Hi everyone, here are our recommended non-fiction DVDs for this week!
(Click on the photos to request the DVDs)
Carl Perkins & Friends Blue Suede Shoes A Rockabilly Session:
Description: The appearances of two ex-Beatles, including the late George Harrison, are among the principal attractions in this hour-long 1985 TV show, which spotlights one of the prime movers behind the rock-and-country blend known as rockabilly. Carl Perkins, who died in 1998, was the composer of “Blue Suede Shoes” and other classics, as well as a highly influential guitar player. Here he’s joined by a host of luminaries, including Eric Clapton, musical director Dave Edmunds, Rosanne Cash, and members of the Stray Cats, in addition to Harrison and Ringo Starr, who perform the Perkins tunes (“Matchbox” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”) that the Beatles recorded lo, these many decades ago. But star power notwithstanding, it’s Perkins’s show all the way. Not only can the man still play, but he’s clearly basking in all the attention–as is Harrison, whose rare live performances should be treasured all the more now that he’s gone. –Sam Graham, Amazon Review.
Dewey Number: DVD 781.64 CAR
Trailer:
Following Sean:
Description: In 1969, young San Francisco filmmaker Ralph Arlyck won awards and sparked controversy when he interviewed his 4 year old upstairs neighbor, a boy named Sean, who–among other things–discussed smoking pot. Many years later, Arlyck returned to California to find Sean again, and over the following decade crafted Following Sean. This rich, complex documentary delves into Sean’s life, his family, and Arlyck’s own family to create a meditation on work, parents and children, and personal freedom.
Dewey Number:DVD 155.7 FOL
Trailer:
Helvetica:
Description: Changing the world, one letter at a time…Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.
Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day.
Dewey Number:DVD 741.6 HEL
Trailer:
Have a great weekend!
Linda, SSCL
Don’t forget you can visit the library on Saturday and check out DVDs, books, CDs and other materials! We’re open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays!
Hi everyone, here are our six musical recommendations for the week; five streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.
(Click on the photo to stream or request the album)
Freegal Streaming Suggestions*
Deuces, T’s, Roadsters and Drums by And The Young Cougars by Hal Blaine (Genre: Classic Rock, Hot Rod Rock, Surf Music):
Drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Hal Blaine is best known as a member of the influential group of studio musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. Blaine played on thousands of recording sessions in California in the 1960s and 1970s. This 1963 album is one of his few solo albums. The records contains 22 surf instrumentals with the sounds of hot rods interspersed throughout. It is a fun album and includes the songs: Challenger II, Nashville Coupe, Mr. Eliminator, Deuces, TS, Roadsters and Drums, Gear Stripper and Hawaii 1963.
Now Hear Our Meanin’ by The Kenny Clarke Band (Genre: Jazz, 60’s Jazz):
The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Band features a combination of great Jazz musicians that played in Europe during the sixties. The group, which produced great swinging jazz, usually recorded in Cologne, Germany. This is their third album from 1965 and it features Kenny Clarke on drums, Francy Boland on piano, Sahib Shihab on flute and baritone sax and Ake Persson on trombone.
Songs on the LP include: Johnny One Note, Night Lady, I’m Scared of Girls When They’re Good Looking, A Ball for Othello, Sabbath Message and Now Hear My Meanin’
Harlem Street Singer by Reverend Gary Davis (Genre: Blues):
The Reverend Gary Davis’s finger style guitar playing has had a great impact on the evolution of folk and rock finger style guitar playing since his the blues revival of the 1960s. This is his third album, originally released in 1960, is considered one of his best and was recorded in only three hours! This version of the LP is the bonus edition which features 8 extra songs.
Songs on the album include: Samson and Delilah, Let Us Get Together, I Belong to the Band, Pure Religion, Lo, I Be With You Always and Motherless Children.
King’s Record Shop by Rosanne Cash (Genre: Country/Rock/Pop/Folk etc.):
This now classic album by Rosanne Cash was originally released in 1987. The album features her usual excellent work, songwriting wise and playing wise, with great musicians providing backup, Rosanne singing in top form and some excellent back up from other well-known musicians including Patty Smith and Steve Winwood.
Songs include: the empowering tune Rosie Strikes Back, The Way We Make a Broken Heart,If You Change Your Mind, The Real Me and Somewhere Sometime.
And just a note on Rosanne’s music, if you’re not familiar with it – it is generally categorized as country but she is one of those artists who rises above genre categories – she mixes country, folk, pop and rock with a bit of blues thrown in for good measure so easily, that if country isn’t usually your favorite type of music and you instead prefer pop, rock or folk music and you haven’t previously listened to Rosanne Cash’s music before – you really should check it out as it is top notch!
Brahms: The Piano Trios by Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos & Johannes Brahms (Genre: Classical):
This is the brand new albumby the renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax. Ma and Ax are joined by violist Leonidas Kavakos for this album of Brahms Piano Trios.
