I Ain't Hiding from the Black Crowes No More

I like the Black Crowes. I have since I first time I heard "Jealous Again" almost 20 years ago. Their music is very similar to that of the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and The Faces -- gritty, funky, raw, with a dash of southern charm and dirty bong water.

Last year, after a lengthy hiatus, the Black Crowes released Warpaint. What a disappointment. I said, to myself, why did they release this? I wanted this "comeback" album to be so good and it was so boring. It was after my third or fourth listen that I decided that the Black Crowes were dead to me and nothing could bring me back.

Yesterday, I listened to their new single, "I Ain't Hiding." At first listen, I was like, "what the hell is this? Are you kidding me?" I bet I had the same reaction to this song as I did the first time I heard "Emotional Rescue" from the Stones. But there was something "cool" about this record and I listened to it again. And again. And again. Twenty-four hours later I've listened to this song about 15 times. I can't get enough of it. Like "Emotional Rescue" it's got a disco-like groove but its a lot more funky. There's even some "oooh oooh" background vocals, a little wah wah and the guitar solo? Forget about it. Its excellent.

If you get chance and you a have a few minutes to listen to this song a few times in a row I promise you won't regret it.

Welcome back Black Crowes. I missed you.

Listen / Download:
I Ain't Hiding - The Black Crowes
Emotional Rescue - The Rolling Stones

Michael Jackson - Remember His Music

Michael Jackson died yesterday at age 50, and the news left me strangely unmoved. No shock, or grief, just a nagging hum of nostalgia for the days when Jackson’s notoriety was primarily to do with his incredible music, rather than plastic surgery or out-of-court settlements. We must remember that Michael Jackson's name can be said in the same breath as Sinatra, Presley, and The Beatles. He's up there with the absolute cream of the crop of musical greats and I can only hope that decades from now people will remember his music, his dancing and his funk and not his drug abuse, deteriorating white face, or allegations of pedophilia.

Rest in peace, MJ.


Listen / Download:
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough
Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somthin'

The Day The Circus of Heaven Came to Town

A splendid time was had by all

My family and I took in the circus today. Michael liked the doggies. Joey liked the elephants. Lisa liked the brothers in the hamster wheel and I thought the whole event was amazing, wonderful, and extraordinary beautiful.

Listen / Download: Yes - Circus of Heaven

Not Your Typical Mother's Day Playlist

Happy Mother's Day

While visiting my mother yesterday she explained to my daughter that I don't like to color in the lines. In other words - I'm not conservative. I took that as a compliment. So, in honor of Mother's Day here is my playlist that isn't what you'd expect.

It's not my fault Mom if you don't like my choices. You made me this way. I love you and happy mother's day.

Listen / Download:

• Steve Martin - I'm So Mad At My Mother
  
• Carl Perkins - All Mama's Children
  
• The Band - Rag Mama Rag
  
• Count Basie - Mama Don't Want No Peas 'n' Rice 'n' Coconut Oil
  
• Elvis Presley - That's All Right
  
• Zappa - My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama
  
• James Brown - You've Got To Have A Mother For Me
  
• JJ Cale - Crazy Mama
  
• Savoy Brown - Tell Mama
  
• Beatles - Your Mother Should Know

Top Five Records: Female Singers

Recently Rolling Stone Magazine published the The 100 Greatest Singers list. Loven 'em or hate 'em the Rolling Stones lists will get you talking and, in my case, thinking about my favorite singers. Starting with the ladies - here's my top 10 list in no particular order:

Ella Fitzgerald – Bewitched With a vocal range spanning three octaves, Ella Fitzgerald was noted for her purity of tone, phrasing and intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. All that aside, her voice is so warm and gentle. When I hear her sing I want to wrap my body with her voice like a blanket.

Suzanne Vega - 99.9 F I know this sounds cliche - but I would listen to Suzanne Vega read the phone book. Her voice is so convincing and she sings great stories. I fell in love with Vega's voice with her 1992 album 99.9F°. This album is definitely worth seeking out.

Sheryl Crow - Steve McQueen Sheryl Crow is an amazing musician, singer, and songwriter. And she's hot too. There is a sexiness associated with her voice that, combined with attitude, draws you into to every song she sings like cheap romance novel.

Aretha Franklin - Save Me Rolling Stone ranks Aretha Franklin as the Greatest Singer of All Time. I wouldn't go that far but I would say that her voice is the very definition of soul music.

