DIVA!

At a point in her career when she should be little more than a nostalgic memory, Dame Shirley Bassey remains on the cutting edge. Long before there was a Shania, Whitney, Mariah or Christina, Shirley Bassey was belting out powerhouse anthems with an unabashed conviction that has become her trademark.

From her James Bond theme songs to sweet ballads to contemporary hits, this woman's ability to interpret and cover songs are unmatched. And, at the age of 70, she still has the pipes to stun listeners with her delivery and ability to sustain notes that many younger singers strive just to hit.

Contemporary DJs are in love with her as witnessed by their devoted remixes of many of her catalogue's past glories.

Check out her new cover of Pink's "Get The Party Started" below. While Pink made a huge hit out of it, Bassey now OWNS it!

TOMorrow

A TV legend passed away this week. SNL's Dan Akroyd may have goofed on him for being out of touch but Tom Snyder was way ahead of his time in booking cutting edge musical acts. Check out this DVD offered by The NBC Universal Store:



The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder began in October 1973 in the late-night time slot following Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show and continued in one form or another until January 1982. As the punk and new wave music of the late 1970s emerged, The Tomorrow Show welcomed many of its key figures for interviews as well as live performances.

Snyder, admittedly blissfully ignorant of the music, was, at times, so obviously out of his element that the inspiration for Dan Aykroyd’s classic Saturday Night Live Snyder impersonation could not be more clear. But whether Snyder got it or not, The Tomorrow Show featured seminal performances by some of the genres’ early legends.


8 Episodes of The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder Featuring Interviews and Live Performances by:
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Iggy Pop
The Plasmatics
The Jam
The Ramones

And Interviews With:
Joan Jett
Paul Weller
Kim Fowley
Patti Smith
John Lydon

Running Time +/- 5 Hours

New Releases from New Wave Heroes

iTunes Originals - Elvis Costello- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Don't know enough about early Elvis to know if it's a remake but "Riot Act" sounds like it came right out of 1978- and that's a good thing!

Red Hot & Live!- Brian Setzer & The Nashvillains
Features live Rockabilly takes on oldies like "Red Hot" and Stray Cats songs.

"#9 Dream"- R.E.M.
A respectable remake of the Lennon tune.

Sunday Girl - EP- Erasure
Don't these guys ever slow down?

Time On Earth- A pretty tame album even by Crowded House standards features "Don't Stop Now".

Greatest Hits- Social Distortion
For those that already have the catalogue, the new single "Far Behind" is the highlight here.

Dylanesque- Bryan Ferry
Surprisingly refreshing takes on Dylan songs including a rock solid "All Along the Watchtower".





DJ Craig

Hootenanny!

Highlights from The 11th annual Hootenanny at Oak Canyon Ranch in Irvine, CA on July 7.



Big Sandy

Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys' swing-a-billy charmed the crowd with upbeat ditties like "Feelin' Kinda Lucky" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told".



Deke Dickerson

Mad Marge and company played on the smaller stage and had a nice mosh pit going. Deke Dickerson would later take this stage, covering Buck Owens and ending his set with favorite, "Muleskinner Blues".



The Blasters

80's rockabilly pioneers, The Blasters, played an energetic set including classics like "American Music", and "Long White Cadillac". Phil Alvin, as ever, seemed about to pop a vein as his contorted face displayed a trademark mix of agony and ecstasy. Phil would later join his brother Blaster, Dave, during his set for a rocking "Marie Marie".



John Doe Band

John Doe kicked off with "The Golden State", a sentimental ode to love and imperfection from his new album. Doe and his band sounded and looked vibrant. His red haired, female backup singer bearing more than a bit of a resemblance to longtime band mate, Exene, in both looks and voice.

Doe then launched into "The New World", a song by his old band, X. Though originally written during the Reagan era, the similarities to the current state of affairs were not lost on Doe. "Don't forget to vote next time", Doe chided his audience before starting. Halfway through, the song unexpectedly morphed into The Beatles' "Revolution". Nice touch.


John Doe


Nekromantix thrashed their way through a psychobilly caucophony of noisy dissonance. Then Squirrel Nut Zippers played their quirky brand of Dixie inspired swing, including "Prince Nez" and "Hell".



Hootenanny Fan

Headliners and crowd faves, "Social Distortion" capped off the show. Their set included a cover of Chuck Berry's "Maybeline" and "Far Behind" from their Greatest Hits release. Social D sounded as good as ever, Mike Ness admitting between songs that it's a good thing music became their vocation as he and his band mates "didn't make very good criminals."

Glory Days?

I happened across Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" (1984) video the other day. Haven't seen it in years- funny to look back.

A real undercurrent of laughably unintended (?) homoeroticism going on here. Check out Bruce with his impossibly tight, open collared shirt and Nils Lofgren's French military inspired uniform. Little Steven, adorned in flamboyant gypsy attire, looks like he's on the edge of ecstasy when he and Bruce share the mic. And a way too happy Clarence Clemmons appears to be channeling Grace Jones. Patti Scialfa does her best not to look bored during the whole thing.

The boys from "Queer Eye" couldn't have choreographed it any better.

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My vote for Worst Song Of The 80s is still:

"Party All The Time"- Eddie Murphy and Rick James

Basically Rick James ripping off himself by taking "Superfreak" and letting wanna-be singer Eddie Murphy spout lame lyrics over it.

Lyrics that could have been written by a fifth grader during recess.

And the people that would go to clubs during the heyday of great New Wave and request this stupid song used to make me crazy.

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Speaking of The 80s, many Duran Duran fans are upset that their New Wave Heroes are collaborating with mega-teen idol, Justin Timberlake for their new album.

Apparently The Spice Girls were unavailable. However, there is speculation that The Girls will officially announce their reunion on June 28. Hope springs eternal.

DJ Craig