(Seems that the pre-sale password for all Summer Concerts at PNC Bank Arts Center and Jones Beach until 10:00 p.m. tonight is: Popstar)
American Idols Tour 2010 at Jones Beach on Wed. July 7 and at the Prudential Center (“The Rock”) on Tues. July 20. Tickets on sale Sat. May 15 at 10:00 a.m. (more info to follow)
Harry Connick Jr. at the Neil Simon Theater (250 West 52nd street NY) from Thurs. July 15 through Mon. July 19 and then again from Wed. July 21 through Mon. July 26. All shows at 8:00 p.m. (except Sundays which start at 7:00 p.m.) Pre-sale tickets for American Express cardholders available now until 11:59 p.m. Mon. May 3. General public tickets on sale Tues. May 4 at 12:01 a.m. (that’s what it says). $50 and $135.
Crosby, Stills & Nash at PNC Bank Arts Center on Thurs. Aug. 19 and at Jones Beach on Fri. Aug. 20. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. PNC: $26.25 – $151.25; Jones: $20.75 – $151.
Rascal Flatts with Kellie Pickler and Chris Young at the Comcast Theater in Hartford CT on Sat. July 31. Pre-sale tickets for Citi card members available now. General public tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $19 – $71.50.
Tim McGraw with Lady Antebellum and Love & Theft at the PNC Bank Arts Center on Thurs. July 15. Tickets on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. $34.50 and $64.50.
Shinedown with Chevelle, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd and 10 Years at the PNC Bank Arts Center on Thurs. Aug. 5. Pre-sale tickets available until 10:00 p.m. tonight and the password is: Popstar. General public tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $20, $32.50 and $42.50
Chicago and Doobie Brothers at the PNC Bank Arts Center on Fri. July 9 and at Jones Beach on Sat. July 10. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. PNC: $26.25, $45.25, $85.25 – $131. Jones: $39, $69, $89, $99 – $135.
KTU’s Beatstock at PNC Bank Arts Center on Sat. Aug. 7 and at Jones Beach on Sun. Aug. 8. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. PNC: $30.25 – $81.25;Jones: $19 – $79.
50 Cent at The Oakdale Theater (Wallingford CT) on Wed. June 23. Tickets on sale this morning at 10:00 a.m. $30.50.
Meatloaf at Jones Beach on Wed. July 14 and at PNC Bank Arts Center on Fri. July 16. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Jones: $22 – $72; PNC: $18.25 & $72.25
Foreigner with Styx and Kansas at Jones Beach on Sat. June 19. Pre-sale tickets available now for Citi card members. General public tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $19, $29, $49, $79-$99.
Lynyrd Skynyrd with .38 Special and Bret Michaels (?) at PNC Bank Arts Center on Fri. July 2. Pre-sale tickets available now for Citi card members. General public tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $25, $45.50 and $65.50.
David Gray and Ray Lamontagne at Jones Beach on Thurs. Aug. 19. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $25 – $75.
Modest Mouse at The Oakdale Theater on Sat. July 24. Tickets on sale this morning at 10:00 a.m. $32.00
Jackson Browne at The Oakdale Theater on Fri. Aug. 27. Tickets on sale this morning at 10:00 a.m. (Live Nation Event).
Gov’t Mule at the Central Park Summerstage on Wed. Aug. 11. Tickets on sale next Fri. May 7 at noon. $40.
311 with The Offspring at Jones Beach on Fri. July 9 and PNC Bank Arts Center on Sat. July 10. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Jones: $26, $40 and $50; PNC: $30.25 and $50.25.
Rob Thomas at the Music Box at the Borgota in Atlantic City, NJ on Fri. Aug. 20 and Sat. Aug. 21. Tickets on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. (Live Nation Event)
Tony Bennett at The Oakdale Theater on Fri. Aug. 20. Pre-sale tickets for Citi card members available starting at 10:00 a.m. this morning. General public tickets on sale Mon. May 3 at 10:00 a.m. $51.50 – $71.50.
Peter Wolf and Betty LaVette at the Highline Ballroom on Wed. May 26. Tickets on sale now. $50.
The Fab Faux at the Beacon Theater on Sat. Sept. 25. Tickets on sale this morning at 9:00 a.m. $49.50 – $125.
