iPod Roulette - June 2011

As usual, not the best cross-section of what's in my iPod.  I guess I can't really expect it to be with the wide variety there.  Take a look at what popped up and tell me if anything speaks to you.

*note to self - always check volume before inserting earbuds and turning on iPod!*

1.     This Window - GlassByrd

2.     Elegy for Dunkirk - Jeff Beck (feat. Olivia Safe)

3.     Arto - System of a Down

4.     You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer

5.     I Can't Dance - Genesis

6.     Heat of the Moment - Asia

7.     Band on the Run - Paul McCartney

8.     Good Times Roll - The Cars

9.     The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich

10.   Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

11.   Theme from Miami Vice - Jan Hammer

12.   Let Me Be the One - The Carpenters

13.   Holding On - Yes

14.   The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis

15.   Rubber Biscuit - Blues Brothers

iPod Roulette - May 2011

This month I went back to using my full-sized iPod (as opposed to the iPod on my phone) for roulette.  I'm not sure this is a very good cross-section of those 3752 songs. 

No commentary from me on these - I'll leave that to you.  Anything here ring a bell or spark a memory for you?

1.    In a Lifetime (Clannad, feat. Bono)

2.    Get Off My Cloud (The Rolling Stones)

3.    Kiss You All Over (Exile)

4.    Bach: French Suite #2 in C Minor, BWV 813 - Allemande (Glenn Gould)

5.    I Got You - I Feel Good (James Brown)

6.    Shoot the Loop (Acoustic Alchemy)

7.    Sally Simpson - Tommy (The Who)

8.    Hope You're Feeling Better (Santana)

9.    Poetry Man (Phoebe Snow)

10.  All the World (Point of Grace)

11.  Shambala (Three Dog Night)

12.  Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann's Earth Band)

13.  More Than It Seems (Kutless)

14.  Ravel: La Valse (London Symphony Orchestra)

15.  Redeemer (Nicole C. Mullen)

iPod Roulette - April 2011 JAM

April is Jazz Appreciation Month at the Smithsonian.  In keeping with that, I've drawn solely from my Jazz playlist in my iTunes for this month's session of iPod Roulette.  Some of my favorites didn't come up, but it's still a nice variety.


1.     Livin' Inside Your Love (George Benson) - I've loved George Benson since I was in college.  Until recent years he was one of the few Jazz artists that I didn't mind using vocals.

2.     Sigh (Praful) - This group is described by Wiki as an "acid jazz" mixture band.

3.     Daddy Longlicks (Lee Ritenour featuring Joe Robinson) - This is from 6 String Theory, which I featured here.

4.     I Say a Little Prayer (Earl Klugh Trio) - A smooth version of a very recognizable song.

5.     Fives (Lee Ritenour featuring Guthrie Govan and Tal Wilkenfeld) - I usually skip when there is a repeat artist, but the guitarists featured with Ritenour here are so different from Joe Robinson that the selection had a completely different sound.

6.     Back in Business (Down to the Bone) - Their Wiki page has been removed, but the link to it referred to them as another "acid jazz" band.  Funny, I'd never heard that description before and here I've seen it twice in one sitting.

7.     Flamenco Sketches (Miles Davis) - No doubt about it, Davis is one of the greats of Jazz.  This is from Kind of Blue, considered by many to be his best album. 

8.     Sinkin' Soon (Norah Jones) - I must admit that I'm not terrilby fond of Norah Jones.  I only downloaded this song to try and give her a chance since I knew several of my friends love her music.  It didn't work for me.

9.     There Goes the Neighbourhood (Candy Dulfer) - From her first album, Saxuality. I love her version of Lily Was Here!

10.   The Girls Next Door (Pat Metheny Group) - Love, love this song!  The underlying beat is great!

11.   Tears in Rain (Vangelis) - This is from the soundtrack to Blade Runner and contains one of my favorite movie lines. 

12.   Somersaults (Bill Bruford with Ralph Towner and Eddie Gómez ) - Bruford was the first of two drummers for my favorite group of all time, Yes.

