Category Archives: Music

Friday random ten: The 2000s

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Did we ever decide on a name for this decade, or did we all sort of agree that it wasn’t worth the bother? I mean, if it weren’t for the birth of my two kids, I’d be willing to forget … Continue reading →

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KTRU’s last day will be Thursday

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

29-95: Last week the FCC approved a license transfer from Rice University to the University of Houston which was the end of the road for Rice’s student-run KTRU/91.7 radio station. [Wednesday] came news of the shut off date. KTRU will … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Life goes on

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Making music is supposed to be fun, you know? Like this. Useless trivia: Some years ago I was listening to the local classic rock station while driving around town. (That was 93.7 the Arrow, for those keeping score at home.) … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 90s

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 90s. Grunge. Dot coms. “I did not have sex with that woman”. You remember, right? It wasn’t that long ago. 1. Suicide Blonde – INXS (1990) 2. Something To Talk About – Bonnie Raitt (1991) 3. I Touch Myself … Continue reading →

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FCC approves KTRU sale

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official now. The Federal Communications Commission on Friday approved the controversial sale of Rice University’s radio station, KTRU, to the University of Houston. The decision comes after a group called the Friends of KTRU filed a petition and three … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Fluuuuutes! Innnnnnn! Spaaaaaaaaace!

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve never seen a flute duet quite like this before: I’m hard pressed to think of a better way to salute the 50th anniversary of the first human being in space. The song they’re playing is the opening bars of … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 80s

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 80s. If you don’t already understand what things like parachute pants and Members Only jackets were about, there’s nothing I can say that will help you understand them. 1. Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen (1980) 2. Who Can It … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: You’re so fine you blow my mind

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We were at a fundraiser for Olivia’s school last Saturday. They had a DJ playing music to appeal to a bunch of mostly 40ish married people, along with videos on a big screen. Which is to say, 80s music in … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 1970s

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 70s. What can I say? You had to be there. 1. Are You Ready? – Pacific Gas & Electric (1970) 2. American Pie – Don McLean (1971) 3. I Didn’t Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 1960s

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 60s. From Mad Men to the summer of love. And music, lots of music. 1. Shop Around – Smokey Robinson and The Miracles (1960) 2. Ruben James – Kingston Trio (1961) 3. She Thinks I Still Care – George … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Ease on down the road

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We took the girls to see a children’s-theater production of “The Wizard of Oz” last weekend, and that made me think of this: Alas, I couldn’t find a clip of this from the movie, but if you just want to … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 1950s

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The 1950s. Poodle skirts, greasy kid stuff, James Dean, and some pretty good music. 1. Walkin’ Blues – Muddy Waters (1950) 2. All The Things You Are – Dizzy Gillespie (1953) 3. Rock Around The Clock – Bill Haley and … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The 1940s

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One of the side projects I took on as I’ve gone through all my songs has been cleaning up their data as best I can. I finished assigning a year of release to nearly every song awhile back, and figured … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: You can do anything with a ukulele

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Well, maybe you can’t. But Jake Shimabukuro can, as his rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” will attest: The only thing I would criticize is the lack of head-banging at the expected moment. But beyond that, it’s full of awesome.

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 16

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And so we come to the end of the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. It’s Too Late – Carole King (#469) 2. Where Did Our Love Go? – The Supremes (#472) 3. One Nation Under A Groove – Funkadelic … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 15

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The penultimate list of my songs from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Tumbling Dice – Linda Ronstadt (#424, orig. Rolling Stones) 2. Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple (#426) 3. New Year’s Day – U2 (#427) 4. … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: When the cover is better known than the original

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You know the song “Tainted Love”, right? A classic from the 80s. And a cover of a 60s Motown song. Quite different, no? The folks at Popdose wrote about some well-known tunes that they knew better as covers. I’d say … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 14

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Getting close to the end of the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Roxanne – The Police (#388) 2. Band of Gold – Freda Payne (#391) 3. Summer In The City – Black Casino … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Dancing on the ferry

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In four years plus two summers of commuting on the Staten Island Ferry, I never saw anyone do this: Girl Walk // All Day from jacob krupnick on Vimeo. There were the occasional buskers, but mostly of the guitar-playing variety. … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 13

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And we return to the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Little Wing – Stevie Ray Vaughan (#357, orig. Jimi Hendrix) 2. Nowhere To Run – Martha and The Vandellas (#358) 3. Got My … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten – A little jazz break

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I still have a few entries to go in the Rolling Stone Top 500 list, but I wanted to take a break from it this week for a small diversion. I recently played the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s “Take 5” as … Continue reading →

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More on the KTRU/KPFT deal

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

After I read about the KTRU/KPFT deal, in which KTRU will broadcast over one of KPFT’s HD radio channels, I wondered what the folks at Save KTRU thought of it. At the time I posted, there wasn’t anything on the … Continue reading →

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KTRU joins forces with KPFT

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

KTRU will broadcast over the air again, just from a different spot on the dial. [Rice University] said Saturday that KTRU will broadcast over a digital channel assigned to radio station KPFT, beginning Feb. 14. “We’re excited,” said Joey Yang, … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 12

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Dancing Barefoot – U2 (#323, orig. Patti Smith Group) 2. We Will Rock You – Queen (#330) 3. I Can’t Make You Love Me … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 11

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Train In Vain – Annie Lennox (#292, orig. The Clash) 2. Heart of Gold – Neil Young (#297) 3. Like A Prayer – Madonna … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 10

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. All The Young Dudes – Billy Bragg (#253, orig. Mott The Hoople) 2. I Can See For Miles – The Who (#258) 3. Hallelujah … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 9

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Walk Away Renee – Southside Johnny and The Jukes (#220, orig. The Left Bank) 2. Moondance – Van Morrison (#226) 3. Fire and Rain … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Disco makes everything better

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How can I possibly mention an album side-length disco version of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” without providing a video? That’s the first rendition of that song I ever heard. Made for a few weird moments the first time I … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The Top 500, part 8

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As we ended the old year, so we begin the new year with another set of songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone – The Temptations (#168) 2. Dancing Queen … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: New Year’s Day

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Seems appropriate: Happy 2011! I suppose this is as good a place as any to mention that today is my ninth anniversary of blogging. I’ve been doing this so long I’ve forgotten how not to do it. I suppose I … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 7

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We end the year with another set of songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Foxy Lady – Jimi Hendrix (#152) 2. A Hard Day’s Night – The Beatles (#153) 3. Proud Mary – Creedence … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: The Top 500, part 6

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Will You Love Me Tomorrow? – Carole King (#125, orig. The Shirelles) 2. Shake, Rattle & Roll – Bill Haley and The Comets (#126, … Continue reading →

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Special Thursday video break: It’s hard out here on an elf

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Elf’s Lament, by the Barenaked Ladies: Thanks to Ezra for the link.

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Friday random ten: The top 500, part 5

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing on with the songs in my collection from the Rolling Stone Top 500 list. 1. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Stevie Ray Vaughan (#101, orig. Jimi Hendrix) 2. Hot Stuff – Donna Summer (#103) 3. The Boxer – Simon … Continue reading →

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