The last post of 2020

 

Good evening and welcome to our final post for 2020.  Nolen Vaughn (Via TPL Models-Photo credit) is our pin up girl  for the month.  In the most of a crappy year, TPL Models have been the place to find the up and coming future pinup dolls.  You can find them at Facebook including the outlaw Jane Dillon   Jane can be found once in a while at Poopy's in Savannah Illinois in the summer.    Nice girls but don't do them wrong.  Bennie Gonzales, great camera work, beautifully and tastefully done, with a little bit of naughty on the side.

So we finally made it.  The last day of a year to forget.  The COVID, the closing of Ramsey's, Vaudeville Mews, the August Shit storm that tore apart this area.  The Political Shitstorm, with the hated Ashley Hinson joining Phony Joni and Chuckles Grassley and the rest of the bullshit that is Iowa's congress.  And the biggest turnout in history to finally rid of Donald Trump, who continues to fight to keep himself as King....dictator....President.  And continues to lose every time he goes to the courts, even with his very own people installed.  Perhaps there might be some sort of justice after all.   I'm not sold on Joe Biden but he has to be better than what we had for the past four years.  The ones that should have been voted did, get elected again.  For your reward, Mr. I Forbid McConnell isn't about to give you 2000 dollar stimulus checks. 

But this is not about politics, this was about music and records and the amazing finds out there.  And 2020 had its share of great finds.  It was the return of Beaker Street that got Record World started up again. And for this site, the ratings are the usual. we did have 3225 views of our archives and latest stories.  But I'm sure most of the views came from me as I was researching what I found for music. This is my 69th post of the year, which was twice more than the last two years put together.   I don't think we gain much of a following, the comment section was bare with the exception of a couple comments. This month we should clear 2600 views.   The most viewed was the Marion Revisited at 356 views and a distant second the Hee Haw Top Ten.  In fact, all the ten most viewed came from the archives and the most recent post was the the rest of the Madison records of July.  Rock N Roll And The Brains remains the all time most viewed.  

The intent of the Brains blog was the keep the band alive and in memory, but at the same I rediscovered Tom Gray and Delta Moon. Other blogs about Swinging Steaks and Mom's Apple Pie did get some interest going in those bands and that's all that matter, from this viewpoint.  I don't know how many countless I have spent blogging about records and other things, In 18 years doing some sort of blog, I have lived about 15 years on the internet and for my effort, got carpel tunnel and replacing 20 keyboards and four computers. The Dell lasted 12 years, this piece of shit Lenovo 7 years.  And as mentioned in the previous 2020 overview this site has been renamed a couple times, from  Crabby's Top Ten To R S Crabb Music and Reviews and to the more anonymous and generic Record World. 

The idea of Record World was to get away from political satire and pointed commentary to the search for the ultimate record collection and try to find the majority of singles that I grew up with listening to when we visited Grandma Ambrose in Illinois.  Piece by piece, I begin to find them, in junk shops, Goodwill and Salvation Army to Moondog Music or Mad City Music X, and of course Half Price Books.   And documented them through various Singles Going Steady (69 volumes Dude).  In the process, my collection of Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, Paul Anka and Don Williams exploded.  Oh, and Don Gibson too.  These artists were the connection to my past.  

Returning back to 45s and dollar CDs, mostly going to find 45's is my return to what started my music buying habits.  It's true they don't make 45's anymore (except for special order or the expensive RSD museum pieces) but the kindness of strangers and donations kept me discovering music from the past I wasn't exposed to.  Countless trips to St Vincent De Paul and Madison and Waterloo I managed to find a lot of the classic R and B stuff, usually Atlantic and Motown stuff.  The Motown stuff was a bit harder to find but I did score some this year and most of the Atlantic stuff came from Waterloo, Lavern Baker, Ruth Brown, The Drifters, even jazz singer Chris Connor, and unknowns like The Lone Twister and The Four Casts.  And of course RCA's country artists and....yes...Elvis.  Most of the finds were country or pop, sometimes garbage.  The garbage got donated back.  I took notes on the SGS blogs and commented on the good and on the bad.  Sometime I was mistaken but I think overall I had a good success rate finding the forgotten hits of the golden age of rock and beyond. 

