Inspired By The New David Duchovny Television Show "Aquarius", Some Of The Best Songs of 1967 Enjoy!! (Finished May 31st, 2015)

Hello,

This blog is inspired by the new NBC TV show "Aquarius", which stars David Duchovny. Duchovny plays police sergeant Sam Hodiak. He's on the chase of Charley Manson, who has manipulated the mind of the daughter, Emma Karn, of his old girlfriend Grace. Emma's father, Ken, is a lawyer and had represented Manson previously. Is Manson's literal seduction of Emma more about Emma or her father? After one episode I'm still pretty neutral on how much of the show I'll watch. I'll watch at least one more episode. The show has already fallen into cliches with the uptight Dad that cares more about his career than his daughter.

I like that NBC is allowing all 13 episodes to be shown at once, i.e. the Netflix model. Props to NBC for thinking outside of the box, but also props to Netflix for forcing traditional TV to expand it's horizons. Now will this work for NBC? I have no idea, but I'm glad they are brave enough to try.

1967 was such an amazing year for music, all songs below are from 1967. "Aquarius" wasn't released as a single until 1969. However it was in "Hair", which made it's off-Broadway debut in 1967. It did eventually come to Broadway in April, 1968.

The Fifth Dimension "Aquarius (Let The Sunshine In)":

"Up Up and Away":

1967 is a big year for me, it was the year I was hatched, the # 1 song when I was born was a song of empowerment. The Queen herself, Aretha Franklin's "Respect":

This song captures Emma Karn's journey through the first episode of "Aquarius". Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon":

If you are looking for a close to perfect song to represent 1967, "White Rabbit" is very close to that perfection. It also happens to be one of the greatest songs of all-time It's one of the first songs played on the first episode of "Aquarius" and it was the main song that inspired this blog.

"White Rabbit" at Woodstock:



Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love":



The above two songs capture so well the generation of love in San Francisco and the rest of the country. These two songs below also do well in capturing the vibe of 1967 San Francisco.

The Animals' "San Franciscan Nights":



Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)":



The danger, the counterculture and the vibe.

Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth":



The Grass Roots "Let's Live For Today":



1967 was a big year for The Doors, they released probably their most famous song that year, "Light My Fire". However out of their songs from that year, that's their least most interesting song to me. Four of their songs captures the vibe of 1967. The Vietnam War, youth culture, revolution on the streets of America, the drugs, the sex, the establishment putting it's foot down/ fighting back.

"Let's Live For Today" and "The End" are both sides of the coin summing up life for some in this uncertain year.



"Love Me Two Times":



"Break On Through (To The Other Side)":



"People Are Strange":



The Turtles "Happy Together":



The Monkees "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone":



Judy Collins' "Both Sides Now":



Lulu's "To Sir With Love":



A double shot from The Moody Blues "Nights In White Satin":



"Tuesday Afternoon":



The Beatles "I Am The Walrus":



Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary":



Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown":



I love the absurdity of this video. For some reason they show the members of Procol Harum jogging. I'm sure the members of the band asked what did jogging have to do with their song? I'm not sure any answer given to that question made any sense. The sixth episode of "Aquarius" is titled "A Whiter Shade of Pale":



The Association's "Windy":



Keith's "98.6":



The Rolling Stones' "Mother's Little Helper": ("What a drag it is getting old", ain't that the truth)



The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On":



Johnny and June Carter Cash "Jackson":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Top 100 + iTunes Countdown Part 5: Songs Tied For 46th Place (Updated June 1st, 2015)

Hello,

This is the continuing top 100 + most played songs in my iTunes library. This is a living list, meaning if a song plays on my iTunes it will be updated in these blogs. Nine songs are tied for 46th place with 31 listens, those songs are presented below (with videos). Occasionally I'll post a bonus video, if I do so I'll list it as a bonus song.

In () is what the song was ranked on my iTunes countdown roughly one year ago. Debut obviously means it's that songs first time in my iTunes countdown.

44) "American Idiot's" Original Broadway Soundtrack "Favorite Son" (Tied for 74th Place):

44) Foreigner's "Urgent" (Debut):



44) Janice Kapp Perry's "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus" (Tied for 26th Place):



Bonus video: for those of you struggling with life and wondering what the purpose of life is, this song does a good job of explaining that. This is another Janice Kapp Perry written song "The Test":



Another bonus Janice Kapp-Perry song, a song about our Savior "No Ordinary Man":



Back to your regularly scheduled blog:

44) Quarterfly's "All Lies" (Tied For 54th Place) Check out this song on Spotify or Rdio.com. There's only one video for "All Lies" and it's a terrible live video. I'll spare you that video and post the video for another of their good songs "Do You Believe":



44) Taylor Swift's "Fearless" (Tied for 40th Place):



44) Taylor Swift's "The Story Of Us"(Tied for 40th Place):



44) Taylor Swift's "Haunted" (Tied for 40th Place):



44) U2's "Elevation": (Tied For 60th Place):



44) Waylon Jennings "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way": (Debut):

themusicaddict

Yeah, You Can Skip It/ That Or Leave It Behind

Hello,

I'll resume my iTunes countdown in the next day or two, my next countdown blog will feature the 11 songs tied for 44th place. Can you feel the excitement building, okay neither can I. Yeah, you can skip it or leave it behind is a new, semi-regular feature. I'll be highlighting things that I watched, listened to or heard about that you can skip.

