Randy Newman once upon a time was highly regarded as one of America's greatest songwriters. Though he was quick to provide a fantastic score or arrangement on strings or piano, he was just as vibrant at sardonic, biting wit within songs that portrayed characters from all walks of life- mainly the creepy, sleazy and misunderstood walks. His ability to synthesize a take-no-prisoners humour (that would have met with even more resistance in a modern PC world) with touching pathos every now and again resulted in a string of classic albums- particularly from his 1968 self-titled debut up to 1974's Good Old Boys. Afterward he struggled to ever hit the same heights but still provided enjoyment every LP out even as the characters he featured in his songs became more and more racist, bigoted and immoral. Now primarily a writer of Hollywood movie soundtracks/scores- in the grand tradition of his extended family- he still is seen in music critic circles as the top purveyor of old style American music that owed as much to Hoagy Carmichael or Stephen Foster as it did Fats Domino or Professor Longhair. One of his true legendary opus recordings is featured in this particular S&G Podcast episode.
Don't you just hate it when there are so many songs with the same title to to the point it gets confusing as to which song is which, which are covers and which artists did them? How many more times can we withstand an artist releasing a song titled the oh so unoriginal "Hold on"? Well here on the Sound & Groove Podcast, we decided to have fun with that by putting out 2 episodes (this being the first of them) using that theme of doubling up on songs that share titles. No cover versions required! It's just one song of a certain title- picked somewhat arbitrarily I have to admit- followed by another of the same.
So sit back and soak in another musical journey through yet another themed podcast for your listening enjoyment. And if you're new to this podcast: Every month there will be a theme that the selection of music is centered around. It will be jam packed with my analysis, synopses, breakdowns, anecdotes and other witticisms you might enjoy while I play edited versions of each tune (to make room for talk and for a good 8-9 songs per 45 minute episode). And not to worry, each month will contain a different theme than the last. Got it? Get it? Good. Happy listening to you all!
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Edowrimple
Hear it on itunes now! http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/evan-dowbiggins-
Track Listing:
1. Angel- John Hiatt (1993)
2. Angel- Fleetwood Mac (1979)
3. Communication Breakdown- Roy Orbison (1967)
4. Communication Breakdown- Led Zeppelin (1969)
5. Talk of the Town- Greg Kihn (1996)
6. Talk of the Town- Pretenders (1980)
7. Don't Look Back- John Lee Hooker (1964)
8. Don't Look Back- The Temptations (1965)
9. Hand in Hand- Phil Collins (1981)
10. Hand in Hand- Elvis Costello & the Attractions (1978)
11. Sail Away- Neil Young (1979)
12. Sail Away- Randy Newman (1972)
Info of note:
Intro- "Feelin' Again" by John Hiatt (1997)
Outro- "Blue Telescope" by John Hiatt (1993)
All comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcomed and appreciated! I encourage participation. Even though I drain an hour off your life by listening to the podcast then checking through the links, at least you don't have to fork over your money to me... though if you feel like, you know... But in all seriousness, let me now what you'd like to hear or see and I'll consider it. Popular approval doesn't always sway me but having fans or listeners get their input would be just grand!
No comments:
Post a Comment