Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Top Ten Of The Week-Road Tunes

1.  I Can't Get Next To You-Al Green 1971  He does a very funky version of this Temptations hit on Al Green Gets Next To You, which I think is his best album but there's some out that think Call Me is his classic.  Or The Belle Album.  If they say so.

2.  Like A Fox-Manassas 2009  Rhino has put a bunch of unreleased tracks from the Steve Stills/Chris Hillman band of the early 70s and Pieces actually is a better followup to their S/T double album then the 1973 halfassed Down The Road but I'm sure Diggy would disagree with me.  On a different note, Rhino Records have laid off about 20 percent of their workforce, but they still say they're in business.  Just focusing on the digital virtual jukebox rather than cds.  Tick tick tick the end of the cd is coming....closer closer.

3.  The Night Before-The Beatles 1965  Amazing how they could crank the albums out like they did back in the early 60s and each record got better and better.

4.  Go-Pearl Jam 1992  This damn song has been ringing in my head all fraking week.  May as well torture y'all with this too.  From Vs although you know by now they got a new album out. 

5.  Stealin In The Name Of The Lord-Paul Kelly 1970  another forgotten soul classic from a best of Paul Kelly that Warner Brothers put out in the early 90s.

6.  Blackbird-Nina Simone 1963  Being on Colpix Records kinda held Nina back but this rare single showcase the dark sparse moods that I find so appealing when I listen to Miss Simone. Not related to the Beatles song.

7.  The Real You-Suicide Machines 1996  Yes I still listen to punk rock once in a while why do you ask?  Interesting note that this band recorded for Hollywood Records, a division of squeaky clean Disney Inc.  Inspiration sparring....she (Muthafuka), he (fukin bitch), she (hypocrite), Both (Blah).  How they managed to drop f bomb and not get censored is beyond me.

8.  She Bangs The Drums-Stone Roses 1989  This band started the alternative rock movement with their S/T album which got a 20th year reunion new mix.  Kinda miss the original mixes which the vocals were a bit more varied and further back in the mix but the new mix is a sonic improvement.  HOWEVER, the new version omits Elephant Stone (but can be found on the Deluxe Edition of The Stone Roses).

9.  Remember Me Lover-Porcupine Tree 2009  This is new prog rock for people who miss the old prog rock bands.  From their new album The Incident which is by far the best album that i have heard all year.  Miss Pink Floyd?  Miss Hemispears era Rush?  Buy this.

10. Surf's Up-The Beach Boys 1972  The early 70s Beach Boys couldn't get arrested but that doesn't mean they made forgettible albums, actually some songs were pretty good although on this album, A Day In The Life Of A Tree is pretty fucking awful and Mike Love's Student Demostration Time has aged as well as moldy grapes but this title track reminds one that when Brian Wilson had the right sound in his head, he could still come up with some of the prettiest music ever made.

DIGGY KAT sez: 
ah! Vs.! my favourite Pearl Jam album for 5 years! (until Yield came out then that was my favourite PJ album for 8 years! [until their self-titled one came out!])

forgive me sir, but dare i make a bold suggestion that i believe Vs. is from 1993.

=)

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Fall and learning how to love again.

This is my favorite time of year.

I think it's simply of the fact that it doesn't rain as much and we get plenty of nice weather. Been a odd summer for sure, more like an extended spring, when it did get hot it was only for a few days.

There's so much going on in this life, bargain hunts, conversations with my GF, wondering if we going to have a job way things are going. The stress levels have been ungodly high, even for myself but I don't have that when I stay home. And the task of planning five days of St Louis, places to see and visit. Plus the usual blogging and still have not even gotten around the start of the new Townedger project. May have to junk it and do something to tie our fans over.

so much to do, so little time. Geezus where does the time fly? It was 10 years ago that I met Olivia, right around this time. We kept in touch over the years, she went on to marry, have a daughter and still lives out in Oregon and hates it. I wrote her to say that I now have a wonderful woman that I've been chatting with and she wished me all the best. That even solitary bargain hunters such as myself should have somebody to share your life with. Even with a willingness to play drums as well. Where was this woman at? Well she's been here all along, the biggest supporter of my music and my terrortorial bitchings of blogs.

This decade is my wilderness decade, the era to which I sleepwalked through the whole 10 years just coming and going to music stores and broadcasting it to the world. New Year's 2000 started out fun but things went downhill as the decade progressed....Bush/Cheney, 9/11 Bin Laden's bullshite, 5 dollar gas, the icestorms of 2007 and 2008, the Long winter of 2008 which became the waterlogged summer of the 31 foot surge that destroyed this town. Things that make me discouraged, seeing Isabella slowly killing herself with methodrone and knowing I couldn't do anything and then leaving on acrimonous terms. I kept busy with blog projects, continued to get in the car and go find more cds to the point that the house is coming off it's foundations due to too many cds. But that was what i wanted to do, never really wanted to get into another dead end relationship, never wanted to make an effort to love only to lose love in the end.

