Bloggerhythms

You've probably only heard Israel (a. k. a. Iz) Kamakawiwo'ole's most famous song, "Somewhere over the Rainbow," on TV commercials or in a handful of movies. The tune features Iz's gorgeous vocal accompanied only by his solo ukulele. My love of his version of the classic song is second only to Judy Garland’s original from The Wizard of Oz . Iz recorded the song twice. The longer version combines Garland's classic with Louis Armstrong’s "It's a Wonderful World" and it's the one I prefer. The shorter track features just "Rainbow" without Armstrong’s hit. Recently, the song rode to the top of the charts in Germany even though it was first recorded for his 1993 CD, Facing Future . By selling 1,000,000 copies it is the first album in history by a Hawaiian artist to achieve platinum status. I became fascinated with Hawaiian music during my vacation there two years ago and I listened to more than a little bit of Iz on CDs I f

The Beatles (a. k. a. The White Album) was supposed to lead off part four of Bloggerhythms series reviewing all of The Beatles’ albums chronologically by era. However, this review grew in length beyond my original intentions, so now it will be handled as a separate posting. The dissension that would eventually tear the group apart began on the very first day of the sessions for this huge double LP. The fighting caused Ringo Starr to temporarily quit the band, forcing Paul McCartney to play drums on "Back in the USSR" and "Dear Prudence." Frequently the quartet didn’t even function as a cohesive unit. They recorded their parts separately or with one member playing all of the instruments on a song themselves. The White Album contains twenty-nine songs and one freaky, annoying sound collage. It is simultaneously The Beatles' best and worst set of music. Many people have said, and George Martin was among them, that there were enough great songs to re

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 frequent

Folk singer and songwriter Dave Shiflett is employed as a critic for Bloomberg News . He also writes for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post . He has published several books including one with Donald Trump, The America We Deserve. Shiflett just completed a novel and is currently looking for an agent but, as is often the case, his new album, From The First Time , has been released to the world on his website without any assistance whatsoever. For music lovers like me that is a good thing. From The First Time is Shiflett's fifth CD. He has released earlier works under his own name and as the leader of two bands, Floor Creak and The Karma Farmers. Shiflett's voice is not powerful but he has a pleasant delivery that fits the songs quite well. The arrangements are driven by acoustic guitars that are often joined by percussionists, violins, mandolins, and any other light accompaniment the situation calls for. He writes tuneful works that should hold your