No Static At All…

Remember radio?

People gripe about terrestrial radio all the time now, but hey….

It’s still free!

And people want to call their local radio station to complain or “program” the station themselves.  Or get upset when they change formats.

But you can’t blame the guy answering the phone.

You can’t blame the program director.

Heck, you can’t even blame the general manager.

You can blame the state of everything.

So I guess that means blaming ourselves.

A handful of companies own all the stations you listen to now.  That’s the bottom line.  And the people who work at the station you are listening to really just want to keep their job, just like you would.  The power has been taken out of their hands.

I guess an example would be an empty strip mall in what seems to be a good location.  You ask why it’s empty.  You are told that the rent is too high.

Well, then…you ask why don’t they come down on the rent?

Then you find out that the people who own the strip mall own 750 strip malls across the country.  Some do great, some don’t.  The ones that do well pay for the others, and they really don’t care or have the time to tend to your strip mall that is empty.  They will probably just sell it off to another company, or mow it down for something else that might make money.

They don’t care.  It’s a widget.  A product.  Just another property.

When radio was owned by individuals, they scraped and clawed to be number one.  They had to.  And they could take chances to do it.  They HAD to take chances to do it.  And they could actually make the decisions to do it.

But radio is coping with satellite now.  And a bigger problem, iPods.

I mean, if you can listen to 1000 songs in your car you know you like, why listen to the same 70 you’re not so sure of?

But the problem is also today’s listener.  People say they love certain stations.  But would they actually go away if they were THAT listened to?

Well….maybe.

If it’s cheaper.  And they still get the same revenue.

See, radio is a business, like anything else.  They really aren’t there to make you happy.  They are there for a profit.  You can’t blame them for that.

And what costs money?  People.  They can hire one disc jockey to “voice track” a show for multiple markets, and pay one guy.  The stations are all playing the same songs anyway….

But there lies the conundrum of your local radio station.  If they are to survive, the only thing they will have over satellite and iPods is….

Personality.  To be more concise, a personality that you can identify with, that’s talking about the stuff that you want to hear about and you feel comfortable with.

You know, like the old days.

The Black Jacket Symphony is going to launch Black Jacket Radio this Sunday.  You can hear it  online at:  birminghamseagle.com  or just tune in to 106.9 The Eagle Sunday morning from 8 until 10 am if you are in Birmingham Alabama.

It’s a specialty show going over the greatest music of our generation.  Remember those kinds of shows?  With history, humor and trivia?

We won’t be breaking any new music.  But we will be breaking out some old classics that you haven’t heard in a while, and give some of the back-stories behind them.

You know….like the old days.

Believe it or not, the staff at 106.9 The Eagle have taken a chance.

I’d like to thank them for it.  Not just for airing Black Jacket Radio, but for taking a chance in general.

Because that is what it’s going to take to save radio.

You Know My Name (Look up the Number)

The Black Jacket Symphony.

It’s the name of a project, a vision. 

It’s not exactly a “band name”, but musicians are selected to BE in this band every performance to recreate a classic, timeless album.

I think it’s a good name. 

Probably because I came up with it.  But it explains what it is pretty well.  The band members wear black (including jackets) and play the “symphony” of this generation.

 Names of bands can be good or bad.  Dave Grohl commented that he wished he knew that the ‘Foo Fighters’ were going to be so popular because he would have thought up a better name.  I think it’s great.

 The thing about great names of bands is that they transcend the actual meaning of whatever name they have chosen.  Here’s a list of some of those and their origins:

– The Beatles

You don’t even thing of an ugly little bug when you hear it do you?

The origin is murky.  The surviving members couldn’t really even say in the Anthology series. 

It either came from a line from a movie called “The Wild One” with a motorcycle gang called ‘The Beetles’, or one time member Stu Sutcliff came up with it in honor of Buddy Holly’s Crickets.    

What is NOT up for debate is that it was John Lennon’s idea to spell it with an “A”.

“Beat”.  Get it?  Yeah, he was the smart Beatle.

– AC/DC 

 It is said that one of the band member saw it on an appliance and thought it had something to do with power. (It does mean “alternating current / direct current”.)  The band used it not realizing it was also slang for a bisexual.  Oops.

 –BLACK SABBATH

 From a 1960’s cheap horror movie starring Boris Karloff , suggesting a holy day of witchcraft.  Perfect name for this band.

 –DEVO

shortened form of “de-evolution” – the opposite of evolution – expressing the band’s opinion on what the planet is going through.

 –THE DOORS

Jim Morrison read poet William Blake who said “if the doors of perception are cleansed, everything would appear to man as it truly is, infinite. “He was also influenced by author Aldous Huxley who referred to the same line when he titled his book on drug experimentation The Doors of Perception. 

 –FLEETWOOD MAC

 a simple one. They just took the last name of drummer Mick Fleetwood and a form of bassist John McVie’s last name.  One of the greatest rhythm sections in all of rock and roll.

– THE GRATEFUL DEAD

 originally called The Warlocks, Jerry Garcia found out that another band had the same name. Supposedly, he looked in a reference book at random and found a folk tale about a troubled soul who is put to rest by a traveler. The spirit then helps the traveler with his own quest.

 –JETHRO TULL

Named after the rather obscure inventor of the farmer’s seed drill.  Really.

 –LED ZEPPELIN – Jimmy Page was drinking with Keith Moon of The Who. They joked about the two of them starting a band with Jimmy, and one of them said “Yeah, that will go over like a lead balloon”. When Jimmy formed his own band, he remembered this and thought “Lead Zeppelin” would be good. They decided to drop the “a” so Americans wouldn’t mispronounce it.

 –PINK FLOYD

Taken from the names of two Georgia bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council – from the early days when the band saw itself as a blues band

 –RAMONES

Paul McCartney used to call himself Paul Ramone. The Ramones all use the last name Ramone even though it’s not their given name.

 –THE ROLLING STONES

From the Howlin’ Wolf blues song “Rolling Stone” – Keith Richards was a fan of the version recorded by Muddy Waters.

– STEELY DAN

 Taken from William Burrough’s book Naked Lunch. In it Steely Dan is the nickname given to a giant steam-powered dildo (see cover photo on their first album)

 –The Who

 There’s a legendary story that they were really named The Who because very time they would talk to Pete Townshend’s grandmother about a band, she would say: “The Who?”

She probably asked them to get off her lawn as well…

 

How about you?  Have a favorite (and somewhat tasteful) name of a band?

J

Jethro Tull:  Agriculturist

Here we come….

Davy Jones of The Monkees fame died of a heart attack Wednesday, February 29 2012 at age 66.

The legend of the Monkees is that they didn’t write their own songs, they didn’t play their own instruments, the whole think was fake.

That’s only partially true.

Yes, they were the “pre fab 4” (prefabricated) put together by a couple of TV producers that had a “light bulb” moment when watching The Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night”.

They were auditioned and put together based on the caricature versions of The Beatles.  Two musicians (Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork) and two actors (Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones).

Davy was the “Paul”.  The cute one.  The heart-throb.  Hell, he was even from Manchester England.

But what’s wrong about this whole “fake” picture is when they exploded on the radio AND television.

The Monkees were the first indication that we could win. That the old guard, the establishment, our parents, were no longer in control. We had our own sitcom on TV. Featuring our music. That was a huge breakthrough.

But what was even better was the music was great! In the case of “I’m A Believer”, spectacular! The fact is that it WAS a band, which came together through odd circumstances.

“I’m a believer”, “Stepping Stone”, Last Train To Clarksville”, “Pleasant Valley Sunday”.  All fantastic songs.  Credit the songwriters, credit the singers, credit whoever you want, but these were great songs.  And the Monkees did sing them.

Are we going to say The Beach Boy’s ‘Pet Sounds’ was fake because studio musicians played the entire record and THEY just did the vocals?

They were the first pre-fabbed band.  As in many cases the trailblazer was great while the other following bands like them just stunk.  (Can you say Backstreet Boys?)

And they had much more impact than a Justin Bieber or even a Lady Gaga.  They were out there when we were all glued to television and hooked on radio.

