Top Ten Of The Week-The Music Did Not Die & The Levee Is Not Dry
If there's anythng similar to 50 years ago, the weather was chilly and cold and like 50 years ago, we had a Alberta Clipper come through the state but unlike 50 years ago, the front came through earlier and when the Surf shows started up, the moon was out, the snow was gone but the NW winds gusting around 20 miles an hour making one poor Los Lonely Boys player remarked how cold it gets up here in the midwest. But another musician remarked that the concert could be pulled off in Clear Lake than New York or LA simply of the fact that this was a real as show could get and take you back to 1959. Los Angeles would be warmer but the cold artcic chill made you feel as if Buddy,The Big Bopper and Ritchie were still in spirit. It's also a far cry from the cold and barren cornfield to which Roger Petersen, wide-eyed and eager to please but taking on the Alberta Clipper with the blinding snows and cutting winds, he paid the ultimate price and getting the worst of it all, being called the villian and taking three up and coming musicians in the process. For trying to do the right thing and keeping warm in the harshest of winters, Buddy become a legend as did Richie and The Big Bopper. The questions remain had they waited till morning when the clipper went through the state or stayed on the bus, there would be a new king of rock and roll and he may have been Buddy or Ritchie and JP Richardson would have been a sought after producer. But the old black and white pictures of The Big 3's last night on Earth is replaced by a plague and monument out in that cornfield and tuesday night, people actually treked out there from The Surf to check it out, and to feel the elements. And then they went back to celebrated the music of three hall of fame rockers till the early morning hours.
"and good old boys drinking whiskey and rye, singing that the music will never die"
And from the heavens, Buddy along with The Big Bopper, Ritchie and Waylon smiled.
The Top Ten Of The Week.
1. Stoned Cowboy-Fantasy 1970 A FM underground classic still played on Beaker Street, the Arkansas insitution led by Clyde Clifford but yours truly has this 4 minite edit on a 45 that I bought from Marion TV and Records when downtown Marion had their very own record store and one didn't have to travel. In fact when we were young, going to the big city meant going to the downtown Woolworth's. Memories of a long ago and far away.
2. Tribute To Buddy Holly-Mike Berry And The Outlaws 1961 Tribute records are scary and for the most part people would rather not listen to them. Case in point is Waylon Jennings' 1963's The Stage, heartfelt but nobody wants to listen to it as much as nobody wants to see the plane wreckage. This song, produced by Joe Meek, a freak upon himself to the point that he ended his life and his landlord Lady 8 years after Buddy's passing but for a tribute song this is not as morbid as Three Stars or The Stage. Joe Meek was a wunderkind producer and if you hear a Joe Meek produced song, you'd know it. Meek may have been the most paranoid man this side of Charlie Manson. This record was released on Coral Records in 1962 but didn't place on the charts. The people perferred Last Kiss somehow.
3. Time Will Crawl-David Bowie 1987 KRNA played the hell out of this song back then when they switched from albums to CDs and back then there wasn't much in CDs so they played what they had for CDs alot. Really not a bad song, nor was the album Never Let Me Down but critics hated this. It wasn't Aladdan Shane nor Ziggy Stardust or The Thin White Duke and it had Peter Frampton playing lead guitar for Fuck's sake. And it seemed like anything with Mr. Do You Feel Like We Do on any album back then was the kiss of death. Not exactly, but in fact Peter does a nice guitar playing job considering it was the 80s and that cold stale digital production that dates itself. But Never Let Me Down is a good record, if you want bad Bowie try listening to Earthling, or Heathen or Outside. That can be a bit trying.
4. Modern Don Juan-Buddy Holly 1956 At this time, Buddy was trying to be marketed as a country star and it wasn't working but this song has a bit more rockabilly than Owen Bradley would have liked. Didn't sell as a single but The Lonesome Strangers did a wonderful cover of this in 1986.
5. Born To Be Wild-Steppenwolf 1968 Why do I think this came out in 67 when it didn't? Could it be I'm losing my mind or getting demetria? Yup this song is overplayed on every radio station 40 years after the fact but this version comes off a MCA Complation of hits of the 50s and 60s compiled by Steve Hoffman and this is the full version complete with a flubbed up ending to which it got edited at the 3:28 mark, this goes ten second further and if you don't hear it, you're not missing much. But I like this fine.
