Lowell George - Willin'

Artist: Lowell George

Song: Willin’

Album: Little Feat (1971)

About Lowell George

About Little Feat

About Willin Bike

About Cinelli

Live

Little Feat - Hoy Hoy!

Artist: Little Feat

Album: Hoy Hoy! (1981)

Hoy Hoy! is the name of a Little Feat collection released in 1981 two years after the band's break-up following the death of founder Lowell George.

More about Hoy Hoy! And Hoy Hoy Rats

About Cinelli

Zydeco Bike

Zydeco is a form of American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of Creole music. The rural black Creoles of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas still sing in Louisiana Creole French.

More about Zydeco Bike

About Cinelli

Eric Herman and The Invisible Man - The World's Fastest Bicycle

Artist: Eric Herman and the Invisible Man

Song: The World’s Fastest Bicycle

Album: The Kid in the Mirror

The Kid in the Mirror is the debut CD by Eric Herman and the Invisible Band. Highly acclaimed by kids and adults alike, The Kid in the Mirror features ten songs, including "There's a Monster in My House", "The World's Fastest Bicycle" and the much beloved "The Elephant Song".

"Engagingly sublime, with sophisticated artistry and magnificent wit." - Mindy, age 3

"Way cool!" - Sir Lord Alastair Huffington III, age 84

The Kid In The Mirror rocks with 10 tracks of cool tunes for kids, including such instant classics as "The Dinosaur, the Dodo and the Unicorn", "Video Game", "There's a Monster in My House" and "The Tiger and the Zebra". Five of the songs feature words written by renowned funny poetry author Kenn Nesbitt. Inventive arrangements, snazzy sound effects, imaginative lyrics, the engaging voice of Eric Herman and the punchy tightness and visual appeal of the Invisible Band all put The Kid In The Mirror at the forefront of contemporary children's music.

The real story about what happened to the dinosaurs, dodo birds and unicorns... An all-consuming video game... An extremely fast bicycle... A noisy, sleep-depriving monster... Ethereal dreams of flying... A hungry tiger and tasty zebra... A dangerously crazy mountain road...

Clapping, dancing and jumping along with the kid in the mirror... Elephants that swing through trees... The sun in a bathing suit and the moon in pajamas...

Yes, this album has it all! :o)

And here's the blah blah blah part...

Eric Herman has been a regular music and theater performer/writer in the Western New York area for over 15 years (by the name 'Eric Endres'). He has released several recordings of original music, spanning a wide variety of styles, and has regularly been nominated for area music awards. In addition to performing theater roles including Harold Hill and Alfie Dolittle, Eric has also written the book, lyrics and music for two full-length musical comedies, the first of which, A Week In The Life, was produced at the Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo, NY 2003 to much success and acclaim.

As a performer, Eric is known for being an accomplished and versatile guitarist and vocalist who performs poignant and memorable songs with a humorous and engaging stage manner that entertains audiences of all ages. Early in 2003, Eric began performing music for children at schools, day cares and other events, and quickly gained a reputation for involving kids in the performances and eliciting enthusiastic responses. Eric often performs with his backup group, The Invisible Band, which includes some of the finest invisible musicians in the world, adding a creative and fun element to the convention of backing tracks.

Eric's first album of music for children, The Kid In The Mirror, features ten memorable songs of tremendous wit, depth and musical craft, including five songs with words by popular funny poetry writer Kenn Nesbitt. Above all catchy, humorous, fun and imaginative in its variety of songs, The Kid In The Mirror also touches appropriately and creatively on important subjects like personal safety, self-esteem and bravery in the face of life's challenges.

review

My bicycle's the fastest that the world has ever seen.
It has supersonic engines and a flame-retardant sheen.
My bicycle will travel a gazillion miles an hour.
It has rockets on the handlebars for supersonic power.

Every time I take a ride everybody's eyes get wide-
"Wow! Cool!"

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Go! Go! Go! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Go! Go! Go! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Here I come now on my bike!

The pedals both are jet-propelled to help you pedal faster.
The shifter is equipped with an electric turbo blaster.
The fender has a parachute in case you need to brake.
My bike is undeniably the fastest one they make.

Every time I take it out everybody starts to shout-
"Wow! Cool!"

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Go! Go! Go! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Go! Go! Go! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Here I come now on my bike!

Yeah yeah, I could ride it day and night.
Yeah yeah, it's faster than the speed of light.

My bicycle's incredible. I love the way it feels.
And I'll like it even more when Dad removes the training wheels…

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
Go! Go! Go! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Grandaddy - Broken

Artist: Grandaddy

Song: Broken

Album: The Windfall Varietal (2000)

The Windfall Varietal is an unofficial album by the band Grandaddy, released in 2000. It first became available on their tour with Elliott Smith, beginning October 2000.

The album started out as a way to make more songs available less expensively. It was sold only at shows, but was eventually withdrawn from sale over issues concerning the final track which the band did not have full permission to release. The band claims only a couple thousand were sold. The songs on the album were recorded between 1994 and 2000.

Some versions had other stickers applied, such as the robo-deer image and some had just a plain white sleeve.

rough fought boy with a sub-sandwich
his new girlfriend makes a good one
broken
his closest friends call him broken
'cause he's self titled busted up
broken
he rode dirt bikes years ago
won some trophies did some shows
and a few demos
broken
the boy, yes, he's my friend
assemblage of stories and things
broken
when it rains
he feels pain
but he don't mind
'cause it's all the same
broken
the boy, yes, he's my friend
assemblage of wonderful things
broken

Ox - Stolen Bike

Artist: Ox

Song: Stolen Bike

Album: Dust Bowl Revival (2003)

Wilted, broken, skeletal... 'americana' at it's low-fi best... studio weary fragments, fragile masterpieces, sonic accidents.

From the long, hard running American interstate comes the latest incarnation of alt-country anti-hero mark browning. With disdain for the singer-songwriter stereotype and a spirit of collaboration, the collective 'OX', has become Browning's new voice for the deconstructed pop song and the anthem of the musically disenfranchised. The concept is plain, reflect the hardness of this land, the spirit of the folks living on it, and blow it out like diesel exhaust. After all, it's only rock & roll. The debut OX: DUST BOWL REVIVAL (to be released December, 2002) is a collection of studio weary fragments, fragile masterpieces, sonic accidents; a candid album in the truest sense. Recorded live to analog tape and spliced cassette demo recordings made across the mid-west, DUST BOWL REVIVAL is literally, a record of a record; a behind the scenes look at recording an album. Production, exposed; a musical affirmation that the air in the room is part of the song, that space is part of the song, that the musical scaffolds of count-ins and tube-amp hum are part of the song... that the song, is only a part of the song.

"Headlining Vancouver songman OX plies a sensitive but scuffed, delicate but twisted variant on the cracked alt-country thing. On the evidence of a forthcoming album, 'DUST BOWL REVIVAL' he is a significant talent." Ross Fortune, TIME OUT, LONDON UK

The debut OX: DUST BOWL REVIVAL (to be released December, 2002) is a collection of studio weary fragments, fragile masterpieces, sonic accidents; a candid album in the truest sense. Recorded live to analog tape and spliced cassette demo recordings made across the mid-west, DUST BOWL REVIVAL is literally, a record of a record; a behind the scenes look at recording an album.

Apparently, Ox really enjoyed that song and its chord progression, since they wrote new words for it and created "Stolen Bike", which comes a few songs later. Maybe Kanye West, Jay-Z, or the Beatles are allowed to refer to other songs they wrote, and preferably songs from prior albums, but Ox has not earned that right. It is appalling that they either expect the audience to not notice that "Stolen Bike" is the same as "Stolen Car" -- just sped up -- or worse but more probable, that they do expect the audience to notice, and to find it terribly clever or interesting. (…)

music

Bif Naked - My Bike

Artist: Bif Naked

Song: My Bike

Album: Bif Naked (1995)

