Celebrating music with six random tracks at a time
Happy Sunday! Even though to most of us living in the US and Canada it was a shorter work week, somehow, it still felt long – to me anyway. I hope you’re up to embarking on a new music time travel journey: six tracks from six different decades in different genres – off we go!
Sonny Stitt/Afterwards
Let’s set the controls of our magic music time machine to 1956 and pay a visit to American bebop/hard bop jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt. Known for his warm tone, he recorded more than a whopping 100 albums during his active career between 1943 and 1982. Stitt who sometimes was viewed as mimicking sax genius Charlie Parker, eventually developed his own sound and style. After struggling with heroin and alcoholism through much of his life, he passed away from cancer in 1982 at the age of 58. Afterwards is a Stitt composition from his 1956 album Sonny Stitt Plays. He was backed by Hank Jones (piano), Wendell Marshall (bass) and Shadow Wilson (drums).
Buzzcocks/What Do I Get?
On to February 1978 and British punk rockers Buzzcocks. They were formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriters Pete Shelley (vocals, guitar) and Howard Devoto (lead vocals). By the time Buzzcocks dropped their second single What Do I Get?, Shelley was the only remaining original member. Devoto departed after the release of the group’s debut EP Spiral Scratch in Jan 1977 to form Magazine, an early post-punk band. Steve Diggle (guitar), Steve Garvey (bass) and John Maher (drums) completed the line-up, which stood in place until the group’s breakup in 1981. They reunited in 1989 are still buzzing around, with Diggle remaining part of the group’s current version. The catchy What Do I Get?, penned by Shelley, incredibly was a non-album single!
Blind Melon/Walk
Our next stop takes us to August 1995, which saw the release of Soup, the sophomore album by Blind Melon. The alternative rock band, who were formed in 1990 in Los Angeles, are best known for their breakthrough single and biggest hit No Rain, off their September 1992 eponymous debut album. The other day, I chatted with Taylor Cory, an up-and-coming music artist I recently covered here. I knew Blind Melon are her favorite. After she told me Soup was her favorite album, I checked it out. Like all other tracks on the album, Walk was credited to all of the group’s members at the time: Shannon Hoon (lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, kazoo), Rogers Stevens (lead guitar, piano, organ), Christopher Thorn (rhythm guitar, mandolin, banjo), Brad Smith (bass, flute) and Glen Graham (drums, percussion). Blind Melon are still around, though they were inactive between 1999 and 2006 and 2008 and 2010.
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band/Eighteen Is Over the Hill
Time to head back to the ’60s, the decade The Sunday Six shall never skip as long as I’m your conductor. Ever heard of The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band (WCPAEB)? I had not until recently when my longtime German music buddy Gerd included them in a long list of ’60s music acts he recommended that I check out. Founded in Los Angeles in 1965, this psychedelic rock group had a five-year run that ended in 1970 shortly after the release of their sixth and final album Markley, A Group. Eighteen Is Over the Hill takes us to WCPAEB’s fourth album from May 1968, confusingly titled Volume 3: A Child’s Guide to Good and Evil. The song was penned by co-founders Bob Markley (backing vocals, spoken word, tambourine, percussion) and Shaun Harris (lead vocals, bass). Ron Morgan (backing vocals, lead guitar, sitar) completed the line-up of the group. Original guitarist Danny Harris had stepped away, reducing the group to a trio. He rejoined WCPAEB in 1969 and played on their two final albums.
Guns N’ Roses/Welcome to the Jungle
Let’s kick it up a few decibels with a dose of ’80s pop metal delivered by Guns N’ Roses. As noted before, I generally dig the L.A. band, though due to the intensity of Axl Rose’s intense vocals, I prefer to enjoy them a few songs at a time. Welcome to the Jungle, off their July 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction, was credited to the entire group: Rose (lead vocals, synthesizer, whistle), Slash (lead guitar, backing vocals), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Duff “Rose” McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Steven Adler (drums). Released as the album’s second single, Welcome to the Jungle became one of their best-known songs. With over 30 million copies sold globally, of which the US accounts for more than 18 million, Appetite for Destruction became the group’s best-seller, the 7th best-selling album of all time in the US, and one of the biggest albums worldwide. You may wanna get some ear plugs! 😆
The Greenberry Woods/Leave the Light On
For our sixth and final stop we return back to the present and power pop quartet The Greenberry Woods. They were formed in 1989 by University of Maryland students and songwriters Matt Huseman (vocals, lead guitar) and Ira Katz (vocals, rhythm guitar). Huseman’s twin brother Brandt Huseman (bass) and Miles Rosen (drums) subsequently joined. Following their well-received debut and sophomore albums from 1994 and 1995, respectively, label support for the group fizzled after their label Sire had merged with Elektra, putting the group on hold. A 2018 compilation of their early recordings prompted The Greenberry Woods to reunite for a surprise concert. Fast forward until May of this year and It’s All Good, Sugar, the group’s first new album in more than 30 years! Apart from the Huseman brothers and Katz, their current version also includes Paul Krysiak (keyboards) and Joe Parsons (drums). My proposition is Leave the Light On, co-written by the Huseman twins and Katz. This is power pop candy!
What’s missing? Of course, a Spotify playlist of all the above goodies we visited today. Hope there’s something that tickles your fancy and you’ll be back for more!
Sources: Wikipedia; Big Stir Records website; YouTube; Spotify
Punk and new wave band Ideal were instrumental in Germany’s “Neue Deutsche Welle” music movement
Happy Saturday with the inaugural post of what I hope is going to become a new recurring feature. Given my recent decision to scale back blogging due to competing commitments on other fronts, introducing a new series looks counterintuitive and yet that’s exactly what I’ve decided to do. How often it will run remains to be seen. I hope once a month on Saturdays in-between my now-monthly new music reviews would be sustainable.
The idea is to highlight German bands and artists who sing in German – in other words, no Scorpions, Tangerine Dream or Fury in the Slaughterhouse. I realize German lyrics may present a bit of a barrier for most of my readers, but I still hope you’ll give the featured music acts a listen. As longer-term followers of my blog know, this isn’t the first time I highlight music with German lyrics. But I’ve never done so as part of a recurring feature. For the kickoff of German Music Musings, I’ve decided to highlight the band who gave me the inspiration for the series: Ideal.
