What makes a great band iconic? It’s the little things.

Posted on December 20, 2009 by jmurph16

Last night I was watching a great program on the History channel called “The Beatles: On Record“.  It’s a facinating introspective on The Beatles and their recording process, starting with their first single “Love Me Do” through their first album, “Please , Please Me” on to “Abbey Road” (their last recorded album, although ”Let It Be” was released after).  The show is narrated via interviews with the boys in the band (do I really need to name them?) and George Martin.  With studio film footage and rare outtakes.  It’s really facinating to hear their take on songs and a little bit of the recording process.

Unfortunately the show was only an hour long.  One cannot possibly expect to compress the entire Beatles library into one hour and satisfy the palate.  I could have watched eight hours of this stuff and not been satisfied.

As I was watching I thought to myself, what is the difference between bands such as the Beatles, Stones, and Zeppelin that seperates them from the rest.  And I’m not talking about them compared to average run of the mill bands.  I’m talking about them compared to bands on the next level.  Kind of like comparing Michael Jordan to say, Dominique Wilkins.  Talent wise there may not be a huge difference.  But still, there’s a HUGE difference.

What I surmised was this, the truly iconic bands seperate themselves from the rest by the “other songs” they wrote.  For example, my favorite Stones album is “Sticky Fingers”.  Now yes, I love “Brown Sugar”, “Bitch”, and “Wild Horses” (the hits from the album).  But what makes that album extremely special for me are the songs like “Moonlight Mile“, “You Gotta Move“, and “Dead Flowers“.  These are the songs you don’t hear much on the radio, but nonetheless they are terrific songs.  And they show the breadth of the band.

Again, watching that Beatles show last night I was reminded of some of the songs on “Revolver” (probably my favorite Beatles album) and “Rubber Soul” (close 2nd on list of favorites) that were the “other songs”.  Songs like “And Your Bird Can Sing“, “Doctor Robert“, “You Won’t See Me“, and “If I Needed Someone“.  Remarkable songs all of them.  And for almost any other band they would have been considered masterpieces.  Which again makes the iconic bands stand out from the rest.

The fact that those songs don’t get the airplay or recognition that the “hits” off the albums get is not a tragedy.  It just goes to show that when you are THAT great your only measure of comparison is to yourself.  Often I hear Zeppelin fans pan “In Through the Out Door”.  Really?  Maybe, for a Zeppelin album, it doesn’t measure up to “Physical Graffiti” of their first album, but still, it’s a great album.  Put it up against most other bands best (except the icons of course) and I think you would feel the same.

What’s my point here? I guess it’s just that true greatness cannot necessarily be measured just by record sales, although all of the aforementioned bands sold plenty of records.  I would say it’s the reason why many people view Willie Mays as the greatest baseball player of all time.  Sure, guys hit more home runs than Willie, stole more bases than Willie, hit for a higher average, etc.  But it was the little things that set Willie apart, his true artistry on the field, and his overall volume of work that amazes people. 

And the same holds true for the rock ‘n roll icons.

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Why Music?

Posted on September 29, 2009 by azpremiere

trebleQuestion

What is it that keeps us listening to music?  No, I won’t let you get away with a simple answer–”because I enjoy it”.  Why do we enjoy it?  Has anyone every satisfactorily explained that? 

I think, in order to take a stab at answering that question, we have to take a look at why our ancestors “invented” music.  I put invented in quotes because I think that a pretty strong case can be made to point out that rather than being invented, it was a device or mechanism used to mimic things that naturally occurred around them.

For the Classical Greeks, music was a very big undertaking rooted in religious implications.  The 2 principal instruments used to create Classical Greek music were the aulos and the lyre.  The aulos was a double-reed instrument with a high-pitched, nasal sound–much like a modern clarinet–and the lyre was a stringed instrument that can be best described as an early harp (although it wouldn’t sound much like today’s harp). 

On the one hand, the aulos was said to mimic the sound of the Gorgon Medusa’s screams as her head was lifted from her shoulders by the hero Perseus.  Stefan Hagel’s pages have some great information and feature some examples of aulos recordings here.  The aulos was the sonic representation of all that was chaotic in the world, and just by listening to a couple of examples on the aulos page from above, we get the picture.

On the other hand, the lyre (or kithara), or better, the tuning convention utilized on the instrument, was said to mimic the order and relationship between the planets as they saw them.  Again, check out Stefan Hagel’s page here for examples of kithara recordings. 

Whereas with the aulos we had chaos, with the lyre we have a sense of order and things belonging in their natural place, so, quite literally, Classical Greek music was the representation of everything–the yin and yang, as it were–in one place.  Music played a central role, but just as important as the music itself was dance–in and of itself, a highly stylized activity with plenty of religious significance–and verse, about which I’d like to talk a bit more.

Verse was important because in a society that had long existed in an oral tradition, the information that it was to be conveyed needed to be uniform to large extent.  They obviously didn’t have printing presses that ensured that the same information that was given to one person in the city was the same information given to another person in the countryside, so there needed to be some kind of convention or mechanism that allowed the information that was to be conveyed, to be conveyed with some kind of uniformity.  This information ranged from exploits of mythic gods, to labors of heroic characters, to fables and lessons, but one of the ways that they made sure that uniformity existed was to put the information to song.

So, put into context, music helps us come up with a prism through which to view the world.  Music helps us understand the unknown, reinforces ideas that we already have, and its lyrical observations provide us with a framework that we can use to, in a sense, lay over the top of the world around us.  Much like how I marvel at a well-read person’s ability to pull from a text that he or she has read and use it to explain or describe a situation or parallel situation that has happened in that person’s life, music provides for that same potential, albeit in a more simplified fashion and in a different vernacular if you will.

If you play any music, or at least understand the basic chord progressions of modern Western music, how would you explain why the same 3 chords used thousands of times over can be paired with the same lyrics–because we only have a limited number of words in our language and limited still by the number of words that can then be used to rhyme with those words–about love, death, and happiness, and people can then still find enjoyment in those same things as though they were new again? 

Perhaps that’s a larger question than the one that I set out to answer originally, but I think their answers are similar.  The fact is that humans have always lived in a world, to one degree or another, of chaos with “the unexplained” always baying at us like wolves on the edge of civilization, and one universal way for us to make sense of it all is to listen to how others deal- have dealt, are dealing–with the unknown.  Music helps us be closer to each other in ways that we may not ever understand–think of the parallels between the relationship between the heartbeat of a mother and her unborn child and how we may hear that familiar cadence in the rhythm and beat of a song.

These are big questions and I know I’ve just scratched the surface on some of these things, but I’d like YOU to think:  Why Music?  Think critically.  What does it mean to you, and why do you listen to it?  And before you closet classicists and ethnomusicologists have a field-day with my interpretation of Classical Greek music, please realize that you cannot argue with an ignoramus–it’s futile and you’ll just make both of us look silly.

Proving once again that we do more than just show you the best deals in the Phoenix real estate market; we show you how to get the most out of living in Arizona, and try to help you get the most out of what you are listening to.

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Grateful Dead Live at the Greek Theater 1982-05-22 – A Review

Posted on September 21, 2009 by azpremiere

I’ve posted the link to the audio at the end of this review, but I would love for you to check out the review first, listen, and then let me know what you think. 

I’ve been listening to every ‘82 show I can get my hands on, and thanks to the Internet Archive, and specifically, their “Dead Zone”, I can stream these shows, and I often have a selection of several versions of the same show to choose from.  Back to 1982…  ‘82 is a really hot year that sort of gets forgotten between the big years of ‘77 and ‘85, but it is fantastic music that should be heard.  The band seems fresh, and they have a couple of things going for them that the 2 big years above weren’t able to afford them. 

In ‘77 (and ‘78 to a larger extent) the Godchauxs were weighing the band down.  Donna for one reason or another (there are lots of arguments in her defense as well as arguments against her) Donna became very shrill, and Keith’s grand piano had locked the band into a place that made it difficult for them to be dynamic and evolutionary.  Besides, Keith’s battle with alcohol had made him little more than a sleeping fixture on stage.

In mid ‘79, Brent Mydland essentially filled the spot that both Godchauxs had occupied, and came in with not only a new sound vocally, but he supplied a new array of sounds on the keys that really allowed the band to explore the bounds that they had previously occupied.  Although 12/01/79 is one of my all-time favorites, it really did take a couple of years for Brent to really settle-in and find his space in the music and probably took as long for the band understand where he was in the music as well.  It is interesting to note that in the previous Spring tour, Jerry had switched sides on the stage with Phil on 04/02/82 in order to be next to Brent, a position he would remain in while on stage for the duration.

Back to the concert…  What a show!  I’m a sucker for Jack Straw shows, and maybe I’m a total geek, but I’ve even got a Great Northern t-shirt.  The band is listening to each other, and playing well together.  The Jack Straw pleases, the Sugaree is fantastic, Cassidy hits those outer limits but brings it all back home, but that Cumberland Blues simply blisters–it is definitely one of the good ones that I asked about in a previous post about best versions/performances of Dead songs.

I was a bit worried when I saw the Lazy Lightning, but from the first notes, you realize that this isn’t 1985 where they play it much faster than their ability to make it sound any good.  This one cooks and satisfies, and so does the Deal to end the first set.  I love a good Deal first set ender.

In typical fashion, a first set starting with Jack Straw is coupled with a second set starting with China>>>Rider, and this one has all the components you would want.  This is a good one to listen to in order to get a feel of the band.  There is so much energy brewing here, but it’s all about how well it is harnessed.  In fact, and I’m not the first to say this, but the recurring train theme in Dead music is the perfect metaphor for the band–so much power moving on its own and the question is, how to control it.  Sometimes you just have to hold on, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Women Are Smarter is fun, Never Trust a Woman showcasing Brent’s personality is gritty, and the Lost Sailor>>>Saint of Circumstance is right on the money.  They explore, and as you’ll find typical of this particular show, they all coalesce around that emotionally climactic rallying-point in the music.  Again, you may not always know where you are within the context of the music, but you have the confidence that the band will help pull you out of it and allow you to make some sense of where the music has taken you.

He’s Gone, a usual jumping-off point, helps propel this one into that second half of the second set otherworldly realm and dumps you off into a short drums and then into space.  I agree with folks who say that Not Fade Away should pull out of space rather than end the show, and that’s exactly what happens here.  Maneuvering out of the fog, they give form to chaos, and before you know it, you are listening to the old familiar cadence of Not Fade Away, and it feels good.  Brent’s organ swirls while Jerry’s guitar shreds and Bob finds those funny angles in the music; all the while Phil is dropping sonic bombs and Mickey and Billy are laying down a gauntlet.

Once they’ve squeezed that one for every drop, they send you off on an up-tempo Wharf Rat.  I cannot stress this enough, but the Dead understood the power of silence as well as the power of volume, and it is readily apparent in this one.  They are spot-on in this version instrumentally, and their harmonies are quite good–again, a fact that owes a great deal to bandmates listening to each other.  Another aspect of the band that this song tells about is the overall physical condition of the band.  In later years when Jerry ballooned-up, he would absolutely struggle through this song, typically placed late in the second set, and it would be dreadfully evident in his vocals.  This one is very nice.

The Around and Around is, well, it’s Around and Around, and although the Good Lovin’ starts a little shaky, it settles down and yields a really nice Bob rap and build-up to the end.  The U.S. Blues encore is a nice one to hear and is a great exclamation point to this show, and this is not just a mail-it-in encore either; these guys are still at work, and you can tell by the crowd bleed-in through the mics that the crowd loves it.  This encore is a real thankyou from the band to the crowd–the band loves it too.

All in all, this is a fantastic show.  Sure you will find problems with it, but this show comes from a time when they were playing really well and enjoying themselves.  I would definitely recommend checking this show out as well as challenge you to listen to that whole ‘82 – ‘83 period and weigh it against what might be your favorite period.  This is good stuff and it rocks.  Here is the link (enjoy, and again, let me know what you think, and while you’re at it, tell me what YOU are listening to):

http://www.archive.org/details/gd82-05-22.sbd.gorinsky.5215.sbeok.shnf

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Les Paul: A Life of Musical Innovation

Posted on August 20, 2009 by azpremiere
photo courtesy blog.oregonlive.com

photo courtesy blog.oregonlive.com

I haven’t said anything about Les Paul since his death a week ago, but I’ll just say that when I saw Les Paul guitar for the first time, I just had to have one.  In guitar parlance, you are, very very generally, either a Les Paul guy or a Stratocaster guy.  If you are familiar with the sound, you’ll know that the Les Paul has a deeper tone, or, as I like to call it, a bit of a growl to it, in comparison to the twangy brightness of the Strat.