Here’s the composition list for this album:
Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Opus 87 1 Allegro 2 Andante con moto 3 Scherzo: Presto 4 Finale: Allegro giocoso
Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Opus 101 1 Allegro energico 2 Presto non assai 3 Andante grazioso 4 Allegro molto
Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Opus 8 5 Allegro con brio 6 Scherzo: Allegro molto 7 Adagio 8 Finale: Allegro
Compact Disc Recommendation of the Week:
Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Thompson (Genre: Folk, Blues & Country):
The Carolina Chocolate Drops were a string band consisting of Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and fiddle, Don Glemons on guitar, jug and harmonica and Justin Robinson on banjo and fiddle. Giddens has since gone solo to great acclaim. This album was recorded at the 2008’s MerleFest held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina and features the then 90 year old fiddler Joe Thompson.
Songs on this album include: Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind, Corn Bread & Butter Beans, John Henry and Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad.
Music Videos of the Week:
Have Fun!!! Play Drums!!! By Hal Blaine
Manteca by The Kenny Clarke Band
Bebop by Kenny Clarke
Runaway Train by Rosanne Cash
Glory Halleloo by the Rev. Gary Davis
Brahms Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor – Movement I (excerpt)
Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major – Movement I (excerpt)
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Have a great weekend!
Linda, SSCL
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713.
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and including our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York. Library cards are free and at our library you can obtain one by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features both your name and your current address.
Hi everyone, here are our six musical recommendations for the week; five streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.
(Click on the photo to stream or request the album)
Freegal Streaming Suggestions*
1. Grant Hart & Husker Du:
Last week that Grant Hart, best known as the lead singer, songwriter and drummer for the 1980s punk group Husker Du died after a battle with cancer.
If you’re not familiar with his work it sounds like the epitome of 1980s punk rock – glossy and fresh and similar in scope to the work of R.E.M. and it is definitely worth checking out.
The Freegal Music Catalog features several albums by Husker Du and Grant Hart’s solo album debut too.
So I’m going to recommend three albums that feature Grant Hart’s music and if you like the first one, Husker Du’s 1984 release Flip Your Wig, then you’ll the other two as well – Husker Du’s 1985 album Zen Arcade and Hart’s first solo album, 1989’s Intolerance.
Flip Your Wig by Husker Du:
Songs include: Flip Your Wig, Every Everything, Makes No Sense At All & The Wit & The Wisdom.
Zen Arcade by Husker Du:
Songs include: Something I Learned Today, Never Talking To You Again, Dreams Reoccurring & What’s Going On.
Intolerance by Grant Hart:
Songs include: All of My Senses, Now That You Know Me, Fanfare in D Major and Roller-Rink.
2. Ain’t Goin’ That Way by Hokum Boys and “Banjo Joe” Gus Cannon (Genre: Blues):
The Hokum Boys were a group that played in the twenties and early thirties. The core members of the band were of pianist Alex Hill and guitarists Dan Roberts and Alex Robinson.
And a note on the word “Hokum, “Hokum” was a term from the ’20s used to describe music full of double entendres dealing with sex, drinking and drugs, and thus no respectable person from the period would be caught dead listening to it! This compilation includes 20 tracks from the Hokum Boys, Banjo Joe and Blind Blake, featuring Hokum Blues; Gambler’s Blues; Selling That Stuff; Jonestown Blues; He’s in the Jailhouse Now, and more.
3. Little Girl by Syndicate Of Sound (Genre: Classic Rock/Sixties Pop):
Syndicate of Sound was a mid-sixties band from San Jose, California and consisted of Don Basking on guitar and vocals, Bob Gonzalez on guitar, Larry Ray on lead guitar, John Sharkey on keyboards and John Ducksworth on drums.
Their music is great traditional rock that sounds like it was made in the mid-sixties; and as the LP was released in 1966 that is right on the proverbial money!
Songs in include: Big Boss Man, Almost Grown, Little Girl, Lookin’ for the Good Times and Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby.
4. You Ain’t Talkin’ To Me: Charlie Poole And The Roots Of Country Music by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers (Genre: Country/Folk):
This set includes 45 songs recorded by Poole between 1925 and 1931. Today we’d call this music old time country or perhaps Americana – but whatever designation we use – it is great early country music with banjos and fiddles front and center.
Songs include: Shootin’ Creek, There’ll Come a Time, White House Blues, Hungry Hash House, & Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down Blues.
5. Open Book by Fred Hersch:
This album is a brand new release by jazz pianist, composer, educator and activist Fred Hersh and includes the songs: The Orb, Whisper Not, Zingaro, Plainsong, Eronel and more.
CD Recommendation of the Week:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron:
This collection features some of poet, activist and rap progenitor Gil Scott-Heron’s best music from the early seventies.
