new Viva show in the archives

YMO - 以心電信 (You've Got to Help Yourself)

...as recently covered by Keane!

Trek with Quintronic - Take It Off

Eternal Triangle - Nothing But A Friend (Endless Mix)

I needed a bit of Balearica while cleaning the house yesterday, and this is what I arrived at. For fans of shiny surfaces and jazzy horn stabs.

Roy Ayers: It Ain't Your Sign It's Your Mind

The second in a series of posts in which we discuss who should play who in yet to be realized biopics. You'll recall bandying about a young Sam Neill as Sinatra some time ago. Well, for the man who was given his first pair of mallets by Lionel Hampton at the tender age of five, we need look no further than the great Chad Coleman, better known as Dennis 'Cutty' Wise from The Wire.




My people will talk to your people.

Peter Gabriel - Steam

OK, so it's basically a rewrite of either "Sledgehammer", "Big Time", or "Fame", depending on how you look at it, but that's none of our concern today. A window into the heighth of sophisticated production, circa W.J. Clinton's presidential campaign. Featuring Tony Levin on bass.

Steam 6:03
Arranged By [Horns] - Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel
Bass - Tony Levin
Drums [Electronic] - Manu Katché
Drums [Sabar] - The Babacar Faye Drummers
Guitar - David Rhodes, Leo Nocentelli*
Programmed By - David Bottrill, Richard Blair
Saxophone - Reggie Houston, Tim Green
Trombone - Renard Poche

*of Meters fame. (ed.)

Jo Stafford - No Other Love

Today we revisit the many manifestations of Chopin's E Major Étude in popular music (c.f.: Lemon Incest) with this ancient ditty from Jo Stafford. They don't make reverb like that anymore, kids.

From Wiki:

"(The E major Étude)... is regarded by some critics as a manifestation of Chopin's love for Poland, where he was born. During a lesson with his pupil Adolf Gutmann, Chopin began weeping and cried, 'Oh, my homeland!'. Chopin was said to have noted this piece as the most intimate he had ever composed, stating that 'In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody.' The Etude has also been known as 'Tristesse', meaning 'Sadness' in French."

Going down.

compare / contrast

Bob James - El Verano

Kicking off summer 2010 with this bringing-tears-to-my-eyes jam originally posted on bumrocks in Feb. 2007. Featuring a delayed snare drum hit at 2:26, one of my favorite rare funk tropes. For another example of same, check the 1:58 mark (and following) in this.

P.S. It's Steve Gadd on drums. Compare/contrast the intro to 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.