Blog Archives
FlinterFile: Frank Sinatra- L.A. Is My Lady
Frank Sinatra released his last album in 1984. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Quincy Jones- Chump Change
Quincy Jones has gained the most success as producer for Michael Jackson, but by that time he already had many records on his name. Read the rest of this entry
Song of the day: Michael McDonald- Sweet Freedom
In 1986, Michael McDonald (Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers) scored one of his solo hits. The first one had been a duet with Patti Labelle, and this one was made for the movie Running Scared. It was written not written by Michael McDonald himself, as most songs were, but by Rod Temperton, who had previously written for Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. The song hit number 7 in the UK and number 12 in the US. Enjoy
Michael McDonald- Sweet Freedom
Song of the day: Jerry Lee Lewis- Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Today we’re paying attention to one of the earliest covers in pop music. The original recording of this song was done by Big Maybelle, who made her version in 1955. This song was produced by Quincy Jones (who later produced most of the Michael Jackson records). Jerry Lee Lewis first played this song live, and decided to record it in 1957. He knew it would be a hit, though Sam Phillips (the founder of Sun Records) thought it to be too risky. It was a number 3 hit in the US pop chart. Enjoy
Jerry Lee Lewis- Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Song of the day: Lesley Gore- It’s My Party
This is one of the songs that I know for a long time now, and which I learned to know from a Jukebox hits CD. It was released in 1963 by Lesley Gore, who would be the one to make the song into a hit. It would be a number one hit in the US, and the first for Quincy Jones to produce (he would later do a lot of work for Michael Jackson). The story actually is very sad, since the girl who has her birthday is left by her boyfriend, who is walking with another girl. Though Lesley Gore made it into a hit, the first recording was done earlier in the year 1963 by Helen Shapiro, who used it for her album. It was released in October, when Gore’s version had been in the charts already, so the original version was seen as a cover! Later, the song was recorded by Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin. Enjoy the original:
Lesley Gore- It’s My Party
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