Saturday, 14 April, will see the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. There is little need for me to go into the story of that most famous of all maritime disasters. Movies will be shown on TV (including a new mini-series), the History Channel will take time off from Nazis, aliens and truckers to provide all sorts of perspectives, and all kinds of background and new insights will be offered in newspaper, magazine and Internet articles. So, here I add to the saturation with a mix of songs about maritime disasters, including several that record the sinking [...]
Seeing as the History of Country series is proving so popular, let us put on a Santa-red Stetson and have a country Christmas. This lot is old-skool: Ernest Tubb riffs (badly) on his 1941 honky tonk classic, Loretta Lynn socks it to it disagreeable Santa, while Brenda Lee aims to lassoo him, yee ha. George Jones goes X-Mas twisting, and Buck Jones provides some serious pathos. And if you had to choose one man to sing Little Drummer Boy, it would have to be Johnny Cash, right? Hey, even horrid old Jingle bloody Bells sounds good here! [...]
"When It's Spring Time In Alaska" and other Johnny Horton classics are available here .
"Shotguns freckle the road signs, wind burns 'cross the white line..." Presenting a domestic ten pack for your listening pleasure. Bring it on home, guys. The Cruel Sea - This Is Not The Way Home MP3 Bob Andy - I've Got To Go Back Home MP3 Ted Hawkins - Bring It On Home, Daddy MP3 Illinois Jacquet - Flying Home MP3 The Spinners - I'm Coming Home MP3 [...]
"The pork was delicious and almost crisp. Fred gave me a potato with it, and a pitcher of melted grease from the frying pan to pour over the potato. He also handed me a loaf of bread and a dish of margarine, saying, "Here's your bread. You can have one piece or two. Whatever you want." Fred apologized for not having a phone, after I asked where I would have to go make a call, later on. He said, "I don't have no phone because I don't have no electric. If I had electric, I would have had [...]
In Volume 9 of the country history series, we look at the glory years of country, a time when the genre was at its most self-confident and profitable. It was still a vibrant genre, as this collection shows, though the crooners were already beginning to define the genre, a situation that would give rise to the outlaw movement, the protagonists of which were inspired by several of the artists on this mix. It's difficult to say who was the biggest star in 1950s country. The crooner likes of Eddy Arnold were immensely successful, but in terms of sales [...]
Some years ago, the brains at Rolling Stone grappled to identify the first ever rock & roll record. In the final face-off, they picked Elvis Presley's debut single That's All Right, a cover of R&B singer Arthur Crudup's song, over Bill Haley's Rock Around The Clock (itself a cover, though the song was actually written for the former western swing singer). It is, of course, a fruitless mission to identify a "first" rock & roll song, because the genre is a jumble of diverse influences that convened, not always simultaneously, in an untidy evolution. One might [...]
Les Cox (Sportifs) don't sound like they just released an album last week. They sound like they could have been born in the late 702s post punk scene. Their dissident noise accented by choppy rhythms, minimal crunchy guitar and Christopher Rollen's heavy accent makes me believe that they are the rightful heirs to the stolen chalice of arty lo-fi art school pop that Yummy Fur snagged from the Fall , Fire Engines and the first Modern Lovers record. Scheiß Mit Reis is the first full length [...]
Well, I had to work last Friday so I couldn't wear black in honor of Johnny Cash. Guess I could have posted this on that day, but to be honest I didn't think to do this until now. So today we're listening to Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian , a 1964 concept album by the Man in Black. It would probably be safe to say that nobody really did concept albums back in '64. The only reason this album came about was because Cash scored a huge hit with "Ring of Fire" in 1963 (seven [...]
Filed under: Twisted Tales Aspiring country music singer Johnny Horton was in rural Milano, Texas, when he heard a radio report that his friend Hank Williams had died of heart failure in the back seat of a Cadillac. It was New Year's Day, 1953. Williams had played his last gig at Austin's Skyline Club. The two men had met on the 'Louisiana Hayride,' the popular radio show that took Williams back after he'd been kicked off the 'Grand Ole Opry.' Horton, then 27, was a former star athlete who dropped [...]
Roger Miller being a badass surrounded by A shit ton of Grammys! As the weather turns cold the need to be near someone begins to grow. Especially if you are wo/manless. People find cures for this in different ways. Drinking, drugging, and artistic outlets. Maybe all of the above. Nothing speaks to a lonely heart more than country music. Country often deals with, drinking, drugging and writing a song for your exlover. Simplicity is key in conveying loneliness. Directness in lyric, in tone, and voice. A lot of the songs sound the same. That's [...]
Don't get me wrong – I love the epic nerd-rock of the Decemberists, but honestly, I don't give a shit what kind of pretentious lyrics they write. Most people would say that, by largely ignoring the lyrics, I am completely missing the point of the Decemberists. This may be true, but I am fine with that. I also miss the point of Dungeons and Dragons and 'graphic novels' about alternative superhero-filled futures and most everything else that requires me to think that elves and warlocks and guys in spandex are cool. Although I love my fair share of thoughtful music, [...]
Our semester sta r ts in six da ys. M y v acatio n has n ot been as pro du ctive as it might ought to have been--visions of a finished article and a dissertation chapter danced in my head twelve days before Christmas, but what I've got is a 3/4 finished articl e and zero words and a lot of notes for [...]
Central Services Board of Education at Town Hall, Seattle | 15 November 2008 For some reason, these days there seem to be a lot children's albums by alternative bands. When I was a kid I had a few favorite kids records which I still remember to this day, none of them could be considered remotely cool. One was Marvin the Magnificent which was about a clown that wasn't funny anymore. I don't remember much about being six, but I can still sing the [...]
Johnny Horton: Cherokee Boogie [ purchase ] This isn't the most P.C. song, but (musically) it sounds good to my ears. Cherokee Boogie was released on Johnny Horton's last record, The Spectacular Johnny Horton , which came out in 1960. That same year, Johnny Horton was killed in a head-on collision caused by a drunk driver on a Texas bridge. Wikipedia reports some interesting "facts" related to Horton's death: "Johnny Horton reportedly had experienced premonitions several months before [...]
I haven't forgotten... Alabama - Neil Young Kicking off the list is a demanding job, but Alabama does us proud with lots of songs to choose between (go here for another two...or at least two different versions of the same song). Neil Young takes us in his very capable hands to start proceedings. Lynard Skynard and Sweet Home Alabama were never really seriously entertained. North to Alaska - Johnny Horton Alaska was another state that I tackled over at Star Maker Machine - so head... Please visit Ceci [...]
I haven't forgotten... Alabama - Neil Young Kicking off the list is a demanding job, but Alabama does us proud with lots of songs to choose between (go here for another two...or at least two different versions of the same song). Neil Young takes us in his very capable hands to start proceedings. Lynard Skynard and Sweet Home Alabama were never really seriously entertained. North to Alaska - Johnny Horton Alaska was another state that I tackled over at Star Maker Machine - so head... Please visit Ceci [...]
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart
Keep the Coffee Coming
Parasites & Sycophants
For The Sake Of The Song
Cold Splinters
the finest kiss
30 Days Out
Spinner.com
Rock Sellout
WFMU's Beware of the Blog
Kill Rock Music
She's Making Whoopee in Hell Tonight...
Star Maker Machine
Ceci n'est pas un blog
I’ll Just Leave This Here #161
BAND OF HORSES – The Funeral (Sound Remedy Remix)
K-Holes - "Frozen Stiff"
Angger Dimas – Ribon Dooh (Preview)
