Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Rock On” by David Essex It was the era of T. Rex’s Electric Warrior, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and Lou Reed’s Transformer. Glam rock was all the rage as were Roxy Music, Mott The Hoople and The New York Dolls. And there was also a new brand […]
Song Of The Day – “This Ain’t No Picnic” by Minutemen
I’ve been spinning tracks by San Pedro’s Minutemen all day, since it was 27 years ago today (12/22) that lead singer, D. Boon, died in a car wreck. Minutemen were such an important band to me and my cohort back in the early 1980s. They were a band that cut through the image-centered video-centric MTV […]
Song Of The Day – “Blues Is A Woman” by Lou Rawls with The Les McCann Trio
Most people remember Lou Rawls for his silky-smooth vocal delivery and his disco era hit “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” but by the time he had that hit in 1976, Rawls had already been recording albums, and yes many hits, for 14 years. Chicago-born Rawls got his start by replacing Sam Cooke in […]
Song Of The Day – “Stay” by Rihanna (featuring Mikky Ekko)
Rihanna makes great records …her albums are wildly inconsistent, but recording hit singles is her strength, and over the span of seven years, Rihanna has established herself as one of the biggest pop stars ever. Her latest album is called “Unapologetic,” and it is her most ballad-heavy release. The album’s title references her decision to […]
Today in Rock History – July 24
1965, The Byrds were at number one on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song “Mr Tambourine Man.” It was the first Bob Dylan song to reach the top of the charts. Across the Atlantic, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones began the third of it’s four […]
Song Of The Day – “Jump Into The Fire” by LCD Soundsystem
I finally got around to watching the LCD Soundsystem film “Shut Up And Play the Hits” which chronicles the last LCD show from April, 2011 before James Murphy and company decided to pull the plug on the band. While I loved LCD, I always thought they were somewhat derivative of their inspirations including Talking Heads, […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Where Was You At” by WAR
When they first began recording, it was Eric Burdon and WAR and War were billed as the backing band for Eric Burdon of the The Animals. The group was the brainchild of Burdon and Jerry Goldstein who was a member of The Strangeloves and co-writer of such classic singles as “I Want Candy,” “My Boyfriend’s […]
Today in Rock History – July 12
1962, The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass (later of The Pretty Things) and Mick Avory on drums, (later of The Kinks). They were a last minute fill-in for Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, who had been plucked to appear on BBC radio’s Jazz Club […]
Today in Rock History – June 11
1966, The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with “Paint It Black,” the group’s third No.1 single. 1966, European radio stations mistakenly report that The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey is dead. Actually, it was guitarist Pete Townshend who had been injured in a car accident a few […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Get It Together” by James Brown
For the past ten years, my Christmas Eve and Christmas morning has meant the organizing, staffing and managing of homeless shelters throughout the Northern Lake County area of Illinois. My main goal on this special day is to ensure that the shelter guests have a peaceful and memorable holiday centered on a meal with all the […]
