Happy Birthday Jesus! – “Birthday” by the Beatles

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Merry Christmas Everyone!!  It will be a busy day with opening presents, spending time with family and hopefully listening to new albums I might get for Christmas.  I wanted to take a second and wish all my loyal followers and fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays.

The biggest thing to do today is to celebrate someone’s birthday.  Actually, two someones. Today we celebrate two very special Birthdays.  One is the Big Guy, Jesus!  We have to wish Jesus a Happy Birthday as He is the reason for the season.  He is what Christmas is all about.  He puts the “Christ” in Christmas.  BUT!!!…He isn’t the only one that has birthday on Christmas.  Nope.  I do as well.  I won’t tell you my age, but it is less than 50 and greater than 48.

And to celebrate our Birthdays, I am going to leave you with a great Birthday song by the Beatles simply called “Birthday”.  I like this one because when I sing it for Jesus, I tell him its his birthday, but it is my birthday too, yeah.  So enjoy and Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!

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My Sunday Song – “Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy” by David Bowie & Bing Crosby

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My Sunday Song #71 is “Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy” sung by David Bowie & Bing Crosby.  Since tomorrow is Christmas, why not do a Christmas song and this is one of my favorites as I thought the combination of these two was weird and beautiful at the same time.  It covered two different generations as you had the newer generation for Bowie and the old fogeys (I was young when this came out) could enjoy Bing Crosby.

The song was recorded on September 11, 1977 for an Bing Crosby television special that was coming soon. From what I have read about the song, David didn’t really want to sing Little Drummer Boy as he didn’t like the song.  In a panic, the “Peace On Earth” part was written to appease Bowie and it was mixed in with the song.  Whatever the reason, the two pieces together are pure Christmas magic.  I found an article on the story behind the song by Gary Shannon.  (Click on his name to go read the article).

I am not going to ramble on about the song as I will let it speak for itself.  Plus, Christmas is tomorrow so go spend time with you friends and/or family.  Merry Christmas!!

 

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The Top Rock Albums of 2017

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2017 has been a fabulous year in music, but mostly for all the Anniversary Editions of some of my favorite albums from Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Stone Temple Pilots.  However, there were some stellar Rock albums this year as well.

This list will be my favorite “Rock” albums of the year.  All other types of music will be for a later post.  I am going to leave this one to my favorite genre.  It is a broad genre, but these are the albums that I consider to be ROCK!!

Also note, these are MY FAVORITES!!  These are not the most popular or trendy albums.  These are the albums that I connected with during the year and kept coming back to again and again.  And without further adieu, here are the Top Rock Albums of 2017:

My #1 Album of the Year:

61hNZekCmAL._SS500 Jonny Lang – ‘Signs’: This album is straight-up Blues Rock and was one of two albums I can’t stop listening to this year.  With songs like “Make It Move” and “Wisdom” how could I vote for any other album as #1.  If that isn’t enough, Jonny’s guitar playing is sensational and his vocals are filled with so much emotion you are attached to these songs.  Here is what I said in my review…He has brought a rawness back to his music that brings a more authentic blues sound and brings a lot of emotion.  There is no reason you should skip out on listening to this album. (Click at the top to see the review).

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The Original vs. The Cover – “All Along the Watchtower”

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For this month’s The Original vs. The Cover, we are tackling the classic song “All Along the Watchtower” written by Bob Dylan.  We are going to explore the Bob Dylan version and the Jimi Hendrix version.  The two versions of this song couldn’t be more different.  You have Bob Dylan’s version which is more Folk Rock and then the Hendrix version which is pure guitar rock.  Each version is a classic in its own right so how do you choose.  Let’s learn about each version first before we decide.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan wrote and recorded the song back in 1967.  It was on the album John Wesley Harding which was released in December 1967.  The song itself wasn’t released as a single until November 22, 1968 which was actually after The Jimi Hendrix Experience released it as they released it as a single on September 21, 1968.  If we base the original and the cover based off single release date, then Hendrix’s is the original…right?  No, it isn’t but one could make an argument if they so choose.

The song itself is a slow, almost ballad like for part of the song.  Instrumentally, the standout is the harmonica which is the main driver of the song.  The guitar and drum parts were background and their simplicity is what makes it work.  The folksy sound and Dylan’s gritty voice were magical and he sings with such emotion.  This is one of the few songs I actually could understand what he was saying.

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RSO (Richie Sambora & Orianthi) – Making History E.P. – Album Review

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Richie Sambora and Orianthi are back with their second E.P. this year.  From what I understand, they have written 70 songs together and recorded 25.  They plan on releasing them as E.P.’s so that means with 2 down (5 songs each), we have 3 more to look forward to in 2018? I hope that is the case as I am up for that. Before we get to those, we have to review the 2nd E.P., ‘Making History’.

The first E.P. ‘Rise’ was not what I expected from these two at all.  With both being exceptional guitar players, I was looking for a guitar based album and they did not come close to that on the first one.  Thank God they redeemed themselves with this album.  They brought the guitars on ‘Making History’.

With the opening track and title track “Making History” you know that they are doing what we wanted them to do.  They are rocking out.  The guitars on this one are exceptional with an almost Def Leppardesque sound from around the “Euphoria” era at times.  The guitar solo is the best thing they have done so far and it is all what I asked for so why should I complain.  Of course I have one negative on the song.  The vocals aren’t the best.  I feel the production is lacking (Bob Rock is the producer which is surprising).  Richie and Orianthi don’t sound like they are singing together and I don’t know if it is the effects they put in her vocals, but something is missing with the chemistry and the mix with the two of them singing together.