Everybody gets tired after a while.  Some of my fave blogs about records and music have shut down for four or five years.  The blog I got the Eddie Holland singles has been quiet for over four years.  Even my West Coast buddy Tracy Deaton doesn't post much anymore.   Family and playing in bands play a role in less blogging.  Next year will more of the same.  I'm approaching sixty and to be honest, I'm winding down. It's odd that I can listen to just about anything, Martin Stoloff's Theme From Picnic to Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath to punk and country and jazz.  And I think that variety stems from Grandma's Box of records, to which I'm sure my mom and the excommunicated Aunt Virginia. I do think about her from time to time when I found Long Train Running by the Doobie brothers in my collection.  I think Virginia did got rid of her records a long time ago, but somehow that one stayed in my collection. 

I love to talk about records, it's easy to see.  And probably why Record World kept going, despite no ratings in the SGS department.  It's a labor of love but also a reference for me, and of course to those who managed to take the scans of my records and take them to 45 cat or other places.  I suppose it's easier to find them over there than here.   But I am somewhat surprised nobody has mentioned Alan Roberts My Sins. If nothing else, you can still use my scan of this forgotten 45.  I'm certain somebody will. 

2021 will see me go through another year of bargain hunts, to scope out lost treasures of the past and try to maintain it the best way that I can.  Life is never guaranteed; we will people passing away, we'll have shitstorms to deal with and of course the other poppycock.  To the departed relatives and friends that I known (Tommy Patterson, Irene Leeson, Joyce Bettis, David Shindoll) I'll remember you in this sentence.  The archives will still be here,  Beaker Street will continue and life will go on.  And I'm sure I'll be back again to trumpet the latest finds.  To Jules, you have been a part of this life for over three years and if you can put up with my record finding ways, you will earn your angel wings.   To my parents, thank God you're still alive. Ditto to my brother who might be outhoarding me in the DVD department.  I think we have a nice antique store in the future.

For future song list for future Beaker Street shows, go here: https://beakerstreetsetlists.com/

Tyler Vincent will continue to archive and compile the playlists every friday night or thereabouts.  I really don't feel the need to continue on what I think.  Clyde Clifford will continue to play the Beaker Street faves and discoveries from the past.  My work is done.

Congratulations, we have made it through 2020.

 

The Best Of 2020 In Music

As we come to the end of a year to forget, there is still a reminder that new music is still out there and still being released. 

That said, 2020 is the year that I quit caring about the new music.  Let's face it, I have become your Grandparents back in the 70s, when they stayed with big band era music, or if you had cool grandparents, a decent collection of old time rock and roll or, to a lesser extent, pop music.  Nowadays, with most music being hip hop or rap influenced, my attention span was too short to care.  Tho the catch phase would be WAP, the song of the year by Cardi B, our favorite rapper.  Who makes eating butt sound easier than take out.  A acquired taste for sure but the smarter people know better.  No matter how much ketchup or Bar B Q sauce, or whip cream you have, it's still going taste like desperation and misery.  Which is the most of the music of 2020 had to offer.

As I go back through my archives to recall the best of the past 10 years and come to find out that the majority of my bests of those years I haven't played much, if at all.  So You Want To Be A Cowboy, still gets a few plays and it remains the best album Steve Earle issued in the 2010s.  And my good friend Mike Eldred's 61 and 49 holds up well, tho I continue to forget to listen to it on my bargain hunting trips.  I'm sure that Robert Christgau doesn't play the best albums either.  I've got 7 decades of music to choose from and each year, every new release fights with the rest of the recorded music of the past.  Nobody has time to listen to each and every thing that came out.  We don't have enough time in our life to do that.  Maybe in the great afterlife, with infinite time I can managed to hear most of it.  But to be honest, new music recordings sound like dogshit. The loudness factor is still there and digital can't compete with analog music anyway.  And then we have to deal with digipaks that have the cd inside, which makes it hard to play out in the car.

Looking at Pitchfork's picks of the best of 2020, I knew nothing of any of the artists with the exception of Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Fleet Foxes and Fiona Apple, the latter to which I may consider looking for if I find it used.   Bad Bunny or Burma Boy, no clue and not interested.  NPR's best, was also greeted with a raspberry, but somehow I was surprised that Rolling Stone Mag did chose a lot more rock artists, before giving Taylor Swift's Folklore the number one spot.   There's still good music being released, and will continue to be released as long as you know where to look for it.  

