Category Archives: Music

Let’s Take A Moment Day 510

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On this day in 1969 The Beatles took the iconic photograph that would become the cover of their final studio album. It was August 8, 1969 when The Fab Four walked in stride at the crosswalk outside Abbey Road studios, which they used as the title to their last record, released the following month.

Around the same time three years earlier, the group released Revolver. It was hailed as an innovative gem & marked significant growth in the four men as musicians and songwriters. George Harrison bemoaned one of the trappings of success with his song “Taxman”. John Lennon added a psychedelic feel to “Tomorrow Never Knows” while allowing Harrison a chance to experiment with a backwards lead guitar part on the glorious “I’m Only Sleeping” (Day 178).

But for me it was two of McCartney’s songs that I found most beautiful. The first, “Here There and Everywhere” was said to be inspired by Brian Wilson’s “God Only Knows”. And today’s track featured one of my favorite instruments ever, the French horn, which I fell in love with because of this song. It was yet another example of how The Beatles took some very scenic routes to make their legendary music.

“And in her eyes you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years“.

Abbey

Revolver_(album_cover)

Top: An unused picture from the Abbey Road photo shoot with The Beatles walking in reverse from the photo which was chosen for the record. Bottom: The group’s 1966 release. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Beatles: “For No One” (1966, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 509

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On August 2, 1978 the second album from the group Boston was released. It became their second consecutive #1 album while the title track was a Top Five hit. It has always been one of my favorites and a great cautionary tale to those who tend to look more toward the past than the future.

“I can see, it took so long just to realize
I’m much too strong not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I’ll turn it around“.

Boston A

The band Boston circa 1976 (L-R): Lead vocalist & guitarist Brad Delp, songwriter & guitarist & Tom Scholz, guitarist Barry Goudreau, bassist Fran Sheehan and drummer Sib Hashian (center). (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Boston: “Don’t Look Back” (1978, written by Tom Scholz).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 508

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

My preoccupation & excitement over “The Summer of Soul” movie last month made me completely miss a rock & roll birthday. Christine McVie turned 78 on July 12. Another important date in her life occurred 51 years ago. On August 6, 1970, she played her first show with Fleetwood Mac at the Fillmore West in San Francisco as the band’s keyboard player and first female member. Five years later, today’s song was chosen as the lead single in the US from the band’s 1975 self titled album. It was the group’s first Top 20 song of the 1970’s and I think it is one of her best. Here’s to 100 more birthdays for Christine McVie.

“Your mood is like a circus wheel
You’re changing all the time
Sometimes I can’t help but feel
That I’m wasting all of my time.“.

Lindsey Christine

(L-R): Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie circa 2017. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Fleetwood Mac: “Over My Head” (1975, written by Christine McVie).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 507

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Yesterday marked the 120th birth anniversary for the man affectionately known as “Satchmo”, Jazz band leader, trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong was born August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His 1967 rendition of “What A Wonderful World” (Day 185) has become a classic and many of his jazz recordings have been hailed as some of the most innovative of all time. But it was his collaborations with The First Lady Of Song herself, Ella Fitzgerald, that are my favorites. Today’s song, one of Irving Berlin’s best, is from their 1956 album, Ella and Louis.

“Heaven I’m in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek“.

Louie Ella

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Armstrong: “Cheek To Cheek” (1956, written by Irving Berlin).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 506

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On August 3, 1968 The Doors hit the #1 spot in the country for the first of two consecutive weeks with today’s song. It was the second top selling song of their short career after “Light My Fire” hit the top of the chart the year before. From the release of their self-titled debut in January 1967 to their 1971 album L.A. Woman released three months before Jim Morrison’s untimely death, The Doors were one of the most brilliant, dynamic and unstoppable forces in music.

“Sidewalk crouches at her feet
Like a dog that begs for something sweet
Do you hope to make her see, you fool
Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel“.

Doors

The Doors circa 1968 (L-R): John Densmore, Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Doors: “Hello I Love You” (1968, written by The Doors: John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 505

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Today the man born Anthony Dominick Benedetto turns 95 years young. The legendary performer better known by his stage name, Tony Bennett, was born on August 3, 1926 in Queens, NY. Frank Sinatra called him “the best singer in the business”. Pretty hard to argue with the Chairman Of The Board. Bennett released today’s song, his signature tune, in February of 1962. Nearly 60 years later, it remains as timeless as the singer himself. Here’s to 100 more birthdays for the great Tony Bennett.

