Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is the only 3-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first as a member of The Yardbirds, the second as a member of Cream and the third time for his solo career.

I like Clapton and could post any of his solo videos I like or from his days with the band Cream, but I'll just link to one of my favorite all-time songs. (I like it so much, I've posted several versions of it!)

When Second Was Best

Did you know The Beatles lost out to Brian Poole and The Tremeloes when the two groups auditioned in 1962 for a contract at the London studios of Decca Records? Reportedly, Decca's decision was based upon location; The Tremeloes were from the London area, making them more accessible than the Liverpool-based Beatles.

Do You Love Me



Here Comes My Baby

My Music Personality

I like Mozart and Metallica, AC/DC and Adele, Clint Black and Black Sabbath, so I figured my music personality would be more bi-polar, but....

Some of the questions I could have answered with "none of the above".

Your Music Personality is Upbeat and Conventional

You love music that is easy to listen to. You like a catchy melody and a few good hooks. The types of music you tend to gravitate toward are top 40, pop, oldies, country, and soundtracks. You don't have to look far to find music you enjoy. Of all the types, you are the most agreeable. What makes others happy tends to make you happy as well. You are also the least open to new things. You tend to have plenty of things you like, so you don't seek out novelty. It's likely that you are quite content with yourself and your life. You are confident in who you are. You are social and easygoing. You like to be a part of a group, and you value harmony.

What's Your Music Personality?

Amazing Trivial Coincidence

Note: links go to YouTube videos of the songs. Four embedded videos in one post is a bit too much.

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Did you know "I Think We’re Alone Now", a #1 hit in the U.S. for Tiffany in 1987, was written by Ritchie Cordell and first released by Tommy James & The Shondells in 1967? You did?

Well, I bet you didn't know that the #2 hit on the U.S. charts that year was Billy Idol's "Mony Mony"...which was also written by Ritchie Cordell and first recorded by Tommy James & The Shondells.

Amazon Cloud

I got this email from Amazon the other day:

You may have noticed that songs from 11 CDs you have purchased from Amazon were added to your Cloud Player library. This means that high-quality MP3 versions of these songs are available for you to play or download from Cloud Player for FREE. You can find your songs in the "Purchased" playlist.

In addition, we're excited to announce AutoRip. Now when you buy any CD with the logo, the MP3 version of that album will instantly be delivered to your Amazon Cloud Player library for FREE.

I've been aware of the Cloud Player, but since I don't have a device (other than this computer) to play my songs on, I didn't use it.  I download free music from Amazon all the time and have purchased quite a few mp3 albums as well as a dozen or so CDs.  I can't remember when they started the Cloud feature, but I reached the limit quite some time back and deleted a lot of the songs that were in my Cloud as so to make room for new ones.  I already had them on my computer and couldn't see the need for my Cloud except as backup. 

It's nice that my purchased CD tunes are now in my Cloud. That will save me from having to rip the music to add to my mp3 jukebox.

On my Cloud page it says I have room for 250 more songs.  I could get more space if I bought it, but...The best thing about it is that it's much easier to download the songs now.  The settings were confusing and seemed to change on their own and when I got new songs, they sometimes didn't download to my computer but were instead put into my Cloud  Here's what's in my Cloud right now.

There are some duplicates in my mp3 jukebox, but I've been working to get rid of them. Some are dupes that happen to be on two albums by a particular artist or band and some are freebies I got from Amazon that happened to be in different collections. At last count, I had over 21,000 songs. Before updates to Windows Media Player, it tallied up the total size and time of all the mp3 files and I had enough to listen to music non-stop for a couple of weeks.

Let's Do the Lindy!

Look Out Below

I'd like to be a bird if for nothing else as to be able to fly over *some* people and crap on them.  I'd also be a bird who was constantly flippin' one.