We’ve got Les Paul to thank for two of the most important musical innovations of the 20th century:  the electric guitar, and multi-track recording.  We take it all for granted because we are just used to hearing music rather than recording it, but if you’ve ever done any recording, you know that multi-track recording not only changed the way it was recorded, but changed the way we all listen to music, and what we expect to hear when we are listening to it.

Rather than talk about his life – there’s plenty of information about Les Paul and his life story – I would rather you sit back and listen to him play and talk about his life and his music.  Accompanied by Marian McPartland who is a fantastic pianist – if you can ever catch her show, please do – Paul Nowinski on bass, and Lou Pallo on rhythm guitar, Les Paul gives you a big juicy slice of musical history that deserves a listen.

Please take a listen here, enjoy, and share your thoughts:

http://www.archive.org/serve/LesPaul1996-2002PianoJazzMarianMcPartlandNYC/LesPaul1996-2002PianoJazzMarianMcPartlandNYC.wma

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Grateful Dead Live at Madison Square Garden on 1987-09-19 – A Review

Posted on August 10, 2009 by azpremiere

Courtesy Steve Zipser and Setlist.com

My business partner told me this morning that Mickey Hart had been a good friend of Walter Cronkite, and that Cronkite had been something of a closet Head.  The way they met, or as well as I could piece it together, is pretty interesting.  Apparently, Stephen Stills was to do the music for a sailing documentary that Cronkite was going to be narrating.  The long and the short of it was that Stills ended-up flaking-out and Mickey along  with Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana and some others put together a soundtrack for the documentary, and that’s how the two met and eventually became friends.

The articles that I read placed that meeting some time in ‘87 or shortly thereafter, so I’m not completely clear on the date, but Mickey invited Cronkite to a show at MSG and Cronkite reluctantly accepted.  His comment to Mickey was that he was looking for reasons to leave during the show, but couldn’t find one.  He was hooked.

In any event, I thought it might be appropriate to try and track down the show, but with little success.  Oh, I have access to the show, I just don’t know which it is…  Not having any luck finding the date I was looking for, and for the purposes of just simply listening to the music rather than getting lost in research, I chose this show from Saturday night in a 5 night run – hey, I’m a sucker for Maggie’s Farm (don’t worry, I’ve included a link for the show below, but read first).  I’ve long had the  show from the night before which features a smoking La Bamba, but I had overlooked this little gem.

The recording quality of this soundboard is particularly good, and as is the case with most MSG shows, the mood is electrifying, and the band is on and having some fun.  Also of note is the fact that this one was being broacast on television for the FarmAid Benefit, hence the particular importance of Maggie’s Farm appearance in this show.

From the very start the music is very tight and, though the lyrics get flubbed quite a bit, the setlist is good, and one thing I always like to hear is interaction between the band and the audience.  In the first set, we hear, “we want Phil. we want Phil.”  Phil makes reference to how well restrained the crowd had been in the nights before, and rewards the crowd with Box of Rain – one I always like to see in a setlist.

The Crazy Fingers > UJB > Playin’ is very good, but particulary the transition into Playin’ – it is right on the money.  Drums and Space are enjoyable, and this comes from a guy who used to wear out his fast forward button as he zipped through Drums and Space every chance he heard it – boy was I happy when I could just advance to the next track on a CD.

The post Drums and Space sequence is really nice with Miracle into a Maggie’s Farm that lives up to expectations.  This was the first time they had done this one on their own after having played it 3x while touring with Dylan a couple of months before.  It is un-rehearsed, spontaneous, and very hot.  Not all of the lyric assignments had been as worked out as they would be in later years, but the unknown often comes together and yields wonderful results.