Songs include: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues, Lady Day and John Coltrane and Whitey on the Moon.
Videos of the Week:
Makes No Sense At All by Husker Du:
The Hokum Blues by The Hokum Boys:
Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers:
Little Girl by the Syndicate of Sound:
Open Book by Fred Hersch:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron:
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Have a great day!
Linda, SSCL
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!
Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.
Hi everyone, here are our six musical recommendations for the week; five streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.
(Click on the photo to stream or request the album)
Freegal Streaming Suggestions*
1. Between The Lines: Sara Bareilles Live At The Fillmore by Sara Bareilles (Genre: Pop):
This concert performance by singer-songwriter and pianist Sara Barilles is full of energy and includes the songs Bottle It Up, Fairytale, August Moon, Love Song and more. Twenty eight songs in all.
2. Grateful by DJ Khaled (Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap):
D J Khaled worked for years as a radio DJ before breaking out as a performer himself. Songs on his new album include To the Max,Wild Thoughts, I’m The One, On Everything & I Love You soMuch.
3. Imaginary Appalachia by Colter Wall (Genre: Folk/Country):
Singer-songwriter Colter Wall hails from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada and has been playing great music for several decades. Imaginary Appalachia, released in 2017, is his first U.S. album. Songs on the LP include: Sleeping on the Blacktop, Johnny Boy’s Bones, Caroline, Living on the Sand and Ballad of a Law Abiding Sophisticate.
4. Let’s Get Together/The Collectors #1 by Dickey Betts and Great Southern (Genre: Country/Southern Rock):
Singer-songwriter & guitarist Dickey Betts was a member of the seminal rock group The Allman Brothers Band. And he even wrote two of their most famous songs Ramblin’ Man and Jessica. After the band broke up in 1976 Betts formed the group Southern Comfort. And if you like classic rock or want to hear more of southern rock than this is a great double album set to check out.
Songs in this collection include: Rave On, Here Come the Blues Again, Donna Maria, George on a Fast Train & Steady Rolling Man.
5. Live At Carnegie Hall-1938 Complete by Benny Goodman & his Orchestra (Genre: Jazz/Swing):
AllMusic’s Bruce Eder offers an excellent explanation as to why you should listen to this album if you’ve never heard it!
Eder notes of the album “Benny Goodman’s January 16, 1938, Carnegie Hall concert is considered the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz’s “coming out” party to the world of “respectable” music, held right in that throne room of musical respectability, Carnegie Hall.” And Eder is right this is a great album of swinging music!
And just a note about the sound quality of the set; it was recorded in 1938 via 78 RPM transmission discs intended for radio broadcast — a common way of recording at the time. So the songs are great, and you can clearly hear the music, just be aware you will also hear some light crackling in the background something that is uncommon with music recorded today.
Songs include: Don’t Be That Way, Sometimes I’m Happy, One O’Clock Jump, Shine, Life Goes to a Party and Honeysuckle Rose.
CD Recommendation of the Week:
The Big Chill Soundtrack (Genre: Soundtracks/Sixties Music):
The Big Chill Soundtrack was very popular when it was released, and has continued to be in the years since. In fact the album was so popular that they released a second soundtrack titled The Big Chill: More Songs From The Original Soundtrack, a deluxe double album edition of the original soundtrack that features 38 songs and later still they released a 15th Anniversary Edition of the original soundtrack.
This LP on CD is the original soundtrack that has been so popular over the last 30 years!
Songs include: I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, My Girl by The Temptations, Good Lovin’ by Rascals, The Tracks of My Tears by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Joy To The World by Three Dog Night.
And as a related bonus suggestion check out–
The Big Chill 15th Anniversary Edition on DVD:
The Big Chill Trailer:
Music Videos of the Week:
Bottle It Up by Sara Bareilles from the David Letterman Show:
Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller:
Sleeping On Blacktop by Colter Wall:
Good Time Feeling by Dickey Betts and Great Southern:
(from the album Atlanta’s Burning Down — also available through Freegal: https://goo.gl/Ynd6y1)
Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra from the film Hollywood Hotel:
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Have a great day
Linda, SSCL
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!
Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.
Hi everyone, here are our six musical recommendations for the week; five streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.
(Click on the photo to stream or request the album)
Freegal Streaming Suggestions*
1. Happy Endings by Old Dominion
This is the second album by the bright country pop group and should appeal to those that like modern pop and country. The album features fun pop culture references in their song No Such Thing as a Broken Heart to Jack & Diane (from John Mellencamp’s early eighties song of the same name) and thoroughly relateable topics as in the songs Shoe Shopping, Be With Me and New York at Night. The bright upbeat songs in this collection are perfect if you’re taking a long drive too.
