William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

A few years back I found this record for sale in a local music store; because it was a John Denver record that was not in my collection I bought it, but when I first played this record I was surprised. Most of the music on this album is very different in so many aspects compared to his more popular material; most of this album is quite cynical and dark. This song from the pen of Tom Paxton is about a couple of soldiers who were severely wounded and are now getting ready to be sent home, but one wakes up to find the other dead and cannot come to terms with it. Anyway, this song is incredibly dynamic in how it starts with just vocals and acoustic guitar and as then as it goes on more and more instruments come in. Probably one of the best aspects for me is how his vocals start out sunny and happy and by the end of the song his vocals are panicky and frantic. I love the masterful way that he mixes major and minor chords and strumming technique to build the anxiety in t...

This morning when we were getting ready to go to a birthday party we had VH1 Classics on playing the music video to this song. I was amazed to see my little one, who is a little over 2 years old, was clapping along in perfect sync with the beat; I guess that he might be musically inclined. I love Christine McVie's vocals in this song, in my opinion she does not get the recognition that she deserves mostly because she is overshadowed by Stevie Nicks' vocals in most of the band's music. I love the rhythm section of this one quite a bit as well, both John McVie and Mick Fleetwood are excellent as ever. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

I had not heard this in some time until yesterday when it was on the radio; funny enough I was working with my iTunes later and found the track again, so I figured that it should be chosen. When this song first came out I remember it being played a lot and was kind of an iconic song of sorts; it's nice to rediscover songs. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

This song had a lot of air play back in the 90s, which would have been enough to make it memorable. It is a very dynamic song, especially in the verses; the vibrato that is used in the song is quite nice. Of course the main hook to this song is the transition from the mellow and melodic verses to the heavier chorus. Here is the music video on YouTube. +

This is an odd band that I have come to like for various reasons. I first saw them playing on Austin City Limits wearing their multi-colored robes; I was intrigued. They almost appeared to me as an odd religious cult of musicians; of course the Koolaid jokes were thrown about while watching them. They are a very talented group of between 20 and 30 varying musicians/singers, they consist of a choir and various other instruments that are not normally found in a pop/rock band. What is odd is that much of their music is in opposition to the cynical and darker music that I normally listen to. One aspect that I really like about them is that there is a lot to listen to in their music; it is quite complex. Here is the studio version on YouTube. +

I needed some Rammstein today and I thought the Sonne (Sun) would be an excellent choice. This song is one of their more popular tracks, it's about a fighter in the ring. Here is the music video on YouTube. Here is a live performance from Völkerball on YouTube. +

Most who hear their music are usually at a loss to "pigeon hole" them into a genre, however, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are officially considered Fusion Jazz and Country; I believe that the Country label comes from the fact that Béla Fleck's primary instrument is the banjo. In this song, I hear a lot of classical influences in the way that Béla Fleck plays it; he does an excellent job at it. Of course as always, Victor and Roy "Future Man" Wooten do an great job blending their music with the others' to make the excellent sound that is Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. Unfortunately, as with most Béla Fleck's music, it is more musician's music and is lost to some non-musicians and non-connoisseurs of music. Here is a live performance circa '91 on YouTube. +