Cake at the Rumsey Playfield (Central Park) on Thurs. Sept. 16. Pre-sale tickets available now until 11:00 a.m. this morning for American Express cardholders. General public tickets on sale today at noon. $39.50.
Muse at the Nassau Coliseum on Sat. Rocktober 23 and the Prudential Center on Sun. Rocktober 24. Tickets on sale this morning at 10:00 a.m. Nassau: $39 – $61.50;Prudential: $42.50 – $65.
Adam Lambert at Nokia Theater on Tues. June 22. Pre-sale tickets available for American Express cardholders until tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Pre-sale password for non American Express cardholders is “Entertainment.” General public on sale is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. $35. Also appearing at the Borgota Event Center on Sat. June 26. Tickets for this show on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. (Live Nation Event).
Band of Horses with Grizzly Bear at the Brooklyn Waterfront in Williamsburg (North 8th street and Kent Avenue) on Sun. June 20. Pre-sale tickets available until 10:00 p.m. tonight and the password is Laredo. General public tickets on sale tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.$30.
She & Him at Terminal 5 on Tues. July 6. Pre-sale tickets available now until 11:00 a.m. this morning for American Express cardholders. General public tickets on sale today at noon. $30. Also giving a free performance at Governor’s Island on Sun. July 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Widespread Panic at Radio City Music Hall on Thurs. July 22. Tickets on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. (Live Nation Event).
Celtic Woman at PNC Bank Arts Center on Thurs. July 29. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $59.50 – $85.
Goo Goo Dolls at PNC Bank Arts Center on Tues. July 27 and at Jones Beach on Mon. Aug. 2. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. PNC: $31.25 – $53.25; Jones: $32.50 – $54.50. Also appearing at the Borgota Event Center on Sat. July 3. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. (Live Nation Event)
Al Green at BB Kings on Thurs. Sept. 2. Tickets on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. $175 ($180 day of show). Oooouucchhh!!!
Jeffrey Osborne at BB Kings on Fri. Sept. 17. Tickets on sale this morning at 10:00 a.m. $49.50 ($54 day of show).
Air Supply at BB Kings on Sat. July 24. (7:30 and 10:00 shows) Tickets on sale Mon. May 3 at noon. $35 ($40 day of show)
Other items:
According to his “MySpace” account, Bret Michaels is hoping to resume his tour by rescheduling his tour dates with May 26 as the targeted date to begin again. Wow I am amazed at that statement, (can this really be true?) it seemed really bleak over last weekend and now he is going to back on the road in less than a month and of course I am totally happy about this news as we need Bret doing what he likes best and that is to rock and roll. Other reports stated that he is lucky to be alive and is still not out of the woods. Take it slow Bret. \m/ \m/
Spin Magazine recently put out their list of the top 125 albums since 1985 (to celebrate their 25th anniversary) and you think I have some weird picks in my top ten? You ain’t seen nothing until you look at their list. Believe me there are some that definitely should be on the list and it just may be the way they have ranked them. According to them, the best album in the past 25 years is “Achtung Baby” by U2. Now recently I jumped back on their band wagon with their phenomenal “No Line on the Horizon” and in my opinion that is clearly better than Achtung but of course every U2 fan will point to the “Joshua Tree”- I could see an argument for Joshua before Achtung but again I like “No Line” better than either of those. The second best is “Sign O’ the Times” by Prince- again I am a fan of Prince but to be quite honest I never even heard of this album. (sorry to those Prince fans who want to strangle me right now). The list is filled with lots of “alternative”(in my mind) bands [The Smiths, Husker Du (who??!!!) Pavement, PJ Harvey, etc…] and of course Nirvana’s “Nevermind” made the fourth best since 1985. Now I completely understand the magnitude of this landmark album and get that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” changes the world forever back in 1991 but even the most die hard fan of Nirvana (including my oldest son and my brother Rich) have to admit that this is not their best work. I know there are some solid songs but is the entire album a classic? I really struggle with that, in my opinion there are some definite “fillers.” Oh well see for yourself, I was going to put their link down on my page but navigation around the site was nearly impossible for me, so I would not want to do that to you. You can just go to http://www.Spin . com.