You Would Be a Pet Bird

You're intelligent and witty, yet surprisingly low maintenance. You charm people easily, and they usually love you a lot more than you love them. You resent anyone who tries to own or control you. You refuse to be fenced in. Why you would make a great pet: You're very smart and entertaining Why you would make a bad pet: You're not interested in being anyone's pet! What you would love about being a bird: Flying, obviously What you would hate about being a bird: Being caged

What Kind of Pet Would You Be?

I had another "bird" quiz in here a while back, but the music video posted along with it has been taken down. This isn't the full tune, but it's funny.

Top 100 Classic Rock Songs

Top 100 Classic Rock Songs of All Time

Other than the order, it would be hard for me to argue against the songs on this list; they're all in my mp3 jukebox.  Oh, I suppose if I wanted to nitpick, I wouldn't have included Hotel California or Imagine, but I don't object enough to their being on the list to fuss about it.  It's a little too heavy on Led Zepplin for my taste, but I understand why the songs are included.

What do you think? Did they miss any? Are there any songs on the list you wouldn't have included?

NFL Anthems

Download all the Pepsi NFL Anthems


Guess which one I downloaded!

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin

That "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zepplin didn't make the charts until 2007, when it was made available as a digital download? It was part of the album known as IV4. It never made the charts because it was never released as a single.

100 Riffs

(A Brief History of Rock N' Roll)

This is just about the best 12 minutes I've ever spent on YouTube. I was a little fuzzy on just a few at the first, then around the 60th riff it started losing me, but it's still a great video.

They're Expensive Hear

I've been using a cheap set of headphones I bought from WalMart to replace another cheap set I bought from Amazon a few years ago, so I thought I might price them again and see if there was one of decent quality that wouldn't cost too much.

These sound OK, but they just don't have the range I'd like.  For one, the bass  level isn't very good.  I've gone into the equalizer and tried to adjust it, but these phones just won't handle it.  They also don't have the volume I want; they're perfectly fine listening to talk radio or most music, but when I play my AC/DC I want it LOUD, y'know? (what's the use of listening to it if it's not played at the intended sound level, nearly enough to bust your eardrums!)

I have some good quality "bud" type phones that give me the volume and sound that I want, but they're uncomfortable and I read something just the other day that said they can give you an infection that can cost you your hearing.  No thanks, if I lose my hearing I want it to be because I played "It's a Long Way to the Top" at too many decibels, not from some eardrum rot.

So, I went to Amazon and typed in "headphones" into the search box, then selected the highest rating,  4 stars and up. I probably shouldn't, but trust most of the reviews there and haven't been steered wrong...yet.

A list of headphones came up, so I clicked on the first one. At the top of the screen were the words "You purchased this item..." and gave a date from a few years ago. They weren't BAD headphones, but they just didn't tolerate me sitting on them or getting up and trying to walk away with them still on my head. The set still works, but only if I hold one of the wires "just so". I don't know why I keep them, but figure they'll be good for something someday - maybe I can fix them or use the jack for something else.

Yeah, right.

I don't remember what I paid for the original headphones, but they were new.  They're not something I would buy used - the thought of putting something on my ears that have been on someone else's grosses me out.  The new price is really reasonable for an inexpensive set of headphones, but I really don't think I want to pay that much for used ones. (click image for larger view)

Grammy Trivia

Looking up above my computer desk, I noticed I was a day behind on tearing off the calendar sheet; I have a "Fact or Crap" calendar I got from one of my sisters for Christmas. She always sends me calendars like that for Christmas or my birthday - last year was a Jeopardy calendar.

Since I love trivia, I've liked them all, but this one is much easier, having a 50-50 chance of getting it right, fact or crap. (most facts I know could be considered crap) I tore off yesterday's sheet and saw the one for the day I missed asked this question: "What do these groups have in common?" It listed some well-known bands, some of them my favorites, some legendary. The answer on the back said they had never won a competitive Grammy.

I did a search to find out what was considered a competitive Grammy, but didn't find the answer in the first few search results. (I'm sure it means a Grammy that wasn't a lifetime achievement or contributions to the industry type- honorary, in other words) Instead, I found a quiz about the Grammys so I tested my Grammy knowledge.