My purchasing new music this year dwindled from last year and the problem was, if I didn't know the artist or goof ball rapper or country music artist, I passed on but still found new stuff from the artists from the past.  Blue Oyster Cult came back and among the five live documents, they snuck in The Symbol Remains, an inessential but fun sounding album to which BOC didn't sound this animated since Fire Of Unknown Origin and partly of Albert Bouchard coming to sing and play cowbell on one song.  Albert also revisited Imaginos with a different mind frame and sound.  I have yet to hear that and hopefully will soon.  Green Day came back to make a EP like album that was over and done in 26 minutes.  Steve Earle's album barely made it to 30 minutes.  Neil Young continues to issue a EP and more archival works.  Willie Nelson added one album.  And Bob Dylan came back to forgo the standards to make one more new album. 

To be honest, the best of 2020 is like the whole decade.  I pick the albums that I was mostly familiar with and bought.  Play them and then commit them to the archives or how much Half Price Books will pay me to take them off my hands.    This will be my last top ten for sure, from here on out, I will stick to finding forty fives or dollar cds and let the younger generation continue reviewing them and making their own best of.  The world won't care anyway.  I don't think I care.  So let's just call this, the albums that I'm aware of for 2020.

The best of 2020

Bush-The Kingdom (BMG)

Steve Earle/The Dukes-The Ghosts Of West Virginia (New West)

The Townedgers (Maier)

Four Day Creep-The Devil's Out To Get Me (4DC)

Chris Stapleton-Starting Over (Mercury)

Willie Nelson-First Day Of Spring (Legacy)

Webb Wilder-Night Without Love (Landslide)

Wishbone Ash-Coat Of Arms (SPV)

Body Count-Carnivore (Century Media)

X-Alphabetland (Fat Possom)

In my time of reviewing albums, I never thought that I'd give the best album of the year to Bush, but this record is so good, I played it three times straight.  Of course the album got ignored, corporate rock radio wouldn't touch it, but this is Bush's most rocking album ever.  Given the haphazardness that is 16 Stone, The Kingdom really delivers.   Steve Earle's Ghosts Of West Virginia was another surprise and under a half hour to boot.   The Townedgers returned with their first album since Logic And Lies, tho Logic And Lies was all originals, the S/T album shows R. Smith's love of the obscure and covers of Fred Neil, Little Feat and Moe Bandy.  And takes Rainbow In The Dark to a more folk sound that turns the Dio song upside down.  Local faves 4 Day Creep gives up a album of some of their best originals (Rock Ain't Dead) into rock anthems.  Too bad this record didn't have more to offer.  While people complained that Chris Stapleton lost something from Traveler, I think this is more consistent.  First Day Of Spring continues Willie's winning streak of good albums, Webb Wilder rocks a bit more and Wishbone Ash, out of all the old rock bands made the best album, while Andy Powell begins to show more of a progressive rock feel.  Body Count is getting more metal and thrash sounding and X returns to their punk roots for a album that's half great and half good.

The next batch.

Brandy Clark-Your Life Is A Jukebox (Warner)

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard- K.G (KG Recordings)

Blue Oyster Cult-The Symbol Remains (Frontiers)

Dream Syndicate-The Universe Inside (ANTI)

Green Day-Father Of All M.F.s (Reprise)

Brothers Osborne-Skeletons (EMI Nashville)

Bob Dylan-Rough And Rowdy Ways (Columbia)

Deep Purple-Whoosh (Edel/Ear  Music)

Drive By Truckers-The Gathering (ATO)

Ac/Dc-PWR Up (Albert/Columbia)

While Dylan got rave reviews on Rough And Rowdy Ways, I found it hard to stay awake to.  King Gizzard last album nailed metal music big time, this time out they take on electronica with a jam band vibe.  Still a pretty good effort.  Brandy Clark got screwed by Warner Music by delaying this record for a year and a half and by the time this record came out, the public moved over to Ashley McBryde, who's Never Will album slumped a bit.  I enjoyed Brandy's work more but in the future I'll take a look at Ashley's albums.   Blue Oyster Cult came back with a good but overstuffed comeback album. Not enough Buck Dharma, too much of Richie Castelleno and too many filler songs toward the end.  The Dream Syndicate went all out hippie trippy beginning with a 20 minute jam that bleeds into another song.  A return to the days of Wine and Roses but in this case, you cannot go back to the past.   Green Day really stripped down their sound, hooking up with Butch Walker and put together an album that squeaks past 26 minutes.  Of course it didn't sell but I admire them for trying.  Brothers Osborne made their rock move and it cost them their country fan base but I enjoyed the records.  DBT's made the best Trump protest album and AC DC got everybody back again to rock out.  Too bad Brendan O Brien and Mike Fraser blotched the recording, this screams out analog.  

