Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I'm not going to post today, as I am busy preparing for our company later. Have a good day!

My top five

1. Clarity (feat. Foxes) - Zedd
2. Sad Song - Ellen Foley
3. Troublemaker (feat. Flo Rida) - Olly Murs
4. Oh Boy - BOY
5. Wake Me Up - Ed Sheeran

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-85

I thought that Bruce Springsteen would be an appropriate person to talk about because I go to the high school he graduated from. When going through my parents' records, I found one of my mom's: a Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band set of five LPs. The set includes a booklet of lyrics and pictures along with several live performances:

Side One:
Thunder Road
Adam Raised a Cain
Spirit in the Night
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Side Two:
Paradise by the "C"
Fire
Growin' Up
It's Hard to be a Saint in the City

Side Three:
Backstreets
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Raise Your Hand

Side Four:
Hungry Heart
Two Hearts
Cadillac Ranch
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
Independence Day

Side Five:
Badlands
Because the Night
Candy's Room
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Racing in the Street

Side Six:
This Land is Your Land
Nebraska
Johnny 99
Reason to Believe

Side Seven:
Born in the U.S.A.
Seeds
The River

Side Eight:
War
Darlington County
Working on the Highway
The Promised Land

Side Nine:
Cover Me
I'm on Fire
Bobby Jean
My Hometown

Side Ten:
Born to Run
No Surrender
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Jersey Girl

The live recordings were from places like Roxy, Nassau Coliseum, Meadowlands Arena, Giants Stadium, and Los Angeles Coliseum.

There are so many great things about Bruce Springsteen - too many to list here. I went to one of his concerts around 2007 or 2008 and there is a certain feeling about his shows. The crowd knows to do certain things at certain parts of certain songs. They know when the venue should be silent. They know the drill with all of his performances because they never change - everyone knows what to expect. He plays songs that the audience wants to hear. My parents have their personal favorites that they always looked forward to hearing. The classics like Born to Run and Thunder Road are songs known by pretty much everyone. And if you don't know them, you should most definitely check out those tracks.
All I'm saying is that this record is the perfect representation of what to expect from Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. No surprise tunes, just his rock and roll.

Little Monster

(picture: google)

Happy birthday Lady Gaga!
Born on March 28, 1986 in New York, NY as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Lady Gaga has come a long way since her first release in 2008, album The Fame.  Just a year later in 2009, Gaga released her second studio album The Fame Monster and had another huge record Born This Way in 2011.  Not only is she known for her hit singles like "Pokerface", "Just Dance", and "The Edge of Glory", she is also famous for her crazy outfits at events and concerts.
Fans of Gaga can get ready for a new album this year: ARTPOP.

It's A Small World

I know I put together a lot of playlists, but it is fun because it is an easy way to show you what songs I love!  So, today will be a playlist all about Disney songs.

1. Under the Sea - The Little Mermaid - Of course I was going to put this one first since The Little Mermaid is my favorite movie.
2. The Bare Necessities - The Jungle Book - The Jungle Book was another favorite of mine growing up.
3. Be Our Guest - Beauty and the Beast - I find this song to be a really big Disney classic - everyone knows it!
4. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Mary Poppins - This is another song everyone seems to know, whether or not you have seen the movie.
5. When You Wish Upon a Star - Pinocchio - This is, I guess you could say, the "theme song" for Disney World.
6. A Whole New World - Aladdin - One of the most famous duets in Disney.
7. A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Cinderella - The second Disney princess' famous tune.
8. Circle of Life - The Lion King - How many times have people tried to sing the beginning of this song?
9. Cruella De Vil - 101 Dalmatians - Cruella De Vil is a devil.
10. The Siamese Cat Song - Lady and the Tramp - I love this movie, but these cats are very creepy to me.

Who's Laughing Now

Today is Jessie J's birthday. Jessie J, born Jessica Ellen Cornish, was born on March 27, 1988 in Chadwell Heath, London, England. She has released one album, Who You Are, that has had numerous hit singles such as "Who's Laughing Now", "Who You Are", "Price Tag", and "Domino".
On March 15, she shaved her head for the British charity, Comic Relief.

