We’re announcing the Most Rockin’ Breakfast Cereal award winner for the month of July a little earlier in the month than usual. I’m sure we all feel confident that Townsman Hrrundivbakshi is the clear-cut winner for his Top 5 Rock ‘n Roll Artists of the ’50s Rating Scale. Congratulations!
Townsman Mwall called for this topic. The title says it all. Now ‘fess up!
I couldn’t help but watch the first song of this Styx concert on VH1 Classic. We’ve already discussed the bewildering, inherent contradictions of the classic Styx lineup. This recent Styx iteration — Tommy Shaw, James “J.Y.” Young, and hired hands — raises some new questions. Pay very close attention to the keyboardist’s innovative accoutrement. You’ll first see it 24 seconds into the video. Where can I get one of those?
I really thought about that patriotic song challenge and came up empty. I couldn’t think of a single song that made me “proud to be an American” until latelydavid mentioned Buffalo Springfield and then I realized that the protest songs of the 60s genuinely make me feel proud to be an American.
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I know a lot of these types of songs feel cheesy in hindsight but if you can’t set that aside for just a moment and revel in the revolution and the sentiment of these tunes and time well then mister you’re a better man than I.
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There’s an AM radio show out of Seattle that I podcast called Too Beautiful To Live. Last month, the show ran a contest called the TBT-Ella-Ella Watch, to decide on the summer single of 2008. Out of several worthy contenders (“American Boy” by Estelle and Kanye, and Snoop’s bizarre collaboration with Willie Nelson, “My Medicine,” being the other good ones), the clear winner was “The Stoop” by Little Jackie. This is a friggin’ glorious song, a sleek modern recasting of the old Invictus Records sound, circa 1971, by a Brooklyn-based duo consisting of neo-soul singer Imani Coppola (who had some solo hits in the 90s) and producer Adam Pallin. (The album, also called The Stoop, comes out Tuesday.)
Little Jackie,“The Stoop”
Well, this week there was a shocking and unexpected development in the story, which was that when the show’s producer and co-host, Jen Andrews, called Little Jackie’s label, S-Curve Records, to tell them the good news that Little Jackie’s song had won the listener poll, the PR person’s response was basically to flip out and demand to know how she had even heard the song (remember, the album isn’t out yet), and then to say that “The Stoop” wasn’t going to be released as a single.
Seriously, people. How is this song not a single?
I saw a commercial the other day for a collection called Patriotic Country. “Is there any other kind of country music,” I thought to myself? Well, I’m certain those US of A hatin’ Dixie Chicks were ruled out from consideration by the CD’s compilers.
Curtis Mayfield, “This Is My Country”
Feel free to snigger along with the concept of patriotic country, rock, and soul, but as we enter our Independence Day festivities, see if you can’t identify a song or two that actually touches on your personal notions of patriotism.
Despite the enthusiasm of one man’s experience at a Levon Helm concert, his may be about as hard to get through as that Billy Idol concert from Wolfgang’s Vault. At least it’s a lot shorter. While you’re taking this challenge, is there anyone you would less like hearing discuss an artist you love than Don Imus?
