Monthly Archives: January 2010

by

The Hurt Locker

It’s a testament to the power of expectations that The Hurt Locker, a masterfully crafted suspense film and one of the best war films I’ve ever seen, feels like a disappointment. Kathryn Bigelow’s film about a team that diffuses bombs in Iraq is the most critically acclaimed movie of the year, topping countless top ten lists and winning critics awards left and right. It’s really good, but it’s not that good.

Perhaps had I gone in not knowing what to expect I’d have emerged a bigger fan of the movie. But I have to admit I watched it expecting to be blown away — excuse the pun — and noticing when my reaction fell short of the mark. It’s a weird and unfortunate experience when you’re more caught up in your own digestion of a film than you are in the film itself.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #548: ‘Come Together’ – The Beatles

This weekend marks my 39th and 40th Beatles Weekend selections… five months of the Fab Four. And upon reaching that milestone, I’m going to give the boys a rest and shift my attention to another weekend theme. You’ll find out what that is one week from today.

For the final Beatles Weekend, I’m focusing on their final album, Abbey Road. Certainly one of their finest moments on record, Abbey Road features a combination of their heaviest (‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’), silliest (‘Octopus’s Garden’) and most enduring (‘Here Comes the Sun,’ ‘Something’) songs.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #547: ‘I Don’t Want to Hear it Anymore’ – Dusty Springfield

While I have Randy Newman on my mind, here’s a song of his written for Dusty Springfield and recorded for her classic Dusty in Memphis album. This is a whole different style for Newman, more of a Burt Bacharach song than anything you’d find on one of his own records.

Unlike some of Newman’s songs that were hits for other people (Three Dog Night’s ‘Mama Told Me Not to Come,’ for example), I can’t really imagine him performing this one. On the other hand, that’s often when you get the most interesting performances. I remember being very impressed with Paul Simon’s live solo version of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ a song he clearly wrote for the voice of Art Garfunkel.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #546: ‘Fair’ – Ben Folds Five

If I had to name a modern heir to Randy Newman, I’d go with Ben Folds. Folds has a similar gift for storytelling, irony and humor and he’s able to pull off the smart-ass and the sincere with pretty much equal success. He’s not quite up to Newman’s caliber as a satirist — yet — but he’s in the same ballpark.

Musically, Folds is even more adventurous than Newman, finding inventive ways to make familiar instruments sound brand new. Ben Folds Five used a simple lineup of piano, bass and drums to produce some of the most exciting pop music of the 90s without ever really getting the credit they deserved.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #545: ‘Shame’ – Randy Newman

And now for something completely different. I’ll back off the country for a bit here and turn my attention to a New Orleans jazz man… the fabulous Randy Newman.

Any legitimate list of great songwriters would have to have Randy Newman right up near the top not only for his excellence but for his versatility. This is a man who has written chart-topping pop songs for Dusty Springfield and Three Dog Night, music both fun and touching for children’s movies from Toy Story to The Princess and the Frog, biting satire about religion and politics and incredibly heartfelt love songs. Most songwriters would kill to be able to do just one of those things well.

Continue reading →