Bloggerhythms

Like a lot of people over the last decade in our perpetually divided nation it's not always easy for me to discuss controversial topics, especially ones that shouldn't - in my opinion - be so contentious. It's the reason I avoid writing about social and political issues. However, today I'm breaking my self-imposed rule for only the second time in the nineteen year history of this blog. In the Twenty-first century, most Americans are viewed by each side as either being too far to the left or too far right, and we often formulate our opinion of a person's political beliefs based on a single position they hold without exploring what else he or she may have to say. I'm probably guilty of it myself. As an alternative to  X/Twitter , this past July I joined a new online platform born in February 2023. It's called Spoutible and in a lot of ways it's very different from Elon Musk's misadventure. Spoutible ...

This week marks Bloggerhythms' 18th birthday and I can't believe it's been that long! This little outpost on the web was born in April 2005 as a place for album reviews of mostly new music. Gradually, over time, it's focus shifted toward older material but you'll still find some interesting new releases featured here on occasion. The first review I ever posted was about a classic old Chicago album, Hot Streets . Later, this review was copied, moved, and re-used again with a more recent date to fill in a gap when there was no time to write something new. This has happened with several other very early posts that absolutely no one read because hardly anyone knew Bloggerhythms existed. Currently, both the oldest and least read article is a review of a Matchbox 20 album,  Mad Season , that  was posted on April 29, 2005 and  was originally written for someone else...

This post is really nothing more than a free advertisement so if you decide to click away from it I wouldn't be surprised, but music lovers who are running out of storage space for their large CD collections - and can't stand the thought of parting with any of them - may want to keep reading. SpaceSavingSleeves.com  - a company I have no affiliation with other than as a satisfied customer - has a solution for you. They did not ask me to post this article for them. I never understood why CDs came in hard plastic boxes when they were much more durable than vinyl records that were protected almost exclusively by paper and cardboard. I understand that plastic packaging for a 12" record could be unwieldy and too heavy - especially if you are carrying a pile of them - but there was never any good reason I could think of to sell CDs in jewel boxes that take up a lot of space and are easily damaged. The cardboard packaging in which most CDs are currently sold sh...

My blog has always been only about music and I've tried hard to avoid controversial topics, especially politics and religion, unless what I was writing about was somehow related to the music I was discussing at the time. I swore I'd never break that rule but the President's comments trashing our men and women who died in combat have driven me to the edge of madness. Do not take what follows as an endorsement of either liberal or conservative politics although those of you who know me are aware of my views. I promise you I will never get this preachy again. This is about my father, Vincent Charles Ricci, born in 1911 of two Italian-American, immigrant parents in Brooklyn, NY. He enlisted in the army in 1940 because the navy wouldn't accept him during peace time because he wasn't tall enough. He once told me his goal was to eventually be stationed at Pearl Harbor because that is where he heard the fun was. Who wouldn't want ...

Wikipedia defines a musical sellout as one "who alters his material to encompass a wider audience, and in turn generates greater revenue." The Urban Dictionary describes a sellout as "anyone who sacrifices artistic integrity in an effort to become more successful or popular (generally in music); someone who forgets their roots." It's sad when respected musicians become more motivated by financial concerns than a desire to follow their muses but that isn't always the reason someone will be branded as a sellout. Sometimes the artist will have that unfortunate label attached to him even without losing any artistic honesty. I'm sure we've all met snobs who truly believe that any music that sells in large quantities is unworthy of appreciation. How many times have you known an obscure cult band that was loved by the music press (I'm looking at you Rolling Stone ) and as soon as they've scored a hit they're considered a bourgeois j...

I live in Montgomery County, PA, the third largest of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. Only neighboring Philadelphia city and county and Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, are larger. As of this morning, more than half of the Corona cases in the state are in Montgomery. Governor Tom Wolf has placed the county under a state of emergency, closing most schools, churches, many businesses, day care centers, gyms, YMCAs etc. So, because there is really no place to go I thought I'd give you all a 19-song Coronavirus playlist to occupy your time and entertain yourself in case you're trapped at home. Several videos from the list are posted below. I know that Kate Smith is on the political correctness enemies list these days but she recorded the most famous version of the song so many Americans love. Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police Fever - Peggy Lee Misery - The Beatles I Can't Get Next To You - The Temptations Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Duke Ellingto...

Normally Bloggerhythms takes pride in its carefully written and thought out prose but today's short post is an exception. Instead, because it's Thanksgiving, I'll let the video below do most of the talking to spread the word about  Musicians On Call (MOC) , a non-profit organization that began their noble mission twenty years ago. MOC is dedicated to bringing both live and recorded music to patients' hospital rooms. The world hears so many stories about boorish and selfish behavior from entertainers that it's nice to know when the opposite is true. The goal is to bring a little joy to those unfortunate people who are too infirm to leave their beds and maybe facilitate the healing process at the same time. MOC is getting widespread support from national recording artists, classic and current. Many are major stars. Here are just a few who have generously donated their time to raise money or visit patients. Among them are James Taylor, The Bacon Brothers, John M...

