Last night at karaoke, a guy did his rendition of Bob Marley’s “Is This Love.” I can’t say he was great, but he certainly had charisma. So today’s post was inspired by random karaoke guy + some beautiful weather.

We’ll be together, yeah! – with a roof right over our heads;
We’ll share the shelter, yeah, oh now! – of my single bed

Bob Marley – Is This Love [YSI]

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Throwing it back to 1971 today with my man Al Green and his song “Let’s Stay Together.” Heard it on the radio the other day and it’s been stuck in my head since. Time to get it out of my head and into yours.

Al Green – Let’s Stay Together [YSI]

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Not throwing it back too far this week. Only to 1999. Wow, that’s still 12 years ago. If 1970′s rock was considered classic rock in the 90′s, is 90′s alt rock considered classic now 20 years later? Just wondering.

Anyway, here’s an odd Youtube recording of BNL’s “One Week.” It’s part of their Bathroom Sessions on Youtube. The quality is really poor but the reason I’m posting is because I really enjoy the slightly modified lyrics. Hope you do too.

Barenaked Ladies – One Week (Bathroom Sessions) [YSI]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69cR9J-V-Qg[/youtube]

I guess today’s post isn’t really too much of a throwback but it kinda fits in that category. I think Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, or IZ for short, recorded the most popular and best version of the 1939 “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” originally by Judy Garland (hence the throwback-ness of the post).

IZ passed away in 1997, only 4 years after he recorded this song, but his music still lives on. So much so, that a newly re-edited version was released just last month. The new version even has a brand new video to go with it. There’s nothing tremendously different about it but it’s just great to know how much of an impact he’s made with this one song among his 8 other albums (4 of which were posthumous).

Below is a download of the newly re-edited 2011 version as well as the new video for it.

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole – Over The Rainbow (2011 Re-edit) [YSI]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DKWlrA24k[/youtube]

I spent a little while today trying to figure out what throwback I was going to post so I surfed a couple mixes on 8tracks and one of them played this Tome Jones gem. I instantly thought of The Fresh Prince and started watching clips from the show.

So what else can I tell you about this song that can just be explained by a bit of Carlton and Will? Enjoy.

Tom Jones – It’ Not Unusual [YSI]

My Favorite Carlton Dance

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS1cLOIxsQ8[/youtube]

The Last Carlton Dance

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxdauqh3epw[/youtube]

67 degrees!! Fantastic, or actually the license plate I saw on the way to work put it better. DASWZUP! From the 20s just last weekend to nearly 70 today has taken a toll on my immune system but it’s so very worth it for this weather. And when it comes to the first nice day of the year, there’s one thing I like above all else: driving with my windows down. And nothing’s better for doing that than some classic rock. I mean I listen to all types of music all year round from folk to hip hop, but that first bright hot day calls for blasting some screaming guitars and drums.

My choice today for that: Mr. Eric Clapton. So if it’s nice somewhere around you, get in your car, put the windows down, and play yourself some “Layla.” You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and don’t wuss out with the radio version. Play the full 7+ minutes.

Derek and the Dominos – Layla [YSI]

I’m being super lazy today and just posting a press release that was sent to me some time last week. I know I may as well not even post if I’m just putting up someone else’s work but my mind has been so busy with other things that I can put as much attention into my site as I’d like. Here’s the press release:

Queen release their two track single ‘Stormtroopers in Stilettos’ as a download on Sunday 27^th February 2010 in the week their exhibition of the same name opens, through Island Records. There will be a limited edition 7” release in April.

Featuring two tracks recorded in the early 70’s, ‘Keep Yourself Alive (Long Lost Retake)’ (the original version taken from ‘Queen’) and ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ (from ‘Sheer Heart Attack’), the single is released to coincide with the exhibition ‘Stormtroopers in Stilettos’ which runs at Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London for two weeks from Friday 25^th February 2010. The single will be available as part of National Record Store Daytaking place on 16th April and is limited to just 2000 numbered copies on heavyweight vinyl (more news soon).

Reminding us that Queen could rock hard with the best of them, the two tracks on the single are lightning strikes of adrenalized rhythm, furious guitars and fearsome high wire vocals. Capable of breathtaking rock’n’roll, early Queen has inspired some of the best heavy rock of subsequent decades.

‘Keep Yourself Alive’ was the first single Queen ever released back in 1973 and is now poignantly released on their 40^th Anniversary. This is the only Queen single that ever failed to chart in the UK mainly because Radio One rejected it claiming it took long to get going! This new 2011 remaster is a long-lost retake of the track recorded in 1975 for a USA single that never saw the light of day. The original version is taken from Queen’s debut album, Dave Grohl’s favourite album of all time.

Q recently described ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ as “thrash metal before the term was invented”, and the track has been covered by Josh Homme and Metallica amongst others. This was the one of the first tracks that Queen ever played live and the version on the single is a brand new 2011 remaster.

Both tracks can be heard at http://soundcloud.com/purplepr

Queen – Keep Yourself Alive (Long Lost Retake) by PurplePR

Queen – Stone Cold Crazy by PurplePR

Many many times I have said that I really dislike country music as a whole. Then I always get thrown back in my face, “What about Johnny Cash?” Yeah, I like Johnny Cash. The doesn’t mean that I like country. Even though the work of one artist or a smattering of other songs by other artists doesn’t mean I like the genre as a whole. That’d be like me saying I do like alt rock but because there are a some songs in the genre that don’t tickle my fancy, I can’t possibly like it. Stupid social double standards used to determines one’s liking of things…

Anyway, for whatever reason, I had a Johnny Cash song stuck in my head. I was driving and started singing it out of nowhere. I haven’t heard this song in quite awhile and, to be honest, I actually like Joaquin Phoenix’s cover of the song from Walk The Line. But for the throwback today, I wanted to keep the song true to its form. So here’s Johnny Cash’s original version of “Get Rhythm.”

Johnny Cash – Get Rhythm [YSI]

I actually posted this song back in July during my Summer Sundays but today it just seemed so appropriate that I couldn’t help but to post it again. After shoveling nearly a foot of snow all morning, I need something that gives me hope for the sunny Spring once again.

Little darling
It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it’s been here

The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun [YSI]

I’m actually not the biggest fan of this Buggles song but today during lunch, I heard The Limousines’ “Internet Killed The Video Star.” And it got me thinking about how the whole industry evolves. Not just in technology. But in the actual sound of songs and the marketing and distribution. Anyway, the Buggles had it right. Video certainly did kill the radio star but has internet killed the video star or just changed it?

I don’t know. This post is already too deep for me and yet I’ve hardly scratched the surface. Below are both the Buggles and Limousines. Although the Buggles’ song is only so-so with me, I am really digging The Limousines.

The kids are disco dancing
They’re tired of rock ‘n’ roll
Don’t bother telling them that drum machine ain’t got no soul

The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star [YSI]

The Limousines - Internet Killed The Video Star