Pretenders - Precious I love Chrissy Hynde. She is my favorite rock and roll female singer of all time. I came to this conclusion the first time I heard "Precious" - trk one from the debut Pretenders album. I believe rock and roll is all about attitude. Chrissy Hynde's voice sweats attitude.

Madonna - Beautiful Stranger It only been in the last ten years or so that I've come to appreciate and respect Madonna as a musician and not a whore. That's a little strong but, frankly, I just didn't get it. Then, in 1998, she released Ray of Light and I thought, "Wait a minute, there's a lot more to Madonna than a pretty smile and nice cans. This woman can sing."

Maria Callas - Printemps Qui Commence Printemps qui commence from the opera Samsom et Dalila. In an attempt to seduce Samson away from his leadership of the Israelite uprising, Dalila and a group of girls dance for him and Dalila sings how spring is blossoming all around her. Yet, in her heart, she feels like it is still winter. As you listen to Maria Callas sing this song you'll feel the pain of the chill in her heart. Her voice is absolutely beautiful.

Liz Phair - Johnny Sunshine Once you get past the sex songs and the shock value of her lyrics you'll relize that Liz Phair is a great song writer who, like Sheryl Crow, uses her voice to seduce you.

Linda Ronstadt - Blue Bayou I never really thought much of Linda Ronstadt until one day I really listened to her version of "Blue Bayou." In the same way Aretha stole "Respect" from Otis Redding, Ronstadt made Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" her very own.

Bonnie Raitt - Blender Blues My love affair with the blues and Bonnie Raitt began the first time I ever heard her sing "Blender Blues." Bonnie is only 23 years old singing this song but somehow she conveys a maturity well beyond her age. This recording is from a 1972 WMMR live concert recording that should be officially released. Her performance, guitar playing, interaction with the audience, and her singing is amazing.

Chocolate City, y'all

george clinton's dream comes to life

In 1975 George Clinton and Parliament released Chocolate City. The song's largely spoken vocals (delivered by George Clinton) express pride in "Chocolate Cities", that is, cities with a majority black population. The singer playfully hypothesizes what it would be like if there was an African American in the White House, and assigns the following people to positions in government:

Uh, what's happening CC?
They still call it the White House
But that's a temporary condition, too.
Can you dig it, CC?

And when they come to march on ya
Tell 'em to make sure they got their James Brown pass
And don't be surprised if Ali is in the White House
Reverend Ike, Secretary of the Treasure
Richard Pryor, Minister of Education
Stevie Wonder, Secretary of FINE arts
And Miss Aretha Franklin, the First Lady
Are you out there, CC?
A chocolate city is no dream
It's my piece of the rock and I dig you, CC
God bless Chocolate City and its (gainin' on ya!) vanilla suburbs

Now that we have an African American in the White House I wonder how much George Clinton's vision will come to life. Time will tell. Can you dig it, CC?

Listen / Download: Chocolate City - Parliment

Top Five Records: Great Song Outros

1. Layla - Derek & The Dominoes - The granddaddy of great song endings.  Dominoes drummer, Jim Gordon, contributed the elegiac piano coda for this close.  He later went to hatchet his mother to death.
   
   
2. Starship Trooper - Yes - Starship Trooper is actually comprise of three songs:  Life Seeker, Disillusion and The Würm.  The Würm is a continuous cadenza of chords (|G-Eb|C|) that my buddy Tim Weaver taught me to play on the guitar.  It's only one of two songs I can play on the guitar.  The other is Louie Louie.
   
   
3. I Want You (She's So Heavy) - Beatles - This song held the title for the "world's coldest ending" until Townshend released "Face the Face."
   
   
4. Drop Dead Legs - Van Halen - One of the all time greatest guitar solo outro fades
   
   
5. Austraila - Kinks - The beginning of this tune is a typical very British sounding late sixties Kinks song.  Then, it morphs into an extended guitar jam that will leave you speechless. 

Honorable mentions:

• Rock and Roll - Velvet Underground
  
• Good Morning Good Morning - Beatles - Lennon asked engineer Geoff Emerick to arrange the animal noises heard at the end of the song so that the animal was capable of devouring or frightening the animal that came before it.
  
