All Hail the iPhone!!!

Yet another wonderful gadget aimed to make our lives even more technocentric. I'm talking about the iPhone, ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps you aren't familiar with the many functions of this product. I'll let the Conan O'Brien Show show you it's many features.



There's only one track I could think of that would fit with the release of the iPhone. Here's Blondie's cover of The Nerve's "Hanging on the Telephone". The Nerves were a L. A. punk band. The memebers of Blondie heard the Nerves song and tightened it up a bit.

A Different Kind of Dance Song

The world would be a better place if we still had dance halls. I believe that Ray Davies would agree with that statement. This wonderfully retro clip for the Kinks' 1980-s song "Come Dancing" seems to back up my opinion. Ray Davies stars as himself and his sister's date, while an actor playing young Ray Davies looks on.

Eddie Izzard and the Teachings of Cathol

Tonight, I have the pleasue of seeing Eddie Izzard perform live. It's going to be fun. Here's a little bit of Eddie discussing religion.

The Same Old Story, You Just Didn't Realize

Fame: makes a man think things over.

Today's featured song is another cool dance track. This one comes to us from English artis Just Jack. I was first introduced to this song by my friend Zak Stoltz, the producer of the "Lovefool" video. This song, "Starz in Their Eyes" is a classic look at the price of fame and the setting of a person up just so they can be knocked down. It should be noted that "Stars in Their Eyes" is a British TV show on whcih contestants must sing, dress and act as a famous performer...

Something Different

OK, this week I'll try to post five times. Let's see how honest I am with this promise.

Anyway, today we have a fun little clip for a summer's day. Junior Senior's addictive dance track "Don't Stop. "What I love about this video is the random nature of the clip and the NES quality animation that fits perfectly with the Nintendo like beeps and bips. I believe this is a song best left under-analized.

The Living is Easy

Summertime's here boy's and girls, and boy have I got a treat for you. Billy Stewart was a little known soul shouter who managed to strike gold once in his career with a killer version of George Gershwin's "Summertime." I try to not use youtube videos that are just slide shows, but this song is an exception.

Gay German Clown Robot

Klaus Nomi was a Bowie associate during Bowie's Berlin period. He combined Glam Rock with touches of Opera and other genres. The man was a true original. His look is as described in the title of this post. The song seen here is "After the Fall."

The Genius that is Jarvis Cocker

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been busy.

Anyway, today's long awaited post is a brief look at Jarvis Cocker, formerly of Pulp, who is now embarking on a solo career. "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" comes from his solo debut "Jarvis" which I bought yesterday and it is a great record. Jarvis originally wrote this song for Nancy Sinatra. Here's Nancy performing the song with Jarvis on the Johnathon Ross show in 2004. Nancy's take is done here in her '60s pop style.



The video for Jarvis' recording is a hoot. It's a nice parody of the average music video where people break into song and then after the song is over everything returns to normal. In jarvis' world this sort of action isn't all that typical.

Covers That Are Better Than the Original #1: "Watchtower"

OK, it's a rather obvious choice, but a good one.

"All Along the Watchtower"
Originaly by: Bob Dylan
Covered by: Jimi Hendrix

So Hendrix was at a party with his friend Dave Mason from Traffic and heard the Dylan song. He mentioned that he had always been a fan of Dylan's and would love to cover the song. The two then rushed to a recording studio and initially Mason was playing the 12 string guitar. Hendrix didn't like what he was hearing so he moved Mason to bass, and then eventually just took him off the track. Hendrix began to record every part on the song, except the drums, including a slide guitar that shifted from slide guitar to a wah-wah line. The slide effect was managed by using a cigarett lighter instead of a standard tube of glass. Dylan would be blown away by this revolutionary take on his originaly subdued, folky song. Since then, all of Dylan's live performances of "Watchtower" have been done closer to the Hendrix version. I suggest checking out the live version done by Dylan and the Band on the "Before the Flood" album.

Five Reasons You Should Buy the Traveling Wilburys Rerelease.

*Jeff Lynne
*Roy Orbison
*Tom Petty
*George Harrison
*Bob Dylan

In 1988 George Harrison was asked to write and record a B-side for an international single. He was having lunch with his producer Jeff (from the Electric Light Orchestra)and Roy (whose album Jeff was also producing). Roy offered to sing backing vocals on the track. They were all set to write and record when George remembered that his guitar was at Tom's house. They got the guitar and soon Tom was on board for the project. The four of them then remembered that Bo had a reocording studio in his house and so soon they were at Bob's place trading off lyrical ideas.

When the finished product "Handle With Care" was given to the record company, the execs and the musicians realized that this was too good for a b-side and soon the five friends would form the Traveling Wilburys. They would release two albums, the second of which was recorded after Roy's death. Unfortunately, these two fun albums went out of prin in the mid 1990s. But, just yesterday Rhino Records rereleased the albums in a great two disc set with bonus tracks and other goodies.

Here's the video for the song that started it all:

(Sounds like) Rock n Roll Bagpipes

Another day, another Australian band. Today, we feature the classic song from The Church "Under the Milky Way". Although yesterday's featured song actually features bagpipes, today's only sounds like it does. It's actually a guitar played with a device called an e-bow.

Actuall info on the E-bow can be found at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-bow



Tomorrow: Five Reasons You Should Buy the Traveling Wilburys rerelease.

Rock n Roll Bagpipes

Wooh, it nearly looked like I wasn't going to update today.

Anyway, today we feature probably the only hit rock song to feature a bagpipe. In fact, not only are bagpipes featured, but there's even a bagpipe solo! AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top" is a great rocker and before you start asking why an Australian band is featuring bagpipes, I should tell you that Angus and Malcom Young are Scotsmen. Bon Scott, who is not Scottish, is holding bagpipes and appears to play them. In fact, I believe that this is a live performance. It's worth mentioning that the street the band is driving down (Melbourne, Australia's Swanson Street) is near the current sight of ACDC Lane.



Tomorrow: One Song that Sounds Like it Features Bagpipes.

One Take Wonder

Massive Attack's classic track from 1991, "Unfinished Sympathy", not only brought the band fame, but its video was one of the first to use a continuous shot. Guest vocalist Sarah Nelson is seen walking down L. A.'s Pico Boulevard from S. New Hampshire Avenue to Dewey Avenue in one take, all while seemingly unaware of her surroundings.



The Verve's 1997 hit "Bittersweet Symphony" is based around a sample of an orchestral version of The Rolling Stone's "The Last Time", but that's a story for a different time. The video however, is inspired by "Unfinished Sympathy" but usese multiple takes and cuts. Here lead singer Richard Ashcroft is depicted walking down Hoxton Street in North London.



Finally, in 1998 Fat Les recorded a football chant parody called "Vindaloo" which would be adopted as a real football chant. The video is a direct parody of "Bittersweet Symphony" with the comedian Paul Kaye dressed to look like Ashcroft walking down the same street in London. Hilarity ensues.

Bad Music Spotlight #1: Mr. T treats his mama right

In 1984 Mr. T released a motivational video called "Be Somebody...or be Somebody's Fool!" There really isn't anything worth saying here except the following segment is pretty much a fair sample of the whole video. I fear that I'll be adding more clips from the video as time goes by.

So, for the first Bad Music Spotlight, here's Mr. T performing "Treat Your Mother Right"

Somnambulism

Today we celebrate the rock n roll instrumental with one of the most beautiful such pieces: Santo and Johnny Farina's "Sleep Walk". The song features the stell peddle guitar, an instrument that doesn't get as much play as it should anymore. It seems that "Sleep Walk" has been covered by almost every rock instrumental guitarist. Even Modest Mouse did a cover (with original lyrics).

The song itself is simple, but perfect for a last dance at the prom. It's a beautiful song, but one can hear a sense of melancholy in the song. It's apparent without hearing any lyrics that the song is one of sadness. There are in fact lyrics (written by the Farina brothers) expreessing the loss of a lover.



Sleep walk/Instead of dreaming/I sleep walk/'Cause I lost you/And now what am I to do/Can't believe that we're through/I don't care how much you tell me

Sleep talk/'Cause I miss you/I sleep talk/While the memory of you/Lingers like a song/Darling, I was so wrong/But I'll be right someday

The night/Fills my lonely place/I see your face/Spinning through my brain/I know/I miss you so/I still love you/And it drives me insane

Sleep walk/Every night/I just sleep walk/And when you/Walk inside the door/I will sleep walk no more

Wilkommen!

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

Welcome to the debut of my new blog "Postcards of the Hanging." It's going to be primarily a music blog but that won't stop me from talking about other topics that might come up. By the way, the title of this blog comes from Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row." In future editions of this blog, I'll look at Prince being parodied on "In Living Color" and archive versions of "Ring of Fire." You can also expect the standard record reviews and song analysis so often associated with blogs.

Here's an old video favoriet of mine: