# Great Eccentric Art (Classical & Non-Classical): A Playlist



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Can we list songs/pieces we find to be great eccentric art? Then each individual, if desired, could make their own playlist of their favorites.

What does TC say?

I'll begin: I feel my picks are more commonly known, it's time to expand my horizons.

Tom Waits - Train Song
Tom Waits - Come on Up to the House
Tom Waits - House Where Nobody Lives
Tom Waits - Sins of my Father
Radiohead - Kid A
Radiohead - Everything in it's Right Place
Radiohead - Pyramid Song
Phish - Esther
Phish - What's the Use
Beethoven - Symphony 6
Miles Davis - Shhh
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way

That's a decent start, I could list more, but I'm interested in what others have to offer. I'll most likely offer more picks as the thread goes on.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

Stephen Merritt's sometimes detached, pastiche-like music can lead to somewhat justified accusations of emotional coolness, but when he hits it straight, man. And Susan Anway does a perfect job with the vocals here.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

fbjim said:


> Stephen Merritt's sometimes detached, pastiche-like music can lead to somewhat justified accusations of emotional coolness, but when he hits it straight, man. And Susan Anway does a perfect job with the vocals here.


That was awesome man! Loved it. Thanks, got any more picks?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Rite of Spring - Stravinsky


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

*Kites (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound)
*
About the band: Simon Dupree and the Big Sound were a British psychedelic band formed in 1966, and dissolved in 1969, after which the core members formed the prog band Gentle Giant. They released only one studio album, and their only big hit Kites was not included on it.

About the song: Kites is the only sixties' one-hit-wonder that has stood the test of time for me. The band hated it, but their manager loved it, as its psychedelic sound was exactly right for the time. The colourful tones of the mellotron create a distinctly Asian atmosphere, enhanced by the images of the lyrics (the white kite flying in the sun, with a message of love on it), and topped off by the recitation of an Asian sounding poem by actress Jacqui Chan, who apparently reproduced phonetics taught to her by her grandmother with the result that no-one knows what she is saying or even what language it is in.

*Ghosts (Japan)
*
About the band: Japan were an English New Wave / New Romantics band formed in 1974 and broken up in 1982, with the members (most notably lead singer David Sylvian) pursuing different careers (a brief reunion occurred in 1991 under the name Rain Tree Crow). They released five studio albums, of which the latter three are among my favourites.

About the song: their final album Tin drum from 1981 marked the artistic peak as well as the untimely end of Japan. The most important song on the album is Ghosts, a superb ballad and a strong contender for the title of best single ever. Right from the first out-of-this-world sounds, this songs weaves a spell like no other. A surprise UK top 10 hit, it is notable for its utterly minimal arrangement, almost entirely eschewing beats for Barbieri's textures and Jansens work on marimba. David Sylvian has never sounded better in his life - and that is quite a statement giving my admiration for his work.

*Beyond the pale (Pain of Salvation)
*

About the band: Pain of Salvation is a Swedish eclectic progressive metal band, who have released ten studio albums. Personally, I find their albums a bit uneven, but there are some great songs to find there.

About the song: Beyond the pale is the closing song of their 2002 album Remedy Lane and it is superior over anything they have done. The original start, a repetitive simple guitar riff, sets the scene for a song with bewildering changes of pace and mood, full of energy and breathtaking moments, and with an intimacy in the lyrics that I cannot do justice in a short summary. The song ends with one of the greatest lines ever: "We will always be so much more human than we wish to be".


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Thanks Art. :tiphat:


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

Captainnumber36 said:


> That was awesome man! Loved it. Thanks, got any more picks?


The whole "69 Love Songs" album is probably too lengthy for this list but from there

(all by Stephen Merritt/The Magnetic Fields)
The Book of Love
You're My Only Home
Long-Forgotten Fairytale
Papa Was A Rodeo

and especially Busby Berkeley Dreams


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

The Residents - well, basically everything they have done, but I absolutely love the albums of the seventies, especially Not available and Meet the Residents. "Ship's A going down" is a great introduction:






Captain Beefheart obviously, Trout mask replica is a must:





Conlon Nancarrow and his studies for player piano, but here's a version of a "simple" one played by Bang on a can





Harry Partch, another great american maverick





Sun Ra, probably the strangest jazz musician ever 





in general it's not so clear cut though, a lot of experimentations that at first are weird than becomes incorporated by a lot of musicians. Look how influential have become musicians like Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Webern, Cage, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Pierre Schaeffer, Varesè, Stockhausen etc


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## Jay (Jul 21, 2014)

Art Rock said:


> *Kites (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound)*


You'll want to check this out: https://www.importcds.com/think-im-...ish-psychedelic-scene-1966-1968/5013929190009


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

norman bates said:


> The Residents - well, basically everything they have done, but I absolutely love the albums of the seventies, especially Not available and Meet the Residents. "Ship's A going down" is a great introduction:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I liked the Sun Ra!


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Slim Gaillard is one of my favorites. A very funny, eccentric, and talented guy!


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