“The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly grey
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I’ve been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I’m going home to my city by the Bay“.

Tony 1

Tony 2

Top: Tony Bennett circa 1964. Bottom: Bennett circa 2004. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Tony Bennett: “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” (1962, written by George C. Cory Jr. and Douglass Cross).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 504

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On Aug 1, 1985 Tom Waits released one of his most innovative albums, Rain Dogs. And one of his biggest fans, Rolling Stone Keith Richards, played guitar on three songs & sang back-up on one. Today’s pick is one of the more well known tracks from the record.

Rod Stewart released his own fabulous version in 1989 and it reached the #3 spot on the chart the following year. If you were a fan of the show “How I Met Your Mother” you might remember this song in the finale done in a slower more somber tone by Everything But The Girl. But as a huge fan of Waits, I love his original take the best.

“Outside another yellow moon
Has punched a hole in the night time mist
I climb through the window and down to the street
I’m shining like a new dime“

Waits

The back cover of Tom Waits 1985 album, Rain Dogs. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Tom Waits: “Downtown Train” (1985, written by Tom Waits).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 503

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Forty years ago today TV became all about the music. MTV premiered on Aug 1, 1981 and suddenly our homes were the best seats in the house for great music. Of course, there were plenty of terrible songs with terrible videos to go around as well but by the end of the decade, the music video was mostly a masterful work of art.

One of my favorite things about MTV was the “Unplugged” series which made its debut in 1989. There is such an elegance to acoustic music & the powers that be at the video channel saw that and turned it into an award winning franchise. Many artists had huge live records courtesy of these shows, especially Eric Clapton. His 1992 album won 3 Grammy Awards and became the best selling album of his career.

Many of my other favorite artists participated in the series, too, including Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Tony Bennett and Rod Stewart. His 1993 Unplugged…And Seated album produced several hits including today’s song. It was originally released 50 years ago on his 1971 album Every Picture Tells A Story. His old “Faces’ bandmate, Ron Wood, played on that album with him & was seated to Stewart’s right during the MTV performance. It was a great testament to both music & friendship all wrapped up into one fabulous show.

“If I gave you time to change my mind
I’d find a way just to leave the past behind
Knowing that you lied straight faced while I cried
Still I look to find a reason to believe”.

Unplugged

Rod Stewart’s 1993 album, Unplugged…And Seated. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Rod Stewart: “Reason To Believe” (recorded live during “Unplugged…And Seated, February 1993 & released May 1993. Originally recorded in 1971. Written by Tim Hardin).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 502

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

1971 was without a doubt the greatest year of Carole King’s career. Not only was her monumental album, Tapestry, a huge smash but so was the first single. The double sided hit of “I Feel The Earth Move” & “It’s Too Late” (Day 460) was in the #1 spot for five weeks that summer.

Two weeks after that triumph, another one of her songs recorded by one of her friends hit the top of the chart as well.. On July 31, 1971 James Taylor had the #1 record in the country for one week with today’s track. King’s original recording is on her groundbreaking album, but it became one of Taylor’s signature songs. And that all started 50 years ago today.

“You just call out my name
And you know, wherever I am
I’ll come running
To see you again“.

King And Taylor

American singer-songwriters James Taylor and Carole King. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

James and Carole 2010

 Top (L-R): James Taylor and Carole King circa 1970. Bottom (L-R): Taylor and King in 2010. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

James Taylor: “You’ve Got A Friend” (1971, written by Carole King).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 501

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Tomorrow marks the 98th birth anniversary for a man who introduced us to some of the greatest artists in music history. Ahmet Ertegun, president and co-founder of Atlantic Records, was born on July 31, 1923 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was the man who launched the careers of John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Otis Redding, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Aretha Franklin, to name a few.

I cannot imagine my life or this world without the likes of Redding, Clapton or Franklin, let alone the rest of that group. But to choose a way to salute the man we remember today comes down to one word: genius. And no one comes closer to that word than Ray Charles. Thank you, Ahmet Ertegun, for bringing us some of the most profound music of the 20th century.

“She saves her loving, just for me
Always loves me, so tenderly
I got a woman, way over town
She’s good to me, oh yeah“.

Ray 1956

Ray 2002

Top (L-R): Ray Charles and Ahmet Ertegun circa 1956. Bottom (L-R): Charles and Ertegun circa 2002. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Ray Charles: “I Got A Woman” (1954, written by Ray Charles and Renald Richard)

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.