Bloggerhythms

Barrence Whitfield and The Savages are not for everyone. Whitfield is an R&B screamer who fronted an all white band from Boston that played a wild mix of 50s rock and soul. It helps if you're a fan of singers like Little Richard and Wilson Pickett, but even then you may find Whitfield too much to handle. Originally issued in 1984 as a thirteen song LP that clocked in at under a half hour - then re-released in 2010 with ten additional tracks - this eponymous debut was a sensation in New England's largest city but failed to gain traction anywhere else in America.  Believe it or not, Whitfield was born with the name Barry White, but his music bares no resemblance to the late, R&B star - not even close. Unlike that romatic balladeer, Whitfield's vocals never smolder. He's constantly on fire and sings with wild abandon. Guitarist Peter Greenberg and sax player Steve LaGrega also provided explosive performances. The original group was

One of the few positive things to come out of the Coronavirus pandemic is some good music even though I'm sure we'd all be willing to give up a few excellent tunes to eradicate that bad boy from the face of the Earth. One of the artists who drew inspiration from the dismal lockdown was The Rolling Stones. They released "Living In A Ghost Town" on streaming services and as an mp3 download back in April 2020. It's also available as a ten-inch, one-sided single on vinyl and as a single track CD on Amazon . I recently the song from iTunes. The track is the first new, original Stones' music since "Gloom and Doom" and "One More Shot" became available in 2012, and it's the only new work they've released of any kind since their very fine album of blues covers, Blue & Lonesome , in 2016. "Living In A Ghost Town" is notable for being the group's las

Until now, the only encounters I've had with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band   have been their only charting hit single, "Mr. Bojangles" - #9 on the Hot 100 in 1970 - and their world class, collaborative, triple LP,   Will The Circle Be Unbroken , in 1972. I also saw them live at Temple University's long defunct music fair - probably back in the late 1970s - but I don't remember anything about the concert.  It's typical of PBS to televise most of their excellent, special programming during pledge drives and the band's September 2022 concert at Nashville's famous and acoustically perfect Ryman Auditorium - formerly the home of The Grand Ole Opry - is no exception. Having recently watched this show I learned that NGDB - together since 1966 - deserved far more attention than I've ever given them. The day after watching the sextet's concert on TV I visited a used book and magazine sto

They finally came and took Jerry Samuels away - for real this time. Samuels - whose death was reported today - was known as the one-hit wonder, Napoleon XIV, who became almost famous for recording and releasing the 45 RPM record " They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" It became a #3 hit for Warner Brothers Records in the summer of 1966 and it's perhaps the most bizarre novelty hit to ever climb near the top of the Billboard Hot 100. This spoken word single was made using only percussion instruments with a siren added for effect and was partially recorded by employing the same studio technique that the late David Seville used to alter the voices of The Chipmunks. At first the listener believes Samuels is "singing" about a woman who left him, but soon we realize it's about his runaway dog. " I  cooked your food ,  I cleaned your house, and this is how you pay me back for all my kind, unselfish, loving deeds. Hah! Well yo

Before digging into the music of the oddly named The 143 you should know where the band got their name. According to  Cyber Definitions ,"143" is a slang term for "I love you," and it's often used as shorthand when texting. The name is derived from the number of letters in each word of that common little phrase: 1 = I, 4 = love, 3 = you. The 143 is a throwback band that proves 1960s pop-rock isn't dead and is still lovingly cultivated by N. A. Smolenski and his bandmates. The new group - from Brooklyn, NYC - is led by Smolenski who stars on guitar, bass, keys and background vocals. He sang lead vocals on two tracks. He also contributed percussion and artwork to their just released debut album, Life in the Time of Robots & Aliens . The leader also wrote twelve of the thirteen songs alone and co-wrote another with bandmate Cory Newell. The psychedelic album cover looks like it could have been inspired by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ,

Released almost a year after his passing in 2001,  Brainwashed is among George Harrison's top albums. It was completed by his son, Dhani, along with Jeff Lynne, his good friend and former bandmate in The Traveling Wilburys. Knowing that he was dying, The late Beatle - who would have turned eighty years old today - gave Dhani and Lynne the tapes to an unfinished album along with instructions on how he wanted it completed. Anyone who is more than a little educated about Harrison knows his reputation as a loner and as the serious Beatle is not completely accurate. He wasn't really a recluse, he just never behaved in ways or traveled in circles that would attract the press's attention. He never held public bed-ins for peace on his honeymoon as another member of his first band did. Harrison's serious side and his adherence to Hinduism was often reflected in his songwriting but he also possessed a lightheartedness that showed through in much of

Bloggerhythms' readers were first exposed to the quirky but extremely talented Chris Pellnat two years ago when I reviewed his third solo album, Rain . Currently, the sometimes rocking singer-songwriter is back with Go , a similar sounding set that is another true artistic success. Pellnat is a busy man. He's a musician from Hudson, NY who plays electric guitar in a loud band named The Warp/The Weft and he is also one half of Teeniest, a folk influenced duo. Pellnat advertises his solo work as a bit "off-kilter" which is one of the reasons it's so enjoyable. His melodic arrangements are often paired with idiosyncratic  lyrics that deal with many serious and introspective topics, yet his work is never depressing. If you're attracted to unconventional music  Go is an album you must listen to. On his latest ten

In 1977 the music world was stunned to learn that the first Beach Boy to record and release a solo album was middle Wilson brother, Dennis. This was a shock because Dennis was always assumed to be the least musically accomplished of the three brothers. In fact, their mother had to force brothers Brian and Carl to accept him into the band at the time of The Beach Boys' formation. As drums were the only remaining open instrument in the new group he secured his place in it by beating the skins. Dennis loved touring for the sex, drugs, and rock n' roll lifestyle. However, he didn't enjoy the slower pace of the recording studio nearly as much. He was absent from many of The Beach Boys studio recordings and was often replaced by session drummers. Another reason he was an unlikely candidate for a solo album is because as James William Guercio - Pacific Ocean Blue's executive producer - said about Dennis in the liner notes, "Someone forgot to tell him he didn't