Inspired by the August 27 birthdays of Daryl “Captain” Dragon and Bloodhound Gang’s Jimmy Pop; and the August 26 birthdays of Valerie Simpson, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Treacherous Three’s Special K, and Bob Cowsill.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (8-11-20)
Inspired by the August 11 birthdays of A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Death Cab For Cutie/The Postal Service’s Ben Gibbard, Joe Jackson, Eric Carmen, Joe Rogan, Kris Kross’ Chris Kelly, Mike Douglas, and producer/composer Kenny Gamble.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (4-3-20)
Inspired by the April 3 playlists of The Spinners’ Phillippe Wynne, The Band’s Richard Manuel, Tony Orlando, Jan Berry, Richard Thompson, Wayne Newton, Social Distortion’s Mike Ness, and Spiller.
Playlist For January 6, 2020
Happy New Year!
I’m going to make an attempt to blog more frequently this year. To that end, I’ll posts playlists of eclectic music several times per week. Give them a listen. Skip the songs you don’t like. Heart the ones you do.
Today’s playlist is inspired by the January 6 birthdays of Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner, Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett, Sister Sledge’s Kathy Sledge, Van McCoy, the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Kim Wilson, Nino Tempo and Earl Scruggs.
Here’s to music discovery!
Glenn
Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.
Follow me on Instagram.
Throwback Thursday – 1971
At the end of the 1960s, Marvin Gaye was a huge star, having had more than two dozen top 40 hits before 1970. However, the singer was having a crisis of conscience, wanting to sing about the ills of the world he saw around him as opposed to perform nothing but love songs.
Inspired by the horrific stories told to him by his brother of what he witnessed serving three years in Viet Nam, Gaye, who hadn’t a hand in writing most of his hits up to this point, added lyrics to an unreleased song written by Obie Benson of the Four Tops and Al Cleveland.
He presented the song to Motown head Berry Gordy, who supposedly called it “the worst thing I ever heard in my life.” Gaye’s response? “Basically, I said ‘Put it out or I’ll never record for you again.’ That was my ace in the hole, and I had to play it.”
“What’s Going On” became the fastest-selling single in the history of Motown Records. Rolling Stone magazine has since placed it at #4 on their ranking of the greatest songs of all-time.
This week’s Throwback Thursday playlist consists of twenty hits from 1971, kicking off with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”
Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour
Throwback Thursday – The Hits Of 1973
Singer/Songwriter/Record producer Ed Townsend had, in his own words, “a monstrous addiction to alcohol.” While in rehab he wrote a song which he described as a message to himself “about the business of getting on with life.”
On March 13, 1973, Townsend recorded a demo of Marvin Gaye singing this composition.
Nine days later, the men were again in the studio. Visiting the two men there was Barbara Hunter, a friend of Townsend. She came with her 16-year-old daughter, Janis.
Gaye was immediately smitten with Janis. As he often did, Gaye made up new lyrics in the studio. Inspired by the presence of this beautiful teenage girl, Townsend’s song about understanding and brotherhood became a paean to enjoying sex for its own sake, particularly when it is with someone you love.
Marvin and Janis got married in 1977, four years after the song Gaye recorded the day they met, “Let’s Get It On,” hit #1.
This week’s Throwback Thursday playlist consists of twenty big hits from 1973, kicking off with the classic “Let’s Get It On.”
Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour
Throwback Thursday – 1970
The blogger in 1970
Today Tunes du Jour introduces Throwback Thursday playlists, in which we go back to hear some of the biggest hits from a particular year. We start with 1970, when you could hear Led Zeppelin and the Carpenters played back-to-back on your favorite AM Top 40 station..
Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour
In Which I Send Jack White A Copy Of “Muskrat Love”
I met Jack White of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather at a barbecue a few years ago. He thought it was cool that I worked at Rhino Entertainment. He sold Rhino’s records at the store he had before his career as a musician took off. I told him I’d put together a care package of some Rhino releases for him. He told me he’d feel bad getting them for free. I told him it was fine and a few days later sent to him via his manager a package with a blues box set, the DVD of The Rutles’ made-for-television film All You Need Is Cash and a compilation entitled ‘70s Party Killers that included The Captain & Tennille, Starland Vocal Band and Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, among others. I don’t know if the package ever made it to him. Maybe the manager kept it for himself. Maybe the postal carrier stole it. Who wouldn’t want to own a compilation that featured “Muskrat Love,” “Afternoon Delight” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Ole Oak Tree?” Those are the songs I think of when I think of Jack White. I mean that as a high compliment.
Today the tenth child of Teresa and Gorman Gillis, born John Anthony Gillis, turns 39 years old. As was the case with Beck yesterday and Ringo Starr the day before, the White Stripes offerings on Spotify are pretty slim. Nonetheless, I was able to cobble together this playlist of ten fine Jack White performances. I only hope that someday he covers “Muskrat Love.”
You can now like Tunes du Jour on Facebook! Click here.