Strange how things turn out. Somehow I made my biggest music fan my A and R director for The Townedgers only to find out that she fell in love with me. It's mind blowing to say the very least even in my late stage of life. And she was here all this time.

When falling in bad relationships its hard to love again but she's been a big help in terms of getting me to learn how to love again. Or showing her my methods of madness of music collecting, or in the middle of night being imtimate, or taking her to Chain Of Rocks bridge since Crookton Pass Bridge is out of driving range. Why St louis? Because we met down there at a party nine years ago and thought that would be a good idea. And besides, my house is an embarrassment although if she did come by our way would have found a way to get it presentable.

In a week, we'll have three days to get to know each other in realtime and behind a computer. I'm sure it will be lotta fun regardless.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Top Ten Of The Week-Just Say No

Must be wednesday must be another top ten a coming but first.

Two weeks before St Louis and the next bargain hunt.  I know a certain somebody can't wait for that.

21 straight days of no rain.  Not complaining here but I have some squawking from the weatherfucks on the newscast.  Too bad we didn't get this type of weather in August.  Funny thing about September weather is that while it gets warm in the afternoon, once the sun sets everything cools down.  And of course the damn AC in the printing room is about 60 degrees. Time to start wearing long sleeves.

Poor Duwayne Schminkey.  He turned 51 Monday and has to deal with one of his bratty kids.  I read about it in Facebook.  Sometimes when I think that I missed out on the good times of having children, I'll see some 3 year old act up or hear about Austin Schminkey act up and be glad that I made the right decision and just said no.  I know if Austin had my parents, he wouldn't have his fucking cellphone or computer or anything you plugged into the wall, he'd be banished to an empty room.  Damn kids today think they own the world when their parents buy them everything and give em a cellphone.  My folks would have said either you save up and make the monthly payments or you go without.  None of this Kids gotta have it shit.  And then our neighbor across the street Kevin's son who knocked somebody up and now take care of that baby while Jr fucks around on a skateboard and neither him and his GF have a job.  You gotta feel sorry about the poor baby, he's gonna be as smart as he'll ever be when he pops out just before the doctor whacks it in the ass and it's downhill.  I'm all for children, IF you can afford them, IF you can give it guideance, IF you have a stable family, IF you have patience up the wazoo and IF you don't want to sleep eight straight hours anymore in your life.  Perhaps I could have made a great father but then again Ruth Mund thought I was a bad influence on kids when I was watching them at the day care center and I never forgot that.  Or forgiven her for being such a bitch in the time that I volunteered at St. Wincenlisus (i can't spell it sue me) 30 years ago.  Oh well Ruthie, I did my job, too bad you didn't do yours.

And Phil Collins has announced that he's quitting drumming forever due a condiction that playing a certain style has damaged his vertibate.  Such a shame really, Phil really was a great drummer in his own right.  Sure sucks getting old ya know? 

And BTW, the 17th is former Paraphernalia Guitar God Doug Bonesteel's birthday.  There's a 50 percent off Depends coupon with your name on it too bro.

The Top Ten Of The Week.

1.  Don't Pass Me By-The Georgia Satellites 1987  Goddam I love these guys and hooray for them to cover Ringo's version off the white album from The Beatles.  Everybody likes a good boogie tune and the Satellites provide it with gusto.  Nothing against what they play on the radio but the good stuff never seems to get played or gets overplayed.  Never the twain meets on that one.

2.  Metropolis-The Church 1990  You know I completely forgot about this song till I played The Best Of The Church and this song came out of nowhere.  I think it reached number one on the alternative chart in 1990 but I never hear it on the radio anymore.  Maybe mix 96.5 plays it on occasion but shit when I do listen to Mix 96.5 they're playing forgettible overplayed crap.

3.  When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again-Elvis Presley 1956   I guess in my old age, I'm returning more to the music that I grew up with and in our family that included lots of Elvis music.  I wouldn't say that Elvis was the BEST of all time but in 1956 he made two albums of high quality rock and blues.  This is from his second album, titled Elvis to which you can get for five bucks at Wally World.  Still recommended to you young folk who wants to know what is real rock.  Unfortunly, once Elvis went into the Army, he never quite made the rock and blues albums like the first two.  And fucking Clambake killed him more than anything else.

4.  Shout Bamalama-Eddie Hinton 1978  Now Margaret from The Brains calls this album Very Extremely Dangerous the best soul album of 1970s and I don't question her on that.  Barry Beckett (RIP) produced this and the Swampers back Eddie up but the problem was that this album came out in the dead of the disco era and it didn't chart.  In fact I didn't know anything bout this cd till I found a copy at Goodwill for three bucks. Amazon copies have fetched it up to 50 bucks a copy.  However, Reel Music, a minor speciality label has reissued this album this week so you won't have to pay an extraordinary price for it.  Margaret made me a copy originally but I think somebody at work copped it and never returned it.

