Category: Music

Words about Music…

As I’ve said before, I don’t keep up with the music biz like I used to do. Bands come and go and I really have no idea — I’m middle-aged, OK? — although recently I’ve been listening to the World Cafe, and playing Music Choice’s adult contemporary channel. Past exceptions to my lack of awareness include Green Day‘s “American Idiot”, which caught my attention instantly, radiohead’s “Creep”, and a song that I can’t believe is already more than ten years old. “The Way”, by Fastball.

I don’t know if this was intended to be an homage to Elvis Costello, but that’s what it is. That’s not a knock! It’s hard to convey just how much I admire something like this, that gets everything right and really gets under my skin, whether it’s a scruffy indie band or a piece of slick, commercial fluff — like this. Forty years ago, “Whole Lotta Love” and “Sugar, Sugar” were on the radio at the same time, and I loved listening to both.

Another tune that I think shows something of the influence of Declan McManus is by a MySpace friend of Lía Pamina en España, named Prudencia Valenica, aka: Prudence.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/JUL/NoNameNoPlace.mp3]

Love that last chord! Very Beatles-ish. This tune is a real gem. On one of the music programs I mention above, I heard something new from Sting, and it was just a long atmospheric drone with no real idea behind it. In contrast, in just the first ten seconds of “No Name No Place”, it’s obviously a winner. You should listen to everything on Prudence’s playlist. I guess I’m just a frustrated A&R man.

And here’s more of Lía! First her lovely performance of Margo Guryan‘s “Someone I Know”, which borrows from J.S. Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”. Then you’ll see Lia’s creatively animated video for Guryan’s demo of “Love Songs” that she later revised and refined for Margo’s studio recording.

And that’s the way he was…

The Old Guard has now truly come to an end. As Bismo said tonight, it’s perhaps fitting that Walter Cronkite passed away during the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s flight to the Moon. This video clip is from a 2007 CBS special celebrating Cronkite’s 90th birthday. The program was produced by Nancy Kramer, who Carol and I helped last year with some background material for an installment of 48 Hours|Mystery.

I also agreed with Bismo when he said that he never warmed up to Huntley and Brinkley as TV news anchormen. Many adults apparently preferred the team, but they were much too severe to appeal to kids. Cronkite was The Man. He narrated the audio book of his autobiography, “A Reporter’s Life”, and I listened to it twice, all the way through. It was abridged from his book, but I trusted Walter to leave in all the good stuff.

Cronkite is indelibly associated with not only NASA in the 60’s, but his live coverage of the assasination of JFK, and his landmark editorial asserting that the Vietnam War, in his opinion, could not be won. Cronkite’s credibility and judgment were held in such high esteem that LBJ realized his Presidency was doomed and he declined to seek re-election.

Another noteworthy accomplishment of Cronkite’s was that he helped introduce The Beatles to America. Here is a video clip from Nancy Kramer’s TV special that I first posted over a year ago.

© 2007 CBS Worldwide Inc.
[flv:/Video/2008/FEB/CronkiteBeatles.flv 440 330]

Lastly, I would like to point out that Walter Cronkite was a big fan of the comic strip Peanuts, and he wrote the introduction to volume 2 of The Complete Peanuts. Walter cried on air when John Kennedy died, he cried on camera again when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, he denounced the Vietnam War, he has a Beatles connection, and he loved Charlie Brown and Snoopy. I loved the man and everything he stood for.

Cronkite on Schulz

Cronkite on Schulz

Cronkite on Schulz

The Essential K3

I am happy to report that I am no longer the best place on the Net to see the Belgian girl group K3. This is.

K3 1024x768 wallpaper

At last, Studio 100 has given K3 a proper virtual venue. When Karen Damen’s channel on YouTube disappeared I figured that would be it for online videos, but how good it is to be wrong.

Over six months ago, I wrote sort of an open letter to Studio 100…

I’m the lone voice in America pushing K3. To increase interest in your own posted videos, get high quality versions of “Kusjesdag”, “Hart Verloren”, “Tele Romeo” and “Verliefd” in stereo on YouTube. I’d love to link to those. “I Love You, Baby” too, because it has some English. Think about it. Please. The songs are wonderful, but it’s not just the format that makes it all work, it’s Karen, Kristel and Kathleen, one of the best pop music trios I have ever enjoyed.

Later I added “A Trip to Mars” to that list. Here are direct links to all of those videos, available at last in high quality transfers that hold up to being displayed full screen, and they’re in stereo.

Great job, Studio 100. I don’t even mind that you’ve prevented embedding and downloading. Kudos and thanks.

[flv:http://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Video/K3/NewK3Girl.flv 480 270]

Prue-fection

Here is something very special indeed. This is a portrait of Prudence Bury at age seventeen, while she attended the Royal School of Ballet. It was taken by Antony Armstrong-Jones, before he married Princess Margaret and was named the 1st Earl of Snowdon. Lord Snowdon is known for many things, among them his numerous portraits of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales.

Prudence Bury, age 17
© Lord Snowdon (Antony Armstrong-Jones)

This is a photo of a framed photo. In the reflection you can see one of Prue’s sons taking the picture, and some bookcases behind him.

Thank you, Prue! 🙂

Petula Clark in, “The Runaway Bus”

As I’ve said before, I feel that Petula Clark’s career is one of the most impressive ever in popular entertainment. She started as an endearing child star in England, developed into a sexy adult actress, then became an international singing superstar — which was where we caught up with her in the States — and she’s still going strong!

I’ve spliced together about ten minutes of Petula as Lee Nicholls, a perky and resourceful stewardess in a 1954 comic caper flick, “The Runaway Bus”. It’s not the greatest print, but at least it’s available in the U.S., including Netflix.

[MEDIA=49]

Oh, dear. Did I hear Pet ask for some uppers? No wonder she was so perky!

For a much more recent view of Petula, here’s a link recommended by David Moncur. Turn it up!