MOJO'S 70 GREAT SOUL ALBUMS FROM THE '70S

I love lists, and British music magazine Mojo has some great ones.  In the recent issue (Robert Plant cover), they list 70 great soul albums from the '70s.  I confess that I haven't yet read it.  You see, I like to create a soundtrack for every Mojo list-type feature, and I just finished creating my iTunes playlist.  But I wanted to tell you about this issue while it's still available! A lot of the albums are in my collection - everyone should have Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Sly & The Family Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On and Funkadelic's Maggot Brain. But the list called my attention to artists I haven't listened to much (Donny Hathaway, Johnnie Taylor) and a few who I don't know anything about, or I never even heard of! (Like Shirley Brown, Honey Cone and Willie Hutch.) I love to learn about artists who time has sort of "forgotten," whether they are garage rock, country, blues or soul. So this countdown is a big gift! Thank you Mojo!

STEVIE WONDER, TENACIOUS D, DEAD WEATHER TO PLAY BONNAROO

Bonnaroo announced their 2010 lineup today. Like last year, it seems like they are having four headliners this year (the festival will be on June 10 - 13): The Dave Matthews Band, the sort of overrated Kings Of Leon, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z. Also on the bill: Tenacious D, Weezer, The Flaming Lips (doing their Dark Side Of The Moon thing), Damien Marley and Nas, Norah Jones, Michael Franti and Spearhead, John Fogerty (he should be a headliner!), newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jimmy Cliff, The Avett Brothers, Thievery Corporation, Tori Amos, Grammy-winners The Zac Brown Band, Les Claypool, John Prine, Steve Martin (yes, that one), Jeff Beck, The Dropkick Murphys, She & Him, Daryl Hall with a hip-hop duo called Chromeo (I gotta find out more about this), Jamey Johnson, Clutch, Kris Kristofferson, GWAR (what?), Tinariwen, The Gaslight Anthem, They Might Be Giants, Miranda Lambert, Calexico, Cross Canadian Ragweed and many, many more.

U.N. NAMES STEVIE WONDER "PEACE MESSENGER"

As far as I'm concerned, you can't give Stevie Wonder enough honors. He's just so great. He exudes goodness, but also coolness, and some of his songs are so badass. I'm glad that the U.N. named him a "messenger of peace" (according to Reuters). He kind of already was that anyway, but nice of them to formalize it! His "messenger" status will have a special focus on people with disabilities. Messengers of peace are celebs who promote U.N. activities through public appearances. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that Stevie is "a true inspiration to young people all over the world about what can be achieved despite any physical limitations." No doubt!

MR PRESIDENT - DON'T STAND FOR ACTA

The other day, I was reflecting on how great I, and millions of other people in the United States and around the world, were feeling a year ago, when Barack Obama was elected President Of The United States Of America. I was so elated. So proud. So relieved. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

The celebrations were awesome. Some of the greatest artists on earth campaigned, hard, for the man. Including no less than Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. Bruce did a gig with Billy Joel (they played as one band, not co-headliners, it was Billy's first political type gig, and John Legend was also there). And of course, huge stars, including Bruce, Stevie, John Legend, and other great artists performed at the various celebrations. It was a historic moment in time, and a great one.

Of course, that wasn't the end, it was the beginning. Getting elected was the easy part. Not too easy, but he was running against a candidate who the Republicans had repeatedly said "no" to, who had choosen a running mate with a popularity cycle akin to that of an indie rock band (everyone loves her! no, she's overrated! no, we hate her, it was all a mistake!). But still, it isn't easy for a black man, or a politically progressive person to get elected, and he pulled it off. Since then, he has had to deal with the most partisan opposition I've seen in my lifetime (sorry, way worse than what the Democrats gave bush), and, as is his habit, he is trying to meet these people halfway. People will criticize him for literally anything. He wants to speak to students on the first day of school. "It's an outrage!" He is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, surprising even him. "It's worthless!" He tries to get the Olympics for Chicago. "We hope he fails!" I mean, come on. Why did he get the Nobel Peace Prize anyway? For not being bush. The award was for America as much as it was for Barack. It was for what he symbolizes.

Barack Obama isn't just a man, although he may wish he was. He represents a lot of things to a lot of people. He represents a hope for the future - bush's followers may have said the same about him, but bush used fear in a way that Barack doesn't, and doesn't need to. I think it is inevitable that Barack (I hope no one is offended by my using his first name) ends up letting some people down. I have a lot of hope for him, I think he will be one of the finest Presidents our country has ever had.

