Chris Stroffolino: August 17, 2008

When that old folk song, “Hallelujah I’m A Bum” meets Bo Diddley(R.I.P) (and that ain’t no Johnny Otis whistlin’ “Willie and The Hand Jive”

I heard a Bo Diddley tribute on local college station KALX (and they played songs influenced by him, and hardley ANY Bo-Diddley. Ugh. That’s not what we need. We need more BO DIDDLEY (at least they played The Animals “The Story Of Bo Diddley” alongside “I Want Candy” and The Smiths policies (threatening to become law as so many elected officials remain ignorant of the political, democratic, stakes involved in this issue) is to contact www. savenetradio.org

1. “The Swim”, Bobby Freeman

   It seems that most of the national dance crazes back in the days came from the east coast (or Detroit or New Orleans), but here’s one that actually came from San Francisco

2. Marc Bolan, “San Francisco Poet”

   Yes, the T. Rex frontman, the b-side to his second single before he joined John’s Children juxtaposing it with rockets and strippers

3. Louis Jordan “Caledonia” etc
   Joe Jackson maybe turned a lot of white people onto Jordan back in the early 1980s, covering “Is You is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby” which DJ_Schmeejay on KUSF just played (Because July 8, 1908 is Louis Jordan’s birthday).
4. Dixie Chicks, “Goodbye Earl”

   pleasure to hear it again, on a country show hosted by Nick Swisher and sponsored by Bank of America and the voice of The Oakland Athletics

5. Isaac Hayes, “Hold On I’m Coming”

   He also died this week. the 60s stuff before he became the overblown “Black Moses” in Wattstax is still his best stuff, even if his last words were not, “I”m a soul, man”!

6. Ken Emerson, Always Magic In The Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of The Brill Building

   More on this book later…

7. George Strait, “Old Troubadour”
8. Nick Cave, DIG LAZARUS DIG

   I think Mr. Cave may very well be defying many prejudices about music and getting better and better

9. Bart Davenport, “Really Into Music”

   The winner of my “Songs that are like David Bowie probably circa 1965 when he had a minor hit with it. He

   reminds me of Roy Orbison as a vocalist, or Nat “King” Cole if he had grown up listening (or watching) James Brown but still wanted to be Nat “King” Cole as much as possible…McKibben’s organization, “Step It Up, ‘07,” may prove to be an ally. I like that he appeals to the feeling (how the expense of basic trust and grassroots communit

10. I Gotcha, “Joe Tex”

    Because sometimes you just have to