Showing posts with label Prog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prog. Show all posts

Friday, July 3, 2015

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! I LIKE TO LIVE IN AMERICA!

HHHHEEEEEYYYYYY YYYOOOOOOOUUUUUU GGGGUUUUUYYYYSSSS!!!!! HAVE A HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! The Fourth of July pinup above is Rita Moreno of The Electric Company and West Side Story. One of the songs she sang in West Side Story was "America." It was covered by the British prog rock band The Nice in the late 60s, as an instrumental. The keyboardist with that group was Keith Emerson. Here is video of him preforming it with Paul Schaffer on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1986.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

DESDINOVA'S PROGRESSIVE/ART ROCK PLAYLIST


I actually made a post for the old blog of progressive/art rock a few years back utilizing YouTube videos. The problem was some links wouldn't post and some of the songs were not available because of legal issues. I've found if most people are interested in a song I post on a playlist, they will find it on one of the many music download websites by Googling the title and artist name.

I decided to go ahead with this concept after hearing "The Art Rock Suite" by National Lampoon while working on the song parody post from a few weeks ago.

Progressive rock or art rock is a genre of music that has for the most part disappeared, with the exception of Dream Theater (I think Coldplay might count as prog rock too). It was at it height of popularity in the early 70s to the late 80s. It was never popular among rock critics. It may be responsible for punk due to the fact that punkers hated it. For the most part, women don't care for it. Once a staple of classic rock radio station, many programmers these day say that it "attracts the Dungeon and Dragons geek crowd."

The stigma of prog/art rock may come from the fact that it appealed to an older crowd and many times more intellectual crowd. One famous group claimed that their audience was predominantly "bearded, pipe-smoking, college professors and hippies" until they had a number one hit and video on MTV, then teenage girls began showing up at their concerts. KTXR's Wayne Glenn has told about finding a lone prog rock LP in the collections of elderly couples, who have given or sold him their records. Part of the punkers contention with prog rock was that it was an attempt to make rock and roll nice, boring and commercial.

Another thing point out as a reason they dislike prog/art rock is it is cliched. Like other forms of popular music such as heavy metal (which prog is confused with by some people), hip-hop and country, prog has its cliches.
  1. Surreal, profound and flowery lyrics. A lot of mythology and Romanticism thrown in too.
  2. Orchestras and string sections.
  3. More emphasis on keyboards than guitars.
  4. The songs are long, usually between 5 to 25 minutes long.
  5. The cover of the album is a fantasy or sci-fi painting, usually by Roger Dean (above), Frank Kelly Freas or H.R. Giger.
  6. Sudden change in tempo or crescendo.
  7. A big finish.
  8. Most prog/art rock groups are British. Few are American (Kansas, Styx).
So let me give a playlist of great prog/art "masterpieces" for your Ipod or for you to hunt down on CDs or LP. NOTE: These ares not ranked or in any particular order, just as they came up on my Ipod.

1. "Suite Madam Blue" Styx
2. "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen
3. "Bloody Well Right" Supertramp
4. "Catherine of Aragon" Rick Wakeman
5. "Conquistador" Procol Harum (The 1972 live version)
6. "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas
7. "March of the Mad Duke's Circus" Ars Nova (Another early prog/art rock band from L.A)
8. "Rock & Roll Dreams Come True" Jim Stienman
9. "Welcome to the Machine" Pink Floyd
10. "Tubular Bells" Mike Oldfield
11. "Heat of the Moment" Asia
12. "Do It Again" Steely Dan
13. "Spirits In the Night" Manfred Mann's Earth Band
14. "Green Eyed Lady" Sugarloaf
15. "July Morning" Uriah Heep
16. "Locomotive Breath" Jethro Tull
17. "The Fountains of Salmacis" Genesis (Peter Gabriel era)
18. "When the Heart Rules The Mind" GTR
19. "I've Seen All Good People" Yes
20. "The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Feather" Alan Parson Project
21. "Rondo" The Nice
22. "Turn It On Again" Genesis (Phil Collins era)
23. "Dream Weaver" Gary Wright
24. "Karn Evil #9 (1st Impression)" Emerson, Lake and Palmer (a.k.a "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends")
25. "Art For Art's Sake" 10CC
26. "God Gave Rock and Roll To You" Argent
27. "Cold as Ice" Foreigner
28. "Mad Puppet" Goblin
29. "In the Court of the Crimson King" King Crimson
30. "Nights in White Satin" Moody Blues
31.  "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" Ambrosia
32.  "Roll Over Beethoven" Electric Light Orchestra
33. "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" Mike & the Mechanics
34. "Joy" Apollo 100
35. "Pretty Ballerina" The Left Banke (Many believe the first prog rock band)
36. "Mars" Isao Tomita (Note: Not "Mars: Bringer of War." He does a version of that song too.)
37. "A Farewell To Kings" Rush (I knew if I left off Rush, their fans would whine)
38. "Gravedigger" The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble
39. "Theme from Clockwork Orange" Walter Carlos




  

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Folk Legend Richie Havens Passes - AllAccess.com

Folk Legend Richie Havens Passes | AllAccess.com

While Richie Havens recorded many covers of other artist hits, he recorded of his own material as well, including the anti-war song "Handsome Johnny" (Written with actor Lou Gossett Jr.) and "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" (Which Yes combined with the theme to The Big Country on their Time and a Word LP).

