Dave Stewart Archives

Review: Dave Stewart’s ‘Dave Does Dylan’

Posted by Seuras Og at 4:05 am 2 Responses »

Jul 202025

When I first heard of this, I confess the thought came: Why? The Dave is Stewart, arguably most famous for not being the singer in Eurythmics, the other half of that once so shining brightly duo, all-conquering during the 1980’s, with a brief return at the turn of the century. Annie Lennox sang and he played guitars and keyboards. More recently he is possibly better known as a producer, but best-known really for being a friend and collaborator of the rich and famous, popping up on albums by Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Mick Jagger and several by Ringo Starr. His Wikipedia page is quite a read.

This recording actually first slipped out in April, on this year’s Record Label Day, a limited vinyl release available only through participating stores. Now it has been relaunched. Again there is a limited-issue vinyl, but it is also available as a digital release. Again, it is a barebones set of acoustic performances, recorded on his iPhone, otherwise untouched. For a singer, and one without a voice that well-known, again creeps back that nagging why? Continue reading »

Five Good Covers: “Here Comes the Rain Again” (Eurythmics)

Posted by Hope Silverman at 9:00 am 2 Responses »

Nov 032022

The Mayflower Hotel was located at Central Park West between 61st and 62nd street in New York City. It was constructed in 1926 and stood for over seven decades before being demolished in 2004. It was not a fancy place (the New York Times called it “drab and brown”) and its sad, singular claim to fame was that Pat Sullivan, producer of the Felix the Cat cartoon lived there in the ’30s.

Even though it stood for nearly 80 years, the only acknowledgment of the hotel’s existence is a tiny plaque on a nearby bench on Broadway featuring this clinical and decidedly unromantic inscription:

The funding for these benches was provided in 1996 by The Mayflower Hotel

Whatever New York City office was responsible for the text on that plaque blew it. They opted for cold acknowledgment when they could have imbued that bench with magical, magnetic pop power forever. Here is what the plaque should have said:

In 1983, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox, the musicians collectively known as “Eurythmics” composed “Here Comes The Rain Again” during a stay at The Mayflower Hotel.” Continue reading »

Five Good Covers: “It’s My Party” (Lesley Gore)

Posted by Patrick Robbins at 1:00 pm 3 Responses »

Apr 302021

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

Lesley Gore wasn’t the first to record “It’s My Party” (that would be Helen Shapiro), but she definitely made the greatest impact with it. The tale of Judy and Johnny having to go and spoil everything sounded not like it once happened to Gore, but like she was a high school junior (which she was) going through it in the moment, a moment that was extended in her answer song “Judy’s Turn to Cry.” The song has maintained its hold on the cultural landscape; to this day, if someone says “It’s my party,” someone else is sure to respond “and I’ll cry if I want to.”