The Songs of Stephen Foster, The John Halloran Singers, 1994



The great American songwriter, Stephen Foster, was born right here in Pittsburgh on the Fourth of July, 1826.  He is known as the "Father of American Music."  His story is a sad one: Even though his songs had become published and known, he died when he was just in his mid-thirties, alone, having failed at trying to make a living with his music in New York City during the Civil War.  He had just thirty seven cents to his name, with the start of a note in his wallet, "Dear friends and gentle hearts." 



There are many tributes to Stephen Foster around Pittsburgh including a statue in Schenley Plaza, a theater attached to the Cathedral of Higher Learning, and a great little festival, Doo Dah Days, which takes place in Allegheny Cemetery where he is buried.  Doo Dah Days includes carriage rides to his grave site, people in costumes - full skirts and bonnets, men in straw hats- and singing on the lawn. 

I found this album at Half Price Books.  Having heard many versions of Foster songs, I did not know what to expect.  I was thrilled to find it is very, very beautiful. And, the chorus is singing with none other than the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra!  The record has many great songs on it, including "Beautiful Dreamer", "My Old Kentucky Home", and "I Dream of Jeannie".

Here is Beautiful Dreamer:

Funny Girl, The Original Soundtrack Recording, 1968



Last night we caught the TV broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts as they honored Barbra Streisand.  Streisand's role in Funny Girl was highlighted several times, and when I woke up this morning, I just had to put the record on.  Funny Girl is one of my favorite musicals, introduced to me (as most musicals were) by my talented sister.

The movie of the musical is also very good.  Movies of musicals can be hit or miss, but when they hit, like West Side Story, Music Man and Funny Girl, they can knock my socks off.  Barbra Streisand knocks my socks off in Funny Girl.  You can't help but love her character, Fanny Brice (based on the real Broadway Star and Comedian), as her talent and determination yield success even though she is not a Ziegfeld-type beauty.  We also feel the emotions of her romance with gambler Nicky Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif with that famous mustache, from elation to pain.  The whole story of Funny Girl is told within a flashback as Fanny awaits her husband's return from prison.  His gambling had caught up with him.

Fanny is perfectly cast, and Streisand received an academy award for Best Actress.  Streisand was also the star of the original stage production.  

The original title of the musical was My Man, the title of this song in the musical:

Graceland, Paul Simon, 1986



For the album Graceland, Paul Simon mixed his own music with a variety of South African styles of music.  In the lyrics of the title song, Paul Simon remembers a trip to Memphis following his divorce with Carrie Fisher.  The song is touching and sad.  He describes losing love, and the unhappy lives of other people, all traveling to Graceland.  The journey to Graceland becomes an American religious sojourn, and with the refrain "we're all going to Graceland" being more up-tempo, like the wheels taking you there, you can't help but believe Graceland might just hold what each individual comes looking for.

Here is Graceland:


The album also introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group, to the rest of the world.  Here is Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes :

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
sung by the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers

Don McLean, American Pie, 1971



Everyone knows the title song of this album, "Bye Bye Miss. American Pie..."  This great album also has the song Vincent, a beautiful tribute to one of my favorite artists, Vincent Van Gogh.  It describes the artist and several of his paintings, focusing on his most celebrated painting, Starry Night. 



Doing a little research for this blog, I learned that a copy of the sheet music to this song is in a safe underneath the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, along with some of Van Gogh's paint brushes, the hat he wore while painting Starry Night, and some other of the artist's belongings.  Here is Don McLean singing Vincent (Starry Starry Night):

Johnny Nash, I Can See Clearly Now, 1972



Johnny Nash mixed Reggae with R&B.  Originally a Texan, he eventually moved to Jamaica after falling in love with reggae music, and brought his American R&B sound to it.  He is also responsible for getting Bob Marley heard, and other reggae greats.  This song was surprisingly cheery when it was released, full of up-beat, joyful major chords when most radio-play at the moment was not.

This song is how I feel today.  I think many, many people do too.  And the video, which coincidentally I saw for the first time when starting this blog today, couldn't be more appropriate. 

Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, Walt Disney Productions, 1964

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We played this record really loudly so that all our trick-or-treaters could hear it.

Been away from this blog for a while... We moved and all my records have been packed up, and our digital camera broke. But, we just bought a new camera, and we're almost unpacked, so I'll be back soon!  I've bought a lot of records since my last post, at the usual Pittsburgh spots and in Columbus at a great little record store where my brother-in-law took us.  I look forward to playing them and sharing them with you!

Meanwhile, I've been blogging about art: http://art-blog-sonja.blogspot.com/

Emmylou Harris, Profile: Best of Emmylou Harris, 1978



This record includes hits from Pieces of the Sky, Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, and Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town. Emmylou Harris has had so many more great hits since this 1978 compilation which would certainly compete with these select hits as her overall best. Her best songs may even be yet to come. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her twice in concert in the past few years, and she has lost nothing to years!

Emmylou Harris pervades country and folk music. She has also accompanied just about everyone. An amazing harmonizer, I have found her voice soaring among others on several great albums—always a pleasant surprise. She always sounds amazing, even with voices that might be hard to sing along with. The female voice singing duets with Bob Dylan on his album, Desire? Of course. Who else.

Here is Boulder to Birmingham, 1977:

Squeeze, Singles - 45's and Under, 1982



It has been a week since the arts festival has ended, and I am reveling in the things I like to do that I missed for the 17 days during the festival. And now, this is my first post-festival blog! And to get back in the swing of things, I am starting off with Squeeze. The songs are fun, and even the band name is fun to say aloud.

Squeeze is a British New-Wave band from the 80s with lots of great hits, which are all gathered together on this record of their greatest singles: Take Me I'm Yours, Goodbye Girl, Cool For Cats, Up The Junction, Slap And Tickle, Another Nail In My Heart, Pulling Mussels (From The Shell), If I Didn't Love You, Is That Love, Tempted, Black Coffee In Bed, and Annie Get Your Gun.

Since several of today's indie bands have a touch of 80s punk and new-wave style, you could imagine Squeeze squeezing in to a contemporary line-up somewhere between newer bands Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and Franz Ferdinand.

Here is Pulling Mussels (From the Shell):


Up the Juction:


and one more, Another Nail In My Heart: