Chardonnay Playlist

A friend recently suggested I combine two of my passions: music and wine. My response can best be summed up in the words of Jesus Christ, “ask and ye shall receive sometimes.” Mind you, this is not the Jesus Christ mentioned in The Bible, but rather the one who is in my group of friends on Facebook. Anyway, I am going to publish music playlists for several of the different major grape varietals. This first list contains my music recommendations for your Chardonnay tastings.

For those of you who don’t already know, my other blog is currently running a series of articles on the subject of wine education. If you are interested, the blog can be found at http://curtfinn.wordpress.com. The purpose of these articles is to demystify the subject of wine and to simplify the subject in such a way that my readers will never again be intimidated when presented with a wine list in a nice restaurant or when trying to pick out that perfect wine for the boss, or more importantly for ME! But I digress…

Chardonnay is a classic varietal. It is usually described as being very robust (relatively easy to grow) and approachable (easy to get to know). It can exhibit a number of different facets in its taste profile as it can be relatively easy to manipulate.

With that said, when I think of Chardonnay and music I think of classic rock songs with a big sound. It appeals to the masses without doing anything all that fancy.  Here then are my ten favorite songs to listen to while enjoying a good Chardonnay:

1. Touch Me by The Doors – Big horns to go with Jim Morrison’s big voice. A lot of Chardonnays have really bad names. When asked to name their favorite value chardonnay, I could easily picture one of my female friends saying she really liked “Touch Me and Make Me Chard and it’s only $8.50 a bottle.”
2. Down On Me by Big Brother & the Holding Company – This song features Janis Joplin on vocals. Too many people get down on Chardonnay, because it can be such an easy target. Sometimes I am one of those people.
3. Moving On by Bad Company – Bad Company always had a rather straight forward approach to their music and they made a lot of great music. However, I think their approach causes them to be overlooked all too often. Can somebody explain to me why they aren’t in the R’nR Hall Of Fame? For those of you who don’t know the answer is Jann Wenner. Why isn’t Chardonnay appreciated by wine snobs? The answer is Robert Parker.
4. Jaded by Aerosmith – Here is a group that has been around since I was in junior high school and I am really, really old. Just ask my kids. Much like Chardonnay has evolved from its elegant origins in the Chablis region of France to its much bolder new world offerings, Aerosmith has evolved as well. Although I love their early stuff, I think this may be their magnum opus.
5. Layla by Derek and the Dominos and by Eric Clapton – Talk about showing different facets, the original is often cited as the greatest song in the history of rock ‘n roll. Clapton’s cover version of his own song doesn’t even include the piano coda yet it won the 1992 grammy for best rock song.
6. Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen – At least three Springsteen albums are better than this one. Many of his singles are far more popular, but the lyrics of this song much like a fine Chardonnay are understated and yet they not only stand the test of time they even stack up favorably when compared to almost anything else.
7. Take It Easy by The Eagles – I have heard knowledgeable wine people say they thought you could probably grow Chardonnay grapes almost anywhere in the U.S. Well, how about “on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”? By the way, tonight they’re playing here in Memphis. The cheapest ticket I can find costs over $100. I saw them on their Hotel California and Long Run tours. Seats for the each of those tours were less than $20. Man, I feel old lately.
8. Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones –  The opening lyrics are “Oh, a storm is threatening, My very life today, If I don’t get some shelter, Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away.” It’s just a rumor, but I hear the unpicked Chardonnay grapes at the end of the season feel the same way.
9. Breakdown by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Tom Petty is not a handsome man, but he gets the job done and a whole lot of women like him — in many cases, rather simple women. Tom Petty is American chardonnay.
10. You Really Got Me by Van Halen – And occasionally you taste that one chardonnay that sings to you and you know it’s really got you.

Feel free to use this list while hosting your own Chardonnay tasting. Just remember to tell everyone you know to start reading this blog religiously! Also, feel free to leave comments with your own suggestions.

Veni, Vidi, Vici, Vino!

A Sample Playlist About Rebellion

One of my all-time favorite movie quotes comes from the movie The Wild One.

Mildred: What’re you rebelling against Johnny?

Johnny (played by a young Marlon Brando): Whaddya got?

This was, without a doubt, the easiest playlist I have ever assembled. I’ve always been a rocker and that means I’ve always been a rebel. Rebellion and Rock ‘N Roll just go together like peanut butter and jelly. With that said here are 10 of my favorite songs about rebellion:

1. I Fought the Law – Bobby Fuller Four: “Just after “I Fought The Law” became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in his parked automobile near his Los Angeles home. The police considered the death an apparent suicide, however many people still believe Fuller was murdered. The investigation was botched from the start. The crime scene was not secured and no fingerprints were obtained. A witness also claimed seeing a police officer throw a can of gasoline found at the scene into the trash. Fuller was found with multiple wounds all over his body and covered in gasoline leading many to speculate that the perpetrators fled before they could set the car on fire. Police later changed the cause of death to “Accidental asphyxiation” citing no evidence of foul play. Despite the official cause of death stated by authorities, rumors and speculation still surround Fuller’s mysterious death.” This is just another example of the man trying to keep us and our rebellion down. Oh wait, I take that back. Since I am THE MAN it happened just the way it says it did in the autopsy report.
2. Private Revolution – World Party: WP has always been one of my favorite “groups”. They’re about as much of a group as The Cure only in this case you get Karl Wallinger instead of Robert Smith. Sinead O’Connor who had not yet been discovered sings backing vocals on this. Karl Wallinger at one time was the musical director for the West End production of The Rocky Horror Show.
3. Anarchy In the U.K. – The Sex Pistols: I don’t think of this song in terms of its lyrics as much as I think about the anarchy it created in the music industry. The Pistols totally changed the direction of music from high production disco back to from the gut, garage band rock ‘n roll which had been lacking. This song is so important it even merits its own entry on wikipedia. In fact, the song Spirit of ‘76 by The Alarm is actually about the punk rock movement in England in 1976. If you go to the video link you should note this song was released before Sid Vicious was a member of the group.
4. Revolution – The Beatles: You didn’t really think I could omit this one, did you? This single was a stark contrast to all earlier Beatles singles. So the question is were The Beatles rebelling against The Beatles? The original version was released as the b-side of the single, Hey Jude.
5. Renegades Of Funk – Rage Against the Machine: These guys really want to rebel. Much of their message will be about social justice issues. Did I mention I can beat Tom Morello on guitar hero? Did I mention I can only do this on the easy level? This song is so good even some white people like it.
6. Street Fightin’ Man – The Rolling Stones: The song was originally titled Did Everyone Pay Their Dues? I contains some of Mick Jagger’s best lyrics, “Well now what can a poor boy do, ‘Cept to sing for a rock ‘n roll band?, Cause in sleepy London town, There’s just no place for a street fightin’ man!”
7. Get Up, Stand Up – Bob Marley & the Wailers: Alright, I’m really hoping this selection causes a revolution among my “called” friends. The song is about the rastafarian belief that Haile Selassie I (a/k/a Ras Tafari — where the name rastafarian comes from), the Emperor of Ethiopia, was in fact, God on Earth. Please note I did not say anything like the Son Of God, I said God. This is also not to be confused with the second coming. They just believed God was amongst us. Here is a link for the “called” to read before sending me their diatribe on this subject. See if you read my stuff carefully you sometimes learn something.
8. Rebel, Rebel – David Bowie: I always assumed this song was about rebelling against sexual identity. Turns out it is Bowie’s farewell to glam rock. Once again artist rebels against self. (and my movie quote looks more and more brilliant by the moment)
9. I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty: Just a man and his convictions. He obviously doesn’t care what the rest of the world thinks, because he is convinced he is correct. I don’t know why I identify with this song on some level, but I do.
10. Fight For Your Right – The Beastie Boys: I was concerned I was becoming too serious with all this talk about rebelling. So I thought I would lighten things up with the boys a/k/a Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (for those of you who want to argue with me about their names make sure you first look at their song of the same name).

Obviously a  lot of these songs pose great theological questions and I’ve always thought this would make for a great theology class. I say this even though a friend of mine named Ted once told me that I thought everything ever written had a theological element in it on some level. Well Ted you are correct, but the reason I think, uhhh believe, this is because it is true. I really do tire of being correct on most subjects.

I also left out a number of great songs: Breakin’ the Law by Judas Priest, Another Brick In the Wall by Pink Floyd, Revolution Rock by The Clash, Sexx Laws by Beck, Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi, We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister, Authority Song by John Mellencamp (an obvious rip-off of I Fought the Law), Talkin’ Bout A Revolution by Tracy Chapman. If you have others you think should be considered feel free to leave them in the comments.

Now go out there and rebel against something!