Lovelight is short and sweet but hot, and is a good capper for the 2nd set.  The encore is a sweet Black Muddy River – one that always makes my eyes feel like they are about to well-up.  This one is well-played and by the book, but everyone sounds good, and Brent’s tinkling on the keys through the second part of the chorus makes the hair stand up on my arms.

Overall, this show more than satisfies, and is a good example of how the band could rise to the occasion when it needed to.  It’s a stellar show, and one I think you ought to listen to.  Let me know what you think.  Enjoy the show:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd87-09-19.sbd.mccarthy.396.sbeok.shnf

Proving once again that we do more than just show you the best deals in the Phoenix real estate market; we show you how to get the most out of living in Arizona, and try to help you get the most out of what you are listening to.

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Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett: Representatives of a Different Time

Posted on July 7, 2009 by azpremiere

I’ll go ahead and file this one in the category of “things I wish I had said but didn’t”…  I recently read a great John Derbyshire observation (most of them ARE great) the other day where he succinctly and accurately made the following comments about the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett: 

“Jackson, like Fawcett, was a relic of the time when we were a single nation, listening to the same pop songs, going to the same movies, sticking the same babe posters on our bedroom walls, laughing at the same jokes, even giving our kids names from a common stock. Whether Jackson should be extravagantly mourned or not, I leave to you to decide; but that era of national-cultural unity surely should be. Requiescat in pace.”  Read the entire entry here.

He’s right.  We’ve become so specialized in the music we listen to, in the sports we play, in the television shows we watch, etc.  When I was younger, there was pop, rock, rap, and oldies on the radio; We played baseball in the summer, football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and so on; There were a handful of things to watch on network television, and on cable, we had ESPN when it seemed that they were showing 24 hour coverage of Australian Rules Football, plus we had MTV which actually used to play videos.  I know my parents would laugh at the number of choices that I’ve laid out already, but compared to what is available now, that was IT.

These people didn’t have to pitch reality shows to Lifetime Networks and have some dopy crew follow them around with cameras and microphones so that we could sit around saying, “why are we watching these no-talent ass-clowns”?  No, these people were stars because, in a pool of entertainment so limited, not in terms of ability or creativity, but in terms of sheer depth, these people naturally stood out, and had somewhat of a captive audience.

Whatever you think about someone like Michael Jackson, what with all of his eccentricities and his bizzare and downright disgusting behavior, he along with Farah Fawcett represented a time that, for better or worse, we’ve pushed beyond.  My old poet friend and mentor, Jared Carter, argued a decade ago that we’ve turned into a society of producers of art with fewer and fewer consumers of it, and the net result is that those consumers have more crap than art to consume.  I tend to agree with him as well.

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Father’s Day Special – Songs/Bands about Dad

Posted on June 21, 2009 by jmurph16

Pic of Homer

Man, the pickings were slim for this one. Dad’s are just as good as mom’s. Why doesn’t anyone write songs about dad’s. And most of the song’s about dad don’t paint him in a very glowing light.

But we, being dads, here at Arizona Premiere Music, like dads. So we did our best to scratch together a list of songs or groups that have some relativity to dads/fathers/papas.

Here you go Padres: (click on the hyperlinked song titles to hear the songs).

1. “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” by the Temptations. I for one have never called my dad “papa”. And my dad was not a rolling stone. Although he really likes the Rolling Stones. And he likes the Temptations. This being my favorite Temp song, when they were in their psychedelic phase. Anyway, maybe not the best representation of what a dad should be, but a cool song nonetheless.

2. “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. Again, not the best endorsement of dear old dad.  The song is basically about an absentee dad who raises a son who becomes an absentee dad.  Like father, like son.  Good song though.  I better get home to the kids.

3. “Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna.  Not one of my favorite people on the face of this earth. But I do like some of her music.  Especially when she gets preachy. Or, in this case, telling her dad not to get preachy.  A very endearing song about a conflicted girl who is having a baby out of wedlock, or is waying other options.  Good luck with that. I’m sure Mr. Madonna (Danny Aielo?) was right proud of his little girl when she presented this song to him.

