#also all 5 top songs are from the yard act album that came out this year

[ferdinandpenguin]

[patrickjonesblog]

Favorite Albums of 2024

As predictable as ever my 2024 list arrives way into 2025. Hope you had a musical 2024 and happy new year!

Hey, we're still on Tumblr, Im as surprised as you that this site still exists! I wonder how many platforms this annual blog will survive? I started on Googles Blogspot platform in 2011, which is also still alive!

2024 was dominated by great pop; Beyonce, Charli, Billie, Taylor and Chappell ruling the airwaves and venues of the world. But did they make the coveted Paddy Has Needs list?! Lets have a look shall we?

20. Playing Favorites - Sheer Mag

19. Empathogen - Willow

18. What Now? - Brittany Howard

17. Package Pt.2 - Gustaf

16. Mountainhead - Everything Everything

15. Manning Fireworks - MJ Lenderman

14. Sadness Sets Me Free - Gruff Rhys

13. Viva Hinds - Hinds

12. Where is my Utopia? - Yard Act

11. Brand on the Run - Bodega

10. Still Willing - Personal Trainer

In a different decade Personal Trainer would be a chart bothering rock band. All their singles are catchy as hell and on their second album they sit next to album tracks that are equally interesting.

9. On the intricate inner workings of the system - The Bug Club

The prolific welsh newbies launch onto SubPop with a little more shine to their production, but losing none of their quirkiness. Trademark humor in tact the album is probably their most consistent in quality.

8. Bloodhounds - Mary Shelley

First appearance in the top 10 I think for my fave NYC band. An improvement in production from their 2022 full length and the inclusion of some live favorites. Post-punk with humor and fantastic live. If they're in your town go see.

7. Cartoon Darkness - Amyl and the Sniffers

This could have been higher any other year but came out later in the year so haven't listened to it as much. It is wonderful though and notches Amyl up a level, everything is better than previous albums, riffs are bigger, lyrics are funnier, Amy's delivery is sharper and more acerbic than ever. They've cemented themselves as one of the best bands around at the moment with this.

6. TANGK - Idles

One of my faves continue to push out of their punk rock roots into more experimental beats and sounds. Its an evolution from Crawler and feels like the album they wanted that one to be. Live the new stuff makes them a more well rounded tour de force.

5. Romance - Fontaines DC

Band of the year? Possibly. The ambition on this one is huge, they clearly wanted to make a mainstream rock album and did so still maintaining the credibility they'd earned from their earlier stuff. Fontaines DC are stepping into festival headline slots with this one.

4. NONAME - Jack White

If the band of the year are only in 5th we must be in to big hitters now. In my generation you dont get much bigger than the ex White Stripes frontman. Everything was perfect on this album, the surprise release, the tracks, the guerrilla club tour that followed. Its his best album since the White Stripes.

3. brat - Charli XCX

I've been a Charli stan for years, so I was so happy to see her achieve mega pop stardom this year and with her best set of tracks yet. It's rare for a pop album to have this many hits and be so cohesive from start to finish. Whenever I wanted to get ready for a night out in this past year I would put on brat.

2. Songs of a Lost World - The Cure

Band of the year, Generational Rock God, Pop Mega Star.... I suppose we have to go to actual legends next then. For a band to make this album 40 years into their career is special. It's a beautiful record and has been stuck on rotation since its release.

1. It's Sorted - Cheekface

History will judge me for this after the escalating greatness of the previous bands, but fuck it. This is an awesome album and I have played it all year non stop and never got bored of it, it introduced me to this amazing DIY, fully independent band and I just love everything about them. It's got everything I want in my bands, smart, funny lyrics, catchy melodies and they're doing it all on their own terms. Go make Cheekface your new favorite band, if they're not already.

There we go! What a year! Check out my full list of 2024 tracks on Spotify, final shout out for Chappell Roan and especially Good Luck, Babe which I think is my favorite song of the year.

If you want to subscribe to my 2025 Spotify playlist, please do, updated with fresh tracks most weeks throughout the year.

Thanks for reading have a great year!

[vinylbay777]

Seven Rock Artists & Bands Who Have Guest Starred on ‘Sesame Street’

The groundbreaking 50th season of ‘Sesame Street’ is set to premiere this Saturday (11/16) on HBO. On Tuesday, the world got a sneak peak at the first episode when the show posted a clip featuring FooFighters frontman Dave Grohl singing a song called “Here We Go” with Big Bird and Elmo as they traveled around the United States. Other guest stars set to drop by this season include Maren Morris, Charlie Puth, Thomas Rhett and more.

Over its five decades on the air, the iconic children’s program has featured a multitude of guest stars interacting with the Muppets, including a slew of prominent musicians. From legends such as B.B. King, RayCharles, David Bowie and Michael Jackson to today’s hit makers such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, many a musician has had their moment with these beloved characters. This also includes a handful of rockers and rock bands.

In honor of ‘Sesame Street’s’ 50th anniversary, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look back at some of the rock artists who have gotten to perform on the show over the years. Whether they performed something new, rewrote their own songs or performed their own music unedited, here are just seven of the rockers who have had the opportunity to play with the ‘Sesame Street’ Muppets.

1.       Spin Doctors: In 1993, Spin Doctors were at the height of their career, having two massive hits with “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.” For their appearance on the show, the band rewrote portions of the former song to soundtrack a segment where Telly and Elmo were fighting over who Zoe should play with.

2.       R.E.M.: Following the success of their 1991 album ‘Out Of Time,’ R.E.M. made an appearance on ‘Sesame Street’ with a rearranged version of their second single, “Shiny, Happy People.” The song was re-titled “Happy, Furry Monsters” and was featured in a segment where the band played while all the monster characters acted out different feelings.

3.       Dave Matthews: In 2013, Dave Matthews appeared on the show sans band to work through some feelings with Grover. The singer strums through a new song called “I Need A Word” on banjo while the two sing about their “not very good” feelings in an effort to find what’s bugging them.

4.       OK Go: Technically, OK Go’s appearance on the show wasn’t interacting with the Muppets. However, the band did write an original song for the show called “Three Primary Colors,” and starred in the accompanying “insert” video, which they filmed in the stop-motion style that helped them go viral five years prior.

5.       Paul Simon: Back in 1977, Paul Simon played his hit song “Me And Julio Down By The School Yard” sitting on the iconic ‘Sesame Street’ stoop for the show’s human children (an interesting choice given the song’s subject). Simon returned more than a decade later to appear with Ladysmith Black Mambazo for “The African Alphabet.”

6.       Train: Following the release of 2012’s ‘California 37’ and a renewed interest in the band, Train made an appearance on the iconic show. The band reworked their then current single “Drive By” into a counting song called “Five By,” which found the trio, The Count and Elmo wondering how many peaches and chairs they would need.

7.       Goo Goo Dolls: Still riding high from the success of 1998’s ‘Dizzy Up The Girl,’ the Goo Goo Dolls were invited to appear on ‘Sesame Street’ in 2000. The band performed a reworked version of their hit “Slide” entitled “Pride,” which they sung to Elmo to celebrate his successes.

Over ‘Sesame Street’s’ 50 year history, the show has played host to hundreds of guest stars, many of which came from the world of rock and other genres of music. Take a look back at some of the rock artists who have reworked their music or written entirely new songs for the show and let us know who some of your favorite past ‘Sesame Street’ guests were.

