Arts and Entertainment – Page 97

Song of the Day 10/21: Frank Zappa and the Mothers, “Call Any Vegetable”

By Alby October 21, 20221 Comment

Queen-killer Liz Truss was doomed from the moment the Daily Star livestreamed her photo next to a head of lettuce, with a caption asking which would last longer. The smart…

Song of the Day 10/20: Fine Young Cannibals, “Social Security”

By Alby October 20, 20222 Comments

Republicans think old people have too much money and rich people don't have enough, so they've promised to cut Social Security if/when they get back into power. Bitter white people…

Song of the Day 10/19: The Philadelphia Orchestra, “1812 Overture”

By Alby October 19, 2022

H/t Ben, who requested this last month. It was 210 years ago today that Napoleon began his devastating retreat from Moscow, an anniversary not observed by the French. Seventy years…

Song of the Day 10/18: Pixies, “Gigantic”

By Alby October 18, 20223 Comments

I admit it, I miss the '90s. Yeah, I know this song came out in 1988 on the first Pixies album, "Surfer Rosa," but the post-Replacements sound they helped pioneer,…

Song of the Day 10/17: Mom’s Apple Pie, “I Just Wanna Make Love to You”

By Alby October 17, 2022

People today remember the rock-with-horns fad mostly for the first few albums by Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears, but lots of imitators sprang up in their wake in the…

Song of the Day 10/16: Johnny Rivers, “The Poor Side of Town”

By Alby October 16, 2022

Johnny Rivers had a lot of hit records -- 26 singles in the Top 40, nine of them in the Top 10. Almost all of them were covers, frequently with…

Song of the Day 10/15: The Ohio State University Marching Band, “Michael Jackson Tribute”

By Alby October 15, 2022

College football has a lot to answer for -- looking at you, Herschel Walker -- but it has some benefits. Top of the list for me: marching band halftime shows.…

Song of the Day 10/13: Angela Lansbury, “Beauty and the Beast”

By Alby October 13, 20223 Comments

Angela Lansbury, who died at age 96 on Tuesday, always played older than she was. MGM frequently cast her as a 40-ish woman, usually a villain, while she was still…

Song of the Day 10/12: The Flamingos, “I Only Have Eyes For You”

By Alby October 12, 20222 Comments

I always thought of this as a quintessential doo-wop song, because the Flamingos version is the only one I had ever heard. That's because I was never a fan of…

Song of the Day 10/11: Audience, “You’re Not Smiling”

By Alby October 11, 2022

Audience was a short-lived British band that got lumped in with progressive rock because of the their unusual instrumentation. Formed in 1969, they had no lead guitarist -- their rhythm…

Song of the Day 10/10: Link Wray & His Ray Men, “Rumble”

By Alby October 10, 20222 Comments

In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, let's put a dime in history's jukebox to play the only instrumental ever banned by American radio stations. Link Wray, a Shawnee from North…

Song of the Day 10/7: Cab Calloway, “Have You Ever Met That Funny Reefer Man”

By Alby October 7, 20221 Comment

Cab Calloway recorded this in 1932, before cannabis was banned nationwide. Joe Biden didn't undo that 1937 all by himself yesterday, but pardoning everyone convicted of simple possession is widely…

Song of the Day 10/6: Sinéad O’Connor, “All Apologies”

By Alby October 6, 2022

With all the attention to mental health these days, it would seem like a perfect time for a critical re-evaluation of Sinéad O'Connor, whose public behavior had people calling her…