Last month it was announced that The Decemberists multi-instrumentalist Jenny Conlee had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which while caught early will force Conlee miss the band’s June dates during
In honor of the period we’ll call “Parent’s Month” that falls between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, this week’s B List looks at ten amazing songs written from the perspective of a parent to their child along with a few from the opposite perspective. I’ll include a lyrical gut punch from each.
1. Beautiful Boy – John Lennon
For one of the tracks on John Lennon’s “comeback” album from 1980, Double Fantasy, the former Beatle wrote this song about his son Sean. I struggle to make it through this song sometimes thinking about how much love John had for his son and what a terrible tragedy it was when Lennon was gunned down later that year robbing the five-year-old boy of his father.
“Close your eyes, have no fear, the monster’s gone. He’s on the run and your daddy’s here”
2. Father and Daughter – Paul Simon
Originally released in 2002 as part of the soundtrack for the Wild Thornberrys flick, Paul Simon penned this ode to fatherhood which also appeared – in a different form – on his 2006 LP Surprise. Paul takes the POV of a father whose love for his daughter can never be measured.
“As long as one and one is two / There could never be a father / Who loved his daughter more than I love you”
READ ON for eight more amazing parent/child songs…
While technically Bob Dylan doesn’t turn 70 until May 24, it’s my turn in the Mix Tape rotation, so I thought I’d use this opportunity to do a little early
There have been a number of legendary singer/songwriters that have covered Neil Young’s Heart of Gold over the years such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, but it’s pretty safe to say we’ll never see Bob Dylan taking a pass at it. In a 1985 interview with Spin Magazine Dylan explained his annoyance with Heart of Gold…
The only time it bothered me that someone sounded like me was when I was living in Phoenix, Arizona, in about ’72 and the big song at the time was “Heart of Gold.” I used to hate it when it came on the radio. I always liked Neil Young, but it bothered me every time I listened to “Heart of Gold.” I think it was up at number one for a long time, and I’d say, “Shit, that’s me. If it sounds like me, it should as well be me.”
Honestly, I don’t hear it all that much. Does Bob Dylan have a trademark on acoustic guitar and harmonica or something? Anyways, we have a diverse set of covers this week, some from the world of soul music while others are more straight ahead. Have a listen and don’t forget to vote for your favorite.
The Contestants:
While not officially released on an album, The Bad Plus have a fantastic arrangement of Heart of Gold that they play live. Audio Source: 7-26-2009
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/badplusgold.mp3]READ ON for more covers of Heart of Gold…
Recordings such as In Concert Brandeis University 1963 are the source of a charisma Bob Dylan still commands today, the likes of which continues to resonate with generations far removed from his own demographic. Originally available only as a value-added piece to The Witmark Demos, this composite of a live show documents the power of Dylan’s performances as well as his compositions of that period, just prior to his breakout beyond the folk genre he would soon redefine.
In the pantheon on great “lost” albums, the Beach Boys‘ Smile, may be the most sought after by fans. The album was intended be the follow up to the band’s
Last week, we kicked off the beginning of Cover Wars March Madness by announcing our first ever “play-in” game. We took ten covers that had not previously participated in a Cover Wars and let the readers select up to three for automatic entry into this year’s tournament.
The winners of the play-in round are:
1) Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney) as performed by Perpetual Groove
2) Across 110th Street (Bobby Womack) as performed by My Morning Jacket
3) FM (Steely Dan) as performed by 2D (Gorillaz) featuring Nathain Haines
The other 29 entries already gained entry into the tournament the conventional way – by winning a Cover Wars in the past year. Now that we’ve got our 32 covers selected, let’s take a look at the matchups…
Matchup #1 (Bob Dylan Covers):
The Black Crowes – Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
In addition to performing the song live, The Black Crowes also contributed a studio take to this 1995 disc for NORML that also includes Gov’t Mule performing Don’t Step On The Grass, Sam, and Widespread Panic’s studio take of And It Stoned Me, amongst other tracks. Source: Hempilation: Freedom is NORML
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/rainydaycrowes.mp3]
VS.
The Black Keys – Wicked Messenger
There are some real gems from the 2007 I’m Not There soundtrack and this is one of them. Previously on Cover Wars, Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers contributed a cover from the same release for Ballad Of A Thin Man. Source: I’m Not There (Music From The Motion Picture)
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/bkmessenger.mp3]
READ ON to vote in the remaining seven matchups for the the first half of Cover Wars March Madness Round 1…
May 24, 2011 will mark a major milestone in the long, storied life of Bob Dylan, as the legendary bard will celebrate his 70th birthday. Earlier in the month, the
While Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show’s tongue in cheek ode actually helped to land the band on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, the legendary music rag doesn’t give
Last night, the National Academy Of Recording Arts & Sciences hosted its 53rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony, handing out trophies in 31 categories ranging from Song Of The Year to Best Hawaiian Music Album to Best Album Notes. While we generally don’t take much stock in who they had hand out awards to, there were a handful of noteworthy performances from last night’s telecast – Cee-Lo dressed like Elton John circa 1973 with The Muppets, Mick Jagger honoring the late Solomon Burke and John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban paying tribute to Dolly Parton with a cover of Jolene.
HT’s most anticipated performance of the night though was the impressive trifecta of Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan. The two rising stars of the roots-Americana scene each got to show off just what makes them must see live acts, as Mumford & Sons tore through a raucous version of The Cave, while the Avetts delivered a powerful crescendo building take Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promises. The performance climaxed with both acts backing Dylan for a ramshackle, foot-stomping take on Maggie’s Farm, with Zimmy front and center…
We’d like to congratulate HT faves The Black Keys, Ray LaMontagne, Mavis Staples, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jeff Beck, Paul McCartney and Them Crooked Vultures for taking home Grammys, as well as Arcade Fire, who were the big winners of the night, walking away with Album Of The Year honors.
READ ON for a full list of winners from last night’s ceremony…
