Neil Young - There's A World

An unusual song by the great Neil Young.

You Can't Do That

John screws it up just a bit, but who cares? A dynamic performance, probably 1963.

Do the Opposite

Sometimes, when your karma is black, you have to do the opposite.

I'd Have You Anytime

George Harrison wrote this song with Bob Dylan in 1968, while Dylan was withdrawn and Harrison, it is reported, drew him out with this lyric:

Let me in here
I know I've been here
Let me into your heart
Let me know you
Let me show you
Let me grow upon you

Dylan responded with:
All I have is yours
All you see is mine
And I’m glad to hold you in my arms
I’d have you anytime.

It has been said that Harrison was one of the few people who could get Dylan to speak when he didn't feel like it. The reference to embracing is purely rhetorical as far as I know.

John Lennon - Mother

Very gritty. Been there.

Taylor Ferrera - I Hate Bank of America

Whoa-oh. Catchy tune. And I hate them too, Taylor. Like poison. 

Zen Garden

If this music does not put you into the meditative zone, there is no meditative zone.

Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything

Fan video and a good one. 

Baby It's You

A great vocal by John Lennon, and a great cover of the Shirelles' "Baby It's You", composed by Burt Bacharach.



Here's the original.

The Henry Clay People - Friends are Forgiving

Fantastic new song from the Henry Clay People, who will hopefully blow up when their new album Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives levitates on June 26.

Player - Baby Come Back

"All day long wearing a mask of false bravado..."

Buddhist Meditation

Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream...

A Day In The Life

It goes without saying that this is one of the most famous songs in the history of recorded music.

Pearl Jam - Elderly Woman

"My God it's been too long, never dreamed you'd return..."

Givers - That Was Your Mother

Givers covered Paul Simon for Rolling Stone.

Rilo Kiley - A Better Son, Daughter

Here's another version of one of my all time favorites. Dallas 2007.

Jack White - Ball and Biscuit

EW posted another glowing review of White's tour here.

This is from his April appearance on Later with Jools Holland.

All You Need Is Love

Probably the very best of all the Beatles' recorded live performances.

Hospitality - Friends of Friends

Back in January, Hospitality recorded a set for Alternate Side.



Check out Hospitality covering Steely Dan.

Regina Spektor - All The Rowboats

Regina Spektor played a song from her new record on Letterman last week. 

Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts

From Later with Jools Holland, back in April.

Rilo Kiley - The Absence Of God

One of Ms. Jennifer Diane Lewis' greatest melodies.

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down - The Give

Thao recently contributed a story to NPR's Snap Judgment.

This is "The Give" from her 2009 album Know Better Learn Faster.

Pat Robertson Says: Legalize Cannabis!

He advocates legalization at the 47 second mark.

Yer Blues

Existential angst.

Mountain Goats - Dance Music

From May 2011. 

Woody Guthrie - Stepstone

Guthrie sings of heart in this song, in that soft twangy Oklahoman way. God bless him.

Beach House - Myth

From their recent performance on Later With Jools Holland.

Rachael Sage - My Precious Love

Jack Goodstein, of BlogCritics.Org, reviews Rachel Sage's new album Haunted by You.

This song is from her 2002 album Illusion's Carnival.

Pearl Jam - Rockin' in the Free World

"Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive..."

2012 - The Year Of John Lennon

Have you heard...the word is love?

Rilo Kiley - A Better Son, Daughter

"You'll be awake. You'll be alert. You'll be positive though it hurts..."

John Lennon - Woman

They say that behind every great man is a woman. I say that behind every great woman, there is also a woman.

Rubio Will Follow Jim

It's the Florida Democratic Party spoofing Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him" to let us know the real dirt on Marco Rubio. We knew it already, but this silly video is somewhat amusing.

Across The Universe

Jaya Gurudeva...aum.

Robin Gibb - 1949-2012

Robin Gibb did not write "I Started A Joke". God wrote this song, and simply used Robin Gibb.

Guðrið Hansdóttir - I Mjorka

From her 2011 performance at KEXP. 

Don't Forget Hans Teeuwen

This guy is a lot of fun.

Tender Pets - More Adventurous

The Tender Pets bring it on this RK cover. 

John Lennon - Imagine, Live

You have to hear this, all my friends.

Regina Spektor - Eet

The lovely Regina Spektor performing "Eet" from the album Far.

Gudrid Hansdottir - A Faroese Fisherman Speaks of Drowning

Never know where the internet leads. This is gorgeous. 

Jenny Lewis - Silver Lining

"And our bruises are comin', but we will never fold..."

