music Archives - Page 243 of 261 - Ramblin' with Roger

Summer Songs QUESTION

I HATE it when two or even three songs are counted as a song.

Entertainment Weekly did one of those lists of summer songs, again. Some radio station has the full 100 list, with video links to most of them.

The * indicates the ones that came to me on the list.

100. ”STAY (I MISSED YOU)” (1994)
Lisa Loeb
99. ”TENNESSEE” (1992)
Arrested Development
98. ”WE’RE AN AMERICAN BAND” (1973)
Grand Funk Railroad
97. ”RADAR LOVE” (1974)
Golden Earring
96. ”THE LOVE YOU SAVE” (1970)
The Jackson 5
95. ”DANCING IN THE DARK” (1984)
Bruce Springsteen
94. ”FUNKYTOWN” (1980)
Lipps Inc.
93. ”YAKETY YAK” (1958)
The Coasters
92. ”SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME” (1958)
The Jamies
91. ”GANGSTER’S PARADISE” (1995)
Coolio
90. ”KISS FROM A ROSE” (1995)
Seal
89. ”MACHO MAN” (1978)
The Village People
88. ”MY CHERIE AMOUR” (1969)
Stevie Wonder
87. ”WATERLOO” (1974)
ABBA
86. ”SUMMERTIME” (1991)
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
85. ”THE END OF THE INNOCENCE” (1989)
Don Henley
84. ”SAN FRANCISCO (BE SURE TO WEAR FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR)” (1967)
Scott McKenzie
83. ”MY LOVE” (2006)
Justin Timberlake
82. ”UNDER THE BRIDGE” (1992)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
81. ”HOT IN HERRE” (2002)
Nelly
80. ”WILD THING” (1966)
The Troggs
79. ”HOT BLOODED” (1978)
Foreigner
78. ”TAKIN’ CARE OF BUSINESS” (1974)
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
77. ”LIVIN LA VIDA LOCA” (1999)
Ricky Martin
76. ”DON’T YOU WANT ME” (1982)
Human League
75. ”TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD” (1974)
Rufus
74. ”WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT” (1984)
Tina Turner
73. ”THIS LOVE” (2004)
Maroon 5
72. ”(THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU” (1970)
The Carpenters
71. ”A WHITER SHADE OF PALE” (1967)
Procol Harum
70. ”LET’S GET IT ON” (1973)
Marvin Gaye
69. ”VACATION” (1982)
The Go-Go’s
68. ”MO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS” (1997)
Notorious B.I.G. (featuring Mase, Puff Daddy)
67. ”LITTLE RED CORVETTE” (1982)
Prince
66. ”WE ARE FAMILY” (1979)
Sister Sledge
65. ”FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE” (1976)
Elvin Bishop
64 ”KODACHROME” (1973)
Paul Simon
63. ”WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO” (1964)
The Supremes
62. ”SEA OF LOVE” (1959)
Phil Phillips with the Twilights
61. ”THE LOCO-MOTION” (1962)
Little Eva
60. ”UMBRELLA” (2007)
Rihanna
59. ”CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU” (1967)
Frankie Valli
58. ”ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE” (1967)
The Beatles
57. ”YOU BELONG WITH ME” (2009)
Taylor Swift
56. ”SMOOTH” (1999)
Santana, featuring Rob Thomas
55. ”SEALED WITH A KISS” (1962)
Brian Hyland
54. ”PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM” (1975)
Elton John
53. ”THE LETTER” (1967)
The Box Tops
52. ”HOLLABACK GIRL” (2005)
Gwen Stefani
51. ”SLEDGEHAMMER” (1986)
Peter Gabriel
50. ”YOU SHOULD BE DANCING” (1976)
Bee Gees
49. ”TAKE IT EASY” (1972)
The Eagles
48. ”(WE’RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK” (1955)
Bill Haley & His Comets
47. ”CRAZY IN LOVE” (2003)
Beyoncé & Jay-Z
46. ”LIVE AND LET DIE” (1973)
Paul McCartney and Wings
45. ”I GOT YOU BABE” (1965)
Sonny and Cher
44. ”DON’T BE CRUEL”/”HOUND DOG” (1956)
Elvis Presley
43. ”GREEN ONIONS” (1962)
Booker T. & the MG’s
42. ”SUNSHINE SUPERMAN” (1966)
Donovan
41. ”GOOD TIMES” (1979)
Chic
40. ”GRAZING IN THE GRASS” (1968)
Hugh Masakela
39. ”GROOVIN”’ (1967)
The Rascals
38. ”FOREVER” (2008)
Chris Brown
37. ”STAND BY ME” (1961)
Ben E. King
36. ”RAMBLIN’ MAN” (1973)
The Allman Brothers Band
35. ”I DON’T WANT TO MISS A THING” (1998)
Aerosmith
34. ”MY SHARONA” (1979)
The Knack
33. ”MISS YOU” (1978)
Rolling Stones
32. ”WATERFALLS” (1995)
TLC
31. ”CRUEL SUMMER” (1984)
Bananarama
30. ”ALL I WANNA DO” (1994)
Sheryl Crow
29. ”THE TWIST”/”LET’S TWIST AGAIN” (1960/61)
Chubby Checker
28. ”BORN TO BE WILD” (1968)
Steppenwolf
27. ”YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT”/”SUMMER NIGHTS” (1978)
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
”GREASE” (1978)
Frankie Valli
26. ”LIKE A ROLLING STONE” (1965)
Bob Dylan
25. ”DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART” (1976)
Elton John and Kiki Dee
24. ”CALIFORNIA LOVE” (1996)
Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre
23. ”EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE” (1983)
The Police
22. ”WOULDN’T IT BE NICE” (1966)
The Beach Boys
21. ”WIPEOUT” (1963)
The Surfaris
20. ”CRAZY” (2006)
Gnarls Barkley
19. ”A HARD DAY’S NIGHT” (1964)
The Beatles
18. ”MAGGIE MAY” (1971)
Rod Stewart
17. ”IN THE SUMMERTIME” (1970)
Mungo Jerry
16. ”THE MESSAGE” (1982)
Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five
15. ”I GET AROUND” (1964)
The Beach Boys
14. ”HEY YA” (2003)
OutKast
13. ”ROCK THE BOAT” (1974)
The Hues Corporation
12. ”SUMMERTIME BLUES” (1958)
Eddie Cochran
11. ”(I CAN’T GET NO) SATISFACTION” (1965)
The Rolling Stones
10. ”HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME” (1969)
Sly & the Family Stone
9. ”BORDERLINE” (1984)
Madonna
8. ”DANCING IN THE STREET” (1964)
Martha and the Vandellas
7. ”CALIFORNIA GURLS” (2010)
Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg
6. ”LIGHT MY FIRE” (1967)
The Doors
5. ”UNDER THE BOARDWALK” (1964)
The Drifters
4. ”HEAT WAVE” (1963)
Martha and the Vandellas
3. ”SCHOOL’S OUT” (1972)
Alice Cooper
2. ”CALIFORNIA GIRLS” (1965)
The Beach Boys
*1. ”SUMMER IN THE CITY” (1966)
The Lovin’ Spoonful

