W♥M (Archive)

Songs about Werewolves

 

Ginger Snaps

In my final installment of Halloween treats, I'm going to compile some songs about Werewolves. I actually had a lot more Halloween-related posts I wanted to do, but lately I have not been home.

It began with the Greek mythology about Lycaon who was transformed into a wolf from eating human flesh. The term "werewolf" is based on old English, meaning "man-wolf".

In modern pop culture, the definitive portrayal of the Werewolf was by Lon Chaney Jr in "The Wolf Man" (1941).

Some characteristics of the Werewolves (all based on folklore): Once bitten by a Werewolf, that person also becomes a Werewolf. They turn into a Werewolf on a Full Moon. The only way to kill them is with a Silver bullet.

 

Michael Shields - Ginger Snaps Theme

 

My favorite Werewolf movies are "Ginger Snaps". The first movie is about two teenage girls. It was brilliantly executed, paralleling the transformation to a Werewolf and going through puberty. The second movie does the same thing - only Werewolf/drug addiction. The third movie takes place in the past. All the sequels are very different from each other, in story and theme, but they are all about Werewolves.

Update: I was gonna add this yesterday, thought better of it, but Vu's convinced me... The Ginger Snaps theme, composed Michael Shields and available only on his website for free download. It's hauntingly good! Oh maybe I should also mention that the girl who played Bridget in the movie, Emily Perkins (shorter darked haired one), came to my Uni a couple years ago to give a lecture / q&a session on the show (all 3 of which we got to see free, though I'd seen the first before), then ran off with and married one of the Uni lecturers! And that thing about puberty is exactly what I though, but apparently it is just about lesbians. Who knew. - Christopher.

 

Cocorosie - Werewolf My favorite Werewolf song is - hands down - "Werewolf" by Cocorosie. Coco (Bianca Casady) and Rosie (Sierra Casady) are real-life sisters. They have released three albums through Touch and Go Records. I don't know which of the two is singing (probably Coco as her name goes first in their name), but she has this very interesting vocal style. It's like a weird accent, it reminds me a lot of Joanna Newsom[W♥M]	Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London Warren Zevon has perhaps the best-known song of this group, "Werewolves of London". The song has a comic feel to it and not to be taken too seriously. According to listeners' polls, on the Jeremy Vine show, the first verse is the #1 "Greatest Opening Song Line." I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's Going to get a big dish of beef chow mein
Running Wild - Prowling Werewolf Running Wild are a German heavy metal band from the 80s. What you probably didn't guess is that this song (and many of their other songs) are in English. "Prowling Werewolf", in particular, is a pretty good song. It's more like a power rock song than metal. An interesting note about Running Wild, is that they became the world's first "Pirate Metal" band. They arrrrr still an active band.	London - Werewolves In London Speaking of cheesy 80s metal, this song "Werewolf in London" by London, was suggested by This Episode. The song is fairly typical of this genre: loud guitars and the lead singer can really scream. Incidentally, in doing research for this American band, I found out that there is a British band also called London. But they are better suited for this name, seeing as they do live in London...
Harry and the Potters - My Teacher is a Werewolf Harry and the Potters was previously mentioned on W♥M. I've never read any of the books, but I get the impression that one of Harry's teacher was turned in a Werewolf? This information is what I've derived from the song. As for Werewolves in Harry Potter, apparently there's only three in the series: Remus Lupin, unnamed character, and Fenrir Greyback. I've deduced that Lupin is the teacher by day and wolf at night.	Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - She Said I didn't know about Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's "She Said" until Life in Ruins mentioned it. Listening to the lyrics, it's obvious now. The "She" in this song are words spoken by a Gypsy, who warns that the singer is a Werewolf: "you ain't a man no more, you're outta control. These wolf bites gonna find out what its like to lose your soul."
Scary Bitches - Werewolf Scary Bitches has a song called "Werewolf". Beyond that, I don't really know much about this British band. They seem to have a huge following in Germany, and are drenched in Goth-Rock.	La Union - Lobo Hombre En Paris La Union's song "Lobo Hombre in Paris" is a Spanish song, sent in by Cristina. Since I don't understand Spanish, I just thought of that movie "An American Werewolf in Paris" - the sequel to "An American Werewolf in London". But I am assuming this song pre-date the 1997 film?
the Dillinger Escape Plan - Sunshine the Werewolf The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Sunshine the Werewolf" is LOUD. It's too loud and hardcore and screamo for me to really enjoy. I figure if I was ever at one of their live show that I would go deaf instantly. However, before you start to turn down the volume, two minutes into the song and there is a nice break in the song. I still can't figure what the song has to do with Werewolves?	The Born Losers - Werewolves on Wheels Cristina also sent in this song "Werewolf on Wheels" by The Born Losers. I had a hell (haha) of a time looking for the album art for this album. It's a various artist album called Halloween Party. I had even a harder time finding any information about The Born Losers. This song is just an instrumental. I guess it's best imagined if you saw a hairy Werewolf on a motorcyle!
Metallica - Of Wolf and Man Metallica's song "Of Wolf and Man" is essentially about a Werewolf. The song is loud and includes a some crazy guitar noodles half way into the song (this part makes me think of hair bands from the 80s!). My favorite line from the song is: "The company we keep/Roaming the land while you sleep".	The Browns - American Werewolf in Calgary The (Motherf******) Browns are a punchy powerpunk band - similar to Blink 182. I thought this song was very poppy/fun band, and as their song title suggests, they really are based in Calgary, Canada. They're currently releasing their music on Meter Records.
Southern Culture On The Skids - Werewolf I have to say that I have rather enjoyed this song by Southern Culture on the Skids (SCOTS). The song simply is called "Werewolf". They kind of remind me of surf rock and has a very 70s feel to it (for a band that's in the mid-80s to 90s).	Cat Power - Werewolf Finally, remember that Cat Power song that was requested by a reader so long ago? Guess what? It's about a Werewolf! An interesting note about this song is that it's a cover! Originally written by Michael Hurley. Apparently Chan Marshall is a huge Hurley fan as she's also covered two of his other songs, "Sweedeedee" and "Troubled Water".

