Love Never Felt So…Familiar

12 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

 Photograph: Rex Features

At the 2014 “debut” of the new/old Michael Jackson song “Love Never Felt So Good”, most people heard the Jackson/Paul Anka composition for the first time.

The re-worked 1983 demo then appeared on Jackson’s poshumously-released Xscape album.

But the song had seen previous release. After Jackson failed to make a finished version of the song in ’83, Anka re-worked the lyrics and sent it to Johnny Mathis, who included it on his 1984 A Special Part of Me album.

The 1984 production of the song bears a strong relemblance to Japanese singer Junko Ohashi’s “I Love You So”, also released that year.

Compare the intros of the two songs.

Video of the Week: Mashing Up the Genius of Weird Al and Frank Zappa

12 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags: , ,

This fan-made video made to accompany “Weird Al’ Yankovic’s “Genius in France” only sharpens one’s view of the incredible genius of our greatest and most ambitious song parodist.

His roughly nine-minute Zappa parody hits the bullseye again and again as the veteran comic rocker (with a little help from Dweezil Zappa, who plays the opening guitar solo) nails one idiosynchratic Zappa musical and vocal moment after another.

The second-most amazing thing–after the fact that anyone would bother writing a nine-minute Zappa parody–is that vocally Yankovic singlehandidly parodies the parts of Zappa and various lead and backup singers. Male and Female.

Some speculate that the premise of the song references (allegedly) comic actor Jerry Lewis, whose lowbrow comedic acting was better received in France than in his home country of America. Definitely the type of thing Zappa would have written a song about.

If you’re a fan of Zappa’s work, every ridiculous note of this will prove what a Mother of Invention “Weird Al” Yankovic is.

Genius indeed.

Songs You May Have Missed #707

12 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: , ,

Hollywood Vampires: “I Got a Line On You” (2015)

Fittingly, Alice Cooper-fronted supergroup/side project Hollywood Vampires mostly covered dead rockers on their 2015 debut release.

Cooper, guitarist Joe Perry and Johnny Depp form the core of the band, with Cooper’s old pal Bob Ezrin producing and a stupifying list of guest stars dropping by throughout.

Guest vampires include Dave Grohl, Perry Farrell, Sir Paul McCartney, Slash, Joe Walsh, Robbie Krieger, Zak Starkey, Brian Johnson and Kip Winger.

The result is one raucous party of a record, with MC Alice bringing all his multiple vocal personalities to the mic as required to revive the spirits of legends such as Jim Morrison, T.Rex, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Badfinger and, on this burner of a track, Spirit’s Randy California.

Sacrilegious as it might sound, this supergroup’s performances might just out-do some of the originals.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2019/08/24/songs-you-may-have-missed-642/

Video of the Week: The Many Skills of the Beatles, Demonstrated in Two-and-one-half Minutes

12 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags:

Underrated Styx: The Most Overlooked Song From Each Album

11 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

Via (Ultimate Classic Rock) by Sterling Whitaker

Few bands in rock history have such a carefully written and precisely arranged catalog of songs as Styx.

The Chicago-based group blends rock, pop and prog elements into a seamless whole that maintains a remarkably high standard across the majority of its albums, despite wandering around stylistically in a manner that few of its commercial peers can match. That fact makes it remarkably difficult to choose the most underrated song on each of Styx’ studio albums – because there are quite a few undiscovered gems on almost every album they’ve recorded.

Styx began their recording career as an Americanized pop-rock response to British progressive rock, but most of their biggest hits were an amalgam of straight-ahead rock and vocal-oriented pop elements. That approach yielded a run of classic hits that includes “Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man,” “Babe,” “Too Much Time on My Hands,” “Mr. Roboto” and more, but some of the best tracks on each Styx album are mostly unknown to casual listeners.

Below, we uncover a musical feast that touches on classical music, hard rock, blues, ballads and just about everything in between. Styx have something for everyone, especially if you dig deeper into their catalog…

Read More: Underrated Styx: The Most Overlooked Song From Each Album | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/underrated-styx/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Songs You May Have Missed #706

11 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

The Stapletons: “The Flame” (2017)

The Stapletons are a husband and wife, harp and guitar duo. Together, they write baroque folk rich with hints of Appalachian balladry, Delta blues, and echoes of the English folk revival movement. Blues-driven harp and guitar arrangements topped by ethereal vocal harmonies combine to create a wondrous sound.

Casey, a mariachi from LA married Kate, who grew up in Middle Ridge, WI. Swept into sooty post-industrial Pittsburgh, The Stapletons set about reconciling their many cultural clashes and started a brood of children. Six years later they sat down one morning in the kitchen with a Celtic harp and a Mexican guitar and began writing music. Their unique, “chamber folk” style features blues driven harp riffs, tightly interwoven vocals, and ethereal harmonies. Inspired by their home surrounded by civil war ghosts, this husband wife duo write intricate songs that bring the past alive, illuminate the present, and lift listeners into the stars.

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2017/12/14/The-Stapletons-Ballads-and-Battles-Pittsburgh-guitar-harp-duo/stories/201712110137

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