My Top 10 List for LENNY KRAVITZ

Have you ever held a connection with someone that you have never actually met in person? I believe it can be achieved through a message via a book, film, or music which resonates deeply in your heart or soul where that person becomes the best friend you on no occasion have ever spoken to in your life. However, if by chance there happened to be an encounter, the words would flow effortlessly while the assumed response would be sparse because the kinship is one-sided. I am convinced if the bond is profound that when we go to the other side, a higher power will infuse the sentiment into that being whereby the conversation will end up fulfilling the empathy that was equally shared despite being worlds apart here on earth.

Mr. Lenny Kravitz is that person for me because when my mother passed in 2004, I gravitated towards his “Baptism” album, which was released three days before she went to heaven, and it assisted with the grievance process. His dedication to his mother, “Calling All Angels,” shook me to my core and at that moment, I felt that I had a friend for life. As time has passed, I have read that Lenny was, if I may with no offense intended, because I am one too- a “mama’s boy” who dearly loved his mother, Roxie Roker, which has further solidified the linkage, although, I knew immediately from the opening notes back in 2004 that we shared an intense affection for a matriarch who loved us like no one else could. When I look back, instead of being part of the club of those who are dearly departed, the association of remembering all the joy that was imparted by that special someone is now the door that I have opened.

Mr. Kravitz has been part of my life since I married my bride in 1991 and just like the rest of the brethren, I was immersed in his massive stadium anthem hits while loving the Mighty Led Zeppelin influence, along with many other artists’, which depicted his rock star sound. His consistent message of love, hope and unity is what stands apart for me while I marvel at his effective communication of things that still need to change. His raw emotional side is striking, as mentioned with “Baptism,” and when he shared the relationship with his father on “It’s Time for a Love Revolution” which was released in 2008, it further enhanced my admiration. Folks, if I am going to that deserted island, I am taking “Love Revolution” with me because it is my opinion that this is his greatest body of work and I absolutely cherish “Baptism.” My entire inventory of tunes selected could be extended to fourteen because that is the number of tracks on “Love Revolution,” and I can honestly say that the album increases in value with each passing song. It ends with “I Want to Go Home” and the production of this song is so phenomenal that it leaves me wanting more.

The first time I saw Lenny in concert was on Wednesday September 8, 1999 as he headlined the legendary Madison Square Garden as I sat in luxury at the MBIA Suite 1068- I know it is not the rock and roll thing to do but after arriving at MBIA earlier that year, it was well known that I would take the tickets to any rock or metal show at the very last minute because that genre was not scooped up by the higherups, unless they had kids that wanted to go and I had no problem sharing the room. At this time, Mr. Kravitz had five albums under his belt with many of the tunes being nationally known and he brought the stage down. And my assumption is that despite leaving for California as a child, to be able to come home to New York, while playing the greatest stage in all the world, had to get the juices flowing.

Being a witness for his performance of “Are You Gonna Go My Way” which is one of the greatest rock tunes ever recorded was so spectacular as 18,000 fans were head-banging and air-guitaring while wanting more but we all knew this was the final encore with no way to top that moment. Fast forward to Saturday night April 23, 2005, when I took my bride to see him at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford CT as we sat in the orchestra section and her attendance included two reasons where one was waiting for him to play guitar without his shirt on. When that occurred, the entire female congregation let out such a scream I think it was probably heard in Hartford. Again, Lenny and his traveling band tore it up. Did I forget to mention that all of Mr. Kravitz’s studio albums are recorded with him playing nearly all the instruments?

My connection to Lenny is real, especially with his heartfelt emotional recordings that may be less popular with the larger audience (or maybe not) as I often wonder how he knows what I am feeling as his lyrics are transcendental where I realize that the majority of us have the same various emotional state of mind knowing that we were put here to love and not hate each other. His faith is awe inspiring as he continues to standup for love and that life is a beautiful thing. His words are poignant as he makes it clear that the plan was for all of us to experience the blessings instead of trying to tear each other down. And his most important message is that we have a choice and hopefully this universe can remove that plate of glass to love out of love.

I will state this again, trying to narrow down to ten songs for an artist that has eleven studio albums where each one of them has a minimum of ten tracks is impossible. Of course, this list will not be the “Main Street” of his massive talents, but it does not mean that I do not love them all because I do. Despite the fact that I love his rendition of “American Woman” this track will not appear because it is not his material. When he teamed up with the iconic Stevie Wonder to cover the KISS song “Deuce” I was absolutely blown away that he loves KISS just as much as I do. Lenny is only about nine months older than me and maybe being born during the same period also is what connects us (in my mind). Okay here goes, at this moment in time, here are my ultimate Lenny Kravitz songs in descending order. (Enjoy)

10— “Dig In” —Oh my this was one of the hardest things to do because there were so many tunes to choose from and currently, I would equate it to riding on the Japanese transit system where there are attendants on the platform that help gently push everyone into the car as the last person (song) makes its way in, while the others have to wait for the next train. For the first time ever, I will let you know some of the tracks that would have appeared if this list was extended to twenty and they include the following “Mr. Cab Driver” (love the groove as well as the message); “Again” (…all of my life… where have you been…); “It Ain’t Over ‘Till It’s Over” (you know this classic tune); “Believe” (If you want it, you got it… you just got to believe in yourself) and “Destiny” (tears come to my eyes every time I listen to it). Anyhow, back to “Dig In” I absolutely love the groove as the infectious guitar licks are almost too much to take and when Lenny gets to the second verse where he exclaims- “… wake up and shake it, you didn’t make your contribution… there ain’t no time for you to spare…”I actually lose my mind as I crank it up as loud as I can take it. Do you know how many times I have gone for a walk or run around town and right before the chorus begins again, I stop while looking up to the sky and exalt “… when the mountain is high… just look up to the sky… ask God to teach you… then persevere with a smile… yeah, yeah yeah…” Then I begin to dance around while strumming the air-guitar letting the music take me to another stratosphere, I love when the drums and his vocals are isolated as the crunching guitar waits to come back into the picture. Folks, this is pure perfection and could be listed as the definition in Webster when you look up the phrase- “rock and roll.”

9— “California”— At the age of 10, Lenny’s parents decided to move to Los Angeles from their upper east side apartment in New York City in an ironic twist as his mother received a role in the hugely successful television sitcom- “The Jeffersons”- which depicted a family moving on up in New York City. “Helen” was a material part of the achievement for the show as she always went toe-to-toe with “George.” Growing up in New York is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life and when Lenny says right off the bat that he was converted to the other side from the day he arrived in California, it made me think- is there something out there besides New York? I am unfamiliar with Venice Beach and “Station 26” (which was free?) but I believe that if Lenny was able to be comfortable on the west coast, maybe I could make a life there? But at this stage of the game, having remained on the east coast it may be a stretch, but I could definitely see living in San Diego, if my retirement can afford it. I love the shout out which Lenny exclaims- “… I miss the Apple and my schoolyard boys… nothing ever will compare…” because I am brought back to my school yard at Pershing Junior high school where the 46^th street gang met Joe, Flip, Cribbs, Carol, John, Joe, Pauly and the rest of the 48^th street squad. After a rough beginning where we were feeling each other out, the lifelong friendships remain in my heart despite not seeing all those people in over 30 years… did anyone say “reunion?”  

8— “Can’t Get You Off My Mind”— From the very first time I heard the opening lyrics to this tune- “Life is just a lonely highway… I’m out here on the open road… I’m old enough to see behind me… but young enough to feel my soul…” – I knew this was always going to be on my top ten list by Mr. Kravitz. Last week my bride and I celebrated our 31^st wedding anniversary and this is one of the many tunes that will always remind me of how lucky I am to have her in my life while I sing along with Lenny— “… And I just can’t get you off of my mind…” I am enamored with the entire production of this tune as all the pieces fit like the perfect puzzle that is now in a frame hanging on the wall and right next to it is my heart as I am taken to another world with the same sentiment which Lenny sings so wonderfully while I gaze into my wife’s eyes. Folks, I will say it again- it does not get much better than this.

7— “Are You Gonna Go My Way”- In my opinion, this has to rank up there as one of the greatest videos that ever appeared on MTV as the background scenery with the circular multiple levels of people dancing to this phenomenal tune is so energetic filled with love, along with a diversity that is awe inspiring. And I can never take my eyes off of Cindy Blackman on the drums as I was captivated by her fierceness and what else can be said of Lenny? His vocal prowess is infectious, and I know it made me want to be a rock star, especially after I saw this video for the very first time. The musicianship is clicking on all cylinders and in my opinion, this is what MTV was intended for because the focus is on the music and how every kid around the universe who wanted to be a rock star would look to this masterpiece as the evidence of picturing themselves on the stage ruling the world. Can it get any better? I think not.  

