Play That Funky Music - Tribute to the Funky Ladies of the 2010's

Music Wed - While this is the day/night before Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment and give a little respect to one of my favorite musical genres: Funky music. There is nothing like some good old booty-shaking 70's funky music. I am sad to report that I do not see a lot of current artists getting funky. Yes, Prince can still get up and get funky, but he is in virtual semi-retirement, and there really no successors to his throne. Or, are there? I would suggest yes there are, but they are not men following in the footsteps Stevie, Bootsy Collins, The Commodores, The Brothers Johnson or so many other funkmasters. Today, the funkiest music is coming from two women, so let me introduce you to Janelle Monae and Erykah Bahdu. Ms. Monae is able to combine the dance moves of James Brown, the funky beats of MJ, the complex funky musical arrangements of Stevie, and the attitude of George Clinton. To get an introduction to her unique style and prodigious funkability, I suggest you check out "Dance Apocalyptic" (http://youtu.be/eaMBagakSdM) and "Tightrope" (http://youtu.be/rzZnao2fbRQ). As for Ms. Bahdu, her style is a slinky, funky mashup of Miles Davis jazz grooves and Isaac Hayes funky goodness. In "On and On" (http://youtu.be/-CPCs7vVz6s) and "Tyrone" (http://youtu.be/YY2-mrsXgMM), Erykah is breaking it down and speaking the truth. The first video spotlights her visual creativity, while the latter video captures her electric live performances. This is some serious funky music that no male is matching today. Now, when you combine these two funky ladies, you get a little slice of funkalicious goodness called "Q.U.E.E.N." (http://youtu.be/tEddixS-UoU). If you are looking for the torch bearers in the 21st century for funky tunes, the sisters are taking on the mantle and bringing some serious funk to their games. Thank you ladies! Enjoy!

Freddie Mercury, CSN & Spinal Tap - My Tribute to So-Called "Mo-Vember". Greatest Rock Mustaches!

Music Wed - it is "Mo-vember", and I must concede I am not sure what the heck this whole thing is about. The best I can gather, without any real effort on my part (I must concede), is that this month is set apart to raise awareness around men's health issues. Really? Guys, we need this? I must be a little old school because I am not sure I get it, and it feels like guys got their feelings hurt when the pink ubiquity of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month made them feel like they needed their month too, so break out the mustaches! Anyway, seeing as Mo-vember has become a "thing", I want to pay homage to my favorite rock mustaches (not the best, mind you, but just the ones I get a kick out of). Number 1, hands down, is Freddie Mercury of Queen. I will save my full love for Freddie for a separate post, but for now, let's rejoice in his mega-butch 'stache. Epic facial hair overhanging an endless overbite, which acts as a virtual shelf to present this amazing mustache. Here's to Freddie and his timeless performance of "Radio GaGa" at LiveAid ( http://youtu.be/0omja1ivpx0). I will always remember how in a concert filled with rock legends, Freddie commanded and worked that huge Wembley crowd into a frenzy that no one could match. The next on our list is David Crosby - can't recall his overflowing walrus mustache? Check out this awesome cut of "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" (http://youtu.be/ptEF4Oi4Uk0) - yes, David is singing, but I defy you to see his lips move behind that luxurious mustache. Also, revel in Stephen Stills artistry - great performance of a timeless song. Finally, let's end with an iconic 'stache whose wearer is a fictional character. I pay tribute here to Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap, the greatest band that never was (yes, and that includes The Rutles). Check out Harry Shearer as Derek in a live version of "Big Bottom" (http://youtu.be/WI9APkJXDIE). Notice everyone playing only bass guitars, listen to the naughty and hysterical lyrics, and finally, check out Derek Smalls' mustache which connects with his mutton chops. Turn it up to 11! Enjoy!

