Star Maker Machine likes Just Like This Train

The Star Maker Machine blog does a great analysis of Joni Mitchell’s “Just Like This Train” from Court and Spark. 
[M]any of the train songs we’ve showcased this week rely on the insistent rhythm of the rails… but this one has an undertone of monotony and introspection and resignation, as the train chugs across the Canadian prairie

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Meeting Yusuf

The blogger Fudzail posts a 3-part article on meeting Yusuf Islam in Dubai. 
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
It ends ‘to be continued’ and a 4th part hasn’t appeared yet. Hopefully soon.

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Happy Birthday, Carole King!

Carole King turned 67 today!
Jose’s wonderful fan-site Now And Forever has some more videos of her tour in Japan late last year. You can watch her perform “Welcome To My Living Room“, “Home Again“, a ’60s hits medley, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow“, “Being At War With Each Other“, “So Far Away” and “You’ve Got [...]

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Berkeley Places likes Cat Stevens covers

The blog Berkeley Place has 10 Cat Stevens covers worth checking out, with some tongue-in-cheek appreciation for depressing music.
Covers highlighted are “Don’t Be Shy” and “Trouble” both by Pearl Jam, “Here Comes My Baby” by Yo La Tengo, “Father and Son” by Leigh Nash, “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” by Ghost Mice, [...]

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The woman behind The Barricades Of Heaven

Sandi Bachom has posted to her blog Laughing in Hell about a significant street corner in New York City and a chance encounter with a Steve Noonan album that caused her to reconnect with Jackson Browne, who she knew in the 1960s. Her letter to him inspired his writing of the song “The Barricades of [...]

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Read*Mezzanine likes Why

For its Greatest Songs of All-Time series, blogger Read*Mezzanine takes a look at Carly Simon’s collaboration with Chic for the song “Why” from the soundtrack to Soup For One.
Creating a loping, reggae-tinged beat, [Bernard] Edwards and [Nile] Rodgers dressed the track up with treated piano stabs (which would go on to become a staple in [...]

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Meet Me In Montauk likes How Can I Tell You

The blog Meet Me In Montauk spotlight’s Cat Stevens’ song “How Can I Tell You?” in its ongoing Song of the Day feature.
This is the first tune that really hit me as a bona fide, lay it all on the line, love song love song. I heard it for the first time back in high [...]

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M M & M likes Joni Mitchell’s California & A Case of You

The blog Music, Musings and Miscellany is publishing a series of posts on the 20th century’s best 1000 singles, in alphabetical order. Joni Mitchell’s single “California” backed with “A Case of You” from her album Blue starts off part 10 of the series.
Blue isn’t Joni Mitchell’s most musically adventurous album, but it is her most emotionally [...]

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Pal-Item likes Carole King’s visit

The Palladium-Item reflects on the good, bad and memorable events of 2008. Carole King’s campaigning for Barack Obama in September is called “memorable” by the paper.
Singer/songwriter Carole King appeared in Little Sheba’s banquet room to campaign for Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

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Spitball Army likes Cat Stevens’ Mona Bone Jakon

The blog Spitball Army has posted The 2008 Top 10 List: Music, and makes room for some older albums that were either reissued or rediscovered over the past year. Cat Stevens’ album Mona Bone Jakon comes in at #13.
I was thrilled when A&M re-issued what I considered the two finest Cat Stevens albums - Tea for the [...]

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