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He Knows How I Feel

20 Feb

It says something about where my head’s been lately that I was just watching VH1 (or MTV) and a brand-new video came on that hit a chord (no pun intended). The song/video is Daniel Powter‘s “Bad Day,” off his self-titled CD (which is available at iTunes). In the video, a young woman (played by Samaire Armstrong, from The O.C. and Entourage) and a man go through their near-identical daily routines, while Powter (in full piano-driven ballad, singer/songwriter mode) plays and sings to the camera. Of course, for most of the video they’re oblivious to the fact that someone else shares their pain, but they meet at the end. It’s not the most uplifting song or video, so it sorta bummed me out that I could relate in a more ways than one — including the fact that it appears one day during the guy’s week, he actually wears a tie to work. Thanks to my DVR, I rewound it and watched a second time, had a similar reaction. And thanks to Powter’s web site, you can watch it as many times as you like. Anyway, if the video or song should come on next time you’re flipping the channels, stay there for a minute and take it in like I did. Good, sad stuff. Chances are you’ll be hearing this one a lot; it has sensitive pop hit written all over it, sort of like Gavin DeGraw.

I’m Fighting For Them

24 Jan

As I said way back on November 11, UB40‘s new CD Who You Fighting For? is awesome. It hit stores today and I just wanted to post something here because I really, really like it. If you thought the band was not capable of anything more than “Red, Red Wine,” give this one a spin. Just try not to groove along with tracks like “After Tonight” and “Good Situation.” Try not to be swept into the rhythm of “I’ll Be on My Way” and “Things You Say You Love.” Especially now with it being so cold out (at least here in the northeast), Who You Fighting For? will make it feel like summer. Trust me on this one. Or, log onto iTunes and hear for yourself.

Thank God It’s Christmas

23 Dec

I’m not sure when it started, but as far as I can remember, I’ve always loved holiday music. In 2000, with the help of Napster, I compiled a 2-disc mix of my favorite holiday songs. That year, one of my coworkers suggested to me that a mix of holiday tunes would make for a fun “Christmas card.” So I cut my mix down to one disc, made about six copies, and got an enthusiastic response. And thus, A Very Marty Xmas was born.

Little did I know that five years later, I’d still be compiling these CDs. In fact, the albums have developed quite a following over the years; in addition to giving them out to friends and coworkers, I’ve been asked to make copies for friends of friends, their siblings, some coworkers’ children, and even some parents of friends and coworkers. Every year I hear stories of people who played the CDs while trimming the tree or during a holiday party. There’s always someone who is stunned or amused to learn that I’m Jewish because the mix is so good. And two days ago I actually received a tin of homemade cookies and a card from the grateful family of one coworker. The fact that people seem to genuinely, really like the CDs makes me really happy, and encourages me to continue year after year.

In fact, it is a constant source of pleasure that there is so much good holiday music out there and that I’m always finding more to share. Six discs later, I even have enough material for next year’s CD. But maybe that’s jumping the gun.

As I have mentioned, this week I sent out A Very Marty Xmas 2005. Since I’ve written about the CD a couple of times on this site, I thought I’d post the song listing here. As always, the CD is peppered with quick clips from A Charlie Brown Christmas, Scrooged, and other fun holiday movies and specials, and where those appear is a surprise, so they’re not listed on the cover. Some of the clips this year came from The Daily WAV, so I thank the guy who runs that site.

Alright, without further ado, here is the song listing:

Slade — “Merry Christmas, Everybody”
Eels — “Christmas Is Going to the Dogs”
Gavin DeGraw — “Silver Bells”
Ray Charles — “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
Queen — “Thank God It’s Christmas”
Rufus Wainwright — “Spotlight on Christmas” (live acoustic)
Bleu — “Snow Day”
Diana Krall — “Jingle Bells”
Harry Connick, Jr. — “I’m Gonna Be the First One”
Jason Mraz — “Winter Wonderland”
Barenaked Ladies — “Sleigh Ride”
Jack Johnson — “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Andy Williams — “Christmas Holiday”
Rockapella — “Carol of the Bells”
Death Cab for Cutie — “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Brian Wilson — “The Man with All the Toys”
Leon Redbone — “Christmas Island”
Jimmy Buffett — “Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum”
Melissa Etheridge — “Christmas in America”
The LeeVees — “Latke Clan”
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — “Mr. Heat Miser”
Elvis Presley — “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”
Stevie Wonder — “One Little Christmas Tree”
Michael Bublé — “Grown-up Christmas List”
Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole — “The Christmas Song”

If you ask me, it’s a perfect blend of jolly tunes, some pop, some rock and roll, a classic or two, some unexpected artists, and some fun. After some shuffling, I found an almost ideal order so the whole thing flows from start to finish. Including the covers, which I designed myself but had the kind folks at FedEx Kinkos print for me so they’d look the way I wanted them to, I think this may be my best mix ever. Suffice it to say, I’m really proud of it.

And considering each year I try to raise the game a little bit, I can’t wait to compile — and hear — next year’s mix. (Somewhere, my sister is already dreading it.)

Rocking Good Time

21 Dec

In the past couple of weeks I’ve found a new favorite holiday album. That is, a new favorite Hanukkah album. (Sure, it didn’t take much; my options are limited to Klezmer music and Adam Sandler.) It’s The Leevees‘ Hanukkah Rocks. You may have heard one of their songs, “Latke Clan,” on the holiday episode of Grey’s Anatomy — and if your mail service is running on time, you may also have heard it on this year’s edition of A Very Marty Christmas. The guys (Adam Gardner from Guster and Dave Schneider from the Zambonis) opened up for Barenaked Ladies on their recent holiday tour and were also on the Fox25 morning show in Boston this morning singing “Goyim Friends.”

Hanukkah Rocks is filled with catchy, poppy music in the style of the guys’ regular gigs, and the lyrics are knowing and quite funny. In addition to the above, song titles also include “Jewish Girls (At the Matzoh Ball),” “Applesause vs Sour Cream,” and “How Do You Spell Chunnukkahh?” You can hear a few of their songs over at My Space, and the whole album is available at iTunes. And, if you live in the Boston area, you can check them out this Tuesday at The Paradise. Of course, my friend Doug was ahead of the curve with this one and for that I thank him. This is good stuff, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas … or both.

Update: Actually, scratch that. I now have two new favorite holiday things. The other is that Darlene Love “Christmastime for the Jews” song that was on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. As soon as I can find an MP3 or Quicktime file (and I’ve been looking ever since it aired), this thing will be on constant play.

Best of the Box

19 Dec

Over the past two weeks or so I’ve had quite a few discussions about the Very Marty Christmas CDs and all the work that goes into making the disc every year (this is year six). I’ve been joking that when put together, the CDs would make one hell of a boxed set. I mean, really: considering that each disc is nearly 80 minutes of music, you could start playing them all (in sequence) at noon on Christmas Day and have enough music to last until almost 7:30 p.m. That would be one holly, jolly Christmas!

Anyway, so it’s led me to consider compiling a “best of the box” CD for those who have not been a part of the fun for all these years. However, until that day arrives when I actually burn this “best of” CD, here is a list of what I would consider to be the 20 essential holiday tunes that would be on my Ultimate Very Marty Christmas CD, in no particular order:

1. Darlene Love, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” — The best Christmas record of all time, in my humble opinion. Not even U2’s cover can touch Darlene Love’s original. She sings it every year on Late Show with David Letterman and will be doing so this Friday night. Set your DVR.
2. Donny Hathaway, “This Christmas” — Simply, a soulful classic.
3. Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — A good, old fashioned Mariah Carey tune that totally puts you in the holiday mood. This is an irresistible confection; it’s undeniably catchy and hard to dislike.
4. Stevie Wonder, “That’s What Christmas Means to Me” — It’s hard to choose between this song and Stevie’s “Someday at Christmas,” but like Mariah Carey’s track, this song is also irresistibly upbeat and catchy.
5. John Lennon, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” — Of course. The Corrs’ cover of this song is also quite good.
6. Band Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” — Untouchable. As last year’s remake proved, it’s hard to improve upon the original, though Barenaked Ladies do a really fun cover of this song live.
7. Andy Williams, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” — Duh. Like there was any question about including this one.
8. Harry Connick, Jr., “Sleigh Ride” — Had to make a tough choice here. A song by Harry has been on every one of my mixes because his two Christmas CDs are my two favorites of all-time. If they’re not in your collection, buy them now.
9. Jose Feliciano, “Feliz Navidad” — Why not?
10. NSync, “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” — What? It’s Christmas, cut me some slack.
11. Ray Charles, “Winter Wonderland” — The gold standard rendition of one of the most popular Christmas songs.
12. Bruce Springsteen, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” — A big, boisterous cover.
13. The Eagles, “Please Come Home for Christmas” — Not a happy song, but an essential nevertheless.
14. Tom Petty, “It’s Christmas All Over Again” — Yeah, again.
15. John Williams, “Carol of the Bells” — Sure, this song will stick out on the mix, but it’s one I just love listening to.
16. Britney Spears, “My Only Wish (This Year)” — You’ve gotta hear it to know what I’m talking about. This is old school Britney, the sweet, pop music kind.
17. James Taylor, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” — A gentle voice makes this song even warmer.
18. Ron Sexsmith, “Maybe This Christmas” — Short, sweet, and to the point.
19. Jimmy Buffett, “Mele Kalikimaka” — This one’s pure novelty. It’s a dose of summer at the coldest time of year.
20. Rufus Wainwright, “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” — A song of longing, one that ends any mix with a cliffhanger. I also love Vonda Shepard’s version.

