Raga Rockers live fra 1989

I dag ble det offentlig kjent at Christer Falck med venner skal lage tidenes hyllestprosjekt med vinylboks, CD-boks og konsert der 100 Raga Rockers-låter skal covres. Alt vil skje 18. november, og du kan sjekke hvilke 50 artister som foreløpig er offentliggjort her. Ifølge prosjektleder Falck gjenstår de store navnene, så det kan jo bli spennende med tanke på at Dumdum Boys, deLillos, Valentourettes, Jo Nesbø, Mercury Motors og Jan Eggum er blant de som til nå er bekreftet. Anyways, her er et dødskult klipp fra NRK i 1989, der Raga spiller fire låter live og en 26 år yngre Michael Krohn intervjues av en 26 år yngre Anders Giæver. Veldig moro!

Se og hør

Tidenes Raga-hyllest på vei

Christer Falck er dagens mann, ferdig med den saken! Lystløgner og Robinson-programleder på den ene siden, verdens hyggeligste mann og rock'n'roll-filantrop på den andre. Jeg fikk en melding i innboksen min hvor han forteller at han er i gang med "det mest ambisiøse og enorme prosjektet jeg noen gang har gjort", og det er definitivt ingen overdrivelse. Christer er i gang med tidenes norske hyllestprosjekt, der 100 (!) norske artister/band skal gjøre versjoner av forskjellige Raga Rockers-låter. Christer er dog ikke helt alene, men samarbeider om dette med Raga-manager Mads Martinsen og filmprodusent og musiker Thomas Robsahm. I tillegg jobber de med en konserthyllest på Rockefeller 18. november, samme dag som både CD- og vinylboks er i salg. Det er med andre ord et skikkelig brekke ryggen-stunt som får Shockadelica-boksen med Prince-covere til å blekne. Og det var ambisiøst nok, for å si det sånn. Dette er et crowdfundingprosjekt, og vil du være med på moroa klikker du deg inn her. Her kan du lese hele pressemeldingen.

Christer vil bli som Jesus (Foto: Henning Jensen)

