T H E ◦ T R E K ◦ F O R

A N D ◦ E C L E C T I C ◦ M E L O D I E S

H O O K S

Are you looking for a way to discover good music? Do you love an interesting arrangement, a catchy hook, or a beautiful melody? If so, MusicQuest could be a good friend to you. From the early 1960s into and through the1980s, we enjoyed in the United States a long-running broadcast of multi-genre, distinctive, popular songs that we listened to on the radios in our cars, on small transistor sets when out and about, and then eventually on boom boxes and maxed-out car and home stereos. Many of us miss those eclectic radio days. This website showcases good music from our current era with a look backwards at bands and artists whom we still enjoy and appreciate today. This entire web project does not sell anything, and there are absolutely no pop-up ads or gimmicks of any kind; it is just for the enjoyment of great music. All songs on MusicQuest are linked to other web sources. We hope you will check us out, discovering music that you really like!

 

 

My father, Carl Jones Best, was a US Marine in the Pacific Theater of World War II, fighting in the brutal Okinawa Campaign that compromised his health, altering his life forever. After the War, he decided to pursue a career in music, becoming initially a choir teacher and then later a college professor of vocal technique and music history, perfecting his skills as an opera singer along the way. He had already developed concert pianist skills when he was a teenager, and he always enjoyed an uplifting refrain with harmonious, interesting arrangements. How could I grow up in close proximity to my father and escape his musical influence? My older brother, Mark Best, a veteran musician in his own right and retired orchestra director, was also a major influence on me. My mother, Gladys Browning Best, earned her first master's degree in Music Education, and in her advanced years could still sit down at the piano and sight read exceptionally well, and my oldest brother, John Best, was an orchestral cellist for years with a strong appreciation of (and respect for) legacy, classical composers. Melodious sensibilities dominated our home as did conversations to that end, and we always had excellent stereo equipment in the living room, even back in the early 60s.

 

My favorite pastime is listening to good music, searching for more, making mixes and playlists, and then sharing them. Like many people who grew up in musical families, I developed eclectic tastes, so my musical interests are broad and open. I religiously listened to the American Top Forty radio broadcast every Saturday and did so for years. I appreciated, even as a kid, that individual artists and bands from diverse genres were making their own music, sharing one distinctive feature: their songs were often original, utilizing captivating and catchy hooks, from rock to soul to lightweight pop to funk to country to R&B. This coherent, multi-genre, radio-based trend continued throughout the 80s and did not seem to fragment into endless sub-genres (that can easily generate formulaic, constricted songs) until around the mid 90s. Growing up, I was heavily influenced by the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, The 5th Dimension, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Rufus, George Benson, Steely Dan, and numerous Mowtown artists.

 

Casey Kasem’s Top Forty no longer brings us a weekly supply of eclectic tunes from which to choose, and the Golden Era of Soul Train is long gone. My goal is to perform a kind of similar service, pointing you to interesting songs from all kinds of genres that I hope you really like. Why? It's because music is uplifting, restorative, mood-changing, and fun. Also, I think the spirit of giving, inspiring, and sharing, which is what music in great measure is all about, makes life interesting and worth living. Lastly, music is that FORCE that suspends the controls of our busy minds. In other words, music requires us to co-labor with "its" melodies, harmonies, and lyrics, taking us on a recurring, Magical Mystery Tour.

Charles Calvin Best

Springtime 2024 ◦ Bio

ccbmusicquest@gmail.com

At the top right area of this web page, you will see a set of numbers and the symbols at left and at right. The icon at left takes you to smart phone friendly playlists. The globe at right takes you to New & New-to-Me Music ◦ 2=1980s ◦ 3=Rock 'n' Roll ◦ 4=Country & Western ◦ 5=Electronica
6=Soul, Funk, & R&B ◦ 7=1970s. Spinning 45 Record=Playlists Library Page

Before we begin below, let me say a few things about how I search for music that you might find helpful. I often frequent a website called "New Prog Releases." This site showcases just about every Progressive Rock album that is issued across our entire planet, and it does that every day. The genres range from straight-up Prog to Metal to Symphonic Rock to Folk to Fusion to Retro-Prog to numerous others. I have located a lot of good music through this website, and it also provides links to a band's or artist's web page and often to music samples. Another excellent website for all that is happening in the Progressive Rock world is The Prog Report. The latter keeps up with tours, conducts lots of interviews, and provides comprehensive album reviews.

