There’s a game they play in the summertime
There’s a game they play when it’s hot outside
And I wonder why
They left me here in Merrittville
~From the song “Merritville” (Dream Syndicate)
You want to take a glass a water, turn the water into wine
Don’t call it a miracle, it happens all the time
You missed the part where the heavens start to bend?
Wait a couple minutes, it’ll happen again
~Here come the Miracles (Steve Wynn)
Merrittville:
Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3 – Amphetamine (Live on KEXP):
Steve Wynn (born February 21, 1960) is a songwriter based in New York (born in California). He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career.
The Days Of Wine And Roses – La Edad de Oro – Madrid October 9, 1984:
The late Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was born 46 years ago. We @ JV honor his birthday by presenting Nirvana’s 10 best songs…. forget all other lists you might have seen… THIS IS IT:
10. Pennyroyal Tea (MTV Live and Loud 1993):
9. Lake of Fire (MTV Unplugged, Meat Puppets cover):
I don’t ever balk at being considered a Motown person, because Motown is the greatest musical event that ever happened in the history of music.
~Smokey Robinson
Berry Gordy founded Motown Records, but one could argue that Smokey Robinson was the man who first pushed America’s most iconic soul music label toward greatness.
~Mark Deming (allmusic.com)
The Tracks Of My Tears Live (1965)
Wikipedia:
Birth name
William Robinson, Jr.
Born
February 19, 1940 (age 73)
Origin
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Genres
R&B, soul, pop, adult contemporary
Occupations
Singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive
Instruments
Vocals, piano
Years active
1955–present
Labels
Motown, Universal, SBK, Liquid 8, Robso
Associated acts
The Miracles, The Temptations, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye
William “Smokey” Robinson, Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson was the founder and front man of the popular Motown vocal group The Miracles, for which he also served as the group’s chief songwriter and producer. Robinson led the group from its 1955 origins as The Five Chimes until 1972 when he announced a retirement from the stage to focus on his role as Motown’s vice president.
I Second That Emotion:
However, Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year, later having solo hits such as “Baby That’s Backatcha”, “A Quiet Storm”, “The Agony and the Ecstasy”, “Cruisin'”, “Being With You” and “Just to See Her”. Following the sale of Motown Records in 1988, Robinson left Motown in 1990. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Awards and accolades
In 1987, Robinson was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Two years later, in 1989, he was inducted to the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame
In 1993, Robinson was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts
Two years before, he won the Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards
At its 138th Commencement Convocation in May 2006, Howard University conferred on Robinson the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa
In December 2006 Robinson was one of five Kennedy Center honorees, along with Dolly Parton, Zubin Mehta, Steven Spielberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber
On May 9, 2009, Smokey Robinson received an honorary doctorate degree and gave a commencement speech at Berklee College of Music’s commencement ceremony
On March 20, 2009, The Miracles were finally honored as a group with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Smokey was present with original Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, (Bobby’s cousin) Claudette Rogers, and Gloria White, accepting for her husband, the late Ronnie White, whose daughter Pamela and granddaughter Maya were there representing him as well. Smokey’s replacement, 1970s Miracles lead singer, Billy Griffin was also honored. Controversially, original Miracle Marv Tarplin was not honored, against the wishes of his fellow Miracles, and the group’s fans, who felt that he should have also been there to share the honor. However, later ,Tarplin did receive his star. He was also finally inducted with the rest of the original Miracles, Bobby Bogers, Pete Moore, Ronnie White,and Claudette Robinson, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 20th, 2012, some 26 years after Robinson’s controversial solo induction in 1987.
I’m not one to interpret my own songs, but if you can’t figure out ‘What I Say’, then something’s wrong. Either that, or you’re not accustomed to the sweet sounds of love.
—Ray Charles
The feel comes from gospel but the resulting witty, elegant essay on rhythm and sex and why they’re inseparable is purely pagan.
~Dave Marsh (The Heart of Rock & Soul)
wikipedia:
Released
July 1959
Format
7-inch single
Recorded
February 18, 1959
Genre
Soul, blues, gospel, rock and roll
Length
6:30
Label
Atlantic
Writer(s)
Ray Charles
Producer
Jerry Wexler
“What’d I Say” (or “What I Say“) is a song by American rhythm and blues (R&B) musician Ray Charles, released in 1959 as a single divided into two parts. It was improvised one evening late in 1958 when Charles, his orchestra, and backup singers had played their entire set list at a show and still had time left; the response from many audiences was so enthusiastic that Charles announced to his producer that he was going to record it.
After his run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop music and itself sparked a new sub-genre of R&B titled soul, finally putting together all the elements that Charles had been creating since he recorded “I Got a Woman” in 1954. The gospel influences combined with the sexual innuendo in the song made it not only widely popular but very controversial to both white and black audiences. It earned Ray Charles his first gold record and has been one of the most influential songs in R&B and rock and roll history. For the rest of his career, Charles closed every concert with the song. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2002 and ranked at number 10 in Rolling Stone‘s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.
“Ray would call and say that he had a few songs but he wouldn’t usually comment on them beforehand. He called me up before he brought “What’d I Say” in and said, “I think you might like this one pretty well.” That constituted a rave from him and it was very easy to record. It was hardly a song: it was an extended rhythm lick with a few jingle-like verses: “See that girl with the red dress on, She can do the Birdland all night long”, not exactly Shakespearian innovation. He had strung a few lines together but the essence of that record was the boiling rhythm track and the exchanges between himself and the Raelets.” – Jerry Wexler (Co-owner of Atlantic Records & legendary producer)
We saw Billy Bragg do a very fine solo set in Oslo last summer, he hasn’t mellowed too much. He is still the workingman’s troubadour. While that is certainly true, he has always had the melodies, he is a great tunesmith and a folksinger in the truest sense.
Now he’s back with a song that is going on repeat in our household, the incredibly catchy No On Knows Nothing Anymore. The great new country tinged track is from Bill Bragg’s upcoming release Tooth and Nail produced by Joe Henry.
No One Knows Nothing Anymore:
Crossing my fingers and hoping that the whole album has the same countryfied feeling, it really suits Mr. Bragg.
Here’s a promo for the record and yes! it sounds quite country and it sounds fantastic! (out 18 March):
