Saturday, June 25, 2011

Great Patriotic Songs for July 4th

And no, for the thousandth time, "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen isn't a positive song about America by any means--it talks about the foolishness of Vietnam and the crappy way we treat our veterans.  You don't know much about politics if you think that is a song to wave the flag to and be proud.

"Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp isn't a positive song either--it's about how the rich have their mansions while the rest of us have "little pink houses".  Again, anyone who thinks that a song that says "He's got an Interstate running through his front yard, you know he thinks he's got it so good." is a song promoting the strengths of America had better do some soul searching.

Here are modern songs that talk about the positive things about America:

"Red, White and Blue" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Rockin' in the Free World" by Neil Young
"We're an American Band" by Grand Funk
"Living in America" by James Brown
"America" by Neil Diamond
"Back in the U.S.A." by Chuck Berry & later Linda Ronstadt
"Living in the U.S.A." by Steve Miller
"God Bless the U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood
"America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles
"Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning" by Alan Jackson
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." by John Mellencamp

Discography: Bruce Springsteen

This great talent from New Jersey was always referred to as "the future of rock & roll", etc.  He eventually lived up to the billing with his epic Born in the U.S.A. album.  I still remember President Ronald Reagan's campaign wanting to use the title song for political appearances and thinking "Man, only a dunce would think that is a positive song for America!"  Some people just don't get it.  One thing's for sure--there aren't too many better live acts.  Here is a complete list of Springsteen's albums:



1973:  Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey (#60, #41 U.K.)
           The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle (#59, #33 U.K.)
1975:  Born To Run (#3, #17 U.K., #27 New Zealand)
1978:  Darkness on the Edge of Town (#5, #14 U.K., #11 New Zealand)
1980:  The River (#1, #2 U.K., #2 New Zealand)
1982:  Nebraska (#1, #3 U.K., #3 New Zealand)



1984:  Born in the U.S.A. (#1, #1 U.K., #1 New Zealand)
1987:  Tunnel of Love (#1, #1 U.K., #6 New Zealand)
1992:  Human Touch (#2, #1 U.K. #6 New Zealand)
           Lucky Town (#3, #2 U.K., #6 New Zealand)
1995:  The Ghost of Tom Joad (#11, #16 U.K., #47 New Zealand)
2002:  The Rising (#1, #1 U.K., #12)
2005:  Devils & Dust (#1, #1 U.K., #13 New Zealand)
2006:  We Shall Overcome:  The Seeger Sessions (#3, #3 U.K., #12 New Zealand)
2007:  Magic (#1, #1 U.K., #2 New Zealand)
2009:  Working on a Dream (#1, #1 U.K., #1 New Zealand)
2010:  The Promise (#16, #7 U.K.)



Live Albums:
1986:  Live/1975-85 (#1, #4 U.K., #11 New Zealand)
1993:  In Concert/MTV Unplugged (#189, #4 U.K.)
2001:  Live in New York City (#5, #12 UK.)
2006:  Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (#93, #33 U.K.)
2007:  Live in Dublin (#23, #21 U.K.)

Compilations:
1995:  Greatest Hits (#1, #1 U.K., #1 New Zealand)
1998:  Tracks (#27, #50, #11 New Zealand)
1999:  18 Tracks (#64, #23 U.K., #1 New Zealand)
2003:  The Essential Bruce Springsteen (#14, #28 U.K., #2 New Zealand)
2009:  Greatest Hits (#43, #3 U.K., #1 New Zealand)
2010:  The Collection:  1973-1984
           The Promise (#16, #7 U.K., #1 New Zealand)

Five Best: Styx

The town of Boise, Idaho took great pride in helping "break" Styx.  The rest of the nation ignored song after song from the group while they were huge hits in Boise.  Finally, the rest of the country began to see what we had been seeing for years and Styx eventually became superstars.  Best Five's for artists as huge as Styx are tough to do, and I usually list Honorable Mentions, but Styx has so any great songs I need to temporarily expand the list to 10 in this case.  I still have to add Honorable Mentions for "You Need Love", "Crystal Ball" and "Renegade".

1.    "Come Sail Away"


2.    "Prelude 12/Suite Madame Blue"



3.    "Lady"


4.    "Babe"


5.    "Fooling Yourself"


6.    "Too Much Time On My Hands"



7.    "Lonely Child"


8.    "Lorelei"


9.    "Put Me On/Mademoiselle"



10.  "First Time"
 

In Concert: Led Zeppelin

The next segment of Inside the Rock Era's "In Concert" segment is from the Zeppelin, doing "Immigrant Song" in Sydney, Australia. Page was in rare form.



Lyrics to "Dawn Is a Feeling" by the Moody Blues

The Featured Song in The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* is "Dawn Is a Feeling" by the Moody Blues.  I will be putting another one up shortly, but wanted to include the lyrics to the Moodies'song:


Dawn is a feeling
A beautiful ceiling
The smell of grass
Just makes you pass
Into a dream

You're here today
No future fears
This day will last
A thousand years
If you want it to

You look around you
Things they astound you
So breathe in deep
You're not asleep
Open your mind

You're here today
No future fears
This day will last
A thousand years
If you want it to

Do you understand
That all over this land
There's a feeling
In minds far and near
Things are becoming clear
With a meaning

Now that you're knowing
Pleasure starts flowing
It's true life flies
Faster than eyes
Could ever see

You're here today
No future fears
This day will last
A thousand years
If you want it to


The #46 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Supernatural" by Santana

Each day, we are featuring one of The Top Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era*, and it brings us up to a rock veteran who scored not only a major comeback in the late 1990's, but the biggest album of his career.


Carlos Santana, one of the Top Five Guitar players in the Rock Era*, has the #46 Album* with Supernatural.  It has a lot going for it.  The album debuted at # 19 and reached #1 on the album chart where it spent 12 weeks.  It also logged 2 weeks at #2 and 4 weeks at #3.  The album was a fixture in the Top 10, registering 44 weeks there, and it remained a top-seller for 102 weeks (just short of 2 years).  To date, this incredible album has sold 15 million copies.  Surprisingly, it only had two major hits--"Smooth" and "Maria Maria" (both which were monster #1's).  Although the Track Rating* of 8.54 is one of the lower in the Top 100*, there are plenty of excellent tracks on the album.
The album was conceived by record executive Clive Davis, who suggested that Santana invite some of the top modern talent to participate in the tracks.  "Smooth" featured the lyrics of Rob Thomas, who at the time was the leader of matchbox twenty.  Thomas also sang the lead vocal for the song that topped the single charts for 12 weeks.  The Product G&B appeared on "Maria Maria"--that song was #1 for 10 weeks.  Never before had an album had two songs that reached double digits at #1.  Santana combined with Everlast for a song that did very well on the Modern Rock chart--"Put Your Lights On".  "Corazon Espinado" was a single in Spanish-speaking countries.  "Primavera" is one of the top instrumentals that Santana has ever done--it is superb.  "Love of My Life" with the Dave Matthews Band is another fine cut.  "Wishing It Was" included Eagle-Eye Cherry while "The Calling" brought in fellow ace guitarist Eric Clapton and features a "hidden track Day of Celebration" at the eight-minute mark.


Supernatural remains one of the most decorated albums in the Rock Era, capturing nine Grammy Awards, including the majors.  The album won Best Rock Album and Album of the Year while "Smooth" was named Record of the Year.  "Maria Maria" captured the Grammy for Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal  while "Put Your Lights On" won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.  "Smooth" was honored for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocal.  "The Calling" won for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.  "El Farol" won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

In addition to the nine statues won, Supernatural was also nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocal for "Love of My Life",

Supernatural won Favorite Pop/Rock album and earned Santana a nomination for Favorite Pop/Rock Group at the American Music Awards.  The album earned Santana the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Rock Group.  "Maria Maria" won the BMI Urban Award for Song of the Year.  Supernatural won California Music Awards for Single of the Year ("Smooth") and Album of the Year.  The album also won three Latin Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and won the Amigo Award in Spain for Best International Band. Santana was nominated for Best Music Video at the Billboard Music Awards and for Best International Group at the BRIT Awards.   Supernatural charted in 10 countries and sold over 27 million copies worldwide.




Supernatural:


1.    "(Da Le) Yaleo" (Carlos Santana, Ra, Polloni) --5:53
2.    "Love of My Life" (with the Dave Matthews Band) (Santana, Dave Matthews) --5:47
3.    "Put Your Lights On" (with Everlast) (Erik Schrody --4:45
4.    "African Bamba" (Santana, Ismaila Toure, Sixu Tidiane Toure and Karl Perazzo) --4:42
5.    "Smooth" (with Rob Thomas) (Itaal Shur, Rob Thomas) --4:58
6.    "Do You Like the Way" (with Lauryn Hill & Cee Lo Green) (Lauryn Hill) --5:54
7.   "Maria Maria" (with the Product G&B) (Santana, Perazzo, Raul Rekow, Ryclef Jean & Jerry Duplessis) --4:22
8.    "Migra" (Santana, Rafi Taha, Tony Lindsay) --5:28
9.    "Corazon Espinado" (with Mana) --4:36
10.  "Wishing It Was" (with Eagle-Eye Cherry) (Eagle-Eye Cherry, Michael Simpson, John King, Nishita) --4:52
11.  "El Farol" (Santana, Karl Porter) --4:51
12.  "Primavera" (Porter, J.B. Eckl, Chein Garcia Alonso) --6:18
13.  "The Calling" (with Eric Clapton) (Santana, Chester Thompson, Freddie Stone & Linda Graham) --12:28



 The musicians joining Carlos Santana (who played lead and rhythm guitars, congas, percussion and sleigh bells and contributed vocals) on Supernatural included Eric Clapton on lead and rhythm guitar, Everlast, Francis Dunnery, Sergio Vallin, J.B. Eckl and Al Anderson on rhythm guitar, Benny Rietveld, Mike Porcaro of Toto, Juan Calleros and Tom Barney on bass, Raul Pacheco played rhythm guitar and percussion, Chester Thompson, Loris Hollan, Alberto Salas and George Whitty were on keyboards, K.C. Porter played keyboards and accordion, drummers were Billy Johnson, Horacio Hernandez, Rodney Holmes, Alex Gonzales, Gregg Bissonette, Jimmy Keegan and Carter Beauford, Karl Perazzo played congas, timbales and percussion, Herberto Hernandez played percussion and Raul Rekow and Luis Conte on congas and percussion.


 Danny Wilensky played sax and flute, Mic Gillette and Jose Abel Figueroa played trombone and trumpet, Steve Toure, Ramon Flores and Jeff Cressman played trombone, Joseph Daley played tuba, Earl Gardner played trumpet and flugelhorn and Marvin McFadden, Javier Melendez and William Ortiz played trumpet.  Joseph Herbert played cello, Daniel Seidenberg and Hari Balakrisnan played viola and Jeremy Cohen was on violin.  Dave Matthews, Everlast, Rob Thomas, Lauryn Hill, Cee-Lo, Eagle-Eye Cherry, the Product G&B, Chad & Earl and Fher Olvera sang lead vocals while Perazzo, Tony Lindsay, Porter, Gonzalo Chomat, Gonzales, Hill, K.C. Porter, Fher Olivera, Jeanie Tracy and Lenesha Randolph contributed backing vocals.


Supernatural was recorded from 1998-1999 and produced by multiple people--Clive Davis, Jerry "Wonder" Duplessis, the Dust Brothers, Alex Gonzalez, Charles Goodan, Lauryn Hill, Art Hodge, Wyclef Jean, Fher Olivera, K.C. Porter, Dante Ross and Matt Serletic.  The album was released June 15, 1999 on Arista Records.


Santana comes in at #46 with Supernatural.

Friday, June 24, 2011

This Date in Rock Music History: June 25

1961:  Elvis Presley recorded "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame)" in Nashville, Tennessee.





