Another radio legend has departed the airwaves. Larry Lujack, perhaps the most famous of all people born in Quasqueton Iowa and became one of the finest DJs ever in the Chicago area passed away from cancer, age 73. I remember him in the days of WLS in the early 70s being the best DJ in a team that had Tommy Edwards (Larry's sidekick), John Landecker and many others. But for the former Larry Blankenburg, he became the Superjock, and his dry sense of humor paved the way for the likes of Howard Stern. Larry was a avid golfer, even playing 18 holes in 27 below zero weather. To which he collapsed soon afterward. In 1998 he moved to New Mexico but did managed to return to the airwaves at a couple Chicago stations before retiring in 2006.
On the subject of: Ratings again!
This month just might be the best ever for people visiting this website, although I'm sure the numbers are a bit inflated by Blogspot themselves. I've been to the top of the mountain with 927 one day and back down to the familiar valley below with 38 views 4 days later. If it seems that I been posting more this month, I have. Nothing much to do when you're stuck indoors and many people that you knew dead or dying. With less than two weeks left in this crappy year (and yes it has been more crappy than last year) there's still the end of year report, a couple more top tens and a hooray we're finally free message to pen, I'm sure there will be more deaths to report, more bitchings about the weather to report and perhaps a few more rant and raves to do before this is all over. And more of the roller coaster ride of ratings to which 243 of you stopped to visit me yesterday. And rest assured that we'll be over 38 views at least for today. But there's always tomorrow.
As I get older, it seems that it's getting mighty tougher to talk tunes anymore, even for myself while blogging or talking that the words just don't flow out like they used to, or I'm repeating myself on the top tens and seeing the conversation going nowhere. It's a bitch trying to even type out words while the brain and fingers are not on the same page. And while it's nice to have bloated ratings, not one of the 927 viewers left any comments which makes me wonder if I actually had that many read The Goodbye Charlie Top Ten that somehow shot all the way to the second most view blog ever. Unless the readers aren't smart enough to figure out the Captcha words and numbers to post things. And even for me that's a bitch trying to figure out the words and numbers too. It's a bitch trying to continue to blog and think up of a top ten that will get people motivated enough to seek out the tunes on the charts. Even Luke Films haven't given us This Song Sucks like he used to. The internet world awaits for the next one but like Luke I don't get much in terms of comments outside of Tad unless it's either trolls or bots leaving illegal drug sites as comments.
And so the world continues. Gas prices goes up on bad news and good news. And we never know how much behind the scenes big oil and corporations do their best to fuck over the consumer. We have never pumped so much more oil out of the ground and gas prices continue to still go up. If it goes under 3 dollars a gallon, something happens and it goes back over 3 dollars once again. The second term of Obama has meant nothing, Congress does even less. I don't think change back into the good old days will return. The only hope you can have is to win the lottery and somebody in Georgia and California won the big one. Which leaves the rest of the world cussing abut it all and going back to work.
Well, with less than a week left for Christmas and still trying to figure out what to get for my dad for a present, winter has return big time this year, blanketing this area with snow the first weekend of December and then if it ain't cold one day, it's snowing the next and then another ice storm. We gotten by with two of the best Decembers last couple years of no snow but this year it seems it's make up time again. I get an appointment to get the car's oil change next Monday, only to find that Mother Natures plans to have another fucking snowstorm on the weekend to add 8 more fucking white shit to make get around a bitch and adding more salt to a new car that I got this year. Welcome to winter, another fucking snowstorm.
So as I continue to struggle to retype the fucking words to this blog (add to respell continue 10 times) and try not to leave out keywords, thank God (type "that" for the third straight time, now you see how much I hate life, too many demons) we have enough music variety on CD and on record to keep my sanity up. But I'm fighting a losing battle. It's been that way since 10:50 PM on a fucking snowy January night almost 53 years ago next month. And someday it will end.
Don't know when but it's closer than we think.
On the subject of Duck Dynasty and Phil Robertson...I don't watch Duck Dynasty so I don't really care about what Phil Robertson says about gay people. But living in a mainstream world to which the slightest of things are blown out of proposition, anything said a oncoming train-wreck. His beliefs are his own but I do think GQ did blow the comment out of whack. Just like of the dufus on Sisters Wives that he can have as many women he wants as long as the certificate says he's married to one. I don't get that one but then again I don't believe in what the Dufus on Sister Wives does anyway. The channel stays off. Just like Honey Boo Boo and most of the reality crap that's on all of the cable channels. I believe that TV had more to offer 20 or 30 years ago and even the 4 major networks, PBS and a independent station before cable. I have gay friends and they live their lives very well. Doesn't affect me and neither shall it you.
My final reviews of new reissues come from Real Gone and the results of their 5 dollar sale on some CDs that I bought.
