REVEAL - Homer J. Fong's "Difficult Second Walrus"...now with added HEEPS!

[Homer J. Fong]

And here are some choices I'd have considered for each of the Pokémon starter types! There are many options so I've just gone with three each. 

Grass:







Fire:








Water:

[osh]

Forgot this was on again this weekend. Well that round has shaken things up a bit! Might get decided by the Heeps round yet

[Zaph]

You probably know this song from The Blues Brothers.  Cab Calloway played Curtis and this was the big band number before the brothers arrived at their show towards the end of the film.

Have never seen Blues Brothers, believe it or not. Then again, I've never seen most films that everybody else has, I'm terrible with cinema!   Is it worth the watch?

If you're a fan of blues and soul music, most definitely.  The film itself is fun, but the music really makes it special.  The Blues Brothers band themselves are excellent, but on top of that you have numbers from James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker and the aforementioned Cab Calloway.  I also has cameos from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Frank Oz and the most ridiculous car chase ever.

[Homer J. Fong]

I wanna be the very best,
Like no-one ever was........



Who did you choose as your starter Pokémon, and will they take you all the way to Victory Road? Or get banished in the Storage System forever?

Let's find out how your Grass, Fire and Water songs fared....

[Homer J. Fong]

Just one disclaimer for this round; there are two pairs of songs where I'm not 100% sure who the correct submitter was. I have PM'ed the relevant parties and will make my best guess based on what I *think* was correct....but if anyone discovers they have been assigned the wrong song for this round then please do not hesitate to let me know and I will correct the scores.

With that out of the way.....


In 14th place and scoring 4 points:

John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat - Burnin' Hell

Submitted byShow Content

the purple tin

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
We’re keeping up the blues theme here, I see. Not a bad pick as such, but another one that I think would hold more power if seen live. This one struggles to hold my interest after a short while, if I'm being honest.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 13th place and scoring 5 points:

P!nk - Just Like Fire

Submitted byShow Content

Tauriel jp liz v1

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:

I know some members of this forum have strong opinions on P!nk. Imo she has some good songs in her arsenal but she is more miss than hit. I quite like her rockier-stuff (songs like 'Just Like a Pill' and 'Sober' are very strong) but am not a fan of when she goes too poppy. This one is somewhere in between, doesn’t blow me away but I’m not rushing to turn the dial down either. Good background/radio music but that’s about it.

[ShaneU]

I know some members of this forum have strong opinions on P!nk. Imo she has some good songs in her arsenal but she is more miss than hit.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 12th place and scoring 6 points:

Ólafur Arnalds - New Grass

Submitted byShow Content

Irish Aris

Have I listened to the artist before? I think so but I can't remember the song.
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
Gentle instrumental number. More one to relax to rather than get fired up for. Does what it sets out to do pretty well, sets a nice ambiance. Unfortunately, not high impact enough compared to other submissions here to score higher, but still a nice listen.

Entering an instrumental is always risky; it has to be really special to stand out, but of course what counts as "special" is so subjective; what one person thinks is an amazing instrumental piece, another person might consider a snoozefest. On another night, in different circumstances, I might listen to this and fall in love with it. But for now I can't justify putting it any higher, I'm afraid.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 11th place and scoring 7 points:

Bill Callahan - Sycamore

Submitted byShow Content

osh

Have I listened to the artist before? No
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:

Must admit my first reaction to this was not positive; while I do like the Sprechgesang style of talk-singing (à la Leonard Cohen), this guy’s voice and delivery just doesn’t do it for me. With that said, it has grown on me a bit on repeated listens and it did move up a few places on the scoreboard. Just not enough to rank any higher yet, I’m afraid. Maybe he's an acquired taste and I just need more time with it.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 10th place and scoring 8 points:

Doves - Caught By The River

Submitted byShow Content

Barna77

Have I listened to the artist before? I think I knew one song by them but it was a long time ago so I can barely recall it. 
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
I’m struggling with how to appraise this one. It has all the ingredients of a solid indie rock song that I would normally enjoy...but it’s just not hitting the spot. Maybe one day I’ll have a “Eureka” moment and this will click with me but for now I’m afraid it’s just....ok. I feel like there's something missing here that I haven't found yet, but I'd certainly be willing to listen to more by them.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 9th place and scoring 9 points:

