As we countdown to 1000 posts, only two more posts remain; however, if you want this blog to continue, you can make a difference by registering your feelings in the survey found at http://tinyurl.com/8juv863.
Recently, I stumbled upon Los Angeles based Tito & Tarantula’s recording of “After Dark” and discovered a sound that I really liked their sound. Somehow I missed this band and I had not seen Quentin Tarantino’s “From Dusk Till Dawn” where the band performs this in movie.
“After Dark” was originally performed by Tito Larriva’s band the Cruzados and was co-written by Larriva and Cruzado guitarist Steven Hufsteter, who later would join Tito & Tarantula in 2002. The band recorded “After Dark” in 1996 and it was later released on the band’s first CD “Tarantism” in 1997.
I’m not sure what genre of rock you would place this song, but I have always liked dark and foreboding music like this. Besides Larriva’s lead vocal and rhythm guitar, the cut features other Tarantulas Peter Atanasoff on lead guitar, Jennifer Condos on bass, and Nick Vincent on drums and percussion.
Lyn Bertles, also a member of the band at the time of the recording, is credited on the album, but I cannot place what she might be playing on the cut as she plays violin, mandolin, recorder, and harmonica. Mark Goldenberg, who was not a band member, added guitar to this track.
Live Version from 2008
This version was recorded in Germany where the band has a large following. Personnel include Tito Larriva on guitar and vocals, Steven Hufsteter on guitar, Caroline Rippy on bass, and Alfredo Ortiz on drums.
In nine days, “Reading between the Grooves” could be ending its run; however, a few have asked me to continue this blog. I have agreed that, on the condition that a certain number (which shall remain unidentified) of positive responses to the survey I’ve posted be met, then (and only then) will I continue this work. You can register your feelings at http://tinyurl.com/8juv863.
Since my FM radio is on the blink (broken for non-Americans), I decided to stop by our local used record and CD store last week to get some music for my trip to Pennsylvania last week. While going through racks, I found the Mumford & Sons 2009 CD “Sigh no More.” The cover intrigued me and the name was vaguely familiar. There was an unusual banjo being held by one of the band members – so I bought the CD.
As the first track emanated from the speakers, I was not that impressed. My initial reaction was that the instrumentation was great, but the vocals seemed to be over produced with a Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” treatment. The dichotomy between sparse instrumentation and vocals akin to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was not terribly exciting to me. Marcus Mumford’s unusual voice did not bother me – it was these great swells of vocals that initially turned me off.
When the fourth cut emerged from the speakers, I readily remembered “Roll Away Your Stone” and cut number five, “White Blank Page.” I played “Roll Away Your Stone” several times on Wednesday night and when I got a chance, I checked and I had already featured this song in 2011. No wonder it sounded so familiar. Ah yes, memory is a wonderful thing - when you have it.
By Saturday, I was listening again to the CD and the second listen caught my ear and I immediately warmed up to the other tracks and now I had an admiration and understanding of the vocal swells – it finally made sense to me musically and from a production standpoint. Interestingly, I began to recognize some of the other tracks that I heard them before as well.
If I hear a song I like once, I generally recognize it later. This came in handy when I was programming radio stations. If I couldn’t hear it, I generally didn’t play it. “Sigh No More” is beginning to be one of my favorite albums and “Roll Away Your Stone” is still my favorite track on the CD. I really like this CD and I know that my wife would really hate it – but she hates most of the stuff I listen to anyway.
The CD has done very well in the US selling over two million copies and being certified as platinum. “Roll Away Your Stone” was the fourth single and was the worst performing of the four charting at 141 in Billboard. The third single, “The Cave,” did the best by charting at #27 and was the only Top 40 hit for the band.
One of the things about this band I like is Mumford’s voice – it’s odd and many people might not like it. Like Dylan, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, and others – it is not pristine – it’s unique and probably an acquired taste. I’m listening to this CD in my headphones now and it is even better without any other distraction. The other thing about this band is the lyrics are dark and realistic – just like folk music should be. Last year, I called the style “folk music with attitude.”
In addition to Mumford, who also plays guitar, the band consists of Winston Marshall on banjo, Ben Lovett on keyboards, and Ted Dwane on bass. All sing and three of the band (Mumford, Lovett, and Dwane) all play drums. If you purchase this CD, give it at least three listens to sink in and you’ll love it like I do.