Ideal (from left): Hans-Joachim Behrendt, Frank Jürgen Krüger, Annette Humpe and Ernst Ulrich Deuker
The other day, I coincidentally came across one of the songs by Ideal I’ve always dug: Blaue Augen (blue eyes). This prompted me to revisit more of their music and, in turn, launch this feature. Ideal were formed in West-Berlin in 1980 and are considered one of the most successful acts associated with the so-called Neue Deutsche Welle (new German wave), a German music movement that originated as a subculture in 1976 and became mainstream in 1980, before losing steam in 1983. Neue Deutsche Welle included different genres, such as new wave, punk and pop. The common denominator were German lyrics.
Ideal featured Annette Humpe (vocals, keyboards), Frank Jürgen Krüger (guitar, vocals), Ernst Ulrich Deuker (bass) and Hans-Joachim Behrendt (drums). Their debut single Wir Stehen Auf Berlin (we love Berlin) appeared in May 1980. With a small run of copies, it sold out quickly. Only three months later, Ideal were opening for Barclay James Harvest who performed a free open-air concert in front of Berlin’s historic Reichstag building. Not only did this gig further raise the profile of the already popular British progressive rock band in Germany, but it also generated publicity for Ideal.
During their three-year run, Ideal released three studio albums (from left): Ideal (1980), Der Ernst des Lebens (1981) and Bi Nuu (1982)
November 1980 saw the appearance of Ideal’s self-titled debut – the first of three studio albums they put out during their three-year run. Peaking at no. 3 in Germany and staying in the charts for a whopping 54 weeks, Ideal became their most successful album. It included the aforementioned Blaue Augen, which also was their second single. After gaining additional prominence in Germany and gigs in Austria and Switzerland, Ideal released their sophomore album Der Ernst des Lebens (the realities of life) in October 1981.
The group’s third and final studio release Bi Nuu dropped in autumn 1982. Reportedly, at the time, Humpe told German teenage music magazine Bravo the peculiar title was made up and merely picked by the band since they liked how the two words sounded together. The album’s performance didn’t meet expectations, and Ideal canceled a planned tour of Germany. The following March, the band announced their official break-up. Three months later, Ideal released Zugabe (encore), a live album as a “memory, farewell and thank you” to their fans.
In October 2025, former Ideal front woman Annette Humpe turned 75
Annette Humpe became a record producer and in 1985 also founded Humpe & Humpe, a music project with her younger sister Inga Humpe. Ernst Ulrich Deuker continued to pursue different projects, inside and outside of music, which since the early 2000s frequently has involved jazz engagements as an upright bassist. Frank Jürgen Krüger continued playing and recording with various music acts until his untimely death from cancer at age 58 in April 2007. Hans-Joachim Behrendt remained involved in music as well before eventually founding a construction company. In February 2023, he passed away from lung cancer at age 68.
Since my brain likes to think in packets of six, I’m highlighting six Ideal songs below. And, yep, I’m also throwing in a broader Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post. Let’s start from the beginning with Ideal’s debut single Wir Stehen Auf Berlin. By the time the homage to the German city of (West-)Berlin became the opener of their eponymous debut album, the title had been shorted to Berlin. Here’s a sweaty live version captured in 1982. The song was credited to all four members.
Not surprisingly, one of my callouts has to be the song that made me go back and revisit Ideal’s music and, in turn, led to launching German Music Musings: Blaue Augen, another track from Ideal’s 1980 debut. Penned by Humpe, while not exactly Steely Dan or prog rock territory, I just find the punkish new wave song brilliant. This includes Krüger’s cool rhythmic, “slight off” guitar pattern and Deuker’s neat bassline. You also gotta love Humpe’s fun dissonant organ chords she first throws in at around 1:17 minutes – pretty original and weirdly catchy stuff! I highly recommend headphones! 🙂
Since three make a charm, here’s another track off Ideal, my favorite abum by the Berlin band. Roter Rolls Royce (red Rolls Royce). Also solely credited to Humpe, the album’s closer is another interesting example of Ideal’s musically intriguing songs. Again, I would highly encourage you to use headphones to get the full musical experience.
Moving on to Der Ernst des Lebens, let’s check out the opener Eiszeit (ice age). Co-written by all four members and also credited to producer and sound engineer Conny Plank, the song also appeared separately as a single. Based on Wikipedia’s chart, apparently, it became the group’s highest-charting single in Germany, peaking at no. 16 and staying in the charts for 14 weeks.
Another Ideal song I recall frequently hearing on the radio back in Germany is Monotonie (monotony). The song, which appears to poke fun at shallow tourism, was credited to all four members. It became the album’s second single. In addition to Germany where it climbed to no. 21, the song reached no. 8 in Austria, evidently marking the highest charting position for any single Ideal released. Check out the official video!
Let’s do one more: Keine Heimat (no home). Credited to all four members, the song was the opener of Ideal’s third and final album Bi Nuu. It also became their final single. “The song came together during a time the peace movement (in West Germany) was revived,” explained Humpe during an October 2025 interview with Vogue Germany, conducted on the occasion of her 75th birthday. “Ronald Reagan came to power and people were afraid again. Back then, I was more afraid of Reagan and his policies than of Russia or China.” Having grown up in Germany during the ’80s, I can confirm firsthand Humpe’s sentiments weren’t isolated.
Here’s the aforementioned Spotify playlist. It includes the above tracks and some additional songs from each of Ideal’s three studio albums. Hope the language barrier won’t deter you from checking out one of Germany’s most original German-singing bands during the first half of the ’80s.
Over nearly 10 years, musician-owned independent label Big Stir Records has built an impressive record
Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar, you’re gonna go far You’re gonna fly, you’re never gonna die You’re gonna make it if you try, they’re gonna love you Well, I’ve always had a deep respect and I mean that most sincere The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think Oh, by the way, which one’s pink?
