Bloggerhythms

For St. Patrick's Day here is a rerun of a post from 2012 about one of the great Celtic-rock albums of all time. ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ ☘️ Until "Death to My Hometown" - the very Irish flavored track from Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball - you could say that he sounded nothing like The Pogues . I'm sure The Boss didn't have that great Celtic-rock band in mind when he wrote and recorded the song but its resemblance in spirit, if not in sound, to Shane McGowan’s famous group is uncanny. The folk-punkers do what Springsteen has always done so well over the years and that's what makes The Pogues third CD, If I Should Fall From Grace With God , (1987) one of the outstanding Celtic-rock sets of all time. This Emerald Isle classic is traditional in a lot of ways. It's full of tin whistles, acoustic guitars, banjos, and accordions. Also, McGowan's long history with drugs and alcohol that resulted in his firing from the band just a couple of years after...

Growing up listening to my Mom's 78s made it easy for me to like Paul McCartney's excursions into what John Lennon often referred to as his " granny music. " Despite his semi-frequent visits to the sounds of his father's generation anyone who believes that McCartney can't rock is flat out wrong, and  One Hand Clapping -  Wings' live, in the studio, double album - proves it. These sessions were recorded over four days at Abbey Road studios while Band on the Run was riding high on the charts. They were slated to be released as a documentary with an accompanying LP, but neither officially happened. Some tracks turned up later on bootlegs and a few others were included on repackaged McCartney records, but 2024 was the first time they were released together as a complete set. McCartney, his wife Linda, and Denny Laine were the only permanent members of Wings. The other seats were filled by an ever-changing cast, and for these sessions...

Where The Light Is: Live In Los Angeles is a unique live album from John Mayer. It was recorded on December 8, 2007 at The Nokia Theater - since renamed The Peacock Theater - and released in the summer of 2008. It's a double CD that runs for more than two hours. The gig was split into three separate sets highlighting the different bands Mayer employed to show off his multiple musical personas. He opened with a brief, five-song, all acoustic set featuring two guitarists from his touring band. Songs included nice versions of "Neon," "Daughters," and a very cool cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" that was released as a single and went double platinum in Australia and gold in the United Kingdom. The second set of seven blues-oriented songs was performed by The John Mayer Trio featuring Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums. Their moment in the sun isn't quite as satisfying as their earlier, critically acclaimed...

I probably should have paid more attention to the late Harry Nilsson a long time ago because he was one of the more eclectic artists to ever establish himself on the pop and rock music scene. If you're like me and have mostly known Nilsson through his songs that were played on the radio a great introduction to his work is All Time Greatest Hits , a five-star compilation by the dynamic composer and singer.   If you never dig deeply into his catalog, this twenty-song release is a must have. Nilsson had eight top 40 hits, most notably "Everybody's Talkin'" (#6 on the Hot 100) in 1969 and " Without You ," a Badfinger composition he covered in 1972 for his only #1 single. Even if you're not a fan of Nilsson's music, what's indisputable is how wide-ranging his records were. When I listen to this collection I immediately think of The Beatles'  White Album , a set where they jumped from genre to genre over the...

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  Facebook   page 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 ...

Newcomer Annie Dolan is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who recently released her debut album,  Atta Boy Girl , in the fall of 2024. It consists of nine cover songs plus the instrumental, "Fussbudget," the collection's only original composition. She's in the midst of recording a full-length, self-written, pop-rock release, but in the interim she's issued this very fine set of throwback tunes. Dolan gets a lot of help from lead guitar player and mentor  Joel Paterson who produced the sessions for her. Even though he's new to me Paterson is a highly regarded axman from Chicago who has recorded several albums of acoustic and electric guitar instrumentals. He's very much worth listening to, and it seems I've been missing out on his very cool chops. He'll be featured here in a future post. Dolan's album isn't country, nor is it rock. Instead, it blends both genres with the artist's pop sensibilities and her...

"Nights In White Satin" only managed to reach #103 on the Hot 100 in 1967. It didn't become a massive #2 hit until five years later, so its followup, "Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)," became The Moody Blues' first top forty entry since a very different sounding band - with a future Wings member, Denny Laine, on lead vocals - made the top ten in 1965 with "Go Now." "Tuesday Afternoon" was released as the second single from the quintet's sophomore album, Days Of Future Passed . It peaked at #24 on the Hot 100 in 1968. Both the song and the LP helped set the tone for almost all Moody Blues' records in the future. The track was recorded by The Moodys' classic lineup that featured a fine, new, lead singer, Justin Hayward, who composed this soon to be classic on his acoustic guitar. John Lodge supplied backing vocals and bass, Mike Pinder played mellotron and piano, Roy Thomas played flute, and Graeme Edge w...

Jazz may have its roots in New Orleans, but New York City has always been synonymous with the art form that has sometimes been called "America's Classical Music." The Big Apple is as much of a jazz town as New Orleans is, so this CD, New York, New York: The City in Song -   at one time available only through The Metropolitan Museum Of Art   which is where I bought my copy back in  2008 - is an entirely appropriate salute to the city that never sleeps. All of the song titles reference America's largest city in some way. The disc is loaded with vintage jazz. Louis, The Duke, and The Count are all here and there is even an Armstrong/Ellington duet on "Drop Me Off In Harlem." Stan Kenton contributed "Stompin' At The Savoy" and Buddy Rich shines on the lengthy "West Side Story Medley." Peggy Lee, Dakota Staton, and Lena Horne all sing their hearts out while The Modern Jazz Quartet, Benny Green, Bud Powell, and George Shearin...