"Rounding Third & Heading For Home"

Hmmm....where to start?  It's finally Spring (or, at least, it feels like Spring where I am sitting) and what better way to celebrate than with songs that celebrate beginnings and songs that move the feet and/or the soul.

"Centerfield" - John Fogerty - This song is a terrific ode to baseball sung by one of the most unique voices in music. The song reminds me of playing baseball, obviously, but of the longing to be so good at something that I was never quite good enough at. I played for years, and always wanted to be put into the game. However, for many years, it was just that: a longing! (Chris Hakala)

Editor's Note - The title comes from this song but is "borrowed" from Chuck Berry's ode to his "brothers" and a nod to Jackie Robinson, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man."



Here's Mr. Berry's song, first issued in 1956:

"Love Me Do" - The Beatles - First song recorded by the Beatles who went on to record about 214 songs mostly written by Lennon/McCartney.  All four members went on to have successful solo careers with Paul McCartney probably being the most successful. (Daniele Dugre-Martin)

Editor's note - When this song was first released in the United States, it never reached anywhere the Top 100. After "I Want to Hold Hand" and "She Loves You" topped the US charts, the Chicago-based Vee Jay label re-released the song and it made the Top 10!

"Poinciana" - Ahmad Jamal Trio - This tune, subtitled "Song of the Trees", is based on a Cuban folk song and was first made popular by Glenn Miller & His Orchestra in the late 1930s - the song went on to be recorded by a slew of people.  When Pittsburgh, PA native Ahmad Jamal (formerly Frederick Jones) included the song on his fourth album, 1958's "Ahmad Jamal Trio at The Pershing" But Not For Me", the 8-minute piece became a huge hit. The version below, suggested by Professor Paul Pasquaretta, comes from one of Jamal's earliest recordings in either 1951 or 1952 and features piano, guitar (played by Ray Crawford), and bass. The "hit" version below that features the "classic" Jamal Trio with Israel Crosby (bass) and Vernel Fournier (drums). (RBK)

The 1958 "classic":

"Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2 - From the Irish quartet's classic 1987 album, "Joshua Tree", just great music!  (Thomas Williams)

Arguably this band's biggest album, it moved them from concert halls to sports arenas and outside stadiums. (RBK)

"Wichita Lineman" - Jimmy Webb with Billy Joel - Jimmy Webb had a slew of hits in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, writing for people such as Linda Ronstadt, Richard Harris, The Fifth Dimension, Brooklyn Bridge, and Art Garfunkel. But his biggest successes came with guitarist-vocalist Glen Campbell. Campbell had Top 5 songs with "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "Galveston" but it's "Wichita Lineman"  that continues to move me to this very moment.  It's such a haunting melody and the lines "I need you more than want you/And I want you for all time" hit me in the heart every time I hear them.  The Campbell version is excellent but this one by the songwriter and friend Billy Joel, recorded in 2010, is darn close to perfect (great mandolin work from Stuart Duncan and a fine dobro solo from Paul Franklin, both veteran Nashville session men). (RBK)