Comments on: Monday Music Roundup

By: kurt

kurt — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:31:00 +0000

You keep posting the perfect posts… The 3 gin and tonics I have had, say you are the best…. No one reads these posts right? Anyway, your blog and Aquarium Drunkard and Ninebullets keep me up on everything I need to know about musically every week. If you have never been to their sites, check them out. They may not be your cup of tea, but the combo of your 3 sites really works for a mid-30′s music addict. Ohh yeah, if you make chile ever, use New Mexican chiles, and only use the spices you find in the Mexican area of your grocery store. Never use chile powder. Also, corn tortillas not corn bread yankee.

By: b

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:39:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZLCR_PwxRQ

By: sean broom

sean broom — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:02:00 +0000

Heather-- You *were* my online music crush. Such great taste, an awesome website that I could read daily.

And then you have to go and argue that Otis Redding's version of "A Change Is Gonna Come" is better than Sam Cooke's.

I will give you that in an argument over who is the better soul singer you could go either way, but I think you have gone bananas b-a-n-a-n-a-s if you think that Otis' is better. The song, written by Cooke contained so much personal conviction for him, defined by his own fight with civil rights and the death of his son-- it is a eulogy and an autobiography and he sings it with such amazing conviction that isn't there with Otis'.

And finally, like Sitting On The Dock of the bay, Change's place in Cooke's mythology makes it 'his'.

But yes, I have to agree with you and go one better-- that guy's cover blew. There is a reason why Dave Matthews has never covered Change-- and this shows why, it just doesn't have any of the soul or the gravity that is in the song. While "The Times They Are A Changin'" has some light in it (it is inherently an optimistic song) A Change Is Gonna Come is wrought not with optimism and light but is instead about some heavy shit-- and deserves to be sung as such.

*sigh* I guess you'll still be my online music crush.

Sean

By: heather

heather — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Hey anonymous #1 – I’ll look into the EP, thanks for the tip. Even after all, I can still kinda tell when it’s you. Nice to hear from ya.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:19:00 +0000

Cool stuff — thanks!

Any chance you can post Pearl Jam’s Baonnarroo show from this weekend? Three hours of goodness according to the reports!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0000

great post! so nice to hear from the strokes again. Any chance you could post on the new Mason Jennings ep Morning Train? Gotta love when he records in a cabin in the woods. Thanks!

By: Matty D

Matty D — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:27:00 +0000

Granted Otis’ version is absolutely phenomenal & your analysis was spot on, but no version compares to Sam Cooke’s. It’s brilliant. The pain is so much more evident in Sam’s voice. He sounds like a man who has been beaten down by life, but has not given up. A preacher. The trumpets signaling his trials and tribulations. The gentle melody follows his struggles, much like many of his songs he draws subtle correlations between himself and Moses (Born by the river in a little tent). He sings it almost like an old Negro Spiritual. The final crescendo beings when he starts to sing about going to his brother, the pounding of the drum, the violins pick up. This is the voice of a man who has been knocked down, has thought about taking his place at the back of the bus & not making waves, but he realizes that nothing will happen without hope, without getting up and fighting. Perhaps then he can stop running, perhaps then he can feel the equality he wants so badly.