Well here it is! The first post of the MusicPhile blog, I know you are as excited as I. So why another blog about music, when there are hundreds already out on the information superhighway? Well I hope this one is different as it will show you my take on music, some fun facts, and what I am currently digging in case you are in a musical hump with nothing else to listen to. So thanks for taking this “exit ramp” and I hope you’ll visit often.
I wanted to have the first blog posted this week of September 20th, because there are two special occasions to celebrate for me personally and musically. First I would like to give a “shout out” to my dad Ray who is turning the big 65 this week, and also to my favorite artist of all time Bruce Springsteen who turns 61 this week.
Let’s start with Ray. Because of my dad (and mom) I have this thirst for music. I remember as a kid and as a teen, there were no restrictions on what I could and couldn’t listen to. Of course there was the occasional “Turn that down”, but never a “We don’t allow that music in this house”. I remember listening to everything from Three Dog Night to Anne Murray with my parents around. By them taking the time to get interested in my music and me being interested in what they liked, a nice discussion about music would happen. Even today, my dad and I often share what we are listening to in order to get each other’s opinion. I am still hoping one day Ray will ask if I have checked out the new Jay-Z album as I am sure he is waiting for me to ask him if he has checked out the new Bill Gaither album, but until then, we still are meeting on common ground.
Let’s move onto The Boss. Those of you who know me well know that Bruce Springsteen is my top choice of greatest musician of all time. I have had the opportunity to see Bruce (or should I say Mr. Springsteen?) 5 times in concert and let me tell you if you ever get a chance to you definitively should, no matter what you think of him. The Boss puts on a great show. I am a fan of Springsteen because the music he writes can either make you think, make you cry, or make you belt it out with him, much to your girlfriend’s dismay. For those of you who may only know Springsteen from what you hear on the radio, I would like to give you my top 5 Bruce recommendations to show you his range and skill:
1. Kitty’s Back (more like three songs, a true masterpiece)
2. Tenth Avenue Freezeout (an autobiographical song about the formation of the E Street Band)
3. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) ( another great song with different sections, and the closing concert number for years)
4. Racing in the Street (one of my favorite ballads and a great example of Bruce’s recurring theme about the working class)
5. Badlands (has one of the best lines ever written “all men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be king, and a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything, I wanna go out tonight, find out what I got”)
So readers, there you go. The first blog posting of the MusicPhile. You can rest assured we have not heard the last of Bruce Springsteen, or Ray for that matter, in these posts. I am curious to find out your favorite artist of all time. Who should I write about? What top 5 songs would you want to read about? Till next time-keep on rocking!
Who would have thought that 45 rpm record player and a half dozen 45's would lead to this? Of those half dozen or so 45's , two come to mind as being played over and over and over again. The Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard by Waylon and, are you ready for this, Born in the U.S.A by Bruce Springsteen. Still have them with a few scratches on them. And then there was the Muppets, don't forget Kermit and the Rainbow Connection! Well done,
ReplyDeleteI will follow any blog whose writer declares the Boss as greatest musician of all time! A couple of my all time favorite Bruce tunes...Growin' Up and Be True. Can't wait to hear what you think about the Darkness box set.
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