Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 3/17: R.E.M., “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”
Doubling up on R.E.M. here, I know, but I was saving this one until I was certain the Good Old Days were well and truly over. Other people seem sure of it, too — the song, originally released on “Document” in 1987, has re-entered the charts, so to speak, meaning the Top 100 songs on […]
Song of the Day 3/16: R.E.M., “Stand”
A song for when everybody is on lockdown. Just stand in the place where you are. Listen to reason Reason is calling Your feet are going to be on the ground Your head is there to move you around Peter Buck called this “the stupidest song we ever wrote,” but it was that way on […]
Song of the Day 3/15: The Specials, “Ghost Town”
I don’t know about Wilmington, but Paris is, relatively speaking, a ghost town today, the first day of the ban on bars, cafes, bistros, brasseries and restaurants. The Specials released this single in 1981, during a nasty recession in the UK marked by riots and high unemployment. It reached the top of the British charts […]
Song of the Day 3/14: Bobby Darin, “Call Me Irresponsible”
Donald Trump, at his mulligan coronavirus news conference yesterday, uttered the line Joe Biden should use in every campaign ad from now to November: “I don’t take responsibility at all.” If I had the skills I’d put one together myself, with this song as the soundtrack over a series of photos of the Marmalade Menace. […]
Song of the Day 3/13: Carole King, “It’s Too Late”
Somebody play this for Donald Trump, who still thinks barring people from the country will stop the coronavirus. The song, from King’s “Tapestry” LP, was a double-A-side single with “I Feel the Earth Move” in 1971 and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Joe Shows What a Real President Sounds Like
Joe Biden gave a speech about the coronavirus a short while ago that ought to help people remember what they threw away on Nov. 9, 2016. Here it is:
Song of the Day 3/12: Roxy Music, “Song for Europe”
Now that Europe and the US have a 30-day trial separation, this seems like the least we can do to succor our erstwhile allies. Nobody does world-weariness like Bryan Ferry.
Song of the Day 3/8: Hoyt Axton, “Never Been to Spain”
This is the last day this song title will be true for me. A hit for Three Dog Night, who earlier took Axton’s “Joy to the World” to No. 1, this is the songwriter’s less glitzy original version. It was released, aptly enough, on Axton’s 1971 LP “Joy to the World.” It contains the original […]
Song of the Day 3/7: McCoy Tyner, “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit”
Jazz giant McCoy Tyner died Friday, age 81, at his New Jersey home. He was only 22 when he joined John Coltrane’s quartet, and in the first half of the 1960s he could be heard as a sideman on scores of LPs on Blue Note, often uncredited because his own trio was signed to Impulse. […]
Song of the Day 3/6: Genesis, “Turn It On Again”
I missed this news earlier this week. Genesis — the three-man version of Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford — is getting back together for a tour. So far it’s only in the UK, but they’re already adding more shows. As a prog-rock fan I loved the original lineup, before Peter Gabriel and Steve […]
How to Catch Flies
Came across this in a Daily Kos diary, and it echoes what I’ve heard both IRL and online. There is a silent majority of American voters who are DONE with the whole “burn it to the ground” attitude. Done. These are people of all stripes, all incomes, all races, all genders, who want to return […]
Song of the Day 3/5: Richie Havens, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
With all due respect to Pete Townshend, I’ve seen enough in my time to know that we will get fooled again — over and over and over again. That’s why I like this Richie Havens version — he sings it not with defiance but with the resignation of a man who knows the title is […]
Song of the Day 3/4: The Beatles, “Revolution”
Well, Bernie fans, it was fun while it lasted. The version on the White Album, “Revolution 1,” is slower, but this acoustic demo uses the faster tempo of the single.
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