Regina Spektor is getting quite a bit of attention of late and it's all well deserved and wonderful. She has a great story and I thought you might like to hear what her Wiki says:
Spektor was born in Moscow, USSR to a musical Jewish family. Her father, Ilya Spektor, is a photographer and amateur violinist.
Her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music professor in a Russian college
of music and now teaches at a public elementary school in Mount Vernon, New York.[1]
Spektor learned how to play piano by practicing on a Petrofupright that was given to her mother by her grandfather.[2] She was also exposed to the music of rock and roll bands such as The Beatles, Queen, and The Moody Blues by her father, who obtained such recordings in Eastern Europe and traded cassettes with friends in the Soviet Union.[1] The family left the Soviet Union in 1989, when Regina was nine and a half, during the period of Perestroika, when Soviet citizens were permitted to emigrate. Regina had to leave her piano behind.[3]
The seriousness of her piano studies led her parents to consider not
leaving the USSR, but they finally decided to emigrate, due to the
ethnic and political discrimination which Jews faced.[4]
By now y'all know I love my quirky pianists. Spektor is most certainly the quirkiest and most eclectic girl in the music industry that I know of. Not to mention wildly talented as well being a lovely vocalist who doesn't have to dress up in outrageous costumes or make the tabloids for attention. Her music speaks for itself.
Her 2006 album Begin To Hope is superfantastic. Here's "Fidelity" from that album.
I went back and forth over whether to share this next song with you or not. "Samson" is a jewel. It's my favorite song of the past few years (period) and it's one that can make me cry and I strangely identify with and just adore it. I play it often. "You are my sweetest downfall/I loved you first/Beneath the sheets of paper lies my truth" just kills me. You'll have to hear it, but I think "you are my sweetest downfall" may be the most poetic phrase I've heard in years. The "beneath the sheets of paper" part reminds me of my unpublished novel (sigh). So, that's my song. Maybe you'll like it too.
Spektor's latest album, Far is out now and the current single is "Eet." It's lovely.
And the perfect song to listen to after "Eet" is "Dance Anthem of the 80's" for the -eet sounds. Here's a fabulous live clip.
So, that's my Regina Spektor post. I hope y'all enjoyed it as much as enjoy her music.
Back in 1991, amidst the sea of grunge bands (which I hated) from Seattle that were ever-present on the radio, there was a gem of musician who appeared on my radar and his name was Matthew Sweet. His music was refreshing and happy and I loved it, and still very much love it. I remember the half anime/half performance video of his first song, "Girlfriend" and Sweet performing the song on the Regis show, which means it was either a holiday or I was skipping school, who knows. I bought his first album then and now have his music on my iPod and listen to it often.
Over the years, Sweet has kept a lower than low profile, but he's still making records and touring. His last release was Sunshine Lies, from last year and in 2006 he recorded an album of duets from the 60's with Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles. I love their take on The Beatles "And Your Bird Can Sing." This past summer they put out an album of covers of 70's duets -- how fun is that? 100% fun -- that's how much.
If you're a fan of power-pop or just love good music, I suggest you get his best-of release, Time Capsule, on iTunes right now and put in heavy rotation on your iPod, but for now listen to three of my favorite Sweet tunes.
"Girlfriend"
"You Don't Love Me"
"Time Capsule"
And because I love alternate versions of songs, a fab version of "Girlfriend" from the reissue. Enjoy.
I love the Van Morrison. I have since I was a kid, when I discovered my parents' albums (that are now in my possession) which were a treasure trove of musical goodness of Aretha, Otis Redding, and Morrison. His Band and the Street Choir was my favorite then and I still love it. Back then it was all about the voice and the sax, but now I appreciate the subtlety of some of the songs, the lyrics, the genius of a singer/songwriter who makes you feel. And he hails from Ireland. A soul singer from Ireland. Sweet.
Here's a blurb from Morrison's Wikipedia:
Van Morrison (George Ivan Morrison, OBE, born 31 August 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a critically acclaimed[1][2] singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn,[3][4] idiosyncratic,[5] and sublime.[6] His live performances at their best are seen as transcendental and inspired;[7][8] while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are acclaimed as among the greatest ever made.
Known as "Van the Man" by his fans, Morrison started his
professional career when, as a young teenager in the late 1950s, he
played a variety of instruments, including the guitar, harmonica,
keyboards, and saxophone, in a range of Irish showbands who covered the popular hits of the day, before rising to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the gritty Northern Irish R&B band Them with whom he recorded the garage band classic, "Gloria". His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him several sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968.[9] Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist,[10]
and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of
critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison continues
to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell
well and are generally warmly received; sometimes collaborating with
other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.