13.   Black River (Keiko Matsui) - Very smooth Contemporary Jazz.

14.   Siempre Hay Esperanza (The Sunset Lounge Orchestra) - This is from the Sade Cool Down Experience.  I couldn't find any kind of link to the Sunset Lounge Orchestra, but they evidently do covers of various groups' music.  I heard this one on my Jazz station and loved it. 

15.   The Lesson (Victor Wooten) - This is one of the few people in my Jazz playlist known for playing the bass!

iPod Roulette ~ March 2011

This month I once again chose to use the iPod on my phone.  It contains a fraction of the music found on my other iPod and tends to be heavy on Classic Rock. 

Oh...and please take a minute to take the poll at the top of my sidebar!


1.    Fairy Tales (Anita Baker) - They play Anita Baker on the jazz station I listen to, but I've always thought of her more as an R&B artist.  I think this is her best song.

2.    Hells Bells (AC/DC) - This is from what I consider their best LP, Back in Black, which came out when I was in college. 

3.    Guitar Man (Bread) - My most vivid memories of this band are from Junior High School, an awkward time in life.  Enough said.

4.    Layla (Eric Clapton) - Easily one of the greatest guitarists of all time - and he plays the blues just as well as he does rock & roll.

5.    Tell Her She's Lovely (El Chicano) - Has anyone besides me ever heard of this song or this group?

6.    Midnight Rider (Gregg Allman) - Kind of hard to imagine this guy married to Cher. 

7.    All Creatures of Our God and King - This is the chorale postlude from the City on a Hill - Sing Allelulia LP.  All the City on a Hill albums are wonderful.

8.    Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Judy Garland) - Other versions are okay, but this is still the ultimate version.

9.    The Long and Winding Road (Beatles) - A classic. 

10.  Get Up (Mary Mary) - Contemporary Gospel, R&B, Soul, Jazz.... these ladies are talented.

11.  Lean On Me (Bill Withers) - This song takes me back to a particular 4th of July in Farmerville, LA.  I best not go into detail. 

12.  It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren) - Takes me back to High School.  This guy always makes me think of my friend Laney. 

13.  Through the Fire (Day of Fire) - This is just one of several good Christian Hard Rock bands I've discovered in recent years.

14.  I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2) - My favorite U2 music is from the Achtung Baby LP, but I love this song and the music video shot in Las Vegas. 

15.  Superstar (Carpenters) - I still find it sad that Karen Carpenter died the way she did.  I loved her voice and it was the perfect range for me to sing along. 

iPod Roulette - February 2011

Normally when I play this game I use my regular iPod which currently has more than 3600 songs on it. In contrast, I only have 260 songs loaded into the iPod on my phone. I had such fun listening to the music on my phone recently that I decided to use it to play iPod Roulette this month. That playlist is fairly heavy on Classic Rock, but I still came up with a little bit of variety.

1. Crawl (Kings of Leon) - My younger daughter introduced me to this group. I have several of their songs in my iTunes collection.

2. Tom Sawyer (Rush) - My nephew, who is only eight years younger than I am, use to make fun of this group. Now he's a bigger fan than I am.

3. American Pie (Don McLean) - My first two years of college were at a small Liberal Arts school. Don McLean performed there during that time and I remember it was rumored that he never did this song in concert. Wrong. He did and it was wonderful!

4. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John) - I received this album for Christmas the year it came out. Ages ago!

5. He Still Loves Me (Beyonce and Walter Williams, Sr. of the O'Jays) - There is so much good music in the movie this comes from! (The Fighting Temptations)

6. Skin (Ephraim Lewis) - I made an entire blog entry about this guy. Such a shame we won't get more from him!

7. Hungry (Kathryn Scott) - Also known as Falling on my Knees, I first heard this song when a girl sang it at my church. I loved it and had to track it down for myself.

8. Sitting (Cat Stevens) - Catch Bull at Four is my favorite Cat Stevens album and this might be my favorite song from that album.

9. Europa (Gato Barbieri) - I'm pretty sure Carlos Santana wrote and first recorded this song. Donna Sue (who never blogs anymore) had this on her blog as an example of "as sexy as music can get". She was spot on with that observation.

10. Hand Me Down World (The Guess Who) - If I'm remembering correctly, this song was on one of the first albums I ever bought. (The first was a Tom Jones album - Green, Green Grass of Home)

11. Whispers in the Dark (Skillet) - Contemporary Christian Metal. Some might consider that an oxymoron.

12. Swayin' to the Music (Johnny Rivers) - Also titled Slow Dancing, I had to download this as a single from iTunes. Believe it or not, it isn't on his "greatest hits" album which I already had. I think it's his best song by far.

13. And the Cradle Will Rock (Van Halen) - As much as I enjoy AC/DC and Aerosmith, Van Halen has always been my favorite Hard Rock band. And before you ask.... David Lee Roth over Sammy Hagar.

14. Bring the Rain (Mercy Me) - They performed in my hometown last year and were outstanding!!!

15. Seasons in the Sun (Terry Jacks) - I'm happy to leave you with this one. If you recognize it, it will probably be stuck in your head for the rest of the day!

Favorite Five - Movie Soundtracks

Before we continue, let me clarify things. Don't confuse the soundtrack for a movie with its score. For example... everyone is familiar with the musical score for the original Star Wars movie. However, that's not what I'm talking about here. That can be a whole different post for another time. What I am referring to are the albums that are released containing specific songs, usually by various artists, that appear in a movie.

1. Boogie Nights (and Boogie Nights 2) - This should have been released as a double CD rather than making you buy both! Despite the title of the movie (which is actually about a porn star), it's not just disco music.

2. Forrest Gump - This one is a double CD. One of the best things about it is the wide range of years the music covers, just like Forrest's life.

3. Beverly Hills 90210: The College Years - I never liked this TV show and haven't seen the movie. I only got the CD because of one specific song (before the days of iTunes and individual purchases). Fortunately the rest of the CD was good.

4. Blues Brothers 2000 - A lot of the music on this CD includes the Blues Brothers Band, but that's okay since they're quite good in their own right. Includes Blues Traveler, Erykah Badu, The Louisiana Gator Boys, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Jonny Lang, and more.

5. The Fighting Temptations - This is a fun, feel-good movie with some great music from such varied artists as Beyonce, The O'Jays, Shirley Caesar, Missy Elliott and others.

Worth mentioning: Almost Famous, Good Morning Vietnam, In the Name of the Father, Mr. Holland's Opus, The Fifth Element.



I hope I haven't blurred the line between soundtrack and score with any of my choices, especially the "worth mentioning" picks. I've included a link to Amazon for the top five so you can see what songs appear on each album.

How about you? Are there any particular movies with great songs that you want to mention?

January (2011) iPod Roulette

I decided to make a change to the "iPod Roulette" rules. From now on if a song comes up that appeared in the last two rounds, I can skip to the next. Believe it or not, with more than 3600 songs to choose from, I had two repeats this time from my session in November! How bizarre is that?!

I've also come to the conclusion that short of picking my own selections there's no way to get a true sampling of all the varieties of music on my iPod. That said, here's what came up this month:

1. Luck of the Draw (Bonnie Raitt) - This is a good song, but not one of my favorites of hers.

2. Video Killed the Radio Star (Buggles) - The video of this song was the first music video to appear on MTV in the US.

3. The End (Beatles) - This is from Abbey Road, my favorite Beatles album.

4. Forgiven and Loved (Jimmy Needham) - Not your run-of-the-mill sounding Contemporary Christian artist .

5. Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band) - This song has been made fun of a lot in the past, but I really love it.

6. Rich Girl (Hall and Oates) - These guys appeared on American Idol either this past year or the year before. They've gotten old! (and I haven't?)

7. We Will Trust You (Ginny Owens and GlassByrd) - This is from one of the City on a Hill CDs.

8. Cry Aloud (Colin Towns) - From the PBS "Brother Cadfael" series.

9. Car Wash (Rose Royce) - I know this song has come up in the past, but evidently not in the last two sessions.

10. Angelia (Richard Marx) - I had forgotten all about this song. Not bad.

11. Stay (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) - This is a great song from the past!!

12. Dear Prudence (Beatles) - From the White Album, not one of their more well-known songs.

13. The Stone Circle (Acoustic Alchemy) - One of my favorite jazz groups.

14. Games People Play (Spinners) - Possibly my favorite R&B band. I attended their concert when they visited our small town more than 25 years ago.

15. Oh, Lord, You're Beautiful (Sarah Sadler) - Another lovely Contemporary Christian song.

iPod Roulette - 2010 Holiday Edition

This is the time of year I keep my car's satellite radio tuned to Christmas music. There are several holiday stations to choose from, but I prefer the one called "Holiday Traditions" which plays music from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Think Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby and the like.

I have a much wider variety of Christmas music in my iTunes library. I didn't post an iPod Roulette entry in December of last year, but looking back at my entry from 2008 find it odd that with more than 300 songs to choose from I ended up with several repeats this year. I still question the "randomness" of the iPod shuffle feature. Oh well. I spent an entire evening listening to Christmas music, but here are the first 15 that came up.

1. We'll Sing You A Christmastime (American Boyschoir) - There's nothing quite like a good boyschoir.

2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (various artists) - This instrumental album titled "Peaceful Christmas" features harp, flute, english horn, cello, and guitar.

3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Pointer Sisters) - A very 80s sound, but it's fun.

4. Silent Night (Phil Keaggy) - An instrumental album, one of my very favorites.

5. It Just Don't Feel Like Christmas (Rihanna) - I'm not sure how I ended up with this!

6. Silent Night (The Temptations) - I got this as a free download from iTunes.

7. Up On the Housetop (Pete Jacobs Orchestra) - Big Band music from the 40s.

8. I Believe in You (Sinead O'Connor) - From the "A Very Special Christmas 2" album.

9. Up On the Housetop (The Jackson 5) - Back when Michael was a child.

10. O Holy Night (Al Green) - I love to hear the Rev. Al sing.

11. The Little Drummer Boy (Peggy Lee) - This is my younger daughter's favorite version of "Little Drummer Boy". I like it, but I like Mandisa's version better.

12. White Christmas (Bing Crosby) - A classic. What more can I say?

13. Once in David's Royal City (The Chieftans) - From their "Bells of Dublin" album.

14. Mary's Little Boy Child (Harry Belafonte) - This is from the same album as the boyschoir from #1.

15. I Saw Three Ships (Bronn Journey) - Another instrumental album.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

This hymn by Charles Wesley (1707-1788) has always been one of my favorites during Advent. I was reading through the lyrics for a project yesterday and they touched me deeply... almost as if reading them for the first time.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set they people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

iPod Roulette - November 2010

We were having thunderstorms yesterday (with a tornado watch) when I settled down for a session of iPod Roulette. Just like last month, a rather mellow assortment of songs. A nice contrast to the weather.


1. Like A Stone (Audio Slave) - This was Audio Slave's most successful single.

2. Anticipation (Carly Simon) - I love this song, but can't listen to it without thinking about ketchup.

3. Sloop John B (Beach Boys) - Even though I can sing along with many Beach Boys songs, they're not one of my favorite groups. This is from the Forrest Gump Soundtrack.

4. Magic Man (Heart) - Fantastic female rockers!

5. Ruby Rap (Eric Serra) - This is from one of my favorite movies.

6. Still (Commodores) - Okay, so I like The Commodores and I like Lionel Richie. It's a guilty pleasure.

7. Black and White (Three Dog Night) - This brings back memories of Junior High.

8. Poor Boy (Jeff Beck) - Another track from the album I wrote about here, again featuring Imelda May.

9. Caribbean Queen (Billy Ocean) - Very 80s.

10. Your Blue Room (Passengers) - This is from an experimental album recorded by U2. They decided to release it under another name since it was so different from their other stuff.

11. Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) - Does anyone remember this entry?

12. Pines of Rome: The Pines of the Janiculum (Respighi) - Our area symphony performed The Fountains of Rome last year. I enjoyed it so much that I came home and downloaded it along with this, the second part of Respighi's "Roman Trilogy".

13. Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police) - Whoa! Does this song bring back memories from college! You see, I had this professor.... no, wait. I won't go there.

14. Does it Really Happen? (Yes) - My favorite group. Enough said.

15. Bach: French Suite #4 BWV. 815 2. Courante (Glenn Gould) - Finished off with a little classical piano.

Soil and Soul

The Arkansas Delta might be one of the poorest regions of the United States, but it's an area that is rich in musical culture and heritage, particularly the Blues. A friend told me about a website that offers a free CD of Delta music just for the asking. So, I asked and this is what they sent me.


In addition to the CD (which includes music from artists like Albert King, Al Green, Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich) there is a DVD of interviews with several musicians discussing the history of the Blues and the music it relates to such as Southern Gospel, Country, Jazz, Rockabilly and Rock & Roll. The brochure pictured with the CD/DVD is a promotional travel guide for the Arkansas Delta.

To get your own CD/DVD (it appears to be limited to those in the US), click on this link: Arkansas Delta Byways.

Thanks for letting me know about this wonderful freebie, Jamie!

iPod Roulette for October

This month's spin of the wheel turned up some very mellow stuff and certainly not a good cross-section of what's on my iPod. That's okay. It all fit the mood at the time.


1. Embraceable You (Billie Holiday) - What a great voice this woman has!

2. Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain (The Cascades) - This must be something of a "one hit wonder" since I don't know of anything else they did.

3. Bushwick Blues (Delta Spirit) - A freebie from Starbucks.

4. Sweet Little Sixteen (Chuck Berry) - This makes me think of that scene from Back to the Future when Berry's "cousin" calls him after hearing Marty McFly play Johnny B. Goode

5. Shoo-Shoo Baby (John Kirby) - Big Band music.

6. Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac) - I always think of Marion when I hear Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks!

7. Lilac Wine (Jeff Beck) - This song featuring Imelda May is on the album I wrote about here.

8. Best of My Love (The Emotions) - This is on the soundtrack for the movie Boogie Nights. It's a great soundtrack!!

9. No More Lonely Nights (Paul McCartney) - Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that includes Sir Paul. However, I wish people wouldn't quote "facts" when, in fact, their facts aren't factual! Especially when they're celebrities (which for some unknown reason seems to make their opinions count for more in some people's eyes). I'll just leave it at that for now.

10. Veni Sancte Spiritus (Colin Towns) - Colin Towns did the score for the PBS Cadfael series.

11. The Wondrous Word (The Melody Boys Quartet) - Southern Gospel music.

12. The Girl is Mine (Michael Jackson) - This song features Paul McCartney. Michael Jackson might have been very weird, but he was a great musician and dancer.

13. Duke's End (Genesis) - Another track from their Duke album (which seems to pop up a lot in my roulette).

14. Head Over Heels (Tears for Fears) - Love this group and this song!

15. Fortunate Son (Credence Clearwater Revival) - My brother is probably looking at this wondering why I have any CCR in my iTunes since he knows I don't much care for them (especially Proud Mary). This just happens to be on the Forrest Gump soundtrack and I uploaded the entire thing.

6 String Theory

I think many of the folks who don't care for Jazz have a set idea of what they believe all Jazz music sounds like in general. Now, ask a Jazz lover about their music and you'll get an entirely different attitude. There will be references to artists, instruments, styles, vocals and more. It's a huge genre with a wide variety of options within.

I recently purchased Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory. It came out earlier in the year, but I only discovered it a few days ago. I'm amazed at the variety of music captured in the 15 tracks on this album! Consider some of the guest artists: Slash, Neal Schon, Vince Gill, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', B.B. King, Jonny Lang, George Benson, Joey DeFrancesco... and that's less than half of them. There are Country influences, Blues, Rock and Classical, along with some acoustic work.

Lee Ritenour alone would have made the album for me. All the others just make it that much better. I have a feeling it's going to be an album I listen to over and over and over.

iPod Roulette - September 2010

Here's what came up in the shuffle this month. Any of these bring back memories for you?


1. Newborn Friend (Seal) - His first two albums were my favorites, this one coming from the second.

2. You Send Me (Sam Cooke) - I don't think I ever knew the tragic circumstances of Sam Cooke's death until I read his Wiki-bio.

