There’s been lots of blogging activity on Cher music. And I have to tell you, I love stuff like this. People talking about Cher music.

Heart of Stone: http://boppingelf.blogspot.com/2009/01/cher-heart-of-stone.html – just a quickie overview of the players and perspective on her love life at the time.

The album was recorded in late 1988/early 1989, during the third year of Cher's relationship to Rob Camilletti; She dedicated the album to him. The record is still regarded by many fans as one of her best.

[I’m not one of the many but I would argue that it’s the best album of her Bon Jovi period.]

Love Hurts: http://billsmusicforum.blogspot.com/2008/12/trivia-corner-mr-mister-cher.html -
Info on the players (which is actually pretty impressive list for the time).

Other familiar guests to melodic rockers will recognize the work and backing vocals of Richard Page (Mr. Mister) on the hit track "Save Up All Your Tears" and her duet, "One Small Step". "World Without Heroes" has songwriters as diverse as Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons (Kiss) and Lou Reed, with Steve Lukather on guitar (Toto) and Richard Marx on backing vocals – can you imagine all those folks in the same studio at the same time?

[No, because I’d bet your ass they weren’t.]

Bang Bang (the song): http://condensedpop.blogspot.com/2008/12/66-beatles-cher.html - lots of very kewl covers listed here:

The Russian-flavored "Bang Bang," which features some fevered fiddling, was written by Sonny during a lull in the duo's fortunes; though Cher was initially reluctant to record it, it became her fastest-selling solo hit to date. It was soon covered by Nancy Sinatra in a version later used by Quentin Tarantino in the opening scenes of Kill Bill Volume 1; and her father, Frank, made it a staple of his concert appearances, also recording it twice. The song has also been covered by Stevie Wonder, Petula Clark, Vanilla Fudge in their signature slowed-down style, The Jam's Paul Weller, and Carla Bruni, the first lady of France. Cher has continued to perform it in nearly all her concert tours.
  

In case you’re still looking for these rare Warner Bros albums:

1975's Stars download: http://brackattack75.blogspot.com/2008/12/cher-stars.html

1976's I’d Rather Believe in You download: http://brackattack75.blogspot.com/2008/12/cher-id-rather-believe-in-you.html

1977's Cherished download: http://brackattack75.blogspot.com/2008/12/cher-cherished.html

Cher drops another blurb about a possible 60s cover album expected sometime in 2009.

According to a quote in the New York Post:

"I’m planning an album of all these great songs from the ’60s that I’ve never covered before. It was such a magical time for music – groups like The Beatles, the Hollies, the Zombies, the Kinks, the (Rolling) Stones and singers like (Bob) Dylan and Otis Redding… I want to pay tribute to a time when I used to listen to music on my little transistor radio or on my AM radio in my Ford Mustang."

Cher mentions the mustang! What a coincidence! It's going back on sale! She can re-buy it and stick it on the album cover – like Usher did above. Please, can we see an album cover picture of Cher in the great American outdoors?

I like this edition of this news story because they call her an “Armenian Superestrella.”

It may be hard to find a Dylan hit she hasn’t done. She’s already done 10 covers on Imperial alone. Let’s see if I can name them all without looking them up:

1. All I Really Want to Do
2. Blowin in the Wind
3. The Times They are A Changin
4. Like a Rolling Stone
5. I Want You
6. Masters of War
7. Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You
8. Lay Lady Lay (changed to Baby)
   D’oh! I had to look up these two – which I always forget:
9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
10. I Threw it All Away

Cher's covered The Beatles ("Gotta Get You Into My Life," "Hey Jude," "Something"- all on her first live album plus other various medleys on her 70s TV shows), Ray Davies of The Kinks ("I Go To Sleep" – there's also a great cover of this song on Sia's new album), The Stones ("Satisfaction" on her TV show), Otis Redding ("Sittin on the Dock of the Bay"), I don’t know if she did a Hollies song but John Sebastian was in the Hollies and he was also in Lovin Spoonful and she did their "Do You Believe in Magic" (Sebastian also did the great Welcome Back Kotter theme).

What would be a good Zombies cover? Hmm. Anyone have any thoughts?