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My Sunday Song – “G Train” by Thirdstory

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For My Sunday Song #70, I am going with a lesser known band called Thirdstory.  The song is called “G Train”.  It is off their debut E.P called ‘Searching’ which I did a review back in 2016.  The band consists of only three singer/songwriters – Elliott Skinner, Ben Lusher, and Richard Saunder.  And let me tell you, these guys can sing.

I first came across them when they opened for Tori Kelly back in 2016 on her tour.  The guys were so incredible and their harmonizing was second to none.  Their performance made me go out and download their E.P. because there was one song in the show that stood out to me and is now one of my favorite songs.

“G Train” was written due to the band’s schedule in rehearsing.  One of the members was was always taking the NY Subway back and forth.  On the video, theFader.com states…

…the three members of the group trade stories about lovesickness as they ride the subway through New York City’s boroughs. The song is a perfect soundtrack for the type of deep contemplation that only happens on the train, when you have altogether too much time with your own thoughts.

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Friday New Releases – December 15th

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This is the last Friday New Releases for the rest of this year.  I don’t have anything for the next two weeks. If you haven’t released by this date, you will miss the Christmas rush so you might as well wait until January or be lost the hubbub.  Not much out this week.  The only one I am interested in is the live Linkin Park album and it is highlighted in Blue.  Let me know if there is anything for you.

  • 814YHlOdhFL._SX522_  Linkin Park – One More Light Live – (Warner Bros):  This was recorded off their most recent tour and just months prior to Chester Bennington’s death.  This for me is a must have for any Linkin Park fan to get one of Chester’s final performances.  I have heard the song “Crawling” from this show and it is outstanding. I am sure the rest will be as well.

  • 51ERsLlYB-L  Asking Alexandria – Asking Alexandria – (Sumerian Records)
  • 51Ya6AzwKsL._AC_US218_   John Williams – Star Wars: The Last Jedi – (Walt Disney Records)
  • 71GhXjjrIML._SX522_  G-Eazy – The Beautiful & The Damned – (RCA)
  • 61CoYwpB0GL._SX120_SY120_  N.E.R.D. – No One Ever Really Dies – (Columbia/Sony)

Whitesnake (Snake) – Still Of the Night Live in Battle Creek, Mich. July 26, 1987

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On Black Friday, 16 members of my family went to Zoo Atlanta.  It was a great trip and some great times were had.  However, my mind was elsewhere.  I wanted to venture over to Criminal Records over in Little Five Points and check out this great Atlanta record store.  At 2pm, my daughter and I were going to leave are family behind and head over to the store.

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While at the Zoo, we missed the new Reptile house and we were planning on going back around to check it out before we left.  Well, being at the zoo with 16 people and a lot of those people are children, it was very slow going.  2pm started creeping up on us and I started to think, we weren’t going to make it to the reptile house and of course, we didn’t.  I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to see any of the “Snakes”.

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“My First Time” with Kiss – ‘Lick It Up’

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We are now to the end of the “My First Time” series. I ended up skipping it in November as their were too many new albums to review, plus I just wasn’t in the mood,  That got me thinking.  I don’t like being tied down to a specific album or theme.  I want to review albums whenever I am in the mood to do it.  Doing this series, limited me a little so I figured I would do one more and then just start reviewing any album, any time…no theme.

I figured if it was going to be my last, it needed to be something special.  For me, that means Kiss!!  The “My First Time” series is about the FIRST album I bought from a band.  Believe it or not, that album is ‘Lick It Up’ by Kiss.  A couple of my brothers were huge fans and had all their albums, but I had never bought one.  That changed with the excitement of this release.

What was all the excitement about this album?  Well, I am glad you asked.  Kiss sales had been in the decline.  Even with the stellar album ‘Creatures of the Night’ (one of their best), Kiss needed to do something to shake things up.  So they did just that.  They removed the make-up.  It was such a big deal, MTV held a special for the band to reveal themselves without make-up.  They also introduced the video for their first single, “Lick It Up”.  Here is the MTV special reveal…

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My Sunday Song – “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” by KT Tunstall

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My Sunday Song #69 is “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” by KT Tunstall.  The song was released as a single in 2005 from her 2004 debut album ‘Eyes to the Telescope’.  It was a sensational debut song and reached as high as #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made it to #1 Adult Pop Songs chart.

The acoustic guitar and drum beat had you tapping your feet and bobbing your head instantly.  When you add in that gritty voice, you had an instant classic. KT’s song was a little blues, a little soul and a little rock, but a had a lot of character.  I never knew what the song meant and it didn’t really matter.  It was catchy and had a certain charm to it. I would catch myself singing it all the time when it was released and it was one of the best songs of 2005 for sure.

KT Tunstall discussed the meaning of the song at Contactmusic.com.  She said the following:

“Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” is inspired by old blues, Nashville psycho hillbillies & hazy memories. It tells the story of finding yourself lost on your path, and a choice has to be made. It’s about gambling, fate, listening to your heart, and having the strength to fight the darkness that’s always willing to carry you off.

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