played live pretty often (maybe Bruce finally realized how great it is), and now this magnificent song is also a custom. A sad, tragic account of a relationship falling apart, maybe this song was a bit too personal… the lyrics are absolutely brutal. “Little by little we choked out all the life that our love could hold”… and the classic final verse: “Our love has fallen around us like we said it never could/We saw it happen to all the others but to us it never would/How could something so bad, darling, come from something that was so good?”
Musically, it’s pretty much a hit, with bright, pristine guitars, beautiful harmonies and a great arrangement. It’s another one of those heartbreaking anthems Bruce is so great at. And finally, when asked on Twitter what would be the closing song of the last E-Street Band show, guitarist Steve Van Zandt answered: “Loose Ends“. So why not listen to him?
Another outtake who somehow never made it to “The River”, “Roulette” is pretty much the hardest rocking song Bruce has done in his career.
Inspired by the Three Mile Island accident, “Roulette” is a frantic tale of fear, anger and paranoia. Bruce is absolutely hysterical, as he recalls the tale of taking his family and running away from his home, fearing the nuclear leak, while demanding answers while the authorities are playing “Roulette” with his life. “I want some answers, mister, I need to know” – screams Springsteen – “Mister, I’ve been cheated, I feel like I’ve been robbed/I’m the big expendable, my life’s just canceled null and void”. In the final verse, Bruce breaks into a frantic, hysterical rant – he’s hardly singing at this point – when being stopped at the roadblock and running away from the authorities, feels he can’t trust anyone.
Musically, the band definitely lives up to the hysterical, frantic feeling of the song. The star of the show is Max Weinberg – the drummer, who’s usual approach is quite minimalist, absolutely goes all out on that one, delivering an hectic 16th disco beat – in 170 BPM, mind you! – while abusing the bass drum in a similar groove. Guitars aren’t as technical, but just as angry, with big distortion riffs all over, while keys add to the mayhem. It’s a unique song in Bruce’s catalog, and a great one.
Well, enough with the outtakes and back to the beaten track of the studio albums. “Born in the U.S.A.” is Springsteen’s biggest album, a smash hit with a huge line of hit singles – “Downbound Train” isn’t one of them. This is the saddest song on the record, and one that sees Bruce revisit familiar themes from “Darkness”. It tells the story of a man who “had a job, had a girl”, before being fired from his job, his girl leaving him and his life falling apart. It climaxes in a lengthy verse, occupied just by a synthesizer, where the narrator describes his girl coming back to him, only to reveal it was a dream.
“Downbound Train” was originally written and recorded for the bleak acoustic album “Nebraska“, and it shows (by the way – so was “Born in the U.S.A.” itself). However, while the “Electric Nebraska” sessions ended up being dumped as Bruce chose to release the acoustic demos instead, this song was a triumph at the electric version and was saved to the next album. Cynics claim that this is Bruce recycling old themes that he’s already explored in better songs in his past – they may have a point – but for me this song connects the old, working-class-hero Bruce to the new, stadium rocker, and does a great job.
“We learned more from a three-minute record, baby
Than we ever learned in school”.
If “Downbound Train” was Bruce combining his two styles, “No Surrender“ is full on the new, stadium-star Bruce. Remarkably, “No Surrender” wasn’t one of the 7 (!!) singles released from the album – and still managed to become a huge well known stadium anthem, which showcases it’s power. It’s a story of friendship, and of the power of rock music to bring people together. It’s another very frequent song in Springsteen’s live shows, and for a good reason.
For me, this song was the only way to end this pack. Premiered in 1999, “Land of Hope and Dreams” is quite a huge song for Springsteen. In a time where Bruce barely wrote rock songs anymore and thought he “lost it”, this song “felt as good as anything he’s ever done” and convinced him to get it back. It was the premiered in the 1999 reunion tour of the E-Street band, where it was usually the show closer. Quite an unusual choice – a reunion tour of a huge old act, closing the show with a new, unreleased song – but the reception was great and it was already hailed as a new classic.
“Land of Hope and Dreams” was included in 2001’s “Live in New York City” which documented the reunion shows, and in 2003’s “Live in Barcelona”, which means it was released in two different live versions before the song was out. The NYC version was also included in the “Essential Bruce Springsteen” compilation. That song has continued to feature, usually near the end of shows, for most of the decade.
Just one thing was missing – a studio version. It took 13 years till Bruce finally felt he nailed it in the studio – and it was finally released in the 2012 album “Wrecking Ball“. This song has one extra significance – it is the last Springsteen song to feature saxophone by Clarence Clemons. By the time it was recorded, Clemons was already dead, but the producers were able to take a live recording of Clemons playing the solo and insert it to the studio version. Springsteen said that when he first heard the final result, when the sax solo entered, he broke down crying.
Musically, the song is a huge rock anthem, inspired by gospel music. The studio version has a choir, and includes a bit of The Impressions’ “People Get Ready“. It’s deliberate inversion of the traditional American gospel song first recorded in the 1920s, “This Train”. In Springsteen’s take, all are welcome on the train – not just “the righteous and the holy” of the original, but “saints and sinners”, “losers and winners”, “whores and gamblers” – you just get on board. It’s definitely an epic song, a musical prayer, one of the greatest of Bruce’s career and probably the best song he wrote since 1987. So it’s great to finally have it in RB.
So that’s it! And if you know me, you know what’s coming now – a setlist! Roughly based on actual Springsteen setlists from his last tour. And since Bruce is known for his huge long shows, this will be a marathon setlist too! So good luck
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_smile.gif” />1. Badlands3. Out in the Streets (custom by Nunchuck)4. Pink Cadillac (custom by Nunchuck)5. Cover Me (custom by Nunchuck)6. Roulette7. Growin’ Up (custom by AJFOne23)8. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (custom by AJFOne23)9. Incident on 57th Street (custom by AJFOne23)11. Hungry Heart (custom by farottone)12. Candy’s Room13. She’s the One (custom by ejthedj)14. The River15. Loose Ends16. I’m on Fire (custom by BornGamerRob)17. Downbound Train18. No Surrender20. Glory Days (custom by funkydunkleman)21. The Rising22. Thunder Road (custom by ejthedj)24. Backstreets25. Born in the USA (custom by Ultimate_MANG0)26. Born to Run (converted from GH)27. Dancing in the Dark (custom by Spindoctor)29. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (custom by AJFOne23)30. Jersey GirlSONG COUNT: 283Thanks! See you next time! Next up is MrPrezident with a 60’s classic!
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