I’m
going to admit something to you… Christmas music isn’t my favorite music in the
world. In fact, I believe all the years of working in the retail world over the
holiday season may have permanently soured me on a large percentage of the holiday
tunes that tend to be piped into stores from November 1st through
the end of the year. Though, there are a couple dozen tunes that tend to be
staples in my music collection at Christmastime.
The
Carpenters Christmas albums (A Christmas
Portrait and An Old Fashioned Christmas)
never fail to bring happy memories of childhood Christmases. It’s probably my
favorite Christmas album. Karen's rich and warm voice over a dazzling selection
of beautifully arranged Christmas songs, is a perfect cup of hot chocolate for
the season. There a number of lovely classic Christmas tunes, saturated in gorgeous
harmonies and a few medleys (which, I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for). My favorites
of the Carpenters’ holiday songs are “Christmas Waltz”, “Sleigh Ride”, “It’s
Christmas Time”, “Little Alter Boy”, and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. Of
course, I absolutely adore Richard’s impressive piano solo of “Carol of the
Bells” and my favorite Christmas carol for many years was the now classic, “Merry
Christmas Darling”.
Aside
from The Carpenters’ albums, there aren’t too many other full holiday albums
that I even listen to, let alone own. I do enjoy The Partridge Family song, “My
Christmas Card To You” and included it as the opening track on the Christmas CD
I sent out one year (instead of Christmas cards). Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself
A Merry Little Christmas” from Meet Me In
St. Louis is flawless. There are a handful of Frank Sinatra holiday carols
that tend to play on my iPod in December and of course, Nat King Cole’s
rendition of “The Christmas Song” may be the definitive version of the song in
my book. I couldn’t exclude Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and I threw in his
collaboration with The Andrews Sisters, “Mele Kalikimaka” in last year’s
Christmas compilation. I ran across a duet that Bing did with Judy on his radio
show in 1950 and while I’m generally not a big fan of the song “Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer”, I found their rendition entirely amusing – especially the
bit about Rudolph “smoking Chesterfield’s all the day” (a shameless plug, I’m betting!)
When I was a child, I loved Barbra
Streisand’s speedy performance of “Jingle Bells”. I also remember when I was
about 8, I loved Amy Grant’s “Emmanuel”. And of course, I dug “You’re A Mean
One, Mr. Grinch”. These days, I prefer Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmastime Is Here.”
And, true to the die-hard Beatles fan I am, I will always find time to listen
to Paul’s “Wonderful Christmas Time” and John’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”. But
I think my favorite Christmas-y tune this year may be the 1967 Beatles Fan Club
message, “Christmas Time Is Here Again”, complete with John Lennon speaking
nonsense-speak. :)
Whatever Christmas tunes you prefer to
listen to, I do wish a happy holiday season to you all!
I’ve been trying to write a post about piano solos for the last
few weeks and somehow, the number of songs I discuss keeps getting way out of
control. There are just too many awesome piano dominated songs to talk about in
just one post, so I’ve forced myself to limit myself to just a few songs that I’ve
been more partial to recently.
Piano is a very versatile instrument.It works with a number of different genres
and rarely sounds out of place. Also, I love how you can get such a full sound
with just the one instrument. While I don't have the same infatuation with
piano solos as I do with guitar solos, I do love listening to a really great
piano part. There are tons of piano dominated music ranging from the classical
pieces, to ragtime (Scott Joplin was pretty awesome, by the way), to jazz, to
early rock ‘n’ roll. The Beatles used it constantly in their songs (and there
are a number of great Beatle-piano songs). Queen and Elvis Costello are no
strangers to piano music – and Billy Joel and Elton John are known for it.