A Sample Playlist About Change

Finding a muse is apparently a little bit like dating a supermodel. Once you gain admission into the club and get your membership card the sky is the limit. All of a sudden, I’m finding music muses everywhere, or… could it be I’m just discussing music with quite a few people lately? The good news is that all of a sudden I have a number of ideas for music lists and topics. The current muse of the moment is … (drum roll) … Cindy McCain. I know that will scare a lot of you, but hey, it is Halloween later tonight. 

This bonanza of muses would be much better if I could just find one with a great sense of humor for my other blog who isn’t a script doctor, joke writer, or stand up comedian. If I use anything said by one of them they get upset about plagiarism. Instead I probably just need to hang out with the J half of the Brothers Willis for an hour. He’s usually good for one or two laughs.

But I digress. The leaves are finally beginning to change color here in the Midsouth. The air finally has a bit of a nip to it (well it does early in the morning and late at night anyway). I have been having epiphanies of late. What better time than now to write a sample playlist for the topic of change.

1. Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season) – The Byrds: If you will read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 you will understand why this is a truly inspired selection. You will also know where Pete Seeger found the lyrics. If you click on the link make sure you check out David Crosby’s funky eyewear.
2. A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke: If there are truly angels in heaven then one of them has the voice of Sam Cooke. This song has been covered by a ton of different artists, but it met its match the day SC recorded it. Don’t believe me? Click on the link and you’ll know within the first few bars of the vocal track.
3. Change the World – Eric Clapton: One of my favorite movies of all-time is Michael. This song was used in the movie along with Don Henley’s version of John Hiatt’s Through Your Hands. Musically Layla (the original version) is Clapton’s Magnum Opus. Lyrically, this song has got to be part of the discussion.
4. Waiting On the World To Change – John Mayer: I think this song is more of an ode to non-action than to actual change. It’s almost like they expect the hippies and radicals from the 1960s to change everything for them and leave them with some form of Utopia. I would love to tell you just how inane are the ideas expressed in this song, but John Mayer has dated Jennifer Anniston, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Love Hewitt so he’s doing something right.
5. Changes – David Bowie: Time changes all of us. Who better to point this out than the chameleon who is David Bowie. Did you know that the first major change in DB’s career was to change his name from David Jones to David Bowie. It seems some member of the Lollipop Guild ran off and joined the pop group The Monkees and decided to use the name Davy Jones.
6. Everybody’s Changing – Keane: They sure do make a lot of racket for three guys, but it’s a good kind of  racket.
7. A Change Would Do You Good – Sheryl Crow: Not everybody remembers when Sheryl Crow released Tuesday Night Music Club she was in trouble of being marketed as a “pop” sensation and not like the singer/songwriter she has become. Do you think it had anything to do with lyrics like, “all I wanna do, Is have some fun, I’ve got a feeling, I’m not the only one”? Anyway, this song was on the self titled album which was released next. Apparently a change in style did Sheryl a lot of good.
8. A Change Of Heart – Tom Petty: This was back when Petty was still kewl and wasn’t trying to sound like or be the backing band for Bob Dylan. Although he has had better songs this was the best of the bunch on Petty’s eponymous release, Long After Dark.
9. Roll With the Changes – REO Speedwagon: Unfortunately for this group they will always be known for their sappy Top-40 hits which are, frankly, some of their worst releases, but I guess those songs pay the bills. Roll With the Changes was released during the period when REO had a large tour following, but no Top-40 hits.
10. The Times They Are a-Changin’ – Bob Dylan: This song would be the counterpoint to John Mayer’s earlier entry. It was released in 1964 and captured the feeling of the day’s political and social upheaval.

There were several songs which didn’t quite make the cut but warrant a mention. Unchained is one of my top five Van Halen (not Van Hagar in the words of Joe Dir-tay) songs of all time. A couple of mellower songs which just missed the cut were The Beatles’ Across the Universe and Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve (although Richard Ashcroft wrote the song, because it sampled the symphony from The Last Time he was forced to give co-writing credits to The Glimmer Twins). I could have also included Man In the Mirror by Michael Jackson and Changes In Latitude, Changes In Attitude by Jimmy Buffett if I really wanted mass appeal.

Now, go out there and change something. ‘Tis the season!

