Alexis Korner – Stormy Monday Blues (Starters for ten #334) 4.10.34

November 30, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #334: Top Ten Blues numbers: 191130

Alexis Korner – Stormy Monday Blues (1978)

Throughout 2019 Jem of Jemtunes is taking you through 36 top tens and one top five. Tunes for a whole gamut of reasons including genre, mood, time of year or simply time itself. Sometimes there’s be words but mostly it’ll simply be the music. Because music always speaks for itself.

Continuing my 34th – my top ten blues numbers – here’s Stormy Monday Blues from ‘The Party Album’, a 1978 live blues recording by Alexis Korner. The double album features Alexis Korner and various guest musicians singing a mix of both classic blues songs as well as some of Korner’s own. The concert was a celebration of Korner’s 50th birthday.

Leadbelly – Fort Worth & Dallas Blues (Starters for ten #333) 3.10.34

November 29, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #333: Top Ten Blues numbers: 191129

Leadbelly – Fort Worth & Dallas Blues (1935)

Continuing my 34th – my top ten blues numbers – here’s Leadbelly’s Fort Worth & Dallas Blues from 1935.

Memphis Slim – Alberta (Starters for Ten #332) 2.10.34

November 28, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #332: Top Ten Blues numbers: 191128

Memphis Slim – Alberta (1961)

Continuing my 34th – my top ten blues numbers – here’s Memphis Slim’s Alberta from 1961.

ZZ Top – Fool for your stockings (Starters for Ten #331) 1.10.34

November 27, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #331: Top Ten Blues numbers: 191127

ZZ Top – Fool for your stockings (1979)

Kickstarting my 34th – my top ten blues numbers – here’s ZZ Top’s Fool for your stockings from their 1979 ‘Deguello’ album.

David Bowie – Sound and Vision (Starters for Ten #330) 10.10.33

November 26, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #330: Top Ten David Bowie numbers: 191126

Sound and Vision (1977)

hroughout 2019 Jem of Jemtunes is taking you through 36 top tens and one top five. Tunes for a whole gamut of reasons including genre, mood, time of year or simply time itself. Sometimes there’s be words but mostly it’ll simply be the music. Because music always speaks for itself.

Concluding my 33rd – my top ten David Bowie numbers – here’s Sound and Vision from the 1977 ‘Low’ album.

The 2019 ‘Starters for Ten’ series features:
[1] Jan 1-10: Top Ten Blues Rock Stonkers
[2] Jan 10-20: Top Ten Led Zeppelin Tracks
[3] Jan 21-30: Top Ten Spinetinglers
[4] Jan 31-Feb 9: Top Ten Underworld Tracks
[5] Feb 10-19: Top Ten Acoustic Tracks
[6] Feb 20-Mar 1: Top Ten Queen Tracks
[7] Mar 2-11: Top Ten Live Tracks
[8] Mar 12-21: Top Ten Classical pieces
[9] Mar 22-31: Top Ten Soul tracks
[10] April 1-10: Top Ten Classic Rock tracks
[11] April 11-20: Top Ten ‘Ten Years After’ numbers
[12] April 12-30: Top Ten ‘Talking Heads’ tracks
[13] May 1-10: Top Ten Punk Anthems
[14] May 11-20: Top Ten Rock numbers
[15] May 21-30: Top Ten Boogie tracks
[16] May 31-June 9: Top Ten Lurve songs
[17] June 10-19: Top Ten Driving Tracks
[18] June 20-29: Top Ten Britpop/invasion tracks
[19] June 30-July 9: Top Ten Jimi Hendrix numbers
[20] July 10-19: Top Ten 2018 tunes
[21] July 20-29: Top Ten Sunday Morning tracks
[22] July 30-August 8: Top Ten Fleetwood Mac tracks
[23] August 9-18: Top Ten 2017 tunes
[24] August 19-28: Top Ten Saturday night numbers
[25] August 29-September 7: Top Ten ZZ Top tracks
[26] September 8-17: Top Ten 2016 tunes
[27] September 18-27: Top Ten 1960’s numbers
[28] September 28-October 7: Top Ten 1970’s numbers
[29] October 8-17: Top Ten drumming tracks
[30] October 18-27: Top Ten 1980’s numbers
[31] October 28-November 6: Top Ten 2015 tunes
[32] November 7-16: Top Ten last 20 years (part I)
[33] November 17-26: Top Ten David Bowie numbers
[34] November 27-December 6: Top Ten Blues numbers

David Bowie – Lazarus (Starters for ten #329) 9.10.33

November 25, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #329: Top Ten David Bowie numbers: 191125

Lazarus (2016)

Lazarus was released on 17 December 2015 as a digital download, making it the second single from David Bowie’s twenty-fifth studio album, Blackstar (2016). It was the last single to be released during his lifetime.

Premiered on BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq’s show on the day of its release as a single, the track is also used in Bowie’s off-Broadway musical of the same name. The official music video, directed by Johan Renck, was released on 7 January 2016, three days before Bowie’s death.

Bowie never performed the song live, but on 17 December 2015, Michael C. Hall appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, singing “Lazarus” to promote both the single’s release and the musical running at New York Theatre Workshop starring Hall.[5]

“Lazarus” was Bowie’s first top 40 hit single on the Billboard Hot 100 in more than 28 years, landing at number 40 in the week after his death.

David Bowie – Heroes (Starters for Ten #328) 8.10.33

November 24, 2019 by Jem Croucher

Starters for Ten 2019 – #328: Top Ten David Bowie numbers: 191124

Heroes (1977)

‘Heroes’ was co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, and recorded in July and August 1977 at Hansa Studio by the Wall. It was released on 23 September 1977 as the lead single from his 12th studio album of the same name, backed with the song “V-2 Schneider”. A product of Bowie’s “Berlin” period, the track was not a huge hit in the United Kingdom or United States after its release, but it has since become one of his signature songs.

In January 2016, following Bowie’s death, the song reached a new peak of number 12 in the UK Singles Chart. “‘Heroes'” has been cited as Bowie’s second-most covered song after “Rebel Rebel”.

The song’s lyrics were inspired by the sight of Bowie’s producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall. It therefore tells the story of two lovers, one from East and one from West Berlin. Bowie’s performance of the song on June 6, 1987, at the German Reichstag in West Berlin was one of the catalysts to the later fall of the Berlin Wall. And following his death in January 2016, the German government thanked Bowie for “helping to bring down the Wall”, adding “you are now among Heroes”.

He’s certainly one of mine. Hence ‘Heroes’ having a place in this top ten.