3. Time For Me To Fly (REO Speedwagon) - From 1978. I prefer their music from the early to mid 70s.

4. MMM MMM MMMM (Crash Test Dummies) - My kids and I loved this song when it was popular.

5. Amazing Journey/Sparks (The Who) - A track from the rock opera Tommy.

6. Saxuality (Candy Dulfer) - Amazing the things I learn by doing these posts! I didn't realize Candy Dulfer was Dutch.

7. If I Can't Have You (Bee Gees) - This was the "Count Da Money Remix" version.

8. China Grove (Doobie Brothers) - The Doobies have a new album out and a single from it is available for free on iTunes this week. They still sound good!

9. Janie's Got a Gun (Aerosmith) - Great Classic Rock.

10. Seven Whole Days (Toni Braxton) - Evidently she is also known for being on Dancing With The Stars.

11. I Wanna Learn a Love Song (Harry Chapin) - Mention Harry Chapin and most folks automatically think of Cat's in the Cradle. That song might have gotten the most airplay, but he was a great storyteller and put out many other wonderful songs including this one. Another tragic death.

12. Dolphin Dreams (Lee Ritenour) - I love it when a song comes up in the rotation that I haven't heard in ages! Did you know that Ritenour appeared in one of the songs on Pink Floyd's The Wall album?

13. Lonesome Loser (Little River Band) - I like this one, but nothing beats Reminiscing.

14. Ballad of Big (Genesis) - This is from their album And Then There Were Three, which was released after the departure of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. Not the progressive alt/rock of their early days, but before they descended into pop.

15. Ghetto Child (The Spinners) - It horrifies my daughter when I say this, but I like The Spinners better than The Temptations or The Four Tops.

Play it again!

This time last year I posted an entry about a wonderful evening I spent at the symphony listening to the music of The Eagles, of all things. If you missed that one, you can click here to see what I'm talking about.

Last night our regional symphony kicked off their current season, Music of All Nations, with a similar treat..... the return of Jeans 'n Classics, this time with the music of Pink Floyd!!! As much as I like The Eagles, in my opinion their music just can't compare with that of Pink Floyd. The evening was everything I anticipated (and for months, at that)!!

The first half of the program was dedicated to setting the stage. They performed music of that era which lent itself well to orchestration. The selections included Conquistador (Procol Harum), Crime of the Century (Supertramp), Space Oddity (David Bowie), Acid Queen (The Who), Lucky Man (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Living in the Past (Jethro Tull), and two Pink Floyd numbers - Wish You Were Here and Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.

Following the intermission, they performed Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety! You may remember it appeared on my Favorite Five - Albums list. What an experience!!! Thinking the evening couldn't get any better, they gave an encore with Comfortably Numb, the crowning jewel from The Wall album!

Jeans 'n Classics have a large repertoire. Dare I hope they return another year - maybe to do Led Zeppelin?

Favorite Five - Love Songs

Okay. I'm not a romantic kinda gal and I don't have a playlist on my iPod for "love songs", but... I've had a request for a Favorite Five post on this topic. Without letting myself think too long and hard about it, here's what I've come up with. I've included some YouTube clips, but they don't always do the song justice.


1. I Only Have Eyes For You (Art Garfunkel) - I remember listening to this as a teenager and my mother coming into my room singing along with it. I was surprised to find out it was a cover of a song that had been recorded several times before! YouTube clip

2. Waiting For a Girl Like You (Foreigner) - This one brings back memories of a time that wasn't so pleasant. I try not to let that ruin the song for me. YouTube clip

3. Don't Want to Wait Anymore (The Tubes) - The memories are a little better with this one even thought they're from pretty much the same time period. YouTube clip (The studio version is SO much better!!)

4. Love Me Now (Gino Vannelli) - Actually, this song is best when listened to with the song that preceeds it on the album, Storm at Sunup. I use to listen to this in my college dorm using a pair of those huge headphones.... really, really getting into it. YouTube clip

5. Ain't Nobody (Rufus & Chaka Khan) - There was a time where I used this as the personalized ringtone for my husband on my phone. YouTube clip

Worth mentioning: Your Song (Elton John), He Stopped Loving Her Today (George Jones), Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers), Shake You Down (Gregory Abbott), Run to Me (The Bee Gees), Sometimes When We Touch (Dan Hill), My Prayer (The Platters).