You've heard "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Gloria" at least a hundred times, so I thought I'd give you some of my favorites.
"If I Ever Needed Someone" is a beautiful song that I've always liked. It's a prayer, it's desperate, it's honest, and it's just a magnificent song.
"Into the Mystic" is a definite favorite. It should be required listening for everyone, especially those growing up with the Disneyfication of music these days. The title is perfect and sounds like a book I'd like to read, if it were a book.
Next is an odd one. "Crazy Face" has lyrics that sound like something you would dream.
All the people were waiting for Crazy Face
He said he'd meet them at his favourite place
Dressed in black satin, white linen and lace
With his head held high and a smile on his face
And he said:
'Ladies and gentlemen, the prince is late'
As he stood outside the church-yard gate
And polished up on his .38
And said:
'I got it from Jesse James'
See? I told you. It reminds me a lot of Counting Crows lyrics. You know I love that.
So, I've been watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and he's been talking about Yacht Rock for a week.
If you're not familiar with Yacht Rock, here's part of the Wikipedia entry:
"Yacht rock" is a name[6][7] for the popular soft rock that peaked between the years of 1975 and 1984. Significant "yacht rockers" include Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross,Goldstar and Toto. In the musical sense, yacht rock refers to the highly polished brand of soft rock that emanated from Southern California during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In part, the term relates to the stereotype of the yuppieyacht owner, enjoying cocaine
and smooth music while out for a sail. Additionally, since sailing was
a popular leisure activity in Southern California, many "yacht rockers"
made nautical references in their lyrics, videos, and album artwork,
particularly the anthemic track "Sailing" by Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock music is commonly described as, "A little bit better than elevator music!"
Genius name for the genre. Love it.
Have I ever told y'all how much my hubs LOVES Christopher Cross? I know I've discussed the hubs' "taste in music" on the blog before, but really, y'all have no idea. His iPod on shuffle goes like this: Christopher Cross, Willie Nelson, Journey, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Alison Krauss, Phil Collins, Barry Manilow, The Judds, Toto, Michael Buble, lots of Abba and COMPLETELY random '80s songs. On the rare occasion when we're together in a car long enough, after a max of three songs on shuffle, I will yell "JUST SHOOT ME IN THE DAMN FACE!" I'm SO not kidding. On the Orange Beach trip, I put my earbuds in after Willie Nelson's version of "Always on my Mind" was followed by "Never Gonna Give You Up" and I yelled "JUST SHOOT ME IN THE DAMN FACE ALREADY!" Oh yes, I did. For real. I'm a great road trip companion -- ask any of my friends, but not with the hubs.
So, this Tunes Tuesday is for the hubs, who will be getting a captain's hat, sunglasses, and an ascot for Christmas so he can jam in proper attire to his Yacht Rock music. He's not getting the yacht.
So, I'm still recovering from ScrapFest! but I think I owe my readers a little perfection on Tuesday.
Y'all know I love the Morrissey. He's perfect for my melancholy day. That's a good word for it.
Here's "Suedehead" from 1988's Viva Hate (is there a better album title than that? No, I think not). This was a good theme song for a good while. The lyrics are pretty great, "Why do you come here When you know it makes things hard for me ? When you know, oh Why do you come?"
I've written about my Counting Crows before and y'all know how I love them. Maybe it's because I discovered them when I needed something, maybe it's because Adam Duritz can write a lyric that gets me, maybe it's because they're underrated and who doesn't love a band who does their own thing despite the what the critics say?
Here's what I do know: Hard Candy was released in June of 2002, just before we moved to Canada and for some reason it rose to the top of my music collection and was decidedly my soundtrack for a good year. It's a summer album, I think. And since we're closing out summer, it's a good choice for Tunes Tuesday. It's good stuff.
It featured the hidden track, "Big Yellow Taxi," a Joni Mitchell cover, as well as several other songs I immediately loved. "Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood (Up All Night)" is one I have to play several times when it comes up on the iPod and "If I Could Give All My Love to you or Richard Manuel is Dead" is awesome.
The album still rocks. Go get you some Hard Candy.
Here are a few of my fave tracks. The title track, "Hard Candy" has a great line "she is something all together different, never just an ordinary girl" -- because who would want to be an ordinary girl? And "you put your girl up on a pedestal and you wait for her to fall" is pretty damn telling, just listen.
"Miami" is just a plain good. You need to hear it, baby, then we'll shut it down in New Orleans.
