Category Archives: Music Monday

Music Monday: April 15, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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One of the most important albums of the 20th century has turned 60 years old. It is Bob Dylan’s third album and the title track became the anthem for the 1960’s.

His second album, 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, gave us three now classic songs-“Blowin’ In The Wind”, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. His 1962 self-titled debut album contained traditional and cover songs along with his tribute to his hero, Woody Guthrie, in “Song To Woody”.

But it was album #3 in as many years that would deliver Dylan’s reflective ballad on an era of change. It was released in February 1964, a mere three months after the assassination of President Kennedy and foretold of the social upheaval which would follow later in the decade.

According to Dylan’s website, he first performed the song in October 1963 at a show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Many sources indicate he wrote in the spirit of an Irish or Scottish ballad to give a voice to the civil rights movement and other social changes he saw developing from his perspective as a 22 year old folk singer.

There have been countless covers of the title track by Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone, amongst others. My favorite is by fellow American artist Richie Havens. But Dylan’s original is the one that remains the sound heard by a generation and a movement that changed the direction of our country. What an incredible legacy.

“The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast“.

Dylan

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Bob Dylan: “The Times They Are A-Changin‘” (1964, written by Bob Dylan).

Richie Havens: “The Times They Are A-Changin‘” (1987, written by Bob Dylan).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: April 8, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Last month marked the 80th birth anniversary of singer & songwriter Townes Van Zandt who was born March 7, 1944 in Fort Worth, TX. He is another one of those somewhat obscure singer/songwriters who achieved cult hero status thanks to a handful of songs he wrote which are still revered today. He was featured on Day 356 of my Lockdown Countdown series. His life is definitely worth the read.

English singer & musician Mick Ralphs turned 80 last month. He was born March 31, 1944 in Herefordshire, England. While he is best known for his tenures in Mott The Hopple & Bad Company, it was with the latter group that Ralphs saw his greatest success. In addition to playing guitar and keyboards as well as providing backing vocals, he was one of the principal songwriters.

Ralphs composed three of the top songs from the band’s debut album, which was released 50 years ago in May 1974: “Can’t Get Enough”, “Ready For Love” (which initially appeared on Mott The Hoople’s 1972 album, All The Young Dudes), and “Movin’ On”. He co-wrote two other songs with Paul Rodgers, “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Seagull” . Together they also wrote “Feel Like Making Love” for the band’s sophomore release. My favorite of Ralphs’ sole compositions appears on the band’s third album, Run With The Pack, released in 1976.

Fifty years ago, Elton John had the #1 song in the country for one week. All of his songs are incredibly special to me, but the song that hit the top spot in the country on April 13, 1974 was the one that finally convinced my dad that John was not only the guy who once appeared on stage in a Donald Duck costume, but one of the most talented singer/songwriters/musicians in the world. Sharing a love for music is one of my most cherished memories of my father and the songs by John and poet extraordinaire Bernie Taupin are an enormous part of that bond. Thank you, kind sirs. All three of you.

Townes
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Bernie and Elton 1975

Top: Townes Van Zandt circa 1977.  Middle: Bad Company circa 1974: Boz Burrell, Mick Ralphs, Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. Bottom: Bernie Taupin (L) and Elton John (R) in the 1970’s with some of their gold albums. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Townes Van Zandt : “Pancho & Lefty”  (Recorded in Oklahoma in 1978, from the 1993 album, Rear View Mirror. Originally released in 1972, written by Townes Van Zandt).

Bad Company: “Simple Man” (1976, written by Mick Ralphs).

Elton John: “Bennie And The Jets” (1973, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: April 1, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Today we celebrate a man I adore and love who I have worshipped nearly all of my life. And I miss him every time I breathe. Marvin Gaye was born 85 years ago on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C. He began singing in church at just four years old. Later he joined a few high school vocal groups before he enlisted in the United States Air Force when he was 17.