Incidentally, I HATE it when two or even three songs are counted as a song.

Surely, some of the ones I didn’t think of should also be on the list. But there are some that just mystify me, even though they came out in the summer.

BEATLES: A Hard Day’s Night was a hit in the summer of ’64, but so were lots of other songs. All You Need Is Love ditto for ’67. Here Comes the Sun or Good Day Sunshine feels more thematically valid.
BEACH BOYS: I Get Around and California Girls are good choices, but Wouldn’t It Be Nice? All of those surf and cars songs seem more appropriate, such as Surfer Girl, 409, Surfin’ USA, even Good Vibrations.

Then there are the songs that were missed:

Summer Breeze-Seals & Crofts
Palisades Park- Freddie Cannon
Sunny Afternoon-the Kinks
A Summer Song-Chad & Jeremy
Walkin’ on Sunshine-Katrina & the Waves
Up on the Roof-the Drifters

Others made cases for Boys of Summer or All She Wants To Do Is Dance_Don Henley, Summer Fling-k.d. lang, Afternoon Delight-Starlight Vocal Band, Summer of ’69-Bryan Adams, some country and reggae songs, and the entire oeuvre of Jimmy Buffett.

What songs would you add to or delete from the list?

Underplayed Vinyl: Our Best to You

Apparently, the commercial nature of For Your Love drove Eric Clapton out of the group.

I used to do a series called Underplayed Vinyl, which is about LPs that I own that I used to play a lot, though not so much recently, but I probably should. Guess I’m going to try to reinstitute it.

I’ve been a sucker for compilation albums since I received Big Hits From England & U.S.A. from the Capitol Record Club in 1965 or 1966. It had the “kids” side (Beatles, Beach Boys, Peter & Gordon) and the “adult ” side (Nat Cole, Cilla Black, Al Martino). The next one was Best of ’66, a bunch of Columbia pop artists.