First up is the new George Clooney movie, "Tomorrowland". I love George Clooney and think he's a great actor. However his new movie is only average, plus it's way too long. You feel every one of the 140 minute running time. Also for a movie that's suppose to be about the future, I was surprised by how many tired out cliches it used. Speaking of which the tired out cliche everything old is new again fit this movie like a glove. Yeah, you can skip it.

"Broadchurch" Season 2: the first season of "Broadchurch" was one of the best seasons of TV ever. However the two episodes I watched of Season 2 were boring and not entertaining. It's almost like the producers forgot all the things they did that made season 1 so good. Yeah, you can skip it.

"The Identical" movie, new to Netflix is this movie about twin brothers who were born to sing. I couldn't tell if it a rip off or a homage to Elvis Presley and his twin brother that died very young. But it's a very generic movie. It's so generic that the actor that plays both twins, his name isn't even a hyperlink on "The Identical's" Wikipedia page. Yeah, you can skip that.

"Bloodline" the final 3 episodes of Season 1. The first 10 episodes of this show's first season were absolutely amazing. I had to limit myself to only one episode per night or I would have consumed the whole show in 3 or 4 days. However the 11th, 12th and 13th episodes weren't terrible, but they also weren't amazing. Those last 3 episodes should have been condensed into 2 episodes and eliminated most, if not all, of the flashbacks and flash forwards. My suggestion to you the discerning TV watcher, watch the first 10 episodes. At that point leave the last 3 episodes behind, make up your own satisfying end.

"The Angriest Man In Brooklyn" movie: how can a movie with Mila Kunis and Robin Williams be so bad? This must be what they call a paycheck movie. All the things that made Williams so great in most of his movies was not on display in this movie. This movie about a man who was only given 90 minutes to live/ suicidal is haunted by that fact that Williams would take his own life only a short time later. Yeah you can skip that!

Dwight Howard's limited game: he gets by on his freakish athleticism but sadly he's 51 cards short of a full deck of cards. His shooting range is 3 feet and in. His free throws are so ugly that he shouldn't be allowed to shoot them until he can hit at least 70%. He's shooting about 32% from the free throw line in the series against the Warriors. How is that even possible? I'll tell you laziness and not having a killer instinct. Laughing on the bench while his team is down by 30 points tells you all you need to know about Howard. Howard could care less about winning. If he really cared about winning he would have more of an offensive game and could hit over twice his current free throw percentage. The rest of the Rockets season, yeah you can skip that. Golden State will close out the Rockets in Game 5 on Wednesday and I predict by a whole lot of points.

But you don't need to worry about Howard, he made $30 million this year for playing half the season and underachieving. What does he care, he gets paid no matter what.

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Top 100 + iTunes countdown Part 4: Songs Tied For 55th Place (Updated June 3rd, 2015)

Hello,

These are the top 100 + most played songs in my iTunes library. This will be a living list, meaning if a song is played it will be updated in these blogs. Twelve songs are tied for 55th place with 30 listens, those songs are presented below (with videos). Occasionally I'll post a bonus video, if I do so I'll list it as a bonus song.

In () is what the song was ranked on my iTunes countdown roughly one year ago. Debut obviously means it's that songs first time in my iTunes countdown.

55) Tenacious D's "Tribute" (Tied for 60th Place):

55) Taylor Swift's "Better Than Revenge" (Tied for 87th Place):

55) Taylor Swift's "Enchanted" (Tied for 54th Place):

55) Taylor Swift's "Change" (Tied for 40th Place):

55) Sniff 'n' The Tears "Driver's Seat"(Debut):

Run-D.M.C.'s "Raising Hell"(Debut):



55) Redlight King's "Underground" (Debut):

55) Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Tied for 40th Place):

55) Everlast's "White Trash Beautiful" (Debut):

55) Crystal Bowersox's "For What It's Worth" (Tied for 60th Place):

55) Cascada's "Evacuate The Dancefloor" (Tied for 74th Place):

55) Bob Marley and The Wailers' "Iron Lion Zion" (Tied for 74th Place):

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Top 100 + iTunes countdown Part 3: More Songs Tied For 67th Place (Updated June 6th, 2015)

Hello,

These are the top 100 + songs in my iTunes library. This will be a living list, meaning if a song is played it will be updated in these blogs. Twenty-nine songs are tied for 67th place with 29 listens, the last 11 songs of that group is presented below (with videos). Occasionally I'll post a bonus video, if I do I'll list it as bonus song.

In () is what the song was ranked on my iTunes countdown roughly one year ago. Debut obviously means it's that songs first time in my iTunes countdown.

