Christmas In July
Last night I'm sitting at East Park with a few friends, enjoying the downtown fireworks when an ice cream truck pulls up. This was mildly annoying, because we were trying to listen to the radio broadcast of the Nashville Symphony that accompanies said fireworks, but whatever... ice cream trucks are synonymous with summer, so it's hard to hate on them. So we're sitting there watching the rocket's red glare to the soundtrack of ice cream truck jingles, and after a few seconds I turned to one of my friends and asked "Is that 'Deck The Halls? ' " Turns out my suspicions were confirmed... the ice cream man was indeed rocking Christmas carols. A few seconds later, we were treated to "Jingle Bells." Now setting aside the obvious faux pas of playing yuletide tunes outside of the period between Thanksgiving and New Years, who the hell programs an ice cream truck to play Christmas songs??? Unless you live south of the equator, you probably don't patronize the bringer of frozen goodness in December. So dear anonymous East Nashville ice cream man... in the future please stick with "Yankee Doodle," or "London Bridge," or "Pop Goes The Weasel," or "Dixie." Those are the songs that will make me crave a rocket pop, not "Silver Bells."
Van Halen - "Ice Cream Man" (mp3) from Van Halen
Labels: holidays
Independence Day Mini Mix
Remember sparklers? Of course you do. In fact, you might be twirling one around later this evening. The other day I heard a story on NPR about fireworks that said those little things burn at 2000 degrees fahrenheit. Wha wha what? Seriously? I spent my childhood running around with the equivalent of a tiny butane torch in my hand? That's kind of scary... and also kinda awesome.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - "Coming To America" (mp3) from Have Another Ball
This is probably the only modern patriotic song that I like. I even like Neil Diamond's original version, but this cover is a thousand different kinds of awesome. It was originally released on the Generations Vol. 1 compilation, and it's being re-released on Tuesday on the Gimme Gimmes' new singles collection Have Another Ball. If memory serves, I think Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is playing guitar on this track. And to get nitpicky, the song is actually just called "America."
Soundgarden - "4th Of July" (mp3) from Superunknown
Since I posted a song called "4th Of July" last year, I thought I'd do it again and make it a tradition. I'm all about the obviousness.
Frank Sinatra - "America The Beautiful" (mp3) from The Reprise Collection
And to wrap things up, we close with something a bit more traditional. Happy Birthday America. You don't look a day over 30.
photo by Tom Oliver
Labels: holidays
Memorial Day
Given that Memorial Day started after the Civil War (or War of Northern Aggression if you live in the South), this seemed like an appropriate song to post. Of course, these days Memorial Day is more about grilling out and kicking off summer than remembering fallen soilders. I'd love write a long post bemoaning this fact, but I've got to be at a BBQ in an hour.
Jack Frost - "Civil War Lament" (mp3) from Jack Frost
photo of the McGavock Confederate Cemetery at Carnton by Tennessee Wanderer
Labels: holidays
Sláinte
Posting The Pogues on St. Patrick's Day might be the most cliched thing a music blogger can do. But I'm going to do it anyway, with a catch... neither of these songs feature Shane MacGowan.
First up, another shining example of why youtube is so entirely awesome; a video of the Pogues covering The Clash, with a friend.
And for your listening pleasure, my absolute favorite Pogues song, written and sung by guitarist Phillip Chevron, along with Kirsty MacColl.
The Pogues - "Lorelei" (mp3) from Peace And Love
First up, another shining example of why youtube is so entirely awesome; a video of the Pogues covering The Clash, with a friend.
And for your listening pleasure, my absolute favorite Pogues song, written and sung by guitarist Phillip Chevron, along with Kirsty MacColl.
The Pogues - "Lorelei" (mp3) from Peace And Love
Labels: holidays
My Favorite Love Song
I think I've only had three Valentine's Day dates in my life. One went down as the absolute worst date I've ever had. One was more memorable for what didn't happen than what did. And the final one (which was actually the first, this list runs in reverse chronological order), I remember absolutely nothing about. I'm sure it was very nice, it just wasn't at all memorable. So I don't have a lot of warm, fuzzy memories of the holiday to give me fond feelings for it. But I'm certainly not bitter about it, like a LOT of people are. I really don't understand the hatred some people have for today. If you don't have someone, don't celebrate. It seems pretty easy to me. I don't see how a few Hallmark commercials are a reason to be pissed off at the world... unless you're already inclined towards feeling that way.
About a year and a half ago, I decided that this was my favorite love song. It's certainly not traditional, and if you're listening to it for the first time, you might be thinking "Darrin, you're kinda weird." But listen to the lyrics... there is a real sweetness to them. What initially might seem like neediness is really just the way most of us feel in the beginning of a relationship, when feelings just start to surface, and the uncertainty makes everything a bit more intense.
The Wedding Present - "Suck" (mp3)from Seamonsters
My second favorite love song? Quite possibly this...
Cinerama - "Your Charms" (mp3) from Disco Volante
One Minute To Midnight
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Like many stars of the day, Frank Sinatra hosted a weekly radio show almost continuously 40s and early 50s. From 1945 to 1947, the show was Songs By Sinatra, sponsored by Old Gold cigarettes. The half hour program aired every Wednesday night on CBS, and featured Sinatra along with a special guest singing songs and doing an occasional comedy sketch. For the last of this year's holiday themed posts, we go back to the December 26, 1945 show. Frank and his guests that week, the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir, put their own spin on this song from my favorite holiday movie, Irving Berlin's classic Holiday Inn.
Frank Sinatra - "Let's Start The New Year Right" (mp3) from Songs By Sinatra: The Old Gold Shows, Volume 2
Labels: holidays
And Kings Will Come...
When I do a post on here, I usually spend almost as much time trying to find an appropriate picture as I do writing the post itself. You kind of have to when your blog has absolutely zero design element to it (it's on my list of things to do, eventually). Today the picture and the song are a perfect match for each other. And I guess that's fitting, since they were done by the same person. The painting is Joseph and Infant Jesus in Bondi by Steve Kilbey, and the song is by The Church. Some people might be surprised to learn that The Church did a Christmas song, and some fans might mistakenly argue that they haven't. But this song is just as much about today as the hymns you sang at midnight mass last night. It's also absolutely gorgeous.
The Church - "Lullaby" (mp3) from Sometime Anywhere
May peace find you wherever you are today. Merry Christmas.
Labels: holidays
Christmas with Louis and Keely
It's almost criminal that Louis Prima isn't a household name. The average person has no idea who he is, and if they have heard of him, he's usually just the guy who did the song in that Gap commercial a few years back. But the man is an unqualified entertainment legend, whether the average Joe on the street has heard of him or not. When he partnered with Keely Smith, backed up by Sam Butera & the Witnesses, their lounge act is part of what made Las Vegas so great in the 50s and 60s. Louis and Keely were known as the King & Queen of Las Vegas, and their routine with him as the wild jokester and her as a stone-faced straight woman later became the template for Sonny and Cher. But more important than their influence on Las Vegas and entertainment in general is the fact that their music is simply pure, unadulterated joy. You seriously cannot listen to it without smiling.
As I type this, Santa Claus and his reindeer are already making their way around the globe. According to the NORAD Santa Tracker, the sleigh is currently flying over China. So these two songs seem appropriate for the most awesome night of the year. Louis' track comes from his 1930's big band era, and Keely's song, from her 1963 Christmas album, features a special cameo appearance as Santa Claus. I'd tell you who it is, but that would ruin the surprise (though you can probably guess).
Louis Prima - "What Will Santa Claus Say When He Finds Everybody Swinging?" (mp3) from Yule B' Swingin'
Keely Smith - "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" (mp3) from A Keely Christmas
Labels: holidays
Merry Christmas from Nashville
With Christmas a mere four days away, everyone seems to fall into one of two categories; the bah-humbug types who are fed up with the last minute hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, and those who are bound and determined to spread holiday cheer. Some of my favorite local bands apparently fall into the latter category, and have posted seasonal songs on their Myspace profiles. Here's a roundup the yuletide offerings from some of Nashville's finest...