Have you registered your feelings about “Reading between the Grooves” continuing? If I get enough folks voting positively, I will continue the blog after September 26, 2012. On that date, we will have our 1,000th post and third anniversary. It also was my planned retirement date; however, some requested that I keep writing. Only 16 more posts are planned; however, you can make a difference by registering your feelings in the survey found at http://tinyurl.com/8juv863.
For our Mélange Monday, I bring you a group with which most Americans are not familiar; however, they have a substantial following in their native Canada. Formed in Toronto in 1977, Zon was a progressive rock band that produced three albums during their short, four-year career. I characterize their sound as a poor man’s Styx.
I have their 1978 debut album “Astral Projector”; it was an import from Canada on Epic Records of Canada. I bought the album solely on the premise that it was released on blue vinyl. Being that I collected colored vinyl and other oddities at the time, I felt it was a good addition to my collection.
Although not having heard the group prior to buying the disc, I was pleased with the purchase. While some songs are stronger than others, I have selected my favorite – “Man in the Mirror.” It has screaming guitars, monophonic synthesizers, and tubular bells – what else could anyone want.
Since I needed something for Labor Day here in America, I decided upon a loosely related song that contained the word “work.” While it has nothing to do with physical labor, it does reference a relationship that had soured and the protagonist (Paul McCartney specifically) is trying to “work it out.”
It is believed that “We Can Work It Out” was written about his relationship with actress Jane Asher – apparently they worked it out as they remained together for another year and a half. Paul wrote the positive aspect of the song – the verse and chorus, while John wrote the bridge, which attacked the problem from a negative aspect – “Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friend . . .” George suggested that the middle and end of the bridge be in ¾ time.
The single, recorded during the “Rubber Soul” sessions in October 1965 and was issued as a double “A” sided single with “Day Tripper” in December. The video was shot in November and was obviously lip synched. I love John's humorous performance - typical Lennon antics. “We Can Work It Out” was a #1 record for the Fab Four. “Day Tripper” charted at #5.
Both songs appeared on the American only release – “Yesterday and Today.” Just another example of Capitol Records getting more mileage with the Beatles releases than did their UK EMI counterpart Parlophone. Parlophone made up for it by releasing “A Collection of Beatles Oldies” in 1966. Both songs appeared on this compilation album along with other non-album singles.
Paul’s vocals are double tracked – a technique the band began doing during the “Beatles For Sale” period. In addition to singing harmony and harmonium, John plays acoustic guitar. While George is seen playing electric guitar on the video, he did not play guitar on the single, but rather tambourine.
I plan to end this blog on September 26, 2012. If you would like to see it continue after that, let me know by registering your feelings in the survey found at http://tinyurl.com/8juv863.
Unless I get a number of folks requesting that I continue, I plan to end this blog in 30 posts on September 26, 2012. If you would like to see it continue after that, let me know by registering your feelings in the survey found at http://tinyurl.com/8juv863.
The other day I discovered that YouTube is now the home of complete albums and on Friday I was in a prog rock mood. I listened to a classic Genesis album, Nursery Cryme, which was followed by “Fragile” by Yes. I noticed that while Yes was playing, YouTube suggested some Moody Blues’ albums.
The Moodies were always one of my favorite bands and I listened to “In Search of the Lost Chord,” “A Question of Balance,” and finally “Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.” While listening to the latter, one particular song caught my ear – a John Lodge composition “Emily’s Song.” Lodge composed the tune in honor of his daughter Emily’s birth.
The author with John Lodge
While I have this album, I didn’t remember this song; however, it resonated with me on Friday. Along with singing lead and playing bass on this cut, Lodge plays ‘cello and celesta. Justin Hayward plays guitar and sings harmonies with his longtime friend.
Mike Pinder’s contribution on Mellotron extends Lodge’s ‘cello to a full orchestra. He also plays harpsichord on the track, but it is buried in the mix and only surfaces in some of the quieter moments of the song.