                                                           ---

Find music from ‘Sesame Street’ and its many guests at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

[mwelxn]

Wembley Stadium, London, England August 31st 1991

Neil A. McGlynn's Review [posted 9.2.91] A sell-out crowd gathered at Wembley Stadium on Saturday for one of the most awaited concerts of the year. The weather was perfect, with the sun shining all day. NIN took to the stage around 4-15pm and played a 35 minute set. There wasnt much reaction from the crowd, who like myself, knew little about the band. After a wait of 40 minutes, Skid Row came on stage playing 'Slave to the Grind' which was immediately followed by 'Big Guns'. The Skids played a 10 song set, split 5 and 5 off their two albums. They played 'Pyscho Love', 'Riot Act', 'Monkey Business' and 'Get the Fuck Out' from STTG, and '18 and Life', 'Piece of Me' and 'Sweet Little Sister' from their first album. After leaving the stage they came back and played 'Remember Tomorrow' and 'Youth Gone Wild'. During YGW Snake jumped into the crowd and somehow managed to get out with all his clothes intact! Main talking point during the set was when Bach read out a letter that the local coucil had sent to the promoters saying that, after reading press statements in the US about the show, they were worried about the use of bad language by the band and GnR, and they said that SR weren't to play `Get the Fuck Out'. After he read this the crowd all shouted `Fuck' for a couple of minutes before the band played GTFO. The Skid Row set was excellent, although the sound quality was a bit crap compared to that of GnR. In between SR and GnR, they crowd amused themselves by building small human pyramids. Cameraman also focussed in on women in the crowd, who then got displayed on the giant screens by the side of the stage. The crowd then shouted 'Off, off off', after which the women got a big cheer or a boo from the crowd depending on whether they took their top off! Some guys also mooned. After a delay of 80 minutes, which seemed like ages, Guns n' Roses took to the stage with 'Perfect Crime'. It was absolute mayhem within 50 yards of the stage. Crowd were uncontrollable as Axl and co, stomped about the stage. 'Mr Brownstone' was next. About half the set was made up from songs off the new albums (out 2 weeks today). A quick run down of the songs that I knew were: Welcome to the Jungle, Nightrain, Mr Brownstone, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine, My Michelle, Civil War, November Rain, Live and Let Die, Patience, Knocking on Heavens Door, You Could Be Mine, Perfect Crime, Dust and Bones, Bad Obsession, Double Talkin' Jive and Estranged. There may have been more of the new stuff. Estranged and Paradise City were encores. Before PC, Axl thanked the crowd for helping to make the video for the song which was half shot at Donnington in 88. Highlights of the show for me were Live and Let Die, Civil War and Paradise City. Of the new stuff, Bad Obsession sounded awesome. Axl also had a dig at Kerrang saying he used to respect it but couldnt stand it anymore. He dedicated DTJ to it. Guns were on stage for about 2 hours and 10 minutes. After all the bad press the band have had recently, I was pretty impressed by the whole performance. You could tell the band were having fun as well. Only thing wrong was the stage could have been about 5 feet higher off the ground, which would have given better views for anyone on the pitch. It had been 3 yeard since they last played here. I hope we dont have to wait that long again. This gig blew Donnington away.

[truthseekah]

These 5 Down Making A Comeback | Interview With Nate Bauman & Brandon Whitlock

In this episode of the TruthSeekah Podcast TruthSeekah is joined by Nate Bauman & Brandon Whitlock of the band These 5 Down as they discuss their new music, inspiration and spirituality. In January of 2000 These 5 Down released their debut self titled album that changed the course of christian rock. It was still the early days of christian music and most everything that was out was either extremely heavy or moderately soft. There wasn't much of anything that remotely sounded like it embodied the sound of the time until These 5 Down came on to the scene. At the time Nu-Metal bands like Kittie, KoRn, Disturbed, Coal Chamber and Marilyn Manson were at the top of the chats in secular music and the majority of everything in the christian world was a cheap rip off and in fact sounded dated (some have suggested seven years behind). Their debut album not only was a breath of fresh air at the time but sounded current to the sound that was popular at the time and created a great alternative for people to enjoy their favorite sound without all the negative and profane lyrics. Their sound as well as their hard work and success is what led them to eventually be picked up by Absolute Records. Several other christian bands came on the scene during this time that seemed to take the same pursuit such as Travail, Project 86, Pax 217 and a few others. These 5 Down's debut album challenged everything out at the time in christian rock and in doing so they received their fair share of scrutiny from the church.

