Monthly Archives: May 2010

“Driving to the Beach” – Playlists on Parade

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By Chris Moore:

I can’t believe it’s been over a year now since I compiled this playlist…

…but I couldn’t be happier to greet the warm summer days once again!

I first put together this 19 song sequence for Mike’s birthday, in honor of the fact that he loves driving to the beach.  I went online to map the distance between his house and the beach, and made this playlist within a minute of the estimated travel time.

Now, it should come as no surprise to those of you who know either myself or Mike that this list is populated by multiple Beach Boys songs.  In fact, I think the most difficult part of this process was deciding which Beach Boys songs to include, so synonymous is their music with summer and the beach.

The playlist has a great range of music, though, ranging from Johnny Cash’s take on “That Lucky Old Sun” to a track from Brian Wilson’s 2008 That Lucky Old Sun record, Warren Zevon to Weezer, and McCartney to Modest Mouse.

So, if you’re heading out to beach this summer, consider taking these songs along for your ride.  After all, I not only gave this list as a gift, but I’m also a listener!

1. “Good Day Sunshine” – the Beatles

2. “Beach Ball” – Roger McGuinn

3. “Slip on Through” – the Beach Boys

4. “Venice Beach (Narrative) – Brian Wilson

5. “See Your Sunshine” – Paul McCartney

6. “Island in the Sun” – Weezer

7. “Girls on the Beach” – the Beach Boys

8. “Sunshine All the Time” – Jeff Foskett

9. “Pacific Ocean Blue” – Dennis Wilson

10. “Oceans” – Pearl Jam

11. “Catch a Wave” – the Beach Boys

12. “I’ll Follow the Sun” – the Beatles

13. “The Rosarita Beach Café” – Warren Zevon

14. “Sunflowers” – Everclear

15. “Summer Means New Love” – the Beach Boys

16. “Ocean Breathes Salty” – Modest Mouse

17. “Soulful Old Man Sunshine” – the Beach Boys

18. “Cold Day in the Sun” – Foo Fighters

19. “That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)” – Johnny Cash

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“Your Winter” (Sister Hazel Cover)

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By Michael Brading:

Me doing an acoustic cover of the song “Your Winter” by Sister Hazel.

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

We’re pleased to extend a warm welcome to this week’s featured guest performer, Michael Brading! You may know Sister Hazel better for their second album …Somewhere More Familiar (1997), which yielded the hit single “All For You.”   Today, Michael’s video highlights a deep track from their 2000 follow-up record Fortress.  This album was their second and last on Universal Records, and signaled the end of their mainstream success. I know you’ll enjoy this excellent cover song version by Michael, whose excellent voice fits the song perfectly and, fittingly, takes center stage on this performance.

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Happy 69th Birthday to Bob Dylan!

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By Chris Moore:

Although Sony Music has accused me of copyright infringement — then revoked their claim, then made it again — for posting acoustic cover versions of Bob Dylan songs, I am endeavoring to direct all my negative energy at the financial mega-power rather than at the singer/songwriter himself.

With that being said, I couldn’t allow today to slip by without tipping my hat to the man that sparked in me a passion for lyrics and music, albums and artwork, critical perceptions of social issues, and 1960’s American history.

To celebrate Bob Dylan’s sixty-ninth birthday, I’ve put together two more posts in my quest to review all of Dylan’s studio albums by New Year’s Day 2011.  I already put Bob Dylan (1962) under the one-sentence microscope and wrote a full five-star Weekend Review of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963), so that brings us to The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1964) and Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), the last of his all-acoustic albums until the early nineties.

Before I leave you to my reviews, I want to make two additional plugs for Dylan.  First of all, if you haven’t already, you should take a few minutes and check out the “Drawn Blank” series of Dylan-penned graphics at http://www.bobdylanart.com.  I wish I could afford the actual prints, but I had to settle for l0w-quality j-pegs from the Cassandra and Train Tracks portfolios to use on my desktop, a nice affordable way to celebrate Dylan’s birthday!

Finally, I just read that Newsweek released its list of the top albums of the decade…

…and Love & Theft (2001) is #2!

This thrilled me more than it probably should have, as his September 11th, 2001 classic has been one of my favorite in his catalog since the day it was released.  Well, technically the day after.  (I remember writing in my journal on September 10th that nothing would stand in the way of me going to the CD store to buy Love & Theft on its release day, of course having no idea what tragedy was to befall NYC and the nation.)  I love this album so much, that I actually own two different versions — the original edition, as well as the special edition released later with two additional tracks and different photos included in the packaging.

And, with that, I urge you to listen to a Bob Dylan song today, or better yet, a whole album!  As for me, I’ve listened to two and if you’re interested, my thoughts on them will follow soon…

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Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin'” (1963) – Yes, No, or Maybe So

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Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1963) – MAYBE

By Chris Moore:

Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (1963)

Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (1963)

(January 13, 1964)

Review:

There is no question that this is one of the all-time classic Dylan albums, its name giving a title to the general feeling shared by many in the sixties, but it is also an album that comes across as purposely topical, facts blurring in the name of poetic license at times; it may not be among his strongest albums, but it is an album that hosted several gems and made the great potential of this young singer/songwriter even clearer than before.

Top Two Tracks:

“With God on Our Side” & “Only a Pawn in Their Game”

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