Monday, March 31, 2008

MP3 of the Day

AC/DC guitarist, Angus Young was born on this day in 1955 in Glasgow, Scotland. Today we have a live version of the song Live Wire recorded by AC/DC at the Atlantic Recording Studios in New York City. Happy Birthday Angus!

Friday, March 28, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1964, the Beatles broke Elvis Presley's seven-year record for most hits on Billboard's Hot 100 at the same time. In 1956, Presley had nine songs on the Hot 100. On this day, the Beatles scored a 10th hit, continuing to add to the score until April 11, when the band occupied 14 positions on the chart. Today we have the song Girl On The Billboard by RED SOVINE Happy Friday!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

MP3 of the Day

Brazilian children's television show host, Xuxa (pronounced "shoo-shah") was born on this day in 1963. Xou da Xuxa was probably the most famous children's show in Brazil and Latin America. On her show, Xuxa presented cartoons and games, interviewed guests, and performed her songs. Xuxa has sold more than 40,000,000 albums - and her album 'Xou de Xuxa 3' still holds the crown as the best-selling record in Brazilian music history. Today we have The Sun Always Shines On TV by TRIBECA.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

MP3 of the Day

The documentary Woodstock, showing the 1969 concert that drew half a million people and kicked off the "summer of love," premiered on this day in 1970. The film won an Oscar for Best Documentary. Today we have the song Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe by OKKERVIL RIVER.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

MP3 of the Day

Herbert Munro was born on this day in 1899. Munro set the world motorcycle land speed record in 1967 at the Bonneville Salt Flats on a self-modified Indian motorcycle with a 600 cc engine. He went 190.07 mph. His record still stands today and his efforts inspired the motion picture The World's Fastest Indian (2005), starring Anthony Hopkins. That film was inspired by the 1971 short documentary film Burt Munro: Offerings to the God of Speed. Both movies were directed by Roger Donaldson. Today we have the song Motorcycle Boy by COURTNEY LOVE - the band, not the awful celebrity.

Monday, March 24, 2008

MP3 of the Day

Elvis Presley was inducted into the army on this day in 1958. Although he had been drafted the previous December, the army granted him a deferral so he could finish shooting the film, King Creole. Today's MP3 is Army Life by THE EXPLOITED.

Friday, March 21, 2008

MP3 of the Day

The Moondog Coronation Ball was a concert held in Cleveland, Ohio at the Cleveland Arena on this day in 1952. It is generally accepted as the first major rock and roll concert. The show was organized by Lew Platt and Alan Freed, a disc jockey who coined the term "Rock and Roll" at WJW-Radio. More tickets were printed than the arena's actual capacity, in part due to counterfeiting. With an estimated 20,000 individuals trying to crowd into an arena that held slightly more than half that - and worries that a riot might break out as people tried to crowd in - the fire authorities shut down the concert after the first song by Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams ended. Today we have the song A New City Life by PANTS YELL! Happy Friday.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

MP3 of the Day

According to scholars at the University of Paris, the Black Death was created on this day in 1345, from what they called “a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius, occurring on the 20th of March 1345”. The Black Death, also known as the Plague, swept across Europe, the Middle East and Asia during the 14th century, leaving an estimated 25 million dead in its wake. Today we have The Meaning Of Lice by STEPHIN MERRITT from the album Plague Songs.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1966, Texas Western College defeated the University of Kentucky in the NCAA men’s college basketball final in College Park, Maryland. This marked the first time an all-black starting five had won the NCAA championship. Today we have The Mess Inside by THE MOUNTAIN GOATS from the album All Hail West Texas.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

MP3 of the Day

In 1985 NINA HAGEN released a 1979 recording of her punk take on Frank Sinatra's My Way, which had been one of her signature live songs for years. If you ask me, her version of this song sounds remarkably similar to the Sid Vicious version that was also recorded back in 1979.