(Excerpt of Have a Cigar, Pink Floyd)
When it comes to record companies, it’s fair to say cynical sentiments like the above aren’t uncommon. Based on stories I’ve read, many seem to be justified. As such, it’s refreshing when you come across a label that looks very different. Best of all, the music by the bands and solo artists on their impressive roster is right up my alley and I suspect other listeners, particularly those who dig power pop and pop rock. Meet Big Stir Records and their musician co-founders Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome.
Bulbenko and Broome started Big Stir Records in 2017 as a home imprint for the bands of the Los Angeles pop rock scene. While performing with their own indie pop group The Armoires in the LA area, they had met and formed a community with many other artists playing the local scene. This prompted them to initiate a monthly concert series titled “Big Stir,” which eventually led to the establishment of Big Stir Records.
Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome
Today, with its 10-year anniversary nearing, Big Stir Records has an impressive roster of more than 30 bands and solo artists who in addition to the US hail from the UK, Sweden and Finland. It’s an intriguing mix of music acts, mostly with long histories, such as Strawberry Alarm Clock whose first album of nearly all-new music in 57 years I recently reviewed here, UK pub rock stalwart Graham Parker and New York rock group Sorrows. There are also more recent, 21st century acts like power pop outfit The Legal Matters, power pop and indie rock group Librarians With Hickeys (what a brilliant name!) and, of course, The Armoires.
Working with partners SpyderPop Records, an independent label in Arlington, Texas, and New York-based music distribution and artist services company The Orchard, Big Stir Records has issued more than 100 albums on vinyl and CD to date. This music is available in record stores in the US, Canada and Europe, as well as globally via streaming.
I first “met” Christina and Rex about two months ago in connection with Strawberry Alarm Clock’s above-mentioned new album. Not only did they bring Where’s One? to my attention ahead of its August 7 release, but they also facilitated an email interview with the group. At the time, after I had taken an initial look at the label’s website and their roster, I told them I might come back with a few questions. I did, and they kindly agreed to answer them.
CMM: I noticed the start of Big Stir Records pretty much coincided with the release of your debut album with The Armoires. Did Incidental Lightshow prompt you to form the label in the first place?
Christina & Rex (C&R):Well, the irony is that Incidental Lightshow was put out by another label, Black Market Glamour (a short-lived but noble experiment of our friend, the amazing singer-songwriter Cait Brennan), while Big Stir Records wouldn’t actually put out an album by our own band until (checking notes) three years later, as the label’s 15th release! But it’s related in a sense: the band was playing around LA and meeting like-minded artists, all of us agreeing that there needed to be a scene where we could all play together, and we took it upon ourselves to start a monthly concert series which we called “Big Stir.” The label grew out of that community and the bands who played the series regularly, first locally and then over time including out-of-town and overseas bands who’d become our friends. The pandemic ended the live shows, and by then the label was a full-time job for the two of us.
CMM: The music business is one of the toughest I can think of. It’s also fair to say that by 2017 when your website notes Big Stir Records was launched, the days when records truly could sell had long been gone. What gave you the confidence you could succeed under these challenging circumstances?
C&R:We’ve noticed that a lot of folks who start labels say that they did so “by accident,” and we can sort of say the same. It was just a sensible thing to do for an existing community that was already doing stuff together under the “Big Stir” banner, but largely putting out records on their own. The path from there to being a “real” label was pretty much dominos: well, there should be a web store where people can get all this stuff, there should be social media accounts where all the acts are promoted together, there should be mutual distribution, uh oh we need a business license, a contacts list, a logo… at that point it’s a David Byrne-style “my God, what have we done?” situation, and too late to turn back because people were counting on us and we believed in their music.
CMM: Obviously, you guys are professional musicians, and something tells me The Armoires aren’t your first musical venture. Do you feel the fact you write and perform your own music gives you an advantage when it comes to building Big Stir’s artist roster?
C&R:It’s hard to tell when that comes into play. From early on, artists liked working with us because we got where they were coming from and what kind of things were important to them, from our own experience. Working that way got us “big” enough to be noticed, but to this day we’ve never actually chased after artists, they always come to us. Once we start discussing working together, we do feel like our empathy with their concerns tends to close the deal and establishes a solid rapport for moving their records forward in a way that feels right to them. It’s never quite the same story twice, but it helps when we can demonstrate that we’re both competent at the logistics and sensitive to how the artists want to have their work presented.
CMM: As a public relations professional with close to 30 years of experience, I have to commend you on the press materials for “your artists.” I understand you create these materials in-house. How did you develop your impressive press communications skills?
C&R:No idea, but we do find it important to keep observing and learning as we go. One key moment in establishing the tone came a few months before the label formally launched in 2017, when a few of the bands, notably Plasticsoul and The Armoires, were planning a UK tour to coincide with the “debut” of the label and Plasticsoul’s album. We suddenly realized that we needed some bio material for the bands, something that we could field to every venue we were booking and the local press as well as social media. Both of us have always been writers, and Rex took a swing at it for one band, almost as a joke – “well, this is the kind of stuff that rock journalists always say, let’s try that” – and Steven from Plasticsoul looked at it and said “Oh, that’s great, now do us!” And that’s essentially what Rex has been doing ever since. Within the roster and the broader community, we have lots of polymaths, folks who don’t just perform but do recording, graphic design, videos and more on a really high level, and we all help each other out and learn from each other. Also, it wouldn’t do to move on without mentioning Michael Simmons of sparkle*jets u.k. who’s not just a musical genius but ridiculously talented in all those areas and more… he’s our not-so-secret weapon.
CMM: As a comparatively small label, having partnerships with SpyderPopRecords and The Orchard must be essential to support the artists on your roster. Can you discuss how these partnerships came about?
C&R:SpyderPop is the Texas home to an amazing crew of talents in the power pop world, chiefly Lannie Flowers and Danny Wilkerson of The Pengwins, and we connected with them from crossing paths on tour. They’re a lot more established than Big Stir, so we were honored when they approached us about taking on promotion for them, especially since their artists fit in so very well with our own roster. The Orchard is our distributor, the indie arm of Sony distribution and a bit of an “invite-only” concern. We remember being stuck self-distributing and thinking how much we needed someone on that level to be handling our records, and there was no clear path for years, until suddenly they reached out to us. One of their long-term higher-ups was a power pop fan who happened to hear an artist talking about us on a radio interview, did a little digging and decided to reach out to us. You just really never know what’ll happen if you keep doing what you believe in, and the word starts getting out!
CMM: Except for Strawberry Alarm Clock, Graham Parker and now The Armoires, all artists on your current roster essentially are still new to me. How did you meet Strawberry Alarm Clock, and how did you secure Graham Parker?
C&R:We mentioned before that we’ve never chased after artists, and at this point maybe we could and should… but that’s not what happened on either of those cases. Because we’re part of a wider community that includes not just bands but fans and DJs and writers and more, the connections are often made by mutual friends. With the Alarm Clock, even though they are local to us, it was our friend Daniel Coston in South Carolina (who also brought us another veteran ’60s band, The Cyrkle) who started talking with the band and heard they had a new album in the works, and thought to connect them with us. The funny sidelight there is that we were finishing up a massive, very fun but incredibly complex project: a double LP, all-originals Halloween album featuring the bands from the label, which is out there now under the title Chilling, Thrilling Hooks And Haunted Harmonies. One key thing the SAC guys wanted aside from an album deal was to get this great new song they had just finished, “Monsters,” out by Halloween. It was incredible synchronicity, although it did mean we had to tear that whole compilation apart and re-sequence it and re-master it in order to incorporate their song… but we would have been foolish not to, and it really elevated the whole project!
With Graham Parker, it was a much simpler but still kind of surreal connection: he just found us on Twitter and liked our vibe, so he reached out to us directly! We were in the middle of an interview when Christina got a DM from him, and there was a whole wordless exchange between the two of us, mouthing stuff like “no way” and “gotta be fake,” but we couldn’t really discuss it until the interview was over. Obviously, it was really him, and he’s been truly wonderful to work with the whole time.
CMM: That’s just incredible! What would you say is your overall philosophy for Big Stir Records? How do you differentiate yourself from other record labels?
C&R:We’ve always had that focus on community and mutual support at whatever scale we’ve reached, and it’s very essential to us to retain that. There’s an identity to the label that’s the sum of all the artists and albums, and we try to feature them together whenever we can (we do a retrospective compilation at the end of every year, and things like the Halloween album bring most of the bands together, too). We try to be thoughtful at every move, thinking about what our identity is, and how to amplify that instead of muddling it, so there are things we stay away from like reissues and stopgap releases, so that every release is an “event” worth celebrating. It’s funny, too, how we approach our entire presence in the world like a story in itself… nobody tunes in to all of it, but treating it that way gives us a framework for how we present our enthusiasm for what’s going on in our world. Mostly we strive to be a label with a sound of our own, not just another single-genre label. Indie pop is a big umbrella, especially considering that in 2026 it encompasses sounds that originated in every decade from the ’60s to now, such that bands who got their start anywhere in that timeline can sound like they belong together… we think they do, and we present them as such!
CMM: You’re nearly at the 10-year mark – congrats! What’s next for Big Stir Records?
C&R:Every year seems to be our “biggest year ever” and that brings new highs and new challenges, and each year has its own identity as a “chapter” in our story. Right now we have the full schedule for this year worked out, and an inkling of the albums on deck for early 2027, but there are always surprises and changes that reshape things along the way. We do know that the 10 year anniversary calls for some kind of celebration, and we’re trying to decide on what form that will take. It’s likely to be the centerpiece of 2027 and we really do need to zero in on it… something that reflects the vibrant place where we are now, with a nod to the pretty rich history we’ve built over the past decade. Stand by!
CMM: Also, and sorry for pulling a Columbo/one more thing on you: When did you guys found The Armoires?
C&R:We formally named the band, and put together the first full lineup in April of 2014 after the two of us had been working up demos for a while already, but it seems much longer ago than that. Everything has changed many times over in the time since then, although four of us (ourselves, Christina’s daughter Larysa and bassist Clifford Ulrich) have been official members since the first album, and John Borack has been our drummer for more than half of our career! The early days of the band were an absolute whirlwind of live shows and touring while at the same time building the label, almost too fast-paced to think deeply about what were developing. In many ways we didn’t get to slow down and figure out our own identity until the pandemic forced us to, and that’s when we really started doing the kind of thing we were built to do… so we always recommend approaching our discography starting with the most recent album, “Octoberland” – which is where we really become The Armoires in every respect – and working backwards to see how we got there.
Following is a small selection of songs by groups and artists from BSR’s current roster. At the bottom of this post, you will also find a Spotify playlist featuring these picks and some other songs.
The Armoires/We Absolutely Mean It – Octoberland, October 2024 (Rex Broome & Christina Bulbenko)
The Legal Matters/Everybody Knows – Lost at Sea, February 2026 (Andy Reid, Chris Richards, Keith Klingensmith & Cormac Wright)
Librarians With Hickeys/Listening – How to Make Friends by Telephone (Ray Carmen & Mike Crooker)
Graham Parker & The Goldtops/The Music of the Devil – Last Chance to Learn the Twist, September 2023 (Graham Parker)
Sorrows/Out of My Head – Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow, February 2025 (Arthur Alexander)
Earlier this evening while cutting some tree branches in my front yard, I was listening to a playlist served up by one of my music streaming providers. When Don’t Leave Me Here by Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ came on, I spontaneously decided to put together this short post coz why not? After all, I’ve always loved this soulful blues song!
Credited to the two artists under their real names, Henry St. Claire Fredericks and Kevin Roosevelt Moore, as well as Gary Nicholson, the song is from May 2017’s TajMo, the first of two collaborative studio albums Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ have released to date. The second and most recent, Room on the Porch, appeared in May 2025, and I covered it here at the time.
In addition to Fredericks (vocals) and Moore (vocals, electric guitar, percussion, keyboards), the recording featured Michael Hicks (keyboards), Billy Branch (harmonica), Sam Levine (tenor saxophone), Roger Bissell (trombone), Keith Everette Smith (trumpet), Phillip Moore (bass) and Thaddeus Witherspoon (drums). I love both the harmonica work and the horn action!
“Well, Taj Mahal – him and I and Gary Nicholson, sit down right to writing,” Keb’ Mo’ recalled during a 2024 interview for the podcast of lifestyle magazine Southern Living. “And he goes, he tell us, he says, he tells us, how’s the weather – how the weather in the Delta? How’s the weather down south? How the food tastes in your mouth. And then from there on we just took it all – took off from there.”
Here’s a live version of the song, captured in August 2017 during the tour Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ did to support the TajMo album. I caught them during the same tour and still have fond memories of that show – one of the best I’ve seen to date. You can read more in what is one of my oldest concert reviews here.
“Food, women, chicken, you know, good old music and stuff – blues,” Keb’ Mo’ summed up the song during the above podcast interview. “So, you know, it’s kind of like, that famous line that Muddy Waters said like, you know, ‘if you was Black one Saturday night, you wouldn’t want to be nothing else.'”
In early March 2022, I introduced a new weekly feature highlighting songs I’d take with me on a desert island. I’ve decided to republish the series, which has replaced my Song Musings feature.
This repost has been slightly updated.
Welcome to another installment of If I Could Only Take One, where I pick one song I would take with me on a desert island. To make the selection process more interesting, it can’t just be any tune.
For first-time visitors, I have to pick one song only, not an album. In addition, my selection must be by an artist or band I’ve rarely or not covered at all yet. Last but not least, picks must be made in alphabetical order.
This week, I’m up to “s.” There are plenty of artists (last names) and bands starting with that letter. Some examples include Sade, Sam & Dave, Santana, Simple Minds, Paul Simon, Small Faces,Southern Avenue, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr, Steppenwolf and Sting. And there’s my pick, Supertramp and The Logical Song.
Written by Supertramp co-founder Roger Hodgson, The Logical Song was the lead single of the English band’s biggest-selling sixth studio album Breakfast in America. Both appeared in March 1979. The Logical Song, one of four singles released from that album, also became Supertramp’s most successful song. It topped the charts in Canada, surged to no. 2 in France, and reached no. 6 in each the U.S. and Ireland. In the UK, the tune peaked at no. 7.
Breakfast in America topped the album charts in the U.S., Canada, Australia and various European countries, including France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. In the UK, it peaked at no. 3. The record reached Platinum certification in the UK, France and The Netherlands, and 4x Platinum status in the U.S.
At the Grammy Awards in 1980, Breakfast in America won in the Best Album Package and Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording categories. It had also been nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Formed in London in 1969 by Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals, keyboards), Supertramp started out as a progressive rock band. Beginning with their third and breakthrough album Crime of the Century (1974), they embraced a more pop-oriented sound.
Hodgson left Supertramp following the tour that supported the album …Famous Last Words… and launched a solo career in 1984. Subsequent line-ups of the group were led by Rick Davies. The band folded in 1988. After an unsuccessful attempt of Davies and Hodgson to reunite in 1993, Davies ended up reforming Supertramp in 1996.
In April 2002, Slow Motion appeared, the group’s final album to date. Since then, except for a tour in 2010, Supertramp have been on hiatus. In 2015, Davies was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and his treatment forced the cancellation of a tour that had been planned for November and December that year. During an August 2018 interview, Davies said he had largely overcome his health issues, but the band has stayed on hiatus. Davies died from complications of the disease in September 2025 at age 81.
Over the course of a 25-year period (excluding the 8-year hiatus between 1988 and 1996) Supertramp released eleven studio albums, as well as various live and compilation albums. As of 2007, album sales had exceeded more than 60 million.
Here’s a nice live take of The Logical Song, off Supertramp’s live album Paris, which dropped in September 1980.
Following are a few additional insights for The Logical Song from Songfacts:
The lyrics are about how the innocence and wonder of childhood can quickly give way to worry and cynicism as children are taught to be responsible adults. It makes the point that logic can restrict creativity and passion.
…Like the Lennon/McCartney partnership, most of Supertramp’s songs are credited to their lead singers Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, although in many cases one writer was entirely responsible for the song. “The Logical Song” was written by Hodgson, but it shares some themes with a song Davies wrote on Supertramp’s 1974 album Crime of the Century called “School.”…
Hodgson often writes songs by singing over his keyboard riffs. He’ll try different words and phrases to get ideas for his lyrics, which is how the title of this song came about. Said Hodgson: “From singing absolute nonsense, a line will pop up that suddenly makes sense, then another one, and so on. I was doing that when the word ‘logical’, came into my head and I thought, ‘That’s an interesting word’.”
…Like another famous song from 1979, “Another Brick In The Wall (part II),” this song rails against English schooling. “What’s missing at school is for me the loudest thing,” Hodgson said. “We are taught to function outwardly, but we are not taught who we are inwardly, and what really the true purpose of life is. The natural awe and wonder, the thirst and enthusiasm and joy of life that young children have, it gets lost. It gets beaten out of them in a way.”
…At a concert appearance, Roger Hodgson said of this song: “I was sent to boarding school for ten years and I definitely emerged from that experience with a lot of questions, like What the hell happened to me? What is life about? And why a lot of the things I had been told didn’t make any sense. ‘Logical Song’ was really a light hearted way of saying something pretty deep. Which is they told me how to conform, to be presentable, to be acceptable and everything but they didn’t tell me who I am or why I m here. So, it s a very profound message and I think it really resonated with a lot of people when it came out.”
Celebrating music with six random tracks at a time
Welcome to our first music time travel excursion of September 2026. I’m still somewhat in disbelief August is behind us and, here in the US and Canada, we’re about to hit Labor Day! As always, our little trip will take us to six tracks from six different decades in different flavors.
Lee Morgan/Heavy Dipper
Let’s kick off in January 1958 with The Cooker, a studio album by jazz trumpeter and composer Lee Morgan. Less than a year earlier, he had debuted as a solo artist with Lee Morgan Indeed! After playing with Dizzy Gillespie from 1956 until 1958, he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and was featured on numerous of their albums between 1957 and 1966. Morgan’s career came to a tragic end in February 1972 at the age of 33, when his common-law wife Helen Moore shot him during an altercation at a jazz club in New York City where he was performing with his band. Coming back to The Cooker, here’s Heavy Dipper, a Morgan composition. On his album, Morgan was backed by Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone), Bobby Timmons (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums).
