Tag: public library

Weekly Recommended Listens: June 2017, Week 2: Sixties Rock: The American Musical Response To The First British Invasion

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this week we’re continuing our look at the sounds of American rock bands that came to musical prominence in the era just after the launch of the British Invasion.

And this week our three groups are: Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Association & The Young Rascals who later dropped the “Young” from their name and simply became The Rascals.

And just as a 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. Recommended Compact Discs Of The Artists/Groups Of The Week

IV. Videos Of The Artists/Groups Of The Week

VI. References

I. Links To AllMusic Group Bios:

Paul Revere & The Raiders AllMusic Biography by Bruce Eder
https://goo.gl/YNUXaW

The Association AllMusic Biography by Bruce Eder
https://goo.gl/rijFDt

The Rascals, originally known as The Young Rascals
https://goo.gl/VJCyPf

Freegal Notes:
To access Freegal Music from a desktop or laptop simply click on the following link: http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

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:

Paul Revere & The Raiders:
Paul Revere & the Raiders were one of the most popular American bands of the mid-sixties. They sold more records between 1966 and 1969 than any other bands with the exception of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

The creator and driving force behind the group was Paul Revere Dick, who was better known simply as Paul Revere. Revere played keyboards, organized the band, managed the band, came up with the idea for their eighteenth century costumes and even worked hard after their sixties heyday to keep the band’s music alive on the oldies circuit. The band featured a number of musicians during their most popular years, 1966 – 1971,although only two were constant: Revere on keyboards and Mark Lindsay on vocals. The group frequently appeared on the weekday broadcast of the TV Show Where The Action Is which broadcast the band’s music to millions of Americans on a regular basis and no doubt this helped get their music out to the listening public at large!

The group’s hits include: Just Like Me, Kicks, Hungry, Good Thing, Him Or Me – What’s It Gonna Be? and Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian).

Here’s a link to stream their Greatest Hits album from Freegal:
https://goo.gl/5PaKTa

The Association:
The Association was a very popular band whose singles charted repeatedly during the two year period 1966-1968. The band formed in Los Angeles and consisted of Jim Yester, Russ Giguere, Gary Alexander and Larry Ramos on guitars, Brian Cole on bass and Ted Bluechel on drums. All the band members sang and their lush, harmony-rich singles quickly became pop music staples. The bands hits include: Along Comes Mary, Cherish, Wendy, Everything That Touches You and Never My Love.

The Freegal Music Catalog features a number of songs The Association re-recorded after the sixties (think K Tel style). And as we all know, re-recorded versions of hits by the same group, in subsequent years, can’t usually hold a candle to the original versions.

So I’m going to recommend you actually skip streaming any Association music from Freegal. Instead, check out the videos listed below and the Original Album Series collection by the group as soon as it is available.

The Rascals:
The Rascals, who were originally known as The Young Rascals, formed in New York City and were one of the most popular “Blue-Eyed Soul” groups of the sixties. The band consisted of Felix Cavaliere on organ and vocals, Eddie Brigati on vocals and bass, Gene Cornish on guitar and vocals and Dino Danelli on drums. All members of the band, save Danelli, had previously been members of the early sixties group Joey Dee & The Starlighters – known for their hit The Peppermint Twist.

The Rascal’s sixties his include: Good Lovin’, You Better Run, I’ve Been Lonely Too Long, Groovin’, A Beautiful Morning and How Can I Be Sure.

Unfortunately, the Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t contain any sixties studio albums by The Rascals. However, the catalog does contain a mellow and fun album from the band released in 1972 titled The Island of Real. The songs on this album sound very much like their sixties songs and include: Lucky, Saga of New York, Jungle Walk, Island of Real & Time Will Tell.

Here’s a link to stream The Island of Real LP: https://goo.gl/tdKiiZ

III. Compact Discs of The Artists/Groups Of The Week

Paul Revere & The Raiders:


Greatest Hits:

This eleven song album is available right now and includes the songs: Louie, Louie, Stepin’ Out, Just Like Me, Kicks, Hungry and Good Thing.

Here’s a link to request their Greatest Hits album on CD:

https://goo.gl/Lw3Tgq

Spirit of ’67:

This studio album contains a great collection of classic rock songs including the tunes: Good Thing, All About Her, In My Community, Hungry, The Great Airplane Strike, Our Candidate & 1001 Arabian Nights.

Here’s a link to request Spirit of ’67 (as soon as it is available): https://goo.gl/8nDwGe

The Association:

The Original Album Series:

This collection, which should be available in StarCat soon, makes up for the fact that you can’t stream any original studio albums by The Association through Freegal. And it does so as it contains all the music on their first five albums – so it includes all their bright, breezy, harmonizing hits and many more great songs!

The albums included in the collection are: And Then… Along Comes the Association (1966), Renaissance (1966), Insight Out (1967), Birthday (1968) & The Association (1969).

This is perfect music for summer!

Here’s a link to request The Original Album Collection (The Association) as soon as it is available:

https://goo.gl/Tp6zev

The Rascals:

The library has one album by The Rascals aready in circulation and an Original Album Set currently in process.

Ultimate Rascals
This LP, which you can request now, contains some really great songs including: I Aint’ Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore, Mustang Sally, Good Lovin‘ and People Got To Be Free.

Here’s a link to request The Ultimate Rascals CD: 

https://goo.gl/ztkHV3

The Original Album Series (The Rascals):
This set allows you to dig deeper into the classic rock sound of The Rascals as it contains, and you guessed it! all the music on their first five albums.

The AllMusic Review of this multi disc set by Steve Leggett sums it up nicely so here it is: “The Rascals’ blend of blue-eyed soul, British Invasion pop, and garage band R&B made them one of the more interesting American rock groups of the 1960s. This set, which includes the band’s first five original LPs, 1966’s The Young Rascals, 1967’s Collections and Groovin’, 1968’s Once Upon a Dream, and 1969’s Freedom Suite, shows the band’s rapid growth and expansion into psychedelic rock, urban soul, and other areas, even incorporating gospel, jazz, and Latin elements into the mix. It adds up to a complete portrait of a fine singles band with a whole lot of heart and soul.”

And perhaps needless to say this collection contains all their sixties hits.
The set will be available in StarCat & our New CD Section shortly and here’s the link to request it as soon as it is available:

https://goo.gl/jKGT9p

IV: Videos Of The Artists/Groups Of The Week:

Paul Revere & The Raiders:

Just Like Me

The Great Airplane Strike

Him Or Me, What’s It Gonna Be?

The Association:

Along Comes Mary from The Smother’s Brothers Comedy Show

Cherish from The Ed Sullivan Show

Never My Love (original audio recording with photo of band)

The Rascals:

Good Lovin’ (the original audio recording with photos of the group)

How Can I Be Sure?

It’s A Beautiful Morning

VI. General References & Artist Specific References:

The Association AllMusic Biography by Bruce Eder: https://goo.gl/rijFDt

The Association AllMusic Discography by Bruce Eder: https://goo.gl/BY22tF

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

Paul Revere & The Raiders Biography by Bruce Eder: https://goo.gl/YNUXaW

Paul Revere & The Raiders Discography by Bruce Eder: https://goo.gl/YNUXaW
The Rascals AllMusic Biography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/VJCyPf

The Rascals AllMusic Discography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/Y3UjAA

Sixties Rock: A Listener’s Guide by Robert Santelli (Contemporary Books. Chicago. 1985.)

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.

 

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our suggested daily recommended titles in print or media and digital formats.

Our digital suggestion for today is the e-book:

City of Miracles, Divine Cities Series, Book 3 by Robert Jackson Bennett:

Revenge. It’s something Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is very, very good at. Maybe the only thing.

