Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 2/15: Ten Years After, “I’d Love to Change the World”
This song, the highlight of the band’s 1971 album “A Space in Time,” was by critical consensus the pinnacle of British blues guitarist Alvin Lee’s career, though I have to agree with Robert Christgau about the empty philosophy Lee espouses — “Fellow seems to believe that if you ‘tax the rich to feed the poor’ […]
Song of the Day 2/14: Syl Johnson, “Is It Because I’m Black”
Once upon a time in America, people didn’t tiptoe around issues of race. The fight for civil rights legislation was hard and bitter, and the racists didn’t keep their feelings hidden. (Look at those old photos of young whites pouring ketchup and mustard on young blacks who were integrating lunch counters — they didn’t even […]
Song of the Day 2/13: Flash Cadillac, “She’s So Fine”
When I got to thinking about bands that sound like throwbacks, I realized that sometimes they do it on purpose — for example, when a movie is set in the past. Consider this nugget from the “American Graffiti” soundtrack. Back in the early ’70s the country went through a wave of nostalgia for the music […]
Song of the Day 2/12: IBM 7094, “Daisy Bell”
Yesterday Jason slagged Greta Van Fleet for sounding “old,” because their classic-rock sound and Robert Plant-manque lead singer make them sound like a 50-year-old band, Led Zeppelin. Well, I’m here to argue that old music is one of the best art forms for speaking to us from the past, and serves as a point of […]
Song of the Day 2/11: Greta Van Fleet, “Highway Tune”
Last night’s Grammy Awards got the Song and Record of the Year right — Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” won both — but no Grammy Awards ceremony would be complete without some shocking snubs and undeserved victories. No victory was more controversial than Best Rock Album winner Greta Van Fleet, a young Michigan quartet featuring […]
Song of the Day 2/10: Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
With the Grammy Awards on TV tonight, here’s a song nominated for song of the year, record of the year and best music video, and it deserves to win all three. The video been viewed 482 million times on YouTube since its release last May, when it set off weeks of criticism, interpretation and arguments […]
Song of the Day 2/9: Jackson Browne, “Doctor My Eyes”
Jackson Browne came of age at the dawn of the Southern California singer-songwriter boom, releasing his first album in 1972. This song, with its bouncy beat undercut by bleak, despairing lyrics, became a surprise hit. Browne apparently worked on this song for months before speeding up the tempo and ditching an even bleaker third verse. […]
Song of the Day 2/8: Pete Seeger, “Old Dan Tucker”
With all the controversy over blackface this past week, I thought I’d demonstrate that minstrelsy is anything but gone. Given that it was the most popular form of live entertainment in this country for nearly a century, eradicating it entirely would be impossible, because many of its songs and traditions permeated society so long ago […]
Song of the Day 2/7: Bob Dylan and Friends, “My Back Pages”
Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden was 27 years ago now, but this video of the show’s climactic number has aged pretty well. Highlights include a typically understated but brilliant guitar solo verse by Clapton (the note he bends at 2:22 is chill-inducing) and the jubilant performance of Neil Young, whom I’ve […]
Song of the Day 2/6: Tony Molina, “Nothing I Can Say”
Don’t settle in for a long listen here. Like most of Tony Molina’s songs, this lovely little jangle-pop melody clocks in at a brisk 1:12. The tune is one of 10 on last year’s “Kill the Lights” album, which has a total playing time of just about 15 minutes. The music draws comparisons to Elliott […]
Song of the Day 2/5: Small Faces, “Itchycoo Park”
Don’t know about you, but an unseasonably warm day in winter like today brings back fond memories of cutting school to hang out in the park — and, therefore, Ronnie Lane’s 1967 ode to doing exactly that. It’s all too beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ViwvgtvbA Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane are just lip-synching, but the video gives you […]
Song of the Day 2/1: Spirit, “I Got a Line on You”
Spirit’s biggest hit — its only song to reach the Top 40 — “I Got a Line on You” was released in late 1968 and hit No. 25 in early 1969. Composer Randy California was 18 at the time. Spirit was noted in its heyday for its jazz leanings, but as this tune shows, they […]
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes, January, 2019: Part Two
More great tunes, arranged alphabetically by artist, to start the year: A damn great musical month, by even my high standards.
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