Dave Schwensen's Blog, page 18

#260 – If This Is It

#260 – If This Is It by Huey Lewis and The News

A great bunch’a sports!

Those darn kids…

They’re always rebelling against something. And as usual, especially when it comes to pop music, the dividing line is marked by the generation gap.

Hey, we’ve all been there. So I know that you know that I know what I’m talking about. And in case you didn’t know, I was channeling my innerRalph Kramden for that last statement.

“Homina, homina!”

Here’s another statement:

Don’t trust anyone over the age of 3...

#261 – Too Many People

#261 – Too Many People by Paul & Linda McCartney

Linda and Paul

This was an extraordinary time to be a teenager and a music fan. By 1971 the 60’s were definitely over, but we were still feeling the aftershocks. Withthe benefit of hindsight, we were moving into an entirely new music scene that had already evolved from pop into rock and was still being shaped by some of our old heroes. But as the decade continued our musical choices are now remembered as a roller coaster of highs and lows.

For...

The Beatles: All These Years Vol 1. Tune In by Mark Lewisohn

We’ve Waited “All These Years” For This…

The Classic Rocker Featured Book Review

Rating: Five Classic Rock Stars

This ispart oneof the Holy Grail of Beatles Bios. Lewisohn, already the author of numerous books on the group and music, took on a project that Im sure more than a few of us thought, Its been done before. As a first generation fan who has read many of the previous in-depth bios and personal memoirs from historians, associates, friends, hanger-ons and wannabe hanger-ons, I automatic...

#262 – Do Ya

#262 – Do Ya by Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra

Musicologists will probably disagree with me on this. But that doesnt concern me. The only thing concerning me was how much Ive wanted to use that term for a while in this countdown – and Ive just succeeded.

Chalk one up to tenacity. My next dilemma is that I dont exactly know what musicologists do. I could look it up, but I dont have the tenacity to do that at the moment.

Do you? Do ya?

As a Classicrockmusicologist and I just...

#263 – Candle In The Wind

#263 – Candle In The Wind by Elton John

Now batting: Elton John

As Mr. Cub, the immortal Chicago baseball star Ernie Banks would say, “Let’s play two!”

In case you’re not a baseball fan, or if you are but refuse to acknowledge anything to do with The Cubs because they draw more paying customers during losing streaks than your favorite team on a winning roll, let me count it out for you. “Let’s pay two!” means back-to-back. Banks enjoyed the sport so much that playing one game a day wasn’t eno...

#264 – I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues

#264 – I Guess��That’s Why They Call It The Blues by Elton John

This is like a bad sitcom episode. Picture a few guys sitting around a kitchen table waiting for their wives to come home. They’ve screwed-up, like guys will do, and are trying to invent an excuse that will keep them out of trouble. Each made-up story is getting dumb and dumber. Just before the dumbest guy in the group comes up with the dumbest excuse that will inevitably get them into even more trouble, the other guys will uncomf...

#265 – Oh, Pretty Woman

#265 – Oh, Pretty Woman by Van Halen

Diamond Dave and not Napoleon XIV

Yeah, I know… this is a remake; a cover version of a chart-topper by all-time Classic Rocker Roy Orbison. The original��came out in the summer of 1964 and landed at No. 1 on the worldwide music charts. That was a huge achievement for a U.S. artist during the overwhelming British Music Invasion that had dominated the scene since earlier that winter.

What also makes this very cool is that it came from Orbison and not a Fab-infl...

#266 – No Time

#266 – No Time by The Guess Who

It’s all too much – The Guess Who

Here’s a great thing about being a baby boomer and growing up listening to the music of the ’60’s. Every week you could have a new favorite band or singer. Okay, there were always the “untouchables.” You knew the latest song by The Beatles or The Rolling Stones would be great, but there was so much happening music-wise you didn’t know who or what would be topping your personal “fav” chart next.

An argument can be made that it was...

Face the Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley

Taking Off The Makeup

The Classic Rocker Featured Book Review

Face the Music: A Life Exposed��by��Paul Stanley

Rating: FIVE Classic Rock Stars

I���ll start this off with an admission: I���m not a member of the��KISS Army. They���re not the masters of my rock���n roll universe, so don���t in any way consider this to be a biased review. It could���ve gone either way. But with that said, here���s another admission: I loved this book.

This is an opinionated and inspiring bio. Paul Stanley was a kid wi...

#267 – Turn Down Day

#267 – Turn Down Day by The Cyrkle

Being A Short Diversion On The Dubious Origins Of Raga-Rock

Part One:

The story begins in early April 1965 when the Beatles convened on a sound stage at Twickenham Film Studios in London to film the Indian Restaurant scene in Help! If you remember, a small Indian orchestra of four musicians was laying down the background track for what was supposed to be a quiet lunch of soup. Under The Fab Four’s very eyes, perhaps hidden by the long Beatle bangs blow-dried ov...