2012 - The Year Of John Lennon

As we are all together...

Best Coast - The Only Place

BC played Letterman on Wednesday.

I'm So Tired

If you cannot sleep, sleep becomes very, very precious.

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks

Another performance from the band during their trip to Reykjavik, Iceland, in October 2011.

Erin O'Shea and John Weston - Rest of My Life

Stumbled onto a sweet Rilo Kiley cover. Exceptional work, especially the guitar.

Rilo Kiley - Love and War (11/11/46)

"A civil war like this it always sells itself..."

Chrissie Hynde - Angel Of The Morning

There's some really contentious debate over which version of this song is the strongest. Dozens of singers have tried their hand at it. Hynde's version with the Pretenders is awesome, but this toned down acoustic version is very nice as well. 

Merrilee Rush - Angel Of The Morning

When I was driving cab in San Diego in the 80s, one of my fares claimed he wrote this song. In Ocean Beach, to be precise. And was ripped off by Capitalistic Records, of course.

Girl

I knew a girl like this once. Needless to say, it didn't work out...

Peachy Keene Covers Rilo Kiley

This young lady has the spirit!

Rilo Kiley - Pictures of Success

From a set they played in Baltimore on July 23, 2002.

Martins And Dhani Discuss Harrison's Work

I think it is safe to say that George Martin, who produced the Beatles, is the most famous producer ever on that side of the Atlantic. Here he is with his son Giles and Harrison's son Dhani retrieving "the lost guitar solo" for "Here Comes The Sun."

Sonnymoon - Just Before Dawn

Not sure what the video is about, but it looks fantastic. 



Meanwhile, Passion of the Weiss has a re-mix of their cover of Drake's "HoustAtlantaVegas".

A Hard Day's Night

Lennon couldn't hit the high part, "When I'm home, feeling you holding me tight", so they brought in McCartney. Other than that, this is vintage Lennon. And Harrison's opening 12 string chord was an innovation. When were the Beatles not innovative?

Of Monsters and Men - Love Love Love

Recorded in Reykjavik, Iceland, on October 12, 2011.

Iranian Rapper Defies Religious Authorities

Read about this courageous dude.

The Replacements - Androgynous

From the 1984 album Let it Be. 

2012 - The Year Of John Lennon

Will the world end in 2012? Stan Grof says popular interpretations of Mayan predictions of destruction are erroneous on two accounts: he points out that the astrological period lasts for several decades, building in influence until reaching a plateau and then waning, and even more importantly, the real interpretation is one of transformation, not destruction!

Well, all right then...

Anyway, KTWS Walrus Radio is sponsoring the 2012 International Year Of John Lennon just for the sheer joy of it. From what I know of Lennon, he would have dug Grof.

Tenacious D - Roadie

The D have made their triumphant return to Letterman. 

Merlin's Magic - Reiki Light Touch

Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream...

Merlin's Magic - Gassho Meditation

Gassho is the Japanese version of namaste.

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Mother Superior jumped the gun...

Haroula Rose - The Leaving Song

Spinner has Rose's excellent new song and some details on her new EP, which is out June 4.

This is from her 2011 album These Open Roads.

Coheed and Cambria - Somebody That I Used To Know

The song that everyone has covered has been covered again, this time with arena rock bombast, to pretty good effect.

Sarah Howells - Find Yourself

Sarah Howells of Paper Aeroplanes plays an acoustic version of their song "Find Yourself" (h/t Beat Surrender).

Julia

Well, if we are going to post John Lennon on Mother's Day...

Violent Femmes - Kiss Off

They do it all the time!

Mountain Goats live at Swedish American Hall

Yet another reason why having no time limit on YouTube clips is a great leap forward: here's an entire Mountain Goats concert. 

Sunday Girl - Where Is My Mind

Sweet Pixies cover.

Paul Simon - Mother And Child Reunion

This is one of my favorite songs.

The Dead Milkmen - Punk Rock Girl

I identify with the Dad in this song...

Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone

The love is gone...

Elliott Smith - Angel in the Snow

"Better stop before it goes too far..."

Walk off the Earth - Little Boxes

Brilliant video for the song the was once the theme song to the show Weeds. I must say, I am impressed with their version of this song, which I never liked, even when Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice did it.

Day Tripper

The Beatles hated lip syncing so much they never bothered to learn how to do it well.

Rilo Kiley in Houston, 2002

Love the Batman shirt, J-Lew.



Part one is here.

Justin Townes Earle - Look The Other Way

NPR breaks down Justin Townes Earle's song "Look the Other Way."

Earle played the song for WFUV back in March.

