My Favorite Rock And Roll Book
Apr 16, 2010 Uncategorized
My favorite rock and roll book lists every Billboard Hot 100 single from 1955 thorugh 2006. Now, that may sound a bit dry to some people, but it is absolutely brimming with all kinds of trivia and interesting information for the music junkie in all of us.
I got an earlier version of this book which only covered the years 1955 through 1990. The people I used to work with knew how badly I wanted it and they all pitched in the cash to put into my going away card when I found a new job. Needless to say, I was grateful, and the book got more than its fair share of a workout.
It is almost a full 1,000 pages and weighs a few pounds, but once you pick it up, it’s almost impossible to put down.
Want to know who sang a certain song, when it came out, or what label it was on? On top of that, it will show how high it charted, when it peaked on the chart and how many weeks it was there, and more. It’s all there! And it’s arranged in an easy-to-use format that makes it a serious research tool and fun to browse at the same time.
Rock on!
Tags: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, rock and roll trivia, rock deaths, trivia
Open the box…if you dare!
Mar 28, 2010 Uncategorized
If you have not been over to Pandora.com, then you’ll want to check it out. You can program your own virtual radio station…sort of.
The catch is that they add songs based on your favorite artists and songs. However, you will discover some awesome tunes you never heard before. Your stations will continually improve, too, because you can give each song a thumb’s up or thumb’s down. Over time the stations become more refined to your tastes.
I have about 20 stations on Pandora, but it just hit me today…I needed one for all of you to enjoy! So…I spent a few hours tweaking it, trying to get it to fully represent rock and roll in all its glory, and it’s starting to sound pretty good.
You can listen to it at…
Rock And Roll Decades Radio @ Pandora
Let me know what you think? Any surprises? Does there need to be more of a particular artist? Less?
Oh! And it’s free, can play all day, and if you like, you can even make changes to other people’s stations.
Rock And Roll Remakes Wednesday #7
Mar 17, 2010 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, cover songs, trivia
You may be as shocked as I was as to the number of cover versions of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me”.
I was most familiar with the version done in the 1980s by Naked Eyes, and was under the impression it was originally done by Sandie Shaw. Her version was one of the earliest and went to #1 in her native England and hit the Top 100 in the US.
However, the first released version was done by Lou Johnson, and charted a few notches higher than Shaw’s later version.
So, in a nutshell…
Lou Johnson recorded it first and charted higher than Shaw in the US. But Shaw had the biggest hit with it in the UK. However, Naked Eyes had the highest charting US version, though they didn’t chart with it in their native England.
Here are each of the above-mentioned versions, as well as a few others for good measure.
Lou Johnson’s original:
Club mix by Tin Tin Out featuring Espiritu:
The “almost original” by Sandie Shaw:
An acoustic Latin take by Jose Feliciano:
The highest charting US version by Naked Eyes:
Modern rock (ska) version by The Hippos:
Tags: 1960s, 1980s, 1990s, cover songs, trivia