While the similarities are ever so slight, I believe that portions of this song were influenced by Buddy Holly’s “Everyday.” Graeme Edge’s percussion is very similar to Jerry Allison slapping his legs on “Everyday.” Lodge’s use of the celesta evokes an instant connection to Vi Petty’s work on “Everyday.” While Lodge’s lead on this keyboard instrument is not note-for-note the same as “Everday,” there are definite similarities.
Because the song was complicated, it was not played live by the Moody Blues until their memorable “Live at Red Rocks” concert in 1992 – twenty-one years after the song was recorded in 1971. Lodge played acoustic guitar in this setting. “Emily’s Song” is not one of their classic tunes, but it is worth of another listen or three.
The other day I was listening to Pandora and Peter, Paul, and Mary’s version of the folk song “Whiskey in the Jar” came on playlist. Their version was called “Gilgarra Mountain” and was more of a mellow rendition sung by Peter Yarrow. It got me thinking of the various versions from the Dubliners to Thin Lizzy. While scouring YouTube, I found a lively interpretation by Off Kilter that I hadn’t heard before. Off Kilter was a house band at the Epcot Center.
This Celtic-rock band provides a perfect marriage between Irish versions and rock versions of this old song. Their version of “Whiskey in the Jar” features pipes and killer guitar leads. It’s from their 2005 and last album “Kick it.” This is becoming my favorite version of this song that I head first as a kid in the early sixties.
As I wind down this blog, I realized that there are whole host of artists that I have not featured. As I was looking over the list of some of my favorite songs, I realized that I have not featured any music from Eddie Money. This former New York policeman was born as Edward Mahoney, but dropped two letters in his surname and became Eddie Money when he left the long blue line for rock and roll.
I had a chance to meet Money in the mid 80s in Atlanta. He was so friendly and I kept running into him at a conference I was attending. Every time I saw him, he recalled my name and it seemed like we had known each other all of our lives.
The Artist and the Author in Atlanta, 1984
Today, I am going to show you the money – Eddie Money and three versions of his 1978 hit “Two Tickets to Paradise.” This is probably my favorite Money song, but alas it only peaked at #22 – a shame as it really rocks.
Version #1: The Single Mix
The original single mix of “Two Tickets to Paradise” is considerably different from the corresponding LP track from his debut album “Eddie Money.” For the single, Money rerecorded the vocals – double tracking his voice in places and adding the whoas during the third verse that are missing from the LP.
In addition to a different vocal treatment Jimmy Lyon’s guitar parts are completely different from the album version and much heavier with several places where he has overdubbed a second guitar that is reminiscent of the recordings of Steely Dan and a majority of the 70s southern rock bands that had several guitarists.
As a single, it is also shorter and has a cold fade ending. From 1978 to 2008, the single mix was unavailable, but was released on the compilation CD “Playlist: The Very Best of Eddie Money.” It’s great to have this piece of rock history once again available.
Version #2: The Album Mix
The album version of the song has been the mix that has been heard over radio for the last three years. The keyboards are more in the front of the mix than the single mix. Jimmy Lyons’ guitar parts are not as overwhelming as on the single; however, the solo is much better.
The ending of the album is a standard cold ending with a drum beat. I guess I’ve been conditioned from years of airplay as I like the album version better than the single – it seems to gel better.
Version #3: The Acoustic Mix
I think the unplugged version of “Two Tickets to Paradise” is my favorite version of the tune. This is a song that you wouldn’t have thought could have been done acoustically, but it works well and still rocks. Part of this is Brian Gary’s organ parts that help it rock out. The guitars are handled by Tommy Girvin and Robert Heckert. Even Money’s vocals are strong as ever.
This live version was released in 1992 on the EP “Unplug It In.” I love it.
For my Monday Mélange feature, I found an acoustic live version of Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years” by American Ryan Adams. It was recorded nearly a year ago on Dutch radio station 3FM during Giel Beelen’s morning show. This is a nice interpretation of this tune.
The guitar Ryan is playing is a Buck Owens American, which was based on the prototype that Owens played on the very popular, but corny, TV show “Hee-Haw.” This guitar saw its rounds through a number of guitar companies. The original that Owens played was custom built by Semie Mosely of Mosrite Guitars, which was based in the same town as Owens – Bakersfield California.
