Scott Freeman

…but you won’t find anything catchier. I defy you to listen to this and not go around the rest of the day singing “Chocolate Rain.”

And then if you could explain to me why I love it so much that would be great.

If you aren’t watching these videos you are missing out. For those who weren’t weaned on classic 80s videos consider this a crash course. For those of us who were, relive the good ole days.

This is Tony Carey with his lone hit, A Fine, Fine Day. Classic.

For this entry, we go back 20 years to a song by guitar legend, Gary Moore. This song was released on his 1987 solo outing, Wild Frontier.

The song is about a man who is wrongfully accused of armed robbery. He knows that unless he provides an alibi that he is looking at 10 years in prison. However, he refuses to say where he was that night. The song tells you where he was. Give it a listen.

Thanks to the advent of YouTube I am able to mine their archives for a treasure trove of songs I grew up with. I was not tuned in when the Buggles killed the Radio Star but I was tuning into MTV regularly withing a couple of months of that. I watched that station for the next few years more than anything else and I have a ton of songs from those days that I loved.

Because you are so special I’m going to share them with you

First up, Vandenberg’s “Burning Heart.” You know Adrian Vandenberg’s later work as the guitarist for Whitesnake. But this was his solo band’s one hit in 1983.

Here they are 21 years later with an update of the song. It still sounds great:

Anybody remember these guys? Any suggestions for great but forgotten songs?

Enjoy. It doesn’t get much better than this trio of videos.

(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?

Every Day I Write The Book

Love Hurts (With Emmylou Harris)

Wow. I don’t always agree with Piper. But this is great stuff. Take 3 minutes and watch this smack-down of “Health and Wealth”

This is my first time to try to do a video. Still trying to figure it all out. Forgive the song. It was the only CD I had lying around.

Since we have passed the midway mark of this year I thought it an apropos time to look back at the best the music world has had to offer through June.
Understand that this list is not static and is likely to change considerably as the year progresses. At this point last year, The Dixie Chicks held my spot for best album. By the end of the year they had fallen to number 9.

Because I’m a YouTube junkie, I’ll give you pertinent videos as well.

10. The Twilight Sad–Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters: These Scottish rockers create an aural masterpiece that harkens back to the Wall of Sound era. These songs are in no way upbeat but they possess a beauty that is able to contain but somber and melancholy lyrics alongside a near symphonic sound. The Scottish brogue may be off-putting for some but, to me, it stands up well as a bridge between the downcast and the upbeat.
Here is a link to an MP3 of the opening track Cold Days From The Birdhouse.

9. Storyhill–Storyhill: This singer-songwriter duo from Montana are all about majestic harmonies and simple tunes. They have the bearing, lyricism and soaring melodies that hints of a modern day Simon and Garfunkel. This is a song they wrote for one of their weddings. It’s called “Highlight” and is my favorite cut on the album:

8. Susan Werner–The Gospel Truth: Werner calls this an “agnostic gospel” album. But what you will find is an album of great faith. This is one of a small influx of more progressive Christian recordings a la Derek Webb that is slowly coming into its own. From the hilarious “Our Father” to the foot-stomping inclusion anthem that is “I Will Have My Portion” Werner continues to demonstrate that she is a tremendous lyricist and a voice that needs to be heard. Here is “I Will Have My Portion”

7. Sinead O’Connor–Theology: If you had told me that I would ever include an O’Connor album in my “best of” anything, I would have laughed at you. But this two-disc set is a revelation and further evidence of the gathering storm of an alternative to CCM. Broken into two different sessions, The Dublin recordings are stark and introspective. The London recordings are largely the same tunes with a full band backing. The difference is between prayer and celebration. Meditation and praise. And her voice beautifully centers the entire project. Here is Something Beautiful:

6. Bright Eyes–Cassadega: Yeah, Conor Oberst is cocky and smug. But he makes a great album. It opts for more cryptic and less heavy-handed political ruminations than some of their previous outings. And that makes for a more enjoyable, diverse collection of tunes. Here is the great “Four Winds”

