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Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:10 am
by TheLazenby
Here's a question I don't *think* has been asked here before - what's your favorite pre-first album song??

Your choices (these are all that are circulating at the time being):
* Belvedere Cruisin' (and Belvedere Cruisin' '78 - same song, faster tempo)
* School Cafeteria
* Leisure Suit Serenade
* Cheerios, Apple Jacks, Cheerios
* Nobody Here But Us Frogs
* Dead Car Battery Blues
* Crampton Comes Alive (the non-Food Medley version of this turned up recently - sadly, looks like there was only ever that one verse!!)
* Hit Me With A Rock
* Never Met A Person As Wonderful As Me
* American Slob
* Take Me Down
* The Beverly Hillbillies / Miss You
* You Don't Take Your Showers
* More Songs About Food (Feel Like Throwin' Up, Throw Gravy On You, Take Me To The Liver, Fatter)
* Baby Likes Burping
* Won't Eat Prunes Again (see note below!!)
* It's Still Billy Joel To Me
* Miniature Golf
* If I Could Make Love To A Bottle
* I'm Stupid Blues
* Pac-Man

I won't count "Dr. D Superstar", since we've only heard a small fragment of the song. (Ditto "The Elements", but Al didn't write that.)

Anyway, a small note about "Won't Eat Prunes Again"... I just stumbled across the uncirculated-by-fans cassette recording of this song that Al submitted to Dr. Demento. (The common version was a live radio performance.) This performance actually bears an alternate second verse, whereas the radio version has Al repeating part of the first verse. Here is the otherwise unheard version, with new lines marked with asterisks.

That was such a dirty trick
Boy, it really made us sick
Well, it looks like we've been done in by the prune
Still the memory lingers on
I've been living in the john
'Cause I've had the runs since Monday afternoon
* I'd sell my soul for some new constipation
* Need a cure for this new aggravation
* Diarrhea has taken its toll
* Still got the runs today, just like yesterday
* Buddy, that's why I'm here to say
We won't eat prunes again!

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:39 am
by weirdojace
Pac-Man is awesome (which is why I covered it for the Weird Al tribute album).

It's Still Billy Joel is fantastic. I really wish he just went and recorded it.

American Slob's pretty good too.

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:42 am
by oddaustin
I really like Pac-Man, but Take Me Down is also rather close.

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:59 am
by Orthography Enthusiast
I think "It's Still Billy Joel" is the best of them. "Hit Me With A Rock" is not that exciting an idea, but hey, it's a Paul Simon tune. And I like "Take Me Down" because it's so autobiographical, and I've actually visited the Madonna Inn restrooms and Bubble Gum Alley.

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 8:20 am
by Big Spoon
Definitely "It's Still Billy Joel To Me." Take Me Down is second, as my family used to drive to Cambria for every Labor Day weekend, and driving through SLO Town, we would pass (and usually stop at) many of the landmarks mentioned.

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:28 am
by TMBJon
It's Still Billy Joel To Me is definitely the best, but the others all have highlights. LOVE the accordion solo of Prunes. Nobody Here But Us Frogs is one of Al's funniest songs lyrically, and I think it sort of sounds like a Tom Lehrer style parody or at least highly influenced by him. School Cafeteria is a pretty strong song too, considering how young Al was when he wrote it.

Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:00 pm
by minnick27
Frogs hands down for me. The first time I heard it I felt it was one of his best songs period and have always wondered why it didn't make the first album

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:34 pm
by crazygurl14
I remember years ago someone on here sent me a link of a place to listen to the old songs but i have no idea what it is anymore so could someone please tell me again if it is still out there?

But for now i will say Belvedere Cruisin becasue its the only one I remember hearing.

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 3:18 pm
by TheLazenby
Well, there is the live version of "Still Billy Joel" (from, I think, The King Biscuit Flower Hour?), with full band accompaniment - it's a perfect representation of what a finished studio version would've sounded like.

Re: Favorite 'early years' songs?

Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:00 pm
by giantlobsterrobot
"It's Still Billy Joel To Me" and "Nobody Here But Us Frogs" are my favorites of the early selections. :D Both of those are so awesome.