A Welcome Cloudburst

This is a thoughtful, joyous, sorrowful release from 2006. Nearly all are moving, but the title track is ASTOUNDING in its depiction. And to think that a human mind conceived the ways to present and transcribe that presentation for reproduction!

  1. i thank You God for most this amazing day (1999, TEXT: e.e. cummings)

  2. I Hide Myself

  3. Sleep

  4. I Will Wade Out

  5. Go, Lovely Rose

  6. hope, faith, life, love (1999, TEXT: e.e. cummings)

  7. Hope, Faith, Life, Love

  8. Cloudburst

  9. With A Lily On Your Hand

  10. This Marriage

  11. A Boy and a Girl (2002, TEXT: Octavio Paz)

  12. A Boy And A Girl

  13. Her Sacred Spirit Soars

And the performing group, Polyphony, does such a spiffy job. I might have asked for 25% less echo in the recording, but still … this is moving and amazing.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

When you finish listening, you too will be thankful for an amazing day.

PERMANENT LINK.

Well, that's the end of this year's JULY SPOCKEBRATION, celebrating some wonderful music about or by Americans.  See you on Thursday!

  

Half's Better Than None

I say that because this is Tape Two of a set, but I didn't come across Tape One at the thrift store.

Nevertheless, it's a good 'un.

01 - Poor Butterfly - Fritz Kreisler - 1917

02 - Memories - Paul Reimers - 1916

03 - Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight - Henry Burr - 1918

04 - Hello Central, Give Me No Man's Land - Al Jolson - 1918

05 - Good Morning, Mr Zip-Zip-Zip - Arthur Fields and the Peerless Quartet - 1918

06 - Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning - Arthur Fields - 1918

07 - I Don't Want to Get Well - Van and Schenck - 1918

08 - We'll Do Our Share (While You're Over There) - The Peerless Quartet - 1918

09 - I'm Gonna Pin My Medal on the Girl I Left Behind - The Peerless Quartet - 1918

10 - Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for Soldiers - Billy Murray - 1915

11 - The Caissons Go Rolling Along (US Field Artillery March) - Sousa's Band - 1918

12 - The Further It Is from Tipperary - Billy Murray - 1918

13 - The Laddies Who Fought and Won - Harry Lauder - 1917

14 - We Don't Want the Bacon (What We Want Is a Piece of the Rhine) - The Peerless Quartet - 1918

15 - The Yanks Started Yankin' - Arthur Fields - 1918

16 - Let the Rest of the World Go By - Elizabeth Spencer and Charles Hart - 1920

17 - I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now - Al Jolson - 1919

18 - How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree) - Arthur Fields - 1918

19 - My Buddy - Henry Burr - 1922

20 - My Dream of the Big Parade - The Peerless Quartet with Billy Murray - 1926

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK

See you on Monday for the last installment of this year's JULY SPOCKEBRATION!

  

Blame the Salvation Army for This One

Way over the top!

This begins as an OK synth panorama from 1998.  A sense of humor and/or a little spriteliness is detected, and welcome.  A couple of tracks, like 3 and 4, might be originals.  But they are sufficiently tropish to work … until we get to the vocals on “Battle Hymn,” a track which runs right over the edge into cynical sentimentalism for me.

01. America the Beautiful (3:19)

02. Yankee Doodle Boy (1:34)

03. Medal of Honor (3:45)

04. Pioneer Spirit (4:16)

05. Simple Gifts (3:16)

06. Stars and Stripes Forever (1:48)

07. Battle Hymn of the Republic (3:04)

08. Dixie (4:38)

09. When Johnny Comes Marching Home (3:06)

10. American Dream (4:06)

11. Grand Old Flag (1:41)

12. Hail to the Chief (1:18)

13. My Country 'Tis of Thee (1:28)

14. Yankee Doodle (1:41)

15. Old Glory (2:59)

16. Star Spangled Banner (1:59)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

Unfortunately, the overacting comes out again in the oh-so-flamboyant vocals for the last track, our National Anthem.  Just like a political speech, passion should be used sparingly, not vomited all over the carpet.

Happy America anyway!  See you Thursday.

  

Count 'Em, Fifty!

It's a fine compilation of Western and cowboy songs.