So when he learns that his oldest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, has been assassinated, he knows exactly what to do—and that no mortal force can stop him from meting out the suffering Shara’s killers deserve.

Yet as Sigrud pursues his quarry with his customary terrifying efficiency, he begins to fear that this battle is an unwinnable one. Because discovering the truth behind Shara’s death will require him to take up arms in a secret, decades-long war, face down an angry young god, and unravel the last mysteries of Bulikov, the city of miracles itself. And—perhaps most daunting of all—finally face the truth about his own cursed existence.

Here’s a link to the checkout page in the Digital Catalog:

https://stls.overdrive.com/media/3027941

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee:

A young American woman arrives in Florence from Boston, knowing no one and speaking little Italian. But Hannah is isolated in a more profound way, estranged from her own identity after a bout with starvation that has left her life and body in ruins. She is determined to recover in Florence, a city saturated with beauty, vitality, and food―as well as a dangerous history of sainthood for women who starved themselves for God.

Hannah joins a local rowing club, where Francesca, a welcoming but predatory Milanese, and Luca, a seemingly steady Florentine with whom she becomes involved, draw her into Florence’s vibrant present: the complex social dynamics at the club, soccer mania, eating, drinking, sex, an insatiable insistence on life. But Hannah is also rapt by the city’s past―the countless representations of beauty, the entrenched conflicts of politics and faith, and the lore of the mystical saints, women whose self-imposed isolation and ecstatic searches for meaning through denial illuminate the seduction of her own struggles.

Both sides pull Hannah in: challenging her, defeating her, lifting her up. And when a figure from her past life in Boston reappears, threatening the delicate balance of her present, Hannah’s feverish personal excavation becomes caught up with the long history of women’s contention with body and spirit, desire and death.

A vivid, visceral debut echoing the novels of Jean Rhys, Elena Ferrante, and Catherine Lacey, Florence in Ecstasy gives us an arresting new vision of a woman’s attempt to find meaning―and find herself―in an unstable world.

Here’s a link to the StarCat request page for the book:

https://goo.gl/jTyPJS

You can also requests books simply by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!
Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat: The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. http://starcat.stls.org/

The Digital Catalog: The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos: https://stls.overdrive.com/

Freegal Music Service: This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day: http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

Zinio: Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available: https://www.rbdigital.com/stlschemungcony

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Daily Digital & Print Suggested Reads: Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for today.

Our digital suggestion for today is the e-book:

Woman No. 17: A Novel by Edan Lepucki:

New York Times bestselling author Edan Lepucki’s Woman No. 17 “reads like a Hollywood HIlls film noir.” — Seattle Times

High in the Hollywood Hills, writer Lady Daniels has decided to take a break from her husband. Left alone with her children, she’s going to need a hand taking care of her young son if she’s ever going to finish her memoir. In response to a Craigslist ad, S arrives, a magnetic young artist who will live in the secluded guest house out back, care for Lady’s toddler, Devin, and keep a watchful eye on her older, teenage son, Seth. S performs her day job beautifully, quickly drawing the entire family into her orbit, and becoming a confidante for Lady.

But in the heat of the summer, S’s connection to Lady’s older son takes a disturbing, and possibly destructive, turn. And as Lady and S move closer to one another, the glossy veneer of Lady’s privileged life begins to crack, threatening to expose old secrets that she has been keeping from her family. Meanwhile, S is protecting secrets of her own, about her real motivation for taking the job. S and Lady are both playing a careful game, and every move they make endangers the things they hold most dear.

Darkly comic, twisty and tense, this mesmerizing new novel defies expectation and proves Edan Lepucki to be one of the most talented and exciting voices of her generation.

Here’s a link to the check out/request page in the Digital Catalog:

https://stls.overdrive.com/media/3031174

And our print book suggested read for the day is:

Murder Between The Lines by Radha Vatsal:

Intrepid journalist Kitty Weeks returns in the second book in this acclaimed WW1-era historical mystery series to investigate the death of a boarding school student.
When Kitty’s latest assignment for the New York Sentinel Ladies’ Page takes her to Westfield Hall, she expects to find an orderly establishment teaching French and dancing-but there’s more going on at the school than initially meets the eye.

Tragedy strikes when a student named Elspeth is found frozen to death in Central Park. The doctor’s proclaim that the girl’s sleepwalking was the cause, but Kitty isn’t so sure.

Determined to uncover the truth, Kitty must investigate a more chilling scenario-a murder that may involve Elspeth’s scientist father and a new invention by a man named Thomas Edison.

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Rhys Bowen, Murder Between the Lines combines true historical events with a thrilling mystery.

Here’s a link to the request page in StarCat:

https://goo.gl/xJIJ6v

You can always request books by calling the library at: 607-936-3713 x 502.

Have a great day!
Linda, SSCL

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat: The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc. http://starcat.stls.org/

The Digital Catalog: The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos: https://stls.overdrive.com/

Freegal Music Service: This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day: http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

Zinio: Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available: https://www.rbdigital.com/stlschemungcony

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Weekly Recommended Listens: June 9, 2017

Linda Reimer

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:

The Beach Boys AllMusic Biography by John Bush
https://goo.gl/AqNSLM

The Grass Roots AllMusic Biography by Bruce Elder
https://goo.gl/KT1tEj

The Monkees AllMusic Biography by Mark Deming
https://goo.gl/2Zdf5D

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.

Here’s a link to stream The Beach Boys album:
https://goo.gl/undv3M

The Monkees:

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!

Here’s a link to stream the album:
https://goo.gl/3Q5yD8

The Monkees TV Show Theme from the various artists LP Aquellos Maravillosos Años

Here’s a link to stream the song:
https://goo.gl/c57E2R

The Grass Roots:

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.

Here’s a link to request the five CD set: https://goo.gl/IXoiH9

The Smile Sessions:

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.

Here’s a link to request the Smile box set in StarCat: https://goo.gl/rmydjC

The Monkees:

The Monkees Greatest Hits:

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.

Here’s a link to request the album in StarCat:

https://goo.gl/JgZpFS

The Grass Roots:

The Complete Original Dunhill/ABC Hit Singles:

 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.)

Online References:

The Beach Boys AllMusic Discography by John Bush
https://goo.gl/Srpldb

The Grass Roots AllMusic Discography by Bruce Elder
https://goo.gl/KT1tEj

The Monkees AllMusic Discography by Mark Deming
https://goo.gl/PGMDhA

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.

 

Weekly Recommended Listens: May 2017, Week 4: Sixties Rock: The First British Invasion Concluded

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this week we’re concluding our cliff notes look at the first British Invasion. And in June our musical theme will be the American Response to that First British Invasion!

And as it has been super, super busy in Library Land this week this will be a cliff notes posting – as I’ve just run out of week!

But we’ll hit the high notes and you’ll be able to stream or request some great music with new CDs of the artists of the week to be available shortly.

And our artists for this week are:

The Yardbirds,

The Spencer Davis Group

&

The Who.

I. Links to AllMusic Artist Bios:

The Yardbirds AllMusic Biography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/SRCVGL

The Spencer Davis Group AllMusic Biography by Bill Dahl
https://goo.gl/YXHWQB

The Who AllMusic Biography
https://goo.gl/1RdCtO

Freegal Notes:

To access Freegal Music from a desktop or laptop simply click on the following link:
http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

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 Spencer Davis Group:
The Spencer Davis Group was a blue eyed soul group consisted of Steve Winwood in his pre-Traffic, Blind Faith and solo artist days, on keyboard and vocals, his brother Muff Winwood on bass, drummer Peter York and guitarist Spencer Davis. The band played organ-centric rock and their best known songs include: Keep On Running, I’m A Man and Gimme Some Lovin’.

