Grand Prix (1966)

Someone recently brought to my attention that while the blog is called "Lightning Strikes Music and Whatever Else" the blog is mostly made up of music and little to go into the "whatever else" category. So to help remedy this I thought I would share one of my favorite movies the 1960's classic Grand Prix. The movie revolves around the professional and personal lives of a few Formula 1 drivers as they struggle to deal with the pressures and dangers of motorsport. Grand Prix does an excellent job of capturing what early
Formula 1 consisted of...fast cars, good looking girls, and danger in every corner.  This is a relatively long movie at almost 4 hours however there is plenty of action and drama throughout to keep you more than entertained and I should mention that even though auto racing is obviously a main part of the plot even someone who has never seen a Formula 1 race in their lives or knows nothing of the sport can enjoy this great movie.

 

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DJ Algoriddim

Now we take a look at not really any specific artist but instead one of my favorite music channels on Youtube "djalgoriddim". This channel is truly any old school reggae lovers dream as it compiles many of the most popular and influential "riddims"that have made their way through the Jamaican music scene. A riddim is basically the music featured in a song or in other words the instrumental portion. Another way to think of it would be like a cover however different versions of a riddim can sometimes contain different lyrics or no lyrics at all etc. This has its origins in the early days of ska and rocksteady when the Jamaican labels would do their own takes on jazz classics from the US and to avoid paying the western labels they would rename the songs and thus the "riddim"was born. So unlike in the west where copying even a small part of another artists work be it vocal or instrumental is often looked down upon in Jamaica it is fairly common even in the music scene today An example of a riddim that had origins in the US would be that of The Russians Are Coming by Val Bennet which is known as the "Take Five riddim"since it is based on the classic Take Five by Dave Brubeck.
Really recommend checking this channel out even if you are not a lover of reggae as many of the classic riddims had their roots in other genres like jazz, soul, funk, and rock so you might find something you didn't even know existed.

The Carter Family - Great Original Recordings

Today we look at arguably one of the most influential group of artists in the history of music in the United States, The Carter Family. The group began recording in 1927 and would continue to do so until the 1950s though some of the members in the group would change throughout the years. The Carter Family are a staple in folk and country music and would be extremely influential to folk, country, blues, and rock artists from decades to come. Their music is purely classic folk and country and invokes images of a simpler time as well as those of hardship and suffering. I highly recommend giving this album a listen especially if you have never heard of The Carter Family before as you will be introduced to some wonderful and classic American music.
1. Buddies In The Saddle
2. Give Him One More As He Goes
3. Meeting In The Air
4. Heaven's Radio
5. Sea Of Galilee
6. Kissing Is A Crime
7. I Found You Among The Roses
8. Bear Creek Blues
9.East Virginia Blues (No 1)
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