I Couldn't Let This Go By

It's Only Rock and Roll, But I Like It

My friend recently emailed and said, “I noticed you havent made a new post on your blog in a 

while.” Well Nick, I thought it was only a weekend off, but hey, I’ve been wrong before, ask the women in my life. 

I’m 

still working on my all time Indians pitching staff, that one’s harder than the position players, because I’ve been fortunate to grow up in an age of dominant Ind

ians pitchers from Bartolo Colon, Sabathia, Lee, and of course Phil Niekro. 

So this post is dedicated to another love of my life besides 

sports and history, music.  The movie post is going to come very soon.  For all you lovers of Killer Nerd all I’ll say is the movie post will, “accentuate the 

positives.” 

 For today, I’m been very poetic, I finished Langston Hughes’ autobiography The Big Sea and 

my heart is confused so I’ve been listening to my favorite music.  Music has always let me reflect, listen to some of the greatest poets of the latter half of the 

twentieth century and has been a release of the anger, confusion, and mysticism that is life.  So here is my random playlist of music that I’m listening to 

tonight.  I’ve been in a seventies phase, maybe because as much as society trashes the decade, it’s mine I was born then, and two it’s where Rock 

and Roll gained it’s sea legs, just watch Almost Famous.

Also, Life on Mars is one of the coolest new shows of this season, it replaced Pushing 

Daisies, ABC is back to it’s Northern Exposure/ Twin Peaks past, even if the show was an original BBC sitcom.  Without further delay, the rock list that I could 

be a seventies DJ: 

Cream Strange Brew               

I love Cream, the raw energy, Clapton’s guitar, Ginger Baker’s beats, and Jack Bruce’s rhythm.  The lyrics let us know who was the big dogs of rock come 1968.  Pure unadulterated power. 

Electric Light Orchestra Evil Woman 

ELO, my mom had the album, nothing beats hearing the harmony’s of Jeff Lyne with the scratch of the needle touching vinyl.  This was the Beatles and Beach Boys combined with the power of sound of Phil Spektor wishes he could achieve. 

The Raspberries I Don’t Know What I Want

Cleveland, the 70s pre Michael Stanley selling out Blossom, and before we created the Boss, this is why we have the Rock Hall, suck it Philly and Old Man Dick Clark.  That’s how we roll in Cleveland.  Again, Rock getting it’s sea legs, with Wally Bryson and Eric Carmen screaming his angst, only Go All the Way beats this song live from the Agora.

Jimi Hendrix Little Wing and Little Miss Lover

Jimi always brings me to the combination of Zen, mixed with the mind boggling generations of Southern Blues, going back to Muddy, Leadbelly, and Robert Johnson.  The Stones tried, Zep tried, but only Jimi and maybe Eric Clapton could capture the angst of the Jim Crow south.

Thin Lizzy Romeo and the Lonely Girl and The Boys Are Back In Town

Speaking of Jim Crow and Europes answer of an Irish man of mixed birth and acceptance disregarding what too many Americans couldn’t look past, a black dude that rocks harder and stronger than any white dude in the States.  Phil Lynott like Roberta Clemente is the god of his craft that too many kids today don’t know existed, period.

Hall and Oates Women Comes and Goes and Rich Girl

Blue Eyed Soul, they took what Frankie Valli and the boys did back in the 50s and 60s and gave it a little Californian twist, people will rip on these guys, but they proved their chops with quality songs from the latter half of the 70s.

John Cougar Mellencamp I Need a Lover Who Won’t Drive Me Crazy

The title of the song says it all.

Fleetwood Mac Bleed to Love Her

One of my favorite all time bands, again, on vinyl nothing compares to Stevie’s signing backed but Lyndsay’s guitar work without using a pick, all with the fingees.  The Mac is a band that I’ll always love, and no matter how many girls say they love the Mac, they’ll always be mine, and I won’t let women ruin this band for me.

The Black Key Psychotic Girl, I Got Mine, and Stack Shot Billie

The best concert I’ve been to the last few years.  This is the concert I’ve been waiting for; I wore the arm band for almost a month after the concert.  This ranks up there with seeing Dylan, Bruce, and JB for all time concerts on my list.

The Police Can’t Get Next to You and Message In a Bottle

This choice would make Grabowski proud, but I remember playing Frisbee Gold in Toledo jamming to the Police and crashing the high school graduation party with Zach, oh the Boardman, Ohio kids…

Bruce Springsteen Growin Up  and Rosalita

This is what made Super Bowl XLIII awesome, besides the money I won on poker and the fact that the Steelers won, I loved the Bruce Concert.  I still haven't come down since seeing Bruce in 07 and Rosie's one of the greatest all time closing number in Rock and Roll history.

David Bowie Life On Mars

Bowie, great television drama, Gretchen Mol who played Bettie Page, Michael Imperioli for the Sopranos, and Mr. Keitel as Mr. White, what more do we need, a Christopher Walken cameo would be nice, but the soundtrack is what makes me stick around.  That 70s Show on good 70s vodka…

Mott the Hoople All the Young Dudes

Bowie song, Scott Longert recommendation on music from the 70s, what more could we ask for?