2. The RCA Singles by Stained Glass
I’m a huge fan of classic rock and have listened to it since, well, since the songs of the seventies were new…
Having said that, I’d never heard of the band Stained Glass before. The band, which despite their name isn’t a religious or gospel group, formed in the mid-sixties and has that mid-sixties acoustic rock sound. To my ears, the group sounds a bit like the Searchers and they were certainly influenced by the Beatles even covering George Harrison’s If I Needed Someone.
The band was a trio that consisted of Songwriter and bassist Jim McPherson, Bob Riminger on guitar and Dennis Carrasco on drums.
Songs in this collection include: the previously mentioned If I Needed Someone, My Buddy Sin, Vanity Fair, We’ve Got a Long Way to Go and Bubble Machine.
So if you’re a classic rock fan – check it out!
3. In the Year 2525 (Exordium Terminus) by Zager & Evans
And yes, I’m on a classic rock kick this week! If you’ve ever heard the eerie song In the Year 2525 – this is the album it came from!
Zager and Evans were a short lived folk rock duo consisting of guitarists and vocalists Denny Zager and Richard Evans.
This album has folk, rock and psychedelic-rock elements and includes the title track, In the Year 2525, which hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart in 1969. Songs on the LP include the title track In the year 2525, the horn centric Taxi Man which has a nice driving beat throughout and several folk pop songs including Cary Lynn Javes & I Remember Heide.
4. Don Williams in Ireland: The Gentle Giant in Concert:
This is a mellow collection of the late great country artist’s best songs recorded live in concert.
Songs include: I Believe in You, Good Ole Boys Like Me, Back in My Younger Days, Elise, Till the Rivers All Run Dry and more.
5. The Essential Preservation Hall Jazz Band:
The band hails from New Orleans and have been playing great traditional Jazz since the sixties – and by “traditional” I mean their music prominently features horns, piano and even banjo but guitars, a staple of modern Jazz, are elusive!
Songs in this collection include: Tiger Rag, Mood Indigo, The Buckets Got a Hole in It,St. Louis Blues, Georgia on my Mind and more.
CD Suggestion of the Week:
Crossroad by Tracy Chapman:
Chapman’s 1988 self titled debut album brought singer songwriters back into the collective public consciousness. This is her second album from 1989 and it is a great collection of thoughtful, introspective songs that both relate to how life is lived today (Okay, in 1989 and now) and that pack a “Hey, pay attention to this topic!” punch.
Songs include: Crossroads,Freedom Now,Material World, A Hundred Years,This Time & All That You Have Is Your Soul.
Music Videos of the Week:
No Such Thing as a Broken Heart by Old Dominion
My Buddy Sin by Stained Glass
In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
You’re My Best Friend by Don Williams
Tailgate Ramble by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
Sweet Home Chicago by Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Jeff Beck & company from the 35 annual Kennedy Center Honors Show in 2012
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Have a great weekend!
Linda, SSCL
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713.
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and including our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York. Library cards are free and at our library you can obtain one by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features both your name and your current address.
This just released album features a selection of Steve Winwood’s Greatest Hits including: I’m a Man, Glad, Can’t Find My Wan Home, Had to Cry Today, 40,000 Headmen & The Low Sparks of High Heeled Boys.
Here’s a link to stream the new Steve Winwood album:
This various artist’s collection features some great mid-twentieth century folk and blues artists including: Big Mama Thornton, Bill Monroe, Muddy waters, David Grisman, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie & The Staple Singers.
Songs include: Bumble Bee (Big Mama Thornton), Cheyenne (David Grisman), Nobody Knows by Mahalia Jackson, Willing Conscript by Pete Seeger and New Born Soul by The Staple Singers.
Here’s a link to stream the American Roots collection:
Import-only four CD set containing eight albums from the vocalist and activist: Mark Twain, Belafonte Sings the Blues, Calypso, to Wish You a Merry Christmas, Belafonte Sings the Caribbean, Belafonte, An Evening with Belafonte and Love Is a Gentle Thing.
Songs in the collection number 89 and include: God Bless The Child, The Fox, Delia, Day O(Banana Boat Song), Jamaica, Farewell & In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’
Here’s a link to request the Eight Album Harry Belafonte set:
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Have a holiday weekend!
Linda, SSCL
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713.
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and including our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York. Library cards are free and at our library you can obtain one by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features both your name and your current address.
Hi everyone, here are our six musical recommendations for the week; five streaming suggestions and one recommended album on CD.
Freegal Streaming Suggestions*
The Genius Of The Electric Guitar by Charlie Christian:
This collection features the seminal work of early electric guitarist Charlie Christian. Christian died tragically young of tuberculous in 1942 at age 25; but not before recording some great music with Benny Goodman’s band. In an age when popular music was dominated by horns, Christian was one of the first guitarists to bring the new electrified guitar to the front and center of the stage and recording studio.
