|
Music Reviews
Alternative
Blues
Books
Christmas
Classic Rock
Country
Jazz
Lounge
Oldies
Power Pop
Punk & New Wave
Reggae
Rhythm & Blues
Seventies
Texas
Special Features
Randy's Rodeo
Sex Pistols
Motown
Halloween
Valentine's Day
Information
About Me
Feedback
Links
User's Guide
Support Me
Amazon
iTunes
Sheet Music Plus
|
Support Randy's Rodeo! 
Shop at Amazon, iTunes, and more...
 Double
Fantasy (1980) is a remarkable document of one of rock's greatest and most
controversial love stories. Beatle John
Lennon fell in love with avant garde artist Yoko Ono, and she played a major
role in both breaking up Lennon's first marriage - and the world's greatest rock
and roll band. She also helped transform Lennon's art into something quite radical
- challenging, if not always pleasant. These were all perceived as bad things at
the time, but the denouement of their story (minus Lennon's tragic death in 1980)
is incredibly sweet. Their final years in New York were happy, connubial, and familial.
John and Yoko's love really shines through on Double
Fantasy, wherein Lennon and Ono celebrate their love for each other and their
children. Even more, they come to grips with the limitations of life itself. Despite
some moments of doubt, Double
Fantasy (nicely remastered, repackaged, and expanded in 2000) is the happiest
album about marriage (this side of Amy Grant) you are likely to ever hear. |
 essential
songs
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (1980)
I'm Losing You (1980)
(Just Like) Starting Over (1980)
Watching the Wheels (1980)
Woman (1980)
[top of page]
|
 We
had to put at least one sex kitten on our Top 10 list. And, when it came to sex kittens, Julie
London was the queen of the jungle. Listening to London purr these songs is tantamount
to aural sex - I mean, this disc should come packed with condoms and KY Jelly! London
was buxom and gorgeous, and she possessed an unearthly voice and preternatural cool
capable of arousing men in unseemly ways - much like Marilyn Monroe's records, only
better. Reportedly shy, London posed seductively on her album covers and cooed lasciviously
on her albums - so much so that her manipulation of the male of the species can seem
almost calculated and crass. But, speaking as a male of the species, I don't freakin'
care; Julie London can manipulate me anytime she wants! Rhino's Time
For Love: The Best Of Julie London puts her best and most seductive hits into
one handy, naughty package - though Capitol's 2-CD Very Best of Julie London (2006) is arguably a better value. |
essential
songs
Cry Me a River (1955)
My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1965)
No Moon At All (1955)
'Round Midnight (1960)
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To (1959)
[top of page]
|
 In
his old age, Van
Morrison has become a notorious crank. But, he could be pretty bizarre even early
in his career, what with the transvestites, pregnant school girls, and Celtic faeries
that populated his lyrics. But like all great rock stylists - Tom Waits and Joe Cocker
spring to mind - Van could lay that baggage aside and follow his heart when the material
called for it. So it was with Tupelo Honey (1971). Morrison created a whole album of tender odes to his great love
- a groupie named Janet Planet, no less. It just goes to show that the proof is in
the pudding. The pudding, in this case, includes such masterworks as "Wild Night," "Like
A Cannonball," and the romantically monumental title track. All the usual Van
Morrison conventions are here - the effortless soul, the urgent rhythm & blues,
the timeless Celtic traditionalism, the strange, discerning lyrical sense, and his
penetrating, reflexive voice. But, while Morrison cut masterworks both before and
since Tupelo Honey, these qualities have never been focused more clearly or more honestly. |
essential
songs
Wild Night (1971)
(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball (1971)
You're My Woman (1971)
Tupelo Honey (1971)
[top of page]
|
 Elvis
Presley deserves a spot in Cupid's Pantheon if only for the millions of masturbatory
fantasies he spawned the world over in the minds (and loins) of teenage girls (and more than a
few boys). That said, Elvis could sing the living shit out of a love
song - good ones, bad ones, and everything in between. So, calling Elvis a great singer of love songs is like
shooting fish in a barrel, but we'd be remiss if we didn't take aim and squeeze
one off.... Not surprisingly, Heart & Soul (1995)
is just one of numerous Elvis compilations aimed at the Valentine's market - including
A
Valentine Gift For You (1985), Love,
Elvis (2005), and the big hunk o' love, 50
Greatest Love Songs (2001). But song-for-song, I think Heart & Soul is
the best, containing twenty-two mother-lovin' tracks, from early classics like "I
Want You, I Need You, I Love You" to later favorites like "Always On
My Mind." Plus,
it includes a rare stereo version of "Love Me Tender." My particular
favorite: Elvis' stirring rendition of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have
To Say You Love Me," featuring a remarkable vocal performance from the King
and a crack arrangement from his underappreciated band. |
essential
songs
Always on My Mind (1972)
Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960)
Can't Help Falling In Love (1961)
I Just Can't Help Believin' (1970)
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (1956)
It's Now or Never (1960)
Love Me (1956)
Love Me Tender (1956)
Loving You (1957)
Suspicious Minds (1969)
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (1970)
[top of page]
|
 In
Barry Levinson's Diner (great movie, by the way), a group of young Rat Pack wannabes argue over whether Frank
Sinatra or Johnny Mathis is the better singer. The Frank contingent finally
prevails when Johnny's advocates are forced to admit that it is Sinatra they play
when trying to "score" with the chicks. Greater testimony has never been spoken about
the seductive power of "The Voice." Songs
For Swinging Lovers (Capitol, 1955) is Frank Sinatra's singular classic - arguably
his best-ever - benefiting from a top-notch arranger (Nelson Riddle), world-class
songwriters (Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer), and a supremely confident
performance from the star of the show. The same year, Frank also cut recorded Songs
For Young Lovers - also pretty spectacular.
No shocker, but there has been a panoply of romance-oriented Sinatra releases. Capitol Records' own Romance:
Songs From The Heart (2007) is quite impressive, as is Sinatra, With Love (2014). Sony's Love
Songs (2001) and Beautiful Ballads & Love Songs (2007) - both culled from earlier Columbia recordings - aren't too shabby, either. And, "The Voice" aged supremely well, so I also recommend Greatest
Love Songs (2002) and (especially) Rhino Records' 22-track Seduction: Sinatra Sings Of Love (2009), both drawn from his later Reprise sessions.
Johnny Mathis, incidentally, was no slouch himself. I recommend his Open
Fire, Two Guitars (1959), an intimate LP
recorded with Tony Mottola and Al Caiola; Isn't
It Romantic: The Standards Album (2005), a nicely produced
latter-day effort; or perhaps simply The
Essential Johhny Mathis (2004), a value-laden summary of his long, seductive
career. |
essential
songs
I've Got You Under My Skin (1956)
It Happened in Monterey (1956)
Makin' Whoopee (1956)
Too Marvelous for Words (1956)
You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me (1956)
You Make Me Feel So Young (1956)
[top of page]
|
|
|