The Halloween Sample Playlist

This coming Saturday, November 1st, is All Saints Day. It is sometimes referred to as All Hallows Day which is a feast day in honor of all saints, known and unknown. I have a tradition where I like to go out on All Hallows Eve night and collect candy from my neighbors in honor of “all of the saints, known and unknown”, for the next day’s feast. After all, what beats a feast of candy?!? Sometimes I even get all liquored up (actually I drink wine, but when I say “wined up” it sounds like I’m a Knoxville graduate who doesn’t know the correct tense of “wound up”) for the night’s festivities and when I do I have a bad habit of slurring the term “All Hallows Eve” and it ends up sounding something like “Halloween”. Weird, huh?

Originally there was a Celtic festival called Samhain (Gaelic for Summer’s End) which eventually morphed into Halloween. Since I am of Irish/Viking descent, I owe it to my forefathers to carry out their tradition of accumulating lots of feast candy. With that said, here are ten songs you can use to celebrate Halloween:

1. Thriller – Michael Jackson: Heck, he scares me even more when he’s not dressed up as a zombie.
2. The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack: For those of you who couldn’t do the Thriller dance number at the Halloween party here is something far easier to help you get your dance on.
3. The Theme From Halloween – John Carpenter: With a song title like that how can you leave it off? Duh!
4. Tubular Bells, Pt. 1 – Mike Oldfield: Most of you know it as the theme from The Exocist, but I just thought it was like totally tubular.
5. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads: Quick get out your french primer for this one. Ce que j’ai fait, ce soir-là, Ce qu’elle a dit, ce soir-là, Réalisant mon espoir, Je me lance vers la gloire … okay nya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya, We are vain and we are blind, I hate people when they’re not polite, Psycho Killer, Qu’est-ce que c’est? See the french are scary… unless of course you’re a German.
6. I’m Your Boogieman – White Zombie: A remake of the K.C. & the Sunshine Band hit. It’s amazing what the removal of one space from a title can generate.
7. Bela Lugosi’s Dead – Bauhaus: Although the song’s a little bit creepy you should see the architecture. Very scary… Oooohhhh!
8. Feed My Frankenstein – Alice Cooper: Okay, I know the song is actually about drug use/addiction, but that can be scary too, right?
9. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult: I need more cowbell!
10. Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon: The most fun Halloween song of all time.

There are several notable omissions as usual. For the record, I’ve disliked The Monster Mash since I was in diapers. If you’re older than five then you should too. Same with Purple People Eater. A few songs that almost made the cut were Deadman’s Party by Oingo Boingo, People Are Strange by The Doors, and Superstition by Stevie Wonder.

Oh yeah, did I mention, I’ve always been tempted to dress up like a hooker just to see my neighbor’s reaction when I said, “trick or treat?” Thank you, thank you very much. Don’t forget to tip the wait staff. Try the veal it’s great. You’ve been a lovely audience. I’ll be here all week.

A Sample Playlist For the Afterlife

Before we get started, I am compelled to tell you that going forward I will occasionally crown someone Muse Of the Moment. The nine Muses of Greek mythology were a sisterhood of goddesses who inspired the creation process through their graces. The current Muse Of the Moment is Liz of the Ozarks. Liz is a divinity student majoring in theology (I believe she is anyway — exceptionally weak pun intended). She inspired me to write a sample playlist of songs dealing with afterlife issues. In the case of this playlist I am not dealing with any songs having to do with the subject of hell since that should be a playlist unto itself.

There are a ton of songs dealing with afterlife topics such as God, Heaven, and Prayer just to name a few. In fact, this is one of the broadest music subjects I have ever attempted to write about. As such, some exclusions were necessary:

• Christian Rock songs are omitted since they all deal with this subject on some level and since few of us listen to them.
• Country and Western (“Oh, we play both types, country AND western.” – The Blues Brothers) are omitted for the same reason as Christian Rock except that a lot of people actually listen to this genre. I’m sure there is a C&W blog somewhere out there for those of you “seeking” (hey, I’m on a roll) such a list.
• There are certain obvious notable omissions. I mean, would you really be interested in reading a blog on this subject that included Stairway To Heaven? If so, why not write a blog of most requested songs (what song is it you wanna hear?) and list Free Bird?

