Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 1/1: Siedah Garrett, “Man in the Mirror”
The older you get, the less likely you are to make New Year’s resolutions, I’m guessing because we geezers realize how resistant we are to change. But almost 40% of US adults make them, and linking the holiday to the desire for self-improvement — the three most popular resolutions involve diet and exercise — appears […]
Song of the Day 12/31: The Spinners, “The Rubberband Man”
In his Dec. 25 Open Thread, El Somnambulo noted the death of composer/producer/arranger Thom Bell, who with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff comprised the Mighty Three of Philly Soul. The long list of hit records he wrote, usually with Linda Creed, and/or produced contains more than a few syrupy ballads, but he could funk it […]
Song of the Day 12/28: The Specials, “Vote for Me”
Singer Terry Hall, frontman for three bands that reached the British charts in the 1980s, died last week at age 63 of pancreatic cancer. Best known as co-lead vocalist for British ska revivalists the Specials, he left in 1981. He formed a series of bands and guested on many artists’ albums before reforming the Specials […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022
David Cay Johnston, who has chronicled Donald Trump’s financial chicanery for decades, has sifted through the Jan. 6 Committee reports and found evidence of at least 26 instances of tax fraud over the six years he was running for and served as president. If I were a Russian oligarch, I’d be looking for ways to […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022
There was so little news yesterday that media has been reduced to carrying the brainless ramblings of America’s most disgraced former president. His latest fantasy included the baseless notion that he’s immune from prosecution, which he most definitely is not. The Brazilian criminal George Santos, who got elected to Congress thanks to the incredible ineptitute […]
Song of the Day 12/26: Fleet Foxes, “White Winter Hymnal”
Some songs are born to be played at Christmas. Others have Christmas thrust upon them. “Jingle Bells” and “Let It Snow” never name a holiday. The Pretenders’ “2000 Miles” does conclude each chorus with the word “Christmastime,” but it’s not about the season. “My Favorite Things” made the yuletide playlist just for mentioning brown paper […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Dec. 26, 2022
Good morning, yule survivors. Hope your holiday was happy. I spent part of mine wondering how anti-Semites reconcile their love of Jesus with the fact that he was born, lived and died a Jew. I’m pretty sure the election of George Santos, the con man/congressman-elect from New York, is not the sign of a healthy […]
Song of the Day 12/25: Pet Shop Boys, “It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas”
People who hope for a white Christmas must be those fortunate souls who spend the day in their own homes. Personlly, I can remember too many Christmas Day drives to visit family where the snow was falling but it wasn’t as white as my knuckles on the steering wheel. Luckily, the Pet Shop Boys are […]
Song of the Day 12/24: Frankie Carle and His Orchestra, “Little Jack Frost Get Lost”
My car thermometer registered 5 degrees this morning, so it’s a good day for this revived swing-era tune that makes Christmas playlists every year despite making no mention of the holiday. The song was written by Al Stillman, whose “No Place Like Home for the Holidays” gets airplay every year, and pianist/vocalist Seger Ellis, who […]
Song of the Day 12/23: Cyrus Chestnut, “Linus and Lucy”
Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack album for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is only No. 10 on the list of best-selling holiday albums but — with no disrespect to Elvis Presley, who holds the top spot — it might be the most universally beloved. Billboard named it the No. 1 “Top 200” holiday album ever, in part because […]
Song of the Day 12/22: The Moonglows, “Hey Santa Claus”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona It’s no art film, but “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is one of the movies I look forward to most each holiday season. To me it’s not just funny but much smarter and more insightful than the other Lampoon movies — not that it avoids slapstick. It’s one of John Hughes’ […]
Song of the Day 12/21: Jordan Mailata w/ Lady Alma, “Merry Christmas Baby”
When Philadelphia Eagles Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata recorded their holiday LP “A Philly Special Christmas,” producers hoped to raise $30,000 for charity. They miscalculated: Sales have been so robust that they’ve already contributed $250,000 to the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, with more to come. Though all three offensive linemen sing on the […]
Song of the Day 12/20: Frank Loesser and Lynn Garland, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Four years ago the Me Too movement boosted this old holiday chestnut to No. 1 on the Most Offensive Christmas Songs list. Personally I don’t see how anything could be more offensive than “Santa Baby,” but a lot of people, put off by the song’s creepy Bill Cosby vibe, pressured radio stations to drop it […]
Recent Comments