Friday Mood Music: Herb Alpert


It was always a thrill to catch Herb Alpert’s “Rise” on the oldie’s station growing up, a rare event indeed, and it was even more exciting after the Notorious B.I.G. sampled this infectious 1979 dance instrumental on his own 1997 single, “Hypnotize.” I’d never seen this video until today. It too is hypnotizing.

Happy weekend!

Friday Vibes Video: Whitney Houston


I have no idea where time’s been going lately. I do know, however, that today’s the insignificant 33rd anniversary of Whitney Houston’s very significant breakthrough onto the Billboard chart: it was on this date in 1985 that the singer first reached #1, with “Saving All My Love for You.”

As a bonus, I’ve included Houston’s second number one single, the equally incomparable “How Will I Know,” after the jump.

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Friday Vibes Video: Jeannie C. Riley


On this date 50 years ago, country singer Jeannie C. Riley went number one with her instant classic “Harper Valley PTA,” a lyrical rebuke against gossiping, trash talking, shade throwing and general small mindedness. The track and the no nonsense narrative haven’t aged a day.

Have good weekends!

Friday Vibes Video: Led Zeppelin


Today’s a special day in music history: It’s the 50th anniversary of the first time the Led Zeppelin we know and love performed together, in 1968, at a spot called Teen Club in Denmark.

Of course, back then they were called The New Yardbirds, an updated version of a band called the Yardbirds that changed its name when Jimmy Page came aboard in 1966.

Internal factions led members to come and go, and it wasn’t until 1968 that John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and John Bonham came aboard, rounding out the magic mix that soon took the world by storm — under a new name, a play on “lead balloon,” thanks to a cease and desist letter from a former Yardbird.

Anyway, here’s Led Zeppelin with “Immigrant Song,” from a 1972 show. The footage is… lively.

“Daybreak,” Over and Over.


You may not know the name of this image, but you’ve almost certainly seen it — or a variation of it, at least.

Entitled Daybreak, it was created in 1922 by Maxfield Parrish, the legendary artist whose 148th birthday was yesterday. An instant viral sensation, the painting’s popularity only grew as the century unfurled, becoming, like Benji Franklin’s “Join, or Die,” a sort of pre-internet meme.

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