«SANNHET PÅ BOKS» - EN HYLLEST TIL RAGA ROCKERS CD- OG VINYLBOKS Onsdag den 18/11 slipper vi cd- og vinylboksen «Sannhet på boks», hvor mer eller mindre hele musikk-Norge skal være med å hylle Raga Rockers. Hele overskuddet går til bandet. Raga Rockers er et av de store arbeidsjernene i norsk rock. Hele 17 album, hvorav 12 studioalbum, har blitt sluppet siden starten i 1983. I tillegg har Michael Krohn gitt ut 10 album under forskjellige navn og gjestet på over 50 forskjellige innspillinger. «De fire store» i norsk rock står like støtt som i litteraturen. I 2013 hadde de 30-årsjubileum, og siden bandet selv ikke er så ivrige på festivitas, så får heller andre stå for hyllingen. «Sannhet på boks» skal ut på cd (500 nummererte eksemplarer) og vinyl (1500 nummererte eksemplarer). Selveste Pushwagner lager coveret. Bookleten vil også inneholde spesialskrevne striper fra kjente tegneserieskapere og kloke ord fra fine folk. I tillegg vil boksen inneholde noen godsaker som vi vil gå ut med etter hvert, bl.a. et spesiallaget Michael-frimerke fra Posten i et svært begrenset opplag. Gled dere! Onsdag den 18. november arrangerer vi slippfest på Rockefeller hvor flere profilerte band skal hylle Raga Rockers fra scenen. Billetter kan også kjøpes her, til redusert pris, i kombinasjon med en av boksene,eller i et begrenset antall uten boks. 100 artister har sagt ja til å stille med hver sin låt og her er de første 50. 1. Hold hodet høyt deLillos 2. Ekspander eller dø Racer (Dumdum Boys) 3. Rock'n roll Valentourettes 4. Slakt Jo Nesbø 5. Litt av en gjeng Lemen (feat. Annlaug Børsheim) 6. Taxisangen Jan Eggum 7. Løp Smoke Mohawk 8. Forbudte følelser Oslo Ess 9. Maskiner i Nirvana The Dogs 10. Invitasjon Marie Munroe (Hilde Marie Kjersem) 11. Hun er fri Tommy Tee All-Stars 12. Sangen om meg Møster 13. Å Jesus White Lord Jesus feat. Einmal Kommt Die Liebe 14. Pilgrim Erlend Ropstad 15. Borte nå Haddy N'Jie 16. Lørdag Backstreet Girls 17. Rocker Phone Joan 18. Schwong Alex Rosén 19. Ro Biosphere 20. Kanskje på tid Frank Znort Quartet 21. Trygge her Bøyen Beng 22. Desperado Fjorden Baby! 23. Positiv Elvira Nicolaisen 24. Rundt og rundt Mercury Motors 25. Stille høyde Origami Olympika 26. Det skal bli natt Kampfar 27. Jeg tror jeg er noe Norsk Råkk 28. Full tank Cocktail Slippers 29. Varme dager Mormones 30. Viking Vampire State Building 31. Gatelangs Astroburger 32. Drept kjendis Audrey Horne 33. Skjønnhet Johndoe 34. Idiot rock The Stookers 35. Rogn Team Me 36. Morgenraga Bloodlights 37. Teppe Blakk 38. Vrengt Lasse Marhaug 39. Paradox Ivar Eidem 40. Øde øy Hopalong Knut 41. Ditt sanne jeg Asbjørn Ribe 42. Nerd Ut Bakdøra 43. Tid Skambankt 44. Ting Castro 45. Dårlig karma Viktoria Winge 46. Ny dag André Holstad 47. Fred på jorden Annette Gil 48. Lysere tider Prins Thomas 49. Radiator Salmon Smokers 50. Noen å hate Vinneren av Urørts Raga-coverkonkurranse INFO: Vi er litt usikre på hvor mange album og cd-er boksen vil inneholde, siden vi ikke vet lengden på låtene ennå, men rundt 4-5 cd-er og 8-10 LP-er er mest sannsynlig. Og det er ikke usannsynlig at prisen vil gå opp når/om den kommer for salg i butikkene. LP-boksen vil inneholde x antall LP-er, en tjukk og god booklet, et spesiallaget Raga/Michael-frimerke fra Posten + eventuelle overraskelser. Alle albumene vil komme i 180 grams vinyl. CD-boksen vil inneholde x antall cd-er, booklet og Raga/Michael-frimerke. Releasekonserten jobbes det for tiden med. Vi har leid Rockefeller, og flere store band har blitt kontaktet. Målet er at ett eller flere hovedband skal utgjøre en grunnstamme, og spille seg gjennom Raga Rockers-katalogen med en gjeng kompetente vokalister. Det vil også selges LP-er og CD-er på konserten.

CC Cowboys - Livet ut

CC Cowboys feirer 25-årsjubileum i år, og den nye singlen "Livet ut" er det beste jeg har hørt fra den kanten på lenge. Magnus Grønneberg og hans ryttere er alltid en stødig enhet og låtene hans sitter som regel godt, men "Livet ut" gir det lille ekstra. Det er en tilsynelatende enkel og ganske sløy og laidback poplåt med islett av blues og soul med noen dødsfete blåsere som er med å bygge trøkk, og den vokser og vokser mens Magnus synger om alt det gode han har rundt seg, avslepent og rustent som han pleier, og vi blir umiddelbart med på refrenget: "Jeg tror det vil vare livet ut." Litt ooh-ohh-koring og fine harmonier fra to av jentene i Katzenjammer gir ytterligere farge, og er det noen rettferdighet igjen her i verden har vi her å gjøre med en av årets store sommerhits. For meg innleder den iallfall den lyse, varme tida. Albumet Til det blir dag kommer i salg 8. juni, og inntil så skjer, sier jeg bare tusen hjertelig takk for denne intenst gode humørbomben. Jeg tror den kan vare livet ut.

Hør i Spotify.

Hør i WiMP.

Hør i Tidal.

Susanna - What's Love Got To Do With It

Tina Turner's massive 1984 hit "What's Love Got To Do With It" has been turned upside down by esteemed Norwegian singer/songwriter Susanna Wallumrød, who's also known for her well-chosen and beautifully executed cover versions, by names ranging from Kiss to Joy Division, Depeche Mode to Dolly Parton. On her forthcoming Songs Revisited EP she's doing a mesmerizing version of the Turner hit (written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle), as well as songs by Phoenix and Leonard Cohen and two of her own songs in new guises. It's out in just a few weeks, but "What's Love Got To Do With It" was put up on her Soundcloud page today. Check it out, you'll get chills - of the good kind, that is.

