By 1971, the non-stop run of hit albums and singles by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass was becoming a distant memory. In fact, Alpert was more intent on producing other artists and running his mega-successful A&M record label than going into the studio to record new material, especially if it was under the Tijuana […]
Song Of The Day – “MacArthur Park” by Richard Harris
Who knows what was going on in songwriter Jimmy Webb’s mind when he wrote the somewhat nonsensical lyrics to this song, but one thing for sure is that it is a classic brought to the upper regions of the charts not once but twice. Richard Harris was known primarily as an actor and not a […]
Song Of The Day – “Sail Away” by Bobby Darin
By 1972, Bobby Darin was long past his “Splish-Splash” rock ‘n’ roll beginnings and the supper club success that followed. He’d moved from his successful home at Atco records to the new confines of Capitol records where the supper club hits began to dry up. The late ‘60s was a turbulent time in our country […]
Song Of The Day – “Easy Come, Easy Go” by Cass Elliot
Only in the 1960s could someone as robust as Cass Elliot become an equally big star. Sure, she had talent to burn and a set of unrivalled pipes, but in this day and age of the thinner than thin in showbiz, she just would not have stood a chance…and a shame it would have been […]
Song Of The Day – “Turn To White” by She & Him
Music critics crack me up. They’re always looking for something to dis about a record in order to validate their jobs as critics. And, I suppose at times I am no different than the rest. Nothing is ever just great, some fault must be found in order to have something to say. I guess without […]
Song Of The Day – “Knowing When To Leave” by Dionne Warwick
“Walk On By,” “Anyone Who Had A Heart,” “You’ll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart),” “Message To Michael,” “Alfie,” “”Do You Know The Way To San Jose,” “I Say A Little Prayer” — the list goes on and on, making an argument for the notion that the songwriting partnership of Burt Bacharach […]
Song Of The Day – “Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis
Fluff piece…or Pure Pop For Then People… Smooth and intimate. Those are adjectives you don’t hear that often to describe much of the music being made today. But there was a time when smooth and intimate was the basis for an entire genre of music. I’m talking about Pop Music. Pop music of the pre-rock […]
Song Of The Day – “Chicken Fat” by Robert Preston
It’s “Poultry in motion!” (Sadly, I didn’t write this line but it was too great to pass up.) How many of you remember this gem from the early 1960s? Even though I was only one year old when this record was released to public schools across the nation, I distinctly remember exercising to this song […]
Song Of The Day – “Piggies” by Theo Bikel
Broadway and film star, folk singer, songwriter, civil rights activist, and back in 1969 Theodore Bikel attempted to add pop star to his list of credentials with the release of one bright and shining album for Reprise Records. As a Broadway star, Theodore Bikel originated the role of Captain Von Trapp in The Sound Of […]
Song Of The Day – Mad Men Double Header – “Don’cha Go ‘Way Mad” by Frank Sinatra and “Wives And Lovers” by Jack Jones
I know I’ve featured both of these classics before, but with the return of Mad Men to our TV screens for a new season, they both seemed appropriate to feature again. The first song is the epitome of the early seasons of Mad Men by America’s favorite playboy of the time. Back in 1962, Frank […]
