"Blue Rondo a la Turk" on the Two Generations of Brubeck album. Wow.
There are many fine versions of this tune, but this one gets me dancing, clapping, fist-pounding, whatever, every time....and it's not easy to dance in, what, 9/8? I love tunes that grow, build, develop, and move through changes. This one just picks me up and takes me right along with it. Great melding of jazz and rock idioms, too. It's fun to imagine Dave Brubeck setting the groove and then sitting back to hear where his kids and their friends take it.
You can continue exploring Dave and the kids on Two Generations of Brubeck, "The Great Spirit Made Us All". And Chris Brubeck's rock/jazz band Sky King on "Secret Sauce".
For extra credit, give a "spin" to Chase, "Bochawa" from their last album, Pure Music.
OK, this (metal) is not one of my usual genres, and I don't usually link to videos. However, I downloaded this song from an iTunes - Free Song of the Week (remember those?) in 2012 and I've enjoyed it ever since. I love the video, although there is one mildly inappropriate scene, so preview it before watching it with you kiddos.
thanks ruebent--great cover. i can't find the album on spotify, but i think i have it on cassette somewhere and will dig it up. as payback, i'll recommend the pernice brothers, overcome by happiness--sorta big star melodicism crossed with brian wilson and really one of the best-written pop records of the 90s.
This is off of the most excellent tribute/charity album for Victoria Williams, called "Sweet Relief". If you don't have it, you're missing out on some GREAT tunes......
ty, very kind words. i've always admired robert christgau's (ex-village voice) reviews--really concise and caustic. i inevitably disagree with his musical tastes--he's a real snob who generally skewers anything populist or popular--but his writing's great. he once wrote about the guy from the lemonheads: "..a good looking guy with more luck than talent and more talent than brains." always stuck with me.
Well L., you are failing miserably at the verbose and obscure.
This, for various reasons, struck me as brilliant (you posted it over on the What's in your CDP thread)... "I think tweedy's a smart guy and a good writer, but i tend to respect wilco's craftsmanship rather than genuinely embrace its soul--there's an overly-clinical and cerebral quality to it, whereas farrar, albeit less musically ambitious, is all heart...."
thanks, ghosthouse. i also aspire to be verbose and obscure.... reubent, i'm not generally a country guy, but i'm a big steve earle fan--i'd put him squarely in my top 20 living songwriters. he's a self-proclaimed terrible singer (though i like his style), but he has a knack for two and three chord melodies that stick in your bgrain. plus his records almost always sound good, esp. his acoustic, which is very simple but always clean and etched. check out "i feel alright" and "gogo boots" if you haven't already.
@loomisjohnson - Thanks for your reply. I liked both Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker back in the day. Alas, it's been nearly 30 years since "Pictures of Matchstick Men" on Key Lime Pie. I think Lowery has matured in that time, just like the rest of us. I think "Camp Pendleton" that I posted yesterday is a good example of that maturity. Here's another great example that shows where his head is more recently......
Greatly appreciate how you two always manage to expand my musical horizons.
Loomis - you should write reviews. I get more out of two lines from you than from two paragraphs at Pitchfork (well, sometimes. They're not always that verbose and obscure. ;-)
Seems like it will be worth spending some time exploring both Camper and Cracker.
curiously, i was listening to camper van beethoven the other day as well. like ghosthouse, i always admired them from a distance--they're skillful and there's some very good songs, but there's a certain cynical/collegiate quality to the proceedings. when they play it straight, like their covers of interstellar overdrive and matchstick men, they're much more convincing. cracker, on the other hand, seems more sincere about their insincerity--they just want to make catchy pop.
@ghosthouse - I love the Cracker S/T Album. It's fantastic, all the way through. Of course "Teen Angst" was the big hit that everyone remembers, and I like the tune. But for me the 2 great songs on the album are......
@reubent - I liked that Camper Van you posted. I never got too much into them. That Cracker album is the only thing. Do remember walking into a record store years ago and they were playing "Revolutionary Sweetheart" (maybe) - sounded pretty good at the time. Guess they’re another band to check out now. Thanks.
Hey all - Happy others liked the Ten Years After. I was surprised how well Cricklewood Green has held up after all these years.
@Reubent - Gave that Steve Earle a listen. Not the hugest fan but not putting him down, either. Anybody was a friend of Townes Van Zandt got to be okay. Here’s the one I remember hearing from your El Corazon: Taneytown (EmmyLou doing harmonies).
BTW - on your Camper Van Beethoven, you know Cracker? "What the world needs now is another folk singer, like I need a hole in my head." I like the deranged edge to his voice. Some very strong songs throughout this album.
Today's offering is from one of my favorite song writers - Steve Earle. I've been listening to him since the beginning- Guitar Town, back in 1986. There have been many excellent albums since then. Hard to choose a tune from the catalog. Do you go with pure country, alt-country, singer/songwriter, blues, bluegrass, Americana or Rock-n-Roll? I went with one that combined several of these attributes....
I first heard this song as background music in a a YouTube video of the incredible bicycle trials/free rider - Danny MacAskill called "Way Back Home" . Link is below for anyone interested. If you're not familiar with Danny MacAskill, or trials riding/free riding, Check it out. You will be amazed....
Here's one of my favorites from the early '90's. Bonus is that the recording and sound quality are EXCELLENT. Put this on a high end system and crank it up.......
Thanks, Reubent, I have really enjoyed this thread. So many great suggestions. I have learned about many new tracks and bands and have been reminded of others I knew of but had neglected. I'll be looking forward to your contributions, including The Soft Boys, which is new to me.
My suggestions today (couldn't limit myself to one today):
Mark O'Connor and the O'Connor Family Band, "Coming Home" Lenny Breau and Brad Terry, "Blues for Carole", from The Complete Living Room Tapes The Marcus King Band, "Virginia", from KBCO Studio C, Volume 28 (a little obscure but worth finding).
if you only have time for one, Brad Terry's whistling solo on "Blues for Carole" is stupendous. Almost makes you overlook the playing on the rest of this track, and that's saying something.
@77jovian - I’ve really enjoyed the thread. Thank You for initiating it and thanks to everyone who has posted a Tune of the Day.
I’ve been thinking about trying to post a daily tune of a track that has some meaning to me, or just a song I like and want to share. Some might be popular hits from the past and some might be more obscure. Also, they may be various different genres. Since this is an active thread, I figured it would be a good place to post my daily selections. Please let me know if I you think I should start a new "daily tune" thread or continue to use this one. I don't want to take over your thread......
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