NEXT!

 

When I was working in Smash Compact Disc on St. Mark's Place, Gary the owner would man the stereo system the entire time he was present. For six hours of your 12 hour shift, you were at the mercy of his musical taste. Sometimes this meant listening to the same CD over and over and over again because he was trying to sell it. That wasn't too bad, if you liked the CD. But the week he ordered 30 copies of a 2 CD Jonathan King compilation because he assumed everyone loved "Everyone's Gone To The Moon" and "Johnny Reggae" as much as he did, was absolute torture.

He also liked to play Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" record quite often, and every single time, would skip "Cecilia," because he hated it. "It ruins the album!" I happen to love "Cecilia" and think there are at least three others off that album worth skipping.

Which brings me to today's question?

What record do you love, save for one speed bump?

I thought about this after the comments about R.E.M. on yesterday's post.

"Automatic For The People" is my second favorite after "Life's Rich Pageant." But I think "Everybody Hurts" is god awful. As a matter of fact, it would rank very high on my list of worst songs by anybody. What others find powerful and emotional, to my ears sounds like the exact opposite. Michael Stipe is not a soul singer and he proves it in spades on this track. He's emoting and it hurts. 

Aside from that speed bump, "Automatic For The People' is pretty damn great. 

 

Songs Of The Week, 2025: 12/20-12/26

 

Ice Cream Man- John Brim
Slipped, Tripped & Fell In Love- Ann Peebles
Swerve- Tin Men
The Waterboy- You Am I
Love And Danger- Rosie Flores & Joe Ely
A Pair Of Brown Eyes- The Pogues
Sitting Still- R.E.M.

 

Ice Cream Man- John Brim
(I heard this on a Van Halen album before hearing the original. I love both.)

Slipped, Tripped & Fell In Love- Ann Peebles
(We lost the great Don  Bryant this week, a partner both in songwriting and in real life of Ann Peebles. This gem was not written by Bryant, but by George Jackson.)

Swerve- Tin Men
(Always a must-see when In New Orleans, they are without question, the world's foremost guitar, washboard and tuba trio. I think it was Paul In DK who said, "this sounds like Bobby Charles fronting NRBQ.")

The Waterboy- You Am I
(One of many fantastic tracks on their new 2 CD collection, "The Dollop & The Wallop.)

Love And Danger- Rosie Flores & Joe Ely
(We lost the great Joe Ely this week. Here he is with the great Rosie Flores. This is a great song.)

A Pair Of Brown Eyes- The Pogues
(There is a just released new vinyl remaster of "Rum Sodomy & The Lash" that also features a bonus LP with the entire "Poguetry In Motion" E.P., as well as b-sides and live tracks. Excellent remastering and package. Highly recommended.)

Sitting Still - R.E.M.
(I hated "Murmur" when it was released, and I can't say I liked the next two either. It was "Life's Rich Pageant" that made me come around, and it remains my favorite R.E.M. record. I do love "Murmur" now, though.)

Lower case zip is active until 8AM, 12/31.

Upper case ZIP is the old, hit or miss depending on your computer, way.

Enjoy! 

 

zip

ZIP 

BW's Saturday #73

 

Tribute

 

A lovely tribute to those we lost in 2025.

The chart and code might be too small to read, but I was quite moved seeing #37.

 

 

(h/t hpunch)

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Everybody

 

Wherever you go, whatever you do, I wish all of you wonderful people a day filled with the joy and the spirit and the good things about Christmas Day.

Travel safely. Be kind. Embrace Mariah Carey. 

 

December 24th, 2005

 

 

At 6:00 P.M., 20 years ago today, NYCD closed its doors for the last time.

There are days when I miss it tremendously. And then there are days when I realize what a horrible person I became towards the end, and I miss it less. Well, let's just say, I miss the good ol' days and not the bad ol' days of losing money hand over fist, while customers, both regulars and irregulars, just stopped coming by. Our last day was less of a celebration and more like a wake.

It's not the merriest of Christmas messages, but it's an anniversary nonetheless. 

About three minutes before we locked up and went off to our families for Christmas Eve, we put "So Long My Love" by Frank Sinatra on the stereo and shut out all of the lights.

It was a good run.

 

 

The Elbow Patches Pop With Power

 

The songs comprising "Achingly Familiar" were intended to be the next album by The John Sally Ride. Regrettably, the cruelest tragedy struck the band with the sudden passing of legendary bass player, Sal Maida, earlier in the year. A player of Maida’s status is truly irreplaceable, so unsurprisingly, the band could not go on. ( For those expecting an album addressing the agonizing loss and sadness so recently faced, this is not that record. There are plans to honor the great Sal Maida in the works for next year ). John Dunbar decided to revive one of his multiple musical projects, The Elbow Patches, to present this new batch of tunes. 

That is taken from The Elbow Patches Bandcamp page. And what a batch of tunes it is.  I don't even mind the drumming!

 

 

With the exception of accordion played by producer Len Monachello, "Achingly Familiar" is Dunbar doing it all and it works like a charm. I've listened to "Achingly Familiar" twice now, as well as going back to hear a few of my favorites on their own, and it was pure pop joy; a record worthy of The John Sally Ride name.

You can and should check out the whole record over here!