I will be writing the same intro for each of the four weeks to make things as even and fair as possible.
We have split twelve people into four teams of three. Those teams picked an album each, and will be attempting to get as many people as they can to write reviews for the album they chose. They also paid money into a pot, and the team with the most reviews for their album wins the pot.
All twelve participants (plus me, your editor-in-chief Joe, as I am not on a team and will remain an impartial judge throughout) will have to write a review every week. So that's thirteen reviews each Friday at least. Hopefully not at most! You can write a review too! Reviewing albums is fun! Especially when three of your friends are holding a gun to your head and making you do it!
The team's were tasked with filling out some of the Sunday write-up as well. Their words are in (block) quotes below, but when the EiC adds something, it will be sans quotes.
Good luck out there, everybody. Let's have fun with it.
Record Club:
WEEK 270 — March 31-April 6, 2024
Teenage Dream
by Katy Perry
LISTEN:
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The Sweeties
THE SWEETIES' REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS ALBUM:
G: Do you guys know what we are supposed to be doing? Are we supposed to, as one, come up with a single album? Or do we all just send in suggestions individually?
S: As a team we submit one album. We have to write reviews for all four albums. Then we try to get the most people to review our album so we can win. Do you have any album suggestions? I would definitely recommend something on the shorter side because I think it's a smaller hurdle for people to get over to review.
G: I was hoping you guys would have an idea. Haha. Music is not my forte. But thanks for clarifying! I had a feeling, but I hate just assuming.
N: Sara has it, she nailed it. My suggestion is this (assuming we haven't done this person yet, I'd have to check)—Teenage Dream by Katy Perry.
G: Omg. I love that idea.
S: Nate, I was gonna suggest a well loved pop album too! I think we are safe for that one, I checked the archive page and did a search. 0 "teenage dream" and 0 "Perry."
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ALBUM DETAILS
GENRE: Dance-pop, electropop, pop rock
RELEASED: August 24, 2010
LENGTH: 46:44
TRACKLIST:
- Teenage Dream
- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
- California Gurls
- Firework
- Peacock
- Circle the Drain
- The One That Got Away
- E.T.
- Who Am I Living For?
- Pearl
- Hummingbird Heartbeat
- Not like the Movies
LYRICS: Genius.com
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ARTIST DETAILS
PRONOUNS: she/her/hers
ABOUT: (G: "I think for the about the artist, we can probably just copy and paste her wiki, since everyone in RC definitely knows who she is.")
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is known for her influence on modern pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the "Queen of Camp" by Vogue and Rolling Stone. At sixteen, Perry released a gospel record titled Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles at seventeen to venture into secular music, and later adopted the stage name "Katy Perry" from her mother's maiden name. She recorded an album while signed to Columbia Records, but was dropped before signing to Capitol Records.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is known for her influence on modern pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the "Queen of Camp" by Vogue and Rolling Stone. At sixteen, Perry released a gospel record titled Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles at seventeen to venture into secular music, and later adopted the stage name "Katy Perry" from her mother's maiden name. She recorded an album while signed to Columbia Records, but was dropped before signing to Capitol Records.
DISCOGRAPHY: Teenage Dream is the third of six studio albums so far. The debut was 2001's Katy Hudson, which is a Christian music album. Seven years later, she made her secular debut with One of the Boys. The most recent album is 2020's Smile.
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ADDITIONAL INFO
READING SOME SHIT:
S: I don't read, this feels like a Nate thing
N: Here's a nice write-up of why the album kicks so much ass, from VH1 of all places? Remember VH1? It's where your mom went to watch Counting Crows videos! It had Pop-Up Video!
WATCHING SOME SHIT: S: There is a 2012 documentary for the creation of this album that is very good! or the Smurfs movie for those with kids (she plays Smurfette).
PREVIOUSLY ON RECORD CLUB:
G: Can you believe she's not even 40 yet? I feel like she's been around longer than I can even remember.
N: I should mention that Dr. Luke produced a bunch on this record, so people should do with that information what they will.
This is Joe. Neither of those things really apply to "Previously On," unless Gary wants me to look up the ages of every single RC alumni? I don't have an easy way of doing that. I guess looking up Dr. Luke's RC connections is easier, if that's what Nate is implying I should do, even though that means I have to visit Dr. Luke's Wikipedia page (yuck).
Here are the RC alumni for whom this dude has produced: Kelly Clarkson (who famously hated the guy), Miley Cyrus, Weezer, T-Pain, Cordae (though that last one is the only one on the list who worked with this dude after knowing he sexually assaulted Kesha). There are no Record Club albums in his production discography, as far as I can tell.
Some less icky connections I could come up with. Katy Perry states that the Beach Boys are a huge influence on her sound; both she and Brian Wilson have albums named Smile. Perry has also said that hearing "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette as a teen made her realize that there was good music out there that wasn't Christian music.
Katy Perry sang at President Joe Biden's inauguration, as did Bruce Springsteen and Lizard Person Demi Lovato. Fall Out Boy was relegated to the pre-inauguration We the People Concert.
She was in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" video, as was RuPaul (and we also have Delta Work portraying Adele and Riley Knoxx portraying Beyoncé). Ciara is in the video. She is Future's ex-fiancé, and Russell Wilson's current wife. Russell Wilson was the losing quarterback in Super Bowl XLIX, the year that Katy Perry performed at halftime.
