A bit late today — I had a two-hour conference call that ate my morning.
Without further ado:
More goodness from Amy Winehouse. Her album will debut in the US in March, and I highly recommend it. I’ve already shared “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good” with you….now here’s another gem: Amy Winehouse – “Addicted.”
I’ve also given you a few tracks from the Damon Albarn “supergroup”, The Good The Bad & The Queen….there was an article about them in a recent issue of Time Out New York, where I discovered that yes, that is the name of the album, but technically, the band itself has no name. They’re being categorized by the record company and booking agents under the album name, but that’s it. Here’s another track from the album….and one where you can really hear the influence of bassist Phil Simenon (formerly of The Clash): The Good The Bad & The Queen – “Three Changes.”
When I’m working on pulp stuff, I often listen to period music. Here’s a hit from 1938, which launched the careers of a group that went on to be superstars of the 40s — The Andrews Sisters – “Bei Mir Bist du Schoen.”
In 1983, a local Long Island group hit big….although not as big as was expected. Zebra was touted as the next Led Zeppelin in some critical circles, and two singles from their debut self-titled album seemed to speak to that. I recently found a copy of the album, and I’ve been reminded of just how good these guys were — easily as good as Def Leppard in the same era, but never quite managing to get the deserved attention. These are the two singles from the album, which remind me of the last year I spent on Long Island before moving to Kansas in 1984. Zebra – “Tell Me What You Want.” was the lead single, and the follow-up, Zebra – “Who’s Behind The Door.” was the big mystic Zep-esque epic.
During the same period, I was a huge fan of Squeeze. Here is one of my favorite compositions from Messrs. Difford and Tillbrook: Squeeze – “Another Nail In My Heart.”
Lastly, one of the great “story songs” from the minds of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. This is a prime example of what I love about Steely Dan — this song is practically a film-noir story set to music. Steely Dan – “Don’t Take Me Alive.”
Enjoy.