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 – “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 – “Our Day Will Come” by Ruby And The Romantics
The magical ingredient of this song that sets it apart from all others is the swirling roller rink organ. Ruby And The Romantics’ million seller “Our Day Will Come” was their first hit back in 1963. While many think they were a one hit wonder, their follow-up single, “My Summer Love,” rose to #16 on […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Seam Crooked Sam” by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
As if it wasn’t enough that last year finally saw the release of the great lost “Smile” album by The Beach Boys, this year we get the original “Bat Chain Puller” by the good Captain Beefheart. The story in a nutshell involves financial finagling back in 1976 by Herb Cohen, the manager of both Frank […]
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 – “Our Dream” by The Munx
The Munx was a true one hit wonder from the late ’60s…but oh what a hit it was! The group was comprised of Robert Bensick, Phil Miller Bernie Neuber, Tom Smith, and Dave Earney. They recorded two local singles for the tiny Clevetown Records label in 1967. With perfect close harmonies and ornate arrangements, the […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Free Design” by Stereolab
Stereolab’s sound melded European lounge pop with progressive rock to form some of the most pleasurable music of the 1990s. On stage, they were capable of fierce extended psychedelic wig-outs which moved them into early Pink Floyd territory, except they always had the smooth emotionless voices of Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen floating above the […]
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, […]
