Monthly Archives: December 2008

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Song of the Day #137: ‘Life On Mars?’ – David Bowie

davidbowieDavid Bowie is an artist I believe I don’t know or appreciate nearly as much as I should. What I do know of his work I like very much, but it seems the real gems are hidden away in the material that’s new to me.

My ignorance of Bowie’s catalog is likely due to my sister’s pathological fear of the man during my pre-teen years. She would not only turn off the TV but leave the room when his videos for ‘China Girl’ or ‘Let’s Dance’ played on MTV. So it’s not like I grew up with his music in the house.

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Taking the Oscar bait

buttonEvery year, the biggest award contenders are invariably rolled out to the masses in December, if we’re lucky. More often, they open in select cities in the last few weeks of the year and people in, say, Boynton Beach, Florida, don’t get to see them until January or even February.

That’s the situation we find ourselves in once again this year. Of the films I’ve seen so far, only The Dark Knight and Rachel Getting Married have any realistic shot at Best Picture. And I haven’t missed anything that’s in the running (save for Milk, which has been on such a slow rollout in this area that I’ve been unable to find a theater playing it for two weeks now).

So here’s a look at the films I’ve yet to see in the order I want to see them:

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Song of the Day #136: ‘Oh! Darling’ – The Beatles

abbeyroadIs there any area in which The Beatles don’t stand head and shoulders above their peers? It occurs to me as I look at the iconic image to the right that this is only the band’s second-most famous album cover.

Abbey Road is an odd and wonderful album. Most of the second half is dedicated to a seven-song medley introducing such characters as Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam before launching into the anthemy singalong of ‘Carry That Weight’ and culminating in the symbolic finish of ‘The End,’ in which each Beatle trades off a solo on guitar or drums before capping off the album, and their career, with the profoundly simple phrase: ‘And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.’

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Song of the Day #135: ‘Let it Be’ – The Beatles

letitbeLet it Be was actually the last original album The Beatles released, though it was recorded before Abbey Road. I’ve ordered them this way because Abbey Road feels like a more fitting finish to their career (hell, it even ends with a song call ‘The End’).

Let it Be was recorded amidst even more band strife than The White Album, and it was during these sessions that Yoko Ono’s presence was most acutely felt (it’s also why she’s widely believed to be the cause of the band’s breakup). Contrary to the individual efforts on the last album, this record was mostly recorded live, including in a famous rooftop jam session that drew many onlookers as well as the police.

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Song of the Day #134: ‘Sexy Sadie’ – The Beatles

whitealbum1The second disc of The White Album is definitely the weak one. The inclusion of the horrible ‘Revolution 9’ alone keeps this one out of my CD player. ‘Honey Pie,’ ‘Yer Blues’ and ‘Good Night’ only drag it down more.

But it does have its moments. ‘Birthday’ is an enjoyable rocker, and ‘Helter Skelter’ is one of the most crazily unexpected successes in their catalog. ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ and ‘Revolution 1’ are also more than worthy.

But my favorite track on this disc is Lennon’s ‘Sexy Sadie.’

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