4. “Surrender” by Cheap Trick.  I told you last time we met (have we met?) that I was going to repeat this song on my Father’s Day post.  I never had any Kiss records for mom and dad to roll numbers (?) too, but my mom and dad were alright.  And not really that weird.  So…ya know.

5. “California Dreamin‘” by The Mamas and the Papas.  I told you the pickings were slim for songs about dear old dad.  So I had to stretch and include bands with “Papa” in the title.  Since my dad was born and raised in California, and grew up in the 60’s when this song was at the height of it’s popularity, I included in the list.

6. “Mama Don’t Dance” by Loggins and Messina. Yes, I know, the TITLE of the song doesn’t even include the word “Dad”, “Father”, or “Papa”.  But the chorus does, so that made it work.  Before Kenny Loggins was riding the highway to the danger zone he was part of a duo with Jim Messina (co-founder of Poco) True, my mama didn’t dance, but she and my dad did rock ‘n roll. A lot. Check out the Muppet-like appearance of Mr. Loggins in the linked up video.  Very goofy.

7. “Last Resort” by Papa Roach. I don’t even like this song or the band.  But “Papa” is in the band title.  Come on people write more dad oriented songs!

Well, happy Father’s Day dads.  Rock on!

Proving once again that we do more than just show you the best deals in the Phoenix real estate market; we show you how to get the most out of living in Arizona, and try to help you get the most out of what you are listening to.

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Mother’s Day Special – Top 10 Songs about Mom

Posted on May 9, 2009 by jmurph16

Marge Simpson

Moms.  None of us would be here without ‘em. I know, my brilliance knows no end.

Their influence, wisdom, and love are with us throughout our lives.  So to honor moms all over the world on their special day I assembled a list of songs that either include the word Mom, Mother, Mama, etc., are about moms, or include some special advice only a mother could dispense.

Maybe your mama don’t dance, but she can still rock ‘n roll.

1. “Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This” by the Shirelle’s – Mom’s have always been good about warning kids about the ways of the world.  This is an old school tune from back in the day for those moms who may be celebrating their…well we won’t say how many mother’s days they’ve celebrated. Just know that they get better with time. Like fine wine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBBy04_fUdY

2. “Days Like This” by Van Morrison – Since I was on the “days like this” train of thought I thought I would include this one by Van the Man.  It still packs as much wisdom as the Shirelle’s song, just at much more leisurely, Sunday brunch type tempo. This clip was the only one I could find on YouTube for this song but I found it profoundly fitting for most moms:

3. “Mama Said Knock You Out” by L.L. Cool J – Mama’s say a lot of things don’t they?  Although I can’t ever remember my mom telling me to knock you, or anyone for that matter, out.  Even still, it’s a classic hip hop song from one of my favorite hip hop artists.  I’m sure Mamma Cool J was right proud of her son, Lil’ L.L., when he wrote this:

4. “Shop Around” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – I CAN remember my mom dispensing this advice.  But I think it was when I was looking for a new car, not a girl.  Either way, whether it’s a girl, car, or shoes, it’s sound advice. One of my favorite Motown classics, smooth as silk. I’m doing the “Mashed Potato” as I write and listen to this song, so excse me for anyyy typos:

5. “That’s Allright Mama” by Elvis – Can’t ever go wrong with The King in any list.  One of Elvis’s original Sun Records songs. Recorded in 1954 it still sounds great today.  No wonder our Mamma’s (and possibly Grandmammas) were so hot for the dude:

6. “Mother and Child Reunion” by Paul Simon -The story goes that Paul Simon wrote this song after ordering a Chicken and egg dish at a Chinese restaurant.  My memories of this song harken back to helping mom clean the house on Saturday mornings with “Rhymin’ Simon” spinning on the Murphy family turntable.  Sorry, no video for this one.  But I found an audio link. Enjoy. Just click on the song title to hear.

