Last night at Rum and Erwin’s place we were watching TFC (The Filipino Channel) and witnessed a poor 12 year-old Filipino girl sing “My Humps” on the variety show, Wowowee. Anyone who doesn’t think American pop culture is a Cancer upon the world, needs to seriously reasses their value system. My only comfort is knowing that if Willie Revillame told any Jeff Foxworthy “You Might Be A Redneck” jokes, then they were in Tagalog and I didn’t understand them. If you are unfamiliar with Wowowee, click the image for the wikipedia entry on the show.
Monthly Archive for June, 2006
Since he’s been on my mind, lately, I’ve been listening to some James Jamerson recordings. A particular song by Stevie Wonder, ironically titled “Everytime I See You I Go Wild,” has had my repeat button lodged in the on position. I am assuming that this is a Jamerson recording, something tells it may be a Bob Babbit track. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
It is not a super-famous track, though I think it is well known. The bass hook is nothing spectacular by Motown standards, and it reminds me of a simplified version of “Bernadette” by the Four Tops. For some reason though, this cut has grabbed ahold of me and I can’t shake it loose. The thing that I enjoy about this song (and a lot of Stevie’s early Motown work) is that it appeals to both the “dancers” and the “listeners.” There is something for everyone in these tunes. The contrast in complexity between the verse and the chorus sections is stark. The verse is as basic as it gets, one chord over and over again with James laying down a really solid foundation (a la “Shotgun”). When the chorus hits, you are on a rollercoaster ride through some pretty complex Jazz-inspired changes, but the groove stays solid and ferocious.
This song is too overwhelmingly soulful for a blind kid singing about “seeing” his sweetheart. I think he’s seeing God.
I don’t know what the legal ramifications of me uploading the entire song to my website will be, but here it is. And here’s a link to where you can purchase the CD on Amazon
A while back I was complaining about my amp. Well, I still hate it. I was doing a little more research on the Aguilar DB 750 (which I cannot presently afford) and came across a new Aguilar dealer in northern Virginia. The shop is called Jive Sound and from the looks of their site they’re running wordpress. So this guy likes expensive bass gear and he likes open source software, my kinda guy! I may go visit this store sometime when Kim and I go visit Deandras.