Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 3/22: Bobby Bloom, “Montego Bay”
Before Bob Marley, Caribbean music in the U.S. mostly had a Latin flavor and beats that favored ballroom-style dancing. But every once in a while a bit of calypso and its Jamaican cousin, mento, would slip through, as in 1970, when two Brooklynites — former doo-wop singer and jingle writer Bobby Bloom and tunesmith Jeff […]
Song of the Day 3/21: Бетон (Beton), “Kyiv Calling”
You know how musicians can avoid being sued for copyright infringement? Ask the copyright holders for permission. That’s what Ukrainian punk band Бетон, transliterated as Beton (“concrete” in Ukrainian), did before they repurposed The Clash’s 1979 cri de coeur as an anthem of resistance against the Russian invasion of their country. It was quickly granted. […]
Song of the Day 3/18: Gillian Welch, “Winter’s Come and Gone”
Yeah, it’s a few more days until it’s official, but it’s starting to feel like winter’s come and gone. This sounds like it came from the depths of the Depression — I can imagine the Joads singing it on the way to California — but it’s just more evidence that Welch and her partner, David […]
Song of the Day 3/16: Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
Millions of people think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should stick to honoring musicians who actually play rock music instead of inducting rappers and dance-pop superstars, but it took Dolly Parton to call them out on it. Parton told the institution she was withdrawing her name from consideration, and she did it with […]
It’s Not a Memory Hole, It’s a Cone of Silence
The idea that issues fall, through some accident or fault of their own, into a “memory hole” is a blatant lie. It’s a false frame, a construction the media uses to hide the fact that it ignores certain issues, either completely or soon after they arise, and not because they wouldn’t appeal to an audience. […]
Song of the Day 3/15: The Wailin’ Jennys, “One Voice”
One voice, the adage goes, makes more noise than 1,000 voices that remain silent. Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor of Russian state TV’s Channel One, staged a one-woman protest by interrupting a live broadcast with a sign that translates as “Stop the war. Don’t believe in propaganda. They’re lying to you.” She was immediately detained and […]
Song of the Day 3/14: Hot Butter, “Popcorn”
EARWORM ALERT One of the first compositions written expressly for the synthesizer is also one of the best-selling instrumentals of all time — but not in its original version. “Pop Corn” is what German composer Gershon Kingsley called it on his 1969 album “Music to Moog By,” recorded to show off the capabilities of synthesized […]
Song of the Day 3/13: Sonny Dae and His Knights, “Rock Around the Clock”
American exceptionalism at work: Daylight Savings Time started today in the USA. It doesn’t begin until March 27 in Europe. In 1955 Bill Haley’s recording of this song topped all three national charts — Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played By Disc Jockeys, and Most Played in Juke Boxes — the first rock ‘n’ roll […]
Song of the Day 3/11: The Staves, “I’m on Fire”
One of Bruce Springsteen’s simplest compositions is also his most frequently covered — well over 100 versions are out there. The Staves — the stage name of the Staveley-Taylor sisters from Watford, Hertfordshire — give it a three-part harmony that IMO puts their version in a class by itself. Here’s the most intriguing thing about […]
Song of the Day 3/10: Dua Lipa, “Levitating”/Artikal Sound System, “Live My Life”
A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed last week against Dua Lipa over her hit “Levitating,” Billboard’s No. 1 song of 2021, by a reggae band called Artikal Sound System. Though I doubt it was intentional, I can’t see a jury failing to notice the similarity. Here’s “Levitating,” released on Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” album in […]
Song of the Day 3/9: Sugarloaf, “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You”
As Americans face rising gas prices with their usual calm equanimity, a couple of slapdicks in the Middle East have decided they’re going to leverage their oil supply to issue ultimatums to the Biden administration. Biden has tried to call Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan […]
Song of the Day 3/8: AC/DC, “Big Balls”
Everybody from pundits to peons is showing love for Voldomyr Zelenskyy, but nobody has put it better than Bon Scott and AC/DC did way back in 1976. Though it all blends together from this distance, the song and the album it appeared on, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” weren’t officially released in the US until […]
Song of the Day 3/7: Every Mother’s Son, “Come on Down to My Boat”
This seems like a good time to get a bargain on a super-yacht, as governments around the world (not the US, yet) have begun seizing atop-the-liquid assets owned by oligarchs close to Putin. There are upwards of 10,000 boats of over 24 meters around the world, and a trade industry group estimates 7 to 10 […]
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