Phil’s Faves: Songs, March 11, 2012

Posted on March 25, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Gotye and Kimbra top both of my “faves” lists! Brazil drops a little as “Cough Syrup” surges forward. There are a couple of moon songs on the list that adds some soft lighting…………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top Ten Songs for the Week of March 11, 2012

1. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
2. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
3. Brazil—Rich Ridenour
4. Scientists in Japan—Sara Groves
5. Moon in Ice—Yello
6. Shining Moon—Cowboy Junkies
7. Lights—Ellie Goulding
8. We Are Young—Fun with Janelle Monae
9. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
10. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney

1) “Somebody That I Used to Know”— I hear this song constantly now and I don’t even listen to music on the radio that much in comparison to my other sources for it. It’s such a sad line (to me) when he says that her friends were sent to collect her records and she changed her number. ODWITS!
2) “Cough Syrup”—Another simbie that I continue to hear a lot moves it onto the list in a big way!
3) “Brazil”—A song and performance that is on a par with the country it is named after!
4) “Scientists in Japan”—The scientists are starting to bore me…but only a little bit……
5) “Moon in Ice”—This haunting bongo driven song grabbed my attention for a good portion of the week! Yello is the same band that made “Oh Yeah,” (You know. The really deep voice going “Oh yeah.”) but this song is hypnotic and the sultry vocal adds a lot! Check it out!
6) “Shining Moon”—Taken from “Whites Off Earth Now,” this slow bluesy version of a Lightnin’ Hopkins song sounds and feels just right!
7) “Lights”—This song is “simbietastic!”
8) “We Are Young”—This one’s losing steam for me………………..
9) “In My Arms”—Probably the last week for this one………….
10) “Best Love”—Ditto for this one………………………….
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Paul McCartney, Phil's Faves: Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phil’s Faves:Videos, March 11, 2012

Posted on March 24, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
The top two videos stay the same this week and Lady A keeps their two videos on the list.
Ah, I love symmetry………………….
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of March 11, 2012

1. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
2. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
3. I Won’t Give Up—Jason Mraz
4. We Are Young—Fun with Janelle Monae
5. Beekeeper’s Daughter—The All-American Rejects
6. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
7. Ours—Taylor Swift
8. Give Me All Your Luvin’—Madonna with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
9. We Owned the Night—Lady Antebellum
10. Banjo—Rascal Flatts

1) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—Still haunting! Still great! I watch it every time!
2) “Cough Syrup”—I think I have always been fascinated by liquids vibrating on speakers in music videos so this one was bound to be a favorite of mine!
3) “I Won’t Give Up”—Well, I’ve seen it several times in the past week, and I feel that the sentiment is so much bigger than the song!
4) “We Are Young”—It starts off so wimpy, and then does a total 180 in the right direction!
5) “Beekeeper’s Daughter”—Not much competition to knock it off, so it hangs around for another week. I like the way everyone in the video is “busy as a bee” doing whatever they’re doing!
6) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—Now the song is hooking me! I’m liking it more!
7) “Ours”—I quit watching this one for awhile so it kind of refreshed itself for me…..
8) “Give Me All Your Luvin’ “—Probably the last week for this one…………….
9)“We Owned the Night”—I still see it pretty frequently and I still like it. Lady A just seems to make inconsequential hookups seem so nice……………………
10) “Banjo”—I am not a Rascal Flatts, fan but this video seems pretty cool! I like the settings:the bus driver, the courtroom setting, and the college classroom. I think this video has a lot of information that’s presented in a humorous way…and it even rocks!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Q” Bombs: March 11, 2012

Posted on March 21, 2012 by PhilMaq

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
A very unlucky seventh week at the top for Gavin…………………………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Worst Videos for the week of March 11, 2012

1. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. Safe and Sound—Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
4. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
5. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
6. Don’t Stop (Colors on the Wall)—Foster the People
7. Drive By—Train
8. It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
9. Alone With You—Jake Owen
10. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele

1) “Not Over You”—Maybe it’ll be gone in one more week. But now I’ve heard that he’s going to be on “Dancing with the Stars!” Who knows. That might just keep this awful video around even longer! SEXTUPLE PLUS ONE ODWITS!!!!!!! (Oh, all right. SEPTUPLE ODWITS!!!!!!!)
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—OK. I’ll let you keep the night going if this video would just go away…………………………..
3) “Safe and Sound”—Still shooting up the CMT Countdown. This song is something a Taylor Swift song usually isn’t—boring. I blame that on The Civil Wars…………….
4) “God Gave Me You”—How about something positive for a change. The little girl in the movie is really cute.
5) “Remind Me” —I’ve been out of stuff on this one for awhile. Just don’t remind me about it………………………….
6) “Don’t Stop (Colors on the Wall)”—I could swear I first heard this song for something like a bad insurance company commercial. I’m not sure if I just imagined it, but that’s truly where it belongs……………
7) “Drive By”—I don’t know how Train does it with their videos. They always film San Francisco when it’s nice and sunny—a very small window, I’m sure. In this one, they add some nice Napa Valley scenes and some beautiful vintage cars that look better than the actresses, but the song isn’t very good and the video has a lame plot………………..
8] “It Will Rain”—It will fall off the list, too……………….
9) “Alone With You”—Look. Just leave him alone. You’re confusing him…………….
10) “Set Fire to the Rain”—Starting to fall…………………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in "Q"bombs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phil’s Faves: Songs, March 4, 2012

Posted on March 18, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Rich Ridenour lands on top this week! But it might be difficult to stay there with so much competition. Let’s see what happens next……………………….
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top Ten Songs for the Week of March 4, 2012

1. Brazil—Rich Ridenour
2. Scientists in Japan—Sara Groves
3. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
4. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
5. Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)—The Monkees
6. My Heart Is The Eastern Horizon—Clemency
7. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
8. We Are Young—Fun with Janelle Monae
9. Lights—Ellie Goulding
10. Girl Scout Cookies—Ted Nugent

1) “Brazil”—Such a happy version of a song that’s so bright and so full of emotion!
2) “Scientists in Japan”—It slipped a notch this week, but I’m not sure if I’m done with it yet………
3) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—I’ve been subjected to saturation bombing of this song…and it’s working! Very hypnotic and very good!
4) “In My Arms”—I wish someone else would play this song so it would catch on and move it back up….
5) “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)”—One of my favorite songs by The Monkees from their second album, “More of The Monkees!” It’s sad to see Davy Jones leave this world but at least he left plenty of memories………………
6) “My Love Is the Eastern Horizon”—I stumbled upon this one by Clemency after downloading it free from Amazon. It’s a really good indie song! Kind of haunting—in a good way, of course!
7) “Best Love”—Who knows. This one may show up again sometime in the future, but for now, as hard as it is to believe, I’m growing tired of it.It needs to go away and refresh itself…
8) “We Are Young”—This one is just so catchy! I actually like the song better than the video…………
9) “Lights”—Another addictive tune! I like the video and the song about the same!
10) “Girl Scout Cookies”—I haven’t found anything to like by Ted Nugent in a long time. This one caught my interest because after all, who wants a “fat” mint?!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Paul McCartney, Phil's Faves: Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phil’s Faves: Videos, March 4, 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
I’m not particularly pleased with this week’s list. Gotye reclaims the top spot for a second time, but outside of that one and “Cough Syrup,” I don’t think the rest of them combined equal the interest I have for the first two………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of March 4, 2012

1. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
2. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
3. We Are Young—Fun with Janelle Monae
4. I Won’t Give Up—Jason Mraz
5. Beekeeper’s Daughter—The All-American Rejects
6. Am I Forgiven?—Rumer on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
7. Give Me All Your Luvin’—Madonna with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
8. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
9. We Owned the Night—Lady Antebellum
10. Ours—Taylor Swift

1) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—I guess weirdness wins out over unexplainable this week. (I’m referring to “Cough Syrup.”) I find the strange images to be compelling…
2) “Cough Syrup”—I don’t know if this one’s going away yet. I still watch it when it comes on………………
3) “We Are Young”—I don’t think the slow motion necessarily helps this video. But I currently like it a lot! Think this one is going to be a “bear” video…………………..
4) “I Won’t Give Up”—Even though the sincerity appears to be real in this video, this one may be peaking for me…………
5) “Beekeeper’s Daughter”—Good video, but it’s on its way down……
6) “Am I Forgiven?”—This was the pleasant surprise for the week! The song was good, Rumer seemed in total control for her network debut, and the band sounded tight! What else could you want?!!
7) “Give Me All Your Luvin’—Dropping fast………………..
8) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—I don’t know yet if I think this is a really good video, but I like the comments in the beginning and the black & white photography!
9)“We Owned the Night”—But probably not much longer………….
10) “Ours”—Might be Taylor’s last stand for a while, but considering she’s doing well in “The Lorax,” this may turn out to be a “smaller” interest………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Q” Bombs: March 4, 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by PhilMaq

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Six weeks for Gavin at the top and still going strong………………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Worst Videos for the week of March 4, 2012

1. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
4. Just a Dream/Dream On—Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood
5. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
6. Safe and Sound—Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
7. It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
8. Alone With You—Jake Owen
9. Don’t Stop (Colors on the Wall)—Foster the People
10. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele

1) “Not Over You”—It’s stuck at number 13 again on VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown like it was the last time it made their countdown before it fell off. SEXTUPLE ODWITS!!!!!! (Wait! That almost sounds like a compliment.)
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—It actually says “To be continued” at the end of this video. I am too stunned to comment now…………..
3) “Remind Me” —This one continues to defy the law of gravity, so I moved it up again on my list…………….
4) “Just a Dream/Dream On”—I have never liked Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” and putting it together with Carrie Underwood only made it worse for me—if that’s even possible…………………….
5) “God Gave Me You”—Where’s “an eye for an eye” when you really need it………..
6) “Safe and Sound”—The thin melody cannot pull this video through. If this song does well, it’s only on the strength of Taylor Swift. This one smells—and looks like a “bear” song………………………………
7) “It Will Rain”—Hey! It rained in Texas! Maybe Bruno Mars does have other talents………
8] “Alone With You”—This one really isn’t that bad. It’s just not very exciting—or interesting. Except maybe for the ladies………………..
9) “Don’t Stop (Colors on the Wall)”—This video reappears on this list, and that isn’t good. I am sooooooooooo tired of this wimpy song…………………
10) “Set Fire to the Rain”—This song is the weakest single off of “21” so far and this weak video doesn’t help it……………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in "Q"bombs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Phil’s Faves: Songs, February 26, 2012

Posted on March 4, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Those futuristic scientists described by Sara Groves hold on for a second week! Rich Ridenour keeps pushing Brazil towards to the top. And Gotye enters with a very strong contender. It sounds like there could be a confrontation next week…………….
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top Ten Songs for the Week of February 26, 2012

1. Scientists in Japan—Sara Groves
2. Brazil—Rich Ridenour
3. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
4. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
5. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
6. Older—Band of Horses
7. Way Down in the Hole—The Blind Boys of Alabama
8. Broken Hearted Melody—Sarah Vaughan
9. Danse Caribe—Beausoleil
10. My Valentine—Paul McCartney

1) “Scientists in Japan”—The tempo of this song is so soothing! It must be set at the same pace of breathing because that’s what it feels like for me to listen to it!
2) “Brazil”—On the other hand, this Rich Ridenour song performed with The Grand Rapids Symphony—found on a CD called “Piano Pops,” causes me to either lose or catch my breath—often at the same time!
3) “In My Arms”—A solid song that sounds the way music used to sound when almost every record was—at the least a good one…………………………
4) “Best Love”—I think this one is coming to the end of its run………………..
5) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—I’ve been singing the praises of this video for several weeks and then I realized that I literally was singing it, so it needed a spot on this list!
6) “Older”—I really like this song by Band of Horses! It’s mellow pace and superb harmony vocals make me think that it was an overlooked Grateful Dead song from the 70’s!
7) “Way Down in the Hole”—This smoldering blues song that was featured as the intro song for HBO’s first season of “The Wire” was, for me, the best part of the show!
8) “Broken Hearted Melody”—This long forgotten pre-Beatles gem features the beautiful voice of Sarah Vaughan sounding like she just went through the nicest break up imaginable!
9) “Danse Caribe”—This one surprised even me as it hangs on for a second week!
10) “My Valentine”—Sir Paul McCartney decided to put this song out around Valentine’s Day. What a marketing genius! (Ha! Ha!)
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Paul McCartney, Phil's Faves: Songs, The Beatles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phil’s Faves: Videos, February 26, 2012

Posted on March 4, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Maybe it’s because it’s the cold and flu season, or maybe it’s because they have one of the best videos and songs out there right now that keeps Young the Giant at the top of this list for another week! Pass the “cough syrup” please…………………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of February 26, 2012

1. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
2. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
3. Beekeeper’s Daughter—The All-American Rejects
4. Give Me All Your Luvin’—Madonna with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
5. I Won’t Give Up—Jason Mraz
6. We Are Young—Fun with Janelle Monae
7. Ours—Taylor Swift
8. Paris—Jay Z and Kanye West
9. We Owned the Night—Lady Antebellum
10. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You’re Gone-Miley Cyrus on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”

1) “Cough Syrup”—I’m still trying to decipher what I see in this video. Some of the images of the colors in the water look like Rorschach tests. And then later on the guys in the band are hitting paint balloons with raquetball raquets. Later some paint is sprayed into scenes. I guess it’s just an existential video and it doesn’t need to be understood.
2) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—Another video that I keep trying to make sense of. I guess at the end as the paint disappears off of Kimbra is her breaking free leaving Gotye with the remnants of the relationship.
3) “Beekeeper’s Daughter”—I think this video by The All-American Rejects had great timing. It showed up around Mardi Gras time and just happened to feature a parade when one was needed!
4) “Give Me All Your Luvin’—Yeah, Madonna in a video with football players. I buy it. (Check the how that registers on a sarcasm scale.)
5) “I Won’t Give Up”—Maybe I also like this video because Jason Mraz isn’t wearing a stupid hat………………
6) “We Are Young”—Wow. Another strange unconventional video that takes place as the band plays a gig at one of the worst behaved audiences that you can play for.
7) “Ours”—Still hot at CMT but it’s getting kind of boring for me. The song isn’t as good as some of Taylor’s others…………….
8) “Paris”—This one moves up on the strength of Will Ferrell’s cameo that explains everything you need to know about the video!
9)“We Owned the Night”— Still catchy. Still good!
10) “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You’re Gone”—The video for this song, taken from a massive 4 CD tribute compilation of Bob Dylan songs for Amnesty International on their 50th anniversary called “Chimes of Freedom,” has been getting some attention on CMT. It’s so-so. What floored me was this live acoustic version of Miley and a guitarist on Jimmy Kimmel. Without any other support, that meant that she had to actually sing. None of that “Party in the USA” stuff. And boy did she sing! Like a young Tanya Tucker! I think I’d like to hear more……………………………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Q” Bombs: February 26, 2012

Posted on March 3, 2012 by PhilMaq

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Gavin DeGraw stays on top for a fifth week. Surprise, surprise! But actually, the biggest surprise is that there are three new entries this week, and one of them is named Taylor Swift……..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Worst Videos for the week of February 26, 2012

1. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
4. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
5. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
6. Alone With You—Jake Owen
7. Safe and Sound—Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
8. Tonight Is the Night—Outasight
9. The Dream Medley—Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood
10. Hayes Carll on Austin City Limits

1) “Not Over You”—It dropped down one notch this week on VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown, but it’s still Top Ten. QUINTUPLE ODWITS!!!!!
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—Just what I like in music videos: Cheesy dialogue……
3) “It Will Rain”—Let’s send this one to Texas where maybe it can help somebody…….
4) “Remind Me” —This one continues to defy the law of gravity, so I moved it up again on my list…………….
5) “God Gave Me You”—I wonder if there’s a deposit on this gift………………………
6) “Alone With You”—Not if I can help it……………….
7) “Safe and Sound”—Taylor Swift allows The Civil Wars to drag her through a graveyard on this new song from “The Hunger Games.” I guess they all can’t win Grammys………………..
8] “Tonight is the Night”—This one put a smile on my face this week. It dropped quite a bit…………
9) “The Dream Medley”—I hope this awful collaboration of Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood does not become a staple on CMT. Right now it’s just a bonus video. I hope that’s as far as it gets…………………………
10) “Hayes Carll on Austin City Limits”—OK. This guy is kind of handsome so I can understand why the ladies like him. As for myself, I can pretty much sift through a lot of unmelodic singers to get to a good song, but you have to be able to somewhat carry a tune. This can be a long list for me that includes Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Jerry Jeff Walker, a fellow Texan. But as for Hayes Carll: Dude. You can’t sing! My ears hurt afterwards………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in "Q"bombs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phil’s Faves: Songs, February 19, 2012

Posted on February 26, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
The top ten list gets a little more scientific this week as Sara Groves reaches the top! Let’s see if any of her newfound gimmickry can keep her there…………….
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top Ten Songs for the Week of February 19, 2012

1. Scientists in Japan—Sara Groves
2. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
3. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
4. Brazil—Rich Ridenour
5. Heart on Fire—Scars on 45
6. Danse Caribe—Beausoleil
7. Zydeco Taco—Queen Ida
8. I’m in Love Again/All By Myself—Bonnie Raitt and Jon Cleary
9. Mambo. No.5—Mambo Boys
10. My Valentine—Paul McCartney

1) “Scientists in Japan”—I can’t keep it from the top any longer! It has taken over my brain! Maybe scientists in Japan can help me…..
2) “In My Arms”—Knocked from the top by a worthy opponent. There is nothing to be ashamed of here because this song is excellent pop music!
3) “Best Love”—I haven’t grown tired of this song yet………………..
4) “Brazil”—I read that this song is one of the twenty most covered songs of all time. As far as I’m concerned, this Rich Ridenour version is the best one!
5) “Heart on Fire”—I like the contrasting vocal styles of the male and female leads in this song! It almost sounds like early Fleetwood Mac!
6) “Danse Caribe”—This rhythmic instrumental starts out with a wicked island beat and then kicks in to a double time half way through. It was a simbie for me most of the week!
7) “Zydeco Taco”—Queen Ida uses King Curtis’ “Memphis Soul Stew” as a guide to make this incredibly addictive and happy rhythmic entrée! This simbie was a close second for the week!
8) “I’m in Love Again/All By Myself”—Bonnie Raitt lays down a sultry slide guitar cover of a couple of Fats Domino classics as only she can do! Jon Cleary is there to add to the fun! This is from a post Hurricane Katrina charity album for Fats called “Goin’ Home,” that includes many special musical collaborations. It is a great one-of-a kind covers album!
9) “Mambo No. 5”—This is an instrumental version of a very cool Perez Prado classic! What I really like about it is the second line backbeat from the drums!
10) “My Valentine”—I think I heard this song more in commercials for “Kisses on the Bottom,” Paul McCartney’s new CD, than anywhere else!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Paul McCartney, Phil's Faves: Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment