Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 3/24: Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”
When Rolling Stone magazine recalculated its 500 greatest albums list last year, giving greater weight to musicians’ opinions and less to the critics, a new No. 1 emerged — Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” his seminal 1971 soul song cycle. And that album literally wouldn’t exist without the title tune. The song was inspired by […]
Song of the Day 3/22: Jethro Tull, “Locomotive Breath”
The other day I saw a list of LPs released in 1971, and the phrase “embarrassment of riches” barely scratches the surface. None of them got spun as often among my high school friends as “Aqualung,” the album that ought to have made them a shoo-in for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, March 21, 2021
Vladimir Putin is demonstrating that he’s just like the fake president he installed in the U.S. — a big baby incapable of running a country on anything but the thuggist terms of a crime boss. Because Joe Biden pointed out that he’s a murderous thug, he’s recalled the Russian ambassador for urgent talks. What’s he […]
Song of the Day 3/19: The Undisputed Truth, “Smiling Faces Sometimes”
The worst part of the story about the Biden White House firing staffers who admitted to past marijuana use is the fact that they were told such admissions would not be held against them. This Motown classic, the only hit for this psychedelic-soul trio, reached No. 3 in 1971. Written by Motown songwriting team of […]
Song of the Day 3/18: Graham Nash and David Crosby, “Immigration Man”
When a U.S. Customs official detained then-Brit Graham Nash as he tried to enter the country, he wrote “Immigration Man.” Nash was ticked off because he wasn’t given a reason for the hold-up, which ended after people started asking Nash for his autograph. The song was the first single from on their first LP and […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, March 18, 2021
The “crisis” on the southern border isn’t a crisis, it’s a logistics problem, as demonstrated by the administration’s vacillation about reopening the child migrant shelter in Homestead, Fla.. Other that bleating “crisis,” Republicans have no ideas on how to handle the influx of unaccompanied minors, currently running about 500 people a day. They do hope […]
Song of the Day 3/17: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, “Brennan on the Moor”
Sure, celebrating St. Paddy’s Day by partying is an American invention, but so is an important element of this traditional Irish outlaw ballad. The song was popularized by a Clancy Brothers recording released in 1961 (this video is from 1963) and can be traced to broadsides published in the 1860s, though it tells of events […]
Song of the Day 3/16: Bill Parsons, “She Blinded Me With Science”
Maybe Thomas Dolby is the reason Republicans distrust science — they’re afraid it will make them go blind. I like covers that show a different side of a familiar song, and this one stands out in that regard. Bill Parsons was on the folk-club circuit 20 years ago promoting his only LP, “Special Delivery,” which […]
Song of the Day 3/15: Emma Swift, “Queen Jane Approximately”
Australian singer-songwriter Emma Swift, who works out of Nashville, released a well-received album of Bob Dylan covers last August, “Blonde on the Tracks,” that I only caught up with because now that I’m vaccinized I’ve been in the car a couple of Sundays in a row, and I heard a lot of Americana on the […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, March 14, 2021
Among the generally strong reviews of Joe Biden’s first presidential address, a few pundits are pointing out that the most important part wasn’t even spoken out loud: The overthrow of Ronald Reagan and the GOP’s insistence that “the government is the problem.” It’s even being noted that the current Joe Biden is a lot more […]
Song of the Day 3/12: Sturgill Simpson, “In Bloom”
I guess it’s my week for country-adjacent covers of rock songs. Sturgill Simpson turns Nirvana’s tuneful grunge-pop nugget into a power ballad that builds to a horn-embellished climax worth of Vegas-era Elvis. He included it on his acclaimed 2016 album “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” because, he told Spin, “For me, that song has always […]
Song of the Day 3/11: Molly Tuttle, “Fake Empire”
Celebrated bluegrass guitarist Molly Tuttle released a pandemic-inspired cover album, “…but I’d rather be with you,” last August, and the songs represent a mix of influences you might not expect, including the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Harry Styles and Rancid. This song dates to 2007, when it was included on The National’s fourth album, […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, March 11, 2021
The first shelter dog in the White House didn’t stay there too long: Major, the younger of the Bidens’ German Shepherds, was banished to Delaware after nipping a Secret Service agent, and Champ had to go with him. I think Marjor deserves a pardon — he probably smelled Trump on the guy. Face of the […]
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