Under The Covers

Random Covers

2006-04-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

Been backpacking through Tibet... No Internet connection. Here are some random covers:

Steve Forbert - "Starstruck" Kinks cover
Parthenon Huxley - "Another Satellite" XTC cover
Canadian Brass - "You Never Give Me Your Money" Beatles cover
Cherry Twister - "It Had To Be" Badfinger cover
Matthew Sweet - "Karen" Shoes cover
Luka Bloom - "In Between Days" Cure cover
Doug Powell - "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" ELO cover
The Mosaic Virus - "Rocket From A Bottle" XTC cover
Elvis Costello - "Walking On Thin Ice" Yoko Ono cover
Martin Newell - "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" Smiths cover

When The Whistle Blows

2006-03-09T22:49:00.000-08:00

The Vogues - "Five O'Clock World" 1965
Julian Cope - "Five O'Clock World" 1988

The Brothers Finn

2006-02-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

Is there any better pair of songwriting brothers?

Here are some Tim and Neil Finn covers:

And the originals:

Bill Cowsill, RIP

2006-02-22T09:25:00.000-08:00

Bill Cowsill - "When Everybody's Here"

Marti Jones

2006-02-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

Marti Jones has been a solo artist for over twenty years, but for all that time and effort she remains an obscure singer. Which is a shame because all of her albums are highly listenable pop-rock, a cross between Marshall Crenshaw and Linda Ronstadt. Most of her CDs are out-of-print, but if you can find a copy of 1988's Used Guitars pick it up and you won't be sorry... A classic from beginning to end.

Here she is covering Squeeze and Graham Parker, along with the originals. I think she improves on both songs:

Elvis Costello

2006-02-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hmmm... wha? Oh, sorry, I was taking a little nap. Thanks for waking me up.

Here are four wonderful Elvis Costello covers. He's a hard one to cover. Most of his lyrics and melodies just don't work right coming out of another artist, but I think these four get it right.

Cover Yourself

2006-01-23T22:24:00.000-08:00

I love it when artists cover themselves. And I don't mean live concert performances. I mean new versions of their old hits. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Here are a few that work -- the original and the cover:

Men At Work - "Down Under" 1982
Colin Hay - "Down Under" 2003
Pete Townshend - "Let My Love Open The Door" 1980
Pete Townshend - "Let My Love Open The Door" 1996
The Beach Boys - "Surf's Up" 1967
Brian Wilson - "Surf's Up" 2004
Paul Kelly - "You Can't Take It With You" 1989
Paul Kelly & Uncle Bill - "You Can't Take It With You" 1999
George Harrison - "My Sweet Lord" 1970
George Harrison - "My Sweet Lord" 2000
Paul McCartney - "Maybe I'm Amazed" 1970
Paul McCartney - "Maybe I'm Amazed" 1999

Five Random Covers

2006-01-16T22:23:00.000-08:00

Beck - "Diamond Dogs" David Bowie cover
Los Lobos - "Sleeping On The Sidewalk" Queen cover
Scud Mountain Boys - "Wichita Lineman" Glen Campbell cover
Robbie Williams - "She's The One" World Party cover
Parthenon Huxley - "The Diary of Horace Wimp"ELO cover

Just A Covers Band?

2006-01-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

I confess to being completely ignorant of The Mavericks other than knowing they're a good covers band. Maybe someday I'll explore all of their music, but for now I really like what they've done to these three classic songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Hollies, and Elvis Presley:

Buy Mavericks CDs here!

Beatles Covers

2006-01-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it through the holidays in one piece. Was a bit startled when I woke up on the 1st in a Mexican jail, but that's too long a story to repeat here.

Since I'm still in recovery, here's something easy -- Beatles covers. No other band has been covered as much as the Fab Four, and I love 'em all, no matter how weird and wacky. I never met a Beatles cover I didn't like.

Here's a few:

The Chronicles of Tim Finn

2005-12-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Tim Finn has a new song on the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack. Should be a blockbuster, and a nice chunk of change for him. I've heard quite a few people describe his Narnia track as "average" and "mediocre" but I think it's quite pleasant and better than what he's put out on his past few albums.

Here it is, along with a classic Split Enz track by Tim and two Enz covers:

Buy Tim Finn CDs here!