Owens took the design to Chicago Musical Instruments and their Gibson division patented the instrument. While Gibson did not manufacture the guitar, CMI licensed the design to Harmony Guitars and they mass produced the instrument for sale at Sears & Roebuck under their Silvertone brand. The price was $82.95. A chipboard case was sold at $9.50. Owens received $2.50 for each guitar sold. It is estimated that over 5,000 of these guitars were sold.
The 1971 Sears catalog, advertised the guitar thusly:
Buck Owens Red, White and Blue American Guitar. Add color, great sound to the country and western scene with this Buck Owens grand-concert size guitar. $82.95. Bold stripes, bright stars, great response in this guitar that sounds as free-spirited as it looks. Select spruce top, finest wood for vibrant resonances. Bound rosewood fingerboard with 7 position markers that guide you to sure chording; 5 side markers, steel strings. Rosewood bridge; adjustable steel-rod reinforced neck prevents warping. Hardwood back and sides. Celluloid bound top and bottom edges. Celluloid headpiece with white edging. Individually covered machine heads. Red, White and blue flat-top guitar. Instruction book, pick. Guitar measures 40 1/2 x 15 1/8 x 4 1/8.
So it was a guitar designed by Mosrite, patented by Gibson, licensed by Chicago Musical Instruments, built by Harmony, marketed as a Silvertone, and branded as the “Buck Owens American.” Got that? How many of these do you see today – not very many.
While I thought this was a hokey instrument in its day, it appears from this Ryan Adams’ video that it really sounds great and must play great as well. By the way, Harmony’s Sovereign brand later reissued these guitars in a slightly different configuration. I believe these were made in Asia during the early 2000s and can be purchased via the Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace Country Store for under $500.
This morning I awoke with Horslips’ song “Speed the Plough” on my mind for some reason, but alas I have already featured that great rock tune from the Irish band who took their name from a Spoonerism of “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” – “Four Poxmen of the Horslypse.” The name evolved into Horslips.
Since I’ve featured most of their best known tunes, I’ve turned to their first album – my first exposure to the band. Forty years ago, Horslips released “Happy to Meet . . . Sorry to Part.” In the US, the album was released on the ATCO label. It was an interesting packaging, as the album was octagon shaped and depicted a concertina. I was fortunate that a friend gave me a promo copy of the album – so I have it on a rare white label pressing.
Since the studio version of their single release “The High Reel” is not available on YouTube, I decided to show a live version from the same era. “The High Reel” features the fiddle work of Charles O’Connor – the only member of the band born in England.
The guys are so young looking, especially guitarist Johnny Fean; however, he was the youngest member in the band and was only 19 at the time. Recorded for German TV, this is a very strange video. What on earth is drummer Eamon Carr wearing and why does Barry Devlin have a stuffed parrot muting the strings on his bass? So many questions – so little time.
For this Mélange Monday, we travel back to 1969 with a little Moroccan Roll – not to be confused with Moroccan Mole. In 1966, Graham Nash visited Morocco where he traveled with all manner of creatures on the “Marrakesh Express” – a train that traveled between Marrakesh and Casablanca. As he wrote of his experiences, Nash brought the composition back to The Hollies.
The band cut a rudimentary track, but the other members of The Hollies were not keen on releasing it, so it was shelved. When Crosby, Stills, and Nash recorded their self-titled debut album in 1968, “Marrakesh Express” was recorded and released as a single. It charted at #28.
Graham Nash & the Author, 1982
While Nash sings lead and plays acoustic guitar, Crosby and Stills sing harmony; however, it is Stephen Stills’ instrumentation that makes this recording. Stills plays bass, piano, double tracked lead guitar, and organ. The organ is pivotal to the overall sound of this short, little record. Jim Gordon rounds out the tune with his drumming.
On my YouTube channel, I have a version of Little Feat’s “Easy to Slip” as performed by the Talbott (Terry and John) Brothers who had been the key personnel in the legendary band Mason-Profitt. Recently, someone posted a message that I needed to check out Sandy Denny’s version. Being a fan of the song and Sandy Denny, it didn’t take long for me to find it.
The song is one of the bonus tracks from the reissue of Sandy’s last album to be released prior to her untimely death in 1978. While the cast of characters who contributed to the album was a veritable “Who’s Who” of rock and folk-rock, the album did not fare well among the critics.
