Ka-ROCK-oke

For the past few years, I’ve frequented karaoke night at this local West Hollywood bar called Fubar. When I started going there, the rule of karaoke night was that you had to “rock out.” No ballads…So, for this month’s list, I present a playlist of songs that have brought out my inner “rock star” while I’ve karaoked to them at Fubar…

A.D. 1928 / ROCKIN’ THE PARADISE by Styx
Wait for it…hear that? It’s Uncle Sam screaming at me for including Styx on one of my playlists. This is a prime example of Dennis DeYoung at his theater-rock best. This was the lead track from “Paradise Theatre,” the precursor to the concept album, group break -upping pomposity that was 1983’s “Kilroy Was Here” (another guilty pleasure of mine). My first big memory of this particular song was seeing students from the music school I attended perform this as the leadoff to a showband version of Styx’s songs. I swear…a full-blown of “Kilroy Was Here” would work on Broadway. C’mon! And yes, there is a karaoke version of this…I’ve done it…and while only a few people really recognized, I don’t care…it ROCKS.

IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME by Billy Joel
Billy Joel’s first #1 hit was not “Piano Man” or “Just the Way You Are.” It was this 1980 single from “Glass Houses,” one of his first deliberate attempts at rock. The album is often dismissed as being lightweight and forced, but it’s got some great tracks on it. And while this is one of the more cheeseball tunes from the album, it’s nearly foolproof at karaoke. It works great as a duet and EVERYBODY knows this one. Look up the video for this on Youtube…c’mon…you gotta give Billy some credit for putting a little gusto into his performance…All right, Rico!

ROCK DJ by Robbie Williams
Time to get into a bit of the dance-techno-rock realm here with some Robbie Williams. The video for this song actually got more press than the song out here. It had Robbie take it all off (yes, please)…I mean, ALL off…ripping off his skin and muscles (on second thought, no thank you). It owes a bit to M’s “Pop Musik,” but that ain’t a bad thing. This song particularly gets you marks at gay karaoke nights as many of us gays love the Robbie. It makes for a cheeky good time…

ROCKIN’ THE SUBURBS by Ben Folds
I’ll admit it…I have a few songs that are my trump cards in the world of karaoke. This title track from Ben Folds’ first solo album is one of the big ones. While I’m not one to brag, I’ll admit that I bring the house down everytime I do this. Not the most challenging melody to sing…some funny name checking of Michael Jackson (RIP), Jon Bon Jovi, and Quiet Riot…gratuitous, tongue-in-cheek uses of the word “fuck”…and a throwdown, balls out rock-rap coda equal ka-ROCK-oke gold!

ROCK AND ROLL DREAMS COME THROUGH by Jim Steinman (lead vocals: Rory Dodd)
One exception to the “no ballads” rule at the karaoke are songs by Jim Steinman…”Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Holding Out for a Hero,” “Making Love Out of Nothing at All,” and “Dead Ringer,” but there’s one song from the Steinman canon that embodies his love of rock the most…this one. While most are familiar with Meat Loaf’s version from “Bat Out of Hell II,” this version off of Jim Steinman’s “Bad for Good” album is the far superior version. This version (featuring lead vocals by Rory Dodd) even cracked the Top 40. Not bad considering it didn’t have the weight of Meat Loaf behind it (insert rim shot here). I just like the production on this much better…the drum part is stronger, the piano gives it a more organic quality that wasn’t quite there in Meat’s version, and the strings and brass add a majesty to this homage to rock n’ roll’s power…wait for it…hear that? It’s Uncle Sam berating me again!

BONUS TRACKS
There were a couple of tracks I had to throw in as a bonus…these are not necessarily conducive to ka-ROCK-oke, but I felt compelled to share them…

ROCKIN’ IN THE FREE WORLD by The Moog Cookbook
You’ve never heard Neil Young like this before…This is from The Moog Cookbook’s debut album. The Moog Cookbook is a duo that specializes in giving popular songs the Moog synthesizer treatment. Behold the analoglicious tones!

ROCK WITH YOU by Michael Jackson
Have to give MJ some love in my list this month…Frequent visitors of my blog know how I’ve made many a joke at the expense of Michael Jackson, but as I mentioned in a recent entry, deep down, I was and still am a huge fan of his. “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” are two of my all-time favorite albums. This song, while not necessarily “rocking,” did help in showing off a more mature sound for Michael. RIP, Michael…you’ll be missed!

Download: Styx, “A.D. 1928/Rockin’ the Paradise” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Billy Joel, “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Robbie Williams, “Rock DJ” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Ben Folds, “Rockin’ The Suburbs” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Jim Steinman, “Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Moog Cookbook, “Rockin’ In The Free World” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Michael Jackson, “Rock With You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download all the songs in a handy ZIP file:

Download: “Ka-ROCK-oke” (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)