Weird Wednesday

This is Electric 6 with a hit known as Down at McDonaldzzz.  The song is not very weird, in fact its down right catchy.  The video is very weird however, for example the lead singer is a centaur.  For no apparent reason.  High Voltage is another song by E6 that people know much more because Jack White does back up vocals in it.  It is a very great song and if you dig it I would check out I'm the Bomb which is also by E6, obviously.  Another quite strange video but a great song none the less. Enjoy!

Time for the hits

This song is called Runnin' by one of my all time favorite groups called The Pharcyde.  I started my blog with a song by them and this will not be the last time you will hear/ see me talking about them.  This is from Labcabincalifornia which is their last album as the original group.  In classic Pharcyde style each member has a verse and a style all their own.  They really know how to put out amazing songs.  The beat is solid and sucks you in with the sweet guitar part and the solid drums.  The chorus accompanied by the scratching of the records is amazing.  Then Fatlip comes in and shows you what their style is all about it.  Every member has such a great flow that shows you just how great they are.  One of the greatest hip hop groups of the 90s right here.

Time for Two

Well I missed one, this past Friday, so I am doing two today and what better was then to start off with Two Cups of Tea by Star Fucking Hipsters.

This right here is a great song.  I love the way that is slowly comes in and is very slow with some palm muted guitar and then goes right into some solid punk rifts with screaming and heavy distortion.  It shows how punk ranges from two totally different sounds especially breaking it up with the piano.  Before it sounds like mellow punk band and then turns into Choking Victim like music, which such a flawless transition how could one not love it. 

And now some Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello is lead by Eugene Hutz, an amazing, crazy, gypsy man who loves music.  All of their songs are amazing and his voice just fits them so perfectly.  This one is called Wonderlust King.  I actually saw Gogol on New Year's Eve a few years back, around '09, and it was the most amazing show.  Not only are the songs good but the shows are.  Eugene had contortionists, dudes dressed up as robots, and tons of friends and family come on stage and go throughout the audience.  If you ever get a chance to see them, I strongly suggest you do.

Coolin

This is a song by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto called Corcovado.  It is from an album called Getz/Gilberto.  Gilberto is a great Spanish guitarist and Getz is an American jazz musician.  This song is slow jazz but the musical parts are so great I could not resist putting it up here.  Getz is from France, originally, so in the song Gilberto's sister sings in English and Getz sings in French.  The balance between the two are so good that you don't even notice the French.

This whole album is insanely good, each song seems to have a different style.  If you do not like jazz then this is probably not for you, but if you enjoy good woodwind, guitar and singing styles then this is for you. 

This is how we chill

This is a song by the Souls of Mischief called Cab Fare.  Souls are a great hip hop group coming out of Oakland.  They are part of Hieroglyphics hip hop group.  This song is about how the guys in the group can't get cabs in the cities because they look like thugs. The beat comes in and is really good.  Its one of those beats that just suck you in and get stuck in your head.  Each verse that is in comes in is amazing a flows so well with the song.  It really is a perfect song that shows why Souls of Mischief are so good.

Putting it on

This song is called Put it on by none other than Big L.  This song just has it all.  An amazing beat, a great chorus and flawless verses.  Big L is such a good rapper but is virtually unknown, at least around here.  L is so good that he actually has a song with Biggie and Pac called Deadly Combination.  He was killed shortly after his first studio album came out and his second studio album was put out by his manager.  I think that he could have been as well known as Biggie or Pac if he wasn't killed so early.

Another week, more songs.

Hope you all had a good weekend, I know I did.  Anyways lets get right to it.

This song is called Past and Language by a band from Japan called Toe.  Toe is an all instrumental band, so the main focus is each instrument rather that what the singer is singing.  Every one in this band is an extremely talented musician.  I think this is a good example of Toe if you never heard them because each member really gets his own part to display his skills.  The drummer is insanely good and drives every song by Toe.  To me, it seems like the lead guitarist and the drummer fight over who can be louder and who can play something more complex.
If you don't like instrumental music I would still give this a try because if they were singing, it wouldn't be English so you still would have no idea what the song is really about anyways.  Very great band and very awesome songs.  This is there most well known by they have some very awesome tunes that are less known.

You knew this was coming.

Well, lets get right in the knitty gritty.

"It is the freaking weekend, time to have me some fun."  If you don't know this shame on you.  Have a great weekend.

Changing it up.

So by now all of my readers must think that all I listen to is the hip hop, however that is not true.  My musical taste is eclectic, at least I believe so.  So here we go trying another song from a different genre.

