Nonamedufus's Blog (78)

Unusual Rock And Roll Christmas Songs (4)

Well it's Christmas Eve and what better unusual Christmas rock song to profile than 2000 Miles by Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. The song was released in November of 1983, followed by inclusion on the group's third album Learning to Crawl.

For more and a performance of 2000 Miles visit dufusdownbeat… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 24, 2009 at 5:06am — 2 Comments

Unusual Rock And Roll Christmas Songs (3)

Our third unusual Christmas rock song is one of the first I recall hearing that wasn't by Bing Crosby, Dean Martin or Elvis or some such artist. Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys was released in 1963 at the height of their popularity, when I was 11 years old. I thought it was pretty cool. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the song borrows heavily from their hit Little Deuce Coupe.

For more and a performance of Little St. Nick… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 23, 2009 at 4:03am — No Comments

Unusual Rock And Roll Christmas Songs (2)

Welcome to Day 2 of our week long look at unusual Christmas rock songs. Today's tune comes from a favourite artist of mine - Chris Rea. Driving Home For Christmas was one of two new tracks on the compilation album New Light Through Old Windows, released in 1988.

For more and a video performance of Driving Home For Christmas steer on over to… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 22, 2009 at 3:47am — No Comments

Unusual Rock and Roll Christmas Songs (1)

Welcome to Christmas week at dufusdownbeat. This week, in the days leading up to Christmas, I thought I'd post every day and share with you some of my favourite not-so traditional Christmas songs from the world of rock and roll.

For more and a performance of Fairytale of New York by the Pogues mush on over to … Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 21, 2009 at 9:37am — No Comments

PLease Mr. Postman

Some might think it was originally performed by the Beatles in 1963 or by the Carpenters in 1975, but it was the girl group the Marvelettes who first had a hit with Please Mr. Postman in 1961. While there's some discrepancy over the writing credits for the tune, the one constant in the various versions include Brian Holland of Motown's hit-making team…

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Added by nonamedufus on December 17, 2009 at 3:45am — No Comments

Leader Of The Pack

One genre dufusdownbeat has sadly slighted is Girl Groups. Well, this week we rectify that.

The Shangri-Las formed in Queen's New York in 1963 and was made of of two sets of sisters: 14 year-old lead singer Mary Weiss and her 17 year-old sister Betty, and back up singers and identical twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser, 16 years of age. While they recorded as a quartet, they often toured as a trio because Betty didn't like to… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 15, 2009 at 4:16am — No Comments

Sub Rosa Subway

In the mid 70s, as FM radio was coming into it's own in Canada, there was a song getting a lot of airplay that many listeners thought was the new disc by the Beatles. Sub-Rosa Subway had a Beatlesque sound to it and the vocals were dead ringers for John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

The song was about Alfred Ely Beach, the man responsible for building the New York city subway system. But the group wasn't England's Beatles. In reality it… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 10, 2009 at 4:27am — 1 Comment

Eve Of Destruction

For a 13 year old living in Canada the Viet Nam war was not something top of mind for me. But I was into music and in 1965 a guy named Barry McGuire began to climb the charts with a tune called Eve of Destruction.

The song was everywhere. It was on the radio. My buds and I used to sing it. And McGuire performed it on every television music show beamed into my rec room.

For more and a performance of Eve of Destruction go do… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 8, 2009 at 4:20am — 1 Comment

White Bird

It's A Beautiful Day formed in 1967 in San Francisco. They achieved moderate success but nowhere near the popularity of some of their "summer of love" contemporaries.

Their leader, David LaFlamme, had been a violin soloist with the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

For more and a live performance drop by… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 3, 2009 at 5:36am — No Comments

Hang on Sloopy

In the mid 60s, a group called the Strangeloves were riding high with a song called I Want Candy. They'd been touring with the Dave Clark Five and had been playing a tune called Hang On Sloopy. The Dave Clark Five liked it so much they were about to record it. But the Strangeloves had other ideas. They gave it to an outfit called Rick and the Raiders, led by 17 year-old Rick Zehringer - later known as Rick Derringer - and they put it out under… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on December 1, 2009 at 4:24am — No Comments

Absolutely Right

As a music-loving teenager in Ottawa, Canada's capital, I can recall high-school dances and local concerts with Canadian groups making their tours. April Wine, Lighthouse, Chilliwack, The Guess Who and 3s A Crowd were just some of the acts that stormed through our city.

There were local groups too. One popular band was the Staccatos formed in the mid 60s. They always seemed a cut above the rest of the local groups so it came as no surprise… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 26, 2009 at 4:22am — No Comments

Love Potion #9

The Searchers apparently took their name from the 1956 John Wayne film of the same name, directed by John Ford. The group formed in the late 50s and went through various line-ups before they achieved hit records in the 60s.

At one point they gave the Beatles a run for their money on the English pop charts and were the second Liverpool group after the fab four to chart a hit in the States with Needles and Pins in 1964.

For… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 24, 2009 at 4:13am — No Comments

I Want Candy

The Monkees, perhaps, are the best example - or worst, depending upon your point of view - of a manufactured pop group who scored significant chart success. But The Strangeloves aren't that far behind. The Strangeloves were 3 guys from New York who said they were former sheep farmers from Australia. Their story went that they got rich over a new form of sheep crossbreeding and used their millions to start a rock group. Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 19, 2009 at 5:12am — No Comments

Massachusetts

The Gibb Brothers were born in England and moved to Australia where they grew up. Their early success, such as it was, was achieved down under before returning to England in the mid-60s. This is the period of the Bee Gees career that I like. They may have been more popular at the forefront of the disco scene, earned more money and sold more records but Barry, Maurice and Robin could sure write and perform pop hits in the decade beginning in the… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 17, 2009 at 3:47am — No Comments

Lonely Teardrops

He influenced a considerable number of artists - Van Morrison and Michael Jackson among them - and his spirited performances earned him the nickname "Mr. Excitement". Jackie Wilson is often cited as a key artist in the transition of rhythm and blues to soul. He started out in the mid to late 50s as a member of the R&B group the Dominoes, but he's far better known for an almost 20 year solo career that ended abruptly in 1975.

For… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 12, 2009 at 4:07am — 1 Comment

Summertime Blues

In 1958, Eddie Cochrane hit the airwaves with a teenage anthem of angst called Summertime Blues. It peaked at #8. Among other things, the song speaks to the then voting age in the United States of 21. While it was subsequently lowered to 18, Cochrane never got to exercise his democratic right. Ironically he was killed in a car crash in Britain at the age of 21 in 1960.

For more and videos of Cochane and The Who's versions of this… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 10, 2009 at 4:18am — 1 Comment

Creep

We forgo our 70s spotlight today to continue with our post-Halloween theme this week. What better rock song to highlight Halloween than Creep by Radiohead. The band's most popular song ever had a rather rocky and uncertain beginning. Recorded and released in 1992 the song wasn't at all popular until it was released as part of Radiohead's first album, Pablo Honey. Indeed, as a single, the song sold only 6,000 copies in their native Britain and… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 5, 2009 at 4:07am — No Comments

Zombie

It must subconsciously have something to do with Halloween's coming and going last weekend but dufusdownbeat leaves the 60s and 70s behind this week to spotlight a song that actually has absolutely nothing to do with ghosts and goblins, Zombie by The Cranberries.

Every once in a while this song rumbles around in my head and I find myself muttering under my breath "ZAH-OM-BEE, ZAH-OM-BEE". It's just so damn catchy.

For more,… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on November 3, 2009 at 3:47am — No Comments

Do You Feel Like We Do?

At 18, having already spent 3 years as lead singer and guitarist of The Herd, Peter Frampton joined up with Steve Marriott of the Small Faces in 1968 to form Humble Pie. Three years and 5 albums later Frampton embarked on a solo career.

In 1973 he released Frampton's Camel, a moderately successful LP that contained a tune called "Do You Feel Like We Do". A catchy tune, Frampton featured it in his live performances where it received… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on October 29, 2009 at 3:26am — No Comments

Jennifer Eccles

Since their formation in the late 60s, Graham Nash has been an integral part of the various incarnations of groups bearing his name: Crosby, Stills, Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; and Crosby and Nash - not to mention his solo efforts from time to time. But prior to the supergroup known as CSN and its legendary spin-offs, Nash was also an integral part and founding member of The Hollies.

For more and a performance of Jennifer… Continue

Added by nonamedufus on October 27, 2009 at 3:17am — No Comments