Friday, January 31, 2014

Flashback Friday: Circus "Stop Wait & Listen"



FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Mel's Internet Universe Music Blog

I have this single on Metromedia Records from 1973. From WIXY 1260 Music Mike introduces CIRCUS and "Stop Wait & Listen".

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

WT20 - Pitbull Holds @ #1 New Politics Still @ #2



Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of January 26, 2014.

This WeekTitleArtistLast Week
1 Timber (feat. Ke$ha) Pitbull 1
2 Harlem New Politics 2
3 Unconditionally Katy Perry 3
4 Royals Lorde 4
5 The Walker Fitz & The Tantrums 5
6 Hold On Colbie Caillat 7
7 That's My Kind Of Night Luke Bryan 6
8 I Love You Said the Whale 10
9 Saideira (feat. Samuel Rosa) Santana 14
10 Who You Love (feat. Katy Perry) John Mayer 11
11 Sleeping With a Friend Neon Trees 19
12 Human Christina Perri 13
13 Hey Brother Avicii 20
14 Wake Me Up Avicii 9
15 Shake The Head And The Heart 17
16 The Heart of Dixie Danielle Bradbery 18
17 Sweeter Than Fiction Taylor Swift 8
18 Roar Katy Perry 12
19 Changing of the Seasons Two Door Cinema Club 16
20 Coming of Age Foster the People --


CHART NOTES

Pitbull tops the chart for a second week with "Timber" a duet in which singer Kesha shares vocals. Only 1 song makes a chart debut this week. At #20 we find Foster the People entering with "Coming of Age". Santana breaks into the top 10 at #9 with "Saideira", a latin flavored rock track that should get more airplay. Vocals on this track are by Samuel Rosa.

Songs That Went to #1 in 2014

Timber - Pitull featuring Kesha (2)
Unconditionally - Katy Perry (3)

(x) = Total weeks @ #1

Friday, January 24, 2014

Flashback Friday: Eumir Deodato and Friends



FLASHBACK FRIDAY on Mel's Internet Universe Music Blog

This week on Flashback Friday I invite you to sit back, kick up your heals and listen to the jazz sounds of Eumir Deoato recorded at the 2010 Estival Jazz Lugano. The video is nearly an hour long and contains many of his most well known tracks.

Deodato was one of the first live concerts I saw back in 1974 in Hilo, Hawaii. Right around that time he was coming off the success of his biggest hit, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" commonly known as the "Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey." His first album on CTI is an elusive classic and contains instrumental jazz tracks such as "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," "Spirit of Summer" and "Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun", a piece originally published by Claude Debussy.

By the late 1970s Deodato had hopped on the disco wave and released dance inspired albums such as "Love Island", "Knights of Fantasy" and "Night Cruiser". He also produced records for artists such as Frank Sinatra, Kool & the Gang and Dexy's Midnight Runners.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Pitbull's Timber Tops the Chart



Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of January 19, 2014.

This WeekTitleArtistLast Week
1 Timber (feat. Ke$ha) Pitbull 6
2 Harlem New Politics 4
3 Unconditionally Katy Perry 1
4 Royals Lorde 3
5 The Walker Fitz & The Tantrums 2
6 That's My Kind Of Night Luke Bryan 5
7 Hold On Colbie Caillat 11
8 Sweeter Than Fiction Taylor Swift 7
9 Wake Me Up Avicii 8
10 I Love You Said the Whale 12
11 Who You Love (feat. Katy Perry) John Mayer 13
12 Roar Katy Perry 10
13 Human Christina Perri 16
14 Saideira (feat. Samuel Rosa) Santana 19
15 The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) Ylvis 9
16 Changing of the Seasons Two Door Cinema Club 15
17 Shake The Head And The Heart 14
18 The Heart of Dixie Danielle Bradbery 20
19 Sleeping With a Friend Neon Trees --
20 Hey Brother Avicii --


CHART NOTES

Pitbull reaches the top of the chart after only 2 weeks. "Timber" the hit single featuring vocals by Kesha jumps from #6 to #1 this week in only the song's 3rd week on the chart. Two weeks ago "Timber" debut at #19. Now it's #1.

Two song make their chart debut: The latest from Neon Trees is called "Sleeping With a Friend". That single enters at #19. Coming in at #20 is "Hey Brother" by Avcii, who is still on the chart with the former #1 song "Wake Me Up" now at #9 this week.

Songs That Went to #1 in 2014

Timber - Pitull featuring Kesha (1)
Unconditionally - Katy Perry (3)

(x) = Total weeks @ #1

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Catching Up With Mel's Weekly Top 20

We catch up on the last 2 weeks worth of Mel's Weekly Top 20 charts.

Katy Perry - Unconditionally



Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of January 12, 2014.

This WeekTitleArtistLast Week
1 Unconditionally (3rd Week @ #1) Katy Perry 1
2 The Walker Fitz & The Tantrums 2
3 Royals Lorde 3
4 Harlem New Politics 6
5 That's My Kind Of Night Luke Bryan 4
6 Timber (feat. Ke$ha) Pitbull 19
7 Sweeter Than Fiction Taylor Swift 5
8 Wake Me Up Avicii 10
9 The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) Ylvis 7
10 Roar Katy Perry 8
11 Hold On Colbie Caillat 11
12 I Love You Said the Whale 13
13 Who You Love (feat. Katy Perry) John Mayer 14
14 Shake The Head And The Heart 15
15 Changing of the Seasons Two Door Cinema Club 16
16 Human Christina Perri 20
17 Compass Lady Antebellum 9
18 Slow Down Selena Gomez 12
19 Saideira (feat. Samuel Rosa) Santana --
20 The Heart of Dixie Danielle Bradbery --




Luke Bryan - That's My Kind of Night



Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of January 5, 2014.

