Below is one of the first five CD reviews to ever appear on Bloggerhythms. It was posted almost twenty years ago, and it's being revived now because of the sad news Brian Setzer wrote on his Facebookpage on February 13, 2025.
"Hi everybody, I just wanted to check in with you all. Towards the end of the last Stray Cats tour I noticed that my hands were cramping up. I’ve since discovered that I have an auto-immune disease. I cannot play guitar. There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play. I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that. Luckily, I have the best hospital in the world down the block from me. It’s called the Mayo Clinic. I know I will beat this, it will just take some time. I love you all, Brian."
------------------------------------------
On Vavoom!, Brian Setzer's fourth orchestra release, the former leader
of The Stray Cats really takes you back in time - to pre-American involvement in
World War Two - covering Glenn Miller's "Pennsylvania 6-5000" and "In The Mood,"
both featuring his trademark large horn band and furious, rockabilly guitar.
The guitarist and bandleader completely reinvented these classics. He modernized "Pennsylvania"
by adding electronic effects and the original lyrics to a song that was a comparatively tame instrumental hit for Miller, and by doing so he almost turned it into an entirely new work. The arrangement catches fire immediately, opening the proceedings with
the best thirty second introduction to an album I've heard in years. Setzer
keeps the flames burning in a way that would have sent Miller running for
cover. The same can be said for "In The Mood."
Duke Ellington's "Caravan" is also given a new rock treatment.
The only misfire on the entire set is "Mack The Knife." While there really
isn't anything wrong with Setzer's version it is way too close to Bobby
Darin's famous, 1959 hit single for him to have bothered.
The leader's vocals, as usual, complement his greaser big band perfectly. He
really could have been a lounge singer if he wanted to pursue that road.
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Today we're going to find out why 45 RPM records have much larger holes than 78s and 33s. Believe it or not I often wondered about this burning question when I was collecting hundreds of these little seven inch gems back the 1960s. According to several websites, including Answerbag , the reason for the large hole used by 45s was simple. It was difficult for the old 78s, with their smaller holes, to find their way onto jukebox spindles. The large hole effectively eliminated that problem. Strangely, seven inch 45s were often pressed with the smaller holes used for LPs in many countries outside the United States, especially in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Overseas the inserts (commonly know as spiders) were manufactured into the large holes at the factories but they could be punched out if desired. The Beatles' British single of "Love Me Do," pictured here, is a typical example. Why were the spiders built into English 45s? I was unable to fi...
In a July 2023 blog post I discussed an alternate history of the most famous rock band of all time. It's Real Life: An Alternate History Of The Beatles was written in 2022 as a short story and radio play by Professor Paul Levinson of Fordham University. Since then, the author has expanded it into a full length novel that includes his original story as chapter one. Below my original post you'll find a link to a fascinating podcast where Levinson discussed his book with NBC's Chuck Todd followed by an intriguing email question and answer session that Levinson graciously gave to Bloggerhythms. _______________________________________ In 2005, novelist, playwright and rock musician, Larry Kirwan - best known as the leader of New York City's renowned Celtic-rock band, Black 47 - used his vivid imagination to write Liverpool Fantasy , a novel about what could have happened to each of the four Beatles if they hadn't hit the ...
Comments
Post a Comment