5. Patty Griffin–Children Running Through: If you have never heard Patty Griffin then you are missing out on one of the great unsung voices in music today. She is an accomplished lyricist, tremendous guitarist. And that voice! Oh, that voice. She can shift from one musical genre to another without breaking a sweat. And this may be her best album yet. Interesting tidbit: when Kelly Clarkson performed on the Idol Gives Back show she chose the Martin Luther King tribute “Up The Mountain” from this album. Here is “No Bad News”

4. Brandi Carlile–The Story: The problem here is how to adequately describe the power and dramatic flair that comes through in Carlile’s vocal. It would be a grave disservice to merely dismiss her as another angst-y female vocalist. She has a range that can transform a song from a maudlin ballad to a roots rocker in one beat. You may remember this song if you watch Grey’s Anatomy. “The Story”

3. Mavis Staples–We’ll Never Turn Back: I’ve had a difficult time not listening to this disc over the last two weeks. Take the greatest songs from the Civil Rights Era, sung by one of the greatest living voices of the Blues and update it for a contemporary audience with the guitar licks of a living legend and you get this collection. Check out this scorching version of “99 & 1/2.” “My God is a freedom God”

2. The Avett Brothers–Emotionalism: If the Beatles did bluegrass it might sound like this. Any other year and this would be my #1 album. Stellar harmonies, clever lyrics, multiple styles converging to produce a pop confection are reasons enough to put this at the top of any list. Here is my favorite track, “Shame”

1. Michael McDermott–Noise From Words: At this point I don’t know what more I can say. It’s not hyperbole to say that this is greatest songwriter of my generation. And this is his best outing since his 1996 self-titled album. It is a crime of the highest order that he is not a house hold name. No song-writer has ever touched me lyrically like Michael has. If you buy any album this year, get this one. Here is the debut video, “Mess of Things”

Honorable Mentions
Todd Snider–Peace, Love and Anarchy
Mary Chapin Carpenter–The Calling
Bon Jovi–Lost Highway
Kelly Clarkson–My December (Note: I love Kelly Clarkson and I really want to love this album. So far, I just can’t.)
Maria McKee–Late December
Lucy Kaplansky–Over The Hills
Of Montreal–Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Son Volt–The Search?

What has been your favorite of the year?

On Tuesday I will unveil my top 10 albums of 2007 (so far). On that list will be what is probably the most transcendent album of the year: Mavis Staples’ “We’ll Never Turn Back.”

It is a rocking, rollicking and yet heartfelt compendium of some of the most enduring songs to emerge from the Civil Rights Movement. With Ry Cooder’s guitar licks and production it brings the heart and emotion of those songs into the present age.

Watch this video of Mavis pounding out the classic song “Eyes On The Prize”

Here she is performing the same song on Leno where you can see Cooder performing along with her:

Get this album!

This past weekend VHI unveiled their 40 most softsational soft-rock songs.
As usual, some of their picks were great. Styx’s “Babe” was a great choice at #2. Some, not so great. I can imagine Escape (The Pina Colada Song) being on a one-hit wonders list but not on greatest soft-rock tunes.

So, I thought I would do my list. It’s more difficult than it looks because there has to be elements of both soft and a little bit of rock. That eliminates the harder power ballads and the more standard balladry and strives to hit somewhere in the middle. All in all it’s a more subjective experience. Here ya go (YouTube links when applicable):

30. Wounded by Michael McDermott–From my favorite album of all time this is a mournful ballad inspired by Cormac Macarthey’s “All the Pretty Horses”. I include this to keep his name before you as the greatest songwriter of my generation.

29. When You Walk In The Room by Paul Carrack–One of the omnipresent voices of the 70s and 80s this comes from his lone hit solo record after being a mainstay in such groups as Squeeze and Roxy Music.

28. Danny’s Song by Loggins and Messina–That chorus, “Even though we don’t have money” is one of those indelible lines that will forever be memorable.

27. Never Surrender by Corey Hart–Did you know he was offered the role of Marty McFly? Yeah, me either. This song was part of my soundtrack the summer before my senior year of high school. Still sounds good 20+ years later.

