"There's a time in life for Hoagy Carmichael. There's a time in life for Claude Debussy. There's a time in life for Jerry Lee Lewis. There's a time in life for Destiny's Child. All these things have their moment." ~Elvis Costello
01 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: nina hagen, silent night, stille nacht
Nina Hagen sings Silent Night for French Television FR3 in 1992.
01 Jan 2024 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: beatles
(via CultureSonar) BY ADAM LEADBEATER
An often underappreciated element of the Beatles’ songwriting is their seemingly effortless ability to craft a truly memorable ‘intro.’ The art of writing a timeless song opening is a masterful skill. The Fab Four were particularly expert in doing so throughout their eight years together.
The band’s finest introductions are typically iconic in their own right, innovative for their time, and often acts of musical genius in and of themselves. Here are nine of the best intros by the Fab Four.
One of the most simplistic yet impactful Beatles intros appears immediately on track one of their debut album Please Please Me.
Paul McCartney’s sharp and purposeful count of “One, Two, Three, Four!” injects raw energy into this relentless rock and roll classic.
The bouncing bassline and clanking guitar work are pure magic, perfectly setting the scene for the rest of the band’s first LP and also their formative years.
“A Hard Day’s Night’s” intro is all about a single sound. This title track from the Beatles’ third album opens with a very distinctive note, created using a combination of twelve-string electric guitar, an acoustic six-string, bass, and piano. Strummed aggressively and left to ring out, the exact chord has become the subject of much speculation over the years.
“It is F with a G on top,” George Harrison would finally confirm in 2001. “But you’ll have to ask Paul about the bass note to get the proper story.”
Read more: https://www.culturesonar.com/9-of-the-best-beatle-intros/?mc_cid=8151c5c393&mc_eid=b43e532c6f
31 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: muppet elevator, muppets
25 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: marmalade, reflections of my life
22 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in Recommended Albums Tags: 3.V, zebra
Zebra: 3.V (1986)
Zebra was (and as of this writing still is) an overlooked melodic hard rock band whose eponymous 1983 debut was the fastest-selling album in the history of Atlantic Records thanks to buzz generated by relentless east coast gigging.
That debut is a fine album. Its follow-up, for which guitarist/singer/songwriter Randy Jackson admits he had little material prepared due to the band’s tour and promotion schedule, is lackluster by comparison.
With the third album (whose title is a reference to the lengthy process of its creation) came a commitment to make the best record of the band’s career, as they perhaps sensed their major-label mortality.
Predictably, it was the last of their Atlantic tenure, as the label did little to promote it and it failed to chart.
But critics have given 3.V high marks, saying it contains some of the trio’s best material. The powerful, infectious guitar and synth sound and Jackson’s songwriting deserved a better commercial fate.
I saw the band live for the first time in 2023 and they were still bringing it. Randy Jackson’s guitar work was brilliant and his vocal range still impressive.
Listen to: “He’s Making You the Fool”
Listen to: “Hard Living Without You”
Listen to: “Isn’t That the Way”
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2023/08/27/video-of-the-week-zebra-dont-walk-away-live-1983/
