The Mad Cookieman's Music Recommendations

I’ve been spending a lot of time on lala.com lately and decided to create a thread to share some of my absolute favorite music selections with you. Lala is a wonderful site for finding great music. What I like about lala so much is that you can listen to a song once all the way through for absolutely free before you decide if you want to buy it. I use the site a lot and if you sign up for a free account you get 25 songs for your account for free. You can choose to buy the “web-album” (most of them are less than two dollars) which you can play online whenever you want or you can buy the “mp3” album for a few dollars which you can download for your mp3 player or whatever. Anyway, we’ve got so many threads on bmindful now I don’t add them anymore just willy-nilly, but I wanted to share this album (David Wilcox – East Asheville Hardware) with you guys so much that I decided to create this thread of personal recommendations. Please feel free to comment on the stuff you find here, some of you might even want to create a thread of your own. So without any further adieu…

David Wilcox East Asheville Hardware

This album will absolutely blow you away! Give it a listen, it’ll stir you deep down, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will touch your heart and make your hair stand on end. The whole thing is absolutely fantastic. Be sure to listen to Blew Em Away, Johnny’s Camaro, East Asheville Hardware, Top of My Head, Mango Story, Carpenter Story & Fearless Love, You Should See The Way It Feels, Cold, Roadside Art, Boob Job, and After Your Orgasm – actually, do yourself a favor and just listen to the whole thing. Back when I used to play with Ranger Bob & His Big Dog Dick (Yeah, that was the name of my band!) we used to cover several of these fantastic pieces and I know you will love them.

Thanks MCM..I’ll listened to Eat Ashville Hardware lol and thought provoking.

Here’s a little bit of magic for you!
An Evening With John Denver

This album will stir you deep down. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. If you’ve never listened to it, do yourself a favor, LISTEN TO IT! John Denver was famous for a reason, listen to this and you’ll understand why!

Another great album for you guys is Van Morrison’s Moondance

Put this on sometime when you’re puttering around the house. A true classic you owe it to yourself to listen to. It is awesome.

i love Annies Song ,and his voice is so gentle

Here’s another one of those that you’ve probably never heard of. You may remember a song called “Mary’s Prayer” by this group. Well this album is something special. Great lyrics, great melodies, fantastic production, a very creative use of various instruments, and great style all come together on this little gem. It’s addictive.
Meet Danny Wilson

Here’s another one that will stretch you a bit, but it’s well worth it. This album might take you aback a little at first, but it will grow on you like an out of control fungus if you’re not careful. It is, dare I say it, yes, yes I will – it is unique. There, I’ve gone an used a way over used word. Give this one a chance, and I think you might surprise yourself.
They Might Be Giants

Pat Metheny is a Jazz guitarist with enough mainstream elements to make him accessible to pretty much any normal person. As a matter of fact his music will carry you away if you give it half a chance. Here is my favorite Metheny Album.
Still Life

Another artist that I’m sure many of you will enjoy is Joe Jackson. Joe has several wonderful albums: Look Sharp and Body & Soul are two of my faves. I’m not gonna’ go overboard with all I could say about this great album, just give it a listen. I’m sure it will appeal to some of you guys.
Look Sharp!

Body & Soul has a completely different flavor than Look Sharp, but you will enjoy it too.

In response to themadcookieman’s post:

MCM I found this video by accident and because I have always loved Martin Luther Kings great speech the man who created this video did such a creative job. I immediately thought of you and voila! Here is a musical thread by you! There are no coincedences!!!

Martin Luther Sings

Thanks GC! I enjoyed that a LOT!

Here’s a smokin’ little album for you. Sade has several excellent, romantic, jazzy albums I’m sure you guys could get into. Dang, sometimes I really miss having a girlfriend. This album would be great on a rainy or snowy night with a fireplace a bottle of wine or three and someone special.
Diamond Life

I love a wide variety of music, but if I were to gravitate toward one type of music more than any other it would be stuff kinda’ like the Gin Blossoms. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all kinds of music, I’m just sayin’...
Here is one my all time favorite albums. I’d describe it as melodic white-boy rock. We used to cover a couple of songs from this album; Allison Road and Found Out About You. Yeah, I sang ‘em. Yes, really. Yeah, in front of people. Yeah, with a mic. No, they didn’t run away screaming in agony.
New Miserable Experience

And yeah, I’d like to do it again someday.

I’m going to list two albums by Steely Dan because they are both outstanding and I can’t decide which one is better. You be the judge.
Aja

Gaucho

This one is by a one of my favorite guitarists, Eric Johnson. Some of you may have heard “The Cliffs of Dover”, but the whole album is great.
Ah Via Musicom

Acoustic Alchemy is another band (duo really) that is easy to fall in love with. We used to cover a couple of their songs – On the Case, from this album. I actually got to meet them once in Fort Worth at the Caravan of Dreams. I had their autographs, but I lost them in the fire. Sadly, one of them died a few years back, but their music is still powerful.
Back On The Case

Great thread MCM, I love the album pix. Some really great choices there, I’ve always loved Gaucho, not only for the fine songwritng and performances, but especially for the awesome production and mix. Keep them coming!

The Pat Metheny Songbook is a really interesting and valuable resource to have. He is quite a skillful composer.