 

 10/31/2007 23:25:14  vu my♥posts [email protected] wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

Not Exactly Halloween Songs

Here's my contribution for Halloween related music. I had an idea to post songs that were created specifically for Halloween, can be interpreted as Halloween songs, or conjure up images of Halloween. Hopefully you agree.

 

Haunted Castle

Belaire
"Haunted Castle" from Haunted Castle 7"
First up is Belaire's "Haunted Castle" from their out-of-print 7-inch with the same title. It's a perfect Halloween inspired song and the lyrics are quite straight-forward so there's no need for explanation.
Official Website | MySpace | Label | W♥M Post

Skulls

BlackBlack
"Skulls" from BlackBlack EP 2
BlackBlack's "Skulls" is a Misfits cover about wanting and needing skulls. Instead of the high-energy, upbeat, punk sound, they covered it as a down-tempo, slow, dull (not in a bad way, it fits the tempo), rock song.
Official Website | MySpace

Skeleton Song

Kate Nash
"Skeleton Song" from Made of Bricks
Kate Nash's "Skeleton Song" is a happy sounding, upbeat, pop song about love, though you don't have to view it that way. Since it's Halloween, you can view it as some weird relationship with a live skeleton.
Official Website | Virb | MySpace | Label

The Dandy Cowboys

Soko
"The Dandy Cowboys" from Not Sokute - EP
"The Dandy Cowboys" adds to the wonderful songs that Soko creates. It's a love song about a cowboy couple in which a lady is telling a man how much she loves him... or does she?
Virb | MySpace

Ghosts Have the Best Time

The Panda Band
"Ghosts Have the Best Time" from This Vital Chapter
I'm not exactly sure what this song's about, but I guess if you're dressing up for Halloween, go as a ghost.
MySpace | Label

