The 500 - #235 - The Ultimate Collection - Patsy Cline

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #235
Album Title: The Ultimate Collection
Artist: Patsy Cline
Genre: Country
Recorded: 1955-1961

Released: October, 2000
My age at release: 36
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #229, Moving up 6 spots since 2012.
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: If You've Got Leavin' On Your Mind

For many years, I have used the first season of the 2004 television series Lost as a cross-curricular learning unit with my middle-year students. It was actually the basis of my Masters of Education research, which focused on the engagement for pre- and early- teenage brains. The series taps into an adolescent's penchant for mystery. Their riveted investment in the plot, dialogue and character motivations is incredibly gratifying for an educator. They are quick to discuss and eager to write about the varied theories, philosophical constructs and rich vocabulary provoked by each cliffhanging episode.

There is a scene, in the third episode. featuring a flashback story focused on the character, Kate. Unusual circumstances (no spoilers) put her in a farmer's truck in Australia. Patsy Cline's If You've Got Leavin' On Your Mind is playing on the radio when the farmer, Ray Mullen, turns to her and asks:

"Do they like Patsy Cline up in Canada?"

Kate smiles and replies: "They like Patsy Cline everywhere."

Lost characters Kate and Ray in his truck.

Invariably, students will want to know a little more about Patsy Cline. Some believe her 1963 death in a plane crash at the age of 30 is a clue to the mysteries unfolding on Lost; others are keen to hear more of her music. I'll play her hits in the classroom during work periods and, unfailingly, her haunting, contralto voice  wins over a few students. Kate is correct. "They like Patsy Cline everywhere".

Everywhere, but not everyone. As I played her music in my classroom prior to student arrivals last week, I learned that the teacher candidate (student teacher) assigned to me, is not a fan. "I just find her voice whiney," she remarked.

And then there is Jeff "The Cease" Charron, my friend of 40-plus years. He made it clear to me when we were in high school that he "hates Patsy Cline's music". Furthermore, with a tinge of seriousness and humour, he informed me I was not to play Patsy in my car anymore or he would "liberate" the cassette tape from the tape deck.

Patsy Cline's 12 Greatest Hits was the cassette I owned.

One night, during the winter of 1992, Jeff was visiting me and my future wife in our first apartment on the 22nd floor of a building in Brampton, Ontario. We'd had a few beers and were playing Scrabble and listening to music. While he was in the bathroom, I slotted the Patsy Cline cassette into my stereo system. I winked at my future wife (who knew about Jeff's proclivity) and whispered, "I'll bet he doesn't even notice.

My stereo in my Brampton Apartment (1992)

We sat at the table, confident of "pulling one over on the Cease", assuming he would have forgotten his years-ago denunciation of Ms. Cline’s music.

Dead wrong. He emerged from the washroom and went directly to the cassette player, removed the offending cartridge, opened the sliding glass balcony door and, with a defiant flick of his wrist, it sailed off into the Brampton night, never to be seen again. He turned to us and said, "I'll give you $5 for that...but I warned you. I hate Patsy Cline."

The Brampton apartment, Scrabble table in background.

The story has become the stuff of comedic legend among our friends, but in fairness to Jeff I sought him out these many years later, wondering if his harsh appraisal of Patsy had diminished. He informed me by text that he still “dislikes her music”. I suppose it is a win that we have moved away from the word “hate”. 

Cline remains one of the most influential singers of the 20th century, not just in country music but in pop as well. She was the first country artist to make the successful crossover between the two genres and, despite her short and difficult life, she cemented herself as an entertainment titan. Her life has been powerfully documented in numerous books, musicals and films, including the 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams, featuring Jessica Lange as Patsy.

The Ultimate Collection offers 32 of her greatest hits, and I enjoy her voice now as much as I did in high school. Not even a detractor like “Cease” can "liberate" a Spotify stream and, after listening to the anthology in preparation for this post and chatting with friends and family about it, I stand in solidarity with the fictional Kate from Lost. "They (still) like Patsy Cline everywhere." Undiminished by time.

