Category Archives: Music

He Wrote ALL These Pop Rock Hit Songs For Different Artists

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“He” Is Mike Chapman, Writer, Producer Extraordinaire

Mike Chapman (wearing sunglasses) in the studio with Blondie photo: GEMS/Redferns

From age 18 to 80 the fact that even novices of melody will recognize many of Mike Chapman’s songs, says a lot about his talent.

Mike Chapman (born in Queensland, Australia, April 13, 1947) is not just a record producer, but also a songwriter of major importance.

He has written and / or produced music with The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, The Knack, Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, Divinyls, Nick Gilder, Scandal, Billy Squier, Agnetha from ABBA, Lita Ford, Smokie and arguably most successfully, Blondie.

But it’s Chapman’s skill at songwriting that will remain his legacy. Continue reading →

Donald Trump & Joe Biden Debate – Who Was The Better Van Halen Front Man: Hagar or Roth.

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What Presidential Candidates Should Debate About  – Rock ‘n Roll

Sammy Hagar David Lee Roth photo: Bryan Steffy/Getty, Jason Kempin/Getty

The future of artificial intelligence is a very serious subject which at some point we will cover in a serious way.

But in the meantime this is a short, frivolous use of AI, but entertaining if you are a Van Halen fan.

In reality I doubt either candidate could name one Continue reading →

This AC/DC Demo Turned Into One Of Their Most Iconic Songs

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AC/DC Rejected Dirty Eyes, Instead Using The Same Riff For Whole Lotta Rosie

Plus The Only Known Photograph Of The Real Life “Rosie”

AC/DC’s singer / lyricist Bon Scott once described himself not as a poet, but more a bathroom graffiti writer.

Though Bon Scott was self effacing, he could look at his own work honestly to see if there was room for improvement. Scott would frequently write and rewrite lyrics in notebooks and record on portable tape recorder he carried with him.

In one case he took a good rock song and made it a great song by completely changing the lyrics. Continue reading →

Remembering “Satchmo” Louis Armstrong’s Funeral July 9, 1971

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Fifty Two Years Ago Today Was The Funeral Of Louis Armstrong

Is “Satchmo” Remembered Today?

Louis Armstrong funeral July 9, 1971 photo: Globe

It is impossible to say who will be remembered by the multitudes years after their passing. I would hope Louis Armstrong will be among those whose name and music goes on for eternity.

Louis Armstrong brought love and joy everywhere he went. And the world universally returned that love.

On July 6, 1971 Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in his home in Corona, Queens. Continue reading →

Flea Market Find – Album Of Marching Music

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A Marching LP Album That Did Not Sell Many Copies

You never know what you’ll find at a flea market. Someone at the Stormville, NY Yard Sale in September had Marches Of The Israel Defense Forces. I took a picture of the LP but somehow deleted it. The photo below is from eBay.

Whatever possessed Columbia Records to release this?

Did this album sell even 100 copies?

So the only other thing to contemplate is what does the music sound like? Continue reading →

Halloween Fun – Boris Karloff Sings The Monster Mash and Ted Cassidy Sings And Dances The Lurch

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Karloff Covers The Song He Inspired & Ted Cassidy Demonstrates The Lurch – 1965

For a novelty one-hit wonder, The Monster Mash remains popular six decades after its creation.

Originally recorded in May 1962 the song became a hit in October of that year Continue reading →

The Amazing Pat Benatar Can Still Belt Out The Songs At Age 69

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Pat Benatar Performs Promises In The Dark Live In Albany July 2022

Pat Benatar performs live July 2022 Albany NYRocker Pat Benatar has been performing with her husband, guitarist and songwriter Neil Geraldo for over 43 years.

Musicians don’t fret that their skills will deteriorate the way singers do.

A powerful rock singer usually has no more than ten to fifteen years of prime vocal strength and then its a slow steady decline as their range and power diminish. The decline can be devastating to the singer and painfully sad for fans of a band. Ask Steve Perry of Journey or Lou Gramm of Foreigner.

Not so with Pat Benatar.

At age 69 Pat Benatar has been singing her heart out for over 40 years. This performance last month in Albany, NY shows that Pat can still hit her notes.

Husband Neil Geraldo is one of the most underrated guitarists in rock. His fluid style of playing does not get noticed by the casual rock fan. He is an amazing talent.

In this clip Pat tells the audience that the musical couple are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

No hair dye.

No auto-tune Continue reading →

Book Review -Set The Night On Fire By Robby Krieger The Doors Guitarist

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An Inside View Of The Doors From Guitarist Songwriter Robby Krieger

It’s possible that somewhere among Robby Krieger’s possessions is a rare leather bound inscribed copy of Jim Morrison’s book An American Prayer. It’s also very possible that the book is moldering in a storage unit or was misplaced long ago and discarded.

The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger is not quite sure. Continue reading →