Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Nov 27, 2013 9:58:22 GMT -5
Motown Month continues. Yesterday, I talked about the comeback Motown was making in the 1980s. But, it didn't really last. Barry Gordy went through some major financial trouble after the label’s heyday. Though Motown continued to exist, it wasn’t the tightly controlled show-business megalith it once was. Motown still had hit records, though. Now, I have talked about the success of Lionel Richie and DeBarge in the 1980s, but today, I'm going to look toward the 1990s. Some of Motown's biggest hits in that decade came courtesy of Boyz II Men. The group was a combination of classic R&B boy bands and the hip-hop-informed dance-pop known as “New Jack Swing.” Boyz II Men even overtly connected the old and the new with the single “Motownphilly,” though by the time the song was released, the “Motown” side of the equation seemed more like a respectful nod to the past than a statement about the hip, modern sound. Still, the Motown of the ’90s tried its best to capitalize on what was popular in R&B at the time, promoting acts like Johnny Gill and Another Bad Creation alongside Boyz II Men. But, I'm looking at the Boyz today. So, here is "Motownphilly." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Nov 28, 2013 10:48:55 GMT -5
Motown Month continues. Today, we're looking at another artist for the 1990s, though she would have been right at home in Motown in the 1960s. It’s fitting that one of the last major artists to sign to Motown was Erykah Badu, a proponent of what came to be known in the late ’90s and early ’00s as “neo-soul.” Influenced more by ’70s experimenters like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Syreeta Wright than by the more synthesized R&B of the era, the neo-soul acts found an audience among both nostalgic old-timers and young people who’d never heard R&B sound so warm and lush. By and large, Badu’s material hasn’t been up to the standard that her idols had set, but someone as steeped in the past as Badu would’ve been crushed by the music business a decade earlier and lost in the shuffle at Motown back then, which makes her popularity heartening. So, here is one of Badu's hits: "Didn't Cha Know." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Nov 29, 2013 9:09:14 GMT -5
Motown Month continues. Today, I want to talk about Motown today. And, quite frankly, it's not that good. The 1960s' heyday are long over. And, frankly, they have been for some time. I have mentioned the small windows of success in the 1980s and 1990s, but those were nothing compared to the label's power in the 1960s and 1970s. The proof to this is the fact that Motown hasn't been independently run since 1988. Barry Gordy sold the company to MCA and Boston Ventures on June 28 of that year. Soon, the company went through years of hot potato. Boston Ventures took over full ownership of Motown in 1991. Then, the label was sold to PolyGram in 1994, before being sold again to MCA Records' successor Universal Music Group, when it acquired The PolyGram Label Group. As of summer of 2011, Motown has been reactivated under The Island Def Jam Music Group division of Universal Music Group. Motown is somewhat back, but it hasn't seen a big hit since 1999. One of the label's last big successes was Brian McKnight. He had a huge hit in 1999 his album Back At One. It went triple platinum and produced a big hit with the title track. But, that's pretty much been it for Motown since then. It's seen better days. But, we are looking at that last hit for the label today. Here is "Back At One." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Nov 30, 2013 11:47:43 GMT -5
Alas, it is time for Motown Month to come to an end. And, I decided to end things not by talking about the financial woes of the label in the 1970s and 1980s, which was mainly due to Barry Gordy putting a lot of money into a bunch of movies that weren't that profitable (because of this we have "The Wiz" and "The Last Dragon"). No, I want to go back to the past. But first, I want to talk about the unsung heroes of Motown: The Funk Brothers. Motown would never have had the success it did without The Funk Brothers, the forces of nature that backed the label’s artists on track after track during its Detroit incarnation. Sadly, they were overlooked for years, thanks to Motown’s policy of not crediting its musicians. Without the creative basslines of James Jamerson, the guitar work of Joe Messina, or the insistent drum of Benny Benjamin, we’d be talking about a very different Motown sound, if we talked about the Motown sound at all. Though it was too late for many of them to enjoy the return to the limelight, The Funk Brothers started to get some belated recognition with the release of Paul Justman’s 2002 documentary "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown," which features live performances from the surviving Funk Brothers and recounts, sometimes quite movingly, the band’s contributions and the ways in which the members’ anonymity haunted them. And, here is one of those performances from the documentary: "You Really Got A Hold On Me."