 

NEW PROG RELEASES   ◦   THE PROG REPORT   ◦   THE MUSIC MAP: THE TOURIST MAP OF MUSIC

 

Another effective way to search for music is to go to the website called Music Map: The Tourist Map of Music. This site is truly effective because when you type in the band or artist whom you want to compare to others, it instantaneously runs an algorithm that displays recording artists/bands in floating arrangement with the most similar ones placed closest to your original entry. You can also click on another band or artist whom you wish to investigate, and then the whole map reconfigures itself. Last.fm is also an excellent music overview platform with a very powerful band comparison engine. I regularly explore music at Bandcamp, which has a really good "If you like this artist, you may also like this artist" area at the bottom of most of its web pages. Also, Bandcamp has a robust, genre-specific preview capability, and there is the option to follow an artist. If you select that feature, Bandcamp will email you the artist's latest music releases and/or updates. Of course, we all just learned that Songtradr purchased Bandcamp, so we will wait and see how that goes. I am choosing to be optimistic. Mixcloud is another top application you might like. Of course, Spotify is arguably one of the best platforms there is for streaming music, and the one I utilize the most. I have benefited from the "Fans Also Like" areas that are below an artist's introductory track and album listings as well as from the feature that appears when you scroll down just a little bit further. In doing so, you will see the artist's name followed by "Radio." It's an AI-generated playlist made for the user that is closely associated with the artist's or band's genre. That Spotify option, keeping in mind I've been musically skeptical of soulless, AI DJs, has put me in touch with superb songs about which I was 100% ignorant. Of course, I use a Premium account, which makes sense with MusicQuest. I am not sure if those features are available on a free account. Amazon, under "Digital Music," has an extremely strong search engine. Plus, many buyers write their own mini-reviews, providing helpful information that may lead you to still more artists. Also, Amazon Music Unlimited is becoming a major streaming force with over 100 million songs available. Many people also utilize iTunes, SoundCloud, and Pandora; the list grows.

 

During 2023 I've been able to set my Facebook ad preferences for musical artists and bands. This change has actually been a terrific improvement in terms of what I see, causing me to receive a lot of new music offerings on a daily basis, especially on Facebook Reels. I have also customized my Flipboard account, selecting areas of interest, doing that in large measure around the topic of "music" which, in turn, has allowed me to select several e-magazines that showcase all sorts of relevant, professional posts -- some better than others, of course. That, too, has been helpful, especially with regard to back-in-the-day bands and artists. Another reliable resource is Culture Sonar, a music blog/web platform that presents interesting articles from all areas of music but with a focus on legacy bands and artists. Billboard's Online Magazine provides a good overview of the Right Now status of popular music. Pitchfork is also held in high regard as are Louder and MOJO.

 

Organization: there will be a specific focus on current bands and artists such as you see below; I will also create special feature sections that highlight related song groupings by multiple artists. There will be occasional album reviews or highlights, too, and I will honor the past with sections called Legacy Showcase or Spotlight. I will provide playlists (assembled in Spotify and/or through YouTube for everything on this website) from a variety of genres and will also create areas where we focus heavily on an entire era of music such as the 1970s and 1980s. My day-to-day focus, though, is on investigating what is being released at this time. Please see the specific description just below and next to the MusicQuest Astronaut.

As mentioned above, I have also added an area called
"New & New-to-Me Music: An Eclectic Genre Exploration." In this section I showcase artists and bands whom I have recently got onto and really enjoy. As the title indicates, we will move from genre to genre. I hope you like this area. It will be the most dynamic and fluid section of MusicQuest, but I will also showcase music from the past. Click on the astronaut at right to begin your journey into some really good, current music.

Mamas Gun

This band, in my opinion, is one of the best groups currently producing music anywhere. I came across them doing a music similarity search. I had typed in "Young Gun Silver Fox" at Music Map, and Mamas Gun came right up.

 

Why are they so good? This band has its own unique sound, of course, but their funky R&B grooves will make you think of Prince, Pnau, Empire of the Sun, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and the entire era of 70's Motown artists. You might even detect some 70s Elton John. They have released six albums since 2007 and are based in London.

