Sunday, August 20, 2006

Number 875 - Blues Brothers



Number 875

The Blues Brothers

"Rawhide"

(1980)
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.
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Genre:Blues
Don't just sit there and pretend this wasn't going to happen. Are actors allowed to "piss poke" about music and for it to be taken seriously? HELL YES .... and why?

Because Jack Black said so, that's why.

Don't worry i am not going to defend David Hasselhoff here, that would be poor taste.

"Comic actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd received a lot of flak for their Blues Brothers shtick -- mostly for the albums, not 1980's beloved classic film. But they should be given credit for exposing many people -- including this reviewer -- to the music of blues and R&B veterans. The Blues Brothers soundtrack was released on Atlantic Records. On the surface this doesn't seem unusual, since the Blues Brothers' Atlantic debut, Briefcase Full of Blues, was a number one album; but the movie was released by Universal, and its parent company, MCA, passed on the soundtrack. The rollicking remake of the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'" was a hit, featuring an arrangement notable for the horn section that replaces Steve Winwood's rumbling organ work. Ray Charles has a good time with "Shake a Tail Feather," and he's helped out by Jake and Elwood Blues (Belushi and Aykroyd, respectively). The cover of Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" is a lot of fun, thanks to the great overall rhythm and Elwood's lightning-fast stage rap, while James Brown and the Reverend James Cleveland Choir provide a blast of gospel music on "Old Landmark." Aretha Franklin's "Think" is explosive, and Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" is slyly irresistible. Charles, Brown, Franklin, and Calloway all have small roles in the film, yet so does John Lee Hooker, but he's not represented here" ~ Bret Adams
For Steve Winwood see Number 622
For James Brown see Number 741
For Ray Charles see Number 518
For Aretha Franklin see Number 563
For John Lee Hooker see Number 530
It just goes to prove that anyone can sing the blues and make it sound half credible. And don't even think for a second im slagging of this genre, because i am not, i am glad that some forms of music can be accessible just like nursery rhymes!

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (funny that) and the Album ranked at Number (Nope)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 59.3 out of 108
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posted by crowbarred at 8:34 pm 0 comments

Monday, August 21, 2006

Number 874 - Alastair Riddell



Number 874

Alastair Riddell

"Out On The Street"

(1974)
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Genre:Glam Rock
The world had David Bowie and Gary Glitter, we here in Dirkadirkastan (NZ) had Alistair Riddell and Split Enz. (Which the Aussies stole)

I would love to show you a video of this song, but unfortunately no-one has it. Bummer. (Made me own..not great but will give you an idea)

"Sounding like New Zealand's answer to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Space Waltz were fronted, sung, guitared and written for by Alastair Riddell, who caught the wild and trippy spirit of the times with the 1974 hit 'Out On The Street'. "

"Alastair Riddell and Eddie Rayner will be releasing a new Space Waltz album at the end of July 2004."
For David Bowie see Number 634
For Split Enz see Number 671 & Number 618
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (ask the audience or phone a friend?) and the Album ranked at Number (I don't even think they have even heard of Mr Riddell)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 59.3 out of 108
Search Artist here:1-2-3-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

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posted by crowbarred at 6:27 pm 0 comments

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Number 876 - Elvis Costello



Number 876

Elvis Costello

"Oliver's Army"

(1979)
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Genre:Alt Pop
Buddy Holly Lives ! Well not quite. This man has a interesting bio that's for sure, here look.....

"1979 would arguably see the peak of Costello's commercial success with the release of Armed Forces (originally to have been titled Emotional Fascism, a phrase that appeared on the LP's inner sleeve). Both the album and the single Oliver's Army went to #2 in the UK. Costello also found time in 1979 to produce the debut album for ska band, The Specials."
"His success in the US was severely bruised when, during a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett in a Columbus, Ohio Holiday Inn hotel bar, Costello referred to James Brown as a "jive-ass nigger", then upped the ante by pronouncing Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant nigger"."

"Bramlett and friends had evidently been baiting Costello with derisive comments about British rock music in general and "sawed-off Limey"-type comments aimed at him in particular.
A contrite Costello apologised at a New York City press conference a few days later, claiming that he had been drunk and had been attempting to be obnoxious in order to bring the conversation to a swift conclusion, not anticipating that Bramlett would bring his comments to the press."
"According to Costello, "it became necessary for me to outrage these people with about the most obnoxious and offensive remarks that I could muster". In his liner notes for the expanded version of Get Happy!!, Costello writes that some time after the incident he had declined an offer to meet Charles out of guilt and embarrassment, though Charles himself had graciously forgiven Costello ("Drunken talk isn't meant to be printed in the paper")."
"It is notable that Costello worked extensively in Britain's Rock Against Racism campaign both before and after this interlude. This incident specifically inspired his Get Happy! song Riot Act."
Dear oh dear, a big tsk there, don't you think? I definitely wouldn't be insulting Mr Charles that's for sure. But in the end all was forgiven which makes you wonder how Mel Gibson is doing..hmmm.
Roll Call...
For The Specials see Number 924
For James Brown see Number 741
For Ray Charles see Number 518
For Stephen Stills see Number 660
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Not this song but 3 others did) and the Album ranked at Number 482 (Rolling Stone sure love Costello)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 59.2 out of 108
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posted by crowbarred at 7:18 pm 0 comments

