O/T The Music Thread

My parents weren't Italian, but they listened to those same guys. Plus Al Martino. My grandfather always had some Mario Lanza playing.

I hear you on Bobby Darin. What a versatile talent. But he died so young. If you didn't get him in his heyday, you barely had a chance. One of my favorite songs when I was a little kid rocker was "Dream Lover." But sure, "Things," "Eighteen Yellow Roses," "Irresistible You" and naturally "Mack The Knife" were all great. Remember his version of "Clementine?" Very funny.

I seriously under-appreciated "Hee Haw" back then. Buck Owens and Roy Clark were absolute giants of country music. They always had guests like Jerry Reed and Loretta Lynn and Glenn Campbell. So great. We went to Buck Owens's club in Bakersfield one time. Five dollars to get in. He even did one of my favorites of his "The Streets Of Bakersfield." Despite the way he seemed on TV, in person he was very serious and didn't really joke around much.

It's so nice to have an influx of people here getting involved in the music thread. The more the merrier. David Bromberg, at least until recently, has had a music shop very near me in Wilmington DE.

I wore out the cassette tape of that Bruce Hornsby and the Range album, buying the CD later.  That album came out when it had been some years since hearing piano in a pop song that wasn't by Elton John or Billy Joel.  David Lindley was a savant that was brought to me and many others by Jackson Browne.  

Jackson Browne is an incredible songwriter.  One of my favorite concerts was for his solo acoustic album.  My wife and I saw him in San Jose with great seats right in front of him about twelve rows back.  He had only a sketch of a playlist, taking requests for over two hours, going from guitar to piano to guitar again.  At one point, he brought out a drummer just for a couple of songs.  

While most were yelling out his popular songs, I shouted out "Late For The Sky," my favorite album of his that I believe is pure genius from 1974, well before he was a household name.  Jackson Browne heard me, searched out the crowd and made eye contact with me and smiled, almost like he didn't expect to hear the request.  He put down his guitar, walked to the keyboard and began playing "Fountain of Sorrow" and then two others off the album, including "Late For The Sky."  When he left the keyboard to go back to his guitar, he looked back at me and nodded his head.  

Sometimes you don't realize how special an artist is until he is totally stripped by all musical accoutrements except for a single instrument.  Many of his songs, I now prefer that way.  More than anything, Jackson Browne's lyrics set him apart, very personal and fraught with emotion that anyone who has lived life is able to sublimate and connect with memories both happy and tragic simultaneously.  

Of the crooners, to me Dean Martin was hands down the best. Had a friend who knew many of them and said, Dean was also a really good guy, Sinatra not so much.
I've always been a big Knopfler and Jackson Browne fan. I rank Knopfler among the great rock/blues guitarists. Right up there with Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King and Santana.

Yeah, it was more my style than a normal Nirvana concert too. Toned down, much smaller audience than they would have had if they performed at Madison Square Garden. I have the DVD and every time I'm about to view it, I say to myself I should have been there in the audience.

Yep, Buck and Roy Clark could sing and make me laugh too. I used to like when Tennessee Ernie Ford was  a guest on the show. Archie Campbell was another one of my favorites. I used to look forward to watching the "Where Oh Where Are You Tonight" segment. I remember in a couple of those segments that even when joking around Loretta Lynn had such great voice.