This is an outstanding collection featuring all of Christian’s best recordings including Flying Home, Rose Room, Memories of You,AC-DC Current, Gone with the Wind, Lester’s Dream & Wholly Cats. Guest musicians that appear on this collection are a variable who’s who of Jazz/Swing greats of the time including Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Jack Teagarden, Fletcher Henderson and Benny Carter. Check it out!
Here’s a link to stream the Charlie Christian collection:
This Columbia Records collection features songs recorded by the yodeling country music pioneer from 1927 to 1933. Rodgers was an extremely talented individual who was one of the first country singers to sing of the hard working life laborers experienced in the early twentieth century. Rodgers was a hard working laborer himself. He spent a number of years working as a break man on the railroads; so when he sang about gamblers, ramblers, bounders and rounders, as his AllMusic biography states – he knew of what he sang! And I had to look up definitions for the early twentieth century words “bounders” and “rounders;” as I had never heard them before! The former term describes a dishonorable man and the later a drunken man. Rodgers, like Charlie Christian, died young of tuberculosis; but he left behind wonderful recordings that not only influenced country musicians for decades after his passing, but that also, like Woody Guthrie’s music, captured what life was like for poor working class Americans in the early twentieth century.
This collection includes the following songs Blue Yodel (T for Texas), Train Whistle Blues, In The Jailhouse Now, My Carolina Sunshine Girl, Frankie and Johnny & Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia.
Here’s a link to stream the Jimmie Rodgers collection:
This 1971 release shows the gritty classic rock singer Joplin at her finest. It is regarded by many critics as her second masterpiece, after her 1968 debut Cheap Thrills. Songs include: Move Over, Cry Baby,A Woman Left Lonely, Half Moon, Buried Alive in the Blues, Me and Bobby McGee & Mercedes Benz.
Popular singer-songwriter & excellent guitarist John Mayer released his first album Room for Squares in 2001. On that first album, Mayer concentrated on producing thoughtful acoustic folk-rock music. Since then, he has emerged as a talented guitarist and branched out to record music that includes blues and jazz elements. The Search for Everything is his new album and features the songs: Still Feel Like Your Man, Emoji of a Wave, Love on the Weekend, In the Blood, Changing, Moving On and Getting Over and Rosie.
Here’s a link to stream The Search for Everything:
Talnted singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan released her first album, Touch, in 1989. 1993’s critically acclaimed Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was her third album and is considered a classic. Songs include: Possession, Good Enough, Elsewhere, Hold On, Fear and the title track – Fumbling with Ecstasy.
Here’s a link to stream the LP Fumbling Towards Ecstasy:
This set contains eight albums from the wonderful singer including: Dinah Jams, For Those in Love, In the Land of Hi-Fi, The Swinging Miss D, What a Difference a Day Makes, The Two of Us (With Brook Benton), I Concentrate on You,September in the Rain,Summertime, Come Rain or Come Shine, There’ll Be A Jubilee, On The Sunny Side of the Street and many more.
Here’s a link to request the Dinah Washington collection on CD:
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Have a great day!
Linda, SSCL
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and including our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York. Library cards are free and at our library you can obtain one by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features both your name and your current address.
Hi everyone, here are three new Non-Fiction DVD recommendations with related Dewey Decimal System information — in case you want to browse through category specific Dewey Decimal System sections in the print or DVD sections – and just for fun!
Behind The Wall – Dewey Decimal Number: DVD 943.1 BEH
Description: Inspired by the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, 2009, “”Behind the Wall”” tells the stories of ordinary people living on both sides of the Wall and what life was like for them before, during and after the Wall fell. All politics being local, who else but the people who experienced it could tell us what it was really like living there? Behind the Wall will explode some myths and give a special, intimate, personal view of life in Berlin during those crucial historic years.
Nova: Arctic Ghost Ship – Dewey Number: DVD 918.8 ARC
Description: 160 years ago, the Franklin Expedition to chart the Northwest Passage vanished. NOVA is on board as a Canadian team makes a breakthrough discovery of one of Franklins lost shipsa vital new clue to the fate of the ill-starred expedition.
Divided States of America – Dewey Number: DVD 973.932 DIV
Description: The film examines how President Obama’s promise of change and unity collided with racial and political realities. Part Two examines racial tensions in America, the war for control of the GOP, and the growing dysfunction in Washington.
Hi everyone, this week we’re kicking off a month long look, at the American music that was influenced by, and came just after, the first British Invasion that began with The Beatles appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
As a reminder, our weekly music postings feature the following sections:
I. Links to AllMusic Biographies of the Artists/Groups of the Week
II. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music)
III. CD Music Recommendations Of The Week
IV. Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups
V. References (for those who’d like to know a bit more about the artists of the week).
And this week we’ll check out the music of three of the most popular American bands of the mid-sixties: The Beach Boys, The Monkees and The Grass Roots.