A year later, I got TWO different albums, both called Our Best To You. One contained the “adult” stars such as Jim Nabors, John Davidson, and Robert Goulet; it had a green cover but otherwise similar design.

The other album is the one pictured. Links to the songs provided.

Side 1:
1. The Buckinghams – I’ll Be Back. A good, if slightly melodramatic, cover of the Beatles song.
2. The Byrds – All I Really Want To Do. . A fine Dylan cover.
3. The Cryan’ Shames – Sugar And Spice. Fun pop song by a group I’m otherwise unfamiliar with.
4. Aretha Franklin – Sweet Bitter Love. A tremendous song by the Queen of Soul, before she moved to Atlantic and had her big hits. This is a song I often played after a romantic breakup; I played it quite a bit. Written by Van McCoy, best known for The Hustle.
5. Moby Grape – 8:05. A moody piece with nice harmonies that I enjoyed.

Side 2:
1. Paul Revere And The Raiders – Louie, Louie. The Raiders actually had a regional hit with this song most associated with the Kingsmen. This is NOT the cut from the album being described, but as close as I could find.
2. Peaches And Herb – Everybody Loves A Lover. Long before they “Reunited”, they did this pop/soul classic that I could only find on Napster, track 77 on the link.
3. Simon And Garfunkel – The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). Just for fun, as the serious Simon might have said at the time.
4. The Tremeloes – Good Day Sunshine. The sound on this video is not good, but it’ll give you a feel.
5. The Yardbirds – For Your Love. Apparently, the commercial nature of this particular recording drove Eric Clapton out of the group. Gotta say I LOVED this song.

May Rambling

Susannah Spencer is somehow an ancestor of Diana Spencer, who married Prince Charles, who had two sons, William and Harry.

When Blogger was down for about 24 hours earlier this month, it really threw off my blogging rhythm. For reasons mundane (I’m used to it) and functional (it’s a backup system), I still compose my blog in Blogger, THEN copy and paste into this WordPress format. And the day it was down was a Thursday, which meant I actually HAD time to post for an hour between work and choir. Or go to other people’s blogs, or leave comments on other people’s blogs, but I couldn’t do that either. Then when Blogger finally came back up, I realized that none of the blogposts that I had Scheduled actually saw the light of day, so I had to repost them. Oh, well. Arthur, and others whose primary blogs are on Blogger, had it worse than I.
***
Went to see HAIR this month.
***
The eldest niece’s website.
***
Gordon at Blog This, Pal! has been blogging for seven years, which is amazing. He’s the only out-of-area blogger I’ve met through blogging, when we went to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field in 2008. Naturally, the home team lost.
***
Who hit the most home runs during the 1960s? More than Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, or Willie McCovey. That would be Harmon Killebrew, whose goodbye note to his fans was very touching, and who died this month of cancer at the age of 74. He was probably my father-in-law’s favorite player. Incidentally, my father-in-law’s 75th birthday was this week.
***
Samoa will lose a day! And willingly, no less. Gotta mess up birthdays, astrological charts…
***
A Berlioz Requiem sampler of the Albany Pro Musica concert. The “Dies irae” and the “Lacrymosa” are only fragmentary parts of the longer originals, due to uploading limits.
***
The National Jukebox, from your Library of Congress.
***

Did you know Jack Kirby had an alternate design for Captain America, created for some purpose he couldn’t remember, that never appeared in a comic book?
***
***
I feel as though I really need to see the movie Thor. It got a 70%+ positive rating from Rotten Tomatoes, but a real negative one from Roger Ebert. Something about his take, though, 1) compelled him to respond to his critics and 2) makes me think that I might like it anyway.
***
Addresses of Marvel Superheroes in New York City.
***
Fight the Rebellion! Darth Vader is countng on you!
***
This is an interesting video. I’ve subsequently found more people doing this on other videos, but this pair seem to be the best.

The Top 100 Canadian Albums, part 2

had a roommate named Mark in the early 1980s who was in desperate need of money. So I bought about 50 albums off him at $2 a pop; at least five of them were Bruce Cockburn LPs.

Continuing with the book The Top 100 Canadian Albums by Bob Mersereau. Not only did I own a fair number of these albums, but many of them also played a significant part in my life, often in a relationship with my significant other (S.O.) at the time.