Commercial Tragedies - Great songs used to sell diapers, cars and ED pills

Music Wed - The other day I was in the mood for a lil Southern Blues, so I cranked up the Allman Bros. and shortly one of my favorite songs started playing. My good mood was destroyed when I realized that the first thing that popped in my head was NOT all the great elements that I love about this particular song. No, the immediate image I had in my mind was of a couple outdoors, sitting in side by side tubs, gazing off into the woods. Yep, I was thinking of Cialis, and I was dismayed to realize my children and their generation would forever associate the classic tune "Stormy Monday" with erectile dysfunction and not with Gregg Allman's growling vocals and snarling Hammond B3 organ, Duane Allman's inimitable slide guitar work or Dickie Betts' incomparable rhythm guitar support. Ugh! (Here's a smoking version featuring the AB Band with Eric Clapton jamming with Derek Trucks -  http://youtu.be/7npHnA3KbfA). This made me lament two of the greatest crimes in rock history - the first was Michael Jackson's exploitation of the Beatles catalogue he owned by selling a number of classic tunes for commercials, starting with "Revolution" for Nike and reaching its nadir with "All You Need is Luv" for Luvs Diapers. I have always suspected MJ did this partly for money and partly as a tweak on Paul McCartney who originally advised the King of Pop to buy music publishing rights (which Michael then used against Macca to the latter's lasting regret). Any way u look at it, it's just wrong. The other great crime came after David Bowie securitized the revenue stream from his classic music catalogue and cashed out in the late 1990s, after which he forfeited any control over his early music, which lead to the abomination of having to hear "Space Oddity" used to advertise Nissans. Really? Please purge that from your memory and listen to the original tune in its pristine state -   http://youtu.be/pXSGocWifAg  - this version has Bowie in full Ziggy Stardust glory and features the late rock guitar legend Mick Ronson. Try to forget the commercial abominations and remember these songs for the classic tunes they are. Enjoy!

The Beatles - The Best; Simply the Best; And Nothing But the Best!

Music Wed (filed in the "better late than never" file). We r back to the greatest band series, and we have come to the Greatest Band Ever, which is none other than The Beatles. When I was a boy and even a younger man, I looked at a buffet and thought two things - first was the desire to taste everything, and second was the urge to gorge on everything I liked. As I have gotten older, I have lost the desire to stuff myself and have come to appreciate sampling a few extraordinary items and feeling content to be satiated, rather than be stuffed. So it will be with my review of Beatle songs. Sure, we could feast endlessly on their smorgasbord of musical delights, but neither time nor wisdom recommends that course of action. To organize my thoughts, I am going to pick a key song or two from each era of their short, meteoric career. I will start with the mop top, early George Martin disciplined recordings following The Beatles being reluctantly given a very limited opportunity to record in the now legendary (but then rather pedestrian and suburban) Abbey Roads studio. The first two early Beatles songs in this anthology are "Hard Days Night" which begins with the most iconic out of tune chord and ends with a group "whoa" and their now famous bow (http://youtu.be/70QfHtKdh_0) - this video reminds u of their innocent, yet genre shattering charm; the second song is the tender ballad "And I Love Her" (http://youtu.be/Nm4YlZ3oYsQ). While Paul's voice is pure and the lyrics are sweet, the real star is George's Spanish style guitar. The first song expresses the band's power to force u to get up and move ur body, while the second gives a hint of the incredible range this band would display over a short 7-year run where their creativity was matched only by their prolific output. For me, the mid-Beatles era starts with the the Revolution and Rubber Soul albums and really peaks with Sgt. Pepper, so my picks are "Norwegian Wood" which highlights the folk nature of the Rubber Soul album that includes 14 glorious songs recorded in less than 4 weeks to get the record out for Christmas shoppers (http://youtu.be/79uBB4anxbE); the next pick from Revolver was a hard choice because that album is so loaded with fantastic songs, but I must go with the first rock song to feature strings and no guitar, bass or drums - "Eleanor Rigby" (http://youtu.be/k9Itt02QOO0). Just ponder the courage, hubris or sheer insanity it took to not just record such a song in the mid-60s, but then to actually release it as an A-side single. Finally, let's end this era with a song that really celebrates the good vibe part of the 60s, the Lennon/McCartney song written specially for Ringo, "With a Little Help From My Friends" ( http://youtu.be/VRjJ_dSmKfA) which captured the joy that was extinguished in 1968 with political assassinations, the Hungarian invasion and the Paris and Chicago riots.  Say goodbye to the groovy feelings and let's wrap up this post with the "breaking-apart" era for The Beatles which extends from the White Album, continues through Let it Be and ends with Abbey Road. Here is where I plan to exhibit inexplicable restraint by celebrating my personal favorite Beatle productivity period with a single song - "I've Got a Feeling" from the tragic classic meltdown album called Let it Be in the UK and the US (but which was known as the Get Back album in Europe). Check out this clip which features every awesome element of The Beatles' magic, even as they were imploding - Paul's sweet and screeching vocals; Paul's and John's harmonies; John's bridge vocals; George's guitar solo; and even the keyboard play of the true "Fifth Beatle", Billy Preston (http://youtu.be/R9d98bxE9HY). Perfect way to end a tribute to the most perfectly flawed group of brilliant musicians ever assembled. Enjoy!

