Maggie May

One of the great things about being married is that the quality of my birthdays has increased exponentially. To put it mildly, my wife spoils me rotten. Among the incredible haul I received on my last placenta emergence anniversary was The Pogues box set, Just Look Them Straight in the Eye & Say Poguemahone! With five CDs of demos, b-sides, outtakes, alternate versions, rehearsals, and live cuts, it was an awesome enough gift in itself, but it was made all the better by the fact that despite being released in 2008, I had no idea that it existed. The damn thing is just incredible, and if you're the slightest bit of a Pogues fan, you simply need to own this.

There's so much good stuff on here, it's hard to pick a highlight, but for me this is definitely it. For my money, it is easily the greatest cover song I've ever heard.

The Pogues - "Maggie May" (mp3) from Just Look Them Straight In The Eye And Say Poguemahone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Christmas with The Killers

The Killers released this song in 2006. I kinda dug it, and it was a charity single, and I love Christmas songs, so I happily threw a buck towards iTunes for the cause.

The other day I was surfing through the on demand videos that our cable company offers, and discovered "Don't Shoot Me Santa." It's a kinda bizarre video, but fun. But since I had no idea that The Killers had released other Christmas songs, it sent me searching. And it turns out they've been releasing them every year for the past half decade. This made me feel especially clueless, since I had still been a regular blogger most of that time. But after listening to their subsequent yuletide offerings I didn't feel so bad. It's like musical fruitcake... you're thankful that they gave you something, but it really isn't very good. And it really reminded me of why I quit caring about the Killers when they released Day & Age.

Pants Soup

Anyone who's visited this blog more than a couple of times knows I am a huge Frank Sinatra fan. Much to my chagrin, my fiance prefers Bing Crosby. I guess nobody's perfect.

If anyone has ever been in the market for any Crosby CDs, you tend to find that the only ones that are generally available are either Christmas CDs or compilations that mostly repackage the same dozen songs over and over. In an effort to expand our collection of Der Bingle, I visited one of our local used music emporiums the other day, where I found Top o' the Morning: His Irish Collection. With St. Patrick's Day being this week, I figured it was a timely purchase. And it introduced me to this ditty, which has to be one of the goofiest damn songs I've ever heard. It's also a little bit disturbing. Apparently in Ireland they use the same pots to do laundry that they cook dinner in. Mmmm... soapy.

Bing Crosby - "Who Threw The Overalls In Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" (mp3) from Top o' the Morning: His Irish Collection

Christmas Around The World - Palestine

For the final Christmas Around The World, I thought I'd go to where it all began. I hope today finds you happy, safe and peaceful, where ever you are in the world. Merry Christmas.

Ella Fitzgerald - "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" (mp3) from Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas

Christmas Around The World - Ireland

They say when you're Irish, everyday is St. Patrick's Day. Does that mean if you're half Irish that it's every other day? The one advantage wearing green would give you at this time of year is it gives you a head start on dressing festively... throw on a red scarf and you're ready to go!

I'd mention some of the customs of the season in Ireland, but this song does a much better job of it than I possibly could.

Bing Crosby - "Christmas In Killarney" (mp3) from White Christmas

Nollaig Shona Duit!

Christmas Around The World - California

I spent Christmas in San Diego ten years ago. My dad's entire family met down there for the holidays, and I remember going to my Aunt's condo on Christmas Eve and thinking how weird it was that it was in the mid-70's and people were laying out on the beach. But despite the warm weather, it was one of the most memorable Christmases of my life. Watching the sunset from the boardwalk at the Hotel Del Coronado, and then heading into the lobby for a family picture in front of their absolutely massive Christmas tree was a lot of fun. And when you've got family together for dinner and presents, it really doesn't matter whether it's cold outside or not.

I absolutely fell in love with this song last year. The lyrics reminded me of the two holiday seasons I spent in Las Vegas, plus I was in the middle of falling in love with my fiance last December, so the almost overwhelming sweetness of the lyrics that aren't talking about fake snow and billboard lights fit my frame of mind perfectly. The original version features Simone White on the female vocals, but this acoustic version has Wedding Present bassist Terry de Castro singing with David Gedge. Whether you're under a blanket in front of a fireplace or on a blanket sitting on the beach, this is a perfect song for Christmas cuddling.

The Wedding Present - "Holly Jolly Hollywood (Acoustic)" mp3 from the Holly Jolly Hollywood EP

Christmas Around The World - Trinidad

I was going to post a different song to represent Trinidad and Tobago in the Christmas Around The World series (Lord Nelson's "A Party For Santa Claus," I promise I'll post it next year), but as awesome as it is, it didn't fit in with the apparent theme of songs that describe Christmas in the location. So here's one that does.

Machel - "Soca Santa" (mp3) from Mas! A Caribbean Christmas Party

I'm pretty sure I paid two dollars for this CD many years ago, and it was worth is just for Joseph Spence's beautifully bizarre version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (check it out here). But this year it's made its way into the yuletide rotation, and it's been a treat. If you're feeling adventurous and craving something different from the same dozen song you seem to hear ad nauseum this time of year, it's worth checking out.

Christmas Around The World - Louisiana

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities that I've ever visited, and I've been itching to find an excuse to get back there. It's probably a fun place to be this time of year. Not that they need an excuse to party, but I can just imagine the balconies of Basin Street decorated with garland and lights, and the sound of carols being played by a brass band drifting out of the clubs. They might not have snow or be wearing scarves and mittens, but I imagine there's no shortage of Christmas spirit in the Big Easy when Saint Nicholas goes marching in.

Louis Armstrong - "Christmas In New Orleans" (mp3) from The Best of Louis Armstrong - The Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters

photo by JustUptown

A Sinatra Family Christmas

Happy Birthday Frank. To celebrate, here's a seasonal sing-a-long with the kids...

Frank Sinatra & Family - "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas" (mp3) from Frank Sinatra Christmas Collection

Christmas Around The World - Italy

It's that time of year when your email inbox fills up with a thousand forwarded messages from cousins and aunts that you haven't seen in the last decade, but for whatever reason they feel like forwarding a holiday message with a thousand lines of address headers makes them feel closer to their family this time of year. Next time send a card.

That said I actually enjoyed the Christmas trees around the world email that I'm sure everyone has already seen by now. And if you haven't, enjoy the world's largest Christmas tree on the slopes of Mt. Ingino, just outside of Gubbio, Italy. Apparently it's been an annual tradition since 1981. If you speak Italian, you can read all about it. If not, it's designed with 500 colored lamps and 40,000 feet of cables, and it lights up every year on December 7, the eve of the feast of Immaculate Conception.

This song actually came up in conversation at my annual Christmas party Saturday night. A couple of my friends had heard it in the car earlier that day, and thought it was absolutely the stupidest song they'd ever heard. I couldn't disagree more. Yeah, it's goofy, but that's what makes it one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs.

Lou Monte - "Dominick The Donkey" (mp3) from The Very Best of Lou Monte

Christmas Around The World - Hawaii

I've never been to Hawaii. My parents promised my sister and I a trip there when we were kids, but then we moved from Washington to Tennessee, and suddenly it was no longer feasible. They took us to the Bahamas instead. Now I'll admit the Bahamas are nice, but they ain't Hawaii. My fiance and I looked into a trip there recently while honeymoon planning, but as soon as we saw the cost of airfare, it was crossed off the list of possible destinations. It'd be cheaper to fly to Europe, and we aren't going there either.

What does any of this have to do with Christmas? Absolutely nothing, so I'll get back on track. I used to work with a lady from Hawaii, and I loved that she always signed her Christmas cards Mele Kalikimaka. It's funny that sometimes we learn language through song. I mean, everyone knows how to say Merry Christmas in Spanish, right? We can thank Jose Feliciano for that.

Until last year the only versions of this song that I'd ever heard were Chris Isaak and Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters. Two years ago I picked up KT Tunstall's Christmas CD at Target for 75 cents. I'm not really a fan of hers, but I do love Christmas music, and at ninety percent off I'll check out just about anything. It turned out to be a pretty good CD, and her version of this song is ridiculously fun.

