Don't Dream The Italian Trip Is Over

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am a big fan of Crowded House (and the various source/spin-off groups like Split Enz, Finn Brothers, etc.) So, I will spend this week celebrating the release of the newest Crowded House album, Time on Earth.

But first, let me bridge the Crowded House theme for the week with my trip to Italy which led this blog to be dormant for two weeks. I had assumed that I would have regular and easy access to the Internet in my hotel and was surprised to find no WiFi in my hotel room. So that led to my putting the blog on hold for a bit.

Well, I'm back. Probably one of the most recognizable Crowded House songs in the USA is Don't Dream It's Over. The song was a huge hit for the group in the eighties and even showed up on an MTV album of "One Hit Wonders." To me, labeling Crowded House a "one hit wonder" is an outrageous injustice.

While in Italy, I happened to hear the familiar strains of Don't Dream It's Over, but sung to Italian lyrics. I discovered that an Italian superstar, Antonello Venditti had rewritten the lyrics to the song and released it in Italy as Alta Marea. I found it unique, interesting, and well done enough to buy the CD in Milan and present it here as my first offering during Crowded House Week here on Underheard Music. As usual, the album (the 3-disc special edition) is available via Amazon.com at a price considerably lower than the price I paid in Italy. Go figure!

1. Antonella Venditti - Alta Marea (4.83 MB; 128 kbps MP3)

This blog is NOT dead

I promise to get back to this blog soon. I am in Milan, Italy and my hotel room does not have Internet access. Since I usually do this blog thing late at night, that poses a problem. Plus, I have been getting back to my room well after 1 AM each day, so it has not been conducive to blogging.

I promise I'll be back soon. A week at the most!

Bombay Dreams - Andrew Lloyd Webber in Bollywood

As a long time Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, I was delighted to hear that he was producing a show inspired by Bollywood movies. Even better, he had snagged the person considered to be a genius on the scale of Mozart to compose the music - A.R. Rahman. For those of you not connected with Indian popular music, A.R. Rahman is a young composer who has an astonishing talent with an ability to blend influences from western classical, pop, south and north Indian music.

I bought the CD some time ago and listened to it several times and liked it a lot. Then, all of a sudden my wife and kids happened to put the CD on again upstairs on the boom box and the house has never been the same. They all seemed to get obsessed. The CD played several times every day until I actually took the CD away and hid it. Finally, my wife asked for a copy that she could play in the car when I wasn't around. Very bizarre!

I have no choice but to put Shakalaka Baby on here as it is the one song that gets all the kids dancing wildly in the living room. Then, to slow things down, I'm going to feature The Journey Home which is just a beautiful melody. Unfortunately, despite some success at London's West End, I heard it flopped on Broadway. I never got to see the show and would be very happy if they released a DVD of the show. I have the Salaam Bombay Dreams documentary on the making of the show, but not the entire show.

You can buy the CD on Amazon here. They also have the Salaam Bombay Dreams documentary, which is a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary on the creation of a huge musical production. The CD is well worth the money. Enjoy the songs, but don't blame me if you get addicted!

1. Bombay Dreams - Shakalaka Baby (3.9 MB; 128 kbps MP3)
2. Bombay Dreams - The Journey Home (3.98 MB; 128 kbps MP3)

Roger Waters Opera - Polish Performance

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to go for the Roger Waters concert in St. Paul, Minnesota with a friend who had fortunately just broken up with his girlfriend (so he had an extra ticket!)

The concert was fantastic show. Roger performed numerous Pink Floyd classics and the entire Dark Side of the Moon album. The show was spectacular, with great props and massive high definition screens.

This gives me an excuse to present to you a (somewhat) rare selection today. When I was in Poland last month, I saw a CD on the shelves which claimed to be an opera by Roger Waters called Ça Ira. Frankly, I had not heard of this opera, but since it was a recording of the opera performed during its first full production in Poznan, Poland on August 25, 2006. The back of the CD dedicated it "To all my Polish friends." You can read more about the opera here.

The Roger Waters catalog is available on Amazon here. You can also get a reasonably priced 2-CD set of Ça Ira from Amazon. They also have a special version that is a hybrid SACD with a "making of" DVD here that seems like a slightly better deal overall. I have not been able to easily find the Polish performance that is featured on this blog.

Even though I'm not a huge opera fan (I don't mind it sometimes), I enjoyed this opera. Here, I present the overture from the opera and a song from the third act that is very slightly reminiscent of The Wall (probably because of the youth choir). So, here are songs from the Polish performance of Roger Waters' Ça Ira.

1. Roger Waters - Ça Ira Overture (3.76 MB; 128 kbps MP3)
2. Roger Waters - To Take Your Hat Off (2.45 MB; 128 kbps MP3)

Happy July 4th!

As a special departure from the primary theme of this blog, I'm going to put something on here that is not particularly unusual or "underheard." In fact, if most of you have not heard these songs, I'd be surprised.