5.  She Is Love-Parachute 2009  This week's new tune from a band that sounds like a cross between Matchbox 20 and Maroon 5 and that band that made Breakfast At Tiffany's.  And if I can't remember that band that made Breakfast At Tiffany's then I know I won't remember these guys 10 years from now, or five, or next week.

6.  Something Good (Is Gonna Happen To You)-Carla Thomas 1967  The Queen of Memphis Soul, Carla Thomas is the daughter of the late great Rufus Thomas and made a few albums for Stax/Atlantic back in the mid to late 60s.  From The Queen Alone, a cd that I found at Goodwill Sunday along with Eddie Hilton and The Beach Boys, Robyn Hitchcock, Steve Forbert and The Shazam.  Guess they must have known I was coming eh?

7.  It Wasn't Me-Chuck Berry 1966  From Fresh Berries the third album that I ever bought.  It was later day Chuck Berry and it didn't sell very well and it really isn't all that great, in fact Chuck didn't alter the music all that much.  My Mustang Ford and Ain't That Just Like A Woman is the same damn song.  But you probably don't know what I'm talking about since you haven't heard neither one of those songs.  It Wasn't Me did appear on Rock and Roll Rarities when MCA was reissuing Chess albums back in the late 80s.  Chuck redid it on the 1979 Atco album Rockit.  This song was the highlight of Fresh Berries.  Later issued along with Chuck Berry In London on a CD from Beat Goes On Records from the UK.

8.  Jayne-The Townedgers 1991  From Diamonds In The Skies their comeback album of 1991, thanks in part to Greg Nutter who lit a fire under Mr. Smith's ass and got him going.  18 years later (can you believe that) it still sounds fine although it was based on a riff by Martin Briley's Salt In My Tears and yes they gave him credit for that.  The Townedgers give credit where its due unlike Kanye West.

9.  Healter Skelter-The Beatles 1968  This may have been the most heaviest song that Paul McCartney has ever written.  Might be even heavy metal if you think about it.  It's about a roller coaster ride but some dumbass named Charles Manson misunderstood that and turned it into something it wasn't.

10.  Too Long In The Wasteland-James McMurtry And The Heartless Bastards 2004  From his live album, McMurtry is the voice of this generation and decade.  When the dust clears from this lost decade, the theme song will be We Can't Make It Here Anymore.  And James does bring up a valid point on Socialized Medicene to which I think they call it Medicare?!?  And we got fucking yayhoos like Chuck Grassley battling the government over health care while he gets kickbacks from the drug manufacturers and the hospitals and such.  He used to care about us about 20 years ago but I think he's been watching too much FOX news and hanging with Dick Cheney.  Maybe someday this government will return to a democracy envisioned by our forefathers but the way things are going, I doubt it.  Fuck Grassley, another senile senator that should have been put out to pasture.

Like bratty kids and worthless politicans, just say no.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Top Ten Of The Week-RIAA Propaganda

Courtney Love is sometimes entertainment and most of the times a whackjob as by wading through the 100 plus tweets that she was doing last night.  Mostly ranting against Irving Azoff and Jim Barber, her former A n R and lover but she seem to pick a fight with Mandy Moore and her new hubby, Ryan Adams.  I tend to favor Adams' retort that he was never Courtney's lover but she was suffering from visions of grandier.  Love has protected her tweets but geezes half the time she sounds like that old drunk woman that you see at the bar that nobody hangs around since all she does is bitch and moan.  Somehow I have visions of Isabella when I read Ms Love's Tweets.  They don't exactly make a whole lot of sense.

I always known that John Phillips was a boozed out freak but did we really need to hear MacKenzie's report that she slept with her father?   John made some decent music with the Mommas and Papa's but I couldn't find an album of his that I could listen through.  John also tore up his liver with all that drugs and drink and ended get a doner liver and he continued to abused that before his body gave out on him and he passed away years ago.  Now MacKenzie said that they played the game of Incense.    MacKenzie has always been like her dad, fucked up and half crocked on drugs anyway.  I am certain that Oprah scored on the ratings on this show with Ms. Phillips but it seems that Oprah is getting more and more towards Maury territory.  And not exactly an improvement.

At Facebook I have decided to take a break from the game everybody calls Farmtown. I can't get into it half the time at home and when I do the damn game won't work without timed out errors and Wait I'm Busy when trying to harvest.  Don't have time to play games on dialup which doesn't work most of the time.  I call my farm On Vacation but if you come across it with the words Retired, then you know I have traded my sickle in for about 10 coins.  Games are supposed to be fun, not stressed out.


