Egyptian Pink Floyd

Here is a song I bet none of you have ever heard before: the Pink Floyd song Hey You, performed by Misriat, a group from Egypt. It is from their CD "Pink Floyd The Wall". (Sorry for the foreign language in the link, but that is the best I could find.) This CD includes songs from "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here", so I guess naming it "The Wall" was a bit of poetic license?

I have no idea how you could buy a copy of this CD. I got mine when I was in Cairo, Egypt in 2000.

More Todd Cecil!

A few days ago I received some CDs I had ordered. Two of them were by Todd Cecil, the slide guitar whiz I saw in concert back in June. As expected, his CD's are fantastic!

WWYD is one of the songs he played live. It is from the "Sweet Cynthia & the Nashville Music Co." CD. Besides being a great tune, the words are worth listening to, and taking to heart. I hope you like it.

Check out Todd's website: www.ToddCecil.com .

Stanley Turrentine

Everybody likes the sweet saxophone sound of Mr. T, or at least I believe so. Here is one of his mellow tunes, I Told Jesus, off his "Salt Song" CD.

I saw Mr. Turrentine in the late 1990's, at an arts festival in Raleigh, NC. The man put on a great show! Stanley is no longer with us, but I am sure the angels are swaying to his sweet sounds right now.

A little added trivia: I too grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, but not in the Hill District.

Chicken Wire Gang

Red Clay is yet another wonderful song, (you think I'm gonna post any music that isn't wonderful?), from the very talented Chicken Wire Gang.

Alas, the gang seems to have dispersed in recent years, (their webpage, www.chickenwiregang.com is missing-in-action), but you can still get a copy of their very good CD, "Galvanized". Buy it!

By the way ........ yet ANOTHER great band from the Triangle Region, (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), of North Carolina. Go Heels!!

Marat

Another wonderful song by another wonderful band: Dog Days, by Marat, off their CD "Again".

I liked these guys before I even realized they were from Chapel Hill, NC. (I used to live in Raleigh.) Heck, for some reason I though they were from New Jersey!

Anyone know if they are still together? I hope so; they have nice sound.

Hannah Miller

If you had gone to the "Rhythm on the River" concert on June 16th, like I told you to (!!), you would have heard a lovely young woman by the name of Hannah Miller sing this song: Ashes. I was at this concert with my friends Nick and Ivanka, and Nick, who is a musician, went all gaa-gaa over Hannah's voice. And let me tell you, she sounds even better in person!

This song is off her CD "Storms of Summer". I own an autographed copy - do you?

Steve Howe - Quantum Guitar

If you grew up in the 1970's like me, you certainly knew of the group Yes, and the very talented guitarist Steve Howe. However, you may or may not have heard some of his solo releases.

"Quantum Guitar" came out in the late 1990's, and is one of his better CDs because, well ....... he does NOT sing on it. (Sorry Steve!) Look, Mr. Howe is an okay singer and all, but he is one of the BEST rock guitarists ever, and I think his voice is just not in the same league with his guitar playing. (If you do like his singing, then excuse my poor taste!) Here are two short songs from this CD, Country Viper, and Soveriegns that you can listen to. Good stuff, huh?

Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant

Here's a neat little tune, Bryant's Bounce, from the nifty CD "Stratosphere Boogie".

Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant were two phenomenal guitarists, and when playing together, they created a wonderful synergy. If you have any feel for guitar music at all, then you will love their CD.

Angelo Spinazzola

Here is a nice upbeat song, Everyone Will Shine, by Angelo Spinazzola. (Isn't that a really cool name!) It is from his CD "From Roots to Wings".

Angelo is from Nova Scotia. I met him years ago, when my ex-wife and I took a trip to that lovely northern, hilly part of the province known as Cape Breton. Mr. Spinazzola, besides performing as a musician at night, runs a very goodguided kayak tour business. We went on his tour, had a great time, (saw lots of bald eagles, in Canada!), and he was such a nice guy I bought his CD. As it turns out, he is also an excellent musician, as you will discover once you listen to his music.

Check out his myspace page, and if you happen to be in Sydney, Nova Scotia, maybe you can catch one of his shows.

By the way, Cape Breton is a GREAT place for anyone to visit who likes music. I would guess there are more musicians per capita there than anywhere else in the world. Just watch out for the bagpipes!!

My PC has gone mute!!

