The Mothers of Invention ‘We’re Only In It For The Money ‘
Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Mother People” by The Mothers Of Invention – Every Christmas Eve through Christmas morning I manage a homeless shelter in an area church. It gives the regular workers a night off on their holiest of holidays, and it is something that I find very rewarding. Inevitably every year, I either get home after, or someone comes up to me during the 15 hour shift to tell me of some celebrity who has passed. So it was that I came home today, not only to the news that we lost the great actors, Jack Klugman and Charles Durning, but we also lost Ray Collins of The Mothers Of Invention. Collins was...
J.J. Johnson ‘J.J. Inc.’
Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Fatback” by J.J. Johnson Sextet – By the time of the 1960 sessions that resulted in the album J.J. Inc. (and today’s Song Of The Day), J.J. Johnson had been an established figure in Jazz for about 18 years, having already played with the likes of Miles Davis, Benny Carter, Count Basie, Max Roach, Elvin Jones and Charlie Parker. By this time, he had also released a very successful series of recordings with fellow trombone player, Kai Winding, under the moniker “Jay and Kai.” (The duo would continue to record together on and off into the 1980s.) Johnson was as well known for his composing as he was for his...
Wes Montgomery ‘I Love Blues’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “I Love Blues” by Wes Montgomery – Perhaps one of the greatest guitarists in Jazz, right up there with Django Reinhardt, Grant Green, Charlie Christian, Gabor Szabo and George Benson! Wes Montgomery only walked this earth for a short time, but he left behind a lasting legacy of recordings that never fail to astound. Montgomery hailed from Indiana and idolized the guitar playing of Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. He didn’t begin to play the guitar until the age of 20, and then primarily lead his own small groups. He recorded sessions with the likes of Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Smith, Milt Jackson, Cannonball Adderly and Nat Adderly, and was once...
Lou Rawls and the Les McCann Trio ‘Blues is a Woman’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Blues Is A Woman” by Lou Rawls with The Les McCann Trio Most people remember Lou Rawls for his silky-smooth vocal delivery and his disco era hit “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” but by the time he had that hit in 1976, Rawls had already been recording albums, and yes many hits, for 14 years. Chicagoborn Rawls got his start by replacing Sam Cooke in the Gospel group (and Vee-Jay recording artists), The Highway QC’s. After a stint in the Army, Rawls joined the Gospel group, Pilgrim Travelers. While on the road with Sam Cooke and The Travelers, Rawls was in a serious car accident that left him...
Allan Sherman ‘The Painless Dentist’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – Allan Sherman “The Painless Dentist Song” Funny guys are often tragic figures, and Allan Sherman surely fits into this category. In the span of several years, Sherman went from the pinnacle of success as a TV sketch writer and recording artist who had a huge hit with the song “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” (plus the requisite books, cartoons and board games that spun off of the song’s success), to being a divorced alcoholic, living on unemployment benefits with emphysema and diabetes… and dead by the all-too-young age of 49. Part of the blame can be left to the cultural shift this country went through after the assassination of John F....
Dave Brubeck Quartet ‘Toki’s Theme’
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Toki’s Theme” by The Dave Brubeck Quartet Ever since the news broke about Dave Brubeck’s passing earlier this week, I’ve been mourning the only way record geeks like myself know how to, grab all of the music you own by the artist and start listening. I’m a serious record collector who has been at it now for over 40 years. In that time, I think I’ve amassed a pretty well-rounded and eclectic collection of music suitable for any mood. I became aware of Brubeck’s music many years ago, but didn’t buy my first records by him (which were Take Five and At Carnegie Hall) until the early 1980s when I...
Arlo Guthrie ‘Alice’s Restaurant’
Today’s Cool Album of The Day is is Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant. An American Classic, simply put. Alice’s Restaurant was recorded and released in 1967. It was Woodie Guthrie’s son, Arlo’s, debut album. The story of ‘Alice’s Restaurant Massacre” is a wonderful tale, full of humor and Americana. It is some marvelous story telling. It’s a tale that needs to be listened to. It’s the full side of the album. It could have been longer as far as I’m concerned. Many radio stations break format on Thanksgiving and will play this lengthy track. We’re thankful for that. We have the full song below for you to listen to. Sit back, relax and enjoy this Arlo Guthrie classic. We’re...
The Beacon Street Union ‘The Eyes of The Beacon Street Union’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#782 in the Series) is The Beacon Street Union, The Eyes of The Beacon Street Union Boston, over the years, has produced some top notch rock and roll bands (other than Boston) like J. Geils and Aerosmith. Boston in the late 60’s had a thriving “underground” music scene that produced East Coast progenitors of “psychedelic” sounds, like Ultimate Spinach, Orpheus and The Beacon Street Union. The Eyes of The Beacon Street Union was the bands’ first recording, released in 1968. The group started out as college buddies “getting a band together”, playing dances at first, then getting good gigs backing up Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and opening for the Velvet Underground. The BSU...
The Dave Clark Five “Glad All Over”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#777 in the Series) is the Dave Clark Five, Glad All Over. Well Mr. Peabody, it appears you gave an extra cup of coffee to the Way-Back Machine this morning!! There was actually a short period, 1964, where The Dave Clark Five were battling The Beatles for most popular British Invasion band. There were a ton of hits on this album. There were really strong songs that had some edge to them as well. I also loved the “dirty sax” sound that The Dave Clark Five used in their mix. Highlights you ask? Well of course the title track, “Glad All Over,” plus there were other classics like “Bits and Pieces” and “Do...
The Shadows of Knight “Gloria”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#728 in the Series) is The Shadows of Knight, Gloria There’s this great moment during the final encore of Rickie Lee Jones’ “Live at Red Rocks”: she and band are midway through an improvised-sounding reading of Van Morrison’s composition “Gloria” that, to these ears anyway bears as much homage to the Shadows of Knight as Morrison’s Them…and while the band vamps those three indelible chords, she tells the audience, “I was 12 when this song came out and I have never forgotten. I will never forget! That’s why I will never get old!” And I’m like: how true that is! The Shadow’s “Gloria” debuted on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey in mid-February,...
