SONGWRITERS ARE BORN

Rita: Wow, I just looked on my birthday calendar and discovered that Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Ray Davies, and Todd Rundgren were all born in the same week in June. Lolita: I’m on it. I’m going to ask everyone who’s their favorite songwriter. JOHN POWHIDA (John Powhida International Airport): Todd Rundgren—he is a greater genius than all these other geniuses because he plays all the instruments they do plus saxophone and he released a rap album at the age of 45. Great Todd songs? Hmmmmmn, if you haven’t discovered him yet, it’s too late chump. *** DANIEL PAUL BOUCHER (Neptune/ Certainly, Sir!): McCartney gets my vote due to the fact that I believe “Hello, Goodbye” is one of the greatest songs ever written. *** MR. CURT (Mr. Curt Ensemble/ Urban Caravan): I will not make one simple choice to four of the greatest rock ’n’ roll songwriters of all time, who all have had up and downs in their musical careers. Each in their own way helped create the modern template for songwriting in the mid-’60s and beyond. Hey! They’re still around today, so WAH-HEY! Thusly, some faves I have performed: Wilson: “In the Back of My Mind”; McCartney: “Got to Get You into My Life”; Davies: “A Well Respected Man”; Rundgren: “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference.” Happy birthday, dudes! *** ERIC WELSH (Chill House Studios): Brian Wilson because the Beach Boys’ song “Good Vibrations” has an electro-theremin on it and the vocal harmonies are killer! *** JEFF PFLAUMBAUM (the Wings of Fire Orchestra): All four are favorites of mine but I’d probably lead towards Todd Rundgren. My favorite songs of his are spread all over his catalogue and include “Boat On The Charles,” “Waling Wall,” “Onomatopoeia,” “Something To Fall Back On,” “God Said,” “When I Pray,” “Does Anybody Love You,” and “Strike.” Ask me tomorrow and I’ll have a brand new list! *** NANCY DELANEY (Temper): I admire them all but Brian Wilson gets my vote. McCartney and Rundgren would not have written many of their songs without Wilson’s influence. His best? “Surf’s Up” is a perfect song, either the solo version or the full orchestrated one. “Till I Die” is as truthful as songwriting gets and how can anyone not like “God Only Knows”? *** CHUCK U. ROSINA (WMBR/ WMFO): Favorite songwriter? Gosh. I don’t know if I have a “favorite” songwriter. There are soooo many good songs written by soooo many people. It’s even hard to narrow from the four you’ve mentioned. But amongst those four, I think Ray Davies is too often overlooked. Not only did he write a string of hits for the Kinks, but he has some great quirky tunes like “Ape Man,” and “Celluloid Heroes.” He’s still at it today. His 2008 CD, Workingman’s Cafe, is full of wonderful tunes. Tough question, but thanks for asking. *** GENE JOHNSTON (Dead Friends): I would have to name Paul McCartney as my favorite songwriter of the bunch. When I was a kid, I had multiple eye surgeries and at times had both eyes patched. My parents would play Beatles records on our old RCA for me. Paul always tells a story with his music and his soulful voice is magically comforting. It’s as if I were watching a movie. Later on I got into Wings. I think some of Paul’s best songs were “Hard Days Night,” “Blackbird,” “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Good Day Sunshine,” “Yesterday” and “Jet”! Rita: Okay, let’s open up the question and include all songwriters. Lolita, go ask our musician friends which songwriters they would pick now? Lolita: Ken! Ken! Come back here, I have a question for you. Who’s your favorite songwriter? KEN FIELD (Revolutionary Snake Ensemble/Birdsongs of the Mesozoic): My pal Chandler Travis is an extraordinary songwriter, not to mention singer, guitarist, and bass player. I think my favorite song of his might be “Bob What’s-Is-Name”, but there are a ton of great ones. *** FRANK STROM (the Noise): Rick Berlin’s new and old material is brilliant, and Jay Allen ditties like “Frying Pan Justice” and “Last Man On Earth” are really charming. I can say a lot for all the musicians I like... but if I had to single out just one, it’s gotta be Evan Shore (Muck). He has total command of the style he’s shooting for (“Girl Next Door” and “I Never Got Over You” for example), is creative with it, and seems to toss out winners like “Hypnotic” with ease. What really makes it noteworthy is how perfectly he gets it. *** MICHAEL AROIAN (Elsewhere): Sting with the Police—and only with the Police. He was able to consistently write accessible songs that were memorable and viable on both a pop and rock level. Furthermore, his song writing seemed to progress with every album and with Stewart and Andy taking the sonic atmospheres to another level, these three were truly my Bealtes. In my opinion, Sting’s best songs were, not surprisingly, “Roxanne,” as well as “Can’t Stand Losing You,” “So Lonely,” “Message In a Bottle,” “Regatta De Blanc,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” “Spirits In The Material World,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and “Secret Journey.” *** DENNIS BRENNAN (Dennis Brennan Band): Arthur Alexander is the Bomb. He wrote “Anna” covered by the Beatles.He also wrote “You Better Move On” covered by the Rolling Stones. He wrote “Sally Sue Brown” covered by Bob Dylan, C.C. Adcock, and New England’s own Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. He also was a wonderful singer, pitch challenged much like Hank Williams, but it didn’t matter. If he was off-key it only added to the drama. Noise readers—check him out. *** KENNY CHAMBERS (Moving Targets): Burt Bacharach: “Walk on By” and “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head.” A true songwriting genius. *** ERIK LINDGREN (Birdsongs of the Mesozoic/ Arf Arf Records): This month it’s Margo Guryan, who penned a glorious album in 1968 entitled Take A Picture and wrote the hit “Sunday Morning.” She crosses all musical boundaries, has an extraordinary gift for melody, and includes quirky meter changes not unlike Burt Bacharach. Her latest anti-Bush opus, “16 Words,” may be my favorite song of hers, which is up on YouTube featuring a fabulous video by her husband. *** GEORGE HALL (Weisstronauts/ Eddie Japan): Randy Newman for one. Lyrically, he creates detailed situations and characters using unflashy language, untrustworthy narrators, irony, and contradiction, with music that works like a soundtrack to a short film. Cover versions can miss the point—the nebbishy narrator of “Mama Told Me Not to Come” is funnier and more sympathetic without Three Dog Nights’ anthemic swagger, for instance—but what makes him great isn’t so much about hits. The Randy Newman Songbook Vol 1 has solo piano versions of some of his best, including “Sail Away,” “Louisiana 1927,” “God’s Song” and more (“Short People” is mercifully absent). *** KIER BYRNES (Three Day Threshold): Speaking of birthdays, I share a birthday with one of my favorite songwriters of all time, Mark Sandman (Morphine), September 24. That’s also the same birthday as another Boston rocker, Mike Baldino. Lolita: Kier, will you show me that worm that’s been getting so much publicity?