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.
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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…………….
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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!)
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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.

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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…………………..
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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……………………………………
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“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.
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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……..
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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………………
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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.
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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…………….
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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!
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, 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 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.

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Four new entries this week! Wow! That’s unusual. Young the Giant leap to the top! Cool! I also feel that the artistry of videos this year, is continuing at a higher than normal level…….
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of February 19, 2012

1. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
2. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
3. Ours—Taylor Swift
4. Beekeeper’s Daughter—The All-American Rejects
5. Give Me All Your Luvin’—Madonna with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
6. I Won’t Give Up—Jason Mraz
7. Keep Me in Mind—Zac Brown Band
8. We Owned the Night—Lady Antebellum
9. Paris—Jay Z and Kanye West
10. Red Solo Cup—Toby Keith

1) “Cough Syrup”—I like all of the visual images in this video—especially the water vibrating on a speaker, or whatever it is. The video plus a good song moves this to the top!
2) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—I like the way Kimbra just gets in the face of Gotye!
3) “Ours”—Taylor moves back up a notch, but I’m losing interest in this one….
4) “Beekeeper’s Daughter”—This is a video that I’ve wanted to put on the list for a couple of weeks. I like the way it’s so fluid from one scene to the next. This is probably the best video The All-American Rejects have ever done!
5) “Give Me All Your Luvin’—Couldn’t Madonna find a bigger cross to wear? It’s a good thing the song pulls the video through!
6) “I Won’t Give Up”—Jason Mraz has matured, and in a big way. I don’t think I’ve deciphered everything in this video or song. Very moving!
7) “Keep Me in Mind”—This above average concert video has been around for a long time. It deserves some recognition.
8) “We Owned the Night”—Ah, an old favorite returns because they keep showing it and I have an open slot!
9) “Paris”—I like watching this kaleidoscopic video! I guess I can be easily distracted by shiny objects….
10) “Red Solo Cup”—Never underestimate the power of the cup to hang on!
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“Q” Bombs: February 19, 2012

Posted on February 26, 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.
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Four weeks in a row at the top of the trash heap for Gavin DeGraw! How will it ever get knocked off?
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Worst Videos for the week of February 19, 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. Tonight Is the Night—Outasight
5. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
6. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele Live at The Royal Albert Hall
7. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
8. Alone With You—Jake Owen
9. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)—Foster the People
10. Tattoos on This Town—Jason Aldean

1) “Not Over You”—It moved up again! Look, I don’t mind when a video or song like Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You” returned for a long run, but a lousy forgettable song? QUADRUPLE ODWITS!!!!
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—If only the video and song could live up to the title……
3) “It Will Rain”—Bruno Mars compares the end of a relationship to a weather report. Whatever……………………
4) “Tonight is the Night”—Oh, yeah. Sharing lousy looking food with each other. What a night…………………………
5) “Remind Me” —If only there was something there to remember……………….
6) “Set Fire to the Rain”—I’m sorry, but six Grammys will not change my mind about this video………..
7) “God Gave Me You”—Such a gift…………………………………
8] “Alone With You”—Another pedestrian country ballad video……………….
9) “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”—This one would have made my faves list if it wasn’t for the weird ending………………………….
10) “Tattoos on This Town”—I think this one will still be around for a long time………..
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Phil’s Faves:Videos, February 12, 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 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.

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An unbelievable live performance knocked Gotye out of the top spot this week. There are other one time entries, too, making this a great viewing list!
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of February 12, 2012

1. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End—Paul McCartney with Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Dave Grohl, Brian Ray, and Rusty Anderson on The Grammys
2. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
3. We Take Care of Our Own—Bruce Springsteen on The Grammys
4. Ours—Taylor Swift
5. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
6. Give Me All Your Luvin’—Madonna with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
7. Super Bowl Opening—Faith Hill
8. Subway—Ladysmith Snack Mombazo featuring Jimmy Fallon and The Roots from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
9. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
10. Red Solo Cup—Toby Keith