In later years, he sang some famous jingles including this one for Cotton and Folgers Coffee.


  

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

I AM NOT ASHAMED PLAYLIST 5

It is time for me to list more songs that are in my Ipod that I'm not ashamed to admit to liking. Some call these guilty pleasures. Life is to short to be guilty about your entertainment choices.

Ars Nova - "March of the Mad Duke's Circus" (An early prog rock band)
Capt. Groovy and His Bubble Gum Army - "Capt. Groovy and His Bubble Gum Army" (Really Bobby  Bloom of "Montego Bay" fame)
The Monroes - "What Do All the People Know" (Great lost hit of the 80s)
Geoff Goddard - "Sky Men" (A sci-fi Joe Meek novelty. Goddard played keyboard on the more successful Joe Meek production "Telestar")
The Squares - "This is Airebeat" (British New Wave/pop pop of late 70s/early 80s "This has always been a backwater")
Tommy Roe - "Dizzy"
The English Congregation - "Softly Whispering I Love You"
The Fabulous Poodles - "Mirror Star" (A 70s punk song about playing air guitar)
Chad McDevitt Skiffle Group with Nancy Whiskey - "Freight Train" (Early British hit in this country in the 1950s)
Baz Luhrman - "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" (One of the best spoken word/recitations ever)
Cee Lo Green - "Forget You" (One of the great ultimate break up songs - How could anybody not like it?)
Ray Parker - "The Other Woman" (A great R&B hit of the 80s that you don't hear anymore)
Blondie - "Heart of Glass"
Louie Armstrong - "Old Man Mose"
Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band - "Abba Zaba"
The Rembrandts - "I'll Be There For You" (YES I DO LIKE THE THEME SONG TO FRIENDS! WANNA MAKE SOMETHING OF IT!)
The Breakfast Club - "Right On Track" (A memory from high school)
Owl City - "Fireflies"
Rockwell - "Somebody's Watching Me" (Barry Gordy Jr's son - featuring backing vocals by Michael and Jermaine Jackson)
The Combo Kings - "Batman A Go Go" (A soul dance hit from 1966 - There was a similar James Bond dance number)
The Seeds - "Pushing Too Hard" (One of my all time favorite songs. It sums up my life. If I ever find who was responsible for taking this out of the TouchTunes juke box at Buffalo Wild Wings, I will kill them!)
Charlie Dore - "Pilot of the Airwaves" (A song about a girl in love with a radio DJ. Dore was a Emmylou Harris sound alike from Australia)
Robbie Dupree - "Hot Rod Hearts" (I was told this was "dirty" when I was in elementary school - Never figured out why)
The Lettermen - "Come Back Silly Girl " (Early sunshine pop -slightly un-PC title)
October Country - "My Girlfriend Is a Witch" (Psychedelic/Sunshine Pop by Ray Bradbury fans - he even wrote the liner notes on their only LP)
Sarah Brightman/Michael Crawford - "The Phantom of the Opera"
The Beginning of the End - "Funky Nassau" (Fast reggae hit of the early 70s)
The Bosstweeds - "The Theme from Faster Pussycat Kill Kill"
The Coasters - "Little Egypt" (Singing Yiiiinnnng YYYaaang! Gitchy gitchy!)
The Hollywood Argyles - "Alley Oop"
Morris Day & the Time - "Jungle Love"
Even & Jaron - "Crazy About This Girl"
Cliff Richard - "Dreaming"
Hank Ballard & The Midniters - "Annie Had a Baby"
The Floaters - "Float On" (A Quiet Storm hit featuring the most romantic line ever "Cancer and my name is Larry")
The Bangles - "Walk Like an Egyptian"
Neil Sedaka "Bad Blood"
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"
The Hollies - "If the Lights Go Out" (From their 80s reunion LP - Why was this song not a bigger hit?)

If you want to see the previous "I AM NOT ASHAMED" Ipod playlist, here are links:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4 

Friday, September 21, 2012

I AM NOT ASHAMED PLAYLIST 4

I thought it was time for another Guilty Pleasures I AM NOT ASHAMED playlist.