I’m A Man 

From the LP Soul Goes Psychedelic
The Freegal Music Catalog features many albums by The Spencer Davis group. However, most of them do not feature Steve Winwood on vocals.
I did manage to find a radio version of I’m A Man that features Steve Winwood on vocals – on a collection titled Soul Goes Psychedelic. The collection also features music by The Brothers Johnson, Santana, Blues Image, The Soul Survivors and Ike & Tina Turner.

Here’s a link to stream the Soul Goes Psychedelic album: https://goo.gl/ue4cWH

The Yardbirds: The Yardbirds are best known for three of the great rock guitarists that played in the band in the sixties: Eric Claption, Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page. The group played a mix of traditional rock and R&B; and the original band consisted of Keith Relf on vocals and harmonica, Chris Deja and Anthony Topham on guitars, Paul Samwell-Smith on bass and Jim McCartey on drums. Eric Clapton replaced Topham in 1963 and he was in turn replaced by Jeff Beck in 1965. Jimmy Page joined the band in 1966. The group disbanded in 1968 and Page formed a new group, original called the New Yardbirds, which shortly after forming changed their name to Led Zeppelin.

Five Live Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton on guitar)
https://goo.gl/HwpzRJ

Roger The Engineer (with Jeff Beck on guitar)
https://goo.gl/dTxNJf

The Yardbirds Story: This 89 song collection features every recording The Yardbirds made from 1963 – 1966. The set includes A Certain Girl, Heart Full of Soul, Shapes of Things, Five Long Years and more.
https://goo.gl/le9jhu

The Who:

The Who formed in London in the early sixties and consisted of Roger Daltrey on vocals, Pete Townshend on guitar, John Entwistle on bass and Keith Moon on drums. The band had, to say the least, a very energetic and flamboyant stage presence.

And for the purposes of this posting we’re only talking about their sixties music – I feel I should point that out in case you’re not familiar with their work –and also as they put out some great albums in the seventies.

Summer Time Blues & My Generation

From The Monterey Pop Festival album:
https://goo.gl/HZezhe

The Who Live from Discos Cada Record

The Freegal Music Catalog features only one album by The Who all on their own – titled The Who Live. The album was put out by Discos Cada Records in 2011. The recordings seems to be of the band playing live and the sound and editing quality is only average at best. However, if you’re a major Who fan you might want to check it out: https://goo.gl/XF0912

Freegal Wild Card Streaming Pick Of The Week:

Bob Dylan – The Complete Album Collection – The 60’s
Since Bob Dylan’s birthday was this week, May 24 to be exact, I’m going to recommend you stream at least part of the set The Complete Album Collection – The 60’s which does indeed feature all the songs on all of Dylan’s sixties albums. This is great music for a holiday weekend: https://goo.gl/wGVvOz

III. Compact Discs Recommendations:

The Spencer Davis Group:


Eight Gigs a Week: The Steve Winwood Years:

This collection features all of the 51 songs recorded by the band while Steve Winwood was with them! So you get the hits, including Keep On Running, I’m A Man & Gimme Some Lovin’ and many more songs.

Here’s a link to request the CD: https://goo.gl/EX31Q0

The Yardbirds:


Greatest Hits Volume 1:

This Rhino records collection features the band’s hits released between 1964 and 1966. Including the songs: For Your Love, Evil Hearted You, Shapes of Things and A Certain Girl:   https://goo.gl/DymOl2


Also coming soon is The Yardbirds Story on CD – this  the same 89 song set mentioned in the streaming section – this time in a four compact disc set.
You can’t request the set just yet – but here is the link to the request page:
https://goo.gl/MXMM1v

IV: Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups:

Spencer Davis Group:

I’m A Man

Gimme Some Lovin’

Yardbirds:

I Wish You Would (With Eric Clapton)

For Your Love (With Jeff Beck)

Heart Full of Soul (With Jimmy Page)

The Who:

Anyway Anyhow Anywhere 

I Can’t Explain

VI. General 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.)

The Spencer Davis Group AllMusic Discography by Bill Dahl
https://goo.gl/V8ob6D

The Who Discography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://goo.gl/1afGGS

The Yardbirds Discography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/bs90ZO

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.

Weekly Recommended Listens: May 2017, Week 3: Sixties Rock: The First British Invasion Continued

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this week we’re continuing our look at the sounds of the first British Invasion that ran, roughly, from February of 1964 to May 31, 1967.

And as a reminder, each weekly recommended music posting features 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 Recommendation Of The Week

VI. References (for those who’d like to know a bit more about the artists of the week).

Our artists for this week are The Rolling Stones, The Kinks & The Animals.

And just FYI as a beginning note, since we’re taking a look at the early years of The British Invasion you won’t find recommendations for any music released after the end of May 1967. We’ll take a look at the music of the second British Invasion, that ran from June 1, 1967 through the end of the sixties in July.

I. Links to AllMusic Artist Bios:

The Rolling Stones Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://goo.gl/ESaSb4

The Kinks Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://goo.gl/BVCC6z

The Animals Biography by Bruce Eder
https://goo.gl/CwB1bW

Freegal Notes:
To access Freegal Music from a desktop or laptop simply click on the following link:
http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

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 Rolling Stones:

Carol from the Various Artists LP Canciones Con Nombre De Mujer Vol. 2

The Rolling Stones original line-up included Mick Jagger on vocals, Keith Richards on guitar, Brian Jones on guitar, Bill Wyman on bass and Charlie Watts on drums. And the Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t contain any full-length albums by The Rolling Stones. However, I did discover the catalog features a live version of The Stones covering Chuck Berry’s Carol that offers you a good idea of their early sound.

Here’s a link to the live version of Carol is from the Various Artists LP Canciones Con Nombre De Mujer Vol. 2
https://goo.gl/fu0VTT

The Kinks:

The Kinks (1964):

This is indeed the first album released by The Kinks. The original line-up of the group included brothers Ray and Dave Davies on guitars, Mick Avery on drums and Peter Quaife on bass. And this album showcases their early, raw classic rock sound as epitomized by songs like You Really Got Me and All Day And All Of The Night. As the sixties progressed and Ray Davies songwriting skills matured the sounds of the band transformed into a smoother more polished style of rock. This collection of music though, aptly shows off the early, earthy sound of the Kinks and includes the songs: You Really Got Me, Beautiful Delilah, So Mystifying, Too Much Monkey Business, I’m A Lover Not A Fighter, Revenge and Stop Your Sobbing.
https://goo.gl/em4bPZ

The Animals:

The Animals On Their Own – The Dave Cash Collection:

If you’re wondering who on Earth Dave Cash was? You’re not alone! I’d never heard of him before I did the research for this posting. It turns out he was the British equivalent to Dave Clark — a long time D J who worked for The B.B.C. for more than fifty years.

But I digress! Back to The Animals! The Animals original line-up included Eric Burdon on vocals, John Steel on drums, Alan Price on keyboard, Chas Chandler on bass and Hilton Valentine on guitar. The group played really great traditional rhythm and blues based rock. And unlike The Stones and The Kinks who branched out stylistically by writing their own songs The Animals remained true to their traditional R&B and rock roots – and you can hear that in all their music.This collection offers a great introduction to the band including the songs: House Of The Rising Sun, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Bring It On Home, When I was Young and Hard Times.

The Animals On Their Own – The Dave Cash Collection
https://goo.gl/FmMyk9

Freegal Wild Card Streaming Pick Of The Week:

Here is an interesting album featuring a mixture of fuzzy guitars and clear vocals – today I suppose you’d classify this album as Indie Rock. I like the sound of this Australian band and also, being a cat fan, I like the name of the group too!

The Summer Cats:

Songs for Tuesdays
“The Summer Cats aren’t the kind of cats who like to curl up and purr the day away, they’re more apt to chase things, run around wildly, and basically tear stuff up. The Australian quintet states their aim as clearly as possible on the first track of their first album Songs for Tuesdays. “Let’s Go” bursts out of the gate with a supercharged Flying Nun-inspired attack (the Clean especially, but also some early Chills too) built around fuzzy guitars, peppy organ, and shouted vocals. The rest of the album follows in kind with barely a break for breath. Thirteen songs in 32 minutes doesn’t leave a lot of space for meandering or epic ballads or wasting time with guitar solos; it does leave plenty of space for memorable hooks and for songs that sound like they were created just to be played loudly in the summertime. Any summer mixtape would be improved by the addition of the noisy rocker “Hey You,” the droning Stereolab-esque “Lonely Planet,” or the wildly oscillating “St. Tropez.” You could really take any song and plug it into that sentence; the record is that strong and unified. The only complaint you might have with a record as tightly constructed as this could be that the songs all run together. The group heads this off in a couple of ways. While bandleader Scott Stevens takes most of the vocals, he turns a few over to other members of the group, most notably Irene, who provides the innocent female vocals that pair up with Stevens’ slightly manic tones perfectly. Secondly, they vary the sound of each song just a little bit. Some songs are heavy; some are lighter than air. Some have distorted guitars; some have clean and jangly guitars. It’s an admirable attention to detail that does a world of good. The Summer Cats spent a few years honing their sound on singles and EPs, and it really pays off on their debut. It’s the sound of a great rock band playing and writing at the peak of their game, and Songs for Tuesdays is an album anyone with a fondness for spiky, catchy, and super fun indie pop should own.”
–AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra–

https://goo.gl/nlOy6a

III. Compact Discs Recommendations:

The Rolling Stones:

Out of Our Heads (1965):
Out of Our Heads shows the Stones at a great time in their career. The band was still playing music that mixed traditional rhythm and blues with the sounds of classic rock and they were still covering other artists songs while also branching out and writing their own songs. This great album includes some super covers songs including Don Covay’s Mercy, Mercy, Bo Diddley’s I’m Alright, Marvin Gaye’s Hitch Hike and Sam Cooke’s Good Times. The album also includes some great original songs by Jagger & Richards including: The Last Time, Play With Fire, The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man, The Spider & The Fly and one of their all-time biggest hits — Satisfaction.

This CD isn’t quite ready to circulate but should be in the next few days – here’s a link to the request page in StarCat: https://goo.gl/9obOZz

The Kinks:

Face to Face (1966)
The Kinks were so much more than the sum of the hits they had – great songs though they were – the band was capable of producing excellent albums that flowed together as compared to simply being a group that whose albums featured hit singles.

This album received a great AllMusic review, which praises the album and notes that it is “One of the finest collections of pop songs released during the ’60s.” And I agree with that assessment!

When you listen to the early sound of The Kinks, as heard on their first album from 1964, and compare it to the sound of this album, released just a scant two years later — you can hear how the band has matured. Songs like the Dandy, Too Much on My Mind, Rainy Day in June, Sunny Afternoon and, my favorite, Party Line are really great classic rock songs that feature cool, creative lyrics.

And I do have to wonder – who out there even has a party line anymore?

But once upon time people did!

And this great album will be available in StarCat and our New CD Section shortly — it isn’t quite ready to circulate yet.

I will update this posting to include a request link for the album on CD as soon as it is ready to circulate.

The Animals:

Animalisms (1966)
The Animals, like The Rolling Stones started out playing a combination of traditional rhythm and blues and classic rock with a heavy emphasis on rhythm and blues. This is a great album! And in his review of Animalisms AllMusic editor Bruce Elder describes it nicely as “a truly transcendent collection of a dozen songs, mostly superb covers interspersed with some good originals, principally by Eric Burdon and Dave Rowberry. Burdon was never singing better and the group had developed a bold, tight sound that seemed to lift his soul shouting to ever higher levels of passion and conviction.” This album features twenty five songs including: Maudie, Sweet Little Sixteen, Gin House Blues, I Put A Spell on You, Don’t Bring Me Down and Inside Looking Out.

And this album too, is not quite ready to circulate, It will be available in StarCat and our New CD Section shortly.
I will update this posting to include a request link for the album on CD as soon as it is ready to circulate.

IV: Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups:

The Rolling Stones:

The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man

Mercy, Mercy

The Spider and the Fly

The Kinks:

A Well Respected Man

End of the Season

Waterloo Sunset 

Bonus Video:
The Big Boys by Chuck Berry – this is Berry’s first ever music video from his forthcoming album Chuck – being released posthumously in June:

V. Wild Card Print Book Recommendation Of The Week:

Talking Guitar: Conversations with Musicians Who Shaped Twentieth-Century American Music

by Jas Obrecht:

In this lively collection of interviews, storied music writer Jas Obrecht presents a celebration of the world’s most popular instrument as seen through the words, lives, and artistry of some of its most beloved players. Readers will read–and hear–accounts of the first guitarists on record, pioneering bluesmen, gospel greats, jazz innovators, country pickers, rocking rebels, psychedelic shape-shifters, singer-songwriters, and other movers and shakers. In their own words, these guitar players reveal how they found their inspirations, mastered their instruments, crafted classic songs, and created enduring solos. Also included is a CD of never-before-heard moments from Obrecht’s insightful interviews with these guitar greats.

Highlights include Nick Lucas’s recollections of waxing the first noteworthy guitar records; Ry Cooder’s exploration of prewar blues musicians; Carole Kaye and Ricky Nelson on the early years of rock and roll; Stevie Ray Vaughan on Jimi Hendrix; Gregg Allman on his brother, Duane Allman; Carlos Santana, Eric Johnson, and Pops Staples on spirituality in music; Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, and Tom Petty on songwriting and creativity; and early interviews with Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, and Ben Harper.
https://goo.gl/gi71zo

VI. References:

The Animals – Animalisms AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder
https://goo.gl/MhQOmm

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

DJ Dave Cash celebrates 50 years on the air
https://goo.gl/4SZMVm

The Kinks – Face to Face AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://goo.gl/vCJo8T

The Kinks Something Else Reviewed by Thomas Erlewine – AllMusic
https://goo.gl/oVTbaZ

The Kinks – The Kinks AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/uvhH9B

The Rolling Stones – Out Of Our Heads AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/9nxe6F

Sixties Rock: A Listener’s Guide by Robert Santelli (Contemporary Books. Chicago. 1985.)

Summer Cats Songs for Tuesday AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra
https://goo.gl/eI1iKL

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 Catalog 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.

Weekly Recommended Listens: May 2017: Week 2: Sixties Rock: The First British Invasion Continued

Linda Reimer

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 Dave Clark Five Biography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/SXRJEI

The Hollies Biography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/1pE3Cs

The Zombies Biography by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/NXdOrO

Freegal Notes:

To access Freegal Music from a desktop or laptop simply click on the following link: http://stlsny.freegalmusic.com/

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:

One of their biggest U.S. hits, Glad All Over

From the various artists album Top 100 Hits – 1963, Vol. 1
https://goo.gl/o8X38o

And the fun instrumental Chaquita

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.


https://goo.gl/ksYp3u

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.

She’s Not There

From the various artists collection 60’s Top Hits, Vol. II
https://goo.gl/TZ2UHp

Tell Her No

From the various artists collection Essential in Music, Vol. 2
https://goo.gl/z0lsTm

Time of the Season

From the various artists album Grandes Éxitos 1969:
https://goo.gl/QUaozd

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.

Here’s a link to stream The Essential Herbie Hancock album:
https://goo.gl/H9uWGi

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 and Catch 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.

Here’s a link to request the biography:

https://goo.gl/6Dj08H

VI. General References & Artist Specific References:

General 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.)

Recommended Artists Specific References:

The Hollies Evolution AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer
http://www.allmusic.com/album/evolution-mw0000690238

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.

Weekly Recommended Listens: May 2017: Week 1: Sixties Rock: The First British Invasion

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this week we’re kicking off a month long look, at the first British Invasion, the musical era that ran roughly from February of 1964, with The Beatles first appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, through the end of May 1967.

The release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on June 1, 1967, ushered in the second, late sixties, British Invasion which can be said to have roughly ended when The Beatles disbanded in 1970. We’ll offer listener’s advisory suggestions of the music of the second British Invasion in July. In June, we’ll cover the American music that was influenced by, and came just after, that first British Invasion.

And in an attempt to streamline these weekly music postings, henceforth, the first section will include links to artists/group biographies found on the AllMusic site and not typed up brief bios.

And I love that word, henceforth, what a great word!

But I digress; I’ll get off my love of language soap-box now and back to our music posting of the week!

Now each weekly recommended music posting will 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 Recommendations Of The Week

IV. Videos Of The Artists/Groups Of The Week

VI. Wild Card Print Book Recommendation Of The Week

VI. References

And this week we’ll check out the music of three of the first British Invasion groups to hold sway over the American music scene of the early sixties: The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers.

I. Links to AllMusic Biographies of the Artists/Groups of the Week:

The Beatles AllMusic Biography, written by Richie Unterberger:

https://goo.gl/Oaprx2

The Gerry and The Pacemakers AllMusic Biography, also written by Richie Unterberger:

https://goo.gl/W5Oh9e

The Searchers AllMusic Biography, written by Bruce Eder:

https://goo.gl/abBT4o

II. Freegal Music Recommendations Of The Week (streaming music):

The Beatles:

August 65’ Press Conference from the album Rock N’ Roll Of The ’60s:

I suspect I don’t need to say anything more about The Beatles, then that the band consisted of John, Paul, George and Ringo, so that is all I’m going to say!

If you don’t know much about The Beatles and would like to know more – drop by the library — we’ve got books on the band! And as far as their music goes, as The Beatles are one of the most critically acclaimed, most popular and bestselling bands of all time – you really can’t go wrong listening to any of their studio albums.

Unfortunately, the Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t contain any studio albums by The Beatles – so I’ll offer links to request all/any of the Beatles albums in the CD Recommendations Section:

And even though The Freegal Music Catalog doesn’t contain any Beatles studio albums, it does contain several audio interviews with the band. And I selected one of their press conferences from 1965 to recommend as it is easier to hear what the band members are saying in this recording than it is in others that feature the sounds of screaming fans in the background.

One little note, about the album this press conference comes from — it is titled Rock N’ Roll Of The ’60s and I recommend you listen to the fourteen minute Beatles press conference and ignore the rest of the album! Truly, because all the songs featured on the LP are re-recordings by the original artists and, to say the least, those re-recorded tunes cannot hold a candle to the original songs.

Having said that, here’s a link to the August 65′ Beatles press conference:
https://goo.gl/MN8K3k

Gerry & The Pacemakers:

Super Hits Live!

Gerry & The Pacemakers, like The Beatles, hailed from Liverpool, England. The original group featured lead singer-songwriter and guitarist Gerry Marsden, Gerry’s brother, Freddie Marsden on drums, John Chadwick on bass and Leslie Maguire on piano.

The Freegal Music Catalog does not contain any of the original sixties recordings by Gerry & The Pacemakers.

However, the catalog does contain a solidly listenable album by the band titled Super Hits Live! This LP features Gerry Marsden singing and playing with a later group of Pacemakers. The album offers a glimpse into the classic sound of the band. And despite the title, the three big hits it contains: Ferry Cross The Mersey, How Do You Do It? and I’m The One were actually recorded in the studio. The other songs were indeed, recorded live. And these newer recordings all feature a slightly older Marsden singing with a smoother, more mature sounding voice, that rather reminds me of the difference between the two versions of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do that Neil Sedaka recorded — the earlier version has the upbeat energy you’d expect of a young singer new to recording to have, and the second version is a ballad that is sung with a smoother depth, as if the singer has been around the block a few more times before he re-recorded the song.

And as with The Beatles, if you’d like to hear the original recordings of the band I recommend you skip down to the CD Recommendations section and place a request for the CD The Very Best of Gerry & The Pacemakers.

And here’s the link to stream Super Hits Live!:
https://goo.gl/rehlmU

The Searchers:

Needles and Pins:
The Searchers, like The Beatles & Gerry & The Pacemakers were from Liverpool, England and were a part of the Merseybeat scene that evolved there in the early sixties. The band featured John McNally and Mike Pender on guitars and vocals, Chris Curtis on drums and Tony Jackson on bass. The Searchers were another of the first wave of British Invasion groups that became popular in the U. S. in the early sixties and their hits included: Needles and Pins, Don’t Throw Your Love Away, When You Walk In The Room and the smash hit Love Potion No. 9.

This collection features 30 of the songs they recorded for Pye Records between 1963 and 1969 – and contains almost all of their hits, sans their cool version of Sugar And Spice. And the original un-re-recorded version of Sugar And Spice doesn’t appear to be available in the Freegal Music Catalog; however, it is available on the Searchers Greatest Hits album listed in the CD Recommendations section.

Here’s a link to stream the excellent Searchers Needles and Pins collection:

https://goo.gl/STBjja

III. CD Music Recommendations Of The Week

You can request all the Beatles albums through StarCat.

Following is a list of the original British releases.

The Early Albums:

Please Please Me (1963):


https://goo.gl/HH7r1V

With The Beatles (1963):


https://goo.gl/UjTIMW

A Hard Day’s Night (1964):


https://goo.gl/GThs9R

And we also have the movie A Hard Day’s Night on DVD:


https://goo.gl/hm1Q2K

Beatles For Sale (1964):


In doing the research for this posting, I discovered our copy of this album is assumed lost, which means it was checked out more than three months ago and has not been returned, a replacement copy has been ordered and it will appear in the StarCat soon.

The Middle Years Albums:

Help! (1965)


https://goo.gl/oGKg4G

The movie Help! is available too:


https://goo.gl/oGKg4G

Rubber Soul (1965)


https://goo.gl/EffAi1

Revolver (1966)


https://goo.gl/Y6u8VI

The Later Albums:

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)


https://goo.gl/3uCJu0

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)


https://goo.gl/XtPaKc

The Beatles (The White Album) (1968)


https://goo.gl/7EewpV

Yellow Submarine (1969):


https://goo.gl/7KoDmo

Also found in our collection is the movie Yellow Submarine:


https://goo.gl/vKLv1G

Abbey Road (1969):


https://goo.gl/g4P7Fe

Let It Be (1970):


https://goo.gl/gAafg7

And the documentary/movie Let It Be is available too:


https://goo.gl/8jgFrk

Bonus Beatles Songbook Recommendations!

Also of note, the library owns several Beatles song books and I’m listing  a few of them them here in case you’d like to play along with the songs on some of their albums!

The Beatles: The First Four Albums: (Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night & Beatles For Sale)


https://goo.gl/kh1Cn9

The Beatles: The Next Three Albums (Help! Rubber Soul & Revolver):


https://goo.gl/5awaoA

Magical Mystery Tour, Abbey Road & Let It Be:


https://goo.gl/vbT9ep

And now, without further ado, back to the suggested CDs of the week!

Gerry & The Pacemakers:

Very Best of Gerry & The Pacemakers:

A CD version of the Very Best of Gerry & The Pacemakers CD is about to be added to our collection!