Born in New Delhi, India, to a pair of boarding-school teenagers, Bif Naked was adopted by American missionaries and moved to Minneapolis. Several other moves preceded her eventual settling in Winnipeg where she enrolled at the University of Winnipeg as an aspiring drama major. At this time, she also joined Jungle Milk, an eclectic troupe of musicians, and married the act's drummer. The marriage was short-lived, … more

Brash and attitudinal is the vibe on Bif Naked's 1995 self-titled release. The New Jersey native comes across as part goth, part skateboard punk with a sneer in her voice and a chip on her shoulder. It's a mix that suits her well from "Make Like a Tree," with its insistent demand of "leave me alone," to the closing spoken-word observations of "The Gross Gross Man." In between, there are a few surprises, which makes this record a bit more worthwhile than the average angry, young woman fare. "Daddy's Getting Married" is a wry take on a broken home that is less in your face and more effective. The piano-based "Tell On You" seethes with anger, but never surrenders its dignity as she lyrically confronts a rapist. There's also the sensual Generation X love song "Succulent" sung over a funky beat. Lastly, Bif Naked serves up a cool twist on "My Bike," a come-on song sung to her dirt bike.

A quote from sleeve of I Bificus, a later album, identifies the object of her desires, Refusing to ever own her own car (she claims it’s not enviro-friendly), young Bif enjoys her G.T. BMX... Genre is kind of goth, or punk, but still pop. (Bike & Chain)

It’s possible that this rock star and noted fitness enthusiast was using a bike as a metaphor in this track from her self-titled 1995 debut. Something about how she recalls their first meeting when Bif got the bike all sticky with juice and how the bike liked it when she tied it to a tree in the middle of their ride together. Or maybe that’s just me. Andrew Fleming

music

The last time I fell in love
She had red, red, hair and a ring in her lip
She called me "jellybean" while playing basketball
It was so divine... but never like this!

And you are my entity
You are my dream
Yeah you're my dream¡

Lazy saturday like a kitten
In the sunshine warm as arkansas
I wash your tires with rose water
After the mud bog I bathe you in my love

You are my entity
You are my dream
You are my dream...

Remember the first time i met you
And i spilled apple juice all over you
And you were all wet and sticky
And i took you and i rolled you through the forest
Through the mud and leaves and tied you to a tree
And you liked it
Next time i met you i sat on you and rolled and rolled and rolled
Back to the forest in the mud in the leaves
And i tied you to that same tree
And you liked it in my dream

You are my entity
You are my dream
You are my entity
You are my dream
You're my dream...
(yes, i like my bike that much!)

Deborah Harry - Bike Boy

Artist: Deborah Harry

Song: Bike Boy

Album: Def Dumb & Blonde (1989)

As the face and sound behind one of new wave's most influential bands to emerge during the punk heyday of the '70s, Debbie Harry was the ultimate diva. She was the Blondie frontwoman, a vixen with hypnotically wild stage moves and an edgy cool voice. A killer sneer matched her signature blonde mop and made her a star. more

Although Debbie Harry's popularity had decreased by the late '80s, 1989 wasn't a bad year for her at all. That year, Blondie's former lead vocalist successfully portrayed a struggling singer on the brilliant but underrated CBS crime drama Wiseguy, and demonstrated that she could still have considerable fun in the studio. Under the direction of hit producer Mike Chapman -- who had worked with Blondie, as well as with everyone from Sweet to Scandal -- Harry delivers Def Dumb and Blonde, an eclectic CD that isn't in a class with a Blondie treasure like Parallel Lines but nonetheless has a lot going for it. Much of this new wave-ish pop/rock and European-flavored dance music is heartfelt, clever, and quite memorable. Everything from the charming "Brite Side" (which she performed on Wiseguy) to the addictive "Bike Boy" to the haunting "He Is So" makes it clear that Harry, at 43, was far from a has-been.

Bike Boy, only on the cd version (2005), is a punkish song and starts with loop of bicycle sounds.

music

Yeah!
Everything is straight.
Everything is great!
Everything is everything and still you make me wait.
What's it gonna take?
I'm gonna pull your chain.
What's up?
What's up?
We can meet up then we'll get it...
Yeah, we'll get it...
Straight.
Uh huh.
Uh huh.