Yoko And John

I first heard "Give Peace A Chance" in 1969. However, I did not hear the B side of that vinyl single until May 10, 2012. Many people have a problem with Yoko and/or her singing. However, this is a sweet little song.

Try it.

Screaming Females - It All Means Nothing

Alyssa Battistoni of Mother Jones recently spoke to Screaming Females about their new album Ugly.

Give Peace A Chance

Ironically, the video cuts off at 1.30 when Lennon says "keep talking." So here's the whole thing...

Elliott Smith - Can't Make a Sound

"Spinning the world like a toy top..."

Pete Holmes on Conan

The man who is the voice of the eTrade baby.



Holmes has a very fun, lighthearted podcast on the Nerdist network called, You Made it Weird.

White Rabbits - Heavy Metal

From their recent performance on KCRW.

Kitty Pryde - Okay Cupid

One great thing about the internet is that when you see something and you don't know what to make of it, you can just find someone else that has written about it already and adopt their reaction. So, in response to Kitty Pryde's "Okay Cupid" video Fader blogger Duncan Cooper writes, "Kitty Pryde has fallen into the role of the internet’s preeminent coy white girl rapper, possibly the first person to ever hold the title." That's certainly one way to put it.

Jay Z - No Sleep Til Brooklyn

Tributes to late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch continue to roll in. This one from the great Jay Z.



The Beasties currently have 7 albums on the charts. SEVEN. I just bought the three I didn't have because I had them on cassette back in the day. Collection complete and rockin' my apartment eight days a week.

One of the great things about this song is that the way the Beasties delivered the line "No Sleep til Brooklyn" with such conviction and determination, it unconsciously became a non-nonsensical mantra for me. I've never been to Brooklyn. If I chose not to sleep until I got there I would die because I'm very likely never going there. It's just not in my plans. But whenever I have a task at hand that simply must be done I will find myself saying, if only in my head, "No sleep til Brooklyn." 

Also, the death of MCA has me asking myself, as I listen again to all this awesome music he and his cohorts left behind, how could I have ignored these guys almost entirely for the last six or seven years? I loved these dudes deep into the 90s, and somewhere along the line they just got lost in the shuffle and shut out behind a wall of everything else I listen to. I guess that's the way music works, but it seems weird to have forgotten how great these guys were. It makes me wonder if my love of some other band is one tragedy away from being reignited. 

Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You

British sensation Ed Sheeran played a set at the Bing Lounge last week.

Givers - Saw You First

From SXSW.

Walk off the Earth - Polly (Nirvana Cover)

Excellent cover and re-arrangement of this Nevermind deep cut. 

The Royalty - How I Like Em

The Royalty's new record Lovers levitates today.

John Lennon - Full Concert NYC 1972

I honestly don't know what's up with the horn section. It does not seem congruent with Lennon's music, overall. But Elephant's Memory was a tight band, and this is a good concert.

78 Foot Wave Ridden In Portugal

This is crazy.

Sugar & The Hi-Lows - Skip The Line

On tour now.

Givers - Ceiling of Plankton

Here's a review of Givers' New Orleans Jazz Fest gig over the weekend.

And this is a clip of  them performing at last month's Coachella festival.

In Loving Memory - Tim Loving

A good friend--Bhakta Tim Loving--has passed away at the age of 60. Tim loved the music and religion of George Harrison, and often spoke of Harrison's influence in his life. We'll miss you, Tim!

Jaya Guru Deva.

The Dukes of Stratosphere - Little Lighthouse

My dear friend Kundara Dasa turned me on to this song around 1990. God and Goddess bless his memory.

But really, I have posted "Little Lighthouse" for the benefit of the living--the Right Reverend Richard Warfield, pastor of the Psychedelic Church out in Wimberley, Texas, and my blog partner and partner in intellectual crime--because I know that Dean Moriarty lives in them both. And let me not forget Dr. Ladd, the Wizard. Yes.

So without further adieu, my friends, click on the song.

Moody Blues -- Sun Is Still Shining

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings."
--Bhagavad Gita

Young the Giant - Cough Syrup

On tour now.

The Beatles In Germany - Money

Harrison's guitar sounds like Duane Eddy or somebody, and Lennon's signature voice hints at more. You can tell that Best is a competent drummer, but it is not to be. Ringo is THE MAN.

1962.

John Lennon - Stand By Me

Lennon's cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" is not an improvement, but it is a good version, and it is Lennon. That right there...

Bruce Springsteen & Neil Young - Keep On Rockin' In The Free World

"That's one more kid that'll never go to school, never get to fall in love, never get to be cool..."

