While listening to WXPN, the radio station out of the University of Pennsylvania, the other day, a song I hadn't heard before started playing. The opening piano chords had this certain timbre that intrigued me. Then, when soulful horns, bass line and vocals kicked in, I was really drawn into the song. Finally, the male … Continue reading Artist to Watch: Fitz and the Tantrums
Category: video
My friend, singer-songwriter Christian Beach (with Gorgo on mandolin), recorded a cover of The Band's "Christmas Must Be Tonight" for a holiday compilation CD from Main Man Records called "Santa's Soundtrack for the Happenin' Holidaze" that was released last year. I put together a little video to accompany the song so Christian could share that … Continue reading Video: Christian Beach – Christmas Must Be Tonight (The Band cover)
The teaser trailer for the Kenneth Branagh-directed film version of Marvel's "Thor" -- starring Chris Hemsworth ("Star Trek") in the titular role, Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster -- made its official Internet debut yesterday...and it looks awesome. Enjoy! Yahoo! Movies - "Thor" trailer "Thor" is scheduled for U.S. theatrical … Continue reading Movie Trailer: “Thor”
In the fifth and final installment of Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers, we take a look at "Jersey Girl." The song was written and originally recorded by the great storyteller Tom Waits for his 1980 album, "Heartattack and Vine." The inspiration was his future wife and collaborator, Kathleen Brennan, who was living in New Jersey. … Continue reading Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers: “Jersey Girl”
The fourth part of this five-part series on Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers takes a look at "Broken Arrow," which was made into a hit by Rod Stewart, who recorded it for his 1991 album, "Vagabond Heart." But the song was written and originally recorded by Robbie Robertson -- formerly of The Band -- for … Continue reading Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers: “Broken Arrow”
The third installment in my five-part series of posts on Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers looks at "Hallelujah." The version of this song recorded by the late, great Jeff Buckley is regarded by some music authorities as one of the greatest recordings of all-time. Strangely, Buckley's take is based on John Cale's cover of the … Continue reading Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers: “Hallelujah”
For the second part of my planned five-part series looking at Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers, we turn to "The Greatest Love of All." Of course, everyone knows the version recorded by Whitney Houston that became an international hit. However, the song was originally performed and recorded by George Benson for the 1977 film "The … Continue reading Overshadowed Originals and Classic Covers: “The Greatest Love of All”
This is part one of a five-part series of posts this week that looks at original versions of songs made much more famous by other artists. Now, this doesn't mean I'm trying to take anything away from the more popular cover version, or saying that the original is always better. There are plenty of cases … Continue reading Overshadowed Originals & Classic Covers: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “They Don’t Know”
For those new to this blog, there is one thing you should know about me: I'm a huge "Doctor Who" fan. It started when I stumbled upon the "Robot" serial from the Tom Baker era (the guy with the long, colorful scarf) on Channel 9 (ol' WOR-TV) one Saturday afternoon as a kid. I've been … Continue reading Trailer: “Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol”
So here we are...the fifth and final installment of my Peter Gabriel video series this week, marking my 24th anniversary as a fan of PG. This is sort of a wild card for me as I didn't get to see PG on his recent "New Blood" tour in support of his orchestral covers CD, "Scratch … Continue reading 24 years of Peter Gabriel fandom: “Secret World” (1994)
Tandem With The Random 