Baby- Os Mutantes

I was reminded of this song through a musician I follow on twitter. I will not say who because I don't want to encourage my friends to use the words "stalker" or "restraining order". I will say that I admire his music selections. If I had not seen the tweet I would have almost forgotten about this little gem. Let's face it when you have six thousand songs in your iTunes library songs are bound to fall into the cracks.

The song is "Baby" by Os Mutantes (The Mutants) a Brazilian band. Os Mutantes was a mix of psychedelic rock with samba and bossa nova. They were described to me as a Brazilian Velvet Underground, and I thought it summed them up nicely. Kurt Cobain, Beck & Flea are among their fans. 

Os Mutantes first album was released in 1968 and they continued making music until 1974. In 2009, they released a new album after 35 years and began touring. Their new album, Fool Metal Jack is due out today April 30, 2013. I will be checking that out shortly. :)

I Don't Know Why I Love You- The House of Love

This weekend as I was writing I was thinking of my first serious relationship. I would like to say it was pleasant but it was not. Hence, today's song- "I Don't Know Why I Love You" by The House of Love. It sums things up perfectly. 

The House of Love were a leading indie rock band in England. At the time, Depeche Mode were my favorite so I remember a lot of English bands like this coming and going. They were formed in 1986 and broke up by 1993 but released one more album in 2005.  In March of 2013, they released a new album She Paints Words In Red. 

"I Don't Know Why I Love You" reached #2 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart in 1989 and was their biggest hit here in America. "Christine, Marble and You Don't Understand" were songs that also charted in the top ten. 

I don't know why I love you

         Your face is a hammer in my head

       I remember every word you said

       I just don't know why I love you

I just found the video for the first single- "A Baby Got Back On It's Feet" from She Paints Words in Red. Give it a listen, I just did while writing but I did not give it the attention it deserves so I will try again later. Have a great week! :)

Bro Hymn - Pennywise

Using Dave again today because I really enjoy the group he is spotlighting and I hate effin clowns but love horror. -Krista

Hello again true beliebers, (We are in no way Justin Bieber fans or encourage listening to him!)

I'm back with another song that maybe this time will help squeeze out another couple of reps at the gym or another lap at the track. This one is the iconic punk anthem "Bro Hymn" by the Southern California based band Pennywise.

Pennywise formed in 1988 taking their name from the evil clown in the Stephen King novel It. They maintain their status as a very popular punk band despite two different occasions of the lead singer leaving as well as the death of one of their founding members. Their most recent release, 2012's All or Nothing is not fronted by founding member Jim Lindberg but lead singer of Ignite, Zoli Tèglás. It's actually a very good album but I agree with the people who say that it doesn't necessarily feel like a Pennywise album. However, filed under "Bad News For Zoli And Good News For Us" health issues for the new lead singer caused him to drop out of the touring for this year. The quartet has reunited for their 25th anniversary tour and there is talk of more music coming from them sometime soon. Which is pretty good news indeed. 

Anyway, back to what I'm here for. I should start by mentioning that there are two versions of this song. "Bro Hymn" is the last track on both their 1991 debut LP Pennywise and the 1997 release Full Circle. The first version was written by the bands bassist Jason Thirsk as a response to the deaths of 3 close friends which is reflected in the line "Canton, Colvin, Nichols, this one's for you…." The overall theme of the song is pretty positive, emphasizing that regardless of how bad things get you can always count on friends to be there to support you. Unfortunately the second recording of the song which is also known as "Bro Hymn (Tribute)" was performed in honor of the aforementioned Thirsk who died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after relapsing into alcoholism. This is indicated by changing the previously mentioned line to "Jason Matthew Thirsk, this one's for you…."

I hope you like this song as much as I do. 