• Won't Get Fooled Again -THE WHO - Beginning with the line, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
• She's The One - Bruce Springsteen - live version
  
• 40 - U2 - For years U2 would end their concerts with this song.  I vividly remember walking out Brenden Byrn Arena singing the final chorus, "How long to sing this song?".

Dishonorable mentions: 
Stevie Wonder has a thing for extending songs two or three minutes longer than they should be.  "Golden Lady" is like one long-ass 6:53 outro.  It goes on and on and on.  Another song he kills is with an extended outro is "Maybe Your Baby".

Please feel free to comment and give me your Top Five.

Top Five Records: Great Song Intros

A few weeks ago my friend Beth Mann, ask me me to list my favorite great song intros and closers. It took me a while to come up with my list because there were so many to choose from. At the same time I'm finishing reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelity. A book featuring many Top Five lists. So, between Beth's question and the book I decided to start including my favorite Top Five lists to my blog. I'm doing this because 1) I believe it will be fun to come up with Top Five lists and 2) they're easy to write. So, with a nod to Beth, I give you my Top Five Great Song Intros. Please feel free to comment and give me your Top Five.

1. Hell's Bells - AC/DC - Can you think of any other song intro that is as cool as this one? Really. Even today, almost thirty years later, this song intro still gives me goosebumps.
2. Baba O'Riley - The Who - One of the great all-time song intros. I think I like the intro more that the song.
   
3. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix - For me, this song (more so than Purple Haze) defines the essence of Hendrix's soul. It combines rock and blues and throws in the Wah Wah intro for extra spice.
4. Money, Time - Pink Floyd - These two intros were actually assembled and engineered by Alan Parsons. Yes, that Alan Parsons.
5. Eruption into You Really Got Me - Van Halen - These two songs - and especially the transition from Eruption into You Really Got Me - have probably accounted for more kids picking up the guitar than any others in the history of rock.

Honorable mentions:

• What I'd Say - Ray Charles
• Am Trying to Break Your Heart - Wilco
• Welcome to the Jungle" Guns'n'Roses
• Tomorrow Never Knows - Beatles
• Monkey Man - Rolling Stones
  

Dishonorable mentions: 
I think Al Green is great.  I love his music.  Many of his songs, however, start wimpy and end incredibly strong including:  Love And Happiness and Beware.

Top Five Records: Hurricanes

In what I hope will become a regular feature on my blog - here is the first in a series of my "Top Five" lists. With a nod to the "mother of all storms," Gustav, here are my Top Five Records about hurricanes in no particular order and without including the obvious.



Listen / Download:
Lena Horne - Stormy Weather
Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Billy "The Kid" Emerson - When It Rains It Pours
REO Speedwagon - Ridin' the Storm Out
ELO - Standing in the Rain

My Beatles related / Abbey Road photos

August 18 - 22, 2008

Two weeks ago a lifelong dream came to fruition. I walked across the most famous cross walk in the world: Abbey Road. Abbey Road is located in a section of London called St. John's Wood. To get there I took the Tube and listened to side one of the album names after the street. While sitting there I took pictures and listened to side two. Once "Her Majestry" was over I listened to "Great Gig In the Sky" - the Pink Floyd classic from Dark Side of the Moon - an album also recorded at Abbey Road. It was an amazing day.

Here are the photos from that day and I also included a few shots from 3 Savile Row - site of the Beatles "Rooftop Concert."

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but this is ridiculous. Here's few of my favorite Abbey Road "covers."

Longua de Trapo

"Vinte e Um Anos na Estrada"

Paul McCartney

"Paul Is Live"

The Rutles

"Shabby Road"

Benny Hill
"Best Of Benny Hill"

Booker T. & the MG's

"McLemore Avenue"

A cover album of Abbey Road songs, released a few months after the Beatles album.
McLemore Avenue is the location of Stax Records.

Kanye West

"Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios"

Find more Abbey Road cover parodies by visiting http://stupidd.blogspot.com

Listen / Download:
Beatles - Oh, Darling
Pink Floyd - Great Gig In The Sky
Beatles - Get Back (rooftop concert)

Remembering Harvey Korman

aka Hedy Hedley Lamarr

Harvey Korman always made me laugh. It didn't matter if I was watching him on the Carol Burnett show or in Mel Brooks movie - Harvey was funny. On the Carol Burnett show he'd make me laugh out loud whenever he would team up with Tim Conway. I always loved the way Tim would make Harvey break out of character and burst out laughing. On the big screen Harvey would play the best villain. Something about Harvey's sneer would always bring a smile to my face.

