Any Major Dude With Half A HeartAny Major Dude With Half A HeartMusic that will be cool, music that once was cool, sticking to the Taste Police with great rock, pop, folk-rock, alt.country, nostalgia etc 
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The Age of the Afro: '70s Soul Vol. 3
2008-03-14 08:20:00 After a hiatus of a few weeks, we return to the age of the Afro , the glorious times of sunny soul which talked about love and preached social-consciousness. The Blackbyrds - Walking In Rhythm.mp3 If I were to set my alarm clock to wake me up with a song to start my day on a high, this might be it. "Walking In Rhythm", which was released in 1975, exudes just the right measure of confident More About: Soul
Funny Friday
2008-03-07 10:07:00 I am so sad that the goldmine that was holygoof.com is no more, apparently zapped by the site's host. The Holy Goof was a like a supernova: it appeared suddenly, was quite a spectacle, and disappeared as suddenly (that's what supernovas do, right?). I have not come across a finer audio comedy site, and my life — and iPod — is emptier without the fine comedy which the Holy Goof shared. So, for More About: Funny , Friday
Intros quiz - 1973 edition
2008-03-05 14:40:00 Today we'll start a new theme on the Intros Quiz zes: the anniversary series. All 20 songs come from the same year, in this case (as the attentive reader may have guessed) 1973 — 35 years ago. The next one will focus on 1978, then 1983 etc. All songs here were hits in 1973. Some were released in 1972 but became hits in 1973; a few were released in 1973 and became hits in 1974 (mostly in Europe, More About: Edition
The Teen Dreams
2008-03-02 14:05:00 Ask your music-loving friends about the first record they bought, chances are that everybody else bought something really sophisticated. They were eight and bought, depending on their age, Kind Of Blue, Sly Stone, the Buzzcocks, Jesus & the Mary Chain or Public Enemy. They may even tell the truth, so you feel like a bit of a chump if you first record was “How Much Is That Doggy In The Window”, " More About: Dreams
Love Songs For Every Situation: Bitterness
2008-02-28 13:09:00 Disappointment in love — a relationship that ended, unrequited love, even a relationship that couldn't be — can turn to resentment. Love turning into hate can be a coping mechanism. It can be levelled at the ex- or putative partner, or at the whole notion of love in general. Such bitterness may be transient or it may abide, turning the brokenhearted into a fleeting wreck or into an enduring cynic More About: Songs , Bitterness , Situation , Love Songs
Love Songs For Every Situation: Heartbreak
2008-02-23 15:06:00 When unrequited love girl from this post communicated to me gently that she didn't like me that way, I experienced validation for the term heartbreak. It did feel as though my actually heart was broken right down the middle. Of course it didn't, because else I would be dead, but the instant pain manifested itself in the location where the blood-pumping organ resides. It then moved to my chest and More About: Songs , Love , Heartbreak , Situation , Love Songs
Love Songs For Every Situation: Regret
2008-02-22 09:25:00 Is this series bringing everybody down? Well, it's a series, and we must get through it, with all the discipline that is absent in matters of love. Today, we deal with regret (we must still do heartbreak and – the one I'm really looking forward to – bitterness). Regret can come before or after bitterness, and often they coincide, but both emotions manifest themselves after a love has ended. Music More About: Songs , Love , Situation , Love Songs
Love Songs For Every Situation: Unrequited Love
2008-02-19 09:21:00 Unrequited love is a real bastard. The rejection can scar a person for life, depending on its nature. My chapter of unrequited love was set in the seasons 1988/89 and 1989/90, and was cruelly soundtracked by the disgusting cheering of the fans of Arsenal and FC Liverpool, as if to taunt me further in my indescribable pain. There was no comfort, other than Manchester Utd's FA Cup victory just days More About: Songs , Love , Situation , Love Songs
Love Songs For Every Situation: Impossible Love
2008-02-18 09:37:00 Of all the ways love can hurt, the impossible love might be the worst. Think about it: you have found the person you love, that person loves you back. It would be perfect, but there is something that stands in your way: a spouse, a family feud or other prejudice, maybe physical distance, or the knowledge that the relationship will be destructive. It is no accident that the most celebrated of all More About: Songs , Love , Impossible , Situation , Love Songs
Intros quiz: Love edition
2008-02-14 09:04:00 An Intros Quiz , to mark everybody's favourite day of crass commercial exploitation, with a time-appropriate theme. Every song in this lot of 20 intros of 5-7 seconds each has the word "love" in the title. All but one were hits in the UK or US (or both); the one that wasn't is a well-known album track from a famous album by a very famous singer. Answers will be in the Comments by Saturday. More About: Love , Edition
Love Songs For Every Situation: Love ends
2008-02-13 10:09:00 And after love comes the break-up. We'll deal with the long-term effects of that later. For now, let's get caught in the moment of the break-up. Kris Kristofferson - For The Good Times.mp3 Few songs are as much in the moment as this: Kris is proposing break-up sex to celebrate what must have been a great relationship, and to signify that the split is amicable ("There's no need to watch the More About: Songs , Love , Ends , Situation , Love Songs
Love Songs For Every Situation: Being In Love
