The Sunday Six

Sunday is fun day and I hope this weekend has been going well for you thus far. Perhaps to make it even better, once again, I’d like to invite you to join me on another trip through space and time to visit music of the past and the present century. The magical time machine is ready to take off so hop on board, fasten to seatbelt and off we go!

Stan Getz and João Gilberto/The Girl From Ipanema (feat. Astrud Gilberto)

Our first stop today is March 1964 and a timeless Brazilian jazz gem. Sadly, this pick isn’t coincidental. On Monday (June 5), Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer-songwriter Astrud Gilberto (born Astrud Evangelina Weinert) passed away at the age of 83. I think it’s safe to say she’s best remembers for her vocals on The Girl From Ipanema, which was first released in 1963. Subsequently, the tune also appeared on Getz/Gilberto, a studio album by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, who married Astrud in late 1959. The Girl From Ipanema, which became a worldwide hit in the mid’60s and won a 1965 Grammy for Record of the Year, was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. Norman Gimbel later penned English lyrics – an exceptionally beautiful tune!

Jonathan Wilson/Moses Pain

Next, we shall travel to the current century, more specifically to October 2013. That’s when singer-songwriter and producer Jonathan Wilson released a solo studio album titled Fanfare. Once again, I have to thank my longtime German music buddy who in late January recommended that I check out Wilson. I did and first featured him in a previous Sunday Six installment. Similar to Wilson’s previous album Gentle Spirit (September 2011), Fanfare included collaborations with various other artists. Moses Pain featured Mike Campbell (guitar) and Benmont Tench (piano), from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as well as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Josh Tillman and Jenny O. on backing vocals.

The Pretenders/My Baby

English-American rock band The Pretenders, who since their fifth studio album Packed! (1990) have been known as Pretenders, probably need no introduction. The group around frontwoman and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde, their only constant member over the decades, had a series of successful albums starting in the late ’70s to the mid-’90s. My Baby, written by Hynde, is a track off their fourth studio album Get Close, released in October 1986. Together with Don’t Get Me Wrong, My Baby holds the distinction of having been the band’s only no. 1 in the U.S. on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart – love this tune!

Eddie Cochran/Summertime Blues

Now the time has come to visit the ’50s and one of the early pioneers of rock & roll: Eddie Cochran. Not only did his songs capture teenage frustration and desire in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, but he also experimented with multitrack recording, distortion techniques and overdubbing, even on his earliest singles! Summertime Blues, which I knew first because of The Who’s dynamite rendition, is among Cockran’s best-known tunes. It also became his highest-charting single in the U.S. in 1958, peaking at no. 8 on the pop chart. It also became Cochran’s most successful single in the UK where it climbed to no. 18. What an infectious tune!

Blue Rodeo/Lost Together

How about paying a visit to the rodeo? No, not one where they ride bulls. I’m talking about Blue Rodeo, a Canadian country rock band I’ve come to dig. Formed in Toronto in 1984, Blue Rodeo, among others, have released 16 full-length studio albums to date. I reviewed their most recent, Many a Mile (December 2021), here and have also covered them on various other previous occasions. Lost Together is the terrific title track of their fourth studio album, which came out in August 1992. Like all other songs on the album, it was penned by the group’s co-founders Jim Cuddy (vocals, guitar) and Greg Keelor (vocals, guitar), who together with bassist Bazil Donovan remain the three original members in Blue Rodeo’s current line-up.

Deep Purple/Smoke On the Water

Canadian wildfires and resulting smoke have been very much in the news throughout the week, so in case you don’t love this final pick on this music trip you’ll have to forgive me. Having been impacted by hazy conditions that turned my neck of the woods into a post-apocalyptic-looking landscape, somehow, Smoke On the Water just came to me.