Joe Jackson’s “Body and Soul” is a really solid album, I saw him live many years ago. One song lyric on that album I found intriguing back then as I do now. Ironically I have that album sitting on my piano right now, and it is a universal truth that,

You Can’t Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) Lyrics
Joe Jackson

Sometimes you start feelin’ so lost and lonely
Then you’ll find it’s all been in your mind
Sometimes you think someone is the one and only
Can’t you see, it could be you and me?
But if there’s any doubt
Then I think I’ll leave it out

‘Cause I’ll tell you one thing
You can’t get what you want
Till you know what you want
Said you can’t get what you want
Till you know what you want

Sometimes you keep busy reaching out for something
You don’t care, there’s always something there
Sometimes you can’t see that all you need is one thing
If it’s right, you could sleep at night
But it can take some time
But at least I’m here in line

‘Cause I’ll tell you one thing
You can’t get what you want
Till you know what you want
Said you can’t get what you want
Till you know what you want

Sometimes you can’t see that all you need is one thing
If it’s right, you could sleep at night
But it can take some time
But at least I’m here in line

‘Cause I’ll tell you one thing
You can’t get what you want
Till you know what you want
Said you can’t get what you want
Till you know what you want

You are a kindred spirit, db! Don’t worry, I’ll keep ‘em coming. I just can’t help myself. I agree with you about Body and Soul, it’s a fantastic album, thanks for posting the lyrics – definitely a bmindful type tune.

Here’s another album by an excellent songwriter. There are a lot of good ones, but be sure to check out “This Shirt” and “It Don’t Bring You”. This album has a decidedly folksy/country flavor and lots of emotion that will speak to you on a personal level.
State of the Heart

In response to themadcookieman’s post:
I have not listened to all of your selections..Though I’m sure they’re great! What I would like to comment on are the album covers you posted; or the correct term uploaded? Fantastic. The artists probably owe you a commission, and we all here at bmindful owe you hugs..XX

Thanks Laurie! I love doing this.

You guys have GOT to check out Grooveshark
I JUST found this site and it looks to be fantastic. I couldn’t find this album on lala so I looked around at some new sites and found grooveshark. AWESOME!!!

Anyway, here is the album I couldn’t find on lala. Let me think of a good word for this album. How about FABULOUS!!! This album will reach inside you and stir you up in all kinda ways. Enjoy, my friends, enjoy!

Rickie Lee Jones

What did you guys think of THAT one. Wow. Hard to pick a favorite, huh? Did ya listen to “Last Chance Texaco”? Or “Company”? or …

Melody Gardot will blow your sox off too! Groovy, Baby, Groovy!
My One And Only Thrill

God Shuffled His Feet

I don’t know if people realize how much a producer has to do with the final product of a cd. A great producer can make a terrible band sound awesome and a terrible producer can make a great band sound awful. When a songwriter or a band goes into the studio they usually have the guts of a song written, but many of the parts are fleshed out and come together right there in the studio. So when you read the credits on an album and it says “written by” such and such, well that guy or those guys wrote the guts of the song, but the final product can often be very different than what the writer had in mind when he walked in. Stuff like solo’s, for instance, are often created on the fly.

Broadsword And The Beast

Here’s an album I bought thirty some odd years ago because the cover fascinated me so much. Ian Anderson has a unique voice and the flute adds a lot of character to his music. I decided to add this one because the album itself seems to have a life of its own. Kind of a living, breathing creature waiting patiently on the shelf for you to get it down and play it from time to time. Jethro Tull has tons of albums, but I really like this one. The version on Lala has more songs than the original album did (to it’s detriment as far as I’m concerned), but I think you will enjoy most of the songs if you give it a chance. There is a strong drive to most of the songs and there is something about the bass lines that really grab me, not just the notes and rhythm, but the timbre of the notes as well. When you first listen to it you may think ““This is kind of “Nerdy”“ and you may be right. I’m kinda geeky in a proud way, so that may be why I like it so much. Anyway, I was listening to it in bed with my headphones on and decided to get up and write brief overall review of it. Guess I was feeling chatty. When I hear these songs I can go to a fantasy world in my mind. I picture knights, and pirates and swords, and ships, and dragons and a world full of fantastic creatures like the little sinister looking dude on the album art. I would love to make some animated videos for these songs. It would be a real project to make what I envision so I guess I’ll just stick with viewing them in my imagination.

Time Out

Getz Gilberto

The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is one of my all time favorite pieces of music. Scads of stuff has been written about this important piece so I’m not going to put my two cents in. What I will say is that there are lots of versions of this piece. This is a very good one. Most people don’t think about “versions” of great classical works, but unlike the Mona Lisa – there are lots of interpretations of stuff like “Beethoven’s Fifth” and “The Rite of Spring”. If you want to get a recording of something like this look around for some reviews so you can get something worth treasuring. And on that note I’ll scat, Baby!

Commentary on The Rite of Spring

Carmina Burana

I’m putting the Andre Previn album cover, but that recording wasn’t available on Lala. There was a version available on lala which I’ve included this link for, but I don’t know how good it is.

About Carmina Burana

Hi how are you doing? Hope u r enjoying what’s left of the weekend. I will be checking out the songs you posted some are familiar. Well Thanks for the music selection. Have a great week. How’s your uncle feeling these days? Take care & God bless! : )