Technical Note: I’m trying out a plugin for my blog software that adds a small audio player next to the music links. If you don’t want to pop up a separate window to listen to the music you can just click on the little arrow next to the song title. If you’re using an iPhone or iPad you can still click on the old-style link.

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I was having a problem coming up with a theme this week. I had nothing. And then I realized that if life gives you lemons you should make lemonade. And if I have nothing to post, nothing is exactly what I should post.

Big Daddy “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince)
A Little Richard sound-alike declares himself the “undisputed queen of rock and roll” and proceeds to do a spot-on rendition of what it would sound like if Little Richard tackled a Prince song. Highly amusing and highly recommended.

Figures On A Beach “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (Bachman Turner Overdrive)
The original is a great slice of 70s party music. This version is music for a very different kind of party.

T-Bone Burnett “Nothing In Return” (Roky Erickson)
Roky Erickson is most famous for gonzo garage rock, but he’s also written some very heartfelt love songs. T-Bone Burnett is one of my favorite musicians and songwriters, although these days he’s best known as a producer and music director for movies. Here T-Bone finds just the right shade of guileless teenage heartbreak as he sings of unrequited love.

The Persuasions “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing” (Frank Zappa)
With all the religious intolerance and demagoguery going around these days, it seems like a good time to listen to FZ’s little sermon.

The Pigeons “I Who Have Nothing” (Ben E. King)
The Pigeons are what Vanilla Fudge called themselves before Carmine Appice joined the band. Even early on in their career they had the whole psychedelic-baroque style down cold.