A Pair of A Pair of Brown Eyes

2005-12-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Shane MacGowan is an ugly man. I can barely stand to look at pictures of him. And some might say his voice is an aquired taste. But the songs he writes are gorgeous, and I could listen to him sing them for hours. In fact, on a thousand-mile cross-country trip in 1989, I listened to nothing but Rum, Sodomy & The Lash, a perfect album which contains one of my favorite songs by anyone. Here it is, along with an equally lovely cover by Peter Case.

White Rabbit

2005-12-16T00:33:00.000-08:00

I don't even know how I stumbled upon God The Band, but I love their sound.

Visit their website for a couple of tunes and videos (I recommend "The Lifter").

Here they are covering a classic Jefferson Airplane song:

God The Band - "White Rabbit"

It's Just For Me To Kick In Space

2005-12-13T10:06:00.000-08:00

My love affair with XTC began with "Senses Working Overtime" off their English Settlement CD. Here it is, along with a live version from Andy, Colin and Dave, and three covers:

Buy the XTC tribute CD "Testimonial Dinner" here.

A Winter's Night

2005-12-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

When I want to mellow out with a rugged Canadian folk singer, I look no further than Gordon Lightfoot. His songs have a feel about them, like you've just finished a canoe trip in the Yukon and now you're getting warm by a fire in a backwoods cabin. I can fall asleep to Lightfoot's music.

And, in keeping with the season, here's his "Song For A Winter's Night" along with two cover versions:

Buy Gordon Lightfoot's Complete Greatest Hits CD here!

And you can find a really nice Gordon Lightfoot tribute CD here, featuring Canadian artists like Ron Sexsmith and Cowboy Junkies.

I Threw Bob Dylan Away

2005-12-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

I don't own any Bob Dylan songs. Not a one. This may sound like blasphemy, but I really can't stand his voice. However, he's a brilliant songwriter, and I love love love other artists covering his songs. Here's four of them:

Uh-oh, I lied... I do have Dylan's voice on my computer in the form of The Traveling Wilburys and this mash-up:

Bob Dylan & Air - "Mike's Blowin' in the Wind"

Let me know what you think of the new blog format... Thanks! Watch for regular posting here at least once a week, hopefully twice.

Any requests, leave them in comments!

Buy the new Bob Dylan Tribute CD here!

Christmas and Changes

2005-12-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas to all... I have an announcement to the dozen or so of you who frequent this blog.

First of all, thanks for letting me share the music and memories. Second, I am feeling the need for change. So, I'm changing the name and purpose of this blog.

Sometime in the next few days, this blog will become Under The Covers and will feature cover songs along with the originals, and more description/history of the songs and artists.

I think I'll have more fun with it. And in that spirit, here is a cover version of one of my favorite Christmas songs:

The Alarm - "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" Cover version of a John Lennon song from 1971

Best of 2005

2005-11-27T23:35:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year when we add it all up and make our lists... 2005 was an incredible year for new music. I feel sorry for people who only listen to the songs of their youth. You're missing out on a lot.

Twenty years from now I'll be bringing up memories of 2005 with the help of these twenty songs:

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday... Here are a few tunes in the spirit of the day:

Remember to buy lots of music this Christmas!!!

Speaking of XTC

2005-11-11T23:21:00.000-08:00

You can never have too much XTC in your life... Other than The Beatles, the boys from Swindon (well, mostly Andy and Colin these days) have been the longest musical relationship in my life.

XTC - "The Good Things"
XTC - "Blue Beret" Live Acoustic Session
XTC - "That's Really Super, Supergirl"
XTC - "Happy Families"
XTC - "Boarded Up" Instrumental
XTC - "Merely A Man"
XTC - "Say It" Another new one!
XTC - "Ladybird"
XTC - "Greenman"
XTC - "Scissor Man"
XTC - "It's Nearly Africa"
Dukes of Stratosphear - "The Affiliated"
Andy Partridge - "I Don't Want To Be Here"
Andy Partridge - "All I Dream Of Is A Friend"
Andy Partridge - "I Wonder Why The Wonderfalls"

New XTC

2005-11-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

XTC has a new song out, and you can download it at Pitchfork.

Pay no attention to the review... I think the writer was in a bad mood. But then, to me, any new XTC is heaven-sent!

1983

2005-11-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

1983... One year into college. Sweet freedom. Life was gooooood. There's nothing quite like those first few years of independence before responsibilities started piling up.

