Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 8/5: Canned Heat, “Going Up the Country”
California hippie-rockers Canned Heat, founded by blues aficionados Alan Wilson and Bob Hite, had their biggest US hit with this tune. It became an anthem for the back-to-the-country movement that became popular during the chaotic year 1968. The song reached No. 11 at the end of the year, but it’s been associated with summer ever […]
Song of the Day 8/3: Gary Lewis and the Playboys, “This Diamond Ring”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona It must have been weird being the son of Jerry Lewis. Did the comedian make funny faces and flop onto the floors around the house the way he did on stages with partner Dean Martin? His son, Gary, knew from early on he did not want to follow that path. […]
Song of the Day 8/2: Nichelle Nichols, “Know What I Mean”
The obituaries for Nichelle Nichols, who died late last week at age 89, naturally headlined her historic role as Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek,” and admirably highlighted her long, fruitful relationship with NASA. But only the longest obituaries mentioned her career pre-“Star Trek,” when she toured as a singer with both Lionel Hampton […]
Song of the Day 7/30: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, “Summertime”
Will Smith is back in the news because he released an apology video to Chris Rock on YouTube and Instagram, which seems to me like a PR move more than an apology, but whatever. I always preferred Smith back in his hip-hop days, when he and Jeff Townes put Philly on the rap map with […]
Song of the Day 7/29: Chad and Jeremy, “A Summer Song”
The British Invasion was so all-encompassing that pretty much any act with English accents soared up the charts. Consider the case of Chad and Jeremy, who scored a handful of hits and lots of television appearances in the US in 1964-65, but had only one charting single in their native UK. Chad Stuart, who died […]
Song of the Day 7/27: Bob Dylan, “Mr. Tambourine Man”
One of the pleasures of the internet is the easy access to historical footage, and I always get a kick out of early performances of now-classic music. I remember when the CD of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie’s 1945 Town Hall concert came out, the most amazing moment wasn’t the music, as great as it […]
Song of the Day 7/26: Joni Mitchell, “Just Like This Train”
Joni Mitchell, rarely seen in public over the last decade, played what amounted to a whole set Sunday at the Newport Folk Festival. Her appearance wasn’t announced in advance — the performance was billed as “Brandi Carlile and Friends,” and Carlile was at Mitchell’s side throughout, along with a clutch of admiring younger musicians that […]
Song of the Day 7/25: Iron Maiden, “Run to the Hills”
h/t Unstable Isotope, who wondered why nobody had set the Hawley Trot to this heavy metal classic. In the world of heavy metal, Iron Maiden is as big a band as Metallica, but it’s never gotten the same respect in the US as it has internationally. You can tell because Metallica sailed into the Hall […]
Song of the Day 7/23: Queen, “Bicycle Race”
This year’s Tour de France isn’t over, but the winner was determined this morning when teammates Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard finished 1-2 in Stage 20, a 40-km individual time trial. Vingegaard, who’s more than 3 minutes up on pre-race favorite Tadej Pogacar, will wear the yellow jersey when the Tour finishes with its […]
Song of the Day 7/22: Elvis Costello, “Radio, Radio”
WDEL is holding an open house today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate its 100th anniversary, and I’ll be on the air with Rick Jensen at 11 a.m. You better do as you were told: You better listen to the radio. This was the song that got Elvis Costello banned from “Saturday Night […]
Song of the Day 7/21: David Bowie, “I’m Afraid of Americans”
David Bowie included this one, co-written with Brian Eno, on his 1997 album “Earthlings.” As is so often the case, its point has been sharpened in the years since its release. Though the video’s critique of American culture centers on guns, Bowie’s intent was broader. A press release for the LP quoted him: It’s not […]
Song of the Day 7/20: Little Anthony and the Imperials, “Tears on My Pillow”
In honor of my cat, Little Anthony, who passed on this morning, age 17. Jerome Anthony Gourdine started out as the lead singer for the group that became the Imperials, and that’s how they were billed on the label of this, their first single under that name (leader Clarence Collins first called the group the […]
Song of the Day 7/19: War, “Slippin’ Into Darkness”
After two albums with Eric Burdon, who left the band in the middle of a tour, War was on its second LP without him when it scored its first hit in 1971. “Slippin’ Into Darkness” doesn’t really get started until two minutes in, but its funky groove kicked off several years of hits for the […]
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