“Easy to Slip” did not make the cut for the original release – you know – vinyl albums could only contain 40 minutes without slipping into sound degradation. The advent of the CD allowed 80 minutes of music and provided a vehicle for numerous great tunes to finally be heard. The Island Records’ remastered and reissued CD added five tracks to the existing nine giving us the final 16 studio cuts that Sandy recorded.
It’s a great rendition of this classic rock song from the queen of folk-rock.
Only 70 more posts to go until "Reading Between the Grooves" is retired.
During December 1977, I took a long vacation and stayed with friends in Louisville and Chicago. It was the perfect time to get away from the rat race of radio and to hear some new music. In Chicago, I became aware of the second release on the Blind Pig Record label out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The album was by a local Chicago band named “The Silvertones” and was their only recorded output to my knowledge. It was a little blues mixed in with a dash of rockabilly, and I loved their album “One Chance with You.” I can remember playing it to death over the next several years.
What got me thinking about this album was their guitar instrumental of the “Andy of Mayberry Theme.” It was the last cut on side two, also known as “The Other Side.” The passing of Andy Griffith this week got me thinking of that album. While that was last cut on the album, today’s Mélange Monday cut is the first and title cut of the album and it leads off side one – otherwise known as “This Side.”
The Silvertones included George Bedard on guitar and vocals; Steve Nardella on guitar, harmonica, and vocals; Tom McDermot on drums; and Carl Hildebrandt on bass. This is a rarity indeed. If you see a copy, buy it immediately as it rarity indeed.
Only 75 more posts before I retire "Reading Between The Grooves."
A few weeks ago, I was listening to Pandora and one of the selections that was pushed my way was a song I had completely forgotten – Big Head Todd and the Monsters’ “Bittersweet.” Led by Todd Park Mohr, Big Head Todd and the Monsters formed in 1989 in Colorado by graduates of Columbine High School.
Their second LP, “Sister Sweetly” released in 1993 was their introduction to the mass public and featured three singles. While none charted in the Hot 100, all placed on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart
The first of the trio, “Bittersweet,” peaked at #14. The album “Sister Sweetly” was certified platinum for sales in excess of one million copies in the US. Although the album sold well, it never made it to Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.
At the time of the release of the album, the band was a trio that also featured Rob Squires on bass and Brian Nevin on drums. Later the band added Corey Mauser on keyboards; he was replaced in 2000 by Jeremy Lawton. “Bittersweet” typifies the type of music from the 1990s that I really enjoy.
This past weekend, I was looking for some cuts from Gene Cotton’s 1972 album “Gray of the Morning,” but alas, I was not able to find any. Pity – it was a great album that I had the opportunity playing during my first radio gig at WKCC-FM. While searching, a suggestion for his 1978 recording of “Like a Sunday in Salem (The Amos & Andy Song)” appeared on YouTube.
It had been probably 30 years or so since I listened to this cut. I had searched about a year ago for it and no one had posted it yet. Somewhere, I have a copy of the promotional single of this song that peaked right at #40 on the Hot 100. I remember hearing “Like a Sunday in Salem” on WKEE in Huntington, WV in 1978 during my daily commute from Ashland, KY to Huntington everyday. Due to its poor chart performance, it didn't stick around very long.
“Like a Sunday in Salem” was actually released as a single twice on the Ariola-America label. It was the “B” side to Cotton’s bigger hit from the previous spring, “Before My Heart Finds Out.”
Ariola-America reissued the song as its own “A” side during the fall. Unfortunately, it didn’t do very well. That probably was related to the amount of money this German owned label was willing to pump into the US market. That would change in 1979, when the Ariola bought Arista Records.
Having recorded albums since 1966, “Sunday in Salem” was featured on Gene’s eighth album “Save the Dancer.” Besides “Before My Heart Finds Out” and “Like A Sunday in Salem,” the album also produced a hit with “You’re A Part of Me” – a duet with Kim Carnes that peaked at #36. All three charted within the top forty with “Before My Heart Finds Out” performing the best at 23 on the Hot 100 and at #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Today is our 900th post of “Reading Between the Grooves.” We are in the home stretch because when our one-thousandth post is made on September 26 – our third anniversary, I am retiring this blog. It will be a fitting time to close the annals on this work. The fat lady has not sung yet, so we still have a 100 more posts to go. We’ll look at the blog in retrospect in a few paragraphs, but for now more important info comes with today’s blog post.
