Ickmusic’s Friday Five: March 7, 2008
Today’s very special episode of the Friday Five was pre-recorded live in front of a studio audience.Hello… is it me your looking for? In anticipation of a hectic Friday afternoon I’ve opted to write up the five on Thursday night. Don’t hold it against me. Last week, while all over the map, had a unifying theme a good song is a good song, no matter who plays it. And a bad song is… well, only good if Richard Cheese covers it! I also discovered that there is a decent live version of “Stairway to Heaven” (thanks Jim). Okay, so for you first timer’s here’s the scoop I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and then show you my five with some words for each track.
Then it’s your turn!
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Prince – Starfish & Coffee (from Sign ‘O the Times)
Word salad for the pop crowd, “Starfish & Coffee” stands as one of my all time favorite Prince tracks. There’s something so free and unabashedly simple about the tune that His Royal Badness rarely shows. Even when I suffer the “Purple Ear Fatigue” I can still pop this track on and enjoy.
2. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra – Take the “A” Train (MP3) (from Sir Duke)
This reminds me of growing up and hearing my Nana’s radio in the kitchen. I’ve developed a deep love for all manners of jazz over the years and the big band stuff is no exception. The melodies are timeless and recordings sound so warm and inviting.
3. Foo Fighters – On the Mend (from In Your Honor)
From the acoustic half of the two disc set this is one of my favorite tracks from the record overall. I’ve still got a bit of the afterglow of seeing these guys last month.
4. Elvis Costello – Night Rally (MP3) (from This Years Model)
For me, this is where I think Elvis Costello (with The Attractions here) shines. In searching for the retail link I see that this record recently got the “Deluxe Edition” complete with live, demo and alternate tracks. I’ll have to pick it up… thanks shuffle for reminding me!
5. Def Leppard – Bringing On the Heartbreak (from Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection)
Ahh the teenage angst filled memories. I’ve seen these guys more times then I care to admit and I will say that they are one of the most fun acts I’ve seen. Sure they are over processed but they manage to pull off sounding close to the recorded versions every time.
We’re opening the phone lines now, let us know what your ‘Friday Five’ looks like.
Spotlight on Keith!
Keith Richards was born December 18th, 1943 in Dartford, Kent, England. He met Mick Jagger at Wentworth Primary School in 1951. In 1962, the Rolling Stones were born with Keith on guitar.
In April of 2006, Keith fell out of a tree while on holiday in Fiji, and landed on his head. Later that year, Keith signed on to play Jack Sparrow’s father in the third Pirates of the Caribbean film. In March of 2008, Louis Vuitton announced Keith as the new face of LV. Coincidence??
Here’s the new photo that’s going up on billboards all over the world’s urban landscape. Annie Leibovitz snapped the pic…
You just can’t help but love ol’ Keith.
Here’s a nice collection of live tunes with Keith taking center stage.
“It’s Good to be Anywhere”
1. Happy (Brussels 1973)
2. Before They Make Me Run (Paris 2003)
3. Little T & A (Hampton 1981)
4. This Place Is Empty (Buenos Aires 2006)
5. Gimme Shelter (Buenos Aires 1993)
6. Slipping Away (Glasgow 2006)
7. The Worst (Rio de Janeiro 1995)
8. You Got The Silver (Stuttgart 1999)
9. The Nearness Of You (Paris 2003)
10. Learning The Game (Austin 2006)
11. Thru And Thru (New York 2003)
12. Wanna Hold You (Buenos Aires 1998)
13. Infamy (Los Angeles 2005)
14. Can’t Be Seen (Atlantic City 1989)
15. All About You (Chicago 1997)
16. Connection (Los Angeles 1988)*
17. You Don’t Have To Mean It (Rio de Janeiro 1998)
18. Happy (Toronto 2002)Big Chief
The Meters.
Dr. John.
Professor @#!% Longhair.
Earl King.
‘Nuff said.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IOyBwrvOKA]
Derek White & the Monophobics
Some time last year, I got a random MySpace message asking me to check out Derek White’s music page. Since then, I’ve been anticipating this album’s release, and I’m not disappointed. They’ve also employed a great distribution model: starting on March 1st, you can download the album via their website for $9.99; purchase of the mp3 automatically gets you a hard copy of the disc when it’s ready next month. So you get the immediacy of digital music, with the promise of a little something to wiggle into your music shelf between Barry White and the White Stripes. The download also has a handful of tracks that didn’t make the cut for the disc. Score!
Derek White and the Monophobics are a four piece hailing from my hometown of Pittsburgh, and present a very polished, pop-oriented approach to their songwriting (I’m thinking Beach Boys). They’re concise, catchy, well-produced and exquisitely executed. Echoes of Brian Wilson are all over the place here. This song is a little edgier than the others, but is also my favorite from the album (and the first track that I heard on their myspace page all those months ago. Check it out:
Derek White & the Monophobics – “Mean Tambourine”
Derek White and the Monophobics (MySpace)
Purchase the self-titled albumRIP Jeff Healey
Canadian guitarist Jeff Healey passed away Sunday at the age of 41 after a long battle with a rare form of retinal cancer. Jeff had been blind since infancy due to this cancer.
“Angel Eyes” was one of those songs that hit right in my formative years (1988). I was 18 years old, in love with my high school sweetie, and a song like this came along to sum it all up. Truly a great tune.