Black Magic

Jarvis Cocker
"Black Magic" from Jarvis
"Black Magic" is about that dark magic that "blows your mind away and takes you somewhere that you wanna stay".
Official Website | MySpace | Label | W♥M Posts

October Leaves (October)

The Good Life
"October Leaves (October)" from Album of the Year
"October Leaves" isn't about or related to Halloween, but I thought it was a good song to segue away from Halloween. It's a beautiful song about someone acting differently around their partner around this time of the year; "everything's changed."
Official Website | MySpace | Label

Happy Halloween!

Posted by Jason

 

Soundtrack Maestros: Goblin

Goblin - Tenebre

My fascination with Italian Prog-Rock band Goblin (and film scores in general) began right after my first viewing of Dario Argento's Tenebre. The giallo was pretty good, but I couldn't get the dramatic, porno-disco theme out of my head. I kept going back and rewinding the first few minutes of the tape. It didn't take too long to realize that I would be Goblin's skeazy bitch for life.

 

Goblin - Profondo Rosso (Main Title)

Goblin is and will always be associated with Italian horror auteur Dario Argento. In 1975, he offered an unknown Cherry Five the opportunity to replace composer Giorgio Gaslini on the excellent film Profondo Rosso. With a slight line-up change and a new moniker, they went straight to the top of the charts for 56 weeks. In their short three-year existence, they would also score Argento's much beloved Suspiria and Zombi, his cut of Dawn of the Dead.

 

Goblin - Suspiria

Through the 80s, bassist Fabio Pignatelli continued to work on soundtracks under the Goblin name -- with and without any of the original band members. Keyboardist Claudio Simonetti encountered success in composing and producing dance music. Some credit him as one of the founders of the somewhat hated Italo Disco movement. He also scored a number of horror films, including all of Argento's most recent projects.

 

Goblin - Zombi

In 2000, Dario Argento managed to reunite Pignatelli and Simonetti with guitarist Massimo Morante and drummer Agostino Marangolo for Non ho Sonno. The soundtrack, while a little heavier than expected, was a really good surprise. The band planned to perform live for the first time in decades at Cult Con 2000 in Tarrytown, NY. Unfortunately, someone got a little pissy and a threat of a lawsuit was thrown around. Hence, only Simonetti and his band Daemonia showed up. The hate was back on!

 

Goblin - Mark Il Bagarozzo

But, that wasn't quite the end for Goblin. Five years later, Pignatelli, Morante, and Marangolo would hook up with Goblin's other keyboardist, Maurizio Guarini, and release Back to the Goblin 2005. Admittedly, I tend to favor their work with Simonetti, but this is a pretty classic Goblinesque affair. No complaints from me.

 

 

annoyed by time constraints, Cristina

Little Blue Crunchy Things - Halloween

Little Blue Crunchy Things - Halloween

Little Blue Crunchy Things - Licorice

Little Blue Crunchy Things - Florence (Goes To Hell)

Little Blue Crunchy Things - Sindy

Fed up with Haloween tricks? Well oh boy do I have a big treat for you today, a big fat musical onesugar coated with an assortment of what we like to call Little Blue Crunchy Things. Also know as the damn well finest musicians to ever grace the state out of Wisconsin, if not the entire planed.

I first came across LBCT's blend of funk, jazz, hip-hop, blues, rock, rap, ska, country and who knows wtf else on the tabloid Jenny Jones chat show which incidently happened to have one of the finest line up of live band appearances I've ever seen on TV, but enough of that... Over five years I searched far and wide for every single thing the band have ever recorded, which wasn't so easy as they officially broke up around 2000, before I first heard of them.