2008-02-12 08:17:00 Here's the trouble with Valentine's Day, apart from the crass commercialisation and pressure to spend a month's salary on a dozen frozen roses shipped in from Argentinia or wherever. Valentine's Day is just for the select few, the lucky ones who are experiencing love in a good way. It excludes those who yearn for love, those who have had their heart shredded to ribbons, those who love somebody More About: Songs , Love , Situation , Love Songs
Love Songs For Every Situation: Falling In Love
2008-02-11 17:35:00 I've said it before (sort of): Valentine's Day is crap. But that is no reason not to deal with the subject of love this month. All of it: the good, the bad, the shitty. And, oh man, love can be a real bastard. So over ten posts I'll aim to cover almost all emotions that accompany love: the butterflies that take residence in one's stomach, the giddiness of being in love, the betrayal and pure pain More About: Songs , Love , Situation , Love Songs
Valentines - Any Major Love Mix CD-R
2008-02-07 11:34:00 I am no great fan of Valentine's Day, and don't usually join in the hype. It seems time appropriate to post a Valentine's mix though -- especially for all the lovers out there who want to express their emotions via the time-honoured medium of the mix-tape, but lack the time or energy to bang a good one together. If I can prevent one fool in love from rushing out to buy a Valentine's Day comp More About: Love , Major , Valentines
The iPod (non-)Random 10-track Experiment
2008-02-05 21:16:00 I'm about to wipe everything off my iPod, and reload it (for housekeeping purposes). So, for the pure fun of it, here are the top 10 most-listened to tracks. I have arbitrarily decided to exclude anything from the Beatles' Love album, because I didn't listen to it more than once, though my nephews played it ad nauseam over Christmas. Where an artist was represented more than once, their More About: Ipod , Random , Experiment , Track
The Age of the Afro: '70s Soul Vol. 2
2008-02-02 19:49:00 Before we launch into the second part of the Age of the Afro series, let me thank the kind people who commented so generously and positively on the first installment -- and, indeed, everybody who posts comments. Any blogger, certainly the music writers, will agree that comments validate our efforts, and encourage us to carry on. So, on to the next lot of '70s soul classics. Diana Ross - Ain't More About: Soul
The Age of the Afro: '70s Soul Vol. 1
2008-01-29 14:26:00 My brother is currently visiting me. He has noted with some amused disdain my facility to jump musical genres within minutes. So, one minute I might be listening to a song by AC/DC, then a Motown track, followed by Wilco and Dean Martin. And it's true, I love music so much, and for so many different reasons, I take joy in hearing a song I love, or even just like. But the one genre I will always More About: Soul , Afro
Intros quiz: Women edition
2008-01-26 19:11:00 The usual drill, with the focus this time on female singers from the '50s to the '00s. Almost all are solo artists. Intros to 20 songs, about 5-6 seconds in length. Answers will go up in the comments section by about Tuesday. Intros Quiz - Women Edition
The Locomotion: 60s Soul - Vol. 3
2008-01-18 18:33:00 The third and final part of the '60s soul series opens the way for my real passion: the soul music of the '70s, when the sharp suits, raw sexuality and growls of the '60s gave way to afros, falsettos and flamboyant outfits. In the meantime, enjoy the final eleven classics of '60s soul. Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High.mp3 What a trio is credited this slice of soul heaven: the woman More About: Soul
Once Upon A Time In America OST
2008-01-16 07:31:00 When asked to choose my all-time favourite movie, I usually give three, representing different styles and decades. Casablanca, Singin' In The Rain, and Once Upon A Time In America . The latter, Sergio Leone’s 1984 epic of crime, friendship and betrayal, should not really appeal to me. It is very long, at almost four hours. I tend to dislike movies that exceed the two hour mark by much. It is violent and full of organised crime. I don't like violence and organised crime very much (though I do love GoodFellas). And yet, when I first saw the film, in a cinema in Cologne in late 1984, I came out and immediately bought a ticket for the next show. The film touches me at an unexplored level, I think, and much of that has to do with Ennio Morricone's delicate, haunting soundtrack.Once Upon A Time In America is a film about nostalgia and loss, of melancholy brought on by missed opportunity, betrayal, and loss of love. The score captures that melancholy, interspersed with the jauntiness ... More About: Once Upon a Time in America
Pissing off the Taste Police with Lionel Richie
2008-01-14 18:56:00 Before anyone presumes to judge me on basis of this thread, I ought to point out that most times, I’d gladly don a long leather coat and join the Taste Police in seeking to neutralise the influence of Lionel Richie . It is unfortunate that the man is still recording music. He was a scandal when every professional football player would list him, along with Phil Collins (an singer who will never feature in this series), as their favoured artist to bleat forth from their Fords XR6. Much , then, as I would like to join the critical consensus on Lionel’s legacy, I feel I can do so only by stating a few caveats through the medium of Pissing Off The Taste Police. You see, Lionel was a funky cat back in the day. As a Commodore, he dressed brighter than many a member of Earth, Wind & Fire and was party to some songs that were almost good enough to compete with EW&F. Check out the disco-funk of the fantastic “Machine Gun”, a huge Motown hit. Then it happened that the Commo...
