Not Christmas music Christmas CD reviews

Santa brought these CD's (yes, we still buy actual CD's) for our stocking stuffers. We've had a chance to listen a couple of times and here's my observations.

• The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Songs from Lonely Avenue
• (2009) Setzer is an amazing guitarist, jazzy and heartfelt. The tone and stylings of the music is haunting. The Setzer Orchestra also adds so much to this album. These songs cover a wide spectrum.
• Wylie and the Wild West: Bucking Horse Moon
• (2007) I've been intrigued and drawn to the lap steel guitar country sound since Santa got me one of my one several years ago. While listening to a streaming music channel over the course of a few weeks, I kept hearing this artist. Real Sons of the Pioneers kind of country. A simple earthy tone.
• Dr. Hook: Greatest Hooks
• (2007) This one is kinda fun, and funny how I came to get it. I had the vinyl out not a week earlier and was ripping it for play on our iPods.  When I went shopping for Santa this just happened to be sitting at the end isle and only had 2 of the songs on the vinyl I'd just ripped. Anyway, it has good, polished songs. Nothing too spectacular, though I do still like Cover of Rolling Stone, and Carrie Me Carrie a lot.
• Adele: 25
• (2015) Uh. Yeah. Wow. This girl can sing!
• Leann Rimes: Lady and Gentlemen
• (2011) And this girl can sing too! Great country. Kinda a cover album. Some of the guy/gal parts are swapped out the other way. Lots of familiar songs with super vocals and arrangements.

In Memorium: 2015

We have lost more strong influences of music this past year. I focus mainly on Rock and Roll and directly related genres. Early bands like The Kingsmen, The Electric Prunes and Big Brother broke the ground for REO Speedwagon, and Yes. Blues and R&B lost giants this year.

• Gary Richrath, lead guitarist and songwriter for REO Speedwagon (September 13). Richrath wrote many of the REO's songs including "Ridin' the Storm Out". In 1977, he and other members of the band took over production, which resulted in the band's first platinum album.
• Country singer Lynn Anderson passed away from pneumonia at the age of 67. An iconic voice in the 1970s, Anderson's hits like "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden"
• Rock bassist Chris Squire passed away from a rare form of leukemia at the age of 67. Squire, who was co-founder of the iconic band Yes, was the only member of the band to play on every one of their studio albums. In addition to being a self-taught bassist, he also co-wrote many of the bands biggest hits, including "I've Seen All Good People," "Starship Trooper," and "Owner of a Lonely Heart."
• Blues legend B.B. King passed away at the age of 89. Known for bringing the blues into the mainstream, the expert guitarist got his start in music after hitchhiking to Memphis in 1947. He landed a job as a disc jockey for radio station WDIA-AM, where he settled on his nickname, "Beale Street Blues Boy," which was eventually shortened to "B.B."
• "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" singer Ben E. King died at the age of 76. The R&B legend got his start in the 1950s with the band The Drifters, with whom he sang lead vocals on iconic classics like "Save the Last Dance for Me," "There Goes My Baby," and "This Magic Moment." 
• "Louie Louie" singer Jack Ely passed away at the age of 71 after a long illness. The Kingman singer's hit reached the top of the charts in 1963 and even sparked an FBI investigation into whether or not its lyrics were obscene. Ely and his band broke up soon after the song was recorded, and he spend much of the remainder of his life training horses in Oregon. 
• "When a Man Loves a Woman" singer Percy Sledge died at the age of 74 after a battle with liver cancer. The soul singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 thanks largely in part to his 1966 hit, which topped the US and UK charts for two weeks. 
• Keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 67. The Three Dog Knight musician, known for playing on songs like "Easy to be Hard" and "Joy to the World" died of metastatic melanoma in Gaithersberg, Maryland, five months after announcing that he was struggling with the disease. During the course of their career, Three Dog Knight had 21 top 40 hits, including three number one singles. 
• Best known for her iconic hit "It's My Party," singer/songwriter Lesley Gore passed away at the age of 68. According to her longtime partner, Lois Sasson, Gore had been struggling with cancer. "It's My Party" was released in 1963, followed by "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me." 
• Sam Andrew, the founding Big Brother and the Holding Company guitarist who powered many of Janis Joplin’s biggest hits, died in February after a heart attack. He was 73.
• Allen Toussaint was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. Artists in nearly every major genre recorded Toussaint's songs or collaborated with him, including the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Herb Alpert, Glenn Campbell, Robert Palmer and Alison Kraus and Elvis Costello.
• Preston Ritter, who drummed on the Electric Prunes' hits "I Had to Much to Dream (Last Night)" and "Get Me to the World on Time," died on March 30. He was 65. Ritter had a history of kidney problems. After he left the garage-rock band, he played with Linda Ronstadt, the Beach Boys and Dobie Gray.

 Louie, Louie - The Kingsmen

Pickin' On Bluegrass

No, I'm not pickin' on bluegrass. In fact, I'm really enjoying it. Years ago I could "appreciate" the bluegrass style, but really wasn't a big fan. Well, I've changed... a lot. I love the natural tones of bluegrass. I love the many layers of guitar flat-pickin' or finger pickin' along with banjo, fiddle, accordion or squeeze box and the many other flavors added to bluegrass. So, I was super happy to discover the stylings of some great musicians in the bluegrass style but covering rock music.

A friend and fellow music lover recently shared with me a series of music titled "Pickin' On". I guess I've been living under a rock?! How could I never heard of this? The idea is for some really great bluegrass musicians to cover some really great rock artists songs. There are covers of U2, Beatles, ZZ Top, Santana, Stones, Led Zep, Byrds, Dylan, Metallica and many more. There are nearly 100 full albums spanning for nearly 20 years. Now, I'm no bluegrass fanatic, I'm sure those that are will think this music is blasphemy. But I just enjoy it simply for purity of another perspective on a known musical work. A cover plain and simple. Sometimes covers are good, sometimes not so much, sometimes they transcend the original and become the masterpiece. The novelty of an entire album of bluegrass cover of any one of these may get a boring after a few songs for some people. Perhaps the "Best Of" tributes might be a better choice. I do recommend checking it out and trying at least a song or album you think would interest you. There's something for everybody here.

I've heard the U2, Pink Floyd and Crosby Stills Nash and Young tributes. They all have some good tracks, but I found the Pink Floyd really interesting and fun.

Pickin On Pink Floyd

CMH Records website

In Memoriam 2014... The Great Gig in the Sky

I've not posted lately. But, I was thinking recently while watching the Grammy's memoriam segment earlier this month, to reflect on these and other great contributors to music we lost in 2014. To the great gig in the sky... 

• Joe Cocker, 12/22/2014: Known for his gritty, iconic voice, legendary British rock and soul singer Joe Cocker had a record-breaking career that spanned over 40 years. He passed away in late December at the age of 70.
• Ian McLagan, Keyboardist for the rock bands Small Faces and Faces, Ian McLagan, died of a stroke in Austin, Texas. The English musician, who also collaborated with The Rolling Stones, was 69 years old.
• Bobby Keys, 12/2/2014: Longtime Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys passed away after a battle with cirrhosis. He was 70 years old. Before his death, Keys spent 40 years with The Rolling Stones, and also recorded with the likes of John Lennon, Joe Cocker, Barbra Streisand, B.B. King, Carly Simon, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. 
• Jack Bruce, 10/25/2014: Former Cream musician Jack Bruce died at the age of 71. The Scottish bass player suffered from liver failure. Bruce released many memorable classic rock songs such as "Sunshine of Your Love," "White Room," and "SWLABR." alongside Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker as Cream, and released 14 solo albums as well. Prior to his work with Cream, Bruce performed with Charlie Watts, who went on to join The Rolling Stones.
• Paul Revere, 10/4/2014: The leader of legendary 1960s rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders died at his home in Idaho at the age of 76. Born Paul Revere Dick, he led the band  and had a number of hits in the 60s and 70s including "Hungry" and "Indian Reservation." He was fondly known as the "madman of rock 'n roll."
• Dick Wagner, 7/30/14: Dick Wagner, a guitarist for Alice Cooper and Lou Reed, has from a lung infection. The musician, who also wrote songs with KISS and Aerosmith, was 71.
• Tommy Ramone, 7/12/14: Tommy Ramone, the drummer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band The Ramones, has died of cancer of the bile duct. An emigre from Hungary, Ramone (who was born Erdelyi Tamas) was a recording engineer before taking up with The Ramones. Though he only played on the first three albums, he was considered seminal in the formation of the group's sound. He was 65.
• Johnny Winter, 7/16/2014: Legendary guitarist Johnny Winter died in Europe while on tour. He's known for his work on"Highway 61 Revisited," "Johnny B. Goode" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. 
• Paco de Lucía, 2/25/14: Paco de Lucía, a renowned Spanish flamenco guitar player, has died of a heart attack. He was 66.
• Franny Beecher, 2/24/14: Franny Beecher, the guitar player for Bill Haley & His Comets, has died at 92.
• Maria Franziska von Trapp, 2/18/14: Maria von Trapp, part of the musical family who escaped Nazi-occupied Austria and became the real life story behind the musical The Sound of Music, has died at 99.
• Bob Casale, 2/17/14: Bob Casale, a founding member of the band Devo, has died of heart failure. The guitar player for the cult-favorite band played on every album the band put out and was part of the band from its inception. He was 61.
• Pete Seeger, 1/27/2014 - Legendary American folk singer Pete Seeger passed away of natural causes. Seeger, whose body of work included the songs "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" influenced generations of singer-songwriters, was 94 years old.
• Phil Everly, of the pop group The Everly Brothers.  passed away of lung disease on January 3. Everly is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was 74 years old.
• Casey Kasem, although he was not a pop musician, was the host of the American Top 40 Radio countdown playing all of the Billboard top pop hits through the decades. Casey passed away on June 15 at the age of 82 years old.
• and to the many others...

