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(Trashcan Sinatras - They're working on it)
Another band you can file under "criminally neglected" (at least here in the States). Trashcan Sinatras have been around since the mid-90s and are still turning out great tracks. They have a new album out "In The Music", which is getting good reviews and they have been doing a lot of touring this year, both in the U.S. and Australia and all points between. Perhaps because they are from Glasgow they have escaped being pigeonholed as Britpop, but they've also escaped being recognized as one of the more influential voices in the alternative/indie genre.
This track, Welcome Back is off their 2004 album Weightlifting and it's typical of the kind of wordplay they are so good at.
I suspect it's only a matter of time before they stop being overlooked and start being enjoyed and respected for just how great they are.
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(Sarah Vaughan in 1947 - one of the greatest voices in Jazz)
Probably one of the greatest voices in the world of Jazz, Sarah Vaughan had the most incredible phrasing and range of any singer of her generation. Listening to her early recordings, the ones she did for small labels in the mid-1940's are really a wonderful introduction to the artist, at least for me. From 1946 to 1949 she recorded a number of sides for the Musicraft label with a veritable who's who of Jazz greats accompanying her.
This track, the pop standard I Cover The Waterfront, is given the Sarah Vaughan treatment that turns a well worn song into a unique experience. It was recorded on October 10, 1947 and features the Ted Dale Orchestra backing her up. 1947 was also the year Downbeat Magazine voted her most popular Female vocalist.
She's been gone for a while and I imagine there are people who have never heard her or are certainly not familiar with her early material.
In any event, here's a good introduction to a legend - or a nice reminder of one.
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(What it is, is Baseball)
One last salute to Baseball before it all goes away until next year. This one, from a program called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ran a history of baseball up to August 12, 1951 (the date of the broadcast).
Check it out and keep it for that snowy day in January to remind yourself Summer eventually comes.
This is pretty big news. The big progressive groups hadn't yet spoken on the question of escalation in Afghanistan - their silence was pronounced. MoveOn finally broke that silence today, appealing to the President to commit to a clear exit strategy. It's a pretty big step.
U.S. policy in Afghanistan has reached a pivotal moment. President Obama is poised to make a critical decision about the Afghanistan war in the next few weeks. And there’s a big debate happening right now about what to do.
Pro-war advocates both inside and outside the administration—including John McCain and Joe Lieberman—are calling for a big escalation. The general in charge of Afghanistan is expected to request tens of thousands more troops, and that may just be the beginning. They’re cranking up the pressure for an immediate surge.
But other powerful voices are urging caution: Vice President Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel have raised real concerns about the idea of sending more troops to Afghanistan without a clear strategy, as have Democrats in Congress. And a majority of Americans oppose increasing troop levels.
Can you write to the White House and tell them we need a clear exit strategy—not tens of thousands more US troops stuck in a quagmire? You can send the President a message by clicking below:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51843&id=&t=1
Some administration officials are arguing for a smaller, nimbler approach with a narrow focus on the threat from al-Qaeda. But cheerleaders for the war refuse to acknowledge that there could be any viable strategy other than more and more troops. So they’re trotting out the same tired old lines and questioning the motives of those who disagree with them.
They figure they can cut off any debate about our ultimate goals in Afghanistan and the region. But President Obama has consistently shown a willingness to stand up for his more thoughtful approach to foreign policy, and that’s what he needs to do here, too.
The hawks are making their position heard. Now, the majority of Americans—those of us who are for as quick and as responsible an end to the war as possible—need to make our voices heard, too.
With Democrats opposing escalation by more than two to one, MoveOn is just reflecting the opinions of their membership. They're a bit late to the debate, but better than ducking it entirely.
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(The Dylans - funny, the 90's are almost twenty years ago)
Since I spent all of last week knee-deep in 70s Prog, I thought maybe it would be a nice change of pace to jump up a couple of decades and check out the somewhat vague and overlooked 90s. I keep thinking the 90s were the time radio stopped being relevant, stopped telling people what they were playing and generally gave up. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe I was just listening to the wrong stations. Although I do remember commercial radio becoming un-listenable around this time and the only ones playing anything remotely interesting were college stations run by kids whose breathlessly adenoidal voices really made listening an endurance test.
But despite all that there were nuggets to be found. One of those nuggets, among many, to catch my attention were The Dylans.
Together really only a short period of time, and releasing just two albums, with personnel changes going on between the first and second. Nonetheless, they were a good band that mixed up a good combination of psych, shoe-gazing and rhythm.
"I Hope The Weather Stays Fine" is off their first album The Dylans.
You may not have heard them before - here's a good chance to.
It reminded me of how much of a presence Peter and Gordon were, during the British Invasion of 1964 and just how long ago that was.
I never saw them live, but rather via television. Their popularity waned by the end of the 60's, with Peter (Asher) turning to producer and being responsible for a string of hits for artists such as Linda Ronstadt.
But it was their sound, their voices that made such an impression. Several of their early hits were written by Lennon-McCartney, and I'm sure it had much to do with their initial success, but they were talented song writers on their own.
By way of a tribute, I dug up a live version of "World Without Love" originally featured on an album "Tribute to Michael Holiday" recorded in 1964 and added as a bonus on a Japanese CD release in 2002.
I doubt if it's been heard very much. I'm sure you're all familiar with the hit studio version. I thought I would offer something special.