1) “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End”—This was one of those moments that people tune in to The Grammys for! Paul McCartney’s amazing performance of this Beatles’ Medley from Abbey Road drove me crazy! And you can tell by the smiles on the faces of Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, and Dave Grohl that they could cross off an item on their bucket list that they were having the times of their lives! And the image of Paul just pointing at any of the guitarists onstage for their solo was unbelievable as if he was teaching a guitar class and the pupils were expected to show what they could do while the master took turns himself! It was only in front of a billion people or so! And he looked so cool walking from behind the piano to strap on his guitar while Abe Laboriel, Jr. recreated and improved on Ringo Starr’s drum solo! What a jam!!!!!!!
2) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—It only took one of the greatest ever live performances to knock this one from the top spot. Don’t count out a return to the top…..
3) “We Take Care of Our Own”—The first single from Bruce Springteen’s new “Wrecking Ball” CD opened the Grammys as Bruce provided a blistering performance as only he can do!
4) “Ours”—Taylor Swift slips a couple of notches because of such amazing live performances…………
5) “Cough Syrup”—Steadily moving up for another week……………
6) “Give Me All Your Luvin’—Madonna, looking pretty, but a kind of older pretty along the lines of old-timey Broadway dancers like Ann Margaret or Anne “Legs” Miller as Mickey Rooney liked to refer to her, delivers an entertaining video. The song is above average, too!
7) “Super Bowl Opening”—I have neglected to mention how hot Faith Hill has looked doing the intro to NBC’s Sunday Night Football all season long! Then, for the Super Bowl, they go and make her look even hotter in a new video! Wow!
8) “Subway”—This fake group that is a spot on parody of the South African singing troupe, occasionally shows up on Jimmy Fallon’s show. For the Super Bowl, that did a hilarious Subway song: “Everybody likes a footlong/(Hand to the side of the face)That’s what she said!”
9) “Lonely Boy” —I have a feeling this song is going to be a lot lonelier next week………..
10) “Red Solo Cup”—This one may be saying goodbye, too. I’m way past the infatuation stage with it…………….
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“Q”sings: 2012 Grammys: Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Foo Fighters, The Civil Wars

Posted on February 25, 2012 by PhilMaq

The 2012 Grammys, with enough of a stockpile of anticipation to make a music hoarder go insane—How will they handle Whitney Houston’s untimely death? What will Bruce Springsteen sound like post-Clarence Clemons? Will Adele still have an incredible voice after throat surgery? – were primed to be something even more incredible than most years. These larger than music plots dominated over the usual categorical subplots—the reason for having The Grammys in the first place. Maybe that’s because it was already predicted that Adele was going to run off with most of the categories in a year where popularity and artistry were synchronized.

One of the major questions was answered from the opening notes. The first single from Bruce Springteen’s new “Wrecking Ball” CD, “We Take Care of Our Own,” opened the Grammys as Bruce provided a blistering performance as only he can do! This shouldn’t have been much of a surprise since Bruce performed for almost a decade without Clarence Clemons in the band once before. He came out swinging and never “retreated or surrendered!”

LL Cool J was gracious and sincere as a host—especially with his opening prayer.
In a sense, the rest of the show—except for the Whitney Houston tribute, which registered one of its highest ratings ever, was fairly anticlimactic. Adele ended up winning six Grammys, The Foo Fighters snatched five. Taylor Swift deservedly won two–as did The Civil Wars. (ODWITS! I still don’t see what they’re attraction is.) Finally, when everyone’s attention started to wander, Jennifer Hudson emerged to perform an understated performance of Houston’s signature song, “I Will Always Love You.” Aretha Franklin, Whitney’s godmother, was supposed to perform, and then Chaka Khan was picked to substitute. They both opted out—surprisingly since Aretha performed an incredible “Nessun Dorma” as a substitute at the 1998 Grammys.

Jennifer received some criticism for her performance as not being dramatic enough. I disagree with that opinion. The song is hard enough to sing without the extra emotion attached to it. I’m astonished that anyone could have sung it at all without cracking. Her restrained version of “I Will Always Love You” seemed to be just the right touch. Excellent job Ms. Hudson!

And then there was Adele’s “chills up the spine” acapella opening to “Rolling in the Deep” to prove that her voice had recovered! I think my jaw involuntarily fell open once I heard the notes!

The Glen Campbell medley as well as The Beach Boys reunion were entertaining and pleasant, but the remaining suspense for me was the Paul McCartney performance. It was well worth the wait because he finished The Grammys off with one of the greatest medleys ever recorded. I am referring, of course to “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” from The Beatles’ “Abbey Road.” This was one of those moments that people tune in to The Grammys for! Ironically, I really only heard two other people mention it. I thought it was insanely incredible! Maybe people had started to check out since it was almost three and a half hours into the show.

But it was Paul McCartney’s amazing performance of this Beatles’ medley from Abbey Road that drove me crazy! And you can tell by the smiles on the faces of Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, and Dave Grohl that they could cross off an item from their bucket list as they were having the times of their lives! And the image of Paul just pointing at any of the guitarists onstage for their solo was unbelievable as if he was teaching a guitar class and the pupils were expected to show what they could do while the master took turns himself! It was only in front of a billion people or so! And he looked so cool walking from behind the piano to strap on his guitar while Abe Laboriel, Jr. recreated and improved on Ringo Starr’s drum solo! What a jam!!!!!!!

This absolutely was one of the best Grammys ever, even with the overriding sadness. As usual, it was the music that pulled everyone through the hardest moments.

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, February 12, 2012

Posted on February 20, 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.
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This is a great list! There’s a new No. 1 and still two Paul McCartney songs! There is so much variety on it. I love it!
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of February 12, 2012

1. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
2. Scientists in Japan—Sara Groves
3. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
4. Heart on Fire—Scars on 45
5. Brazil—Rich Ridenour
6. My Valentine—Paul McCartney
7. Making Friends—Mickey Jupp
8. The Right Place—The Derailers
9. The Lonely One—Duane Eddy
10. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys

1) “In My Arms”—An infectious happy tune! Honestly, that’s all you need to know!
2) “Scientists in Japan”—This is the most haunting song I’ve heard since Joan Osborne’s “One of Us!” The melody, the words, the leisurely paced vocal by Sara Groves pulls you along at a pace that allows the listener to think about the words. I can’t hear this song enough!
3) “Best Love”—Steve Martin didn’t win a Grammy this time, but I think it’s a good Valentine’s Day song!
4) “Heart on Fire”—Alright, I think I finally put this song on the right list. Very catchy!
5) “Brazil”—I’ve been listening to this song more often this week because I keep making new discoveries. Right now, I like the piano solo where the left hand plays a wicked boogie-woogie rhythm that allows the right hand to float into the stratosphere for feats of great agility! The contrast is amazing…and hypnotic!
6) “My Valentine”—I decided to swap out Paul McCartney tunes from his “Kisses on the Bottom” CD. It just seemed more appropriate since Valentine was already in the song title and I’m sure that he released it to capitalize on that day. It’s like the other side of the coin for “Get Yourself Another Fool.”
7) “Making Friends”—Pub rocker Mickey Jupp does a nice slow blues with very dry lyrics that explains his actions from the night before so there aren’t any “misconceptions.” In other words, if he hugged you last night, it was just because it was cold outside. He wasn’t looking for love; he just wanted to “make friends.” He makes being despicable sound so charming! This one is a classic!
8) “The Right Place”—This is a great alt/country rocker! The sincere singer tells his love interest that “The right place is right here in my arms/Here with me, eternally, right next to my heart.” It moves along fast and really kicks in for a fiddle instrumental break. This song always makes me feel happy and it’s easy to sing to!
9) “The Lonely One”—This one drops a lot, but I will always like it!
10) “Lonely Boy”—Almost off, but still a cool song!

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“Q” Bombs: February 12, 2012

Posted on February 19, 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.

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There are a couple of “twos” on this list that does not help the performers: Two songs about “rain” and two appearances by Carrie Underwood. Read on………………..
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Worst Videos for the week of February 12, 2012

1. Not Over You—Gavin DeGraw
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. CMT Crossroads—Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood
4. Born to Die—Lana Del Ray
5. It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
6. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele Live at The Royal Albert Hall
7. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
8. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
9. Tattoos on This Town—Jason Aldean
10. Tonight Is the Night—Outasight

1) “Not Over You”—Three weeks now and it’s moving up!!!??? TRIPLE ODWITS!!!
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—Oh, come on! A smug country singer who thinks that he’s found his special someone on the road. Boy, that’s original………..
3) “Crossroads”—This CMT program usually pairs some very interesting artists from the rock/pop world with a country artist. There have been some great ones over the years. One of my favorites was a pairing of Robert Plant with Alison Krauss. Even though they had recorded and toured together, you could tell that they were exploring musical areas that they hadn’t known about each other. I found it very fascinating and the music was incredible! Contrast that episode with this stinker. Out of all the country artists that Steven Tyler could have been paired with, this is who they come up with? I’m sure Steven didn’t mind because she’s pretty and I’m sure there was some kind of American Idol connection, but as far as I’m concerned, she didn’t have the credibility for someone with his resume. I’m obviously going against the grain here, because Crossroads had their biggest ratings in 7 years. I thought it was awful and an insult to most diehard Aerosmith fans…………………………….
4) “Born to Die”—Where do I start on this one? First of all, her performance on Saturday Night Live did not win me over. I haven’t seen so comatose a performer since Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies! I mean, how can you tell if she’s still living according to the title of her song? She has generated a lot of recent buzz about being the next “big thing.” I prefer my music to actually have some life in it……………….
5) “It Will Rain”—Weeks of watching and listening to this song has not changed my opinion of it……………..
6) “Set Fire to the Rain”—Another performer that I’m going against the tide on. It’s just a boring video…………………….
7) “God Gave Me You”—The torture appears to be ongoing. This video is taking forever to fall…………..
8] “Remind Me” —OK. This one’s taking two forevers to drop off……………..
9) “Tattoos on This Town”—I’ve actually been watching this one lately instead of ignoring it. Not because I like the video any better but because I keep trying to think about why I don’t like it. I’ve come to the conclusion that it bit off way too much. The characters aren’t defined and then you’re supposed to feel sad at the end because a guy dies in Iraq or Afghanistan. I hate that kind of storytelling…………………..
10) “Tonight is the Night”—I really didn’t think this video would be around this long. I will say that the chorus is starting to hook me…………………………
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