Birds Playlist

Monday Playlist

I've decided that each Monday that I would try to post a different playlist. As I've stated before, playlists fascinate me because 1) I've always been more an "album guy", 2) I enjoy the idea of linking at times completely dissimilar music, and 3) some playlist songs you might never listen to otherwise.

Based on a recent theme at the wonderful Music Gourmets group, this week's playlist will be - Birds. Though one could launch in a number of directions with this broad theme (groups with bird names, songs with the word "bird" in the title), I've decided to have each song naming a different type or species of birds (no Linnaeus titles here, though).

Bird Playlist
1) "Dodo/Lurker" by Genesis
2) "Bluebird" by Buffalo Springfield
3) "Hummingbird" by Leon Russell (live off Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs & Englishmen")
4) "Bye Bye Blackbird" by Miles Davis *
5) "Ostrich Walk" by Bix Beiderbecke
6) "Back at the Chicken Shack" by Jimmy Smith
7) "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (Baretta's Theme)" by Sammy Davis, Jr. **
8) "Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac ***
9) "Blue Jay Way" by The Beatles ****
10) "Fly Like An Eagle" by The Steve Miller Band
11) "Duck Tail" by Joe Clay *****
12) "Cold Turkey" by John Lennon
13)"When Doves Cry" by Prince

One could go on and on with this theme, but I drew the limit at a one hour playlist. Special mention to Faith No More's "Woodpecker on Mars" which almost made the cut (and has an awesome title)

Some notes:
* - Interestingly, jazz music is filled with songs with different types of birds, much more so than pop music. I've included three in order, starting with "Bye Bye Blackbird". Several great versions exist - I go between Miles and Ben Webster/Oscar Peterson for favorite rendition
** - How could I possibly leave out Sammy's ultra-cool theme song from the '70's cop show Beretta. Between this, the Rockford Files, Ironsides, etc, the '70s police/detective genre contributed many great "hip" songs to pop culture
*** - Wonderful instrumental by the Peter-Green led, blues-based version of Fleetwood Mac
**** - I enjoy "Blackbird" more but it's certainly more common that this George Harrison-penned song off "Magical Mystery Tour" named for a street in Hollywood
***** - Joe Clay was a Lousiana rockabilly artist. When he appeared on Ed Sullivan in 1856, Sullivan had him play a version of the Platters "Only You" instead of this energetic song