SHOES-35 Years
David Peel-Have A Marijuana
The Hello People-Fusion
Wilderness Road-Sold For The Prevention Of Disease Only
Gordon Anderson continues to dig deep into the vaults of the major labels to put out forgotten classics and put together best ofs from bands that deserved better. Thus Shoes, Zion Illinois power pop kings has always have a much airy and poppier sound than of their Illinois brothers Cheap Trick and certainly the best thing that Shoes ever did was to hang on to their masters after Elektra finished with them and didn't think they were reissuing, which I find that hard to believe if Wounded Bird would have issued their Elektra albums, Present Tense the best of the bunch. The first Shoes Best Of CD, captured prime moments of their album up to 1987, 35 Years, for better or worse, refines and weeds out the lesser known for different songs although I don't agree dropping Boys Don't Lie in favor of Okay on 35 Years. This will not provoke me into giving up Shoes Best but sitting side by side with that 35 Years gives us the fact that Shoes were a very good power pop band that was too pop for rock radio. I'm more in favor of having them in the RnRHOF more than Cat Stevens or even Hall And Oates for that matter but it does have their best Elektra singles (Too Late and Tomorrow Night) along with She Satisfies. In fact, 11 of the 21 tracks do come from the 3 Elektra albums that Shoes had on with 5 songs from Present Tense. Shoes still hang on more to their past by adding 7 new replacements from Shoes Best and only new track from their last album in 2012. Unlike their counterparts 20/20 Shoes never really left the power pop field, they still sound like 1979 and forever happy that way. But it's a toss up between this and Shoes Best, the former wins out with a slightly better song selection but 35 years gives you key tracks to the forgotten Stolen Wishes album, a record that just as good, if just a little more slight than Present Tense.
As for David Peel, Have A Marijuana is his 1968 Elektra anti classic, with odes to the noble weed, cops are jerks and lets all get stoned and smoke more weed. Critics never liked him, Robert Christgau gave him the all time worst grade with 1972 Apple album The Pope Smokes Dope and didn't care for H.A.M either. But he takes his cues from The Fugs in protest music and it's hippy dippie folk music at best, but you had to be there to enjoy it. The CD came out earlier in the year with David Peel signing his name to a few inlay cards and even for Real Gone Music it didn't sell very well. In fact they threw in a autographed copy for me. Now, if Real Gone releases forgotten singer David Lannan's 1970 album for San Francisco label, that will make headwaves. And would sell even less copies.
(David Lannan passed away around 2011 with little fanfare, he did record an CD in 2006 titled No War For Oil that you can get from CD Baby, but this the best eulogy anybody can give him here) http://www.doubleintenders.com/david-lannan
The Hello People an interesting band of musicians when they played live dressed up as mines' and would not talk to the audience when they were playing their music and they recorded a few albums for Phillips, the second album Fusion that got enough interest for RGM to reissue it for the first time. Bill Stymsyk recorded the album, he'd later found fame and fortune producing the J. Geils Band and The Eagles. In some ways, this kinda reminds me of what The Association would sounded like if they were listening to jazz and had a flute player in the band, or The Millennium. Or a dry sense of humor Lovin Spoonful on Pray For Rain although side two falls flat on the 6 and half minute Come And See Me. But on a positive, their Jelly Jam is pretty good jazz rock, something that Mick Abrahams would take to heart on Blodwyn Pig. Worth points in the cult status field but my favorite album The Handsome Devils, had Todd Rundgren producing and their sole top 50 song with Future Shock in 1975 which by then, only Larry Tasse and Bobby Sedita remained from the Fusion album, with ex Remains drummer N D Smart on board.
But perhaps the best of the bunch was Wilderness Road's 1973 Reprise album Sold For The Prevention Of Disease Only. They sounded like Poco after drinking too much Redbull and having way too much radical in their songs to make them not radio friendly. Not so much on the highlight The Gospel which is basically a snapsnot of gospel radio today, full of commercials of Sunday racing, giving your money to the Rev and has to be heard to really be believed. Hell, it calls out FOX news a good two years before that propaganda network was born. Technically, this is a satire album played with country rock goodness, even to the final track The Authentic British Blues to which lead singer sings in the way of the Isley Brothers' Shout Now Wait A Minute and after singing that, it comes to the end. An actual minute of silence to end the record on a strange note but reading the liner notes it all makes sense. The main songwriters would actually go on to be part of All Things Considered on Public Radio. SFTPODO is that lost classic to which it's fun to rediscover what was missed on the underground radio. By even by 1973 standards, Wilderness Roads was even too underground for FM radio. The way it goes.
Grades:
Shoes-35 Years A-
David Peel-Have A Marijuana B
The Hello People-Fusion B+
Wilderness Road-Sold For The Prevention Of Disease Only A-
Oh, PSA...When Neil Young plays you do not text, otherwise this will happen: http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2012/12/if-you-text-during-neil-young-concert.html#.UT5GiLfaPnw.blogger
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