On Saturday, I learned of the tragic end of Bob Welch. Three months ago, he had spinal surgery and was apparently told that he would not recover and would be an invalid. He apparently told friends that he did not want his wife of 27 years, Wendy, to bear the burden of caring for him. He was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on Thursday, June 7. Welch was 66 and was survived only by his wife.
Bob Welch laid the groundwork for Fleetwood Mac’s rise to pop stardom via his replacements and friends Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham; however, his many contributions as a member of Fleetwood Mac for four years have largely been ignored. When the band was inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, Welch was not invited to the ceremonies. Others who served in the pre-Buckingham/Nicks' version of the band, however, were inducted.
It is thought that a lawsuit for back royalties several years previous was the catalyst for Welch to be snubbed by his former band mates. During his tenure, Welch contributed to five Fleetwood Mac albums: “Future Games,” “Bare Trees,” “Penguin,” “Mystery to Me,” and “Heroes are Hard to Find.” Welch inspired the titles of two of those albums, “Future Games” – as he penned the title cut, and “Mystery to Me” that was named after a line found in his song “Emerald Eyes.”
I have already featured his two best known songs with Mac, “Sentimental Lady” from “Bare Trees” and “Hypnotized” from “Mystery to Me.” For the purpose of extending your understanding of Bob’s contributions to Mac, here’s a classic from 1971 “Future Games.” His distinct guitar rhythm technique and octave runs are recognizable on this cut.
When Welch left the band, he went on to form the band Paris which recorded two albums. His next album, “French Kiss” was originally slated to be “Paris 3”; however, it became his first solo album and produced three hits “Sentimental Lady,” “Ebony Eyes,” and “Hot Love, Cold World.” While Welch released twelve albums (including compilations), he only had one other Top 40 Hit, “Precious Love” in 1979.
Mainstream Americans are probably more familiar with Welch’s solo material, but I wanted to feature one of his Fleetwood Mac contributions to emphasize his pivotal role in the band. The world mourns Bob’s passing.
RBTG’s 900th Post Retrospect
Like I had reported with every other 100th post anniversary, I took a look backward on how we are doing visitor wise. I began this blog on September 26, 2009, but did not start monitoring the visits until October 16, 2009. Currently, we have 51 declared followers of the blog – up from 41 in February 2012. There are many others who have visited frequently without declaring themselves as followers. The statistics are listed below:
Variable
Statistic
Unique Visitors
65,975
Times Visited
73,349
Number of Pages Viewed
92,533
People Visiting 200+ Times
1,198
People Visiting 101-200 Times
483
People Visiting 51-100 Times
288
People Visiting 26-50 Times
255
Number of Visitor Countries Represented
155
Percentage of Visitors Referred from Search Engines
65.25%
Percentage of Visitors Referred from Other Sites
25.47%
Percentage of Visitors via Direct Access
9.30%
The Top Ten Charts
As one would find in music trade magazines, I have prepared some Top Ten Charts for "Reading between the Grooves."
The Top Ten Visitor Countries
The rankings remain static when compared to the previous 800th Anniversary. New countries and territories added include the following: Åland Islands, Bahamas, Cameroon, French Guiana, and Madagascar.
Rank
Country
Visits
1
United States
36,488
2
United Kingdom
6,238
3
Canada
4,082
4
Germany
2,943
5
France
1,949
6
Italy
1,735
7
Australia
1,647
8
Brazil
1,590
9
Netherlands
1,195
10
Spain
1,103
The Top Ten Pages via Direct Access
While most people (4,392) have visited the home page for “Reading Between the Grooves,” others enter distinct pages through page specific links and via search engine returns. Two new pages joined the list –Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” and Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head.” This particular chart is slow moving as it is cumulative – newer features on this site will have to be really popular to catch up to the total direct access of these ten songs.
This chart represents the days that encountered the most visits and the content that was featured on those particular days. Only two of the selections came from the last 100 posts and two days since February that had no associated content placed in the top ten.