Covers

Singers commonly make covers of songs they love.  Here are a couple of examples:

1. One Direction - One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks) - One Direction covers Blondie's "One Way Or Another" and The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" for a charity single.
2. Rufus Wainwright - Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright covers Leonard Cohen.
3. Dixie Chicks - Landslide - The Dixie Chicks cover Fleetwood Mac.
4. Seth Avett - Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels) - Seth Avett covers Jim Croce.
5. Miley Cyrus - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Miley Cyrus covers Cyndi Lauper.
6. Glee - Shake It Out - Glee covers Florence and the Machine.
7. Linda Ronstadt - Desperado - Linda Ronstadt covers The Eagles.

A Few of My Favorite Things

This is a list of songs that mean something in my life.  Some of them have a heartfelt meaning, while others are just because they make me happy.

1. You and Me - Lifehouse - I danced to this song with both of my brothers at my older brother's wedding this past September.
2. This Magic Moment - Jay and the Americans - When I was four-years-old, this was my song with my dad.
3. Valentine - Nils Lofgren - This is my parents' wedding song.
4. Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars - Even though I was fifteen when this song came out, it can still be my song with my mother.  Right?
5. Part of Your World - The Little Mermaid - The Little Mermaid has been my favorite movie since I was two-years-old.
6. Take On Me - A-ha - This one is a little stupid.  I like this song because it is my favorite song to dance to in the game Just Dance 3.
7. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia - When this song came out in 1998, it was my favorite song.

Elvis Costello

Declan Patrick MacManus was born on August 25, 1954 in Paddington, London, England. His debut album was "My Aim Is True", and shortly after the album was released, he formed The Attractions.
One of his most famous songs "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding", at the time of release, sold millions of copies.
But before selling millions of records, Costello spent his days performing at pubs in London. He really can be considered a big star, as Rolling Stone ranked him at number 80 on their list of the top 100 musicians in 2004.


Bibliography:
Wikipedia.com
Google images

12 Days of Christmas

The 10 man group singing "The 12 Days of Christmas", but it is not the version we all know.  I am not saying anymore, so you have to watch to see what I mean.
The group is Straight No Chaser and they sing many songs that are all fantastic and sometimes funny, like the one above.

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison

Side 1:
Folsom Prison Blues
Dark as the Dungeon
I Still Miss Someone
Cocaine Blues
25 Minutes to Go
Orange Blossom Special
The Long Black Veil

Side 2:
Send a Picture of Mother
The Wall
Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog
Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart
Jackson (with June Carter)
Give My Love to Rose (with June Carter)
I Got Stripes
Green, Green Grass of Home
Greystone Chapel

I wanted and received this record for my birthday this year. It is a very famous record by Johnny Cash with special guest June Carter. On the back of the record is a written message from Johnny Cash. Part of it reads, "Listen closely to this album and you hear in the background the clanging of the doors, the shrill of the whistle, the shout of the men - even laughter from men who had forgotten how to laugh." He continues, "But mostly you'll feel the electricity and hear the single pulsation of two thousand heartbeats in men who have had their hearts torn out, as well as their minds, their nervous systems, and their souls.
Hear the sounds of the men, the convicts - all brothers of mine - with the Folsom Prison Blues."
I think those paragraphs show what Johnny Cash was really like. It's a fantastic album and gets five stars from me.

Paradise by the Dashboard Light

Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf is the eight minute 28 second long song off the iconic album Bat Out of Hell.  The song is divided into three parts:

     I.  Paradise - Part one starts with two people thinking back to when they were a high school couple at a lake when the boy (Meat Loaf) is positive he and the girl are "gonna go all the way tonight."

     II.  Let Me Sleep on It - The girl (Ellen Foley) immediately interrupts the boy's vision by yelling "Stop right there!" and asks the boy if he will love her forever but he keeps responding by saying how he will give her "an answer in the morning".  Because the girl keeps asking, he gives in and says he will love her until the end of time.

     III.  Praying for the End of Time - The couple does not like each other anymore, but the boy is "praying for the end of time" because then he will not have to fulfill the promise he made to her.

