Strange Magic

Reina Del Cid, Toni Lindgren, Josh Turner and Carson McKee creating their own magic with this ELO cover.

More at Reina del Cid

California Dreamin’

Monday morning, waking up in a new place with The Mamas & The Papas

Thanks to YouTuber TheFreddyShow

Sideshow: Blue Magic

From the falsetto seventies, this Philly sound inspired R&B record was a million-seller hit. It’s Ted Mills who is the lead singer hitting those high notes..

Thanks to YouTuber WillFareed63

Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime: Dean Martin

Monday morning, Dino Crocetti, aka Dean Martin, slips into something comfortable.

Thanks to YouTuber VintageComedyClips

Never Let You Go

Monday morning, Brooklyn’s own The Five Discs with John Carbone on lead. While they never had any big commercial successes, this once inter-racial group was recognized by other Doo-Woopers as one of the great purveyors of that kind of song.

Thanks to YouTuber PJDooWop

Connie, Bobby, and Ed: You Make Me Feel So Young

It was a “rilly biggg shoo” when Ms. Francis, and Mr. Darin sung together on Mr. Sullivan’s stage

Thanks to YouTuber The Ed Sullivan Show

For No One

A great McCartney ballad from the Revolver album.

Even John liked it.

Thanks to YouTuber CONDROTUM

Everybody Is A Star

Astronomy, as told by Sly and the Family Stone.

More at Sly & The Family Stone

Let It Be Me: The Everly Brothers

Rolling Stone magazine named them the Greatest singing duo ever. They influenced everyone from the Beatles to Simon and Garfunkel. Phil and Don Everly, brothers whose artistic and business partnership was famously contentious, make some of the most beautiful harmonies ever in pop music.

They called “Let It Be Me” the most beautiful song they had ever recorded.

Click on the image to play.

Thanks to YouTuber Orvil Morris

Turn The Radio On

Monday Morning, Chan Poling’s band, The Suburbs.

It’s a catchy song, but on reading about it, I found Chan dedicated the song to the memory of his deceased wife, Eleanor, the daughter of Walter Mondale, who died at 51.

Click on the image to play.

Thanks to YouTuber MN Original

“When You Believe In Things You Don’t Understand, Then You Suffer”

Monday morning, Stevie Wonder at the age of 22 killing it on Sesame Street, of all places, with “Superstition.” Still great.

Click on the image to play.

“Superstition”

Very superstitious, writings on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders ’bout to fall,
Thirteen-months-old baby broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past

When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way

Very superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin’ strong,
You don’t wanna save me, sad is my song

When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way, yeah, yeah

Very superstitious, nothin’ more to say,
Very superstitious, the devil’s on his way,
Thirteen-months-old baby broke the lookin’ glass,
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past

When you believe in things that you don’t understand,
Then you suffer, superstition ain’t the way, no, no, no

Thanks to YouTuber Ryan’s Smashing Life

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered

With the madness of the last week it’s nice to just relax and give oneself up to an artist who is totally in control of her talent.

Lady Gaga sings a jazz/pop version of the Rodgers and Hart standard that promises a lot and delivers a lot.

She sang this often on her 2015 tour, and if you look on YouTube, you can see that in every performance the vocal arrangement is different, she’s clothed in a different costume and wig, and yet every performance is right on the money. Really a rare talent.

Click on the image to listen.

Thanks to YouTuber Lucs Said

Africa: Toto

Monday morning after sifting through literally dozens of versions, band configurations, and covers, we settle on this 2013 version of the 1981 Toto song.

Dave Paich: lead vocals, keyboards and writer

Simon Phillips: drums

Nathan East: bass

Steve Lukather: lead guitar

And because here at Shalblog Industries® we use every part of the buffalo, expect more versions of it posted this week.

Thanks to YouTuber MADIM67

At Seventeen: Janis Ian

Monday morning, a song for misfits.

At the time, 1975, the song was a  highly unlikely candidate for a pop hit. It may have been the first pop song for young women of high school age that wasn’t for the cheerleaders. It might be hard to recall now, in the age of Glee, but songs examining the inner lives of high school students who saw themselves as social outcasts were not, at the time, the common fare. Millions of young women saw themselves in the lyrics of the song, and suddenly the singer/songwriter, Janis Ian, who at age 14 had had a qualified (and often censored) hit with her song of interracial love, “Society’s Child,” was overnight an international star.

The clip above seems so raw, true, and natural that you might think it was just an amateur effort turned lucky. But Ian by that time had already had seven albums of music released and was an accomplished songwriter. It was the one time, though, she said, that she had penned a song and told her manager that she had just written a hit.

Thanks to YouTuber LittleMonster13100

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow: The Shirelles

Monday morning the Shirelles pop the question in the Carole King-penned pop hit.

Thanks to YouTuber Mp3SuperSound

Autumn In New York

Monday morning, Allison Young, a wonderful singer, joins Josh Turner for “Autumn in New York,” in a version you can enjoy in any season.

More at Allison Young

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

I can’t say I’m a huge Elton John fan, but this is one of my favorite of his–or anybody’s–songs.

Thanks to YouTuber The Dude

Go Now

 

The Moody Blues did a great version of this song as well in 1964, but I prefer this original, with the soulful Bessie Banks, written by her husband Larry Banks.

Thanks to YouTuber Steven Michael Bogarat

Only The Lonely: Roy Orbison…& Friends

The list of singers who were influenced by Roy Orbison is long. Some of those artists join him onstage here: Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt.

More at RoyOrbison

There’ll Be Another Spring

Peggy Lee makes time-appropriate promises we hope she can keep.

Written by Ms. Lee.

Thanks to YouTuber skorecki7

 

Crying: Roy Orbison

And you may notice Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, kd lang, and Bonnie Raitt accompanying.

More at RoyOrbison

 

Fast Car

 

Tracy Chapman was an unlikely singer/songwriter to chart in the top 10 in 1988, but there was something so pure, authentic, and truthful in her singing that this song resonated with many and, improbably, became a hit.

Thanks to YouTuber Folk & Country on MV

Tracks Of My Tears : Linda Ronstadt

Monday morning, Linda Ronstadt, in the prime of her career, with Tracks of My Tears, yet another great Smokey Robinson penned song.

More at Linda Ronstadt

 

Let It Be Me

Reina del Cid and Toni Lindgren sing the Everly Brothers classic. With Toni nailing the electric guitar parts and the harmonies, this is one I listen to several times in a row.

More at Reina del Cid

Can’t Buy Me Love: MonaLisa Twins

March’s first Monday morning, the MonaLisa Twins from Austria check in with some Lennon-McCartney philosophy.

More at MonaLisa Twins