Music for Bloggers Vol.4
2008-01-08 12:21:00 After some months without, here's more love for blogs I enjoy. As always, if your blog isn't featured, but you think it should be, there will be more music for bloggers. I like an awful lot of blogs. Please open the links (in the red headings) by right-clicking and opening a new window or tab; I'd hate to lose you. In each entry, the first dedicated song is a new upload, the second has been posted here previously (except in the bit for Sunset Over Slawit, who gets two fresh tunes).PopdoseMany mourned the sudden death at the hands of moronic interfereniks of the much beloved jefitoblog. Good news is, Jeff is back and has roped in a few skilled pals to create an Internet culture magazine called Popdose (among these pals is John Hughes, who used to write the excellent Lost in the '80s blog). Popdose runs articles on music, film & TV, current events and more, and represents a welcome addition to my bookmarks. There are loads of fine MP3s, and best of all, Jefito still presents h... More About: Music , Bloggers
The iPod Random 5-track Experiment Vol.5
2008-01-07 11:39:00 When the mood grabs me, I scroll down to the Shuffle function on the iPod and see where it takes me. Here's the first 5 that came up today:Joshua Radin - Someone Else's Life.mp3A song from my album of 2006. I really like Radin's calming voice, on this track almost a whisper. Comparisons to Nick Drake are easy when a dude sings quietly, accompanied only by his guitar, but Radin certainly is channelling Drake, with a hint of Simon & Garfunkel. This song was apparently written for his girlfriend, Schuyler Fisk, at a time when he was pursuing her. It must have been an intense pursuit: "Somehow, I’ll make tonight our own, show you every way I’ve grown since I’ve met you." Some time ago I gave the We Were Here album to my 15-year-old nephew. He is now a massive fan. What better influence can an uncle have but to educate his nephews in the ways of good music? More Joshua Radin here.Alan Price - Groovy Times.mp3A beautiful song I don't hear often enough. Released in 1978, whe... More About: Ipod , Random , Experiment , Track
Intros quiz: Rock edition
2008-01-02 19:58:00 Happy new year everybody. And to kick off 2008, a retro-heavy intros quiz: 20 intros of 5-7 seconds each of rock songs from the '50s to whatever we call this decade. Well, one from the '50s, two from the '60s, five from the '90s/'00s, the rest from the glory days of the '70s and '80s. Absolutely nothing obscure here. And no hair rock, as I realised after putting the thing together.Answers will go up in the comments section over the weekend. If you are dying to know that tricky number 12, feel welcome to e-mail me at halfhearteddude at gmail.com (really, I enjoy receiving blog-related e-mails).Intros Quiz - Rock Edition (DivShare)Intros Quiz - Rock Edition (Zshare)
The new year cometh
2007-12-28 09:29:00 For the final post of 2007 we're looking to the new year. Ten songs which review the year gone by and anticipate the next. I don't like New Year 's Eve much. I resent the pressure of having to have a good time as time hurtles forward another digit closer to the year of my death. Bah! Still, don't let me spoil it for you. And look, Ma, no U2!Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year.mp3The song that kicked off the stunning Transatlanticism album (the title of which I dedicate to the British music writer Robin Carmody) so brilliantly. Will you feel any different at 00:01 on January 1? I think Death Cab are due another album soon, which gives us a good reason to be welcome 2008 with some anticipation. I hear a new album by Postal Service, which features Death Cab singer Ben Gibbard, is on its way, too. And last night I listened to Nada Surf's new album Lucky, out on February 8, on which Gibbard guests. Lucky deserves much buzz; it's a very fine album.District Six - New Year.mp3Go to any ...