Now my 8-year-old daughter watches “Shake it up” on the Disney Channel.  It’s about two wacky singer/ dancers with a TV show that go to high school.

It’s not terrible.  I kind of like it.

And I know this will sound like an old man screaming “Get off my lawn!”,  but I’m right about this:  I am a little sad that this is her version of “The Monkees”.  There was a wacky coolness about The Monkees because of their timing.

Now is the black jacket symphony going to play a Monkees record?

Pretty doubtful.

But The Monkees music stands the test of time. They were trailblazers.   They were not a fad, used briefly and then discarded with disdain. They let Jimi Hendrix open for them. They created one of the first psychedelic films. (To get “Head” you’ve got to be high). Don’t pigeonhole the Monkees as fluff, as a mere footnote, as puppets. With their television show on the air it showed us not only that we were winning, but the music was the decisive weapon in our battle. Soon rock bands would be testing limits, and we’d all gather at Woodstock and blow the mainstream’s mind.

We owned the country. It was now ours.

And it would have happened slower, and it would have been different without the Monkees.

Great songs, great performances… Isn’t that what it’s about?

Thank you Davy Jones.

Just Burn Your Guitar

Jimi Hendrix songs were just as prevalent and mind-blowing in the ’60s as they are today. Deemed the best electric guitarist of all time, Hendrix still amazes with his groundbreaking guitar techniques. Whether it was the feedback riffs, wah-wah pedal, picking with his teeth or just burning a Fender Stratocaster guitar, his talent surpassed many in his short 27 years.

You gotta remember, NOBODY was doing this stuff when he was. He invented rock guitar for what it is today.   And nobody has done it quite like him since.

Here are some of his essential guitar solos:

“Fire”

Featured on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album, ‘Are You Experienced,’ this song clocks at just under three minutes — which Jimi always extended during his live theatrical performance.  Smoking.  (sorry).

“Foxy Lady

Also known as ‘Foxey Lady,’ in the US and Canada (it was misspelled on the album release), the song features one of the earliest cases of Hendrix’s guitar amp feedback technique, as well as his famous jazzy 7#9 chord (a dominant seventh with an augmented ninth). In the lyrics, Jimi is bluntly telling a girl he wants to take her home: “Ah, baby, listen now/I’ve made up my mind/I’m tired of wasting all my precious time/You’ve got to be all mine, all mine.”  Bet it worked.

“Crosstown Trafffic”

This psychedelic Hendrix song — comparing sexual references to, yes, a traffic jam — features a heavy beat under a kazoo riff.  The song was featured on 1968’s ‘Electric Ladyland’ — Hendrix’s third and final album while he was alive.

“Are You Experienced?”

The title track on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album, the song features both backward and forward recorded guitars and drums (similarly to ‘Castles Made of Sand’), paired with blatant psychedelic lyrics that take you through a music experience like none other.

“Freedom”

‘Freedom’ was the only single released on his posthumous album ‘The Cry of Love,’ this Jimi Hendrix song takes you back to why we fell in love with him in the first place — fast-paced trills and releases that only Hendrix could deliver, backed by Mitch Mitchell’s backbeat.

“Purple Haze

The mondegreen “Excuse me while I kiss this guy” was perpetuated by Hendrix, when he actually sang that lyric in concert. It wasn’t until Woodstock did he clear up the misrepresentation, singing “Excuse me while I kiss the sky.” In the Woodstock film you can see him intentionally pointing to the sky while singing the lyric.

“All Along The Watchtower”

Hendrix spent around seven months recording and rerecording this Bob Dylan song. The final version was released on the ‘Electric Ladyland’ album in September 1968. Within the booklet of Bob Dylan’s ‘Biograph’ album Dylan admitted, “I liked Jimi Hendrix’s record of this and ever since he died I’ve been doing it that way… Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way.”  Pretty good when the author of a song feels like he’s paying tribute to somebody else with his own song….

What about you?  Have any favorite Hendrix solos?

Here’s another goodbye to another good friend

Whitney Houston died last Saturday, February 11^th, 2012.

She was only 48 years old.

What a voice.  What a shame.

The details of her death have yet to be determined while this is being written, but she had battled substance abuse for years.  It’s pretty safe to say that somehow it facilitated her early death.

“Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll” was once the motto of a generation during a time of great social and economic change.  Back then, drugs were often viewed as mind-expanding and, in some cases, a right of passage.  Drug use is not seen that way today, due, in part, to the many prominent people who have lost their lives to the disease of addiction.  Drug abuse is one the most serious problems facing our nation and, while tratment and addiction recovery have saved many individuals, there are still far too many who lose their lives to this disease.

The music industry has had its fair share of talents lost to drug addiction and drug overdoses. We’ve compiled a list of classic rock musicians whose deaths signaled to us all that drugs were not harmless but, in fact, far more dangerous than we could have ever imagined.  Yes, it’s a long list, but it could be longer. And that’s the point.  Too many, too young, far too soon.

Thoughts?  Comments?

John Bonham	1948–1980	Drummer (Led Zeppelin)	Choked on his own vomit after consuming forty shots of vodka.
Kurt Cobain	1967–1994	Musician (Nirvana)	Self-inflicted (disputed) shotgun wound to the head under the influence of a potentially lethal dose of heroin with traces of diazepam.
Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone	1951–2002	Musician (The Ramones)	Heroin overdose.
Jesse Ed Davis	1944–1988	Guitarist (John Lennon, Jackson Brown)	Heroin overdose.
Kevin DuBrow	1955–2007	Singer	Cocaine overdose. Accidental.
John Entwistle	1944–2002	Musician (The Who)	Cocaine-induced heart attack.
Pete Farndon	1952–1983	Musician (The Pretenders)	Passed out in his bath due to a heroin overdose and subsequently drowned.
Lowell George	1945–1979	Musician (Little Feat))	Unspecified drug overdose. Accidental.
Bobby Hatfield	1940–2003	Musician (The Righteous  Brothers)	Cocaine-induced heart attack.
Jimi Hendrix	1942–1970	Musician	Respiratory arrest caused by alcohol and barbiturate overdose and vomit inhalation.
James Honeyman-Scott	1956–1982	Musician (The Pretenders)	Cocaine-induced heart attack.
Brian Jones	1942–1969	Musician (The Rolling Stones).	Drowning under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Janis Joplin	1943–1970	Musician	Heroin overdose.
Jimmy McCulloch	1953–1979	Musician (Wings)	Heroin overdose.
Keith Moon	1946–1978	Musician (The Who)	Overdose on anti-seizure medication prescribed for alcoholism. Accidental.
Jim Morrison	1943–1971	Musician (The Doors)	Official cause of death is recorded as heart failure,[292] though Sam Bernett claims that Morrison died in Bernett’s club, with heroin overdose as the suspected cause
Gram Parsons	1946–1973	Musician (The Byrds)	Morphine overdose.
Elvis Presley	1935–1977	Singer	Cardiac arrhythmia. Autopsy founds in his system “significant” levels of ethinamate, methaqualone, codeine and different barbiturates, including amobarbital, pentobarbital, and phenobarbital.
John Simon Ritchie, aka Sid Vicious	1957–1979	Musician (Sex Pistols)	Heroin overdose. Suicide.
David Ruffin	1941–1991	Musician (The Temptations)	Cocaine overdose.
Bon Scott	1946–1980	Musician (AC/DC)	Official cause of death listed as “acute alcohol poisoning”.
Gary Thain	1948–1975	Musician (Uriah Heep)	Respiratory failure due to a heroin overdose.
Amy Winehouse	1983–2011	Singer-Songwriter	Alcohol poisoning/
Keith Whitley	1954–1989	Singer	Alcohol poisoning.

Love to love you, Baby….

Okay, it’s February and that includes Valentine’s day, a time when most people’s thoughts turn to romance, blah blah blah….

There are many opinions on what songs are the greatest love songs of all time. Some love songs undeniably belong on such a “greatest” list, while others, maybe not so much.

But with that in mind, here are some of the greatest love songs:

 

“Your Song” – Elton John, 1970

Sir Elton’s first hit, “Your Song” reached #8 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 charts and hit #4 in the United Kingdom. Interestingly, “Your Song” was originally released as a B-side to “Take Me To The Pilot,” but the two songs’ sides were quickly reversed when DJs preferred the ballad.

 

“Can’t Help Falling In Love” – Elvis Presley, 1961

 You can’t have a list of the greatest love songs without including a ballad by the “King” of ballads.

The song was a popular among his fans, and he used to perform it as the finale to his live concerts.

“In Your Eyes” – Peter Gabriel, 1986

 Although never released as a single in his native United Kingdom, “In Your Eyes” became Gabriel’s first gold single in the United States. Its African influences combined with the beautiful lyrics make it one of the most romantic love songs of all time.

 

“When A Man Loves A Woman” – Percy Sledge, 1966

 Only the original recording by Percy Sledge in 1966 of “When A Man Loves a Woman” belongs on this list of the 10 greatest love songs of all time. None of the imitations and re-recordings (I’m talking to you, Michael Bolton) that came after can hold a candle to Sledge’s original, beautiful ballad.

 

Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton, 1977

 Written by Eric Clapton about his then-love, Pattie Boyd.  The song tells a story, dealing with a party the pair attended. Each of the three verses is a scene from a part of the night: preparing for the party, going to the party and coming home from the party. In each scene, he mentions how wonderful she is, how beautiful she looks while preparing for the party, how happy he is to be at the party with her and how grateful he is that she puts up with him after he drinks too much.

 

“Something”- The Beatles- 1969

 Also written about Pattie Boyd (he had her first), George Harrison’s finest moment on the Abbey Road album was one of the record’s undisputed highlights, and showed him finally leaving the songwriting shadow of Lennon and McCartney.  ‘Something’ was written during the 1968 sessions for The White Album, though it wasn’t finished until the following year.

Frank Sinatra called it “the greatest love song ever written,” although he mistakenly gave credit to Lennon/ McCartney.

  

“Maybe I’m Amazed”- Paul McCartney-1970

 Written and recorded at home, the original version of this song had McCartney playing all the instruments. 

He meant this one.

He was going through a horrible break up of the only band he had ever known (The Beatles) and had just married Linda Eastman.

He loved her, and he needed her, and he expressed it better than just about anything he had written before.  And you could HEAR it in his vocals.

 

 “God only Knows”- The Beach Boys 1966

Paul McCartney himself says this is the greatest song ever written. 

Brian Wilson wrote and produced while little brother Carl sings beautifully. 

It’s perfect.

Any other “greatest love songs” to add to the list?

Moving Pictures: Music in Movies

Sometimes it just really works.  The perfect song for the perfect scene of a movie.  Not songs written FOR a movie mind you, but a song that the filmmakers searched out and found.

It can make an otherwise average scene in to one that transcends.

Here is a list of some of the best use of pop/ rock songs in movies.

“Sweet Emotion,” Aerosmith – ‘Dazed and Confused’

What better way to open a story about teenagers in the ‘70s than with the greatest bass line of all time? As the harmonies start, we are treated with a  shot of a muscle car as it cruises a high school parking lot. The opening montage is perfect because it introduces many of the main characters at once – the potheads behind the school smoking, the senior girls readying their hazing supplies, the geeks playing cards in study hall, and a football player in shop class, drilling holes in a wooden paddle for incoming freshmen.  The nostalgic two-minute intro is able to set the story beautifully without a single character saying a word; wisely, he gave that job to Steven Tyler and the band.

“Louie, Louie,” The Kingsmen – ‘Animal House’

Legend has it that director John Landis added this performance to the script after hearing Belushi’s drunken and obscene version at an after-rehearsal party. Is it true? Who cares? It’s an inspired choice of music in a scene that’s easily believable as the capper to a long day and night of drinking, fraternity, and brotherhood for all.

