As we continue to get baked by the sun by day and drowned at night by monsoons and yet another stalled stationary front I cannot wait for summer to end. Never seen such a GD outfit to which the weather pattern has been this way three straight months. I don't think I've ever said it in my lifetime that I am sick of summer. All you folks out in the east and Russia that have been baked to a crisp. Too bad we can't truck this surplus of wetness to where your at.
Lindsay Lohan, the me-girl, we know she wouldn't serve all her jail time. Another love tap on the wrist, don't do that again otherwise we'll take the car away. Paris Hilton makes another album that nobody wants, thinks she's going to be Kylie Minogue. Your first record didn't sell and I'm surprised Tom Whalley didn't get fired for that fiasco. Your new record will sell less. Just like Lindsay Lohan's Casablanca albums that you see in the buck bins. She should call her next album Confessions of a Former Child Star Prima Donna Drunk.
Mitch Miller passed away on Sunday at age 99. Keep the smartypants comments of "I thought he was dead" to yourselves, he had been around enjoying himself. The guy may have hated rock and roll but back in the 50's even he knew that this wasn't going go away. He may have dreamed about Top Forty Y2K and the rap and the auto-tune crap. Mitch Miller may have been the best Oboe player ever, he even played on the War Of The Worlds broadcast and even Charlie Parker. He may have failed in producing Frank Sinatra but he did strike gold with Rosemary Cooney and Guy Mitchell and did sign Aretha Franklin. He might be known as an pioneer for Karaoke when he had those Sing Along With Mitch TV show in the early 60s. I think growing up I think I was scared of him due to that weird goatee. To me, Mitch Miller was famous for that Columbia Echo that you can hear on Chances Are from Johnny Mathis and many other songs. You may not like Mitch Miller but you gotta admire that sound created. You can also find many of Mitch Miller & The Gang albums at your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Stores in your neighborhood.
Now, let's see what was on the player this week.
1. Life-Sly & The Family Stone 1968 Long ago and far away Slyvester Stewart was a excellent producer who decided to form his own band of rock and soul and R and B and he drafted both white and black folk in his band. Funky bass and bass vocal of Larry Graham, Greg Errico drumming, Freddie and Rose. Great underrated band. This was a minor hit but you can tell which each recording they were getting bigger and better. I think they hit their peak with Stand! and side one of that album. Can't get into There's A Riot Going On.
2. Barrel Chested-Slobberbone 1997 One of many bands under the influence of Uncle Tupelo, the title track from this album remains their drunken best. Originally on Doolittle Records, later on New West, their next album took a more Wilco approach and wasn't that great. Slobberbone broke up around 2005 and the lead singer went to from The Drams who made a long but good cd in 2007.
3. Hold Me Tight-10 Years After 1972 An outtake that would make it later on the compilation Alvin Lee And Company and I remember this being played on the radio. Alvin Lee wasn't much on songwriting but he employs a 50's style piano stomp to which I'm surprised didn't make it on any best of. Anyway this album is better known, or infamously known as the 14 minute throwaway Boogie On, which is longer than Side 1 of Alvin Lee & Company.
4. Full Moon Fire-Walter Egan 1983 Surprised this wasn't a bigger hit than it should have been, Walter better known for Magnet And Steel, a top ten hit in 1978 and featuring help from Fleetwood Mac. This time out the Mac still helps but more sparingly but this does have lead guitar from one David Lindley, the dude that plays slide on Running On Empty.
5. Shave Em Dry-Lucille Bogan 1935 Lady Gaga will never be this bawdy even if she continues to put out soft porn masquerading as music videos. Madonna too. Part 1 was the PG version but part 2 is the one that can you banned from radio. Bogan was a tough blues singer in the style of Ma Rainey but Rainey never sang anything about making a man come. In blues term shaving them dry is shaving without shaving cream. For that rough look.
6. Larks Tongue In Aspic Part 2-King Crimson 1973 To which Robert Fripp put together the most long lived lineup prior to Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, the 1973 Crimson featured John Wetton, Bill Bruford, David Cross and some weirdo named Jamie Muir whose assorted percussion and sound effects made this album for what it was. Not one of my favorite Crimson albums, but it would progress onward toward their most violet and best record Red. And yes I do like Red more than I do In The Court Of The Crimson King. Your taste may vary.
7. Georgia Blues-Larry Youngblood 1969 Basically a footnote and track off the Martin Scorace Jimi Hendrix Blues album when Scorace was putting together that mini series The Blues. Credited to Jimi Hendrix, Youngblood recently sued everybody involved for back royalties and mad that he didn't get full credit for this tune, which isn't all that great. Kinda like Jake Holmes suing Led Zeppelin for Dazed And Confused but at least Larry didn't wait till 40 years after the fact but isn't there a statue of limitations after 7 years?
8. This Time-Waylon Jennings 1974 Waylon was in the middle of a very hot streak in the mid 70's and this track raced to the top of the country charts. Co produced with Willie Nelson, it was very stark and dark and not as spit shined up as the other RCA acts of that time.
9. Honey Hush-Roomful Of Blues 1979 Next to the Fabulous Thunderbirds, these guys had a deep love of the blues of the 50's, owning a not to Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker, but unlike the Fab Birds, didn't sell out and got famous. Produced by the late great Joel Dorn and the late great Doc Pomus this has been bounced around in the reissue file, first at Rounder, then 32 Records when Dorn was still alive and now I think back to Rounder again. Preston Hubbard would later join the Fab Birds on Tuff Enuff and Duke Robillard would join them on Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk.
10. Rust Belt Town-The Randy Cliffs 2003 And finally something found in the dollar bins up in Madison last week. I did include this on the first draft of last week's top ten but due to a computer failure lost that part of the blog so here goes again. The Randy Cliffs as far as I know came from Delevan Wisconsin and scored a couple recording sessions up at Smart Studios (home of Nevermind) and another studio in Madison and made a album that recalls good Uncle Tueplo, Slobberbone and NY Dolls. With a title like Trixie's Trailer Sales, I figure this would be a good listen to and it was that I had to listen to it all over again after hearing it. It does sound like they had a few PBRs. Nothing like good old booze induced rock and roll to get ya going. By the time I discovered this album The Randy Cliffs have already called it a day and did a reunion back in 2008 and now have gone back to the trailer court, to spend countless hours spinning pink flamingos and watching Judge shows. But this is the point of why I go out collecting and why I go buy dollar cds of unknown bands-that I might come across a band that I missed out the first place. This is good old fashioned rowdy rock, no pro tools needed and most of all no Auto-tuners! Cheers to a obscure but I think very damn good bar band.
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