Hello all, and welcome back to another edition of What I'm Listening To! This month, I wanted to switch it up and do songs I enjoy that have colors in their titles. So, without further ado, let's go!
"Yellow Submarine" - The Beatles (1)
If you've read this blog before, you may or definitely know how important The Beatles were in my musical upbringing. My Dad had an 8-Track player, which he also just happened to have the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" version as well. So, we played that album out of existence. I can't even count how many times I listened to "Yellow Submarine", but man was it a lot. My sister and I just couldn't get enough of it as kids. The song is bouncy, like those old Disney movies where you'd follow the bouncing ball to the lyrics of the song.
"Purple Haze" - Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix - Woodstock)
My dad looooooves him some Hendrix. Rightfully so. Jimi Hendrix was one of the best guitarists of the 20th century, even in his unfortunate short life. "All Along the Watchtowers" and "Hey Joe" are absolute solid gold, but this is probably my favorite. It's got this kind've in-your-face attitude the way he belts out the lyrics. An icon of the counter culture of the late 60's, Jimi will always be remembered, and if you can, I implore you to watch/listen to his rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner". It's phenomenal.
"Behind Blue Eyes" - The Who (The Who With Orchestra: Live at Wembley)
This is a great song by the legendary band The Who. I felt it was a stark departure from most of their other hits because of it's more somber tone, along with the acoustic guitar. This is a song that's more contemplative, and I would probably be staring out my window while the rain falls.
The Who With Orchestra: Live at Wembley [uk, 2019]
"Purple Rain" - Prince (Purple Rain)
This is the best Prince album and it's not even close. Earlier I talked about Hendrix being one of the best guitar players of the 20th century, but this guy is right up there as well. If you haven't seen the movie, check it out. If you haven't seen him perform "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, check it out. Also, play the heck out of this album. "Purple Rain" rocks!
"Paint it, Black" - The Rolling Stones (Aftermath)
An even bigger band than The Who, The Rolling Stones are one of the best rock bands of their generation, and the 20th century. The opening plucking of the strings is so ominous, then goes right into the jamming out. Love this song. This song brings me back to college, where I would be in my brother's room at my fraternity house slinging this on Guitar Hero. Fun fact about that game: if you played enough of it and stared away from the screen, your eyes would play tricks on you, temporarily distorting what you saw. Pretty wild. This song slaps!
That does it for this edition of What I'm Listening To!