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Hellbillies - Som ein båt på land

Hellbillies fra Ål i Hallingdal er et favorittband. Fra den gang vokalist Aslag Haugen sto bak disken hos Imerslund, den velfylte platesjappa i Arkaden i Oslo og sjefen hans fortalte meg at han hadde et kult band som hadde spilt inn plate, og frem til i dag, har Hellbillies vært en del av livet mitt. At jeg selv er vokst opp med hytte i de samme traktene bandet kommer fra, mer presist på høyfjellet over Vats, skader vel heller ikke. "Som ein båt på land" er blant bandets ALLER fineste sanger, hentet fra deres tredje og muligens beste plate, Lakafant, utgitt i 1995. Den hørte jeg første gang på hytta i Ål da jeg og et par venner, en av dem Else fra plateselskapet BMG som ga ut Hellbillies på den tiden, hadde med albumet noen uker før utgivelse. Vi spilte den ihjæl den helgen, og jeg er like glad i låta fremdeles. Her er den i en liveversjon fra nyere tid - like fin!

Sjå og høyr

David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj & Afrojack - Hey Mama

Surprisingly, "Hey Mama" is superstar DJ David Guetta's first ever number one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. That doesn't mean the guy has been stripped for hits throughout the last years, but still... it may surprise some. "Hey Mama" is super cool though, currently riding high on the US Billboard Hot 100 too at 27 and it should reach higher, featuring vocal help from Nicki Minaj and Afrojack. It sounds pretty awesome too!

Lyric video

Listen to Tracey Thorn's new EP in full here

Tracey Thorn has been commisioned to write her first ever film score, for Carol Morley's feature film debut The Falling, set in a girls school in the late 60's. The music goes on only for 17 minutes, but they are a very good 17 minutes, fitting into an EP's worth to be released on Monday titled Songs From The Falling. Simplicity is the key, and the tone of the songs are reminiscent to those on Thorn's 1982 debut album A Distant Shore, the main ingredient being her wonderful voice, set to spare arrangements. Listen to the EP in full by following the link below. This may just be your best spent 17 minutes in quite some time.

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Frank Sinatra's 100th anniversary - an essay

The best singer that ever put his mouth close to a microphone? That could very well be one Frank Sinatra, late of Hoboken, New Jersey, who would've turned 100 years old in December. The anniversary year is celebrated with sundry releases, including the brand new Ultimate Sinatra box set, the first ever compilation to span his entire career, encompassing recordings from Columbia, Capitol and Reprise. Below you'll get access to the album and my essay about the great man - written in Norwegian - commisioned by Universal Music.

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Happy birthday,Björn Ulvaeus - my life with ABBA with THE playlist

Hooray for ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus who turns 70 today! One of the best ever pop songwriters, he and partner Benny Andersson wrote practically everything ABBA recorded, and their legacy is undeniably great! Last November I wrote an essay for Universal Music about my life as an ABBA fan (they were my first musical love of note), so this is a repost to mark Ulvaeus' anniversary. Enclosed in the link is the essay (written in Norwegian) as well as music videos and the ultimate ABBA playlist featuring what I consider their 36 best songs. All hail Björn!

Read, watch and listen

Billy Idol - Rebel Yell

OK, so it's Fabulous Friday once more, and I guess it's about time we play this one. Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" - not to be confused by the Confederate soldiers yell during the American Civil War - is one of the coolest, toughest and, let's face it, silliest, rock songs to ever be recorded. Released in 1983, it's the title track off the former Generation X singer's second solo album, and it's been a party staple ever since. I can still recall how I was totally awed by it, almost 32 years ago, and it's still got a hold on me. When you're done with Billy, there's a bunch of other Fabulous Friday songs here.

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Lianne La Havas - Unstoppable

Finally a new song from Lianne La Havas, the wonderful British singer/songwriter that made her debut with 2012's lovely record Is Your Love Big Enough? featuring songs like "They Could Be Wrong" and the Willy Mason duet "No Room For Doubt". "Unstoppable" is the first song off her forthcoming album Blood, to be released on July 31 and is definitely cause for celebration. Prince is a fan, by the way, using her on his album Art Official Age last year, which goes to show he has excellent taste in music. Further good news is that she will play Øyafestivalen here in Oslo in August. I can't wait!

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Clean Bandit - Stronger

Well, hooray! There's a new Clean Bandit single out, and it's dead catchy, upbeat and extremely dancefloor-friendly. "Stronger" features uncredited vocals by Alex Newell (known from Glee) and Sean Bass, brother of Sharna Bass who sang on the wonderful "Extraordinary". "Stronger" was originally released last November as part of a special edition of Clean Bandit's debut album New Eyes with Olly Alexander from Years & Years on vocals, but has now been re-recorded for a single release. Great song, great video.

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Nanci Griffith - Once In A Very Blue Moon

Perfect music for a hungover Sunday, Nanci Griffith's early records are soothing, beautiful and calming. "Once In A Very Blue Moon" is the title track off her third album, released in 1984, and written by the brilliant songwriter Pat Alger with Eugene Levine. The live version in this clip is from 1987.

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Ty Dolla $ign feat. Charli XCX and Tinashe - Drop That Kitty

Never heard of Ty Dolla $ign before, but I like both Charli XCX and Tinashe so I figured his latest single "Drop That Kitty" was worth listening to as it features both ladies. And how! It's a super cool hip hop/R&B track, very sexy, with a simple song structure where the synth bass is the hero. Time has called it a sequel to Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" which is not far off the mark. It was produced by the Stargate production team with Cashmere Cat, both Norwegian, so here's to them as well! A fabulous song!

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"Hotel California" like you've never heard it before

Gabriella Quevado is a one-woman band who plays a version of the Eagles' classic "Hotel California" that's pretty much beyond belief, or at the very least, really impressive. Arranged by one Tomi Paldanius she plays the song making it sound almost like it's a full band. She emulates the bass lines and the percussion on the guitar, and although she doesn't actually sing, she somehow makes her strings do that job as well. It starts quietly and a bit unimpressive, but that impression stops instantly when she starts digging into the song. Great fun and really, really well played. I'm just loving this!

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Hamilton Leithauser - 11 O'Clock Friday Night

Hamilton Leithauser, former lead singer in American rock band The Walkmen, released his first solo album last year called Black Hours. A somewhat uneven affair, the album nevertheless sported one really great single, "11 O'Clock Friday Night", a sing-a-long anthem that is perfect for this week's Fabulous Friday entry. It's a true indie-pop anthem that somehow manages to sound entirely timeless and really, really cool at the same time. Also, check out my previous Fabulous Friday entries here. Good vibes all around.

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Mark Knopfler - Are We In Trouble Now

Mark Knopfler has just released his eighth proper solo album, Tracker, which is brilliant, but let's head back to 1996 and his first solo album Golden Heart. After extensive soundtrack work, projects with The Notting Hillbillies band and Chet Atkins, a last stab at Dire Straits and more, this signalled a more focused direction for the singer/songwriter/guitarist Knopfler. The album was a hit in several countries, featuring songs like "Darling Pretty" and "Rüdiger", and he saved one of the best for last. "Are We In Trouble Now" is the perfect album closer, a beautiful country ballad with loads of feeling, especially as evidenced by Knopfler's trademark guitar work towards the very end. A stunning song that shouldn't be overlooked.

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Art Pepper - Patricia

Yesterday I watched the final episodes of the new TV series Bosch based upon Michael Connelly's Los Angeles crime novels. Anyone who has ever read a Connelly book featuring Harry Bosch knows the protagonist is a jazz connoisseur, and among his favourites are Art Pepper. The legendary saxophonist released the album Art Pepper Today in 1978, and from this we play the track "Patricia" that featured in the very last episode of Bosch. It's played in a scene in which Bosch and his estranged daughter Maddie clumsily tries to connect, and Bosch tells her that Pepper actually wrote the song to his own daugther Patricia that he saw all too rarely. A fitting track for a nice scene, and one very beautiful, ten minute long instrumental. Timeless.

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R.I.P. Percy Sledge - here's "When A Man Loves A Woman"

Legendary soul singer Percy Sledge died today, 73 years old, from liver cancer in his own home in Baton Rouge. Sledge is best known for his 1966 hit single "When A Man Loves A Woman", which was in fact the first number one US hit recorded in the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama where Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rolling Stones, Clarence Carter and countless others also recorded. The vocal delivery of "When A Man Loves A Woman" has turned the song into a timeless love song, one of the best ever written (by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright) and recorded if you ask me, so here's to Percy. He served well.

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Music to watch the ocean by

"Music To Watch Girls By" is a song written and recorded by Bob Crewe, but the best-known version belongs to Andy Williams. "Music to watch the ocean by" on the other hand? Not a song as far as I know, but I have compiled a playlist for my good friends behind the travel blog Borte Best. My on and off travel companion Vibeke asked me for some songs to go with a story about a sort of "writer's retreat" on wonderful Lanzarote, a request I took seriously enough to come up with a playlist featuring 25 great songs to watch the ocean by. Ranging from Ravel to Frank Ocean it's fair to say there's something for everyone here, and hopefully you'll find all these tracks good. I know I do.

Playlist

Foto: Fran Fernandez

Nico D - Han smiler

Hip hop- og reggae-aristen Nico D (Nicolas Albert Holter) er etter hvert kjent for mange. Det er han som synger med Admiral P på kjempehiten "Engel", og han har også gjort seg bemerket med albumet Coming In From The Cold i 2012. Nå har han svitsjet til norsk også som soloartist, og den nye singlen "Han smiler" er en deilig, avslepet, kul og gyngende sommerlåt, en perfekt pop/reggae/hip hop-låt med et enkelt budskap: Slutt å syt! Det er ganske så passende i et land der vi sitter velfødde og relativt sett rike og klager over alt fra matvarepriser til dårlig asfalterte veier. "I verdens rikeste land!" Det er alltid noen som har det verre, men reiser du ut i verden og tar en titt vil du se at de smiler likevel.

Hør

Hage - The Taste

This morning I heard an amazing song on the radio called "The Taste". It's written and performed by a duo named Hage (that's Norwegian for "garden"), two 18 year old girls from Bergen, Veronika Heilund and Vilde Hartveit Kolltveit. The duo is featured as this week's Urørt Artist, an ongoing competion on the national broadcaster NRK P3's website that culminates in one act becoming Urørt Act of the Year. Following Urørt is a good way to check out what's going on in the musical underworld of Norway, and Hage most definitely sounds like an act for the future. "The Taste" is simply a gorgeous pop song, with rich harmony vocals throughout, making this first single sound like sort of a pop version of First Aid Kit. I'm truly excited about this song and can't wait to hear more. Follow the link to listen and to download the song for free.

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The Jayhawks - Angelyne

The Jayhawks, originally a vehicle for the singer/songwriter partners Mark Olson and Gary Louris, has mostly been run by Louris after Olson left the band in 1995. The two partners banded up together at a later stage, first for an acoustic 2009 album called Ready For The Flood under their own names, then for a proper new (but disapponting) Jayhawks album in 2011. The two are no longer on speaking terms and there have been no new Jayhawks records since, but we're left with an impressive legacy, both from the early years, and the later years when Louris has been the driving force. "Angelyne" stems from the latter period, from the 2003 album Rainy Day Music, and is one of the best songs on it, which actually says a lot as it's quite the record. This is simply a dead catchy pop song disguised as a country rock tune, something along the lines of "the best song Eagles never wrote".

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An essay about Brian Wilson

Commisioned by Universal Music's Norwegian office, I have written an essay about Brian Wilson upon the release of his wonderful new solo album No Pier Pressure. The architect behind the Beach Boys' sound of 60's California returns in style with his first solo album of new material in seven years, and some of its songs are absolutely stunning. The essay is written in Norwegian, but you'll get access to the album no matter what you understand of my writings.

Read and listen

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Madonna, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots - Holiday (classroom instruments version)

Jimmy Fallon must be the coolest ever talkshow host, at least the most musically conscious and participating one. He regularly perfoms along with his guests and do songs of his own as well, and he's got the world's best house band in The Roots. A few nights ago Madonna visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and besides performing a song off her latest album, more interestingly she did an amazing take on her old 1983 hit "Holiday" on classroom instruments, a quirky idea that has been used with great success with One Direction and Meghan Trainor before her. And the thing is, as is the thing with the original too of course, this really makes you yearn for a holiday. A holiday with a lot of fun, that is. Party time!

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Mala Rodriguez feat. Rapsusklei - Quién Manda

I post far too little hip hop on this blog, and this is definitely my first post of Spanish-language hip hop. Mala Rodriguez is a Spanish singer who's released five albums to date, very popular in her home country and other Spanish-speaking territories, also having secured a Latin Grammy. "Quién Manda" is a single off her latest album, 2013's Brujo, and features in two versions on the album. As far as I can tell, this is a third version, with the added help of a male rapper called Rapsusklei. Great song, fairly laidback and very cool. Hope you like it too.

