Vinyl

Today is VINYL RECORD DAY, marking the 131st anniversary of the the invention of the phonograph. There have been quite a few wonderful posts about records and why we love them out there. (It’s also my mom’s birthday – Happy Birthday.) The Hits Just Keep On Coming has an index of many articles written especially for Vinyl Day. I myself didn’t grow up listening to vinyl, searching through racks of 45’s and LP’s and coming home with singles. As I was growing up my parents had an old stack of records, but I didn’t get into it much. And while my eldest sister had a record player, her “stereo” also had an 8-track player, which was what she mainly used – and in turn what I would go listen to when she wasn’t around. Although she had quite diverse tastes in High School, I wasn’t exposed the the more rocking of her collection. The 8-tracks I remember were Barry Manilow and Air Supply. Growing up with three older sisters, I heard more than my share of the easy listening classics. There’s nothing wrong with the Carpenters, I happen to enjoy them, quite a bit actually, but nothing that hard was played at home. I can still trace my enjoyment of 70’s rock, such as the Little River Band, to my oldest sister and her 8-tracks. She has since purchased one of those old credenza style record player/radio units they have an abundance of in the thrift stores into which she plugs her iPod. I really started getting into music when I got a few cassettes for Christmas when I was around six. Billy Joel “Glass Houses”, Kenny Rogers “Greatest Hits” and some old “Lone Ranger” radio shows. Then another one of my sisters and I decided to join Columbia House together and split the cassettes. Mix-tapes and Columbia House (or BMG) – that’s what I had during my formidable years. I have the four LP’s pictured above on my wall, they’re more art than they are music to me. I mean they represent music, but if I want to listen to “Pet Sounds” it’s either on my iPod, my computer or I break out the old CD, which doesn’t add anything by doing so. There’s no warm fuzzy humming and popping associated with the CD or the Cassette, so I don’t even listen to full albums much anymore. Just throw that new song I heard into the mix on my iPod and be happy when it turns up. There’s not much of the “album” around to speak of any longer – aside from the occasional concept album, but those too are seemingly falling by the wayside. Kids these days don’t even want to listen to an entire album. (I can’t believe I just typed “Kids these days” – sheesh.) They “buy” the one song they heard on MTV and throw it on their iPod. I do it myself, but it’s sad. “Abbey Road” wouldn’t be Abbey Road without ‘Her Majesty’ at the end, or the way it seamlessly weaves through songs and thoughts connecting one to another and afterwards we’re left with a whole, not individual units. Maybe it’s just a big cycle and we’re back to the 45’s stage and we’re coming back around to the albums, hopefully. Maybe I need to go listen to “Glass Houses” again, without skipping any songs.

Mother’s Day

Who enjoyed last night’s episode of LOST? I know I did. Inside Jacob’s cabin, very good stuff. It’s like this season has been a concentrated version of the show, with less peripheral dumb throwaway stuff, I know some of that is that they had to leave out things after the writer’s strike, but anyway, highly enjoyable, edge of your seat stuff. ABC has some Mother’s Day cards up for you to peruse and send, you can go there HERE.

Here are a few songs for or about Mother’s in honor of the Holiday. Man these are all depressing, sheesh. Well, they’re very good anyway.

Mother Divine (Demo)|George Harrison
Send A Picture Of Mother (Live at Folsom Prison)|Johnny Cash
Mother And Child Reunion|Paul Simon
Mothers of the Disappeared|U2
Holy Mother|Eric Clapton
Mother|John Lennon

Instant Karma’s Gonna Get You

Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur – is an album that came out this summer in support of peace in the war torn Darfur. Lennon himself would probably have spear headed an album such as this in support of something like this. All we have is Yoko to go on, but I guess that’ll have to do. This is a very strange and eclectic two disc album and there are definitely some misses amongst the hits. There are actually two covers of ‘Imagine’ and even before listening to Avril’s version – I really didn’t think anyone should touch that song, but Jack Johnson does it justice in a sitting on the beach and singing with friends. U2 and Greenday both do great jobs on theirs and are both worthy of note. Corinne Bailey Rae is always awesome, check out more of her as well.

Instant Karma|U2
I’m Losing You|Corinne Bailey Rae
Imagine|Jack Johnson

80’s music: top 100:11-20

Vh1 has put together its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of The 80’s. Another day another part of the list. Only one more day of this happy fun list of 80’s goodness. What do you think is in the top 10? The suspense is killing me.

11 – Don’t Stop Believin’|Journey
12 – How Will I Know|Whitney Houston
13 – With Or Without You|U2
14 – Walk Like An Egyptian|The Bangles
15 – Jump|Van Halen
16 – Need You Tonight|INXS
17 – Here I Go Again|Whitesnake
18 – Come On Eileen|Dexy’s Midnight Runners
19 – Time After Time|Cyndi Lauper
20 – Jessie’s Girl|Rick Springfield

80’s music: top 100:31-40

Vh1 has put together its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of The 80’s. Well I got my computer scraped and almost everything installed and up to where it should, so no delay on the next installment of the top 100. There are some good songs on todays post, enjoy.

31 – Under Pressure|Queen & David Bowie
32 – Sister Christian|Night Ranger
33 – Tainted Love|Soft Cell
34 – Every Rose Has It’s Thorn|Poison
35 – In The Air Tonight|Phil Collins
36 – 867-5309 / Jenny|Tommy Tutone
37 – Janie’s Got A Gun|Aerosmith
38 – Pride (In the Name Of Love)|U2
39 – I Melt With You|Modern English
40 – Love Shack|The B-52’s

Happy New Year

2007 sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but I’m completely sick of Christmas music. I know, I did it to myself, but unfortunately I hit the saturation point about two days before Christmas. Maybe this year I’ll be able to time it more precisely. As for now, I will not be posting any music that is remotely Christmas related for quite some time. I’m not a big fan of New Years songs on Christmas albums, but not opposed to them afterwards, but for now they are too Christmas-y to even think about. Here are a few songs that get me thinking about the New Year.

This is always the first song I want to hear on New Years Day. It just is.
New Year’s Day|U2

This is great Jeff Buckley. It was used as the theme song to the Dead Zone (the series on USA) and I enjoyed it there and on his posthumous album ‘Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk)’.
New Year’s Prayer|Jeff Buckley

Stings album ‘Brand New Day’ had alot of references about the New Year, seeing as it came out just over three months before the year 2000, this was quite timely and this album has since been on my mind when starting a new year.
A Thousand Years|Sting
Brand New Day|Sting