67) (15) LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" (Tied for 35th Place):

67) (16) Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong" (Tied for 87th Place):

67) (17) Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks" (Tied for 35th Place):

67) (18) Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" (Tied for 40th Place):

67) (19) Hall and Oates "You Make My Dreams" (Debut)



67) (20) Guns N' Roses "Paradise City" (Debut):



67) (21) Green Day's "Welcome To Paradise" (Debut):

67) (22) Faith Hill's "This Kiss" (Debut):

67) (23) Don McLean's "American Pie":



67) (24) Cobra Starship's "Pete Wentz Is The Only Reason We're Famous" (Debut):

67) (25) Boys Like Girls (featuring Taylor Swift) "Two Is Better Than One": (Tied for 54th Place):

67) (26) Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Phunk With My Heart" (Debut):

67) (27) Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (Tied for 60th Place):

67) (28) B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Falling On My Head" (Tied for 60th Place):

67) (29) Alan Jackson's "Don't Rock The Jukebox" (Debut):

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Top 100 + iTunes Countdown Part 2: Songs Tied For 67th Place (Updated June 6th, 2015)

Hello,

These blogs are about the top 100 + songs in my iTunes library. This will be a living list, meaning if a song is played it will reflect in these blogs. Twenty-nine songs are tied for 67th place with 29 listens, the first 13 songs of that group is presented below (with videos). Occasionally I'll post a bonus video, if I do I'll list it as a bonus song.

In () is what the song was ranked on my iTunes countdown roughly one year ago. Debut obviously means it's that songs first time in my iTunes countdown.

67) (1) "Changes"- Yes (Debut):

66) (2) "Kiss Me Again"- We Are The In Crowd (featuring Alex Gaskarth) (Debut):

67) (3) "Drugs or Jesus"- Tim McGraw (Tied for 40th place):

66) (4) "Don't Take The Girl"- Tim McGraw (Tied for 60th place):

66) (5) "Waht You Need" (Chromeo Remix)- Tiga (Debut):

66) (6) "Speak Now"- Taylor Swift (Tied for 40th place):

66) (7) "Mine"- Taylor Swift (Tied for 60th place):

66) (8) "The Way That I Loved You"- Taylor Swift (tied for 74th place):

66) (9) "Breathe"- Taylor Swift (Tied for 60th place)



And now a bonus video, this is Taylor Swift's new song "Bad Blood". A perfectly good song and video, although I'm not sure why she allows yet another lame rapper to take away from the song. Adding a lame rapper to a perfectly good song is a trend that needs to end asap.

(67) (10) "Fur Cue"- Seether (Debut):



Oasis is one of the most egotistical, overrated bands ever. If I never hear about either of the Gallagher brothers ever again, that would just be fine with me. However I'm grateful for their moment of brilliance that lead to the creation of this amazing song.

67) (11) "Wonderwall"- Oasis (Debut):



67) (12) New Found Glory "Summer Fling Don't Mean A Thing" (Debut):



67) (13) "Bulletproof Heart"- My Chemical Romance (Debut):

67) (14) "U Can't Touch This"- MC Hammer (Debut):

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Second Annual Top 100+ iTunes Countdown Part 1: Songs Tied for 96th Place (Updated June 6th, 2015)

Hello,

These are the top 100 + songs in my iTunes library. This will be a living list, meaning if a song is played it will reflect in these blogs. Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" has already moved up this list. That was the first of many songs that moved up my iTunes countdown. Another song added to this list is Walk The Moon's "I Can Lift A Car".

Added June 3rd: Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Down At The Twist And Shout". Added June 6th: Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl", Q-Feel's "Dancing In Heaven (Orbital Bebop) and Frankie Valli's "Grease".

Since there are so many songs in this part of the countdown I'll not be posting videos for each song. However I'll post videos for all the other countdown blogs. These 35 songs are tied for 96th place with 28 listens, which is 4 more listens than the tied for 87th place songs had last year. In () is what the song was ranked on my iTunes countdown one year ago. Any song that features a video was added to this countdown after original publication.

96) (1) "Just The Way You Are"- Billy Joel (Tied for 54th)

96) (2) "She's Always A Woman To Me"- Billy Joel (Tied for 40th)

96) (3) "Allentown"- Billy Joel (Debut)
96) (4) "Uptown Girl"- Billy Joel (Debut):

96) (5) "Animal"- Cab (Debut)

96) (6) "You Make Me Feel..." Cobra Starship (featuring Sabi) (Tied for 40th)

96) (7) "Epiphania Domini"- Congregation of St. Lazarus Autun and Fulvio Rampi (Tied for 54th)

96) (8) "Rain King"- The Counting Crows (Debut)

96) (9) "Come On Eileen"- Dexy's Midnight Runners (Debut)

96) (10) "Norma Jean Riley"- Diamond Rio (Debut)

96) (11) "Romeo and Juliet"- Dire Straits (Debut)

96) (12) "Down With The Sickness"- Disturbed (Debut)

96) (13) "Pain"- Everlast (Debut)

96) (14) "Grease"- Frankie Valli (Debut):

96) (15) "Rockit"- Herbie Hancock (Debut)

96) (16) "Where Do The Children Go"- The Hooters (Debut)

96) (17) "Crimson and Clover"- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Debut)

96) (18) "Chain Reaction"- Journey (Debut)

96) (19) "She Believes In Me- Kenny Rogers (Debut)