6—” Will You Marry Me”- From the moment I heard this track I knew it was also going to land in my top Lenny songs ever as he radiates that James Brown “funkadelic” feel as I try to dance my way around the room. Oh my, do I wish I knew how to dance because I would practice until I could emulate Mr. Brown or MJ and bring my wife into the GJOA club room, put her on a chair in front of all the folks who attended our wedding as I would strut around singing like Lenny as I would elicit the following emotion-“… you are my life and my passion… that never goes out of fashion… I want to know… will you marry me…” The flow of this tune is extremely contagious, and I could picture myself waiting to throw in the air-guitar scene right before the drums are isolated at the near two-minute mark while my kicking goes into overdrive. When the guitar solo struts in at the 2:14 moment I would absolutely lose it while hoping my bride would jump out of the chair to dance along side me while I would scream for the entire room to make its way to the center of the dance floor- if this does not get you moving, nothing will.

5— “I’ll Be Waiting”— To be able to construct a song like this all by yourself leaves me speechless because the final production is flawless as I wonder where Lenny’s inspiration comes from because as mentioned I feel the connection to his music at a level that few other artists’ have ever spoken to me. The chorus will stick in your head for the entire day as you will not be able to stop singing- “…I’ll be there… whenever you call me… I’ll be waitin’… whenever you need me…” Then when the track goes into the bridge at the 2:33 mark, my jaw actually hits the floor because I did not think the song could get any better, but one can hear it in Lenny’s voice as he proclaims- “… you are the only one I’ve ever known… that makes me feel this way… couldn’t on my own… I wanna be with you until we’re old…” As the piano plays while the tune is ending, I say to myself- “if I were a musician this is the kind of song that I would want to create.” Absolutely spectacular.

4— “Stand by My Woman”— As soon as the track begins I start to tear up because I know what is coming and I believe there are many out there who can relate to what Lenny is lamenting because the realization that you cannot live without that someone special after maybe not being there for them all the time, hits you like a ton of bricks. The only part that I associate with is the chorus- “… I’m gonna stand by my woman now… I’m gonna stand by my woman now… ‘cause I can’t live my life alone… without a home…”  I love the way Lenny screams towards the end of the song with that raw emotion which takes the tune to another level. I know that I cannot live my life alone without my bride and when I walk around town, I scream to the skies that I will always stand by her. The passion which is emitted by this tune always brings me to tears. I bow to you Lenny Kravitz!

3— “A Long and Sad Goodbye”— This song is extremely personal and depicts the miracle of Lenny making up with his father about two months prior to his death after years of no contact after his dad admitted infidelity, while also telling Lenny that one day he too would end up making the same mistake as he did but at the time, in my opinion, it did not sound like his father was remorseful. The heartbreak of this tune is real as Lenny asks why his father abandoned him because as we all know a parental figure means the world to all of us. I know we all make mistakes but the one thing I could never confront is an explanation to my bride and my sons because no reason could ever justify breaking their hearts. Lenny stated that it was God that brought him to his father on his death bed and prior to leaving this earth, he was able to love out of love instead of love out of respect. When we think of the things that engage us to taking separate corners without further discussion for something that is no where near the betrayal of a wedding vow, it gives me hope that one day we can settle our differences because if Lenny made peace with his fallen hero, then I believe redemption is on the horizon. The guitar solo towards the end of the tune is captivating.

2— “Calling All Angels”— Even though I cry every time I listen to this song, I have been able to make it through the entire production for the past thirteen years because for the first five years after my mom passed, I would have to turn it off as the pain was too much to manage. If you listen to much of his catalog you can feel the inspiration that he received from his mother as well as the intense love. In addition, his songs also speak to his relationships with the women in his life, including his daughter. I believe the real connection between he and I are the key women in our lives, which are my mother and my bride. “Calling all angels… I need you near to the ground… I miss you dearly… can you hear me on your cloud?” Wow, it does not get any more personal than that for me, it is like he took the words right out of my mouth.

1— “Let Love Rule”—Oh my… this tune lands in my top ten songs of all-time, never mind just his catalog, because it is a pure masterpiece. By the way, the entire album is something that everyone should own and has to be on the list of 1,001 albums you need to hear before you die. Listen to his background vocals at the 38 second mark where he beautifully sings those three words while making you feel like you have been lifted off the ground. I never want it to end as I love the saxophone, the pulsating bass lines as well as when Lenny screams it out of the park, it is all too much to handle. I just wish the message that he speaks would be heard because despite being written over 30 years ago it seems we are stuck in the mud without considerable progress. Think about how great this world would be if love would rule the world instead of hate? As Lenny has stated many times- “we all have good inside of us and we have evil inside of us… it is a choice” as well as “we were put here to love, to take care of each other”- these words are needed as much now as they were then, maybe more so today. Thank you, Lenny, for making a real connection with me as I know my life has been enriched by your music and message of love and peace.

Playlist: Remembering VERA-ELLEN

“You are obsessed!”

These were the words that my bride stated loudly as she ascended to the top step from the lower level of our home last Sunday while she could not believe that I was again watching “White Christmas,” the 1954 classic that stars Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen. My oldest son had just come home from work, and he said, “why are you watching a Christmas movie in February?”

As I mentioned to you all back in December, I still have the holiday spirit while continuing to listen and watch Christmas songs/movies well into the first quarter of 2022. A few months ago, I informed everyone that I watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” at least six times from November through New Year’s Eve. Last year for the first time ever, I finally viewed “White Christmas” in its entirety and this past holiday season I became engulfed with this treasure of a film so much so that I am catching up to the number of times I have watched Jimmy and Donna.

Vera-Ellen was born on this day back in 1921 and this movie was most likely the highlight of her stunning career as an actress and dancer. In an ironic twist, Vera did not sing her parts as Rosemary was one of the best singers ever, while Rosemary could not dance, and Ms. Clooney actually stated in an interview that she wished her dance parts could have been “dubbed” as well as Ms. Ellen’s vocals, it would have been “a perfect picture.” From what I have read and listened to about Vera was that she was the greatest dancer this world has ever witnessed as she was always refining her craft while never taking her success for granted because she kept working and could do any style of dance while making it look so effortless. She more than held her own with such legendary dancers as Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in what was a short but powerful career where her landmark performances are still influencing dancers around the world.

I have become obsessed with watching classic movies that are shown without commercials on the Turner Classic Movie (“TCM”) channel and since it is her birthday, I wanted to alert you to search out some of her greatest dance moments that includes “Three Little Words” (with Astaire), “On the Town,” “Words and Music” (both with Kelly) and of course “White Christmas” where she had three dance scenes including the iconic “Mandy” which displayed her beauty and class. The level of strength and control that she employed in all of her dances will leave you speechless.

In honor of Vera’s birthday, I decided to make a playlist that can be utilized at a dinner party or for a walk around town whereby the tunes selected here will include some of her performances, some “old-time” songs as well as tracks that contain the words “dance” or “dancing” in the title. Now of course, the range of the tunes will run the gauntlet as there maybe even a few “heavy” songs. (Enjoy)

1— “It’s a Lovely Day Today’” by Jo Stafford—Okay with this track there are numerous versions, but I wanted to get to the closest where Vera-Ellen and Donald O’Connor perform a perfect duet in the 1953 movie “Call Me Madam” and what better way than with the legendary Jo Stafford, whose stunning voice matches the unbelievable dance sequence between Vera and Donald. Who knows, maybe it is because I am approaching my sixth decade on this earth that I now am finally giving the timeless movies a chance, especially musicals- which does make sense because music is what I live for, along with my bride, boys, family, and friends. Folks, if you have never seen her dance, you are totally missing out and her acting abilities are not too shabby either.

2— “Count Your Blessings’” by Rosemary Clooney — Despite the fact that “Spotify” came up on the internet for the version between Rosemary and Bing, the only recording I could find was this with Ms. Clooney only, but it is just as beautiful as it was in the movie. The iconic scene in the movie could be one of the greatest in cinematic history as the chemistry between Mr. Crosby and Rosemary was evident despite the fact that Bing was 25 years older.

3— “Sisters” by Rosemary Clooney with Betty Clooney —As mentioned, Vera did not sing any of her parts in her movies and in “White Christmas” Trudy Stevens did the vocals. Now everyone who has seen the movie, the interaction between Vera and Rosemary is priceless and when Kaye and Crosby perform this tune, it is also another one of the most brilliant passages in cinematic history. I saw an interview with Rosemary where she mentioned that Danny tried so hard to make Bing laugh on and off the set, but that Mr. Crosby kept to himself. She stated that Mr. Kaye improvised by tickling Bing in the face with the huge feather trying to get Bing to lighten up because he was always on the straight and narrow road of being professional and one can actually see Mr. Crosby start to smile, while laughing as the playfulness took on a life of its own. Rosemary said that the entire cast were besides themselves in a fit of laughter as Mr. Kaye succeeded in breaking down Bing into a light moment. If either scene (by the girls or boys) does not put joy on your face, I give up.