How well do you know your Grammy history?

Here's my score - click graphic for larger view

To be fair, some of the answers were on my calendar sheet, so I didn't do nearly as well as it seems.  This was one of those quizzes, though, that I still enjoy even if I didn't do as well as I liked because I learned something with my wrong answers.

What that's good for...well, maybe one of these days I'll get on Jeopardy.

I Got a Kick Out of This

Checked my Google Reader a little while ago; most of the articles were uninteresting, so I hit the "Read All" button except for two Dallas Cowboy posts. One was from Blogging the Boys: The Bossness Of Dan Bailey.The article was about the phenomenal rookie place kicker for Dallas. He's already set several NFL rookie kicking records and will hopefully break the team record for most consecutive kicks made. From the website:

Dan Bailey is breaking records.

His 26 consecutive field goals this season is an NFL rookie record (the next best rookie mark is 14). His four game-winning kicks - defined by the NFL as kicks made with less than two minutes remaining in regulation or in overtime - are also a league rookie mark. And he tied an NFL rookie record with six field goals made in the Week 3 win against the Washington Redskins.

They had a poll on the site, asking the readers to vote for a nickname for Bailey.  Here are the options:

I voted for "Dan the Man", but as you can see,  "Steely Dan" was winning at the time I read the post. Now, I'm an avid Cowboys fan, but I also consider myself fairly knowledgeable about music trivia and while I love Steely Dan (esp. "Reelin' In The Years") I don't think it's an appropriate nickname for Bailey.

From the Steely Dan website FAQ:

With the core band recruited, Donald and Walter need a name for their group. Since both of them were avid readers of 1950's "Beat" literature, they decided to name the band "Steely Dan" after a dildo in William Burroughs' "Naked Lunch."

Yeah, that'd be a GREAT nickname. Uh huh. -snicker-

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Lady Gaga or Elton John?

Sometimes I just have to shake my head at some Facebook posts. A young friend of mine, the son of a h.s. classmate, had a post the other day: "Who is this Lady Gaga and why are so many people offended by her?"

I knew it was a loaded question, as the friend is a very talented singer who happens to be gay. (I say I know he knew who she was because she's been very vocal in her support of the LGBT - hope I did the abbreviation correctly community.) She's also commented that she considers herself to be bi-sexual. I replied that I had nothing against her, just that I thought her schtick was more about being outrageous than her talent. I mentioned Elton John as someone who was once considered outrageous for his dress (and enormous glasses!), but that his talent was so great that it overshadowed his costumes.

(I started to use Liberace as another example, but thought the gay references might be misconstrued, that I was using only gay performers to make my point. My young friend - and regular readers of this blog - know I don't have a problem with gay people. Well, except for lesbians and that's because that narrows the already narrow field - for me - of available women. -wink-)

I also thought of using - but didn't - the rock group KISS as an example of musical talent who relied upon a gimmick instead of talent. I like some KISS tunes, but never liked them well enough to purchase them.  Tell the truth; when you think of Gene Simmons, do you consider him one of the greatest bass guitar players of all-time, one of the greatest singers, or does the first thing that comes to mind is his 7-in. tongue?

Back to the Facebook post: Well, I had several people, including the friend, say they thought Lady Gaga was as talented, if not more so than Elton John. I don't normally get offended if someone doesn't like who/what I like, only if they put ME down for my preferences. Still, it was hard for me to not say "Are you out of your rabid-ass mind?"

Sure, tastes in anything, be it food, music or hobbies, are subjective and if YOU like Lady Gaga, that's fine w/ me. I gave my honest opinion about her...well, tempered a bit, because I really don't much care for her music, but there's no way that she's better than EJ and I simply can't understand that opinion. Granted, my opinion is influenced by being an Elton John fan for 40+ years, growing up with his music and owning much of it, from 8-tracks to records to mp3's. Elton John did ALL kinds of music, from rock to pop to ballads as well as wrote songs for musicals. Off the top of my head, I could name at least a half-dozen movies that used his tunes, not to mention countless TV shows. Of course, he also re-wrote one of his most famous songs "Candle in the Wind" for the funeral of Lady Diana, making it another gold record in the process.