KT Tunstall - "Mele Kalikimaka" (mp3) from Have Yourself A Very KT Christmas

Christmas Around The World

One of my favorite Nashville Christmas memories was going to see the Trees of Christmas exhibit at Cheekwood. A few years ago they ended the annual event, apparently after a falling out between the various garden clubs that did each of the themed trees. They still have Christmas exhibits there, but they aren't nearly as big or as cool as they used to be. My favorite was the year they did Christmas Around The World, where each tree represented the various yuletide traditions from countries all over the world. Not only was it festive, but it also appealed to the history nerd in me.

I always post a bunch of Christmas songs this time of year, and I thought this December it'd be fun to do a theme. So every couple of days I'll be posting a song celebrating Christmas around the world. I haven't really planned exactly how many songs I have that fit into this theme (feel free to leave suggestions in the comments), but I came up with a half dozen off the top of my head, so I figure I'll be able to dig up a few more in order to do a post every 2-3 days leading up to Christmas. To kick things off, here's a theme song for the series, courtesy of the Candy Man...

Sammy Davis Jr. - "Christmas Time All Over The World" (mp3) from Christmas With The Rat Pack

Giving Thanks

For a lot of different reasons, I'm especially thankful this year, so this song seemed more than appropriate when I heard it this morning.

Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby - "Let Us Break Bread Together" (mp3)

It was originally released on America, I Hear You Singing in 1964, and though it has never been reissued on CD, you can find a few of the tracks on Frank Sinatra's The Complete Reprise Recordings, which though also out of print is much more attainable.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

Do You Believe In Blood?

Lylas - Do You Believe In Blood?

Lylas has always been a band for all seasons. They've recorded spring songs, summer songs, and two EPs full of Christmas songs. But perhaps the time of year their music is most appropriate for is Halloween. Even when they aren't name dropping the October holiday in their songs (something they do twice on their new album), their music has long been full of themes appropriate the season of ghosts and the ghoulish. It's the kind of world where courting couples sweetly embrace, only to have one of them fall back with a knife wound.

Their second full length album continues the lyrical themes that their press release accurately describes as "the strangely sweet and the gently macabre," but the addition of Features drummer Rollum Haas to their ranks has added a bit of muscle to their chamber folk/pop. Don't get me wrong, you're not going to suddenly mistake them for a rock band, but they've never previously recorded anything quite as rambunctious as "Baby Brimstone." And Kelli Shay Hix's fiddle serves to accentuate the subtle country influence that has always been present in their sound. Like a Hitchcock film set to a Django Reinhardt score, Do You Believe In Blood? is equal parts chilling and charming. If you're looking for the perfect soundtrack for sipping some witches brew while chasing frightened children off your porch tomorrow night, this is it.

Lylas - "Fix Me Dixie" (mp3)
Lylas - "Baby Brimstone" (mp3)

First Day Of Fall

This is without a doubt my favorite Johnny Mercer song.

Nat King Cole - "Autumn Leaves" (mp3) from Sings For Two In Love

Happy Autumnal Equinox.

photo by my_southborough

Happy Labor Day

Remember how I used to (and still do on occasion) post songs for all the various holidays that occurred throughout the year? Well, apparently my friend Tyge does too. He's started a weekly series of posts at The Opening Acts called "Your Weekend Holiday" where he posts a song every weekend for whatever holiday is currently on the calendar. It kinda sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? I'm sure he'd say he totally didn't rip off my idea*, because he's writing about obscure holidays you've never heard of. Fan's of VH1's Behind The Music know that that's the same rationale that Vanilla Ice used to explain how he didn't rip off "Under Pressure" because they added an extra beat. There's a word for it my friends... bullshit.

Anyway, today is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. And so to celebrate, here is one of my favorite summer anthem of all time, from the greatest holiday movie of all time.

Bing Crosby - "Lazy" (mp3) from Holiday Inn

*because I'm the only music blogger in the history of the internet who ever did holiday themed posts, obviously.

The Day After

I had big plans for Valentine's Day around these parts. I had been planning for months to do week long series of my favorite duets, you know, to commemorate the favorite holiday of couples everywhere. I figured it'd be a great way to celebrate love in the form of song. But a funny thing happened as February approached... I found myself with real life plans for Valentine's Day, and suddenly getting ready for that took precedence over getting ready online.

Even in real life I didn't get everything I wanted to done. Part of it was the result of unanticipated expenses that popped up, and part of it was simply running out of time. But the most important thing that happened was that I finished a song for my GF that I had been working on for a couple of weeks. Now not to toot my own horn, but I think writing a song for someone is one of the coolest presents you could give, especially on a day like yesterday. But what made it even more meaningful to me was that it was the first song I had started and finished in about eight years. The last time song I wrote from beginning to end was when I lived in Las Vegas. Since then I'd started a few, but most of them were mediocre at best, and even the ones that showed promise never got finished. This one I actually think turned out pretty good. And, you know... it's done. I'm hoping to get it recorded at some point in the next few weeks, and if you know me I'll probably send you a link to it at some point. I definitely won't be posting it on here, because self-promotion is so tacky.

I know Valentine's Day has come and gone, but I figured I'd give you at least one of the songs I was going to post in my duet series... a pairing of two of my absolute favorite singers.

Frank Sinatra & Keely Smith - "So In Love" (mp3) from the Reprise Musical Repertory Theater box set

Here's to hoping your Valentine's Day was even half as good as mine, cuz if it was, you still had a really great day.

Auld Lang Syne

The other day I was talking to a friend who claims that she's never heard "Auld Lang Syne." I found that incredibly hard... no, impossible to believe, but even after singing her the first verse she still claimed to not recognize it. It's possible that this had more to do with my off-key singing than her exposure to traditional holiday songs, but I don't think I'm THAT bad a singer.

Anyway, while looking for a website about New Year's Eve traditions to forward her explaining how she's basically been living under a rock her entire life, I found this entry from The Book of Ratings that absolutely cracked me up...

"It's always funny to hear people sing Scots poetry while wearing shiny hats. I usually try to get everyone to launch into "Johnie Lad, Cock Up Your Beaver" to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon" as an encore, but by then everyone's putting on coats and calling babysitters so it's never really gotten the ensemble treatment it deserves."

Their take on all the various New Year's Eve traditions are hilarious, so it's worth taking a look at before you head out for your end of the year revelry. I'm seriously thinking about forgoing the kissing at midnight so I can instead ring in the new year by standing on a chair eating grapes.

Happy Birthday Ol' Blue Eyes

I've mentioned before how I think today should be a national holiday. Really though, Frank Sinatra's birthday just gives me a good excuse to post a song by my favorite singer.

This song was recorded in August of 1991 for a children's charity album that was put together by his daughter Nancy. Several takes were done with his longtime pianist Bill Miller, but the final version ended up being with his son Frank Jr. on the keys. Sinatra hadn't been in a recording studio in three years at the time, and though there is a definite frailty evident in his voice, it seems to add a certain poignancy to the song. In 2004, these tracks were given significant studio polishing and fleshed out with a new orchestral arrangement by Johnny Mandel. Though the final result bears little resemblance to this original track, it turned out quite well. The new version can be found on Frank Sinatra: The Christmas Collection.

Frank Sinatra w/ Frank Sinatra Jr. - "Silent Night" (mp3) from 20 Christmas Stars II

Unless You Hate Baby Jesus...

When Aimee Mann released One More Drifter In The Snow in 2006, she promoted it with a Christmas variety show tour that combined songs, skits and storytelling from her and various special guests. To promote the tour, she did a couple of short videos in which she conspires with Paul F. Tompkins on the best way to ask her various celebrity friends to participate. Part 1 stars John Krasinski, Emily Procter, Patton Oswalt, and a great cameo that I won't ruin by telling you about it beforehand...



Part 2 features Bob Odenkirk and Fred Armisen, and part 3 has bits with Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell. They're all pretty funny, so if you're looking for something to kill a few minutes at work today... you're welcome.

Aimee's 3rd annual Christmas tour kicks off it's east coast swing tonight in Ridgefield, CT, and continues through the 19th. The remaining tour dates and ticket info can be found here.

Aimee Mann - "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (mp3) from One More Drifter In The Snow