Song a Day 2020

Creep by Radiohead

At about :58 where the distorted guitar comes in to interrupt an otherwise lovely ballad, I like to imagine it was maybe a mistake on one of the takes, like a sound check that never happened, but then they all said, “sounds good, let’s keep it.”

Back in Black by AC/DC

Head banging encouraged.

Bodhisattva by Steely Dan

Full disclosure: I have been a fan of Steely Dan for a long time, but my first exposure to the group was their 1977 album Aja. I had only heard Bodhisattva on a greatest hits album and immediately feel in love with that guitar solo by Denny Dias. I was not familiar with the band’s earlier albums until a buddy of mine played this album, the actual vinyl object, one evening about 5 years ago. I was schooled by this 1973 masterpiece. Thanks Kenny for showing me that SD was more than a top ten-adult-contemporary-Black Cow-drinking-smooth-jazz-playing combo. More to come from this album…

Stride by Tom Scott

I know it may say sound like a dated funk track, but give it a chance. Tom Scott is a studio sax legend, and this track is just plain fun. In music school, my buddies and I transcribed this for our little pep band. We wrote it all out, practiced to make it sound just like the recording, but it was eventually wasted on a small crowd of bored basketball fans in a gym with a lousy acoustic. Oh well- we had a blast playing it. The bass line is tricky to play; I know because I cranked it out on the trombone. You can’t rush it or it will sound ridiculous. Finding that groove in the pocket of being “layed back” and yet moving forward is tricky, but so satisfying when done right. It’s this infections ostinato that builds and builds as each member of the band joins in for a satisfying finish.

Morning by Beck

I’m kinda of obssesed in a good way with this artist, I think.

Upon release the album received critical acclaim and was nominated for five awards at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, winning three: Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Best Rock Album. Along with winning the award, Chris Martin collaborated with Beck to sing “Heart Is a Drum” at the Grammys.^[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Phase

Stories for Boys by U2

Early Bono at his best. Just wailing and putting it out there with unbridled passion.

Screen Kiss by Thomas Dolby

This entire album is a rich atmosphere of feelings and sounds best enjoyed with a pair of good headphones.

Also lovely is ‘Screen Kiss’ — which Thomas counts as one of his personal favorites. He has said, “it’s the song I was the most emotionally involved in. It felt very odd because at that time I was passionately in love, which is something I generally seperate from my work … It’s also a very fragile song. We didn’t even play it live in Britain because it’s very difficult to pull off. Everything has to be very delicate. The fretless bass and percussion make it very touch and go.” See if you agree.

https://popdose.com/the-complete-idiots-guide-to-thomas-dolby-2/

The Golden Age by Beck

Sea Change is the eighth studio album by American musician Beck, released on September 24, 2002 by Geffen Records. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the album features themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude, and loneliness. For the album, much of Beck’s trademark cryptic and ironic lyrics were replaced by simpler, more sincere lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for live instrumentation. Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Change_(album)

You Made Me Like It by 1990s

The opener to Cookies and the band’s first single, “You Made Me Like It”, sounds like a cross between the Rolling Stones, Violent Femmes, and Franz Ferdinand. With muttered vocals that are blatantly comparable to Mick Jagger or Gordon Gano, the excitable chorus is more reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand’s “Do You Want To” to the effect that it will tire those who have heard it before.

https://www.obscuresound.com/2007/06/1990s-the-band-not-the-decade/

Mad World by Tears for Fears

This is the first CD I ever owned.