Phil’s Faves: Songs, February 5, 2012

Posted on February 12, 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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Duane Eddy gets a “lonely” turn at the top! As a matter of fact, there are three lonely songs on this pre-Valentine’s Day chart. I don’t think that’s a commentary on my personal life. It’s more about what’s out there and what I’m listening to. I like the list! It’s got a lot of variety! But watch out for that Sara Groves song. It’s gooooooooo-oooooooooood!
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of February 5, 2012

1. The Lonely One—Duane Eddy
2. Hawaiian Boogie—George Bedard and The Kingpins
3. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
4. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
5. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
6. Get Yourself Another Fool—Paul McCartney
7. Lonesome Suzie—Blood, Sweat, & Tears
8. Brazil—Rich Ridenour
9. Scientists in Japan—Sara Groves
10. 7th Galaxy—Dennis Coffey

1) “The Lonely One”—My favorite Duane Eddy song makes it to the top! I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to this in the past week, but I can’t believe I let it disappear for years at a time. I’m telling you again. There is so much great music out there that has been forgotten or overlooked!
2) “Hawaiian Boogie”—A too short run on top for George Bedard and The Kingpins, but I’m sure it will make an occasional appearance in the future! It’s too good NOT to return!
3) “Best Love”—Still hanging around and for a good reason. It’s a GREAT song! I hope Steve Martin wins a Grammy for his “Rare Bird Alert” CD!
4) “Lonely Boy”—Starting to fall, but I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment from this song for the past couple of months!
5) “In My Arms”—This might be the best “pop” song in the past year! It’s got a kick to it, and it’s fun!
6) “Get Yourself Another Fool”—Paul McCartney lays it on the line in a Frank Sinatra type of approach. This song is smooth…and cooooooooool!
7) “Lonesome Suzie”—This song is from “Blood, Sweat, and Tears 3.” There are a ton of dynamics in the arrangement and the singing ranges from almost cooing to a full on howl by David Clayton Thomas. The horns sound great but Thomas outshines them all as he offers hope to the Suzie in the song!
8) “Brazil”—Rich Ridenour breathes incredible life into a standard that many orchestras just go through the motions when playing it. Besides his enthusiastic interpretation on the piano, he is ably assisted by a percussion section that tries to match him with equal vigor! Check it out at richridenour.com!
9) “Scientists in Japan”—I was blown away the first time I heard this melodic haunting song! I continue to be stunned by this song. It’s from Sara Groves‘ most recent CD, “Invisible Empires.” I’m sure there are other good songs on this album. I’ll eventually get to them, once I get past this one. The lyrics are incredible, too: “Rob from Peter to extend Paul’s life/Because dying ain’t no way to die.” I’m telling you. Stunning!!!
10) “7th Galaxy”—I heard this one a couple of more times this last week when Don Cornelius passed away because Dennis Coffey had appeared on Soul Train. I just love hearing it on the radio!

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Phil’s Faves: Videos, February 5, 2012

Posted on February 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.

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There’s a new leader on the list as the competition gets tougher…………………………..

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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of February 5, 2012

1. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
2. Ours—Taylor Swift
3. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
4. Heart on Fire—Scars on 45
5. Called in the Dark—Snow Patrol
6. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
7. Chip Away the Stone—Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, & Randy Jackson from The Tonight Show Featuring Jay Leno
8. You Can’t Do That—Drivin’ Sideways Featuring George Bedard
9. Care—Kid Rock Featuring Angaleena Presley & T.I.
10. Red Solo Cup—Toby Keith

1) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—This haunting song and video is great, but it should come automatically with therapy! I like it even if it still seems creepy…..
2) “Ours”—What everyday unsuccessful Taylor Swift might have looked like….
3) “Lonely Boy” —There’s not a lot to say about this video because “what you see is what you get.” I guess I’ll say I like his outfit. You know. White shirt, black pants….
4) “Heart on Fire”—This song keeps sounding better and better. Fortunately, I’m usually doing something when I hear it so the video doesn’t affect the listening experience. (Ha, ha!)
5) “Called in the Dark”—I was lucky enough to catch this one a couple of more times this week, but I don’t think it’s going to be around for long. The song isn’t very strong. The video, though, is sooooooooooooo cool!
6) “Cough Syrup”—Imagine that. A good song with a video to match! The song has a ton of hooks and the video is another one that features a Busby Berkeley swimming sequence. Not original, but good enough!
7) “Chip Away the Stone”—Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, & Randy Jackson rocked this Aerosmith classic out on The Tonight Show!
8) “You Can’t Do That”—A live performance of The Beatles’ B-side of “Can’t Buy Me Love” filled the dance floor to capacity at Guy Hollerin’s in Ann Arbor last Saturday night. George Bedard and the rest of the band sounded great on this lesser known song and it serves as a preview for a Beatles show March 3 at The Blind Pig, also in Ann Arbor, where George tops off the event!
9) “Care”—This one’s losing whatever momentum it had……….
10) “Red Solo Cup”—Ditto from last week…………………………