What does this have to do with my blog, other than that it is my blog? Well, as I wrote in my headline, there is this thing called "ACTA" going down - The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. It is, as the writer James Love puts it, a "patriot act for the internet." I'm not a great tech or politics writer, though, so check out what he has to say about ACTA. Is is ironic that a man who has benefitted so heavily from the internet would do something that essentially shuts it down, and would endorse meetings held with a rove-ian level of secrecy. I like to think that this hasn't really reached his radar yet, and when he finds out about it, he won't tolerate it.

CATCH IT ON HBO: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME CONCERT

If, like me, you aren't a millionaire and weren't able to attend the two-night Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden last week and were really bummed about it, here's a small bit of consolation: HBO will be broadcasting highlights from the show on November 29 (and probably broadcasting repeats afterwards? I don't know, I don't have HBO). You can see the lineup at the right.

In 1995, I attended the "Concert For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" celebrating the opening of the actual museum (the Hall of Fame existed in the abstract for years before the building was finally built and opened to the public). The lineup featured Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (an especially big deal, as they hadn't performed together in a few years at that point), Al Green, The Allman Brothers Band, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars, John Fogerty (his first performance in a long time), Robbie Robertson (one of his only solo performances ever), John Mellencamp, The Kinks (I think it was their final public performance), Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Soul Asylum (who backed Lou Reed and then Iggy Pop). There were some cool combos: Bruce and The E Street Band backed Chuck and Jerry Lee (although I read that Bruce was unhappy with their performance), Bruce sang "Forever Young" with Dylan, Al and Aretha snag together, Sheryl sang with the Allmans, Larry Graham of The Family Stone performed with P-Funk, it was a pretty good time.

But last week's shows were even better. Rollling Stone wrote up both nights, which were filled with highlights. This time, Bruce & E Street (in top form as opposed to last time) backed up Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, John Fogerty and Darlene Love, plus they were joined by Tom Morello for "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" and The Clash's "London Calling." Wow. They also backed up Billy Joel on a few of his songs. Stevie Wonder collaborted with John Legend (who came to MSG straight from singing the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium at The World Series!), B.B. King, Sting, Smokey Robinson and Jeff Beck. Paul Simon collaborated with Dion and Little Anthony & The Imperials, and did a Simon & Garfunkel set after his solo set. And Crosby Stills & Nash were joined by Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Jackson Browne. That was just night one!

On night two, Aretha Franklin was joined by Annie Lennox and Lenny Kravitz, and Jeff Beck (filling in for Eric Clapton) was joined by Sting, Buddy Guy and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Then stuff got really crazy as Metallica took the stage. Opening with "For Whom The Bell Tolls," "One" and Bob Seger's "Turn The Page," they were then joined by Lou Reed for versions of The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat." Whoa. Then Ozzy Osbourne joined them for Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and "Paranoid." Finally, Ray Davies for The Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Then it was U2, who played their own songs, but also backed Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith for "Because The Night." The Black Eyed Peas also joined u2, as did Mick Jagger for "Gimme Shelter" and "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of." Wow, I can't wait to see this on TV, and hopefully they release an album of this. And hopefully it will be more affordable than the DVD box set of induction ceremony highlights. (Get it here).

STEVIE WONDER, ALICIA KEYS AND MORE TO CELEBRATE NELSON MANDELA

If there's someone who deserves a concert to celebrate his birthday, it's Nelson Mandela. And producer/Eurythmic Dave Stewart is putting together a big show at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the man's 91st birthday July 18. So far, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Wyclef Jean, Queen Latifah, TLC (now a duo?), Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo, Baaba Maal, Josh Groban and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are signed on to perform. Should be a great show - I may have to check that one out. Might I suggest the reunited Specials?

SOME AWESOME LIVE STEVIE WONDER STUFF

I'm not the type to download stuff from anywhere but iTunes. And I've never downloaded anything that is commercially available. BUT. Sometmies you can't resist. I found this great Stevie Wonder performance on the excellent blog Aquarium Drunkard (they host SIRIUS XM's Blog Radio on SIRIUS XMU; I don't always agree with their taste, we certainly don't agree on pavement, but it is a great blog). It's pretty incredible. I don't know why Stevie hasn't put out more live recordings from the '60s and '70s. I totally recommend Stevie's recently released Live At Last DVD (which he should also release on CD and mp3), as well as his 1995 live album Natural Wonder. But this is another level, it's him at the peak of his creativity.

STEVIE WONDER TO RELEASE LIVE AT LAST DVD

I've missed Stevie Wonder twice in the past two years, but at least now I'll get a chance to see what the shows were like: he's releasing his first concert DVD, Live At Last, on March 10. It features mostly big hits, and the last song is my personal favorite, "As."

Stevie's next album is supposedly a duets album with Tony Bennett, and will feature a number of Marvin Gaye songs. I'm not a Bennett fan, but I might check that one out. But I hope if Stevie tours, it's not with Tony Bennett.

BRUCE, STEVIE, BONO AND OTHERS TO PLAY INAUGURAL CELEBRATION

I wonder if Washington D.C. has ever seen anything like the excitement for Barack Obama's inauguration. Certainly the concert that will take place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this Sunday for the We Are One celebration is kind of unprecedented: Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, James Taylor and will.i.am are among the artists who will be performing at this historic event. The show will be open to the public: I think it is supposed to be freezing that day, but who cares? I wish I was going.

NOT QUITE "VOTE FOR CHANGE"

The Obama/Biden campaign is selling a CD to help raise funds for their campaign. Yes We Can: Voices Of A Grassroots Movement features mostly previously released tracks by Buddy Miller, keb'mo, Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow. But the coolest track on the album is John Legend's cover of U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)." You can get the CD here. 

9/11 MUSIC PART 1 - AMERICA: A TRIBUTE TO HEROES

On one hand, what can music do when the entire country is simultaneously mourning and in shock? On the other - in my opinion, and in that of many others - music helps people to heal in a small way.

The America: A Tribute To Heroes telethon took place on 9/21, just ten days after 9/11. I remember being totally moved, and in the back of mind a bit impressed with the networks. I thought they did a great job of being classy, not cheesy, not embarrassing, and clearly dropped the usual business and commerical concerns.

I listen to the album once a year - around 9/11 obviously. I remember seeing Bruce Springsteen open the show with "My City Of Ruins." At my job at VH1, we actually had footage of him performing it a week or so earlier at a fair in Asbury Park. It was about Asbury Park, but obviously it really worked for the awful situation the country was in. Most people thought he wrote it after 9/11, which goes to show how good of a writer Bruce is. Stevie Wonder along with the vocal group Take 6 did a great version of his underrated classic "Love's In Need Of Love Today" from Songs In The Key Of Life. Alicia Keys did a solo piano reading of Donny Hathaway 's "Someday We'll All Be Free." It was oddly joyous: she was partially mourning, but also looking toward a better future. Dave Matthews did a solo version of his "Everyday," a hit single at the time that also worked perfectly. The Dixie Chicks did a really moving version of "I Believe In Love," which I don't think they'd released yet. Sting did a very apropos "Fragile" and U2 did their best ever version of their instant-classic "Walk On." Sheryl Crow sang my personal favorite song of hers "Safe And Sound" (originally about an ex-boyfriend, it still seemed to fit the situation), Neil Young had one of his finest moments with his cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" (a song that Clear Channel supposedly "banned" from its radio stations post 9/11) and Neil also backed Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready on "Long Road."

For that night, it helped make the events of 9/11 a bit easier to process somehow. Willie Nelson ended the night leading a number of artists (including Mariah Carey) through a ragged version of "America The Beautiful," which made me feel patriotic and like it was time to start trying to move on.

"I WISH" (I WAS AT THE STEVIE WONDER CONCERT TONIGHT)

It's a bummer that Stevie Wonder is playing a local venue tonight (Jones Beach) and I'm not there. He really is one of the greats, and he's still doing it. I saw him 13 years ago at Radio City Music Hall, and it was just awesome. Back when I worked for Video Hits 1, I got a lot of free tickets, but I suspect even if I was still there, tickets would be hard to come by. Record labels aren't buying tickets for industry people anymore, which probably makes sense. 

Last year, I wrote about Stevie when I missed his Madison Square Garden show. Next time he comes to the area, I'm not going to miss him. Meanwhile tonight, one of his disciples, Alicia Keys, headlined MSG. I've never seen her in concert, but I'd love to. Of course, she will probably play MSG many more times in her career. You just can't go to every show. Tomorrow night, I'm going to see R.E.M. at MSG. The Cure play MSG and Radio City this week, but I'm not going. Next week, though, we're going to see Pearl Jam twice at MSG.  You've got to pace yourself! Although, next month, I'm doing something I'm calling "Seven Nights To Rock" - going to concerts seven nights in a row. I'll write more about that soon. 

GEORGE MICHAEL AND MARY J. - NICE "AS"

A couple of years ago I was in a store somewhere, and over the soundsystem I heard what is maybe my favorite Stevie Wonder song ever: "As." It was a duet by, quite obviously, George Michael and Mary J. Blige. I found out it was only available as a very expensive import. I was like, "I want it, but not that bad."

Years later, I asked George Michael about it. I like his solo cover of Stevie's "I Believe When I Fall In Love (It Will Be Forever)," and told him so, and asked if "As" would ever be released. He said he hoped it would be in the U.S. at some point. So, now it is coming out on a new best-of that he has coming out.

I watched the video at VH1.com, and I still like their version of the song. It's not nearly as good as the original, but how could it hope to be? Still, if it brings more attention to the very underrated "As," and more people get turned on to it, then great.

STEVIE WONDER

"Stevie Wonder," I think, is the least imaginative title for a post I've come up with yet. But on the other hand, it's Stevie Wonder: you don't need to say much more. I just love the guy and his music.

Unfortunately, I missed out when tickets went on sale for the concert he is playing tonight at Madison Square Garden. And, of course, they sold out really quickly. So, I'm not going. Which is a big time bummer.

Still, in the weeks leading up to this show, I've been listening to a lot of his music, sort of as a prayer vigil in hopes that tickets would somehow materialize. That fact is, it's always good to listen to some Stevie. He truly is on of the greats. I don't know if it is cliche at this point to talk about how 1976's Songs In The Key Of Life is just one of the best records ever. But that's one that I always go back to. I have it on vinyl: it's a double LP, but it came with a bonus 45". That's unbelievable: a double album wasn't enough for him, and he didn't want to hold on to the other songs for his next album. He was 26 years old at the time. And it was like his 20th album.

I always love to sort of turn people on to non-"greatest hits" songs from iconic artists. In Stevie's case, there are a bunch of them - which is crazy, when you consider how many huge hit singles he's had. From his early days, I love "A Place In The Sun" and "Yester-me, Yester-you, Yesterday." From the '70s, there's like an embarassment of riches: "I Believe (When I Fall In Love With You It Will Be Forever)" is one of them. I love the richard nixon bitch-slap of "You Haven't Done Nothin'," which, today, sounds like it could've been written about w. Another song that not a lot of people cite is "As," from Songs In The Key Of Life. It's such a great love song, and it kind of works for any kind of love. I remember when we hired the band for our wedding, they asked if we wanted them to learn any songs for us, and I asked for "As." "No problem!" I was like, "Are you sure, it's a pretty long, pretty complex song..." They ended up playing the CD version. I actually told Stevie Wonder this story, and he laughed (more on that below). I'd read that he has said that "As" is his best lyric. Another one I love is Stevie's version of Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind." He first recorded it when he was 15, and years later he performed it at the Dylan tribute concert in 1992. The performance is just so moving, and in my mind he kind of owns the song. Oh yeah, one more: "Love's In Need Of Love Today," which opens Songs In The Key Of Life. He also performed it at the post-9/11 telethon America: A Tribute To Heroes.

So, my meeting with Stevie. I got to interview him at the Grammy Awards, I think it was 2005. I was packing up my VH1 crew to go to the edit when I heard he might talk to us. "Wait!" We set back up, and then Stevie Wonder appears in the door of our one-on-one room. I was told he would answer one question. Luckily, no one told Stevie that. It wasn't the longest interview, but I'll never forget it. A weird thing happened: at these events, when you do an interview, there's a ton of people in the room: everyone from VH1, and the artists publicist, maybe some label people, management, other people from their entourage. Stevie came by at the end of the night, everyone was beat, and no one was in the room except for me, him, and two members of my crew. We were chatting while the crew was setting up, I told him the "As" story, asked him about his next album (he said he was finishing it up, the album was A Time To Love) and he says "How old are you anyway?" He was surprised that I knew so much about him. I told him that I saw his last New York concert at Radio City Music Hall in 1994 or 1995, and that I'd never seen such a wide mix of young and old, black and white people at a concert, and he smiled.

Another thing about these interviews, is that you usually have people telling you that your time is up. But there was no one in there to do that. But after a few minutes, I thought I shouldn't take advantage of the situation, and said, "Stevie, I could talk to you all night, but I know you gotta go." Then I realized, he can't just get up. I walked over to him, and he held my arm in both hands as I led him out the door. I just couldn't believe it, and I have chills writing about it right now.

Well, I'm still bummed about missing the show tonight. But I feel blessed to have seen his Radio City concert, and to have had a conversation with the man, brief as it was.