The Rest

Brett Eldredge-Sunday Drive (Warner)

Ozzy Osbourne-Ordinary Man (Epic)

Lamb Of God (Epic)
Gordon Lightfoot-Solo (Warner Canada)

Neil Young-The Times (Reprise)

The Strokes-The New Abnormal (RCA)

Nathaniel Rateliff-And It's Still Alright (Stax)

I really have no business reviewing Lamb Of God.  They're extreme metal/thrash and a guaranteed headache, but there's a sense of melody in the noise presented to me.  Brett Eldredge took a major gamble from his winning country rap pop formula and went straight MOR, which isn't too bad.  He got the producers of Kacey Musgraves' Happy Hour and his results is as similar as hers.  Only problem was country fans didn't buy it either.  Ozzy's album isn't as miserable or bad as Mark Prindle would say, but like Mark, I don't think I'd be playing this very much.  A surprise of the year was Gordon Lightfoot doing a solo album, which is just Gordon himself.  His best years are way behind him, but some songs here do strike a chord (Just A Little Bit, Why Not Give It A Try).  Neil Young's The Times was a EP, as long as Green Day's album but when we needed protest music, Young dropped the ball on this. Outside of Looking For A Leader 2020, this record is screaming for Crazy Horse, or Promise Of The Real.  As for the final two, The Strokes with Rick Rubin are boring and Nathaniel Rateliff without his band, is basically Yacht rock for the My Morning Jacket folk.  Of these 7 albums, the last three would have made the Turkey albums.

Reissues 

Neil Young-Homegrown (Reprise)

Neil Young-Tuscaloosa (Reprise)

Buck Owens Complete Capitol Singles (Omnivore) 

The Bobbettes-I Shot Mr. Lee (Jasmine)  

2020 was the year of reissues, but somehow I either wasn't impressed with them or I thought the world didn't need another remastered 50 year collection of the regular album and pointless outtakes. .  Polydor's Goat Head's Soup finally make sense that GDS wasn't that bad of an album, it actually has held up better than It's Only Rock And Roll and Black and Blue. But then Eagle music reissued a ton of vintage concerts.  only problem was I have no use for Bridges To Babylon or Steel Wheels live.  The only albums that I needed were the fabled Homegrown album that Young threw in the archives for 45 years and Tuscaloosa, which was supposed to be the better choice than Time Fades Away, an album that Young did issue as part of a box set.  All those overpriced RSD albums that came in waves of four, I ignored.  Simply of the fact that they were not cost effective.  Which leads the import Jasmine's Bobbettes Mr. Lee Atlantic singles and the complete Capitol singles of Buck Owens as must own.    I'm sure there's something that I overlook that Collector's Choice might have for sale, or Real Gone Music.  But at this point, it's much too late to get any on the 2020 list before the year is out.

In the final analysis for a year that has been shit from the word go, this best of, is basically a reference for the music that came out that I took note on.  I'm sure Bush didn't have many others that chose The Kingdom to be the best of 2020, in fact I might be the only person that did that.  But to these ears, Gavin Rossdale and company finally made a rock album that they can be proud of and perhaps have a few more listens till my expiration date comes around. Steve Earle has always put out great albums, and his tribute to his late song Justin Townes Earle, will be the one to get in 2021.   But for me, 2020 is the final year of reviewing and tabbing the best of the year.  Chances are most of these will be donated or sold off to buy tacos.  The Weeknd n Cardi B's music is for the young and trendy.  But don't worry too much about me.  There'll always will be cheap music and 45s to find.   

 

2020-A Year Of Crap

 I spend too much time on the internet and social media.  I tend to use the Record World for news and updates and forty fives found but the since the return of Beaker Street, this has been used for their playlist as well as KCCK's and our very own John Heim keeping that tribute to B.S. alive.  I also have The Townedgers' site for documenting the bands that I have been playing in as well as my own adventures.  It's a hobby to document the songs that I play as well and take notes of what happen on that day of the open mic or paying gig.  Record World started out as a music page on the old Mining Company site and later, moved over to MSN Groups, to which survived for about five years before MSN pulled the plug.  And then over to My Space, more blogging that most got deleted after My Space ended blogging there.  Blogspot was the last resort although this site has continued to keep the archives alive.   I started this in 2001 and to think I wasted almost 20 years of my life trying to keep the memory alive of forgotten music and bands and in the end, all I got out was carpel tunnel and 200 views.  It wasn't all a washout,  The Brains and Swinging Steaks paid attention and for a short time, they managed to add me to their website in celebrating their music.