This CD brings together all the ‘A’ sides from Gerry’s EMI singles from 1963 to 1966plus a selection of other recordings from the mid-Sixties and seven titles that showcase Gerry Marsden’s talents as a songwriter. It’s an infectious, good-humoured sound, a fitting reminder of one of Liverpool’s finest talents and greatest bands. The set includes 27 songs and all of the band’s most popular songs including: Ferry Cross The Mersey, You’ll Never Walk Alone, How Do You Do It? I Like It, Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying and I’m The One. — Description from the record label.

I’ll update this posting to include the request link for the album as soon as it is listed in StarCat.

And in the meantime if you’d like to request the CD, when it becomes available – you can send an email request to me at: reimerl@stls.org

British Invasion: Gerry & The Pacemakers –

It’s Gonna Be All Right, 1963-1965:


With the exception of the Beatles themselves, no other group dominated the early years of the British Invasion like Gerry & The Pacemakers. They were the first artists to have their first three singles top the British charts, and many of their songs are now beloved classics. Gerry & The Pacemakers: It’s Gonna Be All Right 1963-1965 features 17 complete songs filmed between 1963 and 1965 and is the group’s first official DVD release. Included are the classic ‘How Do You Do It’, ‘I Like It’ and ‘I’m The One’, timeless masterpieces ‘Ferry Cross The Mersey’ and ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’ In between the performances Gerry Marsden talks about the songs and tells the band s history in a new interview filmed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool exclusively for the DVD. Also telling the story is Bill Harry, the founder of the original Mersey Beat newspaper in Liverpool that reported the birth of British rock as it was happening. The DVD bonus section includes a new solo rendition of ‘Ferry Cross The Mersey’ filmed at the Cavern Club as well as a history of Liverpool’s Mersey Beat scene as told by Bill Harry. Description from the publisher.

Here’s a link to request the British Invasion: Gerry & The Pacemakers DVD:
https://goo.gl/eLyzYI

The Searchers:

Greatest Hits:

The Searcher’s Greatest Hits is an older, but excellent, collection put out by the great oldies label Rhino Records. This 18 song set features all the Searchers hits and most of their best songs including: Sweets for My Sweet, Love Potion No. 9, Sugar and Spice, Needles and Pins, Don’t Throw Your Love Away and When You Walk in the Room.

Here’s a link to request Searchers Greatest Hits CD:
https://goo.gl/tlYI07

IV. Videos Of The Artists/Groups Of The Week:

The Beatles:

The Early Years:

I Wanna Hold Your Hand: The Beatles as they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964:

Twist & Shout: From their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, February 23, 1964:

And one last video from their early years – the opening scene and a bit more from the film A Hard Day’s Night which gives those of us who came of age after the sixties a little taste of what Beatlemania was like:

The Middle Years:

Help! Recorded for British TV in 1965:

Rock N’ Roll Music, Baby’s In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, Nowhere Man and I’m Down recorded before a studio audience in Germany in 1966:

The Later Years:

Revolution

Hey Jude

Get Back from the famous Rooftop Gig the band played in 1969:

Gerry & The Pacemakers:

Ferry Cross The Mersey – from the TV show Top of The Pops:

How Do You Do It?

The Searchers:

Needles & Pins from The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964:

Love Potion No, 9

Bonus First British Invasion Videos:

And by the way, YouTube has hundreds if not thousands of videos by British Invasions artists/groups – you could spend all day watching them!

Here are just a few of the video gems I found while doing research for this posting:

A Summer Song by Chad & Jeremy as introduced by Dick Clark

Just One Look by The Hollies

Bits & Pieces by The Dave Clark Five

Here Comes My Baby by the Tremeloes

V. Wild Card Music Book Recommendation Of The Week


Love in Vain: Robert Johnson 1911-1938, the Graphic Novel by Jim Dickinson:

This is indeed a graphic novel style biography of the legendary Blues guitarist who, the myth says, sold his soul to the devil to be able to play incredible blues. This is a cool read!

From ‘Crossroads Blues’ to ‘Sweet Home Chicago’, ‘Hellhound on My Trail’ to ‘Come On In My Kitchen’, Robert Johnson wrote some of the most enduring and formative songs of the original blues era, songs that would go on to help shape the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s. Beloved of Clapton, Dylan and the Stones, Robert Johnson remains one of the most iconic and mythologized figures in popular music (and the first of many to die at the age of 27). Born in the in the South in Mississippi, Johnson made his way to the urban North as a traveling musician, but it was only when he returned to the South that he recorded the twenty-nine songs, in two sessions, which would create his legacy.

Exploring the stories and legends that surround his life and death — his childhood, his womanizing, his pact with the devil at the crossroads — Mezzo and DuPont have produced a fittingly creative and beautiful depiction of this most extraordinary life. — from the publisher

Here’s a link to request the book:

https://goo.gl/Iz0phN

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.)

Online References:

The Beatles (official website)
http://www.thebeatles.com/

The Beatles AllMusic Discography, written by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/0sfb5m

George Harrison, ‘Quiet Beatle’ And Lead Guitarist, Dies at 58, written by Allan Koxinn published in The New York Times December 1, 2001.
https://goo.gl/bsPeLs

Gerry & the Pacemakers AllMusic Discography, written by Richie Unterberger
https://goo.gl/IWGr6P

John Lennon Bio – Rolling Stone
https://goo.gl/5RCp5b

Needles and Pins Album Review & Searchers Biography – iTunes
https://goo.gl/FP9UWd

The Searchers AllMusic Discography, written by Bruce Eder
https://goo.gl/6kn8e2

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.

Weekly Recommended Listens: April 2017: Week 4: Sixties Rock: Soul Music Concluded

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, this week we’re concluding our cliff notes look at Early Sixties Soul Music.

Just as a reminder, each weekly recommended music posting features the following sections:

I. Very Brief Artist Bios

II. Freegal Music Recommendations (streaming music)

III. CD Music Recommendations Of The Week

IV. Videos Of This Week

V. Wild Card Print Book Recommendation Of The Week

VI. References (for those who’d like to know a bit more about the artists of the week).

This week we’ll we’ll check out the music of Gene Chandler, Major Lance and a selection of some of the great artists that recorded for the legendary label Stax Records during the sixties and seventies. And next week we’ll kick off a month long look at the artists and groups of the first British Invasion – the one that started with The Beatles performances on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and was succeeded by a second British Invasion of more experimental sixties rock, that roughly began with the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band in June of 1967.

I. Very Brief Artist Bios

Gene Chandler: Gene Chandler was born Eugene Dixon on July 6, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois. Chandler began his singing career in Chicago in the late fifties singing a mixture of traditional rock n’ roll and R&B as a member of the group The Du-Kays, also seen spelled The Dukays.

The Dukays recorded several cool albums which wove sounds of traditional R&B and rock with doo-wop and, you can hear the emerging sound of Soul music in their early sixties hits. The band had two minor charting singles during the early sixties: The Girl is Evil and Owl Night, and actually recorded a version of the soul classic Duke of Earl. Just after the band recorded their version of Duke of Earl, Gene Dixon decided to go solo and he re-recorded Duke of Earl on a new label and with a new stage name – Gene Chandler. And the song went all the way to the top of the pop charts in 1962. Duke of Earl became Chandler’s signature song and he even went on to perform concerts wearing long robes and a crown as if he truly was an earl.

As a solo artist Chandler stepped away from the Doo Wop style and began singing music that combined the musical elements of Soul Music – traditional Rock N’ Roll and R&B. He never again had a huge cross over hit. However, he continued to hit the R&B charts during the sixties era with several other cool songs including: Just Be True, Bless Our Love and Groovy Situation.

And although the sixties were Chandler’s charting heyday, he continued recording through the seventies and had several more hits including Get Down and Does She Have A Friend.

Today, Chandler lives in Chicago and continues to play concerts.

Major Lance: Major Lance was born in Winterville, Mississippi on April 4, 1939 and moved to Chicago as a youth. Lance sang Gospel music as a child and attended Chicago’s Wells High School where he met two other future Soul & R&B greats, Impressions co-founders Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. Early in his career Lance sang with the Five Gospel Harmonaires and with Otis Leavill and his Floats. And it was Lance’s connection with Leavill, who like Mayfield and Butler was a childhood friend, that landed him his first recording contract with Okeh Records in 1962. Lance’s first single, the Mayfield written tune Delilah, was not a hit; however, his second single, The Monkeytime, was a major league smash. The Monekytime brought Lance to the front and center of attention of pop and R&B fans. The song was a huge crossover hit, cracking the top ten on both the R&B and Pop charts and establishing Lance as a solid member of the new Soul Music scene. Lance had a number of other hits in the sixties including: Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, The Matador, Come And See, Hey Little Girl, Think Nothing About It, Rhythm, Ain’t No Soul (In These Rock ‘N’ Roll Shoes) & Too Hold To Hold.

Lance’s musical heyday was in the sixties, and he sporadically recorded in the seventies and eighties and played concerts until his health failed in the nineties.

Major Lance died in 1994 at the young age of 55 leaving behind some great soul music.

Stax Records: Stax Records was founded in Memphis in 1959 as Volt Records by siblings Jim Stewart and Estelle Stewart Axton. Stewart and Axton changed the name of the label in 1961 by combining the first two letters of their last names.

And many, many artists recorded for Stax and, became well known to music fans as a result, including their house band Booker T. & The MG’s, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Delaney & Bonnie, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, Little Milton, Mavis Staples, The Bar-Kays, The Dells, The Mar-Keys, William Bell, The Staple Singers and Rufus and Carla Thomas.

During the sixties and early seventies Stax recording artists had a whopping 410 singles hit the charts!

Stax music, collectively, sits at the crossroads of soul, traditional rhythm and blues and traditional rock music; you can hear the elements of all three styles woven into the music of Stax artists. And even though we’re now decades away from the years that saw those charting singles recorded, somehow they still sound as fresh and vibrant today as if they were recorded yesterday.

II. Freegal Music Recommendations (streaming music):

Gene Chandler:

The Very Best of Gene Chandler:

This album contains a selection of Chandler’s sixties hits including: Duke of Earl, Night Owl, You Threw A Lucky Punch, Just Be True, What Now? and more.

Here’s a link to stream The Very Best of Gene Chandler album:
https://goo.gl/PfTuC1

Gene Chandler’s Greatest:

The music on this album falls outside the genre of sixties soul instead offering the great sounds of seventies soul with elements of funk woven in — but it is a great album so I thought I’d include it!

Songs on this album include: Get Down, Does She Have a Friend (For Me?) and When You’re # 1.

Here’s a link to stream Gene Chandler’s Greatest Hits (of the seventies):
https://goo.gl/wWBAA0

Major Lance:

The Very Best Of Major Lance: 

This best of collection features sixteen songs including: The Monekytime, Mama Didn’t Know, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Too Hot To Hold and more – here’s a link to stream the Very Best of Major Lance album:

https://goo.gl/2BD4cT

The Essential Major Lance:

And if you find you love the music of Gene Chandler here ‘s a link to stream a 40 song double album put out by Epic Records simply titled The Essential Major Lance: 

https://goo.gl/qEEsxh

Stax Artists/Groups:

Live: 1989 Memphis Music & Heritage Festival by Carla Thomas:

This is short album by Carla Thomas featuring just six songs: Let Me Be Good To You, Stand By Me-Chain Gang Medley, Neither One Of Us, The Birth of the Blues, Little Red Rooster and Gee Whiz. If you haven’t heard Carla Thomas’s music before this is a good introduction that will leave you wanting to hear more!

Here’s a link to stream the album Live: 1989 Memphis Music & Heritage Festival:
https://goo.gl/2sUlF3

The RZA Presents Shaolin Soul Selection: Vol. 1 by Various Artists:

This collection features songs by Stax artists including William Bell, Isaac Hayes, Johnnie Taylor, Booker T. & The MG’s, Little Milton & Albert King as well some other great artists/groups including The Sweet Inspirations with Cissy Houston.

Here’s a link to stream The RZA Presents Shaolin Soul Selection: Vol. 1 album:
https://goo.gl/SzOV0R

 Former Stax Artists Collection:

926 East McLemore – A Reunion of Former Stax Artists, Vol. 1

This set features a number of great artists that recorded for Stax including: Rufus Thomas, The Bar-Kays, Ollie Nightingale & The Mad Lads.

Here’s a ink to stream the album:
https://goo.gl/JAKSgh

III. CD Music Recommendations Of The Week

Gene Chandler:

The Girl Don’t Care:
One of Chandler’s best, chock full of midtempo grooves, succulent ballads and jump tunes like “Good Times.” Curtis Mayfield’s “Nothing Can Stop Me” is spiced with punchy horns and choral backing vocals for Gene to play his cool, swaggering tenor against. The pain in his voice is undeniable on “Here Come the Tears,” where he literally cries the agonizing lyrics. He gets philosophical on “The Girl Don’t Care,” an intense ballad that always seems too short. This could almost pass for a greatest-hits LP, since at least six of the selections were released as A-sides. “Fool for You,” as well as the others mentioned above, got their share of plays on soul stations, and all should have been bigger hits. The B-sides occupy most of side two and are just a couple of notches below the plug sides. It’s amazing how overlooked and underappreciated these gems were.

–AllMusic Review by Andrew Hamilton–

Here’s a link to request the CD Girl Don’t Care:

https://goo.gl/XE5sFN

Major Lance:

Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um:
Sales didn’t reflect it, but this is probably Curtis Mayfield’s best production, and Lance’s best album: every track is a winner. “Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um,” “Hey Little Girl,” and “The Monkey Time” were major busters for Major Lance; all had a mock cha-cha beat. And the unheralded tracks are just as good: Lance’s “Gypsy Woman” is as haunting as the Impressions’ original; “Think Nothing About It” is endearing and marvelously simplistic, one of Mayfield’s best compositions (Gene Chandler recorded it later). If Okeh had released “That’s What Mama Say” as a single, it would have done some damage (both the Impressions and Walter Jackson recorded the tender mama-done-told-me song, and although Jackson’s version scored an R&B hit, it lacks the bite of Lance’s version). “You’ll Want Me Back” is serene and beautiful; it was also done by the Impressions, but Lance’s rendition stirs the pot. Lance had a more dynamic voice than Mayfield, his childhood friend — it was heavier and had more teeth than Mayfield’s light tenor — yet Mayfield had more all-around skills and became far more successful. The Impressions sing background on most of the tracks, and you can hear the rainbowing of voices with Lance’s cutting through and dominating like a dictator. Take “Little Young Lover,” a good song by the Impressions, but a candidate for hitsville when Lance does it. He does an excellent job on “It’s All Right,” “I’m the One Who Loves You,” and “Gotta Right to Cry”; the latter sounds like a group recording with Lance leading, and the Impressions — Mayfield (first tenor), Fred Cash (baritone), and Sam Gooden (tenor) — trying to win a harmony contest. One listen to this LP, and you’ll be a Major Lance (and Curtis Mayfield) fan for life.