Yes Music is as popular as ever but the new music you RIAA dumbfucks put out is not memorable.  Why is it that I can't remember anything off the new Pearl Jam album and still have stuff from their Ten or Vs album still in my head?  Contrary to rumour Mitch, American Idol doesn't have anything memorable, does anybody care about Fantasia, Clay Aiken?  Kelly Clarkson is still holding on and so is Carrie Underwood but history is showing that time is against them and they will be in the dollar bins within five years.  As for Dancing With The Stars, I'm sure they promote some kind of new music but what does it mean Mr.Bainwol when Ellen plays a song that she dances to and you cocksuckers sue her for royalties?  Music isn't a best value when YOU the RIAA and the major labels are sue happy.


Long live the album but give us an album of music worthy enough for us to buy and more than just one good song and 12 others pieces of shit.  And tell your damn engineers and recording know it alls to mix a fucking album right and not blare us out of house and home.

Modern music sucks for a viewpoint.  Name me a the number one song from last year on top forty, or five years ago.  You can't.  Modern music isn't memorable.  And classic rock radio is outdated.

Music acts don't want to play the major label game.  Yeh the major labels got all the money to promote and get the band out on the road but they do not groom the band into greatness.  Usually it's one and done for a struggling band or maybe two if somebody at the label likes em enough.  Think Neil Young could last this long if he came out in this decade on a major?  Think again.  Hard to believe you can make more money as a Wally World Greeter than being on a major label.

Great music is out there but they all came out as the Beatles Remasters.  And most of the bands Mr Bainwol pointed out are long in the tooth vets or pop flavors of the month.  If you think another Rod Stewart sings the Greatest Soul Songs Ever is going to be Great Music then you keep  living through your rose colored glasses while the music industry turns to shit.   And look out for a return to your bon jovi or rod stewart albums as they get returned back to you since nobody wants them.    If you want to make any attempt to get some interest back to music, then give us Spotify, that music site overseas that lets you listen to music without being sued.  And give up on the notion that 30 second snippets of songs are performance.  One cannot base a decision on buying a song on a 30 second snippet from amazon dumbass.  Promote the artist but quit fucking the consumer with your "great music" and "American Idol Product".  Cuz neither one is what I call good music.

The Top Ten of the week.

1.  Gonna See My Friend-Pearl Jam 2009  Oooooh new Pearl Jam.  All Music Guide call this effort their best and another four and half star rated album but they also say that PJ might suffer from Rolling Stones Syndrome, which means that every new album is a return to the good old days.  If that's the case, Backspacer is Pearl Jam's Bridges To Babylon.

2.  I Me Mine-The Beatles 1970  The final song that they ever did together however, John Lennon is missing from the version that is on Let It Be.  You can find the original on Anthology 3.

3.  Stealing In The Name Of The Lord-Paul Kelly 1970  Not to be confused with the Paul Kelly from Austrailia, this Paul Kelly was one of the last great soul singers that hooked up with Buddy Killen to produced this song which got into the top 40.  He had a few more minor hits with Warner Brothers in the 70s but you can say he got wiped out by the disco craze of the mid 70s.

4.  What Kinda Guy?-Steve Forbert 1978  Another one hit wonder, Forbert got lumped in with Bob Dylan and got a hit in 1979 with Romeo's Tune and then his record label tried to make him into a Bruce Springsteen wannabe which failed big time.  Problem was Forbert got signed to Nat Weiss, a control freak label owner with visions of Matthew Katz in his head and controlling his acts.  Forbert wouldn't record for 8 years due to Weiss's hassles.  He also did that to The Romantics, the band known as What I Like About You.  So tell me Mitch Bainwol, what's the reason to sign with a major label outside of total control.

5.  The Ghost Of Number One-Jellyfish 1992  The perfect Queen tribute album, Split Milk was a combination of Fred Mercury and Queen meeting with Brian Wilson.  Bombastic power pop at it's most pompous.  Jerry Scott used to play this alot when I was working at Relics back around the early 90s.

6.  Ant Corridor-Robyn Hitchcock 2002  The quirky Hitchcock made this completely acoustic album Luxor and put it on his own since Warner Brothers had enough of his quirky but less selling albums of the late 90s.  In other words, too damn weird for public radio.  Found this at Goodwill for three bucks along with a dozen other cds.

7.  Cleaning My Gun-Mark Knopfler  2009  Amazing the old Dire Strait mainman is still on Warner Music Group.  Has a new album and more celtic sound, more Chieftians than Dire Straits but this is perhaps the most rocking on his new album called Get Lucky.  Probably more enjoyable than Pearl Jam's latest.

8.  Need Strange-Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatballs 2009  The left field album of the month, the Chickenfoot/RHCP drummer puts together a little band of his and make fusion funk ala Al Dimeola or Headhunters period Herbie Hancock.  Probably won't sell shit but if you have a open mind and miss that old fusion funk of the 70s, check this out.

9.  Euro Trash Girl-Cracker 1993  This was a hidden track off Kerosene Hat and turn out to be a alternative rock favorite of sorts.  I think Cracker remains one of the most overlooked bands of the 90s, they don't seem to get their due.

