Powerhouse Women of Rock! Wilson, Benatar and More!!

Music Wed is dedicated to the blow-down-the-doors voices of Rock Goddesses. What Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant are to male rock voices, Anne Wilson and Pat Benatar are every bit their equal in representing female rockers. Take a taste of these delectable morsels from the original "Midnight Special" show (which remains a classic archival history of live 70's rock performances) - "Crazy On You" (featuring an extended Nancy Wilson solo at the intro) http://youtu.be/4gpNqB4dnT4, and "Barricuda" (a showcase piece for the original lineup of Heart, which truly was a band to be reckoned with in the 70's rock genre), http://youtu.be/2QkmmDvkLSI. Love me some Heart, and I never tire of Anne's thundering vocals from their early albums. If you want a real treat, kick back and play the album "Dog and Butterfly" from front to back.  Another woman who blazed a trail for women rockers was the classically trained Pat Benatar.  Check out her blasting sounds on a smoking live version of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" http://youtu.be/0JRgHol94Xc. Let's wrap up this tour of great female rockers with the First Lady of New Wave, Debbie Harry of Blondie. Her power was only matched by her attitude on "One Way or Another" (with the original band in 1979), http://youtu.be/ygfUjp4x_hQ, and she roars through a great rendition of "Call Me" from 1982, right before Chris Stein got sick and the band ceased performing for the next 15 years, http://youtu.be/knrJNAj0Jm0. My bonus cut? None other than a rare live version of "Rapture" (a song Rena can sing from beginning to end, including the early rap interlude!),  http://youtu.be/ZHhcSnWDdFc. All Hail Rock Chicks - Enjoy!

Part 2 of LFDH - The Oldies Version with Nick Lowe, Smokey, Joe Walsh and Todd Rundgren

Music Wed - I had so much fun picking, then re-listening to, the Part 1 songs in my tribute to "Live From Daryl's House" that I just had to jump into Part Deux - The Oldies Edition. Let's start with two quick performances from Daryl's "other" house, his London pad. It is just as charming as his upstate New York home is, but is classically English, down to the little garden in the back. While in London, he taped two fun shows with the master songwriter and producer Nick Lowe (a well-known hit - "Gotta Be Cruel To Be Kind" http://youtu.be/6no9DKxJhW0, and a tender, sweet little-played ballad "Shelley My Love" - I totally dig the melody on this tender tune http://youtu.be/-_In1-LX64Q). Go back and check out your early Elvis Costello and Dave Edmunds records, and you will see Nick Lowe all over the place as a writer, producer and player. Next is Smokey Robinson who starts with "Sara Smile" and then lets the band pull him into a really nice version of Smokey's old classic "Ooooo Baby Baby" - you gotta check out this clip (http://youtu.be/iRxCy44zg5M). I have to play Pat Monahan (of Train) singing one of Hall & Oates' sweetest older tunes, "Wait For Me" - this one is a keeper http://youtu.be/zzUYWS0mBzs. I want to keep the mellow groove, so I will take a little known, but much appreciated, Daryl Hall single that he played with Joe Walsh to great effect - "Somebody Like You" http://youtu.be/b_6GrnhUzzw. Let's wrap this up with the only multiple appearance guest on LFDH, Todd Rundgren, one from Daryl's NY house and one Todd's wonderful Hawaii house. Here are some oldies, but goodies taken from each location. From Hawaii - "I Saw The Light" (http://youtu.be/tA0xRBQq_ds) and "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" (http://youtu.be/prOYxFPoKSM); and from New York, a song I never grow tired of, "Can We Still be Friends" (http://youtu.be/1pLTD23l468). I have to leave you with one bonus cut, and that will be Todd adding his flair to another song I can play on a continuous loop, "Wait For Me" (http://youtu.be/9NekaojZPzM). Enjoy!

My Love For "Live From Daryl's House" -- Part 1

Music Wed - It is no secret that one of my favorite shows (read: a show that I can get "lost in" for 25-45 minutes and just "float away" with some mindless entertainment) is "Live at Daryl's House" featuring Daryl Hall. At 60+ years of age, his musical chops are still at their peak, while his voice retains the range and elasticity of his youth.  And his band is a musical marvel, with the ability to play just about any style, genre and era of music that is matched only by the mighty E Street Band. This post will be the first of two items this week where I will showcase what I so enjoy about this particular show. This first installment will highlight Daryl's collaborations with more contemporary musicians where he has reinterpreted their songs, while they have joined him in reworking his old, classic material. In both cases, the results are so genuinely enjoyable and will remind you why you all are so hooked on music. Daryl's invitations to certain current musicians have introduced me to wonderful singer/songwriters that I otherwise might not have been exposed to. So this installment will share some of my fave "Daryl discoveries" (at least for me!). The first is Butch Walker's take on one of my truly beloved Daryl Hall songs, "Why Was It So Easy" - http://youtu.be/cMj0VaawMn8. Before seeing this episode, I had no idea of how sweet and rangy were Butch's vocals, and once I did, I became a fan. The next is Daryl's effort to promote a truly talented female performer, who with a little luck should be enjoying the same success as her contemporary, Sara Bareilles - Diane Birch, and here are two great songs from her initial album (as presented by Daryl's incomparable band): "Nothing But A Miracle" http://youtu.be/H9lyrOETXao, and "Fools" http://youtu.be/unoYkG3EUwc. Finally, Daryl teamed up with Finger Eleven to do a breezy, loose version of Bill Withers' classic "Ain't No Sunshine" - http://youtu.be/cbdU9gXeF7w. This is the best of the old and the new. There are so many others I could share, such as Fitz and the Tantrums, Jason Mraz, Nick Waterhouse, Jimmy Wayne and Meyer Hawthorne, just to name a very few. I hope this and my next installment will encourage you to check out this cool show. Enjoy! Bonus cuts -- I love Rumer's appearance featuring "Sara Smile" http://youtu.be/GeXwSL6mh6I, and her song "Take Me As I Am" http://youtu.be/QqgmTGQ8MIU - I love these songs!!