on-music

Article

5 Legendary Keyboards (and the Songs They Made Famous)

[This post was originally published on August 4th, 2008] These days, there's no distinguishing one keyboard from the next because all they really do is act as computer trigger devices. But in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even the early 90s, keyboards and their manufacturers were known for signature sounds. Here are five of my favorites: 1. The... READ ON

Article

Shazam, Shlemiel, Shlimazel

I've used Shazam on and off over the years to I.D. songs I either forgot the names of or just never knew. But the real test of any music recognition software is whether or not it can tell me what's playing on a classical music station. This is where you really need the app to come through because, let's face it, it could be 30 minutes or more before the piece ends and the radio announcer comes back on to tell you. Sadly, every time I've tried, the app has come up empty. I've even tested it with well-known... READ ON

List

School Band Arrangements: 10 Unusual Choices

As a hard-core band-geek -- Marching Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Pit Band -- pretty much whatever band they had going at high school, I know what unusual musical arrangements sound like. I even made a few of my own back in the day. These, however, take unusual to another level entirely. Some were chosen based on the juxtapostion of songs in a medley, others just by the choice of song. I've also included some that weren't necessarily the worst choices, but were played so poorly, they had to be published in... READ ON

Article

The Late Movies: The Day the Music Died

"A long, long time ago...I can still remember how that music used to make me smile." So begins Don McLean's "American Pie," a 1972 song about the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, J.P. Richardson ("The Big Bopper"), and pilot Roger Peterson in a tragic plane crash. If you don't know the full story, check out Miss Cellania's excellent post about the day the music died. Below, check out McLean's song, and some performances by the artists who died fifty-one years ago today. "American Pie" - Don... READ ON

List

9 Things You Probably Don't Know About The Beatles

Today is 09/09/09, and you know what that... READ ON

Article

What is a Mondegreen?

Long before I ever knew what a mondegreen was, I used to think the lyrics of David Bowie's "Suffragette City" went like this: Hey man, oh leave me alone, you know Hey man, oh Henry, get off the phone, I gotta Hey man, I gotta straighten my face This malaprop chick's just put my spine out of place Of course, now I know the original malaprop chick is actually a "mellow-thighed chick," and my head hangs low in shame. But we all do it, right? We all make up lyrics (even... READ ON

List

6 Legendary Guitars/RIP Les Paul

[It is with sadness that we report Les Paul's death today, at the age of 94. I had the pleasure of meeting Les a couple times when I was playing guitar with Pat Martino. Pat and Les were good friends, and the three of us had drinks once when Les had his standing gig at a small, now defunct jazz club across the street from Lincoln Center. That night, I asked Les if he really loved the guitar named after him, and he said dryly, "It pays the rent."In honor of Les, I thought we'd rerun this post, which,... READ ON

List

5 Cover tunes that rank with the originals

Some of you may recall my post last year about original recordings that were better than their covers. Well now it's time to honor some covers that, at least by my way of thinking, rank right up there with the originals. Unfortunately, the floss is no longer allowed to include soundbites, so you'll have to go check these out on iTunes, or hit the YouTube vids provided. Of course, these are just some of my favorites. I'm sure you all have your own, and we'd love to hear about them in the comments below. 1.... READ ON

Article

The Incredible Shrinking 4-Track

Four-tracks have been getting smaller every decade. When I was a kid, in the 80s, I had one. A Tascam 244 (pictured 2nd in list) to be exact, that recorded four tracks of audio to a standard cassette tape. It was the size of a suitcase, and about as rugged as one, too. Remember those Tourister commercials with the gorilla? Exactly. [caption id="attachment_28933" align="alignleft" width="490" caption="(from left: Teac reel-to-reel ca. '70s, Tascam cassette tape ca. '80s, Boss digital ca. 2000,... READ ON

List

3 Recycled Lyrics

There's something cool about musicians quoting themselves. While there are many more than three examples, these are just some of my favorites. How about you? Let's get a long list going so someone can write a book about the subject. Give us the lyric and the two songs. (Try not to include concept album lyrics, like The Wall, or something, where songs come back throughout the album in different permutations.) 1a. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by the... READ ON