“Doesn’t it seem like just “yesterday” that the Beatles played their first U.S. concert? In fact, they made their U.S. debut on February 11, 1964, at the Washington Coliseum in front of approximately 8,000 fans. It was just two days after they premiered on the Ed Sullivan show. The day after the concert, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson said to the British Prime Minister about the Beatles: “I like your advance guard. But don’t you think they need haircuts?”
“A family friend had given my teenage daughter, an avid fan of the Beatles, an old book about the band. She found it while cleaning out her attic. Tucked inside the old book was this 8X10 photo! Curious about the photo, I zoomed in on the officer’s (in the photo) arm patch, it said “Washington,” which was when I realized this photo was from their first U.S. show!” -FOF Shelagh Duffett.
Set List from the Beatles’ First U.S. Show
via PopHistoryDig
Washington, D.C.
February 1964
Roll Over Beethoven
From Me to You
I Saw Her Standing There
This Boy
All My Loving
I Wanna Be Your Man
Please Please Me
Till There Was You
She Loves You
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Twist and Shout
Long Tall Sally
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If you’ve had Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” on repeat since 1972, it’s time to get out of your music rut and visit these 3 must-visit sites for FOF music lovers:
1. Pandora – Imagine a radio station that plays all your favorite songs–and finds you new artists based on your personal taste. Here’s how it works: enter in your favorite song or artist, and Pandora’s genius technology, the Music Genome Project®, creates a custom radio station chock full of tunes with similar musical makeup (melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals, lyrics) to the one you entered. Pandora is free but has ads and is limited to 40 hours of listening per month or $36/year without ads and unlimited listening.
2. Pitchfork – A snarky, highly-influential online music publication launched in 1995. Top notch music journalists review new albums as well as reissued albums and box sets. Albums are reviewed on an extremely precise scale of 0 to 10, to the tenth-of-point. Those looking to discover new music can troll Pitchfork’s constantly updated best-of lists. Pitchfork is free.
3. Last.fm – The ultimate social music site. Last.fm scours the music libraries of you and your friends to give you new song recommendations, custom radio stations, upcoming concerts in your area and perfect strangers who are your perfect music matches. The site works using a technology called “scrobbling”: You download the “Scrobbler,” which monitors the songs you listen to most frequently. The Scrobbler compares what you play to the “scrobbles” of millions of users worldwide to help come up with music and concerts best suited to your taste. Last.fm is free or $3/month for ad-free listening and other perks.
We asked a few of our FOF members–musicians, music execs and even a 69-year old club DJ–what they’re listening to now. The result? Music to our ears…the ultimate FOF playlist.
Plus! Win a CD compilation of all these songs.To enter, comment below and answer: What musician should every FOF know about?
Polly John
55, Duluth, Minnesota
“I sing with a 6-piece dance band called Park Avenue.’”
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“Realize” by Colbie Caillait – Her music is light, fresh and makes you want to tap your feet. It evokes the questions, “What if we never connect?” “What would have happened if I’d met THIS person at THAT time?” and “How could our lives have been different if we’d married THAT person instead of the one we did?”
“Baby, Now that I’ve Found You” by Alison Krauss – Her voice is sweet and clear and makes my heart happy. Any song by Alison is lovely but I like this one because she took a hit up-tempo song by The Foundations, and made it more of a ballad. The violin provides a haunting lilt, and her gentle spirit makes me want to close my eyes and sing along.
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Sheri Nadelman
52, Tampa Bay, Florida
“I play guitar, sing and write. I am working on my first CD. Besides playing solo, I front two local bands; a 4-piece rock band, ‘SHERI AND THE VISION’ and a contemporary 5-piece soft rock and jazz band, “soulRcoaster.” I sing everything from Etta James to Lady Gaga!”
“Home” by Sheryl Crow – My idol. I got to meet her at one of her concerts and tell her so! This song speaks to me because there’s a message of finding solace in your life.
“Free” by the Zac Brown Band – It’s a beautiful tune and I hear Zac is a real down-to-earth, nice guy.
“Lost in You” by Michael Wainwright – I discovered him when he opened for ‘Tears For Fears.’ He blew me away.
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“I combine publicity with career development. So I do both media and industry relations. I reach out to media, fans, businesses, government, charity, and show business for my artists. You never know how a career is going to grow.”
“(You Should Be) Doubly (Gratified)” by Mike Doughty — Infectuous. Mike fuses a lot of musical genres into his sound and does it well. His voice is flexible and warm. He loves to use word sounds, hooks, and the studio as an instrument.
“Beautiful Dream” by Jann Klose — The best pop song ever with a brilliant melodic hook that everyone relates to, “I don’t want to wake up from this beautiful dream.” The verses flow from one thought to another, kind of like an Escher graphic.
“No Fool No More” by Jessie Galante — I love the power and attitude of this one. It’s about making your own decisions and not falling for lines.
“Perfect Storm” by Susan Barth –– I seem to admire songs about the lazy lifestyle. Susan’s got a ’60s/Karen Carpenter style in her voice. This arrangement borrows a bit from the Beatles’ SGT PEPPER LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND.
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“…I’d rather sign a contract with a record company than sign up for the nursing home.”
“Still Rocking” (BasicSkack Remix) by Ruth Flowers (her own song) — I made it for the younger generation to dance to. It has a great guitar line which is a tribute to Queen and Freddy Mercury (my favorites).
“Something alla Mode” by Rondo Parisiano featuring Karl Lagerfeld — A cross between classical and electro-sound.
“Begging You For Mercy” by Duffy — “A great beat. I just love Duffy, she is different AND beautiful!”
“The Boy Does Nothing” by Alesha Dixon –Love it because it’ so true (men do nothing around the house)!
“Dance Wiv Me” by Dizzee Rascal — Very lively and great for dancing.
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“I’m currently singing with the NU SHOOZ Orchestra, a band I co-lead with my husband John. I also perform with a jazz quartet, big band and have produced a performance piece that I sing and act in called “Brain Chemistry For Lovers: Where The Art of Song Meets the Science of Love.”
“Overjoyed” by Esperanza Spalding — “A mighty force in a new generation of jazz musicians. In “Overjoyed” (which she played at the White House) she exudes such joy while masterfully playing upright bass and singing.”
“Nothing Runs As Deep As You” by Marv and Rindy Ross — “It’s one of my favorites on their record. It is beautifully and hauntingly sung by Rindy; a gorgeous piece of work that shows what happens when talent and many years of musical experience come together.”
“Jammin’” as recorded by Elaine Elias — “This song helps me get my groove on when I’m having a hard time getting going. Originally written by Bob Marley, Elaine Elias’s dance party rendition is full of blazing and brilliant piano solos. Her Brazilian accent adds a wonderful vibe to the track.”
“I’ve authored a dozen books. I’ve recent published ‘The Cowgirl Way’ and am currently working on a biography of the musician Alex Chilton which will be published by Viking in 2012.”
“Firecracker” by Frazey Ford –– “Love her unique voice with its distinctive trill and the song’s old-timey instrumentation.”
“Princess & the Frog” by The Jim Jones Revue — “These English rockers are fantastic live, which is captured by this kick-out-the-jams track.”
“Tomorrow is a Long Time” by Bob Dylan — “Hearing the young Dylan at his most fragile is a very emotional experience.”
“We Die and See Beauty Reign” by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan –– “Their voices blend beautifully on this haunting duet — perfect for a rainy day.”
“If It Wasn’t for Bad” by Elton John & Leon Russell — It’s great to hear these two veteran piano-men sound reinvigorated on this catchy song with attitude.”
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Win a CD compilation of all these recommended songs.To enter, comment below and answer: What song are you loving right now? (See all our past winners, here.)