This is a song called  A Message to you Rudy from an English ska band know as The Specials.  They were first wave of ska and they were one of the first racially integrated bands to hit the scene.  Now if you have no idea what ska is, it is basically a fusion of reggae and jazz.  This song is very good and a classic ska staple.  Focusing hard on the up strokes of the guitar as well as the horns in the back.  The song itself is very well composed and has been covered by many a ska band through the years.  This is just a great ska song from a great ska band.  If you see the video you can see everyone in classic ska attire.  Black and white is most of the colors they wear.  A lot of them dress in suits because that is how first wave ska was.

This song is very good example of what ska is, first wave at least.  The Specials are a huge ska band and anyone who has heard any amount of ska should know who they are.

Party Starter

There should not be much that I need to say about this next song.  If you were born in the 90's or before you know this song.

This is Let Me Clear My Throat by DJ KOOL.  An amazing song, for anyone from anytime period.  There is only one official recording and it is from a show at Philadelphia (represent).  DJ Kool has an amazing voice and it just works so well over the beat.  The beat is a sample from The 45 King and goes throughout the song.  Kool does a great job of incorporating the crowd in the song and the beat just makes you, well me at least, want to dance.  It is a truly amazing song that I don't have anything negative to say about it. 
If you are having a party and have run out of things to play, or if it is slowing down just put this song and get down!

Taking it back

As a man of my word here I am again with a new review for all you interneters.  Now this song is one of my all time favorites.  Its called Girls Ain't Nothin But Trouble by my main man Big Willy.

If you listen for more than one second you should instantly recognize the backing beat.  If not, it is the theme from I Dream of Jeannie.  This is classic Will Smith, before all the movies and all the fame, when he was just getting jiggy with it all the time.  But enough about him lets get on to the song. 

Even though the beat is so noticeable it is very well executed by DJ Jazzy Jeff.  Just like the Will Smith we all know, he tears it up over the beat.  All his rhymes are pretty obvious where he is going, picking names and places for the pure sake of the rhyme.  However, his voice flows very well over the beat and he is good at changing his voice to go where it belongs, for example when he says he is cold and his voice shivers as he rhymes.  During the verse you can hear Big Willy really trying to make his rhymes fast so that he will gain respect from other 90s rappers of the time.  This song is way different that Will Smith in Gettin' Jiggy Wit It and Summertime which is how everyone knows him for.  He is actually a good rapper in this song.

The scratching on the beat is great a very well timed, the verses are good and the song as a whole is amazing.
Enjoy!

First Full Week

This shall be my first full week of blogging. If I happen to miss one you will find more the next day as soon as possible.  I don't plan to miss any however.

Now, with that out of the way, lets get to this Monday's song.

This sons is called Iesha by a group of young dudes by the name of Another Bad Creation.  It came out in 1990 from Motown Records.  After you get past the fact that a bunch of 12 year old guys are going after this girl who looks like she is way older than them the song doesn't have that much.  All of the verses are pretty band besides the backing vocals on Nintendo and Playground.  The chorus is the main focus of this song for me.  Now, I understand that they are very young so they will not be able to put awesome lyrics but the following chorus is just so good.  If I had to pick a favorite verse it would be verse two just because of the backing vocals on some of the words.  It's like they went for a hardcore, straight outta Compton, feel for the song and then the producers realized these kids were to young for that and changed it last minute.
Overall, I would give this song a eight out of ten because the chorus is so damn good and it is a bunch of 12 year olds making a love song about a girl way out of their league.

Hello!

Hello out there interneters!

Welcome to Bobby Beats blog, the name is Bob if you couldn't already figure that out.  The Beats parts comes from the songs that I will put up.  Mostly five a week, one for each business day, and then I will write some stuff about them.  Such as my thoughts, some sort of review, or just how much I like it.

The origin of this blog lies in the hearts of a thousand children and in the fact that I also need to do some of it for a class here at WCU.

Without further ado, lets put up the first song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFg6OdORJcQ

This is a song called Passin' Me By by none other than The Pharcyde.  A hip hop group from Cali, big in the 90's.  Not as well known as they know as they should because this song is featured in such hits as Aggressive Inline the game and the intro to Big Daddy with Adam Sandler.  They also have another one of their hits, from the same album Bizarre Ride II, featured in Half Baked when Sir Smoke-A-Lot is on screen.

Anyways, this song has an amazing hook which is present throughout the whole song and instantly draws me in every time I hear it.  Then each one the members start out their own verse about a schoolboy crush they had and were forced to let her go.  Each emcee brings their own flavor to the song which helps to make it amazing.

Enjoy!