Some questions linger in the mind, constantly bubbling up to occupy your thoughts when you least expect. For me, they are questions like: What makes a creative person creative? What gives an individual the ability to write songs or produce great art? And, perhaps most important, just what was it that motivated people whose careers [...]
Archive for the ‘Music’ Category
Its Souuuuuuuuul Train
Posted in Music, tagged Don Cornelius, Hip Hop, R & B, Scramble Board, Soul train, Soul Train Line Dance on February 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
With the passing of Don Cornelius yesterday I’m sure everyone was reminded of the show he hosted. Soul Train first aired in October 1971 and ran through March 2006 featuring mostly R& B and Hip Hop music. It still ranks as the longest running syndicated program in television history. Who can forget the scramble board [...]
An Elton John Interlude
Posted in Music, Music videos, tagged Elton John, Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters, Music, Music videos on January 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I’m not a huge Elton John fan. I found his later, over-the-top Liberace-style phase off-putting — but I think his early work is really, really good. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters is one of my favorite songs from that era, with its beautiful melody and cryptic yet evocative lyrics. Even now, I can’t walk into [...]
Ziggy’s 65th
Posted in Music, Music videos, tagged All the Young Dudes, Changes, David Bowie, Diamond Dogs, Mott the Hoople, Music, Music videos, Rock 'N Roll, Space Oddity, The Jean Genie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars on January 8, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Happy birthday today to David Bowie. Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and The Thin White Duke turns 65 today. Bowie is an interesting character for a lot of reasons and has produced a lot of memorable music. Bowie wrote All The Young Dudes — the epic song from the legendary band Mott the Hoople — and [...]
The Book Of Mormon, Christmas Eve
Posted in Entertainment, Music, tagged Broadway, Broadway Musicals, Entertainment, Matt Stone, Music, South Park, The Book of Mormon, Trey Parker on December 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday we went to see the hottest show on Broadway, The Book of Mormon. We had to pay a premium to the ticket brokers, but it was an early Christmas present. The Book of Mormon is the latest work of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and it has all of the comedic elements you would [...]
Christmas With Dino
Posted in Music, tagged Christmas, Christmas Music, Christmas With Dino, Dean Martin, Holidays, Martina Mcbride, Music on December 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
There are lots of good Christmas albums out there. One of the better ones is Christmas With Dino — Dean Martin’s happy contribution to the holiday season. Christmas With Dino is a good example of intelligent matching of song and artist. Dean Martin’s well-lubricated, jovial singing style isn’t exactly well-suited to religious carols like O [...]
Rock And Roll Hall of Lame
Posted in Music, tagged ABBA, Beastie Boys, Donovan, Faces, Guns N' Roses, Laura Nyro, Music, Neil Diamond, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rock 'N Roll, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Small Faces on December 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their list of 2012 inductees recently. The list was uninspiring and showed that another “hall of fame” is heading on the wrong track to Lameness Town. In case you missed it, the 2012 inductees in the “performer” category are the Beastie Boys, Donovan, Guns N’ Roses, Laura [...]
Following In Bing’s Footsteps
Posted in Music, tagged Bing Crosby, Christmas, Christmas Music, Holiday Music, Linda Ronstadt, Music, Oscar Peterson, Rosemary Clooney, The Drifters, White Christmas on December 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Let’s say you are a successful modern recording artist. Your agent or manager or record company comes to you and asks you to do a Christmas CD. A Christmas CD sounds attractive for lots of reasons. You wouldn’t need to write any new songs. Flip through the pages of the American Christmas music songbook, pick [...]
Dobie Gray Drifts Away
Posted in Music, Music videos, tagged Dobie Gray, Drift Away, Music, Music videos on December 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I was saddened to read of the passing of Dobie Gray, the singer and musician most famous for the classic song Drift Away. Drift Away was recorded when I was in high school, and it almost immediately became, and for nearly 40 years has remained, a staple of FM radio playlists. Everyone seemed to like [...]
Carolers In The Dark
Posted in Family, Music, tagged Caroling, Christmas, Christmas Carols, Family, GnG Music Instruction, Music, New Albany, Singing on December 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Last night we were expecting guests. We went to the door when the doorbell rang, but instead of our guests, it was a group of carolers, adults and children both, belting out a holiday song with great gusto. What a pleasant surprise! After they finished, we thanked them and wished them happy holidays. They looked [...]
Elvis Costello: His (Anti-Gouging) Aim Is True
Posted in Music, tagged Elvis Costello, Music, My Aim Is True, Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook on November 29, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I’ve liked Elvis Costello since he came out with the timeless My Aim Is True album when I was in college. I like him even more after reading an article today about Elvis telling the world that his latest offering has been ridiculously overpriced by his record company. It’s hard to argue that with conclusion. [...]
Offered Without Comment — An American Tune
Posted in America, Ipods, Music, Music videos, tagged America, American Tune, iPod classic, Music, Music videos, Paul Simon on November 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I’m working steadily on my iPod rebuilding project, moving through the iTunes library from A to Z. I’m up to P. I just now listened once again to Paul Simon’s epic, brilliant American Tune — and it spoke to me again, as it always does, even though it was first recorded more than 35 years [...]
Bob Seger At Nationwide Arena, November 4, 2011
Posted in Columbus, Music, tagged Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Columbus, Music, nationwide arena on November 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Last night Kish and I and a group of friends — stoked by a massive, family-style meal from nearby Buca di Beppo — watched Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band rock out Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Seger is an old pro who knows how to please a crowd, and he and his bandmates put [...]
Seeing Seger, 35 Long Years Later
Posted in Growing Up, Music, tagged Bob Seger, Concerts, Growing Up, Katmandu, Music, Night Moves, Old Time Rock 'N' Rocll on November 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Tomorrow night Kish and I and a bunch of our friends are going to see Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at Nationwide Arena. The show is supposed to be good, at least according to this review of Seger’s Ypsilanti, Michigan concert published in the Morning Sun newspaper. It’s going to be kind [...]
More Of The Monkees
Posted in Music, Music videos, tagged A Hard Day's Night, Bobby Sherman, Help!, I'm A Believer, Last Train To Clarksville, Music, Music videos, Pleasant Valley Sundy, the Beatles, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day on October 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve been working on the months-long task of rebuilding my iPod after my old iPod crashed. I began with artists whose name starts with A and I’ll keep going until I reach ZZ Top. I’ve just gotten to the middle of the Ms, and I’ve realized — again — how much I enjoy listening to [...]