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I Was A King vs. The Records - Starry Eyes

"Starry Eyes" is a power pop classic recorded by the British band The Records, their debut single actually, released in 1978. It was written by the band's drummer Will Birch, fresh from the pub rock outfit The Kursaal Flyers, and rhythm guitarist John Wicks who were The Records' main songwriters. After The Records disbanded in 1982 the pair's songs have been recorded by numerous acts ranging from Mary Chapin Carpenter to Too Much Joy, from The Searchers to Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks! "Starry Eyes" was the starting point though, a largely forgotten pop classic that sounds as wonderfully fresh now as it did in 1978. This week it was performed on Norwegian television show Trygdekontoret by the Oslo band I Was A King, a faithful rendition that does the original justice. Here are both, and you should check them out.

I Was A King version

The Records version

Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding - Outside

It's another Fabulous Friday and another song that feels like some well-deserved (?) time off. Today we're going for Scottish DJ/producer/songwriter Calvin Harris and his awesome 2014 single "Outside" with Ellie Goulding doing vocal duties. Simply put, this is just a dead catchy song. 'Nuff said! Also, check out previous Fabulous Friday entries here.

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Roxy Music - Take A Chance With Me

"Take A Chance With Me" is Roxy Music at their absolutely slickest - and possibly best. One of the key tracks off their 1982 swan song Avalon, it was co-written by Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera and remains one of my favourite Roxy songs.

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Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water

Yesterday watching the season one finale of excellent television series Better Call Saul (the Breaking Bad prequel) I was reminded of Deep Purple's awesome "Smoke On The Water" as it's got a prominent place in the episode. The riff that runs through most of the song is the first riff any budding guitar or bass player learns, and it's as cool today as it was when released in 1972 on the LP Machine Head. Here is a wonderful 1973 live clip for your enjoyment.

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Magnet - She's Gone

Magnet is the alias of Norwegian singer/songwriter Even Johansen, internationally best known for his exquisite cover of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", made as a duet with Gemma Hayes, that appeared in the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt vehicle Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He's made a lot of remarkable songs, but I still felt like playing another cover version of his. This wonderful take on Bob Marley's timeless "She's Gone" appeared on his wonderful 2007 album The Simple Life. Give it a spin!

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Toad The Wet Sprocket - All I Want

There are very few musicians I've swapped lightbulb jokes with, but singer Glen Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket is one of them. Come to think of it, he's probably the only one. Anyway, during an interview before an early morning showcase, I guess we were both pretty tired, and the level of seriousness was way low. We had a good time though, and shortly afterwards Phillips and the other band members ran through a short, but very good set, highlighted by their best song ever, "All I Want". The song is lifted off their 1991 album Fear.

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Ryley Walker - Sweet Satisfaction

Chicago-based singer/songwriter Ryley Walker has just released his second album Primrose Hill, and on the heels of the title track, "Sweet Satisfaction" is the current single. The video is like a drug-induced nightmare vision, the song its perfect companion piece, and together film and music blends into a perfect six minutes plus of folk meets jazz meets paranoiac, angst-ridden atmosphere that is like a cross between English 60's and 70's acts like Pentangle and Roy Harper, the Laurel Canyon influences of Jonathan Wilson, the present day singer/songwriter/producer who's most certainly born into the wrong time entirely, and the films of David Lynch. The quiet, acoustic intro paves way for a raging electric guitar sounding like the love child of Jimi Hendrix, Bert Jansch and Neil Young. This is absolutely awesome stuff, and Walker is a name to be aware of. Check out this video, and then if you like it, the new album.

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Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey

Originally intended as a country album, Van Morrison's fifth album, 1971's Tupelo Honey, still retains its earthy flavour and rural sound, but it's a lot more varied and nuanced than that. It spawned two hit singles, the soul-pop of "Wild Night" and the hymn-like, seven minute long title track, that remains one of his most astoundingly pretty songs amid a catalogue brimful of beauty and serenity. It's a truly soulful song, that shares its melody with two of his other songs, "Crazy Love" off Moondance (1970) and "Why Must I Always Explain?" off Hymns To The Silence (1991), He's performed all three as a medley in concerts which makes a lot of sense, but for now, here's "Tupelo Honey". Enjoy!

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