Archive | March, 2010

Response to Poll: “Centerfield” by John Fogerty

27 Mar

Like many, my March Madness bracket is hanging on by a thread. My winner, Kentucky, went down tonight and my only hope lies in the Bears of Baylor. So, Baylor WIN!!!!!!! Well, that was unprofessional. I guess it is better to still have a hope. I know many whose Final Four picks have all been ousted from the NCAA Basketball Tournament. But, pick up your head and don’t be so crestfallen. Opening Day for all baseball teams is coming fast and I am ready for the Mets to begin. Nothing is better than the first pitch in April. This is one of the reasons why my favorite sports song of all time is baseball’s rock anthem (I guess it is not really an anthem) “Centerfield” by John Fogerty.

“Centerfield”:

How can you not love John Fogerty’s baseball bat guitar. That is just awesome. The song is great too. It just gets you in the mood to get up and do something…preferably play baseball. Besides the fact that the song is synonymous with countless baseball movies and videos, it is also well-written and melodious. It is an effervescent, fun-loving song and people can’t get enough of its great beat and message. It is optimistic, inspiring and its melody provides listeners with visions of outfield grass, home run hitters, stolen bases and…you get the picture. Happy baseball everyone.

Top 5 Sports Songs of All Time

26 Mar

March Madness has been mad. The tournament of 64 NCAA basketball teams encompasses the excitement of sports. Single-elimination, lay it all on the line entertainment. Sports are an invaluable part of our society and, because of this, musicians have explored this topic through song. There is a lot of pump-up music out there; music that inspires you to go out there and kick some tail. In this poll I have gathered five of my favorite sports songs together. I am anticipating a lot more opinions and I am looking forward to hearing them.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Songs

25 Mar

Perhaps Jim Marshall’s most famous photograph depicts guitar legend Jimi Hendrix bathing his burning Stratocaster guitar with lighter fluid at The Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Hendrix is on his knees and deep in an odd sacrificial prayer. This iconic photograph of Hendrix immolating his guitar is just one in a massive collection of some of rock n’ roll’s most enduring images. And, the man behind the camera for each photo in this illustrious collection is Jim Marshall. Marshall passed away yesterday in his sleep. He was 74.

Jimi Hendrix being...well...Jimi Hendrix

Marshall was born in Chicago in 1936 and raised in San Francisco. After purchasing a camera in high school, he began taking pictures of local musicians. After serving in the Air Force, Marshall had a chance encounter with John Coltrane. He gave Coltrane a lift and, in return, he allowed Marshall to take pictures of him. Marshall then moved to New York and was hired by Atlantic and Columbia to take studio pictures. After his stay in New York, he moved back to San Francisco during the height of the Psychedelic music scene. There, he took some of his most known photographs including the Hendrix photo.

This is a tough loss for the music community. Marshall was one of the most respected rock photographers and he will surely be missed. During the past few years he remained active in rock photography. Some of his latest subjects were The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Ben Harper. I was always struck by one of Marshall’s photographs of John Coltrane in 1960. The picture is a wonderful portrait of a genius in thought. It will always be one of my favorite Jim Marshall pictures.

And…here it is:

Article: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2010/03/24/jim-marshall-legendary-rock-photographer-passes-away-at-74/

Check out Marshall’s Collection: http://www.marshallphoto.com/collection

The Dark Side of the…Mushroom?

24 Mar

Tomorrow I begin my spring break. So, today, I have to pack and make sure everything is set here in Binghamton before the drive home tomorrow. Tonight will be busy. But, next week the lyricist section will be back up. I promise. I could not leave you all with no post today though. And, what better song to profile today than The Dark Side of the Mushroom.

Let me guess what some of you are thinking. Who are you and what have you done with my Pink Floyd? Well, please do not get to worried…or angry. “The Dark Side of the Mushroom (not moon)” is actually a 1967 song from the Chocolate Watch Band, a garage-rock band formed in San Jose, California. The song appeared on the album No Way Out which was released six years before Dark Side of the Moon. The song is a fantastic piece of psychedelia. It is exciting to hear early psychedelic songs; especially to this quality. The hook of this song is just genius and the haunting psychedelic fill is a remarkably fatidic melody. This band was doing psychedelia before it was cool and I give them so much credit for that.

Check out the Song:

SWOD (Song of the Day/Word of the Day) #12 – Fatidic

22 Mar

Today’s Word

Fatidic - Prophetic

Fatidic (adj) : Prophetic

Musical Example:

Okay, let’s get the first order of business handled. The word is pronounced fuh-TID-ik. So, yeah, it is not what you are all thinking. Yet, still, I believe it is now my favorite word. Next time you want to mention that your friend made a rather prophetic statement when he foretold that you were going to procrastinate, instead say that it was a fatidic statement. Then, watch them get reasonably confused. Well, they should have read the blog.

Anyway, on to a musical example of the word fatidic. Denny Zagar and Rick Evans may have only had one hit song; but man was it a fatidic song. “In the Year 2525” was one-hit-wonder that warned people of the dangers of technology, spent six weeks as the #1 song on the Pop Chart in 1969. Well, maybe Zagar and Evans were on to something.

“You’ll pick your son
pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube.
In the year seventyfiveten
If God’s a-coming he oughta make it by then”

We may not have to wait that long before selective breeding in humans is popular!?!

Fun Fact: The song was #1 when perhaps the greatest technological achievement of all time happened July 20, 1969. The Moon Landing.

In the year 1969 when people can fly.

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