During the interview lead vocalist Nate Bauman shared that they weren't keen on playing too many church gigs at the time but felt more comfortable playing at back yard barbecues or the local bar scene. The lyrics were in your face hardcore truth about the dangers of over indulgence and inflated egos yet seasoned with the grace and truth of the gospel of Christ. There is one song on the album titled "Hymn" that is a hardcore spiritual warfare song and almost acts as a song of deliverance as it challenged the spirits of the age taunting the fact that they would all be cast out by the name of Jesus. With this album being 19 years old in 2019 it still holds up today for anyone looking for great sounding christian metal. Their follow up album "Friction" was released a few years after the band had already broken up. The bands sound seemed to deviate a bit on this project as the group lost a few of its members and others came and went during the writing process which changed the sound of the band. For reasons unknown Absolute Records promoted the release of "Friction" but these release date kept being pushed back again and again until it was a few years down the road in which it finally was released. During the interview the guys spoke about their upcoming project, new material and have released a new single entitled "Coming of the Son" which is now available on their website. It seems as if after all these years These 5 Down haven't missed a beat and this new material is something that fans old and new are already in love with. We also spoke about Brandon and Nate's spirituality, evolution of faith and their relationships with Christ.

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[britishinvasionlevel3]

The British invasion (the Beatles)

By Nathan, Lucy, Harry, Jacob Conor and Breaaaaa What was the British invasion? A musical movement of the mid-1960s composed of British rock-and-roll groups whose popularity spread rapidly to the United States. An overview of the Beatles and the origins of the British Invasion. How did this happen? In the 1950’s the transatlantic merchant seamen brought blues and rock and roll records back from America to Liverpool. The teens such as Paul McCartney and john Lennon (2 members of the Beatles), became obsessed with blues and rock and lived listening to this music. Since all of the rock/blues artists over in America had left to either join the army or engage in other activities such as Elvis, Buddy Holiday and Chuck berry. The American citizens didn’t have much to listen to. However over in Liverpool, musicians were evolving and taking over Britain. The kinks     dusty springfeild   the rolling tones    logo   the hollies   the yard birds    the animals

Social and political impact of the British invasion starring the Beatles: The British invasion kicked off in the mid-1960s. when the president John F (1963). He was assassinated John F. causing the Americans youths to rebel against authorities.  The British Invasion took their minds off the tragedy and had young teens focus on something more cheerful. The Beatles upbeat and catchy songs helped heal American citizens and soon they were a big hit over there. The message that the Beatles gave in their music affected people's thoughts, becoming more influential than “political control”. It opened millions of minds to ideas of peace and freedom and equality.  They were the most influential band at the time. The Beatles were also close to some members of the royal family.  The Beatles, influenced their fans to “think, act, and even dress differently”. John Lennon (a member from the Beatles), made a famous remark telling people in their seats to “clap while the rich rattle their jewellery” showing that “non-wealthy”, people sacrificed a lot just to see the Beatles perform. It was said in newspaper articles that “many people couldn't hear the Beatles because of all the screaming at their concerts”.  At times, fans got so crazy that police were called. The fans were also very protective of their idols, sending hate mail to Edward Heath, a minister who announced that "he didn't believe that the Beatles spoke the Queen's English".  Many of the successful bands from the British invasion still have large fan bases today. You can see shirts being sold with the Rolling Stones’ logo. There is still merchandise from the Beatles and other groups.