First is, in my opinion, the most perfect rendition of the American national anthem I have heard. I have heard many versions of the anthem, and this is the one that consistently sends chills up my spine no matter how many times I hear it. It is the Star Spangled Banner as sung by LeAnn Rimes. There is no instrumentation, just her soaring voice and a boatload of echo. Still, the resonance created by the echo is an instrument in itself. Truly, this is the version I listened to over and over again after 9/11.

Second is another beautiful rendition of God Bless America by LeAnn Rimes. I think these majestic, soraing, patriotic songs are perfectly suited to her voice. Even though you've heard these before, it's worth another listen. Just spectacular.

You'll find both these songs on LeAnn's album You Light Up My Life which is available quite cheap on Amazon here.

1. LeAnn Rimes - Star Spangled Banner (1.82 MB; 128kbps MP3)

2. LeAnn Rimes - God Bless America (2.84 MB; 128kbps MP3)

Duluth Music In A Blue Haze

I've got another local (Duluth, MN) artist for you today. Also a friend of mine and also someone I met through my kids.

Some months ago, there was some "culture day" or something like that at my kids' school and I was invited (along with numerous other parents) to make a brief presentation in my daughter's class on my Indian heritage. One of the other parents there brought a guitar and performed some great folk songs.

Later I found out that Greg Tiburzi has released a couple of CDs locally and I recently bought his latest CD release. The songs here are taken from his newest album, In a Blue Haze. These are delightfully simple folk songs that will have you hummin' and enjoying the lyrics.

As usual, I had a hard time selecting a couple of songs to feature. I really liked How You Gonna Get Up? and almost picked Blue Feelin' as my second song. At the last moment, I switched to the Musquetor Two-Step because I had to laugh out loud when listening to it. Anyone who has spent any time in Minnesota during the summer will be able to relate to this song. If you haven't spent any time enjoying the state bird of Minnesota during the summer (the "musquetor"), consider yourself lucky!

You can read a brief review of the CD here. The easiest way to buy a copy of the CD is by emailing Greg at gregtiburzi@yahoo.com. The CD costs a mere $12.

1. Greg Tiburzi - How You Gonna Get Up? (3.3 MB; 128kbps MP3)

2. Greg Tiburzi - Musquetor Two-Step (4.48 MB; 128kbps MP3)

Soaring Multi-Octave Vocals & My Return

Okay, I have been VERY neglectful of this blog. It really is unforgivable. I set out to keep this blog as uninterrupted as possible, but failed recently as work overwhelmed me. Usually, I'm able to build up a few posts on nights and weekends, but I have had relatives visiting since last week and so have neglected this posting.

I was inspired today by Mr. Tibbs (see recent comment) to jump back into this. Frankly, I had no idea anyone was even reading this blog (except a few of my family), so it was invigorating to get that message. Hey, Mr. Tibbs, you aren't some relative of mine using a pseudonym, are you? So, let this be a lesson to you. If you find me slacking off, just add a comment and it will drive me back to action immediately!

Anyway, I will have a few local treats for you this week. There are a couple of local (Duluth, Minnesota) musician friends of mine who I think have some fantastic offerings.

Today, I'll focus on Billy Q. Effinger who I met through my very young kids. Two of my kids (aged 6 and 5) were cast in a local playhouse production of Carousel as the "Snow Kids." Mr. Snow in the play was played by Billy Effinger and I met him at a cast party and he told me of his CD as I was praising his singing in the play. He has written, composed, and performed several songs and this first self-produced CD of his is a combination of original songs and covers. I am going to focus on the originals here, frankly because I think they are really standouts. Oddly, I would recommend the album for the originals and not the covers! Billy Effinger has an incredible vocal range and most of his original songs are written to take advantage of his soaring, multi-octave singing range.

The first song featured here highlights his incredible range. Willie The Warlock is an original song that conjures up incredible images of jesters and unicorns and magical fantasies, all with a very positive tone. The tune is incredibly catchy and almost everyone I've played it for has liked it on the first listen and got seriously hooked on it after the second listen. The second song, Blue Boy (Judy's Song), written by Billy in honor of Judy Garland (she's from this area, if you didn't know) also is a beautiful song with great lyrics and a catchy hook. I loved both these songs and am quite sure you will too.

You should consider buying the CD here. For only $8.88, you can't go wrong. If you drop Billy an email at bestqualityenter@aol.com, tell him you heard his songs here. You'll enjoy the covers too, but the originals are worth the price of this CD alone. This is my kind of music in the sense you don't need to be in any abstruse, elevated state of mind to "get it." Just great music and great singing.

1. Billy Q. Effinger - Willie The Warlock (4.1 MB; 128kbps MP3)
2. Billy Q. Effinger - Blue Boy (Judy's Song) (5.41 MB; 128kbps MP3)