You can probably tell from the playlist below that I was rather obsessed with smooth-voiced British crooners that year. I thought this kind of music would get me the girls. Ha! That didn't quite work out, but the music was memorable. Here's some of the best from 1983:

Happy Halloween

2005-10-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a little early, but hey, it's one of my favorite holidays. Always has been. When I was a kid, I'd dress up twice and hit the houses in my neighborhood two times. At least the good ones. I lived in a very safe, enclosed neighborhood, and some of the people there went all out at Halloween. There were always three or four big haunted houses, with one guy going so far as to dig graves in his frontyard so he and his older kids could pop out of the ground in zombie gear. The spookiest house on the block was a big Victorian home with a large fountain in the courtyard, in which they'd put dry ice. The owner would dress up in his best vampire outfit, his wife in an Elvira get-up, and they'd lead groups of us nervous kids into their living room for a show and tell with all sort of gooey eyeballs and rat's tails and monster brains. We were never worried that anything untoward was going to happen. It was a safe place, a safe time. Grown-ups were everywhere, keeping an eye on things, and there really was no fear. Just hours of spooky fun. The times sure have changed...

More Copycatting...

2005-10-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more cover songs to celebrate the return of Copy, Right?:

Ben Folds Five - "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" B.J. Thomas cover
Big Daddy - "Like A Virgin" Madonna cover
Cracker - "Victoria" Kinks cover
Josh Gracin - "Working For The Weekend" Loverboy cover
Jon Brion - "Play The Game" Queen cover
Mandy Moore - "Breaking Us In Two" Joe Jackson cover
Joe Jackson - "Statue of Liberty" XTC cover
Sarah McLachlan - "Dear God" XTC cover
Grant Lee Buffalo - "We've Only Just Begun" Carpenters cover
Adrian Belew - "Come And Get It" Badfinger cover
Blue Rodeo - "Go Go Round" Gordon Lightfoot cover
Steve Barton - "She's Leaving Home" Beatles cover
Andy Partridge - "Strawberry Fields Forever" Beatles cover
Scud Mountain Boys - "Wichita Lineman" Glen Campbell cover
King's Singers - "And So It Goes" Billy Joel cover
Sloan - "Waterfalls" Paul McCartney cover
Anne Sofie Von Otter - "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" ABBA cover

2000 Miles

2005-10-07T02:38:00.000-07:00

Some songs from that year when we all breathed a huge sigh of relief because the world did not come to an end on New Year's Eve 1999. 2000 was our last good year, before we put a monkey in the White House and discovered what a War On Terror would cost us.

Ha! I only got to C on iTunes before my eyes glazed over and I realized it's 3 in the freakin' morning. Go to bed, idiot!

Maybe next time you'll get more tunes.

As always, seek out and buy the CDS.

Copying Copy, Right?

2005-09-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone else out there miss the Copy, Right? blog? I know she's only been gone for a week or so, but geez I need my cover fix.

Well, here are a few of my favorite cover songs for YOUR enjoyment. Until Liza gets back, this will have to do...

Neil Finn - "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" Smiths cover
Oingo Boingo - "You Really Got Me" Kinks cover
Luka Bloom - "In Between Days" Cure cover
Chomsky - "Earn Enough For Us" XTC cover
Jellyfish - "Think About Your Troubles" Harry Nilsson cover
Hindu Rodeo - "I'm Only Sleeping" Beatles cover
Pierce Turner - "Uncertain Smile" The The cover
The Bravery - "It's All I Can Do" Cars cover
Sean Altman - "39" Queen cover

More later...

Wild Sex in 1990

2005-09-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Some songs from 1990... The year I got married. I can't remember anything from that year except sex. Lots and lots of sex. Wild, passionate, animal lovin' in every room of our first apartment - on the kitchen counter, in the bathtub, against every wall and door, upside down in the closet... What must the neighbors have thought? We were mad with lust and experimentation that first year, trying out every position, game and fantasy. Talk about memories! Now I'm lucky if we get it on once a month. Arrghh, what middle age and kids will do to a couple.

Anyway, back in that first year of wedded bliss, we fucked and sucked to these tunes:

BONUS! Songs About Sex!

Since I don't get much these days, I have to live vicariously through the music...