Any Major Funk
2007-12-26 22:22:00 This mix might come in time for your New Year's Eve party: great disco/funk tracks from the glory years, 1978-82. The first 18 songs should fit on a CD-R, plus two hard-to-find bonus tracks: Instant Funk 's "I Got My Mind Made Up" (whence the Sugarhill Gang sampled the famous "say what?"), and Sunfire's happiness-inducing "Young, Free And Single", a track it took me absolute ages to find.I've tried to stay clear of the usual fare offered disco samplers, so no synth-driven Euro disco, no Bee Gees, no Michael Jackson, no Alicia Bridges, and damn well no Village People or Boney M. This mix is not supposed to encourage the "hilarious" donning of Afro wigs, white suits and other such hi-jinx as doing the Travolta SNF pose. This is for people who take the funk and disco seriously and groove to it joyously.1. Odyssey - Going Back To My Roots (1981)2. Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real (1978)3. Raydio - It's Time To Party Now (1980)4. Billy Ocean - Stay The Night (1980)5. Shalamar - A Night T... More About: Major
Last minute Christmas stocking filler
2007-12-22 16:32:00 Before I go off to have myself a merry little Christmas , a few songs which didn't fit on my Any Major Christmas Mix CD.The Temptations - Silent Night.mp3A superb rendition from 1970: it's soulful, it features all the legendary Temptation singers in great form, it adapts rather than performs the Austrian Christmas hymn, it quotes Dickens, and it wishes you a happy Christmas from the Temptations.The Carpenters - Merry Christmas Darling.mp3Who better to score the feast of being nice than the king and queen of being nice. It's the Christmas carol for those in love, or who daydream of being in love. Originally this was released as the b-side to "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town".Louis Armstrong - Christmas In New Orleans.mp3Have I missed something, or has "What A Wonderful World" been adopted as a Christmas anthem? Surely I have missed something. Satchmo had a whole range of Christmas songs, and, er, here is one of them.T. Rex - Christmas Bop.mp3I know nothing about this song, not even h... More About: Minute , Stocking
Thriller: 25 years on
2007-12-21 12:24:00 This month it was 25 years ago that Michael Jackson released Thriller , and we've all been rather over-excited about it ever since. Perhaps rightly so. When it came out, it was all quite fresh and innovative, and we had no knowledge of the fame and psychological defects which would eat MJ, even if the dabbles in extreme plastic surgery were already apparent. Like that other epochal album, the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's, the cracks in the hype's facade are very visible now.I must confess to what is probably heresy, I've always, from the moment I first heard it, hated "Billy Jean", a track that would have stood out on the far superior Off The Wall for all the wrong reasons. It is still madly popular, so I'll chalk it up as a classic, my own views on it notwithstanding.The title track is melodically rather mediocre. Play it on a piano. But that weakness is masked by a fantastic production, Jackson's iconic vocals and Vincent Price's menacing voiceover. And then there is that ground... More About: Years , Thriller 25
Any Major Awards - The Winners
2007-12-15 14:34:00 And here are the winners of the inaugural Major Dude awards. Kick back and watch the show unfold, grabbing a few samples of the music (most have previously appeared on this blog; newly featured tracks are marked as such) on the way before you rush off and buy the awarded music as thoughtful Christmas presents for yourselves and everybody you know. And here's the gong our winners may take home -- The Major Dude:ALBUMS OF THE YEARIndie Album of the Year:Swedish:Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir(I know, it was released in Sweden a long time ago, but for the rest of us, it is a 2007 album)and performing a song from this year's best Swedish Indie Album:Loney, Dear - I Am JohnOther places:Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritterand performing a song from this year's best non-Swedish Indie Album:Josh Ritter - Right MovesRock Album of the Year:Foo Fighters - Echoes Silence Patience & Graceand performing two songs from this year's best Rock Album:Foo Fighters - Cheer Up Boys, Yo... More About: Awards , Winners
The iPod Random 5-track Experiment Vol.4
More articles from this author:2007-12-13 19:00:00 For the sheer joy of it, five more of the random best:Nicole Atkins - Maybe Tonight.mp3Oh, I kissed the iPod when it threw up this gem first. I had just finished putting together my Any Major Awards nominations, in which I already awarded Nicole Atkins, for being a viable alternative to the horribly overrated Amy Winehouse. This song sounds like... Petula Clark meets Blondie meets Abba. It's glorious pop. On other tracks, Atkins gets all soulful ("The Way It Is"), or goes into '80s throwback mode, sounding like the B-52s as sung by Sandie Shaw on Broadway ("Love Surreal" or "Brooklyn On Fire"). Absolutely marvellous, and so much better than schtick merchant Winehouse.Crowded House - Fall At Your Feet (live).mp3This is from the Farewell To The World live CD, which was recorded in 1996 and released ten years later. That album was one of those rarities among live sets, where the stage versions almost invariably eclipse the studio originals. And so it is with "Fall At Your Feet", one ... More About: Ipod , Random , Experiment , Track 1, 2, 3 |
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