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“Q” Bombs: February 5, 2012

Posted on February 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.
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Gavin DeGraw stays at the top for a second week. Adele returns, but other than that, there’s only minor shifting on the list…………
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Worst Videos for the week of February 5, 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. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele Live at The Royal Albert Hall
5. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
6. Easy—Rascal Flatts with Natasha Bedingfield
7. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
8. Shake It Out—Florence + The Machine
9. Tattoos on This Town—Jason Aldean
10. Tonight Is the Night—Outasight

1) “Not Over You”—Now this song is sticking around for another week! DOUBLE ODWITS!!
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—…but I wouldn’t mind this song’s run to be over……….
3) “It Will Rain”—I’m guessing that Bruno isn’t smart enough to come inside when that happens……………….
4) “Set Fire to the Rain”—or this video, if that’s possible……….
5) “God Gave Me You”—Please take this one away…………….
6) “Shake It Out”—and shake it off this list…………………….
7) “Easy”—Almost gone. Just waiting for a breeze to blow it away………..
8] “Remind Me” —Whatever…………………
9) “Tattoos on This Town”—I’m pretty sure this one will be hanging around for a while yet. But as long as I don’t watch the video, I’m Ok with it.
10) “Tonight is the Night”—OK. Tonight is the night for…playing cards?…Going bowling? Both of those fun activities are in the video. Seriously? That’s the kind of night you want to remember?
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Phil’s Faves: Songs, January 29, 2012

Posted on February 11, 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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George Bedard and The Kingpins deliver a knockout punch to overthrow The Black Keys from the top spot! Three instrumentals remain on the countdown, Paul McCartney has two songs on the list, and there appears to be an “arms race” breaking out between Kina Grannis and Glen Campbell………………
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of January 29, 2012

1. Hawaiian Boogie—George Bedard and The Kingpins
2. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
3. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
4. Mosquitoes—Joanie Leeds
5. The Lonely One—Duane Eddy
6. In My Arms—Glen Campbell with Brian Setzer, Chris Isaak, & Dick Dale
7. In Your Arms—Kina Grannis
8. The Fish Is in the Freezer—Uncle Bonsai
9. 7th Galaxy-Dennis Coffey
10. Get Yourself Another Fool-Paul McCartney

1) “Hawaiian Boogie”—Look. Blues instrumentals don’t get much better than this one here! This is a song from George Bedard and The Kingpins second album, “Hip Deep,” an album that has several more great songs than just this one! Check it out!!!!
2) “Lonely Boy”—I’m guessing that this will be one of my favorite songs for the year! I still catch myself singing it several times a week!
3) “Best Love”—A rebound this week for probably the “best” song on Steve Martin’s “Rare Bird Alert!
4) “Mosquitoes”—This song—like many of Joanie’s best ones, is just so happy!  You probably wouldn’t mind it if a mosquito were biting you as you were listening to it!
5) “The Lonely One”—I like this song sooo much! I don’t know if it’s the keeping the beat measure on the bongos, or the background singers “ahhing” the melody under the music, but it gets to me every time!
6) “In My Arms”—If this song is a farewell song from Glen Campbell from his “Ghost on the Canvas” CD, you can’t go out better than this! The middle section features three guitar greats, Chris Isaak, Brian Setzer, and Dick Dale, trading licks ala Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon of The Beatles on “The End” from “Abbey Road!” The melody is great and it’s the best thing he’s done in years!
7) “In Your Arms”—Unfortunately, this one’s falling fast……………….
8) “The Fish Is in the Freezer”—This sparse, mostly acoustic song by Uncle Bonsai, gets under my skin every time I hear it! The song is moody and the lyrics are…hilarious: “The fish once had a brother/Boy fish are the first to go.” Opal and Marmalade, two goldfish that are currently residing in a freezer, probably would have loved it! Or not……………………
9) “7th Galaxy”—Still hanging on, but apparently it has already peaked……………….
10) “Get Yourself Another Fool”—Probably my favorite song from Paul McCartney’s “Kisses on the Bottom” CD. Yeah, you can’t fool him too many times…………………..
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, January 29, 2012