Monday, March 17, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1986, DEPECHE MODE released Black Celebration, their fifth proper studio album. The album further explored the darker sound that was initially hinted towards on their third record Construction Time Again. Many fans consider Black Celebration to be Depeche Mode's finest hour despite (or because of) its darkness and lack of "notable" singles. It didn't do as well as other albums did and none of its three singles were big hits. Today we have Stripped from Black Celebration.

Friday, March 14, 2008

MP3 of the Day

Director and choreographer Busby Berkeley died on this day in 1976. He was the son of a stage director and an actress, who made his first stage appearance in New York at age five. After attending military school and serving in World War I, he started directing small productions and quickly rose to become one of Broadway's top dance directors. The obvious song to post today would be 'Busby Berkeley Dreams' by The Magnetic Fields, but instead, today we have the song Last Dance by MATH AND PHYSICS CLUB.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

MP3 of the Day

If you happen to be at SXSW or just hangin' out in Austin, Texas, you can catch LOS CAMPESINOS! playing a party at Emo's Jr today at 4PM. Today we have the song Knee Deep At ATP from the new LOS CAMPESINOS! album Hold On Now, Youngster...

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1998, Sears Roebuck & Co. recalled a line of shotguns made during the 1950s. The line in question, were first advertised in Sears’ catalogs from the 1950s as the "J.C. Higgins Bolt Action 12-Gauge Model 10 Shotguns." They were recalled due to faulty assembly of the bolt latch; in cases where the latch was not installed properly, it would spring off the gun and hit the user in the face. Sears offered a $160 "finders' fee" to anyone who returned a defective bolt latch. This recall was especially unusual because the guns were nearly 50 years old and the manufacturer was no longer in business. Today we have the song Shotgun Dedication by BEULAH.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

MP3 of the Day

The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. So much for originality huh? Today we have the song Western Meadowlark by the Philadelphia band BROWN RECLUSE SINGS.

Monday, March 10, 2008

MP3 of the Day

Dave Schulthise (aka Dave Blood), the bassist of the Dead Milkmen committed suicide in Westchester, New York on this day in 2004. Dave helped form the band in 1983 along with Joe Jack Talcum, Dean Clean, and Rodney Anonymous. Prior to this he was a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Purdue University. Dave suffered from depression and stopped playing music in the early 1990s after the band broke up. The surviving members took the stage once again for two consecutive nights in November of 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia to pay tribute to their friend and band-mate. Today we have the song I Hear Your Name from the DEAD MILKMEN album Eat Your Paisley.

Friday, March 07, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this night in LONDON in 1980, you could have caught The Cramps w/ The Fall at Kings College, Crass at the Moonlight Club, UB40 at The Venue or The Cure at the Marquee. Today we have an early demo version of I Just Need Myself by THE CURE. Happy Friday!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

MP3 of the Day

The German film Metropolis opened in the United States on this day in 1927. The film portrayed a dystopian vision of a future city and featured influential special effects and photography techniques. The film was tinted and re-released in 1984. Today we have the song She Does Not by THE GROOVY METAL BABIES.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1962, George C. Scott turned down his Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in The Hustler, calling the awards “self-serving and meaningless.” He was the first actor to decline a nomination. Despite his rejection, the Academy decided to uphold the nomination, but he did not win the award. However, in 1971, he again denounced the awards, calling them a “meat parade,” but won the Best Actor Oscar, which he refused, for his performance in Patton. Scott died in 1999. Today we have the song Foxy Boxer by BEARSUIT from their new album, Oh:Io available Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 2005, Martha Stewart was released from a federal prison near Alderson, West Virginia, after serving five months for lying about her sale of ImClone stock in 2001. Today we have a new song by CARS CAN BE BLUE called Doctor .

Monday, March 03, 2008

MP3 of the Day

The first time I heard Dead Sound by THE RAVEONETTES from their new album Lust Lust Lust, I was pretty sure it would be a song my friend Blaine would love. I'm not sure if he ever looks at this site, but if so... this post is for you Blaine.