Fine Wine of the Week

Mudcrutch. "Scare Easy."

What the hell is Mudcrutch, you say...

Mudcrutch was a rock band from Gainesville, FL (home of THE University of Florida) and was basically the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Per info from Mudcrutch Farm, a TP & the HB fan community, there was an actual Mudcrutch Farm where some band members lived -- it was located in a patch of woods off North 13th Street in Gainesville near Dub's bar, where the band was a regular act.

(My pal and fellow '80s apologist Steve Spears has a great Dub's anecdote. It's far more interesting than my Dub's story about blowing off packing to go home for the summer in order to see Bo Diddley play live... but I digress.)

Anyhoo.

Mudcrutch has reformed and is releasing an album the end of this month -- with "Scare Easy" as the first cut. It's country-jangly-and-
slightly-spooky Petty... which to me, is Petty at his best.

Listen and enjoy.

Fine Wine of the Week: Second Bottle

Judy Garland. "What'll I Do?"
Written by Irving Berlin.

When grabbing the Irving Berlin link from Wikipedia, I was reminded of this song of his. It's one of my favorites... beautiful, simple and whistful. And achingly evocative of parts of my life. I always get that far away look in my eye when I hear it... like now.

Fine Wine of the Week

Fred Astaire. Judy Garland. "We're A Couple of Swells." Written by Irving Berlin. From the MGM classic Easter Parade.

I was actually poking around, looking for a YouTube of the title song... no such luck -- but here's what I stumbled on instead.

I had this soundtrack on vinyl, believe it or not. It was part of a double album, paired with the soundtrack to Singing in the Rain. Wore the grooves out on both discs. And I had every single word and lyric memorized.

This bit -- totally charming and endearing. The likes of these two greats (plus the composer!) we'll never see again, as they don't make 'em like this anymore... so enjoy.

Fine Wine of the Week

"Well, Did You Evah?" Written by Cole Porter.

A classic, urbane and more-than-slightly snarky duet from my favorite tunesmith. Written for his 1939 musical Du Barry Was a Lady, it was introduced by Betty Grable and Charles Walters. It was, however, performed most famously in the 1956 film High Society by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. By the way, if you’ve never seen High Society, I can highly recommend it. A musical version of The Philadelphia Story, it’s got great tunes and class out the wazoo. Just one chica’s opinion. That you should take. Hee!

Anyhoo, here’s Frank and Bing. Sit back and watch two masters at work...



And, just for fun, here’s a totally fab take on the song from Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop, recorded for the 1990 AIDS benefit album Red, Hot and Blue. Which I can also HIGHLY recommend -- it’s fantastic, featuring Cole Porter songs interpreted by some really diverse artists.

Fine Wine of the Week

Bernadette Peters. "Not a Day Goes By."
From Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall



Today is Miss Peters' 60th birthday (thanks for the reminder, Mr. Spears) -- and she's still as fabulous as ever.

She is, in my opinion, one of the premier interpreters of Stephen Sondheim -- my theatre god. She's transcendent and charming and accessible and you feel every note, every sentiment, every nuance when she sings.

This song is from Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along." It's a piercing one, as it talks of the lingering residue of lost love and the yearning that invariably and inextricably comes along.

And La Peters is magnificent.

Not a day goes by
Not a single day
But you’re somewhere a part of my life
And it looks like you’ll stay
As the days go by
I keep thinking when does it end
Where’s the day I’ll have started forgetting
But I just go on thinking and sweating

And cursing and crying
And turning and reaching
And waking and dying
And no, not a day goes by
Not a blessed day
But you’re still somehow part of my life
And you won’t go away
So there’s hell to pay
And until I die
I’ll die day after day after day
After day
After day after day after day
Til the days go by
Til the days go by
Til the days go by

Fine Wine of the Week

Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. A Medley, including "Corcovado", "Change Partners", "I Concentrate On You" and "The Girl From Ipanema."



This is the epitome of aural sensuality, at least to me.

Laid back, languid Sinatra singing, ciggy in hand; Tom Jobim providing the sensual bossa nova underbeat.

So evocative of a time and place gone by, yet still timeless.

If you dig this, I highly recommend picking up the album the two recorded together in the mid '60s: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim . You won't be sorry.

Fine Wine of the Week

Shelby Lynne. "Anyone Who Had A Heart."

Off her new album Just a Little Lovin', which is a smooth, fresh homage to the great Dusty Springfield. This cut, written by the iconic team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, basks in laid-back atmospheric yearning. I'm totally digging it.



This may be the sexiest album I've heard in a long, long time. Sensuous and sophisticated, it's warm and intimate and perfect for a morning, noon or night with the one you love. Or lust.

Try it. You won't be sorry.