Jeff Healey Band – Angel Eyes (LastFM full song)
Everybody all aboard
The Gap Band. Venice Beach 1983. Charlie Wilson dancing in the surf in a Speedo.
Yep, Spring is in the air.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTo7BXlqcHs]
The Boss Returns, Hartford Premieres
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill – link)Last night marked the 2008 resumption of Bruce’s Magic tour. He and the E Street Band (minus Patty and Danny F. – still) kicked this leg off in Hartford, Connecticut. From the report on Backstreets, this wasn’t one of those safe warm-up gigs after a break. The band “were immediately up to speed, and Hartford was a hot, high-energy show.”
Three – count ’em – three high quality tour premieres last night:
- “So Young and In Love” (mp3 from the show) – This kicked off the show! The studio version found on Tracks was recorded in January 1974.[audio:hartford01.mp3]
- “Loose Ends” (mp3 from the show) – an outtake from The River.[audio:hartford02.mp3]
- “Janey Don’t You Lose Heart” (mp3 from the show) – One of my favorites from the Born in the U.S.A. sessions. Last night, Nils Lofgren took the second verse – his “first recorded vocal with the E Street Band”, according to Backstreets.[audio:hartford03.mp3]
Next up on the calendar? Sunday night in Montreal. Look out Quebec.
LOOKING FOR TICKETS….. Since it doesn’t look like a Phoenix date is going to happen (!), I am in the market for two tickets to see Bruce in Anaheim on Monday, April 7th. If you or anyone you know has a couple available, please let me know (pete at ickmusic.com).
The full set list from last night’s Hartford show after the jump…
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: February 29, 2008
Can I kick it? Yes I can! It’s Friday and it’s time for a shuffle to the weekend. So wipe your feet real good on the rhythm rug and join in.Last week was a decidedly laid-back Five with Acid Jazz courtesy of Herbaliser, mellow 70’s grooves from The Doobie Brothers, some funk laced jazz from Madhouse, a live classic from Depeche Mode and a slice of melancholy from Iron & Wine. For those of you playing along at home here’s how it works I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and then show you my five with some witty quip for each track.
Then, if we’re lucky, you show us yours!
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Portishead – All Mine (from Roseland NYC Live)
Portishead deserves an award for taking the longest time between releasing records and remaining relevant. If you haven’t heard the Brixton trio is set to release its third record, the aptly titled Third, on April 28th.
2. Panic! At the Disco – Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks (from A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out)
I will admit to this being one of my ‘guilty pleasures’. These kids have managed to write some of the catchiest songs of the last decade. I do, to some degree, think that they will go on to become this generation’s Duran Duran.
3. Huey Lewis & The News – Heart and Soul (from Time Flies… The Best of Huey Lewis & The News)
I know it, Seth Rogen knows it and his hordes of screaming fans know it, Huey Lewis is the man.
4. Sara Bareilles – Love Song (MP3) (from Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) – EP)
Half of you will hear this and go “Oh, it’s that song from the cable company commercial” and the other half already know all about this little gem of a pop song. I’ll admit that I was by in large disappointed by the full album but I hold hope for a sophomore blast with more well crafted pop ditties like this.
5. Richard Cheese – Nookie / Break Stuff (MP3) (from Lounge Against the Machine)
Gah! Fred Durst is following me around the blogosphere today! This morning while reading this weeks ‘ChartBurn’ over at PopDose not only did I end up watching all of Limp Bizkit’s “Re-Arranged” but then went on a self destructive watching spree of “N 2Gether Now” and “Stuck”. I feel so dirty! Thankfully, Richard Cheese is here to save my afternoon (and quite possibly my soul) from the ninja death grip of Mr. Durst.
Okay, so I showed you mine, now show me yours!!
Marco Benevento’s Real Morning Party
My latest eMusic download is Marco Benevento’s new one, Invisible Baby. Marco is a crazy-talented keyboard-man and composer from NYC, specializing in experimental effects-laden jazz-jam. I’ve been somewhat familiar with him from his work as a member of the Benevento/Russo Duo.
It’s an adventurous album – God knows how he makes some of those sounds. I’d love to see Marco live, working all the bells and whistles on his keyboards – and that’s definitely a plural – look at that setup in the pic!
Here’s a fun one that just sounds so damn retro-good to me. And just wait until the percussion madness kicks in at 2:48. Sick! (as the kids say). . . Don’t think it’s in any way indicative of the album as a whole, ’cause it isn’t. Every tune has something fresh and new (with healthy doses of strange) to offer. A must have for musical explorers.
Marco Benevento – The Real Morning Party
Buy: Invisible Baby
A Heavenly Day
There I was this past weekend, wrapping up a late Sunday afternoon car wash in the driveway (washing the hell out of my wife’s car due to the guilt of trading myself up for a new Honda Ridgeline – naughty, selfish husband!). I had the iTunes streaming down to the garage stereo (because I will perform no household or automotive task without background music – that would be silly).
As dusk set in, and I was pulling her car into the garage, this song came on. I sat silent for a few, taking in the song. I sighed in contentment, closed the garage door, and went on with my night. It was already a good weekend. Patty Griffin made it even better.
Patty Griffin – Heavenly Day
