It doesn’t come any more lowdown and spooky than this track by the wolf man of Chess Records. Chester Burnett’s stature in American music is as dominant and as imposing as his 6’6” 300 pound frame was. With a repertoire that includes such blues classics as “Smokestack Lightnin’”, “Killing Floor,” “Back Door Man,” Spoonful” and […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Get Down” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
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 – “Rock ‘n’ Groove” by Bunny Wailer
We all know that Neville O’Riley Livingston (aka Bunny Livingston…aka Bunny Wailer) was part of the holy Reggae triumvirate that also included Bob Marley and Peter Tosh giving us the most important Reggae group of all time, The Wailers. What most people don’t know is that Bunny and Bob Marley were stepbrothers and grew up […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “I Felt Like A Gringo” by Minutemen
From San Pedro, California came this trio that were so ferocious in concert and so spot-on with their message and “econo” motive, they couldn’t help but transform the people they played before. One such transformed audience member was yours truly, who was lucky enough to witness this band do their thing four times. For the […]
Song Of The Day – “Eyeoneye” by Andrew Bird
One of our favorite sons out here in Chicagoland, Andrew Bird just released his most ear-pleasing record yesterday called “Break It Yourself.” A master whistler and violinist, Bird has cruised the most non-traditional paths to stardom beginning with his instruments of choice and an amalgam of musical influences including swing, classical, jazz, zydeco and Irish […]
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 – “Coconut” by Fred Schneider
You may not recognize him by his name, but just one listen to the song and you’ll instantly recognize the singer as the lead voice of The B-52’s. The song, of course, was written and originally recorded by Harry Nilsson back in 1971 on his “Nilsson Schmilsson” album and quickly became a hit. It is […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Never Gonna Cry Again” by Eurythmics
The duo of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox took the ’80s by storm with their synth-pop cocktail of infectious melodies and cool detached vocals. The duo met in the mid-70s and performed in the bands The Catch and The Tourists who released several records with minor success. After the Tourist split, Dave and Annie formed […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cloud Nine” by Mongo Santamaria
The song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and originally recorded by The Temptations. This recording was released as a single back in 1969 by Cuban-born Latin Jazz percussionist, Mongo Santamaria and featuring some blazing sax work by Grant Reed. Mongo was most famous for his recording of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” and […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Andrew In Drag” by Magnetic Fields
Stephin Merritt is one of today’s greatest songwriters. Whether solo or with Magnetic Fields, The Gothic Archies, The 6ths or Future Bible Heroes, Merritt has given us hundreds of great songs over the years with a Broadway sensibility, deadpan delivery and a droll sense of humor. He’s even released a soundtrack to the “A Series […]