Hey big boy.
Yeah!
Hey bike boy.
Yeah!
Riding fast.
Riding clean.
Cut it close through the main stream.
Bike boy.
Yeah!
Hey big boy.
Yeah!
Moving fast looking lean.
You say action.
Be extreme.

Hey big boy, you don't think i understand.
I see you riding, riding with no hands.

Hey, everything is great.
Everything is straight!
Everything is everything and still you make me wait.
Hey, what's it gonna take?
I wanna pull your chain!
What's up?
What's up?
We can meet up then we'll get it...
Yeah, we'll get it...
Uh huh.
Yeah yeah yeah ooh!

Hey big boy.
Yeah!
Hey bike boy.
Yeah!
Riding fast.
Riding clean.
Cut it close through the main stream.
Bike boy.
Yeah!
Hey big boy.
Yeah!
Moving fast looking lean.
You say action.
Be extreme.

Hey bike boy.
Yeah!
Hey big boy.
Yeah!
Get the message.
Get it quick.
I say reaction.
Tattoo stick.
Hey jet boy.
Yeah!
Hey big boy.
Yeah!
Bending metal.
Burning rubber.
I say action with no other.
Bike boy.
Hey bike boy!
Hey big boy.

video live

Bike for Three! - More Heart Than Brains

Artist: Bike for Three!

Album: More Heart Than Brains (2009)

 

Bike For Three!'s More Heart Than Brains is an impressive debut of smart pop, roiling downtempo, and introspective rap that finds its two architects embracing the romance inherent in their unique circumstances: Separated by an ocean and having never met in person, Buck 65 and producer Greetings From Tuskan share a startlingly powerful connection that unfolds through their music.

(…). Shrouded in strange magic, anchored by the heavy stuff of life, and lifted by a mutual magnetism still uncharted, their music is a bright/stunning combination of downtempo textures, smart pop, and exposed lyrical bones.

 

more

 

review

Descendents - Bikeage

Artist: Descendents

Song: Bikeage

Album: Milo Goes to College (1990)

A really fun song: the chorus are so elementary to call to mind the Ramones most minimal, but the songs is dramatic.

The band enjoyed putting the suffix "-age" at the end of things, as seen on the tracks "Myage", "Tonyage" and "Bikeage" (as well as, coincidentally, "Marriage"). This is also proven by the title of their live album, "Liveage". This, as well as the band's affiliation and appeal with and to nerdage, have linked the Descendents to the common addition of the suffix "-age" in Leet.

music

video

review

Running out of time again
Where did you go wrong this time?
When your problems overwhelm you
Go get drunk it's party time
Take a quaalude, relax your mind
Relax your body tool
Run from problems but
You'll never get away
No one loves you, and you
Wonder why?
Sitting there with your
Mouth full of beer
Your eyes are glazed, your face is red
Who's gonna pick you up
and use you for tonight?
And when you're on the streets
With a needle in your arm
Selling your body for another fix
Who's gonna pick you up and take
You home with them tonight? Not me!
Running out of breath again you're an
Old maid, but you're only 15
You're losing your little girl's charm
Cry all night but you'll never get it back
Don't be afraid, it's not too late
Save yourself, I need you here
Wearing off, wearing out
I can't think about this cause it
makes me sick

Talking Heads - Hey Now

Artist: Talking Heads

Song: Hey Now

Album: True Stories (1986)

About “Hey Now”:

"Hey Now" pits the singsong insistence of early R&B with the hop-along kick of Tex-Mex.

In “Hey Now” Byrne is only interested in super-saccharine bastardizations of exotic influences like Caribbean music.