The future “Prince of Soul” learned to play piano, drums and to write songs. He joined a few doo-wop groups before he ended up in Detroit at the start of the 1960’s just as Motown was being developed. After some time as a musician & backup singer, he had his first hit with “Stubborn Kind Of Fellow” in 1963. And for the next 10 years, he earned another nickname, “The Prince Of Motown”, thanks to a string of hits including three #1 songs, several duets and a thought-provoking seminal album, “What’s Going On”, in 1971.

A decade later, he had a #3 smash with “Sexual Healing” which earned him his first Grammy Awards. But despite his career resurgence, Gaye’s life ended exactly 40 years ago when he was killed on April 1, 1984. He was not only one of the greatest voices ever in music history but one of the most prolific to come out of the Motor City. He spoke his conscience through his songs as well which provided the label with some social awareness and perspective.

In honor of this beautiful extraordinary man’s life, I am sharing my top three favorite tracks of his. Two are solo songs and the other is my favorite duet of his with Tammi Terrell, Gaye’s dear friend whom he recorded a majority of duets with before she died from a brain tumor on March 16, 1970 at age 24. If you believe in heaven, you have your own version of what it looks and sounds like. For me, I envision these two incredible souls singing together in harmony and happiness for all of eternity. And I have a front row seat.

Thank you for your heart, soul & voice, Marvin. You are still missed and beloved every moment of every day. Sending love & peace to you always.

Marvin young
Marvin hat
Marvin Tammi

Top: Marvin Gaye in the early 1960’s. Middle: Marvin Gaye circa 1971. Bottom: Tammi Terrell and Gaye circa 1967. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Marvin Gaye: “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You” (1967, written by Johnny Bristol, Vernon Bullock and Harvey Fuqua).

Marvin Gaye: “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (1968, written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield).

Marvin Gaye: “That’s The Way Love Is” (1969, written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: March 25, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Lately I have been drowning myself in John Lennon’s songs from his years with The Beatles. With each album he became more and more eloquent about what was on his mind. And it was deep, beautiful & thought-provoking. Sometimes I think today’s pick from The White Album does not get enough recognition for being the exceptional track it is. And the message it sends is an uplifting one delivered in Lennon’s succinct yet effective manner. What a way to make the listener feel nothing but love and acceptance. Thank you, John.

“The sun is up
The sky is blue
It’s beautiful
And so are you“.

Version 1.0.0

The Fab Four’s extra gift to fans who bought The White Album-individual pictures of the band (L-R): George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Beatles: “Dear Prudence” (1968, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: March 18, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Thirty years ago-March 21, 1994-Bruce Springsteen won the Oscar for Best Original Song for the track he wrote for the film, “Philadelphia”. The Boss was already a megastar, thanks to the massive success of his album, “Born In The U.S.A.” ten years earlier. And that blockbuster came 11 years after the release of his debut album in 1973.

As Springsteen noted in his acceptance speech, it was the first time he wrote a song for a movie. And he hit it out of the park. Just like a Boss. You can watch his performance from the 66th Academy Awards and hear his acceptance speech here. Watching it all these years later, and knowing how much The Boss regretted not having The E Street Band inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame with him in 1999, I would say they are the only thing missing in this clip.

Speaking of that career honor, which came during the 14th annual induction ceremony on March 15, 1999 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, it was U2 frontman Bono who was given the privilege to usher Springsteen into the Rock Hall. With speech highlights that included gems like-‘”Bruce took us from Haight-Ashbury to Asbury Park” and “He’s not The Boss-he works for us!”, Bono expressed what all Springsteen fans feel-that he is singing only for us. And for that, we are most grateful.

Bruce Oscar

Top: Bruce Springsteen on Oscar night in March 1994. Bottom: Bruce (L) and Steven Van Zandt (R) during The Boss’s performance following his induction in 1999. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Bruce Springsteen: “Streets Of Philadelphia” (1993, written by Bruce Springsteen).

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” (Live performance at the R&R HOF induction ceremony, March 1994. Originally recorded in 1975. Written by Bruce Springsteen).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: March 11, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Ten years ago I was in the throes of a serious “Parenthood” addiction. The Braverman’s had become my family and those weekly episodes were like having my own seat at their dinner table. I was home.