The 500 - #244 - The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #244
Album Title: The Marshall Mathers LP
Artist: Eminem
Genre: Horrorcore, Hardcore Hip Hop
Recorded: Six Studios: Los Angeles (4), New York (1) and Detroit (1)
Released: May, 2000
My age at release: 34
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple songs

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #145, climbing 99 spots since 2012
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Stan

Although recently updated, the Ontario Language Curriculum (2006), contained the following expectation in the Grade 7 writing section during the past 12 years.

"By the end of Grade 7, students will identify the topic, purpose and audience for more complex writing forms including a rap or jingle to express a personal view to the class."

As a suburban-raised, middle-class, life-long rocker, I was at a disadvantage. How could I teach students (in an effective and culturally respectful way) this important, contemporary lyrical art form? After all, it was one that developed almost exclusively in under-advantaged, urban communities predominantly populated by African and Caribbean Americans. I was out of my element.

Rapping gained in popularity in the late 70s early 80s.

I pride myself on being a "life-long learner" and began my research in earnest when I returned to a Grade 7 classroom in 2019 -- after a decade-long absence. Three resources were particularly valuable.

• The Juno award winning Canadian music documentary series, Hip-Hop Evolution (2016).
• Nas Teaches Hip-Hop Storytelling, which was part of the Masterclass series to which my wife and I subscribed for two years.
• The Vox Media video Rapping Deconstructive: The Best Rappers of All Time which is available here on YouTube.
  

  

  Hip-Hop Evolution (top) and
  Nas Teaches Hip Hop Storytelling. 

A rudimentary background in music theory helped me understand the importance of "beats" and "bars" when writing a rap. Most rap songs, like most pop and rock songs, are written with four beats in each bar. The rapper or M.C. (mike controller), would then deliver the necessary words or syllables between those bars to create a rap that had rhythmic flow.

Two simple bars, with four beats in each bar.

One of the earliest raps to gain mainstream popularity was The Breaks by Kurtis Blow. Simplistic by today's standards, the beat is punctuated by nouns and verbs and each verse uses only "end rhyme", following a basic AABB pattern. The song relates a straightforward story about dealing with life's ups and downs.

car/star and lose/shoes AABB rhyming pattern in The Breaks.

Fast forward to 1986 and raps have become more complex. The duo Eric B. and Rakim release Paid In Full (#228 on The 500) and their songs feature numerous, multi-syllabic rhymes occurring at both the end and within phrases (end rhymes and internal rhymes).

Eric B and Rakim, Paid In Full album cover.

Additionally, the duo are among the first to begin "crossing the bar line". As you see in the example below, the clever, self-referential lyric, "The party is live, this rhyme can't be kept in/side", does not end with the bar, but "crosses over" to the next bar; a technique that improves the presentation and flow of the rap.

Example of "crossing the bar line" in Eric B Is President (1986)

Hip-hop and rapping continued to evolve over the next two decades. Other rappers on this list, including The Notorious B.I.G (#476) and OutKast (#500 and #361), have been recognized for their extraordinary ability to write rhythmically dense lyrics with complex multi-syllabic rhymes (both long and short) that can simultaneously surprise, challenge and satisfy a listener. See the example below from Hypnotize, by Notorious B.I.G., often considered one of the smoothest rap pieces in the genre and a game-changer in 1997.

Hypnotize rhymes and bar lines.

Which brings me to Eminem. Born Marshall Mathers and raised in Warren, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit), he has two records on The 500 list – The Slim Shady LP at #275 and this week's album, The Marshall Mathers LP, which lands at position #244. Eminem is considered one of the greatest rappers and, as a white entertainer, is credited with popularizing hip-hop in middle America. He tops the list as best-selling hip-hop artist of all time, with sales exceeding $220 million.

Eminem (Marshall Mathers) in 2001

I wrote about his sophomore album, The Slim Shady LP, in March, 2023. In that post, I discussed the controversy, and my discomfort, with his earliest style, a “sub-genre” of hip-hop called horrorcore or hardcore rap. On that record, Eminem embodies his alter-ego, Slim Shady, in order to vent about the injustices and problems the, then unknown, rapper had with the world. 

