∞ Alan Parsons Project ∞ The Voice ∞ I Robot ∞

Another blast from the past.  I hope this doesn’t make everyone paranoid!

Joe Jackson – Right and Wrong

Here’s another one that was pretty big while I was at Trent. I remember seeing the album for the first time at Trent Radio, where I did a show called “From Here to Otanabee” (there’s a river there called the Otanabee, and student residences by the same name). That was a play on “From Here to Eternity.” I don’t think many of my peers got it at the time. My show probably wasn’t that popular (we didn’t have official ratings polls). But I had fun and met some interesting people—fellow DJs, music lovers, dropouts, etc.

Anyhow, Joe Jackson seemed so cool back then. And the album cover for this disc spoke to me. Turns out I won a scholarship to study in India soon after, so I did experience the “big world” first hand (I didn’t travel much as a kid). And now with the internet, the album art seems to have almost foreshadowed things to come.

Right and Wrong… do you know the difference?

Mikes 100+ Essential Pop from the 50s to Now!

Isaac Hayes performs at the International Amphitheater in Chicago via Wikipedia

Back in the saddle. Actually, it’s back on a chair. This is the first time in a while I’ve really sat down in front of my laptop for more than a few minutes. The culprit? A bad cold leading into the Christmas rush, and a bona fide fever just after it.

During my malaise I started reminiscing about all the great music I’ve loved as a kid to now. I was born in ’62 but had a lot of older brothers and sisters. So I know 50s stuff too. That’s why this retrospective goes from the 50s to now. It’s not what you’d hear in the TimeLife ads. Well, maybe some of it, for sure. But it’s more about what touched me personally. That’s why it’s called Mike’s 100+ Essential Pop from the 50s to Now!

I started the list hoping to keep it to 100. But there just had to be some overflow. The Beatles, Stones, Elvis, Elton John, Bowie, Dylan and Neil Young are purposely played down, because, hey, we all know they’re great, and I was hoping to bring out some golden oldies that otherwise might have been forgotten.

Many more tunes could be added… actually, I’ll have to add some more because I don’t think there’s anything in here much past the 90′s, with the exception of TobyMac. And I do like some new stuff. Problem is, I usually hear it on the car radio and miss the song title and artist name… ah getting old, to think all pop radio was once on the tip of my tongue…

Mike’s 100+ Essential Pop from the 50s to Now! (mindless computers! add 100 after 99…)

1. Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
2. She’s Got the Devil in her Heart – Beatles
3. Ruby Tuesday – Rolling Stones
4. Light my fire – Doors
5. Sonny – Hose Feliciano
6. People are Strange – Doors
7. Baby Love – Dianna Ross and the Supremes
8. Walking After Midnight – Patsy Cline
9. Move it on Over – Hank Williams
10. Rock around the Clock – Bill Hailey and the Comets
11. Hound Dog – Elvis
12. Roll over Beethoven – Chuck Berry
13. Rock and Roll Music – Chuck Berry
14. Mr. Tambourine man, Byrds
15. So Happy Together, Turtles
16. Mellow Yellow – Donavan
17. Eight Days a Week – Beatles
18. White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane
19. It’s Nature’s Way of telling you – Spirit
20. Lovely to See you Again – Moody Blues
21. Story in your eyes – Moody Blues
22. Tuesday Afternoon – Moody Blues
23. Dear Diary – Moody Blues
24. Paved Paradise – Joni Mitchell
25. We are Stardust – CSNY
26. The Times they are a Changin – Dylan
27. The Weight – The Band
28. The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down – The Band
29. No time left for you – Guess Who
30. I can see clearly now the rain has gone – Johnny Nash
31. Raindrops keep falling on my head – B. J. Thomas
32. Alone again, naturally – Gilbert O’Sullivan
33. Little Boxes – Pete Seeger
34. Like a Rolling Stone – Dylan
35. Hotel California – Eagles
36. I’m not in Love – 10cc
37. Rich Girl – Hall and Oats
38. Yellow Submarine – Beatles
39. Silly Love Songs – Wings
40. Listen to what the Man said – Wings
41. Live and Let Die – Wings
42. Let em in – Wings
43. Band on the run – Wings
44. Singalong Junk – Paul McCartney
45. Your love is Lifting me Higher – Rita Coolidge
46. Octopus’ Garden – Beatles
47. Rocket Man – Elton John
48. Daniel – Elton John
49. 21st Century Schizoid Man – King Crimson
50. Communication Breakdown – Zep
51. Whole lotta love – Zep
52. We Won’t Get Fooled Again – Who
53. Baba O’Riley – Who
54. Who are You – Who
55. Midnight Train to Georgian – GNPips
56. Rikki don’t lose that number – Steely Dan
57. Lowdown – Boz Scaggs
58. Feels So Good – Chuck Mangione
59. Breezin’ – George Benson
60. Touch – John Klemmer
61. Piano Man – Billy Joel
62. Captain Jack – Billy Joel
63. Moving up – Billy Joel
64. Vienna Waits for You – Billy Joel
65. Too late – Carole King
66. You’ve Got a Friend – Carole King
67. So far away – Carole King
68. Fire and Rain – James Taylor
69. Wandering – James Taylor
70. How Sweet it is – James Taylor
71. Home by another way – James Taylor
72. Saturday in the Park – Chicago
73. Let it Be – Beatles
74. Stairway to Heaven – Rolling Stones
75. Time Keeps on Slippin – Steve Miller
76. The Joker – Steve Miller
77. Leroy Brown – Jim Croce
78. Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce
79. Peace Train – Cat Stevens
80. Arc of a diver – Steve Winwood
81. Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson
82. Fame – Bowie
83. Micro Kid – Level 42
84. Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics
85. People are People – Depeche Mode
86. Staying Alive – BeeGees
87. I will survive – Donna Summer
88. Hearts of Fire – EWF
89. Theme from 2001 – Deodato
90. You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
91. Salisbury Hill – Peter Gabriel
92. Planet Claire – B52s
93. Roundabout – Yes
94. Close to the Edge – Yes
95. I get up I get down – Yes
96. I know what I like (in your wardrobe) – Genesis
97. Justified and Ancient – KLF
98. Space Oddity – Bowie
99. Starman – Bowie
100. No more blue horizons – China Crisis
101. Cisco Kid – War
102. Papa was a rolling stone – Temptations
103. I’m a Stranger Here – 5 Man Electrical Band
104. Signs – 5 Man Electrical Band
105. You’re so vain – Carly Simon
106. Tell Me Why – Neil Young
107. I feel the Earth Move – Carole King
108. One of these nights – Eagles
109. If – Bread
110. Diary – Bread
111. School – Supertramp
112. Bloody Well Right – Supertramp
113. Girlfriend – Supertramp
114. Goodbye Stranger – Supertramp
115. Give a little bit – Supertramp
116. Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp
117. Asylum – Supertramp
118. Sweet City Woman – Stampeders
119. Painted Ladies and a bottle of wine – Ian Thomas
120. The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
121. Cecelia – Simon and Garfunkel
122. Bridge over troubled water – Simon and Garfunkel
123. Kodachrome – Paul Simon
124. Snowbird – Ann Murray
125. If you could read my mind – Lightfoot
126. In the early morning rain – Lightfoot
127. Love will keep us together – Captain and Tenille
128. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
129. Avalon – Roxy
130. I Zimbra – Talking Heads
131. Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads
132. Message in a bottle – Police
133. Mysterious Ways – U2
134. One – U2
135. Wildflower – Skylark
136. Spinning Wheel – Blood, Sweat and Tears
137. Toby Mac – Lose my soul
138. Living in this world – Guru (Jazzmatazz)
139. Never Stop – Brand New Heavies
140. Minute by Minute – Doobies
141. Black Water – Doobies
142. Heaven is 10 zillion light years away – Stevie Wonder
143. Superstition – Stevie Wonder
144. Brain Damage – Pink Floyd
145. The Wall – Pink Floyd
146. Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether – Alan Parsons Project
147. I wouldn’t want to be like you – Alan Parsons Project
148. What’s the Buzz – Jesus Christ Superstar
149. Herod’s Song – Jesus Christ Superstar
150. Shanghai Noodle Factory – Traffic
151. Mr. Fantasy – Traffic
152. Paperback Writer – Beatles
153. Watching the Wheels – Lennon
154. Happy Xmas (War is Over) – Lennon and Ono
155. You can’t always get what you want – Stones
156. While You See a Chance– Winwood
157. Lucky Man – ELP
158. Little Wonder – Bowie
159. Redemption Song – Bob Marley
160. Coming in from the cold – Bob Marley
161. Theme from Shaft – Isaac Hayes
162. Something in the Air – Thunderclap Newman
163. Isn’t it a Pity – George Harrison
164. Your Song – Elton John
165. Michelle Branch and Santana – Game of Love
166. Don’t Worry – Appleton
167. All you need is love – Beatles

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The Story of David Bowie – interview / documentary – 2002 (part 1 / 6)

I watched all six parts of this last night. An interesting account…

1984 – David Bowie

This is one of my favorite david bowie songs, although listening to it on my laptop is like looking at Picasso on a postcard.

Appleton – don’t worry (video)

I first heard this song while driving downtown to a Sunday night Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral… seemed appropriate…

Eva Cassidy covers John Lennon’s “Imagine”

Ever since introduced to Eva’s music I feel that she’s one of the best, perhaps the best, female vocalist I’ve ever heard. And her untimely death makes this all the more poignant.

Blast from the past – Jean Michel Jarre… Oxygene II

just another future song

just_another_future_song, originally uploaded by earthpages.

Steve Winwood Back in the Highlife Again!

I was in the used bookstore yesterday and heard this groovy sounding Steve Winwood music playing in the background.

As I pondered the book titles I searched my memory and, no matter how hard I tried, couldn’t locate the record I was listening to. It sounded very 70s and I thought I knew just about every Blind Faith, Traffic and Steve Winwood tune there is.

So on exiting the store I asked the man at the counter… “What is this lp?”

“Steve Winwood,” he replied.

“I know that…” I said. “But what album?”

“Nine Lives,” he said. “It just came out Tuesday.”

Well, I haven’t heard all of it yet but from my initial sampling it seems that Mr. Winwood has rediscovered his muse, big time.

This isn’t a flashy sound. And it probably won’t make the bubblegum (or should I say razor blade) charts. But Winwood fans should be happy.

It’s really a statement…