In the course of that 20 years, I have witnessed the end of Tower Records, Wherehouse Music, Disc Go Round, Music Go Round, Relics Records, Rock n Bach Records, The Virgin Music Mart and most of all, Hastings Entertainment, which expanded my music collection by about a 1000 CDs in various bargain hunts in Arizona and for a short time, in Kirksville Missouri and Ames Iowa, to which the latter shut their doors ten years ago.  FYE still is around but has been on life support and the nearest one is in Illinois and about two and half hours away.  A long trek just to waste 20 minutes tops at one in a dying mall.  I have seen the vinyl revival and the demise of the CD, like FYE, CDs are still around but are on life support.  I have managed to resist temptation and order from Amazon since Moondog Music is close by and Madison's music stores 2 and half hours away, but most of my time I been hitting the junk and thrift stores and still finding great music at cheap prices.  The kindness of strangers who donations I have given a new home and perhaps I am waiting till Cds are back in style so I can open my own junk shop in the near future.

2020 has been the year of the COVID, which killed off the music scene, closed the bars down and kept people at home.  If there were open mics and jams, the most diehard ventured out and supported them.  We wore a mask, we washed our hands and we tried to do our best to keep the music alive.  But on the other hand, I ventured out much to the displeasure of my girlfriend, who couldn't stay well enough to venture out.   How we managed to stay together is the best of miracles.  You'd think after three years she would have given up on me and moved on.  Time will tell but we have defied the odds.  A miracle in a year of shit.

But the main story here was the Shitstorm of August 10th that changed the face of Cedar Rapids and places west and south.  A category 4 land hurricane that destroyed houses, buildings, and 80 percent of the trees, this shit storm was worse than the COVID epidemic.  And it ruined  my GF's former place and new place.  I've never seen anybody go through the ringer that she has the past five years and how she managed to get through her trial and tribulations, that she will earn her angel wings to the great beyond.  Five months later, Cedar Rapids is still in tatters but has improved each and every day.  But it will be a long time before things will return back to they once was.  But my GF is a miracle, she has persevered and fought on, even if her significant other was in the corner pulling for her.  To be honest, I did thought she gave up on me and moved on when we didn't speak or see each other for four months.

In that time, I ended up striking up a conversation with a woman who wanted to sing in front of people again and I thought I would encourage her by helping her overcome her fear.  I even managed to give her a couple boxes of albums that I was going to donate to Goodwill but she wanted them.  It turned out she wanted more than just albums, she got obsessive, to which I finally have to boot her out of my life in October.  She couldn't accept the fact that I had a GF and not about to break up.  I haven't seen that woman since October and hopefully never will.

Another crisis was that my Sony Discman player died after 15 years of non stop playing it in the the car on bargain hunts.  The car CD player always marked the CDs up and I wanted something that didn't do that.  I tried about three or four used players till i found a Phillips CD player in August that did the trick and last month another Sony Car discman as well.  So I have now a back up player.  It's a shame that Sony decided to quit making Discman players.   Who knows that 10 years from now the CD might make a comeback and Sony will make cd players again?    As much as I like vinyl, I'm not a fan of paying 20 to 30 dollars on what I could have gotten for 8 or 9 dollars 40 years ago.    I have noticed that I have been finding more 45s of late.  Which is fine by me for it seems I'm returning back to the days that 45s were the only thing that I played before I could afford Lps. 

Bargain hunting this year was one of the weirdest that I ever seen.  I had to postpone one Madison bargain hunt due to the unrest and protests when George Floyd was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police man and riots broke out on State St in May.  The World Naked Bike Ride was postponed due to COVID but the Floyd riots turn State St. in Madison into a war zone.  I did make two trips tho, one in June, to which I got to Mad City Music X too late (they closed at 4 instead of 7) and a return trip a month later.  The second time I could take a bike to State St, but it looked like a war zone with boarded up wndows and half the businesses closed.  After a run in with some white trumper peacenik, I decided I had my fill of the Mad City bargain hunts and called it a day.  Trips were limited to Quad Cities, Iowa City and Dubuque to which I was shocked how many 45s I did find and were in good shape.