Well, this is embarrassing ......... the sound card, (I guess it is the sound card?), on my PC has died, and now my PC is mute. That's right: I can not hear a durned thing! Which means that, if in a fit of senility I mislabel a song or two, I won't be able to catch my error. Phooey!!

To celebrate (?) my PC's lack of auditory output, here is 10 seconds of silence. (Wow - how avant-garde, huh?)

Reggae Covers

I briefly mentioned the "20 Best of Reggae" CD in the previous post. Let me tell you now that I think this is a really wonderful CD.

The CD consists of reggae versions of famous rock-n-roll hits. Besides "Hotel California", it has great versions of "Don't Stop", "Start Me Up", "Sara Smile", "Lay Lady Lay", "We Can Work It Out", and D'Yer Mak'er , which I should have included on my Led Zeppelin Covers post.

I bought this CD new at Best Buy for something like $5.00, so I certainly feel I got my money's worth. Check it out!

Welcome to the Hotel California

Here are two covers of the Eagles "Hotel California".

First, we have this version from a band called "Kid With Man Head", off their "Flapjack Hairpiece" CD. I'd like to see these guys live; they look like they put on a fun show.

Next, a reggae version by Edi Fitzroy, off the "20 Best of Reggae" CD. More about this CD in another post!

Dry Bones (Dem Bones)

Here's a sweet little song my Papa sent me: Dry_Bones, a version of the old spiritual Dem Bones, sung by the Delta River Boys.

I know next to nothing about the Delta River Boys, (Wikipedia never heard of them), but my Papa says Bing Crosby sang with them early in his career, although Wikipedia says he is wrong.

Gary Valenciano!

If you are a filipino, surely you know of Gary Valenciano, or Gary V., for short. (Did you also know he is known as, "Mr. Pure Energy", because of his energetic dancing?) Here are two of his songs, which I assume are sung in Tagalog, as he in from the Manila area.

I have no idea what Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos nor Sana y Maulit Muli mean. Anybody out there speak Tagalog?

Did you know there is a Tagalog version of Wikipedia?

A Silly Post

How about a very, very Short_Song? This is an a cappella "performance" by your friendly blogger. (Aren't you glad it is a SHORT song!)

And here, as an encore, is the "dub, scatter" remix: Short_Song_remix. What do they really mean by "scatter" or "dub" remix anyway? Do those words mean anything at all, or are they just empty marketing blather?

Mozart, the Original Headbanger

Listen to this song, (first movement of Sonata for Two Pianos, K.448), and I'm sure you'll agree with me that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had the heart of a rock-n-roller.

I first heard this song performed many eons ago when I was a student at the University of Georgia, and have liked it ever since. This version comes from the "Concerto & Sonata For Two Pianos" CD.

Rock on, Wolfie, rock on!!

For my Sunshine!

For my sweetie, here is my favorite Blood, Sweat, and Tears song, You_Made_Me_So_Very_Happy, which I took off the "Found Treasures" CD.

Download, play it, and crank up the volume!

Here's another one: You_Are_So_Beautiful, from "Joe Cocker's Greatest Hits".

I love you, Dear!!

An Angry Song!

Yesterday was an extremely frustrating day at work. Now understand that my job alternates between just normally frustrating, very frustrating, and extremely frustrating. Yesterday was not a good day.

Yesterday evening I was still irritated, and found myself unable to sleep. So ...... I hopped on the internet, and went cruising to places I probably should not go!

One of these was the webpage of a young lady who dumped me last year. Now some of you may know that currently I am engaged to a most wonderful woman, who also happens to be from the Philippines, and that we are waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a VISA so she can come join me here in Columbia, SC, and we can get married. The woman who dumped me was also a filipina. Well, as it turns out, guess who got her VISA and is already in the USA?

So, I humbly dedicate this song, Devine_Thing, to all the people who helped make yesterday so irritating for me.

Yet, yet ......

Who am I to complain, really? I have a job, which even though I do not always like it, pays me well, and is safe. I am healthy, and my family members are all healthy. And most importantly, I am engaged to the wonderful Ronelin, who is truly the Sunshine in my life. (Okay everybody, say "Ah, how sweet!")

Devine_Thing is off the "Hotwired" CD by The Soup Dragons, another band from the UK. (Scotland is part of the UK, but not of England, correct?)

World Exclusive!!

Okay, well maybe not totally "exclusive", but here is a tune I can all but guarantee you will NOT find anywhere else. Todd Cecil, (see earlier posting "Led Zeppelin Covers" for another of his songs!), sent this little ad-lib song to my buddy Jackson, who sent it to me. And now you too can hear Todd strummin' his banjo to the tune, Lay_Your_Burden_Down.

Just a reminder: Mr. Cecil will be playing at the "Rhythm on the River" concert series here in Columbia, SC, on June 16th. If you live 'round these parts, get yerself on down to the river to hear some good music!

Weird Music from Japan

Back to the subject of unheard music ......... maybe, in her proper cultural context, Yoko Ono isn't so strange after all? (Nah ...... she's weird. And proud of it!)

Anyway, here is some very strange music from Japan. The song is Love_Isnt_Blind, and it is off the "Guitar Organism" CD. "Guitar Organism" seems to be the brainchild of one Kazuyuki K. Null, of whom I know not a durn thing, other than he is an experimental musician, (obviously!), and his real name is apparently Kazuyuki Kishino. However, if you do a Google search, you will see that "Guitar Organism" pops up in a few playlists.

We live in a weird world!

So, Ken, does anyone read your blog?

Does anyone read my blog?

I have been asked this question, and I immediately answer, "Of course!" And it is true. Friends, family .... at least once ....... maybe.

Okay, here's the deal: it does not matter whether only 1 person ever reads this blog, because it costs me absolutely nothing to post to it. I only lose my time, which is not really a loss, because I am learning all about blogging in the process. And if that one person hears some music s/he likes, and then buys the CD because of this blog, then I have done my job. (Ta da! Give that boy a medal!)

And besides, I am making money off this blog! Why just a little over a week ago, I received my first payment from Google Adsense. Okay, it was only for 42¢, but hey, even the largest financial empires have to start somewhere, right?

I've also been asked why I get so few comments. (Confession: the only comment to date was posted by me!) Part of the reason for this is that to leave a comment, you need a blogspot id, which I think is a real bummer. I know that if I am browsing a website, and I have to create an id to leave a comment, I just won't leave a comment.

So there!!

Pyscho Chicks

A couple of screamers for ya:

First we have Petra, of the group Scrub, signing Real_World. This song is off the "Wake Up!" CD.

I know next to nothing about this group, or its lead singer. Anyone know whatever happened to Petra? Mike Showalter, the group's drummer, turns up on a few internet pages, so I assume Scrub has long since disbanded.

Next we have the wonderful Lucia Cifarelli singing with her now sadly defunct band Drill the sweet little tune, Go_To_Hell. This song is from the "Drill" self-titled CD.

I usually don't like overtly dark, heavy rock, but I really enjoy this album, and am sad that Drill never released another. I read that they did tour extensively. Maybe someone has recordings of some of their live performances?

Whatever happened to ..............

Sinead O'Connor? She of the infamous "Pope photo ripping incident"? (Hey, at least she didn't draw a cartoon of Mohammad!)

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about her: Sinead! And here is the song Scarlet Ribbons that helped her through a difficult childhood. The song is from the "Am I Not Your Girl?" CD.

Led Zeppelin covers

How about some Led Zeppelin covers?

First, we have a nice version of When_the_Levee_Breaks by Todd Cecil. My friend Jackson clued me in to Todd - thanks Jackson! Mr. Cecil will be playing at the "Rhythm on the River" concert series here in Columbia, SC, on June 16th.

Next, from the Encomium CD, (subtitled, "a tribute to led zeppelin"), is a version of "Going to California" by Never the Bride.

Finally, a symphonic version of Friends, from the CD titled, "Kashmir". (Symphonic Led Zeppelin!)

..... and speaking of Guitarman Sam

Speaking of Guitarman Sam, here is a song he recorded with John Woodard: When_The_Band. Besides playing guitar, Sam cooks up a damn file tamale, and is married to one of the coolest chicks in the Carolinas. But to hear him play these days may take some effort, not the least of which will be traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, USA. (When and where are you playing again, Sam?)

Another song I'd like to post, just because I like to play it for my Sweetie, is a B.B. King & Irma Thomas duet called We're_Gonna_Make_It. It goes out to my buddy Jeff, too, who has had more than his share of hard luck. (Hang in there, Buddy! Things are gonna change!)

"We're Gonna Make It" is from B.B. King's "Blues Summit" CD, a collection of collaborations with many famous artists. I assume everyone knows who B.B. King is, so how about a Wikipedia link to Irma Thomas.

