Song Of The Day - Something For Nothing - Rush

Since as long as I have been listening to Rush - some 20 odd years, this tune has always been and remains of of my favorites. It rocks, yes, but what has always stood out is the final verse - on it's own is brilliant, but a screaming Geddy Lee gives it the punch it deserves!

peace and Happy Friday


Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee

Waiting for the winds of change
To sweep the clouds away
Waiting for the rainbows end
To cast its gold your way
Countless ways
You pass the days

Waiting for someone to call
And turn your world around
Looking for an answer to
The question you have found
Looking for
An open door

You dont get something for nothing
You dont get freedom for free
You wont get wise
With the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dreams might be

What you own is your own kingdom
What you do is your own glory
What you love is your own power
What you live is your own story
In your head is the answer
Let it guide you along
Let your heart be the anchor
And the beat of your own song

Song of the Day - Billy Bragg - Waiting for the Great Leap Forward

In September of 2008 I had the pleasure of attending a very intimate show featuring Mr. Billy Bragg. He played the tiny La Maroquinerie in Paris' 20eme arrondissement. Having been a fan for some time, I was more than excited to see him perform. What I'll say about the show is this; it was arguably the most enjoyable concert I have ever been to.

It was a perfect night. Billy played an amazing show and created a wonderful connection with the 300 or so of us in the audience. He sang our favorites and shared for us a bit of his ideology about love, war, peace and life.

After the show he came up from the basement to the outdoor courtyard and mingled with those of us who wanted to continue the evening talking about our favorite moments of the show. He proved a humble, gracious man who, to me at least, really is his music. His songs are captivating, moving and timeless.

Here is a clip of Billy doing Waiting for the Great Leap Forward for a television show in Seattle. The intro for the show is a bit long, but this version gives you an honest look at what it's like to attend a show.

Enjoy!

Visit his site for information on his Summer 2009 tour dates. He will be playing across the US from 31 July to 05 October.

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/index.php

Song of the Day - The Go Betweens - Bye Bye Pride

The Go Betweens often go unnoticed and rarely get the credit they deserve outside of their cult-like following. Shortly before Grant passed away, he and Robert Forrester played a little jam session which they recorded and released on a DVD titled'That Striped Sunlight Sound'. Here is a sample of what they did. This clip shows the two really enjoying playing music together as if they were teenagers again. Bye Bye Pride is just one of many fantastic tunes from their extraordinary canon.

Song of the Day: 4th of July Edition - Woody Guthrie - This land is Your Land

From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While all around me a voice was sounding
Saying this land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.

Rather than propagate a false mythology, This Land is Your Land branishes America's physical beauty and enduring spirit of freedom. It speaks of an America that is at the heart of my American dream - one full of hope and peace, warmth and equality.

Happy 4th of July.

Song of the "Happy Canada" Day - Last American Exit - The Tragically Hip

Today is Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, so I'd like to wish my former neighbors from the North a happy Canada Day. I'm not Canadian, I'm a Buffalonian and growing up in Buffalo, NY, there was very little that separated us from our Ontario cousins. We love hockey, Canadian Lager, donuts and understand all too well long, freezing-cold winters. A friend of mine used to say that the only difference between a Buffalonian and a Canadian from Ontario was that while the Canadians use the expression "eh?”, a Buffalonian would say "huh?". If you pay attention, more often than not, he’s right.

Canada - "Going to the game, eh?"
Buffalo - "Going to the game, huh?"

and so on!

Today's SOTD features The Tragically Hip, arguably Canada’s most successful rock band. Taken from their self-titled EP, “Last American Exit” lends itself to life on the road, and the return home. In the video it appears that they exit from Detroit, Michigan, but before ever seeing the video I thought (or hoped) he was perhaps singing about Buffalo, since from one or two directions, it would be the last exit.

Video taken from youtube.com, originally posted by The Tragically Hip

Song of the Day - Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor - mvt. 3

I've always been a music lover. This is probably apparent by my insistence on the Song of the Day portion of this blog. I've always enjoyed finding a reason, no matter how loosely related, to associate a song to a moment, or a day.

This selection was easy. A very close friend of mine, one of the closest, mentioned it to me on the phone this morning. To this friend I owe a debt of gratitude for heightening my appreciation for the art of music. It was this friend that let me know that it was ok to like anything, that within every piece of music, the potential to discover something genuine or pleasing is always present, we just have to open ourselves to it.

This is the friend who recommends Rachmaninoff on a random Tuesday, and has at least a decade of cassette-tape recordings, mostly from the 80s, of Kasey Kasem’s Top 40. Talk about varied taste!

In his own words, Piano Concerto No. 2 (and No.3) is another place, perhaps even another time. After listening to it this morning, I think he was referring to that “swept away” feeling we sometimes experience from a truly special piece of music.

Video originally posted on youtube.com by mariocast.

Song of the Day: Paul Simon - Slip Slidin' Away

The memory attached to this song is riding shotgun in my Mom's rusty Toyota Corolla wagon (a late 70s model) listening to the AM radio. We were very often together, going here or there, doing this and that. I don’t think I had started kindergarten yet, because I remember, while my sisters were at school, I was Mom’s sidekick for the errands of the day. This tune stands out as the soundtrack to these isolated moments. Although the song is quite melancholic, these memories of driving around with my mother as a young boy are happy ones.

Video originally posted on youtube.com by alexbarlw

Song of the Day: Human Nature - Tribute to Michael Jackson (1959 – 2009)

Michael Jackson died yesterday in California. Artist of Thriller, the best-selling album of all time and winner of countless awards including 18 Grammies, the King of Pop left us prematurely at the age of 50 as he prepared to stage a comeback tour in the UK.

For many of us who were alive and dancing in the early and mid-eighties, we will remember how his music played a central role in our lives. Who can forget those inimitable dance moves and high-pitched notes that left us all spellbound? Albums like “Off The Wall” or “Thriller” and songs like Billy Jean, Rock with Me and of course Beat It, still contain the magic that changed the musical landscape forever 25 years ago and will undoubtedly continue to leave a mark on future generations.

Music is such a wonderful part about being human. Music has the ability to touch us deeply, attach itself to our memories and live on well after the artist has gone. It is a perfect accompaniment to the celebration of life. In the same way as Elvis or Marliyn, Michael Jackson's legend will live on and continue to touch us. Hard to Beat It!

Youtube video produced and originally posted by prshmack31

Song of the Day: SMOKIE - If You Think You Know How To Love Me (1975)

Originally posted on youtube.com by nyrainbow4