"Cars" Gary Numan
"Wild Is the Wind" David Bowie
"Trouble' Lyndsey Buckingham
"Christo Redentor" Harvey Mandel (Sounds like make-out music for Captain Kirk)
"Juicy Fruit" Mtume
"Special Lady" Ray, Goodman & Brown (KLWT-FM 92 in Lebanon played this everyday at 4:05 p.m. You could set your watch by the automation)
"South Side" Moby with Gwen Stefani
"The Letter" The Arbors (Neat cover by a prog-sunshine pop)
"Raspberry Beret" Prince & the Revolution
"Iesha" Another Bad Creation
"Voo Doo Walk" Sonny Richard's Panics with Cindy and Misty (Go-go dancing singers doing a song about monster - What is there not to like about this?)
"Now To You" The David
"Who Do You Think You Are?" Candlewick Green (Original British version of the Bo Donaldson & the Haywoods hit)
"Do You Want To Dance?" Bette Midler (Sexiest cover version of this song ever)
"Theme from Dark Shadows" Bob Cobert Orchestra (The 45 single easy listening version with a great piano player)
"Down By The Station" The Four Preps (Children's song turned into a song about a being a player)
"Dancing Bear" The Mamas & The Papas
"Sugar Sugar" The Archies
"What Goes Around Comes Around" Justin Timberlake
"Easy Come, Easy Go" Winger
"Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile" David Allen Coe
"Signs" Five Man Electrical Band
"Who Is Gonna Mow Your Grass" Buck Owens & the Buckaroos (One of the best fuzztone guitar parts ever in a country song)
"Isn't It Time" The Babys
"Heat of the Moment" Asia
"Too Shy" Kajagoogoo
"Master Jack" Four Jacks & a Jill
"No Reply At All" Genesis
"Guilty" Barbara Streisand & Barry Gibb
"Never My Love" The Association
"Fantasy" Aldo Nova 

Friday, June 8, 2012

I AM NOT ASHAMED PART 2


I couldn't wait. I needed to post a second volume of guilty pleasures  music "I am not ashamed" to like. I hope to update the Amazon store at the left of the blog with these songs or I may link them to Amazon's downloads.

DESDINOVA'S "I AM NOT ASHAMED" GUILTY PLEASURES PLAYLIST:

Amy Holland - "How Do I Survive"
Jennifer Page - "Crush"
The Equals - "Baby Come Back" (Early Eddy Grant)
The Bluenotes - "I Don't Know What It Is" (Cheesy 50s rock & roll love song)
Bob Seger and the Last Heard - "East Side Story" (His first record)
Vanilla Fudge - "You Keep Me Hanging On"
Karla Bonoff - "Personally"
Kate Bush - "Hammer Horror"
Tanya Tucker - "Can I See You Tonight?" (Remember the poster of her in a black leather jumpsuit holding T.N.T?)
Mama Cass - "California Earthquake" (She had a lot of courage to sing the line, "They tell me the fault-line runs right through here." Just saying.)
The Kingston Trio - "M.T.A"
Lindsfarne - "Lady Elenore"
Earl Grant - "House of Bamboo" (A cool song from an organist who sounded like Nat King Cole)
Kim Wilde - "Love Blonde" (The video sold me on this song. Kim Wilde is sssoooo sexy!)
Glen Campbell - "Wichita Lineman" (Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell-sunshine pop/country masterpiece with a synthesizer. I also like this because my father was a lineman at the time this was popular.)
Peter Murphy - "Cuts You Up" (Former Bauhaus singer with a Goth rock hit from my early days in radio)
Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield - "What Have I Done To Deserve This?"
Argent - "Hold Your Head Up"
Labelle - "Lady Marmalade"
Boys Don't Cry - "I Want To Be a Cowboy"
Middle of the Road - "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"
Katy Perry - "I Kissed a Girl"
James & Bobby Purify - "I'm Your Puppet"
Michael Cox - "Angela Jones" (Another cover better than the original. A Joe Meek production.)
The Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star" (Actually it was stupid, greedy people in management.)
Nik Kershaw - "Wouldn't It Be Good" 
Dean Friedman - "Ariel" (At the time this came out, people mistakenly thought this song was by Billy Joel.)
Roseanne Cash - "Seven Year Ache" (I always wanted to be the guy she is singing about.)
Canned Heat - "Going Up The Country" (I also like the song they did with the Chipmunks.)
Depeche Mode - "People Are People"
Daniel Boone - "Beautiful Sunday"
Fever Tree - "San Francisco Girls" (Is there a bad record containing fuzztone guitar and feedback?)
Olivia Newton-John - "Physical" (A big number one hit that radio stations don't play today.)
Marcy Playground - "Sex and Candy"
The Barbarians - "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" (A mid-60s garage band making fun of homophobic jerks. The band's drummer, Moultly, had a prosthetic hook for a hand.)
Focus - "Hocus Pocus" (70s Prog/metal with a yodeler)
Four Seasons - "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)"
The Blow Monkeys - "Digging Your Scene" (I'd like anything from a group called The Blow Monkeys.)
The Bay City Rollers - "You Made Me Believe Magic"
Circus Maximus - "The Wind" (Jazzy/folk/psychedelic group with Jerry Jeff Walker)
Bananarama - "Cruel Summer"   
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