OK remember last week when we (my boys and I) listed our favorite songs by Pearl Jam, well I received a list of 20 songs (in no particular order) from the “experts” on their music-Lisa and her husband Carmine. Lisa stated that there were many songs on her top ten list that were spread throughout my list and my two sons list. Here are the songs that Carmine listed: (The songs that are bolded are songs that made our lists as well) Release, Immortality, Hold On, Elderly Woman, The End, Rear View Mirror, No Way, Off He Goes, Inside Job, Footsteps, Crop Duster, Just Breathe, Faithful, Alone, W.M.A., Yellow Ledbetter, Dirty Frank, Crazy Mary, Black and Believe You Me.
Finally America voted the correct way on Wednesday night and Siobhan Magnus was the latest to say goodbye to being a contestant on American Idol. It’s not that I had something against her, she can sing (as long as it’s low key) but based on who is left in the competition, it had to be her to go. Folks, these last few weeks have made up for the lackluster year so far and the recent performances have been real good. Aaron Kelly really stepped it up this past week and maybe what Randy Jackson said is true- Country music may just be the avenue for him to pursue because he was real good with that Shania Twain song. Casey James worked his way back into the competition (even though he was part of the bottom two) and he will have to have another performance like he did this past Tuesday to remain in the fray. I don’t think Crytsal Bowersox’s performance was “bad” this past week, I just think it was the song itself seemed very bland (with no offense to Shania). The “sleeper” in this contest remains Lee DeWyze as he seems to be solidly cemented to make it to the final two. Can’t wait till next week when Harry Connick Jr. mentors the contestants on the songs of Frank Sinatra.
Apparently Slash is receiving a lot of heat from Guns & Roses “purists” who are very upset that he had the nerve to remake “Paradise City” with Cypress Hill and Fergie. I would consider myself a “purist” of Guns & Roses because as I have always said I have never experienced a “buzz” like they created when they first hit the scene in 1987 (yes even more than Nirvana) and I absolutely have no problem with this version. If you listen with a clear ear and mind you’d actually appreciate the nice job they all did with Slash’s guitar work being the focal point of this legendary song-his heavy riffs are flawless throughout. So what, they added a little “hip hop” flavor? (See Run DMC with Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”). Only bad thing is that the song is available only in Japan,(included as an extra cut from his debut album) of course you can go to You Tube and listen to the version and hear for yourself. By the way, the video for “By the Sword” is out and is way cool. That’s all I’m going to say, you need to find it and listen and look for yourself. (This time I’m going to make you work looking for it).
The Stone Temple Pilots have released their next song from their upcoming album to hit on May 25. The song is called “Hickory Dichotomy” and of course I’m loving it- you know I wanted these guys back together 6 years ago. Take a listen for yourself at http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Temple-Pilots/e/B000ARC4TI
Godsmack’s “The Oracle” will be released on Tues. May 4 and they will appear on the Jimmy Kimmel the next night May 5 (actually early Thurs. morning May 6). “Crying Like a Bitch” has really grown on me, I’m looking forward to this release. Love the heavy bass lines. If you are going to be in Los Angeles CA next week you can get tickets here http://www.1iota.com/events,4797,Jimmy-Kimmel-Live-GODSMACK-Outdoor-mini-concert.html
Peter Frampton’s new album-“Thank You Mr. Churchill”- has received very favorable ratings from the listeners on I-Tunes. He does a song with his son-Julian- on a song called “Road to the Sun” (Smoking Gun also helps out on this tune). “Invisible Man” has a big R&B feel to it as well as a “Traffic” flavor. The man is good. Check it out.
My favorite “’70’s old school” song of the week (I feel a top ten list coming) belongs to Daddy Dewdrop with the super cool-“Chick-A-Boom (Don’t Ya Jes’ Love It).” Do you remember this song? I heard the other day on the oldies station and I did an immediate search-forget I-Tunes (sometimes they really don’t work because they offer “re-recordings” of these original classics). I finally found it on CD from someone in the U.S.-Amazon didn’t even have it in stock- and now I can listen to this great song as much as I want. Yes bazooka bubble gum music but you know you love those little gum square pieces.