Fiona Apple has a large amount of piano driven songs, as well. There just doesn’t
seem to be an end to artists that feature great piano parts, which is why I had
to take a step back and re-evaluate before writing this post! But here are a
few of my favorites:
I’ve still been on an Elliott Smith kick as of late. I mentioned
in my last post about Elliott’s talent as a songwriter, vocalist, and
guitarist, but he also was pretty decent behind the keyboard. (If you don’t
believe me, search on youtube for Elliott Smith playing Rachmaninoff). One song
that I’ve been going back to lately is off of the album Figure 8, “In the Lost and Found”. It has a pretty nice ragtime-y
piano riff that I enjoy listening to. It’s not the most impressive solo, but it’s
catchy as hell.
The Carpenters also had a ton of piano songs – Richard is an
exceptional pianist with an inclination towards jazz influenced solos, though,
he’s no stranger to classical composers (the arrangement of “From This Moment
On” accompanied by Bach’s “Prelude in C Minor” proves that). And there are
quite a few Richard solo songs featured on various Carpenters albums, but one
of my favorite solos is from “This Masquerade”. As is Richard’s style, his
excellent technique is showcased with jazzy runs and a lovely variation of the
melody. Though, the tune “Flat Baroque” is a lot of fun to play – and his
tribute to Karen, “Karen’s Theme” is exquisite.
I have already mentioned that The Beatles often featured the
piano in their music – and after the band called it quits, the instrument
continued to consistently be featured in their solo efforts. I suppose the most
popular of these songs is John’s “Imagine” – and while it is gorgeous song – I’m
more than a little partial to the piano solo in the song “Out the Blue” from Mind Games. (I find this album is quite
underrated, but that is best saved for another post). While the piano isn’t
performed by John, but rather jazz pianist Kenny Ascher, it is fantastically
performed. Wonderful mixture of rock and jazz combine into this love song. And
the solo is amazing. Love the tremolo moments and the arpeggios at the end of
the solo. As for Paul, he constantly uses piano in his songs as well – and though
(again) there are a number of songs I’d love to mention, my favorite is
probably “Maybe I’m Amazed.” While Paul
was never classically trained as a pianist, he definitely can hold his own –
and the chromatic runs are so much fun to play! (Of course, the guitar is great
as well!).
Jumping ahead in time a bit, Ben Folds is a rather impressive
pianist. He has a rather distinctive style that I enjoy listening to. Since he
is a pianist, you’re going to find some pretty remarkable piano work in all of
his songs. My favorites, however, may be the songs “Philosophy” and “Landed”.
Both include captivating intros and catchy melodies and lovely solo work. In “Philosophy”,
I really enjoy the ending – particularly when he launches into a bit of “Rhapsody
in Blue”. And I always love glissandos on the piano and how the very end it finishes
with a crash of chords. “Landed” is really just a really beautiful song so I
wanted to mention it here. (Though, he also has an Elliott Smith tribute song, “Late”,
which I have learned to play on the piano!)
It seems that there are quite a few women in pop music who have
a talent at the piano and Carole King is one of my favorites. She obviously has
significant talent for songwriting – since she co-penned dozens of chart
topping hits through the ‘60s, but she can really rock on the piano. The song, “I
Feel the Earth Move”, off of Tapestry,
has a great, driving piano part and pretty rocking solo.
Another female who rocks the piano is from one of my favorite
bands, The Dresden Dolls. The Dresden Dolls is a “Brechtian punk cabaret” band
out of Boston. There are just 2 members of the band, Amanda Palmer on piano and
Brian Viglione on drums. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live and they are
both amazing to watch perform. Amanda, as a pianist, is forceful and
theatrical. I highly recommend the album, Yes
Virginia, particularly if you like piano driven rock – or women who play
their instruments with an uninhibited passion. The song with one of my most
favorite piano solos is “Necessary Evil”. I feel like that solo just builds to
a wonderful climax.
The last piano soloist I’m going to talk about here is Billy
Preston. He’s well-known for his work on The Beatles album, Let It Be, but he had a few hits during
his solo career as well. “Nothing From Nothing” is a song that never fails to
put a smile on my face. It has a great swingy piano groove that is a bit reminiscent
of the ragtime saloon style of the 1890s. The intro and solo are both amazing –
and like I’ve mentioned in other solos, I adore the tremolo part. The other
solo of his that just astounds me is during his performance of “Isn’t It A Pity”
at the tribute Concert for George. What
I find so impressive about his organ solo is that he seems to be able to bend
the notes the way a guitarist or vocalist can do – a technique you don’t hear all
that often on the keyboard. It’s really a fantastic performance. (Of course,
Eric Clapton’s solo is up there too!)
My first Carpenters album. It's a
little worse for wear these days.
So… as is consistent with my music addiction, I have a
tendency to make myself various CDs of the tunes I’m in the mood for during a
week. And yes, I tend to make about 1 (sometimes 2) official mix CDs a week.
This last week, I made a CD of the music I listened to the summer before I went
into 9th grade. Okay, so that’s been a little while ago and some
people are impressed that I can remember the music I was listening to at that
time, but music has always been an
important part of my life and my life has definitely had a soundtrack. Besides,
during my early teenage years, I didn’t have too big of a variety of music. At
that time in my life, I mostly listened to the Carpenters and the Partridge
Family – with a little bit of Judy Garland soundtracks, one Petula Clark CD,
and The Beatles CD – Past Masters Vol. 2,
because I wanted the song “Let It Be”. Okay, so I was a bit of a dork. But honestly, I maintain my
love for The Carpenters. The Carpenters have been a staple in my music
collection for as far back as I can remember. I knew their albums because of my
mother and I picked out my first “grownup album” out shortly after I turned 6.
It was The Carpenters Singles 1969-1973. My
favorite song became “Hurting Each Other” and I used to play it over and over.
At 6, I obviously didn’t understand the feelings behind the song, but I knew it
was a beautiful song – and I still love it. And there’s something about her voice
when she’s singing just before the chorus “Oh why should it be”… It’s strange,
but it’s one of those moments that I can listen to over and over. So, yeah… My love for The Carpenters started ages ago and it
ebbed and flowed during various stages in my life. I really only had the one
album until my serious obsession began at age 11. I don’t really remember what
kicked off the obsession, but I remember dusting off my old cassette tape and
popping it into the stereo and I was hooked all over again. I listened to that
tape so many times throughout that year and the following Christmas I got a CD
player and a Carpenters two-disc
compilation album: Yesterday Once More.
That’s another album I listened to pretty much non-stop for months – my favorite
song during that time was “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” – and this song kicked off my fixation for
getting the album, Passage (which was
out of print at the time). Over the following couple years, I sunk most of my
allowance into buying Carpenters albums (though, The Partridge Family received
a great deal of my allowance money as well… I had it bad for Keith Partridge).
I think a lot of my favorite Carpenters songs during this time tended toward
their non-hits: “Let Me Be The One” (from Carpenters),
“Maybe It’s You” (from Close To You),
“Love Me For What I Am” (from Horizon),
“Boat to Sail” (from A Kind of Hush),
“Where Do I Go From Here?” (from Lovelines),
“I Can’t Make Music” (from Now and Then),“I Won’t Last A Day Without You” (from A Song For You), and “Turn Away” (from Ticket to Ride)…
I learned quite a few of their songs on the piano during this
time too. “Hurting Each Other” was the first song I learned by them. And I
remember sitting at the piano with my headphones on, trying to play “Flat Baroque”
along with the recording… Richard is a much better pianist than I am, let me
tell you! I could play most of the “Bacharach/David Medley” with the recording
though (and here’s another little music-related secret of mine: I kind of have
a thing for medleys).
Somewhere along the line, during my high school years, I
didn’t listen to them so much. I didn’t
seriously start listening to the Carpenters again until a few years back… I
don’t really know why I didn’t… It might have been the “non-cool factor”, or
maybe I had too much other music to listen to, or maybe I just burned myself
out on them in my early teenage years. Whatever the reason, I looked them up on
youtube a few years back and was hooked all over again. Being an adult at this
point, I heard them again with fresh ears – and a new perspective. Yes, I knew
all the songs like the back of my hand, but I heard them differently than I did
before (and even found some songs I hadn’t known before – outtakes from Karen’s
solo album). I had a better understanding of music and what real talent is.
Now, I know they get a lot of crap. “They’re too sugary, too sentimental, too
melodic”. They’re definitely not rock
and roll, but… I don’t know if I can really consider them a guilty pleasure
because, really, I’m pretty proud of being a fan of theirs. I’m proud of
knowing all their music! So no, not a guilty pleasure (the Partridge Family on the
other hand, might fall into that category - but that's a subject for another time…). Why not? Because, no
matter what anyone says – they were extremely talented individuals. Karen’s
voice is what always gets mentioned – and it rightfully should. It was
incredible. She had nearly a 4 octave range. She had impeccable phrasing,
resonance, and consistently perfect pitch. No vocalist has ever matched her
vocal quality- the haunting, sadness and the natural mellowness. She never
screeched (like so many vocalists are apt to these days). She always produced a
lovely pure and rich tone. But it wasn’t just Karen’s voice – She was an astounding
drummer… after trying to play the drums, I became aware of just how fantastic
she was and how much natural talent she possessed on the drums… She’s also the whole reason I wanted to play
the drums. Of course, you can’t over look Richard’s contributions – and
amazing pianist, composer, and arranger. It’s the combination of the 2 that
make them what they are. And the layers and layers of Carpenters voices in each
recording? Nothing can quite compare to that.
My Recommendations –
Albums: A Song For
You, Close To You, and Carpenters
Songs:Hurting Each
Other Goodbye
To Love Let Me
Be The One We’ve
Only Just Begun All You
Get From Love Is A Love Song
And here’s a little clip from their appearance on The Tonight Show. Karen really rocked on
the drums.
So…
I have a confession. I have a thing for guitarists. I have since junior high when
I fell in love with Keith Partridge, but as much as I dig guitarists, I’m even
more a fan of guitar solos. *sigh!*
Guitar
solos… Honestly, I’m not sure when my obsession started with them, but I’ve
definitely been in the basic realm of “guitar solo whore” for the better part
of a decade at least. Guitar solos almost always can give me a bit of a thrill.
I have never been moved to tears by a guitar solo – But they do have quite an effect on me. Something I can hardly explain
at times. There are the ones that make me absolutely giddy. There are ones that
are like an adrenaline rush, where I have the urge to step on the accelerator
and zoom to 90 mph on the freeway with the windows down. Then there are the
ones that I close my eyes and let the notes wash over me like a waterfall, ones
that hit notes that send shivers down my spine…
The
guitar solos I love the most are the melodic ones. I’m all about the melody
(something I’m sure I’ll write about in a later post). Believe me, I have
respect for the guitarists that play the rapid-fire, shredding solos that are
so prominent in heavy metal songs – but for me, those can’t compare with the
note bending, clean solos. The way a guitarist can make the instrument speak…
That is something that can always send me.
There
are a number of solos that I am particularly inclined towards – and before I
get into this list, allow me to say, these are just my favorites. I know there
are hundreds of fabulous guitar solos out there! This is not a professional
ruling, just the opinion of someone who is infatuated with guitar solos and the
musicians that play them! (And it’s a safe assumption that you will be hearing
about these artists again in future posts).
