5 on Friday -- Set 273

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

This year I'll be taking a once-a-month look at specific instruments and showcasing five songs or tunes which place that instrument front and center.

This year's feature is called Spotlight On...

...and for our seventh installment, I'm venturing out from the primal body instruments of hand-clapping, whistling and vocal harmonies to explore percussion. Following April's look at drums, May's look at the vibraphone or vibes, and June's look at piano, here are five songs which shine a spotlight on the cowbell.

1 - Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult - 1976

On April 8th, 2000 as season 25 of Saturday Night Live was drawing to a close, a sketch originally titled Behind the Music: Blue Oyster Cult but now commonly referred to as More Cowbell aired to immediate acclaim. It has only grown more popular in the fifteen years since it was first broadcast.

Cowbells as part of the percussive instruments is more common in salsa music, but has a recurring place in pop and rock music. Apparently the 1970s enjoyed something of a cowbell renaissance.

Don't Fear the Reaper is one of many classic rock songs attached to one my favorite shows of all time -- Supernatural. To be honest, however, for me it will always belong to the 1994 miniseries The Stand. 

2 - Low Rider - War -1975 

3 - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman Turner Overdrive - 1974

4 - Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock - 1967

5 - Honky Tonk Women - The Rolling Stones - 1969

  

5 on Friday -- Set 193

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Oh joy! Oh bliss!

It's writer retreat time again. At this very moment I'm happily settled amongst the early arrivals at the cottage which my writers' group has rented once a year for nearly a decade now. Up soon: lots of conversation, laughter, walks in the gorgeous autumn woods and by the Atlantic ocean, good food, good wine, writer-ish activities like our yearly brainstorming sessions, and timed-writing sessions where we each work on our individual works-in-progress for a set time (often an hour.)

Until then, enjoy these songs which have all became part of the spooky soundtrack landscape after their appearances in these films and television shows:

1 - Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas - from Supernatural  

2 - Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival - from An American Werewolf in London

3 - Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult - from Stephen King's The Stand

4 - Mad World - Gary Jules and Michael Andrews - from Donnie Darko

5 - Twin Peaks theme - composed by Angelo Badalamenti - from Twin Peaks

This piece is a straightforward soundtrack theme written specifically for the series, but it's one of my favorite themes, and one of my favorite shows. The main villain Bob goes down in my personal history as SCARY as heck.

5 on Friday - Set 142

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

My Spooky Stories Author series wrapped up here at A Piece of My Mind this week with:

Linda Poitevin, author of SINS OF THE SON

If you missed the first three interviews, you can catch them here:

Natalie G. Owens, author of AN INCONVENIENT DEBT

Trish Milburn, author of MAGICK

Caleb Casey, author of NOW YOU'LL NEVER KNOW 

Halloween finally arrives next week. Happy Haunting to you! 

1 - Wicked Annabella - The Kinks

2 - The Witch Queen of New Orleans - Redbone

3 - Black Magic Woman - Santana

4 - Swamp Witch - Jim Stafford

5 - Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult