More Music Of My Youth

James Newton Howard and Friends was an incredible audiophile recording in 1984 by the label Sheffield Lab. The awesome album featuring the Porcaro family and David Paich. It was essentially a James Newton Howard and Toto album. For those who don't know about James, he was a composer/musician/songwriter, that has scored films of all scales and genres. He might be known for his work on the romantic comedy "Pretty Woman."
The album was recorded in 3 days producing 26 minutes of incredible music. The music was played, from beginning to end, without interruption (except one break between vinyl sides one and two). No retakes for these guys. The recording is sublime.
If you are adventurous and like Toto and jazz fusion, you will like this album. Especially if you a looking for something a little different.

Sheffield's direct disc recording process required that a master be cut with much wider grooves than conventional recordings to capture the extraordinarily wide dynamic range of the sessions output. What that means is this album plays loud and full. On a good HiFi system it sounded like the band is right there in front of you. I have used this recording to demo my home theater speakers and also demo high fidelity loudspeakers that I have purchased in the past. This is a Reference Disc!!

This song "E-Minor Shuffle" really shows off the incredible talent of drummer Jeff Porcaro of Toto. His groove and tightness is legendary in the drumming community. Sadly Jeff died in 1992, at the age of 38. He was spraying insecticide in the garden of his Hidden Hills, California mansion and inhaled too much of the spray, triggering a heart attack. An autopsy revealed a serious heart condition that had been previously undiagnosed.

So enjoy E-Minor Shuffle

My Top 100 Songs Growing Up

In a effort to reorganize my iTunes library (which is huge) I started thinking about the songs that I listened to the most as I was growing up. I tried to pick music that covered my wide musical taste and the stages of life I was going through. The list is in no particular order though I tried to list music in the earliest period of my life to the latest. I'm not really counting the music that I listen to now which is mainly Sinatra and 60's retro. This list represents my life in the late 60's,70's,80's and early 90's. I remember the bands that left a huge impression on me. First when I was 10 years was Paul, Revere and the Raiders. Then my high school years it was heavy rock with Deep Purple and Yes along with Funk and Soul. The 80's were more electronica and pop oriented. Through out my life I always had a passion for Jazz. There are many songs that are favorites of mine that I left off. It's hard to pair it down to 100. Most are tunes that for some reason whether it was a melody, chord changes, or a groove I could just listen to the song over and over. Some of the songs made me cry they were just so powerful to me. So browse through the list. I'm sure you find some of your favorites too. You might find a few that you haven't heard of. Please go to iTunes and download the ones you like.

Side Note: I did not include Christmas since that is something I consider completely separate. Stay tuned for that list later.

Enjoy GREG'S TOP 100 FAVORITE SONGS OF HIS LIFE


Just Like Me Paul Revere & The Raiders
Kicks Paul Revere & The Raiders
Hungry Paul Revere & The Raiders
Good Thing Paul Revere & The Raiders
More Soul Buddy Rich
Greensleeves Buddy Rich
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Buddy Rich
Norwegian Wood Buddy Rich
Speed King Deep Purple
Child In Time Deep Purple
Flight of the Rat Deep Purple
Highway Star Deep Purple
Space Truckin' Deep Purple
Easy Livin' Uriah Heep
The Wizard Uriah Heep
Traveller in Time Uriah Heep
Sweet Lorraine Uriah Heep
Still...You Turn Me On Emerson, Lake & Palmer
From The Beginning Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Lucky Man Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Funk #49 The James Gang
Walk Away The James Gang
The Bomber The James Gang
No Time The Guess Who
No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature The Guess Who
Hand Me Down World The Guess Who
Black Magic Woman Santana
Evil Ways Santana
I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home Grand Funk Railroad
Roundabout Yes
Siberian Khatru Yes
Aqualung Jethro Tull
25 Or 6 To 4 Chicago
Pick Up The Pieces Average White Band
Cut The Cake Average White Band
Make Me Smile Chicago
Mercy Mercy Me Marvin Gaye
WhenTheLeveeBreaks LedZeppelin
Whole Lotta Love Led Zepplin
Stairway To Heaven Led Zeppelin
Carry On Wayward Son Kansas
Shoot High Aim Low Yes
Love Will Find A Way Yes
Lift Me Up Yes
Owner of a Lonely Heart Yes
Changes Yes
Leave It Yes
Till The End Toto
We Can Make It Tonight Toto
Somewhere Tonight Toto
Could This Be Love Toto
Pamela Toto
Africa Toto
Georgy Porgy Toto
Rosanna Toto
Is It Love Mr. Mister
Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You) Mr. Mister
Kyrie Mr. Mister
Broken Wings Mr. Mister
Dance Hall Days Wang Chung
Boom! There She Was Scritti Politti
Crazy Seal
Future Love Paradise Seal
Blood Of Eden Peter Gabriel
Digging In The Dirt Peter Gabriel
Steam Peter Gabriel
April Fool Patrick O'Hearn
Footprints Miles Davis
Get To You Dan Reed Network
Keep That Same Old Feeling The Crusaders
Spain Chick Corea
Take Five Dave Brubeck
Tune 88 Jeff Lorber
Some Skunk Funk The Brecker Brothers
Stratus Billy Cobham
Snoopy's Search / Red Baron Billy Cobham
Heather Billy Cobham
Brother To Brother Gino Vannelli
People Gotta Move Gino Vannelli
Storm at Sunup Gino Vannelli
Westchester Lady Bob James
Women Of Ireland Bob James
I'm the Slime Frank Zappa
Dirty Love Frank Zappa
Soul Vaccination Tower Of Power
What Is Hip? Tower Of Power
Squib Cakes Tower Of Power
Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin Sly & the Family Stone
Shining Star Earth Wind & Fire
That's The Way Of The World Earth Wind & Fire
Funky Stuff Kool & The Gang
Give It One Maynard Ferguson
Chameleon Herbie Hancock Head Hunters
Holding On Robbie Nevil
Living In A Box Living in a Box
Principles Of Lust [(A) Sadeness, (B) Find Love, (C) Sadeness (Reprise)] Enigma
Redemption Conjure One Feat. Chemda
Blackest Eyes Porcupine Tree
Trains Porcupine Tree
The Sound of Muzak Porcupine Tree