Undoubtedly a nightmare of every employee who works in a store selling electric guitars you can try out, Smoke On the Water, dare I say it, may well be the ultimate hard tune by what I still consider the ultimate hard rock band: Deep Purple. The must-learn tune for every electric guitarist with that iconic riff first appeared in March 1972 on the English group’s sixth studio album Machine Head. It also became the fourth single in May 1973 and arguably Purple’s signature song. Yes, Smoke On the Water hasn’t exactly suffered from obscurity, but to me, it still remains a hell of a tune! Like the six remaining tracks, it was credited to all members: Ian Gillan (vocals, harmonica), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards, Hammond organ), Roger Glover (bass) and Ian Paice – the best line-up this band ever had!

Last but least, here’s a Spotify playlist of the above goodies. So, wadda’ll think?

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday and welcome to another installment of Best of What’s New. While the first two tracks are included in releases that came out yesterday (July 15), the two remaining tunes are picks from upcoming albums. Let’s get to it.

Interpol/Renegade Hearts

Interpol are an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1997. Apple Music calls them a key player in the 2000s post-punk revival with a dark, atmospheric sound that’s influenced such successors as The Killers. Here’s a bit more from their profile: BBC Radio 1 host John Peel liked their demo and asked them to record a session for his show, leading to a deal with Matador Records. Interpol’s debut LP, 2002’s Turn On the Bright Lights, was named one of the top albums of the decade by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. In 2004, the band had their first Top 20 US hit, “Slow Hands”…Their major-label debut, 2007’s Our Love to Admire, was their biggest chart success, debuting in the Top 5 in both the US and the UK. The band’s current lineup includes co-founders Paul Banks (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass) and Daniel Kessler (lead guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals), as well as Sam Fogarino (drums, percussion). Renegade Hearts, credited to all three members, is a track from Interpol’s seventh and new studio album The Other Side of Make-Believe.

Zach Bryan/Oklahoma Smoke Show

Zach Bryan is a talented red dirt country singer-songwriter I featured in previous Best of What’s New installments here and here. Red dirt is a music genre named after the color of soil found in Oklahoma, which includes elements of Americana, folk, alt-country and a few other genres. Soon after receiving his first guitar as a 14-year-old, Bryan learned how to play and started writing songs. Later he followed in the footsteps of his family and enlisted in the Navy. But he didn’t give up music, and during a break in Jacksonville, Fla., Bryan and his friends spontaneously decided to record some tunes that would become his 2019 debut album DeAnn. Two additional full-length studio albums have appeared since, including an ambitious 34-track triple album that just came out in May. Oklahoma Smoke Show is a song from Bryan’s latest release, Summertime Blues, an EP.

Marcus King/Blood On The Tracks

Marcus King is another great artist who I’m happy to say I covered on previous occasions here and here. From the 26-year-old’s website: GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist, performer, and songwriter Marcus King was downright destined to play music. By eight-years-old, the fourth generation Greenville, SC native performed alongside pops, grandpa, and his uncles for the first time. Logging thousands of miles on the road as “The Marcus King Band,” he established himself with unparalleled performance prowess and a dynamic live show. During 2020, he linked up with Dan Auerbach [The Black Keys] and cut his solo debut El Dorado, garnering a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Best Americana Album.” In between packing venues on his own, he performed alongside Chris Stapleton, Greta Van Fleet, and Nathanial Rateliff in addition to gracing the bills of Stagecoach and more with one seismic show after the next. Along the way, he caught the attention of Rick Rubin and signed to American Recordings. Here’s Blood On The Tracks from King’s second solo album Young Blood, scheduled for August 26. His debut on American Recordings will be produced by Auerbach, who also co-wrote the tune with King and Desmond Child. Love this song and really looking forward to the album!

Julian Lennon/Breathe

I’d like to wrap up this week’s new music revue with an artist I thought essentially had retired from music. After all, Julian Lennon has become involved in many other endeavors over the past 20-plus years, including photography, publishing children’s books and producing film documentaries. His 1984 debut album Valotte was great. While I selfishly loved that the title track could have been a John Lennon ballad, I think it was smart for Julian to subsequently record songs that sounded different from his father. After his 1991 single Saltwater, his last more significant chart success, he kind of fell off my radar screen. On September 9, Julian Lennon will be back with Jude, his first new album in 11 years. The title is a nod to the legendary song ‘Hey Jude,’ by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney to comfort 5-year-old Julian following his parents’ separation, according to an announcement on Lennon’s website. “Many of these songs have been in the works for several years, so it almost feels like a coming-of-age album,” said Lennon. With great respect for the overwhelming significance of the song written for me, the title JUDE conveys the very real journey of my life that these tracks represent.” Here’s Breathe co-written by Lennon and Peter-John Vettese.