10.  Love So Fine-Nick Lowe 1979  Thirty years ago, Rockpile was the rage and anything Nick or Dave Edmunds did back then I had to go buy it.  Labour Of Lust was a must have and still remains one of the top two albums of 1979 that is recommended.  The other you ask, Dave Edmunds Repeat When Necessary.  Dedicated to my one and only.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Crabb Bits: Jim Carroll, Crappy CDs, Kanye West

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are done for 2009.  They lost 2-1 to Burlington last night to which I didn't go to the game but listened to it on the radio on break.  I had a odd feeling that they wouldn't make it but we got busy at work.  Nevertheless, the Kernels had a good season and well they are undefeated in the playoffs when I show up for the game.

Jim Carroll passed away from a heart attack at age 60.  He was a poet punk rocker who had a minor hit with the irony titled People Who Died.  Guess he can add himself to that list now.  And Patrick Swayze lost his battle with cancer at age 57.  On a positive note, Duwayne Schminkey, guitar player for Paraphernalia turned 51.

Some music reviews.
Parachute-Losing Sleep (mercury)  another band that sounds like Maroon 5 or Matchbox 20 and won't be remembered anytime after this year.  Some songs that are worth hearing a second or third time but mostly it's forgettible FM lite rock.
Grade B minus

Saving Abel (Virgin)  Yet another real rock band that sounds lots like Nickelback but with a more southern rock edge although they're not as good as Black Stone Cherry.  Better than Daughtery or Hoobastank or Hinder and has a bit more hooks than Jet Black Stare but way too many ballads to be taken seriously as a real rock band.
Grade C plus

Kanye West crashed the MTV Video awards Sunday Night when Taylor Swift won best female video with You Belong To Me and freaked poor Taylor out that she couldn't continue her speech.  I have nothing against Taylor Swift in fact I don't mind You Belong To Me but Kayne West is another step back for black entertainment.  Kayne doesn't realize that he's not worthy of even holding Sam Cooke's shorts in terms of real music.  Sam Cooke never had to use a autotuner.  Neither did Otis Redding or for that matter Johnny Guitar Watson.  I have yet to hear a black artist that actually can do good music, although Fefe Dobson has tried her damnest to become the black Pat Benetar or Miley Cyrus.  Kanye West is what's wrong with entertainment in this dark decade, who continues to jump on stage if he doesn't get a award.  How about the memorial Stephen Fetchit Jive Award?  Bring it to the autotuner West master.  Kayne West isn't a douchebag but rather a dumbass who tends to focus on himself only.  And probably pissed off that Taylor Swift didn't ask him to duet on a song.  But Kanye West is as worthless as MTV today.

Reissue of the week
Eddie Hinton-Very Extremely Dangerous (Capricorn-Reel Music)  Margaret from The Brains fan club calls this the best soul album to come out of the late 1970s and she might have a point.  Produced by the late great Barry Beckett and done with the Muscle Shoals Swampers, Hinton adds a bit of Otis Redding/Wilson Pickett soul with a James Brown grit.  This didn't sell in 1978 due to it not being disco and ten years too late soul but Polygram did reissue this in the late 90s before Universal took over and deleted it but Reel Music has reissued it to the masses.

Wouldn't it be great if San Diego went with their old sky blue lightning bolt jerseys all year long?  Raiders didn't look too bad in their white, silver & Black either.

Top ten of the week will be at the usual place n time.  In the meanwhile this is the CDs of note that have been playing in my player.
Cracker-Garage D'or
Robyn Hitchcock-Luxor
James McMurtry & Heartless Bastards-Live Aught Three
Super 400-Sweet Fist
Eddie Hinton-Very Extremely Dangerous
Marshall Tucker Band-Tuckerized
Chuck Berry-Fresh Berries
Carla Thomas-The Queen Alone
The Shazam-Tomorrow The World
The Beatles-Past Masters

Please note no Kanye West due to taste.  And we have no rain for 20 straight days.  Not complaining here and sure hope that will continue till I get back from St Louis.  People bitching about needing rain once again, too damn bad they couldn't save all that damn standing water from the 12 inches of rain we got in August 25th.  Plan ahead fuckers and you won't be crying for rain.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Top Ten Of The Week-Crabby Road

I can't decide to get either the Stereo or Mono box set of The Beatles Remastered CDs which will be the final hoorah for the CD if you listen to Bob Lefsetz and the other naysayers. Or just wait and just get the cds as they come out week by week.  I'm afraid they will be in those wonderful digipaks that make your Beatles CDs look like the albums that got played to death.  Full of scratches.  We got tunes up the arse so let's see what the top ten will be like this week.