Original

Tribute

Notable Lyrics:

To all my friends present, past and beyond To all those who weren't with us too long Life is the most precious thing that you can lose

Shut Up (And Sleep With Me)- Sin With Sebastian

It was 3 AM, my son was sick, he was up and down all night so I could not sleep. I was on the Internet surfing. I can't remember what I plugged into the search box but I am pretty sure it was not Bad Euro Dance Hits. I came across a video with the song title "Shut Up (And Sleep With Me)". Well let's just say my curiosity got the better of me. And I listened. It was pretty bad. Yet I downloaded it to my iTunes library and shared it with some friends and family. So did I really hate it that much?

The song is sung by Sin With Sebastian (Sebastian Roth). It was released in 1995. I did not hear it until 2003/2004. Dance music not my preferred choice. It reached #1 in Spain, Austria & Finland and top 10 in Germany, Belgium and a few other countries.

Warning, what is heard cannot be unheard so if you start singing this and it gets stuck in your head I am NOT RESPONSIBLE.

YOU'RE WELCOME! :)

On Being Frank- Ben Folds Five

My friend Dave will be writing from time to time as he is my go-to guy for new bands/music. I have to face the fact that almost everything I listen to is 10 years old, 20, 30 yes even 40. Thank You Dave. 

Hi. I'm Dave and I will be contributing to this blog whenever something comes up and Krista needs to tag me in. I appreciate her asking me to share some of the stuff that I'm into and hopefully if there is something that you like than you can tell 2 friends and they can tell 2 friends and so on and so on…

What I am going to post are songs that pop up on my iPod and if you like what you see or hear maybe they will eventually pop up on yours.

If you have listened to any alternative music station since the late-90's you have most likely heard the song "Brick" by the Ben Folds Five. That song, which was based on the true life story of a young Ben Folds and his then-girlfriend getting an abortion and the emotional aftermath of their decision was the biggest hit of the ironically named trios career. However, despite the massive amounts of radio play and mainstream recognition they disbanded soon after in 2000. This paved the way for a decade's worth of Ben Folds solo projects and a brief stint as a judge on NBC's The Sing Off, an a capella reality competition. Eventually the stars aligned, everything fell into place, and the threesome reunited leading to the band's fourth release 2012's The Sound of the Life of the Mind. Track number 5 from this album is called "On Being Frank". It is a brilliantly written song sang from the sad perspective of a man who is realizing that his life does not have a lot to show for it even though he "for 30 years set the thermostat where Frank Sinatra liked it".

Notable Lyrics:
I shook the hands of Mafia Dons and Presidents
And though they always smiled politely with a measure of decorum
Still their eyes would scan beyond me for a glimpse of something more
But now he's gone, now they're gone.

Tell That Girl To Shut Up- Transvision Vamp

I had another song selected to write about today but I was home, sick and bored and was browsing. I came across a band that was not very well known in the 80's but it was such a flashback for me. Let me give you a little back story here. Byhoff Record Shop was the local record store in my neighborhood. They sold 45's for $3-$4, really can't remember. (Damn, did I just age myself) I went to buy Lita Ford's "Kiss Me Deadly", yeah I wanted to be Lita Ford when I was 10. Don't laugh at me! Well every dollar I had I went to buy records so the owners knew me pretty well. They had some promo records for a band called Transvision Vamp and gave me a copy of "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" for free. Hey, I thought it was cool. So after I played Lita, of course she was first, I gave it a try.

Actual Record Cover

So the lead singer (Wendy James), chick, with wild hair, pretty cool to then kid me. Listening now, well I will just say my musical tastes have grown immensely. Transvision Vamp were an English band formed in 1986. I can't tell you anymore about them. We could not google in 1988 and information was not at our fingertips like today so when the 90's began and I move on to Grunge/Alternative music, bands like this were lost to me. David Parsons was the bassist and he went on to become a member of Bush. So have a listen. And remember I never promised everything I posted would be top notch but it's fun. 

I Love You But I Don't Know What To Say- Ryan Adams

Well, I can already hear a few of my friends saying "YUCK"! All I have to say to that is "Yuck You"! Ryan Adams has a beautiful voice and plays the guitar just as well. He may be prone to meltdowns but he is also the first to admit "maybe I am a jerk sometimes. No, I am not consistently a jerk but I've had bad days." (http://www.salon.com/2011/10/09/ryan_adams_maybe_i_am_a_jerk_sometimes/)  

Who Hasn't???? He married one of America's sweethearts, Mandy Moore, so how bad can he really be. Even if he was a complete ass it would not change the fact that he is just that good. 