96) (20) "My Sharona"- The Knack (Debut) (One of the least appreciated bands of all-time.) :

96) (21) "American Honey"- Lady Antebellum (Tied for 60th)

96) (22) "Immigrant Song"- Led Zeppelin (Debut)

96) (23) "So Right, So Wrong"- Linda Ronstadt (Tied for 70th)

96) (24) "Rainbow Tour"- Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Others (from the "Evita' Soundtrack) (Debut):

96) (25) Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Down At The Twist and Shout" (Debut):

96) (26) "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"- My Chemical Romance (Debut)

96) (27) "Hurricane"- Needtobreathe (Debut)

96) (28) "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"- The Platters (Debut)

96) (29)"Dancing In Heaven (Orbital BeBop)"- Q-Feel (Debut):
96) (30) "Together"- Styx (Debut) This song just joined this illustrious group. This is one of Styx's best songs, up there with their best songs:

96) (31) "I'll Be Your Shelter"- Taylor Dayne (Debut)

96) (32) "Don't Rush Me"- Taylor Dayne (Tied for 87th)

96) (33) "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)"- The Tokens (Tied for 60th)

96) (34) Walk The Moon's "I Can Lift A Car" (Debut):

96) (35) "Tube Snake Boogie"- ZZ Top (Debut)

themusicaddict

The Best Songs Of The Excellent E's Part 2: Best Songs of Musicians Whose Name Starts With E, (Finished May 23rd, 2015)

Hello,

Also starting this Memorial Day weekend, my second annual Top 100 + most played songs on my iTunes.

Here's the second and last E alphabet blog, at least for now.

A three play from Expose,
1) "Exposed To Love":

2) "Your Baby Never Looked Good In Blue":

3) "Come Go With Me":

Extreme's "More Than Words":

Evanescence's "My Immortal":

A two play from England Dan and John Ford Coley,

1) "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight":

2) "Nights Are Forever Without You":

Eagle Eye Cherry's "Save Tonight":

EarlyRise's "Narcissistic Cannibal":

A three play from Echo and The Bunnymen:

1) "Bring On The Dancing Horses": (One of the 10 amazing songs from the "Pretty In Pink" Soundtrack)

2) "People Are Strange": (One of the six or seven very good songs from "The Lost Boys" Soundtrack)



3) "The Cutter":

Eels "Novacaine For The Soul":

Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)":

A two play from Eisley
1)"Trolleywood":



2) "Telescope Eyes":

Elastica's "Connection":

EMF's "Unbelieveable":

A three play from the Eurythmics:

1) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)":

2) "Would I Lie To You?":

3) "There Must Be An Angel Playing With My Heart":

Evan and Jaron's "Crazy For This Girl":

Everly Brothers':

1) "All I Have To Do Is Dream":

2) "Cathy's Clown":

themusicaddict

The Best Songs Of The Excellent E's: Best Songs of Musicians Whose Name Starts With E, Part 1

Hello,

I've never been much of a fan of current rap. I could live without Kanye West, Jay Z and the ilk. With no apologies to Eminem, here are the best songs by musicians whose name starts with E. As with the other alphabet blogs I've written before, some bands one song pops immediately. That's the case with Everclear. For other bands I listen to several of their songs and I can't break the tie between a few of their songs, like ELO. Lastly there are those bands that have that one song that's their defining song, but I don't want to pick THAT song. But for some of those bands, I can't help but pick THAT song. One of those bands that fit that criteria is Europe. I tried to pick "Superstitious" and "Carrie", but for me there's no denying what their best song is.

Of course that song would be "The Final Countdown", one of the cheesiest videos ever. Clearly a video made in the decade of cheese, the 80's. But who doesn't love cheese?

Echosmith's "Cool Kids":

Elefant's "Uh Oh Hello":

En Vogue's "Free Your Mind":

Enigma's "Sadeness Part 1":

Enigma's "Sadeness" Parts 1-3:

The English Beat's "Save It For Later":

Earth, Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland":

Every Avenue's "Tell Me I'm A Wreck":

A fourplay of Erasure:

Music really was better back in the day. 1) "Chains of Love":

2) "Oh L'Amour":

3) "Take A Chance On Me":



4) "Love To Hate You":

Everlast's "White Trash Beautiful":

I believe the only reason that fate allowed Everclear to form was for this sublime pop nugget "Santa Monica": (I don't need any of their other songs. Now if someone can explain why fate allowed Nickleback to form- kidding, partially.) "Santa Monica":

Escape Club's "Wild Wild West":

The Eagles' threeplay:

1) "The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks":

2) "In The City":

3) "Heartache Tonight":

A fourplay by Electric Light Orchestra:

1) "The Last Train To London":

2) "Twilight":



"Twilight" (Live):

3) "Confusion":

4) "Hold On Tight":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Quick Reviews, "Homeland", Daredevil", Brian Wilson's New CD and Other Entertainment

Hello,

Quick reviews on music, movies and television shows that I've experienced recently.