Harry Chapin - Flowers Are Red

Submitted byShow Content

Cdeb

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
Ah the 'Cats in the Cradle' guy; that and the song he has about a truck full of bananas are the only ones I really know by him. Our submitter specified that this should be enjoyed live, so I duly obliged before listening to the studio cut. And the live version suggested by our submitter (from The Tonight Show) is definitely the best of the different cuts I listened to; the backing vocals in the other versions are rather annoying, whereas this version with the host works quite well.  Anyway the song itself has a very good (sad) story behind it, so from a songwriting perspective it is definitely one to be admired. It's not the kind of music I'd normally go for, and unlikely to be one I revisit too often, but the message and story behind the lyrics helped to push it up the scoreboard.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 8th place and scoring 10 points:

Kasabian - Fire

Submitted byShow Content

Sawduck

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? Yes

Comments:
I do generally quite like Kasabian's music. Much like Oasis, however, their brash and obnoxious personalities make appreciating them a bit more difficult. My enjoyment of them has been dampened even more by the recent unsavoury revelations about Tom Meighan’s behaviour towards his partner (and tbf, the rest of the band didn’t hesitate to chuck him out in light of that, so good for them!) Putting such reservations aside and separating art from the artist, this is objectively a strong song with a very nice restrained build up to a monster chorus. Made for chanting along to in stadiums. I do wish there was a little more "oomph" in the post-chorus though.

[Cdeb]

Solidly mid-table. Happy out with that as I knew it was a bit risk genre-wise. But I do like a bit of Harry Chapin. Has some great story-songs - Mr Tanner, A Better Place To Be, I Wanna Learn A Love Song. His live stuff is way better than his studio work though, even if it's the same song. Bit like Christy Moore in that regard.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 7th place and scoring 11 points:

Lizzo - Water Me

Submitted byShow Content

cee_jay

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
Now this one caught me off guard, I must say. When I saw it come in I didn't expect it to be in the top half of a scoreboard, as this kinda music isn’t really my thing, but here we are! From what I've heard of Lizzo I do think she has more going for her than many of the other current big “chart” names*; 'Truth Hurts' and 'Juice' are both very cool songs to hear on a night out, and this one has a very similar vibe to it. It’s really damn catchy; Ms.....uh....Lizzo (I don't know her surname) certainly has a good ear for an infectious hook. Don’t know how frequently it will make my regular playlists but I will definitely enjoy dancing to this if it comes on in a club....if I ever step foot in one again, that is!** Might try adding it to my running playlist, actually.....

*yes I know that makes me sound old
**because apparently I am now old

[ShaneU]

Really like Lizzo's new disco song

[Homer J. Fong]

In 6th place and scoring 12 points:

Tahnee Cain & The Tryanglz - Burnin' In The Third Degree

Submitted byShow Content

Kol

Have I listened to the artist before? No
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
Holy Eighties, Batman!   This is the Eighties-est thing that ever Eighties-ed. And I mean that in a good way. Annoyingly this song is seemingly impossible to find on streaming services, but that’s the only complaint I have. Surprised I hadn’t heard it before, I like this much more than other supposed Eighties “classics”. Definitely made for shouting along to at 3am, when you’re several beers in but have absolutely no intention of slowing down. Very nice pick, and another one for the running playlist....or at least it would be if I could stream it. >_<;

[Homer J. Fong]

In 5th place and scoring 13 points:

IDER - Swim

Submitted byShow Content

Rachel Stevens on a Pogo Stick

Have I listened to the artist before? No
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
New to me. I do really like this dreamy synthpop sound when it’s done right, and this one ticks the boxes nicely. It sounds like it would be a great Eurovision song (that’s a compliment!) Very well written and well produced. I really enjoyed hearing this and will check out more by them. Thank you for introducing me!

[Homer J. Fong]

In 4th place and scoring 14 points:

Talking Heads - Burning Down The House

Submitted byShow Content

Declan A Walsh

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? Yes

Comments:

What can I say other than CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON! Fun fact: I sang (yelped) this at a karaoke night in an Irish pub in Nottingham back in 2014.....beers may have been consumed. Were it not for three new discoveries that made a strong initial impression on me, this could have won the category.

[Homer J. Fong]

Which means our top and bottom three for this round are:

SpoilerShow Content

E.N.
Hello 2D Person Below
jp liz v1 Tauriel
Necro
ShaneU
Zaph

Who is on their way to victory in the Pokémon League?



And who will be blasting off like Team Rocket? 

[Homer J. Fong]

In 15th place and scoring 3 points:

Boyz II Men - Water Runs Dry

Submitted byShow Content

Hello 2D Person Below

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
This just washed over me to be honest (no pun intended). Their vocal ability and harmonies are undoubtedly impressive but the song itself doesn’t hold my interest at all. Sorry.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 3rd place and scoring 15 points:

Júniús Meyvant - High Alert

Submitted byShow Content

E.N.

Have I listened to the artist before? No
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:

Never heard of this guy before so didn’t know what to expect, but what I’ve heard here I very much like. This song has a nice mix of indie, folk, blues and pop in one neat package. Will be checking out more by him for sure. An instantly likeable, infectiously hummable tune and a very strong pick.

[Zaph]

I have no idea what I entered for this, and still I have a bad feeling about it...

[Homer J. Fong]

In 16th place and scoring 2 points:

Stargate feat. Sia & P!nk - Waterfall

Submitted byShow Content

jp liz v1 Tauriel

Have I listened to the artist before? P!nk and Sia, yes (but not together). I've never heard of Stargate.
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
“I liked them before they were famous” and “sell-out” are overused phrases in the world of music....but they kind of hold true when it comes to Sia. Her earlier stuff, which was more trip-hoppy and downtempo, is quite good (“Breathe Me” being the most famous example) but ever since gaining mainstream success she has stuck to a bland, safe formula, to the point where I don’t enjoy hearing her anymore. This song is really repetitive and gets very old very quickly. P!nk’s voice does make it a bit more palatable but still I didn’t really enjoy this, I’m afraid. I think TLC's advice not to go chasing waterfalls is very apt here indeed.

[Homer J. Fong]

In 2nd place and scoring 16 points:

Luna Li - Cherry Pit

Submitted byShow Content

ShaneU

Have I listened to the artist before? No
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:

Very interesting start, kind of a psychedelic feel. Very Tame Impala-ish. And then it does a complete U-turn to something much more chilled. The melody in the verse reminds me a lot of ‘Sea Creatures’ by SOAK. There’s a lot going on here and I’m really liking it. Lots of different vibes in one. Very inventive, interesting and enjoyable. Definitely interested in hearing more by her. Excellent pick.

[Homer J. Fong]

I have no idea what I entered for this, and still I have a bad feeling about it...

You'll soon find out if that bad feeling was accurate or misplaced..... 

[Homer J. Fong]

Normally I feel bad for last place, but this one was well deserved!

In 17th place and scoring 1 point:

Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo

Submitted byShow Content

Necro

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? Unfortunately, yes

Comments:
Oh man....*shakes head sadly*. I’m a huge Eurovision fan, and not in an ironic £watch it just for the craic" kind of way. I genuinely love a lot of Eurovision songs and enjoy discovering new artists and hearing music in other languages. However, I must admit that the ratio of quality to trash is not always optimal. Case in point; this piece of trash here. The tune is a (poor) rip-off of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. The lyrics are cringey to the point of almost offensive, with random Spanish words thrown in to try and sound "cool". And what’s most infuriating of all; our submitter could have picked another Fire-related song that was a Eurovision entry from Cyprus and scored much better (granted, that’s not a lyrical masterpiece either but at least the song was catchy and the performance was very strong).

This was a very easy last place, I’m afraid. Sorry. (Not sorry).

[Homer J. Fong]

How's the bad feeling doing now? 

In 1st place and scoring 17 points:

Talking Heads - (Nothing But) Flowers

Submitted byShow Content

Zaph

Have I listened to the artist before? Yes
Have I listened to the song before? No

Comments:
Talking Heads are one of those bands whose songs I really enjoy when I hear them but whose back catalogue I've never properly investigated. This is yet another great song by them, and just about gets the edge over 'Burning Down The House' here, due to it being new to me. Lyrically too this is brilliant;  "If this is paradise I wish I had a lawnmower" was a genuine LOL moment for me! Fantastic choice and further evidence that I definitely need to check out their full discography properly.

[Necro]

😂😂😂

There's only one thing I'm tuning into that track for tbf. And it ain't the symbolism or the lyrics 🤪

I love past me 😁😁

[Zaph]

How's the bad feeling doing now? 

I'll take that

Genuinely one of my favourite Talking Heads songs, even if the rest of the album is patchy.  To me they've always been at their best when they use African polyrhythms, and bringing in Johnny Marr to contribute to them on this track was a genius move.  And who doesn't love Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals?

[Homer J. Fong]

A new challenger emerges!

With just one round left to go, @Zaph is our new leader by just a single point over @Irish Aris, with @osh only one point behind him in third. @E.N. and @ShaneU move into the top five and a strong showing in HEEPS could see either of them make a late charge for the title.



Are we ready for the HEEPS Reveal now...or should I wait until tomorrow afternoon around 12 or 1pm...I know the time isn't ideal but I'm heading to the airport at 3pm so can't do it any later.