Last year Lylas released A Christmas Kiss from Lylas, and they have both of the "proper" songs from the EP available for download, along with the b-side from their first single, "Let's All Go Caroling." Since they haven't posted either of the two brief instrumentals that bookend the EP (and no one else has either), here they are for your listening pleasure...
Lylas - "Theme for Saint Nicholas" (mp3)
Lylas - "Snowfall Since Midnight" (mp3)
Former Save Macaulay frontwoman Caitlin Rose has recorded recorded a straight up country version of the classic "Blue Christmas," only with trombone. Why haven't more people thought of including trombone on country songs? It sounds surprisingly awesome.
Two of the local bands that contributed songs to the Toys For Tots benefit album Peace On Earth have their tracks availalble for streaming, Sleeptalker's "This Is Christmas," and The Winston Jazz Routine's "Through The Snow."
Several years ago Matthew Ryan contributed a incredibly cool version of "Little Drummer Boy" to Nettwerk's Christmas Songs album. It's not posted on his main myspace profile, but you can listen to it here.
The Features have a track up called "Father Christmas" that is not a cover of the Kinks classic. I'd love to tell you more about it, but I couldn't find a lick of info about it online. Anyone???
Timbre is one of my favorite local artists, but I always struggle to describe her music (indie classical?). Regardless, she has two Christmas songs posted on her profile; the traditional "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and a new song which tells a variation of the fable about the Robin fanning the embers of the fire to warm Baby Jesus, "Robin Red Breast."
And finally (self promotion alert), my own band Paris Street released a Christmas EP this year, simply called Winter. Three of the four songs (two originals, and a cover of "A Marshmallow World") are available for download on our myspace profile. The one that isn't is a cover of a song by Hefner.
Paris Street - "The Little Baby Hefner's Xmas Song For Holland" (mp3)
If you know of anyone I forgot, feel free to link to them in the comments. And from our city to yours, have a super fantastic very merry Christmas.
photo by Chris Wage
Morris The Moose
According to Google Analytics, the post I did last year for the lost Christmas classic "Roly Poly The Polar Bear" is the fifth most visited post I've ever made on this blog. That ought to say something about the interest in The Peppermint Kandy Kids. According to this post at Falalalala, the company that owns the rights to the old Peter Pan Records catalog has started transfering these old albums to digital formats and are releasing them on iTunes. Several albums by the Caroleers are already available, so hopefully the Peppermint Kandy Kids won't be too far behind. In the meantime, here is another one of my favorites from Rudolph's Christmas Party.
The Peppermint Kandy Kids - "Morris The Moose" (mp3)
As for the picture, I know that the Mariners mascot isn't named Morris (for the uninitiated, his name is simply Mariner Moose). But he is awesome. And he plays the drums!!! Seriously, I saw him sitting in with Blue Thunder along with the Blitz and Squatch (the Seahawks and Sonics mascots) at Qwest Field when I was in Seattle last month.
Labels: holidays
Just Like Christmas
Aberdeen City was one of my favorite musical discoveries of 2006. Last December they spent an off night of their tour recording a cover of Low's "Just Like Christmas" in a hotel room in Alabama, with the lyrics slightly revised to reflect their own intinerary. The result was paired with an acoustic version of their single "God Is Going To Get Sick of Me" and released as a free holiday single on their website. Since I never got around to posting it during last year's Christmas blitz, and it's kind of awesome, here it is...
Aberdeen City - "Just Like Christmas" (mp3)
Labels: holidays
Happy Birthday Frank
In my book, today is a national holiday. The birthday of one Francis Albert Sinatra. And since all birthdays should be spent with friends, here are a couple of duets to celebrate the occasion.
Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole - "The Christmas Song" (mp3) from Sinatra 80th: All The Best
This is basically a mashup. Produced by Phil Ramone in 1995, it was assembled by combining Cole's 1962 recording with Sinatra's take from 1957 (the one that appears on A Jolly Christmas). Sinatra's version had to sped up to make it work, which might offend some purists, but I think it sounds great.
Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (mp3) from A Very Special Christmas 2
This duet was done in 1992 by pulling the vocal from Sinatra's 1947 Columbia recording and having Lauper sing over a rerecorded version of the song. Generally I abhor these kinds of electro-duets, but this one works. I think it's because Lauper does a great job matching up with the tone of Sinatra's performance. Frankly, it doesn't sound all that different from some of Frank's campier duets from the late forties.
Labels: holidays
Song Of Mary
Last year a local artist, Erika Chambers, released one of my favorite songs of the Christmas season, "O Star O'er Bethlehem" (you can read about it here, and you can listen to it on her myspace profile). This year she's released another holiday tune, and it's equally excellent. With today being the start of Hanukkah, I figured it was especially appropriate to post it today. It's not about the festival of lights at all, but it is about a jewish mother, and it's partially sung in Hebrew. That's close enough, right?
Erika Chambers - "Song Of Mary" (mp3) from Holiday Noise 2
Erika will be performing at 3rd and Lindsley this Friday, December 7 at 7:00 pm, along with several other of the artists who appear on this year's Holiday Noise CD.
Art Carney, Hip Hop Pioneer
Saturday night was my annual Christmas party, and as I usually do, I threw an assortment of Christmas compliations into the CD player to serve as the evening's soundtrack. When this track came on, one of my friend's asked if it was some kind of 1940's rap. I've heard this song a lot over the last several years, but his question inspired me to try and track down exactly where it came from. Turns out that in 1954, Art Carney released a single on Columbia called "Santa And The Doodle-Li-Boop," and this song was the b-side (you can hear the a-side at Musical Fruitcake). Becuase it predated Clarence "Blowfly" Reid, Fatback, and the Sugar Hill Gang, you could make the argument that Carney released the world's first rap record.
Art Carney - "Twas The Night Before Christmas" (mp3) from Jingle Bell Swing
The Lost Bing Crosby Christmas Album
Bing Crosby is practically synonymous with Christmas. For over sixty years, people have grown up with him being part of the soundtrack of the holidays. Name just about any classic Christmas song, and chances are der Bingle recorded it at some point. His take on "White Christmas" is possibly the most popular piece of recorded music ever. I would guess that in the three days since Thanksgiving, most of us have already heard it at least once.
Several years ago I found a Crosby CD in the bargain bin simply called Christmas Album. The most intriguing thing about is that I didn't recognize a single song on it. For the longest time, I couldn't find any information about it, but last year I finally hit up Steven Lewis' excellent Bing Crosby Internet Museum and found the answers. It was originally released in 1971 as A Time To Be Jolly, and was recorded with the accompaniment of the Les Brown Orchestra and the Jack Halloran Singers. Some of the arrangements definitely have that early 70's vibe that hasn't aged particularly well (though that kind of adds to its retro charm), but the songs are fantastic. It's kind of surprising that none of them seem to have been recorded by any other artists in the ensuing years. If you're a Bing fan, or just looking for some fresh Christmas songs you haven't heard a million times before, I'd highly recommend checking it out. For only six bucks, it's a bargain.
Bing Crosby - "And The Bells Rang" (mp3)
Labels: holidays
Thanksgiving #386
One of the problems with trying to do an annual Thanksgiving themed post is that once you get past Bing Crosby's "I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For" (which I posted last year) and Adam Sandler's "Thanksgiving Song" (which I will never ever post), there aren't a whole lot of songs about turkey day. The song I'm posting this year isn't really about Thanksgiving, but it mentions it, and it kinda sorta refers to the pilgrims, so it seems close enough.
Frank Sinatra - "Early American" (mp3) from The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings box set
It was originally released in 1964 on the album America, I Hear You Singing.
