You can deride ol’ Gilbert O’Sullivan all you want, but you can’t deny the guy wrote his own hits…and they were indelible. Perhaps, his getup of a floppy hat and short trousers didn’t make you stand up and shout…or maybe ballads like “Alone Again (Naturally)” and “Clair” weren’t to your liking. But his 1973 hit, […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cheese And Onions” by The Rutles
From the 1969 album “Yellow Submarine Sandwich” comes this Nasty classic from the Rutles’ psychedelic period. At this point, the prefab four were at odds with each other. Stig was becoming too bossy in the studio trying to control the group’s sessions. Both Dirk and Barry had both left the group and returned. The end […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “So Like Candy” by Elvis Costello
By 1991, Elvis Costello released “Mighty Like A Rose,” his second album for the Warner Bros. label. It was the follow-up to the critically hailed yet relatively flat album “Spike” and hits big hit song “Veronica” co-written by Paul McCartney. Costello and McCartney had also written a clutch of songs that turned up on Maccas […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Giant For A Day” by Gentle Giant
By 1978 when Gentle Giant released the “Giant For A Day” album, they were trying to score a radio hit. Their previous “Missing Piece” album was also radio ready, but Punk Rock was burgeoning and Gentle Giant found themselves irrelevant to that fan base. With their new radio friendly material, they were becoming irrelevant to […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The World’s On Fire” by Strawberry Alarm Clock
Sixties rock came in all different flavors: The Chocolate Watchband, Vanilla Fudge and, of course, The Strawberry Alarm Clock. There was so much more to Strawberry Alarm Clock than their signature hit, “Incense And Peppermints.” The band appeared on many TV shows back in the 1960s including “American Bandstand,” “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and drummer, […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Russian Lullaby” by Jerry Garcia
Like his first solo album, Jerry Garcia’s second solo album was plainly title “Garcia.” When promo copies were shipped to reviewers upon its release in 1974, the cover came with a “Compliments” sticker on it and reviewers believed the record was titled “Compliments Of Garcia,” hence the record became known by that title. When it […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Electricity (Drugs)” by Talking Heads
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Electricity (Drugs)” by Talking Heads One of the musical highlights of our 16 hour car trip from The Outer Banks of North Carolina back home to Chicago was listening Talking Heads’ live double album entitled The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads. The second half of […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Bad Time” by Grand Funk Railroad
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Bad Time” by Grand Funk Railroad This is not exactly the “Footstompin’ Music” that Grand Funk Railroad were known for in the late ’60s and early ’70s. But once they lost the Railroad in their name and came under the aegis of Todd Rundgren and Jimmy Ienner, […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “It’s Too Late” Demo by Carole King
The makings of a hit record were all there on the demo. Superb, succinct lyrics that tell a story of heartbreak and disappointment with economy and little melodrama. You can hear all of the instrumentation that ended up on the final “Tapestry” version of the song in the piano accompaniment. Who could argue with her […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Long, Long, Long” by The Beatles
One of George Harrison’s most underrated songs and a highlight of “The White Album” for sure. The song was actually recorded by “The Threetles” since John Lennon was not present for any of the sessions. Lennon’s absence kind of illustrates the short shrift that Harrison’s songs were given during Beatle recording sessions, considering that songs […]