Next up is "Why Should You Come When I Call," a song I've identified with on occasion. It's a sweet song of love and codependency. Really.
And my favorite, "Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood (Up All Night)" is last but not least. It's a fantastic song to drive to, sing to, dance in the kitchen to. What? like you've never danced in your kitchen. It's a good insomniac song (which you know I am), a good song about wanting to get high (but it's too late), and a good song for a Tuesday. Enjoy your Tuesday.
It's July and you know what that means. That's right, it's birthday month. Everyone knows I celebrate my birthday all month, but today it's about birthday boy Ringo Starr.
You know Ringo as The Beatles' drummer, who Paul McCartney has said is the most consistent drummer he's ever worked with and I think he's pretty underrated as a musician. Ringo's played with some greats in music. His Wikipedia entry on who he's played, toured, and recorded with reads like a Who's Who of rock and roll of the past 50 years with names like Carl Perkins, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Joe Walsh, Jim Keltner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dr. John, Dave Stewart, Sheila E, Howard Jones, Paul Carrack -- you get the picture, the list is ridiculous and I haven't even mentioned the solo albums he drummed on for the other three Beatles.
One of my favorite Beatles songs featuring Ringo's drumming is "The End." For some reason I don't have a good mp3 of it (not sure where my Abbey Road cd is, but I'll be looking for it later). "The End" was the last song recorded by all four Beatles and all four have solos in the song (very nifty), even though Ringo didn't like solos. Here's a You Tube video with the song as it's heard on the Abbey Road as a 5 minute superfantasic medley of "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight," and "The End."
My favorite Ringo song has always been "Photograph," here's a 2008 clip.
Lastly, I found a great video from Ringo of a radio interview and a performance of his autobiographical song "Liverpool 8," I think you'll like it. Happy birthday, Ringo!
Ever have an angry day? Just a crappy day? I made a playlist for days like this and I'm sharing it with you -- just because.
Angry Day Playlist
1. R.E.M. "Redhead Walking" -- an angry Kerry themesong if ever there was one. I don't get angry often, but I have quite the redheaded temper when I do.
2. R.E.M. "Living Well is the Best Revenge" -- isn't that good advice?
3. Morrissey "Suedehead" -- Moz is the best. "Why do you come here when you know it makes it hard for me when you go?" and "I'm so very sick of you, oh, I'm so sick of you now" are just fab.
4. Ben Folds Five "Song For the Dumped" -- being dumped is not a requirement for enjoying this one.
5. The Breeders "Cannonball" -- I cannot tell you how much I love this song from Kim Deal and company. I'm tacking the video on for fun at the end of the post.
6. The Lemonheads "Bit Part" -- how can you not dig this tune?
7. Natalie Merchant "Jealousy" -- as if I'd leave the best intelligent jealous woman song off the list.
8. 10,000 Maniacs "Headstrong" -- my other themesong.
9. The Lemonheads "I'll Do it Anyway" -- this one's just a feel-good, eff 'em song.
10. Counting Crows "I'm Not Sleeping" -- awesome when you get to "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a.m. all alone again, but I've been through all this shit before / Spend my nights in self-defense, cry about my innocence, but I ain't all that innocent anymore." Listen for yourself, starts slow, but it's great.
11. Tears For Fears "Shout" -- an 80's must.
12. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "You Got Lucky" -- classic.
13. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" -- big classic.
I should have outsourced this edition. Oh well. In honor of today's release of the highly anticipated "greatest hits" collection Let it Roll: Songs by George Harrison, I thought we'd spend a little time on George. Not a lot of time, because admittedly, although I do love some George, I've always been more of a Paul girl and my knowledge of George's stuff isn't as vast (and Lord knows I'm not going to do the research to do him justice). This isn't a bad thing. I will link to an article that is worth reading on Harrison, because to know the man is to know his music.
Oddly, one of my favorite Beatles songs, "Here Comes the Sun," is a George song (a live version is on the new album) and I think his guitar playing is one of the main things that made the band so consistent. The Beatles were a lot of things: fantastic songwriters, talented vocalists, and suburb musicians. What really stands out to a longtime fan is how innovative they were and they owe much of that to Harrison's unwavering desire to grow as a musician. Sure, he's known as a guitarist, but without his sitar work on Rubber Soul (my fave Beatles album), it's pretty doubtful the sitar would have found its way into Western music. It's clear to see Harrison's influence on bands such as R.E.M., Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Oasis, and Coldplay. Pure awesome.