Eminem - 2000

The follow-up record, The Marshall Mathers LP, continues this theme of anger. This time, the singer rants about the challenges of fame, criticism of his music and his estrangement from his family and wife. Once again, the lyrics are vulgar, violent, misogynistic and homophobic. The lyrics were so offensive that they were criticized at a U.S. Senate hearing and the Canadian government briefly considered refusing Eminem entry into the country. Despite all of this, he received praise from many music critics who lauded the record's emotional depth and his lyrical ability. Journalist Estelle Caswell summarized his talent by saying:  "Eminem doesn't just pack in tremendously dense, multi-syllable rhymes, he is also able to tell a vivid story with them and, for many, that wins the day." This is something that Philadelphia-based music historian, teacher and writer Martin Connor called "Cinematic Rap".

Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Biggie Smalls - masters of Cinematic Rap.

The success of the record set the stage for the 2002 release of the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile which starred Eminem as a fictional version of himself –a young, white rapper trying to break into the world of hip-hop in a predominantly black community in Detroit.

The soundtrack from the movie sold 10 million copies and the lead single, Lose Yourself, became Eminem's biggest hit. Connor, who wrote the book, The Artistry Of Rap Music, has annotated the words and syllables in the song with colour coding to illustrate the complexity of its dense and clever lyrical structure. See an example of Verse 1 below.

In 2002, Lose Yourself became the first rap song to win an Academy Award. It also marked a change in Eminem's lyrics and approach to hip-hop. Upon turning 30, he moved away from the horrorcore and hardcore approach to hip-hop that made him famous. His work became more self-reflective and even political.

Eminem at 50, 2023.

Although he is a bit of a dinosaur in the world of contemporary hip-hop, Eminem remains a legend. I'll admit, I have a tough time coping with the cleverness of his lyrics when they are so vile and offensive -- even if it's satire, even if it was a long time ago and even if he has apologized.

In an effort to rebrand himself, Eminem performed at the 2001 Grammy Awards with openly gay superstar Elton John. John, who has been sober since 1990, became Eminem's good friend and eventual sponsor in 2009, helping the rapper to get clean from drugs and alcohol.

I will admit, Lose Yourself (the clean version) is a terrific way to illustrate to students the complex possibilities that are available with rap writing. Over the past few years, my "life-long approach to learning" has paid off and my hip-hop unit is engaging, culturally respectful and effective. I have started presenting it in conjunction with Black History Month. Indeed, my Grade 7 students have penned some magnificent raps about Martin Luther King, Mary Ann Shadd Cary and Viola Desmond. Here are two samples from my former students Arshiaa and Anviksha.

Arshiaa

Anviksha

The 500 - #280 - All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #280

Album Title: All That You Can't Leave Behind

Artist: U2

Genre: Rock, Pop

Recorded: Four Dublin Studios, 1 in France

Released: October, 2000

My age at release: 35

How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Beautiful Day

I've always been a fan of professional wrestling. I was just quiet about it for most of my life. Understandably so. The idea of watching barely covered, gigantic men grapple, pummel, hurl and bloody each other in a fight, with a predetermined outcome, is leaving you open to derision from your chums.

In my defence, at the age of 10 I had no idea it was scripted. When I perused the racks of variety and department stores, the combatants shown in the glossy wrestling magazines seemed authentically bloodied.

Pro-wrestling exploded into the mainstream in the early 80s with the arrival of "Rock 'n Wrestling" and a cast of larger-than-life stars, including Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Macho Man Randy Savage, and Andre The Giant. However, these manufactured heroes were paired with established musicians, athletes and actors, such as Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T., Muhammed Ali, Liberace, and Alice Cooper. By this time, I was a teenager and I'd "closeted" any interest in the "squared-circle" by cracking  jokes and pretending to be above the absurdity of this, so-called, "sport". Quietly, I was still watching, especially the annual Wrestlemania events.

Rock 'n Wrestling Era (l-r) Lauper, Ali, Liberace, Hogan
& Wendi Richter

As it did in the 1960s, following pro-wrestling's first golden age, the fighting spectacle’s popularity waned in the late 1980s. It continued to make money from a loyal fanbase, but the digitally-savvy and cynical audiences of the next decade were not amenable to steroid-fueled, cartoonish characters wearing ridiculous make-up and claiming implausible backstories.