Economics perspective The Beatles music hit the top of the U.S and U.K charts many times. By the end of 1964 the Beatles had sold $50 million records in the U.S and over 30 million records worldwide. In September of 1962 "Love Me Do" became their first number one hit on the U.S singles chart. At one point, the Beatles had the top 5 positions on the national singles chart. Their perfect blend of many styles and sounds created their own mix of music appealing to anyone, bringing them many fans, which combines to a huge number of sales. The Rolling Stones have sold over 200 million albums all over the world. In 1966, the Stones became number two artist in the U.S. and have made huge record deals with recording companies and made a film. The Rolling Stones have had the highest grossing tour during 2005-2007. $559 million was earned from their “A Bigger Band” tour. Fashion in the British invasion 1960s Fashion prior to the British invasion in 1964 was a continuation of the late 1950s. But with the Beatles came a new and very different fashion called “swinging” London. Mary Quant who had a small boutique in London hit upon the winning combinations and created a fashion feeding frenzy starting with the mini skirt and crowning with major fashion houses the likes of Chanel and Dior following suit. Styles which were previously driven by the necessities of the middle class were now being designed for young people. Everyone dressed in what they wanted to keep the style bold and fresh. Featuring bright colors, leg revealing lengths, geometric patterns and hyper tailored designs Mod Fashions were a must for the “in crowd”. Designers like Cardin, Emilio Pucci and Paco Rabanne jumped on this fashion trend to showcase their talents. Another fashion trend that was going around created by social anarchists was: The Hippie movement favored relaxed, comfortable and natural clothing styles. The norm for most college age kids was blue jeans and a tee shirt (tie-dyed or not). Rebelling against mainstream styles.             the dave clark five  

When was the British invasion announced? 7 Feb 1964 the CBS News played a story about the Beatles’ United States arrival that afternoon in which the correspondent said, “The British Invasion this time goes by the code name Beatlemania.” Two days later (Sunday, February 9) they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. What bands/artists were involved? The Beatles • the Dave Clark Five, • the Rolling Stones • the Searchers, the Hollies • the Animals • dusty Springfield • the Kinks • the Yard birds • Petula Clark Facts? The British Invasion. For two years after “I Want to Hold Your Hand” topped the U.S. charts in February 1964, the only sound that mattered had a British accent. Roots rock emerged in the 1960s as a combination of several genres and subgenres of rock that was popular at the time. Roots rock combined elements of folk, blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll. And, the genre was exemplified by its back to basics sound. Technology in the 1950s-60s In the 1960s Television and tv sets became much more popular during the 1960s, with BBC2 broadcasting its first colour pictures in 1967. Famous programmes from the 1960s included: • Coronation Street (which first aired as a twice-weekly drama in 1960 on Granada television); • Doctor Who (first broadcast in 1963 about a time-travelling adventurer, initially devised as a fun way of teaching children about science and history); • Magic Roundabout • thuderbirds   In 1966, the first Intercity train was used, which could travel much quicker than old steam and diesel trains. Many trains now run using electricity, which is much quieter and cleaner.   In 1963, the first touch-tone telephones were introduced.   Spacewar! was devised in 1961 and is one of the earliest known digital computer games.   in the 1950's, passenger jets entered the service. American airlines ordered the pioneering Comet, but Canadian, British and European airlines could not ignore the better operating economics of the Boeing 707. Boeing became the most successful of the early manufacturers.   Frank McNamara came up with the idea of the credit card when he went out to supper with a dinner partner. His partner forgot his wallet, and that gave McNamara the idea for the credit card. His idea was that you would have a card that would be accessible always with money on it.   The first generation was introduced in the late 1953 model year and ended in 1962. Polo white convertibles were introduced in the 1953 model. It was often referred to as the "solid-axle".   Digital modems developed from the need to transmit data for North American air defense during the 1950s. Modems were used to communicate data over the public switched telephone network. A modem sends and receives data between two computers.   Dances in the 1960s The swing The watusi The hitchhiker The loco motion The stroll The hully gully The pony The swim The mashed patato The jerk The dances weren’t set and they were all about feeling the music that was being played.

[djhamaradio]

Top 10 R Kelly songs of all time

Ok I will open with a disclaimer stating how I unequivocally do not condone or support R. Kelly’s  publicized abuses towards young women. Like Marvin, Sam Cooke, and Al Green R.kelly’s talent is intimately connected to his twisted psyche. R kelly is a man whose soul is tortured and mangled as he trys to navigate the tension between his gospel roots and his more hedonistic self-destructive tendencies. In the same breath R .kelly will sings praises to God while professing a bizarre bent towards a twisted sexual hedonism. He can be gritty without being over the top, he can be very affectionate and intimate without seeming whiney and corny. He peddles an R&B thats filled with gospel type levity and earthly sinfulness. To me his greatest strengths are found in his ability to compose sultry ballads that don't feel cheap and cheesy. He is also equally adept at writing narrative driven conceptual songs, packed with interesting antagonists and protagonists. For the irony loving crowd these songs are a source of much humor. Since he came out as a member of New Jack swing group Public Announcement Kelly went from an Aaron Hall wannabe to the 90′s supreme king of R&B. His penmanship and compositional skills helped start the careers of Aaliyah and Sparkle and he even wrote a song for Celine Dion for Gods sake. So i am attempting to pick those R kelly songs that where sign posts in my life.

.1.  Womans threat

Womans threat is a conceptual masterpiece and really plays to Kellys strengths. His ability to pack tension and menace into songs without getting too verbose. His singing is too the point and has no excessive frills.

2. You remind me of something

Again smart witty song writing and interesting composition make this one of his greatest uses of Puns and metaphors ever. He takes two things modern human beings love which are cars and sex. 

3. To the homies that we lost

Kelly took quintessentially rap themes of life, death and religious redemption. Mr kelly took these themes and created church thug songs that contemplated death in poignant and unpretentious ways.

4. Step in the name of love

This is a summer black family BBQ standard. Its stands alongside Frankie, Beverly & Maze and the isley brothers as a grown folks black people anthem. Its a song that regardless of age people can connect to this song. Its not raucous or over the top. It celebrates good times in an inclusive way.

5. Happy People

Another step music classic much in the same vain as step in the name of love. In happy people and on this album in general he manages to create joyful black music. Music that celebrates life without all the excessive baggage of mysogny, hyper masculinity and drug use that riddle hip hop sometimes.

6. Bump N Grind (old school remix)

My girl loves the shit out of this song. I can't deny it though its infectious. R Kelly comes into R&B at a time when Guy where running R&B and the gritty bounce of new jack swing was running things. Kelly initially follows the mold with his first band Public announcement and then when he gets greater command of his sound he begins to create an R&B sound thats gritty but also has some instrumental flourishes that allowed it to sound melodically more sophisticated than new jack swing. And this song kinda opens the floodgates for the sound that underscored Aaliyah’s first album and R Kellys opus 12 Play.

7. I believe I can fly

Again another gospel infused epic. Kelly’s ability to tap into grand emotional tones is truly flexed on this song. I believe i can fly literally had me running around with my arms outstretched in our back yard, in south central Africa. This song had you believing you could concur the world and thats Kelly’s songwriting and compositional skills at work.

8. Age aint nothing but a number

This is an Aaliyah song with an undeniable R.kelly imprint. Sweet breezy melodies with nice warm baselines. Then her vocals sly, self-assured but still useful suggesting an idea that after knowledge of what was happening behind the scenes, is very edgy. Aaliyah in a sense was the female articulation of his whole style. She made R&B that was soft and sultry but always had a very present hip-hop edge.

9. Time to move on

Sparkle’s album is an often forgotten 90′s R&B classic. The song time to move on lifts a Eddie Kendrick sample thats so beautifully utilized in this song that I gotta give Kelly credit for flipping it. His awareness of R&B history is always present in his song choices. In this song he also handles the songwriting and its a well executed female lament about an inadequate love that needs to be ended.

10. Clubbing

This was one of those songs that went H.A.M when I was in high school. It was during a period when R kelly was dropping these productions for people like Tyrese, Joe, and Ciara. His sound had evolved it had changed and I loved his productions for those acts. But Clubbing killed it. I would say I prefer “Fiesta” over this but Clubbing made us hit the dace floor a whole lot harder than ‘Fiesta”