1980

2005-09-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

You think I left for good? I'm just recovering from a prolonged illness. No time to chat about memories right now, just enjoy these tunes from 25 years ago:

And here's a peek at what I'll be posting next time, a look at the best songs of 1990:

Jellyfish - "I Wanna Stay Home"

Just Like Jeff Lynne

2005-08-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

I didn't start listening to the Electric Light Orchestra until hearing "Mr. Blue Sky" on the radio in 1977. I taped it off some radio station and then wore that tape out listening to just the one song over and over. To this day, it's still my idea of The Perfect Song.

In honor of Jeff Lynne and one of my favorite blogs, Copy, Right?, here are a few ELO cover songs:

BONUS MP3
Paul Melançon - "Jeff Lynne"

What's New Pussycat?

2005-08-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hey, don't think I sit around listening to oldies stations all day. Truth is, I hate the radio... Haven't listened to music radio for twenty years. I may be 40, but I keep up. I rely upon written reviews, word-of-mouth, and MP3 blogs to stay tuned in to the latest good music.

Here are a few songs from bands I've enjoyed during the past year:

The Day The Music Died

2005-08-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

1974... I was ten years old and couldn't give a flying fart about music. Maybe I listened to some John Denver and Neil Diamond, or whatever easy listening was coming out of my mom's car radio. We weren't a musical family.

But my brother, he was 15 and just starting to really discover rock 'n' roll. I can still picture the long list of albums he had pinned to his bedroom wall -- a Christmas wish list of sorts -- stuff like Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Deep Purple, Loggins & Messina... For his 15th birthday, in 1973, he received his very first stereo system, complete with 8-track. What a set up that was! I would've been impressed if I had cared, but I just wasn't into music yet.

My brother loved that stereo for nearly a year. He was killed two months before his 16th birthday when some asshole shot a BB gun at the horse he was riding. It bucked my brother off, he hit his head on a large rock, and that was that.

His room went untouched for four years, his beloved stereo silenced until I went to see Beatlemania at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles and suddenly realized that there was a whole wonderful world of music out there. First place I went when I got home was to my brother's room, and there on the shelf was his small record collection, which included The Beatles "Blue Album" of greatest hits. That stereo became mine, but I never moved it out of his room. It became my "Listening Room" and I think maybe my brother was there listening with me.

He probably enjoyed these songs from 1974...

Where Were You In '82?

2005-08-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... 1982... The year I got out of prison. Er, I mean, graduated from high school.

I had this huge crush on a girl named Julie. She was a gymnast, so you can just imagine. Also a cheerleader, so completely out of my league. AND, she was a scholar. She pretty much had it all. I only approached her a couple of times and clumsily let it be known that I was infatuated with her. What a fool I was. What a complete and utter fool.

Anyway, I followed her around all year, tongue hanging out, and last saw her on graduation day when I again worked up the nerve to talk to her, wishing her good luck at college, where she'd earned a scholarship for gymnastics. Quite classy on my part... I still remember the look of horror on her face as I approached in my graduation gown. She assumed I was going to drool on her or something, but I managed to pronounce my greetings and well wishes, and I think she was pleasantly surprised.

Fast forward 23 years... I live 2000 miles from my old hometown and I just learned that Julie lives not 40 miles west of me in my new corner of the country. She lives on a farm in a small town and homeschools her children. 40 miles! I'd drive out there and say hi, but I don't think I could work up the nerve again.

Here is what we listened to in 1982. Enjoy:

The BusBoys - "The Boys Are Back In Town"
Sparks - "Eaten By The Monster of Love"
Marshall Crenshaw - "Cynical Girl"
Squeeze - "I've Returned"
The Who - "One Life's Enough"
Adam Ant - "Crackpot History and The Right To Lie"
Elvis Costello - "Human Hands"
Fun Boy Three - "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)"
Oingo Boingo - "Why'd We Come"
Psychedelic Furs - "Love My Way"
Split Enz - "Never Ceases To Amaze Me"
George Harrison - "Dream AWay"
Men At Work - "Be Good Johnny"
XTC - "English Roundabout"
Roxy Music - "Take A Chance With Me"
The English Beat - "Ackee 123"
Paul Carrack - "I Need You"
ABC - "Many Happy Returns"
Pete Townshend - "Exquisitely Bored"
Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Dubious"
Rank and File - "(Glad I'm) Not In Love"
Thomas Dolby - "Europa and the Pirate Twins"
Haircut 100 - "Love's Got Me In Triangles"
Queen - "Calling All Girls"

The King's Singers

2005-08-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

I first saw The King's Singers on The Tonight Show in the early 80's... They were one of Johnny Carson's favorite musical acts. I had never seen an acapella group of any kind, so was immediately smitten by these guys. Sure, they're rather stiff and some of their covers are kind of lame, but nobody sings the variety of material they do.

