Observations: Film Music
I found this post from the summer hiding in my GoogleDocs folder and it somehow never made it to the front page. Better late then never? – Michael
I’ve successfully avoided the urge to rant on about this, that and the other thing in this most public of forums. It all feels very Jerry Seinfeld. But bah, what the hell…
Has anyone else noticed how crappy music in movies has become? Let me frame this, the wife and I have watched a few movies in the last couple of weeks that made me think “would it even be possible to have this much music licensed in a single movie?” It all started with this..
First off, if you have not seen this movie you owe it to yourself to see it. One of the first things that you’ll notice is the fact that there is a bevy of bloody awesome tunes. And not just a 30 second snippet, but a full intro, verse, chorus, solo… you get the point. Cheap Trick, The Ramones, The Clash, Van Halen, Hendrix and The Cars were all well represented in multiple appearances each. And at the end of the movie I say to my wife, “you know, the damned music industry has ruined soundtracks!”
We watched this with my son Miles this evening as Huey Lewis & The News played into Billy Idol‘s “Hot in the City” into Patrice Rushen‘s “Forget Me Nots”. A truly awesome selection of 80’s classics served over the sickly sweet film. And don’t you know that when I got to the end of it I was running to the iTunes to listen to some cheesy 80’s music, dancing around like a fool.
But seriously folks, isn’t it time we get better music in movies?
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: September 5, 2008
As I’ve said before four day work weeks always throw me for a loop. This week had the added pleasure of a computer move leaving my music on one while I get the other ready for day to day use. Needless to say, I’m in need of a Friday Five fix to get me through the rest of this day.
Last week we wrapped up the “The Theme Days of Summer” with a send off. This week we’re back in the swing of the general shuffle. For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words for each track.
Then it’s your turn! Just share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments and see what your fellow readers are listening to as well.
This week’s Friday Five is courtesy of Last.fm.
Here are this week’s tracks:
½. The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick (from Christmas with the Beach Boys)
Apparently Last.fm does not know it’s not Christmas yet, this was quickly skipped but I thought I should include it here.
1. Rihanna – Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z) (from Good Girl Gone Bad)
For as overexposed of a track as this was I still genuinely enjoying hearing it and have not reached for the ‘skip’ button any time it’s popped up in a shuffle.
2. Prince – When 2 R in Love (from The Black Album)
Featuring the beat Justin Timberlake lifted for his all-too-obvious Prince inspired track “Until the End of Time”. I’m rather ambivalent about this track in particular as it always seemed out of place on the raunchy Black Album. While it’s a great song it’s no “Cindy C.”.
3. Billy Joel – The River of Dreams (from River of Dreams)
I think that this might be the first Billy Joel track to appear on a Friday Five. I have an odd relationship with Billy Joel in that I do truly appreciate and enjoy his music, but own relatively little of it and have not ever really looked to change that. I actually do not even own this record, rather the greatest hits package that covers this period of his career.
4. Eric Johnson – My Back Pages (from Bloom)
While I prefer his instrumental work, this is a great cover of the Dylan classic.
5. Led Zeppelin – Fool in the Rain (from In Through the Out Door)
I know that this may be blasphemy and an act of music-snob hari-kari but this is hands down my favorite Led Zeppelin song. It never fails to lighten even the darkest mood and I’m always up and dancing about during the Samba breakdown.
So what’s bringing you joy this Friday?
Jerry Reed 1937-2008
While I fully realize that my attachment to Jerry Reed was primarily due to his participation in Smokey & The Bandit and Scooby-Doo, I found out later in life that he was a hell of a songwriter and a amazing guitarist. Jerry passed away today at the age of 71, our hearts go out to family, friends and fans.
10-4 Good Buddy, over and out…
Northern Exposure: Son of Dave
Son of Dave is Benjamin Darvill whom you may or may not recognize as part of Crash Test Dummies. As he so succinctly puts it, he has spent the last few years bringing “the Blues kicking and howling into the 21st Century” and if this recording is any measure I’d say he’s been quite successful. Darvill is a modern day troubadour with an impressive range and razor-sharp wit. While he begs comparison to Tom Waits, his delivery as a one-man band – stomping, looping and fighting his way through the record’s eleven tracks – sets him far apart.The leadoff track “Old Times Were Good Times” is nothing short of funky and sets the tone for the next nine cuts. Must-listen tracks like “Lover Not a Fighter”, “Hellhound” and a cover of the WAR classic “Low Rider” all make this one record not to miss.
Son of Dave – Old Times Were Good Times (MP3)
Son of Dave Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: August 29, 2008
Well we’ve reached the end of “The Theme Days of Summer” and for this weeks playlist I thought it only appropriate that we send off the summer with an ode to endless summer nights and the changes coming as some head back to school, some back to work, and all of us close the book on the summer of ’08.