Television:

Starting with the Netflix superhero show "Daredevil". Although I'm tired of all the recent superhero movies and TV shows, "Daredevil" looked intriguing enough that I thought I'd give it a shot. Honestly I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Spread over 13 episodes the story played out at a good pace, it was rarely predictable and for the most part I agreed with Daredevil's actions. One of my all-time favorite actors is Vincent D'Onofrio, so I loved that he played Wilson Fisk. Fisk is one bad dude, but D'onofrio brings out his more human characteristics. The only thing I didn't like about this show is that it was too violent. Both Daredevil and Fisk issue beat downs that went well beyond necessary.

I also love Vondie-Curtis Hall as the very good newspaperman Ben Ulrich. Also the opening sequence naming all the characters etc is one of my favorite openings ever. The animation with the partially complete bridge and the haunting music is excellent. It's much cooler on a big screen:

"Daredevil" overall is a very good show, I look forward to Season 2. I give it a solid B.

"Homeland", in it's fourth season the show is showing it's age. Although I'll probably watch the fifth season, this show shouldn't have a sixth season. The thing I'll always regret about this show is how Season 1 should have ended. If only Brody had been able to detonate the bomb at the end of that season, it would have easily been the best season in the history of television. Plus it would have saved the show those two extra seasons he stayed with the show. Season 4: Grade C.

"Broadchurch" Season 2, I watched the first couple episodes of this and that was enough. Grade: D.

Music:

I've listened to Brian Wilson's new CD "No Pier Pressure" a few times in the last few days. I'm really liking the CD. The songs are originals with Wilson and guest stars. The songs are great, the guests he invites on the CD are great and this is the most relaxing CD I've heard in the last several years. Great songs include: "On The Island" and many other songs. Grade: B+

Movies:

"Ask Me Anything": Grade C- The best thing about this movie is the solid soundtrack, highlighted by a series of unknown female singers. Soundtrack: B-.

"A.C.O.D." (Adult Children of Divorce), Grade: B- Not the best movie ever, but good enough. The story is heartfelt and humorous.

"The Identical"- New to Netflix with a decent cast, this movie doesn't live up to it's pedigree. This is a movie you can skip. Grade: D.

"Drinking Buddies": A perfectly average movie, grade C.

"Tears of the Sun"- a Bruce Willis movie that I thought would be a complete throwaway. However it was any thing but that. Willis is fantastic in this movie, playing his character with the perfect mix of humanity and gruffness. Also Monica Belluci does a great job as well. Her acting is excellent and she still manages to look good despite the wet, jungle environment. Although the movie is brutal in it's portrayal of genocide in Nigeria, it also has a very hopeful spirit to it. It would never have qualified for any Oscars, but overall a very solid movie. Grade: B, I highly recommend this movie to all that love a great movie and aren't too squeamish.

themusicaddict

Approximately The One Millionth Blog/Article Dedicated to the Late, Great B.B.King His Top Songs (Finished 5/16/2015)

Hello,

Rest in Peace Riley B. King- you will be missed!

Mr. King (featuring Robert Cray) "Playin' With My Friends":

"Everyday I Have The Blues":

Justifiably so, this song is considered his best song, "The Thrill Is Gone":

"Hummingbird":

"You Upset Me Baby":



"How Blue Can You Get":

"I Like To Live The Love":



"Sweet Sixteen":

"Paying The Cost To Be The Boss":

U2 and B.B. King "When Love Comes To Town":

B.B. King and Friends in concert:

The setlist:

1) "Intro"
2) "Why I Sing the Blues" (featuring Phil Collins, Albert King, Etta James, Billy Ocean, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gladys Knight and rest of the friends.)
3) "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (featuring Gladys Knight)
4) "The Thrill Is Gone" (featuring Eric Clapton and Phil Collins)
5) "I'd Rather Go Blind" (featuring Etta James and Dr. John)
6) "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" (featuring Billy Ocean)
7) "The Sky Is Crying" (featuring Stevie Ray Vaughn)
8) "Something's Got a Hold on Me" (featuring Etta James)
9) "In the Midnight Hour" (featuring Billy Ocean, )
10) "Ain't Nobody's Business" (featuring Gladys Knight, Chaka Kahn and Etta James)
11) "Let the Good Times Roll" (featuring all friends)
12) "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" (featuring all friends)
13) Jam (fades to end)

Line up :

B.B. King
Eric Clapton
Phil Collinns
Gladys Knight
Albert King
Steve Ray Vaughan
Etta James
Paul Butterfield
Dr. John
Chaka Kahn
Billy Ocean

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Best of the Continually Awesome C's, Part 2: CCR, CSN, Cinderella, Johnny Cash and Others

Hello,

With apologies to Cage The Elephant, The Church, Alice Cooper (although I'll see him in concert in a few months), Clutch, Children of Bodom, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, Coheed and Cambria, Cypress Hill, Cringe, Roseanne Cash, Jimmy Cliff, George Clinton, Canned Heat and Corrosion of Conformity. Some of those people have good songs, but I'm just not feeling it in this blog. Miley Cyrus had some good songs on a previous CD, but her latest vibe is pure skank. I'm not interested in giving her more attention for that.

It looks like from the songs that I've collected so far I'll eventually have 3 or 4 C blogs. I call these my alphabet blogs. Although previously I said I wouldn't, it looks like I'll be writing a third B blog. Also I'll be writing a second A blog and maybe a third A blog.

Many of these artists could have several songs as their best song, for Kelly Clarkson, Cinderella, Phil Collins and Johnny Cash I decided not even to try and confine them to one song.

Again for the most part these songs are my favorite song by that particular musician. Sometimes I picked a song that I didn't think got enough love or perhaps just another great song other than their most famous song.

One of my favorite songs of all-time, Peter Cetera's "The Glory of Love":

Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son":

C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now):

Here's an example of what I was talking about above, Crowded House's most famous song is "Don't Dream It's Over". However "Something So Strong" is a perfectly great song as well:

"Rock The Casbah" is a great song. "Should I Stay Or Go" is a great song and a great question. "London Calling" is both a great song and CD. However The Clash were more than just those songs, they also were "This Is Radio Clash":

Crosby, Stills and Nash "Southern Cross":

Camper Van Beethoven's "Pictures of Matchstick Men":

Jane Child's "Don't Wanna Fall In Love":

Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You":

"Behind These Hazel Eyes":

"Breakaway":

Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me":

Phil Collins' "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)":

And I know my go to Phil Collins song is that song, so I decided to include "In The Air Tonight":

Counting Crows' "Rain King":

Tracy Chapman's "Baby Can I Hold You":

Circa Zero's "Levitation":

I only decided tonight to add multiple songs for Cinderella. It was a rough day at work and I'm in desperate need of rock and roll therapy. Then I got home and there was some other shit going on, so my apologies.

Cinderella's "Somebody Save Me":



Cinderella's "Nobody's Fool":



"Gypsy Road":



Let's just go with a full concert, Cinderella live in Japan 1987:

Eric Church's "Springsteen":

Johnny Cash (with June Carter Cash) 1) "Jackson":

2) "A Boy Named Sue":

3) "The Man Comes Around":



4) "Folsom Prison Blues":



Mark Chesnutt's "I Just Wanted You To Know":

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Super Sad, But Still, Amazing Songs (Updated May 13th, 2015)

Hello,

I was going to write my continually awesome songs of C musicians 2, I call these my alphabet blogs. I left my notebook with all the list of all those songs at work. I've got it organized just like I want, so I'm postponing that blog for now. I've been thinking about posting a blog about some of the greatest sad songs of all-time. I even started started working on that list and Youtube suggested many other great songs. While working on this blog I'll be cheering on the Clippers to thump the lame Rockets again. I'll try to find some sad music to fit tonight's Rocket demise. Sadly the Rockets were able to delay the inevitable and now will be even more humiliated more on Thursday. Go Clippers!

These aren't the sad sort of heartbreak songs, these are very sad songs about some terrible things and people. Bad parents, people who made decisions and paying the emotional cost and songs that are just sad.

The death of the Rockets season isn't as sad as this song, actually the Rockets losing brings a lot of joy. Fake superstar Dwight Howard fails again. Terry Jacks' "Seasons In The Sun":

John Michael Montgomery's "The Little Girl":

Mary Chapin Carpenter's "This Shirt":

One of the saddest songs of all-time, it's a song that will be high on my personal top 100. I'll be counting down my personal Top 100 starting around Memorial Day weekend. Of course more than just one of these songs will be in my Top 100. Dolly Parton's "Me and Little Andy":

I knew that Youtube would make good recommendations for great songs for this blog, this is one of those. This is Harry Chapin's "Cats In The Cradle":

Don McLean's "American Pie":

Miranda Lambert's "The House That Made Me":

Miranda Lambert "Over You":

The Band Perry's "If I Die Young":

Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel":

Yes, I noticed this was mostly 70's songs and country music. I tried to think of songs from other genres that would be appropriate. Thus Blink-182's "Adam's Song":

Elton John's "Sad Songs (Say So Much)":

Elton John's tribute to Marilyn Monroe, "Candle In The Wind":

The sad but hopeful Michael Jackson song "Man In The Mirror":

USA for Africa "We Are The World":



This is a heartbreak song, but it's more than a heartbreak song. It's also a wistful look at the past. Green Day's "Whatsername":



Sufjan Stevens "Casimir Pulaski Day":



Gordon Lightfoot "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald":



One of the sadder days in American history, the death of four innocent students at Kent State. Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth":



Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction":



Kermit The Frog's "The Rainbow Connection":

Sad, nostalgic and bittersweet all in one song, The Kinks' "Come Dancing":

Hopefully I'll be writing the second C alphabet blog tomorrow night.

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Best of the Continually Awesome C's: Part 1: The Cars, The Cure, Neneh Cherry, Commodores + Others

Hello,

With apologies to Cage The Elephant, The Church, Alice Cooper (although I'll be seeing him in concert in few months), Clutch, Children of Bodom, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, Coheed and Cambria, Cypress Hill, Cringe, Roseanne Cash, Jimmy Cliff, George Clinton, Canned Heat and Corrosion of Conformity. Some of those people have good songs, but I'm just not feeling in this blog. Miley Cyrus had some good songs on a previous CD, but her latest vibe is pure skank. I'm not interested in giving her more space for that.