Last but not least, following is a Spotify playlist featuring the above and some additional tunes.

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; Julian Lennon website; YouTube; Spotify

The Boss Rocks MetLife

Yesterday (Aug 30) finally was the night I had been waiting for all summer long: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band were playing MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ – the third performance of their three-show run at the venue as part of 2016 River Tour.

From the first song, New York City Serenade, to the final tune, Jersey Girl, The Boss gave it his all, delivering four hours and one minute of non-stop rock & roll – I did not stop the time but actually read that on Springsteen’s official web site. The duration of the concert meant Bruce broke his own record from the previous week in the same venue yet another time!

In many regards, it was as if time would have stopped since 1988/1989 when I saw Bruce for the first time in Frankfurt, Germany in a comparable size stadium. He had not lost any of his intensity in almost 30 years, and you could be forgiven for not noticing he is now well into his 60s! The Boss also clearly seemed to be energized to play in front of a home crowd that knew all of his songs by heart.

The setlist included 34 songs and drew heavily from Bruce’s first two albums from 1973 and Born in the U.S.A., the 1984 album that became his most commercially successful record and one of the best-selling albums ever with more than 30 million copies sold.

Songs from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. included Blinded By The Light, Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street, It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City and what I thought was one of the highlights of the show – a particularly spirited version of Spirit in the Night. From The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Bruce played the strong show opener, New York City Serenade, as well as 4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy), Kitty’s Back, Incident of 57th Street and Rosalita, which remains a big crowd-pleaser.

I’m Going Down, Darlington County, Working on the Highway, Downbound Train, I’m on Fire and Glory Days were songs from the Born in the U.S.A. album, as was Dancing in the Dark – another highlight of the show. During the performance of the song, Bruce invited various people from the audience on stage to, well, dance with him! I thought it was telling that Bruce did not play the title song of the album. I once read he had gotten tired of the song and how many people completely misunderstood or ignored the lyrics.

There were only two songs from The River album, Hungry Heart and Out in the Street, which I felt was remarkable for a tour billed The River Tour. That being said, I had read that Bruce had started to deviate from the original tour concept to play all or most of the album’s songs. Still, I wish he at least would have performed the title song, which remains one of my favorite Springsteen tunes.

Other songs that stood out to me were Born to Run and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out. During the latter, historic footage was shown on the large stage video screens of the amazing Clarence Clemons, The E Street Band’s former saxophonist who sadly passed in June 2011.

Just as he did back in 1988/89, Springsteen also played terrific cover versions of various great songs, which most notably included Twist & Shout, Shout and Summertime Blues.

This blog post wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the amazing E Street Band. Steven Van Zandt (guitar, background vocals), Nils Lofgren (guitar, background vocals), Patti Scialfa (acoustic guitar, background vocals), Max Weinberg (drums), Garry Tallent (bass, background vocals) and Roy Bittan (keyboards) all did an outstanding job to back up the Boss.

Among the additional musicians, Jake Clemons, the nephew of Clarence Clemons, must be mentioned. He literally had big shoes to fill playing Clarence’s saxophone parts and did so beautifully. I’m sure his uncle would have been proud of him!

The Springsteen concert was my last (commercial) summer concert. It was a great way to end my series of summer shows this year. Just like the previous Springsteen concert in Germany in the late 80s, I have no doubt this show will stay in my memory.

Note: The video clips were added to the post on April 11, 2020. All of the footage is from Springsteen’s three-show run at MetLife in August 2016, mostly from the August 30 gig I attended.

Sources: Wikipedia; Setlist.fm; YouTube