Album Review: “Crazy Love” by Michael Buble released on Rocktober 9, 2009
Ok so now I have all of you scratching your heads, right? Michael Buble? Are you kidding me? I can’t be for real writing about all these heavy metal bands for the past two years and now I am going to review an album by Michael Buble? But for those of you who have really been following closely, you know that I have some range in my diversity and have become more open to other genres as I enter “the back nine holes” of my life. Now I would like to point out that one of the producers on this album is none other than Mr. Bob Rock who has produced albums by Aerosmith, Motley Crue and of course Metallica. (of course all the Tallica haters out there are saying-“it figures he made Metallica soft so it makes sense he helped Michael Buble with his pop”). So go ahead and take your shots but I have listened more than a few times to this album and I have to tell you, this is perfect for your next dinner party or any kind of get together with family or friends. By no means do I consider myself an expert on Mr. Buble and his other albums but of course the song that dragged me in was the single-“Haven’t Met You Yet”-so I decided to give the entire album a try and like I said, this is an impressive arrangement of “classic” songs that he has reworked and in some cases wrote on his own with help from his buddies- Alan Chang and Amy Foster.
The album starts off with “Cry Me a River” which Michael wrote the arrangement in the beginning to make it sound like you are sitting in a cinema with that thematic, majestic sound in the vain of a James Bond movie-where you are expecting something big to happen and you know what?-it totally works because that mysterious bold approach hooks you in and you start to compare his version to the endless amount of covers of this American classic with a favorable acceptance. His voice embarks that “old school” sound of yesteryear where things seemed simpler back then, it evokes a feeling of those old great singers-Sinatra, Charles, Martin, Bennett, Cole and so many others standing at the microphone but then you realize it is from someone who was born in 1975. I have always admired guys like Michael and Harry Connick Jr. for keeping the torch alive. (even though ten years ago I would have never had any of their music in my library-hey I’m being honest and hopefully evolving in front of your eyes). We need these gentlemen to pass this genre down to the younger generations because this kind of music is needed for blood stream. You know you hear this music at some of the biggest moments in your life-marriage- for one, so never mind all that nonsense that this is “old” and not “hip.” “All of Me” is another American classic which he covers to perfection. This is a finger snapping tune which will remind you of one of the members of the “Rat pack” singing in a tuxedo up on stage and yearning to be as cool as they were. Actually Willie Nelson (another more recent favorite of mine) does a great version as well. If you are a fan of TV Land (like me) and you watch re-runs of “Sanford & Son” there is an episode where Fred sings this song while Scatman Crothers is on guitar and it is great. Anyway back to Michael’s version- this is like opening a bottle of your favorite wine and sipping its smoothness as the arrangement again harkens back to the “big band” era. “Georgia on My Mind” is the third track and I can’t say that his version is not good, it’s that I am so used to Mr. Ray Charles rendition that it is hard for me to put it into perspective as I don’t think any one comes close to Ray, not just Michael-there have been so many artists to cover this song but again, no one comes close in my opinion. Admiral cover though I will say.
“Crazy Love”-the title track- is the cover of the classic of Van Morrison as it appeared on his 1970 blockbuster album-“Moondance.” I like the way that Mr. Buble puts his contemporary touch on this classic, I know there may be plenty who like Van’s version better (especially his duet with Ray Charles, later on) but Michael picked these songs because they are songs he loves and he’s paying homage. Again my number 2 rule when covering a song is to treat that song with respect and to perform it in the same vain of the original recording. Dare I say that I like this version the best? “Haven’t Met You Yet” has to make any one smile, no? Ok call it cheesy, call it what you want but the production and the arrangement of the song is something that makes you want more-it just feels good. It is romantic and is the perfect song to share a slow dance with that someone special in your life. C’mon you know this is just like that Barry Manilow song that you can never admit to liking or listen to. But I will. “All I Do Is Dream of You”-is a song written back in 1931 and for those of you who are Marx Brother fans (I totally am) you can catch Chico performing this classic tune on their fantastic movie-“A Night at the Opera.” (or the classic movie “Singing in the Rain” with Gene Kelly)Mr. Buble does a phenomenal job on the vocals as you will snap your finger throughout this two minute and change song-the horn arrangement is pure perfection behind this man’s voice. “Hold On” is the other song written by Mr. Buble (again with help from Chang and Foster) and if you are looking for a song to dance to at your wedding (or renewing your vows) then look no further than this track. This is a heart retching song but is very inspirational, think of those movies where you are near tears and that feeling you get-this song could have been played in the background. Track # 8-“Heartache Tonight”- a cover of an Eagles song off of “The Long Run”will conjure up memories of Joe Piscopo doing his spoof on Frankie during his high popularity of the Saturday Night Live days. I have to admit that taking a “rock” song and making it a lounge act sort of song is a hard pill for me to swallow and I can’t say that I listen to this track as much as I listen to the other songs. But this is perfect for the older generation to actually like some of the music we use to listen to when we were kids. Mr. Buble gets back to what he does best with his take on “You’re Nobody Till You Love Somebody” and really does a 360 with this version as you will not recognize it as the rendition that Dean does. It’s completely different and he slows it down to almost a standstill as I can picture a smoky filled blues bar room where you run into to those performers where you say-“what are you doing here?” (Billy Joel). And that’s exactly what I did as I was blown away by this performance (and I totally love Dean’s version the best) and said “who is this guy?” Kara (from American Idol) would love the fact that he changed up the song and made it his, and in my opinion is a complete homerun.