41.Not Fragile, Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1974)
42.The Best of the Guess Who, The Guess Who (1971) – One of the very few singles – i.e, 45s – I ever bought was Laughing b/w Undun. And then I really got into the group when it started with his heavier sound. And they endeared me forever when the group was invited to sing at the Nixon White House, but requested, apparently by Pat Nixon, not to sing American Woman. But the most intriguing song on the album was one I did not know previously, Hang On to Your Life whose lyrics end with stark spoken text from Psalm 22:
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint:
my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
Didn’t quite know what to make of it, but, in my period of questioning my whole belief system at the time, it was quite significant to me.
43.Let it Die, Feist (2004)
44.The Last Waltz, The Band (1978) – Always made me a little sad, this soundtrack of the end of the band. Though they would re-form in part, it was never the same.
45.Night Train, Oscar Peterson Trio (1963) – my father was really into Oscar Peterson, a black jazz pianist. I never knew he was Canadian until I read the book.
46.Down at the Khyber, Joel Plaskett Emergency (2001)
47.Harvest Moon, Neil Young (1992) – The title track was “our song” for the S.O. and me. Remember dancing around the living room to the video. Still makes me cry. And there are other great songs here, such From Hank to Hendrix and One of These Days. Actually, I enjoy this album more than Harvest.
48.Cuts Like a Knife, Bryan Adams (1983)
49.L’Heptade, Harmonium (1976)
50.Teenage Head, Teenage Head (1979)
51.High Class in Borrowed Shoes, Max Webster (1977)
52.Hejira, Joni Mitchell (1976) – Joni getting all jazzy. I was still with her, too, but it didn’t sound like her old stuff, and her fan base was peeved.
53.Bach: The Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould (1955 and 1982) – I got this only about a decade ago, after I was told, “You MUST own this record.” So I do. But I’m not all that familiar with the 1982 iteration, except what I know from a recent PBS-TV special about Gould’s life.
54.Fogarty’s Cove, Stan Rogers (1977)
55.Wheatfield Soul, The Guess Who (1968) – #2 on the coolest title list.
56.Si on avait besoin d’une cinquième saison, Harmonium (1974)- the author notes that a lot of the French-language albums appeared on the list between #101 and #125.
57.Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws, Bruce Cockburn (1979) – I had a roommate named Mark in the early 1980s who was in desperate need of money. So I bought about 50 albums off him at $2 a pop; at least five of them were Bruce Cockburn LPs. As the author of the book noted, 13 different Cockburn albums got votes, but this is the only one that reached the top 100. It probably made it because it has the hit, Wondering Where the Lions Are. #9 on the coolest title list.
58.Frantic City, Teenage Head (1980)
59.Hymns of the 49th Parallel, k.d. lang (2004) – A wonderful concept: lang performing the songs of her fellow Canadians, including Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Cockburn. Here’s Cohen’s Hallelujah.
60.Hot Shots, Trooper (1979)
61.Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson (1987) – My good friend in the record business told me this story. She was trying to promote this album to a radio station manager. She says, “It’s Robbie Robertson from The Band, you know The Last Waltz.” No recognition. “Used to back Dylan.” He’d heard of Dylan, but it was still a tough sell. The problem was that he was only about 24 and only knew the music that came out the previous 8-10 years. Very sad commentary on the state of commercial radio at the time. Great album, especially American Roulette.
62.The Trinity Session, Cowboy Junkies (1988) – A well-crafted mix of new and cover songs, such as Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane. I do have to be in the mood to listen to it; otherwise, it’ll put me to sleep.
63.Ron Sexsmith, Ron Sexsmith (1995)
64.Nothingface, Voivod (1989)
65.Come on Over, Shania Twain (1997)
66.Everything I Long For, Hayden (1995)
67.Outskirts, Blue Rodeo (1987)
68.Joyful Rebellion, k-os (2004)
69.Sit Down Young Stranger/If You Could Read My Mind, Gordon Lightfoot (1970)
70.Love Junk, Pursuit of Happiness (1988)
71.Jaune, Jean-Pierre Ferland (1970)
72.Somewhere Outside, The Ugly Ducklings (1966)
73.Electric Jewels, April Wine (1973)
74.Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot (1973) – when some of my friends got rid of their vinyl, they offered them up to me. This is one of them.
75.Left and Leaving, The Weakerthans (2000)
76.Clumsy, Our Lady Peace (1997)
77.Harmonium, Harmonium (1974)
78.Share the Land, The Guess Who (1970)
79.Greatest Hits, Ian & Sylvia (1970)
80.Steppenwolf, Steppenwolf (1968) – First and best Steppenwolf album. Not only does it have Born to Be Wild and The Pusher, but it also contains my favorite political rant, The Ostrich. I discussed this album more fully here.
81.Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell (1970) – When I was preparing to be in a production of Boys in the Band in Binghamton in 1975, I went to a party with most of the cast. Someone played Side 1 of the LP, and when it was over, another cast member declared it to be “boring,” an assessment I did not share; I mean it has the beautiful For Free on it. Still, I think playing side 2 first might have been more strategic, since it included, in order, Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock, and The Circle Game.
82.Bud the Spud and Other Favourites, Stompin’ Tom Connors (1969)
83.Shine a Light, The Constantines (2003)
84.Shakespeare My Butt, The Lowest of the Low (1991) – #2 on funniest album title list.
85.Clayton Park, Thrush Hermit (1999)
86.Smeared, Sloan (1992)
87.Living Under June, Jann Arden (1994)
88.The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Joni Mitchell (1975) – This was the transitional album between the commercial Court and Spark and the jazzy Hejira. I was visiting my friend Jon and his S.O. Debby. She was a big fan of Joni but was very disappointed in this album. I said, “Well, then give it to me. I like it.” I think my enthusiasm for her made her keep it to give it another chance. The first song, In France They Kiss on Main Street, might have fit on the previous album. But the next song, The Jungle Line, heavy with African drums – here’s just a snippet – would definitely not. #4 on the coolest album title list.
89.Bad Manors, Crowbar (1971)
90.Official Music, King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar (1970)
91.Lightfoot!, Gordon Lightfoot (1966)
92.Mad Mad World, Tom Cochrane (1991)
93.Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright (1998)
94.Face to the Gale, Ron Hynes (1997)
95.Hobo’s Taunt, Willie P. Bennett (1977)
96.Cowboyography, Ian Tyson (1986) – #1 on coolest album title list.
97.Favourite Colours, The Sadies (2004)
98.The Way I Feel, Gordon Lightfoot (1967)
99.A Farewell to Kings, Rush (1977)
100.We Were Born in a Flame, Sam Roberts (2004)

