Asymmetric Music

In honor of Obama's latest vehicular victim, Jim Johnson, here are the some "bus songs" I could find on short notice:

Before Obama throws anybody off of one, he has to wait for the bus to arrive. One does that at the bus stop, one of which the Hollies sang so well about.

Hollies - Hollies Greatest Hits

The most famous "bus song," I think, is by the Who who sang about a magic one. Obama's public eloquence and ability to bring together diverse groups of graduate students from humanities departments across the nation has sometimes been called "magical" which makes The Magic Bus particularly appropriate.

Magic Bus

Gladys Knight sings about trains, not buses, in The Midnight Train to Georgia, but since the Amtrak schedule shows no direct route from L.A. to Georgia, one has no other on-land, mass transit option to Georgia than the bus.

Essential Collection

Here's Roger Daltry doing another "bus song" with somebody definitely not of his generation.

The Wheels on the Bus

I remember loving Double Dutch Bus in the eighties. The improvisation in the middle is fascinating.

Double Dutch Bus

The Decemberists opened for Obama in Portland and they have a song about a bus.

Billy Liar

I'll end this modest roundup with country singer Sara Evans singing The Back of the Greyhound Bus.

Restless

One of my favorites. Not only a great musician and songwriter, but a devoted husband and good guy.

I'll have more later, but you can enjoy the video below.

Corporate rock has a bad name sometimes, but an "in-house" approach (studio band with singers not writing their own songs in most cases) has produced some of the rock era's best music. This is especially true of black music. Memphis- based Stax-Volt had such Soul luminaries as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, Atlantic featured such performers as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, and you know about Motown. Taken together, the above labels represent a majority of the quality black music during that era.

In fact, one of the only black performers who had his own band and wrote most of his own songs was James Brown (In this, he was more like Paul McCartney and Wings.). I can't think of a black band (not vocal group) that wrote their own songs and considered each member as an equal.

Given the record above and including classical music and opera, it's odd that some people (i.e., my classic rock brethren) find a self-sustaining band inherently superior.

Anyways, I'll discuss it more at length later. I only bring it up because of this story reporting that Sam Moore asked Barack Obama to stop using its song, Hold On, I'm Coming as his campaign song. It's from Stax, written by Isaac Hayes and Porter, and you may recognize the backing band as Booker T. and MGs. Enjoy:

Yesterday, I assembled some Rock and Roll songs that trumpeted conservative values. Today, I'm doing my far left (Kossacks)* brothers and sisters a favor by compiling a list to encourage them as they seek to change America for the better:

1. Sign of the Times, Donna Fargo.

The Best of Donna Fargo

In this song, Donna sings of the American dream turning into a "nightmare." 1863? 1933? 1942? No, the year we'd all like to forget, 1986. Apparently, Donna had access to some detailed census data, as she concluded that Jews suffered proportionately. Unemployment was at 50%

2. Cortez the Killer, Neil Young.

Proving that extremism begs for an opposite, "noble savagery" is an attempt by Europeans to reverse European feelings of superiority over the people whose land they colonized. The problem with those who take the noble savage route, is that, in their desire to make amends, they often lie, distort, or, like Neil Young, are just stupid.

The Cortez in the song is Hernan Cortez, Spanish conquistador. Why sing about Cortez and not, say, other conquests in history like in everywhere else in the world since the beginning of humanity? Because Cortez was white and the Aztecs weren't, I guess.

If you know anything about Aztec civilization, you know how ridiculous this is:

And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.

3. (tie) Southern Man, Neil Young; Redneck Friend, Jackson Browne.

Southern Man:

Redneck Friend:

Unless, of course, those savages are a group of primitives for whom you don't have any sympathy- like Southern Americans. Judgmental, perhaps? Can you feel the hate?

Relevant Lyrics (Redneck Friend):

Now your daddy's in the den shootin' up the evening news
Mama's with a friend, lately she's been so confused
Little one-
Come on and take my hand
I may not have the answer but I believe I got a plan

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Songs to leave off your playlist on Valentine's day:

1. All Right Now, Free. The most unromantic song on earth. Co** rock at its most base. Summary: Veni, vidi, vici.

2. It's Getting Hot in Here, Nelly. Less strait forward than All Right Now, HIH contains the least persuasive argument for female disrobement- ever. I see the central cause-and-effect logic behind the plea, but couldn't even Paris Hilton come up with some alternative? Rendered obsolete by central air conditioning.

3. You've Got a Friend, James Taylor. I assume that Taylor is using the old "You've got a friend" technique. Time consuming and famously ineffective, YGAFT often has an opposite, repulsive effect. Worse, she may actually think you want a platonic friendship. Get ready for those crying, "He's such a a****le" phone calls at 1:00 AM.

4. Respect, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. Way to greet your man after a hard day at the office, Aretha. Why don't you just have him sit in a bucket of ice water? When a man nags for respect, like Otis below, it's just, well, sad.

You didn't know that Otis wrote this song, did you?

And Aretha:

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First California. According to polls, Hillary needs to get a high percentage of single (or angry) California girls to steal a victory from Obama.

We had some New York songs yesterday. I found another one by Sting called Englishman in New York. It sounds just like you'd think Sting singing a song about New York would sound.

Maine had their caucus last week:

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Youtube of New York, New York from the musical On The Town.

On the Town

Listen to the Boy(s) from New York City by the Ad- Libs

The Best Of The Girl Groups, Vol. 1

Youtube of Frank Sinatra singing New York.

Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years

Listen to New York's a Lonely Town by the Trade Winds.

Surfin' Hits

New York City Song by Dion. Unless somebody else comes to mind, Dion is my favorite New York Rock and Roll performer.

50 Cent in Kosovo

50 Cent has the smile many in Kosovo hope to have soon.

In an electrifying, open-air concert on a freezing night, the rapper from Queens, New York became the biggest star to perform in Pristina, a poor city that aims to be capital of the world's newest state when Kosovo breaks away from Serbia.

more here

What a wonderful day! I thought I'd bring you some music appropriate for the occasion. To me, just hearing the word "thank you" is an uplifting and beautiful experience. Music just magnifies the effect.

First up is Bing Crosby, behind Frank Sinatra, the best American Pop-Vocal singer. What a lovely jaunty rhythm!

Listen to I've got Plenty to be Thankful for.

Holiday Inn & White Christmas

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