The mid-90s grunge-crowd was unwilling to accept the premise that green-tongued, turnbuckle-biting George "The Animal" Steele was an unhinged wild-man. Internet technology provided legitimate information about these gladiators.  They knew that "George" (William James Myers) was a devout Christian, a former educator and amateur wrestler with a Master’s degree, who had found success in Vince McMahon's make-believe world. And the green tongue? A full pack of Clorets breath mints before the match.

George "The Animal" Steele

Forever adaptable, pro-wrestling changed once more just before the millennium and hit mainstream popularity again. This time, the gimmicks were gone -- or embraced, ironically. The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) had begun its "Attitude Era" and stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Triple H and The Rock emerged as anti-heroes. In this new, bawdy incarnation, the wrestlers played amplified versions of their own personalities. Stone Cold Steve Austin (born Steven Anderson) played a brash, plain-spoken, beer-drinking Texan roughneck who suffered fools poorly. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) was a fast-talking, charismatic egotist who referred to himself in the third person. These two personas were so engaging and loved by fans they could effortlessly move from hero (babyface) to villain (heel) without losing popularity or massive merchandise sales.

The Rock (l) and Stone Cold Steve Austin battle in one of
their many high profile matches.

It was around this time that I opened up about my life-long interest in wrestling. Raw is War, the weekly television program from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), (soon to be renamed World Wrestling Entertainment - WWE) was wildly popular with my students. Furthermore, several of my friends, including Steve "Lumpy" Sullivan, Oscar "Porchee" Macedo and Claudio Sossi who have all guest blogged here, were openly celebrating their love too. In March, 2002, Lumpy secured front row tickets to the 18th incarnation of Wrestlemania, which was held at Toronto's Skydome and he generously invited me to attend. As a bonus, we even got to keep the folding chairs we sat in.

Pro-wrestling was now billed as "sports entertainment". Any illusion that the outcomes of matchups or that combatants were legitimately competing was gone. Many of the verbal exchanges were scripted, often being clever, funny and provocative. The scripts were penned  for mature audiences and the two-hour program was an envelope-pushing bawdy circus of  over-the-top pageantry, strongmen, comedy, beautiful girls, clowns and acrobats. Though the outcomes were still pre-determined, risks taken by the muscled fighters were genuine and, often, extraordinarily dangerous.

A Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at a WWF event

So, if you've made it this far, you are likely wondering what U2's tenth release, All That You Can't Leave Behind, has to do with the world of sweaty ring titans. Once again, the WWE partnered with contemporary musicians who gave permission for their songs to be paired with promotional segments. Popular bands, including Motorhead, Drowning Pool, Creed, and even my favourite group, Rush, had songs featured in segments on WWE programming.

Lemmy, of Motorhead, performing at a WWE event with
Triple H

In January, 2002, wrestler Triple H (Paul Levesque) was recovering from a devastating injury. Eight months earlier during a match, he had torn a quadricep muscle. It was the kind of physical trauma that could have easily been career-ending for the 32-year-old six foot, four -inch, 260-pound athlete.

Triple H being helped from the ring following his quadricep tear.

Instead, the headlining superstar went through an intense physical therapy program and, as Wrestlemania 18 approached, his return to the ring was heavily promoted. The real-world reality of a comeback triumph was blended into the scripted version. Hence, Triple H's honest battle to return to the ring gave a semblance of truth to the hero storyline that followed. The ensuing uplifting, promotional video available here, included the song, Beautiful Day, from this week's U2 record. Since that time, the expression “the Beautiful Day treatment” has become shorthand between Lumpy and me for any situation when a returning injured wrestler gets (or doesn’t get) a promotional push.

And so it happened, the eventual title match between Triple H and Canadian Chris Jericho took place in Toronto with Lumpy and I in the first row. From our seats we witnessed Jericho being thrown out of the ring and landing at our feet. If you pause the DVD at just the right moment, you can see us enjoying the bout.

This week’s feature song, Beautiful Day, didn't really need the promotional push from pro-wrestling. It had been released as a single 18 months before the championship bout and topped the charts in many countries. It marked a return for U2 to their original sounds which made them one of the most popular bands in the world during the late 80s and early 90s. 

Prior to the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2 had released several records which experimented with different genres, including electronic dance, alternative rock and industrial music. For ATYCLB, the group returned to its roots, reuniting with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, to make a record far more akin to their biggest releases, Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree, which we will get to at #63 and #27...and I won't talk about wrestling.

