Proposal by David Ignatius: “Just as the provenance of a work of art is
established by art historians and auction houses, we need technological tools
that will help confirm the provenance of facts.”
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Friday, November 24, 2017
#166 Mr. Dieingly Sad – The Critters (1966)
Although
also released in 1966, this one could hardly be more different from its
predecessor on this list. (BTW, blame the misspelling on the record label
folks, not on songwriter Don Ciccone.) Its sound has been compared to that of
the Association and the Beach Boys, with chord progressions that are unusual
enough that I never did manage to master them when I was playing around with it
on the guitar back in the day. For a much longer ode to the song, see this entry by a fellow blogger.
#165 Happenings Ten Years Time Ago – The Yardbirds (1966)
The best of
many worthy Yardbirds singles (“Heart Full Of Soul”, “Shapes Of Things”, “I’m A
Man”, to name a few), this one stands out for one of the most original and
ear-shattering instrumental breaks in the history of rock, with two of the
generation’s greatest guitarists, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, trading riffs. (It
should be noted that then-blues-purist Eric Clapton was in the band earlier,
but left because “For Your Love” was too pop for his tastes.) It has been aptly
characterized as “frightening”, and apparently scared enough radio programmers
that it only got to #30 in the U.S. and #43 in Britain.
Friday, November 17, 2017
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
#164 Heroes Are Hard To Find – Fleetwood Mac (1974)
In the first
half of the 1970s, after their origins as a British blues band and before their
emergence as California rock stars following the addition of Stevie Nicks and
Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac released some largely-overlooked but worthy
material, particularly this track (written by Christine McVie) and “Hypnotized”
(by then-guitarist Bob Welch, whose departure prompted the addition of
Buckingham and Nicks). While the albums released during this period have not
been difficult to find on CD, the tracks for some reason weren’t available for
purchase in iTunes or Amazon. I continued to check every several months, and lo
and beyond they have finally appeared, so I guess I have a couple of purchases
to make.
#163 Stranger On The Shore – Mr. Acker Bilk (1962)
That
clarinet! Those strings!!!
I still miss
the serendipity of going into a record store, browsing leisurely through the
bins, and coming up with something I never expected to find. Sometime during
the spring of 1974, when I was in DC for American University’s Washington
Semester program, I was downtown in one of the local stores (Serenade?), found
the album to which this is the title track, and promptly plunked down my 10
bucks (or whatever). The rest of the album is just OK, but this one is still a
standout.
Unfortunately,
Mr. Bilk apparently re-recorded this song several times, and when I decided I
wanted a digital version I bought the wrong version at least twice before
finding the original.
#162 Hometown Headstone – Owen Danoff (2014)
I’ve
mentioned Owen Danoff here on several occasions, so I won’t repeat myself in
this entry. This is track 1 from his first (and so far only) full-length CD,
and still my favorite Danoff song. Suffice to say that (IMHO) it’s better than
almost anything you’ll hear on the radio these days, regardless of format.
#161 Tryin’ Times – Roberta Flack (1969)
The great Roberta
Flack, who got her musical start in DC (after enrolling in Howard University at
the tender age of 15), is best known for such hit singles as “The First Time
Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, each of which won
Grammy Awards for Record of the Year. This song, like the material from Marvin
Gaye’s What’s Going On LP, continues
to resonate today, despite being nearly 50 years old. Written by frequent duet
partner Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson, it’s the only track on her debut album
First Take with neither a string or
horn section, simply featuring a small all-star combo with Flack on piano, Ron
Carter on bass, John Pizzarelli on guitar, and Ray Lucas on drums.
Monday, November 6, 2017
Jesse Colin Young – Rams Head On Stage, 11/4/2017
Table 102, Row A, Seats 3-4 – front and center, with my seat only about
a foot away from the stage
This was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. Jesse, who remains an excellent acoustic guitarist after all these years, began with a seven-song solo set, which started with “Sugar Babe” and included my two all-time favorites of his, “Songbird” and “Sunlight”. After a break, he brought out his band, consisting of his son Tristan on bass and 6 other recent Berklee College of Music graduates. The musicianship was stellar, particularly on electric guitar and sax, and Jesse was obviously enjoying himself throughout. The band portion of the show featured some material that I wasn’t familiar with, although it also included “Ridgetop”, “Darkness Darkness”, a great medley of “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me”, and the obligatory audience sing-along on “Get Together” to end the set (with “T-Bone Shuffle” as the encore).
This was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. Jesse, who remains an excellent acoustic guitarist after all these years, began with a seven-song solo set, which started with “Sugar Babe” and included my two all-time favorites of his, “Songbird” and “Sunlight”. After a break, he brought out his band, consisting of his son Tristan on bass and 6 other recent Berklee College of Music graduates. The musicianship was stellar, particularly on electric guitar and sax, and Jesse was obviously enjoying himself throughout. The band portion of the show featured some material that I wasn’t familiar with, although it also included “Ridgetop”, “Darkness Darkness”, a great medley of “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me”, and the obligatory audience sing-along on “Get Together” to end the set (with “T-Bone Shuffle” as the encore).
Setlist
Hey, Dems, a better tax plan isn’t going to write itself
The title of this Steven Pearlstein column is pretty self-explanatory.
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