Blaze
01-05-2011, 09:18 AM
Peter Hodgson | 01.05.2011
Some of us are freezing in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere. For those readers, here are some songs to warm you up with thoughts of sunshine. For those of us partying by the pool in the southern hemisphere, here’s your summer soundtrack.
10. “Kokomo” - The Beach Boys
You really didn’t think this countdown could neglect the ultimate cruisy, summery, beachy song, did you? “Kokomo” has it all: gentle melodies, Caribbean percussion and a mulleted John Stamos playing bongos in a pink singlet.
Or, if you’ve recovered from “Kokomo” and you prefer earlier Beach Boys, “I Get Around” is the perfect anthem for summer nights cruising down the strip. Brian Wilson and Co. were uncannily able to channel the vibe of the beach and teenagerdom into musical form, and while they reached astronomical heights on Pet Sounds, their poppier numbers remain a not-so-guilty pleasure.
9. “Sunshine Superman” - Donovan
A #1 hit for the Scottish singer-songwriter in 1968, this sunny psychedelic classic features one Jimmy Page on guitar. The yearning, twanging tones of Page’s single-note lines match the constant lyrical references to beaches and sunsets.
8. “Summer in the City” - The Lovin’ Spoonful
Another Billboard #1, this 1966 hit started life as a poem by Mark Sebastian, brother of the band’s John Sebastian, and was knocked into shape as a song by John and bass player Steve Boone. It’s also an early example of studio craft, with a middle section made up of car horns and jackhammers to evoke the sounds of the city.
7. “Wipe Out” - The Surfaris
While practically any track by the Surfaris, The Ventures or The Shadows could easily make this list (would you expect anything less from a genre actually called surf music?), “Wipe Out” makes the cut purely for its combination of energy, vibe and all-around cool. It’s been covered by The Ventures, Sha Na Na, Phish, Gary Hoey, Steve Vai, and even The Smashing Pumpkins.
6. “Summer of ’69” - Bryan Adams
Crunchy guitars. Nostalgia. Not-so-subtle allusions to lustful awakenings. “Summer of ’69” is an anthem for everyone who stood at the precipice of both summer and adulthood at the same time then took a big breath and a bigger leap.
5. “Summer Nights” - Van Halen
With David Lee Roth, Van Halen were the ultimate, late-night party band. On their first album with Sammy Hagar, 5150, they were the archetypal purveyors of roof-down, cruisin’ by the beach rock. The lone guitar on the intro to “Summer Nights” is a classic of the “Dude, turn the radio up – I love this song” variety, and the chorus prompts an inescapable sing-along. You can practically smell the hot vinyl from the dashboard and the dizzying aroma of sunscreen and ice cream as the song moves through its myriad key changes and returns to the intro riff for one last big round of choruses.
4. “California Girls” - David Lee Roth
The Beach Boys’ original version of this song is an undisputed classic, and its musical and cultural influence cannot be underestimated or overstated. But David Lee Roth’s 1985 cover had just as much of an impact, albeit in a different way. In his autobiography, Crazy From the Heat, Roth explains that the video’s unique, color-saturated look, for which he won the Cinematographer Award from Kodak, was a direct result of the glacier goggles he refused to take off during editing. “I did not see the video till a month later, when it shows up on MTV, and it looks like somebody nuked the set,” Roth writes. “It looks like Chernobyl meets Chuck Jones. It’s electrifying.” Roth claims the video directly influenced the look of subsequent videos by many other artists.
3. “Summertime Blues” - Eddie Cochran
For a song recorded in 1958, “Summertime Blues” still sounds amazingly current, yet today’s world is far, far different to the one Cochran sang about. Russia’s Sputnik 1 burns up on re-entry, Britain installs its first parking meters, Elvis joins the Army, and instant noodles go on sale for the first time. The song struck a chord with listeners back in the day, and has been covered by The Beach Boys, The Who, Marc Bolan & T. Rex, Blue Cheer and Alan Jackson. Rolling Stone named it the 73rd greatest song of all time. Cochran died in 1960, at age 21, but his song will always live on.
2. “Here Comes the Sun” - The Beatles
Is there a better song to wake up to on a sunny morning? Cool breeze nudging the curtains, dappled sunlight falling across the room, and the shimmery, proto-indie guitar tones of one Mr. George Harrison. “Here Comes the Sun” is one of several Abbey Road tracks which found Harrison asserting his songwriting voice (“Something” is another classic from the sessions. “Here Comes the Sun” simply and succinctly sums up the early days of summer.
1. “California Dreamin’” - The Mamas & The Papas
There couldn’t be a more perfect song for this theme. Daydreaming of the glory days of summer while freezing one’s butt off in the deepest winter. Written in New York by John and Michelle Phillips, the song captures both the desolation of winter (“All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey…”) and the kitty-in-a-sunbeam comfort of summer (“I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A.”)
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/summer-lovin-0105-2011/
Peter has many of the Videos posted on his Journal. :baaa:
Some of us are freezing in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere. For those readers, here are some songs to warm you up with thoughts of sunshine. For those of us partying by the pool in the southern hemisphere, here’s your summer soundtrack.
10. “Kokomo” - The Beach Boys
You really didn’t think this countdown could neglect the ultimate cruisy, summery, beachy song, did you? “Kokomo” has it all: gentle melodies, Caribbean percussion and a mulleted John Stamos playing bongos in a pink singlet.
Or, if you’ve recovered from “Kokomo” and you prefer earlier Beach Boys, “I Get Around” is the perfect anthem for summer nights cruising down the strip. Brian Wilson and Co. were uncannily able to channel the vibe of the beach and teenagerdom into musical form, and while they reached astronomical heights on Pet Sounds, their poppier numbers remain a not-so-guilty pleasure.
9. “Sunshine Superman” - Donovan
A #1 hit for the Scottish singer-songwriter in 1968, this sunny psychedelic classic features one Jimmy Page on guitar. The yearning, twanging tones of Page’s single-note lines match the constant lyrical references to beaches and sunsets.
8. “Summer in the City” - The Lovin’ Spoonful
Another Billboard #1, this 1966 hit started life as a poem by Mark Sebastian, brother of the band’s John Sebastian, and was knocked into shape as a song by John and bass player Steve Boone. It’s also an early example of studio craft, with a middle section made up of car horns and jackhammers to evoke the sounds of the city.
7. “Wipe Out” - The Surfaris
While practically any track by the Surfaris, The Ventures or The Shadows could easily make this list (would you expect anything less from a genre actually called surf music?), “Wipe Out” makes the cut purely for its combination of energy, vibe and all-around cool. It’s been covered by The Ventures, Sha Na Na, Phish, Gary Hoey, Steve Vai, and even The Smashing Pumpkins.
6. “Summer of ’69” - Bryan Adams
Crunchy guitars. Nostalgia. Not-so-subtle allusions to lustful awakenings. “Summer of ’69” is an anthem for everyone who stood at the precipice of both summer and adulthood at the same time then took a big breath and a bigger leap.
5. “Summer Nights” - Van Halen
With David Lee Roth, Van Halen were the ultimate, late-night party band. On their first album with Sammy Hagar, 5150, they were the archetypal purveyors of roof-down, cruisin’ by the beach rock. The lone guitar on the intro to “Summer Nights” is a classic of the “Dude, turn the radio up – I love this song” variety, and the chorus prompts an inescapable sing-along. You can practically smell the hot vinyl from the dashboard and the dizzying aroma of sunscreen and ice cream as the song moves through its myriad key changes and returns to the intro riff for one last big round of choruses.
4. “California Girls” - David Lee Roth
The Beach Boys’ original version of this song is an undisputed classic, and its musical and cultural influence cannot be underestimated or overstated. But David Lee Roth’s 1985 cover had just as much of an impact, albeit in a different way. In his autobiography, Crazy From the Heat, Roth explains that the video’s unique, color-saturated look, for which he won the Cinematographer Award from Kodak, was a direct result of the glacier goggles he refused to take off during editing. “I did not see the video till a month later, when it shows up on MTV, and it looks like somebody nuked the set,” Roth writes. “It looks like Chernobyl meets Chuck Jones. It’s electrifying.” Roth claims the video directly influenced the look of subsequent videos by many other artists.
3. “Summertime Blues” - Eddie Cochran
For a song recorded in 1958, “Summertime Blues” still sounds amazingly current, yet today’s world is far, far different to the one Cochran sang about. Russia’s Sputnik 1 burns up on re-entry, Britain installs its first parking meters, Elvis joins the Army, and instant noodles go on sale for the first time. The song struck a chord with listeners back in the day, and has been covered by The Beach Boys, The Who, Marc Bolan & T. Rex, Blue Cheer and Alan Jackson. Rolling Stone named it the 73rd greatest song of all time. Cochran died in 1960, at age 21, but his song will always live on.
2. “Here Comes the Sun” - The Beatles
Is there a better song to wake up to on a sunny morning? Cool breeze nudging the curtains, dappled sunlight falling across the room, and the shimmery, proto-indie guitar tones of one Mr. George Harrison. “Here Comes the Sun” is one of several Abbey Road tracks which found Harrison asserting his songwriting voice (“Something” is another classic from the sessions. “Here Comes the Sun” simply and succinctly sums up the early days of summer.
1. “California Dreamin’” - The Mamas & The Papas
There couldn’t be a more perfect song for this theme. Daydreaming of the glory days of summer while freezing one’s butt off in the deepest winter. Written in New York by John and Michelle Phillips, the song captures both the desolation of winter (“All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey…”) and the kitty-in-a-sunbeam comfort of summer (“I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A.”)
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/summer-lovin-0105-2011/
Peter has many of the Videos posted on his Journal. :baaa: