Top Ten Of The Week-Not Owned By Cumulus In Any Way

Ah Cumulus Radio.  Where Margaritaville plays every hour on the hour on various stations across the globe.  They own 4 radio stations of note: KHAK, KRNA KRQN and of course everybody's favorite KDAT.  Neverthless, Clear Channel has six of them here too although they tend not to annoy me as much as Cumulus. Can't understand that logic and neither do you.  http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/ia/rmarkets.html

So that means 10 stations here are owned by Clear Channel or Cumulus.  Which explains why radio sucks around here.  So Rick Sellers you better not sell KMRY anytime soon.  But then again he's been known to play Margaritaville too.

This is November and after a dull and boring most of the year, new releases have actually kicked on in.  Which will probably complicate a few things on my best of list of 2011.  Forthcoming new stuff from the likes of The Bees, Kentucky Headhunters, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Steel Panther and whatever comes to mind.  Of course I keep forgetting to look for the final Dave Brubeck Quintet For The Last Time, but I'm sure Best Buy still wouldn't have it.   TAD talks about the Smile Sessions CD here:  http://tadsbackupplan.blogspot.com/2011/11/all-smiles.html

In terms of reissues, we have yet another Pink Floyd Best Of : A Foot In The Door and unless you don't have any Floyd, I cannot recommend buying this.  Echoes did a better job but then again I found that CD for a dollar at the pawnshop and it has done its job quite well.  I still remain more partial to 1987's Works comp that showcases more of the off the wall stuff then A Collection Of Great Dance Songs which probably serves as a decent best of.  Also Legacy/Sony is issuing Hell Yeah, The Very Best Of Neil Diamond which tries to serve as a definite overview of Neil's career.  http://theseconddisc.com/2011/11/08/hell-yeah-the-very-best-of-neil-diamond-set-for-december/#more-9822

I don't think this would make me trade in the MCA Collection, nor the definite Bang Years CD but it does add a couple tracks from the comeback Rick Rubin produced albums.

Top Ten Of The Week:

1.  She's Not There-The Road 1969   I was more familiar with this version more than The Zombies version since I had this on 45 which I think I got for about a quarter at some forgotten record store in Lincoln Illinois.  A lot of influences on this, starts out with a riff off The Doors Soul Kitchen and then goes into a Vanilla Fudge type of introduction that would give the Fudge a run for the money.  Plus a bass line that recalls Midnight Confessions by The Grassroots.  Why this didn't do better on the charts is a mystery to me.  B side was the fun instrumental A Bummer.  The album was selling for 99 cents up at Kresge's but never picked it up.  From you tube, found the long version with the long forgotten Road Introduction and stereo mix.  You gotta love You Tube for preserving the music that Cumulus won't.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nt3Mk-mw04

2.  I Want You To Be My Baby-Louis Jordan  1953  The father of rock and roll.  His big bands were into jump blues and for the most of the 40's Jordan was in the top ten with his music but as the 50's rolled around his popularity was waning.   Which is a sad thing really.  The next to last 45 he recorded for Decca before moving on to Aladdin and later X and Mercury.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFCjG44cNMQ

3.  Pretty Girls Go Insane-Outrageous Cherry 2004  Closer to the Velvet Underground than Partridge Family, this band has been around for a good 16 years plus.  But you wouldn't know that since they don't get no airplay on the radio.  From Our Love Can Change The World, perky harmonies to go with jingly guitars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQzgJR1JJ0

4.  Tallahassee Lassie-Freddy Cannon 1959  One of the songs that forever corrupted my mind to the point that my life's calling would be rock and roll and records.  I think my mom bought this when she was a teenager and couple other Freddy Cannon songs.  This is the long version all 2:28 of it.  Dedicated to my Sassy half.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mA-5ZSJUpc

5.  I'll Shut Up Now-The Dirt Drifters 2011  I really knew nothing about these guys till Robert Christgau gave them a B plus on their Warner's debut and I went to about 10 different stores trying to find their album.  They're considered country although they owe a lot to John Mellencamp and Guitar Town Steve Earle.  This is a great song but we all know Cumulus would bitch if KHAK ever played this.  Willie Nelson shows up on the studio version which I haven't found.  This is a live version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72cvpgJFEO0

6.  If You Want To Be A Bird-Holy Modal Rounders 1969  Of course you heard this in the Easy Rider Movie.  But then again I got stoned and missed it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbNYElGZ5qE&NR=1

7.   For The Country-Dumptruck 1987  Seth Tiven's band was coming to an end when they recorded this album which is considered to be their best.  I think Kevin Salem who joins this band on this recording helped a lot too.  Salem would go on a solo career to which he played in Iowa City in 1994 opening up for Blue Mountain at Gabes one particular night.  Tiven would reform Dumptruck later in 90s and then reissued the Big Time albums via Rykodisc.


8.  But It's Alright-Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons 1981  Cover of the J J Jackson hit, this version was produced by H.W. Casey aka Casey of the KC and The Sunshine Band fame. Jo Jo Zep had a following down in Australia which lead to a recording deal and two albums with Columbia/CBS both of which is pretty good blue eyed soul for the down under crowd.  Has a nice sax solo that differs from both J J Jackson and Huey Lewis and The News which did hit the top ten.

9.  She's A Mystery-Journey 2011  I haven't paid much attention to Journey over the past years since Steve Perry got booted out of the band but what I have heard they have gotten a bit more heavier sounding and more progressive rock on their latest album Eclipse.  But in some ways they do remind me of YES, losing their classic rock vocalist to more of a imitator although critics and fans thinks it's a sellout and a mockery of the classic rock sound, just like Benoit David replacing Jon Anderson,  Arnel Pineda sounds like Steve Perry although he's not Over The Top like Perry could get on the more pompous numbers.  In some ways Eclipse sounds like the followup to Escape that Frontiers wasn't.  Comparing the new Journey to Yes, I think the end results are a tossup.  It's good in spots but not exactly something I'd listen to on a regular basis.  On a different note, another new live Rush CD is out in stores.  As well as yet another Deep Purple in Montreaux live album too.

10.  Growin In It-Diplomats Of Solid Sound 2004  These guys have survived longer as this band then when they were known as the Dangtrippers, Head Candy and Bent Scepters, all three played a big role in the Iowa City Alternative rock of the late 80s and early 90s but I think Doug Robertson is more at home playing Booker T styled instrumental soul rock.  Their albums vary but the last two, they added Sarah Cram and Kathy Ruestow as vocalists. But on this track it's Robertson's Steve Cropper guitar style going alongside Nathan Basinger's Booker T organ and David Basinger's King Curtis sax.  Hardly anybody does it this way in this day and age but then again that's a good thing.  One should never forget the Stax groove, or how soul music used to be before Rap and bad R and B made it a thing of the past.

Post Script:  I tried to shake things up by posting some songs with links from You Tube.  Alas to my disappointment, I lost the most of the top ten but thanks to quick thinking and cut and paste everything was saved.  Usually the posting gets released to public consumption on Wed morning but as you can see this got posted on Tuesday.    Also, as you can tell I try to post the more obscure songs via You Tube.  I figured that the average reader can seek out the videos and music on their own free will unless it's something that you just gotta hear, then I post the link myself.   But I do find trying to post links from reliable sources can be very much time consuming.  In my own way I still try my best to preserve the legacy of Louis Jordan or The Road in some way or another but it's good to know I'm not the only one that feels the same way.  After all, I had at least 5 different sources of She's Not There to choose from and chose the best one.  And so it goes.

And finally, it was 40 years ago this week that Led Zeppelin 4 was released to the public with glowing reviews.   And that my friends was a big event as you can tell!