DISC ONE:

01. Gene Autry - Back in the Saddle Again (2:49)

02. Bob Wills - Cherokee Maiden (3:02)

03. Tex Ritter - High Noon (2:49)

04. Al Dexter - Pistol Packin' Mama (2:49)

05. Frankie Laine - Mule Train (2:38)

06. Patsy Montana - I'm an Old Cowhand (2:56)

07. Marty Robbins - The Streets of Laredo (2:50)

08. Slim Whitman - Down in the Valley (2:35)

09. Gene Autry - El Rancho Grande (2:42)

10. Tex Ritter - (I've Got Spurs That) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1:45)

11. Roy Acuff - Wabash Cannon Ball (2:37)

12. Gene Autry - Home on the Range (2:40)

13. Red Foley - Goodnight Irene (3:04)

14. Tex Ritter - Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (3:02)

15. Bob Wills - New San Antonio Rose (2:37)

16. Gene Autry - Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (2:46)

17. Patsy Montana - I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart (3:08)

18. Gene Autry - That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine (2:50)

19. The Carter Family - I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes (2:53)

20. Slim Whitman - Red River Valley (3:13)

21. Red Foley - Old Shep (2:53)

22. Tex Ritter - Jealous Heart (2:56)

23. Bob Wills - Deep in the Heart of Texas (2:12)

DISC ONE LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS

PERMANENT DISC ONE LINK

DISC TWO:

01. The Sons of the Pioneers - Wagon Wheels (2:17)

02. Eddy Arnold and the Hugo Winterhalter Chorus - Cattle Call (2:44)

03. Bing Crosby - Along the Santa Fe Trail (3:08)

04. Jimmy Wakely - Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (2:47)

05. The Sons of the Pioneers - Cool Water (2:52)

06. Patsy Cline - South of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (2:25)

07. Rex Allen - The Last Round Up (2:59)

08. Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen and His Orchestra - Don't Fence Me In (3:06)

09. The Sons of the Pioneers - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo (2:06)

10. Jimmie Rodgers - Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas) (3:23)

11. The Sons of the Pioneers - Empty Saddles (2:53)

12. Jimmie Davis - Nobody's Darling but Mine (2:49)

13. Jim Reeves - The Shifting Whispering Sands (3:12)

14. Vaughn Monroe and the Moon Men - Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) (2:59)

15. The Sons of the Pioneers - Tumbling Tumbleweeds (2:44)

16. Kittly Wells - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels (2:31)

17. Bing Crosby and the Jesters - Sioux City Sue (2:50)

18. The Sons of the Pioneers - Along the Navajo Trail (2:07)

19. Elton Britt - Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) (2:51)

20. Vernon Dalhart - The Prisoner's Song (3:17)

21. Montana Slim - When It's Springtime in the Rockies (2:45)

22. Jimmie Davis - You Are My Sunshine (2:51)

23. The Sons of the Pioneers - Teardrops in My Heart (2:57)

24. Jim Reeves - Mexicali Rose (2:29)

25. Jimmy Wakely - Beautiful Brown Eyes (2:48)

26. The Sons of the Pioneers - Twilight on the Trail (2:28)

27. Roy Rogers - Happy Trails (2:55)

DISC TWO LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS

PERMANENT DISC TWO LINK

Cool Water, Just in Time!

This here's a 1959 album from the legendary Sons of the Pioneers.

01 - Cool Water 2:08 

02 - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo 2:03 

03 - Wind 2:34 

04 - Cowboy's Dream 2:13 

05 - The Last Round-Up 2:49 

06 - Ridin' Home 1:59 

07 - Twilight On The Trail 2:28 

08 - Red River Valley 2:13 

09 - Wagon Wheels 2:15 

10 - Riders In The Sky 2:20 

11 - Blue Prairie 2:49 

12  - Way Out There 1:42 

13 - Empty Saddles 1:52 

14 - Teardrops In My Heart 2:21 

15 - Blue Shadows On The Trail 2:13 

16 - Ridin' Down The Canyon 2:24 

17 - Timber Trail 2:13 

18 - Tumbling Tumbleweeds 2:25

An unforgettable piece of musical American history!  And given the current heat wave in the US Midwest, perhaps your attention will be diverted for a bit!

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you Thursday for another musical angle on America!

  

Not Corny to Me

It's hard to beat Western Swing sometimes.

