Top Ten Of The Week-Sights & Sounds

Hi kids. Time for the weekly configuration we call The Top Ten Of The Week(R) to where I put them down and make funny comments. The Madison Bargain Hunt blog will be done later.

1. Horse With No Name-America 1971 While I was out walking on the trails at Matsell's I kept hearing a big whinney from time to time and wonder WTF was I hearing. Didn't think much of it at first till I looked up and actually saw a horse trotting down the trail! I don't think it was wild, it waltzed past me as it went on into the forest area. On the way back to the car, I once again saw it on the far side of the trail. Waved at it and said goodbye and it whinney back. The horse was sociable I guess but I wasn't about it go up to it. Not used to be around horses. But thought I do a dedicated to "the horse with no name"......

2. Coke Song-The Cooties 1997 Punk rockers with a love of the drink, not the drug.

3. Heard It In A Love Song-Marshall Tucker Band 1977 Their biggest selling hit and well known to the classic rock and country stations. MTB is the most country sounding of all southern rock bands at that time but they could thrown in a jazz number from time to time. For some reason the folks at Shout Factory decide to add the single version on MTB's last compliation Love Songs which is already in the cut out bins at Half Priced Books.

4. I Can See For Miles-The Who 1989 Join Together, The Who's big comeback box set was a corporate moneygrab and the band was over the top (background singers! Horns! PT playing acoustic guitar to save his hearing!) and I never did buy the album. However, Universal has included this version on Greatest Hits Live to which we get to hear live versions of hits. Wish that they could have included Baby Don't You Do It, the B Side to Come Together simply that has never existed on CD in the US but they did include CD 1 to the original band even though some of those songs paled next to Live At Leeds or The Kids Are Alright. The next cd includes the 1989 and beyond lineups and Kenny Jones wasn't even represented at all on this record. While Pete and Roger raved about Zak Starkey, he's only on three selections while Simon Phillps plays on five and again Kenny Jones was shut out. Originally only availble at Itunes, it came out on CD this week. Cheapest was found at Wally World in Plattville.

5. 157 Riverside Avenue-REO Speedwagon 1971 Back to the 70s again and back to the original lineup. Don't think it was released at a single (that went to Lay Me Down) but this has been a live staple when REO was jamming in the late 70s till Gary Richrath left the band. Never cared much for the show off live version from You Get What You Play For.

6. Get Out Of Denver-Bob Seger 1973 From Early Seger Volume 1 which is now only sold at Wally World, originally from Seven. Early Bob Seger was one of the hardest rocking folk to ever come screaming out of Detroit (or Lansing or Ann Arbor) and his early stuff proved that, although I can't understand why he made them out of print. Hopefully Bob will do another Early Seger Volume 2 and add his original version of Turn The Page, which was off Back in 72 which I found a used copy in Arizona a while ago.

7. Better Times Are Coming-Del Reeves 1963? In the dollar bins I found a old copy of 50 Hits! 50 Stars!, which was a mail order record that can be easily found in your local junk shops and my dad had this in his collection, pretty beat up very scratched up and can't play his. Del would score with Looking At The World Through A Windshield and a couple others for United Aritists but I think this was off a minor label but dammed if I know what it is. Anyway 50 Hits! etc. had the majority of songs from the old Starday label and most of their songs were hillbilly music at its heavenly best. Originally done by Bob Wills and later Jim & Jesse.

8. Good Day-Swinging Steaks 2006 Americana band that had an album for the restarted Capricorn label in the 1990s found themselves back on the indee circult again. I guess we can call this alt country but it sounds too smart to make it to regular country radio. Which really doesn't take that much effort.

9. Watch The Girl Destroy Me-Possum Dixon 1993 Remember this buzz bin band of the early 90s for MTV? When they played videos? You say you don't? Well those were the good old days. They made three albums for Interscope, and this was their best known hit. Produced by Earle Mankey of Sparks fame who also produced 20/20.

10. Tell Me You Love Me-Frank Zappa 1970 Up at Mad City Music Exchange I got to hear the infamous Trout Mask Replica from Captain Beefheart and it's not for everybody. Beefheart was on another level as he try to blow his lungs through his saxophone and may have shredded it in the process. In fact, I lost half my hearing it seems on the first three songs. Lick My Decals Off is not as insane but again anything from the Captain you either like or don't. The next album the guy played was Frank Zappa's 200 Motels, another of those albums that is way out there. The vocals are by Flo & Eddie who you know as Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman from The Turtles and they do the vocals on Tell Me You Love Me. They were part of The Mothers from 1969 to 1972 thereabouts and appeared on 200 Motels. Saw part of the movie on TCM and don't know if Flo & Eddie was on it (I'm sure they will). Think I fell asleep on some of it but do remember Jimmy Carl Black, the original Mothers drummer. I'm sure TCM will show it again, let's hope I can stay awake the next time.