They formed in the late 80s in Milwaukee, WI, fronted by a man called Noah Tabakin. They recorded three studio and two live albums but due to their range of styles and extended length of the albums it feels like a hell of a lot more. Noah freestyles, raps and beatboxes over a few songs, in addition to playing the sax and DJing. Some of the finest saxaphonests, bassists, funk guitarists and drummers in the area joined up, add in some trombone, trumpet, covers of heavy metal songs, and a range of vocalists from female hip-hop to male country singers and you have one of the widest musical styles to a band I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. No wonder frontman Noah is now part of a so-called "circus punk marching band".

Anyway, I've included a few songs in this post, but focusing primarily on anything with a bit of a dark side.
Starting up is the obvious "Halloween", their only released instrumental track from a live show in 1996.
"Licorice", which hopefully not to much of you are treated with tonight (it sucks, eh?) is from the same show, and demonstrates Noah's hip-hop vocal style.
Up third is a version of LBCT song "Florence" that was re-jigged by the band for their special Halloween shows throughout the 90s, and rebranded "Florence Goes To Hell" by their fans. It's much more of a treat if you've heard the original first, as this one flips the light hearted acoustic tune on it's much darker sided head.
Finally there's one of my favourite LBCT tunes, the synthed up, sexed up "Sindy" from their last ever official show in 2000.

I say official as the band to this day still get together to play reunion shows every now and then. Unfortunately a wee English kid with no money can not afford the trip over the pond, so has to make do with whatever turns up online. Which ain't much; below are the only videos of the band I've ever found - poor quality, dark, mobile phone clips, but fuck me if the 40 seconds of "Billy The Kid" on there isn't the best sounding country style track I've ever heard.

LBCT - Billy The Kid

LBCT - Hot Tub

LBCT - Wasp

Anyway, if there's one thing you do on a whim from this site, I'd suggest it's grab a hold of every Little Blue Crunchy Things album you can find, most of which are on digital download sites right now. You can start on their MySpace site and if you're not full enough of treats by this evening, just take a listen to Angels, the original Florence, Thunder, Hurricane, Babies, How Ya Gonna Do Me, Slip Away... hell, anything, and you'll get a taste of the greatest musicians ever.

- Christopher

The Devil's Hair

Did you know the Devil has hair ?? In fact, there's a few songs about his hair... this is continuing with the Halloween theme, of course.  By the way, there's way too many songs devoted to the Devil and Satan!!  We'll have to save them for next Halloween.

 

 

Pirate Prude - Devil's Hairslut

PIRATE PRUDE
♥ myspace.com/pirateprude ♥ pirateprude.wordpress.com

Mark Freifeld got the name Pirate Prude from Helium's debut EP (see my article on Mary Timony/Helium).

"Devil's Hairslut" starts off very quiet, and then 25 seconds into the song you hear some guitars. There is this line in the song that goes "To dance with the Devil in the pale moon light" - and of course I just think of The Joker from Tim Burton's Batman (1989).

Pirate Prude's CD will be called "Exile In Circuitville", an obvious nod to Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville" (which in turns got its name from the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street").

You can download this song, as well as a few others on ilike.

Beck - Devils Haircut

Them - I Can Only Give You Everything

BECK
♥ www.beck.com

Beck Hansen really doesn't need an introduction. You can read my review of his last CD on W♥M, and as I suspected, everyone loves him.

The main thing about this catchy song is that it's comprised mostly of samples. According to wikipedia, The drums are from Pretty Purdie's "Soul Drums" and the verses from Them's cover of James Brown's "Out of Sight". The guitar riff was taken from Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything".

I am including "I Can Only Give You Everything" for you to reference.

 

Momus - The Hairstyle of the Devil

MOMUS
♥ www.imomus.com

I really love this Momus song, the "Hairstyle of the Devil". It sounds very Pet Shop Boy-ish, which is what I absolutely love about it.

Check out this great video on youtube.  You should also read my Momus article.

The song ends with some lyrics lifted from the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" (see how all this comes around?)

If you know other Satan songs about his hair, let me know.

 10/30/2007 02:10:43  vu my♥posts [email protected] ilike.com/artist/Pirate+Prude

ASA, Arised from Nigeria

ASA [asha] - Fire On The Mountain
Uploaded by naiverecords

Asa, to be pronounced Asha, is a spring of peace.

