Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 2/11: Hot Chocolate, “Brother Louie”
Hot Chocolate was a British soul band best known for their 1975 international hit “You Sexy Thing,” a disco standard that reached No. 3 in the US. But it was another band that became a one-hit wonder with this tune by the band’s songwriting team of singer Errol Brown and bassist Tony Wilson. The band […]
Song of the Day 2/10: Todd Rundgren, “Dust in the Wind”
First off, no, this isn’t the Kansas tune. It predates it by six years. Fifty years ago this month, then 23-year-old Todd Rundgren released what’s widely regarded as his magnum opus, the double LP “Something/Anything?” For the first three sides of the album Rundgren, already an experienced producer, not only wrote and sang all the […]
Song of the Day 2/9: Fountains of Wayne, “Amity Gardens”
There are lots of songs about real places, but I don’t know of any song that celebrates a real place more obscure than Amity Gardens, Pa. That’s what you’d expect from the wry sense of humor that typified Fountains of Wayne, this century’s most accomplished power pop band. Composer Chris Collingwood, who founded the band […]
Song of the Day 2/8: Glen Campbell, “Just Another Piece of Paper”
The National Archives had to send — who? A-men? — to Mar a Lago to fetch Trump’s love letters from Kim Jong-un which, as the linked story dryly notes, “did not reduce tensions with North Korea.” The manbaby president’s habit of tearing up official papers has also been back in the headlines. Other presidents wrote […]
Song of the Day 2/7: The Beach Boys, “Sloop John B”
Seems like a good time for a vacation in the Bahamas, doesn’t it? Drunken first mate, cook with the fits, even, in the original version, a captain with a greedy pig — at least it’ll be warm. The origins of this sea shanty are unknown, though apparently there is or was a wreck in Nassau […]
Song of the Day 2/6: Urge Overkill, “Positive Bleeding”
I keep rediscovering bands from the ’90s, the last decade when there were so many you might miss a few. Until I heard this tune on a throwback radio show recently I had forgotten all about this Chicago power trio. Urge Overkill was two guys who met at Northwestern University in 1985, along with a […]
Song of the Day 2/5: Mason Williams, “Classical Gas”
Once upon a time it wasn’t uncommon for instrumental tracks to become massive hits. One of the biggest came from one of the most unconventional people to ever create one. Mason Williams was a classically trained guitarist, but that’s not how he made his living. During the folk-crazy ’60s he worked in comedy clubs playing […]
Song of the Day 2/4: Fela Kuti, “Why Black Men Dey Suffer”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona For the second year in a row, the most interesting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is probably the Nigerian Fela Kuti. And once again he’s probably the least known to a general audience. Kuti (often known just as Fela) didn’t make it his first year and might not […]
Song of the Day 2/3: Aoife O’Donovan, “Passengers”
El Somnambulo did not include anything from Aoife O’Donovan’s new album “Age of Apathy” in his January new music roundup, so I’ll plug it here. O’Donovan gained attention as frontwoman for the Boston-based neo-bluegrass outfit Crooked Still. This tune doesn’t sound like Crooked Still — more like Belly-era Tanya Donelly, which is more than OK […]
Song of the Day 2/2: Joni Mitchell, “The Circle Game”
Neil Young’s protest against Spotify has found sympathy among some of his old friends. Graham Nash and, more significantly, Joni Mitchell have also asked the streaming platform to remove their music. It appears other artists are taking the opportunity to complain about the service’s stingy fee setup as well. Young and Mitchell go way back, […]
Song of the Day 1/31: Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, “Pablo Picasso”
Google Maps claims I live an 11-minute walk from the Picasso Museum in the Marais, but if I pace myself to this song it’s more like eight minutes. You can tell from the lyrics that Jonathan Richman is a true art lover. Richman recorded the song in 1972, but it wasn’t released until the first […]
Song of the Day 1/29: Philip Glass, “Freezing”
Though it’s just a trifle amid the long career of minimalist composer Philip Glass, “Songs From Liquid Days” is reportedly among his best-selling albums. For the 1986 album Glass scored lyrics by David Byrne, Paul Simon, Laurie Anderson and Suzanne Vega, who wrote “Freezing.” Vocals are by Linda Ronstadt, accompanied by the Kronos Quartet.
Song of the Day 1/28: Neil Young, “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)”
For John Kowalko Neil Young refuses to fade away. He pulled his music off Spotify this week after he gave the service an ultimatum: Either you drop Joe Rogan over spreading Covid misinformation or I’m gone. He’s gone, and for an obvious reason: Rogan is the linchpin of Spotify’s highly profitable podcast division, while Young […]
Recent Comments