He Let Go Of His Ego...

...and Id emerged:

I know so many people who think they can do it alone

They isolate their heads and stay in their safety zone 

What can you tell them?

What can you say that won't make them defensive? 

Hang on to your ego!

Hang on to your ego!

Hang on to your ego! 

Hang on, but I know that you're gonna lose the fight 

They come on like they're peaceful

But inside they're so uptight

They trip through the day

And waste all their thoughts at night

Now how can I say it?

And how can I come on

When I know I'm guilty? 

Yeah, hang on to your ego!

Hang on to your ego!

Hang on to your ego! 

Hang on, but I know that you're gonna lose the fight 

a doobie doobay-doo

[cool banjo interlude]

Now how can I say it?

And how can I come on

When I know I'm guilty? 

So, hang on to your ego!

Hang on to your ego!

Hang on to your ego! 

Hang on, but I know that you're gonna lose the fight

a doobie doobay...do

[Marylin Wilson to BW's dog]: Banana!

[Brian Wilson]: Hey Chuck is it possible we could bring a horse in here without...if we don't screw anything up?

[Chuck Britz]: I beg your pardon?

[Brian Wilson]: Honest to God, now, the horse is tamed and everything.

Sing Hosanna, Hallelujah!

This one is my mother's favorite.  I adore it too--what's not to like? The song features a banjo, that greatest of American instruments. It also has a complexity which many Christmas Carols lack.

The New Christy Minstrels spawned the likes of Barry McGuire* (Eve of Destruction), Gene Clark (The Byrds), Kim Carnes (Bette Davis Eyes), and the Kenny Rogers. The NCM belonged to that wonderful but brief period of American music between the death of Buddy Holly and the invasion of The Beatles.
_______________
*His growling voice appears briefly at the 1 min 44 sec mark.

Have You Heard Of The Ship Called The Good Reuben James?

I particularly like this old Woody Guthrie song sung by The Kingston Trio entitled The Sinking Of The Reuben James. The maker of this YouTube video put the names of each lost sailor into scrolling graphics.

I love how each man's name seems to rise from the blackened depths--names that might otherwise be forgotten:

Looking over some of the music posts I've put up in the past it's sad to see so many of the YouTube video links get disabled. Rumor has it that some of this creative YouTubing may all be coming to an end.

Surely there can be some kind of mutual recognition between the owners of the song's copyright and the artists wanting to make use of them. The short answer to this is licensing. But what artist is going to find (let alone contact) the owners of the copyright? I see an opportunity for Google here. Perhaps they could broker reasonable fee-for-usage licensing--something akin to iTunes.

Hung Up on "Gallows Pole"

The Led Zeppelin song Gallows Pole foreshadowed the masterful (but overplayed) Stairway to Heaven which appeared on their next album. The song introduces each stringed instrument one-by-one, with an increasing tempo. I love how the mandolin chimes in near the beginning, sounding almost like a piano.  Gallows Pole also features a banjo, an unusual instrument in rock music.  You can hear it kick in with the drums here.

More about that drumming: John Bonham is really playing more than just a steady beat. Listen for example here, exactly when Plant sings "upon your face a smile"--his drumming mimics the cadence of Plant's words.

Of course Gallows Pole wasn't standard rock fare to begin with. There's a whole long history behind the song and Led Zeppelin were late to the party. link