1.  Come Together-The Beatles 1969  I'm certain that we will never see the likes of The Beatles again since the major labels only care about flavors of the hour and not into developing bands for the long term.   Now in my lifetime, I never worshipped The Fab Four(R) like a lotta folk out there but I do play their songs from time to time.  Im not sure that the sales of the remasters will likely get people to the music stores and start buying again but it seems like the music of The Beatles still have that timeless magic that harks back to the days of me and Russ riding our bikes up and down 10th Ave and going to Jeff Kewley's house since Jeff's brother had the coolest record collection.  I don't think Jeff's brother was heavily into The Beatles but Jeff did buy Abbey Road to give as a birthday gift.  Ah memories.

2.  Wildest Dreams-Saga 1986  Band had a major hit with On The Loose and a few hit and miss singles before moving over to Atlantic for a one and done album.  To which I found the album but used to have the CD.

3.  Surrender To Your Kings-The Amboy Dukes 1967  Best known for having Ted (Mad Dog) Nugent, The Amboy Dukes came from the Detroit rock and roll scene of the late 60s and made some heavy duty rock n roll.  They also had a excellent vocalist in John Drake and later Rusty Day but the Dukes lineup was always revolving.  Appently Nugent was a teetodler and didn't do drugs and booted the druggies out of the band.  When inducted into the Detroit RnR Hall Of Fame, the original Dukes did managed to take the stage one last time although they didn't play.  Seems that the other Dukes didn't know how to play Wang Dang Sweet Pootang.

4.  Breather-Chapterhouse 1991  Shoegazer alt rock from a UK Band that nobody in the US knew about then and now.

5.  Needle Down-Super 400 2009  New song from the new album from a band that made a debut for Island and then went back to the independents for a time.  Super 400 plays some of that stoner 60s type of rock and roll, just like our very own Radio Moscow does, but only Super 400's latest is better than the latest from Radio Moscow.  In fact I played Brain Waves from RM one last time and decided it wasn't for me and traded it in.  I'm sure Parker don't care too much, even though Radio Moscow is one of My Space friends, they dont read the top ten otherwise they would have commented. 

6.  Janis, Jeanie & George Harrison-Redd Kross 1987  One of Rodney Bingenheimer's fave bands, this is taken from what is considered their best album Neurotica although I perfer their 1991 Third Eye album for Atlantic.  Punk rock eh?  They also like The Cowsills too.  Go figure on that.

7.  Ego-Elton John 1978  Back in our days, we didn't have Itunes or MP3, we had these 7 inch circles called 45s and that's where we got our music.  Elton John did a few singles that didn't make it to any album (till later when Universal Island redid EJ's albums and added bonus tracks) such as this forgotten top 50 single that was left off A Simple Man, one of the lesser Elton John albums.   But I did find a remastered reissued of Simple Man and this was one of 5 (Count em) bonus tracks of forgotten singles and b sides, to which are still better than anything off A Simple Man.

8.  This Time-INXS 1986  Certainly What You Need was the breakthrough hit but this was the first single taken off Listen Like Thieves.  Inxs gets raked over the coals by halfwit critics who still live in Mommy and Daddy's basement but I never gotten tired of them myself.

9.  Resigned-Blur 1993  They were never big in America till they did Song 2 (The woo who song) and the original thought was that they were trying to do Pavement but upon further listening to their Modern Life Is Rubbish album that it had more indee noise than Pavement.  Perhaps Pavement was listening to Modern Life Is Rubbish while making their Crooked Rain Crooked Rain album that came out around that time.  Blur recently has been aping the Radiohead influence moniker it seems but I perfer their Parklife period over the S/T or the yucky Think Tank or even Gorillaz.

10.  Train Running Low On Soul Coal-XTC 1984  The original indee art rockers that came from Britian, XTC has always made smart rock as we call it and this did get some airplay on KUNI in the mid 80s and I did buy the album.  It sounded much better back then.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Crab Bits: Baseball Playoffs, Beatles Reissues

For the second straight year I haven't gone to a CR Kernel game but did make it to game two of a best of three series with the Peoria Cubs and it was one of the most exciting games that I've seen.  They came from 8-3 deficent to win 9-8 on a bases loaded hit batter.  The Peoria Cub Chiefs, like their parent club couldn't find a closer to shut the team down, walking two batters before getting the next two out and then walked the next batter.  And then Mark Crawford got hit, forced in a run and CR goes on to play Burlington Sunday.  Guess I'll be there.

Bob Brenley was there watching his son Michael Brenley have a good night for the Peoria Chiefs.  May as well send him up to Cubs, he probably would do better than Soto.  Brenley is the Cub announcer and used to be manager for the Arizona D backs who beat the New York Yankees in 2001.  Brenley used to be catcher for the CR Giants back in the mid 70s and went on to a steller career in the majors with San Francisco and Toronto.  So basically it was a bit of a homecoming for Bob, who seemed to be a down to earth guy, talking with folk and signing a few autographs for those who wanted one.  He didn't stay the whole game, he had to jet back to Chicago to broadcast tomorrow's game.

