Top Ten Of The Week-Need More Cowbell

Hi Kids

Time for another installment of the Top Ten Of The Week.  Plenty to choose from since I took my discman to work and started using that.  It has G protection which means I can put it in my pocket and go do my job while listening to some tunes.  Good or Bad, rock or blues or even a bit of faux paus.  Whatever that means, just trying to be cute, which I'm not.  But first.....

Ronnie Montrose ended up taking his own life rather to continue to be tortured by cancer.  Regardless it's a shame and tragedy to take that way out but then again when one is in so much pain perhaps that's the only way out.  Either way Ronnie is still missed.

The new Dr John album Locked Down is his best since Gumbo and a return to the voodoo style of music that he did with Gris-Gris although I wasn't much a big fan of that album.  Dan Auerbach, the Black Keys extraordinaire dude gives a great production and Dr. John's backing band gives him that tight New Orleans Voodoo flair that has been missing over the past four decades.  Certainly worth picking up, even though it's in those fucked up digipacks that everybody seems to want nowadays.

With Sonic on 33rd closed down, and sold off, it's doubtful that Sonic will ever return to this area.  But I guess Kum N Go have acquired the property and will turn it into another convenience store.  Just what we need right, especially when there's a Kum n Go on Kirkwood Blvd and another one on First Avenue getting ready to open.  But then again, I'm hoping they will have a kitchen area like the new stores.  Their pizza is very good and better than Casey's in terms of on the go pizza.

Jim Marshall, the dude who pioneered those Marshall Amps passed away last week at age 88.  Heaven must be needing some Marshall stacks up there right?  Speaking of which, slappa of the bass and more cowbell is needed.  The Top Ten Awaits.


1.  (Don't Fear) The Reaper-Blue Oyster Cult 1976  Overplayed yes and more cowbell too but it sounded pretty good on my piece of shit purple car's speakers on the way to work.  Normally the back speakers don't work unless the temps warm up.  The 94 Corsica has lived a nice long life but it's falling apart due to rust and bad tires and the GD thing leaks gas when I park it after using it.  Eventually I'm going to get a new car or something more recent than two decades ago.

2.  Ain't Got No Money-Bob Seger 1978   Like his label buddy Steve Miller, Seger hung around for Capitol for many years (except for a two album liaison with Reprise/Palladium which gave us Smoking OPs, Back In 72 and Seven, oops he record seven for them, too lazy to change it moving on...) and then hit the big time with Live Bullet and gave us Night Moves and Stranger In Town, both 8 track classics in my high school years.  A cover version of Frankie Miller, this song borrows too much from The Fire Down Below but since I got Stranger In Town before Night Moves, this was the go to song.  His Springsteen type of stuff got him classic rock status, but the early years showcased him as a hard edged Detroit rocker that influenced Kid Rock.  Found a scratchy copy of this album on CD at the Springville Buy Sell Trade Store that just opened up a week ago.

3.  Something Better-Velvet Elvis 1988   A band from Kentucky that made a album for Enigma and got Mitch Easter to produce it.  They also boasted a petite female drummer too (Sherri McGee) and lead singer Dan Trisko sounded a lot like Tom Petty.   Something that was found for 2 bucks in the Throwaway bin at Half Priced Books the other day.  Most of the first side rocks pretty good, second side not much so but not to the point of falling asleep.

4.  Honey, I Need-The Pretty Things 1965  In all honesty the only time I paid much attention to them was when they put out Savage Eye on Swan Song but back in the old days, The Pretty Things gave The Rolling Stones a run in the slimy world of British R and B and they loved Bo Diddley so much that they took their name from one of his songs (Guess which one?).  Fontana/Polygram put out a 2 CD set back in the 90s that is deleted but Shout Factory cherry picked some of the sides for a Very Best Of that's not too bad, but borrows two many songs from Silk Torpedo and nothing from Savage Eye.  Between the years, they tried to become something like Pink Floyd did with concept albums but gave it up by the time they got around to Freeway Madness in 73.

5.  Soul Stomp-Earl Van Dyke And The Soul Brothers 1965  You may not know the name but you have heard him play.  If you think otherwise any Motown song you hear back in those days, Earl Van Dyke was leading the band.  Barry Gordy kept a tight leash on him, only letting him record two albums and handful of singles for Soul (part of the Motown house of labels).  In terms of soul instrumentals, Van Dyke and The Funk Brothers gave Booker T and The MG's a run for the money and this song actually tromps them.  Hip O Select recently gave Earl Van Dyke his due with a very generous 2 CD set of everything Van Dyke played under his own name (and James Jamerson too, Jamerson best bass player ever).  Worth seeking out just for disc one but it's pricey.  You're better off with the 20th Century Masters of The Funk Brothers that came out 10 years ago on the heels of the Standing In The Shadows Of Motown movie.

6.  Daddy I Know-Dr West's Medicine Show And Junk Band (Norman Greenbaum)  1967  Better known for The Eggplant That Ate Chicago, Dr. West Band is a jug band that was way out there.  Sundazed compiled a overview album of this band (now out of print and overpriced to not sell) but some of the highlights were captured on Spirit In The Sky: The Best Of Norman Greenbaum.  Like this little ditty.

7.  Red Roses For  A Blue Lady-Bert Kaempfert 1964  Easy listening classic to which probably has no basis to being here on the Top Ten but I listen to everything.  Bert produced some demos for the Beatles on the failed Decca Recordings but he was better known for putting out easy swinging music such as Red Roses.  Actually this song the album sounded quite well for me at work while trying to clear up a paper rip inside a piece of shit refinished printers that our employers bought on the cheap.  Which is probably why muzak works better than KDAT, you don't hear them playing crap like Sheryl Crow or Hey Soul Sister or Broken Wings every other hour.  More Bert, less Sheryl.

8.  Move Over-Steppenwolf 1969  Back then when Steppenwolf released a 45, I had to run up to the Webster City Woolworth's to get it although I think there was a hardware store that sold me the forty five of this song.  Jerry Edmonton, very underrated drummer.

9.  When It Comes To You-John Anderson 1992  From Seminole Wind to which I think I gave a title track a shout out when Anderson came to the Linn County Fair of last year.  Features Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits on guitar and who wrote the song.

10.  Round And Round-Edgar Winter Group 1972  Bob Dorr does it again.  He played my requests over the weekend, one was Leaving Here which was the stereo version to my shock and awe and the second was this forgotten forty five off They Only Come Out At Night.  Actually that album had another failed single with Hanging Around as well but then again classic rock radio has a stilted memory.  They won't play that song nor Round And Round but they have been from time to time play the overplayed Frankenstein and Free Ride to which the 45 version varied differently from the album cut.  Too damn bad Sony Music has never put that version out on CD nor updated They Only Come Out At Night with bonus tracks either.  Nevertheless, Backtracks, Saturday Night on Iowa Public Radio is the place to tune in when you want to hear how FM radio was back in the 70s.  To which you can only dream about it now and not the rehashed overplayed garbage that used to mean something.

In other words....More Cowbell man. http://www.laughness.com/snl-gotta-have-more-cowbell-original-skit.1126

 Pawnshop Cds that was found this week:

Bush-Razorblade Suitcase
Grateful Dead-Bear's Choice (history of Volume 1)
Butch Walker-Left Of Self Centered
Institute-Distort Yourself
Dr. John-Locked Down (new)
Blue Oyster Cult-Agents Of Fortune (expanded, 4.99 at Best Buy)
Gov't Mule-Deja Voodoo
Wynton Marsalis/Eric Clapton-Play The Blues