Folk Music (Playlists)
Hi guys! This is my new category for playlists that contain classic folk music. Examples would be, Jim Croce & Neil Diamond.
Yesterday, I found one of my old favorite Barry Manilow cassettes. Yay!!! You know, I can’t imagine anyone walking around with a cassette player these days; if someone did, I’m pretty sure that most people around them would be in shocked and puzzled ?. I consider Barry Manilow the king of love ballads! This little Jewish guy was a hit machine in his prime. However, he really hasn’t made any big hits since the 80s. Tho, it’s wonderful to see that there are millions that still love him and remember him. I decided to create a 19 song playlist of my most favorite hits!
What’s in my new Barry playlist? How about his massive 1978, 12 inch disco hit “Copacabana!” How about his ballad “I’ve Made It Through The Rain (1980),” I loved this song!! That song was like my late grandfather’s personal anthem, he used to hmm this song ALL the time ?. Another great song he produced was a song called “Bandstand Boogie,” which later on became the theme song to Dick Clark’s show “American Bandstand” some in c. 1976 I believe. Many more memorable songs this awesome playlist.
Hey guys! Today I want to write about the phenomenal Linda Ronstadt. You know, not because I love Linda’s music tremendously, sometimes I still don’t think the music industry acknowledges her contribution enough. I mean, this may sound a bit negative (I’m open to being wrong), but I really don’t recall her being acknowledge for any lifetime achievements until just before or just after it was confirmed that she has Parkinson’s disease. Unfortunately, because of her illness, she had to retire from performing. I put together an awesome playlist that contains 19 of my most favorite Ronstadt songs!
In my opinion, Linda is one of many artists that should always be celebrated. Why? Not only is she Mexican decent, she’s bilingual. Not only is she bilingual, I’ve heard her perform just about every single genre (except rap) ?. I’m not kidding. From Mariachi, country, pop, folk, sang on movie soundtracks, you name it, Linda has done it! She’s also probably one of the few artists, that has done more covers of other people’s music and struck gold (with most, if not all of them).
She’s Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease
Out of 34 songs that registered on the Top 100 Charts, Ronstadt managed to acquire one #1 hit, and 10 Top Tens. However, she also had a lot of Latin hits that were not on the chart (which I’ve included in this playlist). One of my top favorites is a song she sang with the late James Ingram, for the movie “An American Tail (1986),” and the song is called “Somewhere Out There.” Another great song, originally sung by Dee Dee Warwick is “You’re No Good (1964).” The composition of this song is badass! I loved this song so much, I’ve always wished for an instrumental version. On the Latin side, there are a couple of great songs she has on her album called “Conciones de mi Padre (1987).” I actually remembered when she was promoting this album on one of the night time talk shows. Can’t remember who it was, maybe it was David Letterman. Anyway, a famous cover she sang I love is “La Cigarra.” I believe it was originally sung by Lola Beltran. I love both versions. Oh my goodness, they both ripped this song to shreds! One more fun classic “La Charreada.” I absolutely loved when she sang those very long notes. She had a strong and powerful voice. Check out more of her amazing hits here.
Today, I wanted to pay tribute to a phenomenal musician, songwriter, and actor named Neil Diamond. I don’t expect anybody under the age of 30 playing his music, yet alone remembering who he is. Neil Diamond produces mostly what I call folk-pop; however, when you listen to his unique and distinctive voice, you’d think you’re listening to full on country. Diamond, literally has an almost classic Texan sound to his voice. I would compare his music to be somewhat a long the lines of Jim Croce, but with a little more of a modern twist of that time. Mr. Diamond has been around for a long, long time. He’s been writing and performing his songs since the early 60s.
Diamond Has Sold Over 100 Million Records
Neil Diamond has sold over a whopping 100 million records. However, interesting enough, his success may not have happened had he not been smart enough to change music labels. As with many artists, Diamond felt chocked by his music label, who wanted to control every aspect of his creative art. Unfortunately, this was a very common complaint among even the biggest talents. He eventually switched labels by c. 1970, changed his sound, and then hit big with songs like “Cracklin’ Rosie,” which hit #1, and my favorite “Sweet Caroline,” which hit #4 on the Top 100 Charts.
Neil has now found his voice. Now that Diamond has creative control over his music under his new label, he then continued to enjoy further future success. To date, out of 53 songs that actually made it on the charts, he has 13 top tens, and 3 number ones. I think that’s pretty impressive, especially since his music requires a certain musical taste, and considering his music only played on certain music stations.
Love On The Rocks, From The 1980s Movie, The Jazz Singer
My most favorite song (sad, but still my favorite) from Diamond is called “Love On The Rocks,” from the 1980 movie called “The Jazz Singer.” The song reached #2, however, the movie did not do well. I did not see the movie, but from IMDB’s description, it sounds like this is his docudrama. My opinion is that Diamond is most remembered for a duet he did with Barbra Streisand, called “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” The song hit number one on the Top 100 Charts, and stayed #1 for over two weeks.
Unfortunately, in 2018, Diamond was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The long awaited massive tour fans been waiting for, had to be cancelled. It was no doubt a crushing blow to die-hard Diamond fans. This made huge headlines, as you could imagine a star with his level of success. I’ve put together a playlists of not only all my favorite Diamond hits, but some instrumentals and original demos right on Spotify!!