"We came, we raved, we loved"

A favorite of mine is Swedish House Mafia. Originating in Stockholm, Sweden, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, and Axwell have released six hit singles like "Save the World" featuring John Martin, "Greyhound", and their most recent, "Don't You Worry Child" featuring John Martin. Their genre is dance/electronic so Axwell said in a Rolling Stone interview, "Know why we make electronic music? Because we can't make other music".
But their time as a group is coming to an end and have decided that this tour is their last. They stated last Summer, "We came, we raved, we loved" and it seems that they really meant it. Whenever I receive their newsletter in my e-mail, they always mention how great their fans are. Angello said in an interview, "We just decided that we reached a point where we didn't know what the next move would be," and unfortunately they didn't think of any moves I'd be happy with, but they were afraid that the constant commitments would ruin their long friendship (Angello and Ingrosso were childhood friends and met Axwell a little later). Although they have seemed to enjoy themselves with the private jets and fancy hotels. While all of their concerts include hot girls, Axwell was quick to add that they don't that they "don't have the urge of taking some random girls after the show" because they are all married with young children.
I know I am very upset over their end, but I will still tell you to listen to them if you don't know any of their music.

Bibliography:
wikipedia.com
Rolling Stone Magazine

Roll Away Your Stone

I have been blogging a lot lately about alternative rock music, but I really felt the need to blog about this particular band since they appear on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Mumford & Sons is an English folk rock band from London, England. The band started out in 2007 and includes members Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane, Winston Marshall, and Ben Lovett. Their debut album, Sigh No More, was released October 2009 in the UK and Ireland and in February 2010 in the US. The record was in the Billboard 200 in the US when it was released. Their second release, Babel, was also successful and was followed by Mumford & Sons winning a Brit Award for Best British Group, beating out bands like One Direction.
The group often references works of literature and in the song "Roll Away Your Stone", Shakespeare's "Macbeth" makes an appearance. Mumford said, "You can rip off Shakespeare all you like; no lawyer's going to call you up on that one." I have to say that that is a good response to "ripping off" Shakespeare.
Anyway, I suggest you give Mumford & Sons a try considering they have won a number of awards and have a good sound of music.


Bibliography:
wikipedia.com
Rolling Stone Magazine

Landslide - which one?

Everyone knows the Fleetwood Mac song "Landslide". It's a very good song sung by Stevie Nicks and was covered later by the Dixie Chicks. The two are similar but very different at the same time. Fleetwood Mac's version is purely just Stevie Nicks singing while the Dixie Chicks added background vocals, which in my opinion, make the song. You can never go wrong with a Fleetwood Mac song, but I have to say that the Dixie Chicks did very well with this song.

No Anchovies, Please

I was listening to the J. Geils Band record Love Stinks and my mom asked me to play "No Anchovies, Please"  I put it on and it is a little odd.  It's the story of a couple in Portland, Maine.  While this woman is waiting for her husband Don to return home from work, she puts some anchovies on lettuce and notices a number on the bottom of the can.  She calls the number and hears a man on the other end say, "Don't move, lady, we'll be right over."  When she hangs up, she sees three "smartly dressed" men (as Peter Wolf put it) and they take her away to a foreign speaking nation and they turn her into a...
While I'd love to tell you the rest, I think you should listen to it.  I provided the link above and highly advise you click it.  It's not a song, it is a spoken story told by none other than Peter Wolf.  It's just a silly story that can help lighten your mood.

Mutual Friends

So this is the best day of my life. I bought BOY's record "Mutual Friends" today at Vintage Vinyl. The plastic around the album said "Feeling Lucky? Maybe this is one of the 100 ultra limited edition, numbered, red vinyl records!" and of course I never thought I'd be one of the lucky 100. I just got home and opened the record and opened the cover and saw that the two girls in the duo, Valeska and Sonja, signed it!! I immediately put the signatures under light to see if they were legitimate and surely they were! When I took out the record, sure enough it was one of the 100 red ones! This day just keeps getting better.

The record has thirteen songs:
1. This is the Beginning
2. Waitress
3. Army
4. Little Numbers (which I spoke about last week)
5. Drive Darling
6. Railway
7. Waltz for Pony
8. Boris
9. Oh Boy
10. Skin
11. Silver Streets
12. July
13. Little Numbers (Acoustic)

Like I said last week, I highly recommend this album especially if you are a fan of alternative!

