The Time of the Preacher

April 29, 2016 | Posted by Peter Jakobsen | Modern Music |

Happy Birthday, Mr Honey/Whiskey Tonsils!  Now (for God’s sake) get your hair cut! Willie is 83 today, which unfortunately means we may have to contemplate pushing him into TVC’s Dead Pool ™ some time soon…. But for now, let’s celebrate both kinds of great music – country and western – and from Texas, at that.  Willie is the last man standing at the Alamo, now that Waylon Jennings has gone. He has ‘cut’ a bunch of great ‘discs’ in his time but we particularly like: Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain Blue Skies (which everyone used to sing,…

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Prince Goes Uptown

April 22, 2016 | Posted by Peter Jakobsen | LIFE, Modern Music |

(photo by Jimi Hughes)

Vale Prince Rogers Nelson (7/6/1958 – 21/4/2016) Pardon the painful allusion, but a lot of his songs, technically superb as they are, were strictly elevator music.  But there’s Pop Life, Let’s Go Crazy, 1999, Nothing Compares 2 U, Raspberry Beret, Kiss, Sexy M.F., Peach and Cream.  Many of his songs had production touches frankly reminiscent of novelty songs, but he had je ne sais quoi – he had the power – he was virtually a cult.  And now he’s gone uptown. Vale.

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All the Young Dudes

March 25, 2016 | Posted by Peter Jakobsen | Modern Music, MUSIC |

Songs in Our Heart # 4 All the Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople) (Written by David Bowie; released July 1972) [Bowie‘s gift to Mott the Hoople is up there with his best. “Now I’ve drunk a lot of wine and I’m feeling fine Got to race some cat to bed Oh, is that concrete all around Or is it in my head? Yeah I’m a dude, dad“]

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“Welcome Back, My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends”

March 15, 2016 | Posted by Peter Jakobsen | Modern Music |

Emerson at the Moog in 1970 (photo thanks to Surka)

Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 10 March 2016) Anyone who has had the misfortune to sit through a spin of the record Switched on Bach by Walter – er, sorry, Wendy, Carlos, as well as a slew of other Moog travesties (from Moog Beatles tunes to Moog country and western) will know that the harmonic effect of this diabolical machine is as weird as some of its leading practitioners. Keith Emerson, who died last Thursday, was a leading exponent of prog rock, as exemplified by the synthesizer.  In particular, via Emerson, Lake and Palmer, which in its first incarnation…

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All by Myself

March 5, 2016 | Posted by Lesley Jakobsen | Modern Music, MUSIC |

Songs in Our Heart # 3 All by Myself (Eric Carmen) (Written by Eric Carmen; released December 1975) [Ah, Memories…]

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