4— “Dance with Me” by Orleans – The summer of 1975 I was ten years old, in the fifth grade attending P.S. 169 in Sunset Park and that summer we made our annual summer trip to Otisville N.Y. to stay with our grandparents. This tune will always take me back to those sweltering summer days while there were no worries in the world as I would play all day long with the interruptions being lunch and dinner as I refueled right up until the sun went down. I went to bed pretty quickly after it was dark and excitedly waited to do it all over again the next day. This is one of the most pleasant tunes ever recorded and since it is Valentine’s week, take your partners hand and dance with them around the living room or wherever you feel the love.  

5—” Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest – Staying with the 1970’s this stellar tune was released in 1972 and with no offense to their career as this is probably the biggest “one-hit” wonders in the history of music. The entire production of this song is flawless and for some reason I can picture Vera dancing to this song doing her own improvisation and we all know that would leave us gasping for more. I love songs like this, performances like hers and maybe that is why I am stuck in “retro” mode while trying to soak up all the “TCM” I can. I assume most people have heard this track, but I usually end up being wrong so if you do not know this, after you listen you can thank me later.

6— “Dancing in the Street” by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas — I have a funny feeling that I may have put this tune down on some other playlist and there are two other versions that I love- one by “The Mamas and Papas” and the other by “Van Halen.” But each time I listened to all three, Martha’s version kept winning and I believe this is one of the greatest recordings in the history of music. I think I saw somewhere that Martha was working as an assistant or secretary at “Hitsville” and the singer who was supposed to come in to record the tune, called out sick. Instead of cancelling, Martha jumped up and volunteered and as the saying goes “the rest is history.” And how grateful are we all to have her gift that will always be there for us to listen to at a moment’s notice? I know this will remain near the top of my ultimate songs.

7— “I Won’t Dance” by Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga —Who knew that Lady Gaga could sing the blues? Well, it was Tony who told her that he wanted to make an album together after witnessing only two performances. Folks, I am hoping everyone who is reading this was able to see “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga” over this past holiday season because it has to be considered one of the greatest concert specials in television history and my “brother” Slats and his wife attended his final performance ever at Radio City Music Hall. It was a bittersweet moment as we all know that Tony is dealing with dementia but once he stands next to his piano and all the other instruments, his memory comes back while his timing and inflections are astounding. And I have to say that I believe that Lady Gaga is the most impressive artist on the planet right now as she has proved that she can “sing the phone book” and most of us would purchase that album. I was stunned to see her up there in front of the entire Radio City audience holding her own as all eyes were fixated on her unbelievable stage presence. She danced up there by herself while belting out the tunes in her majestic voice while her interactions with Tony and the other band members were impeccable. This track is off their “Cheek to Cheek” album.

8— “Save the Last Dance for Me” by The Drifters—Even I recognize that there was no other rendition that I could have chosen as I know I could feel the wrath of my father if I had chosen Michael Buble’s version, which I also love. Folks, if you have never heard of the Drifters, please do yourself a favor and dive into their catalog as I am a believer that this unit was responsible for being part of the foundation of music, I will not even put a label on it because I do not want to put them into any one category. I grew up with their music almost every day and songs like this are national treasures that should be loved by the entire world. I can picture my aunt with her big black “beehive” hairdo singing at our kitchen table as my parents would join in while drifting off into another stratosphere as I would watch in amazement while wondering if music would do that to me. Now when I listen to it today, I am back to their stratosphere.

9— “Stay Young, Go Dancing” by Death Cab for Cutie —Again I can picture Vera taking this song and making it her own as she could do any type of dance and I bet you there would be agreement by her that one can stay young by dancing. For an abbreviated period of time, I held an obsession with Death Cab for Cutie as I found “Codes and Keys” to be a most enjoyable album, highlighted by this upbeat tune which makes me want to dance all around the living room by myself but of course I cannot dance and leave it to the experts, like Vera-Ellen. I love the entire production of this track, especially the lead vocals by Ben Gibbard as well as the background voices. Explore all types of music!

10— “Dancefloors” by My Morning Jacket — For a longer period of time I delved into the music of “MMJ” as it finally kicked in as I often wondered what the attraction was but just like after arriving on Cape Cod for the first two days, I could not understand what the allure was. However, by the third day I was overwhelmed with its beauty and to this day it remains one of my most favorite places on this planet. At my time with S&P, there would be pictures of employees who we may have known from another region or even the New York office, but we never received any insight on their likes and dislikes. I forget who the person was but one of the questions was- “if there was one album that you could take with you on to that deserted island, what would it be?” She responded, “It Still Moves” by MMJ, I was completely flabbergasted because I assumed (wrongly I might add) that the “corporate” world would not have any “rockers” (I know a broad meaning, more like “Phish” or “The Dead”) like myself and it was because of her I purchased this unbelievable classic body of work while never looking back. I know that this would probably not fall into Vera’s venue but maybe the ending with the big band sound with the saxophone she would find a way to pull it off.

11— “Domino Dancing” by Pet Shop Boys —Right off the bat, this is the only tune that I own by the Pet Shop Boys despite them being one of the most popular acts while I was growing up but as you all know my scene was Van Halen or AC/DC, so this was not on the menu. There was one-time where Johnny-Boy and his bride came to my house, and she could not believe that I did not like them while convincing me to purchase this tune from I-Tunes so that it could be put on the setlist that night.  

12— “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston — It is still hard to believe that Whitney is no longer with us and when I hear a song like this it reminds me of just how spectacular her talents are terribly missed. If you are hosting a party, it does not matter at what point you put this track on the list because it will get the entire crowd (even the grandparents) out of their seats as the joy that is belted out will send chills down your spine. I am speaking from experience as I threw this on the setlist for the 2018 holiday party when I was at S&P, and I will never forget everyone rushing to the middle of the dance floor as I was stunned that this one song brought even the wallflowers out from the dark into the spotlight. I can picture the entire LG group singing so loudly while dancing like there was no tomorrow. I know that Vera had passed away four years before Whitney released this in 1985 but I bet she was dancing in heaven with somebody.

13— “I’ve Got the Next Dance” by Denise Williams — This is right up Johnny-Boy’s alley as he would slide down the windows in his Monte Carlo with a sunroof as we would venture out of our neighborhood in Sunset Park while trying to “keep up with the Jones’s” as we would ride slowly with every other cool car with the tinted windows “under the El” (the NYC Subway line which used to be the “B” line but I think it is now the “D”) in Bensonhurst Brooklyn. Everyone at that time were vying to clone “Tony Manero” with music like this song blasting out of the windows with a “souped up sound system.” Johnny would inform me to sloop down in my seat because all I wore were rock T-shirts, so the Cheap Trick “Live at Budokan” apparel did not mix in too well with the disco scene. Now for those of you outside of Brooklyn, the key was to impress all the girls walking near 18^th avenue, so driving with two hands would automatically land you in “nerdville.” The minimum standard was driving with one hand while not bending the elbow and never turning the head, unless the girls spoke to you. It was so competitive that one time we saw this guy driving his car from the front passenger seat whereby he purposely slid both windows down below eye-level (which was a “no-no”) to let everyone see that he was not only driving with one arm but with one leg stretched across the console. Oh, by the way, there was never anyone “beeping the horn” under the “El” because it was treated like a construction zone where maximum speed was five miles per hour. Sunglasses, gold chains, slicked backed hair and a Marlboro cigarette barely hanging on the lips were also mandatory. Johnny checked all the boxes sans the cigarette.

14— “You Should Be Dancing” by Bee Gees – Keeping with the Tony Manero theme, despite the fact that we have all heard this tune thousands of times over the years- does it really get any better than this? Travolta was the man back then as we all watched him as one of the “sweathogs”- “Mr. Vinnie Barbarino”- which during the highest part of its popularity, “Welcome Back Kotter” appeared every Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. on WABC. Vinnie was famous for his “who… what… and where?” as all of Brooklyn watched with pride as it gave the neighborhood kids aspirations to be just like him. The opening credits depicted “New Utrecht High School” where many of my friends ended up going to but since I was out of the zone, my destination was to be “Fort Hamilton High School” but since I was not going to know anyone there, I ventured off to “Brooklyn Tech.” When the entire world watched “Saturday Night Fever” Sunset Park, Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst Brooklyn were all in the forefront as we said goodbye to “Vinnie” but were proud to identify with “Tony.” Those were the days. I know Vera-Ellen would have held her own with Tony.

