Beach Boys : Pet Sounds
 |
Today’s album of the day is Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
It’s Victoria Day long weekend in Canada, the unofficial beginning of summer. I’m dedicating this ultimate sun, sand, and water album to all those misguided souls who drove through 5 hours of nose to tail traffic to get to a cottage on a lake only a couple of hundred kilometers north of Toronto – only to repeat the process in reverse on Monday. Enjoy! My favourite tracks:
|
Jools Holland : Swinging The Blues, Dancing The Ska
 |
Today’s album of the day is Swinging The Blues, Dancing The Ska by Jools Holland
Moving from ska to swing without totally leaving ska … Jools playing Boogie-Woogie for the 21st century with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. A wonderfully eclectic mix of music. My favourite tracks:
|
Madness : One Step Beyond
 |
Today’s album of the day is One Step Beyond by Madness
I started off listening to a new release, That Difficult First Album by Blackpool band Ska Face. This reminded me to check out a Toronto Band, Skaface. Things got confusing, so I moved on to another Stiff album, this time the 1979 debut album of North London’s best ska group, Madness. Inspired by Prince Buster, these guys lay down a lovely bouncy beat behind the often silly lyrics … even I dance to this one! Check out the Youtube links and see if you can sit still. My favourite tracks:
|
Smoke-free Owen Sound Core?
The Sun Times published my letter to the editor:
RE: Chamber makes wish list for city
By Alan BrandIf Joanne Horton, president of the Owen Sound & District Chamber of Commerce, wants to make Owen Sound’s downtown core “more people friendly” and “really inviting to walk”, may I suggest that she promote a smoke-free environment?
I have a severe allergic reaction to some of the chemicals in cigarette smoke, similar to the better-known peanut allergy. I can be triggered into anaphylactic shock just by walking along 2nd Ave. East most days.
Given that approximately one in five adults in Canada is a smoker, is it right that the majority should be forced to endure the second-hand smoke of the minority?
Owen Sound’s core is one of the city’s main attractions. My shopping dollars would be directed to the downtown stores if only I could get to them.
The Impressions : The Impressions
 |
Today’s album of the day is The Impressions by The Impressions
More sounds of soul and R&B. The first album of “The Curtis Mayfield Years”, when Curtis Mayfield took over lead singer duties after co-founder Jerry Butler left for a solo career. In later years, as his social conscience became a larger part of his songs, Mayfield influenced the early ska/rocksteady groups such as The Heptones, and Bob Marley and the Wailers, before he hit his Superfly stride. The tracks on this album are less political, more traditional, in substance. My favourite tracks:
|
