Music History

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How to Sing Like The Beatles

Galeazzo Frudua is a fantastic Italian singer who specializes in deconstructing the complex harmonies of The Beatles. In a series of videos, Frudua breaks down tons of Beatles songs in great detail, so you can understand how to sing each part. These videos are most remarkable to me because the harmony lines by themselves often sound odd, but in context sound just perfect. I also love his accent -- it adds a little flavor to these classic songs. My favorite is his breakdown of "In My Life": Also... READ ON

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Music History #16: "Nothing Has Been Proved"

“Nothing Has Been Proved” Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe (1989) Performed by Dusty Springfield The... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Dave Brubeck, Live

A week ago today we lost Dave Brubeck, my second-favorite jazz pianist (on my living room stereo he is only surpassed by Vince Guaraldi). I've rounded up a bunch of live performances, along with a few separated in time by 50 years. Enjoy. "Take Five" (1961) Easily Brubeck's best-known tune, this performance is from Jazz Casual. "Take Five" is just one composition from the classic Time Out. "Take Five," Live at Litchfield w/a 10-Year-Old (2008) Brubeck performs with Dakota Austin, a... READ ON

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Music History #15: "Enola Gay"

“Enola Gay” Written by Andy McCluskey (1980) Performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (better known as OMD) The... READ ON

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Music History #14: "Marie Provost"

“Marie Provost” Written by Nick Lowe (1978) Performed by Nick Lowe The... READ ON

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Music History #13: "Midnight Rambler"

“Midnight Rambler” Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (1969) Performed by The Rolling Stones The... READ ON

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Music History #12: "Vagabond Ways"

“Vagabond Ways” Written by Marianne Faithfull and David Courts (1999) Performed by Marianne Faithfull The... READ ON

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Making Nirvana's "Nevermind"

In this Classic Albums documentary, we learn how Nirvana's Nevermind was made. It does get into the (now well-trodden) Nirvana backstory, which is fine, but the best gems here are interviews with producer Butch Vig. When we see Vig, he's either telling stories about the making of the album (which are interesting) or sitting behind the console, mixing tracks live (which is downright awesome). I thoroughly agree with the opinion of the View Source blog on this (emphasis added): ... The genius of the... READ ON

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Music History #11: "The Ballad of Ira Hayes"

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” Written by Pete La Farge (1963) Performed by Johnny Cash The Music Folk singer and songwriter Peter La Farge packed a lot into his thirty-four years on Earth. The son of a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist was a Korean War vet, a rodeo cowboy, an actor, and a singer who was part of the Greenwich Village folk music boom in the early 1960s. He even co-wrote a song with Bob Dylan, called “As Long As The Grass Shall Grow,” which Johnny Cash recorded. It was Cash who also... READ ON