15— “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer—Despite the fact that I was the “rock guy” some of the best disco music was being crafted and I could not let on that I loved songs like this but once I grew up, I let everyone know that I treasured tunes like this. Leo recorded this track in 1977 when it was my first year at Pershing Junior high school which is where I spent most of my teenage years, along with Dyker Park, playing softball in the school yard during summer and football the rest of the year. I would grab my glove and play centerfield until it was time to eat lunch or dinner. It was the place where if I had no one to play with I would bring along my trusty frisbee and throw it to the other side of the school yard while perfecting the art of playing frisbee by myself. Inside the “well” we would play stickball and lose all the spalding’s on the small roof that was above the back entrance and exits to the school. In another infamous childhood story, I climbed up to the third floor via some lose wires that hung from the roof of the nearly seven or eight floor building. I crossed over the “metal” windows that sometimes would swing out while stretching my leg as far as I could to get onto the roof. I finally make it and to my surprise there were at least 50 balls that I threw down to my friends and others who were amazed that I was able to climb to the top. As I discarded them all to the folks down below, now I had to get down but could not reach my leg back to that metal window covering because it kept swinging open. Someone then called the local fire department, and I knew that if my father found out what I did I would be in a world of trouble. As I heard the sirens approaching, the fear of my dad outpaced the dreaded fall to the ground from three stories above as I basically jumped to the window guard with my hands gripping on like I had spun a web. I quickly scaled towards the other window, slid my way down the wires while burning my hands as I blasted my way up 49^th street knowing that the fire trucks had to descend down 48^th street. By the time, the firefighters had arrived I was in my house making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as my mother asked me why I was home earlier than usual. “Hungry” I said as my life literally passed before my eyes… twice!

16— “Let’s Dance” by Chris Montez — What a musical education I received at my home growing up with mom and dad as this tune was played incessantly during my childhood. I recently discovered this tune again while forgetting how much I love it. I-tunes did not have the original recording so I purchased a compact disc which had this tune along with many other “dance” songs and will play it at parties where people of my age and higher will know it while letting me know- “how do you remember all these tunes?” My response will always be- “Mom and Dad!”

17— “Land of 1000 Dances” by Wilson Pickett — This has to be considered one of the coolest recordings in the history as the beat is so infectious, filled with gusto that has to get the feet and body moving with fierce thrusts. Mr. Pickett was a force that created some of the best music this world has ever heard. I can guarantee that Vera could do all the dances mentioned in this song including the Boogaloo, twist, alligator, mashed potato, watusi, yo-yo, fish, bop, slop, hand jive and sweet pea.

18— “Dance Little Sister” by The Rolling Stones —Getting a little heavier with Mick and the boys as they rip through one of their greatest hits ever, obviously in my opinion. Keith Richard’s guitar solo is off the hook, and it is tunes like this that make it easier for me to shovel the snow as it definitely gets my juices flowing as I also air-guitar my way through this rock and roll classic. Turn it up!  

19— “Dancing with Myself” by The Donnas — Listen with no offense to Mr. Idol as I know what you are all thinking- how can I put any other version than his? But hear me out- there is something about rendition that the ladies have put forth with their grit, fortitude and strength and I can say that I also was obsessed with this unit as well because I loved the way they rock out. This appears on the “Mean Girls” soundtrack.

20— “Flashdance (What a feeling!)” by Irene Cara— I wonder if the musical director(s) was/were influenced by Vera-Ellen because the entire dance scene has that same wonderful feeling that Vera displayed on numerous occasions throughout her dance career. I feel like she would have nailed that performance with the same fervor she displayed despite a different type of music that she was accustomed to, but I feel like she would have adjusted to the times. The movie, as well as this song, has to go down as one of the best moments in artistic history.  

21— “Last Dance” by Donna Summer—Donna Summer will forever remind me of my beautiful bride as she loved her so much and might possibly be her favorite artist of all-time. I also think of my brides’ “Other-Half” (her best friend) who absolutely loves Donna just as much as the three of us went to see “Summer” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway on my wife’s birthday in 2018. I watched in glory as the both of them sang every song word-for-word with love in their eyes and ears. One of the greatest things I live for are seeing people enjoy themselves through music as they had so much fun singing and dancing. What could be better? Thank you to my bride and her other half who have opened my ears to Donna’s catalog, which is brilliant.

22— “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John— I am a complete novice when it comes to Sir Elton’s career, but I know I am in good company when I say that this tune would land in my top ten songs by this legend. Again, for some reason, I can see Vera dancing in the background as Elton sits at his piano belting out this unbelievable tune. On a silly note, I am a “Friends” freak of a fan and there is an episode during season three where Ross and Rachel were discussing the most romantic songs ever and Phoebe breaks in with “the one that Elton John wrote for that guy on Who’s the Boss… Hold me close, young Tony Danza.” This is an absolute classic song.  

23— “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” by Danny Kaye— I have so many favorite moments during “White Christmas”, but I wonder to myself if this is my most favorite because to see Danny do his best to keep in stride with the beautiful Vera-Ellen is phenomenal. The background setting with her pink dress and his all-grey outfit (including his shoes) with their amazing dance sequence is something to behold as I can watch this all day long. Oh by the way, Danny also does an impressive job singing this tune. If you noticed, most of the songs performed in the movie make no reference to Christmas at all, so you can listen to this in February.  

24— “Love, You Didn’t Do Right by Me” by Rosemary Clooney— The iconic black dress worn by Ms. Clooney while surrounded by four male dancers, also dressed in black, is one of her best songs ever as Bing is mesmerized by her amazing voice. Later on in the movie, it was now Vera-Ellen’s turn to blow up the screen with Bing and Danny as well as the same dancers that were surrounding Rosemary but make no mistake Ms. Ellen steals the show with her “Magnum Opus” moment, “Mandy.” Folks, I implore you, if you do not want to watch the movie now, just look up the scene on Youtube to see what I am referring to and promise me that when the holiday season approaches later on this year, you will watch this fantastic movie in its entirety. Thank you, Vera-Ellen, for giving us a treasure chest of performances on film as we celebrate your birthday. Simply amazing.

IS ROCK DEAD?

My oldest son took me by surprise this past week as unbeknownst to my knowledge he had been writing a piece for an extended period of time and he asked me if I wanted to participate in a trial while also asking to publish the results on my blog. I was honored because it has been more than a decade that he has written about music, that I am aware of, and for those who do not know, I would use both of my boys to help me fill up my weekly update (which at the height of its existence had grown to a minimum of 15 pages of “Word”) with their opinions, albeit it was my influence back then when they attended grade and high school. Both have ventured down their own highways, which I believe developed a diverse array of genres, which has given them a sophistication of musical education to a level that I will never achieve.

To help me celebrate my 300^th posting on this site (“WordPress”), my son wants me to listen to songs by artists’ that he considers “rock” while expressing my opinion to all of you. I will try to make it easier for you the reader to decipher what he has written along with my response. Here are ten songs, in no particular order that I have never heard, by artists’ that my oldest son loves. (Enjoy)

My Son wrote the following below (and my responses are in red):

“Is Rock Dead?”

This is one of the most tired questions of the last twenty years. The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no, even though it should be. In my opinion, the answer is a resounding and obvious no. The problem is that most people cannot come to an agreement about what “rock” is or what “dead” means. 

There is a type of listener who will loudly claim that rock music is dead. This person bumps classic rock stations with the windows down, thinks hip-hop killed rock and roll, and believes that Greta Van Fleet is the most exciting music to come out in the last two decades. While I think everyone is entitled to like whatever music they like, I think there is a problem with this type of listener. They are attached to a specific version of rock music, mainly from 1969-1979, and will not allow the genre to grow. This is the kind of listener that will complain about the lack of “rock” music in pop culture but turn around and say that Radiohead isn’t rock. They will complain about a lack of new songs on 95.1 “I95” (here in southwestern Connecticut) but dismiss any new rock music shown to them that doesn’t sound like AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. These listeners are bored of the music they’ve heard all their life but will not listen to things that don’t feel familiar. They want the exact same car with a fresh coat of paint, and nothing more. 

All of this is fine with me, as long as you don’t say rock is dead. Don’t say something is dead just because it doesn’t align with your idea of what that thing is. Rock music is very much alive, just not in the same way it was during the 70’s. Is it the dominant music in pop culture? No. Not by a long shot. But it is far from dead if you open up to the possibilities of what rock music can be. The term “rock” used to be an umbrella term that could describe the music of Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, Van Halen, Stevie Nicks, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, and countless others. Do Aerosmith and Tom Petty sound anything alike? No. Are they both still rock artists? I’d say so. Somewhere along the line that view stopped being applied to newer rock acts or rock adjacent acts. 

There are so many talented artists and songwriters out there today who write music that I would describe as rock or a subgenre of rock (indie rock, folk rock, alternative rock). Unfortunately, you might have to dig for it. Sometimes finding great music requires effort. It requires searching, listening, being open, and talking to other people about what they’re listening to. This list is for people who enjoy classic rock music and are open to hearing what a newer generation of rock artists and songwriters are doing. 

Although my dad does not fall into the type of music listener I have described, he isn’t as familiar with the artists I’m writing about. He jokes about me not liking rock music, but the reality is that we gravitate toward diverse types of rock music. He tends to resonate more with Van Halen, The Beatles, Metallica, AC/DC, and Kiss. I tend to resonate more with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers Band, and Billy Joel. I like lyricists and rock acts that have a toe in blues or jazz. I thought it would be fun to get his thoughts on hearing these songs for the first time. His reaction to each song will be written, in his own words, below my descriptions. Without any further ado, here are 10 Great Rock Songs from Modern Artists: 

1. “You and I” by Margaret Glaspy (Emotions and Math, 2016)

“Oh, tonight I’m a little too turned on to talk about us and tomorrow I’ll be too turned off and won’t give a f**k.” Man, what an opening line! Immediately sets the tone for this fuzzy, “Joan Jett esque” banger. Margaret has this great growl in her voice and effortlessly goes from her lower register to her fiery upper register. She is also an incredible guitar player who writes infectious parts all over this album. When’s the last time you heard a guitar riff be the hook of a song? This whole album is filled with one great song after another. It’s a classic in my book and is one of the most creative singer-songwriter albums of the 2010’s. 

Errol’s Reaction: Obviously, I am just a listener of music, unlike my son who knows what time the songs are in and what chords are being utilized. In my opinion, I do not feel the Joan Jett influence, but I do love the flow of this tune while her vocal prowess reminds me of an edgier Chrissie Hynde (if that is possible). I know I speak about how Metallica, Dave Grohl, Shinedown, etc. are still carrying the flag for the rock genre but this makes me believe there are others doing their part to keep rock alive. This is truly right up my alley and I give it a total thumbs up!

2. “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers (Stranger in the Alps, 2017)

I saw Phoebe Bridgers in 2016 in a room that had no more than 100 people. She was the opening act for Julien Baker, another great singer-songwriter. I had no idea who Phoebe was at the time, but she totally blew me away. She played a beautiful setlist with just drums, voice, and guitar. The instrumentation really impressed me, and her songwriting immediately spoke to me. She played a song called “Funeral” that hit so close to home it made me tear up at the show. It has been nothing short of amazing watching her become one of the biggest indie rock acts in the world. I saw her again in 2019 at Brooklyn Steel with a full band and an audience of close to 2,000 people. In my mind she’s the biggest success story in recent memory. “Motion Sickness” is a great introductory tune for new listeners. It’s a killer up tempo tune with scathing lyrics and a gorgeous melody. Phoebe has proved to be one of the most promising artists to emerge in the last few years and I’m so excited to see how her career unfolds.

Errol’s Reaction: This is vastly different from what I would normally listen to but as I try to be a better person as I become longer in the tooth, I can say that I would listen to this type of music on a long trip. In a weird twist, one of my favorite movies over the past few years has been “The Green Book” which has many scenes of two people driving in a car across the United States with all its beauty. I think this song would fit perfectly with “Doc” and “Tonylip” as they trekked throughout the south and for me personally, I would like to be the passenger in the front seat listening to this tune while watching the land, water and nature’s beauty fly by my eyes while soaking in this pleasurable vibe in my ears. Another “thumbs up!”

3. “Fill in the Blank” by Car Seat Headrest (Teens of Denial, 2016)

Will Toledo, front man and songwriter for Car Seat Headrest, kicks off this critically acclaimed release with a driving, head banging opener. Will sings about the age-old problem of teenage angst with very fresh lyricism and perspective. I love how he taunts the phrases that have been said to him by the adults in his life. “You have no right to be depressed, you haven’t tried hard enough to like it, haven’t seen enough of this world yet.” The whole album deals with depression, youth, drug use, anxiety, and feeling directionless. Sonically, the album draws from classic rock and 90’s alternative, but the band takes those influences and creates their own sound with them. 

Errol’s Reaction: Wow, an electric guitar I love it. There are some head-banging drums to accompany maybe some “air-guitaring” as the singer’s voice reminds me of Ray Davies (lead singer of “The Kinks”). I can tell by the structure of the tune that there will not be much of a guitar solo, and the sounds reminds me somewhat of the band “TV on the Radio.” I have to say that this track would not be on any setlist that I would create, with no offense to my son or Car Seat Headrest… but it is growing on me.

4. “Pressure to Party” by Julia Jacklin (Crushing, 2019)

Julia Jacklin manages to do one of my favorite things in music: make an up-tempo, feel-good song with the saddest lyrics you can imagine. The music sounds like something you would hear at an indie house party, while the lyrics are about desperately trying to deal with a breakup. Her lyricism is so sharp and relatable. This album is a phenomenal breakup album that can go toe to toe against any classic break up album. This is the kind of album you cry in the car with, but on “Pressure to Party” you can take a moment to dance while you cry. 

Errol’s Reaction: The beginning of the tune sounds like something that Tom Petty would craft (contrary to the opinion up top that I may not be a fan of the “singer songwriter,” I guess he forgot that I took him to see Mr. Petty on his “lost treasure” tour where he played his lesser-known tunes at the Beacon Theater). Through the first four tunes, I hear similarity in the tracks chosen such as the quick licks on the acoustic guitar with the drumming like Ringo or Mr. Watts, which is not flashy, but keeps the vibe of the track intact while knowing the musicianship is stellar. This song would make my setlist on a long trip. Nice job Julia and thanks to my son for the recommendation.

5. “Pin It Down” by Madison Cunningham (Who Are You Now, 2019)

Groove. This is the first word that comes to mind every time I hear this tune. How does this song groove so hard? Madison manages to sing flawlessly while playing guitar in odd tunings and odd meters. When is the last time you heard a pop or rock song have a chorus in 7/4? AND feel organic and not like a math rock gimmick? Madison is a heavy musician, and I am very curious to see how her music will evolve. She got off to a great start. Imagine having this be the opening song on your debut record?

Errol’s Reaction: The “funk-a-luscious” beginning of the tune grabbed me right away, along with Madison’s vocal prowess as I pictured Sheryl Crow for some reason. As the song breaks up a bit at the 2:55 mark the infectious groove is injected right into my bloodstream. This is something that is different from what I would usually listen to, but I would have to say that I agree with my son’s assessment of where her music will evolve because one can feel the hunger, grit, and dedication to making a nice tune. Total passing grade.

6. “Northsiders” by Christian Lee Hutson (Beginners, 2020)

I bawled the first time I heard this song. I mean, straight up lost it. This is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard in my life. This is songwriting at the absolute highest level. This is the kind of writing that makes me feel grateful to be alive. Knowing that a human being created this gives me so much hope to continue creating music. Christian has this incredible ability to say so much and tell such a vivid story with few words. “Morrissey apologists, amateur psychologists, serial monogamists, we went to different colleges.” We learn so much about this relationship from this stanza. I won’t spoil anything, but make sure you have some tissues with you when you get to the last verse. This was my favorite album of 2020 and I genuinely think “Northsiders” is one of the best songs ever written. Christian will release his second album, Quitters, on April 1st.

Errol’s Reaction: I had to spin this tune a few times before coming around because my initial reaction was to “turn the dial” but as I let it settle in it grew on me as Christian’s voice will sound like he is sitting right in your earlobes and by the end of the tune, I felt a lump in my throat while trying to hold back the tears as I realized what my son was feeling. For some reason, his sound reminds me of “Band of Horses” (who are on my bucket list to see in concert), and I will purchase this album from I-tunes. Wow, this is highly impressive.

7. “Night Shift” by Lucy Dacus (Historian, 2018)

Epic. This song is such a breathtaking account of a breakup and the aftermath. Right from the start we’re hit with “the first time I tasted somebody else’s spit, I had a coughing fit.” Come on. Come on! What a brilliant way to start a story. Midway through the song, the feel completely changes. The second half is this glorious build up where, at the climax, Lucy wails, “In five years I hope the songs feel like covers dedicated to new lovers,” over a wall of distorted guitars. I saw this song played live and it was incredible to hear a room full of people scream those words with her. 

Errol’s Reaction: There is a certain vibe to this list that is really mellow and believe it or not, there are many days that I do not listen to Godsmack or Metallica, and while I do listen to “soft” tunes, I would need more of a “kick” in my coffee but recognize that this is a well-crafted tune. I agree with the assessment that the second half of this track has a different feel to it as the “acid like” guitar sound builds up, along with her vocal prowess and maybe my opinion would change if I did see her perform this live with an audience who loves her because we all know that a “live” memory of a concert makes the song that much better. This would be on my setlist, but I would have to include some tunes that make the juices flow. I do not know if I am making sense but overall, this was a borderline tune which moved to my playlist because of the second half.

8. “To the Boys” by Molly Burch (First Flower, 2018)

Molly Burch combines rock, jazz, and country into a style all her own. I’ve never heard anyone sing quite like her. She has a mesmerizing, hypnotic voice that makes you want to just keep listening to her. I love how deep her voice can get. The song has great electric guitar parts and backup vocals that feel breezy and swirling at the same time. I love her quiet bravery on this song. “I don’t need to scream to get my point across, I don’t need to yell to know that I’m the boss.” She knows who she is and is confident about it. That is as inspiring as it gets. 

Errol’s Reaction: The song starts off with a nice groove as I picture myself sitting at a jazz club in NYC as the waiter’s circle about taking orders as the audience seems to enjoy the music while trying not to speak because we are trying to figure out if we like Molly’s vocals. Her style is quite different from what I have ever heard, and I think if I saw her live, my opinion would change but at the 2:40 mark she does take it up a notch when she asks you to “answer me.” I like the background vocals and the musicianship is stellar, again. This definitely can be used for a dinner party as the guests will feel warm and welcome.

9. “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski (Puberty 2, 2016)

This is one of the most popular Mitski songs and it’s also one of her best. The song is about an interracial relationship between Mitski and an “All-American-Boy.” It has a slow and delicate first half where she croons about the guy she is enamored with. Then a wash of heavy guitars comes in and Mitski sings “Your mother wouldn’t approve of how my mother raised me, but I do. I think I do.” You can feel her uncertainty as she wrestles with her feelings for the guy and her feelings toward her own culture. I think she felt she had to choose between her culture and her love interest because they were at odds with each other. It’s incredibly beautiful when Mitski embraces the idea that she doesn’t have to be ashamed of her upbringing. She changes the words on the second chorus to “Your mother wouldn’t approve of how my mother raised me, but I do. I finally do.” Mitski has become one of the most successful artists in indie rock and released a new album, Laurel Hell, on February 4th. 

Errol’s Reaction: It took me a few turns to come around as the beginning starts off a bit slow but then there is an ascension into some guitar fusion with a loud background. I can hear where she would pull in her fan base, just not sure I am there yet.

10. “Change” by Big Thief (Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, 2022)

Big Thief caught my attention with their debut album, Masterpiece, in 2016. I saw them on NPR Tiny Desk and was amazed at their song “Paul.” I bought the record and didn’t end up liking it outside of 3 or 4 songs. Big Thief continued to grow and grow in popularity and now have a cult following. The band didn’t mean much to me until 2020 when I heard lead singer and songwriter, Adrianne Lenker, release a solo album called Songs and Instrumentals. For whatever reason, that album spoke to me in such a deep way. Her songwriting really resonated with me, and it quickly became one of my favorite albums of that year. I went back and bought her older solo albums, A-Sides and B-Sides (w/ Buck Meek)and Hours Were the Birds. She is now one of my all-time favorite songwriters and musicians. 

Big Thief is set to release this new record, a 20-song double album, on February 11th and I am beyond excited. They have released 8 of the songs over the past 4 months as promotion and all of them are winners. “Change” is one of my favorites of the released songs. Listen to how beautifully she asks “Would you live forever and never die, while everything around passes? Would you smile forever, never cry while everything you know passes?” It’s so earnest and true. Buck Meek’s harmony vocals sit beautifully behind Adrianne and the band provides this great folk rock backing a la Neil Young on Harvest. I think Adrianne is making some of the most important music out there. I implore you to check out her solo albums and the upcoming Big Thief record. It could be album of the year. 

Errol’s Reaction: Overall this list can be utilized at a dinner party because there is a softness, a sweetness that shines through on the list of tunes that my son has given me to listen to in order to determine if rock is really dead. This song reminds me of something that Neil Young would have performed at the beginning of his career, and I can picture being at a ski lodge with the snow falling as people sit around the fireplace in the lobby drinking their hot chocolate.

Thank you to my son for giving me an opportunity to open my ears to a different type of rock, although I do like “singer-songwriter” types of tunes, and when I am in the mood I could listen to these new songs as you all know my musical tastes are all over the place. I agree with my son that rock is not dead, and I have been saying for years that the “I 95’s” and “Q104.3” classic rock radio stations across the United States should work in new artists like these to open the ears and minds of those who only want to listen to “Sweet Home Alabama” or “Carry On Wayward Son” everyday for the rest of their lives. Go explore!

A Groundhog’s Day Playlist

Despite the fact that winter is now only forty-three days old, when we awoke this morning, many of us ran to the television or the actual event as we awaited Punxsutawney Phil, named after his hometown, in Pennsylvania to emerge from his hole to witness if he casts a shadow as the hope is he will not because that will mean that spring will come early. Ha! Maybe it is because I am on the back nine but living here in the south-western tip of New England for the past 20 years has hardened me because I know all too well that the heat in my house has been (and will be) on until at least the middle of May. So, unless I am missing something, those of us who live in “winter” areas already know that there will be at least 10 more weeks of chilly weather. But what is better than tradition or hope? The ceremony is fun while also creating a buzz that spring training for baseball will begin in Florida and Arizona (hopefully!) in a few weeks, hence spring is creeping up from the back of the line to warm up our days.

I actually prefer the wintry weather beginning on November 1^st until New Year’s Day, while always hoping for a white Christmas as I do love to have fun in the snow, shoveling, not so much. Growing up in the northeast breeds familiarity with frosty conditions with the hopes of a snow day, which hardly ever came to fruition while growing up in Sunset Park Brooklyn as it would literally take a blizzard with at least 18 inches of snow for the NYC public school system to shut down during the 1970’s and 1980’s. I think I can count on one hand how many times I stayed home from P.S. 169, Pershing Junior High School or Brooklyn Technical High School because of a snowstorm. I can say it now but while growing up, I was forbidden to go to the actual Sunset Park, it was like the invisible fences that are now used for dogs without leashes around homes, but whenever there was at least six inches on the ground, we would break through that invisible line without getting zapped in the neck. Knowing we had a limited time, we would run from the 7^th avenue side towards “Dead Man’s Hill” where we would take our flexible flyers down a steep hill, after the bigger kids had crafted a snow-ramp to follow, over the wall (picture the stone walls which surround Central Park) crashing right on the 5^th avenue sidewalk, praying that there were no broken bones while rushing back around another pathway to get back up to the same point of the hill to do it again. No one dared walked back up the snow path that was being packed down like ice so that the jump over the wall would result maybe landing on the two-way 5^th avenue street, past the sidewalk.

In one of my most infamous childhood stories, I make my way with my brand-new sled that I received as a Christmas present from my parents with my middle brother and Johnny-Boy to the park as the snow was deep enough to risk getting in trouble to have a few rides down “Dead Man’s.” As we approached the pool area, we were met by three older guys who brandished a knife while demanding me to hand over the sled. They had no idea that I was one of the fastest kids in the neighborhood and just like when Karen jumped on Frosty’s back to escape Professor Hinkle, I was out of the park before all, including my brother and best friend, even knew it. Yes, it was every man for himself as I knew there was no way I could face my dad on two accounts- first, I was not supposed to be in that park and second, no way I was about to explain that someone stole my new Flexible Flyer. Fortunately, Johnny and my brother were let go as they were probably amazed that I had the nerve to fly away and believe me there was no chance that anyone could have caught up to me as I was home in less than five minutes despite being two blocks and two avenues away from home.

Fast forward to when I lived in Ringwood N.J. when my bride and I were first married. For those who have never been to Ringwood, there are steep hills everywhere but there are no sidewalks with limited streetlamps. There was one particular storm where the snow was so compact because it also rained a little bit, and I knew the plows would have a challenging time getting it off the roads or would make it slicker. I took the same Flexible Flyer as I walked down my road to make a right turn with the intention to get to the very top of the adjoining street while my bride was still sleeping as the morning light was just coming up as it changed back to snow. I took a running start, jumped on top of the sled, and picked up so much speed that as I descended towards the bottom of the hill where the STOP sign was, I knew there was no way I could end my ride. As I lifted my head as high as I could to see if there was any cross traffic because despite it being so early, I knew there was a chance I could die if there was a vehicle coming in either direction if I continued straight through like the letter “T.” At the last second possible, a plow truck emerges from my left, so I thrusted myself off the sled while rolling in at least three complete spins into the snow covered grass while my sled sped through the intersection. The driver rolled down his window as he screamed some expletives while also asking if I was crazy. “You’re a grown man sleigh riding an unplowed road- what is wrong with you? I could have killed you.” I apologized and quickly went back up to do it just one more time, this time knowing that he was gone.  