Bob Dylan is 70

Feel as though I should come up with a list of my Top 10 Dylan songs done by Dylan himself. This is harder than it might seem because, often, someone else’s version tops his, in my mind.

A couple books (that I have not read) have come out about Bob Dylan recently, Sean Wilentz’s “Bob Dylan in America,” and “Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus, Writings 1968-2010” by Greil Marcus. Dylan will turn 70 today, which also, I read in Jon Friedman’s Media Web column for MarketWatch.com, marks “the 50th anniversary of his arrival in New York City’s Greenwich Village folk scene. He was a star when John F. Kennedy was our president.”

I’ve been writing a bit about him already this year, from a reinterpretation of his lyrics to cover versions of his songs.

But I feel as though I should come up with a list of my Top 10 Dylan songs done by Dylan himself. This is harder than it might seem because, often, someone else’s version tops his, in my mind. I actually like his “Blowin’ in the Wind”, but it’ll always be a Peter, Paul and Mary song; ditto the Byrds’ “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Willie Nelson doing “What Was It You Wanted”, even Joan Baez’s “Simple Twist of Fate”, and any number of others.

Links to the best videos I could find:
10. The Groom’s Still Waiting At The Altar – obviously from Bob’s overtly Christian period, I think I liked it as much because of its relative rarity – it was a non-album B-side of a single before it showed up in collections and the CD version of Shot of Love – as for that fascinating “church as bride” imagery. Not a great recording, I know.
9. Subterranean Homesick Blues – and I might like this more for the classic flashcard video than the song itself.
8. Hurricane – Bob was political from his early days, but this return to that issue, specifically addressing the trumped-up murder charges against Ruben ‘Hurricane’ Carter moved me.
7. Ballad Of A Thin Man – I’ll be honest: when I first heard Yer Blues on the Beatles’ white album, I had NO idea about the reference to “Dylan’s Mr. Jones”. Finally hearing it gave me a greater appreciation.
6. Summer Days – as I have noted, the Love and Theft album came out on September 11, 2001, but though I’d pre-ordered and purchased it, I didn’t listen to it until several days later. And when I did, it gave me such joy. No song more than this one.
5. Stuck Inside A Mobile With A Memphis Blues Again – I was initially attracted to the sheer length of the title, as well as the song’s merits. Couldn’t find a decent version online; this is the 2:22 intro from the movie about Dylan, “I Am Not There”
4. Highway 61 Revisited – if only for the dialogue between God and Abraham, it’d be worth it. This is a cartoon video someone put together.
3. Like A Rolling Stone – it’s anthemic. Love the Al Kooper organ.
2. I Want You – the very first Dylan song I ever owned, not from a Dylan album or single but from a Columbia compilation album The Best of ’66.
1. Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35 – from that Salvation Army intro to “everybody must get stoned”. Can’t resist.
***
The entire Highway 61 Revisited album.