The music only added to my love of this show and in S5 E13-“Jump Ball”-it helped me get reacquainted with The Cowboy Junkies. They rose to prominence in 1988 with the release of The Trinity Session, which featured their unique acoustic driven covers-including The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”-along with a few traditional standards and original tracks. Led by the haunting and impressive vocals of Margot Timmins combined with the musicianship of her brothers Michael and Peter along with family friend, Alan Anton, the group has a sound that is hard to duplicate.

The song featured in the TV episode was written by English-Canadian singer & songwriter David Wiffen. It was included on his 1971 self titled debut album but a year earlier, it appeared on folk singer Tom Rush’s eponymous record. Most of the cover versions I have heard follow his interpretation. The Cowboy Junkies did and it is on their 1996 release, Studio: Selected Studio Recordings 1986–1995.

About four years ago, I found another cover of today’s pick thanks to Anthony Mason’s CBS This Morning musical profile of The Black Crowes from March 2020. Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson have covered this track a lot over the years, both together and with separate musical projects like The Chris Robinson Brotherhood which featured it on their 2015 album, Betty’s Blend Vol. 2: Best From The West. But my favorite version is a 2009 live performance that gives this incredibly rich and provoking tune such great depth along with an absolutely gorgeous guitar arrangement. The title varies depending on what source is used as a reference, but this is a one of a kind song if ever there was one. And I love it.

“You can’t say much in a phone call
You know how it is
I have to tell you one sure thing
Won’t you listen to this
I want to tell you that I love you
I want to tell you just how I feel“.

Cowboy
Rich and Chris

Top: The Cowboy Junkies circa 2023. Bottom: The Robinson Brothers of The Black Crowes circa 2019: Rich (L) and Chris (R). (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Cowboy Junkies: “Lost My Driving Wheel” (1996, written by David Wiffen).

The Black Crowes: “Driving Wheel” (2009 live performance. Written by David Wiffen).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: March 4, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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I have been in a deep dive of Chris Isaak’s music lately after finding a few live clips of some shows he did last year. That has me missing his quirky, cool & unbelievably funny self-titled Showtime show which has yet to be made available on DVD or for streaming despite the fact that it ended its three season run 20 years ago.

Today’s song, which was featured in S2 E12 as a fabulous duet with country artist Allison Moorer, is from his 1998 album, Speak Of The Devil. It was the follow up to his sixth album, The Baja Sessions where he put an acoustic spin on some of his previously released songs along with his own takes of Dean Martin’s “Return To Me” and Roy Orbison’s “Only The Lonely”. It is hard to believe that Isaak’s debut album came out almost 40 years ago in 1985. But his voice, his lyrics and his sound are evocative and timeless which are the main reasons why I cannot get enough of his music after all these years.

“Cause I still dream of you
And I will call your name
And I will wait
Till you come back again“.

Chris

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Chris Isaak: “Walk Slow” (1998, written by Chris Isaak).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: February 26, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Yesterday marked the 81st birth anniversary of my favorite Beatle. George Harrison was born February 25, 1943 in Liverpool, England. He was the youngest member of the Fab Four but carried a great deal of melody in his hands as their lead guitarist. The fame & wealth he found with the band did not satisfy his spiritual side, however, so he went searching. That lead him to Hinduism which helped him discover the sitar. That sound is featured on the 1965’s “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” and 1967’s “Within You Without You”.

I am featuring two songs today, both of George’s contributions to 1969’s Abbey Road. The first one is my favorite Beatles song of all time and the second is in honor of the fact that on this winter’s day here in New England, it was a very sunny 55 degrees. I may be jinxing myself by looking forward to the next season when we still have the entire month of March to go before the current one is officially over. My grandmother always cautioned such optimism as next month usually “comes in like a lion”. Whether that happens this year or not, “I say, it’s alright”.

Thank you, George. We miss you. Every. Single. Second.

George Harrison circa 1969

George Harrison in the studio circa 1969. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Beatles: “Something” (1969, written by George Harrison).

