I saw Bruce perform this one live in Houston, Texas in early December 1978. It was amazing! I hope you enjoy this video….
Your surprise gift for today is a link to the Captains Dead website which is offering up a free download of Bruce Springsteen at the Bottom Line in 1975. You don’t want to pass this one up!
I missed yesterdays’ post….sorry. Dealing with some family and work issues.
Today’s post is a “twofer” to get us caught up.
So…..the question that has been asked for years applies to this post. Do you like John or Paul better?
In this case I have to say I prefer John!
For your special surprise gift today….some Beatles Christmas silliness from December 1967. Enjoy……
RIP John and George!
Without a doubt this is the most famous, and strange, holiday song collaboration. How someone ever decided to put David Bowie and Bing Crosby is beyond me but what can I say……it worked! If you are looking for a Christmas miracle this pairing qualifies. Enjoy….
Your surprise gift tonight is my favorite David Bowie performance of all time. David has adopted some amazing personas and has had some incredible performance but this isn’t one of them. This is a low key David at the Concert for New York City after 9/11 and what makes it so incredible is that he struck the perfect tone for the occasion. That and the fact that it was another one of those strange parings. David Bowie singing Simon and Garfunkel…… strange but it just works.
Those of you that are readers of the blog know that I love Marvin Gaye. Today’s holiday song is an instrumental track written and produced by Marvin. My suggestion to you is to get a nice drink, turn down the lights, relax, and enjoy this amazing song.
Your surprise gift today, an amazing live performance by Marvin at Motown’s 25th Anniversary celebration.
Marvin, you left us way too soon! RIP
As much as I loved Marvin’s performance at the Motown Celebration, it wasn’t what people would remember from the show. Michael Jackson, in what is one of the most amazing performances of all time, owned that show. I saw the show live and every time I watch it again I still get goosebumps. Everyone needs to see this video, so it is my second surprise gift to you today.
RIP Michael!
Today I have a real change of pace for you….a Holiday song from one of my childhood heroes, Roy Rogers (King of the Cowboys) and his wife Dale Evans.
Every Saturday morning when I was a child I watched the Roy Rogers show. It was a simpler time, the good guy always won and there was a moral to each episode. In case you weren’t around back then, my surprise gift to you is a full episode of the Roy Rogers show. I hope you enjoy it! (note: unfortunately you will have to watch a short commercial before the episode but it is worth it.)
In addition to being an actor, Roy also sang with a famous cowboy singing group named the Sons of the Pioneers. So….as an extra surprise for you today, I have Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers singing a medley of Christmas Classics.
Happy Trails!!
Yesterday I featured a great Canadian male performer….today I feature my favorite Canadian female performer, Sarah McLachlan. I hope you enjoy her holiday song!
Sarah is beautiful and talented….how some people get so lucky is a mystery to me. Speaking of mysteries, your special surprise gift today is a great acoustic performance of Building A Mystery by Sarah. This was the first song of hers that really caught my attention and it is still my favorite. Enjoy…..
Gordon Lightfoot is a treasure. His Song For A Winter’s Night is one of my all time favorite holiday songs. I hope you enjoy it as well!
Your special surprise gift for today is a wonderful live 1969 performance of Early Morning Rain by a much younger Gordon Lightfoot than the one in the video above. I really enjoyed this one, what about you?
Did you checkout his bellbottoms? I had a bunch just like them 🙂
Today’s song was recorded by REM for their fan club. It is a toss off kind of song but I kind of like it. See what you think….
Your special surprise gift today is an REM parody of their song Shiny Happy People. The parody was performed with the Sesame Street muppet and is guaranteed to make you smile.
Now tell me the truth, aren’t you happy that Mitt Romney did not get to kill Big Bird and the rest of his Sesame Street buddies! Just saying that makes me happy!
So happy that I have another Sesame Street video for you. This one features the Goo Goo Dolls performing a parody of their song Slide with Elmo.
Jackson Browne speaks the truth which is why his music has always spoken to me. Today he gives us something to think about over the holidays. I hope you enjoy it.
My surprise gift to you today is a great 1976 live performance of For A Dancer by Jackson and David Lindley. This song is on my final playlist and it is on my mind today because a coworker that I have known for over 30 years died of a brain aneurism yesterday.
For A Dancer
Keep a fire burning in your eye
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down
I don’t remember losing track of you
You were always dancing in and out of view
I must have thought you’d always be around
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now you’re nowhere to be foundI don’t know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
It’s like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I can’t sing
I can’t help listening
And I can’t help feeling stupid standing ’round
Crying as they ease you down
’cause I know that you’d rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
(right on dancing)
No matter what fate chooses to play
(there’s nothing you can do about it anyway)
Just do the steps that you’ve been shown
By everyone you’ve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Another’s steps have grown
In the end there is one dance you’ll do aloneKeep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don’t let the uncertainty turn you around
(the world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful soundInto a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you’ll never know
RIP Bill!
I love Joni Mitchell and this is one of her best songs, in my humble opinion. See what you think….
Your surprise gift today is a TV performance from the 60’s by Mama Cass, Mary Travers, and Joni. I think you will enjoy this!