I. Links to AllMusic Biographies of the Artists/Groups of the Week:
II. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music)
The Beach Boys:
The Beach Boys originally hailed from Hawthorne, California and consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis & Mike Wilson their cousin Mike Love and mutual friend Al Jardine. Bruce Johnson joined the group in the mid-sixties after the band’s songwriter Brian Wilson retired from touring. The Beach Boys played Surf Music to begin with and then transitioned into playing great sixties era rock music until Brian Wilson, the creative genius behind the group, became ill and retired from the group for the remainder of the sixties. Brian eventually regained his health and later returned to playing music.
The early Beach Boys albums, and they released five albums in the U.S. before the arrival of The Beatles, are great Surf Rock albums. And by the time they released 1965’s Today! album they really had transformed into playing great sixties rock with Brian Wilson’s top notch songwriting as a base.
The Beach Boys by The Beach Boys
The Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t feature any original studio albums by The Beach Boys. However, they do have an interesting collection of their songs, some recorded live, on an album released by the Piros/Send label and titled simply The Beach Boys. I would describe their early music as having the combo theme of being Surf and “it’s cool to be young” style of music – and those are the types of songs that are dominant in this collection. This collection includes the songs: Surfin’ Safari, Surfer Girl, I Get Around, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, and Ride The Wild Surf.
The album also contains one song, Good Vibrations, in which you can hear the beginnings of the blossoming creativity the group found in the mid-sixties under the songwriting and musical production guidance of Brian Wilson. And as that lone song is from their more creativity period – I’ll save the suggestions for their later songs for the CD section of this posting – as we there are a variety of great Beach Boys albums available for request in StarCat.
The Monkees were a band put together directly in response to The Beatles! Specifically, they were put together in response to The Beatles success with their 1964 film A Hard Days Night. The band consisted of Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz. The group had their own zany TV show, which was certainly inspired by A Hard Days Night, and released some great pop-rock music. And they actually get something of a bum rap as being nothing more than a Beatles knock off band. However, if you listen to their music it does hold up as solid upbeat pop-rock music.
The Freegal Catalog doesn’t feature any of The Monkees studio albums; however, two of their best-known songs can be found in the catalog – the Neil Diamond classic I’m A Believer and the theme from their TV Show “Hey, hey, we’re the Monkeys and people say we monkey around, but where too busy singing to put anybody down” – very catchy!
And on to the streaming suggestions!
I’m A Believer from the various artists LP Sugar Sugar
This is the original song from a various artists album with a super long title: Sugar Sugar: The Very Best Pop Golden Oldies of the 1960s by the Ronettes, Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, And More
Just a pre-listening note: This album features a few original recordings, including I’m A Believer, some re-record version of popular songs and a few songs credited simply to “Various Artists.” Nevertheless, the album contains a solid collection of upbeat pop-rock and is perfect listening to whilst sitting around the pool!
The Grass Roots formed in Los Angeles in the mid-sixties and consisted of Rob Grill on vocals and bass, Wayne Entner & Creed Barrington on guitars and Rick Coonce on drums. The group was guided by the classic rock songwriting team of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri who wrote a number of their songs.
The Grass Roots recorded some great songs that complimented the mid-to late sixties era including: Where Were You When I Needed You, Let’s Live For Today, Things I Should Have Said, Temptation Eyes and Midnight Confessions.
And the Freegal Music Catalog features a number of greatest hits style collections by the band, however, they all feature re-recorded versions of their music – so I recommend you skip them, check out the YouTube videos by the band further along in this posting and request a CD by the group through StarCat!
III. CD Music Recommendations Of The Week
The Beach Boys:
Five Classic Albums:
This multi-disc set features five of the band’s early albums: Little Deuce Coupe, Surfin’ USA, All Summer Long, Summer Days (And Summer Nights) and Pet Sounds. This five album, five disc set, contains more than fifty songs. To my ears the first two albums Little Deuce Coupe and Surfin’ USA find the band playing solid Surf rock but still finding their musical footing while their songs/playing on the last three albums All Summer Long, Summer Days and Pet Sounds are really solid as if they did indeed find their footing and were beginning to creatively blossom as a band.
The songs on this set include: Surfin’ U.S.A., Shut Down, Little Deuce Coupe, I Get Around, Wendy, All Summer Long, Help me Rhonda, California Girls, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows and many more.
In 1966 The Beach Boys, under direction of their primary songwriter and musical director Brian Wilson began working on the album SMiLE which Wilson intended to be a seminal work of progressive pop rock with psychedelic roots. Many, many hours of studio recordings were made but the album, which the rest of the band and their record label – Capital didn’t think was a commercial enough project put pressure on Wilson to finished it or abandon the project – so abandon the project they did. And in the decades that follow this unreleased album took on an almost mythical reputation as the greatest rock album never released. The album was finally released on CD in 2011 and the music is very cool! This is no Surf or youth orientated album – and if you are already a Beach Boys fan you should enjoy this set – if however, you’re new to listening the band in an in-depth way – you might want to skip this album and check out Pet Sounds or the classic greatest hits collection Endless Summer.