Her voice brings messages as easily as wise men might do it in her own country. I can imagine her surrounded by brothers and sisters, listening to the words of freedom. Her lyrics aren't light-headed. She knows what she talks about. And we can see her world through her songs. There is no need of artifice. The acoustic guitar brings us on a velvet coach from one song to the other.

A soul-funky-reggae attitude can't prevent me from thinking of Tracy Chapman or Ayo. But " little hawk" ( meaning of Asa ) has decided to fly on her own and she does it right. She flies from involved tunes ( " Fire on the mountain" ) to ballads in Yoruba. Her vibrations are both cool and meaningful. We can feel the roots, the real ones. Her just-released album ( " Asa " ) is really worth being checked if you feel ready to enter rhythms full of HiStory...

�10/29/2007 22:29:39� my♥posts inuit66.vox.com www.asamusic.net

Saint Bernadette, 11th Street Bar (10/23)

Saint Bernadette - Pieces Link Saint Bernadette View site Saint Bernadette @ the 11th Street Bar, NYC - Vox View site

Though the space at 11th Street Bar seemed somewhat claustrophobic, with tables placed almost directly in front of the band, it was suited perfectly for Saint Bernadette to interact with the audience, and, in turn, for the audience to watch them interact with each other and see that they were enjoying themselves.  Frontwoman Meredith's voice was smooth, raw, and haunting -- absolutely flawless (despite being 'plagued with a terrible illness'; it's doubtful that anyone would have realized had she not mentioned it).  Especially on "Pieces," a mellow, subdued, and wistful song.  Even the gritty, more rockish songs ("Lay Me Down"; listen on myspace) seemed to work, especially with the atmosphere of the space (apparently, they had to turn down the volume, due to the prior week's performance being too loud); every note resonated and drew the listeners into a world of vastly different, yet harmonious blend of pop, sonic rock, and jazz.  They closed with "Beat Dialogue," their more jazz-influenced song from their debut, In the Ballroom.  The experience is completely worth it; while In the Ballroom is enchanting and eclectic, the band's live performance, along with Meredith's confident presence, completes the package.  In fact, from what I've heard that evening, I look forward to their upcoming release (at least according to a few places on the web, it's called I Wanna Tell You Something; keep an eye -- or ear -- out for that).  Check the tour dates for when they hit your town.

Nov 17 2007 9:00P	SUB ROSA/Cousin Larry’s	Danbury, Connecticut
Nov 29 2007 9:00P	TBA	Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 30 2007 9:00P	TBA	Athens, Georgia
Dec 1 2007 8:00P	Westville Pub	Asheville, North Carolina
Dec 2 2007 9:00P	TBA	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 11 2007 8:00P	CROSS-POLLINATION at Piano’s (Upstairs)	NYC, New York

-Sil-puh C. // countstars.vox.com // saintbernadettemusic.com // myspace.com/saintbernadette

Jack the Ripper

Continuing with my semi-regular Halloween entries, my theme today is that infamous Jack the Ripper.

Screaming Lord Sutch - Jack The Ripper - Horror Side Casey Jones and the Governors - Jack the Ripper The Horrors - Jack the Ripper The White Stripes - Jack the Ripper Link Morrissey - Jack the Ripper http://weheartmus... So, it's time the tale was told on "Jack the Ripper"! The song originally appeared as a B-Side o...

JACK THE RIPPER
I'm not morbid, or anything, but I was a bit fascinated with Jack the Ripper when I bought my first issue of "From Hell", the comic book by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. It's not so much the story of Jack the Ripper that interested me - but the appendixes at the end of each issue!

I would often read a few pages and then instantly flip to the appendix to see why the writer decide to portray certain things. Moore is simply a brilliant storyteller, drawing his own conclusions based on actual details.

Here's an example of the appendix:

CHAPTER FIVE, Pages 28&29

written by Alan Moore

(excerpt)

From Hell - New Cover Edition

The details of Polly's murder are a fiction, although pieced together from certain facts. It is my belief that Polly Nicholls was killed by strangulation somewhere quite close to Buck's Row and then carried there physically before the body was mutilated. The fact that Polly was dead before the mutilations started would seem to be borne out of the lack of blood around the body, most of it having seeped into Polly's clothing. Arterial blood from a living body does not seep. It spurts, anything up to six or seven feet. Therefore, given the bruising upon Polly's neck and the sides of her face (see Jack the Ripper, A to Z by Begg, Skinner and Fido), I suggest that she was first killed by strangulation or by the more efficient method employed by [William] Gull here, that of squeezing shut the carotid artery. She was then taken to Buck's Row before the mutilations started, since there was no trail of blood leading into the street and I suggested the encounter with her killer and subsequent strangling could not have happened in Buck's Row without causing more noise....

Anyone interested in reading a fictional story based on factual reports on Jack the Ripper, I highly recommend "From Hell" (First Printing, November 1999). The paperback should set you back $35, but I'm sure you can find it used or new at a discounted price. I own all the original First Printing prestige formatted books as well as a collected version from Top Shelf Productions.

So here are some songs called "Jack the Ripper". I've previously mentioned about the Morrissey version, and in my research, I did find these new songs... one by this band called Casey Jones & The Governors. The the Jones song is actually very fun and I love it.

I found out that the song (as most "Jack the Ripper" songs) is actually originally by horror rocker Screaming Lord Sutch. He's very famous in England, but outside of the UK, he's virtually unknown. The weird thing is that in his live performances, he usually dress up as Jack the Ripper. The creepiest thing was that he committed suicide by hanging in 1999, apparently Lord Sutch suffered from clinical depression.

I got The White Stripes's "Jack the Ripper" Peel Session from devin306, I believe all the Peel Sessions were compiled in a bootleg.

The Horrors also covered "Jack the Ripper" as the intro song on their album Strange House (2007).

Other notable mentions:

• LL Cool J has a song called "Got You (Return of Jack The Ripper)", but unfortunately has nothing to do with the killer, so I've decided to not include the song here.
• Link Wray's 1963 "Jack the Ripper" is a surf-instrumental song. You can find out more information about the artist and song on www.linkwraylegend.com. Also, The Raybeats covered Link Wray's "Jack the Ripper", so essentially it sounds like the same song.

There are loads of Jack the Ripper band names, the most popular one is a from Paris, France.

PS, "From Hell" was eventually adapted for a major motion picture in 2001. The movie failed to capture what was interesting about Jack the Ripper (William Gull's character), but instead concentrated on Inspector Frederick George Abberline (played by Johnny Depp).

I wish the movie would've followed the book more closely, however I can understand that it is a movie and is very different from the book it's based on.

 10/29/2007 08:05:34  vu my♥posts [email protected] wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper

Jazz Note #1 - Make it Catchy

JAZZ NOTE # 1 – MAKE IT CATCHY

written by Dave

Miles Davis - Milestones

Miles Davis

As post-war Bebop began to wane into the cold war era, a group of jazz musicians sought to reconnect with their audience. Hard Bop, West Coast Cool, wherever the name, the songs usually stated a quick, catchy theme, letting the players take it from there. A few classics from this time are Lee Morgan’s “Sidewinder”, Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father” and this gem from Miles Davis, “Milestone” from the same-name 1958 Columbia record.

What I like most about this piece is how the hierarchy of the jazz combo is turned around. Usually, it’s the headliner that takes the lead and sets the tone. You would think in a song with “Miles” in the name that Davis would step up to the mic with his muted horn. Instead it’s his sideman on tenor sax, John Coltrane, grabbing the first solo like a quarter-horse out of the gate, sounding like he wants to completely break from the pack, ripping up and down the scales with a buoyant, joyous ease.