Lakshmi-Narasimhastotram

Srimati Lakshmidevi and Lord Narasingha. Now that is a winning combination!

Jaya Narasinghadeva!

It's always good to have a god-lion on your side.

Twist And Shout

Almost three years before the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, they played Hamburg, Germany's Reeperbahn district. Lennon knocks this vocal out of the park.

Appearance Day Of Lord Narasingha

Once Hollywood realizes the wealth of material in these cheesy Bollywood flicks, there will be some really great films coming out of L.A. It's not a question of IF this will happen, it is only a question of WHEN. I suppose there will be some bastardized versions that will get my goat, but that's life. And maybe by that time I will have much less goat to get.

Beastie Boys - Sure Shot

Tom at Stereogum posted a great collection Beastie Boys videos. He also reminded us that Adam Yauch was the conscience of the Beastie Boys (he was a vegan, a Buddhist and he helped put on the Tibetan Freedom concerts) and that in this song he raps, “To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends / I wanna offer my love and respect to the end.”

Beastie Boys - Pass the Mic

RIP Adam Yauch, AKA MCA. The first cassette tape I ever bought was Liscence to Ill when I was in seventh grade. My parents took it away two days later because they were freaked out by the drug references.

Mr. Moonlight

Roy Lee Johnson wrote this little ditty, but Lennon delivers a very powerful vocal.

Bruce Springsteen - The Weight

A very touching tribute to Levon Helm by the Boss. 

Neil Young--Ohio

Kent State was 42 years ago today. "What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground?" Young asks in "Ohio".

Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl

In my opinion, the beautiful face of young Carrie Brownstein is like a picture of a sunny day. It's not perfect, but it's great. And that's perfect.



I like the part where Janet Weiss climbs in through the window...

A Better Son/Daughter

A weird but great cover.

LP - It's Over

Amazing newcomer LP kills it on this cover of the great Roy Orbison's "It's Over."



Cover Me has LP's searing cover cover of Beyonce's "Halo." When LP makes an LP I will buy it.

Proxies - Arc Of Time

I woke up with the original version of this song stuck in my head, so I went in search of a good cover and stumbled onto this excellent version almost immediately. 

Rock And Roll Music

This is before the Beatles' spiritual phase. And "Rock And Roll Music" holds up quite well with a great lead vocal by John Lennon.

1965.

School House Rock Constitution Preamble

Inspired by the Station Agent's post about Jefferson, here is something I had no idea existed because, well, it is after my time.

Nirvana - Lithium

This sounds better now than it did when it originally blew my mind. 

Jon Stewart, David Barton Discuss Thomas Jefferson, Religious Freedom

In this conversation between Jon Stewart and evangelical author David Barton, we see a rarity on television--a collegial exchange of ideas from conflicting perspectives that doesn't becomes cartoonish, mean or particularly reductive.  

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Colin Hay - Overkill

Excellent live performance by the main man at work. 

Too Inexperienced To Be President?

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.



Haw!

Aesop Rock - Zero Dark Thirty

Aesop Rock's new record, Skelethon, is out July 10.

Hospitality Plays NPR's Tiny Desk

Wonderful set by Brooklyn band Hospitality (h/t Stereogum).

Glee Version of "Somebody That I Used to Know" Is One Cover Too Many

The cast of Glee have made the bajillionth cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know." I remember when the covers of this song were compelling... even inspiring... then less so. Now it's become a mockery, and no one is more aware of this than the main man in Gotye--Wouter De Backer, who said, "It gets to a point where it starts to feel a bit self-conscious, and I don't want to hear any more people doing something with this."

UPDATE: Gotye seems cool with the Glee cover now. I, however, am not.



In an effort to stop fighting with idiots in various internet comments sections, I am going to be airing my grievances here and over at my personal blog. One hearing-impaired troll in the comments section of the Rolling Stone article wrote, "It's because of Glee that anybody even took a second listen to Gotye and his little song. Talk about looking a gift horse in the vocal chords." Excuse me? Note the date--February 24th--of this Reuters article which refers to the staggering 85 million hits this song has on YouTube alone.

A Memory Of Light

The last installment of The Wheel of Time saga by the late, great Robert Jordan and his understudy, Brandon Sanderson, is supposed to be ready in January, 2013. The Station Agent says not to count on this date, but at least we know that A Memory of Light is on its way.

Tarmon Gai'don is coming.

Changing The Face Of The Earth

Music by Michael Cassidy, lyrics by Jeffrey Armstrong.

What Would Jesus Do?

And now, here's John Lennon.