With that said, here is a sample playlist which is to die for:

1. The Seeker – The Who: I love the line, “I won’t get to get what I’m after, ’til the day I die.”
2. My Sweet Lord – George Harrison: It includes both western and eastern elements dealing with the afterlife. I always rather liked the Hari Krishna part of the song. (And yes, I know some of you want to label me a blasphemer right now, but my God says you’re wrong and I’m right. Deal with it.)
3. Dear God – XTC: This song asks several questions which all Christians have had to deal with at some point. I bet the Reverend Barkley Thompson could deliver several homilies on the topics broached in this one little song. Andy Partridge has always been one of the great lyricists, but I’ve always wondered what his long lost brother, Keith Partridge thinks of him.
4. I’ll Take You There – The Staple Singers: You just knew I would have to include some Memphis music. Not only did they write great songs about Jesus Christ, but they also wrote some very important music dealing with civil rights issues. The greatness of this song is that it dealt with both. See that, some of you just learned something.
5. Take Me To the River – Al Green: More Memphis music. Al Green is a minister here in Memphis at the Full Gospel Tabernacle. He has always filled his songs with religious symbolism. Although the song deals with a female-male relationship it has great imagery with respect to being born again through baptism. I also love the Talking Heads cover of this song.
6. Selling the Drama – Live: I don’t think most people think of this song in religious terms, but the lyrics include the following lines, “and to love a god, and to fear a flame… and to Christ, a cross, and to me, a chair, I will sit and earn the ransom, from up here.” Enough said.
7. When Love Comes To Town – U2: By now it’s a relatively well known fact that Christian symbolism permeates U2’s music. However, most people only think of songs like I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. Well, re-read the lyrics of this song in terms of God’s love for humanity. Whole different meaning, huh?
8. Through Your Hands – Don Henley: John Hiatt wrote this song. It might just be the best darned mainstream radio song ever written about theological issues. Here are just a few of the lyrics: ”To an angel bending down, to wrap you in her warmest coat, and you ask, ‘what am i not doing?’ she says ‘your voice cannot command.’  in time you will move mountains, and it will come through your hands.”
9. One Of Us – Joan Osbourne: I know, I know, get ready for the fundamentalist hate mail. It’s just my opinion, but the song makes several good points about humanity and our understanding of and relationship with God.
10. Spirit In the Sky – Norman Greenbaum: Am I the only person who thinks its funny that a guy named Greenbaum penned the lyrics, “gotta have a friend in Jesus, so you know when you die, he’s gonna recommend you, to the spirit in the sky.” I guess I shouldn’t find it to be all that funny since it’s just one Jewish guy writing about another.

Several notable songs which almost made my list would include most of U2’s catalog (if you want to upset some Episcopal priests mention the U2charist), I Say A Little Prayer by either Dionne Warwick or Aretha Franklin, Zero by Smashing Pumpkins, Heaven Is by The Pixies, What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (although it mostly deals with God’s creation), God Only Knows by The Beach Boys, Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan, People Get Ready by Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions, Redemption Song by Bob Marley, Wondering Where the Lions Are by Bruce Cockburn, and Jesus Is Just Alright by The Doobie Brothers. 

Well, that’s all I have for now unless Liz decides to inspire me before tomorrow.

The Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt Concert (Orpheum Theater, Memphis, TN, October 15, 2008)

(Editor’s Note: I was told by a reader that it was a good thing I said I liked the concert on the front end since I had such a negative tone. Make no mistake, this was the best concert I have attended in a number of years. In fact, it was one of the five best concerts I have ever attended. With that said, I am going to soften the tone by adding some new comments.)

One of these days I’m going to learn to read my concert ticket more closely. I thought I was going to a Lyle Lovett concert with John Hiatt. Of course this would have meant John Hiatt and his band would open for Lyle Lovett. Well, I had a most pleasant surprise when the concert began. Out walked both John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett onto the stage where they sat down and began playing an all acoustic set on their guitars. They took turns the entire evening playing their songs in what will probably be the best concert in Memphis this year.

Here is a set list along with some of my thoughts:

• The evening began with Lyle Lovett asking John Hiatt about what he was going to play. Lyle Lovett is obviously a huge John Hiatt fan. So am I. He said as much when he said he could remember the first time he ever saw John Hiatt perform. At the time John Hiatt was playing guitar in Ry Cooder’s band during his Borderline tour. In fact, John Hiatt wrote one of the highlights of the album, The Way We Make A Broken Heart. Ry Cooder and John Hiatt both worked on JH’s album “Bring the Family” which was one of the best albums of the 1980s.
• Riding With the King (JH) – The was the first of a number of songs played by JH having to do with either Memphis or Tennessee. Although he wrote the song about Elvis “The King” Presley, it was a hit for B.B. King and Eric Clapton. Considering the venue and audience, it was a great opener.
• I’ve Been To Memphis (LL) – Lyle Lovett has an equally impressive opening number for the audience.
• Crossing Muddy Waters (JH) – Normally, I would say this was a rather curious selection, but since this was on JH’s only all acoustic album I guess it made sense. He tried to tie it back into Memphis saying when one thinks about the Mississippi River the song has a better meaning. Okay, I’ll play along…     Okay, this one sounds a little negative, but you have to remember I’m a rocker and not a sensitive singer-songwriter. Maybe it’s me who doesn’t get it.
• L.A. County (LL) – LL did a somewhat better job of playing his best known songs. Just because they’re your best known songs does not mean they’re your best songs, but you have to remember as a performer, your fans paid to hear your hits whether you’re tired of playing them or not.
• Tennessee Plates (JH) – A staple of most JH shows. The lyrics contain a lot of references of Memphis, Graceland, Elvis, and Tennessee. Great song, appropriate for the venue and audience.
• Skinny Legs (LL) – If he was going to play something from I Love Everybody I wish he had shown me some love by playing Penguins instead. After all “Penguins are so sensitive…” Hey, I don’t have to love every song selection to still love the concert.
• Walk On (JH) – Even though the original version of this is basically an acoustic song, I still found this to be a curious selection. Not only was this not the lead single from the album of the same name, it wasn’t even one of the four best songs on the album (Shredding the Document, Ethylene, Cry Love, and I Can’t Wait). It remains a curious selection, however, the worst JH song still beats 90% of everything else out there.
• Her First Mistake (LL) – This was a crowd favorite although I would have preferred Road To Ensenada. The crowd really responded to the lyrics like it was the first time they had ever heard the song. Come to think of it maybe it was the first time most of them had heard it. I just preferred something else. Just because I prefer steak to hamburger doesn’t mean it is necessarily better. Wait a minute, yes it does and that’s why you continue to read my tripe. That or you’re one of those people who can’t turn your head away from watching a train wreck.
• Drive South (JH) – Boy those rednecks love a song that sounds like Skynyrd could have recorded it. Suzy Bogguss had a hit with this one. I like some Skynyrd and some SB. If anything it says this was a good choice for a Memphis audience. In fact, I’m surprised no audience member yelled “Free Bird” in between songs.
• North Dakota (LL) – A somewhat curious selection. Actually I was being kind. It was a bad selection. If you have a great meal, but the salad was less than outstanding, although it does detract somewhat it should not ruin the entire evening much like this song. 
• Icy Blue Heart (JH) – I’m pretty sure I was one of maybe 20 people in the house who knew this one. Lyle Lovett tried to question JH about the topic of the song. JH said he wasn’t willing to go there. I guess not. I’m pretty sure much of the song dealt with the suicide of Hiatt’s second wife, Isabella, by hanging. But it was a great song and a real treat. I’ve only heard JH perform this song one other time.
• Don’t Cry A Tear (LL) – From a great album, It’s Not Big It’s Large. But of course, he was talking about his band. A great turn of phrase. A great song.
• Real Fine Love (JH) – Why not Child Of the Wild Blue Yonder JH? This is from one of the three truly great albums by JH. This is me being a whiner. Child Of the Wild Blue Yonder is one of JH’s two or three best songs and he almost never plays it.
• Up In Indiana (LL) – JH is originally from Indiana which is why David Letterman loves to have him on The Late Show. LL told JH “it would be a real honor if you would do this song with me.” I thought it was the highlight of the evening.
• Have A Little Faith (JH) – This is probably the song JH is most closely identified with from the 1980s. I’ve heard him do this in concert with his band and solo at a grand piano. This was the first time I heard him perform the song on an acoustic guitar. And it was still great, just as it was the other times.
• She’s No Lady (LL) – One of the best LL songs of all time. Great lyrics, great music.
• Memphis In the Meantime (JH) – And the crowd goes wild…
• Memphis Midnight / Memphis Morning (LL) – And the crowd claps politely. I’m not kidding. I guess it was the whole “you’re not from around here, are you?” thing. Hey, I loved it, but I wasn’t in charge of crowd applause levels for the evening.
• Thing Called Love (JH) – JH continues his diatribe about Bonnie Raitt refusing to put the line “to love, honor, cherish, and obey” into her version. Oh well…  And JH continues to perform the superior, although less famous, version of the song.
• My Baby Don’t Tolerate (LL) – LL does another hit. Bully! I’m not being facetious. Take the comment at face value.
• Cold River (JH) – This song has nothing to do with the Mississippi River (duh!), but that didn’t keep JH from implying it did and since we’re in Memphis we think the world revolves around us anyway, and you know what? It might. Even if you stretch the truth a little it doesn’t mean it’s not a good song. Hey, I’m pretty sure not every event depicted in a William Faulkner novel occurred.
• The concert ended at this point, but of course we had one, and only one, encore. It was such a great show, I wanted multiple encores, but now I’m starting to sound like a female. Wait a minute, it will come to you.
• Lipstick Sunset (JH) – If the last song is supposed to calm the crowd then this was a great selection. The crowd was calmed by the beauty of the tune.
• If I Had A Boat (LL) – Then I might just sail away with Randy Newman. Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett are friends. In fact they had a song called “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”. Randy Newman once had a song called “Sail Away” which Lyle Lovett has said he likes. Gentle reader, it’s not my job to make references which you always understand. It is your job to learn what the heck I’m talking about, therefore, raising your own level of sophistication.