I was first introduced to Paco de Lucia's talent on an album titled Friday Night in San Francisco 1981 with John McLaughlin and Al DeMeola. 

 Paco de Lucia 

Yours 4 Review

I am going to review 4 specific CD's that Karen got me for my birthday. I've heard each at least twice and some really standout. First, you know I love good music. These are each great choices for me.

The albums are: 

• Chrissie Hynde, Stockholm
• Pink Floyd, The Endless River 
• Eric Clapton and Friends, The Breeze, an appreciation of J.J.Cale
• Willie Nelson, To All the Girls 

Chrissie Hynde, Stockholm

I've always thought Chrissie Hynde, of The Pretenders, has an absolutely unique, beautiful, raw, powerful, haunting voice. One of the best. This is her first solo effort. The sound is fresh and unmistakably her own. Decidedly toned down from The Pretenders raucous rock. It's still rock, make no mistake, but with some techno upgrades and years of living life thrown in the mix.

Pink Floyd, The Endless River 

This album is a posthumous tribute, of sorts, to keyboardist Richard Wright. The album is almost entirely instrumental. It is a compilation of outtakes and unused tracks from previous sessions, that include Richard Wright. It has the definitive sound of David Gilmour on lead guitar. That's always a good thing. But, for me, it tends to drone on as good background music, but nothing has really jumped out. Snippets of melody and textures from previous recognisable songs overlay to keep it interesting.

Eric Clapton and Friends, The Breeze, an appreciation of J.J.Cale

This tribute to J.J.Cale, who was a great songwriter, guitarist, and artist, features Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, and more. How could it be anything but good? I love it. It's easy to give this a recommendation. If you enjoy a great smooth blues shuffle, you'll enjoy this. Nothing over the top. No big solos. No over-production. Simple perfection. These masters, paying tribute to one of their own.

Willie Nelson, To All the Girls 

To All the Girls album is duets with Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Wynonna Judd, Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn and 10 more! Another easy recommendation. If you like Willie, you'll like this. I really like the songs "No Mas Amor" with Alison Krauss, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" with Paula Nelson (Willie's daughter). But all the songs are easy listening, twangy Willie style. I'm sure you'll quickly find your own favorites.

Good to Know

Good to know real music is not gone, lost, dead, forgotten. It scares me when I see the rap, hip-hop, pop slop that is passed off as music. It also scares me that I am probably saying the same thing critics said about Elvis, The Beatles, Hendrix and other artists of my generation. I'll continue to search for good current music, but for now, these albums all stand as testaments to great classic rock, blues, and country and the artists behind them.

Surprising Guest Musicians

While listening to a Michael Jackson song the other day, I started thinking about this subject, and about writing again. It's been awhile since I've blogged on music. No excuses. Anyway, the idea of this subject "Surprising Guest Musicians" is geared towards artists that contribute to a song on another group or artists song without it being a duet or collaboration... just dropping in ... laying down some tracks and gettin' out. The song that got me thinking about this is: Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with Eddie Van Halen playing the lead break, which really stands out and gives the song punch.

Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with Eddie Van Halen

Next up would have to be a song by David Bowie "Let's Dance" with Stevie Ray Vaughan. The two first met at 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival and talked for hours. Bowie says he hadn't been so taken by a guitar player since Jeff Beck. And months later Bowie contacted SRV and the result is "Let's Dance".

David Bowie "Let's Dance" with Stevie Ray Vaughan

Of course, there is the story of a friend of George Harrison's that finally accepts an invite to the studio. The Beatle's were at a tough period and oddly the inclusion of this non-Beatle had them trying a little harder and being a little nicer. The result was The Beatle's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Eric Clapton playing beautiful lead guitar.

The Beatle's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Eric Clapton

Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were both members of Los Angeles' famed "Wrecking Crew". That's Leon's piano on Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash," The Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron," The Marketts' "Out of Limits," Badfinger's "Day After Day" and The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man." Glen's guitar can be heard on Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night," The Monkees' "Mary, Mary," The First Edition's "What Condition My Condition Was In," and Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas".  The Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" with Glen Campbell and Leon Russell is one big hit we can say for certain they both played on.

The Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" with Glen Campbell and Leon Russell

Though he was never a session man per se, Stephen Stills sat in on lots of songs over the years, mostly with friends. His biggest hits as a sideman are Ringo Starr's "It Don't Come Easy," on which he played piano, and the ultra smooth lament Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" with Stephen Stills, on which he picked the acoustic guitar (with the help of Booker T. and the MGs, no less).

Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" with Stephen Stills and Booker T. and the MGs

There are many many more. But I'll leave it at that and for now and whet your appetite.

Here's a link to a FunTrivia game if you want to try.

Cover Songs and Tribute Albums

The saying, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" could be applied to cover songs. People like to sing or hum along to a good tune. Usually musicians and artists start by singing and playing already famous songs. Advice from more recent reality shows like "The Voice" or "American Idol" always offer "make it your own". Sometimes the cover actually becomes more famous than the original. I do really enjoy a good cover, to hear another interpretation of a song. Following are just a few covers that may be more famous than the origianl, or at least as popular in their own way, some that never should have been recorded and a few complete albums of covers or tributes. What are some of your favorite covers?

"With a Little Help From My Friends"
by Joe Cocker
ORIGINAL ARTIST: The Beatles

"Walk Don't Run"
by The Ventures
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Johnny Smith
Walk Don't Run by Johnny Smith


"Summertime"
"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The song is recognized as one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music, with more than 33,000 covers by groups and solo performers.
by Billie Holiday, Billy Stewart, Janis Joplin

 Summertime by Billy Stewart 

"Spoonful"
by Etta James, Cream
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Howlin' Wolf

"Black Magic Woman"
by Santana
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Fleetwood Mac
 Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood Mac

"Little Wing"
by Derek and the Dominos, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Corrs
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Jimi Hendrix

"La Bamba"
by Los Lobos
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Richie Valens

"Hazy Shade of Winter"
by The Bangles
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Simon and Garfunkel

"Twist and Shout"
by The Beatles
ORIGINAL ARTIST:  The Isley Brothers

"I Shot The Sheriff"
by Eric Clapton
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Bob Marley

"Just A Gigolo"
by David Lee Roth
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Louie Prima
 Just a Gigolo by Louis Prima

"Respect"
by Aretha Franklin
ORIGINAL ARTIST: Otis Redding

And the worst

Miley Cyrus - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
William Shatner - "Rocket Man" by Elton John
Celine Dion - "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC

... we'll just leave it at that...

Tribute Albums 

various artists on each

Must have...

• "I Am Sam" soundtrack (all Beatles songs)
• A Tribute To Stevie Ray Vaughan [Live]
• Us And Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd (does this count as a cover?)

So so...

• Encomium: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
• Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix
• Working Class Hero: A Tribute To John Lennon
• Butchering The Beatles
• Crossfire: A Salute To Stevie Ray

And one of my favorite cover stories, if you've made it this far....
"Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band"-In 1967, Jimi Hendrix played the song live at the Saville Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, which was leased by Brian Epstein, only three days after it had been released on record, with McCartney and George Harrison in the audience