You already read about that on PoYB, though. Would it be too much of a stretch to connect Left Shark to Slipknot's Corey Taylor, who cameo'd in Sharknado 4? Probably, probably. It would probably be wiser to keep it simple: Missy Elliott performed with Perry during that halftime show. Lenny Kravitz isn't an RC alumnus, but his daughter has been on two RC albums, somehow—Midnights and Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer.
I am happy to report that there are no songs from RC alumni on the soundtracks to either The Smurfs or The Smurfs 2. I am sorry to report that the latter has multiple songwriting credits from Dr. Luke. I am happy to report that Katy Perry won a Kids' Choice Award at the 2012 ceremony, for Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie (as Smurfette). I am sorry to report that there are no funny RC connections from that ceremony, just your normal Taylor Swift bullshit (she won the "Big Help Award" that year). I guess if you really stretch it, you could say that The Smurfs and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 both lost the award for Favorite Movie, and that the latter was the subject of an RC album, Lumos. Had Alvin and the Chipmunks won last year's Christmas poll, we could've mentioned that these films lost the award to the instant-classic Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.
I don't know, is that enough? There is plenty else, but I promised myself I wouldn't go crazy during these Team Battle Royale weeks. Or should I try to see if there are any musicians in their 40s?!
JOE'S SUBJECTIVE RANKING OF EVERY ALBUM THAT GARY, NATE, AND/OR SARA HAVE EVER CHOSEN FOR RECORD CLUB OR HAD A HAND IN CHOOSING:
33. Thats What They All Say by Jack Harlow
Here are the RC alumni for whom this dude has produced: Kelly Clarkson (who famously hated the guy), Miley Cyrus, Weezer, T-Pain, Cordae (though that last one is the only one on the list who worked with this dude after knowing he sexually assaulted Kesha). There are no Record Club albums in his production discography, as far as I can tell.
Some less icky connections I could come up with. Katy Perry states that the Beach Boys are a huge influence on her sound; both she and Brian Wilson have albums named Smile. Perry has also said that hearing "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette as a teen made her realize that there was good music out there that wasn't Christian music.
Katy Perry sang at President Joe Biden's inauguration, as did Bruce Springsteen and Lizard Person Demi Lovato. Fall Out Boy was relegated to the pre-inauguration We the People Concert.
She was in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" video, as was RuPaul (and we also have Delta Work portraying Adele and Riley Knoxx portraying Beyoncé). Ciara is in the video. She is Future's ex-fiancé, and Russell Wilson's current wife. Russell Wilson was the losing quarterback in Super Bowl XLIX, the year that Katy Perry performed at halftime.
You already read about that on PoYB, though. Would it be too much of a stretch to connect Left Shark to Slipknot's Corey Taylor, who cameo'd in Sharknado 4? Probably, probably. It would probably be wiser to keep it simple: Missy Elliott performed with Perry during that halftime show. Lenny Kravitz isn't an RC alumnus, but his daughter has been on two RC albums, somehow—Midnights and Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer.
I am happy to report that there are no songs from RC alumni on the soundtracks to either The Smurfs or The Smurfs 2. I am sorry to report that the latter has multiple songwriting credits from Dr. Luke. I am happy to report that Katy Perry won a Kids' Choice Award at the 2012 ceremony, for Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie (as Smurfette). I am sorry to report that there are no funny RC connections from that ceremony, just your normal Taylor Swift bullshit (she won the "Big Help Award" that year). I guess if you really stretch it, you could say that The Smurfs and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 both lost the award for Favorite Movie, and that the latter was the subject of an RC album, Lumos. Had Alvin and the Chipmunks won last year's Christmas poll, we could've mentioned that these films lost the award to the instant-classic Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.
I don't know, is that enough? There is plenty else, but I promised myself I wouldn't go crazy during these Team Battle Royale weeks. Or should I try to see if there are any musicians in their 40s?!
JOE'S SUBJECTIVE RANKING OF EVERY ALBUM THAT GARY, NATE, AND/OR SARA HAVE EVER CHOSEN FOR RECORD CLUB OR HAD A HAND IN CHOOSING:
33. Thats What They All Say by Jack Harlow
30. Moving Up Living Down by Eric Hutchinson
29. Essentials by Erika de Casier
28. Oh No by OK Go
27. fine thread by long odds
26. Don't Be Cruel by Bobby Brown
25. In Real Life by IKE
24. Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan
23. Purple by Baroness
22. Swords by Nick Lutsko
21. Honest by Future
20. Overthinking Everything by Footballhead
19. IGOR by Tyler, the Creator
16. Shine a Light by Constantines
15. Gaslighter by the Chicks
14. Purple Haze by Cam'ron
13. Keep It Clean by Innanet James
12. Not Even Regret by Hidden Things
11. Loaded by the Velvet Underground
15. Gaslighter by the Chicks
14. Purple Haze by Cam'ron
13. Keep It Clean by Innanet James
12. Not Even Regret by Hidden Things
11. Loaded by the Velvet Underground
10. Come On Over by Shania Twain
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RC CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Every week from now on, we're giving a quick re-listen to the RC album we covered five years ago exactly. Check out the quick reevaluation every Friday morning, before the regular reviews. Reevaluation, reflection, something like that. We'll see.
Every week from now on, we're giving a quick re-listen to the RC album we covered five years ago exactly. Check out the quick reevaluation every Friday morning, before the regular reviews. Reevaluation, reflection, something like that. We'll see.
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Happy listening, RC family!
Have a great week!
Have a great week!
Honored at The Loneliest Time being #1. That is going straight to my head.
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