The Current Music Blog: June 15, 2009 Archive

Today In Music History: The First Lady Of Song

Posted at 6:17 AM on June 15, 2009 by Steve Seel (1 Comments)

Birthdays:

Waylon Jennings is 76.
Gary Lightbody (vocals, Snow Patrol) is 33.

1941 - Harry Nilsson was born. He died in January of 1994.
1965 - Bob Dylan recorded what would be his first "electric" hit, "Like A Rolling Stone" which peaked at No.2 in the US singles chart.
1985 - Dire Straits started a nine-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with, "Brothers In Arms" (containing the hit "Money For Nothing").
1988 - During Bruce Springsteen's stay in Rome during a world tour, a photographer took a shot of Bruce in his underwear sharing an intimate moment with his backing singer Patti Scialfa. The picture confirmed the rumours that Bruce and Patti were having an affair. Springsteen was married to actress Julianne Phillips at the time.
2005 - Coldplay went straight to No.1 on US album chart with their third album X&Y, having already entered at number one in the UK. The last time a British artist had a simultaneous US and UK number one was in November 2000 with the Beatles compilation 1.

Today in 1996, jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald passed away in Beverly Hills, California, aged 79. Already blinded by the effects of diabetes, Fitzgerald had both her legs amputated in 1993. Over a recording career that lasted 59 years, she was the winner of 13 Grammy Awards, and was awarded the National Medal of Art by Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush. Fitzgerald was known to many as the "First Lady of Song." We played an Ella classic: "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."

Update: Reader Obee points out that Waylon Jennings is still dead. Thanks. Again, it's Monday.

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Fresh Blood from a "werewolf" for free...

Posted at 8:26 AM on June 15, 2009 by Barb Abney

Hombre Lobo is the Spanish translation for werewolf. Hombre Lobo is also the title of the 7th studio record from Eels.

Today on our Song Of The Day podcast we're featuring the tune "Fresh Blood" from Hombre Lobo for free!

If you're a new subscriber to the Song Of The Day podcast, you'll also receive new music from Jarvis Cocker, Dirty Projectors, Viva Voce and local music from Solid Gold.

Later this week we will be featuring new music from Yeasayer, Calexico, The Decemberists and local music from Two Harbors.

More Eels...

Neil Young Daily Deconstruction: Day #5 Answer

Posted at 10:11 AM on June 15, 2009 by Steve Seel

Time for the final answer from 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 any of the 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.

Friday's Deconstruction:

And the answer:
Buffalo Springfield, Buffalo Springfield

"Although the Byrds receive more credit (and perhaps rightfully so), Buffalo Springfield, in some respects, were just as responsible for the country-rock and singer/songwriter explosion that continued through the full flight of the Eagles and later mutated into '90s neo-country. This 1966 debut reveals the precocious songwriting talents of both Neil Young and Stephen Stills; check out Stills's Beatlesque 'Sit Down, I Think I Love You' and Young's weird (for '66!) but classic 'Burned.' Their next album, Again, is widely considered their best effort, but this is an excellent debut, made even stronger with the addition of their hit, the single-only 'For What It's Worth.' The CD offers both stereo and mono versions of each track." --Bill Holdship

Thanks to everyone who played! We'll be drawing the winner soon.

*(note: You only had to participate once in order to be entered into our drawing to win the Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 Blu-Ray box set. Last week's blog posts incorrectly claimed that you had to correctly answer all the Daily Deconstructions to be entered into the drawing).

Monday of the Mush-Mouthed Music Mavens

Posted at 10:52 AM on June 15, 2009 by Steve Seel

Jill and I were decidedly off our game today - it seemed like neither of us could get our brains to communicate with our mouths (or even our brains to function period at times). We labeled this a "case of the Mondays" (stressing that we weren't in bad moods, just rough operating condition), and decided to solicit your appropriate song suggestions for the 9:30 Coffee Break.

We got some of the typical Monday favorites, but song #2 was our favorite of the "things just aren't going right for me today"-themed songs.

1) The Boomtown Rats, "I Don't Like Mondays"
2) Suicidal Tendencies, "Institutionalized"
3) Bobby Blue Bland, "Stormy Monday Blues"
4) Wilco, "Monday"
5) Cracker, "Rainy Days and Mondays"

It was also nice to hear from the folks who shared their own tales of the difficultly of getting up and starting another week. We are legion in our clunkiness! Bonded in our mental haze! A fraternite' of fog!

3 awe inspiring tunes...

Posted at 12:00 PM on June 15, 2009 by Barb Abney
Filed under: My Three Songs

Lauren Evers from St. Louis, Missouri picked today's My 3 Songs set because...

"Sometimes, when you least expect it, songs just hit you out of nowhere. You become totally enthralled, wanting to know every single song that band has ever recorded. These are three such songs for me, and I can still vividly remember the first time I heard all of them. May music always have the power to invoke awe! "

Franz Ferdinand - "This Fire"
The Libertines - "Can't Stand Me Now"
Sondre Lerche - "Two Way Monologue"

Make your "My 3 Songs" requests here.

Tunes On The Telly Tonight: (June 15)

Posted at 1:19 PM on June 15, 2009 by Barb Abney

Camera Obscura on Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
Spinal Tap on Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien