Tributes and Playlist #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday, and time for MUSIC!

Who are the members of Music Moves Me ?  We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday. If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join in on the fun.  Just remember our simple rule:  you must include at least one You Tube or Vimeo video or your post may be subject to removal or labeling "NO MUSIC". You are welcome to write about music. too but there must be at least one music video.   

We've been down a few participants recently and would love for you to join our Monday party!

Every month we have an honorary co-hostess.  For the month of October our honorary co-hostess is: Mary from Jingle Jangle Jungle!  Today, here is her theme:

As it’s Roctober – Choose a decade and build a playlist of rock songs from that period"!

I blogged last week that I hate it when my music posts write themselves.  You'd think I'd be happy but it usually means a music great has passed on to the Great Gig in the Sky.

Well...this post wrote itself, because, for the second week in a row, I must pay tribute to two music makers who have passed on.  For the first one, here's a story:

In the mid 70's my spouse joined the Air Force.  In the early parts of his service, he made several good buddies.  One was a music lover who introduced us to albums from time to time.  One of those was what turned out to be the first album from the group Van Halen.  The first time I heard that album, I was blown away.

 Eddie Van Halen died last week of cancer at the age of 65.  I found out at work when an anguished email from a co-worker hit my mailbox.

I shouldn't be surprised that so many people loved him.

I was all ready to pick a 80's playlist.  Not an actual playlist, because, for some reason, I get frustrated building them on You Tube.  So you'll forgive me if this isn't an actual play list.  But anyway,
I decided to pick the 1970's for my playlist.  Once I started, it came together quickly.

From their first album, the self-named Van Halen, 1978's Running with the Devil

A live version of Eruption, also from that firsts album.  Watch Eddie Van Halen's face and the sheer joy shining in it.  I never knew about what was behind that smile - the pain of growing up being bullied because of his racial heritage. 

Watch his guitar techniques.   It was a good time. This is about 13 minutes long, but if you just tune in here and there it's still worth the time.

Farewell, Eddie Van Halen.

This fellow airman also introduced us to a group called Boston, who released their first studio album in 1976 and their second in 1978.  For my playlist, here is 1978's Don't Look Back.  It's hard not to look back at my life, though.

Reggae singer Johnny Nash also died last week at the age of 80.  His big hit was I Can See Clearly Now from 1972.  I was in college when this was released.

Here is another song from Johnny Nash, his cover of  Wonderful World from Top of the Pops 2. He released this song in 1977.

I was a big Elton John fan back in the 1970's.  One song I really love was originally recorded in 1970 but released on the Yellow Brick Road album in 1973.  To this day I don't understand the lyrics, but it's a good song.  Another college favorite of mine.

I could have picked one of his big hits, but this song just called to me - Grey Seal.

 America's A Horse with No Name captured everyone's imagination in 1972 - to this day, I guess, we don't know why the horse had no name....

In 1974 Three Dog Night released "The Show Must Go On".  Oh, those tight pants...and yes, my spouse used to wear polyester shirts.  In fact he had an entire collection of them.

David Bowie and a live performance of "Heroes".  This song was released in 1977 and didn't gain that much traction at first (I don't remember it from the 70's, in fact) but now it is considered by some as one of the best rock songs of all time.

One last song.  True confession, I liked (and still like) disco music.  One of my favorites was Donna Summer's 1979 cover of MacArthur Park, a song that originally dated from 1968 (and which I owned the 45 single to).  But Summer did it so much better (sorry, Richard Harris).

In putting this blog post together I realized that, as much of an 80's fan as I am, the 1970's really did rock.  In fact, it rocked so much that I just might continue the 70's theme next week. 

Wishing you a wonderful week.  See you next week, same time, same place.