Like many rock stars, he has had his run ins with drugs and critics but he is still here. He continues to make music even with Meniere's Disease which basically affects your hearing and balance and causes tinnitus (ringing in ears). 

Ryan Adams has been making music a long time and he has sung everything from alternative country to rock to ballads like the one I am highlighting and my absolute favorite by him. "I Love You But I Don't Know What To Say" is on his album Ashes & Fire, my favorite album as well.  Don't be discouraged if you are not into love songs or ballads because there is so much more to Ryan Adams and definitely worth the time to take a listen. 

A few more suggestions to listen to are "Dirty Rain, Lucky Now, My Love For You Is Real, Desire, Two, New York, New York, Happy Birthday and a cover of Oasis' Wonderwall" that I actually preferred to the original. And that my friends rarely happens! 

Baby It's You- Smith

"Baby It's You" was recorded by many artists including The Carpenters, The Beatles, The Shirelles even Chrissie Hynde. My favorite is Smith's bluesy version sung by Gayle McCormick. "Baby It's You" was released on their first album A Group Called Smith and was their biggest hit.

Del Shannon (Runaway singer) actually discovered Smith in a nightclub in LA and got them signed to their label. After the band broke up, Gayle McCormick went on to a solo career with some success.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard it in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. Well, not really QT usually has great music in all his movies. Happy Monday, only 5 days until the weekend! :)

Ten-Twenty-Ten- Generationals

Found this song LAST NIGHT and you will not believe where! I play Songpop on Facebook and by the way I KICK ASS! This song was a selection in a free category called awkward songs by MTV. I had to share. It is called "Ten-Twenty-Ten" by the Generationals and it can be found on their album Actor-Caster.

The Generationals are from New Orleans and are considered indie rock. It seems they have been around for a few years but I never heard of them. However, I am glad I happened upon them and will be listening to some more now. Hope you enjoyed and Have a Great Weekend!

Night Fever- Bee Gees

The first is FUN, get your mind out of the gutter people!

As a New Yawker, I felt it was only proper for our first Fun Friday to post a Bee Gees' song from Saturday Night Fever. Unless you lived under a rock for the last 30 years you have seen Saturday Night Fever or at least heard the soundtrack.

Where do you even begin? This movie is a classic and believe it or not regarded by critics as one of the best movies in 1977. Every guy in Brooklyn wanted to be John Travolta and emulated his every move. Today, you could still find them, silly yet true.

The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was the best selling soundtrack of all time until it was dethroned by Titanic. If that made you sad, don't worry, it made me sad too. The Bee Gees contributed 5 songs to the album. I had to post "Night Fever". Some may argue that it should have been "Stayin' Alive" because it played during Tony's famous strut down 86th Street. I feel "Night Fever" is used in even more important scenes. Tony, the king of the dance floor, is practicing his moves and getting ready for his night out at 2001 Odyssey.  It is used again in the big dance scene that starts with that goofy chick saying "I just kissed Al Pacino".  Dancing the whole premise of the movie.

Can you dig it, I knew that you could!

Quotes from this movie have been the source of many laughs for me through the years. Best line in a movie ever "What the hell do you expect me to do man, what do you expect me to do, he helped me."

One Porkchop, Hits My Hair scene

Just a note minimum wage was $2.30 an hour in 1977. Now get on your disco shoes and hit the club.

Be Gentle With Me- The Boy Least Likely To

"Be Gentle With Me" by The Boy Least Likely To is one of those songs that immediately grabbed my attention. I really don't know much about the band. They are a duo from England and I would classify their music as poppy folk. The song is on the album, The Best Party Ever.

