Arts and Entertainment
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: May 2019
A couple of slices of Orbison Noir are but two (or three) of the many standouts in a great month for music. Arranged alphabetically as always. Enjoy this month’s feast for your ears: The band’s name is Goon: He may already be too big for the Gild Hall, but we’re trying: One of our fave […]
Song of the Day 5/30: Wilson Pickett, “Hey Jude”
This is not only one of the best R&B covers of a pop song you’ll ever hear, the guitar by Duane Allman is credited with giving birth to the entire Southern Rock genre. Wilson Pickett recorded it at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, where Allman was working as a session guitarist. It was Allman who […]
Song of the Day 5/29: The Isley Brothers, “Summer Breeze”
Used to be that R&B acts would cover mainstream pop hits routinely, often improving them in the process. You can’t find a better example than what the Isley Brothers did with this Seals and Crofts hit. They slowed it from mid-tempo to ballad, dressed it in Ron Isley’s passionate vocals and Ernie’s expressive electric guitar […]
Song of the Day 5/28: The Valentinos, “Lookin’ for a Love”
People know this song from Bobby Womack’s 1974 release, which reached No. 10 on the Hot 100 (No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart), but that wasn’t its first time around the track. That came back in 1962, when it was released by the Valentinos on Sam Cooke’s SAR label. The Valentinos were Cooke’s […]
Song of the Day 5/27: War, “Summer”
Didn’t mean to run another War song so soon, but to quote the lyrics, summertime is here. Yes, I know Americans foolishly start their seasons with a celestial solstices and equinoxes (most other countries don’t), but I ascribe to a more commercial definition. It’s not so true anymore, but in my youth Boardwalk businesses opened […]
Song of the Day 5/26: The Little Darlings, “Little Bit O’ Soul”
Every once in a while I learn that a hit song that I thought was original is actually a cover. That’s the case here. The song was a hit in 1967 but was written in 1964 by English songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis, who a decade later had a hit with “Beach Baby,” the […]
Song of the Day 5/25: Blues Image, “Ride Captain Ride”
This band was a true one-hit wonder. Originally from Florida, Blues Image moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and released one album before 1970’s “Open,” which included their only hit, written by guitarist/vocalist Mike Pinera and keyboard player Skip Konte. It reached No. 4 and was one of the songs of the summer that year. […]
Song of the Day 5/24: Edison Lighthouse, “Love Grows”
We’re all familiar with the concept of the one-hit wonder, bands or singers who disappear after one popular single. Sometimes even bands with two hits are mistakenly included in such lists; for example, Looking Glass had a second Top 40 single after “Brandy,” but nobody remembers it (“Jimmy Loves Mary Anne,” in case you’re wondering), […]
Song of the Day 5/23: Public Enemy, “Fear of a Black Planet”
RE Vanella and I had a little discussion on one of yesterday’s threads about the greatest rapper of all time. RE touted Biggie Smalls as the GOAT, which is a not-uncommon opinion. I lobbied for Public Enemy, the group that raised rap from what Chuck D called “infantilism” into a political force. But it’s not […]
Song of the Day 5/22: War, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”
War is one of those groups that shows up year after year on lists of “best bands snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” This was the title track to their 1975 album, which also included a song you hear a lot more often these days, “Low Rider.” If it sounds incongruous for […]
Song of the Day 5/21: Alien Ant Farm, “Movies”
Is pop-punk still a thing? Twenty years ago bands like Green Day welded punk’s energy to pop’s accessibility for one of rock’s last hurrahs before the hip-hop deluge. “Movies,” released in 2001, was one of my favorite songs from that period. Alien Ant Farm scored a huge hit covering Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” prompting the […]
Song of the Day 5/20: Bruce Springsteen, “There Goes My Miracle”
Bruce Springsteen has a new solo album coming out June 14. He has said “Western Stars” is a rumination on Southern California music of the ”60s and ’70s and specifically names Burt Bacharach as an influence. This song was released as the album’s second single last week. Its soaring melody and strings are surprising enough, […]
Song of the Day 5/19: ELO, “Mr. Blue Sky”
This isn’t the original recording from “Out of the Blue.” This is the title track from Jeff Lynne’s 2012 album of re-recorded ELO classics, the release of which was accompanied by this trippy animated video produced by USC film students. So set the replay to full screen, enjoy your favorite consciousness-expander and get ready for […]
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