10 years ago, Duh Pickle Bush and his war monger buddy Darth Chaney invaded Iraq looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction and ended up doing nothing but prolonging a war that never should have started and we're still in that other wasteland Dumfuckastan losing more soldiers and continuing to cost us money while corporations continue to get tax breaks. Enough of the bullshit Obama, bring the boys back home. Add Donald Rumfeld and you got the true axis of evil from ten years ago. Mission accomplished? Bullshit!
This year has sucked from January 1 onward, the ground hog lied, we get either snowstorms or too much rain to get water in the basement, I'm losing my job in the process and now my Discman of 12 years got broke all because of a GD jam in a POS printer tonight. Don't think going to Minnesota to continue to deal with junk printers and managers up there that won't take your call. May have to take the money and sit on my ass for a year to figure out the next step.
But in the meantime there's always the top ten of the week.
1. Give It To Get It-Steve Gaines (1988) It’s a shame that Steve Gaines passed in that tragic flight in 1977 that claimed Ronnie Van Zant and Cassie Gaines. Granted Street Survivors was the best Lynyrd Skynyrd album and when Steve joined the band, they were the best. On the side, Steve made a batch of demos to which MCA put out in 1988 that showed that he was pretty damn good songwriter as well. I was watching CMT last night and they had on Southern Rock and talked about the rise of southern rock (Allman Bros) and the end (the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash), but southern rock never really went away. It’s still around the country stations. Skynyrd is still around although Gary Rossington and Billy Powell are the last living links to the original members and though Johnnie Van Zant can sing em, he just can’t write them like Ronnie. Ronnie was a very good observationist. For sure.
2. Ghost Riders In The Sky-The Outlaws (1980) Hughie Thomassen played in Skynyrd for about ten years before reforming The Outlaws before passing away himself. Back around 1980 though, he did a rousing version of this oldtime country song and made a top ten hit with it. In fact, I found the cd to this album. What can I say? I have a knack of finding things.
3. Dallas-The Flatliners (1972) Wait long enough and Half Priced Books throws things into the bargain bins and they did with this minor country classic from a band that featured Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock although while listening to this I was wondering what the fuck that oddball noise in the background, turned out to be Steve Wesson playing a musical saw! It has been done before or after, Ozark Mountain Daredevils played a wobbly saw on Chicken Train on their classic S/T album.
4. In The Blood-Better Than Ezra (1995) A holdover from last week, I have been on a Better Than Ezra kick. Still like Deluxe, their Elektra/Swell debut a lot more than other turds they dropped later in the decade. As for that voodoo mix of Porcelin on their best of...what were they thinking?
5. Yellow Coat-Steve Goodman (1972) Without Steve Goodman there wouldn’t be John Prine. I love this lyric that Steve sings about meeting up a ex love interest...I wish you wouldn’t look at me that way. And I wish you wouldn’t too either ;-)
6. Please-The Kaleidoscope (1967) Early band led by David Lindley, this is their most straight ahead ballad. Strange how CBS/Epic issued this on CD back around 1991. Even the dumbass at CDs Plus knew nothing about them when they opened up around that time. It was supposed to be the alternative to the smokey Relics store that I used to hang out. At least Relics lasted longer than the dumbass that said that. I think he mutated into Dick Cheney. (okay i’ll stop with the cheney bites)
7. Inside Job-Little Village (1992) Minor league super group that had John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner in it. The album you can get for a about two bucks shipping and handling at Amazon.com. That’s the problem with minor league super groups, like the majors, they never last. And BTW Fleetwood Mac, keep Sheryl Crow out of your band.
8. Between The Lines-Stone Temple Pilots (2010) Say what you want about the loose nut that is Scott Wieland but I enjoyed his time in Velvet Revolver and the many comebacks he did with STP before they got tired of his jive and gave him the boot but upon reviewing the STP output for the RS Review Consortium (It's still there and going on from time to time) that I find their S/T 2010 is their most pop ever and although critics never gave them more credo, I have actually found them more entertaining than the grunge bands of the 90s (Soundgarden, Alice In Chains etc etc) but they were more straight line rock than the flannel of Seattle. Core being the second to Shangri la Dee Whatever in least interesting STP albums out there but lots of folk overlook their final effort. I like it fine myself.
9. Going For The Pastor-Grand Funk Railroad (1976) Produced by Frank Zappa, this album tanked big time but it’s probaly my favorite Grand Funk album since it rocks pretty hard. I know that I concluded my Kirkwood Radio Show with this song once. Didn’t land me any job at KCCK, they play jazz ya kno?
10. Hang On To Your Life-The Guess Who (1971) And finally a lost classic from that band from Canada that gave us Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman although Bachman was long gone when this song came out. Dig the Jim Morrison fixtation at the end of this song. Scared the hell out me when Jeff Kewley played the album version for me (and I had the edited forty five instead).
Five covers of note:
When The Time Comes-The Sand Rubies (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
Forever Came Today-The Backsliders (Eric Ambel & Roscoe's Gang)
I'm Not Your Steppin Stone-The Monkees (Paul Revere & The Raiders)
Claudette-Dwight Yoakam (Roy Orbinson)
The End-The Townedgers (The Doors)
After leading the pack in most researched name, Pat Travers is two behind Samantha Fish for the top spot. Ratings are holding average. The interest is still there.
Today is the first day of spring. And we still got snow on the ground. Never trust a Pennsylvania Groundhog to predict any weather here. Fuck Puxatyory Phil and his freaky top hat mutten chop dudes.
Last word comes from a dying vet pretty much saying my feelings about the Iraqi war of 10 years running and the two idiots behind that. http://dangerousminds.net/comments/dying_vets_fuck_you_letter_to_george_bush_dick_cheney_needs_to_be_read
Couldn't said it any better myself.
Airfares to Phoenix are still cheap so perhaps another AZ Trip is coming into the future. While making the comments about returning to Zia's Records and buying them out, they proceeded to leave this in the Crabb Mailbox.
Zia Records
If I get out there in June, it will be so hot that I'll be a baked Crabb by then. As they say Zia's Rocks!
2 comments:
Crabby: The Outlaws' GHOST RIDERS album is pretty great -- I get deep in2 the 2nd side B4 I get bored or fed-up. Sevral classics on there, "Ghost Riders," "Devil's Road," "I Can't Stop Loving You," etc. 4 country-rock, pretty great, & it MOVES. Never heard much else by them that grabbed me, tho. Keep rockin!
Ghost Riders got plenty of airplay in 1980 on rock radio but radio won't touch them now. Side 2 does drag a bit. My favorite Outlaws remains their first with Green Grass And High Tides and hit single There Goes Another Love Song. When Henry Paul played in the band they had more country leanings, On Ghost Riders Freddie Salem replaced him and gave the band a harder edge sound. In the Eye Of The Storm was just as good but it didn't do well on the charts. I may have to rediscover their catalog and see what I missed the first time. Cheers Tad!
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