Rumours

After months of searching for this record, I have finally found it!! "Rumours" is an extremely iconic album by Fleetwood Mac with songs like "Go Your Own Way", "The Chain", and "Songbird". This record has been sold out on Amazon for months and is frightfully expense everywhere else. I was record shopping at a store Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey and was looking through all of the used and new records and when I saw the Fleetwood Mac section, I hesitated to go look at what records they had for them because I always strike out. But I went over and the second I saw it I immediately added it to my pile.
If you love vinyls like I do, I highly recommend going to Vintage Vinyl if you're in the area. They have so many great records including "mint/near mint no longer made" records.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

It is almost St. Patrick's Day, so to celebrate, I put together a list of some great Irish-themed songs to listen to.

• When Irish Eyes Are Smiling - John McCormack
• The Unicorn - The Irish Rovers
• I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys
• Seven Drunken Nights - The Dubliners
• Kiss My Irish Ass - Keltic Cowboys
• Danny Boy - The Pogues

The Next Day

David Bowie is back with a new album after ten years called The Next Day. The album has a new sound with a touch of 80s rock.  I personally like the album and give it five stars.  While on iTunes, I read some of the reviews.  Most people gave the record four or five stars, I found one review that really caught my eye.  This person gave the release three stars.  They felt the album was just a bunch of songs thrown together for the sake of releasing another album.  While I don't think that's the case, that's something you'll have to figure out yourself!

Don Henley

Born Donald Hugh Henley on July 22, 1947 in Gilmer, Texas, Don Henley was a member of the famous band the Eagles.  He was the drummer and lead vocalist of the band before his successful career as a solo artist.  He sang lead vocals as an Eagles member in songs like "Desperado" and "Hotel California", and had solo hits such as "The Boys of Summer" and "Sunset Grill".
His solo albums include:

• August 13, 1982 - I Can't Stand Still
• November 19, 1984 - Building the Perfect Beast
• June 27, 1989 - The End of the Innocence
• May 23, 2000 - Inside Job

He sold over 10 million records as a solo artist.

Bibliography:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Henley

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/donhenley.jpg

Little Numbers

This song is my new obsession.  "Little Numbers" is a single off the album Mututal Friends by the pop-duo Boy.  The duo consists of Swiss singer Valeska Steiner and German bassist Sonja Glass.  The song is alternative rock, which is not a popular genre to a lot, but I think this song will win the approval of those people.  In the song, she is waiting for his call and tries to pass the time.  She then says "Seven little numbers, baby, they could be a start.  Seven little numbers, baby, I know yours by heart" and then the song goes into a nice beat and the chorus.  I bought the song and did not listen to it for a couple of days but once I did, I could not stop replaying it!

Chart toppers

I haven't informed you all of the top ten on iTunes lately, so I thought I could do that now!

1. When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars
2. Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
3. Stay (feat. Mikky Ekko) - Rihanna
4. Harlem Shake - Baauer
5. Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera) - Pitbull
6. Suit & Tie (feat. JAY Z) - Justin Timberlake
7. Started from the Bottom - Drake
8. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
9. Heart Attack - Demi Lovato
10. Scream and Shout (feat. Britney Spears) - will.i.am

Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt's voice - it carries and is so powerful. My parents both loved her and I do too. I wish I had a voice like hers. "You're No Good" from her album "Heart Like a Wheel" in my opinion was one of her biggest hits. That whole album was generally a huge success. But of course she had the amazing covers of songs like "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly and "Desperado" by The Eagles. Her cover of "Desperado" is flawless. She sings it beautifully and her voice fits the song so well. I usually express my personal favorite of each singer I write about, but I don't think I can pick one. All I can say is that I feel you are never unimpressed or disappointed with her classics.

ATTENTION MUSIC PRODUCERS

I would love to perform places, but I am having trouble finding people to be my musicians.  My dream is to become a singer and if there are any music producers viewing this or if anyone viewing this knows a music producer who could sign me, I would be more than grateful!  I can prove that I have what it takes in the music industry, so please give me a chance.  I have some videos on this blog of myself singing.