Labels: holidays
Soon The Bells Will Start
In the past two weeks, I have been getting a TON of hits from people looking for Christmas songs. WTF??? It's September people! There are still two major holidays before we start celebrating the birth of Jeebus. I like Christmas music as much as the next guy, but, you know... in December. Or at least after Thanksgiving. So thanks for visiting, but I guarantee you you're not going to find any yuletide tunes on here until late November.
Until then, this is as close as you're gonna get...
Guided By Voices - "Father Sgt. Christmas Card" (mp3) from Universal Truths and Cycles
Labels: holidays
Goodbye Dog Days
I love Labor Day. Certainly not as much as I love Christmas, but it's definitely up there on my list of favorite holidays. Not so much because of the day itself, but what it represents... the end of summer. Summer is nice and all, but fall is definitely my favorite season. I'm especially looking forward to it this year, after the most brutal August I can remember in 22 years of living in Nashville. It's nice that the temperatures have cooled down enough that you can roll down the window and turn up the radio in your car. So in honor of the return of moderate temperatures, here is my second favorite driving song of all time.*
Lexo & the Leapers - "Time Machines" (mp3) from Ask Them
*My numero uno favorite driving song will remain my dirty little secret... though I'm sure a few of my friends could probably guess. I'm sure I've revealed it at some point during a drunken moment of weakness.
Lexo & the Leapers - "Time Machines" (mp3) from Ask Them
*My numero uno favorite driving song will remain my dirty little secret... though I'm sure a few of my friends could probably guess. I'm sure I've revealed it at some point during a drunken moment of weakness.
Labels: holidays
Firecrackin' on the 4th of July
What's not to like about the 4th of July? And extra day off in the middle of summer, barbeques, fireworks (which I'll never get tired of no matter how old I get)... it's entirely awesome. So here are a couple of songs for your Independence Day enjoyment.
David Lee Roth - "Yankee Rose" (mp3) from Eat Em' And Smile
A love song to the Statue of Liberty, and the best Van Halen song that Van Halen never recorded. Let's be honest... it was all downhill for Dave after this.
Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby - "You Never Had It So Good" (mp3) from the Complete Reprise Recordings box set
In 1964, Ol' Blue Eyes and Der Bingle teamed up with the Fred Waring Singers to record an album of unbridled patriotism, America, I Hear You Singing. I've heard about half the songs on the album, and even though some of the vocal arrangements can be a bit overbearing at times, this Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen tune is one of my favorites.
The Beach Boys - "4th Of July" (mp3) from the Good Vibrations box set
I've always associated the Beach Boys with this holiday more than any other artist. It's probably because of the annual concerts they staged at the National Mall in Washington, DC during the early 80s. This Dennis Wilson song was recorded in 1970 and intended for the Surf's Up album, but was pulled during an argument among the Wilson brothers over the album's sequencing. It's amazing that a song this good was allowed to sit in the vaults for 23 years, and it's also a testament to the fact that Brian Wilson wasn't the only creative talent in the band (though his arrangement and production is surely part of what makes this song so good).
Have a happy (and safe) fourth everyone!!!
Labels: holidays
Happy Dad's Day
I'll be heading out the door in a few minutes for my Dad and my traditional Father's Day outing to watch baseball under the guitar shaped scoreboard at Greer Stadium. But since I did a post for Mother's Day, it's only fair that I do one for Father's Day as well. And honestly, this is the first and only song that I thought of for it.
This song from Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Carousel" was one of Frank Sinatra's livelong favorites, and he lamented that more perormers didn't have the "guts" to do it. He recorded it four times over the course of his career, and it was a staple of his concerts from the mid-1980s on. This version is from 1963, arranged by Nelson Riddle. It's often cited as his definitive take, evidenced by the fact that it was the last of his studio recordings of the song. You can't improve on perfection.
Frank Sinatra - "Soliloquy" (mp3) from The Concert Sinatra
Hope you and your papa san (and/or kid of you're of the paternal variety) had a great Father's Day!
Labels: holidays