Just because I like the Blues, here is Sweet_Black_Angel by Earl Hooker, (NOT John Lee, who was his cousin!), which is on the
"Simply the Best" CD. This is what Wikipedia says about Earl Hooker.

And finally, to satisfy curious minds, (you know who you are, PAUL), I had instant oatmeal with golden raisins for breakfast this morning.

More "Religious" Music!

Here's some more "religious" music, more or less.

The first song, Countdown_to_the_Year_2000, is what I guess you would call "Christian Rap". It is off the "Countdown to the Year 2000" CD by Kyper.

I'm not a fan of Rap or Hip-Hop music; I barely listened to the remaining tracks, but I can say not all of them are religiously themed. (I don't think "Weird Sex" would play too well at Sunday School!) Tabatha is a nice song.

Here is link telling you all about Kyper

The second song, The_Hand_of_the_Almighty, is a bit of a parody of country gospel tunes. DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS SONG IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY "BAD" WORDS, PARTICULARLY F*CK! I think this song is funny ...... and TRUE! So watch out, you sinners!

Anyway, this song was sent to me by my buddy Guitarman Sam. I don't know much, (okay - anything!), about John R. Butler, but a quick Google search turned up his website, http://johnrbutler.com/, and here is a site where you can buy his CD, described as "Postmodern Honky Blasphemy"!

Another Philippine Song!!

Here is BiniBini , another philippine song, this one sent to me by my Sweetie. (Thank you, Dear!) When I play it, the phrase "brownman revivial" briefly appears.

My Sweetie says this one is in Tagalog, so if you were looking for a song in Bisaya, you are momentarily out of luck. (Hopefully I can resolve that soon!) As for the particulars of the song .... who performs it, what it is about, etc ...... I don't know yet. Stay tuned!

Monster Island - Dream Tiger

Here's an interesting CD: Dream Tiger, 13 songs by the group, (?), Monster Island. I can't find a webpage for these guys, so I don't know if they are still around and recording, but here is what a Google search turned up: Monster Island. Wikipedia never heard of them.

Listen to Dream Tiger: Erika Hoffman is the vocalist, and she is featured on several other songs. Fantomas is a nice, campy tune.

Bear in mind there is some creepy stuff on this CD, ("The Dead Father", "Hob Goblin"), which would make wonderful music for a Halloween party, or good background music for telling ghost stories around the campfire!


This entry has been updated here:   http://www.missingmusic.blogspot.com/2015/01/monster-island-dream-tiger.html

Schubert!!

I'm not much of a fan of classical music, but I think Schubert rocks! This song, Fantasy for Violin and Piano in C major, D.934, is a bit long at 24 minutes, but worth it.

It is the first track from this CD: Schubert Sonatas (Sonatinas) for Violin and Piano , and in my-ever-humble-opinion, easily the best track. (The other songs are to "formulaic" for me.) If you enjoy classical music, the Naxos website, (http://www.naxos.com/) is certainly worth a visit.

Some trivia: the violinist is named Dong-Suk, which would certainly be a challenging name to grow up with here in the USA!

Some bonus trivia: my fiance's nick-name is "Dong", which in her language means "Precious", which she most certainly is!!

Ethics of downloading "free" music

Since I am providing free samples of various music, I think it's necessary to address the ethics of downloading someone's artistic work, WITHOUT paying for it.

First of all, I want to note that the purpose of this blog is to give exposure to artists who, in my opinion, either lack adequate publicity, or deserve more. Thus, you won't see much Led Zeppelin, Elton John, or Prince music posted here. (Unless it is performed by someone else!) The idea is to let you hear some tunes you may not otherwise hear, with the hope that if you like the work, you will BUY the CD!

Is this ethical? I think so; in fact I think I am helping the artists, rather than hurting them. What do you think?

Following are some links on the ethics/legality of posting and downloading music. Note that I am much more interested in the ETHICS rather than the LEGALITY, as the legal system all too often dances to the tune of the one with the most money, whether or not that is the ethical thing to do. (E.g., see the antics of the RIAA.)

http://www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria19_2c.htm

This article is a little out of date, but I LOVE the guy's hair!
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/reevaluating-copyright.html
(Another link to same article if that one is broken: http://www.nyfairuse.org/stall1.xhtml )

Another out of date article. (Sorry ...... I don't get out much!)
http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2001mar/gee20010329005088.htm

Contemporary Christian

I don't listen to much Contemporary Christian music, but my Sweetie does, so I figured I should put an entry in for a few songs in this genre.