6. Mr. Soul-Buffalo Springfield 1967 RIP Dewey martin. Another rocker deciding to move up to the great gig in the sky.
7. Looking For A Love-Bobby Womack 1974 I had to find a best of to try to figure out what credituals that got Bobby into the RnR HOF and the fine folks at FYE had a best of in the dollar bins. He's more known as a soul man in terms of Let's Get It On type of music but I do notice that Bobby can rock a little bit on this remake of his 1963 hit for Sam Cooke's SAR label to which EMI couldn't get it licensed but Bobby did have a top five hit with this song but I know KCRG or KLWW never played it here but I'm thinking WLS in Chicago did play it. Still think he's a bit overrated but this song rocks.
8. Cosmo's Rockin-Paul Rodgers And Queen 2008 Such a public and critical outcry on this latest release from Paul, Roger and Brian that I thought this was going to be a turd till I heard the album and I think it does rock although it reminds me more of Free than Freddie Mercury or Bad Company. There is some thought to this record and it's noted that it owes more to the blues based of the 70s than the high pompousness that was Great Queen. For the most part Paul doesn't attempt to hit the high notes and settles into that easy groove I come to expect from him. This song is probaly the most Queen sounding and everybody got off the bus after track one but we all know there's much much worse out there. And I still don't get TV On The Radio either. Sue me.
9. Why The West Was Won-Jimmy Davis And Junction 1987 Hay Crabby, I didn't know you were listening to Richard Marx, we never thought of you as a Richard Marx fan. That Richard Marx album is pretty damn good huh? Whatta mean you're not listening to Richard Marx, this isn't Richard Marx?!? Sure sounds like him. Nope fool, this is Jimmy Davis and he made one album for a MCA offshoot label and got help from Joe Walsh and somebody named Richard Orange. I'm thinking myself it's Richard Marx under a alias. You remember Alias don't ya? Richard Marx played in that band too smartass. Oh he didn't? Oh it was the guy from Sheriff who made that limp ballad When I Am With You which they were playing up at Skate Country back around 1982? He sure sounded like Richard marx too. That Richard Marx, he sure saved 80s rock and roll back then. Oh you were asking what I was listening to? Richard Marx, now go away.
10. More Often Than Never-The Swimming Pool Q's 1989 They made a couple albums for A and M before before moving on to Capitol and losing Anne Richmond Boston's vocals in the progress although she did design the album cover to this recording. Jeff Calder remains an acquired taste for the alternative crowd and this record is spotty but this final track on the vinyl is a nice Stonesy rocker that ends things on a happy note. The CD gives you two bonus tracks. This album also is mixed by one Brendan O'Brien who was just starting out but he would eventully go on to bigger and better things. Everybody's gotta start somewhere.
RIP Lux Interior, frontman of The Cramps.
Steve Martin just isn't funny anymore if we have to see him do remakes of The Pink Panther or Cheaper By The Dozen but he's a great banjo player. I think I more inclined to hear him play banjo than do Inspector Cluelessou.
On the subject of the Octuplets Momma, 33 and 14 kids later, she's no Dugger. I think the Duggers have a way of not fleecing the public like Nadya Suleman is doing. I mean who's going to pay for the babies? Certainly in these days and times the California Taxpayers are not going to be too happy supporting this woman. I'm all in favor of people having babies, but when you have 14 kids and you're 33 years old and still living at home, that's doesn't endear you to the rest of the world. Enough with the litters babe.
I would also love to see congress pass a law banning pharmaceutical drug companies from touting over the counter drugs on TV. I am seeing way too much of "talk to your doctor about such and such drug". And get rid of the fucking Viagara and Cialisis crap with the separate bathtubs. If people are horny they sure in the hell not going to be in fucking separate bathtubs. Who thinks of this stoopid shite? If you going to promote the little blue pill, better start promoting condom and birth control commercials. Jes saying. And while we were at it, ban the yeast infection and female hygiene commercials too. Course if we did that, there wouldn't be much for commercials anymore now would it?
Dry Bar Bar Q on C St SW, i went there again for another slice of Peach Cobbler. If I go back to a place twice in one week it must mean that they got some great eats up there. I can do Bar B Q once a couple weeks but this peach cobbler might get me there every week for desert.