This collection includes the songs: Our Prayer, Heroes And Villains, I’m in Great Shape, Child is Father Of The Man, The Elements: Fire (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow), Good Vibrations, You’re Welcome, Cool Cool Water and more – 40 songs in all.
This is a 1995 album released by the great Rhino Records and it includes The Monkees (TV Theme), Last Train To Clarksville, I’m A Believer, (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone, A Little Bit Me, A LIttle Bit You, Daydream Believer and Pleasant Valley Sunday.
Believe it or not, there isn’t a single album by The Grass Roots available through out the entire Southern Tier Library System – so we’re rectifying that musical travesty and have one on order! The LP is titled The Complete Original Dunhill/ABC Hit Singles and features all 24 of the hits they had in their mid-sixties heyday including: Mr. Jones (Ballad of a Thin Man), Where Were You When I Needed You, Let’s Live for Today (Both Censored & Uncensored Versions), Things I Should Have Said, Midnight Confessions, Temptation Eyes, Glory Bound and Anyway The Wind Blows.
The album should be available in StarCat soon!
IV. Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups:
The Beach Boys – three performances from the Ed Sullivan Show
Wendy
I Get Around
Good Vibrations
The Monkees
Last Train To Clarksville
Pleasant Valley Sunday
I’m A Believer
The first episode of Monkees TV series:
The Grass Roots:
Midnight Confessions
Temptation Eyes
Let’s Live For Today
VI. Print References:
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)
Sixties Rock: A Listener’s Guide by Robert Santelli (Contemporary Books. Chicago. 1985.)
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713.
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and including our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York. Library cards are free and at our library you can obtain one by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features both your name and your current address.
Hi everyone, this week we’re continuing our look at the sounds of the First British Invasion that roughly covered the time frame from February 1964 through May 1967.
And just as reminder, each weekly recommended music posting features the following sections:
I. Links To AllMusic Biographies Of The Weekly Artists/Groups
II. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music)
III. CD Music Recommendations Of The Week
IV. Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups
V. Wild Card Print Book Recommendations Of The Week
Our artists for this week are The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies & The Zombies.
I. Links To AllMusic Biographies Of The Groups of The Week:
The Freegal Music Catalog homepage will display — it looks like this:
The Freegal Music app can be found in your app store and it looks like this:
II. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week:
The Dave Clark Five: The Dave Clark Five hailed from the North London region of Tottenham and consisted of Dave Clark on drums, Mike Smith on vocals and keyboards, Denny Paxton on saxophone, Lenny Davidson on guitar and Rick Huxley on bass. The band came to the U.S. in early 1964, right on the heals of the Beatles, and had their first U.S. hit, Glad All Over in March. Subsequent hits included: Bits And Pieces, Do You Love Me, Can’t You See That She’s Mine, I Like It Like That, Catch Us If You Can and You Got What It Takes.
The Freegal Music catalog doesn’t feature any full-length album by The Dave Clark Five; however, I did find two songs by the group that you can stream through Freegal and they are:
From the various artist LP The Greatest Instrumentals 1934~1962: https://goo.gl/ttRSuh
To request a full length Dave Clark Five album — check out the CD Recommendations section.
The Hollies: The Hollies formed in Manchester, England in 1963. The band consisted of Allan Clarke on vocals, Graham Nash on vocals and guitar, Terry Hicks on guitar and vocals, Bobby Elliott on drums and Eric Haydock on bass. Haydock was replaced by Bernie Calvert in 1966.
The Hollies U.S. hits of the sixties included Look Through Any Window, Bus Stop, Stop Stop Stop, On A Carousel, Pay You Back With Interest, Carrie-Anne and Jennifer Eccles.
Late in 1968, Nash left the band to form the seminal trio, Crosby, Stills & Nash, with David Crosby and Steven Stills.
Clarke, Hicks and Elliott continued playing with the band into the seventies; and the group had three more top ten hits: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) and The Air That I Breath.
The Hollies Greatest Hits:
This album contains all the band’s U.S. hits of the sixties hits except Jennifer Eccles. And as a bonus it contains their three big seventies hits: https://goo.gl/3UtfvB
Evolution: Evolution was released in 1967 and features a cool blend of vocal harmonies, classic rock and psychedelic influences with some nice sounding acoustic guitar playing woven in for good measure. Songs on the album include Jennifer Eccles, Carrie-Anne, When Your Lights Turned On and the nostalgic Ye Olde Toffee Shop.
The Zombies: The Zombies were from Hertfordshire, England and consisted of Colin Blunstone on vocals, Rod Argent on keyboards, Paul Atkinson on guitar, Hugh Grundy on drums and Chris White on bass. The group produced excellent, smooth flowing pop music rich with harmonies and organ playing. The group put out four great albums in the sixties: The Zombies, Begin Here, I Love You and Odessey and Oracle, and had three top ten hits during that era: She’s Not There, Tell Her No and Time Of The Season.