“Layla,” Derek and the Dominoes – ‘GoodFellas’

The closing instrumental to Derek and the Dominoes’ “Layla” is apparently the perfect length to whack a handful of mobsters and tie up some loose ends. Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiiro) has just pulled off a major heist and, to keep details of the job under wraps, he kills just about everyone involved in the robbery, only we don’t see the murders; we just see bodies tumbling from dumpsters and hanging in meat lockers. We’re not entirely sure why it works, but Jim Gordon’s piano coda serves as the perfect backdrop for this brilliant scene, which culminates with the unexpected hit on Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci).

“The End,” The Doors – ‘Apocalypse Now’

The entire movie, all three hours, leads up to the scene of Willard rising from the river, methodically making his way to Kurtz, and taking him out. Both Kurtz and the beast being sacrificially slaughtered seem not only to be aware of their fate but to embrace it as part of their destiny. The closing scene and song was a perfect introduction to reflection, duty and…, “the horror.”

“Cant you hear me knocking”  The Rolling Stones- ‘Blow’

This based on a true story directed by Ted Demme and starring Johnny Depp opens with a little jungle noise and gunfire in the background.  Then when the words “BLOW” come on the screen the wicked Keith Richards guitar riff from blow comes crashing in.  It fits, the movie was riveting, but it really could have sucked from then on out and it would be listed here.  Perfect call.

‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ Stealers Wheel- ‘Reservoir Dogs’

I always loved this song.  But after’ ‘Reservoir Dogs’, nobody can listen to the song the same way again, as a psychotic Mr. Blonde slices off the ear of a hostage cop.  Holding the ear, Mr. Blonde asks, “Can you hear me?”

‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ The Rolling Stones –‘The Big Chill’

A college friend’s suicide reunites a group of baby boomers in this coming-of-middle-age film and this spirit-lifting Stones classic sets the tone. Especially starting out on the church organ…

“In Your Eyes” Peter Gabriel-‘Say Anything’

You have to respect a man who’s willing to suffer for love — and given how long he held that boombox over his head John Cusack’s arms must have been killing him. Great scene with a great song.

“God Only Knows” The Beach Boys- ‘Love Actually’

If you haven’t seen this movie, rent it,buy it, download it, DVR it, whatever you have to do.  And if you are with somebody who does not tear up during the final airport scene while this song is playing check them for a long hidden zipper.  They are not human.

  “Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen, -‘Wayne’s World’

By itself, this operatic rocker has nothing to do with “party time,” but when the tape is popped into the deck of Garth’s car it gives rise to music’s most excellent cinematic moment. Let the triumphant head-banging begin!

Have any great uses of songs in movies you want to add?

CH-CH-CH-Changes: Albums That Changed Everything

There have been moments in music that made everything stop in it’s tracks.  Albums released that simply changed the game.

Maybe some more than others, but there is little dispute about certain ones.  So let’s call this part one of “Albums that changed music”.

The Beatles 
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

There are those of us who rate other Beatle albums higher,  But Sgt Pepper’s made the watertight case for pop music as an art form in itself; until then, it was thought the silly, throwaway stuff of teenagers. At a time when all pop music was manufactured, these melodies and production  proved that untried ground was not only the most fertile stuff, but also the most viable commercially. It defined the Sixties and pop music was absolutely never the same after.

Elvis Presley
 Elvis Presley (1956)

The King’s first album was also the first example of how to cash in on a teenage craze. With Presleymania at full tilt, RCA simultaneously released a single, a four-track EP and an album, all with the same cover of Elvis in full, demented cry. They got their first million dollar album, the fans got a mix of rock-outs like ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, raunchy R&B and syrupy ballads.

The Beach Boys
 Pet Sounds (1966)

Composed by the increasingly reclusive Brian Wilson while the rest of the group were touring, it might well have been a solo album. The beauty resides not just in its compositional genius and instrumental invention, but in the elaborate vocal harmonies that drench these sad songs with an almost heartbreaking glory.  It didn’t sell as well as other Beach Boy records (no surfing songs) but the right people were listening….