July 20, 1969 has been in the news so much lately that I'm sure even people who don't care about what happened on that day fifty years ago know its significance. If you don't, shame on you. My favorite words spoken that great day were not Neil Armstrong's. I've always thought Buzz Aldrin came up with the perfect description for what he saw on the lunar landscape. He called it "magnificent desolation." I've always loved the space program. I'm old enough to remember when the USSR rocketed Yuri Gagarin into orbit in 1961 followed by the USA soon after with Alan Shephard's brief fifteen minute jaunt, but I'm too young to remember Sputnik, the Soviet satellite that America found so disconcerting when it was launched back in 1957. Our major rivals may have beaten us to the punch with the first satellite and the first manned flight but we won the big one when Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility that wonderful Sunday afternoon. I ...

When this blog first hit the web way back in 2005 the original quote posted under the title was "The more you love music, the more music you love." It was from Tom Moon's book, 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die . The music Moon wrote about were his bucket list works and the quote sometimes made me feel like I was not a true music fan because no matter how hard I tried and no matter how often I listened to certain genres they just wouldn't connect with my brain or my heart. Yet I believed the opposite was also true. I knew I was a true connoisseur of the art form because at the same time I listened to a substantial amount of music that the average man in the street never even knew existed. Why am I telling you all of this? It's because I want to continue publishing Bloggerhythms but I now feel odd because, after decades of wanting to be exposed to all kinds of new music, I don't receive the same satisfaction pursuing current stuff as I have in ...

Every once in awhile I acquire an urge to go on a rant regarding something that incenses me about music. Once or twice before I used this space to vent and stirred up some unfortunate, nasty comments, enough to make me say, "never again."  However, Compton , Dr. Dre's new, soundtrack CD to the movie Straight Out Of Compton , has set me off again. First, I have to admit that I have not listened to a single note of Dre's comeback album so I know some people will wonder how I'm qualified to write about something I've never heard. Normally, I would say these folks have a valid point, but I've heard enough rap and hip-hop in my life to know that it's a hideous sounding blight upon humanity that makes my ears bleed. I have no reason to believe Compton sounds any different from all the ultra-profanity laced gangsta rap that came before it but today I'm more concerned with the genre's lyrics. This past Sunday, Dan DeLuca, m...

Here are a few musical links you may find interesting. A really fine, young band from Austin, The Wild Feathers, gave The Vinyl District an interview in January 2014. You can read it here . 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair have teamed together to come out with their 2014 music poll. It covers everything from how good or bad today's music is (Guess what? It stinks), to which band you would want to go back in time to see, to the sexiest musical instrument to play. Here are the results . A very intelligent music blog, Any Major Dude With Half A Heart , posts a monthly In Memoriam series that is so popular that when it's publisher tried to end it a couple of years back due to time constraints his readers begged him to carry on. The blog compiles and honors anyone in the music business who passed away the month before, from the most famous to the very obscure. It's a must read. In 2007, recent Rock Hall of Fame inductee, Daryl Hall, began recording full length concerts ...

Hey baseball fans, Spring Training is upon us and it couldn't be more welcome. Those of us living in the Eastern half of the United States have whined all winter (and rightfully so) about our unusually cold and snowy introduction to the new year so we're looking forward to the coming season. Normally, I would save a post such as this one for opening day but since I can't wait to put the snow shovels away and smell some freshly groomed grass let's listen to a sampling of baseball related songs before your star pitcher's newly torn rotator cuff knocks your team out of the race before Memorial Day. First, take a look at Bloggerhythms' review of High & Inside (2011), the second CD by The Baseball Project, Scott McCaughey's quartet staring Peter Buck on guitar and featuring nothing but songs about America's popular summer game. Their modern rock music is good but you have to be more than a casual fan to fully appreciate the concept. Gamble & H...

November 22, 2013 is the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas. Those of us who are old enough to remember that long, dark weekend can still vividly recollect where we were when the world first learned the Commander-in-Chief lost his life that sad Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving. As the anniversary of the tragedy approaches Bloggerhythms will leave the politics, single bullet theories, and conspiracy talk to others and instead we'll take a look at the top ten singles of that awful week according to the Billboard Hot 100. THE BILLBOARD HOT 100: NOVEMBER 16, 1963 1. Deep Purple - Nino Tempo & April Stevens (up from #2 the week before) 2. Sugar Shack - Jimmie Gilmer & The Fireballs (down from #1 the week before) 3. Washington Square - The Village Stompers 4. I'm Leaving It Up To You - Dale & Grace 5. It's All Right - The Impressions 6. Maria Elena - Los Tabajaras 7. She's A Fool - Leslie ...

