Observations: 1/22/22

In the continuing ways of life and death, death has claimed a few more people in the last time we got together.  Burke Shelley, lead vocalist of Budgie, a band that influenced many bands (Rush, Metallica) passed away after a long illness.  Ronnie Spector, who came back to give Eddie Money his biggest hit in 1986 with Take Me Home Tonight, Louie Anderson lost his battle with cancer at age 68. And the famous Meatloaf who became a victim of COVID, dead at 74.  Out of all the ones who passed away, Shelley is the one that hit me the hardest.  For me, Meatloaf's appearance on Ted Nugent's Free For All was the go to album for me, his Writing On The Wall, was a FM deep cut classic. 

Of course, Bat Out Of Hell is his classic, co written with Jim Steinman and produced by Todd Rundgren, who managed to give up any more of his royalties just to purchase some land and live out his life in sunny Hawaii.    To be honest, I wasn't a fan of that album, it was bombastic and all over the top but people loved that album.  I remember Jennie Palmer played it during home economics class in high school and it never appeal to me, or the 1993 comeback album.  If I wanted to listen to him, it would have been his 1985 RCA album Bad Attitude.  Bat Out Of Hell 1 and 2 are his legacy.

Record Store Day 15 years onward and vinyl has made the comeback of comebacks, tho last year CD sales actually increased, which makes one wonder if the CD era might be on the way.  Certainly no shortage of CDs at the local thrift stores, but 15 seasons ago, somebody decided that by having a RSD, would bring back buyers and they did make a comeback.  I have not been binge buying records like I once did.  Once in a great while, I'll find something of note, rarely rock records but folk and country.  Jim Reeves' A touch of velvet, was one record that I picked out of a bunch of donated country records when I went to the Salvation Army as well as the 10 45's that were recently documented   A Touch Of Velvet was one of the records that was in my folk's collection for years, it's slick and polished Nashville sound style conflicted with the honky tonk music of George Jones or Webb Pierce, and there's no shortage of Jim Reeves records.  The combined production of Chet Atkins and Anita Kerr tends to put this closer to pop than country, Welcome To My World and Have You Ever Been Lonely were the hits.  Perhaps it's the nostalgic side of me that would ever listen to Touch Of Velvet but in an era to which nobody can remember what is played on the radio, my logic remains going back to the era that I grew up listening to. Even if it was Jim Reeves.  The other record is The Travelers 3 Live (Elektra), Hawaii's answer to the Kingston Trio.  This is an actual promo copy, complete with a postcard from Elektra, telling the listeners to send for a free catalog of new music.  The old Elektra was one of the best independent labels ever.  The new Elektra is a corporate sham.   And if you read this far, Taylor Swift is your RSD Ambassador for 2022.

Charlie Huhn has decided after 22 years with Foghat it was time for him to retire, so he announced his retirement from the band, via email.  Which set off a confrontation of sorts from fans and the band.  Huhn's replacement is Scott Holt (Buddy Guy) who has subbed in the past.  Huhn replaced Derek St. Holmes in Ted Nugent's band and appeared on the albums Weekend Warriors, State Of Shock, Scream Dream and Intensities In Ten Cities.  And later moved on to Humble Pie and his own band.  Happy retirement Charlie.

Passings:  Sam Lay, Drummer for Howlin' Wolf, Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the electric version of Bob Dylan died from a long illness.  He was 86

Hargus "Pig" Robbins-Legendary keyboard player for the Nashville elite and played right to the very end, (the new Connie Smith album that came out last Nov.), He also played on Bob Dylan's classic albums of the mid 60s as well.  Robbins was also a rockabilly star with a minor hit Save It in the late 50s. He died from natural causes.  He was 84. 

Things Found;

Summer Of Soul (or when the revolution could not be televised) (CD) A-

An Evening With John Denver (CD)

The Blue Men Group-The Complex (CD)

Take 5-Dave Brubeck Live 82-83 (CD) B

Impressions-Best Of Rick Wakeman (CD)

Fresh Start-America Needs (LP) B+

45;s

My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You-Guy Mitchell (Columbia 4-41725) #45 1960

Three Hearts In A Tangle-Roy Drusky (Decca 31193) #2 Country 1961 #35 Pop 1961

I'd Rather Loan You Out-Roy Drusky (Decca 31297) #10 Country 1961

(welcome) New Lovers-Pat Boone (Dot 16048) #18 1960

B side: Words #94

Go Away From My Window-Gale Storm (Dot 15666) 1957

Walk Me To The Door-Ray Price (Columbia 4-42658)  #7 Country 1962

I Was Such A Fool -Connie Francis (MGM K-13096) #24 1962

B side He Thinks I Still Care #57

A collection of discarded 45's nobody bothered to pick up.  The Pat Boone song shows Mr. White Shoes going for a Brook Benton sound and it's one of his better songs.  This record was part of the big box of 45's that was noted last month.  While Gale Storm might have one or two of the big box records, I can attest that Go Away From My Window wasn't one of them.  B side Winter Warm is written by Burt Bachurach and Hal David, one of the earliest songs they ever did.  Roy Drusky is mostly forgotten on the radio and oldies circuit but Three Hearts In A Tangle did chart quite high at number 35 on the pop charts, Loan You Out is boppin honky tonk.  Walk Me To The Door is Ray Price honky tonk gold, written by Conway Twitty.   Guy Mitchell, had a habit of covering Price's material for the pop side, but each release Mitchell was slowly adding more country elements to his music. My Shoes would be his final top 40 pop release.   As for Connie Francis, her country attempt at He Thinks I Still Care is decent, and more preferable to the overblown trademark Francis' ballad wailing at I Was Such A Fool. 

Questlove's Summer Of Soul (or when the revolution could not be televised), is black music coming into fruitarian, even Sonny Shorrock's avant garde noise guitar on Herbie Mann's Hold On I'm Coming makes it clear this is serious music. Nina Simone's harrowing Backlash Blues and Are You Ready (which was written by a member of the Last Poets) is Nina has her most radical.  Sly and the Family Stone could rock it with a potent Everyday People or Sing A Simple Song.  The only tracks I did not care much was Precious Lord, Take My Hand (way too much emotional wailing by Mahalia Jackson, tho you can feel the gospel in her) or David Ruffin's My Girl (which rendered him to the nostalgic file, despite his overblown 15 second falsetto scream).  Elsewhere, The 5th Dimension's Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In, proves to the black community that they did have soul, Edwin Hawkins Singers and Staple Singers had gospel deep in their soul and Watermelon Man is Mongo Santamaria's Latin jam classic.  As much as Simone's Are You Ready ends the 80 minute CD in fine fashion, Ray Barretto's Together (Get together, before it's GD too late) steals the show.  

"I had a good life" Jimmy Johnson 1/31/2022 RIP