Bob Dylan 
Bringing it All Back Home (1965)

The first folk-rock album? Maybe. Certainly the first hint of what was to come with the momentous ‘Highway 61 Revisited’. Released later in the year, Bringing it All Back Home fused hallucinatory lyricism and, on half of its tracks, a raw, ragged rock’n’roll surprise. On the opening song, ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, Dylan manages to pay homage to the Beats AND Chuck Berry, while anticipating the surreal wordplay of rap.  ‘Highway 61 was THE album, but this was the first one to point the way and change the game

Pink Floyd 
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The ultimate progressive rock concept album.  It only stops making noise when you had to reverse sides on the turntable.  Beautifully made from beginning to end, it might have started a bit of a “self-indulgent” period after from prog rock bands, but it was worth it.

Jimi Hendrix 
Are You Experienced (1967)

Looking and playing like somebody from another planet, Hendrix delivered one of the most dramatic debuts in pop history. Marrying blues and psychedelia, dexterity and feedback trickery, it redefined the guitar’s sonic possibilities, paving the way for every rock guitarist since.

Black Sabbath 
Black Sabbath (1970)

A mere 30 minutes long, this was the album where heavy metal was first forged. Its ponderous tempos, satanic imagery, bassist Geezer Butler’s thundering bass, Tony Iommi’s sledgehammer guitar riffs and Ozzy Osbourne’s shrieking vocals all went on to define the genre and shaped most arena rock of the Seventies and Eighties.

The Clash 
London Calling (1979)

Punk killed disco, and it could be argued that ‘Never Mind The Bullocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols” would be the pick, but this was the best record to come out of punk.  On this double album, The Clash legitimized punk –before a nasty fad – into a real rock canon. Its iconic cover, and songs about the Spanish Civil War brought left-wing politics firmly into musical fashion.

Michael Jackson 
Thriller (1982)

Pure, startling pop genius from beginning to end, Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones seemed hellbent on creating the biggest, most universally appealing pop album ever made. Jones introduced elements of rock into soul and vice versa in such a way that it’s now no surprise to hear a pop record that mashes up more genres into a form that seems normal.

Nirvana
 Nevermind (1991)

You might argue about the merits of this record, but this album KILLED hair bands in their spandexed tracks.  And Nevermind does rock mightily, capturing a moment when the US underground imposed its agenda on the staid mainstream.

Have any other albums that literally changed music on its release?

“Kid Rock”: Songs about kids

Even the wildest rock ‘n’ rollers settle down at some point. This new maturity is often signaled by the birth of a child, which inevitably leads to a song about the birth of a child, which leads to music videos with kids, which leads to an appearance on ‘Yo Gabba Gabba’.

Sometimes not.  Sometimes they just write songs about kids….and here are some:

 

-“Memphis, Tennesee”  Chuck Berry

The most deceptively heartbreaking song on this list.  He’s calling the operator to try to get in touch with “his Marie”.  You automatically think it’s a love interest, although he mentions an “uncle” which is odd.

Then in the next verse he tells how her mother pulled them apart, which still sounds like it was a lover.  But he does mention Marie had “hurry home drops on her cheek that trickled from her eye.”  Hmmm.

Then he nails you.  Marie is only 6 years old, and obviously his daughter, and the mother, in fact was his own wife.  Or ex-wife.

 

-“A Boy Named Sue”  Johnny Cash. 

This song made famous by Johnny Cash tells the funny story of what might happen if a father named his kid Sue.  Just a funny song on how you can screw up your kid in one easy stroke.

 

“Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”  John Lennon. 

Feeling guilty about neglecting his first son, the ex-Beatle deliberately took time off to be with his second. An older, more mature Lennon wrote this touching 1980 tune, which starts out with comforting words to a sleeping Sean. Given that Lennon was murdered less than a month after the song’s release, the line “I can hardly wait to see you come of age” is especially heartbreaking.

-“Father Of Mine”  Everclear. 

Everclear sounds so angry on this one, you’d almost thought the guy had been named Sue. It’s tough growing up with a bad dad

               

-“Cat’s In The Cradle”  Harry Chapin. 

Most people with busy lives can relate to this one. The dad’s too busy for the son. But when the son grows up, he’s too busy for the dad.  Karma, anyone?