As with The Dave Clark Five, The Freegal Music Catalog does not contain a full-length Zombies albums; however, you can stream several of their hits – found on various artists compilations.
As with music of the Dave Clark Five, for a link to StarCat to request a full-length Zombies album on CD, check out the CD Recommendations Section.
Freegal Wild Card Streaming Pick Of The Week:
The Essential Herbie Hancock by Herbie Hancock:
I have to say, and I’m showing my vintage, I didn’t realize Herbie Hancock had been recording music for as many years as he has been. His first album, Takin’ Off, was released in 1962! Not a surprise to Jazz fans but to those listeners of pop and rock who came of age in the mid-eighties as I did – that came as a surprise. I was a young teenager when MTV launched, and I can recall his song Rockit and the stylish/bizarre companion video of the song that was shown on MTV.
And the song Rockit itself doesn’t sound like jazz to me — it has a very modern sound to it, even all those years later. And, in doing research for this posting I learned that Hancock has been very prolific both in recording music and in playing in a great variety of styles over the years including jazz, hip-hop, fusion, modern and dance.
The Essential Herbie Hancock album offers a good introduction to Hancock’s work and includes the songs: Butterfly,‘Round Midnight, Hidden Shadows, Joanna’s Theme, People Music and of course, the MTV favorite Rockit.
And if you want to know more about Herbie Hancock, here’s a link to his AllMusic biography written by Richard S. Ginell: https://goo.gl/09HJPV
III. Compact Discs Recommendations:
Dave Clark Five:
The History of the Dave Clark Five:
This fifty song double CD features the band’s greatest songs icluding: Glad All Over, Bits And Pieces,Do You Love Me, Because, Having A Wild Weekend andCatch Us If You Can. https://goo.gl/8wO2Wk
The Hollies
The Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years: The Complete Hollies, April 1963-October 1968:
This six disc collection features all the songs The Hollies recorded between the spring of 1963 and the autumn of 1968. The music was recorded during the height of the band’s popularity and contains great songs written by Clarke, Hicks & Nash. In fact, all the singles released by the band from October of 1966 until Graham Nash left the group at the end of 1968 were co-written by Clarke, Hicks & Nash. The group produced great harmony-rich pop-rock and if you’re not familiar with their music you really should check it out.
The 158 songs on this collection include: Time For Love, Too Much Monkey Business, Honey And Wine, Look Through Any Window (both English and French versions), Hard, Hard Year, On A Carousel, Have You Ever Loved Somebody and much more. https://goo.gl/0MuAj4
The Zombies
The Singles Collection As & Bs 1964-1969
This 28 song collection features the A and B sides of all 14 Zombies singles including: She’s Not There, Tell Her No, Beechwood Park, I’ll Call You Mine and Time of the Season. https://goo.gl/a6Ib9h
IV: Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups:
The Dave Clark Five
Glad All Over:
Bits And Pieces:
Over And Over:
Catch Us If You Can:
The Hollies
Bus Stop:
Just One Look:
Stop Stop Stop:
The Zombies
Tell Her No:
She’s Not There:
Time Of The Season:
V. Wild Card Print Book Recommendation Of The Week:
Our suggested music read this week is the autobiography of Cream drummer Ginger Baker! And here’s the info on the book:
Ginger Baker: Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Drummer
by Ginger Baker
The music, the marriages, the polo, the drugs, the trans-Saharan trucking scheme—the drummer best-known for his work in Cream and his contributions to World Music tells his whole fascinating story.
Peter “Ginger” Baker is a legend. A pioneering drummer who has transcended genres, he did much to popularize world music with his fierce passion for the rhythms of Africa. He is that rare thing, a critically-acclaimed musician who has enjoyed global success with not one but several supergroups to his name, including Cream and Blind Faith. Here, Ginger tells his story for the first time and without any self-censorship. It’s an often harrowing, but honest journey from his humble beginnings in war-torn south London to his adopted home in South Africa’s beautiful Western Cape—complete with polo club. He tells of his life-long love of jazz, how he discovered the drums and African music, and life on the road. He also confesses to the heroin use that should have killed him in his colorful 1960s prime, working and playing with the biggest names of the time. In the 1970s, he came up with a trans-Saharan trucking scheme, was a successful rally driver, built an ill-fated recording studio, and discovered a consuming passion for playing polo. He talks candidly of the loss and recovery of his fortune, his three marriages, Cream’s 1993 induction into the rock’n’roll hall of fame, their subsequent successful reunion in 2005, and his hopes for the future. — From the publisher.
P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713.
*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and including our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York. Library cards are free and at our library you can obtain one by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features both your name and your current address.
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Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 