When we moved to Connecticut, I now had two more friends, my boys, to engage in my fun. I took the same approach where I knew that since we lived on one of the steepest roads that the plows would leave us for last so I would take them out, after Mom had dressed them up like the “Michelin” tire man (adding more protection was not a good thing as the riskiness increased but my bride never knew) before the road was cleared. At first, I started off in the middle of the block so as to not completely scare them off with the intention of ultimately getting to the top of the road. Of course, I succeeded, and I will never forget their faces as we were flying down the hill as they were having so much fun while I would never let them get hurt. Every once in a while, I had a partner in crime in Sal, as we would trek over to Ridgefield to find one of the biggest and fastest hills with his four children. After the fun we would walk over to Pizza Planet while creating lifelong memories.

Despite getting older now there is a part of me that enjoys the snow, especially the way it looks on the ground, I do not use the sled as much as I used to but now enjoy another aspect which includes looking out the back window during a storm while seeing deer, along with numerous birds flying about, I lock in on the absolute beauty of it all. There is a certain exquisiteness to bare bone trees, as I stare into the frozen body of water behind the house that I can see during the winter months, as the snow falls which also covers the endless number of leaves that serves as a reminder as my left elbow should recover by June, just to get ready to do it all over again in September.

There is a part of me that hopes that Phil does not see his shadow so I can tell myself that there really are only six weeks left for winter, and it is all about positive thinking, right? As my tooth grows longer, I do aspire for those extremely hot days during the summer as I cannonball into the pool. But for now, based on a sustained experience with New England winters, I will buckle myself in for whatever is expected over the next few months. Since this day is about the groundhog and if he will see his shadow or not, I have decided to honor Phil with songs that contain the following words in the title: “shadow,” “shade,” “cloud,” and “sun” because I believe these all figure in on the outcome of the day. I cannot recommend the total list for a dinner party because there will be some “heaviness,” but this probably could be used for walking around your town. Of course, these songs will be all over the place as you will know what it is like when I produce a set of tunes, you never know what will appear. (Enjoy)

1— “A Hazy Shade of Winter” by Simon & Garfunkel—It is funny I was going to use the more recent version of this song, by The Bangles, but then realized that whenever I write about bands from the 1980’s I receive stares back at me like “who?” I will say that the Bangles version is much heavier, and I do believe they did it with justice as they kept the originality intact while definitely making it their own. Paul and Art had this magic that is undeniable and, in my opinion, has never been replicated as it seemed that everything, they did together was absolutely stellar. As we are in the thick of a hazy shade of winter, what better way to start off the setlist with this ultimate classic?

2— “Get Off of My Cloud”—by The Rolling Stones– As soon as one hears the tapping of the drums it takes us all back to Charlie as the brethren still hurts by his loss last year. The infectious, simple beats generated by Mr. Watts helps Mick sing this tune in his young soulful voice as we all yearn for the “old days” as the memories of playing “three sewers” stickball or playing tackle football in the snow on 7^th avenue in front of St. Agatha’s church while opposite lanes of cars scurried in between our huddles. I know The Stones were known as the “bad guys” of rock and roll but there is an innocence to this recording that makes it wonderful to listen to over and over again.

3— “Cloudspotter”— by Foo Fighters- Since we are taking the groove up a bit what better way to get the Foo’s involved with their funkadelic feel as we all know the level will be risen while the screaming will permeate into your ears as Dave will get the juices flowing. I love the female background vocals that follow Mr. Grohl’s verses so unassumingly but adds the necessary spice. This past fall season I raked the leaves with this album blasting in my ears and I definitely took time out to air-guitar to this high energy tune.

4— “Shadow of the Day”- by Linkin Park– Taking it down a bit as you should let the beauty of the late Chester Bennington’s voice take you through the clouds but do not fret as the consistent beat of the drums will appear to keep up a nice brisk walk. “Minutes to Midnight” was released in 2007 when my youngest son turned 10 years old, and this song will forever remind me of him as I believe this was one of his most favorite tunes off of this classic album. The last 25 seconds is pure bliss but also a painful reminder that Chester is no longer with us. It will be hard to get the chorus out of your head as we all sing – “and the shadow of the day… will embrace the world in grey… and the sun will set for you…” For some reason despite this body of work being released in May- which is my most favorite month of the year- as the rebirth of nature comes to fruition- I usually love to listen to this tune in November, which is my second desired month of the year because the beauty of being able to see through the leafless trees, along with the cloud filled cooler days is something that I love but cannot explain why.

5—” Shadow on the Sun”- by Audioslave– I just realized that I put a Chris Cornell led track after Chester and this was not done intentionally but it makes perfect sense because there is a kinship in the music that both created. As mentioned, I was not the biggest fan of Audioslave, but I recognize the greatness of this entire unit as I think it shines brightly here with Mr. Cornell’s unbelievable vocal prowess along with Tom Morello’s amazing talents on guitar. The “engine” of the band includes the pulsating bass of Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk’s skills as a drummer has to make him included in the conversation of who are the best drummers alive today? (Mr. Wilk played the drums for the reunion of Black Sabbath’s “13” album which is an unfortunate reminder that Bill Ward was not included but there is a reason Brad was asked to play on the studio album).

6— “Standing in the Sun”— by Slash & The Conspirators (featuring Myles Kennedy)– In Rocktober 2019 I went to the new Seaport in lower Manhattan where they now hold concerts on the roof, and I was able to see my new hero for the past few years- Mr. Myles Kennedy. To be able to see Slash on a rooftop because he is not playing in Guns & Roses is a gift in itself with no knock towards Myles or the rest of the Conspirators because I think they should be selling out Stadiums- that is how much I love Myles Kennedy. It was a dream come true watching them perform this classic with the Manhattan Bridge in the backdrop on a beautiful night where it was not to hot or cold. Both Slash and Myles knock it out of the park on this tune. Crank it up!

7— “The Sun”—by Maroon 5– Ahh, this is when Maroon 5 was Maroon 5, with no offense to their meteoric success down the pop highway as they now seemingly only do collaborations with the hottest acts, which includes themselves. In the beginning of their career, I could not figure out who the band that sung “Harder to Breathe” was, but once I bought “Songs About Jane” I was blown away by their musicianship. My oldest son will tell you that this is one of their best tunes ever, just listen to the funky groove and the guitar solo that takes the song to its end, absolutely stunning musicianship. Don’t kid yourself, Adam Levine deserves whatever he gets but there is no way he achieves his stunning success without the brilliant musicianship behind him. Exhibit A. ‘Nuff said.

8— “Beyond the Sun”—by Shinedown– I am still on a Shinedown high so giving you another song to discover is what I live for as this stellar body of work is from their “Us and Them” album. Again, it is tough to top the passion that emits from Brent Smith as this is another spectacular tune that highlights his incredible range.   

9— “Shadows of the Night”— by Pat Benatar– I am still speechless that Pat is not in the rock and roll hall of fame, and I need one of the voters who decided to not support her induction explain to me personally the reason(s) why because I am at a loss. This tune alone is proof enough that she deserves her place in the spotlight. As a kid who grew up in the 1980’s Pat Benatar was as big as any artist during that ten-year period as there were people who dressed like her (see “Fast Times” movie) like the many Kris Kringle’s one encounters during the holiday season. Her music was everywhere as each year there seemed to be another monster hit as her popularity was off the charts. Her shadow looms large and maybe the voters will get the message.

10— “The House of the Rising Sun”—by The Animals– Despite hearing this about a zillion times since I was a kid, this tune is a national treasure. I believe this track crosses so many generations as even my dad would admit that this song is great despite being crafted during the late 1960’s with all the “psychedelia” floating around. The amazing vocal performance by Eric Burden is something to behold as this could rank up there as one of the greatest recordings in the history of music. I do not even try to sing along to this track, I sit there with my jaw hitting the floor while imagining what it must have been like to be in the studio when this was completed as it had to leave everyone speechless, like it does to me each time I hear it.  