Match ANY of the following conditions
NAME contains End
NAME contains Summer
NAME contains Back
NAME contains Change
NAME contains School
NAME contains WorkAs Pete pointed out last week’s mood was rather dark so this week I’m looking to brighten the mood and get everyone ready for the weekend (though I’m steering clear of the puppies, unicorns, sunshine, and fairies). The friends of the five have come through all summer sharing everything from show-tunes, jazz, folk, blues, funk to metal and everything in between. I hope everyone has enjoyed the playlists as much as I’ve enjoyed thinking them up and sharing, next week we’re going back to the general shuffle.
For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words (much more this week than last) for each track.
Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Ne-Yo – Make it Work (from Because of You)
While I don’t particularly care for much of the current crop of R&B artists I make an exception when it comes to Ne-Yo. This track was prominently featured in this past year’s season of So You Think You Can Dance which just further endears the track to me.
2. Black Sabbath – Changes (from We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll)
Originally from 1972’s Black Sabbath, Vol. 4, this was the first Sabbath tune to feature the Piano as its primary instrument. I’ve always liked this tune for how un-Sabbath it was and it was clearly a precursor to Ozzy‘s penchant for balladry.
3. Prince – Sex in the Summer (from Emancipation)
If there is a truly underappreciated record in Prince‘s discography then I’d suggest 1996’s Emancipation is it. While time has proven unkind to some of the records tracks (“My Computer”, “Emale”) others stand as brilliant testaments to the time in which it was released. This track is quite bittersweet in that a recording of Prince & Mayte’s child’s (which died shortly after birth) heartbeat is featured as part of the percussion.
4. John Mayer – Waiting on the World to Change (from 2008-08-23: New England Dodge Music Center, Hartford, CT, USA)
The second encore tune performed when I saw John Mayer last Saturday evening (read the full review here). He plays this one pretty straight and true to the recorded version. I’ve included it here just because I dig it so damned much.
John Mayer – Waiting on the World to Change (MP3)
5. Boyz II Men – End of the Road (from Legacy – The Greatest Hits Collection)
This one definitely resonates with that “back to school” sound (even though this particular track was released after my School Daze) and feels like a perfect end cap to the “The Theme Days of Summer”.
So what’s taking you home early on this holiday weekend?
Northern Exposure: The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors returns with the second EP in their season-themed series. Standing in stark contrast to Spring, Summer takes an almost darker turn in celebrating the long hot days of it’s namesake. The rollicking jangle of “Summer in the City” with it’s swagger and grit gives way to the beautifully stark crescendo of “Give Everything”. “Last Day of Our Vacation” captures the sentiment perfectly with its dragging melancholy tempo and lazy delivery. “Maybe Time Will Tell” recalls a bit of Springsteen in it’s recollection of days past and what the future holds. Personally, I can’t wait to see what Autumn holds.You can download “Summer in the City” below and the rest of the EP is freely available at the bands Official Site. There’s also a link below for the traditionalists who like physical media.
The Great Outdoors – Summer in the City (MP3)
Buy Summer: CDBaby
The Great Outdoors Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Review: John Mayer Live at New England Dodge Center
Mayer leaves the paparazzi behind and delivers a heartfelt set to his hometown crowd.
“Here are the delays and cancellations of your problems…” promised an earnest John Mayer Saturday night, and for the two hours he occupied the stage, he delivered just that. He quietly walked onstage and kicked straight into his Continuum heavy set with a humble determination that shined though every note. And while his crowd may have proved quite lame (seriously, who sits for an entire show and texts for three quarters of it?) he delivered a solid and energetic show that will stick with me for quite some time.Mayer kicked off the set with the mid-tempo burner “Belief” into the soulful “Vultures”. A quick guitar change later (seriously, the guy rolls with an obscene amount of gear) brought the first cover of the evening in the form of Robert Johnson/Cream‘s classic “Crossroads” which had a decidedly funky twist to it. This was also the first opportunity that he took to let his guitar playing take the center stage. And say what you want about his pop-leanings and celebrity persona, Mayer knows how to throw down and can hang with the best of them.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am tonight. There’s nothing like coming back home to play a show” was his first spoken words to the crowd (at about 20 minutes into the show, no less) and it was clear that he was feeling the love and enjoying playing for family, friends and fans alike. The pairing of “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” and “Dreaming With a Broken Heart” lead my wife to the observation that he really does put the “Bad Boyfriend Material” warning out there.
The acoustic portion of the set featured a heartfelt dedication to his parents (who were in attendance) and the second and third covers of the evening in the form of Tom Petty‘s “Free Falling” followed by an absolutely sick 12-bar blues based take on Duffy‘s “Mercy”. Why it is that despite having a fairly decent amount of his own material he chooses to play covers is beyond me, but the crowd certainly ate it up.