–AllMusic Review by Andrew Hamilton–

Here’s a link to request the CD Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um:

https://goo.gl/FEJM3n

Stax 50th Anniversary Collection by various artists:

When Concord Music purchased Fantasy Records in 2006, the bulging Stax catalog came along for the ride. Not a bad deal, especially since Stax remains one of the richest and most vital sources of ’60s and ’70s soul, blues, and R&B. The newly reactivated label’s debut release is a lavishly boxed double-disc set of 50 highlights–as opposed to hits–from the Memphis label’s voluminous vaults to celebrate its 50th anniversary. All the usual suspects appear, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, Albert King, and the Staple Singers. But the compilers deliver a well-rounded, even eclectic collection by including tracks from such relatively obscure acts as the Astors, Ollie & the Nightingales, the Mad Lads, Linda Lyndell, and Mable John, whose “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” is one of the great lost soul treasures. Propelled in large part by house band Booker T. & the MGs, the majority of these songs have become integral threads in the fabric of American soul. Even at two and a half hours, there’s not a dull moment here. That is a testament not just to the Stax musicians, but to a label whose artists defined a classic sound that remains as timeless, relevant, influential, and electrifying as when it was recorded.

–Hal Horowitz, Amazon Review–

Here’s a link to request the CD Stax 50th Anniversary Collection:

https://goo.gl/2iWMQk

IV. Videos Of This Weeks’ Artists/Groups

Gene Chandler – Duke of Earl

Gene Chandler – Nothing Can Stop Me

Major Lance – The Monkey Time

Major Lance – Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um

Stax Artists:

Carla Thomas – Gee Whiz

Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign

Sam & Dave – Hold On I’m Comin’ (Live in 1967)

Eddie Floyd-Knock On Wood 

Otis Redding “Try A Little Tenderness” Live 1967

V. Wild Card Print Book Recommendation Of The Week:

Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon 

This week I’m going to stay with the monthly musical subject of Sixties Soul and suggest you check out a book and DVD with the same name on that very subject!

The book and DVD are both titled Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion. The book was written by Robert Gordon and here is the starred review from Publishers Weekly:  In the late 1950s, Jim Stewart, and his sister, Estelle Axton, moved their little fledgling recording studio into the defunct Capitol Theater in Memphis, Tenn., opening their doors and establishing the record label that gave birth to gritty, funky soul music. A masterful storyteller, music historian Gordon (It Came from Memphis) artfully chronicles the rise and fall of one of America’s greatest music studios, situating the story of Stax within the cultural history of the 1960s in the South. Stewart, a fiddle player who knew he’d never make it in the music business himself, one day overheard a friend talking about producing music; he soon gave it a try, and eventually he was supervising the acclaimed producer Chips Moman in the studio as well as creating a business plan for the label; Estelle Axton set up a record shop in the lobby of the theater, selling the latest discs but also spinning music just recorded in the studio and gauging its market appeal. Gordon deftly narrates the stories of the many musicians who called Stax home, from Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, and Otis Redding to Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, and the Staples Singers, as well as the creative marketing and promotional strategies—the Stax-Volt Revue and Wattstax. By the early 1970s, bad business decisions and mangled personal relationships shuttered the doors of Stax. Today, the Stax sound permeates our lives and, in Gordon’s words, became the soundtrack for liberation, the song of triumph, the sound of the path toward freedom.

–Publishers Weekly Review–

The DVD is a documentary based upon Gordon’s book and it can be found in our Non-Fiction DVD Section:

Here’s a link to request the bookRespect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion :

https://goo.gl/mWWbQH

And here’s a link to request the documentary DVDRespect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion:

https://goo.gl/XXz2C2

VI. General References & Artist Specific References:

General References:
All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide To R&B And Soul. (Backbeat Books. Fresno. 2003.)

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

Dreams To Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records And The Transformation of Southern Soul by Mark Ribowsky. Published by Liveright. 2015.

The Dukays Biography by Andrew Hamilton
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-dukays-mn0000785533

Estelle Axton Biography by Jason Ankeny
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/estelle-axton-mn0000805122

Um, um, um, um, um, um AllMusic Review by Andrew Hamilton https://goo.gl/jj8AMw

Girl Don’t Care AllMusic Review by Andrew Hamilton
http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-girl-dont-care-mw0000226045

Otis Leavill Biography by Andrew Hamilton
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/otis-leavill-mn0000894018/biography

Respect Yourself Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon. Published by Bloomsburg. New York. 2013.

Sixties Rock: A Listener’s Guide by Robert Santelli (Contemporary Books. Chicago. 1985.)

Recommended Artists Specific References:

The Official Gene Chandler Website:
http://www.genechandler.com/index2.html

Gene Chandler “The Duke Of Earl” POSTED 12:38 AM, DECEMBER 10, 2013, Interview BY MICHAEL HEIDEMANN WWGN Radio.
http://wgnradio.com/2013/12/10/gene-chandler-the-duke-of-earl/

Major Lance Bio
http://www.oldies.com/artist-view/Major-Lance.html

Major Lance, 55, Soul Singer in 60’s Published: September 5, 1994. New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/05/obituaries/major-lance-55-soul-singer-in-60-s.html

Stax homepage
https://www.staxrecords.com/

Stax History
https://www.staxrecords.com/pages/history

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.

Newly Added E-Books, Digital Audiobooks & Streaming Videos

Linda Reimer

Happy Friday everyone!

Here is a list of the new e-books, digital audiobooks (AKA downloadable audiobooks) and streaming videos just added to the Digital Catalog!

For more information click on the PDF link at the end of the list.

Audiobooks:

Title

Before I Fall

House of Shattered Wings: Dominion of the Fallen Series, Book 1

In Bed with a Highlander: Highlander Series, Book 1

Luna: New Moon: Luna Series, Book 1

Royally Screwed: Royals Trilogy, Book 1

The American Spirit

The Hope Chest

E-Books:

Accidentally on Purpose: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel

Against the Tide of Years: Emberverse: Island in the Sea of Time Series, Book 2

Bella Poldark: Poldark Series, Book 12

Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks

Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam

Disobedience: A Novel

First Rider’s Call: Green Rider Series, Book 2

Food Freedom Forever: Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety Around Food by the Co-Creator of the Whole30

Glow of Death: Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series, Book 11

Midnight Taxi Tango–A Bone Street Rumba Novel: Bone Street Rumba Series, Book 2

Off Rock

On the Oceans of Eternity: Emberverse: Island in the Sea of Time Series, Book 3

One Christmas Wish: Heart of the Rockies Series, Book 3

Parable of the Sower: Parable Series, Book 1

Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life

Redefining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America

Rocky Mountain Wedding: Heart of the Rockies Series, Book 5

Seduced

Six Impossible Things

Sleeping Giant: How the New Working Class Will Transform America

Snared

Song of the Lion: Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito Series, Book 3

Spider’s Bite: Elemental Assassin Series, Book 1

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right

The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent

The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For

The Angry Tide: Poldark Series, Book 7

The Birthday of the World and Other Stories

The Bones of Paradise: A Novel

The Book of Harlan

The Burial Hour: Lincoln Rhyme Series, Book 13

The Calling

The Chemist

The Choosing: Seer Series, Book 1

The Chosen: Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, Book 15

The Law of Attraction

The Loving Cup: Poldark Series, Book 10

The Miller’s Dance: Poldark Series, Book 9

The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child

The Progeny: A Novel

The Psychology of Democracy

The Psychology of Dictatorship

The Relic Master: A Novel

The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between

The Returning: Seer Series, Book 3

The Seven Realms: The Complete Series: The Demon King; The Exiled Queen…

The Stranger from the Sea: Poldark Series, Book 8

The Twisted Sword: Poldark Series, Book 11

Web of Lies: Elemental Assassin Series, Book 2

What Angels Fear: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series, Book 1

When Gods Die: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series, Book 2

Where Serpents Sleep: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series, Book 4

Where Shadows Dance: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series, Book 6

Why Mermaids Sing: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series, Book 3

Streaming Videos:

Friends: Presented in American Sign Language

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Invasion, U.S.A.

New OverDrive Titles April 28, 2017