Below are some interesting music related odds and ends from around the web for you to enjoy while Bloggerhythms is on hiatus for a couple of weeks. See you in early October. Let's start with an article by JC Mosquito (yes, that's his online moniker), a writer for Something Else Reviews . It's about "Taxi," a minor, 1972 hit from singer-songwriter Harry Chapin that seems to be forgotten today. Here's a long but very good interview with Billy Joel from The New York Times Magazine . Murray Gershenz, owner of almost a half million records, has passed away. Read all about him and watch the video about his huge and remarkable collection. At first it appeared that the ipod classic was going to become a thing of the past but after the recently concluded Apple event the old friend is still around. Read about it here . Please take a look at Mike's Basement , an interesting music blog I recently discovered, published by Mike Marrone, the program director of ...

Even though I grew up with the generation that let their "freak flag fly" (thank you for that, David Crosby) the musicians of that era seldom used language that was considered inappropriate in polite society on their recordings. Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" used a word similar to "darn" along with the deity's name and John Lennon used the English language's most infamous four letter word on "Working Class Hero" from his LP, Plastic Ono Band . Nils Lofgren employed the same word in "I Had Too Much" from Grin's first album. Billy Joel dropped it in one of his attempts to win over critics on "Laura" from The Nylon Curtain . There may have been a couple more examples but not many. Call me old, stodgy, out of touch, narrow-minded, or whatever insult suits you, but the current generation of musicians seems to have no qualms about using this word that begins with the sixth letter of the alphabet quite routinely i...

Yesterday, while perusing the best seller albums chart published weekly in Philadelphia's Sunday Inquirer I noticed that David Bowie's The Next Day , his first new album of original music in a decade, debuted at number one. The top ten albums also included recent releases by Eric Clapton, whose Old Sock landed at number five, and a man who passed away over forty years ago, Jimi Hendrix. The Seattle legend's new CD, People, Hell & Angels , placed just a couple of notches below Clapton's. Even though I'm not a Bowie fan I smiled, and for a fleeting second I thought, "WOW! The old classic rockers can still bring it." When I regained consciousness I quickly realized that the reason these guys are still selling complete albums well enough to make the top ten is because the young people of the digital age, who I almost gave a lot of credit to for listening to the old stuff, aren't buying full albums anymore. They've moved on to either buying...

Hello! I've really enjoyed publishing this blog for the last seven years and I want to keep going. However, the time has come for me to reassess if it still has a place on the web. Both comments and readership have declined significantly over the last few months so I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just writing for myself. Have the quality of my posts deteriorated or is it just that blogs are too old school and are no longer relevant because everyone now spends most of their cyber-time on Facebook and Twitter? I really enjoy mixing the classic rock with the current stuff. Since the former still seems to draw a bigger audience than do posts about new artists I'm going to assume I have an older readership. On the other hand, Forgotten Music Thursdays, this blog's most popular feature, has also attracted a smaller audience recently. So, I just want to know. Do you have any suggestions to improve Bloggerhythms and is there still anyone out there?

Alex Steinweiss, who died July 17th at age 94, belongs in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a non-musical invention. He is credited with inventing album cover art. In 1939 Columbia Records hired him to create advertising for their label. Upon arrival he noticed how drab the covers for most 78 RPM records were so his new job took on a different role. In an interview with Steinweiss after his retirement he said, "The way records were sold was ridiculous. The covers were brown, tan, or green paper. They were not attractive, and lacked sales appeal." Steinweiss seldom used pictures of the artists.  Instead he drew covers that corellated with the music inside. The designer retired in 1973 when he decided his work was too out of date for the rock and roll generation but not before producing, what he claims, were about 2,500 album covers. Steinweiss's first creation, pictured above, was for a 1939 collection of Rodgers and Hart songs. According to Wikipedia, his or...

Today's post is probably the most personal one ever to appear on Bloggerhythms because I've followed one rule about blogging that I discovered on the web many years ago. It is to inject your personality into your posts without getting too personal. Bloggerhythms turns five years old this week and it's still online because I discovered I enjoy writing even more than I thought I would. I'm happy this is a passion that I can actively participate in because I embarrassed myself every single time I tried my hand at my first love, music, and my second one, baseball. (The Mendoza line was a huge pipe dream for me even when I was in little league). This blog started out strictly as a CD review site but it's focus has changed slightly over the last couple of years because I discovered that readers are often more interested in some of the other music related stuff I've written about than they are in the reviews. I've also noticed that there appears to be great...

The quote by writer and music critic Tom Moon, "The more you love music, the more music you love," is from the cover of his excellent book 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die . It's probably my favorite quote about music. Moon's words got me thinking about other musical quotes I've read. So today, instead of writing a CD review, I thought I'd post some of my favorite musical witticisms, complaints, and observations. While researching this article I was surprised to learn there have been multiple books published devoted to nothing more than quotes about music. One of them, pictured here, explores classic music quotes from Texas. I doubt if anything posted below is from Rave On but it could be a very interesting read due to all of the outstanding and varied musical personalities who have called the Lone Star State their home. The very cool cover features four famous Texans in Sgt. Pepper outfits. I hope you enjoy the "wisdom" you're ...