Crazy Horse/Dirty, Dirty
Our next stop takes us to February 1971 and Crazy Horse, best known for repeatedly having backed Neil Young. The group’s origins go back to 1963 and a cappella doo-wop group Danny & the Memories, whose members included Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina. The group evolved into psychedelic pop and folk-rock outfit The Rockets and released an eponymous album in 1968. Soon thereafter, Neil Young asked them to back him on his second solo album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere from May 1969, and they became known as Crazy Horse. After they had parted ways with Young, the group recorded their self-titled debut album. In addition to Whitten (guitar, vocals), Talbot (bass, backing vocals) and Molina (drums, backing vocals), the line-up included Nils Lofgren (guitar, vocals) and Jack Nitzsche (piano, vocals). Here’s Dirty, Dirty, a bluesy roots rock song penned by Whitten. That neat slide guitar was played by Ry Cooder.
Accept/Objection Overruled
Let’s fasten our seat belts and pay a visit to German heavy metal group Accept. They were formed as Band X in Solingen in 1968. In 1972, co-founder Udo Dirkschneider (vocals) put together a new line-up and changed the name to Accept. Their self-titled debut album appeared in January 1979. By the time they released their ninth studio album Objection Overruled in February 1993, the group featured Dirkschneider, Wolf Hoffmann (guitar), Peter Baltes (bass) and Stefan Kaufmann (drums). Accept are still around, with Hoffmann remaining part of their present line-up. Dirkschneider who first departed in 1987 and returned in 1992 left for good in 1994. Let’s check out the above album’s intense title track.
The Beau Brummels/Laugh, Laugh
Can you still hear me? If yes, I wanted to let you know we’re next headed back to the ’60s and The Beau Brummels, who during their early career were frequently compared to The Beatles and The Zombies. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the group were another recent tip by my dear music friend Mike Caputo, a New Jersey songwriter, musician and vocalist fronting Good Stuff, a top-notch tribute band mostly celebrating the music by Steely Dan. The initial line-up of The Beau Brummels included Sal Valentino (lead vocals), Ron Elliott (lead guitar), Declan Mulligan (rhythm guitar, vocals, harmonica), Ron Meagher (bass) and John Petersen (drums). In April 1965, they recorded the first of five albums that appeared during their initial run, which ended in 1969. The group reformed a few times thereafter and have been inactive since 2013. Off their debut album Introducing The Beau Brummels, let’s listen to Laugh, Laugh, written by Elliott.
Tears For Fears/Shout
Time to pay a visit to the ’80s and Tears For Fears. The British new wave group were formed by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in Bath, England in 1981. In March 1983, they charged strongly out of the gate with their debut album The Hurting, which topped the charts in the UK and reached the top 20 in Canada (no. 7), Australia and Germany (no. 15 each), as well as France and New Zealand (no. 16 each). It included their first hit single Mad World. Two years later, Tears For Fears scored one of their biggest hits: Shout. Co-written by Orzabal and the group’s keyboarder Ian Stanley, it peaked at no. 1 in the US, Australia, New Zealand and various European countries, including Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. The song was included on Tears For Fears’ sophomore album Songs from the Big Chair, which dropped in February 1985.
Natalie Merchant/I’m Not Gonna Beg
As we’re reaching our sixth stop, it’s time to wrap up another Sunday Six journey. Today, we’re returning to Natalie Merchant – yes, yours truly cannot deny he digs the American singer-songwriter who initially gained prominence as lead vocalist and primary lyricist of 10,000 Maniacs, the alternative rock band she joined in 1981, shortly after they had been formed as Still Life. Following her final recording with the group, an unplugged cover of Bruce Springsteen’s and Patti Smith’sBecause the Night, Merchant left to launch a solo career. I’m Not Gonna Beg is from her third solo album Motherland, which she released in November 2001. Like all other tracks, the song was penned by Merchant.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist featuring all six tracks we visited during today’s excursion. As always, I hope there’s something there you dig. See you again soon!
In early March 2022, I introduced a new weekly feature highlighting songs I’d take with me on a desert island. I’ve decided to republish the series, which has replaced my Song Musings feature – I think by now it’s safe to assume for good!
This repost has been slightly updated.
I can’t believe it’s Wednesday again and we’re already in early September! This would still be a good time for a summer vacation, and a beautiful tropical island sounds like an attractive proposition. But wait, before I can leave on yet another imaginary trip to some remote island in the sun, once again, I have to pick one song to take with me.
In case you’re a first-time visitor, there are a few rules that limit my options, which make the exercise both challenging and interesting at the same time. My pick cannot be a tune by a music act I’ve frequently written about. Ideally, it should be a band or artist I haven’t covered yet. It can only be one track, not an entire album. And picks must be in alphabetical order.
This week I’m up to “r.” Bands and artists (last names) starting with that letter include Radiohead, Bonnie Raitt, Ramones, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Otis Redding, Lou Reed, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt and Roxy Music, among others.
Based on the above criteria, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones and Linda Ronstadt were immediately excluded from further consideration. For some of the other artists, sadly, I had to search my own blog to refresh my memory to what extent I had covered them before. At the end, it came down to picking Radiohead or Roxy Music, and I decided to go with the latter and More Than This.
More Than This, written by Bryan Ferry, first appeared in April 1982 as the lead single of Roxy Music’s eighth and final studio album Avalon, released the following month. It’s just a gorgeous pop tune I’ve loved from the very first moment I heard the band playing it on the radio at the time it came out.
More Than This was popular, reaching no. 6 in each the UK and Australia, but it wasn’t the group’s biggest hit. The latter was their great cover of John Lennon’sJealous Guy, which they recorded and released as a non-album single in February 1981 to honor the ex-Beatle who had been senselessly killed by a deranged individual in New York in December 1980.
Art and pop rock group Roxy Music were founded by Ferry, the band’s lead vocalist and main songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson in England in 1970. While they have been on and off, their active recording period spanned 1972 to 1982. During these 10 years, Roxy Music released eight studio albums, three of which topped the UK charts: Stranded (1973), Flesh and Blood (1980) and the above-noted Avalon.
