Just for Fun #MusicGroups

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I had so much fun last week getting to learn everyone’s favorite Beatle songs, I thought I’d trot out another “just for fun” post. I love music, although I never had the passion to pursue it. I took music lessons and played bass guitar for about two years in high school, but the drive just wasn’t there like it was with writing. My grandfather played guitar, banjo, flute, clarinet and several brass instruments. My brother has been a drummer since he was a teen. He plays by ear and has been in local groups all of his life. He’s also done studio and session work as a backing drummer for other musicians. He inherited my grandfather’s talent for music. I inherited my father’s talent for words.

When I was finishing high school, disco became trendy. I have never been a fan—in fact, I couldn’t stand disco in its heyday—but I love to dance. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate some songs strictly for their beat. I would never count them among favorites, but a few have achieved “feel good” moments on the dance floor.

There’s a song by Dawes called “All Your Favorite Bands.” This is the chorus:

I hope that life without a chaperone is what you thought it’d be
I hope your brother’s El Camino runs forever
I hope the world sees the same person that you’ve always been to me
And may all your favorite bands stay together.

Wouldn’t it be great if our favorite bands were still together today? In the spirit of Just for Fun, which groups would you pick? What are your four favorite? Maybe they are still together. My top three picks were easy, but I waffled on the fourth:

  1. The Beatles
  2. REO Speedwagon
  3. Styx
  4. The Monkees

Yes, I’m dating myself. I also considered Journey, CCR, and Klaatu (Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft anyone?), but I still love so many songs by the Monkees, I had to go with them. They were another band (like the Beatles) that I didn’t discover until long after they’d broken up.

Today is all about breaking out the beat. Do you love music? Do you play an instrument and/or do you like to dance? Finally, what are your four favorite groups?

If you’d like to catch “All Your Favorite Bands” by Dawes, here’s the vid:

79 thoughts on “Just for Fun #MusicGroups”

  1. We’re thinking alike. I plan to do a musical post soon. My favorite groups are;

    1) The Beatles
    2) The Eagles
    3) Fleetwood Mac
    4) Jefferson Starship

    The first two were easy, but there are a lot I could name. U2, ABBA, Electric Light Orchestra, Heart…

    Fun post.

    Liked by 4 people

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  2. A lot of mine are still around, like Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, even Kiss. I liked a lot of solo acts too. Must be something about the old ladies, we saw Pat Benetar last year, and Joan Jett is coming this year. Now if only Bonnie Rait would come back.

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  3. Gosh, this is too complicated for me to answer. But…when I was a youngster, I loved to listen to:
    1. The Beatles
    2. The Byrds
    3. Credence Clearwater Revival
    4. Grateful Dead.

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  4. I loved the female artists, so…Heart, Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton and Carly Simon. I played guitar and wrote songs in what now seems like another lifetime. I really should take it out of its corner and play it again. But, writing has taken over. 🙂

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  5. Put me down for seven years of clarinet and one year of baritone in school, plus one year of piano as an adult. I still have the clarinet. Piano’s in our garage, but if I ever have a house where it fits, I want to start again.

    My four (so hard to choose):
    1. Queen (actually just saw them on TV with Adam Lambert as lead singer; not the same as with Freddie Mercury, though)
    2. Journey
    3. Led Zeppelin
    4. The Eagles

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    • I loved Journey (almost chose them as #4). I also really enjoyed Queen and the Eagles and a good portion of Led Zepplin’s stuff. All that music is still great today.

      7 years of clarinet? I attempted to play it in grade school and failed miserably. I think I last a few weeks, LOL.

      Glad to hear you still have the piano and are still interested in playing. I admire those with musical talent!

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. All of you are more into music than I am, but I love to dance (or loved to dance–not so sure anymore since I broke my leg, It’s still not good enough to try). I loved Heart, though. They came to Fort Wayne last year, and we went to see them. Sonny ‘n Cher, Fleetwood Mac, and Guns ‘n Roses.

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    • Judi, I love, love, LOVE to dance! I hope that you’ll have the chance to get back on the dance floor when your leg has completely healed. And I bet Heart was amazing in concert. I didn’t realize they were still touring. That’s great to know!

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  8. Fun post. Trombone here. I used to hang around 76 of my closest friends. Haven’t played since High School. My favorites are Queen, Chicago, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Beach Boys, and Wheezer plus a ton more.

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  9. 4 years of piano, 7 years flute. One son has absolutely no interest in music, other than to listen, the other is all about percussion and plans to teach music at a college level. Favs are KISS (lost count of how many times I’ve seen them in concert), Foreigner, Stone Temple Pilots – tons more, but that’s all that come to mind right now. This was fun, Mae!

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    • Teri, I love the sound of a flute! After 7 years (and 4 on piano) I bet you’re awesome.How interesting that your sons are so diverse in their interests in music. Of four siblings in my family only one followed music despite how talented my grandfather was, and Ii’m the only one that inherited my father’s love for writing. He was also an artist, and not one of us picked up on that gene!

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  11. Such a fun post, Mae. I never had the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument but Gregory plays the piano very well and Michael is learning to play the drums. I loved Roxette, REM and Divine (which I have had firmly in my head ever since Hugh put the thought there a few weeks ago with one of his music posts).

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  12. Wow…this IS a tough one, Mae! It kind of depends what mood I’m in…but here goes: 1. Beatles 2. Heart 3. REM 4. B52s/Tom Petty (it was a tie…)

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    • Mood is good factor to take into account, D.L.
      So glad to see the Beatles in there as number 1 and I enjoy all of the other artists that you named. Music touches us all.
      Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. Clarinet and fiddle player. Both pretty badly!
    Pink Floyd is it and a bit in my book. I’d also be quite keen on Queen. I love Leonard Cohen (who’s not technically a band, but as he’s passed over now, he’s one I’d love to have returned)!

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  14. I didn’t realise you had such a strong musical background, Mae. I love the Beatles… Naturally. Other groups for me:
    Queen
    ELO
    REO Speedwagon
    Styx
    Kansas
    Chicago

    …There are so many!

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    • Kev, it sounds like we enjoy a lot of the same music, especially with the Beatles, REO, and Styx. As for my musical background, it’s mostly in my family. I might not have gotten the talent for playing but I do love listening to music, and I love to dance!
      P.S…..I shared your Talk Music post with another friend who has a strong musical background (writing, singing, performing, guitar). Do you know Jan sikes? I pointed her your way. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      • It most certainly does! I do my own little jigs, not sure I’d exactly call it dancing though… Foolery, more like. Lol.
        Thanks for your support, Mae. The name rings a bell. Hope I hear from her. Would be honoured to have her over. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • Sadly, I had all mine on cassette and my player broke. I figured CDs were taking over so I threw out my collection. Years of stuff. Sigh. Now, I have a cassette player but none of my old tapes. It’s like VHS tapes.

        Liked by 1 person

      • I can so relate to that. I had a HUGE album collection, then cassettes came out and I started buying them. That collection exploded until CDs came out and….well, you get the picture. All the cassettes and albums are all gone and most of the CDs. I converted everything to ape, but there was nothing like sliding a new vinyl album out of the sleeve for the first time and setting the needle down on the first track. I can still see the way that needle would bounce slightly and ride in the grooves 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Wow, so many choices here! I think the Stones would have to come first, the Beatles probably second, but….ABBA a strong, strong third, and for complete contrast, but unlike the others I still play their music now, Fairport Convention (in the Sandy Denny period). Ah, but then there was Blondie, and now there is London Grammar….all with their own styles. No, I am pitch imperfect, and my piano lessons were marked by tragedy – it was just after my tenth lesson my piano tutor committed suicide. Oi veh!

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    • omg, that’s horrible! Not your choices, but piano teacher. Talk about shock!!

      I thought you’d go with the Stones first 🙂
      Glad the Beatles hit second. I really loved ABBA and still listen to a lot of their music. And Sandy Denny? I only recently “discovered” her. Loved seeing your selections, Frederick! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  18. Great post, Mae. Fun! For me, it works out like this:

    1. The Eagles
    2. The Eagles
    3. The Eagles
    4. The Eagles

    Get my drift? My all-time favorite group, because: LYRICS.IN addition to sounding great and having Joe Walsh on guitar, their lyrics were outstanding. (Don’t tell anybody this–it’s our secret, Mae–but I actually loved them more than the Beatles. And that’s saying a lot.)

    Now I’m off, humming “I’m runnin’ down the road, tryin’ to loosen my load, got seven women on my mind. Four who wanna own me, two who wanna stone me, and one who she’s a friend of mine.”

    Take it easy, folks! 🙂

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  19. Great post, Mae! I played the clarinet from 5th grade through 11th grade. I dropped band my senior year due to some unfair requirements (in my mind, anyway. I couldn’t stomach fundraising for a trip to DisneyWorld that the seniors couldn’t go on.). I also play piano (not very well, but I can).

