#85 It Takes Two -- Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock (1988)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbSYk-XTf_M

In his writeup of this song (which he has at #956), Dave Marsh provides a great description of dueling “best singles” lists developed by Rolling Stone magazine in 1988 and Spin magazine in 1989. The latter had “It Takes Two” at #1; Marsh quotes rock critic David Hinckley characterizing the pick as “the equivalent of a three-year-old shooting his mother with a squirt gun in order to get her attention.”

OK, so I wouldn’t put this at the top of my list, but it nevertheless is among the best of the classic hip-hop tracks.

#86 Wide River To Cross -- Diana Krall (2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Osice1AjtI

Some songs take a while to grow on you, and others grab you immediately. This was one of the latter for me; I’ve been in love with it since the first time I heard it on mvyradio, which has been playing it relatively often. 

Written by alt-country legends Buddy and Julie Miller (it appears on Buddy’s 2004 album Universal United House of Prayer), it certainly has to be in contention for greatest “River” song ever, along with “Many Rivers to Cross” (Jimmy Cliff), “Too Many Rivers” (Brenda Lee), and quite a few others.

As good as Krall’s recording is, there is also a stunning version online from the 2012 Stand Up for Heroes concert, featuring Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and Afghanistan veteran Timothy Donnelly. Have your handkerchief and checkbook handy.

Great musical minds think alike?

Back in 1994, one-hit wonders US3 had a top ten hit with a song called “Cantaloop,” which was sort of a hip-hop take on Herbie Hancock’s “Canteloupe Island.” I hadn’t heard the song in a long time, although I had bought the CD when it came out.

This past Friday, David Dye on WXPN played the song to begin his 5-7 pm “Funky Friday” show. Later that evening, several songs into his weekly show, Weasel featured the same song.

Coincidence? I think not.

 

Pete Seeger

Rolling Stone ran a nice story on Pete Seeger’s death yesterday at the age of 94. WXPN’s David Dye also posted some nice reflections.

WXPN’s “Select-A-Song” set this morning is below. (Seeger didn’t write “This Land Is Your Land,” but frequently performed the Woody Guthrie classic.)

• Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome - Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits
• The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! - Turn! Turn! Turn!
• Pete Seeger - If I Had A Hammer (the Hammer Song) - If I Had A Hammer: Songs Of Hope And Struggle
• Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings - This Land Is Your Land - Up In The Air (Music From The Motion Picture)
• Tommy Sands, Dolores Kean & Vedran Smailovic - Where Have All The Flowers Gone - Where Have All The Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger

When I first got seriously into music in 1965, the record that I put on my Christmas list was the Byrds album Turn! Turn! Turn! Mom & Dad got me a Herb Alpert LP instead (could have been worse), but my aunt and uncle came through.

 

Playlist for another frigid day

The Coldest Night of the Year – Bruce Cockburn

10 Degrees and Getting Colder – Gordon Lightfoot

Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out – Bruce Springsteen

Snow Queen – Blood, Sweat & Tears

California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas

The Warmth of the Sun – The Beach Boys

Under the Boardwalk – The Drifters

On and On – Stephen Bishop

Heat Wave – Martha & The Vandellas

Heatwave – Iain Matthews