Daily Jam - Love Is Strong

One of the first concerts i ever went to was to see The Rolling Stones at Wembley Stadium in London for the "Voodoo Lounge" tour.  It was kind of wild, as there were more people in attendance than the entire population of the city in west Texas i lived in at the time.  Still pretty cool though.  Here's a track from the album.  Listen to "Love Is Strong" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Shine a Light

It's gonna be hot today...and tomorrow...and the day after that.  On the bright side, maybe that will make our out-of-town visitors this week think twice before moving here in the future.  Anyway, here's The Rolling Stones with "Shine a Light," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Sympathy for the Devil

When i was in 10th grade, a senior at my high school tried to tell me that "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones was written by Charlie Manson.  I think he just had some wires crossed as Guns 'n' Roses had recently covered both "Look at Your Game, Girl" by Manson and the Stones classic.  Maybe i might have corrected him, but i probably just let it go.  I don't really remember anymore.  Anyway, here's "Sympathy for the Devil," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Wild Horses

Maybe one of the best cover versions of a song ever recorded, here's The Sundays doing their rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Something Happened to Me Yesterday

My dad passed away a little over 15 years ago. That’s a really odd thing to consider, as it feels so long ago, but also like this ever-present thing, an event I’d rather not have define my life, yet one that holds a permanent position within my psyche nonetheless. It’s like it’s always just on the periphery. And there are a million different things that can make me think of him every single day.

That’s a good thing though. I love to remember my dad, and I treasure each and every memory I have of the man, but I'm also cognizant of the fact that in the immediate aftermath of his death from lung cancer, I was way more wrecked than I ever let on. And in so many ways it stunted me, left me overly numb, unable to feel, running in place for all time.

That was something that took me a while to shake myself of too, and not a mood I have any desire to return to. Coincidentally enough, writing about it over the years was one of the things that helped me move forward, my dad, and death, and grief surfacing in many of the first articles I wrote for the now defunct online magazine Joup (the site in which this column originally appeared). It turns out, there was a lot of solace to be found in listening to and writing about music.

Oh, having a couple of kids of my own helped too.

I don’t broach the subject of my dad’s passing much anymore, but if I'm going to write about The Rolling Stones’ “Something Happened to Me Yesterday,” it’s unavoidable. It’s a song that will forever remind me of him, and kind of a quirky oddity too, both in and of itself and as part of my dad’s repertoire of pop songs.

My dad’s musical tastes were predominantly folk, bluegrass, and Dixieland jazz. He’d occasionally make forays into rock n’ roll, country and western, or pop, and he’d generally take a liking to a showtune here or there, but he rarely wavered from those big three. And man, that bummed me out when I was a teenager. At 15 or 16 years old, I began to go through the old man’s records, hoping to stumble upon some veritable trophy case of cool old music, and while I admittedly can dig on some of it now, as a snot-nosed kid, I was appalled at the paltry selection that laid before me. Other friends were able to sift through their parents’ collections of ‘50s rock and doo-wop, ‘60s soul and psychedelic pop, or even some ‘70s rock like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin if their folks were a little younger, and there I was with The Chad Mitchell Trio, The Dukes of Dixieland, and the Osborne Brothers’ plucky rendition of “Rocky Top.” The latter was even played at the funeral, and while there are dozens of memories and emotions attached to it now, I still can’t stand that damn song.

But then, out of nowhere, my vinyl perusal turned up Between the Buttons, the 1967 album from The Rolling Stones, and I thought to myself, “Thank God, a real album.” I pulled the record and turned the cover to check the track listing to discover that I knew exactly one song on the thing, the hit single “Ruby Tuesday.”

On his records, my dad used to mark little stars next to the tracks he was particularly fond of. There was no mark next to “Ruby Tuesday.” There was however, one next to the album closing song, and so I gave it a listen. Now, here I am writing about it.

Listening to “Something Happened to Me Yesterday,” it was immediately evident as to why this particular Stones song was up my dad’s alley. Beginning with a short trumpet ditty, the song bobs and bounces along on a steady beat, Mick Jagger singing a bunch of nonsense, while piano, whistling, and a horn section all chime in before the song morphs full on into ragtime jazz. It’s basically The Rolling Stones playing a New Orleans jazz tune. And it’s wonderful.

Further investigation into my dad’s record collection would turn up other gems over time (Melanie’s “Look What They’ve Done to my Song Ma,” The Mike Curb Congregation’s “Burning Bridges,” and so on), but that Stones song was the first to really make me appreciate some different genre tropes and how they could be applied to pop music. And really, I was also just stoked that there was a cool record in the mix.

“So, if you’re out tonight, don’t forget, if you’re on your bike, wear white...”

Daily Jam - Dead Flowers

For some reason, The Rolling Stones have been coming at me in various forms over the last couple days, via songs on the radio, movies, and cover versions at shows.  So why not take the hint?  Here they are with "Dead Flowers," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - No Expectations

Here's a cool and soulful cover of The Rolling Stones' "No Expectations" by guitarist, singer, songwriter, and human rights activist Odetta Holmes from her 1970 album "Odetta Sings."  It's the kind of stuff that soothes the soul.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Out of Time

My favorite Stones song is pretty locked up, but there's a constantly revolving cast for the number two slot.  I think today it's "Out of Time."  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - As Tears Go By

Here's a classic Rolling Stones cover from Marianne Faithfull.  Listen to "As Tears Go By" below, our Daily Jam.

RIP Charlie Watts

Forever the coolest guy on the stage.  RIP Charlie Watts.

Archers of Loaf Cover The Rolling Stones

One of the great '90s alt-rock bands, Archers of Loaf, offered up a cool cover of the The Stones' classic "Street Fighting Man" on Friday.  Listen to it below and get it here from Merge.

Daily Jam - Cool, Calm & Collected

And here's my second favorite Rolling Stones song, "Cool, Calm & Collected."  It's got a kazoo solo and everything.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - The Last Time

For some reason, i had never sat down to listen The Andrew Oldham Orchestra's instrumental version of The Rolling Stones' "The Last Time" until earlier this year.  You know the song even if you don't know the song, it being the source of the sample for The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."  Turns out it's great.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - Jumpin' Jack Flash

We're going to be jamming amazing cover tunes all week long, and we're starting it off with Ananda Shankar's psych-tinged, sitar-laced version of The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.