Category Archives: best

Night Music: Billy Lee Riley, “Red Hot”

by

Bob Dylan won an award the other night from a group called MusicCares, which I gather has an emergency fund for indigent musicians who need help. Dylan’s speech is a marvel of candor and self grandeur and interesting connections from Bob to the songs that fed his creativity. If I was a professional blogger I’d summarize the whole thing, but since I’m not let it suffice that he doesn’t mince words and rips Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall and others new ones.

He also claims that he is the sole singer to get criticized for lack of range and excessive growling, while Tom Waits, Lou Reed and Dr. John get off scot free. Some of it is kind of batshit.

But a lot of it does make connections, and the one that matters most praises MusiCares for taking care of Bob’s friend Billy Lee Riley, who never really had a hit, but was nominated for a Grammy for his 1997 comeback album, Hot Damn!

But the song that made Bob Dylan fall in love with Billy Lee was this one (with Jerry Lee Lewis playing piano), which he heard on the radio in 1957, when he was a boy with dreams in Minnesota.

Night Music: Talking Heads, “Born Under Punches”

by

There is a lot of irritating in David Byrne. Right?

While he no doubt started out as an artist, his instincts and skills put him into the churn of business and commercialism, and Talking Heads thrived without obviously selling out. That’s a great accomplishment. But it comes with its own negatives. Becoming the object of lust for a cult of deranged college kids can create unfortunate associations. Qu’est-ce que c’est.

But he’s done amazing things in his life, both musically and with bike racks.

Like many of our great artists of the last decades, he has also worked with Brian Eno, and some of his most amazing work was made with Eno.

I love this song. It is a bubbling pastiche of rock and soul and afrobeat and high life, with clever mzungu lyrics, and a dark universal chorus. The African influence and the arty fartsy punk context are brilliant.

And you can dance to it.

Lunch Break: Elvis Costello and George Jones, “Stranger in the House”

by

This is an absolutely great song, and this is a killer version (even if the video is crap). Early. George Jones doesn’t look like he’s about to croak off.

Costello does look like he has mumps, which he apparently did have. Which makes his fantastic vocals here even more fantastic.

But Jones is the trick. That guy can sing. And this song is the answer. A great one.

Breakfast Blend: The Only Ones

by

I own the UK version of the first Only Ones album because I couldn’t wait for a US release, which eventually combined their first two elpees when it eventually did arrive.

Coming upon England’s Glory this week got that US album in heavy rotation at my house. It is stellar, above and beyond the hit that categorizes them as one hit wonders, Another Girl Another Planet. So, listen to the whole thing if you get a chance, but here’re two for kicks.

 

This clip shows the vastly superior UK cover art.

Lunch Break: Dinah Washington, “Teach Me Tonight”

by

I learned about Dinah Washington from reading Paper Lion. I’m now prone to arguing that she’s the best of the great jazz vocalists of the mid-century, but there is no proof. And it’s hard to argue against Ella Fitzgerald’s range and tone and mastery.

But Dinah has much of that, and heart. It all feels.

Night Music: David Bowie, “Young Americans”

by

Do you remember President Nixon. Or the bills you have to pay?

We finally watched Twenty Feet from Stardom, the documentary about backup singers that was a must-see hit a couple of years ago. It’s pretty delightful, and also sad, as the women who learned to sing in church eventually see their bigger dreams of solo success fizzle.

The movie finally settles on Darlene Love’s compelling story for its big emotional finish, and that’s fine, but it also downplays the success story of Luther Van Dross, who can be seen in this video from New Years—as 1974 turns into 1975—backing up David Bowie on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve. Vandross is the chubby fellow on the left.

Vandross successfully escaped the gravity of the background singer role and had a successful solo career as a singer and producer, unlike the stories featured in the movie. That’s a sign that the movie is more a charming story than truth telling, but it’s worth seeing just to spend time with Love, the Blossoms, Merry Clayton, Claudia Lennear, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega and many others. Their stories are really interesting, and inevitably tell a richer story than the one the movie chooses to focus on.

This clip is for Luther Vandross and yesterday, the day after David Bowie’s birthday. It is cool, a synonym for awesome.

Night Music: Martha and the Vandellas, “Dancing in the Street”

by

We went to a party at a friends house tonight. One down the block. Many neighbors were there, and some other folks.

When it got a little later the lights got darker and music got darker, and there was dancing. But it was funny. There was a fair reason to question almost every dance tune in the mix. This was dance music from the time when I danced, so we had the Sugar Hill Gang, and Blondie, and Nena, and the great thing was everyone, from us old folks, to young adults to the kids, all danced and limboed. It was great.

It wasn’t a great mix of tunes, but it was a great party and the best song was one of Motown’s best. And one of pop’s greatest tunes. Can’t forget the motor city!