In 1982, at the height of their commercial success, Ferry who at that time was the only original member together with Andy Mackay (saxophone, oboe, keyboards, backing vocals), decided to dissolve Roxy Music and focus on his solo career, which he had launched in parallel to the group in 1973.
Roxy Music have since reunited several times for tours and most recently celebrated their 50th anniversary with a five-week tour in 2022. In addition to co-founders Ferry and Mackay, this included Phil Manzanera (guitar) and Paul Thompson (drums), who were all part of the group’s lineup that recorded Roxy Music’s 1972 eponymous debut album.
Following are a few additional tidbits on More Than This from Songfacts:
Written by lead singer Bryan Ferry, this song is about a love affair that fell apart. Asked in 2014 by Entertainment Weekly why the song endures, Ferry replied, “For some reason, there’s something in the combination of the melody and the lyric that works for people.”
…In America, this song got some traction when it featured in Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film Lost In Translation in a scene where Bill Murray sings it in a Tokyo karaoke bar. When the song was first released, however, it had little impact on the charts, bubbling under at just #102 on the Hot 100. Many college radio stations played the song, but commercial stations stayed away for the most part.
Roxy Music occupied just a small niche in America, where they hit the Top 40 just once (“Love Is the Drug” – #30 in 1975), but they were far more successful in the UK.
…Ferry told The Mail on Sunday June 28, 2009 about the Avalon album: “I started writing the songs while on the west coast of Ireland, and I like to think that some of the dark melancholy of the album comes from that place.”
10,000 Maniacs covered this in 1997 on their album Love Among The Ruins. Mary Ramsey sang lead, as original Maniacs lead singer Natalie Merchant had just left the band to go solo.
Sources: Wikipedia; Roxy Music website; Songfacts; YouTube
Happy Monday! Tis the season of renaming stuff. This has inspired yours truly who has issued an executive order to rename some of his favorite bands and their songs. Why? Coz he can! Let me assure all readers that no musicians were harmed during the creation of this post.
Celebrating music with six random tracks at a time
Another Sunday is upon us, and I hope you’ve been spending a nice weekend. As regular visitors of these pages know, Sunday is the time for music time travel journeys. As usual, we’ll visit six tracks from six different decades in different flavors but with one little twist today: It’s a Sunday Six take-over by Pink Floyd, one of my longtime favorite bands.
Side 1, Pt. 1: Things Left Unsaid – The Endless River, November 2014
Let’s start today’s journey in November 2014 and The Endless River, Pink Floyd’s official 15th and final studio album. It appeared about six years after the English group’s co-founder and keyboarder Richard Wright had passed away from lung cancer at age 65 in September 2008. The album mainly featured instrumental and ambient music drawing from material originally captured during the 1993 recording sessions for The Division Bell, Floyd’s 14th studio release that dropped in March 1994. In addition to Wright, the band’s core line-up included original member Nick Mason (drums, percussion) and David Gilmour (vocals, guitar, various other instruments) who joined the group in 1967 to cover for co-founder Syd Barrett whose behavior had become increasingly erratic due drug use and mental illness. Here’s opening track Side 1, Pt. 1: Things Left Unsaid, credited to Gilmour and Wright.
Arnold Layne – Non-Album Single, March 1967
Our next stop takes us back to the beginning of Pink Floyd’s recording career. In March 1967, they released their debut, non-album single Arnold Layne. That was about four years after Waters and Mason had first played together in a group called Sigma 6. In late 1965, they became Pink Floyd Sound and in addition to Mason (drums) featured co-founders Roger Waters (bass) Barrett (guitar, vocals) and Wright (keyboards, backing vocals). At that time, they mainly played R&B songs. Subsequently, the dropped “Sound” from their name and debuted as Pink Floyd in October 1966 at London venue Roundhouse. Increasingly, their set included fewer R&B renditions and more experimental original songs written by Barrett. Eventually, Pink Floyd attracted music industry attention and in February 1967 secured a deal with EMI, which released their first single. Written by Barrett, Arnold Layne was also included on the May 1971 compilation Relics.
On the Turning Away – A Momentary Lapse of Reason, September 1987
In September 1987, Pink Floyd put out A Momentary Lapse of Reason, their first album without Waters and our next stop. In 1985, after increasing tension with Gilmour, Waters had quit the group and called it “a spent force creatively.” He then engaged in a legal battle with Gilmour and Mason over the next few years, trying to prevent them from continuing to use the Pink Floyd name. By the time the group, now under Gilmour’s leadership, recorded A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Wright had returned as a salaried member. During the recording sessions for The Wall, he essentially was pushed out of the band but stayed on as a salaried musician during the tour that supported the album. It wouldn’t be until 1994 that Wright would officially rejoin Pink Floyd. Let’s listening to On the Turning Away, co-written by Gilmour and Anthony Moore.
High Hopes – The Division Bell, March 1994
Time to visit the aforementioned The Division Bell, the second Pink Floyd album sans Roger Waters and the group’s 14th studio release overall, which appeared in March 1994. Much of the music was written by Gilmour and Wright, while Gilmour’s then-fiancée, the novelist Polly Samson who became his wife later in 1994, shared writing credits with Gilmour on most tracks. The Division Bell also featured Wright’s first lead vocal part since 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, on Wearing the Inside Out, a song he composed with lyrics by Anthony Moore. The Division Bell could rightfully be considered as Pink Floyd’s true final studio album. Here’s the closer High Hopes, composed by Gilmour with lyrics credited to him and Samson.
Brain Damage & Eclipse – The Dark Side of the Moon, March 1973
On to one of Pink Floyd’s most acclaimed albums, the above-mentioned The Dark Side of the Moon. Their eighth studio album from March 1973 was primarily developed during live performances and premiered before the recording sessions began. In December 2022, Pink Floyd quietly released 18 of these concerts on streaming services before the recordings hit 50 years and would have lost copyright protection. The Dark Side of the Moon, a concept album around themes like conflict, greed, time, death and mental illness, became the group’s best-selling record, with more than 45 million copies sold worldwide. My proposition are the two magnificent tracks that blend into each other and close the album: Brain Damage & Eclipse, each written by Waters.
