F IS FOR FRIENDS

New or old, friends are our most precious commodity and you can never have too many. I wanted to honour these very important people in a way that is special to them, while staying true to the nature of my blog. Each of the selections today is dedicated to a friend. One is a person I've known and worked with for a while now. Two are people I've only just met here, through this blogging experience. To these infinitely special people, I hope these songs brighten your day, the way your presence in my life does for me.


FOR KERMIT: I know how you love Frank Zappa's work, so here's a video that we can both enjoy, and perhaps perform together some day.


Music Video Codes - MySpace Layouts


FOR DR. B.: Thank you for making me laugh and for being so sweet this week as I learn the ropes of blogging. I hope you like these songs and understand why you get two.

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FOR STEVE: Your art brought magic to my week, and your comments kept me going on a day when I thought no one was listening. From what I've observed, you love, and are inspired, by your environment, so I hope this song strikes a chord in you. Next time, I hope I'll know your musical taste a little better.

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E...E...E...E...WHAT BEGINS WITH E?

Another indulgence. There's just something about music in French that gives me gooseflesh. And who better for this than the inestimable Edith Piaf?

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IT'S TIME FOR SOME DANCING

Today, I felt like indulging a different side of myself. The late great Donny Hathaway had a way of reaching down deep and just - mmm - grabbing the soul right out of you. Almost impossible to believe the man had to be coaxed to sing, with a voice like that. God, how I wish I could sing with that sort of passion. But singing isn't my thing. I'm a dancer. So, as you listen, picture me right there with you, in my favorite old raggedy-tag black leotard, swaying in sweet, impassioned abandon. When a song really moves me, and this song moves me, I forget everything but the music. Turn off the lights and lose yourself in the music. Dance with me ...

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ALL U CAN C

This has gotta be quick. In case you haven't figured out by now, I'm a dancer. A few years ago, swing dance enjoyed a resurging popularity. This band was at the crest of the wave. No bio tonight, I'm afraid.



Here's the Cherry-Poppin' Daddies.

Zoot Suit Riot
By Cherry Poppin' Daddies
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BONING UP ON THE B's

It's really incredible how hard it was to choose only one featured artist today. Billie Holliday, Bobby McFerrin, the Beatles ... the list was huge. As I was scanning the list, though, one band's name leaped out at me and when a big grin was my response, I knew I had found my target group. I remember dancing to my mom's records when I was a little kid. What memories! It might be cheesy, but it was fun. Here you go. Today's featured artist:

BONEY M

Boney M was created in 1976 by German producer Frank Farian (same guy responsible for Milli Vanilli) by bringing together four West-Indian studio musicians. They never really took off in North America, but became insanely popular on the Euro-disco scene. During the 70's, Boney M had a string of top-ten dance hits, such as "Daddy Cool", "Rivers of Babylon", "Rasputin" and "Ma Baker". They also had a seasonal hit with "Mary's Boy Child", which is definitely my favorite version of this song.

Boney M continues to record albums to this day, and still enjoys immense popularity in Europe as a techno-dance group. Here's one of their hits. I still remember my high school history teacher introducing this song to us as part of our Modern History course.

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A IS FOR ...

Welcome to my new blog. This is an idea that I've been playing with for a while, and here's a chance to give it a run for the money.

So let's get this started. I figured I'd hook you right off the mark, because, face it, sometimes my choices might get a bit weird and off-the-wall for the average music lover.

The featured artist of my first post is none other than:

Amazing Aerosmith



Steve Tyler and Joe Perry formed a power trio, along with Tom Hamilton on bass, somewhere around 1970 in New Hampshire, but soon moved to Boston. They went on to be one of the most influential bands to the hard rock sound for over two decades.

Their music was blues-styled rock that was at first labelled by critics as punk, because of it's peeled-back simplicity. Perhaps the best part of their music, though, is the lyrics, which are never as straightforward as they first seem. Look for jokes, word-play and metaphor.

Must-have albums include "Get Your Wings" (1974), "Toys In The Attic" (1975), "Rocks" (1976) and "Pump" (1989).

Even though the band underwent some personnel changes and rough patches in their almost 40-year career, they still have one of the most amazing track records of any band for consistency and creativity.

Here's my alltime favorite Aerosmith song for a listen:

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