 

‘Isn’t She Lovely,’  Stevie Wonder

On tour in 2007, the soul legend introduced his now-grown daughter Aisha to crowds as the infant he wrote about in this 1976 classic. The recording kicks off with baby Aisha crying. Later, she can be heard playing in the bathtub as Stevie says, “Come on — get out of the water.” Today, that lovely baby is one of her father’s backup singers.

 

‘Father and Daughter,’ Paul Simon

 The man who gave us ‘Mother and Child Reunion’ wrote this gentle song for the 2002 animated feature ‘The Wild Thornberrys Movie’ and later included it on his album ‘Surprise.’ Simon, who has three children with Edie Brickell, sings, “There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you.” Sure, it’s a bit sentimental, but the subdued melody makes it more sincere than purely sappy.

 

‘Father and Son,’ Cat Stevens

In this song, the father doesn’t want his son to leave the nest, but the son badly wants to make it on his own. Singing from the two perspectives in alternating verses, Stevens portrays hope on the father’s part and frustration on the son’s.  

Any other songs about kids to add to the list?

Should NOT have named him "Sue"

Free Songs!

This past long weekend, millions across America celebrated a man whose contributions to the political sphere of our country are innumerable.

One of the greatest “hits” of the 60’s was not perhaps not ‘Satisfaction’ by The Stones or ‘She loves you’ by The Beatles, but rather Rev. Martin Luther King’s 1963 speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  The “I have a Dream speech” that ended with the words: “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last.”

And isn’t that what it was all about?

In honor, here are some songs about…..

Freedom.

-‘People Got to Be Free’ – The Rascals

This 1968 song written by singer/ keyboardist Felix Cavaliere was an immediate response to Dr. King’s murder.  Written and released just three months after the assassination, it was released on July 1^st.  Four days later, Bobby Kennedy was killed, giving the song even more emotional weight.  It spent 5 weeks at number one during the turbulent summer of 1968.

-‘I’m Free’  The Who 1969

Written by Pete Townshend as part of the rock opera “Tommy”.  Within the plot of the album, “I’m Free” tells of Tommy’s vision to spiritually enlighten others due to his sudden and immense popularity.

Great Guitar riff. With even a little ‘Pinball Wizard’ riff thrown in at the end, just so you remember you’re listening to a rock opera.

-‘Freedom! (90)’  George Michael 1990

Yes he’s embarrassed himself to the point of probably never being able to make any kind of come back at all, but for all you snobby haters out there, this is a great song.  George had a decent three year run with the album “Faith” in 1987, and “Listen without Prejudice from 1990, which this single was pulled from.  He was even too cool to be in his music videos.  Of course, he was smart enough to hire supermodels in his place…

Too bad he killed so many brain cells.

-‘Freedom’ Paul McCartney  2001

McCartney was on a sitting plane in New York during the Sept. 11^th attacks.  He wrote the song the next day.

It now seems a little “militaristic” for a guy that came from such a peace and love background (“I will fight, for my right, to live in freedom”), but everybody wanted to kick someone’s ass on Sept. 12.

It was one of the centerpieces for The Concert For New York City that he put together on October 20^th.

-‘Chimes of Freedom’  Bob Dylan 1964

Written by Mr. Zimmerman and first released on his album ‘Another side of Bob Dylan’ in 1964.

But as the case with many Dylan songs, the best version was released by The Byrds on their debut album ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’  (also obviously written by the same author.)

A side note to The Byrds recording, it was the last song to be taped for the album  After the backing track was recorded, David Crosby inexplicably announced he was going home.  An argument ensued, ending with the band’s manager, Jim Dickson, sitting on Crosby’s chest until he sobbingly agreed to sing the vocal harmony.

-‘Freedom’  Richie Havens  1969

Havens was the opening act at Woodstock.  He was only supposed to play four songs, but the bands slated to follow him were stuck in traffic.

Richie had to play for three hours.  He ran out of material, and improvised this song on the spot.  It ended up as possibly the highlight of his career.

Have any more “Freedom” songs?