7. “Mama Told Me Not To Come” by Three Dog Night – That aint’ the way to have fun son.  No truer lyrics have been sung on the behalf of moms the world over.  Nancy Reagan should have just used this song in her “Just Say No” campaign.   By the looks of the  Three Dog boys in this clip, it looked like they may not have heeded mama’s advice. By the way, what is that funny cigarette you’re smoking?:

8. “Surrender” by Cheap Trick – This song could be included on my Father’s day list too (and probably will, so look out for it).  Again, mom dispensing some helpful advice, “…she also told me stay away, you’ll never know what you’ll catch.”  Always an awkward moment when mom is lecturing you on V.D.  But just know that she loves you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD8ymBR2Ufo

9. “Mother’s Little Helper” by The Rolling Stones – Every mom can relate to the sentiment in the song at one time or another.  Just a little something in the cupboard to take the edge off a day with the kids.  Just make sure the childproof cap is secure.  Again, just click on the song title to hear.

10. “Motherless Children” by Eric Clapton – Maybe not technically a song about moms, but it’s one of my favorite Clapton songs. So I’m sticking with it.  Hey, it has “Mother” in the title:

Rock on Moms. Happy Mother’s Day.Proving once again that we do more than just show you the best deals in the Phoenix real estate market; we show you how to get the most out of living in Arizona, and try to help you get the most out of what you are listening to.

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Cinco De Mayo Special – My Top 5 Mexican American Rock Stars

Posted on May 3, 2009 by jmurph16

mexican-sunset

They’ve been a part of the American Rock n’ Roll heritage for almost the entire history of Rock’n Roll.  They’ve added a bit of spice to our heritage and a bit of salsa to our music.  So in honor of the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday I thought would list my Top 5 Mexican American Rock Stars.  Why only 5, because it’s CINCO de Mayo stupido!

Numero Uno – Carlos Santana. You were expecting maybe someone else?  carlos-santanaCarlos has graced our stages and airwaves for over 40 years now.  Starting out as a teenage kid playing guitar in the Mission District of San Francisco, Carlos was influenced by a menagerie of musical tastes ranging from Salsa, Jazz and Rock.  Over the past 40 years his music has evolved with the times and he has remained as relevant as ever.  In my opinion though his signature moment was at Woodstock, where he was still a bit of an unknown on the national stage.  Woodstock would change all that.  I’ve added a link to a clip from Woodstock where Santana really rips it up :

Numero Dos – Ritchie Valens.  He of “La Bamba” fame.  Unfortunately Ritchies career was cut drastically short in a plane crash in 1959 en route to another gig with fellow rockers Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.  But Ritchie left a lasting legacy with the aforementioned “La Bamba” and his influence on other hispanic recording artists.  I’ve included a link to his other big hit “Donna” for your listening pleasure:

Numerolinda-ronstadt Tres – Linda Ronstadt.  Yes, Linda Ronstadt.  Although througout most of her career she was a rocker Ronstadt expressed her hispanic background later in life with her album “Canciones de mi Padre”.  She was a double threat in that she was a pioneer for female rockers and Mexican American pop artists as well

I chose one of her more rocking tunes to exemplify her career:

Numero Quatro – Los Lobos.  They had their biggest hit with a cover of Ritchie Valens “La Bamba” but Los Lobos are much, much, more than that.  Over their thirty plus year careers they’ve done an excellent job of blending Tejano music with pure rock and blues.  One of my favorite tunes by Los Lobos is “Will the Wolf Survive”

cypress-hillNumero Cinco – Cypress Hill.  You probably think I’m Insane in the Membrane for putting this group on the list.  But if you’ve been following this blog for very long you know we have a sense of humor here at Arizona Premiere Music.  I mean, come on Esse, don’t you know I’m loco? Plus, Cypress Hill is the premiere hispanic hip hop group selling 18 million records worldwide.  Here’s an example, just a little sample of the Hill’s lyrical prowesss:

Now go out and celebrate the Mexicans victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla. (Cinco de Mayo IS NOT Mexican Independence Day.)  And swallow the worm in our honor.

Proving once again that we do more than just show you the best deals in the Phoenix real estate market; we show you how to get the most out of living in Arizona, and try to help you get the most out of what you are listening to.

