Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 12/2: The Pogues, “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah”
It’s been a tough year for Ireland’s musicians. Sinead O’Connor died in July, and this week Shane MacGowan, frontman for the Pogues, died a week after being discharged from a hospital. He was 65 and, given his problems with alcohol and heroin, many people were surprised he lived that long. MacGowan is often called a […]
Song of the Day 11/30: Billy Joel, “Only the Good Die Young”
Henry Kissinger was already 54 years old when Billy Joel, a scamp half his age at the time, released this banger in 1977. The third single from “The Stranger,” his best-selling album, it only reached No. 24 on the Hot 100 but has lived on via classic rock radio. He introduces this live performance on […]
Song of the Day 11/29: André 3000, “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time”
The music world is still trying to figure out what to make of the new album from André 3000, best known as half of the hip-hop duo Outkast. Though he’s chipped in guest vocals for lots of other artists in the 17 years since the last Outkast LP, André, unlike his former partner Big Boi, […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023
This isn’t getting the media play it should: Hunter Biden said he’d testify in the House GOP “investigation” of his business dealings, but only if the session were open to the media. The Republican response: They shit themselves with fear and explained that they won’t do that, because they’ve already admitted that the sole purpose […]
Song of the Day 11/28: Spinal Tap, “Warmer Than Hell”
Director Rob Reiner – or was it Marty DiBergi? – confirmed yesterday that filming on a sequel to “This Is Spinal Tap” will begin in February. The new movie reportedly will be patterned on the Band’s farewell concert film “The Last Waltz” and will feature guest spots by Paul McCartney, Elton John and Garth Brooks […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023
Good things happen when you get people to stop killing each other, even temporarily: The ceasefire in Gaza has been extend to Thursday, with the option open for further extensions. Biden, or more properly his people, helped make this happen, but I’m sure they did it wrong. Ask around. Here’s a story that violates Betteridge’s […]
Song of the Day 11/27: Hall & Oates, “Possession Obsession”
We now know what Daryl Hall’s lawsuit against John Oates is about: Oates wants to sell his half of their catalog and Hall sued to stop it. A chancery court judge in Nashville put the sale on hold. While some legendary musicians have made headlines by selling their publishing rights for nine-figure sums, Hall and […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Nov. 27, 2023
There’s a nasty civil war going in in Sudan, where the ethnic Arabs are slaughtering the ethnic Africans in what looks an awful lot like genocide.. Nobody elsewhere seems to be protest marching for or against either side. I’m not sure, but I think there might be a First World bias in our media. There’s […]
Song of the Day 11/25: 39 Steps, “Slip Into the Crowd”
Somebody put Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” on the TV on Thanksgiving – the multi-year plot contains two big Thanksgiving scenes – and I got to hear the song that gave an obscure band its 15 minutes of fame. There’s a scene about halfway through the movie when the characters played by Woody Allen […]
Song of the Day 11/24: Graham Parker and the Rumour, “Lady Doctor”
I’ll take any excuse for playing Graham Parker’s blue-eyed soul, so here’s one for Dr. Bethany Hall Long. From his 1976 debut album, “Howlin’ Wind.” Parker released a new album in September with his new backing band, the Goldtops. He still has a feel for the soulful tune.
Song of the Day 11/23: Mary Gauthier, “Thanksgiving”
Just in case you’re not feeling all that thankful today, Mary Gauthier’s song about visiting prison on the holiday will remind you that some people have it much worse. Unlike a lot of songs like this, she doesn’t lay on the schmaltz, and the sentiment she shares was hard-won – she spent her 18th birthday […]
Song of the Day 11/22: Daryl Hall and John Oates, “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”
Here’s the proof that we’re living in the most contentious times since the Civil War: Daryl Hall is suing John Oates. The lawsuit, filed in Nashville, is sealed, so we don’t know what it’s about. But that link to Philadelphia magazine includes an embedded video of an interview Hall did with Bill Maher last year, […]
Open Thread Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023
Today’s Thanksgiving prep – stuffing, or more properly dressing, since we don’t actually put it inside the bird. We always have three different kinds – traditional, cornbread with oysters, and sausage with fennel and wild rice. We make so much dressing we don’t actually need a turkey. It’s not Thanksgiving tomorrow anywhere but the United […]
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