The #1 and #4 days are anomalies as they represent two days that had intensive viewing of the entire blog by two new visitors. These two individuals spent a great deal of time on the blog and looked at hundreds of pages during one single weekend.
This chart represents the days that encountered the most visits by first time visitors and the content that was featured on those particular days. All but two of these songs are new to this chart and eight are not older than 100 posts.
As always, I want to take this time to thank all of you for your support of this site and the encouragement to keep going forward. Thanks again for Reading between the Grooves and remember, this blog will be wrapping up with our 1,000th post on September 26, 2012. The countdown begins.
A coworker walked into my office last week and she was wearing horned rimmed classes as opposed to her normal contact lenses and I made the comment, “You look just like Lisa Loeb.” To which my coworker said, “Who?” I had to pull up a YouTube video of Ms. Loeb to show her the similarities. I happened to be our featured song of today – her 1997 hit “I Do.”
The song was featured on her third solo album “Firecracker” and the single charted at #17. By the way the electric guitar she is playing in the official video of “I Do” is a Danelectro Convertible – their answer to an acoustic electric. Having two Danos, I can appreciate what Nathan Daniel did with Masonite and a lipstick tube pickup.
Lisa got prominent attention with her 1994 recording of “Stay (I Missed You)” that appeared in the movie “Reality Bites.” It was the first #1 song to be recorded by an artist without a major record deal. While “Stay (I Missed You)” was a bigger hit, I prefer “I Do.” Since I write this blog, I get to pick the songs. I hope you concur.
I had the opportunity to see Bruce Springsteen on the fourth leg of the “Born in the U.S.A.” tour. The show was at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on August 11, 1985. The album struck a chord and it raced up the charts to the number one slot. It also produced a record seven top 10 singles with two of those, “Dancing in the Dark” and “Glory Days” appearing in the top five.
While not a patriotic song, “Born in the U.S.A.” chronicles the struggles of a Vietnam War soldier and veteran. It reminds us that these men, who often died or at most risked their lives, were not given the due respect because of their connection to an unpopular war. On this Memorial Day, let us not forget the sacrifices that our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have made – even in wars that did not receive the support of public opinion.
Selling over a million copies, the single “Born in the U.S.A.” was certified gold. It peaked at #9 on the American singles charts and at #8 on the rock charts in 1984. Interestingly enough, although the singles garnered more sales in the America, the song charted higher outside of the U.S.A. In the UK and The Netherlands, “Born in the U.S.A.” charted at the #5 position and it was #2 record in Australia. In Ireland, it was a double sided #1 along with its flip “I’m on Fire.”
In addition, the “Born in the U.S.A.” album received the following original certification awards:
15 times platinum in the US (for 7.5 million sales),
10 times platinum in Canada (800 thousand sales),
16 times platinum in New Zealand (240 thousand sales),
13 times platinum in Australia (910 thousand sales),
Triple platinum in the UK (300 thousand sales), and
Double platinum in Germany (400 thousand sales).
Later certifications were issued at the diamond level occurred in the US (10 million) and Canada (800 thousand). In addition, the LP reached the number one slots in Australia, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK.
Back when I was a freshman in college, I turned that magical age of 18 and my friends sang to me that auspicious Alice Cooper song celebrating that magical year of life. Today, my oldest daughter turns eighteen and I’ve decided to feature the same song that was sung to me so many years ago.
Released in November 1970, the Coop’s first major single release peaked on the pop charts at #21 in early 1971. The song often is credited at portraying the uncertainty of youth during the Vietnam era – old enough to serve in the military, but not old enough to vote. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution changed that and was adopted in July 1971 and effectively lowered the voting age to 18.
This tune in Em is built on a riff that combines guitar and bass playing in unison. The song became an anthem of my generation. In addition, it is one of a handful of releases with different titles for the single than on the corresponding album releases. The single, which was released prior to album “Love it to Death,” was issued as “Eighteen.” The subsequent LP release has the title as “I’m Eighteen.”
While I’m not an American Idol viewer, occasionally we’ll see an act either when switching channels to Fox or as they are featured on CNN or other programs. A few weeks ago, we caught Elise Testone on the tail end of Round 9 of season 11 where she performed the Led Zeppelin classic “Whole Lotta Love.”