What defined 2020 was the bitterness of the POTUS election and even worse, the Iowa Senate races, to which the rural farmers decided that having do nothings like Phony Joni Ernst and No Show Ashley Hinson should be in office.  While Abby Finkenhauer got raked over the coals by the GOP Pacs and outside lobbyists, Abby did her best getting the information out during the August Shitstorm, while Joni and especially Ashley hid in their own bunker, only to appear when the POTUS made a 15 minute bathroom break in August.  And somehow bullshitted enough people to elect her.  Which made no sense whatsoever.   Even Mariette Miller-Meeks, who couldn't defeat Dave Lobseck, managed to eek out a 9 vote victory over Rita Hart.  So that's all we have in our part of the state, worthless GOP women who will do nothing for the common voter.  Maybe MMM might be the best of the three stoogettes, but I doubt it.  Somehow the ignorant or the Russians (or both) managed to get Moscow Mitch McConnell, Wafflehead Lindsay Graham and a few other GOP do nothings reelected this year.

If 2016 revealed the lack of voters going to the polls and having Donald Trump sneaked in there, with the help of the electorial college, 2020 got everybody off their collected asses and while Trump got 71 million votes, Joe Biden got 77 million at least, to which Trump retreated to the bathroom to complain about the fake voters and fake news on Twitter, or off to play golf every Saturday afternoon, and pardoning just about everybody connected to him or his family.  Long before he decided on a whim to run for POTUS, I never liked the guy and even in 2002 I didn't care for the guy.  And then the shock of the world as he became POTUS, but he serves the honor of being a two time loser in the President race.  The Electorial College got him in the first time, the second time the states he won, he lost.  To this day, he continue to sue and deny that he lost.  We have less than a month left to put up with his rhetoric, and his nonsense on Twitter.  Not that Biden was a better choice, but rather a vote against Trump and his family and friends.   Trump got very few of the urban vote but most of the rural vote.   Tho, I did give Trump kudos for suggesting that Americans should get 2000 a month (rather than the paultry 600 dollar that McConnell prefer) he continues to pardon the liar and sabotages antics of Paul Manfort, Flynn, Roger Stone and the rest of the money grubbing fucks.  He didn't drain the cesspool, he flooded the whole lot.   

2020 was the year of death.  Matt Blair, Paul Horuning, Gayle Sears, Kevin Greene, Ron Rigby, Don Shula and many others of the NFL, The Cardinals lost not only Bob Gibson but also Lou Brock.  And let us not forget the musicians that left this world in 2020: Leslie West, Little Richard, Eddie Van Halen, Jeffrey Jeff Walker, John Prine, Billy Jo Shaver, K T Ostin, Peter Green, Emmit Rhodes, Jamie Ordanker, Neil Peart, just to name a few of many.  Granted they were in the 60s, 70s and even 80s but death never takes a day off.  Our heroes of the past are now that and it's a sad reminder we all grow old.  But never in a year that I have ever seen that so many that I knew would pass on.   For myself we lost Aunt Joyce (on my dad's side), Tommy Patterson, (bass player who I would jam on his final appearance at Rumors, and then he passed away in his sleep after getting home), T Ray Robertson, the first jam buddy that I jammed with when I came out of retirement in 2015, to which our final send off to him ended up being poorly attended due to COVID issues and angry ex still pissed at him.   He deserved a better tribute.  And Irene Leeson, a good neighbor that helped me through my teen years and for her reward got to hear my crappy echophonic tapes when I could barely play.  But she supported my music and finally got to hear a decent cassette of Town's Edge Rock, to which she played at my former first love's wedding.  The tape was ripped to shreds but Irene made it clear that in the long run, the former first love lost a good guy.  To which I owe Irene, my gratitude and a place in my heart.  Plus she managed to give me the dollars to buy that Orbit beer can that I wanted during the big beer can craze of 1976.    

In sports The Iowa Hawkeyes finished 6-2 after a slow 0-2 start to which they could have played Ohio State for big ten championship had they beat NW.  Not playing both halves against NW and Purdue skunked any hopes for a title but Davyon  Nixon became a beast at Linebacker.  COVID canceled their last two games but Iowa did brighten up the fall with some good football.  Next year Nixon will try his hand at NFL football. 

