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The Beatles, If I Needed Someone
“If I Needed Someone” written by George Harrison in 1965, is one of my all time favorite songs. George was listening to the Byrds, especially Roger McGuinn’s “The Bells of Rhymeny,” which George based his guitar riff on. Like all great artists, the Beatles stole from other great artists, but what was special about them…
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23 Year Old Michael Jordan With David Letterman
I just tuned into the fabulous new documentary on the 1992 Dream Team, the magical group of Olympic All-Stars led by Michael Jordan. If you grew up as a kid in the 90s like I did, Michael Jordan was the closest thing to experiencing Babe Ruth. It didn’t matter what team you were a fan…
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George Harrison, James Ray, Got My Mind Set On You
Most people know about George Harrison’s beautiful cover of the song “Got My Mind Set On You.” The original version, written by Rudy Clark and performed by James Ray way back in 1962, is basically never played anymore. I’m here to rectify that crime against music by bringing you the original version to sit along…
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Nancy Sinatra, You Only Live Twice, Mad Men Season Finale
Mad Men is a hell of a show. When it first premiered, I was intrigued because I loved the Sopranos, and knew that Matthew Weiner, one of that shows head writers, was behind its creation. At first I wasn’t hooked. I thought many of the characters were overly stylized and inauthentic. I also thought much…
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56th Anniversary of Elvis Presley's Immortal Apperance on the Milton Berle Show
On June 5th 1956, a 21 year old Elvis Presley strutted onto the set of the Milton Berle show. When Milty introduced Elvis, the future King of Rock and Roll exploded into “Hound Dog.” Its a performance that changed America. It helped usher in the sexual revolution, the rock and roll revolution, and launched Elvis…
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Ween Breaks Up
One of the world’s most creative and innovate bands, Ween, has apparently ended. The band’s lead singer Aaron Freeman, otherwise known as Gene Ween, has announced the end of Ween in Rolling Stone. The breakup came as suprise to Mickey Melchiondo, Dean Ween, as he sent out this sad message on facebook. Obviously it seems…
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Paul McCartney, Heart of the Country
Its the conclusion of Ram week, a jolly excursion if there ever was one, and I’m drawing the final curtain with “Heart of the Country.” This song is one of those perfect folk/blues/country acoustic ballads that Paul McCartney had no trouble pulling out of his pants. It sounds like an outtake from the “White Album,”…
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Paul McCartney, Dear Boy
“Dear Boy,” is one of my favorite cuts off Ram. Its a delicious piece of angry piano pop that has the added benefit of messing with John Lennon’s head. When Paul wrote this song, he wrote it as an autobiographical message to himself, commenting on how lucky he was to meet and fall in love…
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Paul McCartney, Monkberry Moon Delight
If you glance over the music trade papers (or internets) as I do on occasion, you might have noticed on the periphery that Paul McCartney is planning a re-release of his incredibly great solo album Ram. Now Ram is quite simply one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s easily my favorite solo McCartney…
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Bob Dylan, Sara
“Sara,” is Bob Dylan’s most honest song. Its probably the only personal song he addresses to a real person directly, his wife Sara. The lyrics are incredibly intimate and, apparently, true to life. ‘Sara’ a gorgeously pained ballad of desperation, fittingly included as the closer to an album he named Desire. That record came out…