August 4, 2017
Music can mean many things to many people, some of it and them not so pretty. Take, for instance singing in the shower, alone in a moving car or in this case a lonely old Alaskan sitting at his computer with a glass of wine and a pizza in the oven on a Friday night. A lot of it occurs right where it belongs and heard only by the hopeful musician. If it should go public what we need to keep in mind is it's the thought that counts, and the effort. If the performance isn't perfect, at least some credit should be given for the attempt. This first offering is a case in point. Consider 65,000 people singing "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Bohemian Rhapsody at a Green Day concert in England.
All right, that's done. I know drum solos can get tedious, unless you like the new Energizer Bunny commercial, so I will be judicious. In the last playlist I featured an 11-year-old singer who was awesome. A 14-year-old in the background was largely ignored despite her amazing drumming. Here she is now and maybe a couple more later, Sina covering "Smoke on theWater," Deep Purple.
Sorry, I couldn't resist trying this:
Another southern rocker with an absolutely genuine deep southern song. Have I ever gotten very far without mentioning Leon Russell? Barely recognizable as a young man, doing Jambalaya. Get this, I once won a 45 of Jambalaya for spelling the word correctly in a contest on The Hound's radio show on WKBW in Buffalo, New York. From the Zanzibar, man.
It's too bad the bio didn't put his opening in. With background music that paused so he could give his spiel it went something like this: First a howl, then he would say "The Hound's around" then more music, then "I'm rockin' on record, dad," more music, then "from the Zanzibar, man." That's all I remember. The Zanzibar was a dance club in the center of Buffalo's African-American neighborhood. One thing it is important to note is that very early on during the birth years of rock music, The Hound promoted black musicians before they were being played regularly on other stations. Those included Frankie Lyman, "Little" Stevie Wonder and Little Richard.
Going softer now. I've written on these playlists before about Steven Stills and Judy Collins. Here they are in a duet after all the fireworks. "Someday Soon," with Graham Nash.
How about another southern song? A more country version of "Mule Skinner Blues" with Pete Seeger and Ramblin' Jack Elliot.Sometimes you have to listen to these songs the way they were meant originally.
Here's sort of an introduction to the drummer Sina. The timing is cool. It's also fun to scroll down the YouTube window and read her own comments about what she is doing. This is an aside. A few years ago I came across a 16-year-old drummer who, like Sina, employed two base drums. Her sets were so energetic she needed help walking off the stage afterward because her legs were cramping. Whitesnakes' "Here I Go Again."
Let's go back in time a ways. Do you think Elvis was the first person to record this? Big Mama Thornton "Hound Dog."
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How about a comedy break. Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick "Blowin' In The Wind."
Here's a last one from Sina, for tonight anyway. I just figured out that's her father playing the guitar in this video. "Wipe Out"from the Surfaris.
Leaves you breathless just watching. The photo is from her website:
As usual I like the original version better, but that's just me and doesn't take anything away from the way she performs it. She did a beautiful job with the song. Here's the original Foreigner version. Make your own choice.
Mariah Carey,"Without You."
Many people have covered that song and she does it beautifully, but my favorite and a cover, also, is Harry Nilssen's version.
Now for a little history. Usually but not always we like the original version of a song. I mean who with one exception from Joe Cocker can cover the Beatles? This one is the exception. Badfinger was a band that George Harrison promoted originally. Two members of the band wrote "Without You," but then differences led to the band's breakup and later both of the authors, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, eventually committed suicide. Their song lives on in the voices of others. This is the Badfinger version. The backup music and the guitar don't quite make up for their clipped performance of the song. Badfinger, "Without You."
At this point I realized we need some more music from Mariah Carey. But what? So, at a loss, I asked my Twitter friend what her favorite song was that wasn't a cover. Boy, did I get an earful over that one. I mean, all I had heard so far were those two covers, but I knew she had written so much of her own music and that was explained to me very clearly. I told my friend what I was doing and she asked me if I was becoming one of Mariah's lambs. I asked if I would have to give up my Lil' Monster badge. She said I could be both. I asked her to tell me her favorite original Mariah song. This is it:"Make It Happen."
One more thing about Mariah Carey. She has a five-octave range and beyond. She can hit what is called the whistler register. You have to hear it to believe it. She not only hits that off-the-chart note but can maneuver within that range. And, no, I do not have an inappropriate crush on her. Yet! Here are some examples of her whistle register.
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