Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 11/17: The Kinks, “You Really Got Me”
Record producer Shel Talmy died last week at age 87, and if the name is unfamiliar to you, the music he crafted isn’t. The earliest hits by the Kinks and the Who owe their tough, aggressive attitude to Talmy’s techniques and eye for talent, which he lent to scores of acts in the early days […]
Song of the Day 11/15: Weezer, “Say It Ain’t So”
I’m not sure why this 30-year-old song popped into my head yesterday – maybe because it’s been such a common response from various quarters to various Trump cabinet picks. Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo wrote the song about his father’s alcoholism and his fear that his stepfather might follow the same path. It’s such a complicated […]
Song of the Day 11/14: Willi Williams, “Armagedeon Time”
Prophesies of doom are pretty common in Jamaican music, but they don’t necessarily get all minor-key gloomy about it. Willi Williams’ “Armagedeon Time” talks about people going hungry and needing to fight for justice, but it’s hardly martial music. Maybe it’s the religion, or its well-known sacrament, that makes him sound so matter-of-fact. The lyrics […]
Song of the Day 11/13: The Hooters, “All You Zombies”
As yesterday’s Graham Parker song illustrated, something about minor chords and a reggae beat seemed to put ’70s and ’80s rockers in an apocalyptic mood. When Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman started fooling around with these chords in rehearsal, what turned into their signature song was the result. According to Rob Hyman, “We just started […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024
Despite all the post-election finger-pointing, everyone has overlooked what might have turned the tide in Trump’s favor: P’Nut the squirrel. For those too busy paying attention to important matters like the future of the nation, P’Nut was an internet star who was unfortunately in the care of Mark Longo in New York state, which bans […]
Song of the Day 11/12: Graham Parker & the Rumour, “Don’t Ask Me Questions”
There ain’t no answers in me. This was one of Graham Parker’s signature tunes when he burst onto the British music scene in the brief period in 1976 between the decline of pub rock and the rise of punk with his debut album, “Howlin’ Wind.” Most of the songs combined the horn-enhanced R&B of Van […]
Song of the Day 11/11: Squeeze, “Gone to the Dogs”
The idiom is so old its origins are uncertain, but for centuries now going to the dogs has meant going downhill, if not to outright ruin. Now it’s America’s turn. This song appeared on Squeeze’s “Play” album, but it was written as the possible theme song for a British sitcom set in the world of […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Nov. 11, 2024
You can find lots of analysis anywhere you look about how and why Democrats lost the election, but you’re going to have to find it without any help from me, because I frankly don’t give a shit. I’ve never been interested in playing armchair campaign manager, and given the stark choices in this election, I’m […]
Song of the Day 11/10: FEX, “Subways of Your Mind”
Back in March, Song of the Day featured a tune dubbed the Most Mysterious Song on the Internet. Known only from a tape made from a radio broadcast back in 1984, both its title and the band who recorded it were lost, even to internet sleuths, who spent 17 years looking for the answers. Last […]
Song of the Day 11/8: Quincy Jones, “Soul Bossa Nova”
Quincy Jones scored almost three dozen films, including “In the Heat of the Night,” “The Italian Job” and “The Color Purple.” The first of them came years after he wrote this number, but Mike Meyers turned it into a movie theme anyway. Austin Powers wasn’t even a gleam in a satirist’s eye in 1962 – […]
Song of the Day 11/7: Lesley Gore, “It’s My Party”
The late, great Quincy Jones was arguably overqualified to produce this No. 1 hit for 16-year-old Lesley Gore in 1963. He had already led his own 18-piece jazz band on European tours and worked as a composer, arranger and band leader for people like Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. When he turned his attention to […]
Song of the Day 11/6: Frédéric Chopin, “Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, Third Movement (Marche funèbre)”
Something that fits the mood of the day, because the middle section contains hope as well as grief. Chopin composed the funeral march two years before the rest of his sonata, which critics sniffed at but the public embraced. Its opening section has been played at millions of funerals, including Chopin’s own in 1849.
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