We are such wretched sinners. I recently posted about slavery’s effect on our early nation. Long before we killed each other over the expansion of slavery, the practice was already killing parts of our economy, killing the drive of citizens–and of course crushing the souls of slaves. I mentioned in the post that, though the North was opposed to slavery, …
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Better Version of Me
I post this on St. Patrick’s, but most won’t receive it until after. So the only thing really Celtic in any sense here is Fiona Apple’s name. And the fact that her dad is from Tennessee, where everybody is Irish or Scotch Irish, including my mom. (Wikipedia tells me Miss Apple has Melungeon ancestry through her dad–who’s a thunk it!) …
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s another song by The Pogues. Sometimes, Shane MacGowan gives us the alcoholic love poetry of lines like “you’re the measure of my dreams.” A few years after that, he gave us this single, with lines like “I love your lips, I love your eyes / I love your breasts, I love your thighs …
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Respect (live)
I featured Otis Redding’s cover of “Day Tripper” here earlier. It was from an album I own of live recordings from London and Paris. On that album he sings Aretha’s anthem as well, so fast that you fear it’s going to come off the rails. This version, with video, is a little more tame.
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Our House
This is a great song–and a pop hit from a great band. They are so great that I couldn’t bring myself to make this their first entry into #HornSectionsMakeRockBetter. So click here for another great one from Madness.
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: I Got the Feelin’
A few weeks ago I realized I had three songs left on my list for Horn Sections Make Rock Better. So I crowdsourced. Listeners and friends threw in their 2 cents, and I’m stocked for at least another half a year. So I got that feelin’. This is apparently one of the first color videos of Brown sweating and dancing …
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Take Me to the River
A few years back, I got a chance to hear Jimmy Johnson at a blues joint in Chicago. The friend who took me, a lifelong Chicagoan and live music devotee, told me this week that Jimmy had died. So had his brother Syl, the source of a lot of hip hop samples. (Here’s a tribute to the brothers.) Jimmy was …
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Birmingham
Longtime listeners to #HornSectionsMakeRockBetter (both of you!) know I love Randy Newman. Good Old Boys is one of his many creative peaks. I even love the album’s cover.
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Do It Again
I know nothing about this group or this song. I heard it in a hotel lobby, put it through Shazam and learned that it might be from 1976 (according to YouTube) or 2014 (according to AllMusic). Sure sounds funky. …
Horn Sections Make Rock Better: Possession (live–with the rest of the concert!)
Elvis Costello is in my top 5. Having said that, I developed an even deeper love for him after hearing two songs: “Sweet Pear” from Mighty Like a Rose and a live version of “Possession” that was a bonus track on an album’s CD reissue. Both feature the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. No surprise there. Imagine my delight at finding …