As for the Chicago Cubs......Theo Epstein retired, Jeb Hoyer replaced him and started up a fire sale, getting rid of ace pitcher Yu Durvish an Vic Canatini to San Diego for Zac Davies and four prospects which won't turn out to be worth a shit.  David Ross became manager and got some mileage out of the Cubs as they had a great April, but in usual fashion, The Cubs quit hitting and even after winning the Division, got shut out in the playoffs to the below 500 Miani Marlins. The typical story of this team since 2015.  Sure they won the WS in 2016, but years afterwards, the power lineup of Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Jason Heyward, Ian Happ, either hit home runs by the score, or they didn't score at all.  The 2018 Cubs had just about more one run or less games than the Pathethic Orioles. And the power outage always seem to happen during the playoffs, to which last year Joe Maddon was let go and now this season Yu Darvish was shipped off against his wishes.  Perhaps leaving WGN (Chicago, not the fucked up Superstation that showed COPS reruns) was a jinx, but the Marquee Network (in conjure with the Sinclair network, in the same league as One America News Network) turned out to be a bust as well.  With Albert Amora Jr, John Lester and Schwarber gone, it looks to be 2021 is the beginning the rebuilding era again and nightmares of being a last place team forthcoming.   Who would have thought that Owner Ricketts would be the new PK Wrigley.  But in the case of Yu Darvish, he'll get to be on a team that will challenge the LA Dodgers, which did rebuild and got stronger whereas the Cubs got weaker.   Look for the fire sale to continue in Cubs land. 

So basically with another snowstorm to fuck up the rest of 2020, the weather sucked from the extreme storms that we received.   The hope is that 2021 will be a much better year.  The world needs it and my girlfriend needs it.  

PS. as of 12/30.  I have heard that Alto Reed, passed away from cancer at age 74.  Reed was the sax player for the Silver Bullet Band.   And you already know, Lesley West checked out last Saturday from a heart attack.  He's now jamming with Felix Papparlardi once again.

While we were stuck at home, with another shit storm, a foot of fucking white snow Tuesday, Jordan Bohannon showed up to knock down 6 3 point baskets to help Iowa blow out the up and coming Northwestern Wildcats 87-72 Luka Garza only had 18 points but the other hawkeyes stepped up.  Best of all, both Bohannon and Garza made all their FTs.   Hawks are off to Rutgers on Saturday. 

Beaker Street 12/25/2020

  p.m. to 10 p.m.

1. The Rolling Stones “Bitch”

2. Mountain “Mississippi Queen”

3. The Who “I Can See For Miles”

4. Love Sculpture “In The Land Of The Few”

5. Sugarloaf “Green Eyed-Lady”

6. FM “Black Noise”

7. Savoy Brown “Jack The Toad”

8. Joe Bonamassa “Christmas Comes But Once A Year”

9. The String Cheese Incident “Take Five” (Live- Carnival ’99)

10. The Alan Parsons Project “May Be A Price To Pay”

10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

1. Golden Earring “The Vanilla Queen”

2. Mickey Hart “Pigs In Space”

3, Gordon Lightfoot “Harmony”

4. Blood, Sweat & Tears “Blues- Part II/ Variations On A Theme By Erik Satie (1st and 2nd Movements)”

5. Jethro Tull “Christmas Song”

6. Loreena McKennitt “Night Ride Across The Caucuses”

7. Horslips “Speed The Plough”

8. Renaissance “Black Flame”

9. Jerry Garcia Band “Sugaree” (Released on 1972 album “Garcia”)

11 p.m. to Midnight

1. Chuck Mangione “Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor” (Live)

2. Jethro Tull “Ring Out Solstice Bells”

3. Chris Rea “Tell Me There’s A Heaven”

4. The Allman Brothers Band “Jessica”

5. Elton John & Joss Stone “Calling It Christmas”

6. Deep Purple “Exposition/ We Can Work It Out”

7. Pink Floyd “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (Live- Delicate Sound Of Thunder)

8. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Spanish Castle Magic”

9.  Trout Fishing In America-No Matter What Goes Right 

Tyler Vincent: Champion of the compilations. 

Starts out rocking with Rolling Stones and the Leslie West tribute.  In fact the first 45 minutes are solid classic rock classics.  Then it basically coasts on its own with the usual (BST, Deep Purple) and the inferior Shine On You Crazy Diamond version from the late 80s lineup.   Kudos for the Love Sculpture  and Golden Earring deep cuts.   Some Christmas songs are from Joe Bonamossa and Gordon Earring (Good) and the Elton John/Joss Stone number (bad). 

Iowa's football season is over.  COVID canceled the Michigan game and the Music City Bowl against Missouri.  The Hawkeyed finish with a 6-2 record.  They had a fine season.