I didn't see Kirk, our first shift boss but i think he was there.  But I did get stuck with the Stoopids behind me.  Somehow their son managed to snag three baseballs.  Gotta like the Peoria Chiefs for at least providing autographs and baseballs and a couple broken bats to the kids who stood over the dugout.  Alas, i had some buzzcut dood, having a few too many budweisers getting in my view of the action at times, plus had to scold a couple kids that my row is not a walkway.

If I never hear Blitzkreg Bop again it wouldn't break my heart.  I'm sure the Ramones Estate is rolling in the bucks for "hey ho lets go".

I wonder when people do the YMCA realize that's a gay song.

They didn't do the chicken dance which didn't break my heart either.

I long for the days that they didn't do musical overtures between pitches.

Other notes.

It hasn't rained in two weeks.  That doesn't break my heart either but it doesn't help my allergies either.  Or going out shirtless in the backyard and coming in and itching up a storm due to too many pollen in the air.  But I'm not going bitch about rain, this is what I want and we do have enuff moisture in the ground to keep things moist for another 10 days.

At work, the word is out that the bosses are going to start watching people a bit more closely about being on the internet.  Which means I must cut my internet time down big time, I don't want to be shown the door due to process of elimation and spending too much time on the net.  Despite what the government or CNN or MSN.com tells you we are still in a depression and good paying jobs are hard to come by.  So i may have to be drafted to go over to the dreaded packaging if there's nothing to print.  I know John my boss doesn't like that but I don't think he likes us blogging all night on the net either although I do consider that a part of my job, blogging things.


Wal Mart has the Beatles remasters at 13.88 and they're in the fucking digipaks so I'll just pick and choose the most needed of all things Beatles.  But I did pick up The Past Masters 2 CD set for 12.99 when BB had it on sale.  But then again, it's cheaper than going to fucking FYE and paying 21 to 25 bucks for a 2 CD Beatles white album or Anthology 2.  Speaking of FYE, maybe I will pay them a visit before St Louis.  The Hawkeyes are in Ames this saturday so getting to Iowa city won't be a pain in the ass, till you hit the damn red lights and want to get the fuck out again.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Thoughts on a soggy summer

Soggy and Cold.

That has been the summary of yet another summer that never was here in the great midwest. Another summer of subpar cool tempetures and way too much rain. To the point that the grapes never even showed up and perhaps the grape vine either taking this year off or is dead.

I thought it was going to be a hot summer in June when I installed the AC into the window a week before Arizona but I think I only used it about 15 times since and will take it out this labor day to get ready for another winter. Yes, summer is just about history and it seems like it never even started here.

I do like this time of year although we lose daylight every two minites everyday and we lost about 45 mintes of daylight from the beginning of August. I'm sure we'll be in the dark come the end of the month. But I didn't like last week, of one stray raincloud and a stalled front that dumped a foot of rain in two days and ended up getting water in the basement once again. Droughts don't exist up here. We've had three months of above average rainfall and August was the wettest since 93. Nobody should get that much of rain in August.

So, it's the beginning of september, and we been dry for 7 whole days, a record upon itself and the weekend should be dry as well. Which means we get to expierence the corn moon cycle and hopefully next month when the harvest moon comes into view. I'm sure if the weather stays dry and nice we'll get to see it.

And be happy about it.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Top Ten Of The Week-Hot And Sticky

Nothing like having a leaky bottle of pepsi to leak all over the carpet in the basement.  This is the second time this has happened in as many years.  And there's nothing more pain in the ass then trying to clean up a half bottle of the sticky shit and hope we don't get an ant invasion.  Kept me up past my bedtime and people wonder why I get such a bad mood.  Leave home for a couple days and come back to the same shit that always happens. 

DJ AM, crack addict eh?  Looks like the drugs won out eventually.  Sometimes habits are hard to break, sometimes habits will kill you if they are the wrong habit.  If you think about it Woodstock was the last great free concert we had and just about within a year, give or take a month both Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix would OD due to drugs.  Better to burn out than fade away? I don't think so.

My GF will be happy to know Uncle Kracker will open up for Train on their fall tour to support their new album in October.  On a side note, that three hour phone call cost 104 bucks!  Ouch.  I do wish there was a more comfortable phone out there to use, the ones I have gave me a raging headache at times.

The Frugal Muse bookstore moved across the Beltline to next door to Old Navy in Target Shopping Center on Junction Rd in Madison.  I used to enjoy going to the old location on Mineral Point but since the Exclusive Company (say it with me) has now moved over to State Street, no point of going over that area again, although the Preplayed store on MP Road had 2 dollar cds of varying degree.

The 105.5 FM station Triple M remains a good way to kill between points although what does it mean everytime I hear Born To Run, I just want to change the station? 

And I'm having MSN problems so have to use the IE browser instead.  Pain in the ass if you ask me.

This weeks top ten.