    As for favorite bands, your choices (and those of most of the commenters) peg you in my time frame or just a bit earlier. The Monkees? I remember watching the TV series (syndicated, I’m sure). I loved the Beach Boys and the Beatles even though they were a bit before my time. Eurythmics, the Police, and A-Ha. I remember when MTV started up, and the music videos were where the action was (Thriller, anyone?).

    My tastes in music have changed a little over the years, but I still listen to the “oldies”. What a fun trip down memory lane 🙂

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    • Julie, you must have been great on the clarinet to play it so long. Do you still have a clarinet today?

      I remember when MTV first started too. In those days, we always had it on. Now, it’s been several years or more since I turned it on.

      Those are all great bands you named. I remember being really fond of A-Ha in their day and the Police were just exceptional. Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics has an amazing voice (I think she did one of the closing lyric songs on an LOTR movie. I think it won a best song Oscar).

      My music tastes have changed too, but like you said, I still love and listen to the “oldies.” There’s just something magical about them 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      • Actually, my daughter plays the clarinet now (not the same one I did, though; my sister used it after I did, and it was stolen from the band room at some point). I don’t remember much, but enough to help her when she started to get the right sound out of it (nothing like a squeaky clarinet!). I still love listening to the school band concerts. I miss it a little; there’s something about the sound direct from the instruments that you can’t get from recordings. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    • I’m vocally challenged too, Michelle, LOL. And if were only possible to get those two groups back together, there would be legions of fans from multiple generations cheering them on.

      Chicago was excellent, and Peter did wonderful solo stuff too. Fabulous choices 🙂

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  21. What a fun post, Mae! In high school I played drums in a garage rock band. We called ourselves The Persian Blue. I miss those drums. I don’t play an instrument these days, but my family and I love to rock out at home with karaoke. It’s hard to pick 4 bands. The Monkees’ songs are so infectious and singable. I’ll go with:
    Paul Revere & the Raiders
    The Royal Guardsmen (did the Snoopy songs)
    Shinedown
    Flogging Molly

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    • Flossie, you never cease to surprise me! A drummer in a garage rock band?!?! Wow, that must have been fun. I love the name “The Persian Blue.” You must have really enjoyed yourself.

      Paul Revere & the Raiders were great, and I have the Snoopy songs The Royal Guardsmen did on mp3. I admit I’m not familiar with Shinedown, but I recently discovered Flogging Molly and love what I’ve heard (more on mp3 for me). 🙂

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  22. Pingback: Writing Links…7/3/17 – Where Genres Collide

  23. I love music, and my taste is pretty eclectic. Just about everything from classical to metal.

    A couple of years ago, I decide to take piano lessons. I’d always wanted to learn as a kid but never got around to it. I didn’t progress terribly fast but really enjoyed it. Recently, I switched to the cello, and I adore it. I’m progressing much faster than the piano (even though it’s much more challenging for me).

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    • Hi, Sonia! I’m sorry I’m so late in responding to this post. A mini vacation combined with computer woes has kept me mostly offline the last few days. It’s wonderful to have you visit my blog and “chime in” (sorry…couldn’t resist) on this post.

      I think the cello is an amazing instrument and I can certainly imagine it being very challenging. Given you are doing much better than your time on the piano, it sounds like you have a true passion for the instrument no matter how difficult the learning curve. Go, you!!! 😀

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      • No worries. Glad you got a vacation. Ugh on the computer woes. Those are no fun.

        Yes, I’ve definitely discovered a passion for it. I’m a little surprised because I thought I’d love the piano more.

        Liked by 1 person

  24. Mae – wow – I don;t what to say or begin my sincere appreciation for creating this powerful musical post. The list of your music selection bring a outstanding taste and memories.!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Aww, that’s so sweet of you to say. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and the memories it stirred. I do believe music and memories are intertwined, and with your musical gifts I know you can relate 🙂

      Like

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  25. Another fun post that I almost missed. Yikes!
    My dad can play most instruments. It still fascinates me when he just picks up a guitar, accordion, harmonica, etc. and translates notes into melodies. The sound of piano was a constant in our home. My youngest brother is musically inclined. I can’t carry a tune! 🙂
    The bands that will forever be my heart’s companions are: Eagles, CCR, The Band, and Bon Jovi. Timeless gems!
    Cheers and Happy 4th of July! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks for the 4th of July wishes, Natalie. I’ve been without a computer the last few days so I am just now seeing your comment. Your father sounds much like my grandfather. I’m always amazed by people who can play by ear and are gifted on so many instruments. Those are excellent choices for favorite groups, too. Love everyone of them, especially CCR and Bon Jovi. Cheers!

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