Posts Tagged ‘music’

Enunciate!

Thursday, 16 July 2009

I don't want to figure-out why Céline Dion cares (let alone believes) that the g_dd_mn'd hot-dogs go on. I'm not going to respond positively when Cheyenne Kimball demands that I chew gum. I don't want to hear Beyoncé Knowles call out to all the single A's (abandoned, perhaps, by moveable ens).

Αρμονικαι

Thursday, 12 February 2009

I ordered a couple of harmonicas recently. I didn't and don't know the current location of the harmonica that I already had, and these were inexpensive. They arrived yester-day.

Anyway, one of them is an American Ace Harmonica. Really, they ought to give this thing a different name. There's nothing peculiarly American about its sound or operation; it's just an inexpensive but serviceable diatonic harmonica. (Which is all that I was seeking.) And Hohner has clearly printed the words made in China on the front label, right under The American Ace Harmonica, so the thing isn't even made in America. Calling it American doesn't do much beside persuading Canadians not to buy it, eh?

The other harmonica is a Kay Chicago Blues Harmonica, which I got for no better reason than that it had a clear Lucite comb, and that seemed like it would be cool. It too proves to be made in China. Perhaps the Chinese plan to attain a monopoly in the production of inexpensive harmonicas, and then some day pull the rug from under us, by suddenly embargoing them.

Bad Intentions Confirmed

Friday, 6 June 2008

I can confirm that the Robertson Bad Intentions is the song from WTTS that I wanted to identify. To-day, I received a copy of his Bad Intentions CD that was distributed to radio stations to promote Jimmy Hollywood; I listened to it a few minutes ago.

Nothin' but Bad Intentions

Tuesday, 3 June 2008

Years ago, when I was pursuing a master's degree at IUPUI, I routinely listened to WTTS, which transmitted out of Bloomington but usually came-in quite clear, and which had one of the best play-lists of the many radio stations to which I've listened in my life.

They occasionally played a grim song, with lyrics such as

You've got nothin' but bad intentions
You've got somethin' to prove
You've got nothin' but bad intentions
Baby, it's your move
(or something very close to those) and made repeated use of a sample from Body and Soul (1947) where Charlie Davis (John Garfield) says What are you gonna do, kill me? Everybody dies.

But I couldn't remember who performed it; and, over the last several years, my googling of the lyrics or of the sampling have not identified the song.

Yester-day, I telephoned WTTS for help. I was told that the man to ask was Todd Berryman, but that he was on vacation until to-day. This morning, I called again and was promptly connected to Mr Berryman. He didn't have the answer at his finger-tips, but he ran various checks against references to which he had access, and gave me a short-list of candidates, one of which was Bad Intentions by Robbie Robertson.

To-night, I found that Robertson's Bad Intentions was part of the sound-track for Jimmy Hollywood (1994), and was released to radio stations to promote the film; and IMDb says that Jimmy Hollywood referenced Body and Soul.

There's still a tiny chance that this song isn't the one that I've tried to identify, but I'm really quite sure that, thanks to Mr Berryman and to WTTS, my question has been answered. (I've ordered a copy of the promotional CD, so you'll read about it if I'm mistaken.)

I Want My MTV!

Saturday, 31 May 2008

In the early days of MTV, music videos were mostly the domain of New Wave music, with a corresponding visual æsthetic. Then Madonna came along with Borderline, and showed that performers really needed to do little more than prance; sheeple would watch.

For the nostalgic, and for the curious, here's Fun Boy Three, The Telephone Always Rings (Warning: This video may be triggering for those who know how to play the piano.)