1.   Fox On The Run-Tom T Hall 1976  Originally a top 50 hit for Manfred Mann, somebody thought this would make a nifty bluegrass song to which Tom used for his Magnificent Music Machine album, a record of songs done bluegrass style and this actually worked since I bought the single when it came out.  Copper Creek, a bluegrass label reissued this on CD.

2.  Where I Come From-The New Riders Of The Purple Sage 2009  The hippies have returned!  David Nelson, Buddy Cage and a few hired hands become the new New Riders and make a album of jamtime boogie that we haven't seen in about thirty years. 12 songs making up for 74 and a quarter minites of jamboogie.  And it came out on Woodstock Records.  And I'm sure there's more where that came from.

3.  Head Over Heels/Broken (live)-Tears For Fears 1985  In the deep dark corner of the CD archives is a copy of their Songs From The Big Chair album.  For the expanded edition they forgot to add a single mix of this top twenty hit but they did give us five new agey snoozers that amount to wasted cd space.  TFF, never did follow up this record with anything memorable, at least from what I heard. 

4.  Hear My Train A Comin-Jimi Hendrix 1968  From the wires it is learned that Sony Music/Legacy is the next in line to reissue all those Jimi Hendrix albums all over again, as if the two reissued remasters that MCA/Universal wasn't enough, with bonus deluxe editions that will sell for 30 bucks. ooooooh baby.  Seems like the four major labels don't think there's a Great Depression 2 out there.  Originally this track came from the long deleted Jimi Hendrix Concerts to which Reprise issued in 1982 and on crappy CD ten years later.  I have this on cd but it comes from Castle Communcations, the Charly Records of the 1990s.  Critics seem to like the version on Rainbow Bridge/Blues album but I think I like this one from Decemeber Winterland 1968 show.

5.  Are You Ready For The Country-Neil Young 1972  After all these years I finally bought Harvest in the new remastered version (go figure) and really don't heard all that much difference for me to trade in the other versions of his classic albums.  When you reach my age, you tend to lose some part of your hearing.  That and playing in subpar bar bands will do that as well. 

6.  Da Da Da-youdon'tlovemeidon'tloveyou-Trio 1982  These guys were minimal for the american audience to get but I do have their 1983 Trio And Error album before Trio stuck it big in 1997 with this song used for a VW commercial and generated enough interest to reissue their album again.  Trio made two other albums that I know about but by the time their What's The Password album came out in 1985 nobody cared anymore and Mercury never did issued it in the states.  I wouldn't know about it either had I not come across the cd in Arizona last year.  Kraut Rock?  Consider this Krautpop.

7.  She's A Genius-Jet 2009  Every review I have read has given this Jet album 2 stars. This song is probably the best out of their new album.   But not good enough to warrant a Budweister commerical.

8.  Just Passing Through-George Thorogood & The Destroyers 1999  Lonesome George was always about Hooker and the blues but at this point in his long rock career he was also doing fun rock.  What does it mean when he titled his 1999 album after a Nick Lowe song Half A Boy, Half A Man and Double Shot Of My Baby's Loving he covered.  This song was playing when I went through Platteville on the way to Madison and stopped at the Goodwill for about 5 minites.  And then back on the road again.

9.  Me And You And A Dog Named Boo-Lobo 1971  Sometimes I don't think Lobo ever got his due as a singer songwriter and although this song got lambasted by being overdramatic, it did covered by the likes of Ray Conniff and Stonewall Jackson (his last major top 20 country riff).  What the naysayers don't know is that has a nice hook that is perfect for driving and hanging with your special one.  And sometimes I also think that the majority of music today lacks that hook that sticks in your brain (good or bad) for hours on end.  For TAD, who's a Lobo fan, this one is for you.

10.  Seven Turns-The Allman Brothers Band 1989  And finally a song that pretty much sums up my feeling for the endless ride home.  Tried looking for this album at Madison and couldn't find it (it's in the budget section at Amazon.com or Hastings), this is one of the more prettier and last songs that Dickey Betts wrote in the band that could have found a home on classic rock radio had classic rock radio stopped playing songs after 1982.  It also introduced us to Warren Haynes, one of the keepers of the flame of rock and roll.  I have nothing against Born To Run or Ramblin Man but when our time is getting less and less, I'd rather not spent my final seconds on this planet with the overplayed from 35 years ago.   Even so, there's still a few songs out there that cry out to be rediscovered on their own and without help from the Clear Channel clones of the same 200 songs played.  Which is why Crabb's Top Ten or Wreckless Eric radio comes into play, tapping into the vast amounts of the forgotten hits and album cuts that bring a smile to our face.  Leave the autotune to Mariah Carey and Lil Wayne or Kanye, give me the tunes that come from the heart mistakes included.  For we will remember anything from that past then anything the Autotuners will puke out.  It's called melody. Try thinking some up sometime soon Mariah baby.  Beauty fades but the music never will.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Crabby Does Madison Part 2 2009

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