Posted on February 5, 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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The Black Keys ride their video to the top spot this week! Unfortunately, with little support, Kina Grannis is fading fast. But no matter how you cut it, her video along with Gotye, and Snow Patrol have three very artsy videos on my list!
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Top 10 Videos for the week of January 29, 2012

1. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
2. Ours—Taylor Swift
3. In Your Arms—Kina Grannis
4. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
5. Heart on Fire—Scars on 45
6. Baggage Claim—Miranda Lambert
7. Just Stay Here Tonight—Augustana on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
8. Care—Kid Rock Featuring Angaleena Presley & T.I.
9. Called in the Dark—Snow Patrol
10. Red Solo Cup—Toby Keith

1) “Lonely Boy” —This is probably the best one shot video ever made!
2) “Ours”—There’s enough in this video to keep me interested and watching every time it’s on!
3) “In Your Arms”—Sadly, this one drops down—and maybe out, but maybe it can do a Gavin DeGraw and come back like the awful in comparison “Not Over You.”
4) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—Alright. Now that I’m not weirded out by this video anymore, it’s pretty cool!
5) “Heart on Fire”—Not a great video, but I like the song………….
6) “Baggage Claim”—Well, I’m rapidly losing interest in this one…………..
7) “Just Stay Here Tonight”—A very solid performance by Augustana! I think I like these guys…………..
8) “Care”—The words aren’t very deep, but probably sum up the feelings of way too many people in the country. I do like the black and white photography!
9) “Called in the Dark” —Another really cool video by Snow Patrol that maybe had Francois Truffaut’s “Day for Night” as the inspiration. Oh, it’s not even a thousandth as interesting—and that might be an exaggeration, too, because we are talking about music videos here, but I like almost any type of “behind the scenes” storytelling. The bar for videos has been set pretty high so far this year. I hope it keeps up………………………
10) “Red Solo Cup”—Continuing to hang on until something better comes along……….

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“Q” Bombs: January 29, 2012

Posted on February 5, 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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This must be a sign of the coming apocalypse because “Not Over You” by Gavin DeGraw, suddenly reappears on a video countdown—after disappearing….FOR THREE MONTHS!!!!!! It has already spent 10 weeks on this list! That is why it goes straight to the top this week…A new low for this video……………………………….
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Worst Videos for the week of January 29, 2012

1. Not Over You—Gavin Degraw
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. Wish You Were Here—Avril Lavigne
4. It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
5. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
6. Shake It Out—Florence + The Machine
7. Easy—Rascal Flatts with Natasha Bedingfield
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”—Are you kidding me!!!??? How did this video jump back onto the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown???!!! Out of all the good videos that are worthy and could possibly make the list, viewers chose this stinker???!!! I mean, it was gone for three  months!!! Someone should have put a wooden stake through its heart! The only positive I can get out of this, is it gives me hope that maybe Kina Grannis’ video “In Your Arms” will make the list again! Well, it’s been a while since I had to say this, but…………..ODWITS!
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—This video still shows up a lot on CMT so it continues to hold steady at No. 2. I wonder what his third lousy video from this CD will be………………………….
3) “Wish You Were Here”—This video seems to be fading. I hope, I hope…………….
4) “It Will Rain”—And maybe wash Bruno away on his piano.
5) “God Gave Me You”—How many years has this been on the list………………..
6) “Shake It Out”—Going up again??!! Oh, come on now……
7) “Easy”—I never thought I would ever have to write so many bad things about something in which Natasha Bedingfield was involved…………….
8] “Remind Me” —No. Please don’t. It would be too painful………………..
9) “Tattoos on This Town”—What a lousy metaphor to symbolize marking your territory………..
10) “Tonight is the Night”—This choice would be higher, but the other videos are just worse by comparison……………
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Phil’s Faves: Songs, January 22, 2012

Posted on February 5, 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 week’s list contains two Beatles and three instrumentals! It also has a new No. 1 as The Black Keys finally reach the top! Pretty good, if I don’t say so myself……………….
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of January 22, 2012

1. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
2. Mosquitoes—Joanie Leeds
3. In Your Arms—Kina Grannis
4. Hawaiian Boogie—George Bedard and The Kingpins
5. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
6. Rock Island Line—Ringo Starr
7. The Lonely One—Duane Eddy
8. Honda Accord—Bob Rivers
9. 7th Galaxy-Dennis Coffey
10. International Love—Pitbull with Chris Brown