Go download Let it Roll from iTunes (you get 2 bonus tracks on iTunes) or buy the cd, you won't be disappointed. As a casual fan, the only thing I'd like to see that's missing from the album is Harrison's work with the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, but I know this is a compilation of his solo work. The Beatles songs on the album are from live performances post-Beatles, so I really can't complain. With the addition of this album, I'll have a pretty decent John, Paul, George, & Ringo playlist (yes, that's what I've titled it) and y'all know how much I love a good playlist. The album art is nice as well.
Here's the track listing:
* Got My Mind Set On You (from Cloud Nine, 1987) * Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (from Living In The Material World, 1972) * The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) (from All Things Must Pass, 1970) * My Sweet Lord (from All Things Must Pass, 1970) * While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971) * All Things Must Pass (from All Things Must Pass, 1970) * Any Road (from Brainwashed, 2002) * This Is Love (from Cloud Nine, 1987) * All Those Years Ago (from Somewhere In England, 1981) * Marwa Blues (from Brainwashed, 2002) * What Is Life (from All Things Must Pass, 1970) * Rising Sun (from Brainwashed, 2002) * When We Was Fab (from Cloud Nine, 1987) * Something (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971) * Blow Away (from George Harrison, 1979) * Cheer Down (from Lethal Weapon 2) * Here Comes The Sun (from Concert For Bangladesh Soundtrack, 1971) * I Don't Want To Do It (from Porkys Revenge soundtrack, 1984) * Isn't It A Pity (from All Things Must Pass, 1970)
And here is a great Rolling Stone article from 2001 about the stories behind the songs, something I love to read about. If you're a music fan, this is a nice read.
I'll leave you with one of my favorites. This clip is from The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert, held in 1987, which I remember watching on HBO at the time. It's fab.
First of all, let me tell you what a special kind of moron your favorite redheaded blogger is -- I've been working on this post for two days and have saved it as a draft many, many times -- I was writing a couple of hours ago, made sure the links work, proofread the post and thought I published it. Nope, I saved as draft again! For crying out loud, I cannot have a Tunes You Need Tuesday published on a freakin' Tuesday to save my life. I wouldn't blame you if you started reading The Bloggess instead. At least you'd get to laugh about Clown Porn. And nothing has made me laugh harder than the thought of that the past couple of days. No, I haven't been watching porn, it's just a column I read that's laugh out loud funny and when I told Megs I'd send it to her she said no, because she's afraid she'd get a virus. She probably thinks she'll get an iSTD from the computer. I'm afraid most of you are reading this going "what the hell? Clown Porn? Call the prayer chain, call the psych ward, somebody, she's finally lost it." I assure you I'm alright and probably better than I've been in a few weeks, so it's about time for some serious fun. And serious fun for me is good music, what else? Did you think I was going to say Clown Porn?
Okay, I know we covered Natalie Merchant two weeks ago, but the Maniacs deserve their own post, dammit. I can't write a Natalie post and just hope that you'll go out on your own and listen to the Maniacs or watch a couple of YouTube videos, I have to deliver. This is how dedicated to your Tuesday tunes edumacation I am. What? That's a word. Look it up in your dictionkerry.
The brief history of 10,000 Maniacs I gave you in the Natalie Merchant post won't suffice for today, so welcome to Maniacs 101. There will not be a quiz, so relax.
If I were to sum up 10,000 Maniacs, a couple words would come to mind,
but one of the most prevalent would be artsy. The band's sound and feel
is defined by Rob Buck's distinctive lead guitar, folksy
melodies, historical/political poetic lyricism, and just an all around unique and lovely sound. Many of their songs are about unsavory things and some are just reflections on various little aspects of everyday life, but the Maniacs never try to hide what they're doing. The songs speak for themselves. There isn't a song you'd hear and say, "wow, wonder what that could be about." It's all there.
There are basically three distinct periods in the band's timeline.
The first lasted from their formation in 1981 until 1986. At this point
the lineup was Steve Gustafson (bass), Robert Buck (lead guitar),
Dennis Drew (keyboards), Natalie Merchant
(vocals) and John Lombardo (guitar/vocals). They would find a permanent
drummer in 1983 in Jerome Augustyniak. The band started
out as being very eclectic, incorporating a multitude styles that
varied from reggae to punk to folk, but by the time of their major
label debut The Wishing Chair, they had become more of a concise artsy folk unit. This was powerful and original stuff. Natalie's
voice was youthful but soared with a vitality and energy that was unlike anything I've heard since those early albums. Rob's chiming guitar leads were just as up
front as Natalie's
vocals, and the combination still holds up as beautiful and invigorating. This
was John Lomabrdo's musical vision really coming together for the first
time, and The Wishing Chair is often referred to as "his baby."