There were several notable songs missing during the evening: (Just because they didn’t play them didn’t mean it detracted from the concert.)

• John Hiatt – Angel Eyes (rarely played by JH), Feels Like Rain (I guess Buddy Guy wasn’t in the audience), Child Of the Wild Blue Yonder (maybe, just maybe, his best song), Slow Turning (one of his four or five biggest hits and notable for its absence), Perfectly Good Guitar, and Buffalo River Home (proving he did not play every Tennessee song he had).
• Lyle Lovett – Blue Skies, Stand By Your Man, Bears, Penguins (hey, I like the animal songs, deal with it, it’s your problem not mine), That’s Right (probably the most notable omission), Here I Am, Private Conversation, Summer Wind, and Don’t Touch My Hat.

Maybe Next Time.

In spite of the missing songs you should definitely catch this tour if you have a chance. You will get to see two of the strongest acoustic artists touring today in what is one of the most logical pairings ever made, unlike Jimi Hendrix opening up for The Monkees (did you know that one?).

Want to catch some good music this year? Just e-mail me. I’m always happy to give you recommendations about artists who will be in your area in the near future.

Late.

Get Out Your Mousse and Teasing Comb – It’s the Hair Band Sample Playlist

The 1980s took 1970s glam rock and tried to make it pretty and accessible to a female audience. They called their groups Hair Bands and told all of the boys to tease their hair. I remember we used to refer to the vocalist of one of these bands Jon Bon Video, because he was so pretty he was just made for video. Of course, this was a backhanded compliment since we were insinuating he was all style with no substance!

With that said, here are 10 songs I consider to be important when defining the whole hair metal movement:

1. Rock! Rock! Till You Drop – Def Leppard: Although they came out in the 70s this band perhaps best personified the whole hair metal movement. In the late 80s the joke in poor taste was always, “what sound does a one-armed drummer make?” However, out of respect I chose a song from when he still had both arms.
2. Girls, Girls, Girls – Motley Crue: Motley Crue made the #1 stripper anthem of all time. Hey, maybe this music was accessible to the female population. Maybe it just wasn’t the female population target the marketing group at the record company intended… or maybe it was. I love that the lyrics mention a number of different strip clubs by name.
3. Nothin’ But A Good Time – Poison: The new kings of reality television on VH1. CC is on Surreal Life and Bret is about to start season three of Rock Of Love. This brings me to another subject, I love how quickly all of these guys will willingly sell out. I guess we were right when we said these groups were about style and not substance.
4. Cherry Pie – Warrant: The anthem of hair metal. What is funny is I think these guys really thought we weren’t smart enough to understand the symbolism in the lyrics. Hmmm… let’s see there’s a good looking supermodel sitting with a piece of cherry pie between her legs, what could that mean??? Later in the video she is sitting on a couch that looks like some ruby red lips.
5. Lick It Up – Kiss: Traditionally we put Kiss in the whole 70s glam metal movement, but there was a time in the 80s when they quit wearing makeup. Although they were the ugliest of all of the hair metal bands they still qualified during this period, but I guess this explains why they put their makeup back on in the 90s.
6. Bad Medicine – Bon Jovi: I find it amusing this band “holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1 on the Billboard 200.” Bon Jovi = Hard Rock. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Yeah, okay! 
7. Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses: They may have names like Duff and Slash, but just look at that pretty hair.
8. I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister: Funny thing is I wanted them to rock too. I guess we were both disappointed.
9. Cum On Feel the Noize – Quiet Riot: Did you know the original version of this song by the English group Slade inspired Kiss to write the song Rock and Roll All Nite.
10. I Remember You – Skid Row: Is New Jersey a blight on society. They gave us the Meadowlands and two hair bands. You decide.

See, this is the type of thing I am forced to do to compensate for my hard rock, testosterone infused lists. Now I’ll see if any women read anything on here.

Manana!

It’s Raining It’s Pouring Sample Playlist

It is still raining in Memphis. Here’s a sample of the playlist I listen to on days like this:

1. Rainy Days and Mondays – Cracker: The Carpenters version sounds almost cheery. This version sounds much more like the lyrics.
2. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head – B.J. Thomas: “Heh-heh-heh, he said B.J.” – Beavis; Sorry folks, but I couldn’t let that one go.
3. It Never Rains In Southern California – Albert Hammond: Albert Hammond was born in Gibralter. How about that?
4. Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again – The Fortunes: Did you know this group actually sang the original Coca-Cola jingle It’s the Real Thing?
5. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Bob Dylan: Complete with an idea of what you should do on a rainy day.
6. Here Comes the Rain Again – Eurythmics: The short orange hair commands you to watch!
7. Kentucky Rain – Elvis Presley: Forget the white jump suit, check out those white patent leather platform shoes. I wonder if this was recorded after labor day?
8. Feels Like Rain – John Hiatt: If you’re not from the South you will never understand the expression used in the song’s title. 
9. Who’ll Stop the Rain – Creedence Clearwater Revival: When the Creedence is played, the Dude abides.
10. Rain King – Counting Crows: A whole murder of crows performs.

I could have literally done a list of over fifty songs on this topic and you would have heard of most them. Just a couple of the notable omissions include: Purple Rain by Prince, Fire and Rain by James Taylor, Mandolin Rain by Bruce Hornsby, November Rain by Guns N’ Roses, and Have You Ever Seen the Rain by CCR.

Well I’m off to depression town. ”Rainy days and Monday always get me down.”

Elvis’ Jungle Room – Sample Playlist

Here are ten songs you should play while touring Elvis’ jungle room at Graceland:

1. Welcome To the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses: This song is far more lyrically interesting if you think of it in terms of a real jungle rather than the streets of L.A.
2. Jungle Boogie – Kool & the Gang: Elvis always liked big horn sections. I tend to think he liked the funk as well. Enjoy this Elvis!
3. Run Through the Jungle – Creedence Clearwater Revival: In case Lisa Marie brings her boys over and decides to let them run wild through the room.
4. Wild Thing – X: Still my favorite version of this song. Did you know Angelina Jolie’s uncle wrote this song under a nom de plume (Chip Taylor)?
5. Jungleland – Bruce Springsteen: I wish I had something more intelligent to say than “I really like this song.”
6. George Of the Jungle – The Presidents Of the United States Of America: Watch out for that tree, or sofa sectional.
7. Bungle In the Jungle – Jethro Tull: Who doesn’t love a little flute mixed in with their rock ‘n roll?
8. I Wan’na Be Like You – Louis Prima: Best song in the original Jungle Book movie.
9. The Lion Sleeps Tonight – The Tokens: I’ve always wondered if The Tokens and Clarence “Frogman” Henry got together for a tour, who would be the opening act?
10. Eye Of the Tiger – Survivor: Why do I think when Elvis lived at Graceland he probably had a real tiger eye in a jar of formaldehyde somewhere in this room?

My mother once went to Graceland when Elvis lived there. She told me he had a jukebox. She also told me there were no Elvis records on the jukebox. He was that humble and I don’t think he would have listened to his own music in the jungle room. However, he would have probably asked me why I didn’t include Gitarzan by Ray Stevens. The truth is I don’t know…

Ten Groups That Rock Hard

Here’s a list of groups who are all about the testosterone. Rock on, rock hard (huh-huh, huh-huh, he said hard):

1. Foo Fighters – Less formulaic than that other group Dave Grohl was in. You remember, sing-sing-sing-scream-scream-scream-sing-sing-sing, rinse, repeat.
2. Led Zeppelin – It’s been a long time since they rock & rolled…
3. The Cult – What exactly is a love removal machine.
4. Guns N’ Roses – Still waiting for Chinese Democracy.
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. Van Halen – and not Van Hagar
7. The Who – half price tickets
8. The Rolling Stones – once upon a time they did. no really…
9. The Black Crowes
10. Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne

Now go and get your rock on.