The first is from Sandi Patty, and is not really overtly religious at all, although Sandi is most definitely a practising Christian. Love_Will_Be_Our_Home is a great example of her wonderful voice. It is off of her album ....... uh, well phooey! I don't know what album, (if any!), this song is from. Any of you Sandi Patty fans know?

Here is her website: http://www.sandipatty.com . She has an interesting discography. (At least I think so!)

The next song is from Shirley Caesar, off of her Sailin' CD: Let_Your_Spirit_Fall_on_Me . If you live in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, USA, you NEED to own at least one Shirley Caesar recording, as she is a local hero in those parts. There is even a street named after her in Durham. Go to maps.google.com, and type in this address: "shirley caesar court, durham, nc 27701".

Here is her website: http://www.shirleycaesar.com . She just released her 41st, (41st!!), CD.

Finally, a little rowdy inspiration bluegrass from the David Crowder band: I_Saw_The_Light . Be aware this is a .wma file, because yours truly hasn't figured out how to convert this to an mp3 file yet. But it's a nice song, off the "B Collision" CD.

Did you know "I Saw the Light" was written by Hank Williams?

http://www.davidcrowderband.com/ is the band's website. It's a pretty cool website, once you figure out how to navigate around. Check it out!

Pinoy Ako - song from the Philippines!

Here is a song from the Philippines: Pinoy_Ako.mp3 . I know almost nothing about this song. I think "Pinoy Ako" means, "I'm a Filipino"? I don't even know if this is being sung in Bisaya or Tagalog.

I was in the Philippines this past February, (Feb 2007), and it is a nice place. I enjoyed my trip, especially since I got to spend time with my Sweetie! And no, I did not eat any Balut! (Don't even ask!)

04/Jan/2015 Update  -  Here is a version of this song from YouTube:

Pinoy Ako - by Orange and Lemons

Flamingo Guitar!!

Okay ..... it should be "Flamenco Guitar". Pardon my lame attempt at a pun!

This song, Amazonas, is the last song on the "Primal Magic" CD by the two flamingos (ha, ha!) Jorge Strunz and Ardeshir Farah. These guys are pretty good, huh? This CD came out in 1990, ( Mesa, (or maybe Rhino?), R2 79023), and was one I purchased through a brief membership in the BMG Music Club. Jorge is from Costa Rica, and Ardeshir is from Iran.

Here is a YouTube playlist for the entire CD, starting with Bola, (a GREAT song!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvZ7DQAiOIE&list=PLv-Ot7NnU1Zm0Tu0EBDA0TrdakfUApx8K .

And here is their website: http://www.strunzandfarah.com/

Enjoy!

If this music moves you, please consider buying the CD at Amazon.

Piece of Sh*t Car

Here's a "quaint" little song ...... "Piece of Sh*t Car". I got this from a friend of mine. I have no idea who performed it, when, where, or anything about else about this "opus".  It's performed by Adam Sandler, and here is a good link to it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-34Fdtg1dI .

This is a reggie-ish humorous song about a really crappy car. There are STRONG words in this song, so ..... *ahem* ..... if you are an easily offended type, please don't listen to it! Also, it is not particularly child friendly.

I hope none of you can relate to owning something like this! Back in the early 1980's I had the misfortune to own a Renault LeCar, which was a rather pathetic vehicle. (I knew I was in trouble when a guy visiting from France saw it and said, in his heavy accent, "French Junk!") I also briefly owned a Ford Escort, (I will NEVER buy a Ford again!!!), but after that have owned only Hondas and the occaisional GM pickup, and I haven't had a lemon since.

If anybody knows who performed this song, and where it can be purchased, please let me know.  Adam Sandler.

First Post - Purpose of this Blog

Greetings one and all!

I'm starting this blog to give a little exposure to various musicians whose recordings I have accumulated over the years. With most of the FM band seemingly becomming owned by one company, (with a few exceptions, like college radio stations, and a few brave free-form stations here and there), it seems that we will have to take matters into our own hands, and help support musicians whose music we enjoy, yet who are not overtly "commercial".

Ideally, you will come across something you like in this blog, and be inspired to check out more of the artist's work, perhaps even buying a CD or two!