Songs to Get Into the Halloween Mood

Music Wed, and I am suspending the "greatest band" series with a Halloween tribute. I am not sure that at this season of my life I am a real lover of Halloween. Sure, as a kid I lived for getting that large pillow case filled to the top with candy (even if I never ate even a fraction of it, it was the thrill of the "haul" that counted). And when my children were young, and dressing up was such a big deal, I loved walking the streets to trick or treat with them and holding their hands as we visited one of those special streets where everyone lives for Halloween and the whole street is transformed into a "spook alley". We were lucky enough to live next to (but thankfully not on!) the aptly named Raven Ave which was our special spooky street. Now I am a bit of a Halloween Scrooge of sorts - the whole thing feels a bit like a hassle. Bah humbug - I am going to use music to get me in the spirit of the season, and let's start with a truly creepy, slinky, atmospheric song by Concrete Blonde, "The Vampire Song" http://youtu.be/NFc2Qs49VkA. I love the opening riffs that set the mood, and when Johnette starts to sing over a spare bass groove, the song really kicks into gear. Pay particular attention to when this notoriously spartan band gets rolling and even adds a bit of production tricks (e.g., notice the groovy organ playing softly over the third verse) to create a totally cool song that captures the true Lestat-vibe that others tried to find, but sadly came up short, sounding either campy or just lame. Now, let's get really heavy with two classic examples of the so-called "devil's music" with Metallica ("Enter Sandman" http://youtu.be/_W7wqQwa-TU) and the original line-up of Black Sabbath ("Black Sabbath"  http://youtu.be/cyVWpqCLYgY). This is some heavy s*#t. I love Metallica, and even though Mo Rivera's retirement threatened to make this great song a cliche, there is no denying it is a metal classic with monster-under-the-bed scary lyrics. And as for Sabbath, this song makes u really wonder if Ozzy, Tony and Geezer (yes, I am intentionally leaving out the drummer since he refuses to join the others in their reunion efforts in a bid to extort money, and all he proved is that he was the only dispensable member of the band) had a Crossroads-type moment when they were promised heavy metal immortality if they sold their souls to Satan and played his music forevermore. This song is that foreboding. The final picks fall into the "what the heck"/"just for fun" basket. First, while u r putting on ur costume, listen to all 11 mins and 31 secs of Elton John's "Funeral for a Friend" http://youtu.be/z314pQhLb2Q (I can assure u that u will be ready to have a good time at the end of this hard rocking tribute to the death of a friend and a love affair), then put on The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" http://youtu.be/EJ9oHLqO0Vc to get into the mood as u drive to ur holiday party (this song, when played loudly in a car driving on a dark, rainy night will send a lil fun chill up ur spine), and finally, what Halloween party would be complete without playing Oingo Boingo, "Dead Man's Party" http://youtu.be/mdBiKCoT7d8. For all the Boingo haters, all I can say is that this pop, lightweight confection is a seriously fun song that has brightened up many a Halloween party (not to mention a huge number of late '80s/early 90's teen movies, starting with the great Weird Science!). Get ur ghoul on, and as always, Enjoy!

Welcome to this blog

I have been creating text messages for select family and friends with my comments, observations and opinions on a variety of musical topics. I'm excited to now be able to share these random and clearly debatable musings by posting on this blog site. Feel free to comment, challenge, criticize (or praise) and/or share your thoughts in response to any posting. I love the exchange of opinions because the great thing is that no one is right or wrong in any such exchange. So, check it out if you love musical minutia and want to check out some musical rarities. Enjoy!

Great Protest Songs

Again, late Music Wed, but yesterday was a tough day, so my picks would have been all sad songs. New day; new picks. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on DC and the MLK speech of "I Have A Dream." That vision of America still enthralls and inspires me. So, in recognition of that momentous event, here are three picks: U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)" http://youtu.be/YQVZAh8WCw8 - Pretentious? Maybe. Uplifting? Most definitely. No list of MLK songs would be complete without this tribute. "We Shall Overcome" sung by James Taylor, Carly Simon, Jackson Browne, CSNY and others at the No Nukes concert (or u can also listen to Bruce's classic rendition from the Seeger Sessions http://youtu.be/oqT9yegqoRk). Finally, I have to finish with the great Bob Marley and his mash up on the Legend album of "One Love/People Get Ready" (http://youtu.be/N3KosOPCSiU). Listen and be inspired to show someone some kindness, and Power to the People ✊ Enjoy!