From here Mayer sailed through a pair of early hits lamenting “you can only really play one place where you’re singing “I wanna run through the halls of my high school” and you guys know where that high school is”, leading up to the set closer “Gravity”. This was actually the second time that I got to hear this performed (the first being with the John Mayer Trio) and it still carries the power that it did then (and you can hear for yourself at the end of this post). The encore (which was chosen by the fans via his website) wrapped with his current single “Say” at which point my wife and I decided to trek back to the car.
If you’ve not experienced John Mayer live I can heartily recommend checking him out when he swings through town.
John Mayer
New England Dodge Center, Hartford, CT
August 23, 2008Set List:
Belief
Vultures
Crossroads
I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)
Dreaming With a Broken Heart
Stop This Train
Daughters
Free Falling
Mercy
No Such Thing
Why Georgia
Find Another You
Stitched Up
Bigger Than My Body
GravityIn Repair
Waiting on the World to Change
SayBonus Download!
John Mayer – Gravity (MP3)
[audio:17 Gravity.mp3]Download the whole show here (Archive.org)
Buy Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Review: Huey Lewis & The News Live at Seaside Summer Concert Series
The Heart of Rock & Roll is still beating in Coney Island.
“New York, New York, is everything they say and no place that I’d rather be”, with these words Huey Lewis & The News kicked off the final show of the 30th Seaside Summer Concert Series at Asser Levy/Seaside Park in Coney Island. The band wasted little time in bringing their West Coast flavor of blue-eyed soul to Brighton Beach.
The first highlight for me came early in the set when I finally got to see the band perform “If This Is It”. I’ve seen Huey and the boys no less than 4 times in the last 4 years and this tune has eluded me each time. Stef Burns (Y&T, Alice Cooper, Shelia E.) absolutely ruled the evening on the musical front letting loose solo after solo. Next up was “The Power of Love” followed by the new tune “Pineapple Express” from the movie of the same name (check out Popdose for Jason Hare’s take on Soundtrack “Title” Songs). Personally I dig the tune, even if it is just “Hip to be Square” with different lyrics.
For the A Cappella portion of the show the band followed the concert staple “It’s Alright” with “Under the Boardwalk” which had the entire crowd on its feet and singing along. The next highlight for me was the rarity “Walking On a Thin Line” which I last saw performed with Chris Berman (yes, that Chris Berman) on guest vocals.
For the encore the band rolled out it’s ‘other’ soundtrack hit “Back in Time” followed by a slower mellower version of “Do You Believe in Love”. The night ended with “Workin’ for a Livin'” and a dedication to “Brooklyn’s Finest”.
I also have to mention the opener Paul Thorn whom I will write about at great length in a coming post, but for now echo Huey’s sentiment that “there ain’t nothing not to like about Paul Thorn.”
Huey Lewis & The News
Asser Levy Park, Coney Island, NY
August 21, 2008Set List:
The Heart of Rock & Roll
My Other Woman
I Want a New Drug >
Small World
If This Is It
The Power of Love
Pineapple Express
Jacobs Ladder
It’s Alright
Under the Boardwalk
Walking On a Thin Line
Heart and Soul
But It’s Alright
We’re Not Here for a Long TimeBack in Time
Do You Believe in Love
Workin’ for a Livin’Bonus Video!
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: August 22, 2008
It’s been a long and busy week here at Ickmusic East full of ups and downs. Between the shocking and untimely passing of LeRoi Moore, Jerry Finn, Issac Hayes and Jerry Wexler the music community has lost many members these past two weeks. On the positive side it’s been a week of some cool discoveries (Paul Thorn, Ra Ra Riot) and some great live shows to remind me of the bonds we do create with these musicians and the healing power of music. This week’s playlist is influenced by this sentiment.
Match ANY of the following conditions
NAME contains Dance
NAME contains Light
NAME contains Friend
NAME contains Heart
NAME contains SoulThe tunes rang in aplenty from this combo…
For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words (though not so many this week) for each track.
Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Bryan Adams – Straight From the Heart (from So Far So Good)
2. Don Henley – The Heart of the Matter (from Actual Miles: Henley’s Greatest Hits)
3. Susanna and the Magical Orchestra – Condition of the Heart (from Controversy: A Tribute to Prince)
4. Dead Can Dance – Yulunga (Spirit Dance) (from Toward the Within)
5. John Mayer – Dreaming With a Broken Heart (from Continuum)
So what has you dancing into the weekend and beyond?
“It’s always easier to leave, than to be left….”
Dave Matthews Band – On LeRoi 08/19/2008 (Video)
Coming out after the encore break last night, Dave told the crowd a story about LeRoi. Video courtesy of WeeklyDrop.com.