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Number 423 - Spencer Davis Group


Number 423

Spencer Davis

"Gimme Some Loving"

(1966)
.
.
Genre: R&B
Yes, we did
Picture says a thousand words? Of course it f***ing does. While America was basking in the limelight over the achievement that they just made, we, the world, would just like to say .. THANK ******g GOD or whatever you personally idolise, can be a shoe for all i really care ...... we can all now take a calm breath, and, [pant] work our way back to peace [except for Israelis who are heaven bent on getting TEAM Israel Pt 2. "HELL YEAH" the sequel to TEAM America] into a movie theater near you.
As for Mr [nay, oh NAY ... Mr President] Obama's inauguration speech? Well it seems a contradiction of words = speech to speechless, you know what I'm trying to say. He is surely America's J.F.K of this millennium, truly charismatic and captivating as an orator. As for the moment when Beyonce sang the classic "Etta James *"At Last" whilst the two most hippest people in politics started dancing, you could see this was too much for the young singer, as she knew and as we did .... this was history LIVE.
*Etta James is [will] already on the list in Definitive 1000 Songs
Who's that group on the wall then?
His ferocious soul-drenched vocals belying his tender teenage years, Stevie Winwood powered the Spencer Davis Group's three biggest U.S. hits during their brief life span as one of the British Invasion's most convincing R&B-based combos. Guitarist Davis formed the band with Winwood on organ, his brother Muff Winwood on bass, and drummer Peter York. Signing on with producer Chris Blackwell, the quartet got their first hit (the blistering "Keep on Running") from another of Blackwell's acts, West Indian performer Jackie Edwards. After topping the British charts in 1965, the song struggled on the lower reaches of the US Hot 100.
e're, you sure this is the chics house?
The group's two hottest sellers were self-penned projects. "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man" were searing showcases for the adolescent Winwood's gritty vocals and blazing keyboards and the band's pounding rhythms. Although they burned up the charts even on the other side of the ocean in 1967, the quartet never capitalized on their fame with an American tour. At the height of their power, Winwood left to form Traffic, leaving Davis without his dynamic frontman. The bandleader focused on producing other acts, including a Canadian ensemble called the Downchild Blues Band during the early '80s. ~ [Bill Dahl, All Music Guide]

Awwww c'mon Gimme some McLovin'
Steve Winwood
"Gimme Some Lovin'" is a song written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis and Muff Winwood, and originally performed by the Spencer Davis Group. The basic riff of the song was borrowed from the Homer Banks song "(Ain't That) A Lot of Love", written by Banks and Willia Dean Parker and later covered by blues musician Taj Mahal in 1968. The song was originally a hit in 1967 (UK #2; U.S. #7), when Steve Winwood, lead singer of the Spencer Davis Group at the time, was only 19 years old. The song is ranked #244 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It has been covered by many other artists, most notably by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Just before that, Olivia Newton-John recorded it for her album Totally Hot (1978) with members of Toto. In 1982-83 Chicago included it as an encore in their live set with Peter Cetera taking the lead vocal.
Spencer Davis
Other groups who have covered the song include Traffic, with Winwood as lead singer, on their 1971 live album Welcome to the Canteen, Queen on their live album Live at Wembley '86, glam band Biggles (1971), Raven on their 1986 album The Pack Is Back and Thunder on their 1990 album Back Street Symphony. Hanson opened shows with it on their 1998 Albertane Tour (captured on their subsequent album Live from Albertane album) and the Spanish group Mägo de Oz covered it on their 1994 album Mägo de Oz The Grateful Dead also covered it in concert with the lead vocal shared by Phil Lesh and Brent Mydland. Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack recorded a version on their live cover album DisCover in 2002. David Bowie samples the song in "Join The Gang" ~ [Source: Wikipedia]
For Steve Winwood see Number 622
For Blues Brothers see Number 875
For Olivia Newton John see Number 985
For Peter Cetera see Number 856
For Queen see Number 539, #747, #799, #805 & #513 [with Bowie]
For Bowie see Number 455, #465, #495, #634
What does Rolling Stone think? [do we care?]
Two triumphant singles, "Gimme Some Lovin' " (1966) and "I'm a Man" (1967), featuring Steve Winwood's earliest (and some of his best) singing, made this Birmingham quartet one of Britain's classiest and toughest R&B outfits. A trad-blues fan, Davis had the luck to discover the 16-year-old Winwood, and the smart modesty basically to hand over the band to the precocious soulster. Winwood obviously came through -- had the rest of this band been even half so tough, the Spencer Davis Group would've rivaled the Animals. I'm a Man collects material from the group's second English album of bluesy rock. Davis went on to found other incarnations of his group: Funky is a strong representative of the music after Winwood left. The band's early original albums are out of print or hard to find, but EMI's greatest-hits album is a good summation of the high points. [Source: RS - PAUL EVANS]
Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '423rd Song of all Time' was "Blue Suede Shoes" by Elvis Presley. Elvis "Blue Suede Shoes" #840 & also has appeared in The Definitive 1000 @ #443 & #501
Other songs with reference to Spencer Davis Group #591, #622, #698
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at 183 and the Album ranked at Number (Ahhh, we only liked the song)
This song has a Definitive 1000 rating of 77.8 out of 108

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posted by crowbarred at 8:48 pm 0 comments