As always, I know I've left out some really good ones! What are some of your favorites?

iPod Roulette for August

This month's iPod Roulette was especially fun using my new Bose docking station. It really does enhance the listening experience!

Given there are more than 3500 songs on my iPod, I don't know why I think I'm going to get a true sampling in just 15 picks. For what it's worth, here's what I came up with this month. Do any of these appeal to you?


1. Stoned Love (The Supremes) - My husband loves Motown, especially groups like this one.

2. Angelsea (Cat Stevens) - From my favorite Cat Stevens album, Catch Bull at Four.

3. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) - Another great album, Songs from the Big Chair.

4. My Burdens Have Rolled Away (Melody Boys Quartet) - This group was a lot of fun to see in person. Good old "Southern Gospel".

5. Bach: French Suite #4 in E Flat, BWV 815 1. Allemande (Glenn Gould) - Piano at its best.

6. Here I Am to Worship (Michael W. Smith) - I love his "praise & worship" music, especially this song.

7. Eyesight to the Blind (The Who) - From the rock opera, Tommy.

8. Nature Boy (George Benson) - Finally some jazz!

9. Duchess (Genesis) - This album (Duke) is best listened to from start to finish.

10. Ain't No Sunshine (Kris Allen) - Season 8 American Idol winner.

11. In the Still of the Night (The Five Satins) - I would have sworn this was by someone else! Perhaps this is the cover?

12. Not Meant to Be (Theory of a Deadman) - My younger daughter introduced me to this song.

13. Sweet Sixteen (B.B. King) - King of the blues.

14. Jackie Blue (Ozark Mountain Daredevils) - Was this a one-hit-wonder? Offhand I can't think of anything else they did.

15. We Bow in its Aura (Veil of Maya) - Death Metal. It's what my son listens to these days.

Favorite Five - Songs

It's been quite some time since I posted a "favorite five" entry. To make up for that, I'll tackle one of the harder topics on my list. Songs.

I love music.... all kinds of music. Most of my memories have a song associated with them. My moods are determined by what I listen to (or perhaps it's the other way around). So how on earth can I choose just five songs ??? To start with, all five could be Yes songs. In fact, I think I made that fairly clear on my Favorite Five - Albums post. So, I'm going to eliminate them and let it be understood that Yes belongs at the top.


1. Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann) - This song takes me back to my first two years of college when I was attending a small Liberal Arts school. It's funny how all these years later I can still sing along word for word when this comes on the radio (or my iPod). My closest friends from that time would probably put their money on two other songs, though: On and On (Stephen Bishop) or Storm at Sunup/Love Me Now (Gino Vannelli).

2. Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty) - This is one of several songs I always associate with the summer I spent studying at Oxford (in an American program). Another favorite from that time is Follow You Follow Me (Genesis).

3. Night Meets Light (Dixie Dregs) - After two years at a small college I transferred to a large state university to complete my education. It was there I discovered this group and this song in particular. Other favorites from that time frame are Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) and Don't Stand So Close to Me (The Police).

4. Fairy Tales (Anita Baker) - I can't really say what it is about this song that I love so much. I don't try to sing along since I don't know most of the lyrics, which is odd considering how many times I've listened to it from start to finish.

5. Space Oddity (David Bowie) - No special memories for this one, either. Just a great, classic rock song!

This list could vary on any given day and, as always, I'm sure I've left off many great songs. Here are a few runners up: One of These Days (FFH), Cover Me (FFH), Pavane pour une infante defunte (Ravel), Sandy Beaches (Delbert McClinton), Ordinary World (Duran Duran), It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren), Sailing (Christopher Cross), In a Lifetime (Clannad), American Pie (Don McLean), Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin), Rocket Man (Elton John), Ain't Nobody (Rufus and Chaka Khan), Don't Want to Wait Anymore (Tubes), Make It Right (Lisa Stansfield), Mysterious Ways (U2), Between You and Me (DC Talk), Ocean Floor (Audio Adrenaline).



