All posts by Hallgeir

David Crosby

August 14: David Crosby is 74 Happy Birthday – top 11 songs

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david_crosby-oh_yes_i_can

David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941)

American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds; Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN, who are sometimes joined by Neil Young as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young [CSNY]); and CPR.

David Crosby released his fourth studio album Croz earlier this year, January 28 It is his first studio album in 20 years and it is very good!

croz

But let’s get down to it, here are my ten choices:

1. Almost Cut My Hair (great acoustic version with fun intro):

and Live with Stills and Nash at Madison Square Garden, NYC – 2009:

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Bruce Springsteen, Cover versions, Justin Townes Earle, Townes Van Zandt

Covers of Racing in the streets by Bruce Springsteen

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Springsteen-in-Chevy

Racing in the Street is my favorite Bruce Springsteen song.

It is a ballad written by Bruce Springsteen and was originally released on his album Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978). The song has been called Springsteen’s best song by a number of commentators.

“…And “Racing in the Streets” is still perhaps the best Springsteen song ever.”

– Rolling Stone magazine

Here are 5 covers, all very expressive, all good.

Emmylou Harris:

Emmylou has covered several Springsteen songs and she always do them justice.

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Film, Motorpsycho, Prog, Rock

Two fine documentaries about Prog Rock

uriah_1

Two fine documentaries about Prog Rock

I have always shunned prog rock, well, not always. When I was from 7-12 I listened to a lot of it, but I was liberated by garage music and punk rock (and later, folk and country music). Prog will never be my favorite kind of music, but lately a lot of the bands I’ve listened to have had elements of progressive rock, symphonic elements, conceptual ideas, rapid changes and far-out lyrics.

I have liked experimental Beatles, Frank Zappa, a bit of Genesis, two records by King Crimson (Discipline and Three of a perfect pair) and some Pink Floyd, but this was different…

What the hell was happening? I needed to find out some more…

The best way to do this is for me to go to YouTube, and I found several very good programs.

Timeshift: Prog Rock (documentary, 2013):

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folk, Music Calendar, Prog

August 10: Ian Anderson was born in 1947 Happy Birthday

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August 10: Ian Anderson was born in 1947 Happy Birthday

Ian Scott Anderson, MBE (born 10 August 1947) is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.

We honor him today with two fine versions of Aqualung, happy birthday Mr. Anderson!

Anderson plays several other musical instruments, including keyboards, bass guitar, bouzouki, balalaika, saxophone, harmonica, and a variety of whistles. His solo work begin with the 1983 album Walk into Light, and since then he released another five works, including the sequel of Jethro Tull albumThick as a Brick (1972) in 2012, entitled TAAB2: Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock.

Aqualung, live 1977 (1978?):

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Beatles

August 9: The Beatles recorded Mother Nature’s Son in 1968

paul mccartney

Paul [wrote this]. That was from a lecture of Maharishi where he was talking about nature, and I had a piece called “I’m just a child of nature,” which turned into “Jealous Guy” years later. Both inspired from the same lecture of Maharishi.
~John Lennon (September 1980, Playboy interviews)

August 9: The Beatles recorded Mother Nature’s Son in 1968, well, they started to record the song.

Wikipedia:

Released 22 November 1968
Recorded 9 & 20 August 1968
Genre Folk
Length 2:48
Label Apple Records
Writer Lennon–McCartney
Producer George Martin

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