So when I learned that Harvey had passed away at the at of 81 I decided I would pay tribute to this great straight man and second banana by passing along the entire Blazing Saddles movie in 19 mp3 files. Anyone familiar with the movie will recognize the chapters below. Listen from your desktop or download the movie as a zip file then to my favorite Harvey Korman moment - his famous "Mugs, Pugs, and Thugs" speech.

Listen / Download:
01 - Opening Credits
02 - Dock That Chink A Days Pay
03 - Land...See Snatch
04 - Howard Johnson is Right!
05 - Holy Underwear!
06 - Can't You See That Man is a Nig?
07 - A Laurel and Hardy Handshake
08 - Blow It Out Your Ass Howard
09 - We'll Raise My Rent
10 - How About Some More Beans Mr. Taggert?
11 - Bullshit, What's The Job?
12 - Baby, Please, I Am Not From Havana
13 - Mongo Only Pawn In Game Of Life
14 - Mugs, Pugs, Thugs
15 - Ahhh, Prairie Shit, Everybody
16 - Does Anybody Got A Dime?
17 - Fight Interlude
18 - Throw Out Your Hands, Stick Out Your Tush
19 - Closing Credits

Blazing Saddles zip file

Wanted: Pips

My good friend, Mary Ellen Martelli, posted the following on Craig's List.

I am looking for 3 Guys to follow me around and sing back up lines for my daily life. You know, Pips.

Nothing exciting like being on stage or anything, just sing back up to my daily conversations, like at the grocery store, dry cleaners, visiting clients,..etc.

I need, three guys, who can really sing. You needn't be afro-american, but must have an afro or at least an afro wig. And also not opposed to wearing matching suits ( which you must co-ordinate).

And I need three guys, not four, and five is right out.

This is not a long term gig, maybe 3-4 days to a week. Depending on how it goes. I can not afford to pay my Pips, but hey, who knows what will come out of it. At the very least, we will have a blast.

Send a pic and any other info that will put you at the top of my Pip List.

This can work, I once got a guy to follow me around with an industrial bucket and mop - mopping up behind me wherever I went for 3 days in St. Augustine Fla. It was a blast!

Click here to become a Pip.

Listen / Download:
Mary Ellen Martelli and The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia

Two More Reasons Why Clapton is God

Buddy Guy Ain't No Slouch Either

About a year ago I wrote that I met Eric Clapton. In the post I included ten examples why I believe Clapton is God. Well, here's two more. The first example is a pulled from an excellent audience recording from Eric's 1994 "blues" tour. The second example is Eric and Buddy Guy from 1987 and it is one of the down-and-dirtiest, funky, greasy blues numbers you will ever hear. As an added bonus I've included the video of this performance in addition to the complete 13 minute long performance as a mp3 download. Enjoy.

Listen / Download:
Eric Clapton - Black Cat Bone
Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy - Wanna Make Love

Remembering Lennon

A message from Yoko Ono

I miss you, John. 27 years later, I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything - sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine - holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.

I had no idea that life was about to teach me the toughest lesson of all. I learned the intense pain of losing a loved one suddenly, without warning, and without having the time for a final hug and the chance to say, "I love you," for the last time. The pain and shock of that sudden loss is with me every moment of every day. When I touched John's side of our bed on the night of December 8th, 1980, I realized that it was still warm. That moment has haunted me for the past 27 years - and will stay with me forever.

Even harder for me is watching what was taken away from our beautiful boy, Sean. He lives in silent anger over not having his Dad, whom he loved so much, around to share his life with. I know we are not alone. Our pain is one shared by many other families who are suffering as the victims of senseless violence. This pain has to stop.

Let's not waste the lives of those we have lost. Let's, together, make the world a place of love and joy and not a place of fear and anger. This day of John's passing has become more and more important for so many people around the world as the day to remember his message of Peace and Love and to do what each of us can to work on healing this planet we cherish.

Let's: Think Peace, Act Peace, and Spread Peace. John worked for it all his life.
He said, "there's no problem, only solutions." Remember, we are all together.
We can do it, we must. I love you!


