Season 260 : Roads Girdle the Globe

For Season of the ukulele 260 ("Roads Girdle the Globe"), we're doing songs that have "street, road, boulevard", etc. in their titles.

Here's "The Stories of the Street" by Leonard Cohen, with lyrics as current as when the song was written fifty years ago. For baritone ukulele with singing, and Ubass overdub (off screen).

 
My zoom mysteriously started working for this season. Keep on the sunny side [of the street] folks.
 
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Great theme. I too was thinking last night and doing math in my head when I figured out that 5 years ago a handful of us here had seen a post for a contest to win a shiny new ukulele. I believe this weeks host did 'King Tut', I did 'A Little Bit Me' by the Monkees and UkeDaddy did a Neil Diamond song, along with a lot of great Seasonistas. I truly believe that the SOTU has made all of us much better uke players. I would love to hear from our original host.

For this weeks awesome theme I put together a simple song that I have loved since childhood along with some super 8 video footage I took along Portland's River Walk near where I work. I won't be surprised if this song makes it onto the playlist a few times this week. Here is Simon and Garfunkel's, '59th St. Bridge Song'

 
This is a little song that was on one of Harry Nilsson's early albums. The song was written by Nilsson's mother, and references the 1946 parade shown in the background.

 
This is not an entry! It's a BONUS - it's my entry for Season 60 something. Probably my most popular song with a Road in it. I'll have to dig deep for this theme ;)

 
One of the many wonderful benefits of the Seasons is that, in your search for a song that works (and that you might be able to try to play), you run across an undiscovered gem. Like this one, from George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" album. Great blues song. I flubbed a few changes, but it's fun.

Playing this on my Bonanza longneck soprano, which is :( for sale on the marketplace.

 
From the 1942 Hope/Crosby movie of the same name:



Completely forgotten about this. Great pick!

For your further viewing enjoyment, here's a couple of pics from our time in Morocco. Rainbow in the desert. Yep, we're in the desert, on camels. It starts raining. "This is very unusual!" our guide tells us. "No? Really?!" we respond. "'Cos like, we never imagined a desert would be anything other than filled with rain..."

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If our guide had known anything about British holiday weather, though, he wouldn't have been surprised. It was a Bank Holiday Monday :D

Rest of the pics here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjuQSjCh
 
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There isn't actually any road in Texas that is named "Gulf Coast Highway," but this description could be of any number of roads along the gulf coast. And yes, rice is grown in Texas.

Texas usually ranks as the nation’s fourth or fifth highest producing rice-growing state, producing about 7 percent of the nation’s supply. Most Texas rice is grown near the Colorado River in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties. Texas rice farmers count on this water to irrigate land along the Gulf Coast. In addition to rice farmers, customers include a significant number of row-crop farmers, turf grass growers, industries and commercial operations.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/texas-rice-farming/

There is a highway 90, running east/west from Van Horn in far west Texas to Orange near the Louisiana border. If you ever have to drive across central Texas, and you don't mind taking a slower but more picturesque route, use highway 90 instead of interstate 10.

 
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PaBrizzer original with crushed harmonica, vitamin enriched vocals and concentrated extra bits.

 
Some comments:


pabrizzer - Key to the Highway - Another gorgeous blues, Pa! I'm sorry that I can't see what your hands are doing, especially on the solo. Did you discuss this with Rob beforehand? It would be a remarkable coincidence if you both just happened to choose this song as the first entries from among all the possible songs.

wee_ginga_yin - Key to the Highway - I think we're still in Season 259, with Pa doing Version A and you doing Version B. I like the effects on this. Is that mostly chorus?

Joko - Doggy on the Highway - Good song, Joko. I'm glad that this Season gave you an opportunity to do a video while the song is fresh. I'm also glad that the strays you've encountered aren't running in packs.

pabrizzer - Endless Road - Great trucking song, and I love the sound you're getting here. A very big sound, although the video doesn't make it seem like you're striking the strings hard. You know I'm a big fan of percussive strumming. Kudos. The style is reminding me of something on the Jimmy Page-Robert Plant "No Quarter" album.

xommen - Cedarwood Road - I figured "Where the Streets Have No Name" would be too obvious. You're in great voice on this, and that's some ferocious strumming at times. I didn't know this song. It was on the album that iTunes gave me without me wanting it, and two years later I still haven't gotten around to listening to it.

IAmNoMan - Way Down the Old Plank Road - Forget Pegheds -- that's the kind of tuner I've been looking for! It's a strange song -- most of it's about being on the chain gang, then in the last couple of verses (including a verse you left out) the singer seems to be a free man. Thanks for bringing this one.

Harry122 - The Road to Morocco - Hump Day! I haven't seen any of the Road movies since I was a kid. And by gosh, they did end up meeting Dorothy Lamour. Nice job on this, Randy.

UkeFoote - The Stories of the Street - I really like this performance, Brian. I've never really listened to Cohen himself, just to covers of this songs that others have done. I wish this song got covered more often instead of "Suzanne" and "Hallelujah", this has really interesting chord changes.
 


Back in the 1990s alternative supergroup The Breeders covered "Driving on 9". by underrated Boston band Ed's Redeeming Qualities. Since both bands had strong New England ties, I assumed the Route 9 of the title was in Natick--home to the Automile and a bunch of seedy motels. This song is actually set in Nevada.
 
I would like to record this song for the Season but Iam not going to. The New YouTube Heroes program coupled with the YT/ Eagles copywrite policy endangers the existence of our Channels. The song would be nice to add to this season but such is Freedom of Speech in the virtual world.

 
When I told my partner/wife/hero, Jessica, about this week's theme, she said "Cool. Electric Avenue." I said, "No way---that's impossible." One day later, I thought, "Welp, maybe not totally impossible." So here y'all go.

 
Captain Stupid Variety Hour...
First three takes I am certain I said "Season 60 of the Ukulele"...which is the title anyway so I reckon I am good...but DOH! On the one I liked, nope. Oh well. I am just here to play songs, and I think this is a beaut. Everybodyfields- Out on the Highway. I think what draws me most to this band is a. they were emotionally involved and b. they were the stereotypical guitar playing camp counselors. I often think if I had it to do all over, I would be a broke guitar toting camp counselor.
Anyway- the song.
 
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