Jenna turned the big 28 on Monday, which means she's still two decades
behind me. She works in our Inserting department, gets to hear me call
her bad names when we play Uno, and likes to go partying after work.
Hope this doesn't sound like one of those cheesy Match.Com single ads
but she's a sweetheart. I'm too old and not her type. But we still
like her. Happy Birthday Jenna.
I've been stuck with the damn flu
this weekend so if I seem a bit out of it you can blame the drugs and
the lack of food. If there's anything good bout this is that we do lose
weight.
The Songs Of The Week.
1. Quarter To
Three-Gary U.S. Bonds 1961 One of those Outer Space recordings, it
sounded like it was from outer space, this song gave Gary his first
number one hit and gave us Gene "Daddy-G" Barge on saxophone to which
I'm sure Clarence Clemons learned a thing or two from him. The CD that I
bought that has this actually has Gary Bond's autograph. But whoever
had this cd didn't think it was worth keeping. CD Crabby, Home of the
discarded CDs of yesterday.
2. You May See Me Walkin-Ricky
Skaggs 1981 The first top ten country single from Mr. Skaggs. And for
the first five years being on Epic Records, Skaggs was no stranger to
the top ten country songs of the week. Sony Music doesn't care much for
Ricky anymore, so most of his albums are now in cut out bins, but a UK
label Gottdiscs issued Skaggs' first two Epic albums, to which they sure
will be collector's items. Gottdiscs closed up shop last year. Their
loss, our gain.
3. Power Of Love-King's X 1988 They have been
around putting out albums non stop for over twenty years and most if not
all of their albums have been keepers with perhaps the exception of the
Please Come Home Mr. Balbous album that never did much for me. Their
first album is a bit rough around the edges but they do have this nice
little number you can sing along. Then again, you might you have other
things to do than listen to good music.
4. Tears Of The
World-Uriah Heep 2008 Dinosaur band alert. Yes the Heep is still
around and they made this album that Universal did put out (why? I
donno, perhaps as another tax write off?) and actually this version of
Heep has been around for almost twenty years with the exception of the
drummer who got replaced. I'm surprised that Best Buy even had a copy
of this album.
5. Keep Me In Your Mind In 59-Austin Wright
1959 Perhaps I'm just wasting space on putting this tune up, I know
most if not all of you know who the hell Austin Wright was. Don't ask
me, I found this on a CD compilation called Stompin 4, a collection of
late 50s-early 60s rock and rhythm and blues from unknowns. And yup, I
found this in the Clarence bins at HP Books too. Look, it's simple
folks, the Crabb Top Ten is to entertain you and also make you go seek
out the obscure. And teach you a thing or two about music of the past
six decades. This CD may have been part of the inventory of Ratz
Records. Seems like whoever had those cds have pawned them up at HP
books. May could have been from the old Relics from years past but I
doubt that.
6. Take It Easy-The Eagles 1972 Happy now? A familiar song from overplayed classic rock land. BTW, Wally world has
gotten the Eagles catalog on sale for 7 dollars as I guess the deal that
The Eagles did with Wally World is now lapse and Wally World is trying
to clear inventory. Which isn't a bad thing. But I do miss the Bernie
Leadon/Randy Meisner version of the Eagles more than the money making
tandem of Joe Walsh and T.B.Schmidt.
7. Trying To Get To You-The
Eagles 1954 But I betcha y'all don't remember this little doo wop
group that had a minor hit on Mercury. And Elvis noticed since he
covered this song.
8. Delta Lady-Leon Russell 1970 And I
can't believe this was the guy that arranged most of the sessions of
Gary Lewis And The Playboys, Brian Hyland or the Crickets without Buddy
Holly. Sure Joe Cocker does a cool version but Leon's version was much
more wilder.
9. La la la la la-The Blendells 1964 These guys
were on the same label with The Premiers (Farmer John anybody?) and like
The Premiers got on a major label Reprise. You can find this on the DCC compilation Toga Rock or East Side Sound. Supposedly a cover of a
Motown hit, though dammed if I know who did it.
10. Tend My
Garden-The James Gang 1970 The beginning of this record reminds me of a
sunrise and one of the most beautiful introduction in the history of
classic rock. But of course Classic Rock Radio doesn't play it but old
time underground FM stations did back in the mid 70s. It's amazing
nowadays that we have all these types of musical outlets but the
playlist are so damn narrow that you can't hear a good song such as this
one since it don't fit the format. Which is why I miss the Underground
FM stations. They had no format. The DJ's played what they wanted to
hear and that's how we got hooked on variety.
There was a reason why we call it the good old days.
Some CD reviews of note or catching up.
Coldplay-Parachutes (EMI)
2000 Finally got to hear this record and I don't think much of it.
They got better with the next album and their latest but this is pretty
wimpy.
Dancehall Stringbusters-Crunchy Guitar Instros From The 60s
(Sundazed) An uneven collection of guitar instros from the early 60s
mostly on the Swan Label. Best numbers comes from Link Wray (Jack The
Ripper) to which one would wish that Sundazed would get the Raybeats
version on CD before we're dead and gone.
Ramsey Lewis-Goin South
(Verve Reissue of the Cadet 1967 album) In glorious digipak, this is
the album that introduced me to Ramsey Lewis, via a 45 that I got for 9
cents at Ben Franklin in Waterloo around 1968. I have no idea why I
collected Ramsey Lewis 45s but I always enjoyed Ramsey's boogaloo take
on One Two Three, the Len Berry number. EWF's Maurice White plays drums
on this album.
