Stiff Little Fingers was a great band — probably the second-best Irish punk band from the classic punk era, behind only the Undertones. SLF was a bit like Northern Ireland’s answer to the Clash, only less eclectic and more uncompromising. Below is one of their better-known songs, “Suspect Device. Their other popular song in the …
I’ll admit to having that strange passive fascination with the Lady of Ga. Her music is interesting, she has the chops of both Ferrante and Teichner, the flamboyance of Captain Fastastic, and the craziness of any pop diva on the planet. That said, I don’t own her music and don’t actively seek her out. But …
I have a soft spot in my heart for John Lee Hooker, though I never saw him play. I liked him best when he was young(er). Early Hooker is scarce, and even though we’ve mined the AFB vein enough– he was great here in ’65 performing Hobo Blues. Despite an ocean of booze, he lived …
. . Johnny Depp has been forever typecast as Hunter S. Thompson. Even when, as here in new film, The Tourist, he sweetly coos tender Euro intrigues with Angelina Jolie, you can still hear echoes of the crazed voice of Thompson ranting across Las Vegas: . . The Tourist TrailerUploaded by teasertrailer. – Classic TV …
Vandals deface Mormons’ new meeting house in West Linn “From the nature of the graffiti, I’d have to say it wasn’t a terribly well thought-out attack on the church. You’d think if they really had something against Mormons, they’d at least know how to spell it” -Sgt. Neil Hennelly on anti “Morman” graffiti sprayed on …
Here’s a gem of an understated “Mojo” from 1963. Any videos of Sonny Boy Williamson II are scarce indeed, since he died in the summer of 1965. That’s the American Folk Blues Tour again, with Otis Spann, Matt Murphy, Willie Dixon, and Bill Stepney (very rare to see him) on the drums. Locale? Britain or …
Yes, a film crew released 100 cats into an English IKEA store and allowed them to roam free all night long:
Ed. Note – This is just in from Ron Swanson. As it is extremely rare to hear from Ron during football season via any communicational modality, we can assume the subject here is of extreme importance and the quality of the recording, insurmountably good, since Ron chose to put down the remote and educate us …
Hound Dog has a bit of a history. First recorded by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton in 1952, it became a huge hit for Elvis Presley three years later. Presley has often been criticized for stealing Thornton’s thunder, but his version was based on another cover of the original, by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, …
What has become the most overplayed anthem in the history of team sports, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” (from 1977’s News of The World) is arguably the British quartet’s best-selling and most widely known single – and I’m including “Bohemian Rhapsody” in my calculations. Shot in jaw-droppingly clear high-def during the era shortly after Freddie …
This hymn-like anthem is about selfless, freely given love that asks nothing in return. The singer wants to dry your tears, watch your back, comfort you when you’re down, and sail behind you and keep you safe. Can you think of any other song that packaged so much beauty and emotion into a few lines …
“Summertime in England” is from Van’s Common One album, his least popular and most misunderstood work. The song is typically 15 minutes in length, an incredible blend of jazz and gospel, suffering and bliss, and is best enjoyed live. Saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis has free reign in this 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival appearance. Love it! …
We have a new contender in the Most Bizarre Rock-Star Death sweepstakes: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/06/elo-cellist-by-killed-hay-bale A former member of the rock group Electric Light Orchestra has been killed by a giant hay bale that crashed into his van while he was driving. Cellist Mike Edwards died instantly when the 300kg bale landed on the front of the …
It is truly amazing to realize that the retarded can type, let alone use a computer. The retarded seem to have been called out of the woodwork in recent, post-Bush months: they litter the comments section of any newspaper in the country, and their passionate, if not correctly spelled proclamations of patriotism, fury and resentment …
Here’s Groupie, the Delaney and Bonnie original version (Just listen, don’t look at the sucky Jim Morrison tribute video accompanying it on Youtube) of what became the Carpenters’ megahit, Superstar. I love this song. I tried to sing the Carpenters version at karaoke but need to practice the fast part. Luther Vandross does a great …
Sad to say it kids, but I think Improv Everywhere went to the beach to jump the shark:
An absolutely beautiful song by an absolutely beautiful singer. Gotta say, though, stuff this smokily sensuous could almost get people arrested! – Rich Horton
This just in from Jill Dianne Taylor: “I Say A Little Prayer is classic Aretha! The soulful, sweet groove of this song is irresistible and contagious.”
This clip is interesting. I’m waiting for the day I get my ape servant, fully trained of course, and the device to put material in my mind (memories, knowledge) that turns me into an expert on a subject. He was right on about computers and the ability to communicate with others anywhere. Too bad telecommuniting …
This promotional video for their last album was the end of the road for Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. Shortly afterward the Captain turned his back on music to become the painter Don Van Vliet. That is his artwork featured on the video. It’s impossible to define or categorize the music of Captain Beefheart, …
Conor O’Brien fronts [is, really] the Irish band Villagers. O’Brien is a contemplative sort, and his darkly lyrical songs reflect an inward focus, perhaps a healthy type of narcissism. If there is such a thing. Wikipedia entry here –> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villagers_%28band%29 – Mitch Hurst, Author of the fine blog, Exbaptist. . . . .
This just in from Elaine Bonow: “I think it is so weird that she is a cousin of Etta James and after all this time I never really heard of her. I loved this video because she is so cute and hip with that shirtwaist dress on and all.” This from Chicago Blues historian, John …
Hoda Kotb, of all people, turned me on to this snappy new song by Hanson, and their “genius! why didn’t someone think of this before?” video in which they exhibit their musical cred and show they are not just a one-hit wonder to be forgotten… Look for Weird Al’s cameo! – Colette Moran PS – …
How Conservatives and the GOP Destroyed the “Traditional Family” They Claim to Treasure Thanks in part to the GOP’s failed policies, America is such a hard place to raise a family that many people are delaying getting married and having kids. [August 30, 2010] For decades, social conservatives have had a lot to say about …
In the future, there will only be two songs to cover for 15 minutes, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Poker Face”:
This from John Richards via Facebook re Lightning Seeds’ “Pure”: “Last time Kevin played this on the air, Arlie and I danced around the house like crazy people. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. Perfect 2 minutes of my life. Perfect.” – JR
This from Anne Hopper via Facebook: “Oh, you’ve made me cry. This is the sound of my tiny girlhood in France in the late 50’s. I have LP’s of M. Montand, but have never watched him croon. He even combs his dark hair like my daddy, who was also a crooner of sad love songs. …
. “Jim, are you kidding or what? First of all, let’s start by you accepting the fact that you were the original director of PIRANHA 2 and you were fired. Shame on you for thinking that genre movies and the real maestros like Roger Corman and his collaborators are any less auteur or impactful in …
U.S. was born a Christian nation Evangelical writer and thinker, Robert Knight, author of “Fighting for America’s Soul: How Sweeping Change Threatens Our Nation and What We Must Do,” and one of the drafters of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, has prepared for CNN.com an essay asserting that America’s creation was, in fact, rooted …