Bloggerhythms

It's Opening Day once again, and the Phillies are pursuing their third World Series championship, so it's time for a little baseball related music.   The appeal of Baseball's Greatest Hits (1989) lies almost exclusively with hardcore baseball fans and those who like to bask in its history. It's an interesting and informative artifact but not something a listener would routinely pop in his CD player (if you still have one) on a regular basis because it's a collection of novelty songs that are mostly really, really old. The album has twenty-two tracks that are predominantly songs but it also includes a handful of spoken word radio broadcasts and comedy bits. Among the latter are museum pieces such as Abbott & Costello's famous "Whose On First" (1945), "Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech" (1939), and "Bobby Thomson's Shot Heard 'Round The World" (1951). Also featured is actor and vaudeville star DeWolf Hopper who rec...

Never say a motivated woman can't hang with the big boys because Ashleigh Flynn & the Riveters certainly do. While they describe themselves as an "Americana rock 'n roll band"   their hearts appear to be firmly attached to the country-rock sub-genre, and they play it as well as any testosterone laden band from the 70s ever did. The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Poco, late period Byrds, Chris Hillman's Desert Rose Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Eagles should all tip their hats to these ladies. If you have any doubts about what I just wrote give a listen to The Riveters' new album, Good Morning, Sunshine . It's mostly an exuberant ride with a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure. The music on Sunshine is edgy - but not angry, even while sometimes displaying a social conscience. It's also a party album with intelligent lyrics that will make the sun come out even in places where it st...

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...