“Too many notes,” Davis would constantly chide his young band mate. Coltrane is definitely an interesting contrast to Davis’ subtle, understated tone. Just listen to the first two solos: one playing the edge, almost willingly losing control; the other with no need to impress, a consummate professional taking the smoothest of rides. Also, make note of the slightly awkward transition between the two solos. It almost sounds like Davis tapped Coltrane on the shoulder with a “That’s enough.”

Brian Setzer Orchestra

Tour 11/17/07 Turning Stone Casino Verona, NY 11/18/07 State Theatre Easton, PA 11/20/07 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ 11/21/07 Beacon Theatre New York, NY 11/23/07 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA 11/24/07 North Fork Theatre Westbury, NY 11/29/07 Keswick Theatre Glenside, PA 11/30/07 Foxwoods Casino Mashantucket, CT 12/01/07 Foxwoods Casino Mashantucket, CT 12/03/07 Oneida Casino Oneida, WI 12/04/07 Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee, WI 12/05/07 Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee, WI 12/07/07 Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI 12/08/07 Odawa Casino Resort Petoskey, MI 12/09/07 Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL 12/11/07 Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO 12/12/07 Isleta Casino Showr Alburquerque, NM 12/14/07 Mesa Arts Center Mesa, AZ 12/16/07 Spotlight Casino Coachella, CA 12/18/07 Wells Fargo Center Santa Rosa, CA 12/19/07 Wells Fargo Center Santa Rosa, CA 12/21/07 Gibson Amph Universal City, CA 12/22/07 Gibson Amph Universal City, CA 12/23/07 Joint at the Hard Rock Las Vegas, NV 12/27/07 Chumash Casino Santa Ynez, CA 12/28/07 Table Mountain Casino Fresno, CA 12/29/07 Paramount Theatre Oakland, CA

 

 

Brian Setzer Orchestra - Take a Break Guys (An Adaptation of the Traditional 'God Rest Ye Merry

Brian Setzer Orchestra

I was shopping around for some of my writers to review this CD for Brian Setzer Orchestra's Wolfgang's Big Night Out, but after listening to a few songs, I love it so much that I've decided to be greedy and write the review myself.

So, as you know, Brian Setzer made rockabilly cool with The Stray Cats (well some would argue that rockabilly has always been cool!). Then Setzer made Swing music cool with "Jump Jive 'n' Wail", with his new orchestra band.

This time, he's decided to transform classical music with a "big band" sound and make it accessible and hip.

Trust me when I tell you that you know ALL the songs. You might not happen to know all the song titles and who wrote what, but you've all heard these songs.

Despite knowing the music already, Setzer really modernize it and add his own twist and take in his adaptions of the songs.

All the titles are cleverly retitled. For instance, "Symphony No. 5" is renamed "Take the 5th", while my favorite "God Rest Ye Merry Men" is retitled "Take a Break Guys".

"Take a Break Guys" is easily the best reimagined song, with its clash of brass instruments, double bass, and an electric guitar. This traditional song is made fun again!

The other really good song is "For Lisa" (based on Beethoven's "Fur Elise"), with it's perky violins, flutes, and acoustic guitar. I've also decided to dedicate that song to Lisa :)

I think we will have to touch base with The Stray Cats in another entry for the future, since they have such a rich history and songs to choose from - it wouldn't be fair to devote half the article to them on a review of Wolfgang's Big Night Out.

But, as a special bonus, I am including some old Stray Cats favorites and that infamous swing song.

 

 

Brian Setzer Orchestra - For Lisa (An Adaptation of Ludwig Van Beethoven's 'Fur Elise')

 

Stray Cats - Rock This Town

 

Stray Cats - Stray Cat Strut

 

Brian Setzer Orchestra - Jump, Jive & Wail

 

 

Wolfgang's Big Night Out is released last month (September 25th) by Surfdog Records, and can be purchased at most music retail stores.

 10/28/2007 07:49:37  vu my♥posts [email protected] www.briansetzer.com www.straycats.com