1962:  Bent Fabric released the 45 "Alley Cat".
1964:  Elvis Presley rose to #1 in the U.K. with "It's Over".











1966:  Neil Diamond performed "Solitary Man" during his American national television debut on American Bandstand on ABC-Tv.
1966:  It was a heck of a show at the Hollywood Bowl.  The Beach Boys, Byrds, Lovin' Spoonful and Percy Sledge performed.
1966:  The Temptations had the new #1 R&B song with "Ain't Too Proud To Beg".






1966:  The Beatles recorded the second biggest jump to #1 in the Rock Era (15-1) when "Paperback Writer" leaped to #1 on this date.  Frank Sinatra moved up to #2 with "Strangers In The Night" while the former #1 "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones fell to 3.  Lovin' Spoonful dropped after peaking at #2 with "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?".  The rest of the Top 10:  Simon & Garfunkel with "I Am A Rock", the Cyrkle with "Red Rubber Ball", Robert Parker had "Barefootin'" up to 7, the Capitols were at #8 with "Cool Jerk", Dusty Springfield hit the Top 10 with "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" while "Sweet Talkin' Guy" by the Chiffons edged up to #10.





1967:  The Beatles premiered the single "All You Need Is Love" on the television special Our World before a worldwide audience of 400 million.
1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience gave a free afternoon concert at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and then played two more shows at the Fillmore West that night.
1969:  The Hollies began recording "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" with Elton John playing piano at Abbey Road Studios in London.  (Note:  some websites report that the group recorded the song on May 25.  They started recording June 25, and finished with the song on August 7, according to the newspaper 'The Manchester Beat'.)
1969:  Sly & the Family Stone recorded "Hot Fun In The Summertime".
1969:  The Guess Who received their first Gold record with the song "These Eyes".  (Note:  some say the group earned their Gold record on August 16, but it was on June 25, according to the official website for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
1970:  Daryl Hall & John Oates recorded together for the first time under the name Whole Oats.










                                           "Can't Find the Judge" from The Dream Weaver...

1975:  Gary Wright, keyboardist with Spooky Tooth, released the great solo album The Dream Weaver.
1977:  The Muppet Show was the #1 album in the U.K.









                     A radio station that does not play the prelude "Threshold" is cheating you...

1977:  The Steve Miller Band landed in the Top 10 with "Jet Airliner".







 



1977:  England Dan & John Ford Coley took over at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "It's Sad To Belong".










1979:  Earth, Wind & Fire released the single "After The Love Has Gone".  (Note:  one website naively says the single was released July 12.  "After The Love Has Gone" debuted on the Singles chart on July 7.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)









1979:  Little River Band released the single "Lonesome Loser".
1982:  The Rolling Stones performed in England for the first time in six years with the first of two nights at Wembley Stadium in London.
1983:  The Police scored a #1 album in their native England.









                                 We reacquainted ourselves with Sergio Mendes...

1983:  Irene Cara made it five weeks in a row for one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* with "Flashdance...What A Feeling".  Culture Club had to settle for #2 with "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" while Eddy Grant slid up one with "Electric Avenue".  The Police were hot (14-4) with "Every Breath You Take".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Let's Dance" fell to #5 for David Bowie, Hall & Oates saw "Family Man" go up to 6, Styx was stuck at 7 with "Don't Let It End", Sergio Mendes had his first Top 10 hit in 15 years with "Never Gonna' Let You Go", Rick Springfield remained at 9 with "Affair Of The Heart" and One Hit Wonder Kajagoogoo made it with "Too Shy".
1984:  Patti Scialfa joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.  She would later become Springsteen's wife.
1984:  The Soundtrack to "Purple Rain" was released.  It would soon rule the airwaves and be the album that took over the #1 spot from Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A.

1987:  Highly successful songwriter Boudleaux Bryant died of cancer in Knoxville, Tennessee at the age of 67.  Together with his wife Felice, Bryant wrote "Bye Bye Love", "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and "Wake Up Little Susie" for the Everly Brothers.  Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett, Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Cher and Ray Charles all recorded songs by the songwriting duo.
1988:  "Make It Real" by the Jets was the new #1 Adult Contemporary song.




                                             Def Leppard from their masterpiece...

1988:  Debbie Gibson moved into the #1 slot with "Foolish Beat".  Michael Jackson moved up to challenge with "Dirty Diana", Rick Astley fell from the top spot to #3 with "Together Forever".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Make It Real" from the Jets, Cheap Trick at #5 with "The Flame", Bruce Hornsby and the Range were up to 6 with "The Valley Road", George Michael's former #1 "One More Try" was at #7, Prince with "Alphabet Street", Pebbles entered the Top 10 with "Mercedes Boy" while Def Leppard scored one of four Top 10's from the album Hysteria--"Pour Some Sugar On Me", which rose from 18-10.
1988:  Hillel Slovak of the Red Hot Chili Peppers died from drugs at the age of 26 in Hollywood, California.
1993:  The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Crowes, Lenny Kravitz, Verve and the Lemonheads performed during the first day of the Glastonbury Festival in England.
1993:  Bruce Springsteen was a guest on David Letterman's final show as host of Late Night on NBC-TV.
1994:  Jimmy Jam, producer of numerous albums including Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, married Lisa Padilla.
1994:  The Stone Temple Pilots topped everyone on the Album chart with Purple.
1994:  All-4-One remained at #1 for the sixth week with "I Swear".
1995:  Pearl Jam canceled their tour due to an ongoing fight with Ticketmaster.

1997:  A full lineup of Motown stars attended the Detroit funeral of Lawrence Payton, the former member of the great group the Four Tops, who had died of liver cancer.
2002:  The ABBA album Gold--Greatest Hits was certified as selling over six million copies by the RIAA.
2003:  Monica had the top album with After the Storm.
2004:  Elton John booked his first-ever concert in China, set for September.
2004:  Paul McCartney, Morrissey, the Black Eyed Peas, Oasis and Nelly Furtado were among the performers at the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K.
2004:  David Bowie underwent an emergency angioplasty to open up a blocked artery.
2004:  Eric Clapton raised $7.5 million for a drug addiction center in the Caribbean.  He sold a Stratocaster guitar that he played from 1970-1985 for $1 million, a 1964 Gibson for $847,000 and a 1939 Martin acoustic guitar that Clapton played on his Unplugged album sold for $800,000.
2005:  Coldplay headlined the second day of the Glastonbury Festival in England.
2006:  The Eagles were in concert at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.


2006:  Nelly Furtado topped the U.K. chart with "Maneater" for a third week.
2006:  Jazz superstar Diana Krall and husband Elvis Costello announced that she was expecting.








2006:  Arif Mardin, producer and arranger who won 11 Grammy Awards, died at the age of 74 from pancreatic cancer in New York City.  Mardin worked at Atlantic Records for over 30 years, working with Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack and Norah Jones.
2006:  Longtime television producer and journalist Elkan Allan, who produced the British pop show Ready Steady Go! during the '60s, died of a stroke in Islington, London at the age of 83.
2009:  A pop memorabilia auction in New York City fetched hefty prices.  A Sgt. Pepper's souvenir poster signed by all four Beatles sold for $52,500, Kurt Cobain's bass guitar sold for $43, 750 and a set of Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics fetched $25,000.
2009:  Sky Saxon, lead singer of the Seeds ("Pushin' Too Hard"), died from an internal infection in Austin, Texas at the age of 71.

2009:  Michael Jackson, lead singer of the Jackson 5 and one of the most successful singers the world has ever known, died at the age of 50 after suffering heart failure from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home in Beverly Hills, California.  The condition was a result of his doctor over-prescribing drugs. The doctor was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and served a two-year prison sentence. Jackson had been working hard in rehearsal for 50 upcoming sold-out concerts to over one million people in London.
2010:  Rush received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Born This Day:
1935:  Eddie Floyd ("Knock On Wood") was born in Montgomery, Alabama.

