Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 9/20: Homer Banks, “Coming Together”
Another nugget from “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos,” the 2023 box set that includes three discs of songs that, like this one, were demoed for the label’s stable of artists but never got a proper recording. Homer Banks, a Memphis native, had cut some minor singles that went nowhere in the US, […]
What Comes After the Revolution?
Guest post by Jason 330 What happens when the outsiders finally become the insiders after a revolution? Do they unleash their inner Robespierre, exacting revenge in a reign of terror? Or do they pull a Snowball Pig and run the farm like old man Jones, only worse? Maybe there is a third option? If you’re […]
Song of the Day 9/19: Foo Fighters, “My Hero”
Seems like every recording artist save Kid Rock wants Donald Trump to stop using their music, and some have been winning their cases in court. The latest example is Eddy Grant, who won his lawsuit over the use of “Electric Avenue” in an online 2020 campaign ad. Trump’s campaign has licensed lots of music through […]
Song of the Day 9/18: JD Souther, “Best of My Love”
JD Souther, best known for writing hit songs for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and other Southern California soft rockers of the ’70s, died yesterday, cutting short a modest late career renaissance for the 78-year-old singer-songwriter, who was set to tour with Karla Bonoff. Though he played with Glenn Frey in a short-lived band called Longbranch […]
Song of the Day 9/17: Tito Jackson, “Love One Another”
Tito Jackson, the Jackson 5 guitarist whose name became a punchline, died the Sunday of a heart attack at age 70. Tito knew standup comedians used his name for cheap laughs. “I’ve always been the quietest member of the group, so people make jokes about me,” he said in a 2018 interview. “One of my […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024
Republicans thought nothing of their constant threats of violence until people started shooting at Trump. Now they want Democrats to stop talking about the threat to democracy posed by Trump and, really, by all of them. Well, now they can feel what’s it’s like to run scared. Didja ever think that maybe the problem isn’t […]
Song of the Day 9/16: Jane’s Addiction, “Jane Says”
In Boston the other night, fans went to a Jane’s Addiction concert and a hockey game broke out. Mid-song, lead singer Perry Farrell turned his aggro act on Dave Navarro, body checking the guitarist and then taking a swing at his head before stage security wrestled Farrell off the stage. Naturally, scores of concertgoers had […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
I want to thank the idiot with a gun who invaded Trump’s golf course. I was beginning to despair of the media ever getting past their fixation on the culinary choices of Haitian immigrants. Now they can fixate instead on whether the guy is a Democrat or Republican. Or maybe not. Apparently people
Song of the Day 9/14: Al Stewart, “Year of the Cat”
In case you hadn’t noticed, this year’s presidential election is all about cats. I’m not clear on whether Republicans hate cats. Their disdain for cat ladies seems to indicate they do, but on the other hand they’re equally incensed by the notion that Haitians in Ohio are eating pet cats. Frankly, I have a feeling […]
Song of the Day 9/13: Frankie Beverly and Maze, “Before I Let Go”
Soul singer Frankie Beverly, who died this week at 77, wasn’t well known to white audiences. He and his band Maze didn’t hit their commercial stride until the late ’70s, after the disco craze had died down. Beverly’s brand of smooth, funk-seasoned soul never crossed over to the mainstream – he never had a Top […]
Song of the Day 9/12: Linda Ronstadt, “La Cigarra”
Big shout-out to Linda Ronstadt, who took to Instagram on the occasion of a Trump rally in her hometown today to blister the immigrant-hating/immigrant-marrying ex-president. Donald Trump is holding a rally on Thursday in a rented hall in my hometown, Tucson. I would prefer to ignore that sad fact. But since the building has my […]
Song of the Day 9/11: Camille, “Cats and Dogs”
Unless you’re a right-wing loon, last night’s debate might have been the first you’ve heard about the gangs of immigrants who are eating pet cats and dogs all across America. Donald Trump said it, so it’s got to be true. Camille is a French singer and actress who had several Top 10 LPs in her […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024
Whether you’re talking about the presidential debate or the Delaware primaries, things went about as well as could be expected yesterday. The News Journal, as if to remind us it could have gone even better, headlined John Carney’s win in Wilmington, which has to represent the biggest self-demotion in Delaware political history. Some of you […]
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