They debuted in 1968 after forming at King's College, Cambridge, and have been through many personnel changes since then, but they remain one of the most popular vocal groups in the world.

Here are a few of their covers of rock, pop and new wave songs:

"Vienna" (with Midge Ure) Ultravox cover
"Golden Brown" Stranglers cover
"Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" Korgis cover
"Seaside Rendezvous" Queen cover
"MLK" U2 cover
"Good Vibrations" Beach Boys cover
"The Rose" Bette Midler cover
"Because" Beatles cover
"When I'm 64" Beatles cover
"I'll Follow The Sun" Beatles cover

Buy their Beatles Connection CD here.

Don't Dream It's Over

2005-08-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ask and ye shall receive... Yes, I do take requests. Someone wanted a live version of this song. Read on:

Crowded House debuted in 1986 with a self-titled album that went nowhere. It was almost a year later that the single, "Don't Dream It's Over," was discovered by someone somewhere (I don't know how these things work) and suddenly Crowded House were on top of the charts all over the world.

My clearest memory of this album was that I received it for Christmas along with Microdisney's The Clock Comes Down The Stairs. A very good holiday that was. I also remember the extremely goofy video for "Something So Strong" that showed Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, and the late great Paul Hester romping inside a hay-strewn barn with some lovely young ladies. MTV aired that one a lot.

Here are two live versions of Crowded House's biggest single (a song which now ranks as a timeless classic), one from Crowded House themselves and one from a Neil Finn solo concert.

Crowded House - "Don't Dream It's Over (Live 1992)"
Neil Finn - "Don't Dream It's Over (Live 2002)"

BONUS COVER:

Sixpence None The Richer - "Don't Dream It's Over"

Tim Finn Retrospective

2005-08-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's greatest singer-songwriters just happen to be brothers... Tim and Neil Finn.

Neil has always been the more successful Finn brother, having huge chart hits with Split Enz and Crowded House. But Tim, the older brother, is an extremely diverse and underrated performer. He formed Split Enz in 1972 with friend Phil Judd, then left it in 1984 to begin a solo career that has been quite varied in terms of sales and artistry.

Here is evidence of Tim's long and unique career, from Split Enz to solo success to a brief stay in Crowded House to the first of two albums with brother Neil:

1977 Split Enz - "My Mistake"
1979 Split Enz - "I See Red"
1980 Split Enz - "Nobody Takes Me Seriously"
1983 Tim Finn - "In A Minor Key"
1985 Tim Finn - "Home For My Heart"
1989 Tim Finn - "Suicide On Downing Street"
1991 Crowded House - "All I Ask"
1993 Tim Finn - "In Love With It All"
1995 Finn Brothers - "Eyes of the World"
1995 Finn Brothers - "Weather With You"
1996 Tim Finn & The New Zealand Symphony - "I See Red"
2000 Tim Finn - "Twinkle"
2001 Tim Finn - "Subway Dreaming"
2001 Finn Brothers - "Too Many People" (Paul McCartney Cover)
2002 Tim Finn, Neil Finn, & Eddie Vedder - "I See Red (Live)"

BONUS COVERS:

1997 The King's Singers - "Weather With You"
2003 The Wiggles, with Tim Finn - "Six Months In A Leaky Boat"

Click here for Tim Finn and Split Enz CDs at Amazon!

Rank and File

2005-07-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Rank and File - "Amanda Ruth"

Rank and File - "I Don't Go Out Much Anymore"

Chip and Tony Kinman formed the cowboy punk outfit Rank and File in the early 80's and released one great album, Sundown, in 1982, and a couple of okay albums over the next five years before calling it quits.

I got to hang out with the band in '82 when I worked for a student-run production company that brought the band to my college for a free concert. They were nice guys, still trying to figure out if their sound would appeal to anyone. What a great year that was at my college campus... We had free noon-time concerts from X, The Knack, Berlin, and the Blasters. I skipped way too many classes to see those shows. The Kinmans are still around with Cowboy Nation.

BONUS Cover Version (1984):

The Everly Brothers - "Amanda Ruth"

Buy Everly Brothers CDs here!

Face My Mistake

2005-07-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Code Blue - "Face To Face"

The Kingbees - "My Mistake"

These songs will always be linked in my mind. Both bands debuted in 1980, and both were guitar-oriented, but they didn't sound anything alike. Code Blue was formed by singer-guitarist Dean Chamberlain after he left The Motels. The band was signed to a major label in the wake of The Knack's success, and the resulting self-titled LP is now considered a classic of the new wave era. And Chamberlain looks so very cool on the cover. I always wanted to have that "look" in high school.

The Kingbees were a throwback to the 50's rockabilly sound that was becoming increasingly popular, but they didn't have the chart success that bands like the Straycats and the Polecats would have a few years later.

So why are these songs, and these bands, forever linked in my memory? Because in 1980 I had a big crush on a surfer girl named Sherri, and she let me borrow Code Blue and The Kingbees, from which I made a cassette tape, so over the years I would always listen to those albums one right after another as I flipped the cassette over. I remember being overjoyed when I bought a stereo that had auto-reverse. Anyway, Sherri went on one date with me... some forgotten horror movie, and that was the end of that. But I still listen to those albums! Thanks Sherri!

Why Should I Care?

2005-07-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Oingo Boingo - "Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me"

Every time I look around this place
I see them scream but I hear no sound
And the terrible things happen down the road
To somebody else that I don't even know

From 1983's Good For Your Soul album comes a song that I still feel guilty listening to today because, well, uh... like the songs says, nothing bad ever happens to me. Nothing really bad, mind you. There's been some small stuff, but why sweat the small stuff? For the large part my life has been pretty uneventful. Not dull, just not filled with chaos and tragedy.

1983 was the year of the second US Festival, which featured Oingo Boingo, The Clash, Wall of Voodoo, U2, David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne, The English Beat, INXS, and so many others.

It was also the year of the Beirut embassy bombing, the Grenada invasion, and the Star Wars trilogy's conclusion (or so George Lucas said at the time).

I was finally in college and relishing the fact that I could wear the same clothes three days in a row and nobody cared.

Tracey Madness

2005-07-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

Madness - "My Girl"

Why can't she see
She's lovely to me?
But I like to stay in
And watch TV on my own
Every now and then

Hey, here's something else from 1979... Madness debuted with their timeless One Step Beyond album. Twenty-six years later, it's still just as fun and jubilant as ever. I've listened to this on LP, cassette, and CD continuously for close to three decades. Definitely a desert-island disc.

I used to make mix tapes combining two or three artists. One of my favorites was a Madness/Monty Python mix. Well, I liked it anyway. Can't say if my friends did or not. They usually roll their eyes at me.

And what exactly did we used to "stay in and watch" on TV back then? WKRP in Cincinnati, M*A*S*H, Happy Days, That's Incredible... My dad watched The Rockford Files. My mom watched Lou Grant.

We didn't have 24-hour cable TV news back then. We didn't even have Nightline, which didn't start up until the Iranian Embassy Hostage situation. Seems like that part of the world has been a part of our world ever since.

BONUS MP3 (cover version from 1984):
Tracey Ullman - "My Guy"

Buy Tracey Ullman's Greatest Hits CD here!

The Name of This Blog Is...

2005-07-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Talking Heads - "Memories Can't Wait"

Everything is very quiet
Everyone has gone to sleep
I'm wide awake on memories
These memories can't wait.
- David Byrne

One of the first Talking Heads songs I ever heard, from 1979's Fear of Music album.

Completely changed my view of music.

1979 was my sophomore year of high school, and pretty much when I started looking forward to escaping to college three years later. But it was a great year for music... The Clash's London Calling, Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, The Knack's My Sharona, Squeeze's Cool For Cats...

And memorable movies... Apocalypse Now, Breaking Away, Manhattan, Hair, Being There...

We'll try not to remember the Ayatollah Khomeini, Cambodia, gas rationing, Three Mile Island, and Margaret Thatcher.

BONUS MP3 (from 1981):
Madness - "Memories"

Buy Madness CDs here

First post

2005-07-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

First post, just to test it out.

Nothing conjures up distant memories quite like a song.

That's what I'm going to do here. I'll be posting tunes from my lifetime... 60's to present, but heavy emphasis on the 70's and 80's.

Maybe there will be a memory or two for you. Maybe you'll discover some great old music. And then buy it, so some aging artist can have another royalty check to buy Viagra and Ensure.

Hey, I have an MP3 blog now... I'm cool!