1939:  Harold Melvin, singer and leader of the Blue Notes, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died March 24, 1997 in Philadelphia after suffering a stroke in July and another suspected stroke shortly before his death.
1940:  Clint Warwick (Albert Eccles), the original bass guitarist with the Moody Blues, was born in Aston, Warwickshire, England; died of liver disease in 2004 at the age of 63.  (Note:  several websites naively say Warwick was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.  The county of West Midlands did not exist until 1974, 34 years after Clint was born, so it is physically impossible for him to have been born in the county of West Midlands and you will never see West Midlands listed as the County of Birth on his official birth certificate.  When Warwick was born in 1940, Aston was located in the county of Warwickshire.)



1945:  Carly Simon was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  several websites are lazy and simply say she was born in New York City, which of course consists of five independent boroughs, each with their own population.  Others say Carly was born in Manhattan.  Unfortunately, there are no credible sources for her birthplace, but our best research indicates she was born in the Bronx.)
1946:  Ian McDonald, keyboardist and a founding member with King Crimson and Foreigner, was born in London.
1946:  Alan Lanier, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and an original member of Blue Oyster Cult, was born in Queens, New York; died of C.O.P.D. August 14, 2013 in Manhattan, New York.  (Note:  the notorious 'Allmusic.com' and other websites naively say Lanier was born on Long Island, New York.  Long Island is neither a city nor a county and you will never see Long Island listed on Alan's official birth certificate.  For the benefit of those websites, although Long Island is not a city, Queens is, and that is where Lanier was born.)
1952:  Tim Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House, was born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand.






1954:  David Paich, one of the greatest session musicians of the Rock Era and vocalist, keyboard player, songwriter, arranger and producer with Toto, was born in Los Angeles.







1963: George Michael (Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou) was born in East Finchley, Middlesex, England; died December 25, 2016 in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.  (Note:  many websites naively say George was born in East Finchley, London.  East Finchley did not become a part of the county of London until 1965, two years after Michael was born.  In 1963, East Finchley was located in the county of Middlesex, and you will never see London listed as his County of Birth on Geoergios' official birth certificate.)
1972: Mike Kroeger of Nickelback was born in Hannah, Alberta, Canada.

Top Five Countries--June 24, 2011

Congratulations to United Arab Emirates, first time in the top five for a day!

The Top Five:
1.  United States 91
2.  Germany 18
3.  Brazil 10
4.  United Arab Emirates 9
5.  U.K. 7

Discography: Bob Seger

The Detroit rocker really paid his dues for years before having much success, but when it came, he became a superstar.  He put out some of the best, most consistent albums from the mid-70's well into the 80's.  I knew the Capitol promotion man well and we talked long about how great Seger was!  Here is his complete discography:

The Bob Seger System:
1969:  Ramblin' Gamblin' Man (#62)
           Noah
1970:  Mongrel (#171)



Bob Seger:
1971:  Brand New Morning
1972:  Smokin' O.P.'s (#180)
1973:  Back in '72 (#188)
1974:  Seven
1975:  Beautiful Loser (#131)



Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band:
1976:  Night Moves (#8)  --outstanding album
1978:  Stranger In Town (#4, #31 U.K.) --outstanding album
1980:  Against the Wind (#1, #26 U.K.) --excellent to outstanding album
1982:  The Distance (#5, #45 U.K.) --very good album
1986:  Like a Rock (#3, #35 U.K.) --excellent album
1991:  The Fire Inside (#7) --excellent album
1995:  It's a Mystery (#27)
2006:  Face the Promise (#4)

Live Albums:
1976:  Live Bullet (#34)
1981:  Nine Tonight (#3, #24 U.K.)

Compilations:
1979:  The Bob Seger Collection
1990:  The Singles 66-67
1994:  Greatest Hits (#8, #6 U.K.)
2003:  Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (#23)
2004:  Lookin' Back
2009:  Early Seger, Volume 1

Hits List: Huey Lewis and the News

This San Francisco group was as hot as anyone in the mid-80's.  They racked up 22 hits, with 13 of those going Top 10 and 3 #1's.  Proving they were popular across different formats, Huey and the group also charted 14 Adult Contemporary hits, with five of those going Top 10, and also charted on Mainstream Rock.  Here is their complete chart record:


1979:  "Exo-Disco" (as Huey Lewis and the American Express)
1980:  "Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later)"
           "Now Here's You"
1982:  "Do You Believe In Love" (#7, #18 Australia)

           "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do" (#36)
           "Workin' For a Livin'" (#41)
1983:  "Heart and Soul" (#8, #25 Australia, #61 U.K.)
1984:  "I Want a New Drug" (#6, #27 Australia)
           "The Heart of Rock and Roll" (#6, #58 Australia, #78 U.K.)
           "If This Is It" (#6, #5 Adult Contemporary, #20 Australia, #39 U.K.)
           "Walking On a Thin Line" (#18, #70 Australia)
1985:  "The Power of Love" (#1, #6 AC, #1 Australia, #11 U.K.)
           "Back In Time" (#3 Mainstream Rock)
1986:  "The Power of Love" (re-issue) --#9 U.K.
           "The Heart of Rock and Roll" (re-issue) --#49 U.K.
           "Stuck With You" (#1, #1 AC, 2 Australia, #12 U.K.)
           "Hip To Be Square" (#3, #20 AC, #17 Australia, #41 U.K.)
           "Some of My Lies Are True (Sooner or Later) --re-issue



1987:  "Jacob's Ladder" (#1, #17 AC, #48 Australia)
           "I Know What I Like" (#9, #30 AC)
           "Simple As That"
           "Doing It All For My Baby" (#6, #2 AC, #93 U.K.)
1988:  "Perfect World" (#3, #1 AC, #22 Australia, #48 U.K.)
           "Small World, Part 1"  (#25, #19 AC)
1989:  "Give Me the Keys (And I'll Drive You Crazy) --#47, #42 AC
           "World To Me" (#84 U.K.)

           "Walking With the Kid" (#98 U.K.)
1991:  "Couple Days Off" (#11, #3 Mainstream Rock, #40 Australia)
           "It Hit Me Like a Hammer" (#21, #10 AC)
           "He Don't Know" (#40 AC)
1993:  "It's All Right" (#7 AC)
1994:  "(She's) Some Kind of Wonderful" (#44, #7 AC, #84 U.K.)

           "But It's Alright" (#54, #5 AC)
1995:  "Little Bitty Pretty One" (#27 AC)
1996:  "100 Years From Now" (#10 AC)
2001:  "Let Her Go and Start Over" (#23 AC)

           "I'm Not In Love Yet" (with Wynonna Judd) --#30 AC

Discography: John Lennon

As he was one of the greatest lyricists in the history of music, it was no surprise that John Lennon continued to find success after the breakup of the Beatles in 1970.  If Lennon's songs did nothing else, they made us ponder.  No matter what the topic, Lennon knew what he wanted to say and he said it.  Here is his complete discography since 1970:



1970:  John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band (#6, #8 U.K., #13 Norway)
1971:  Imagine (#1, #1 U.K., #1 Norway)
1972:  Sometime in New York City (#48, #11 U.K., #2 Norway)
1973:  Mind Games (#9, #13 U.K., #7 Norway)
1974:  Walls and Bridges (#1, #6 U.K., #3 Norway)
1975:  Rock 'n' Roll (#6, #6 U.K., #9 Norway)
1980:  Double Fantasy (#1, #1 U.K., #1 Norway)
1984:  Milk and Honey (#11, #3 U.K., #7 Norway)

Live Albums:
1969:  Live Peace in Toronto 1969 (#10, #19 Norway)
1986:  Live in New York City (#41, #55 U.K.)


Compilations:
1975:  Shaved Fish (#12, #8 U.K., #9 Norway)
1982:  The John Lennon Collection (#33, #1 U.K., #1 Norway)
1986:  Menlove Ave. (#127)
1988:  Imagine:  John Lennon
1997:  Lennon Legend:  The Very Best of John Lennon (#65, #3 U.K)
1998:  John Lennon Anthology (#99, #64 U.K.)
          Wonsaponatime (#76 U.K.)
2001:  Instant Karma:  All-Time Greatest Hits
2004:  Acoustic (#31, #133 U.K.)
2005:  Peace, Love & Truth
          Working Class Hero:  The Definitive Lennon (#135, #11 U.K., #13 Norway)
2006:  The U.S. Vs. John Lennon
           Remember (#44)
2010:  Gimme Some Truth (#196)
           Power to the People:  The Hits (#24, #15 U.K.)
           John Lennon Signature Box (#148)

Five Best Songs: Jefferson Airplane/Starship

This group has almost been like a corporate rock group, going through numerous lineup changes, styles, and even name changes.  They outlived most of their peers through it all, and have put out some great music over the years.  This was a tough one narrowing it to five, so I have to give Honorable Mention to "Count On Me", "Jane" and "Sara".  Here is the Airplane/Starship's Five Best:




1.  "Miracles"


2.  "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now"


3.  "Somebody To Love"


4.  "White Rabbit"


5.  "We Built This City"

The #47 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Getz/Gilberto" by Stan Getz & Jaoa Gilberto

Unlike all rankings of Top Albums that I've seen, a computer formula shows no prejudice.  All data is inputted and the ranking that is shown is the one that the American public has influenced by its decisions--which radio stations people listen to, what music they purchase and what concerts they go to.

So although we have an album here that is not rock by nature, it made itself known during the Rock Era.  Saxophonist Stan Getz teamed with guitarist Joao Gilberto for Getz/Gilberto.  In the midst of the British Invasion that really was the birth of the modern era of rock music, this jazz/boss nova album elbowed its way into the Top 10 for 16 weeks, peaking at #2 for two weeks.  It remained a bestseller for 96 weeks.  While surprisingly it is still an "undiscovered gem" as a Gold album, it does have a superb Track Rating* of 9.25.






The release of this album created a bossa nova craze in the United States and around the world.  Astrud Gilberto, who sang the incredible vocal on "The Girl from Ipanema" into a superstar.  "Desasfinado", "Pra machucar meu coracao", "Corcovado" and "O grande amor" are all excellent tracks, but the truth is that the entire album can be tracked through without skipping a song; it's that good.

Getz/Gilberto was one of the most decorated albums of the Rock Era, winning four Grammies--Album of the Year, Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Engineered Album, Non Classical.  "The Girl from Ipanema" captured the Record of the Year as well.  Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote a good deal of the songs on the album.


Getz/Gilberto:

Side one
1.  "The Girl from Ipanema" (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Norman Gimbel) --5:24
2.  "Doralice" (Dorival Caymmi, Antonio Almeida) --2:45
3.  "Pra machucar meu coracao" (Ary Barroso) --5:05
4.  "Desafinado" (Jobim, Newton Mendonca) --4:15

Side two
5.  "Corcovado" (Jobim, Gene Lees) --4:16
6.  "So danco samba" (Jobim, de Moraes" --3:45
7.  "O grande amor" (Jobim, de Moraes) --5:27
8.  "vivo sonhando" (Jobim) --3:04

Tracks 9 & 10 are included on the CD.
9.  "The Girl from Ipanema" (45) --Jobim, Moraes, Gimbel (2:54)
10.  "Corcovado" (45) Jobim, Lees (2:20)



Getz plays the tenor sax with Gilberto contributing great guitar work and vocals and Jobim piano.  Sebastiao Neto played bass on the album while Milton Banana was the drummer and as mentioned, Astrud Gilberto sang on "The Girl" and also "Corcovado".  Creed Taylor produced this great album.

Getz/Gilberto was recorded March 18 & 19 (they didn't mess around!) of 1963 at A&R Recording Studios in New York City.  It was released in late-March of 1964 on Verve Records.

Relax and enjoy this smooth, fantastic album at #47--Getz/Gilberto.