1) “Lonely Boy”—The Black Keys are touring behind their new “El Camino” CD with their most commercial song yet! Three minutes of blues rock that goes by in 3 seconds! That’s exactly what you look for as musicians!
2) “Mosquitoes”—Joanie Leeds starts to slip, but I can’t wait for summer to play this song even more!
3) “In Your Arms”—This song may be peaking because it isn’t being picked up by stations. Too bad. You don’t know what you’re missing………………..
4) “Hawaiian Boogie”—An incredible instrumental blues scorcher delivered by George Bedard, his Hoffner guitar, and Rich Dishman and Randy Tessier of The Kingpins!
5) “Best Love”—I don’t think I’m through with this song yet. I just haven’t been playing it quite as often as I was before…………………….
6) “Rock Island Line”—Ringo pulls out an old skiffle tune for his new “Ringo 2012” CD that was covered by Leadbelly and Lonnie Donegan and really rocks it! This song had to have been a favorite of a very young Richard Starkey!
7) “The Lonely One”—I went hunting for this Duane Eddy gem! It’s my favorite song by him and is found on an album with a very cool title: “Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel! His guitar never sounded twangier!
8) “Honda Accord”—This song parody by Bob Rivers of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” is just too funny! The impression is spot on, and even though the lyrics are probably almost twenty years old, they, unfortunately, are too close to true as the singer downsizes her prayers from luxury to necessity.
9) “7th Galaxy”—This is just an out of this world instrumental delivered by one of the greatest guitarists in the last 50 years!
10) “International Love”—If you asked me if I liked this song, I would probably tell you no. But then I find myself singing it to myself, so I must like something about it on some level. Oh, well…………………………………………
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, January 22, 2012

Posted on January 29, 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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Kina Grannis stays at the top for a second week, but I’m concerned that I won’t be seeing it anymore, since it doesn’t appear to be catching on. I just have to think that other people aren’t seeing it already. Well, let’s celebrate it for another week and worry about what happens later……………………
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Top 10 Videos for the week of January 22, 2012

1. In Your Arms—Kina Grannis
2. Ours—Taylor Swift
3. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
4. Space Oddity—Jimmy Fallon as David Bowie from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
5. Baggage Claim—Miranda Lambert
6. Even If It Breaks Your Heart—Eli Young Band
7. Care—Kid Rock Featuring Angaleena Presley & T.I.
8. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye
9. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)—Kelly Clarkson
10. Red Solo Cup—Toby Keith

1) “In Your Arms”—I’m very disappointed that this video appears to be losing steam. How can you not like the little penguins floating in on balloons, or the bat in the cave, or the butterfly—all made out of jellybeans! Don’t let this one die!
2) “Ours”—I guess I like this one better than “Lonely Boy” because it has a plot……
3) “Lonely Boy”—Not much competition should keep this one around for a little while, but you never know…………….
4) “Space Oddity”—Alright! This is flatout one of the best things I saw all week! It’s great and hilarious at the same time! Jimmy takes on David Bowie in his glam days using lyrics about a conversation between Tim Tebow and God ala Major Tom and Ground Control! Pure genius!
5) “Baggage Claim”—This one’s starting to get old…………………………..
6) “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”—I haven’t seen this one enough to pick up the plot yet, but it seems interesting.
7) “Care”—A big hug to everybody that’s hurting—especially Detroit! How could I not like it………………………….
8) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—A creepy looking live art video. I think I like it….
9) “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”—Not the greatest video, but I like the flash dance mob dancing in front of the statue, “The Spirit of Detroit” wearing their old English “D” Tiger baseball caps!
10) “Red Solo Cup”—It’s on life support—like the guy at the end of the video………

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“Q” Bombs: January 22, 2012

Posted on January 29, 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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Avril takes the top spot this week knocking out Luke Bryan. That, my friends, is nothing to brag about……………………….
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Worst Videos for the week of January 22, 2012

1. Wish You Were Here—Avril Lavigne
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
4. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
5. Tattoos on This Town—Jason Aldean
6. Easy—Rascal Flatts with Natasha Bedingfield
7. Shake It Out—Florence + The Machine
8. Remind Me—Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood
9. Tonight Is the Night—Outasight
10. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele

1) “Wish You Were Here”—This video—and song, are sooooooooooo annoying! I can’t wait for this one to disappear………………
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—I didn’t think that there could be a more annoying video out there right now, but I guess Luke can thank Avril for that……….
3) “It Will Rain”—Maybe Bruno should become a weather forecaster if he’s so sure………..
4) “God Gave Me You”—How many more months are we going to be subjected to this loser video…………………………..
5)“Tattoos on This Town”—These small town videos are starting to take a toll on me…………….
6) “Easy”—I’ll tell you what’s not so easy: Continuing to write snappy “disses” of a video that refuses to die!
7) “Shake It Out”—My eyes hurt when I watch this video……………
8] “Remind Me” —Uh, what were we talking about…………………..
9) “Tonight is the Night”—Absolutely not! I don’t think I’d like to be friends with anyone in this video………………
10) “Set Fire to the Rain”—Concert videos, in general, are usually pretty boring. This one doesn’t deviate. It’s nice that Adele has a nice large orchestra behind her, but what’s up with that Tammy Wynette hairdo? She’s only 21 for cryin’ out loud. Why make her look older than she is………………………..
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Phil’s Faves: Songs, January 15, 2012

Posted on January 29, 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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Joanie Leeds jumps to the top knocking out Paul McCartney and Steve Martin with her smackdown ode to bloodsucking insects! Hiii-yaaah!!! That makes The Black Keys start to feel kind of “lonely” in the runner up spot. Other than that, plenty of songs have replaced others that have fallen off. The list appears to be kind of volatile these days…………
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of January 15, 2012

1. Mosquitoes—Joanie Leeds
2. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
3. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
4. In Your Arms—Kina Grannis
5. Hawaiian Boogie—George Bedard and The Kingpins
6. Lonely Blue Boy (Danny’s Song)—Jim Byrnes
7. The Victory—Steeleye Span
8. The Morning Mirror—The Twistin’ Tarantulas
9. Hippy Dance—Pat Bergeson with Dan Shapiro, & Tom Roady
10. Unlucky Lady—Trip Shakespeare

1) “Mosquitoes”—Mosquitoes are favorites for maybe the first time anywhere in the existence of the world—unless there was a list for things that you have to smack to protect yourself! This is a well deserving fun song! It’s just too bad that summer is so far away……………………..
2) “Lonely Boy”—The Black Keys have been patiently waiting while Paul McCartney and Joanie Leeds have topped the list. Let’s see if it pays off for them. I think this is their best song yet!
3) “Best Love”—Still a great song but it’s running up against some worthy competition….
4) “In Your Arms”—I like this song and video and I am truly disappointed that it isn’t catching on. It’s not the first time that musical preferences gravitate to a lesser choice…….
5) “Hawaiian Boogie”—This is another smoldering blues instrumental by George Bedard and The Kingpins taken from their second CD, “Hip Deep!” When the band does this song—and you know they’re going to do it because George plays it on his easily recognizable Hoffner guitar, you know that you had better hold on for a fun ride! Rich Dishman and Randy Tessier work together with George like a “steel drivin’ hammer,” to roll through a song that even people who claim to hate the blues have to love!
6) “Lonely Blue Boy (Danny’s Song)”—This blues artist’s vocals remind me of Eric Clapton or J.J. Cale. That’s really good company to be compared to as he effortlessly lays down a sad vocal. Play this one after The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” and you better have the number for a help line ready…………………………
7) “The Victory”—This epic group effort by Steeleye Span is probably my favorite song by them! It clocks in at 8 plus minutes and the subject is Lord Nelson’s Trafalgar battle. It is a song that lives up to the legendary fight! Maddy Prior’s vocal is exceptionally great as the song ebbs and flows with fluctuating moods that are sad and full of bravado within seconds!
8) “The Morning Mirror”—The Twistin’ Tarantulas are a band that sits right on the border between rockabilly and psychobilly. Since their songs are usually pretty melodic—and I’m not big on categorizing bands – I like to think of them as a high energy rockabilly group! They are fun to listen to and more fun to see live! On this song, the wry lyrics by Pistol Pete Midtgard, talk about getting older and wiser but not regretting the times that helped to create the wrinkles that he sees in the mirror! The music makes you think of what The Stray Cats might have sounded like twenty years after they started—if they had stayed together……..
9) “Hippy Dance”—Another Pat Bergeson entry! This time it’s the title track from his latest CD! It’s a New Orleans style of swamp-jazz that get’s into your blood!
10) “Unlucky Lady”—Alright, I almost hate to admit this “love song” got to me this week. The harmonies on this pop tune are very good and the song is melodic so I see why I could like it, but the lyrics are awful: “Oh unlucky lady/You are mine!” How many times did that work for you, dude!!??
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