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St. Patrick’s Day Special – Top 10 Irish Rock Bands/Artists

Posted on March 17, 2009 by jmurph16

leprachaun

You would think a country with so much political strife and centuries of suppression would have more angry artists wanting to express their displeasure with the life they were handed.  But much to my chagrin this was a somewhat difficult list to compile.  I really had to stretch the definition of “Irish Rock” here.  Not all of the artists on the list are from Ireland.  As far as I know though, all of them are of Irish heritage.  As is the author of this post (Murphy, whooda thunk it eh?)

Anyway, let’s begin the countdown:

1. U2 – Come on. If you didn’t see this one coming from a mile away well, either you were hit over the head with a shillelagh or you’ve been in a salmonella induced haze from a bad batch of haggis.  Who else was going to top the list?

2. Van Morrison – Van the Man.  Although his best work is decades behind him Van has left an indelible impression upon the rock/pop scene.  From his days with Them (yes, that’s right Van was in a band at one time) to present day, the reclusive Morrison has stretched the boundaries of pop sensibilities.  Click here for a sampling of Van’s days with Them.

3. Thin Lizzy – One of the top American rockin’ bands of the 70’s.  Only thing is, they was Irish!  Fancy that Mr. Leprachaun. Phil Lynott fronted the boys from Dublin on bass and lead vocals.  Which was somewhat unusual for the time. Lynott being black AND Irish.  Nonetheless, their music can still be heard all over AOR radio stations and movie scores to this day. “Jailbreak” is my favorite.  Don’t be sittin’ ah too close to the speakers tho ah fer snakes becomin’ outchyer ears.

4. Boomtown Rats – Most famous for their lead singer, Bob Geldof, and his work with Band Aid/Live Aid and starring role in Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”.  However, in their short lived career the Rats put out some terrific music, most famously “I don’t like Mondays”.  Shave your eyebrows, feed the world and give a listen to one my favorite Boomtown Rats songs, “Up all night”.

5. Sinead O’Connor – Gained infamy on Saturday Night Live by tearing up a photo of the Pope.  But Sinead had some talent to go along with all of that pent up feminine rage.  Even before she recorded Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2U” Sinead wrote and performed some pretty rocking tunes, namely “Mandinka“.  Shave your head and give a listen.  (We Irish like to shave things.  Maybe it’s from all the sheep shearing we’ve done in our past lives.)

6. The Pogues – A true Irish band in every sense of the word.  Right down to the drunken lead singer.  The Pogues enjoyed some moderate success in the 90’s but alas their careers were cut short by the aforementioned love of the spirits by their lead singer, Shane McGowan.  Good times, good times.

7.  The Waterboys – A little known act from the 80’s.   Maybe more famous for the late 80’s spinoff band World Party.  One of my favorite songs from the 80’s was “Church not made with hands” by the Waterboys.  Give a listen and let me know if it boils your potatos too.

8. The Undertones – Again, another Irish band that had a more famous offshoot band (or two), Feargul Sharkey and That Petrol Motion.  Okay, maybe these two acts weren’t that famous to you, but I remember them both well.  And I’m the one writing the damn post, so go chop some cabbage.

9. The Dropkick Murphys – On the list mainly due to their name (notice the similarity to the author’s?).  Not truly an Irish band the Dropkicks are a bunch of guys from Boston who got together to meld their love of rock, punk, and Irish folk music into one heaping, steaming, corned beef laden musical kaleidescope.  You’ll probably recognize this song, “I’m Shipping up to Boston” from the movie “The Departed”.

10. House of Pain – I told you I had to stretttttcccccchhhhhh the definition of “Irish Rock Band” to compile the list.  The three leaf clover of talent know as House of Pain is most famous for their classic hip hop tune “Jump Around“.  Lead singer Everlast went on to have a quite a successful solo career as well after suffering a major heart attack at the ripe old age of 26.  Probably caused by too much Irish stew (mmmm, bacon and cabbage, who says we Irish can’t cook.)

So that’s it. Go pound a few pitchers of green beer, watch the Celts, and get in a barroom brawl with your best friend.  An authentic Irish St. Patty’s Day if I ever knew one.

Proving once again that we do more than just show you the best deals in the Phoenix real estate market; we show you how to get the most out of living in Arizona, and try to help you get the most out of what you are listening to.

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