Elton John and Bernie Taupin are, IMHO, one of the best song-writing duos of all-time, up there with Lennon/McCartney, Rodgers /Hammerstein or Burt Bacharach / Hal David. It's not just MY opinion either; Google it to see what other people think. I'm not saying a consensus of opinion is correct, only that it lends some validity to my own opinion.

When Lady Gaga has been around for nearly 50 years and has sold a QUARTER BILLION records, then we can discuss who is the better musical talent. I'll be long cold in my grave and turned to dust before Elton John is forgotten. In fact, I would bet that Elton John's music will still be being played when Lady Gaga is but a footnote in musical history.

What next? Justin Bieber is better than Elvis? Good Grief.

Who's The Boss?

As I got on the 'net earlier, the first thing I saw was the headline: "The Boss is Dead". My initial thought was "Oh heck, Bruce Springsteen has died!". Instead, it was announcing the passing of the Yankee's owner George Steinbrenner.

To be honest, I don't/didn't care all that much for either "Boss". Springsteen has been so outspoken about issues on which I disagree with him that it's hard to listen to his music without thinking of the idiotic things he's said.

I'm also not a huge baseball fan, but follow the Rangers and dislike the Yankees for consistently beating them although I didn't hold that against Steinbrenner, a man who seems to be the most hated in his own team's city, despite the success he brought to the town. Other than reading the occasional article on his blockbuster moves and assorted controversies, the man was off my own personal headlines radar. The only times other than those I was reminded of him was on old Seinfeld reruns.

There's only one other boss that I can think of and it's a snow plow.

That said, it got me to wondering just really who IS "The Boss".

Didn't take me long to come to the answer:

This'll Be a Good Buddy Day

From Texas on the Potomac

On this date in 1957, Buddy Holly, the first rocker to actually go on stage wearing horn-rimmed spectacles, and his band, The Crickets, released their first single, That'll Be the Day on Brunswick Records, a recording label specializing in jazz and rhythm and blues sounds.

That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly And The Crickets (Ed Sullivan Show '57)




Wiki entry: Buddy Holly

Pretty Woman

No, not a pretty woman, but an old dude miming the classic Orbison tune.



Funny...but a little creepy, too.

Beatles Trivia

From Oddee:

15 Things You Didn't Know About The Beatles

Formed in 1960, the fab four from Liverpool quickly became the most successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of rock and roll. Meet fifteen fascinating, little-known facts about the band that changed the world.



Hello Goodbye - The Beatles

The Day the Music Died

via Mental Floss

Fifty-one years ago today, a plane crashed shortly after taking off from Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all four people aboard. They were pilot Roger Peterson, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, known as “The Big Bopper.” February 3rd, 1959, became known as The Day the Music Died.

Valens, Richardon, and Holly were on tour with a show called “The Winter Dance Party Tour” with Dion and the Belmonts. The tour bus was so cold and miserable that one band member reportedly developed frostbite. Buddy Holly had had enough, and decided to charter a plane in Clear Lake to fly to Fargo, North Dakota for the next gig. Dwyer Flying Service was hired for $36 a seat, and the plane was ready to leave after the show at the Surf Ballroom. Waylon Jennings, a backup singer for the show, relinquished his seat on the plane to Richardson because he was running a fever. Another backup singer, Tommy Allsup, lost his chance to fly in a coin flip with Valens.

Wiki entry: Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll.". His works and innovations inspired and influenced both his contemporaries and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, and Bob Dylan, and exerted a profound influence on popular music. Holly was in the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among "The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time".

There's an excellent movie about Holly's rise to fame: The Buddy Holly Story, starring Gary Busey in what was, IMHO, an Oscar-deserving performance. Busey not only nailed Holly's look and mannerisms, he also did a fantastic job singing.