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Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“Shared Smoke”) [YouTube link] features the music of Dave Porter—the man whose compositions we started with on New Year’s Day. He provided the original scoring for the entire BB-EC-BCS universe. This track is featured in Season 6, Episode 13 (“Saul Gone”) of BCS,…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“Jim on the Move”) [YouTube link], composed and performed by Lalo Schifrin, derives from the 1967 soundtrack to the “Mission: Impossible” TV series. It’s also heard not coincidentally in Season 6, Episode 10 (“Nippy”) of BCS. The episode also starts an arc that…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“Cafe Granada”) [YouTube link], recorded by guitarists James and Sylvia Kalal with Robert W. Fraser, is from the 2012 album “Flamenco Ole“. The song is featured in Season 6, Episode 5 (“Black and Blue”) of BCS during a boxing match between Howard Hamlin…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“I Got The”), composed by Labi Siffre, appears on the his 1975 album, “Remember My Song“. It has been sampled by many hip hop artists, including on Eminem’s “My Name Is” [YouTube link]. We also hear it in Season 5, Episode 8 (“Bagman”)…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“Blackbird Special”) is credited to The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, on whose 1984 album, “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now” this track appears [YouTube link]. A funkier version appears as a live cut by drummer Stanton Moore on the 2008 album,”Take it to…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“The Sidewinder”), composed by Lee Morgan, is the title track to Morgan’s 1964 album. It includes a stellar line-up, with Morgan on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Barry Harris on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The soul-jazz…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“The Winner Takes It All”) features the music and lyrics of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, members of the Swedish pop group ABBA, which scored a Top 10 Billboard Hit with this song from the 1980 album, “Super Trouper“, which also included the…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“Burnin’ Coal”) [YouTube link], composed and performed by pianist Les McCann, first appeared on the artist’s 1969 album, “Much Les“. It provides a jazzy backdrop to a key scene in Season 4, Episode 8 (“Coushatta”) of BCS, which premiered on September 24, 2018.…

Song of the Day: Better Call Saul (“Grazing in the Grass”), music by Philemon Hou, lyrics by Harry Elston, was first recorded in 1968 by Hugh Masekela as an instrumental and, later on, in a 1969 vocal version, by Friends of Distinction [YouTube links]. But it’s an instrumental rendition by…