It looks like from what I've collected so far I'll eventually have 3 or 4 of the C blogs. Although I said I wouldn't, it looks like I'll be writing a third B's blog. Also I'll be writing a second A's blog and maybe a third blog.

My favorite Cracker song isn't "Low", but "Shake Some Action":

Belinda Carlisle, she'll be back when I work on the letter G for The Go-Go's. But my favorite song of her solo career is "Heaven Is A Place On Earth":

The Civil Wars' "Barton Hollow":

Christopher Cross' "Arthur's Theme (The Best You Can Do)":

One of the best beginnings of any song ever is in the first 55 seconds of this song: The Cure's "Just Like Heaven":

Patsy Cline's "Back In Baby's Arms":

I had to go with a different song for Michael Crawford other than "Phantom of the Opera" as I already mentioned that for letter B in his duet with Sarah Brightman. However I'm going to go with another "Phantom" song in "Music Of The Night": 

Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha":

Cursive's "The Sun and Moon":

The Cars' "Tonight She Comes":

Neneh Cherry's "Kisses On The Wind":

Cranberries' "Ridiculous Thoughts":

Commodores "Still":

Candlebox's "Far Behind":

John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band's "On The Dark Side":

Brandi Carlile's "The Story":

Obviously the Commodores, The Cars andChicago could have several songs as their best song. For those 3 bands I just picked one of their better songs. For Chicago I picked 3 of about 20 songs that could be their "best" song. "Feelin' Stronger Every Day":



"25 Or 6 To 4":



"Along Comes A Woman":

themusicaddict

The Best of the Bodacious B's, the Best Song of Artists Whose Name Starts With B (Part 2) Shirley Bassey, Black Box and Others

Hello,

This is part 2 of this blog, the previous B blog has 17 artists, this blog has 17 artists. No, I won't be making a part 3. However musicians whose name starts with M may break into three blogs. Solo artists or bands that start with M: Madonna (probably the greatest 80's and on female artist), two amazing rock bands in Metallica and Motley Crue, other great rock bands over the years like Meat Loaf, Eddie Money, My Chemical Romance and Mumford & Sons. Probably the greatest reggae artist ever in Bob Marley, also Paul McCartney, another great 80's and on artist in George Michael and the former Smiths singer Morrissey and 90's rock firebrand Alanis Morrissette. That doesn't even include Mighty Mighty Bosstones, John Mellencamp, Muse, Montgomery Gentry and Midnight Oil.

The Black Eyed Peas' "Rock That Body":

James has many great songs, but let's be honest "You're Beautiful" was over played. I can't go with that song. James Blunt's "Give Me Some Love":

Shirley Bassey's "Big Spender" (this is a great live version, but it's only about half of the video):

James Brown's "Living In America":

Sarah Brightman's (featuring Michael Crawford) "Phantom of the Opera":

George Benson's "Give Me The Night" (this song runs on about 45 seconds too long):

Band of Skulls "I Know What I Am":

How many times do you think Jimmy Buffet has sung "Margaritaville"?:

Lindsey Buckingham's "Go Insane":

Clint Black's "Where Are You Now":

Breeders "Cannonball":

Laura Branigan's "Gloria":

Bowling For Soup's "1985":

Luke Bryan's "I Don't Want This Night To End":

Anita Baker's "Giving You The Best I Got":

Black Box's "Ride On Time":

Billy and The Beaters "If At This Moment":

themusicaddict

The Best of the Bodacious B's, the Best Song of Artists Whose Name Starts With B (Part 1): Boston, Beastie Boys, Beach Boys and Others (Updated May 8th, 2015)

Hello,

Best songs by some of the best artists whose name starts with B.

My favorite band growing up and somehow I forget when I originally posted this blog. Blondie's "Heart of Glass":

Pat Benatar "We Live For Love":

Blink-182 "What's My Age Again":

"All The Small Things":

Boston "Foreplay/ Long Time":

David Bowie "Suffragette City":

Belle Stars "Iko Iko" (Remix):

Beastie Boys "Inergalactic":

I couldn't decide which one of these songs is my favorite Beach Boys song, but I found a video containing both songs "Wouldn't It Be Nice" & "Good Vibrations" (Live from Live Aid in Philadelphia, 1985"):

Bananarama "Cruel Summer":

Bee Gees "Stayin' Alive":

Bee Gees "Tragedy":

Berlin "Take My Breath Away":

Black Stone Cherry "Stay":

The Band Perry "Done":

Big and Rich "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)":

Big Audio Dynamite "The Globe":

Boom Crash Opera "Onion Skin":

Bobby Brown "Every Little Step":

Some of the the below bands I've never been a big fan of, only one hit or no hit wonders and or got way too much love over the years. I do have one hit wonders above, but that one hit still strikes a chord with me now. With apologies to Alicia Bridges, Bow Wow Wow, Beck, Baltimora (we'll always have "Tarzan Boy"), Bronski Beat, Basia, Boomtown Rats, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Bang Tango, Bon Jovi, Bush, Blur, Black Keys, Laura Branigan, Sebastian Bach, Barenaked Ladies, Bloc Party, The B-52s and Michael Bolton (okay maybe not an apology to him).

themusicaddict

themusicaddict's Review of Molly Guptill Manning's "When Books Went To War" (Updated and Completed May 17th, 2015

Hello,

My review of Molly Guptill Mannings's "When Books Went To War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War 2" will be at the end of this blog. First I want to share some of the details I discovered while I read this book. But so far I've loved this book, it's so amazing how much books helped in the World War 2 victory. Thanks to all of those that did all that hard work to make the lives of those engaged in the war effort just a bit easier and more enjoyable.

