Aaron's Top 5 Will's Top 5 "Pamela" "I'll Supply the Love" "Stop Loving You" "Caught in the Balance" "Africa" "Without Your Love" "Hold the Line" "The Turning Point" "Georgy Porgy" "Rockmaker" Will and Aaron face off in a Top 5 Toto playlist battle. Aaron offers a historical perspective on Toto and their members' work as studio musicians in the late 70s and early 80s (including on Michael Jackson's monster album, Thriller). Will takes us through his playlist and makes a comically absurd analogy between the work of a studio musician (a "Rockmaker") and that of a McDonald's hamburger maker. Aaron offers his playlist and admits that he hates the chorus of "Georgy Porgy." Everyone wholeheartedly agrees except for Will who is shamed for his taste. Ryan attempts to contain his rage as he compares Toto's music to the paintings of Thomas Kincaid and bad Sonic the Hedgehog video game music. Jon confesses that after initially hating the idea of listening to a lot of Toto, he realized that he already knew some of Toto's music and now likes a good bit more of it. And while Nate enjoys "Africa," he finds the ballads interminable, comparing them to a giant dry sandwich and Toto's oeuvre to circus peanuts. Further discussion includes the merits (or lack thereof) of "Georgy Porgy," "Pamela," and "Africa," our different listening strategies, and the role of live performance with Toto. The episode closes with voting on the best playlist and the doling out of punishment for the loser. Additional Audio Excerpts: Katie Melua (“A Happy Place”), The Wailin’ Jennys (“All the Stars”), Sarah Jarosz (“Annabelle “Lee), Lucy Rose (“Shiver”), The Head and the Heart (“Shake” / “Lost In My Mind”), Future Islands (“On the Water”), Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (“Moonland”), Jamiroquai (“Seven Days in Sunny June”), No Doubt (“Spiderwebs”), Joy Division (“Shadowplay” / “She’s Lost Control”), New Radicals (“Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too” / “You “Get What You Give”), M83 (“Midnight City”), The Killers (“This Is Your Life” / “Human”), Steely Dan (“Bad Sneakers / “Home At Last”), Seals and Crofts (“Get Closer”), Boz Scaggs (“Lowdown” / “Lido Shuffle” / “What Can I Say”), Leo Sayer (“We Can Start It All Over Again”), Michael Jackson (“Human Nature”), Pulp Fiction - movie (“This IS a tasty burger” - Samuel L. Jackson quote), David Hasselhoff (“Du”), Disney’s The Lion King - movie (“Hakuna Matata”), Cheryl Lynn (“Got To Be Real”), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - video game (“Casino Night Zone” — multiplayer version), The Backstreet Boys ("I Want It That Way"), Foreigner (“Feels Like the First Time”), Seinfeld - TV show (“This is a terrible sandwich…” - Michael Richards quote), The Princess Bride - movie (“Anyone want a peanut?” — André the Giant quote), Stan Kenton & His Orchestra (“The Peanut Vendor”), Boston (“More Than a Feeling”), Daft Punk (“Give Life Back To Music”), Black Lace (“Agadoo”), Sigor Rós (“Gobbledigook”), Wye Oak (“Holy Holy”), St. Lucia (“Elevate”), Toto (“Child’s Anthem” / “Hydra” / “I’ll Be Over You” / “I Won’t Hold You Back” / “99” / “Endless” / “Rosanna” — live in Paris, 2007)