This WeekTitleArtistLast Week
1 Unconditionally Katy Perry 1
2 The Walker Fitz & The Tantrums 2
3 Royals Lorde 4
4 That's My Kind Of Night Luke Bryan 5
5 "Sweeter Than Fiction (From ""One Chance"" Soundtrack)" Taylor Swift 3
6 Harlem New Politics 10
7 The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) Ylvis 6
8 Roar Katy Perry 7
9 Compass Lady Antebellum 9
10 Wake Me Up Avicii 8
11 Hold On Colbie Caillat 13
12 Slow Down Selena Gomez 14
13 I Love You Said the Whale 15
14 Who You Love (feat. Katy Perry) John Mayer 17
15 Shake The Head And The Heart 16
16 Changing of the Seasons Two Door Cinema Club 20
17 Underneath the Tree Kelly Clarkson 11
18 Just Another Girl The Killers 12
19 Timber (feat. Ke$ha) Pitbull --
20 Human Christina Perri --


Friday, January 17, 2014

Flashback Friday: Christine McVie & Fleetwood Mac



FLASHBACK FRIDAY on Mel's Internet Universe Music Blog

Big news breaking this week was notification that longtime Fleetwood Mac vocalist Christine McVie is re-joining the band after a long hiatus. The news broke in Billboard Magazine this week: "The band's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, has confirmed to Billboard that McVie has rejoined the band after departing the group in 1998."

McVie who joined the band in the early 1970s has been responsible for singing and writing some of the band's most well known hits including "Don't Stop", "Songbird", "Say You Love Me", "Over My Head", "You Make Loving Fun", "Little Lies", "Everywhere" and "As Long As You Follow" to name some here. She pre-dates the band's most well known line-up by a few years when she used to share vocal duties with former bandmates Bob Welch and Danny Kirwin.

Today, McVie joins the band's most well known line-up which also includes her ex, John McVie; singer-songwriters Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham and percussionist - drummer Mick Fleetwood.

Fans are hoping that Fleetwood Mac goes on tour this year with the revived line-up and even work on and release a new album.

Fleetwood Mac is the only band that I have seen in concert twice, once in 1977 and again in 1980. Mick Fleetwood is a part time Hawaii resident and put in an appearance at the Hawaii State Legislature last year lobbying for a privacy bill with fellow rocker Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith.





Saturday, January 11, 2014

Flashback Friday: The Beatles - 50 Years Ago



FLASHBACK FRIDAY: The Beatles "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

A day late but not a dollar short, the Flashback Friday track for today takes us 50 years into the past and the release and charting of the first American hit for The Beatles. Yes, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" a single penned by Lennon and McCartney and vocalized mainly by John Lennon became the first big hit in America by the Fab Four. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on January 18, 1964 and by early February was a #1 hit single. It held on to the #1 spot for 5 weeks and established The Beatles as a bonafide hit making rock n roll group.

They would invade America a few weeks later by showing up for their famous live performances on CBS TV's "Ed Sullivan Show". The rest as they say, is history!




Original Capitol Records issue 45 rpm.


My CD3 version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

50 Years ago I was only a kid when I first heard the song. From the time I heard it on the radio or somewhere unknown, I was hooked. The Beatles became my favorite rock n roll group of all time... the gold standard to all other rock acts that followed. To me "I Want To Hold Your Hand" is the first signature song among many that was recorded by The Beatles until their break-up in 1970.

I never owned the original 45 but have many reissues of the song on various Beatles singles and albums on different types of media.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Flashback Friday: The Everly Brothers



FLASHBACK FRIDAY on Mel's Internet Universe Music Blog

Word out today is that Phil Everly, one of the two Everly Brothers died today at the age of 74. The Everly Brothers consisting of brothers Phil and Don enjoyed huge chart success in the late 1950s and early 1960s with hits such as "Wake Up Little Susie", "Bye Bye Love", "Til I Kissed You", and "Let It Be Me". In the above clip they perform two of their most well known hits: "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Cathy's Clown".

The Everly Brothers were influenced the sound of many rock artists to follow, most notably The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and many others. Paul McCartney paid tribute to them in his Wings hit, "Let Em In" which mentions Phil and Don in one of the song's verses.

Link: The Everly Brothers (Wikipedia) | Discography


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - January 1, 2014.



Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of January 1, 2014.

This WeekTitleArtistLast Week
1 Unconditionally Katy Perry 2
2 The Walker Fitz & The Tantrums 1
3 "Sweeter Than Fiction (From ""One Chance"" Soundtrack)" Taylor Swift 3
4 Royals Lorde 4
5 That's My Kind Of Night Luke Bryan 7
6 The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) Ylvis 5
7 Roar Katy Perry 8
8 Wake Me Up Avicii 9
9 Compass Lady Antebellum 13
10 Harlem New Politics 15
11 Underneath the Tree Kelly Clarkson 6
12 Just Another Girl The Killers 12
13 Hold On Colbie Caillat 16
14 Slow Down Selena Gomez 14
15 I Love You Said the Whale 17
16 Sail AWOLNATION 11
17 Who You Love (feat. Katy Perry) John Mayer 19
18 Shake The Head And The Heart 20
19 Light of Christmas (feat. tobyMac) Owl City 10
20 Changing of the Seasons Two Door Cinema Club --