Inspired by NPR’s 5 Great Cover Songs from 2011, here are my top 12 covers from 2011 – starting with two of the hardest-rocking, and ending with the quietest ones. 1)   Like a Prayer  Grace Potter & The Nocturnals     6:23 This cover of Madonna’s 1989 hit comes from Grace Potter & The Nocturnals‘ iTunes Session
Last year, Nine Kinds of Pie presented seven Halloween mixes. Â This year, it’ll be just one new Halloween mix. Â (Feel free to check out the old ones, though. Â They’re still up on the blog!) Â The theme this year is all instrumental. Â Henry Mancini, Combustible Edison, Big Lazy, and others present some (mostly) spooky tunes without
As R.E.M. has called it a day this week, I’m paying tribute by highlighting a facet of their career that is not being talked about that much – or, at least, not in the articles I’ve seen.  And that is… R.E.M., the cover band!  One of their hits was a cover of the Clique’s “Superman.”  Rather
Today, the first of three Labor-Day-themed posts. Here’s a mix of songs about work. And, yes, I’m aware that many other songs that could be included here – I came up with enough additional songs to fill a second CD, and then some. Since much of this blog is devoted to children’s literature, I should also
In North America, those of us who are teachers or students are thinking about school. In August and September, the summer holidays end, and a new term begins. To commemorate (or commiserate?) this season last year, I posted Dark Sarcasm in the Classroom: A Back-to-School Mix. This year, I’m posting a mix about language.  Enjoy!
My favorite song off of Laurie Anderson‘s most recent record (Homeland, 2010) also happens to be the most apt song to describe where America is at this moment in history.  It begins “Now only an expert can deal with the problem / Cause half the problem is seeing the problem” – a sentiment quickly ironized as
They were hits. They were available on vinyl. But you can’t buy them now.  They’re unavailable on CD or in digital form.  Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes (Special Mix),” Opus’s “Live Is Life,” the English version of Nena’s “99 Luftballoons” (“99 Red Balloons”), the English version of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Coming Home),” the American
Happy First Day of Summer! Â Here’s a “Summertime” box set. Â I will now take your questions. Q: Are there good “summer” songs omitted from these four mixes? A: Yes, of course there are. Â I came up with an additional 133 songs that I did not use. Q: Will you assemble more mixes including those songs?
If you’re like me, when you heard that the world would be ending this Saturday, your first thought was: but what music would be appropriate for the occasion? Â And, if I were to throw a party, what sort of songs might be on the playlist? Â Well, your musical worries are over. Â (Do feel free keep
The hectic pace of this time of year (grading finals! grading papers! etc!) always makes me think of the music of Raymond Scott (1908-1994), but especially his “Powerhouse” (1937). Â If you’ve ever watched any Warner Bros. cartoons, you’ll recognize this as the machinery-out-of-control theme. Â Carl Stalling (1891-1972), who created the scores for those cartoons, made