11— “Shadow Man”—by David Bowie– I recently discovered this song from the “Toy Box” which was just released this month; it is a boxed set of tunes which Bowie re-recorded from July 2000 through October 2000 after written in the mid 1960’s through the early 1970’s. From the opening notes, I was captivated with the beauty while wondering if I had ever heard Bowie sing like this and then realized (again) the unbelievable impact David made with his music on to the lives of millions. It is extremely hard to believe that it has been six years since his death and songs like this make me realize how much he is missed.

12— “Standing in the Shadows of Love”—by The Four Tops– Where would the world be without the music of the Four Tops and every artist who created R&B? Songs like this put me in a warm blanket on a chilly day while sipping a nice hot chocolate while taking me back to my childhood days as I remember the family parties with my aunt, uncle, and cousins as well as my time spent with mom. If there is one thing that I miss the most is the ability to give her a hug and never let, go. The groove in this tune is stupendous and thank goodness for The Four Tops!

13— “Me and My Shadow”—by Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.– Oh my, talk about speechless? Maybe it is because I am on the back nine but the last few years, I have been indulging the “Turner Classic Movie” station as my appreciation for what my parents and grandparents were raised on grows every day in my heart. Folks, listen to the beauty of the vocals from both of these legends and tell me this isn’t grand? Any chance I have to watch something on the late great Sammy Davis Jr. I embrace it with such fervor as I am still amazed on the many talents that he possessed while wishing those days never ended.

14—”Shadow Dancing”-by Andy Gibb– Folks, this is one of my all-time favorite songs and I knew when it came out in the 1980’s when I was supposed to be the “rock guy” but I immediately knew the sound, I was not aware that it was Andy, I assumed it was the Bee Gee’s, but it has the “it factor.” This track will stand the test of time and one can hear Andy’s skills as a vocalist like his brothers, obviously the background singing is performed to perfection by his older siblings. There is always the question of “What if?” Andy had officially decided to join The Bee Gee’s right before he passed away and he would have blended in perfectly, but I have a feeling he would have also done some solo stuff while also recording duets with the endless stream of artists’ standing in line to bask in his greatness. We’ll never know what could have been but having the legacy he left behind is the evidence that he was a gift to many of us.

15— “Sunshine (Go Away Today)”—by Jonathan Edwards-This song will forever take me back to the summers spent in Otisville N.Y. with my grandparents and uncle as the sun shined brightly on the lives of my brother and I because those were precious days that we can look back on fondly as we made so many memories. This song was recorded in 1971 and when we arrived in Otisville from 1975 to 1980 this tune was played on WABC AM radio, 77 on the dial with the likes of Harry Harrison and Ron Lundy, it was pure bliss. My only complaint is that the track is less than two and a half minutes long, but sometimes greatness does not need a time limit. Mr. Edwards is still churning out this track to this day, as well as many of his other songs.    

16— “Cloud Nine”—by The Temptations– The groove is infectious while the words are piercing as the picture painted is a tough life but as the line says- “I am doing fine… on cloud nine…” Again, I do not know what to say because if it were not for groups like The Temptations I wonder where this world would be because they gave it life with their extraordinary talents as well as serious messages that ultimately provided hope. This song, like many they recorded, is staggering. Crank it up!

17— “The Shadow of Your Smile”—by The Delfonics– Thanks to my bride I was able to delve deeper into the world of the Delfonics, as one year we were preparing for a New Year’s Eve playlist and when I showed her the list it included “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind” she told me to look for more tracks as we scoured I-tunes. Before you knew it, I had more than a handful. I watched in amazement as she would sing along to songs that I had never heard of which included this beautiful moment. There is something about their music that puts one in a romantic restaurant where your table is situated by a fireplace while this plays softly in the background as you gaze into your partner’s eyes while never wanting the moment to end.

18— “Sundown”—by Gordon Lightfoot– Wow this has the 1970’s written all over it. For those of age, we all know a Gordon song when we hear it because of his highly identifiable voice. This is one of his biggest hits and what is not to like? Even my dad would not turn the dial when he would hear a Mr. Lightfoot tune come on WCBS FM radio station because he knew it was something special. Unbelievably, Gordon is still recording and put out an album in 2020. If I am not mistaken, I believe he was still touring despite being in his early 80’s- the legend continues. Where would this world be without his beautiful contributions?

19— “Uncloudy Day”—by Willie Nelson– I bow on hands and knees while doing a yoga stretch at the feet of Willie Nelson because as I have mentioned numerous times, I have discovered his brilliance on the back nine of my life and for all the youngsters out there who scoff at the idea of Willie, take my heed- do not waste any more time denying his brilliance. In addition, if he tours again, make it a point to put it on your bucket list. This man is a national treasure with an endless library, and I believe this would be towards the top of the list as one of his ultimate recordings. Crank it up!

20— “Chasing Shadows”—by Kansas– This track has grown in stature as the years go on because of its exquisiteness as I realize what a powerful tune it is while marveling that it was written and sung by John Elefante, who took over lead vocals in 1982 as the turmoil was ripping through the original members of Kansas. Ultimately, Steve Walsh returned, and all the founding members actually recorded a new album in 2000 (“Somewhere to Elsewhere”). This track will make you drift off into another world, especially when you listen to the late Robby Steinhardt’s beautiful violin solo. Unfortunately, I knew something like this would happen because if Kansas is ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the pain will hurt so much because these voters had/have a chance to bestow the honor that is so richly deserved while Robby was still with us and before there is another loss to the Kansas family. Listen to this track and tell me this is not stupendous?!

21— “Sunshine on My Shoulders”—by John Denver– I do not know why but every time I hear the beginning of this song, I get a lump in my throat while trying to hold back the tears. Is it because we lost John at such an early age… most likely so and I was not able to check off my bucket list to see this incredible singer/songwriter in my lifetime? Folks, is it not amazing how incredible the numerous talents we have experienced because of music? I bow to every single person who has channeled their skills into making an escape for all of us who cherish the time spent with their favorite artist or band. John Denver will always be one of those people who forever changed my life with his gift of song and is there a better example than this treasure of a tune?

22— “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”—by George Michael with Elton John– I hope this is not sacrilegious but I love this version more than the original. (I said “more” which means I still cherish Elton’s rendition). Mr. Michael’s stunning vocal prowess is another treasure which we should all revere. If you really listen to George’s incredible gift as he takes it to a level that probably has never been achieved, it will leave you breathless. And as I have always maintained, when there is someone there with such ability it makes the others around that person to take their game to another level. When George introduces Sir Elton at the 2:59 mark, he knew what George had just accomplished and I believe it made him take it up another notch with the result being one of the greatest recordings in the history of music. I hang my head in sadness while kicking myself because I never went to see Mr. Michael in concert, figuring I had time. You never know so if there is something out there that you want to do, please don’t let the sun go down on you!

23— “Tequila Sunrise”—by The Eagles– A few weeks ago as we sat down for our Saturday coffee at Starbucks someone said, “Why don’t you like The Eagles?” I sat there stunned while it took me a few seconds or maybe even a minute to speak. I responded with an incredulous look on my face as I tilted my head to the right like a dog does when someone hides the bone. Ask my middle brother if I loved the Eagles. My first memory of this legendary band was at my aunt and uncle’s house on Charles Avenue in Staten Island when my parents would take us over for a visit from Brooklyn. The moment I arrived, I would sit on the floor with my uncle’s headphones as he loved “Hotel California” and that was my introduction to this great album, along with the band. I was blown away that they owned the album because I was so used to my dad never buying anything past 1963. For some reason, this tune will always remind me of mom as she would drift off into another world at the kitchen table as I played this from my bedroom. This track is stupendous.

24— “You are My Sunshine”—by Carly Simon– Years ago on this page I created a list of my favorite “baby” songs as my younger brother and his bride were having their first child and this song was on that list. This tune is unreal as each time I listen to it, I melt just like butter. As I listen to it today, I dedicate it to my youngest brother, his wife, and their beautiful children. If someone you know is having a baby, let them know of this track so that they can sing it to their little child to get them to fall asleep.   

25— “A Whiter Shade of Pale”—by Procol Harum– I read somewhere that this track was one of John Lennon’s all-time favorite tunes and I align myself with John because I do not even move whenever I listen to it. Folks, I know I say this all the time, but this is definitely in my ultimate ten songs ever as I cannot even fathom a world without this tune because it is absolutely spectacular. Talk about reminiscing? Flashbacks to my fabulous childhood memories spent with Johnny-Boy, his late brother Danny, my middle brother, and every friend that I had on 46^th and 47^th street as well as the entire Sunset Park arena, especially my adopted family (you know who you are). I know things are different there today but hopefully those growing up there now will have the same special moments we had. Even if Phil sees his shadow, I am prepared for whatever is to come. Are you?