Love this cover, which seems just a bit dangerous in German. It only had 136 plays when I found it, so chances are you haven’t heard it yet.
Category Archives: I Like This Song
It’s Been A While
So I haven’t been on here in a while. That’s for sure. And since I last posted, my music tastes have gone in a new direction heading towards soul, R&B, and hip hop. Thought I’d share a few of the songs that have stuck with me lately:
I found Leon Bridges when I was looking into Outside Lands artists to study up before the festival. All of his music is great in my opinion, although he doesn’t have a whole lot out yet. Can’t wait to hear what he does next!
I am generally partial towards male singers, but Alice Smith is definitely an exception to that. As Lawr might say, she can really wail. This entire album (called She) is wonderful. This is actually a (better) cover of a Cee Lo Green song.
And then there’s D’Angelo who has got this whole other thing going on. His music is so interesting and fresh. I dig it.
And on the off chance anybody is steal reading/ listening, I thought I’d throw in this guy. He has a very unique sound. Interesting music and good lyrics. You can’t go wrong!
These are a few of my latest favorites. All of them but Alice Smith will be at Outside Lands. Unfortunately, I can no longer attend, but I was still exposed to all kinds of great music from the lineup!
New Tunes From Hans Condor
The boys from Nashville have recorded two new songs, at 3am and drunk, they say, after a raucous gig in June. The production is muddy, the vocals are shouted, there is no reason to love these the way I do, but then again here are all the rock moves you could possibly want in a beguiling package that manages to be fresh and classic at once.
Some of it is the awesome upfront bass playing, some of it is the way guitar solos suddenly pop up majestically, and some of it is the amazing thrash they put together. But the incredible part for me is the way all of this lands at the junction of influence of so many great bands, from the Stones to the Pistols to the Replacements, without sounding like any of them particularly.
I gave them a buck for each track, and suggested they come to New York. I’ll let you know when they get here.
Eric Burdon, “Gotta Serve Somebody”
Rock n roll style.
Bob Dylan, Slow Train Coming
This period of gospel Bob would be problematic, except that so much good music came out of it.
Crawling From the Wreckage
This live version from 1980, is like the studio version, full of Lowe-isms while popping Dave Edmunds up front. I’m sure that’s Elvis Costello introducing the tune, by the way.
I’m not sure of the pedigree of this Graham Parker version. He wrote the song, of course. It’s certainly styled less to please pop, more skiffle and Dylan than Chuck Berry. But Parker knows how to sing and that drummer knows how to make a shoe box rock. For better or worse, you decide that, Parker gives his words more attention here.
Ornette Coleman is Dead!
I went to an Ornette Coleman tribute Hal Wilner put on in the park near my house just about one year ago today.
Ornette is a jazz guy, perhaps the most popular of the free jazz players, and a musical giant. What I learned a year ago was that Lou Reed loved Ornette, but then so do many. I remember at poker games in the loft on Lispenard Street I would sometimes put Ornette on as a distraction, but somehow the beauty of his sounds won the day more often than I won the hand.
This one is live from Prince Street in 1970, same neighborhood as the poker (though 10 years earlier), and chosen especially because of the groovy vibe. (That’s Charlie Haden on the bass, Dewey Redman on tenor, and Ed Blackwell on the drums. )
The Senders, of New York City
Well, that was my mistake. There are two bands called the Senders. This is the one that Gene was talking about in a previous post (with a great video by Sophie Lo). You can learn more about them and see lots of videos here.
Peter Wolf, Tragedy
This is a live video recorded on, maybe, an iPhone a couple of years ago. It got me thinking about what a Remnant is. The first two J Geils Band albums are great, and the next three were hugely popular. This is a guy who had Mick Jagger singing backup vocals on one of his solo records, and is still playing out, in smaller venues.
He’s put together what sounds like a pretty fine band, and is entertaining fans now more than 40 years after the debut J Geils Band album. More power to him, for sure. A classic and a remnant, at once.
Television, “Marquee Moon”
No reason. There doesn’t have to be a reason. Or the reason is as big as your head. Or larger.