Feist, Natalie, Metallica, Sturgill...
Friday/FF/RW #9 :: Featuring new and old music this week from Feist, Natalie Merchant, Sam Zalta, Blondshell, Sturgill Simpson, Dove Cameron, Johnny Blue Skies, Diplo, Bruce Springsteen & Prince.
Leslie Feist wrote her sixth studio album ‘Multitudes’ following her daughter’s birth and her father’s death. The two life-altering events pushed the Canadian singer into a new era of songwriting, leading her to let go of anything “performative” and, as she shared in a statement, thrusting her truth “into an unavoidable light”. It’s at the top of my queue of new records this week.
Here are all the new albums I’ll have in rotation this week at Ventipop Headquarters:
FEIST - MULTITUDES
METALLICA - 72 SEASONS
PATRICIA KOPATCHINSKAJA, CAMERATA BERN, ANNA PROSHAKA - MARIA MATER MERETRIX
NATALIE MERCHANT - KEEP YOUR COURAGE
GEORGIA GIBBS - RARE RECORDINGS OF A TIMELESS VOICE
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH - HENRY ST.
VITAMIN STRING QUARTET - VSQ PERFORMS PRINCE
TEMPLES - EXOTICO
Thanks to everyone for all the kind words regarding last week’s song choices and for getting many new subscribers over to this Substack. Much appreciated. This was another strong week for new songs. I narrowed it down to these five:
NATALIE MERCHANT :: “TOWER OF BABEL”
DIPLO, STURGILL SIMPSON, DOVE CAMERON & JOHNNY BLUE SKIES :: “USE ME (BRUTAL HEARTS)”
FEIST :: “MARTYR MOVES”
SAM ZALTA :: “ALTAR”
BLONDSHELL :: “SALAD”
1954 - Bill Haley & His Comets cut their signature hit, “Rock Around the Clock” – a song which helped to push rock‘n’roll firmly into mainstream culture.
1961 - Bob Dylan made his live debut in New York City. He opened for blues legend John Lee Hooker at Gerde’s Folk City. Dylan was 19 at the time and was too young to hold a cabaret license that would permit him to play, so one of the club’s owners, Mike Porco, became his guardian – or as the singer once described him, “the Sicilian father I never knew I had.” Dylan later referenced this show in his song “Talkin’ New York.”
1967 - The Doors and The Jefferson Airplane appeared at Cheetah, Santa Monica Pier, Venice, California. This was the largest show The Doors had played to date with a crowd of over 3,000.
1970 - Paul McCartney officially announces the split of The Beatles.
1973 - Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with Houses Of The Holy also a No.1 in the US.
1977 - The Clash released their self-titled debut in the UK, which peaked at No.12 on the chart. Interestingly, the punk band’s label, CBS, initially refused to release the album in the US, deeming it “unfriendly” for radio play.
1980 - A New Jersey State assemblyman introduced a resolution to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" the official state song of New Jersey. The resolution passed the assembly but not the state Senate.
1985 - Madonna kicked off her first North American tour with a three-night engagement at Seattle’s Paramount Theater. The Beastie Boys served as the opening act.
1995 - Radiohead released The Bends, featuring "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees." Thanks to Radiohead’s opening slot on R.E.M.’s Monster Tour, The Bends achieved Gold status in the U.S. by early '96.
2000 - Moby started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Play'. The album went on to spend 81 weeks on the chart.
2004 - Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison & Prince pay tribute to George Harrison at the 2004 Induction Ceremony. And Prince breaks into one of the most unforgettable guitar solos of all-time around the 3:20 mark.
2013 - Adele's 'Someone Like You' became the most downloaded single of all time in the UK. The Official Charts Company said on average more than three million tracks were now sold every week.
2016 - At the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Prince plays his last concert, as he dies a week later. His last song is "Purple Rain."
2019 - Billie Eilish hits #1 in America with her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, making the 17-year-old singer the first artist born in the '00s to top the chart.
To listen to every new song featured in 2023 in chronological order, follow along with this Spotify playlist.
THIS IS FUNNY…
Hit the pause button ‘til next Friday. See ya then…
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