Ben E. King - Stand By Me

One of the major soul singles of all time, Ben E. King's 1961 smash "Stand By Me" is the song we'll always remember him by. King died yesterday at 76 from what his agent termed "coronary problems", and boy did he leave a legacy behind! He was one of the lead singers of The Drifters from 1958 to 1960 and then embarked on a solo career where he enjoyed numerous big hits, most notably "Stand By Me", but also beautiful songs such as "I (Who Have Nothing)" and "Spanish Harlem". Tonight I'm sure they're singing his praise in Heaven. God bless!

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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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Patsy Cline - You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)

The song "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)" was written by James B. Monaco (music) and Joseph McCarthy (lyrics) and published as early as 1913. Naturally - as good as it is - it has been recorded by many, including Al Jolson, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Aretha Franklin, Harry Nilsson, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Gloria Estefan and others. Actually, the Judy Garland version has additional lyrics written by Roger Edens. Below you'll find Patsy Cline's astounding 1962 version off her album Sentimentally Yours. Now, that voice!

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Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express

Graham Nash found his inspiration for the song "Marrakech Express" on a train ride from Casablanca to Marrakech in 1966. Starting out in first class and soon being bored with it, he left the blue-haired ladies for the more "common" people in the other carriages, becoming fascinated by what he saw and experienced. The song were eventually recorded and released in 1969 on his and partners David Crosby and Stephen Stills' first album as a trio, the eponymously titled Crosby, Stills & Nash.

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Frank Sinatra descending on London - an essay

In 1962 Frank Sinatra went to London to record an album, the first and only time he did so outside the USA. The result, Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain, may not be among his very best albums, but it's not bad at all, and has been turned into a fabulous box set featuring three CDs and a DVD containing shows he did in the British capital, in 1962 and 1970. I have written an essay on commission from Universal Music, in Norwegian, that is. If you're not fluent in my language, please access our good friend Google Translate, or follow the link below just to listen to the music and see a few videos.

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Nina Simone - When I Was A Young Girl

Forgive me if I go on a bit too much about Nina Simone these days, but I just can't help myself. She was a singer and piano player beyond most of her peers and competitors, a performer that, when at her best, was almost otherworldly. Just listen to this haunting take on the traditional "When I Was A Young Girl" that appeared on her 1964 album Folksy Nina. You can feel the emotion in every note played, in every line sung, and mysteriously you simply end up as a participant in the song, rather than a listener. This is the kind of performance that inhabits you, more than it simply entertains you. Masterful, in every which way.

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Elvis at 80 - the ultimate playlist

Today it's 80 years since Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. He died at the early age of 42, in August 1977, but boy did he leave behind a legacy! Along with a few other acts such as Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry, he basically invented rock'n'roll as we know it, and went on to become the biggest star of them all. I've compiled a playlist featuring 80 of his most important performances to mark the occasion, both in Spotify and WiMP. Play it loud!

WiMP

Spotify

 

Nina Simone - Tomorrow Is My Turn

Nina Simone recorded "Tomorrow Is My Turn", an English translation of "L'Amour C'est Comme Un Jour", a song by Charles Aznavour, Marcel Stellman and Yves Stéphane written for the 1960 French film Le Passage du Rhin, for her 1965 album I Put A Spell On You. Beneath is an amazing, intimate live version that takes the studio recording's tempo down a few notches, more closely resembles Aznavour's original French version and shows the song's potential way better. Both versions are of course very good, but this live clip is simply stunning - it's Nina Simone at her very, very best!

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Nina Simone - Feeling Good

Last night I saw the amazing French movie The Intouchables (2012) and was reminded of the awesomeness of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good", a stellar performance from her 1965 album I Put A Spell On You. It's used to full effect during a paragliding scene in which the Alps unfold beneath protagonists Driss and Phillippe, and it has also been used in other films and TV series, as well as being sampled by Jay-Z and Kanye West, Flo Rida and others. The song was written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd in 1964 but was made famous by Simone. It has also been covered by many, including George Michael, Michael Bublé and, more surprisingly Eels and Muse, but Nina Simone's version still shines brightest.

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R.I.P. Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends

And today Joe Cocker died, sadly, only 70 years old. He made his name with a groundbreaking, rearranged version of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends", a song John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote for Ringo Starr and was of course featured on their masterpiece Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Cocker's version appeared the next year and shot to the top of the UK singles charts, gaining him further fame when he performed it at the Woodstock festival in 1969, as evidenced in the clip featured below. A great performance indeed - Joe Cocker will be missed.

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Erik's musical Advent calendar - December 21

Detroit Junior - Christmas Day

A real obscurity in Erik's musical Advent calendar today as we pave way for blues pianist Detroit Junior, born Emery Williams Jr. in 1931, and no, not in Detroit, Michigan, but Haynes, Arkansas. He began his career in Detroit, backing touring musicians like Amos Milburn, Eddie Boyd and John Lee Hooker, thus his stage name, but later made a career for himself in Chicago, His "Christmas Day" single was released in 1960, and has popped up on sundry "eclectic" Christmas compilations, and that's basically how come anyone's heard it or even heard of it. It's a great stomper of jolly fun, perfect for any Christmas party.

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Jackie Wilson - I Get The Sweetest Feeling

"I Get The Sweetest Feeling" could possibly be my favourite Jackie Wilson song, a feelgood classic that's clearly inspired by Motown, and was written by Van McCoy and Alicia Evelyn and first released in 1968. The British re-release actually hit the Top 10 twice, in 1972 and 1987. Such a happy song, and such a good song!

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Erik's musical Advent calendar - December 3

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus And Lucy

A show of hands from everyone who loves A Charlie Brown Christmas, please! Yup, that's a lot of people right there. "Linus And Lucy", written by Vince Guaraldi and first released on Vince Guaraldi Trio's 1964 album Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, was turned into a Christmas classic the following year when it appeared in the television special A Charlie Brown Christmas, along with the rest of Guaraldi's lovely music for the show. It has appeared in several more Peanuts shows too, and is inextricably linked to the characters of Charles M. Schulz. A lesser known fact about the "Linus And Lucy" tune is that it was used as wake-up music for the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavor on day 2 of the STS-123 mission on March 11, 2008. And now, even more astounding, it's used for day 3 of Erik's musical Advent calendar on this day, December 3, 2014.

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Erik's musical Advent calendar - December 1

Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Hooray and seasons greetings! It's that time of the year again, you know, the most wonderful, just as it is described by Andy Williams in this most celebratory of Christmas songs. "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" was written by Edward Pola and George Wyle in 1963 and recorded by Williams the same year for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. It's the perfect song to kick off my musical Advent calendar this year with my sincerest hopes for everyone to have a nice build-up to Christmas. Lots of cheers going your way today, then!

 

Nick Drake - River Man

Today it's exactly 40 years since Nick Drake died from an overdose of antidepressants, 26 years of age. Whether it was intentional or not has never actually been uncovered, but the poet/singer/songwriter did suffer from mental problems. He recorded three astounding records that established him as one of the finest of songwriters of his generation, notably Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970) and Pink Moon (1972). "River Man" is from the first of these, and just maybe my very favourite song of his. It has some serious competition though, so it's hard to tell for certain, but this little gem is definitely among his best no matter how you look at it. It's a quiet masterpiece expertly produced by Joe Boyd with a dramatic string arrangement by Harry Robinson that just nails the song completely. Magic may be at work here, it's just beautiful!

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The 100 best songs of the 1960's

And the hits just keep on coming! Roll out the 1960's as we go back to classics from The Beach Boys and The Band, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, Frank Sinatra and Scott Walker, Sam Cooke and Barbara Lynn, John Coltrane and Donald Byrd, and many more as I sum up the 100 best songs of the decade. Be adviced though, there are no Beatles, Led Zeppelin and a few others that should have been there due to the fact that they are not up for streaming in WiMP. It's still an awesome list, maybe the best of the bunch so far.

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1. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
2. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
3. Frank Sinatra - My Way
4. The Isley Brothers - Twist And Shout
5. The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
6. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
7. James Brown And The Famous Flames - I Got You (I Feel Good)
8. Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
9. The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)
10. Martha And The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street

11. Elvis Presley - In The Ghetto
12. Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman
13. Roy Orbison - Only The Lonely
14. Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'
15. Miles Davis - Concierto de Aranjuez (Adagio)
16. The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man
17. Dionne Warwick - I Say A Little Prayer
18. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World
19. Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin'
20. Rolling Stones - Jumpin' Jack Flash

21. Ben E. King - Stand By Me
22. James Carr - The Dark End Of The Street
23. The Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
24. Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline
25. The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
26. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Ain't No Mountain High Enough
27. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
28. The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night
29. John Coltrane - Everytime We Say Goodbye
30. The Temptations - My Girl

31. Charlie Rich - San Francisco Is A Lonely Town
32. Barbara Randolph - I Got A Feeling
33. The Box Tops - The Letter
34. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
35. The Doors - The End
36. .Sly & The Family Stone - Hot Fun In The Summertime
37. David Bowie - Space Oddity
38. Bee Gees - I Started A Joke
39. Getz/Gilberto feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim & Astrud Gilberto - The Girl From Ipanema
40. Jackie Wilson - (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher

41. Aaron Neville - Tell It Like It Is
42. Patsy Cline - Crazy
43. Erma Franklin - Piece Of My Heart
44. The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love
45. The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man
46. Scott Walker - Jackie
47. The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City
48. The Mamas And The Papas - Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)
49. Booker T. And The M.G.s - Green Onions
50. Leonard Cohen - Bird On The Wire

51. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son
52. The Who - Substitute
53. Love - Alone Again Or
54. Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)
55. Nina Simone - Just In Time (live)
56. Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
57. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
58. Santana - Evil Ways
59. Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
60. Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound Of Silence

61. Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now
62. Dusty Springfield - All I See Is You
63. Wilson Pickett - Land Of 1000 Dances
64. The Percy Faith Orchestra - Theme From A Summer Place
65. Jackie DeShannon - What The World Needs Now Is Love
66. The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
67. Nick Drake - River Man
68. Ennio Morricone - Il Buono, Il Cattivo, Il Brutto
69. Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg - Je t'aime... moi non plus
70. Tony Joe White - Polk Salad Annie

71. Lalo Schiffrin - Mission: Impossible
72. Aretha Franklin - Respect
73. Andy Williams - Music To Watch Girls By
74. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxy Lady
75. The Love Affair - Bringing On Back The Good Times
76. Peter Sarstedt - Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)
77. The Monkees - Daydream Believer
78. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping
79. Donald Byrd - Cristo Redentor
80. John Stewart - July, You're A Woman

81. The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
82. Dion - Runaround Sue
83. The Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought The Law
84. Barbara Lynn - You'll Lose A Good Thing
85. The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind
86. Dinah Washington & Brook Benton - A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love)
87. The Impressions - People Get Ready
88. Julie London - Fly Me To The Moon
89. Dr. John - I Walk On Guilded Splinters
90. Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger

91. The Stone Poneys - Different Drum
92. Zager & Evans - In The Year 2525
93. Les McCann & Eddie Harris - Compared To What
94. The Miracles - Going To A Go-Go
95. Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
96. The Four Seasons - Cherry
97. Neil Young - Down By The River
98. Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High
99. The Zombies - She's Not There
100. Townes Van Zandt - Waitin' Around To Die

George Harrison - The Apple Years 1968-75, an essay, video links and a playlist

George Harrison - "the quiet Beatle" - was underappreciated by John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a contributing force in The Beatles. Although he developed into a fantastic songwriter ("Something" is the second most covered Beatles song ever), he still only got two or three songs onto an album. There were several reasons for the band's eventual split-up, but this was definitely among them. In a new box set entitled The Apple Years 1968-75 Harrison's first six solo albums are compiled, and I have written an essay for the record company, Universal Music. It is written in Norwegian though, but also features a few video links and a playlist showcasing some of the music that influenced Harrison both as a guitarist and a songwriter.

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Petula Clark - This Is My Song

"This Is My Song" was written by Charlie Chaplin in 1966, intended for his film A Countess From Hong Kong, which was to evoke 1930's shipboard romances. Chaplin wanted Al Jolson to sing it and was so intent on his wish that he refused to acknowledge the fact that Jolson had died in 1950 until he was shown a picture of his tombstone. In the finished film the song was only used as an instrumental, but Chaplin gave it to British singer Petula Clark who lived near his own home in Switzerland to record. It was released as a single in 1967 and Clark was furious as it was intended as an album track only. Then, when it became a number one single, her first since "Sailor" six years earlier, she was presumably quite happy. (Her most well-known single, "Downtown", only reached number two on the UK charts upon its 1964 release although it was a number one hit in many other countries, including the US.) Needless to say, "This Is My Song" is stunningly beautiful.

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Nina Simone - Just In Time (live)

The song "Just In Time" first appeared in the 1956 musical Bells Are Ringing, and has been recorded by a wealth of acts through the years. This 1962 version from Nina Simone's live album Nina At The Village Gate is simply astounding, showcasing her inimitable piano style for everything it's worth. I actually became aware of it through Richard Linklater's film Before Sunset, the second in his trilogy about Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who meet on a train headed for Vienna. Before Sunset is a film with a few flaws, it has to be said, but the last scene in which they listen to this recording is pure movie magic.

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Tony Borders - Gentle On My Mind

Tony Borders is a soul singer so obscure he doesn't even have a Wikipedia article to his name, and that is saying something. I discovered his version of John Hartford's classic "Gentle On My Mind", cut in 1969, through the excellent compilation CD Behind Closed Doors: Where Country Meets Soul in which black, or African-American, singers perform country songs popularized by white singers. Regarding Borders' take on "Gentle On My Mind", quoting from the CD booklet, "leave it to a Southern soul singer to get under the skin of the song and understand the mixture of loneliness and love expressed by a man torn between lust and wanderlust". Truer words have rarely been spoken.

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