“25
or 6 to 4” by Chicago has a pretty cool solo – though, not super clean, and
very of its time – particularly with the use of the wah-wah pedal. “Let It
Rain” by Clapton… Of course, I have to have Clapton included on a list of
guitar solos. I’m also in love with his solos in “White Room” (Cream) and the
solo he does on the Concert for George
version of “Isn’t It A Pity.” I was particularly proud of myself while
listening to that solo for the first time and knowing it was Eric playing
before I saw it was him. This was while I was just beginning to recognize
various guitarists’ styles – and Eric’s style is as distinctive as a voice. It
couldn’t be anyone else.
I’m
crazy about the solo in “Peace Frog” by the Doors. The solo in Elvis Costello’s
“I Want You” is pretty hot, despite the fact that it’s just 2 slightly off-key
notes. It totally works in that song. The Carpenters song, “Goodbye To Love” is
probably the first guitar solo I ever really took notice of. Of course, the
song is fantastic (and one of my favorite Carpenters songs), but Tony Peluso
rocks that solo. And it wasn’t common at that time to have a love ballad with a
fuzz guitar solo interjected in the middle of it. Rock on, Carpenters!
So
it doesn’t seem like I have an aversion to more modern guitar solos, allow me
to include The White Stripes’ “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s
Heart” (I have a major thing for slide guitar), The Raconteurs’ “Consoler of
the Lonely” (yeah, yeah… I dig Jack White), Stone Temple Pilots’ “Lady Picture
Show” (the acoustic version is really amazing too! Gorgeous song and gorgeous
solo), Velvet Revolver’s “Fall to Pieces”, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “21st
Century”.
Obviously,
any catalog of guitar solos would be sorely lacking if I didn’t include Led
Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. There are so many of both that are featured in lists
of the best solos… “Stairway”, “Heartbreaker”, “All Along the Watch Tower”, and
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” are the ones I see all the time on those kinds
of lists, but my favorites are Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love” (I really dig
ballads – and love that under water sound) and Zeppelin’s “Over the Hills and
Far Away”.
I’m
a big fan of Elliott Smith and while he doesn’t have the super-impressive
guitar solos that usually dominate lists, I’m completely in love with his style
and his guitar work on “Southern Belle” and “Almost Over” are remarkable (I
really dig that style of playing the same note over really fast in a tremolo
effect). My favorite solos of his, though, are in his live performances of “Cupid’s
Trick” and “Mr. Good Morning”. They’re not extended solos by any means, but
something about them absolutely sends me.
I’ve
been quite a fan of Queen and in particular, Brian May, for quite some time –
in fact, I had quite a crush on him
as well! (Like I mentioned before, I have a thing for guitarists). Brian’s
style is quite unique, particularly with the orchestrating of guitars.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is the most popular of his, but I’m even more impressed
with the orchestrating of a Dixieland band of electric guitars in the song
“Good Company”. The guitar solos in “ Dead on Time” and “Keep Yourself Alive”
are electrifying, but my all time favorite Brian solo is from one of my
favorite songs of his, “Sail Away Sweet Sister”. The part that always sends my
insides swirling is from 2:10-2:20, with the guitars playing in harmony.
This
brings me to my favorite band of all time – rather predictably, The Beatles.
John, Paul, and George all had some amazing guitar solos throughout their
career as Beatles. “Taxman,” “Drive My Car”, “I Feel Fine”, “Yer Blues”,
“Something”, “Back in the USSR” (more of that playing the same note over really
fast during that last verse. *sigh!*), and of course, “The End”, featuring all
three alternating for the solo. Though, I think my favorite solo of theirs (at
the moment at least) is “Hey Bulldog”. The bit from 1:23-1:28… God, yeah. Love
that bit.
But
my all time favorite guitar solo is from George Harrison’s last solo album, Brainwashed. The song, “Rising Sun”, is
a beautiful song, but that solo… It’s so silky smooth… so sleek, so clean – it
makes my heart race. And at 3:59, when he hits that one note – Oh my god!
There’s that swirly feeling in my stomach, shivers down my spine, and there’s an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I just find myself
grinning idiotically by the end of that song. No other solo affects me quite in
that way…
