Is Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom" the greatest single ever recorded?

http://eightiesrefugeecamp.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/runningscared12.jpeg

Yes!

unimpeachable all time jam

No. Really, no.

Oh cmon Emil.y: this song is great

good grief, no.

Michael McDonald commented on Yacht Rock in a 2008 interview:

Have you ever owned a yacht?

No, but I thought Yacht Rock was hilarious. And uncannily, you know, those things always have a little bit of truth to them. It’s kind of like when you get a letter from a stalker who’s never met you. They somehow hit on something, and you have to admit they’re pretty intuitive.

unimpeachable all time jam

otm

underpraised jam from roughly the same period below. mcdonald is one of those artists who I feel like might have been better served by a pretty controlling manager - I'm sure he did fine post-Doobies and has few regrets but post-91 or so he just sort of receded into the historical background & ended up doing, y'know, Christmas albums, albums of Motown covers, etc - it didn't have to be that way, but he doesn't seem to have had any better ideas put in front of him. Still, that first solo album kills and there's moments of greatness throughout his career

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2h_oCms-7I

Tbh I dislike the Motown covers thing pretty intensely; whenever I heard McDonald or Rod Stewart singing an old Motown song on the radio at my various service-sector jobs, I'd get a little grumpy: play the fucking original version, goddamnit!

that "y'know" ahead of the descriptor there is my indication that I fucking loathe it when people do albums of Motown covers. (Also Christmas albums, "the ______ Songbook," whatever.) so routinely a sign of no inspiration & an admission of cynicism. will make an exception for Amy Grant once, but I think she has like six Xmas albums, fuck the world

this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OTM.

i don't get any love for this particular song, tho. even then (before the warm glow of nostalgia might have set in), it seemed forgettable and slight, and really sounds dated in that 80s-production style now. maybe my dislike of the doobie bros. makes it hard for me to appreciate solo mcdonald, but i know how awesome a voice he has, so i'm not totally blind.

admit it: you love DX-7 harmonicas.

Anyway, the lyrics are hoary (the first set of verses consist of cliches), so it helps that McDonald does his grizzly-bear-onomatopoetic thing a few times. The rest of the track distills the essence of Rod Temperton, and McDonald sounds like a pro.

I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know who Rod Temperton was (embarrassed because a quick google shows he wrote Thriller)

But...Rod Temperton wrote this! AND....sign of the times by Bob James! which are two of my all time jams.

Well done Rod I love you Rod

admit it: you love DX-7 harmonicas.

― Lord Sotosyn, Monday, December 26, 2011

i feel like i've been waterboarded. okay, okay: i love dx-7 harmonicas.

Miles Davis should have covered this.

holy fuck, otmbomb from tarfumes

Hearing Michael McDonald singing "Down By the River" was a real low point in my life, but "Sweet Freedom" is MMcD in his prime doing what he does.

This is my favorite magical and mysterious unannounced Michael McDonald appearance: everyone in late 80s Toto decides to set up on the roof of a high rise to play a super shitty song and boom -- who's there? boom, at 2:18 it's yr man Michael McD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezvCxvbjHzw

boom

Crazy -- on the phone an hour ago a friend alluded to "No Lookin' back."

Is the first solo album worth owning? The credits are astounding.

the first solo album iirc is outstanding though I haven't listened in years but..."I Can Let Go Now" is devastating, "Playing By the Rules" is great, "I Keep Forgetting" is great -- those are the 3 whose melodies spring immediately to mind when I look over the tracklisting. I remember it being a great-sounding album, really excellent atsmosphere.

I remember being amped up for If That's What it Takes (that's the first album, right?) but being underwhelmed somehow. Maybe MMD is best taken in small dosesd, like any other powerful substance.

wow re "I Can Let It Go Now."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbaYcHS6tc

"Sweet Freedom" isn't even McDonald's best single, especially if you count his Doobies stuff. Those are some nice syndrums, though.

I remember buying the cassingle for this and being really happy every time the video was on mtv.

It's cool how the video takes the characters from Running Scared and extends their universe into another realm. More movie soundtrack videos should do that. Like the video for "You could be mine."

When I was a kid I thought the name of the movie was Unmarked Police Car, which I found hilarous

http://images.champdogs.co.uk/images/k23040d1.jpg

'Sweet Freedom' is great, there's a couple of modern remixes about that haven't bettered the original but I always perk up when I see someone's had a go.. s'got a lot of great elements.

I think I have to put a vote in for "Ya Mo Be There".

Fucking love Michael. he is so goddamn beardy emo funky. love this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piP273ERh34

also can't believe it took me about six months to hear this after it came out, there should be some sort of Mcdonald/Indie crossover mailing list for me to subscribe to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h88WncsjZ5w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtyZM93YhLA

Re-run lead to the rise of the RIAA

Rerun is definitely a company stooge. Dee was the best thing on that show, iirc

This is a great song.... (and much better than "Sweet Freedom" IMO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjqOsYRQI0o

Can't let this thread go so long without linking to the SCTV McDonald sketch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDojwQ8cJC4

people forgot about Keep Forgettin after Regulate came out