 

Official Band WebsiteWikipediaFacebook

YouTube Channel

 

These are my favorite songs that I highly recommend: The Life & Soul; Strangers on a Street; We; Diamond in the Bell Jar; The Art; Joy Rides; Siamese Jackson; Jessie; Hello Goodnight; and, Cheap Hotel

 

MusicQuest Mini Playlist on Spotify

Young Gun Silver Fox

Remaining in the 70s vibe, this duo is composed of Andy Platts, at far right, who is a veteran singer-songwriter from California, and Shawn Lee, whom you might recognize as the driving force behind and lead singer of the band above - Mamas Gun. This duo has produced four albums under the moniker of Young Gun Silver Fox, and they are outstanding. Some critics have called their music Yacht Rock or Beach Rock. I think their music is perfectly reminiscent of Top 40 tunes from the 70s, inviting comparisons to Steely Dan, the Michael McDonald era of the Doobie Brothers, early Todd Rundgren, and many more.

Glide Magazine Review ◦ Bandcamp Page

YouTube ChannelFacebook

 

Favorite Songs: Underdog; Lolita; Caroline; Just a Man

See Me Slumber; Emilia; You Can Feel It

 

MusicQuest Mini Playlist on Spotify

 

C. Duncan

This artist from Scotland is creating interesting, original music that will speak directly to your heart. I was blown away at how good his songs are. He has released four albums and two EPs as of 2023.

 

I'm not sure how to describe his music stylistically other than to say it's very much his own. I hear classical training, British boys' choir influences, The Association, and Dream Pop kinds of vibes. I think you will really dig his sound, as C. Duncan creates especially captivating (even haunting) melodies and harmonies that will fully engage you.

 

Artist's Website YouTube Channel

BandcampFacebook

 

Favorites: Holiday Home; Wrong Side of the Door; Last to Leave; The Midnight Sun; Window; For; Pulses and Rain; Architect; Silence and Air; Jupiter; Two Satellites

 

MusicQuest Mini Playlist on Spotify

 

Chris Rainbow ◦ Retro-Spotlight

The Essence of 70s Pop ◦ Many People Do Not Know about This Outstanding Musician, Composer, & Producer

I only came across Chris Rainbow (Christopher James Harley) a couple of years ago. Specifically, I clicked on his anthology on Amazon and proceeded to understand why this musician is underrated. Check some of his songs out, as I think you might really enjoy them, especially if you are fond of 70s pop. Several links are below. Rainbow also worked as a successful UK producer with artists such as Alan Parsons. His music, especially his harmonies, remind me of Brian Wilson, Pilot's hit "Magic," and some of Todd Rundgren's arrangements. Again, check him out, as you may find yourself happily humming his songs!

 

Favorite Songs:

Bluebird; Be Like a Woman; Ring Ring; You and I

Body Music; Gimmie Just a Beat; On My Way; Radio Jingles Medley; Looking over My Shoulder; White Trails

Don't Take the Night Away

 

Wikipedia Webpage ◦ Online Biography

Amazon Anthology ◦ YouTube Songs: Bluebird

Gimmie Just a Beat; Ring Ring

 

MusicQuest Mini Playlist on Spotify

Bear Hands

This band, one of my very favorites, is based out of Brooklyn, New York and is categorized by some as Post-Punk and Indie. I think they have a really inviting sound that reminds me of Spoon at his best and a little bit of Beck. I also detect a vibe similar to Citizen King, Sugar Ray, and a little Smash Mouth. Bear Hands has released four very good albums. This band writes really cool, catchy songs that will embed themselves in your musical mind, so I highly recommend them to you! Really and truly, Bear Hands is one of the bands in the United States at this time with a very high degree of infectious originality!

 

Favorite Songs: Giants (Adrian Lux Remix)

Wicksey Boxing; Belongings; Crime Pays

Thought Wrong; Agora; Purpose Filled Life

Like Me Like That; Dejva Vu; 2AM

I Won't Pay; Exes; Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide)

 

Official Band WebsiteYouTube Channel

Amazon Page

 

MusicQuest Mini Playlist on Spotify

 

Miami Horror

This Australian band creates Synthpop songs that

are very catchy and enjoyable. Their music shares similarities

with New Order, Electronic, Todd Rundgren, and Prince. As of 2023, they have released two albums and four EPs.

 

Favorite Songs: Leila; Imagination

Echoplex (feat. Mai); Infinite Canyons

Forever Ever; Another Rise, Another Fall; Happy

without You; All It Ever Was; American Dream

 

Official Band Website ◦ Wikipedia ArticleYouTube Channel

MusicQuest Mini Playlist on Spotify