The Beatles: “Here Comes The Sun” (1969, written by George Harrison).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: February 19, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Ray Manzarek born February 12, 1939 in Chicago, IL so this year marks his 85th birth anniversary. Below is the post I wrote for him three years ago:

Stories about brothers as rivals go back to the days of Kane & Abel. That competitive existence has played out over and over in history since. And it does not just exist between blood brothers as it can happen with two men who are friends as well. But some brothers, despite their differences, do not become rivals but rather exist in a more harmonious entwined state because they admire each other’s talents. This is sometimes referred to as a bromance. One of the best examples of this is found in Greek mythology between Zeus’ sons, Apollo and Dionysus. Apollo, the god of the sun, was logical and prudent like most left brain people are. Dionysus, the god of wine & dance, was more creative and ruled by his emotions which today translates into right brain thinking.

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

Ray Manzarek of The Doors once said in a radio interview that he played Apollo to Jim Morrison’s Dionysus. Manzarek also referred to Morrison as his buddy, his pal, his friend and his soul mate. The man he created art with. I found it both heartbreaking and beautiful to listen to one man talk so eloquently about another man who he also referred to as his “brother”.

Manzarek was born 85 years ago on Feb 12, 1939. He met Morrison in California in the early 1960’s and by 1965 The Doors were a band. From 1967 to 1971 they conquered the music world & released six albums together before Morrison’s death on July 3, 1971. Manzarek died on May 20, 2013. After 42 years, the Apollo & Dionysus of the music world were finally reunited. The Morrison & Manzarek bromance continues.

“All your love is gone
So sing a lonely song
Of a deep blue dream
Seven horses seem to be on the mark“.

The-Doors-1970

The Doors circa 1970 (L-R): Robby Krieger, Jim Morrison, John Densmore and Ray Manzarek. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Doors: “Love Her Madly” (1971, written by The Doors: John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: February 12, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

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Last week I did not see the Grammys in real time as none of my streaming services offered it live. And let’s face it, for several years now this awards show was anything but remarkable so all I did was catch the highlights anyway. But after I saw the most talked about performance of the night (followed by Joni Mitchell’s), I echoed the sentiments of those who already witnessed that transcendent performance which brought Tracy Chapman back into focus. Her unannounced duet with Luke Combs was beyond beautiful and so was the love she received. That seemed not only to warm her heart but surprised her as well as evidenced by the enormous smile of sheer joy she showed to getting the love she absolutely deserves. When she sang the line, “Me myself I got nothing to prove“, she was 1000% right. 

Her immense talent speaks volumes all by itself. Chapman was her authentic self-no fanfare, no designer dress or suit, no fancy set design, not even any ear monitors in sight. Just her guitar, her hauntingly beautiful voice and the power & poetry of her storytelling, proving a great song is a great song forever. I wrote about my love for this track & its wonderful cover last year. I have also written this many times before but it bears reposting: Music is the answer. It is joy, it is healing, it is a time machine to a past we ache to return to and it is love. And thank you, Luke Combs, for bringing Tracy and her masterpiece back to center stage.  

tracy and luke

Tracy Chapman (L) and Luke Combs (R) at the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 4th. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Last month marked the 75th birth anniversary of one of my favorite soulful vocalists, Robert Palmer. He was born January 19, 1949 in Batley, Yorkshire. He grew up listening to jazz, soul and the blues. He joined his first band at age 15. By 1974 he was signed to his first record deal. His solo career featured the #1 song, “Addicted To Love” (1986) and two #2 hits, “I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On” (1986) and “Simply Irresistible” (1988)-and those unforgettable female driven music videos.

Palmer was also the lead singer for the supergroup, The Power Station. He co-wrote many of the tracks for their debut record, including today’s pick which he continued to perform after he left that band. I was lucky enough to see him in concert at NYC’s famed Radio City Music Hall. It us one the best shows I ever saw. 

Robert Palmer
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Top: Robert Palmer circa 1982. Bottom: A still from the 1985 video, “Addicted To Love”. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Robert Palmer: ”Some Like It Hot” (From a live performance in 1988. Originally recorded in 1985 with The Power Station. Written by Robert Palmer, John Taylor and Andy Taylor). 

Stay safe & well.