Alright, there are plenty, plenty more great holiday songs, but as I’m going through the first five mixes, those are the ones that stand out. And hey, I’m the one making the mix here. You want to suggest a “best of” mix? Go right ahead.

And of course, perhaps this raises a question for you: What’s on this year’s mix? Well, I think it may just be a perfect mix of classic, contemporary, jolly, rocking, upbeat, downbeat, and bittersweet tunes. And, there’s a Hanukkah song on it! I can’t wait for people to finally hear it. I’m putting them in the mail on Tuesday, so midweek, I’ll post the final list. Stay tuned.

TGIF

11 Nov

Some miscellaneous things that are on my mind today:

Sorry, neighbors: I hit snooze for a solid hour and a half this morning. That, after waking up in the middle of the night and sleeping on my couch for what must have been four hours. When the radio went off at 6:15, blaring from my bedroom, I darted off the couch, ran to go shut it off … and then proceeded to fall right back asleep.

Bagel basics: I’ve long thought that only Jewish people should work at bagel places. Before anyone gets all uppity that this is some sort of racist, reverse anti-Semitism thing, hear me out: When was the last time you had a good sandwich at Finagle-a-Bagel? Really. A good, well-made sandwich, where the ingredients weren’t just slapped together (in excess) and the bagel wasn’t burnt, etc. Too often, I feel like bagel sandwiches — whether they’re with cream cheese or turkey or whatever — are put through like some disorganized assembly line and made without much care for their quality. I take my bagels seriously (despite the fact that I still go to Bruegger’s regularly). Jewish people know from bagels. If Jews were making the bagel sandwiches at Finagle, they wouldn’t screw them up. Go to any bagel place in Florida. You’ll see.

This could have been worse: Nicole Richie was on the Today show this morning. At the risk of sounding like an old man triple my age, what a well-spoken young lady she was. Who knew?! Apparently she has a book out that’s “a novel a novel a novel a novel a novel a novel” — it’s repeated six times on the cover to underline and highlight the fact that even though characters closely resemble former aquaintances (i.e.: Paris Hilton), the book is not based in reality. Whatever. I’m still not going to read it.

T things: So if the T isn’t crowded and I’ve got plenty of space in the back of the train to stand, why must people come all the way back and crowd me? There’s plenty of room for them elsewhere. And in related musings, is anyone who rides the B Line happy? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone on that line smile. On the C Line, people are talking to each other, laughing — I mean, it’s not the love train by any means, but at least the general mood of the riders is happier.

Happy day: Today is Veterans Day. So who has it off? Only the post office, it seems. And also in related musings, I was in Shaw’s last night and saw “Happy Veterans Day” cakes. Do you really wish people “Happy Veterans Day?”

Bad TV: I’d care more that it’s Sam who dies on Reunion if only I liked any of the characters on that show. It’s a good premise, but not one of the six characters is compelling enough to make the show watchable. Basically, the only reason I do watch is because it supposedly takes place in Bedford, NY, which is where I grew up. Supposedly. That’s not the Bedford I know. The characters would have gone to Fox Lane High School (not Bedford High) and the hospital would have been Northern Westchester Hospital (not University Hospital). Just fyi, in case you’re curious.

