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 recommended non-fiction DVDs for this week!
(Click on the photos to request the DVDs)
Wattstax: The 30th Anniversary Edition:
Description: They called Wattstax the “black Woodstock,” but there are many differences between that seminal hippie event and the 1972 concert documented in this 30th-anniversary special-edition reissue. Woodstock was all about peace, love, and music. Wattstax, held three years later in Los Angeles, had those elements as well; but as this 103-minute film reminds us, it was a more socio-politically charged event, with its emphasis on black pride and the simple opportunity for African Americans to assert that, in opening speaker Jesse Jackson’s words, “I am somebody.” There’s also a good deal less music in this film than in the Woodstock movie. As the title suggests, a host of great Stax Records artists (including Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Bar-Kays, the Staple Singers, Albert King, and show closer Isaac Hayes) performed, but much of Wattstax doesn’t even take place inside the L.A. Coliseum, where the concert was held, but rather in the churches and shops and on the streets of Watts itself (music fans would be better off checking out the Wattstax double CD). Wattstax, in fact, is much less a music movie than a chronicle of black life seven years after the Watts race riots, as well as what comedian Richard Pryor (who delivers several hilarious but scathing bits) calls “a soulful expression of the black experience.” –Sam Graham, Amazon review.
Dewey: DVD 781.64 WAT
Trailer:
The Ritchie Boys:
Description: Run out of Germany by the Nazis, a small contingent of German Jewish intellectuals exacted the perfect revenge–returning to Europe as U.S. soldiers to defeat the enemy. Groundbreaking and unforgettable, THE RITCHIE BOYS is the never-before-told tale of a handful of German nationals who used their language and cultural knowledge to wage psychological warfare against the Nazis and to liberate Europe. Still sharp as octogenarians, The Ritchie Boys –a medley of hilariously unlikely soldiers–vividly recall their treacherous and heroic slog through World War II, from their training at Camp Ritchie, Maryland to the beaches of Normandy, from dark weeks spent in a German POW camp to D-Day ebullience. Now highly successful artists, businessmen, and professors, The Ritchie Boys laugh at their clumbsy fit within the U.S. military, cry at the horrors of war, and marvel at the unorthodox–but effective–forms of interrogation and subterfuge that helped them to defeat the Nazis.
Shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and widely acclaimed upon its release, THE RITCHIE BOYS mixes newsreels with razor-sharp interviews to spin a touchingly personal saga of men whose chutzpah, ingenuity, and playful camaraderie had a lasting effect on world history. A great human tale (San Francisco Chronicle), THE RITCHIE BOYS is a documentary of staggering importance.
Dewey: DVD 940.5481 RIT
Trailer:
Panihari: The Water Women of India:
Description: Indian-American filmmakers Abi Devan and Sudhi Rajagopal return to their homeland to document life in the desert communities of Rajasthan. Their journey leads them to the Panihari (women who fetch water). The film centers around one woman, Paru, a shoemaker’s wife, as she struggles against nature and society to attain self-reliance for her family and herself. Paru’s story coveys the richness and complexity of desert life as well as the extreme obstacles women in India still face today. Vibrant imagery, music, and folklore combine to paint a vivid picture of life as a Panihari.
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 recommended non-fiction DVDs for this week!
(Click on the photos to request the DVDs)
Yoga for Everyone Stamina
Description: Certified instructor description: Through this energizing yoga session you will …• Build strength, stamina, and determination• Increase balance, coordination, and concentration• Lengthen, firm, and sculpt your muscles• Energize your entire body and relieve stress
Dewey Decimal Number: DVD 613.7046 WAI
Yoga for Everyone Stamina Trailer:
The Everyday Guide to Wine
Description: Wine has been a part of human civilization for thousands of years, since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians. It’s been used as a communal beverage, a sign of power and prestige, and even as a religious symbol. Studies show that wine also can have a positive effect on your well-being; when enjoyed in moderation, wine may offer benefits for cardiovascular health, longevity, stress reduction, and more. Further, every time you open a bottle of wine, you embark on a journey through a wonderful world of sensations. For all its pleasurable qualities, though, wine can be bewildering in its mystery and complexity. Unlocking the secrets of wine – its varieties, the ways it’s made, the techniques of tasting and shopping for it – is the key to heightening your appreciation of this intense and rewarding experience. Whether you’re a novice looking to master the basics, an enthusiast who tours vineyards, or somewhere in between, there’s no better way to learn about wine than from a wine expert – someone who has an authoritative knowledge of wine in all its glorious breadth and depth. Now, The Everyday Guide to Wine brings this rare opportunity right into your home with 24 engaging lectures delivered by acclaimed Master of Wine Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, one of only 26 Americans to hold this coveted title. In her interactive and accessible course she gives you all the knowledge and tips you need to build your understanding and improve your ability to try, buy, talk about, and – most of all – enjoy the world of wine.