[Zaph]

I'd say go for it if you're on a roll. Takes the pressure off you tomorrow as well.

[Homer J. Fong]

Let's get going then.

For those of you who have forgotten (which is probably all of you, given how long it's been!) our HEEPS round gave you ten famous albums and asked you to name one song from each. You want to avoid the SHEEP, because the most popular answer will score zero points. If you land on the HEEPS (second most popular answer) you get a 1.5xpoints bonus.

Our first album was....



Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

And the songs you chose were......

[Homer J. Fong]

A bad start for Aris but a strong start from Shane. 

Question 1: Name a song from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles

With A Little Help From My Friends - 0
Barna77
cee_jay
Irish Aris
jp liz v1
Necro

A Day In The Life - 6
Kol
osh
Rachel Stevens on a Pogo Stick
ShaneU

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - 3
Hello 2D Person Below
Sawduck
Zaph

She's Leaving Home - 2
Declan A Walsh
Tauriel

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - 2
cdeb
E.N.

ACES - 1:

Lovely Rita - the purple tin

[Homer J. Fong]

Album Number 2 was...



Rumours 

[Homer J. Fong]

Loving 'Go Your Own Way' isn't the right thing to do for six of our players, as it Sheeps. osh and Shane both get their second HEEPS in a row by never breaking 'The Chain', along with RSoaPS. 

Question 2: Name a song from Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

Go Your Own Way - 0
Declan A Walsh
E.N.
jp liz v1
Necro
Sawduck
Tauriel

The Chain - 7.5
cdeb
cee_jay
osh
Rachel Stevens on a Pogo Stick
ShaneU

Don't Stop - 3
Barna77
Kol
Zaph

ACES - 1:

Gold Dust Woman - the purple tin
Dreams - Irish Aris
Songbird - Hello 2D Person Below

[Homer J. Fong]

After rounds 3, 6 and 9 I'll put up the scoreboard so far. Just remember that the Heeps points get converted to the same scoring system as the other rounds, so if you win this round with 100 'Heeps' points, it really means 17 'Walrus' points.

Anyway, what was Album Number Three? Oh, it was....



Hounds Of Love

[Homer J. Fong]

Uh-oh. 

DOUBLE SHEEP ALERT!

If you tried to make a deal with God, or you thought that something good was gonna happen....well, I'm afraid you've just been thrown into the lake. Shane and RSoaPS's runs come to an abrupt end, osh also misses the Heeps but still gets two valuable points on the board, as does Zaph.

the purple tin scores his third successive Ace....coincidence or a very bold strategy? 

Question 3: Name a song from Hounds of Love by Kate Bush

Cloudbusting - 0
Barna77
Declan A Walsh
Hello 2D Person Below
Rachel Stevens on a Pogo Stick
ShaneU

Running Up That Hill - 0
cdeb
cee_jay
E.N.
jp liz v1
Tauriel

Hounds Of Love - 6
Irish Aris
Kol
Necro
Sawduck

The Big Sky - 2
osh
Zaph

ACES - 1:

Waking The Witch - the purple tin

[Homer J. Fong]

30% of the way through Heeps and here are out scores:

Scores after question 3:

Player Score
osh 15.5
Kol 15
Rachel Stevens on a Pogo Stick 13.5
ShaneU 13.5
cdeb 9.5
Sawduck 9
Zaph 8
cee_jay 7.5
Irish Aris 7
Necro 6
Hello 2D Person Below 4
the purple tin 3
Barna77 3
Declan A Walsh 2
Tauriel 2
E.N. 2
jp liz v1 0
Looking good for osh at the moment.....not looking so good for liz!

[Homer J. Fong]

On to Album the Fourth....ah sure, it's the local lads!



The Joshua Tree

[Homer J. Fong]

Did you climb the highest mountains and roam through the fields? If so, well done because it means you finally found what you were looking for - the Heeps!

Question 4: Name a song from The Joshua Tree by U2

Where The Streets Have No Name - 0
Barna77
cee_jay
Hello 2D Person Below
Irish Aris
osh
ShaneU
Tauriel

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - 6
jp liz v1
Kol
Rachel Stevens on a Pogo Stick
Sawduck

With Or Without You - 3
cdeb
E.N.
Necro

ACES - 1:

In God's Country - the purple tin
One Tree Hill - Declan A Walsh
Bullet the Blue Sky - Zaph





Bad news for osh, Shane and Aris who all take a hit here. But liz gets on the scoreboard at last!