The First Ever Contemporary Christian Jazz Funk Band!

I may be stretching it abit. One of the bands that I feel in love with was a band called Seawind. It's another one of those bands I heard in the record shop and loved the album cover. The band was on the CTI label which I knew was a prominant jazz label known for high quality recordings.
Seawind is a jazz fusion group from Hawaii, fronted by the vocals of Grammy-winning singer Pauline Wilson. The band rose to prominence in the mid-1970s; although not primarily marketed as a Christian band, many of their songs' lyrics do have a religious and/or positive theme. They recorded two albums for CTI Records, one for A&M Records and one for A&M subsidiary Horizon Records. In 1995, a Seawind compilation CD "Remember" was released on Noteworthy Records. Seawind's 2009 CD Reunion was released on the Village Music label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan.
A notable part of the band's sound was the "Seawind Horns" (trumpeter Jerry Hey, sax and flute player Kim Hutchcroft, and sax, flute and keyboard player Larry Williams WHO WAS A KANSAS CITY NATIVE), who went on to provide backing instrumentals and arrangements for performers such as Earth, Wind & Fire, George Benson, Michael Jackson (Thriller, Off the Wall and Bad), Quincy Jones and Mika. Hey left Seawind as a touring member in 1979 but continued as a recording member of the band through 1980. Trumpeter Larry Hall, an original member of the band when they were called "OX", rejoined the group in 2005. Hey and Hall are longtime friends and both are top-call recording session musicians.
Seawind broke up in 1982, but reunited in 2005 for a Los Angeles concert performance and then began work on a new CD, which took them over three years to complete. Seawind is known for their extraordinary musicianship, brilliant songwriting and creative arranging. The group pioneered many of the musical elements that, years later, ultimately became the beginnings of "smooth jazz".

See Their Website HERE

Here is "We Got A Way" from their debut 1976 album

Music From Great Bands I Listened To In My Youth!

For the next few months, (killing time before next christmas), I'll be posting some music that I grew up listening to. I always was interested in new bands. My dad's office used to be next door to a record shop. On weekends when he needed to go in and work, he would take me along. He would give me a few bucks and let me go browse next door . A lot of time, I picked up some new album that was being played. The following was just that.

Babe Ruth was a rock group primarily active in the 1970's from England. Their characteristically "heavy sound" is marked by powerful vocals from Janita (Jenny) Haan and full arragnements by Alan Shacklock.

First Base was their first release. It was recorded in 1972 and released in 1973. I was attracted to the album cover which was designed by Roger Dean who did many of the "Yes" album covers.




Here is "Wells Fargo" from the album "First Base" by Babe Ruth ENJOY!!



Here is another one of my favorites.
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members. All of the band members, except the first two drummers, were multi-instrumentalists. Although not commercially successful[citation needed], they did achieve a cult following.
The band's onetime stated aim was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular,"[1] although this stance was to alter significantly with time. While never achieving the commercial heights of progressive rock contemporaries such as Jethro Tull, Genesis, Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant was considered to be one of the most experimental bands in the genre (as well as one of the most experimental rock bands of the 1970s).[citation needed]
Gentle Giant's music was considered complex even by progressive rock standards, drawing on a broad swathe of music including folk, soul, jazz and classical music. Unlike many of their progressive rock contemporaries, their "classical" influences ranged beyond the Romantic and incorporated mediaeval, baroque, and modernist chamber music elements. The band also had a taste for broad themes for their lyrics, drawing inspiration not only from personal events but from philosophy and the works of both François Rabelais and R. D. Laing.


Gentle Giant's album "Octopus" was by far my favorite with some incredible music on it.
Here is Raconteur Troubadour - Gentle Giant (1972)

TOYLAND

Having fun playing with my iMac. I started a slideshow movie based on the toys that my brother and I received for christmas growing up. It brings back fond memories of the incredible Christmas's of the past that our parents did for us. I remember how my father and mother would grin at seeing us opening our presents. I remember the Sears Wish Book's at Christmas time. My brother and I would scour the catalog to see what kind of exciting toys were there. You can go HERE to browse through those old catalogs plus others.

Needless to say watching the video, our parents did spoil us with wonderful presents. These presents however were given out of love and not material want. My parents did a great job of teaching us that materialism will not make us happy only love can.
ENJOY!