Three from the Train: Haven, Dusty Springfield, Frank Zappa

Every morning that I decide to drag myself to the city, I have a little over an hour to listen to music on the train. I put the iPhone music player on shuffle, and off I go. Calling my collection eclectic would be an understatement. It's often an interesting mix. There are songs though, that I really want the world to appreciate as much as I do. Songs that make me say, "Ooh, listen to THIS! Isn't it great?!"

Some mornings are tough to choose only three songs from, but I will not break my own rule - 3 songs. Period. I'll also try to not repeat the artist, too often. Here's what I heard this morning:

Haven: "Beautiful Thing"
Sometimes great bands don't get the fame and fortune they deserve. Haven is one of those bands. From Cornwall, England, they were discovered in the mid-90's by the Smith's former manager. After two albums, they disbanded. Sad. This cut is from their first album released in 2002, Between the Senses. I discovered them when I bought a box of unopened CDs from a former music reviewer for an entertainment magazine in Phoenix. I love this record. It's got a Beatle-esque psychedelic pop-rock sound that sticks with you.



Dusty Springfield: "All Cried Out"
Dusty, one of the greatest female pop vocalists, ever, was a British singer who killed it in the 60's. She charted over a dozen top 20 hits in the U.K. and 5 in the us during the mid 60's. In 1999, she was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, shortly after her death. A lot of her stuff was written by Burt Bacharach or Carole King, two of the greatest pop writers. This song, written by Buddy Kaye and Phil Springer, was the opening track on 1964's Dusty.



Frank Zappa: "Apostrophe'"
Frank's one of the most under-appreciated guitarists of all time. Here he is playing with Jack Bruce ("fuzz" bass) on the instrumental title track from 1974's apostrophe.



Until next time...