Weekend Music -- RIP Hal Blaine

We would be remiss not to note the passing this week of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame session drummer Hal Blaine at the age of 90.  You may not have heard of Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky), but you've almost certainly heard him.  That's because he played drums on 150 top 10 hits in the '50s, '60s and '70s.  He played drums on virtually every hit by the Mamas and Papas, Simon and Garfunkel and Beach Boys (sorry, Dennis Wilson), as well as on songs recorded by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.  Blaine nicknamed and was an original member of "The Wrecking Crew," a group of Los Angeles- based studio musicians that were ubiquitous in rock and pop recording sessions from the '60s to early '70s.  If you have any doubt of the importance of Blaine in musical history, check out the "partial" list of songs he played on here.

We selected a few of those songs to honor his legacy...

Then He Kissed Me -- The Crystals

Wouldn't It Be Nice -- The Beach Boys

America -- Simon and Garfunkel

... and the song in which many consider his drumming to be the most influential and imitated,

Be My Baby -- The Ronettes









BONUS:  The New Yorker has an appreciation that says it better than we can.

Weekend Often Forgotten Music Twofer

We're getting very high winds here in the mid- Atlantic, so we thought we'd get these up just in case power goes out.

We lost Barbara Alston, one of the original members of The Crystals, on February 16 at the age of 74. She was the lead singer on most of the earliest Crystals songs, including this often- forgotten gem from 1961 that was the group's first hit:



The late, great Mary Wells was the early "Queen of Motown," helping that label and songwriters like Smoky Robinson make a mark in the music world in the early '60's.  One of her often- forgotten gems was 1963's "Laughing Boy," a song written and produced by Robinson:

Mid-Week Song

One of the great female recording groups of all time, The Crystals, had this top ten hit in 1963.  It gained additional fame with a new generation when it was used in the 1990 film "Goodfellas" as the background music to the memorable, three minute walk through the Copacabana night spot.  Enjoy.

Mid-Week Crystal Clear Song

New York City's The Crystals were one of the most successful girl groups of the '60s, with Phil Spector- produced hits like "He's A Rebel," "Then He Kissed Me," and this gem, with lead vocals by Delores "LaLa" Brooks, on ABC's "Shivaree" from July 1965.  (Bonus points for some eye-catching hip wiggling).

Weekend Twofer

We hope these usher in a beautiful weekend for you.  First, Scotland's own Belle and Sebastian released the lovely "Wrapped Up In Books" in 2004:



And now for something completely different... it's the great Darlene Love fronting for the Crystals, on the rollicking "He's Sure the Boy I Love."  Whoah-oh-oh-yeah!