In 1986, due to financial concerns and Elektra's pressuring the
band to go in a more commercial direction, Lombardo left 10,000 Maniacs.
He would later carry on The Wishing Chair sound in his duo with Mary Ramsey,
but 10,000 Maniacs continued on as a five-piece and their sound
shifted to an extent. This is what I would consider phase two. They acquired a more
pop-oriented feel, with Natalie's lyrics focusing on distinctive, often political topics. The albums In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man's Zoo(1989), Our Time In Eden(1992), and Unplugged (1994) were released during this stage while Natalie was lead singer.
Phase three began when Natalie Merchantleft in 1993, and John Lombardo returned in 1994 bringing along Mary Ramsey to replace Natalie.
With John again the prime creative force in the Maniacs he of course
took up where he left off back in 1985. The band's sound became more
folkish again. There have been other personnel changes since with the death of Buck, Lombardo leaving once again, and Ramsey in and "on again, off again" state as of now. Oskar Saville sang with the Maniacs from 2002-07, but it looks like Ramsey is back -- at least that what seems to be the case. Their website hasn't been updated in some time and I could find no news of their status lately.
So far two albums have been created with Ramsey, Love Among The Ruins and the independently released The Earth Pressed Flat. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I am a Maniacs purist and a song without Natalie singing is just not a 10,000 Maniacs song. I remember driving my Corolla in Alpharetta, GA in 1997 when I first heard "More Than This," the first Natalieless Maniacs song on the radio and I yelled "that's not 10,000 Maniacs!" With all due respect to Ms. Ramsey, no one could replace Natalie's voice. And dear my mother the war -- Oskar Saville singing the old songs -- it's like nails on a chalkboard. I say that with love. And criticism and intollerance, mainly love.
Onto the songs. Let's have a little loveliness from each album, that seems the thing to do.
From The Wishing Chair, this is "My Mother the War," which is what I've always considered a very raw Maniacs song. It doesn't sound like what you're used to from the band and Natalie's voice is a young instrument.
From what is most of America's first 10,000 Maniacs experience, In My Tribe, I thought you might like "City of Angels," for its folksy sound, but as well as a song that's a good example of Natalie finding her voice. I love the song. In my Natalie Merchant post, you saw the video of the big single from this album, "Like the Weather," but there are other great songs on this album. Notably, the Cat Stephens cover of "Peace Train" and "What's the Matter Here" about child abuse. In My Tribe is full of socially aware songs, nearly each track has a message. And did I mention how much I heart the cover art? It's always been one of my faves.
Blind Man's Zoo is the middle-ground of 10,000 Maniacs albums. It falls somewhere outside the folk band they started out as and the more pop sound of their last studio album. It's the only album I would consider "alternative" whatever that means, but nevertheless is what genre the band is called. I knew the video to "Happy Puppet" was one of the only videos that showed the whole band and thought it would be fun to see the rest of them, since they weren't Natalie's backing band, as you would think from all the other videos from that era. Plus, it's a damn good song.
Another song I love from that album is "Headstrong," which could SO be one of my theme songs. If you've know me for very long, you would probably agree. I hate that when they made the compilation album, Campfire Songs they left this gem off. It would really fit to shake it up a little. And I like a little angry song for a mood once in a while, don't you?
The last 10,000 Maniacs studio album with Natalie Merchant as lead singer and writing partner to Rob Buck was Our Time in Eden, and it is simply a gorgeous work. The instrumentation on it is just fabulous, with Buck using banjo, steel guitar, and sitar (which he hadn't used since In My Tribe), as well as the James Brown Horns, and Mary Ramsey on backing vocals. This album is fantastic. Everyone remembers "These Are Days" which ended up as a graduation theme song all over the country, but I loved "Candy Everybody Wants," a pop song about the crap in our media and how we eat it up! Man, it's genius. And the video features a stunning Natalie, so no wonder no one ever got it. I was sucked in, too. After seeing Natalie in her green off-the-shoulder dress, I had to have a green off-the-shoulder dress for prom. Here's the video.
I mentioned the MTV Unplugged album, but it's worth a listen. Really, you should get it. It shows what a talented band 10,000 Maniacs were back in '93. Rob Buck was a great musician, probably never getting the accolades he deserved and he delivers on this album. Also, we're treated to some great songs on Unplugged. I really like this version of "Noah's Dove" and the duet with David Byrne, "Let the Mystery Be" is just great. This album is full of little surprises and is a nice send off, being that it was the last album with Natalie. Enjoy.
Recent Comments