The intro reminded me of the I Dream of Jeannie theme song. It makes me smile and takes me to a happy place. I searched Google to find what instruments were used and someone said it was a xylophone, another said it was a glockenspiel, such a great word, I just like saying it, so let's go with it. Besides the glockenspiel (ha, I said it again) they used banjos and recorders. How can you not dance around the room?

I do not know how popular this song was/is? I stumbled upon it about 2005/2006. Rolling Stone described the music as "if all your childhood stuff animals got together and started a band". I never seen the video until now. I think Rolling Stone got it right. I feel like I am visiting The New Zoo Revue or H.R. Pufnstuf. And yes that is Rashida Jones in the video. The lyrics are very simple but poignant.

I'm happy because I'm stupid,
Scared of spiders, scared of flying,
If I wasn't so happy,
I wouldn't be so scared of dying.
So just be gentle with me,
I'm not as young as I was,
And I'll be gentle with you,
I'm not as brave as I thought,
Cause my heart gets broken so easily,
So just be gentle, be gentle with me.

Some of the other songs I enjoyed by The Boy Least Likely To are "Monsters, Hugging My Grudge, and A Fairytale Ending". Worth checking out.

Three Wishes- Television Personalities

Today I am highlighting Television Personalities. I am not going to pretend that I know all there is to know about this band. They have been around since 1978. I was not buying my own records at that time and my parents were listening to Wings. I do know they are awesome!
Television Personalities hail from England and are described as Post Punk/New Wave. Dan Treacy, the singer, guitarist and songwriter has been the one constant member through the years. There are so many songs to choose from it is hard to decide. I would say the most popular is "Part Time Punks", but this band is nothing close to mainstream. I am going to post "Three Wishes", this is from the album They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles (1982).

I know, I am cheating but here is another song from their 1995 album Yes Darling, But It's Art. The song is "Me & My Desire".

If you enjoyed these songs I suggest getting the greatest hits album, http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6669730/a/part+time+punks%3A+the+very+best+of+television+personalities.htm or try Amazon.com. Then go from there.

Other song suggestions include "Silly Girl, The Dream Inspires, Sad Mona Lisa, Strangely Beautiful & My Very First Nervous Breakdown".

Ho Hey- The Lumineers

Sweet and oh so catchy, are they destined to be a one hit wonder band? I hope not. The lead singer & guitarist, Wesley Schultz has a voice I have fallen in love with. It has been a long time since that has happened. "Ho Hey" has reached #3 on Billboard's Hot 100. As of yesterday, it was still #2 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs Chart (http://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-songs) after 51 weeks.
The second offering, "Stubborn Love", has left me a little underwhelmed considering how much I loved "Ho Hey", still good though. "Ho Hey" is on The Lumineers album.

I know it is suppose to be a one song a day blog, but....... Well I am really rooting for this band so here are a few more songs. "Slow it Down" can also be found on The Lumineers.

And the last is "Elouise", LOVE THIS, not on the album and from what I understand unreleased. Good Stuff. If this is your throw away song, I think you are doing pretty well.

I sit and listen to Schultz's infectious voice sing  "I don't know where I belong, I don't know where I went wrong, but I can write a song". Yes Sir, you sure can. So lasting power or a sophomore death? What do you think?

New York City- Joey Ramone

Today, it has been 12 years since Joey Ramone passed away. So I think it is an appropriate day to start my blog and pay respect to an innovative and influential rocker. He formed The Ramones in 1974 and was a leader in the US punk movement.
Born Jeffry Ross Hyman, he was only 49 years old when he died after a 7 year fight with lymphoma. On November 30, 2003, a block on 2nd St was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place.

Truly an icon of Punk, he was well respected. I had the chance to hang with his brother Mickey Leigh in Forest Hills (seems like a lifetime ago) and he could not say enough great things about him.
Unless you haven't turned on your radio in the last 25 years, you had to have heard, "I Wanna Be Sedated", "Blitzkreig Bop" (my son's favorite) or "Rock N Roll High School". I wanted to share one of my favorite songs so here we have "New York City". This can be found on Joey Ramone's solo album ...Ya Know?. Enjoy.
RIP Jeffry Ross Hyman- Joey Ramone