01. Osage Stomp (3:05)

02. Spanish Two Step (2:57)

03. A Maiden's Prayer (3:08)

04. Mexicali Rose (3:18)

05. Old Fashioned Love (3:22)

06. Sittin' on Top of the World (3:23)

07. Steel Guitar Rag (2:49)

08. Blue Yodel #1 (2:23)

09. Silver Bell (2:40)

10. That's What I Like 'bout the South (2:39)

11. I'll See You in My Dreams (2:25)

12. The Waltz You Saved Me (2:32)

13. Corrine Corrina (3:04)

14. Time Changes Everything (2:53)

15. Big Beaver (2:50)

16. Honey What You Gonna Do? (2:57)

17. I Found a Dream (2:43)

18. Take Me Back to Tulsa (2:55)

19. New San Antonio Rose (2:48)

20. I Knew the Moment I Lost You (2:58)

21. Twin Guitar Special (2:50)

22. Mississippi Delta Blues (3:00)

23. Roly Poly (2:52)

24. Brain Cloudy Blues (3:01)

It's a 1973 cassette.  These must be taken from discs, because you can hear the pops and surface noise.  Radio transcriptions?  Who knows?

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See ya Monday, buckaroos!

  

I'm a Fan Too!

It's a 1984 release of a lot of fun music.

  1. Leo Arnaud: Olympic Theme  0:59  

   2. Leo Arnaud: La Chasse  0:59  

   3. Leo Arnaud: Olympiad  1:28  

   4. Samuel Barber: Commando March  3:18  

   5. Pierre Leemans: Belgian Paratroopers  3:23  

   6. Julius Fucik: Florentiener, Op.214  5:54  

   7. Karl King: Barnum and Bailey's Favorite  2:27  

   8. Capt. Alfred Miles / Charles Zimmerman: Anchors Aweigh  2:58  

   9. Johann Strauss: Radetzky March  2:20  

 10. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Sea Songs  4:01  

 11. John Philip Sousa: The Stars & Stripes Forever  3:44  

 12. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Folk Song Suite: March: Seventeen Come Sunday  3:21  

 13. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Folk Song Suite: Intermezzo: My Bonny Boy  3:46  

 14. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Folk Song Suite: March: Folk Songs from Somerset  3:37  

 15. Percy Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy: Lisbon Bay  1:23  

 16. Percy Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy: Horkstow Grange  2:46  

 17. Percy Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy: Rufford Park Poachers  3:41  

 18. Percy Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy: The Brisk Young Sailor  1:33  

 19. Percy Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy: Lord Melbourne  3:02  

 20. Percy Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy: The Lost Lady Found  2:18  

 21. Percy Grainger: Shepherd's Hey  2:03 

Not all is strictly patriotic, but it'll get yer blood a-pumpin.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

Now get out there and oompah-pah!  See you Thursday.

  

Elite Never Sounded So Sweet

This here's a 2003 release of piano-roll recordings of ragtime played by Scott Joplin and others.

01. Maple Leaf Rag (3:03)

02. Ole Miss Rag (2:46)

03. Magnetic Rag (3:08)

04. Elite Syncopations (3:24)

05. Country Club (3:27)

06. Paragon Rag (3:23)

07. Eugenia (3:56)

08. Cleopha (3:37)

09. A Real Slow Drag (3:41)

10. Scott Joplin's New Rag (3:29)

11. Leola: Two-Step (3:17)

12. Lily Queen (3:20)

13. The Chrysanthemum (3:39)

14. Heliotrope Bouquet (3:13)

15. Reflection Rag (3:43)

16. Silver Swan Rag: Ragtime Two-Step (3:07)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

And as always, 

PERMANENT LINK.

See you on Monday, friends!  Be thankful for musical performance and the nation whose imperfect history has allowed it!

  

Welcome to JULY SPOCKEBRATION 2024!

Yup, this month will feature some music that in one way or another reflects some of the glories, aspirations, or history of our great country.

This 1992 cassette features a lot of American tunes on dulcimer and other instruments.

01. Star of the County Down (2:21)

02. Eleanor Plunkett (3:23)

03. Ride the Wild Turkey (1:57)

04. Arran Boat Song (2:44)

05. Soldier's Joy / Wake Up Susie / Star of Munster (2:46)

06. Westphalia Waltz (3:33)

07. Brown County Breakdown (2:43)

08. The Ashgrove / Southwind (3:16)

09. Scotland (4:27)

10. The Dream (2:43)

11. Moran's Return (2:31)

12. My Favorite Things (2:53)

13. Rush in the Pepper / Make a Little Boat (2:46)

14. The Down Home Waltz (2:56)

15. Paddy on the Turnpike / Big Mon (2:11)

16. Nonesuch (2:21)

However, I'm a bit dismayed to read the big ole "MADE IN CANADA" on the cassette!  I bet there's a political speech in there somewhere.

But not here!  Just come back Thursday for some more aspects of Americana.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you Thursday!