Cheesiest Ballads List............

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20034199,00.html

"Feelings"! I know this is blasphemy but I've got to put "Yesterday" on the list too. Cheesy songs aren't just a recent trend. I think of "Walking My Baby Back Home" and the lyrics about the owls going by. I remember "Silhouettes on the Shade" and the idiot that was spying on the wrong house. "Brandy" also comes to mind. I'm sure there are many more.

Tom

Lets add "HONEY" & "American Pie"

I dunno, this is all a bit subjective. One man's cheese is another man's meat. I mean, all these songs were hits in their own right - so someone must have liked them. Just what is 'it' that makes a song 'cheesy'? Kind of a fun subject, though.

Man, talk about being out of touch. I only recognize about 3 or 4 of those songs on the list. I don't know what constitutes "cheese" but personally, I love the way YESTERDAY is structured. Only problem with it is that it is a real challenge to play it in a jazz framework. The chords are beautiful but it just doesn't lend itself to jazz styling like most of the "standards" do. But, Renig is right; one man's cheese.......


chas

Chas,

Oscar Peterson does a nice jazz bossa version of Yesterday....somehow it just works, for me, anyway.


Ian

Ian, anything Oscar Peterson does works for me.

chas

Chas,

I'm not talking melody or chords. I am a big huge Beatles fan but it is just all those songs with lyrics that go:
day, hay, way, away, say, true, blue glue, flue, blew, be, he, me, see, flea, etc.
John Lennon was way better with lyrics than Paul.

Tom

Cheese = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Tom, I hear you. Some of those "cheese" tunes are actually very beautiful, well constructed, songs; just overdone to the point of being associated with every lounge singer, karaoke bar, wedding reception, etc., etc. BTW, if you're a working pro, DNJ is correct. "Cheese = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$".

chas

Chas, I'm with you on Oscar. By the way, he had a stroke a few years ago. Mnyone hear how he's doing? A guy named Bruce Martin, one of the best jazz players around here, traveled and studied with him in Canada. When Oscar came to UK Singletary Arts center in 1982, Bruce and I visited with him.

That's a night I'll always remember. He can add fine wine to any cheese.


Russ

From Wikipedia:
In 1993, Peterson suffered a serious stroke that weakened his left side and sidelined him for two years. However he has overcome this setback and is today still working on a limited basis. In 1997 he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award, proof that Oscar Peterson is still regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever to play.

In 2003, Peterson recorded a DVD 'A Night in Vienna' for the Verve label, which clearly shows that Peterson's age limits his technical prowess. Even so, his playing has lost but little of its charm, and he still tours the US and Europe, though maximally one month a year, with a couple of days rest between concerts to recover his strength. His accompaniment consists of Ulf Wakenius (guitar), David Young (bass) and Alvin Queen (drums), all leaders of their own groups.

Recently, he had to cancel his performance at the 2007 Toronto Jazz Festival, and his attendance to a June 8th Carnegie Hall all-star performance in his honour, due to illness.
*****
Definitely one of the GREATEST !!!
t.