Behave or be gone: I really liked this story from Wednesday’s New York Times. I think Dan McCauley, owner of a coffee shop in Chicago, has the right idea. “Part of parenting skills is teaching kids they behave differently in a restaurant than they do on the playground,” he says. It’s easy for me to say since I don’t have kids, right? But the same goes for movie theaters. Bad thing is, of course, it’s not just children: too many adults treat the movie theater like it’s their living room. It’s my biggest pet peeve — after people who don’t know the correct way to ride an escalator, of course. (If you’re going to stand, stay to the right and let the rest of us pass.)

Summertime: Got an advance copy of UB40‘s new CD, Who You Fighting For?, in the mail today (it’s out January 24). Yes, those guys are still around, and with this album, they’ve got a return to form. (And I’m not just saying that because the British Mojo Magazine said it first.) I have the CD on while I’m working and it’s making me forget that it’s, like, 40 degrees out and that I dug my cold weather coat out this morning. At least mentally, summer’s already here.

No day but Tuesday: Got my invite yesterday to see an advance screening of Rent next week. Can’t wait. Especially now since Jeff Wells has posted such a huge rave about the film on his site, “Hollywood Elsewhere.” Jeff calls himself a “not-very-hip type,” something I can identify with if I know what he means, and he, like me, saw the show in 1996 when the original cast was still in it (I also saw the original cast in London, if you’re interested). I’ve been listening to the movie soundtrack for a couple of months now and like it. I’ve also seen clips, but they cause me to be a bit reserved in my enthusiasm. Jeff Wells gives me hope today. Look for my review of the film mid next week.

When You’re Weary …

18 Oct

I received the following press release today:

<< Executive producer Sharon Osbourne has announced the Tuesday, October 18 release of a star-studded recording of Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” exclusively on iTunes to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina and survivors of December’s devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia. The special song — originally recorded following the tsunami, but unreleased until now — features vocals from Elton John, Mary J. Blige, Rod Stewart, Josh Groban, Gwen Stefani, Ozzy Osbourne, Andrea Bocelli, Steven Tyler, Phil Collins, Katie Melua, Robert Downey, Jr., Pink, Gavin Rossdale, Kelly Osbourne and Scott Weiland, with music performed by Velvet Revolver.

iTunes will forward the song’s entire $.99 download fee to “Save the Children,” which will help fund the long-term rebuilding of the lives of children affected by the natural disasters. Donations made in the U.S. will go directly to the Hurricane Katrina victims, while monies received outside the U.S. will be assigned to the tsunami relief fund. >>

Now, I’m all for charity and the contributions of musicians and singers following tragic events, but, um, couldn’t Sharon Osbourne have picked a better song? Something hopeful, and not depressing or inappropriate given the context? Were all the good songs taken? What about “Bridge Over Troubled Water“?

Music to My Ears

14 Oct

Best thing about spending 6 of the last 72 hours in my car? The chance to hear some of the new music I’ve been buying. Among the noteworthy tunes …

Jamie Cullum, “London Skies,” “Photograph,” and “Mind Trick,” and his new CD, Catching Tales. I’m a huge fan of Jamie’s previous CD, Twentysomething, with its cool fusion of rock, pop and jazz, and had high hopes for the follow-up. The sound of this new disc is more pop-jazz than Twentysomething, which was more jazz-pop. Songs here have more of a beat, more of an ambient sound in some cases, more edge, and less of a “classic” feel. My favorite track is “London Skies.” I’ve already played it a good handful of times. And “Mind Trick” is just fun. “Photograph” hit a chord with me, due to the wistful, nostalgic lyrics of the chorus (“When I look back on my ordinary, ordinary life, I see so much magic though I missed it at the time.”) and a nice piano solo. Other tracks (like “21st Century Kid” and the Steely Dan-esque “Nothing I Do”) are quickly growing on me. Sure, most of the stronger tracks are in the first half of the CD, but I’d imagine that after a few more listenings, I’ll warm to more tracks in the second half. This is a really good album, even if I don’t instantly love it all, like I did with Twentysomething. Jamie Cullum’s a huge talent and I really recommend this CD.

Susan Tedeschi, “Follow,” and her new CD, Hope and Desire. Tedeschi’s Just Won’t Burn is one of my all-time favorite albums, but since then I just haven’t loved Tedeschi’s work. This album has its highs and lows, and a definite high is “Follow,” a cover of the Richie Havens classic. Simply, it just sounds great. Is it the song? Is it the delivery? It’s both.

