Category: Music
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Happy Birthday, Bob!
America's greatest songwriter, Bob Dylan, turns 73 today. We celebrate with some outstanding covers of some of his best songs. There are two reasons for sending you to the covers: Dylan's own renditions tend to get removed from YouTube very shortly after they've been posted; many cannot stand Dylan's voice. If you are among the…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Obscure ’60’s Psychedelia
How many of these do you remember? If you were too much of the '60s then you probably don't remember anything assuming you still animate the mortal coil; if you were too little of the '60s then you won't remember any of these for a different reason. But among the latter are some very beautiful…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Two ‘Sentimental’ Songs
Fleetwood Mac, Sentimental Lady Thelonious Monk, I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. Wow! There are of course others with 'sentimental' in the title, but I post only what I like.
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Holy Saturday Night at the Oldies: Death and Resurrection
Bob Dylan, See that My Grave is Kept Clean Bob Dylan, In My Time of Dyin' Bob Dylan, Gospel Plow Bob Dylan, Fixin' to Die Johnny Cash, Ain't No Grave Johnny Cash, Redemption Johnny Cash, Personal Jesus Johnny Cash, Hurt Mississippi John Hurt, You Got to Walk That Lonesome Valley Edwin Hawkins Singers, Oh Happy Day…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: ‘Strange’ Songs
In three categories: Rock, Religion, Romanticism. Cream, Strange Brew Doors, People are Strange Doors, Strange Days Mickey and Sylvia, Love is Strange Ralph Stanley, Rank Stranger Emmy Lou Harris, Wayfaring Stranger Frank Sinatra, Strangers in the Night To be is to do (Socrates). To do is to be (Sartre). Do be do be…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Los Angeles Bands
Buffalo Springfield, Blue Bird. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing. (Features a time signature change.) Dick Dale and the Deltones, Misirlou. Before Clapton, before Bloomfield, my first guitar hero. "King of the Surf Guitar." Pipeline (with Stevie Ray Vaughan). Nitro (with So Cal scenes). Let's Go Trippin', 1961. The first surf instrumental? Beach Boys, Don't Worry…
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I Feel the Earth Move Under my Feet
I missed Saturday Night at the Oldies because I was in La Mirada, California, for a conference at Biola University. Ed Feser gave the keynote address and I was the commentator. More about the proceedings later, perhaps. But for now a quick make-up: Carole KIng, I Feel the Earth Move, from her 1971 Tapestry album.…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Water High, Wide, Dirty, Troubled, and Moody
Bob Dylan, High Water. This is a late-career Dylan gem from Love and Theft (2001). A tribute to Charley Patton. Demonstrates Dylan's mastery of the arcana of Americana. Our greatest and deepest singer-songwriter. Here is some fairly good analysis by Kees de Graaf: “I got a cravin’ love for blazing speed, got a hopped-up Mustang…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Unrequited and Lost Love
Here a few of many I like. The Left Banke, Walk Away Renee, 1966. This song is the personal soundtrack to 40-year-old memories of a woman, older than me, whom I loved from afar, a love never revealed to its object. Does hidden love count as unrequited love? The Left Banke, Pretty Ballerina, 1967 Don…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: Kayo Dot and Captain Beefheart
Giving the familiar a rest this Saturday night, we venture into the far out and experimental. A young friend recommends the following as among the more accessible pieces by Kayo Dot: Whisper Ineffable Calonyction Girl Symmetrical Arizona Here are three from the '60s by Captain Beefheart: Electricity Pachuco Cadaver Abba Zabba Related articles Happy Birthday…
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Suze Rotolo Remembered
Suze Rotolo, who inspired a number of great Dylan songs, died on this date three years ago. Joan Baez, One Too Many Mornings Nanci Griffith, Boots of Spanish Leather Peter, Paul and Mary, Don't Think Twice, It's Alright Ian and Sylvia, Tomorrow is a Long Time Jeff Leach, Ballad in Plain D Related articles Saturday…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: British Invasion, G-H
Continuing alphabetically through the list of 'invaders' from the mother country. Gerry and the Pacemakers, Ferry Cross the Mersey These boys must have pacemakers by now. Better to be one than have one. Herman's Hermits, I'm into Something Good ____________, Henry the VIII ____________, Kind of Hush Hollies, Bus Stop Honeycombs, Have I the Right?…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: British Invasion ‘Fs’
Marianne Faithfull, As Tears Go By. A lovely tune by a lovely lass in a stock chord progression. In the key of C: C, Am7, Dm7, G7. Freddie and the Dreamers, I'm Telling You Now. A goofy act, hard on the knees as the boys must be experiencing long about now. Wayne Fontana and the…
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Saturday Night at the Oldies: The 50th Anniversary of the Beatles’ Ed Sullivan Appearance
It was 50 years ago tomorrow. Your humble correspondent was among the 73 million Americans who tuned in to see the Lads from Liverpool, the Four Moptops, the Fab Four, as they were variously known. Later, in '64 or '65 I saw them live at the Hollywood Bowl. What remains are all those great tunes,…
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February 3rd, 1959
The day the music died. Three days before, Bobby Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minnesota heard Holly and friends play the Duluth Armoury, died, and was reborn as Bob Dylan. Or so the story goes.