Category: The Evening Pause
A nightly pause from the news to give the reader/viewer a bit of classic entertainment.
Glen Campbell & Jimmy Webb – Still within the sound of my voice
Robert Preston – Dying in movies
An evening pause: Performed live in 1963.
Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Matchbox Twenty – Parade
Tommy Emmanuel – My Life As A One-Man Band
An evening pause: A nice way to start the weekend. As Emmanuel says, “Life is not a rehearsal, so you better get on with it.”
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Sacred and Profane Choral Group – The Beatitudes
An evening pause: In Russian, written by Vladimir Martynov. The English words can be found here.
Hat tip Daniel Morris.
John Williams – Star Wars Suite
An evening pause: Performed by the Danish National Orchestra in 2017. It appears that in 2017 and in 2018 this orchestra did these movie-themed concerts a lot.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Cyndi Harvell – Strongest Man Alive
Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
An evening pause: Performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in 2018.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann.
Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
An evening pause: Performed live on television, c1966. The sound on this video has been remastered using the studio recording, in a manner that really enhances the live performance in every way. (The original is available, but the sound was not great, and was partly drowned out by the audience.)
Hat tip Dan Steele.
Southern Raised – Sixteen Tons
Rose Royce – I Wanna Get Next To You
Tommy Shaw & Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland – Blue Collar Man
The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star
George C. Scott’s Patton speech
An evening pause: The opening speech from the 1970 movie Patton that captured the character of one of America’s most unique and successful generals.
Patton was a difficult man with little diplomacy, but then, soldiers are not hired to be diplomats. (At least we didn’t when America was the sane country of courageous fighters, as described in this speech.) Yet, as difficult as he was, his philosophy of war was a direct descendant of the war strategy and tactics of Ulysses S. Grant. As Patton is believed to have actually said,
“Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose!”
This was how Grant won the Civil War. It was how Americans fought every war that followed through World War II. Sadly, that philosophy was lost by the bureaucratic military that developed during the Cold War.
If only we had generals and political leaders today who understand this utterly essential approach for winning wars.
One note: The speech’s language at times violates my rules about obscenities. In the context of war and death however I think the use of such language wholly appropriate.
Hat tip Daniel Morris.
Voces8 – Lux Aeterna
James Brown & Charlie Daniels – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag/I Got You (I Feel Good)
Caroline Jones – Rise (Sing It Loud)
An evening pause: Sorry this got posted late tonight, but better late then never.
Hat tip Dan Morris.
Soft Cell – Tainted Love
Steve’n’Seagulls – The Trooper
An evening pause: If the Rolling Stones can do country (see yesterday’s pause), why can’t a bunch of Finns cover some American music?
Hat tip Dan Morris.
The Rolling Stones – Bob Wills Is Still The King
An evening pause: Performed live in Texas in either 1998 or 2005, depending on whether you trust the webpage or the video itself.
Hat tip Dan Steele.
Jack Webb & Johnny Carson – Dragnet Clapper Caper
An evening pause: Another sketch from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. This routine, as funny as it is on its own, is even funnier if you ever watched the TV show Dragnet with Jack Webb. It plays on that show’s very very dry delivery style.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall – Musical medley
An evening pause: Performed and aired live on television in June 12, 1962. Andrews is known for her singing, while Burnett is known for her comedy. In truth, their talent in both areas was special.
Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Doc Severinsen And The Tonight Show Band – Ode to Billie Joe
An evening pause: Another selection from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, from 1974.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
One Voice Children’s Choir – America the Beautiful
An evenig pause: Man, do these kids belt this out.
This was once a standard that all kids sang in school. I doubt they teach it anymore. Even when they did, they would rarely make the meaning of the lyrics very clear (Read them all, they are quite profound). Consider for example the most well know first chorus:
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
It asks for God’s grace, demands goodness from us all, for the sake of brotherhood.. I’ll take that aspiration any day over the modern hateful, diversive Marxist ideologies of critical race theory that strives to tear people apart and instill distrust and racial bigotry.
Hat tip Dan Morris.
Talk Talk — It’s My Life
Jim Nabors – Impossible Dream
An evening pause: Performed in season four, 1967, of the Gomer Pyle television show, where Nabors played Gomer Pyle as a country bumpkin. When he sang this, however, he shocked not only his sergeant, he surprised the nation, since few knew he was such a polished singer.
The song is from my childhood, when Americans were all hopeful, confident, and knew their nation’s real history, based on liberty and freedom, a history that had strived consistently to achieve that for everyone.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Don McLean – Vincent
An evening pause: Performed live 1999.
I often empathize greatly with this song, and its closing verses:
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them freeThey would not listen, they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will
Marty Robbins – El Paso
Rodney Dangerfield on the Tonight Show
An evening pause: From 1974. His humor is funny because it is entirely silly. If for one second you try to take anything he says with any seriousness at all, you will have no fun.