Dewey Decimal Number: DVD 641.22 EVE
The Everyday Guide to Wine Trailer:
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon and legendary recording artist, Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius and tortured melancholy. In this epic documentary, director Liz Garbus interweaves never-before-heard recordings and rare archival footage together with Nina’s most memorable songs, to create an unforgettable portrait of one of the least understood, yet most beloved, artists of our time.
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? is a Netflix original, using recently unearthed audiotapes, recorded over the course of three decades, of Nina telling her life story to various interviewers and would-be biographers. From over 100 hours of these recordings, the film weaves together Nina’s narrative, told largely in her own words. Rare concert footage and archival interviews, along with diaries, letters, interviews with Nina’s daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, friends and collaborators, along with other exclusive materials, make this the most authentic, personal and unflinching telling of the extraordinary life of one of the 20th century’s greatest recording artists.
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, this week we’re kicking off a month long look at some of the best soul artists of the sixties. This week we’ll be checking out the music of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding & Wilson Pickett.
Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music):
Aretha Franklin:
Take A Look: The Complete Columbia:
Singer, pianist and Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame member Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 25, 1942, the daughter of the Reverend Clarence Franklin and his wife Barbara. Aretha grew up singing Gospel and honing an incredible voice! She released her first album, The Gospel Soul of Aretha Franklin, in 1956. She released 18 albums in the sixties, mainly for Columbia and Atlantic Records. This boxed set features the eight full length albums she recorded for Columbia Records in the sixties: Aretha Franklin With The Ray Bryant Combo, The Electrifying Aretha Franklin, The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging Aretha Franklin, Laughing On The Outside,Tiny Sparrow: The Bobby Scott Sessions, Unforgettable: A Tribute To Dinah Washington, Take A Look: The Clyde Otis Sessions, Runnin’ Out Of Fools, A Bit Of Soul, Yeah!!! & The Queen In Waiting.
Aretha’s top forty hits of the sixties include: Rock-A-Bye-Your-Baby, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, Respect, Baby I Love You, A Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Since You’ve Been Gone, Think & I Say A Little Prayer.
The Take A Look collection features some of those songs and many other great songs– more than 100 songs in all.
Stream it for free!
Here’s a link to stream the Take A Look collection:
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long by Otis Redding from the album Iconic Performances from the Monterey International Pop Festival
Otis Redding was born September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia. He grew up in Macon, Georgia and moved to Los Angeles, California in 1960 to pursue a music career. He had an energetic performance style and an emotionally charged way of singing. And his career was just shifting into high gear when he was killed in a plane crash in 1967. His posthumous hit Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay hit number 1 on the Billboard chart in 1968.
Despite the fact that Otis Redding’s career was cut tragically short, he still managed to record ten albums in the sixties and they are: Pain in My Heart, The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, The Soul Album, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, King & Queen, Live in Europe, The Dock of the Bay, In Person at the Whiskey a Go Go & Love This Man.
Otis Reddings top forty hits include: I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, Respect, Satisfaction, Try A Little Tenderness, Tramp, Knock On Wood, (Sitting On) The Dock of the Bay & The Happy Song.
Unfortunately, The Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t feature any of Otis Reddings studio recordings.
However, there is a cool collection put out by the Monterey International Pop Festival Foundation and titled, appropriately enough, Iconic Performances from the Monterey International Pop Festival, which features Otis singing one of his greatest hits – I’ve Been Loving You Too Long. The album also features spirited performances by Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel, Laura Nyro, Janis Joplin, The Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience & Hugh Masakela
Here’s a link to stream the album IconicPerformances from the Monterey International Pop Festival:
Wilson Pickett was born on March 18, 1941 in Prattville, Alabama. Wilson grew up in a family of eleven children and like both Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding he sang Gospel as a youth. He began his music career singing with the Falcons who had a chart hit in 1962 with the song You’re So Fine before leaving to launch a solo career in 1963. Pickett released eight albums in the sixties: It’s Too Late, In The Midnight Hour, The Wicked Pickett, The Exciting Wilson Pickett, The Midnight Mover, I’m in Love & Hey Jude.
I’m going to recommend you give a listen to his Pickett’s 1963 debut LP It’s Too Late. This album is a classic soul LP and a a great Wilson Pickett album to boot! The LP features the following songs: If You Need Me, I’m Gonna Love You, Baby Don’t You Weep, Peacebreaker, I’m Down To My Last Heartbreak, R.B. Special, I Can’t Stop, It’ll Never Be The Same, Baby Call On Me, Give Your Lovin’ Right Now & It’s Too Late.
This 1967 LP is one of Aretha’s finest albums. It includes the following songs: Respect, Drown in My Own Tears, I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), Soul Serenade, Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream,Baby, Baby, Baby, Dr. Feelgood [Love Is a Serious Business] , Good Times, Do Right Woman – Do Right Man, Save Me & A Change Is Gonna Come.
Here’s a link to request the CD version of I’ve Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You:
This five-disc set collects five of Redding’s Atco albums in one package, including 1964’s Pain in My Heart, 1965’s The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads, and 1966’s Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, The Soul Album, and Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul.”
This Otis Redding set isn’t quite ready to circulate yet; however, it will appear in our New Items section on on StarCat shortly.
Wilson Pickett:
In The Midnight Hour & The Exciting Wilson Pickett
Two of Wilson Pickett’s classic sixties albums released in 1965 & 1966 respectively, In the Midnight Hour and The Exciting Wilson Pickett are, and excuse the humorous license, exciting!
Songs in this two album collection include: In The Midnight Hour, Teardrops Will Fall, Take A Little Love, I Found A Love, Don’t Fight It, Land of 1000 Dances & Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do).
This double album set too will be available for circulation shortly – keep a look out for it in StarCat and our New Items section.
Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups
Aretha Franklin
Respect
I Say A Little Prayer
You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman
Otis Redding:
Satisfaction
Try A Little Tenderness
Shake
Wilson Pickett:
In The Midnight Hour
Land of 1000 Dances
Mustang Sally
References:
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.)
Online References:
Seeing Aretha Franklin Sing For The Last Time by Marc Silver. From NPR. August 1, 2017.
Wilson Pickett, 64, Soul Singer of Great Passion, Dies By JEFF LEEDS. JAN. 20, 2006. New York Times.
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, we’re on the final week of our month long look at the music of the second British Invasion of the Sixties, which ran from June of 1967 through the end of the sixties.
Next week we’ll start a month long look and listen to some of the best soul artists of the sixties.
For this final week of July, we’ll be taking a listen to the music of Procol Harum, King Crimson & The Small Faces. And on a beginning note, just in case anyone isn’t familiar with the music of these three bands two of them, Procol Harum and King Crimson, produced music that is more down the experimental progressive path and the third, Small Faces features music that is more of the straight ahead rock n roll variety.
I. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music):
Procal Harum: Procol Harum formed in the U.K. in the mid-sixites. The original line-up included singer and keyboardist Gary Brooker, lyricist Keith Reid, Ray Royer on guitar, Matthew Fisher on organ, Dave Knights on bass and Bobby Harrison on drums. Also of note, the band’s lead guitarist from 1968-1971 was Robin Trower who received greater acclaim in the 1970s as a solo artist.
Procol Harum’s best known songs include: A Whiter Shade of Pale, A Salty Dog, Beyond the Pale, Ceredes, Grand Hotel and Conquistador.
In the sixties the group released three LPs:
Procol Harum (1967)
Shine on Brightly (1968)
&
A Salty Dog (1969)
The Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t feature any albums by Procol Harum but they do offer several by guitarist Robin Trower including one he did with Cream bassist, songwriter and singer Jack Bruce titled Songs From The Road – which is a great album, although it does hearken more to the heavier guitar music played in the seventies than what we expect to hear from musicians and bands of the sixties – which is fair as the album was recorded in 2009!
Songs From The Road
The album was recorded live and features the songs Distance Places of the Heart, Sunshine of Your Love, So Far Yesterday, Just Another Day, White Room and Politician.
Also in the Freegal Music Catalog is the Robin Trower solo album Living Out of Time Live which features the songs Sweet Angel, What’s Your Name & Rise Up Like The Sun.
King Crimson: King Crimson wasn’t a singles band. Instead during the late sixties, when psychedelic music was in vogue, they produced music that blended rock, jazz and classical elements. The group was together only five years and had a shifting line-up; however, the key players in the group during that time included experimental guitarist Robert Fripp, lyricists Peter Sinefield, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald later of Foreigner, Greg Lake later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, bassist Peter Giles and drummer Mike Giles.
Some of King Crimson’s best known songs include: 21st Century Schizoid Man, Dinosaur, Easy Money, Fracture, I Talk To The Wind & Elephant Talk.
The Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t contain any King Crimson albums; however, the do feature a full-length spoken album by Robert Fripp. And when I say “spoken” what I mean is that this LP features a live non-musical recording Robert Fripp made before an audience – it is an interesting album if you’d like to know more about Robert Fripp, his humor and his recording career – check it out!
For those that would prefer to stream music by King Crimson – here’s a link to YouTube to stream their song Moonchild from their first LP In the Court of the Crimson King:
Small Faces: The AllMusic biography of the Small Faces notes that they “were the best English band never to hit it big in America. Outside Europe, all anybody remembers them for is their sole hit, “Itchycoo Park,” which was hardly representative of their psychedelic sound, much less their full musical range — but in England, Small Faces were one of the most extraordinary and successful bands of the mid-’60s, serious competitors to the Who and potential rivals to the Rolling Stones.” And I think that assessment is spot on accurate! Small Faces were a great classic rock band whose original line-up consisted of Steve Marriott on guitar and vocals, Ronnie Lane on bass and backing vocals, Jimmy Winston on organ and future Who member Kenney Jones on drums.
Some of their best known songs include: Shake, What’cha Gonna Do About It, Itchycoo Park, Afterglow, Rene, Lazy Sunday and My Way of Giving.
The group released four albums in the sixties:
Small Faces (Decca Records, 1966)
Small Faces (Immediate Records, 1966)
Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake (1968)
There Are But Four Small Faces (1969)
In 1970 Steve Marriott left the band to form Humble Pie and the group was Ron Wood and Rod Stewart join the band for the album First Steps. The original band’s name came about due to the fact that Marriott, Lane, Winston and Wood were all of short stature – Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, on the other hand, are tall – so after they joined the group the band dropped the small from their name and simply became the Faces.
I’m going to recommend two albums by the Small Faces, their 1966 Immediate label self-titled album Small Faces and Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake from 1967.
Small Faces (Immediate Records)
This album features mono and stereo recordings and includes the songs: (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me? Something I Want To Tell You, Feeling Lonely, Happy Boys Happy. Things Are Going To Get Better and more:
This is the group’s debut album. It contains the songs: A Whiter Shade of Pale, Conquistador, Salad Days, She Wandered Through the Garden Fence and Cerdes (Outside the Gates Of).
Here’s a link to request the CD version of the LP:
In the Court of the Crimson King – 30th Anniv. Ed.
That a group has a 30th anniversary special edition of an album tells us that the album is worth a listen to! This first King Crimson album contains the following songs: 21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors, I Talk To The Wind, Epitaph (Including March For No Reason/Tomorrow And Tomorrow, Moonchild (Including The Dream/The Illusion)& The Court Of The Crimson Song (Including The Return Of The Fire Witch/The Dance Of The Puppets)
Here’s the link to request the CD version of the album:
As I mentioned when I recommended this album as streaming favorite – it is a great LP that was obviously very influences by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – but this one has a more playful nature to it. If you haven’t heard it – I highly recommend it!