Careful With That Axe, Eugene (Alternate Take) – Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII, May 2025
Once again, we’re reaching our sixth and final stop. Let conclude today’s excursion in May 2025 with Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII, the companion album to a 4K restoration of Pink Floyd’s 1972 concert film Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii. The original 1972 concert film, which featured Waters (bass, vocals), Gilmour (guitar, vocals), Wright (organ, piano, synthesizer) and Mason (drums, percussion), was directed by Adrian Maben. In 1974, it was re-released with additional footage showing Pink Floyd during recording sessions for The Dark Side of the Moon, and interviews at Abbey Road Studios. The restored version, which was led by Lana Topham, is based on the 1974 film. Here’s an alternate take of Careful With That Axe, Eugene, which had not been released previously. Credited to all four members, the trippy track originally appeared on Ummagumma, Pink Floyd’s part-studio, part-live album from November 1969.
Last but not least, here’s a Spotify playlist featuring all of the tracks we visited today. As always, I hope there’s something for you here you dig. Also, how do you feel about the take-over idea? I can’t think of many other bands or solo artists that would be suitable for the Sunday Six format.
The Jayhawks, The Afghan Wigs, Maggie Rose, Real Numbers, Kye Alfred Hillig and Buffalo Traffic
Welcome to my latest new music review. The following picks are from albums that dropped over the past four weeks.
The Jayhawks/American Midnight
I’m thrilled to kick off with The Jayhawks who are out with their first new album since 2020’s XOXO. Formed in Minneapolis, Minn. in 1985, the alternative country and country rock band originally featured Mark Olson (acoustic guitar, vocals), Gary Louris (electric guitar, vocals), Marc Perlman (bass) and Norm Rogers (drums). Including their eponymous 1986 debut they released seven albums during their initial run that ended in 2004. After a five-year hiatus they reunited in 2009. Their 13th and latest album Sanctuary Park dropped yesterday (August 28). American Midnight was penned by Louris. Since their 2009 reunion, the group’s line-up has been the same and in addition to co-founders Louris and Pearlman features Karen Grotberg (keyboards, vocals) and Tim O’Reagan (drums, vocals). What a great way to start this review!
The Afghan Whigs/My Lover
The Afghan Whigs initially came together in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1986. After six studio albums, they broke up in 2001, briefly reunited in 2006, and have been permanently back together since 2011. AllMusicdescribes their style as grungy indie rock blended with blues and soul. The group’s present line-up includes original members Greg Dulli (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards) and John Curley (bass), along with Rick G. Nelson (keyboards, strings, guitar, backing vocals), Patrick Keeler (drums) and Christopher Thorn (guitar), who joined in 2011, 2014 and 2021, respectively. Here’s My Lover, off their 10th album Soft Control, out since August 21. The cool-sounding song was penned by Dulli.
Maggie Rose/Weekend Lover
Maggie Rose is a Nashville, Tenn.-based singer-songwriter blending country, blues, R&B, pop and rock. Originally hailing from Potomac, Md., Rose has been singing since she was 16, initially with The B Street Band, a tribute to Abba – just kidding. As Bruce Springsteen fans likely figured out, they celebrate The Boss! During Rose’s sophomore year in college, she relocated to Nashville to pursue a career in music and got her first record deal in 2009. Her full-length debut album Cut to Impress appeared in March 2013. Fast-forward 13 years to her fifth, Half Moon, out since August 14. Let’s check out Weekend Lover, which Rose wrote with Lawrence Rothman and Daniel Tashian. The neat horn action gives the song a nice soulful vibe, making it a winner in my book!
Real Numbers/Was It Always This Way
Real Numbers, another act from Minneapolis, started in the late 2000s as a trio of Eli Hansen (guitar, vocals), John Eggerman (bass) and James Blackfield (drums). Initially, their music was ’70s punk style, influenced by likes of The Undertones and Buzzcocks. Beginning with a self-titled EP in 2010, they shifted to an indie pop-oriented sound, channeling bands like McCarthy, The Jasmine Minks and Television Personalities. Since 2023, the group’s line-up has featured Hansen, Sophie Durbin (keyboard, vocals), Jeff Cornell (guitar), Andrew Jansen (bass) and Fez Felzan (drums). Was It Always This Way, written by Hansen, is the title track of their latest album, which appeared on August 14. To my ears, the sound is reminiscent of The Smiths, while the vocals sound like a less intense Morrissey. Regardless of the characterization, it’s music to my ears!
Kye Alfred Hillig/On Small Wings
This brings me to Tacoma, Wash.-based folk rock-oriented singer-songwriter Kye Alfred Hillig whose then-upcoming album Widowmaker Express was brought to my attention in mid-July. From the press release: Over the last decade Hillig has quietly built one of the Pacific Northwest’s most distinctive songbooks, earning a reputation for emotionally honest songwriting that values hard truths over easy answers. The former Destruction Island and Pistol For A Paycheck songwriter has always had a knack for finding beauty in life’s rougher corners. Hillig’s latest release, out August 5, comes right on the heels of March 2026’s The All-Night Costume Party. On Small Wings, penned by Hillig, first appeared as an upfront single on July 8. It falls somewhere between the weathered grace of The Jayhawks, the humanity of Damien Jurado, the melodic warmth of Wilco, and the thoughtful indie-folk spirit of artists like Kevin Morby and The Shins. Let’s check it out!
Buffalo Traffic Jam/Hanging On Hope
Once upon a time, there were Buffalo Springfield, and now we have Buffalo Traffic Jam. The acoustic indie folk duo of Frankie Cassidy (guitar) and Nathan Ross (mandolin) was formed in 2024 after they had met as students at Montana State University in Bozeman. Following their May 2024 self-titled debut EP and two separate singles, Rescue Me and the attention-getting Forgot Your Roots, Buffalo Traffic Jam secured a deal with Arista Records. On July 31, that label issued their first full-length album Pictures of You. Here’s the opener Hanging On Hope, co-written by Cassidy and Ross. That song got my attention right away. I can hear some Jason Isbell here, as well as Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers. Great way to wrap up this review!
Sources: Wikipedia; Consequence, AllMusic, Real Numbers Bandcamp page; Buffalo Traffic Jam website; YouTube; Spotify
Christian's Music Musings 