But, that's not all. We're going to end things with one of Motown's biggest hits. In fact, it was the label's first million-selling single. So, here is The Miracles' "Shop Around." Enjoy.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 1, 2013 10:57:41 GMT -5
Back to business as usual. Here is Jay-Z and Kanye West with "Otis." Enjoy.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 2, 2013 9:06:39 GMT -5
It's Monday. And, I'm feeling a little blue. So, let's play New Order's "Blue Monday." Enjoy.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 3, 2013 9:10:57 GMT -5
For today, you're gonna hear Katy Perry roar. Yes, seriously. Stop laughing, dammit! It's not funny. Well, it's not that funny. Anyway, here's "Roar." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 4, 2013 8:44:20 GMT -5
For today, I have Kate Bush and no good intro. Here is "This Woman's Work." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 5, 2013 9:41:27 GMT -5
Bob Dylan has been around for a long time. And, with such a celebrated career, it's no surprise that there would be some fanfare when a box set of his albums was released. Sure enough, that has happened. To promote the comprehensive 43-disc Dylan box set The Complete Album Collection Vol. 1, a music video for Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” has finally been produced. Yes, after 48 years, this iconic songs finally gets a music video. Though, they didn't really make music videos 48 years ago. But still. Anyway, this isn't any ordinary video. Designed as an interactive television set for channel surfing, each video channel features a different network style, from cooking, finance, and home shopping, to sports and game shows, with actors lip-synching along to Dylan’s classic song. Starting with a video of Dylan playing the song live in the '60s, users can flip through the channels however they please, creating an entirely unique video experienced in a different way each time depending on how a user scans through the channels. Celebrity cameos include Drew Carey on the set of The Price Is Right, Marc Maron podcasting in his garage, and anchor Steve Levy on the set of ESPN’s SportsCenter. Other channels feature Danny Brown singing on the street while munching on a bunch of different food, talking heads on a History Channel documentary about the Great Depression, a Bachelor-esque reality show, the Pawn Stars guys, and the stars of HGTV’s Property Brothers. None of the videos are that flashy; you'd think for Dylan they'd be able to get some bigger name celebrities. But, it's still pretty cool, and the whole experience emphasizes how ingrained the song has become in American culture. Of course, because of this, I couldn't just post it from YouTube, so you can experience the interactive version here: video.bobdylan.com/desktop.html Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 6, 2013 10:57:15 GMT -5
Let's keep on riding the Way Back Machine. For today, we got another hit from the 1960s. Though, unlike yesterday's video, this video actually comes from the same decade as the song. Well, the footage does. Anyway, here is The Who's "I Can't Explain." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 7, 2013 10:50:31 GMT -5
For today, we have U2. And, that's all I got for the intro. Here's "Mysterious Ways." Well, I had more, but it was just the song title. Anyway, enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 8, 2013 14:47:40 GMT -5
Well, the year is almost over. Time for reflection. This time last year, I looked back at the songs I wanted to post for my theme weeks and months but didn't for various reasons. It's Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week. And, we begin with Black And White Week all the way back in January. This was for songs with "black" and/or "white" in the title, and there was one I wanted to post, but I just couldn't find a good video for it. But, I have now. What a difference a year makes. So, here is The Velvet Underground with "White Light/White Heat." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 9, 2013 20:42:07 GMT -5
Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week continues. Today, we have a reject from Protest Month. I wanted to post it for my month of protest songs, but after some thinking, I just felt it didn't really fit. I don't know why. I guess it sounded more like a wish for certain institutions to end rather than a call against them. Anyway, here is said song: John Lennon's "Imagine." And, here it is. Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 10, 2013 10:13:23 GMT -5
Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week continues. Today, I'm not looking forward to this one. It's from Songs I Hate Week. Yes, I spent a whole week posting songs I wasn't fond of. And, this one didn't make the cut simply because there are only 7 days in a week. It's from Pitbull, a rapper I don't really like. I don't know why. He just rubs me the wrong way. His music is part of the problem. So, let's not delay the inevitable. Here is "Feel This Moment." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 11, 2013 9:35:58 GMT -5
Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week continues. Today, we go all the way back to August for my month on cover songs. Cover Songs (And The Original) Month was 31 days of me posting... well... cover songs and the original version. And, this is one I was going to post but ultimately decided not to because there were other songs I just wanted to feature more. The song is "I Think We're Alone Now," and it was originally done by Tommy James And The Shondells. It was a hit for the band in 1967, going all the way to Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here's their original version:
But, you all are probably more familiar with the cover from teen idol Tiffany. Her cover came out in 1987 and went all the way to Number 1. Funny enough, Tiffany didn't want to cover the song. She hated the idea of recording a cover for her album mostly because she thought the song was neither modern enough nor hip enough. It turned out to be her biggest hit once she recorded it, which is how these things usually work out. Anyway, here is the cover. Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 12, 2013 10:40:49 GMT -5
Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week continues. Today, we're looking at a reject from Stupid Week, a whole week for songs about stupidity. I figured you wouldn't get that from the title. Anyway, today's video is Bob Dylan's "Idiot Wind." I really like this song, but I didn't post it back then because I just couldn't find a good video for it. I still haven't, but this video is better than nothing. So, here it is. Enjoy.
Edit: I changed the video because this one had better audio. Like I said, just couldn't find a good video.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 13, 2013 18:22:00 GMT -5
Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week. Today's reject is from "Song" Songs Week, a whole week for songs with the word "song" in the title. The song in question is The Four Tops' "It's The Same Old Song." I decided to not go with it because I wanted all the songs' titles to be "Blank Song," like "Immigrant Song" or "Love Song." Plus, Motown Month was coming up, and I was gonna post The Four Tops anyway. So, here is the song in question. Enjoy.
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 14, 2013 10:24:08 GMT -5
Songs I Didn’t Post For My Other Theme Weeks Week has reached it's conclusion. And, our last reject comes from Motown Month. When I dedicated a whole month to the artists of the famous label, I knew that some were going to have to be left out. And, Edwin Starr was one of those left behind. Starr had already enjoyed a couple of R&B hits, including “Agent Double-O-Soul,” before he came to Motown when Gordy purchased his contract. The Nashville-born star’s rough vocals didn’t really sound like they belonged on the label, but he arrived in time to take advantage of producer Norman Whitfield’s taste for harder-edged sounds and enjoyed success there in the late ’60s. All of which was overshadowed by his biggest success, the protest anthem “War.” He never topped it, but kept busy recording through the disco era and recording in the UK, where he found great popularity with Northern Soul. So, here is Starr's biggest hit: "War." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 15, 2013 11:08:24 GMT -5
Back to business as usual. Here's Queen with "Bohemian Rhapsody." Enjoy.
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Hulkshi Tanahashi
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Post by Hulkshi Tanahashi on Dec 16, 2013 10:51:48 GMT -5
Today, Paul Simon sings about "The Boy In The Bubble." I don't know why he's singing about a lame TV movie starring John Travolta. But, it's his choice. Anyway, here's the video. Enjoy.
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