26. Just When I Needed You Most by Randy VanWarmer–She leaves. And after watching the video it’s probably easy to see why. The choreography with the suitcases is hilarious. But this is a classic soft-rock tune.

25. Nights Are Forever by England Dan and John Ford Coley–This video makes me unbelievably happy. The sight of that 45 rotating harkens back the day of great music.

24. Love Conquers All by Seals and Crofts–They had more popular tunes. And maybe even better songs than this one. But those other tunes aren’t from the greatest basketball movie ever made. And yes the video is from the movie.

23. Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young–Not only do mullets rock. They have a sensitive side as well. He took Darryl Hall’s song and made it his own, dawg.

22. Missing You by John Waite–One of the better (and more ubiquitous) videos of the 80s. Look for the trademark sunglasses that feature in his videos. Or better yet watch this updated version with Waite and the amazing Alison Krause.

21. Please Come to Boston by Dave Loggins–Forget Kenny, this is the best song by a Loggins boy. You need to face the music, buddy. That girl ain’t leaving Rocky Top. I couldn’t find the original so you have to settle for a version by Bo Bice.

20. Everything I Own by Bread--If this song doesn’t rip your heart out when it gets to the bridge, then you are just dead inside. Dead.

19. Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg–If this song doesn’t rip your heart out when it gets to the final verse, then you are just dead inside. Dead.

18. Only Lonely by JD Souther–This was his only hit but he wrote a ton of classic tunes for the Eagles. This is one of the best of the bunch. I just love that falsetto.

17. Still by The Commodores–Smooth. Just smooth. That pause at the end is sublime.

16. Don’t Let It End by Styx–Sure, others would pick “Babe” or even “Lady” but for me this is the pinnacle of their soft-rock greatness. And to top it off here’s a link to the other stellar ballad from Kilroy Was Here, “Haven’t We Been Here Before.”

15. Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend by Lobo–Say what you want but this guy is not taking the break-up too well.

14. In Too Deep by Genesis–There are a handful of great Genesis tunes that would qualify for this list but it’s in this tune that they seem to channel all of the melancholy and longing that Collin’s voice was so suited for.

13. I Go Crazy by Paul Davis–One of the most under-appreciated songs in soft rock history. The rumors that he refused to cut his hair until she took him back were unfounded.

12. You Are The Woman by Firefall–I’ve been known to belt this chunk of croonability at the top of my lungs on occasion. Alas, I can’t find a video. We have to settle for an audio sample instead.

11. I Wanna Know What Love Is by Foreigner–One of the greatest videos ever. And they are able to pull off that anthemic cliche that rock songs so frequently use and not sound trite: the choir. For an example of how not to do the choir see Mike and the Mechanic’s The Living Years.

10. The Search Is Over by Survivor–Although this is one of my favorite bands of the 80s the video is also proof that musicians don’t need to act.

9. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon–Sigh, there will never be another REO. But you can relive the glory by watching the video.

8. We Just Disagree by Dave Mason–Just a stellar lyric. Pop Gold. And to prove it the video clip is from Solid Gold.

7. Making Love Out of Nothing At All by Air Supply–Further proof that they don’t need to act. However, this song is a sonic delight written by none other than Jim Steinman. Come on, you know you love this song.

6. Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad by Meatloaf–Speaking of Steinman, here is another of his lyrics in all of its bombasity. And who better to belt it out than that former Lubbock Christian student, Meatloaf?

5. Against All Odds by Phil Collins–Again, the great Phil Collins providing one of the great love songs of our time.

4. Faithfully by Journey–They made horrible videos but they recorded timeless songs. Their best soft rock tune is by far this one.

3. Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill–Sure, it is a textbook case of lyrical over-reaching but what is better than a four minute justification of why he won’t say “I love you.” This guy is a master at non-answers.

2. We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters–The greatness of Karen Carpenter. What more needs to be said?

1. Weekend in New England by Barry Manilow–Laugh all you want but this song is sheer greatness. It also features a classic money note. If you doubt that, watch what may be the greatest performance in American Idol’s six seasons below:

Ah, that was fun. Discuss my list with me. Which songs on my list do you love? Which ones would you add or trash?