While it isn’t the entire song ala Led Zep, it is an interesting cover and I like it a lot. It is considered one of the defining moments in Testone’s performances on the show. She gives Robert Plant a run for the money. See what you think.
A number of years ago, I found a book that chronicled how my grandmother’s family was connected to Edward III of England. Three of her ancestral lines named Gardner were descended from Edward’s son John de Gaunt. With a connection to a crown head of Europe, it was easy to trace his ancestors to other earlier royalty from all across the continent. One piqued the interest of my brother Chuck and that was our 35th great-grandfather, Yaroslav I, the Grand Duke of the Kievan Rus'. He was also known as Yaroslav the Wise.
The story of Yaroslav is intertwined with that of his daughter, Anna Yaroslavna, our 34th great grandmother. Her mother, Ingegerd Olofsdotter, Princess of Sweden, supervised her instruction in Latin, Classical Greek, and the medical sciences. Anna had an equivalent to a classical university education at the age of 18. In 1049, she became the second wife of Henry I and the Queen of France.
It is said that Henry, a widower, could not find a suitable bride within Western Europe that was not already related to him. So he had sent an embassage to Kiev to request Anna’s hand in marriage, and Yaroslav, wishing to create alliances accepted King Henry’s offer.
Although a queen and eventually the regent for her seven year-old son Phillip, Anna despised France. She was far from her Orthodox upbringing and even wrote to her father, “What a barbarous country you sent me to – the dwellings are somber, the churches horrendous and the morals – terrible.”
Olya Lantseva
Today’s song was the concept of Chuck Owston who sent the idea to Olya Lantseva in Russia and asked her to compose a song that sounded like a traditional Russian ballad. Olya asked poet Dimitri Dubinin to write the Russian lyrics.
Chuck Owston
Here’s Chuck’s original concepts that Dimitri used to write the lyrics.
First Verse: She's leaving Mother Russia, going to a new country (France) and she's very apprehensive. She's leaving behind beautiful Kiev, her family, all that she holds dear, her faith is strong that all will be for the best, but she still worries. She is going to marry a man she doesn't even know, for political purposes (Yaroslav married all of his children to foreign royalty).
Chorus: Something about her beautiful homeland, will she ever see it again? Will she ever walk again through the golden fields of wheat or see the beautiful trees in autumn, the winter snows on the river. And what lies ahead, she knows not.
Second Verse: She's thinks back about her childhood as a Princess of the Rus. She had such dreams, of a handsome man who would someday be her husband, a man she could love. (Does she love Henry, this Frenchman? How can she? He is unknown to her). Will she have children in this new land (she did, obviously), and will she be buried there (she was).
Third Verse: Years have passed. She gazes out of the window of her palace, eastward, toward her homeland. There is an aching in her heart. She knows that she can never return, except in her memories. Her husband is dead; her children gone; she is all alone in a strange land, surrounded by strange people with different customs. Her Russian soul cries out for home.
Olya wrote the music and emailed Chuck musical charts and he recorded all of the instrumentation and added three Gregorian chant like vocals to the third verse. His instrumentation includes the following: acoustic guitars, lead electric guitar, octave mandolin, keyboard, and balalaika. The backing tracks were recorded in suburban Pittsburgh and the lead and harmony vocals in Kaliningrad.
I may be a little biased, but I believe that this is the best sounding recording project in which Chuck has been involved.
Associate Provost and Professor of Mass Communication at Alderson Broaddus University and an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University.
Graduate of Marshall University, West Virginia University, Southern New Hampshire University, Kentucky Christian University and Mountain State University.
Dissertation on institutional rebranding (see newriver.net) was the 2009 international winner of the Alice L. Beeman Dissertation Award for Outstanding Research in Communications and Marketing for Higher Education Advancement and was the 2008 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Outstanding Dissertation Award for Research in Higher Education Administration.
Placed as a winner in five Active Industry Research Contemporary Hit Radio "Pick the Hits" competitions from 1983 through 1987. Each competition had 31 winners. Placed 2nd (1st among radio participants), 6th, 10th (twice), and 21st in the five competitions.
Awarded 14 gold & platinum records and an international sales award from various record companies. Winner of 30 Public Relations awards.