Listen / Download:
Paul McCartney - Here Today
George Harrison - All Those Years Ago
Elton John - Empty Garden
David Gilmour - Murder

Black Friday 2007

Moorestown Mall

Like so many other Americans I woke up at 4am to take advantage of the "Black Friday" specials. Many retailers open very early and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1970s. "Black Friday" was originally so named because of the heavy traffic on that day, although most contemporary uses of the term refer instead to it as the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

This morning I sat with thirty some people in order to purchase what some are calling the hardest Christmas gift to get - Nintendo's Wii. The actual wait really wasn't really that bad. For one, we were able to wait inside mall. As I drove in I saw many people standing in long lines outside Sears, Circuit City, Best Buy, and Boscovs. This morning the temp outside was in thirties. So, waiting inside was welcomed. Secondly, the woman I sat next to gave me a story.

A few minutes after I arrived a young, attractive woman sat down next to me. Her name was Sandy. The moment she sat down she started to take off her many layers of clothing. She, like many of us, anticipated that we were going to have to wait in the cold. When she finally reached her tee shirt she reached into purse and pulled out her underarm deodorants. "Whew, boy am I sweating!" Nice. I could tell Sandy was into the gadgets. She was either talking to her girlfriend, texting or playing her pink GameBoy. Eventually, her girlfriend showed up. She looked like a boyish version of Rosie O'Donnell. Sandy introduced her as her fiancée.

There is nothing else to say about Sandy and this story other than its mandatory to note that whenever a lesbian sits next to you have to mention it in a blog or conversation. Its a rule.

Here's a series of photos documenting my time in line:

GameStop - Moorestown Mall

To my left were two housewives. To my right were two lesbians.

Sitting in line and listening to Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

My ticket that guaranteed my purchase

GameStop - Moorestown Mall

Listen / Download:
Black Friday - Steely Dan

It Was Forty Years Ago Today

Sgt. Pepper Taught The Band To Play

June 1st 1967 the Beatles released what some feel is the greatest rock album ever made: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Do I think its the greatest rock album ever? Yes. Without a doubt. It changed my life. It is my favorite album of all time? No, that would be The Who's Quadrophenia. Pepper, incidently, is not my favorite Beatle album either. That would be Revolver. Why I feel the way I do about Pepper being the best ever rock album ever and not my favorite is for another post for another day. Today, I'd like to share a few Pepper stories with you.

When I was about 10 years old my parents took me to their friends house for a cook out. It was an all day affair and there were no other kids to play with. Somehow, my mother's friend noticed how my brother and I were bored and told us to go her daughter's bedroom and see what she's up to. We found the daughter sitting on her bed listening to music. In her hands was the Sgt Pepper album. I asked her if I could look at the cover. I recall staring at the cover with amazement. I never saw anything like it before. All those faces! I believe looking at that cover is why I recall this moment in my life. It was that profound.

A few years later my DJ uncle, Steve Martorano, arranged to have the entire Beatles catalog shipped to my home. As I opened the boxed and looked at the covers I immediately recognized Pepper. Because I knew the cover I decided to play that album first. My brother and I shared a small beige record player with a built-in 2 inch by 2 inch speaker. I remember placing the needle on the record and hearing the orchestra tuning up. Then it segued into an incredible guitar sound unlike anything I had ever heard in my life. It didn't matter that the record player was shitty. the music was amazing. Up to this time all I heard in my home was classical music and some skinny Italian singer name Sinatra. Rock music was not allowed in my home. For the next 39 minutes I sat listened to not only my first Beatles album but my first rock album ever. Not a bad first choice, eh? For the next week I played that album over and over again and started my life long love affair with the Beatles.

Cut to June 1, 1987 - twenty years ago today. I'm working for the number one radio station in Philadelphia, WMMR. To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the release of Pepper Capitol records re-releases the masterpiece on CD. My music director, Erin Riley, gave me a copy of the CD. That afternoon, I went home and played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety just like I did the first time I ever heard it some eight years before. This time, however, I didn't have to turn the album over to listen to side two.

Now, here I sit, June 1, 2007, listening to Pepper in its entirety just like I did twenty years ago. This time around I'm listening to the album via mp3 and through my computer. After all these years Sgt. Pepper is still an incredible listen and one filled with musical memories I'll cherish forever.

I'll leave you with my favorite song from Pepper, "She's Leaving Home." Enjoy


Listen / Download:
Beatles - She's Leaving Home