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My music playlist for today (April 12, 2012 edition)

Sometimes I just let whatever’s playing on the radio determine what’s going to be in my playlist for a particular day, and it comes with a “gut feeling.”

For today, that gut feeling came from hearing the mega-monster-smash hit tune “In The Air Tonight” on my favorite classic rock station yesterday afternoon.

Cover of "Face Value"
Cover of Face Value

I became a big fan of Phil Collins just a couple of years before he stepped away from his duties (but only temporarily) as the drummer and second-ever lead singer of Genesis after Peter Gabriel left, and Phil became a solo mega-monster-smash hit artist.  I became a fan of his mainly because of his pinpoint-precise drumming, not just with Genesis but with the fusion group Brand X and his session and production work with Gabriel and … well, the list is a long one.  There was a time after “Face Value” that Phil seemed like he was just … well, EVERYWHERE!

Phil does know how to rock in his often rhythmic singing style on vocals, that’s for sure.  But, my oh my, the man just knows how to rip it up on the drums.  That’s what gets me every single time he does it, no matter who he’s doing it with.

The album “Face Value” will, to me, always be head and shoulders above all his other solo albums.  It set the bar way high, showing Phil in all his beastiness, whether it was straight rock or tunes with more of a soulful, gutsy feel; the desperation and poverty felt (a bit too closely and personally by me) in “The Roof Is Leaking” leading into the danceable, jazzy, “earthy” blast that came from “Droned” which seemed at times like it could have been a tune played by Brand X itself; or remaking a later Genesis classic like “Behind The Lines” with the Earth, Wind & Fire horns; or putting a cool touch on Lennon and McCartney’s (mostly Lennon’s) “Tomorrow Never Knows” to close out this 1981 gem, truly doing The Beatles’ tune great justice.

Phil kicked it in a big way on “Face Value.”

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My music playlist for today (March 7, 2012 edition)

Ya know what, my mind’s tired right now.  I don’t want to do a whole lot of digging and research on bands or musicians and their discography and all that stuff.  I need a mental rest for the remains of the day.

“Daddysangbassdude Radio!!!”  Would you please give me a playlist?  Which channel?  Oh, let’s see, let’s go with my “Brand X Channel” for now.  Yeah, I’m in the mood for some good jazz-fusion.

Phil Collins playing drums more and singing less?  Not a bad idea!  Other drummers filling his chair and pounding the snot out of the skins?  Perfect!  Percy Jones tearing it up on bass as only he can?  Yeah, I’m all over that!  Robin Lumley, Peter Robinson, etc., on keys?  Great!  John Goodsall riffing like a madman on guitar?  Good times!  Morris Pert doing his percussionistic banging on the Q.E. 2, Idi Amin, and undiscovered parts of Scotland?  It wouldn’t quite be the complete Brand X without Morris!  Oh, this is just FFFUUUUUUNNNN and sometimes FFFUUUUUUNNNNKY stuff!

I need a SMALL break.  Whew!

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Learning about new tunes Part 6

Oh, sure, I liked modern jazz just fine going into the fall of 1978.  Yeah, I liked Chuck Mangione, George Benson, all those other good “Playboy certified makeout jazz tunes”  kinds of artists until then.

It was a way to get the girl.  That’s all I think I cared about back then.  At least until I heard a band like Brand X.  And it was the photography on their album covers that helped to reel me in.  Hipgnosis-like photography.

But the music — helped along by a guy named Phil Collins before he got all famous and stuff with bands like Genesis in their fluffier days and his Disney “Tarzan” and romantic movie soundtracks, and he showed that THE DUDE CAN PLAY SOME SERIOUS DRUMS — that helped to seal the deal on this Brand X stuff to me.

There were also guys named Percy Jones with his monster, totally unique and indescribable bass lines, John Goodsall on his signature guitar runs, Robin Lumley riffing on keys, and Morris Pert hitting anything “percussionistic” in the studio to make Brand X a lifetime jazz-fusion listen for me.

Chuck Mangione and George Benson (while I do still respect their music, don’t get me wrong) … I’m sorry, but — who??

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Brian Auger’s “Brain Damage”

Yeah, I’m a music freak.  Y’all should know that by now.  But here it is, around 5 a.m. and I’m going through another weird round of odd sleeping patterns, taking that opportunity to finish up a long email to someone I care deeply about, and I had music playing on pandora.com from my own “Brand X” channel (if you love jazz-fusion, try Brand X).

Brian Auger

A studio version of this song came on and just kicked my behind for some reason, so I just felt like sharing the experience (although I can only find a video with a live version, so the keyboard feel throughout isn’t quite the same as the studio take).  This puts the “ooooooo” in the word “smoooooooth!”

Hope you enjoy some “smooooooothness!”