Okay....so this has gone far beyond just "a few" and I barely touched on some genres. Can you tell me some of your favorites?

July iPod Roulette

If iPod Roulette is new to any of my readers, you can click on this entry at Hal's to see what it's all about. My good intentions of playing monthly have obviously fallen short. I came up with a fairly diverse group of songs this time, but it still leaves out several genres.

So tell me.... would any of these show up on your playlist?

1. Sing, Sing, Sing (Benny Goodman) - my parents loved swing music and I listened to enough of it as a child to develop somewhat of an affection for it myself.

2. Fugue (Pachelbel) - From "Canon & Suites for Strings" performed by the Paillard Chamber Orchestra.

3. Hacia Belen (The Priests) - More classical music, but with vocals this time.

4. Stompin' at the Savoy (Harry Connick, Jr.) - From the soundtrack to "When Harry Met Sally"

5. Jaws (David Sanborn) - No, not the great white shark. Think jazz.

6, Catherine Howard (Rick Wakeman) - This is possibly my favorite selection from the "Six Wives of Henry VIII" album.

7. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On (Neal McCoy) - I don't claim this one. It was downloaded at someone else's request. The sad thing is that I can sing along with it.

8. Lies (Glen Hansard) - Another soundtrack....this one from the movie "Once". Better known might be the song "Falling Slowly".

9. Let it Be (Beatles) - Does this one really need any explanation?

10. Paradise (Out of Eden) - Kind of a cross between Contemporary Christian and R&B.

11. Psalm 121 (Susan Ashton) - Praise & Worship, as you might gather from the title.

12. There'll Be Sad Songs (Billy Ocean) - I had forgotten that his "Caribbean Queen" wasn't a one-hit wonder.

13. French Suite #1 in D Minor, BWV 812-5. Menuet 2 (Glenn Gould) - I first became aware of Glenn Gould when I was a teenager studying piano.

14. Home is Not a House (Candy Dulfer) - Jazz saxophone. I really like her version of "Lily Was Here".

15. Wrapped Around Your Finger (The Police) - From their last album "Synchronicity". My favorite album was "Zenyatta Mondatta".

iPod Roulette ~ May 2010

I decided I would finish off the month with a round of iPod Roulette.

1. In the Flesh? (Pink Floyd) - From Disc 1 of The Wall.

2. Car Wash (Rose Royce) - What's the deal?? This one came up last time I posted an iPod Roulette! What are the chances out of more than 3400 songs!?

3. Whispers in the Dark (Skillet) - I might have liked Christian music as a teenager if there had been more of this around back then.

4. I Wish it Would Rain (Nanci Griffith) - I listened to this artist some early in her career, but not much in recent years.

5. The Cinema Show (Genesis) - From Selling England by the Pound which is my favorite of their albums.

6. Back in the USSR (Beatles) - From The White Album. Not one of my favorite albums of theirs or favorite songs.

7. Wild Mountain Honey (Steve Miller Band) - From the Fly Like an Eagle album.

8. Bye Bye Love (The Everly Brothers) - I have older siblings so there are lots of songs from the 50s and 60s I enjoy.

9. God of Wonders (Mac Powell) - This is the version from the original City on a Hill album. One of the co-writers of this song is the son of a good friend of mine.

10. The Great Eatlon (James Newton Howard) - From the soundtrack of Lady in the Water.

11. Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton) - The events that prompted this song broke my heart.

12. Tom Sawyer (Rush) - A band I didn't really take an interest in until their "progressive rock" stage.

13. Milky White Way (The Melody Boys Quartet) - This group performed at my church a couple of years ago and put on quite a good show. Not my usual type of music, but I still enjoyed it.

14. Little Light of Love (R.X.R.A.) - From the soundtrack to The Fifth Element. Great soundtrack and great movie!!

15. Land of 1000 Dances (Wilson Pickett) - From the Forrest Gump soundtrack. Another wonderful soundtrack! Hmmm...soundtracks. That could be a good "Favorite Five" topic. I'll have to think on it.