Note: I've paraphrased and directly quoted a lot from Manning's book- blame all mistakes on me.

I'd like to thank NetGalley.com and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for granting me early access to read this book. Sadly I didn't take full advantage of that so I would like to thank Davis County (Utah) Library System for having this book available to check out.

On May 10th, 1933 German students made their way to the Bebelplatz. Over 80,000 people were gathered to behold a sure to be spectacular sight. From "When Books Went To War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War 2": In the center of the Bebelplatz, a massive pyre of crossed logs, twelve feet long and five feet high, awaited. As the first revelers arrived, they threw their torches onto this particular structure. Blue flames shot skyward. It was a breathtaking sight. Soon the skeleton of logs erupted into a glowing mass of fire."

The number of books burned is unknown, but safe to say it was probably in the thousands. Books by authors such as Freud, Emil Ludwig (who wrote books about Napoleon and Bismarck) and Erich Maria Remarque ("All Quiet On The Western Front") were burned for such things as 'high treason against Germany" and "denigrating the German language and the nation's ideals".

Some sobering stats from this book:

- "By 1938, the Nazis had banned eighteen categories of books, 4,175 titles and the complete works of 565 authors, many of whom were Jewish."

- Hitler created the Einsaztstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR). "In Eastern Europe the ERR burned a staggering 375 archives, 402 museums, 531 institutes and 957 libraries".

- "It is estimated that the Nazis destroyed half of all books in Czechoslovakia and Poland, and fifty-five million tomes in Russia."

- "Nazis had banned and burned more than 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more."

Indeed while America was doing what it could to collect book for soldiers the Nazi's were in a book burning mode. There's a monument in Berlin's Bebelplatz that commemorates the Nazi book burnings of 1933. From Manning's book: "Set into the plaza's cobblestones is a glass plate covering a subterranean room lined with empty bookshelves." I love the symbolism of that.

"When Books Went To War" starts out with a excerpt from a soldier's letter to author Betsy Smith about how her book "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" has helped deal with the bad things of World War 2. That was likely one of the 120 million free books given out to soldiers and then passed from hand to hand, even as the books got more and more battered.

We learn a lot about how much effort the USA put into getting ready for WW2, including drafting people before building the structures they used for military training. These books were called Armed Service Editions (ASE). Explained how the books were made, their influence and how much joy they brought to GIs shivering in their foxholes. One of my favorite lines in the book: Americans "marched toward victory in Europe in 1945, they were carrying tens of thousands of copies of titles that were forbidden in the lands they walked on."

Details about the American Library Association's goal to collect 10 million books via the National Defense Book Campaign (NDBC) in 1942. Some of the important names in this whole process included Althea Warren. She was the first person hired to run this campaign, but she could only take 4 months from her job. So she gave her all in the 4 months she had. Following the Pearl Harbor attacks, the campaign was renamed the Victory Book Campaign. Warren was replaced by close friend John Connor. In April, 1942 book donations had reached 6.6 million volumes. Another key name is Marie Loizeaux, who served as the publicity director for this campaign.

But it wasn't enough so President Roosevelt made a VBC declaration. The efforts of common people and celebrities made a noticeable impact. Almost 9 million volumes had been collected by the end of April, 1942. Books were great as they were relatively cheap, small, portable and helped soldiers while away a lot of hours of boredom.

"Within one month of the ninth anniversary of the Berlin book burning, another million books were collected by the VBC." Despite pressure the VBC didn't back down and allow excessive censorship of these books. Many people noted the irony of that.

The book later mentions how later Armed Services Editions (ASE) helped soldiers who were preparing to land on Normandy Beach on June 6th, 1944. Books were created to be easy on soldiers eyes in poor lighting and obviously stressful conditions. In fact when "The Great Gatsby" was first released it was considered a flop. "But when this book was printed as an ASE in October, 1945, it won the hearts of an army of men. Their praise reverberated back home, and "The Great Gatsby" was rescued from obscurity and since has become an American literary classic."

Also later Overseas Editions were used to bring back books to where Nazism had briefly ruled. These books and programs also helped lead to the GI Bill, that helped hundreds of thousands of veterans get free educations.

This book is a very solid look into the Armed Service Editions and similar programs of World War 2. The book was just about the perfect length, there was already a bit too much repetition. I loved how Manning reminded us of WW2 history as she wrote about the ASEs and how the two worked together. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of history and fans of reading worldwide. The power of the written word was powerful back then and still serves as a powerful force today. Thanks to Molly Guptil Manning for sharing this fascinating history.

themusicaddict