Norman Greenbaum was a bit of a one hit wonder… but what a hit that was. “Spirit In The Sky” is a triumphant proclamation of faith in the afterlife, with a vibrant drum part, an exuberant distorted guitar part, and a rather upbeat vocal part. The song isn’t about death as such, but more about…
21/05/2018: “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Nirvana
The Leadbelly version of this song is very nice; he has a great soulful voice. But more than anything else, it’s hard to find a…
20/05/18: “Normalizo” by Letta Mbulu
“Normalizo” is absolutely dreamy, to be honest. The song really just floats from start to finish. Letta Mbulu is a singer from South Africa, and…
19/05/2018: “Sam’s Intro” by Count Ossie & The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari
Count Ossie’s 1975 album Tales Of Mozambique is a deeply spiritual mediation on Rastafari and the relationship of Caribbean Black people to Africa. Like many…
18/05/2018: “Baltimore” by The Tamlins
Randy Newman deserves great credit for writing the song in the first place. His 1977 version is also a very good performance and arrangement of…
17/05/2018: “November Rain” by Guns N Roses
This song is included mainly for the sake of that guitar solo. The rest of the song is very nice, sure, but that guitar solo…
16/05/2018: “Moonage Daydream” by David Bowie
David Bowie is one of the most interesting performers to emerge in the 20th century. His early attempts in the late Sixties ranged from out-there…
15/05/2018: “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
Stairway To Heaven has had some controversy because it is alleged that the main riff is stolen from another song, “Taurus” by Spirit, released in…
14/05/2018: “Forever Loving Jah” by Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Forever Loving Jah” is from Uprising, released in 1980, only a year before Bob Marley died. Perhaps as a result of Bob Marley’s reflections on…
13/05/2018: “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen
What a bassline. Apparently, John Deacon (Queen’s bassist) was inspired by Chic’s “Good Times” to come up with the absolute monster of a bassline in…