21st Century Schizoid Man (Live at Hyde Park 1969)
Cat Food-Top Of The Pops March 1970
Small Faces:
Itchycoo Park
Lazy Sunday Afternoon
IV. References:
Print:
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.)
Online References:
All artist/group biographical information is from the AllMusic site except as noted. The AllMusic site is found at: http://www.allmusic.com/
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, this is week 3 of our month long look at the music of the second British Invasion of the Sixties which ran from June of 1967 through the end of the sixties.
This week we’ll be taking a listen to the music of The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull and Joe Cocker.
I. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music):
The Moody Blues: The Moody Blues started out as an R&B group and through the sixties transitioned into a group that featured rich orchestrations as a background for their musical story telling. The band formed in Birmingham in 1964 and originally consisted of Denny Laine on guitar and vocals, Mike Pinder on keyboards and vocals, Ray Thomas on harmonica and vocals, Clint Warwick on bass and Graeme Edge on drums. This line-up had one hit – 1964’s Go Now. After the release of their first single Laine and Warwick left the group and John Lodge (bass) and Justin Heyward (guitar/vocals) joined the band – and thus their classic line up was in place.
The Moody Blues released six albums in the sixties:
The Magnificent Moodies (1965)
Go Now (1965)
Days of Future Passed (1967)
On the Threshold of a Dream (1968)
To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969)
Freegal Moody Blues Streaming Suggestion:
Lovely To See You…Live
The Freegal Music catalog doesn’t feature any studio albums by the Moody Blues. However, they do have a greatest hits live LP from 2005 which features many of the band’s classic sixties songs and some from the seventies and eighties too.
Here’s the song list for Lovely to See You Live:
1. Lovely to See You, 2. Tuesday Afternoon, 3. Lean on Me (Tonight), 4. The Actor, 5. Steppin’ in a Slide Zone , 6. The Voice, 7. Talking Out of Turn, 8. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere, 9. The Story In Your Eyes, 10. Forever Autumn, 11. Your Wildest Dreams, 12. Isn’t Life Strange, 13. The Other Side of Life, 14. December Snow, 15. Higher and Higher, 16. Are You Sitting Comfortably?, 17. I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock & Roll Band), 18. Nights in White Satin, 19. Question, 20. Ride My See-Saw
Jethro Tull: Jethro Tull formed in England in the mid-sixties and its classic sixties line-up consisted of multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson on vocals, Glenn Cornick on bass, Mick Abrahams on guitar and Clive Bunker on drums.
I think Bruce Elder well sums up the appeal of Jethro Tull’s music in his AllMusic bio of the band when he says “Jethro Tull were a unique phenomenon in popular music history. Their mix of hard rock, folk melodies, blues licks, surreal, impossibly dense lyrics, and overall profundity defied easy analysis, but that didn’t dissuade fans from giving them 11 gold and five platinum albums.” I agree with that assessment! Jethro Tull produces music that blends a number of musical styles, more than the average rock band by far, and as a result offers a great listening experience.
Jethro Tull’s released two LPs in the Sixties:
This Was (1968)
& Stand Up(1969)
And although their sixties albums sound great, I can’t help but mention that they produced some really great albums in the seventies too – of particular note are Aqualung (1971), Thick As A Brick (1972) and Minstrel in the Gallery (1975) all three of which are requestable in StarCat
Freegal Jethro Tull Streaming Suggestion:
Aqualung Live:
The Freegal Catalog features a few studio albums by Jethro Tull and even a Christmas album; but none of the studio albums they released in the sixties or seventies.
However, the Catalog does feature the Aqualung Live album recorded in 2005 – it sounds slightly mellower than the original to my ears but is well worth a listen here’s the link:
Joe Cocker: British R&B singer Joe Cocker hit number 1 in the U.K. with his cover of The Beatles With A Little Help From My Friends in 1968. The following year he appeared at Woodstock and his energized performance has gone down in rock history.
