…this is surely the most thought-provoking, even if not one of the most “helpful”. I especially love how he titled it “Good Luck”:
Of all the customer music reviews I’ve recently read on Amazon…
13 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in General Posts, On a Lighter Note
Van Halen Vocabulary
13 Feb 2012 2 Comments
Reprinted from Paste magazine (Feb. 8, 2012):
As David Lee Roth reunites with his old band, we look back at some of the most-used words in Van Halen singles from 1972 to 1985.
So true about the Sammy era, too. Take a look at song titles of singles alone: “Love Walks In”, “When It’s Love”, “Why Can’t This Be Love” also “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”.
Grammy notes…
13 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
I only watched about half of the Grammy Award telecast (Penguin game, yo) but I had a few thoughts to share…
I had fun watching DJ David Guetta pretending to twiddle some knobs on stage with Chris Brown.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/david-guetta/i-can-only-imagine-54th-grammys-on-cbs/GB28K1220005
Might be bad business to say so but most DJs lack something as “performers”, even if they happen to be among the hottest producers in the world. Now Deadmau5, with the crazee light-up mouse head–different story! If only his music were more…musical.
In what I thought was an upset given Nicki Minaj’s greater exposure in 2010 (you can take that two ways) Bon Iver won Best New Artist. Accepting the Grammy, Justin Vernon said, “It’s really hard to accept this award”. I think I know what he meant: past winners include Christopher Cross, Debby Boone, Starland Vocal Band, Milli Vanilli and the Swingle Sisters.
Sad and nostalgic to see Glen Campbell do his thing, probably for the last time. Sadder still to see the “polite applause” from some of the younger (and may I say less gifted) artists in the room. Campbell is a giant, a legend, not only as an interpreter of great songs (many written by Jimmy Webb) but as a superb session musician before he ever stepped out as a solo artist. A member of a legendary studio session band known as the L.A. Wrecking Crew who recorded a list of hits too lengthy to name here, and briefly one of the Beach Boys (as a replacement for Brian Wilson, no less) Campbell has announced his impending retirement from the music business due to Alzheimer’s.
Although it appeared to take a few minutes for his voice to warm up, I found Paul McCartney a welcome finale, performing some truly timeless music to end the show. He did the “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” medley from the end of Abbey Road and, for me at least, it seemed to be a reminder of where the bar for excellence is set.
Recommended Albums #5
12 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Recommended Albums Tags: noble creatures, the gourds
The Gourds: Noble Creatures (2007)
Austin, Texas-based Alternative Country band the Gourds have been making lively, kooky shit-kicking southern roots rock since the mid-1990’s. So it’s kind of a shame that when you type in the band’s name on Amazon.com the first song title that comes up is “Gin and Juice”. Yeah, their top download is still a novelty bluegrass cover of Snoop Dogg. Maybe that’s why they haven’t found greater acceptance, in fact. If that’s your first exposure–even if you like the Snoop cover–it doesn’t exactly help you to take the band seriously. (This should be called “Stacy’s Mom Syndrome”.)
But seriously taken be should they by you, as Yoda would say (or whatever, I’m more of a Star Trek guy) because the combination of skilled songcraft and whiff of authenticity in their music is rarely matched in the genre in the post-Skynyrd era. (Please don’t tell the surviving, still-touring members of Lynyrd Skynyrd I said this is the “post-Skynyrd era”.) Only Steve Earle comes to mind for comparison, and he’s a different cat. These guys seem to be mainly out to have fun. A solid guitar-and-keyboard sound is supplemented with mandolin, bouncy accordion, and occasional horns to make it sound a little like a danceable version of The Band. With better vocals. And a couple ballads here are simply gorgeous, especially “Promenade”. This album ought to appeal to at least three types of people:
1) Skynyrd fans with triple-digit IQs (hmm, what’s that? yes there are)
2) Fans of The Band who can’t find bands today with a remotely similar sound, and
3) Anyone who likes to listen to Rock bands who don’t sound like every other Rock band.
Don’t miss: “How Will You Shine”
Listen to: “Promenade”
Listen to: “A Few Extra Kilos”
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/26/songs-you-may-have-missed-254/
Songs You May Have Missed #12
11 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: blue merle, every ship must sail away, luke reynolds, pictures and sound
Blue Merle: “Every Ship Must Sail Away” (2005)
Some songs just have killer intros. The first 23 seconds of this song are perfect. Not the least bit flashy or over the top. Just…perfect. The song itself has that hip-TV-drama-soundtrack vibe.
Nashville’s Blue Merle only released one studio album before vocalist Luke Reynolds moved on to other projects.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/07/05/songs-you-may-have-missed-145/
Songs You May Have Missed #11
11 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: loving you, oscar lopez
Oscar Lopez: “Loving You” (1998)
I’ve always thought of the Chilean-Canadian Lopez as the Thinking Man’s Ottmar Liebert. Plays just as nicely, but compositionally there’s a little less repetition in the songs. Liebert has all the Gold and Platinum and is rightly credited with helping create the Nouveau Flamenco genre (the title of his biggest album, in fact–sort of the way Quiet Storm music is named after a Smokey Robinson record) but if you know and love Ottmar already, moving on to Oscar is an essential step!
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/03/16/songs-you-may-have-missed-362/
Every Moment Has A Song 