"स्तोर्मी"

A quicke for monday, my family loves the music of the Classics IV, "Traces", "Spooky", "Every Day With You, Girl" and especially "Stormy". When we got our first CD player, back when that was big expensive deal, we got a 4 song mini disc with those 4 hits that we played over and over again. The original is a wonderful meditative pop song, a stormy grey tune, organ, a dash of drama, perfect in chord and suspenion. John Legend's take features his brilliant vocals with new lyrics, no piano, just nice organ as well, even more of a throwback to the doowah singalongs of the 50s, dripping with emotion. God his voice is amazing. And, the next generation of sanchezes love this song as well, my nephew Godfrey won't sit still for the camera:) enjoy

Classics IV - "Stormy"



John Legend - "Save Room"



Godfrey Angel Sanchez - "Save Room"

DML - Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Kiss Them For Me"

Todays musical excursion was the impetus behind this little project of mine. One night, I shared my thoughts about music through video examples with my awesome friend Melissa, using Siouxie.

Jayne Mansfield was a sultry 50s sexpot, platinum hair, hourglass figure, magazines, Playmate, think anna nicole (rip) or madonna of her day, her cleavage was always busting out of her top, her cup overfloweth. She made a few decent films, but was mainly featured in low budget flicks, though she remained a popular figure. Her vibrant life and tragic death at 34 were the inspiration to "Kiss Them For Me" which was also the title from one of her films.

The track itself is a lush bhangra take on hip hop, filtered through the british dance floors. Jayne's lush life is detailed, her Pink Palance, with it's champagne fountains and pepto pillows would have made a steel magnolia envious. "Divoon", Jayne's catch word (i'm assuming anything she would describe as such would be so divine as to make her swoon) South Aisan instruments and Siouxie's catty vocals, meowing and purring like Jayne might. All the attention, all the hype, the paparazzi still gets it right these days.

Tragedy, for the young beautiful mother of three, would take her too soon. Driving "on the road to new orleans" in the middle of the night, Jayne was killed as the car in which she rode crashed into a tractor trailer and underrode it. The three adults in the front were killed instantly, while her three children, Miklós, Zoltán, and Mariska survived with minor injuries. Mariska? Oh yes, Mariska Hargitay, of Law & Order: SVU fame, still carries a zig zag scar on her scalp from the accident that claimed the life of her mother.

anyways, the song is a trippy 80s mess of influences, accidents and insprirations. Jayne's blonde bombshell persona is still echoed today in jessica simpson, anna fabulous anna, who also left the party too soon, and countless other starlets caught up in the hollywood spin cycle. the siouxie sound would also live on, in Shirley Manson, the Cure, and in current voices like Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters.

Following are the song "Kiss Them For Me", Jayne's appearances int "The Girl Can't Help It" and, oh, did that sound familiar? Fergie does a cute tribute in her latest hit "Clumsy" not just quoting the title, but bouncing in a pink choffon mini dress and piling on the blonde hair. Also, the 5678s from kill bill "walk like jayne mansfield" and a few bonus clips, especially Jayne just being "divoon"

May your Firday glitter and gleam!


Siouxie and the Banshees - "Kiss Them For Me"



Jayne Mansfield in "The Girl Can't Help It"





The 5.6.7.8 s - "I Walk Like Jayne Mansfield"



Fergie "Clumsy"



Little Mariska, all grown up, in a Sapphic-themed video from L&O:SVU.



BONUS!

Jayne being herself, with Mickey Rooney

SexyBack

Not much a lesson here, just an invitation to hear Corinne Bailey Rae's mega-hot cover of JT's "sexyBack" The song is an instant dancefloor classic, with it's Timbaland production and hard hitting synth hits. Check out Corinne's sultry stylings, and cabaret phrasing, reminiscent of Cole Porter's "Just One Of Those Things" by Blossom Dearie.

Justin Timberlake - "SexyBack"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAT5ypTjKOI



Corinne Bailey Rae - "SexyBack"



Peggy Lee "Just One of Those Things" (no blossom dearie available)

Daily Music - The Supremes "Keep Me Hangin' On"

Happy April Fools' Day!

The Supremes are truly an American legend, and their music has transcended all genres. One of my favorite tracks is the funky "You Keep Me Hangin' On" with is breathy vocals, shouts from the backups, and all those "whoos!" One element that continues to be used in songs that came after is the morse code guitar lick in the introduction. I've added videos with similar uses from Sarah McLachlan and Glen Campbell. Listen how the snare trots along, pressing the music on. This is less bubble gum than many of the tracks in the early Supremes' catalog, like "Where Did Our Love Go" "Baby Love", and "I Hear A Symphony". Diana's vocals are more forced, trouble-tracked to fill out the sound, and that bass line just throbs along.

Vanila Fudge, the name is a nod to the blue-eyed soul, did a masterful, psychadelic cover of the tune, with the drums becoming even more prevalent, the brocade jackets, the poet collars, the psychadelia in regalia . . . the video is a thrilling testament to the groovy 60s. The song would be a hit again, until it would be covered again by pop singer Kim Wilde of "Kids in America" fame and resurface as an 80s powerpop megahit. The words are changed up a bit, the music is made for the dance floor, and it also speaks to a day and age that won't happen again. Enjoy this hit and it's pair of hit covers!

Diana Ross and The Supremes "Keep Me Hangin' On"
in lieu of an embeddable video, I offer two links of live performances you can cut and paste, as well as an embed of the song set to pictures. Enjoy the fashion!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EMKaRKbsswM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1_MlkR8cAfs&feature=related



Vanilla Fudge - "Keep Me Hangin' On"



Kim Wilde - "Keep Me Hangin' On"



two examples of "morse code" in context

Sarah McLachlan - "Sweet Surrender"



Glen Campbell - "Wichita Lineman"



"Sweet Surrender" is such a great song, showing amazing control with a quiet persistance, and the video is evocative. "Wichita Lineman", wow, what can i say, one of my favorite songs ever, such fantastic picture painting "i can hear you in the whine . . . ' listen for that telegraph in both songs.

OH YEAH!

BONUS: Practice the shoulder roll, remember, keep your hand below your chin on the 'stop" so the audience can see your face, and always ALWAYS snap on 2 & 4. You can do it. Now go buy some long satin gloves.

The Supremes "Stop! In The Name of Love"

Fascination, Modern Love

Those of you who know me pretty well know just how passionate I am about music, all music, pop to folk to opera to bluegrass, I love just about any GOOD music out there I can find, and I especially love analyzing, in my own particular way, why I like a song, and what about it appeals to others. This is the first of many bulletins I hope to distribute, let me know what you think, feel free to agree or disagree, but most of all, enjoy a little new music, old music, cover music, you name it. Comment or message me any concerns.

"Fascination"" is an infectious tune from the Danish band Alphabeat. With a driving drum line, cute boy-girl harmonies, and 80s drum beats, it's hard not to want to get up and bounce to it. It's a clever send up of Bowie's "Modern Love" which actually was a tribute to Little Richard, and bears a slight resemblance to Elton John's "I'm Still Standing." There's a lot of cute 80s imagery in the video, I love the guy singer's skinny suspenders, and the bright bright colors. There's also a Bowie nod in the lyric about "all the young dudes. (The guitar beat and countermelody seems to come from The Pointer Sister's "I'm So Excited" on closer listening, this was added after first posting, check out the video at the end)

Compare the opening drum beat, the call and response shout, and overall harmonic basis of the Alphabeat track to "Modern Love." Bowie's 80s classic is also a cleverly disguised discourse on God and Man, while Alphabeat's slight grasp of English gives us passion rhyming with passion, and a tribute to the "pace age" (sic.) And I can't tell you just how much I love Bowie's "blue-eyed soul.

On first hearing, my immediate reaction was "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins, and "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina & The Waves. Both of these songs had an infectious dance beat, and make great wedding reception standards. Everyone I've introduced the song too (which was introduced to me by the fabulous Richard Ellender, music maven extraordinaire) has had similar reactions, mentioning an 80s song it reminds them of, very New Wave in it's conception. I hope you enjoy it for what it is, light airy pop.

I've added a video for "Modern Love", a tremendous Nile Rodgers production, with guitar by Stevie Ray Vaughn. I've also thrown in a cover version by The Last Town Chorus that was, of course, featured on "Grey's Anatomy" (talk about a discourse on God, Man, and angsty hospital dramas) It's a really nice slowed-cover, drowsy lapl steel, british female vocals, move over Cat Power! Okay, Cat Power's covers are magnificent in and of themselves, but you get the drift.

- JJ -

Alphabeat - "Fascination"




David Bowie - "Modern Love"




The Last Town Chorus - "Modern Love" (cover)




The Pointer Sisters - "I'm So Excited"



So there you go, let me know what you think, too much info, too little, maybe you had a different response, maybe you're just happy to hear something new, or old . . . I'm gonna keep these up as long as I have a little time to share. Tomorrow, the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On."

cuter than Knut!

chubbychecker.com - wtf?

We Compare Ourselves To...

Before Alexander Graham Bell... no telephone.
Before Thomas Edison"... no electric light.
Before Dr. George Washington Carver... no oil from seed or cloning from plants.
Before Henry Ford... no V8 Engine.
Before Walt Disney... no animated cartoons.
Before "Chubby Checker".. no "Dancing Apart to the Beat"

What is "Dancing Apart to the Beat?"
Dancing apart to the beat is the dance we do when we dance apart to anyone's music with a beat and before "Chubby Checker" it could not be found!

We compare this event to famous people because of its uniqueness of dance in the music industry. It was no secret that "Dancing Apart To The Beat" happened in 2 minutes and 42 seconds on American Bandstand with Chubby doing the "Twist". The Twist is putting out a cigarette with both feet, wiping off your bottom with a towel to the beat of the music. If you're wiping off your bottom with a towel to the beat your not touching your partner and doing that thing at the same time. This is "Dancing Apart To The Beat". Then came "The Pony". In today's terms it's called "Hip Hop". That's what a pony does. Throw your hands in the air and wave them like you just don't care. Then your doing "The Fly". If your doing "The Fly" you've got to be doing "The Shake" at the same time. Then came "The Hucklebuck". The nasty dance. Everybody and everything does it. We call these the musical dancing keyboards for "Dancing Apart To The Beat".

pret-a-poor taste

so i think i found the outfit I'm gonna wear to go see mel

Beyonce, or Melissa?

I've got to wonder, maybe Melissa ate the last Beyonce cd and this is what she crapped out?




and i KNOW this what she's gonna have to say about this! Can't wait to see you! oh btw, we're using the left over paint to cover our bodies and go out in public in the "nude"!