Cocker’s first three albums, With A Little Help From My Friends (1968), Joe Cocker! (1969) and the double live Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1970) cemented his reputation as one of the greatest classic rock singers. His vintage sixties songs include the aforementioned With A Little Help From My Friends, Delta Lady, Cry Me A River, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, High Time We Went and The Letter.
Also of note, after the sixties he had two huge hits; the ballad You Are So Beautiful in 1975 and a number 1 duet with Jennifer Warnes – Up Where We Belong in 1982.
The Freegal Music Catalog does feature several of Joe Cocker’s studio albums; however, they are all from the 1990s. You can check out his With A Little Help From My Friends album on CD – for more information check out the CD Recommendations Section below.
Joe Cocker Freegal Streaming Suggestion:
Have A Little Faith
If you’d like to stream one of Joe Cocker’s albums to get a musical taste of the waters, as it were, you can stream a solid album of his from 1994 called Have a Little Faith. The album features the following songs: Let the Healing Begin, Have a Little Faith In Me, The Simple Things, Summer In the City, Soul Time and Angeline.
Days of Future Passed:
This 1967 album was a watermark album for the group because it ventured beyond the classic rock format offering a concept album that told the story of a day and had the band backed by the London Festival Orchestra.
Here is the song list for the LP:
1. The Day Begins
2. Dawn: Dawn is A Feeling
3. The Morning: Another Morning
4. Lunch Break: Peek Hour
5. The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)/Time to Get Away
6. Evening: The Sun Set/Twilight Time
7. The Night: Nights in White Satin
And here’s a link to request a CD version of Days of Future Passed:
The band’s first three albums, This Was, Stand Up & Benefit are available in one multi-disc collection.
Here is the song list for the CD set:
Disc: 1 (This Was)
1. My Sunday Feeling (2001 Remastered Version)
2. Some Day the Sun Won’t Shine for You (2001 Remastered Version)
3. Beggar’s Farm (2001 Remastered Version)
4. Move on Alone (2001 Remastered Version)
5. Serenade to a Cuckoo (2001 Remastered Version)
6. Dharma for One (2001 Remastered Version)
7. It’s Breaking Me Up (2001 Remastered Version)
8. Cat’s Squirrel (2001 Remastered Version)
9. A Song for Jeffrey (2001 Remastered Version)
10. Round (2001 Remastered Version)
Disc: 2 (Stand Up)
1. A New Day Yesterday (2001 Remastered Version)
2. Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square (2001 Remastered Version)
3. Bouree (2001 Remastered Version)
4. Back to the Family (2001 Remastered Version)
5. Look Into the Sun (2001 Remastered Version)
6. Nothing Is Easy (2001 Remastered Version)
7. Fat Man (2001 Remastered Version)
8. We Used to Know (2001 Remastered Version)
9. Reason for Waiting (2001 Remastered Version)
10. For a Thousand Mothers (2001 Remastered Version)
Disc: 3 (Benefit)
1. With You There to Help Me
2. Nothing to Say
3. Alive and Well and Living in
4. Son
5. For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me
6. To Cry You a Song
7. A Time for Everything
8. Inside
9. Play in Time
10. Sossity You’re a Woman
This is Joe Cocker’s second album and features twelve classic songs: Feelin’ Alright, Bye Bye Blackbird, Change In Louise, Marjorine, Just Like A Woman, Do I Still Figure In Your Life?, Sandpaper Cadillac, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, With A Little Help From My Friends, I Shall Be Released, The New Age Of Lily & Something’s Coming On.
Woodstock: The 40th Anniversary Edition:This DVD features the entire performance of every artist filmed at Woodstock. This footage has been archived since that history-making weekend and has only recently been re-discovered. Never before has the complete performance been shown. And Joe Cocker’s career making performance is including in this set.
(And yes, I’m fudging it a bit to recommend this song/video as it is from the 80s — but it is still a fun song & video!)
Jethro Tull:
A Song For Jeffrey & My Sunday Feeling
Aqualung
A New Day Yesterday
Joe Cocker:
With A Little Help From My Friends
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Feelin’ Alright
IV. 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.)
Online References:
All artist/group biographical information is from the AllMusic site except as noted. The AllMusic site is found at: http://www.allmusic.com/
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.
S
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 