Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 12/18: Jethro Tull, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson has written several Christmas songs, and he’s also given many traditional carols new, jazzy arrangements that show off the band’s chops. This is one he played in concert for many years before recording it in 2003 for Tull’s “A Christmas Album.” That album, the last studio effort from the band, featured […]
Song of the Day 12/17: Louis Armstrong w/ Benny Carter and his Orchestra, “Christmas Night in Harlem”
TRIGGER WARNING: When this was written by Raymond Scott in 1934, it was perfectly acceptable for white men to mock black society and call it comedy (this was shortly after the Harlem Renaissance was put to rest by the Depression). Some people will find the original by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, linked below, to be […]
Song of the Day 12/16: Johnny and Edgar Winter, “Please Come Home for Christmas”
Brothers singing harmony always sound special, but we rarely got to hear these two together because they each led their own bands. Both Johnny and Edgar were musical prodigies, performing together even as kids. They first teamed up on this holiday blues in 1961, the year after it was written and recorded by Charles Brown. […]
Song of the Day 12/15: Donny Hathaway, “This Christmas”
Donny Hathaway had a lofty goal when he wrote and sang what’s easily the most soulful song ever to attain the status of a Christmas classic — he wanted it to represent a distinctly African-American expression of the holiday. Sadly, Hathaway died years before it ascended to the yuletide pantheon. Hathaway started out working for […]
Song of the Day 12/14: John Coltrane Quartet, “My Favorite Things”
I totally get it if you’re one of those people who can’t stand Christmas music. Even people who don’t mind it are sick of it by this date. I therefore observe a strict rule about Christmas music: 12 days of it is plenty. So starting today I’ll feature holiday music through Christmas day, then that’s […]
Song of the Day 12/13: Prince, “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”
In his heyday, Prince was often compared to Michael Jackson, but while both could sing and dance like nobody else, Prince also wrote his own songs, produced his own albums and might have been the most underrated great guitarist in rock. He wrote this song in 1982, when he still mixed a lot of pop […]
Song of the Day 12/12: The Tubes, “What Do You Want From Life?”
The Tubes were — actually, still are — a comic theater-rock troupe that formed in San Francisco in the early ’70s. They never sold all that many records, but their live shows were legendarily loopy, and they created some catchy tunes while they were at it. Their biggest hit came in the MTV era with […]
Coons Better Watch Out
Encouraging news for those who want to see Sen. Chris Coons face a meaningful primary: Data for Progress, a progressive think tank, conducted polling in Delaware that found signs Sen. Chris Coons is vulnerable to a challenge from his left. Data for Progress asked 528 likely Democratic primary voters who they’d prefer in a matchup […]
Song of the Day 12/10: Sammy Davis Jr., “The Candy Man”
Today’s song is in honor of former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who yesterday filed to run for Congress in a deep-red Texas district. Dr. Jackson, who also served in that position for presidents Bush and Obama, was known as the Candy Man for his willingness to dispense pharmaceuticals without any of that bothersome […]
Song of the Day 12/9: Nick Winters (Bill Murray), “Star Wars”
There’s no avoiding it, I’m afraid; it’s coming around again. No, not Christmas — Star Wars. The neverending movie franchise is at last coming to an end, or rather its original ennealogy is (it opens Dec. 19, as anyone who actually cares already knows). Though Mel Brooks made an entire movie to spoof the first […]
New York City 1, Amazon 0
Remember back when states and cities were prostrating themselves before Amazon in hopes of landing a new headquarters? Lots of people, not all of them Republicans, castigated Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other anti-corporatists for passing on the promise of jobs in exchange for multi-billions in tax breaks. Those who were against the giveaway cited all sorts […]
Song of the Day 12/6: The Rolling Stones, “You Got the Silver”
It was 50 years ago today that the Peace ‘n’ Love era ended with the free concert at Altamont Speedway outside Oakland, infamous for the stabbing death of a young fan at the hands of the Hell’s Angels. It was just one day earlier that the band dropped its classic “Let It Bleed” LP, which […]
Song of the Day 12/4: Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, “It’s All Going to Pot”
Weed-culture icon Willie Nelson told a TV interviewer the other day that he’s given up smoking marijuana because his 86-year-old lungs won’t take it anymore. So in tribute to America’s Secretary of Cannabis, here’s him and ol’ Merle paying tribute to Mother Nature. The video was made in the recording studio, and I don’t think […]
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