The Day of the Musical Birthdays...

Three people were born today (in different years) who have made music that I like very much. So, instead of belaboring the crappy political news of the day, I decided that the sane thing to do is to share some of that music and at the same time say "Happy Birthday" to those who made that music. And so...

Happy Birthday, first of all, to Don McLean, who was born on October 2, 1945. McLean is probably most famous for "American Pie", he also wrote and recorded the lovely "Vincent" (1971), which as far as I'm concerned doesn't get nearly the airplay that it deserves. Here is a live performance by McLean, with Chet Atkins on guitar. Like I said, lovely:



It is also Mike Rutherford's birthday today; he was born on this day in 1950. Perhaps best known for his work with Genesis, I'm partial to one of the songs he did with his own band, Mike + the Mechanics. It's "Silent Running", a sort of science-fictional, post-apocalyptic song that I've liked ever since it was released in 1985:



Today is also Sting's birthday; he was born on this day in 1951. He made a lot of good music with The Police and also on his own. Of all his work, I think this is my favorite, "Moon Over Bourbon Street" (1986), from his solo album, "Dream of the Blue Turtles". He has said that he was inspired to write this song after reading Anne Rice's "Interview With the Vampire". This live performance comes from 2010, in Berlin with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Watch and listen for the theremin. I like theremins:



I hope these songs improve the quality of your day as much as they've improved mine.

Music Sunday: The Day Late and a Dollar Short Edition

Yes, I know. It's Monday, not Sunday. But, it's a holiday here in the US, Labor Day, and it's been a busy weekend. And so real life, as it does sometimes, got in the way of Music Sunday. But I didn't want to completely miss my music post for the week, and so here I am, taking a break from working on the novel I'm writing, to share a couple of very long songs with you.

First, since this week is going to be very short on the history of the songs I'm posting, I thought I'd leave you this little history of the first decades of rock and roll, by Don McLean, "American Pie", from 1972. You can look up the interpretations people have made of the lyrics here, but rest assured, Buddy Holly is here, and Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and the Stones, and a few others:



And then, there is Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven". I think this version is from "The Song Remains The Same". Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Robert Plant might have sung this song a few too many times by this point; he seems a little bored to me through parts of the performance. But no matter, it's still a great song:



I was thinking about also including "Alice's Restaurant", by Arlo Guthrie. But then I decided that it is much more appropriate for Thanksgiving. You'll probably see it here around about then.

But, since today is a holiday, I'm going to go off and do holiday things now. Music Sunday should be back on its regular day next week.