“Baby (You’ve Got What it Takes)” -(done with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings) just may be the best song on the album. For those of you out there who are used to the Brooke Benton and Dinah Washington version which was recorded back in 1960, you will be pleasantly surprised on how good this rendition is. This has some kick to it and should get you out of your seat and dance like those cool cats used to do back in the 1960’s. This has some funk as well as the classic rhythm and blues sound that made it special way back when. I applaud Michael for picking some of the best songs to re-record because we as a generation can not forget where it all started. Keep passing on down the torch, nice touch Michael. “At This Moment” goes all the way back to 1981 for this song originally done by Billy Vera and the Beaters. Remember the “Family Ties” episode where Alex Keaton (Michael Fox) and Ellen Reed (Tracy Pollan-his wife in real life) dance to this song. This episode caused the song to get some real airplay and I for one heard this song during the summer of 1981 at least 5 times a day on the radio. Now Michael doesn’t hit the passion like Mr. Vera (it felt like he was singing for his life-which is a great thing) but he follows the pattern of the song to perfection. That’s not to say that you don’t hear passion in Michael’s voice, you do-it’s just not as forceful- and he may have done this purposefully, (which is something that I admire) and he goes another way with it that totally works. This is a nice re-work of this great song. The last song-“Stardust”-(with Naturally 7)- has to have Frank Sinatra smiling from the heavens above (and the many other famous acts that have covered this 1927 song) as Michael’s voice is spellbinding and you will think that it is the holiday season because you should get a wonderful feeling inside. You have to grab the hand of that someone special and ask for the next dance as this song is simply spectacular. The bonus track-“Whatever It Takes” (with Ron Sexsmith) is a nice duet from Ron’s 2004 album-“Retriever” which to be honest has opened my eyes to more acts like Mr. Buble, who are keeping and passing on down that “a capella” feeling to their music, where the voice is the main focal point of the music. Folks, this is some good stuff right here.
Mr. Buble’s album-“Crazy Love”- is a fantastic work where he takes songs from long, long ago but also some more recent tunes that evoke the passion of the way music was intended to be. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes playful, and of course mostly romantic and who doesn’t need romance in their life? He also paints a new story with two songs of his own which some singer will re-record some thirty years from now and we’ll all say- remember how great that Michael Buble is? Now did I have some reservations when I decided to select something different from my usual music menu? Of course, but I made the right decision. Folks you will not be disappointed in this selection, especially if you like the likes of Frankie, Tony, Ray and Dean. He creates a pleasurable trip down memory lane while creating some of his own as well.
“TOP TEN”:
Today marks the two year anniversary for me starting this blog (I did it via e-mail to friends at least one year before finally putting it on the web at the insistence of those friends) and the first album review I did two years ago was the legendary “What’s Going On” by the incomparable Marvin Gaye. So in honor of this great artist, I wanted to try and list my favorite ten songs from this man who contributed so significantly to the world of music as well as making a humane social impact on society. Besides Dylan, the next artist that comes to mind that made such an outstanding impact on the social aspect of music is Mr. Marvin Gaye. What can I say about Marvin that hasn’t already been stated? Again I know there are much bigger (and more knowledgeable) fans out there than myself. I was a young boy when Marvin made his mark on the world, so there are plenty others out there who know his music more intimately than I do but his music has made a mark on me as well. My personal favorites are when he performed duets with Ms. Tammy Terrell because in my opinion their songs are something that are “national treasures” and can never be touched or replicated by anyone else. Marvin was devastated when Tammi tragically passed away at the very young age of 24 from a brain tumor and after her funeral he went into seclusion for two years. He emerged by making some of the most important songs in the history of music. He created a psychedelic R&B sound along with the “concept” album for his genre that was second to none. As always, the question always remains-“What if?”- What if he were still around today? It makes me sad to think of the way he died and as a parent I don’t know if I could ever live with the guilt of killing my son. His dad had to be wrecked with unbelievable guilt as he survived for 14 more years after Marvin was killed in April 1984. Anyway, I’m on an island and have been told that I can only have 10 songs from the legend we all know as Marvin Gaye, “These are Them:”
10. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)–He made so many great songs early on in his career that they can not be ignored and this is one of my favorites. He started out with The Moonglows and this song definitely has the “doo-wop” feel to it albeit with that classic R&B sound. This is a finger snapping feel good song that makes you sing along to every word. Written by the fantastic team of Holland-Dozier-Holland and the music is played by none other than the Funk Brothers. This is pure perfection, there have been others who have covered this classic (including James Taylor) but no one does it like Marvin.
9. Keep on Loving Me Honey– a lesser known song between the dynamic duo of Marvin and Tammi. Even with just your ears you could feel the magic between the two of them, they had that something special for which again I can not think for the life of me, who matches them. This is R&B at its best and their harmonies are very special together. Take a listen to this beauty.
8. Right On– This classic from “What’s Going On” puts me in a trance whenever I hear it. Marvin had this way of hypnotizing you with his talents which included very poignant messages about the human race. This tune makes me think that Steve Winwood and the rest of his band mates in Traffic are the backing band to this psychedelic tune which evokes that passion/turmoil of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. “…some of us are aware that it’s good for us to care…some of us feel the icy wind of poverty blowing in the air…”-these are some powerful words on the social struggles that existed in those days and arguably still exist today. Marvin set out to write about how he felt and isn’t that every artist dream? Instead of just listening to what the record company wanted you to perform, he had the command by that time to do what he wanted and the results were spectacular.
7. God is Love (B-Side Version)–Don’t get me wrong, I love the original version which appears on “What’s Going On” but I think the longer version seems more like a “single” as opposed to the flow of the original album-which again is fantastic. This version has to hit you right in the heart and is something to behold. Think about the times that plagued our country when he was writing this kind of song-the Vietnam War, racial tensions and poverty- and this was one of his responses-you can’t get any better than this folks. This is a beautiful song that will last an eternity.
6. If I Should Die Tonight–Another slow moving song but it’s something that just grips you and doesn’t let go. This could be the ultimate love song ever written. Marvin had a way with words which really go right to the heart of every matter that he discussed. When I hear this song it kind of reminds me of the Beatles classic “Happiness is a Warm Gun” where the irony that Lennon was killed by that warm gun and in this tune where Gaye writes-“if I should die tonight, love… darlin’ it would be far before my time”- it is that same kind of irony, as Marvin was taken from us far before his time. Another beautiful song.
5. Come Get to This–Again you know I don’t like to write about such things but the groove in this song is too much to take and it has that old style “doo-wop” feel to it that Marvin injects into this song which has to pay homage to the artists that he looked up to. This is more upbeat than the others that I just mentioned and the “coolness” just exudes through your speakers. The flow is so smooth and the saxophone that follows Marvin in the background is the perfect touch that adds the flavor to this “comfort” food of a song. The current artist-“Joe”- covers this on his latest album-“Signature”- and does a nice job, he adds a little funk to the flavor.
4. Can I Get a Witness–Again another classic written by tandem of Holland-Dozier-Holland which takes you back to “Hitsville” where Motown began and if you listen carefully to the background vocals you will hear The Supremes lending a hand on the background vocals. Marvin plays a mean piano on this track and gets help again from the Funk Brothers on the other instrument as you can hear that gospel influence loud and clear along with a twist of boogie to go with the main course of rhythm and blues. This is a hand clapping and foot stomping song which makes me think of the “line” that use to be performed on Soul Train, I can picture the men and women dancing down the aisle to this great tune.
3. What’s Going On–Ok what can I say about this song that hasn’t already been said a million times over? This is arguably the greatest song ever written. And to think that Mr. Berry did not want to release this powerful song? What???!!! Thankfully Marvin stuck to his intuition and would not move forward until his music and words were respected by the powers that be. This made the number 4 song of all time according to the top 100 songs ever compiled by Rolling Stone magazine. An unbelievable masterpiece. ‘nuff said.
2. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough–They had me on the opening notes of this epic song. I love the little scat of the drums and when Marvin sings “Listen baby…” well I just drift off and listen to one of the most important songs ever recorded in the history of music. Forget about any other version recorded (no offense Ms. Ross) this is the best rendition and can you imagine that Ms. Terrell was nervous and intimated because she hadn’t rehearsed the lyrics? I have to give credit where credit is due and this masterpiece was written by the team of Ashford & Simpson. I would have loved to been in the recording studio when this was completed, there had to be a feeling of exhilaration. Isn’t life weird? No one knows or understands why things happen but one has to be thankful for songs like this. To be taken at the young age of 24 and then 44 is totally mind numbing but we will always have these recordings to be passed on to generation after generation. This brings tears to my eyes, that’s how phenomenal this song is.
1. Your All I Need to Get By–Words can’t even express the joy that this song gives me when I hear it. Tears are streaming down my face as I think of my wife and how I can relate to this song with her. Again written by the tandem of Ashford & Simpson this song is as equally as important as the aforementioned “Mountain” song and how moving are their voices-again there is no one that even comes close to singing it like Tammi and Marvin, it’s beyond words that I could ever express. Pure perfection. I know this is going to sound weird but when I hear this song I remember an episode of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” where Will’s aunt and uncle- Viv and Phillip dance to this song and you could feel how the song resonated with them. Even when I heard this song on a TV show, it gave me the chills. I’m assuming everyone on earth has this song so don’t even tell me if you don’t have it.
Trivia Questions
Answers from last week:
1. Mookie Blaylock
2. Yes and he will now continue drumming for the “re-union-ized” Soundgarden as well as PJ.
3. No, Pearl Jam has sold about 10 million more than Nirvana.
4. “Love Reign O’er Me”
This week’s trivia (Random)-
1. Name one of the three people who was asked by Crosby, Stills & Nash to join their group before the fourth person who was asked and accepted (Neil Young).
2. Which lead guitarist had his finger cut off while chopping wood with his brother?
3. Which rocker stated that he would never reach the age of 30 and wanted to die with his boots on?
4. Which rock band includes Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons?
Name That Tune
Answers from last week:
1. “Who Can It Be Now”- Men at Work
2. “96 Tears”- ? and The Mysterians
3. “Smile a Little Smile for Me”-The Flying Machine
4. “Telephone” –Lady GaGa & Beyonce
Can you guess the title from the following lyrics from part of the song?
1. “…and when the world was through…then one by one the stars would all go out…then you and I would simply fly away…”
2. “…sharing horizons that are new to us…watching the signs along the way…talking it over just the two of us…working together day to day…together…”
3. “…my hands are shaking don’t let my heart keep breaking cause…I need your love…I want your love…say you’re in love and you’ll be my guy…if not I’ll just die…”
4. “…but it’s alright now…I learned my lesson well… you see ya can’t please everyone… so you got to please yourself…”
Back on this Day
Sadly back on this day in 1983, the legendary Muddy Waters, died from a heart attack at the age of 68.
Sadly back on this day in 1999, Darrell Sweet, drummer for Nazareth, tragically died of a heart attack at the young age of 51 before a concert that Nazareth was going to perform in Indiana.
Back on this day in 1976, Keith Moon supposedly paid a few taxi cab drivers in NY $100 each to block off traffic on a city block so that he could empty the contents from his hotel room window on to the street below.
Back on this day in 1977, the Mighty Led Zeppelin set an outdoor concert attendance record-for a single act event-when more than 77,000 showed up at the Pontiac Silverdome.
Back on this day in 1983, “Beat It” by Michael Jackson became the number one hit (and would continue to do so for 3 weeks). Quincy Jones asked Eddie Van Halen to play guitar on the song and Eddie obliged and never accepted any payment for his services.
Back on this day in 1991, Nirvana signed a record deal with Geffen Records, they received an advance of $290,000.
Back on this day in 2001, a small plane carrying Sting and his manager skidded off a runway when landing in Italy, no one was injured.
If it is your birthday today you share the same birth date with Willie Nelson, Bobby Vee (“Take Good Care of My Baby”) and Wayne Kramer (MC5)
Errols Weekly Music Update. 