The 500 - #361 - Stankonia - Outkast

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: # 361
Album Title: Stankonia
Artist: OutKast
Genre: Southern Hip-Hop, Funk
Recorded: Stankonia Tree Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Released: October, 2000
My age at release: 33
How familiar was I with it before this week: One Song
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: So Fresh, So Clean

When I began this journey through The 500 List, 137 albums ago, the first entry was Aquemini by the Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast. Although unfamiliar to me two years ago, it has since become a favourite and I spin it regularly.

Curious, I went back to read that first post and found it surprisingly short. Maybe I was unsure what this blog might become and I had a feeling of hesitancy. Was I starting something I couldn't complete? So far so good. We've arrived at album #361, Stankonia.

Screen Capture of my first 500 Blog Post

The hip-hop duo formed in East Point, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) in 1992. They are Andre Lauren Benjamin, aka "Andre 3000" and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. Regarded by many music critics as one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time. Their melodies are catchy and their lyrics are intricate, clever and meaningfully introspective.

OutKast (l-r) Big Boi & Andre 3000

While researching this group, and the album Stankonia, I became fascinated by the comparison several critics made between OutKast and The Beatles. Not in their sound, but in their career trajectories.

OutKast & The Beatles

There is an easy comparison in songwriting. Big Boi and Andre 3000 are, much like Paul McCartney and John Lennon, a duo with distinct personalities and visions that work together masterfully.

Andre is, like Lennon, more avant-garde, pushing the boundaries within the hip-hop style. Also like Lennon, he is OutKast’s more gentle spirit. On Stankonia, he penned the album's biggest hit, Ms. Jackson, a song inspired by a difficult break-up Andre had with singer, songwriter and actress Erykah Badu following the birth of their son. He wrote the song in the form of an open letter to Badu's mother, explaining his side of the split and making clear his intention to fulfil his commitments as a father to her newborn grandson.

Andre, Erykah & their son Seven Sirius (r-l) in 1997

Big Boi is, akin to McCartney, a studio craftsman who dedicates hours developing the intricate machinations of their sound. He is also the primary gatekeeper of their legacy, well known for the time he has spent in the group's Atlanta Studio, which they also dubbed Stankonia. The name is a portmanteau of the words "stank", meaning funky and "Plutonia", lifted from an album title by jazz pianist Sun Ra's 1957 record The Nubians Of Plutonia.

Sun Ra's record The Nubians Of Plutonia (1957)

Much like the Beatles before them, OutKast was the catalyst for a regional explosion in music. The Beatles famously ushered in The British Invasion. Prior to 2000, Hip-Hop was almost exclusively a bi-coastal phenomenon, with legendary rap groups coming from either New York, the birthplace of the genre, or Los Angeles. OutKast broke the convention and became pioneers of the southern hip-hop scene, sometimes called "The Third Coast" by hip hop writers.

The Third Coast by Roni Sarig documents the rise of Southern Hip Hop

Finally, if you are willing to stretch the Beatles/OutKast comparison a little further, some critics, with tongues planted playfully in their cheeks. even highlight similarities between records.

ATLiens (1996) is OutKast's Rubber Soul (1965)

Aquemini (1998) is their Revolver (1966)

Stankonia (2000) is their Sgt. Pepper (1967)

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) is their White Album (1978)

Beatles Albums with their OutKast "counterparts"

There are other comparisons, some more solid than others. The bottom line for me is indifference. I've been a Beatles fan for more than 40 years and I really enjoyed discovering Stankonia and Aquemini. Interestingly, on the updated version of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, released in September, 2020, there were significant changes to the placement of both records.

Aquemini moved from 500 to 49
Stankonia moved from 361 to 64
Additionally, the fifth OutKast record, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below has been added to the updated list at position #290
Meanwhile, The Beatles lost their place at #1 on the 2012 version, with Sgt. Pepper, moving all the way down to #24.

Clearly, the current generation of music critics is recognizing the importance of OutKast on the hip hop landscape.

(Special thanks to Alec Banks and his article OutKast Is More Like The Beatles Than You Think for additional information).