Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 12/31: Aqua String Band, “Auld Lang Syne”
As a poem, “Auld Lang Syne” dates to 1788, when Robert Burns sent it to the Scots Musical Museum with a note that read, “”The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man.” It […]
So They Beat On, Boats Against the Current
Most people who aren’t members of Cult 45 can see that Donald Trump and the GOP are peddling an idealized past to enchant their supporters. But the same people seem blind to the fact that centrist Democrats are doing the same thing. Granted, their fictional past is more limited in scope, but Joe Biden and […]
Song of the Day 12/30: Kai Winding, “Time Is On My Side”
This one’s for Nancy Pelosi. Everybody recognizes this as a Rolling Stones song or, among soul music buffs, a track by Irma Thomas. But the first to record this tune by Jerry Ragovoy, the same guy who wrote “Piece of My Heart,” was jazz trombonist Kai Winding, in 1963. The title phrase and “you’ll come […]
Song of the Day 12/29: Jefferson Airplane, “Volunteers”
Some political scientists say the U.S. meets all the conditions for a country on the brink of a revolution. Much as I’d like to believe it, I’ve heard all that before. The last time the country was on the brink of a revolution was 50 years ago, when the peace movement realized that love was, […]
Song of the Day 12/28: The Clash, “Revolution Rock”
We’re creeping up on the 40th anniversary of the U.S. release of “London Calling,” the double album that validated punk as an essential rock genre while simultaneously transcending it by employing all the musical influences punk was supposed to scorn and supplant. Jamaican music was heavily represented, by both originals and a pair of covers, […]
Song of the Day 12/27: Tom Petty, “The Waiting”
This one’s for Donald, who is finding that waiting is indeed the hardest part. The lead single from 1981’s “Hard Promises” reached No. 19 on the Hot 100 but No. 1 on the then-new Mainstream Rock chart. Lead guitarist Mike Campbell is the MVP on this track.
Song of the Day 12/25: Greg Lake w/ Ian Anderson, “I Believe in Father Christmas”
In the UK, where singles are still a thing, bands frequently write and record Christmas songs in the hopes of scoring a seasonal hit. Greg Lake released this one in 1975, and it’s become one of the more popular holiday tunes of the rock era. Lake intended it as a song against the commercialization of […]
Song of the Day 12/24: Henry Rollins and Stephen Colbert, “Carol of the Bells”
There’s a reason this sounds nothing like a Christmas carol — it wasn’t written as one. In 1914 Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych was commissioned to create a song for choir based on traditional Ukrainian folk chants. He wrote “Shchedryk”, intended to be sung a cappella by mixed four-voice choir, based on four notes he found […]
Song of the Day 12/23: The Philadelphia Orchestra, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
In 1962 the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy recorded “The Glorious Sound of Christmas,” setting a standard for orchestral Christmas music that has never been exceeded — the LP went gold by the following Christmas, making it one of the fastest-selling classical records in history, and has never been out of print. The lush strings […]
Song of the Day 12/22: Sufjan Stevens, “Only at Christmastime”
Nobody, not even the prolific Johnny Marx, has written more Christmas songs than multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens, who has released two Christmas albums, each consisting of more than 50 tunes on five EP-length discs. It’s not all new material — a lot of covers of traditional carols are mixed in with Stevens’ originals. The first, “Songs […]
Song of the Day 12/21: The Drifters, “White Christmas”
Did you know that there was one version of this song — out of the more than 500 that have been recorded — that angered composer Irving Berlin so much he waged a campaign to get it banned from radio stations? No, it wasn’t this one, which was a hit for the original Drifters in […]
Song of the Day 12/20: The Piano Guys, “I Saw Three Ships”
The era of audio-only music might have ended with MTV, but we’re now into an age in which viral video is the best way to break into the music business. The Piano Guys — four middle-aged dudes who stumbled into YouTube stardom by making videos to advertise a music store — are a perfect example. […]
Song of the Day 12/19: The Kinks, “Father Christmas”
The best punk Christmas song, period. There are other punk-style efforts, but they just sound like punk songs with a few words about the holiday. Ray Davies, as usual, had more in mind, so you get punk energy, a singable melody and sympathy for the poor kids reduced to mugging a department-store Santa in this […]
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