Josh Kelley, “Only You”
I Nine, “Same in Any Language” (From the Elizabethtown soundtrack)
Cass Elliot, “Make Your Own Kind of Music” (yes, the song from the first episode of Lost this year)
… These three are just some great songs that had repeated play in my car.

All of this is available on iTunes, by the way. The others are good, but Jamie Cullum’s definitely worth checking out.

I Love the Internet

12 Sep


On Saturday night, I posted something about how great the U2/Mary J. Blige duet of “One” was at the “Shelter from the Storm” Hurricane Katrina telethon. Maybe you’ve heard something about the performance from someone else in the past two days; apparently, more than 23 million people watched it. Mary J. Blige totally revitalized that song, with the same kind of powerful, emotional performance she gave at the Grammy Awards in 2004 when she sang “No More Drama.” In this case, saying it was a “typical” performance is a compliment.

Anyway, it took less than two days for my posting to be picked up at a blog-watching site and for someone I don’t even know to send me a link to an MP3 of the performance. Amazing how the Internet works sometimes.

If you’ve got the bandwidth, I strongly suggest downloading this track. It’s free. Just follow the link, scroll down to the very bottom, and click on the “free” button. Then scroll down to the bottom again, wait for the countdown clock in the next-to-last paragraph to expire, and click on the Download link. And if you go to this guy’s site, you’ll find other downloads from Friday’s telethon, including Neil Young’s “When God Made Me” and Foo Fighters’ “Born on the Bayou,” plus the “When the Saints Go Marching In” finale from last week’s show.

In related news, have also found an MP3 of Kelly Clarkson performing the Ray LaMontagne song “Shelter,” at the MTV/VH1/CMT telethon Saturday night. Want to hear? Just click on the link at this fan site, under the heading for “React Now: Music & Relief.”

Ah yes, the Internet is a wonderful thing.

Music from Tragedy

11 Sep

If there’s one good thing that comes from major disasters and tragedies, it’s the response from the people in the entertainment community. In the 2 weeks since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, just like they did in the weeks that followed 9/11 and the tidal wave in Southeast Asia last December, singers and actors have come together to take part in various telethons and relief concerts, such as the one I stayed home to watch tonight that’s being simulcast on MTV, VH1 and CMT.

Last week, there was one on NBC that featured artists, like Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis, who were from New Orleans. Last night’s show, simulcast on all the major broadcast networks, had a more diverse lineup, one that included Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, U2, Neil Young and Kanye West, among others. Tonight on the MTV show, it’s folks like Paul McCartney, John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Coldplay, Hank Williams Jr., Alicia Keys and … well, it’s a four-hour-plus show (the others were just an hour long). Kanye West and Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow and Neil Young and U2, they all pulled double duty these past two nights.

Anyway, my point here is not to applaud the celebs for taking part. It’s to say how great the music has been. Of course, you knew Harry Connick’s cover of “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans,” even despite his tired and scratchy voice, would be awesome. That’s because it’s times like these that separate the true artists from, well, the Britney Spears of the world. Maybe it’s the minimalist performance style that in many of these cases leaves only the singer and a piano or a guitar. Maybe it’s the heartfelt emotion in the performances. Or maybe it’s just song selection. Whatever it is, there’s no denying that, for example, the U2/Mary J. Blige collaboration on “One” last night was simply music at its finest. It was one of the best performances of that song I’d ever heard and it blew me away. Mary J. Blige gave me chills. Randy Newman’s “Louisiana” (I think that’s what it was called), Sheryl Crow’s “The Water Is Wide” and Rod Stewart’s “People Get Ready” were also memorable.

Alicia Keys began the MTV/VH1/CMT show tonight with a moving rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd followed with an upbeat — but respectful — “Sweet Home Alabama.” John Mayer (with his blues trio) contributed a new song, “Gravity,” that was written in the last couple of weeks in response to Katrina. Live (on tape) from Milwaukee, the Rolling Stones sang “Waiting on a Friend.” Kelly Clarkson performed a song called “Shelter,” and she did a really nice job with it. And that was just the first half hour or so.

After the 9/11 telethon, the performances in the George Clooney-led telethon were released on CD and all proceeds went to victims’ families and other related causes. I’m hoping that after the past two weeks’ telethons, a similar charity CD is released with “the best” of these shows (there was also one last night on BET that I did not watch). Or that recordings will show up on iTunes. If not, well, if you missed the U2/Mary J. Blige duet, you missed something truly special.

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