The Current Music Blog: June 12, 2009 Archive

Neil Young Daily Deconstruction: Day #4 Answer

Posted at 6:11 AM on June 12, 2009 by Steve Seel (1 Comments)

Time for the answer to day four of our week-long Neil Young Daily Deconstruction, where we invite you to guess the identity of the Neil Young album cover that we'd photoshopped to exlude certain key elements. Everyone correctly guessing all five albums will be entered in a drawing to win a copy of the amazing new Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 Blu-Ray box set, which is our CD of the Week this week.

Thursday's Deconstruction:

And the answer:
Journey Through the Past
Original Soundtrack by Neil Young

Released in December 1972, the album features music also by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Buffalo Springfield, The Stray Gators, The Tony & Susan Alamo Christian Foundation Orchestra & Chorus and The Beach Boys. It is the soundtrack for the film of the same name. - Wikipedia

Enter Friday's contest right here!

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Today In Music History: Here's To The Fearless Nerds

Posted at 6:48 AM on June 12, 2009 by Steve Seel

John Linnell (They Might Be Giants) is 50. He's the first of our two musicians fearlessly celebrating the nerd look that we'll honor today.

1951 - Brad Delp (guitar, vocals, Boston) was born. Delp ommitted suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in 2007.
1952 - Pete Farndon (bass, The Pretenders) was born. He died of a drug overdose in 1983.
1982 - Adam Ant was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Goody Two Shoes', his third and last No 1.
2006 - Prince received a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary" use of the Internet; Prince was the first major artist to release an entire album, 1997's Crystal Ball, exclusively on the internet.

Bun E. Carlos, drummer for Cheap Trick, is 58 today. How can we let the day pass without honoring the guy who looks like a chain-smoking insurance salesman on the drums, complete with short-sleeve white dress shirt, tie-clip and mustache? Bun E owns that look.

Random Vinyl 6/8-6/12

Posted at 12:03 PM on June 12, 2009 by Jill Riley (1 Comments)
Filed under: Random Vinyl

Every weekday at 6:30 a.m., we sift through our vinyl collections and play a randomly chosen track.

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Monday:
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, "Greatest Hits"
Allmusic music journalist, Jason Ankeny writes, "Clad in Civil War era Union Army uniforms (complete with fictitious military ranks) and bizarrely pedophilic lyrics, Puckett and the Union Gap were in their own way as far-out and singular as any other act of the period." That quote says it all really. Did you know Gary Puckett was born in Hibbing, MN? This greatest hits collection was released in 1970. We played "Lady Willpower."

Tuesday:
Suzi Quatro, "If You Knew Suzi"
This album was released at the end of 1978, and while it's not her best... it has a decent cover of "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo." Funny, she must've ditched the leather for this album cover for a pair of... chordory pants??
When Suzi isn't performing music, she's playing DJ these days with a show called, "Wake Up Little Suzi." You can listen to her on BBC Radio 2.

Wednesday:
Jackie Wilson, "Greatest Hits" This greatest hits compilation was released on Brunswick Records in 1972. Just a few years later, Jackie Wilson would have a heart attack and slip into a coma that would last nine years before he passed away. His influence on soul music will live on forever. We played his 1957 hit, "Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet)." That song would become popular again in the 80's after being used in a Levi's commercial.

Thursday:
The Grass Roots, "Their 16 Greatest Hits"
This was released in 1971 and went Gold. It was hard to choose just one song to play, but we went with the 1970 hit, "Temptation Eyes." Only because I hate the Blake Babies' cover of it and wanted to hear the real thing! The Grass Roots made a lot of fantastic music in the late 60's and early 70's.

Friday:
Nena, "99 Luftballons" Time to flip it over to the B side. This is song is way better to sing along with when I'm attempting to speak German.
Tracklisting:
A 99 Red Balloons (3:50)
B 99 Luftballons (3:32)
Label: Epic
Catalog#: 34 04108
Format: Vinyl, 7"
Released: 1983

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3 rousing 1st tracks...

Posted at 11:35 AM on June 12, 2009 by Barb Abney
Filed under: My Three Songs

Paul Ferguson from Rock Island, IL picked today's My 3 Songs set because...

"Three rousing 1st tracks from wildly different decades - 1979, 1987, 1996."

Electric Light Orchestra - "Shine A Little Love"
U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name"
Cake - "Frank Sinatra"

Make your "My 3 Songs" requests here.