"Hey Now", a sort of Hawaiian welcome complete with garlands of flowers to men-mass pseudo-civilized, fell from a cruise ship

Review

But if "Hey Now" is the only song of the Talking Heads in which appears a bicycle, is the great passion for cycling leader David Byrne that transpires through his collaboration with the NYC Department of Transportation: his latest project is a series of nine bike racks installed on the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan. Responding to his own love of cycling, Byrne submitted ideas to the DOT of graphic shapes, inspired by specific locations throughout the city: the Ladies Mile (a high heel), the Villager (a dog), the Wall Street (a dollar sign) and so on.

More…

and more

But the passion for cycling to Byrne is even more profound

Read more about the event at Streetfilms.org.

See also, the article in amNewYork and Canada's The Globe & Mail

I wanna bicycle
I wanna popsicle
I wanna space face
Buy me a cherry face now

Hey now!
Hey now!
Hey now now!
Hey now!
Hey now!
Hey now now!

I wanna video
I wanna rock and roll
Take me to the shopping mall
Buy me a rubber ball now

Hey now!
Hey now!
Hey now now!
Hey now!
Hey now!
Hey now now!

Every night sun goes down
And the people are staying at home
You can tell your momma & daddy
Leave those children alone

They know what they're doin'
They ain't runnin' away
Uncle John said, "Tell Aunt Mary
I got nothing to say"
(And she say:)

Hey now!
Hey now!
Hey now now!
Hey now!
Hey now!
Hey now now!

Ho---
Would the light come hitcha in the eye
Hey---
Gonna stop, gonna getcha by surprise!

Every night when the sun goes down
And the people are staying at home
You can tell your momma & daddy
Leave those children alone

They know what they're doin'
They ain't runnin' away
Uncle John said, "Tell Aunt Mary
I got nothing to say"
(And she said!)

Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now
Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now

Ho---
Would the light come hitcha in the eye
Hey---
Gonna stop, gonna getcha by surprise

I am the king of the world
The boss of the boys & girls
You can live till a 100 & 10
If you listen to what I said

Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now
Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now

Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now
Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now

Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now
Hey now
Hey now
Hey now now

Frank Zappa - Cyclophony

Frank Zappa. Start behind the drums, guitarist becomes sublime, distinctive personality, composer, conductor; he write avant-garde music, stupid songs and experimental. In 1966 he made "Freak Out", the first "concept album" of rock music, the first double-lp; career mixing all genre, before fusion, before crossover.

And even before "Freak Out", on March 14 1963 to show part of Steve Allen and there, with an orchestra jazz in the background, "plays" a bicycle (a Schwinn, for fans, borrowed from his sister Candy). The sounds are produced by blowing the handlebars, pedals running plucked rays as harp or playing it with a bow.
It's interesting that he had asked repeatetly to participate in the show presenting his jazz compositions, but only when propose to play "Cyclophony" Steve Allen showed some interest.

Here's how to remember the events organizer of the show:
... I got a call from a young man who identified himself as Frank Zappa. He said he wanted to teach Steve (Allen) how to “blow bicycle.” “Blow bicycle,” I repeated.
“Yeah, you know, like, the bicycle is a musical instrument.”
(…) I asked Frank to come in and a couple of days later he arrived with his old Schwinn. He was wearing a black suit (all three buttons buttoned), a white shirt, and a black knit tie. Still in his early 20s—and years before he became a pop music icon who bridged the gap between classical music and rock—he looked like a small town bank teller trainee. He put his bike on its kick-stand in the lobby of the Hollywood theater where we video taped the show and plucked the spokes as if they were the strings of a harp, pitter-pattered on the seat as if it were Buddy Rich’s tom-tom, and, removing the hand-grips, blew across the hollow chrome handle bars, creating the sounds of a wind instrument. He then played a short, improvisational piece and upon its completion, stood waiting for my reaction.
I laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I said.
“You didn’t like it?” he said, seeming genuinely wounded. “I can play another song.”

more

The show:
part one:
http://it.sevenload.com/video/v1OpHOs-Frank-Zappa-on-the-Steve-Allen-Show-Part-One-1963
part two:
http://it.sevenload.com/video/p9GHKiV-Frank-Zappa-on-the-Steve-Allen-Show-Part-Two-1963