#91 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Saturday July 17)
Good morning,
LAST (?) OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK SONGS
Jake turned me on to what many people claim is the worst tune ever posted on the internet, Friday, by Rebecca Black. This self-produced music video (well, with the help of her apparently clueless parents) has been derided repeatedly by the cognoscenti:
. I am advised that Ms. Black apparently has since produced something capable of being listened to…
HERE’S TO THE WOMEN
I grew up on mixed genres of music. Obviously, rock and roll was a big part of it. But so were Sinatra and Tony and Sammy and Dean (from my father’s influence). And so were Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Brahms (that’s my mother’s influence). The movie, The Sting turned me on to ragtime. 2001: A Space Odyssey introduced me to Strauss. And so it goes.
But it’s the female vocalists I’d like to highlight this week. I grew up in what I think was a “golden age” of great female singers—Janis Joplin, Carly Simon, Judy Collins, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, and Joan Baez, just to name a few of my favorites. Here are a few iconic songs from each:
Diamonds & Rust, Joan Baez,
It’s Too Late, Carole King,
You’re So Vain, Carly Simon,
Both Sides Now, Judy Collins,
Blue Bayou, Linda Ronstadt,
Finally, Desperado, Linda Ronstadt,
One of the comments made on one of the postings of one of these videos was “imagine that; fully clothed, no pyrotechnics, not over-engineered.” Indeed.
Yes, I know I’m not including some of the great female vocalists who were part of great groups (Chrissie Hynde, Grace Slick, Stevie Nicks, Belinda Carlisle, Annie Lennox, and Gladys Knight, just to name a few). If this were a list that included blues and R&B vocalists, one would have to also add Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha, Whitney Houston, and Roberta Flack. And then there’s country and Dolly Parton. But this isn’t a survey of all singers—just those that had the greatest impression on me from the “old days.”
Enjoy the visit back to the 70s!
Glenn
PS: And just because I had such a crush on her,
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