On the other hand, the Iowa basketball team got knocked off by Minnesota on Christmas Day 102-96.  Once again they couldn't guard against the three point basket as the Gophers enjoyed making one after another and MIA Jordan Bohannon couldn't hit the broad side of the barn.  Joe Toussaint missed two important free throws to which Minnesota forced OT with a tying basket.  Once again, no defense, and missing important FT's and not making any three point baskets has sent the Hawkeyes into a tail spin.  It's not gonna get any easier.  Northwestern comes a calling, to which they are 3-0 in the big ten for the first time since 1968 and they outlasted Ohio State by one on Saturday.  NW is favored to win. 

Beaker St. Playlist 12/18/20

9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

1. Flow “Arlene”

2. Kula Shaker “Mystical Machine Gun”

3. The Flipoff Pirates “Copperhead/ Walkin’ Blues”

4. Anglo Tango “Spooky Moon”

5. Captain Beyond “Astral Lady” (excerpt)

6. Gary Moore “Still Got the Blues”

7. Spyro Gyra “Shanghai Gumbo”

8. The Yardbirds “Train Kept A Rollin'”

9. Chris Rea “You Must Be Evil”

10. Alice Cooper “Ballad Of Dwight Fry/ Sun Arise”

11. King Crimson “21st Century Schizoid Man (Including ‘Mirrors’)”

10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

1. Dixie Dregs “Peaches En Regalia” (Live)

2. Brand X “Euthanasia Waltz”

3. Neil Young “From Hank To Hendrix”

4. Grateful Dead “Not Fade Away> Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” (Live- Skull & Roses)

5. Blue Oyster Cult “Vengance (The Pact)”

6. Gypsy “Gypsy Queen- Part 1”

7. Keith Emerson & The Nice “America/ Rondo” (Live- Vivacitas Live At Glasgow 2002)

8. Curved Air “Marie Antoinette”

9. Fever Tree “San Francisco Girls (Return Of The Native)”

11 p.m. to Midnight

1. The Cydonia Highway Project “Faces-Part 5”

2. East Of Eden “Northern Hemisphere”

3. Dr. John “The Patriotic Flag-Waver”

4. Plowdog “Mountain”

5. Quicksilver Messenger Service “Pride Of Man”

6. Deep Purple “April”

Tyler Vincent compiled. 

Passings:  Lawrence Zubia 

Zubia was the voice behind The Chimeras, later renamed to the Pistoleros due to some subpar punk band claiming name rights.  The band originally had the doomed to die Doug Hopkins, fired from The Gin Blossoms but Hopkins too was dismissed from the band.  Mistaken For Granted (under the Chimeras name) had the last song that Hopkins written and that album is their best.  The band featured the the rhythm section that used to be with Chuck Hall And The Brick Wall.   Hollywood Records issued Hang On To Nothing, which songs were co written with Gary Louris from the Jayhawks and the guys from The Smithereens.   Zubia passed away from Pancreases complications. 

https://www.azfamily.com/news/phoenix-area-musician-lawrence-zubia-of-the-pistoleros-passes-away/article_c0c46510-424e-11eb-9d26-7b52d044f070.html  

Iowa's football team didn't play Saturday, due to Michigan having COVID problems but the Hawkeyes' Daviyon Nixon won the Bronco Nagvoski-Woodson defensive player of the year AND Smith-Brown defense lineman of the year, the first time a Hawkeye has won both awards ever. He managed to have a 71 yard pick six against Penn State.  Nixon stayed behind the scenes last year but this year he broke out to have a career year.  Which could make him a high draft choice in the NFL should he decide to forgo his senior year.

So far the men's Basketball team was playing lights out basketball and the much anticipated meeting with number 1 Gonzaga would see if Iowa was for real.  Alas, their worst game came Saturday as Gonzaga manhandled them 99-88. to which Iowa couldn't make a free throw 14-26, couldn't rebound, 49-37: advantage Zags, and worse  the Hawks couldn't make 3 point baskets, going 4-22, whereas Gonzaga made 13-26.  Jordan Bohannon, was no where to be seen.  Luke  Garza did score 30 points and  J. Wieskamp made 20.  But nobody could get the free throws to go on and certainly a lid was on the baskets when Iowa tried for 3.  The game wasn't close, tho Iowa did chop the lead down to 8 with a minute left, by then it was too late.   Gonzaga is the real deal, it was going to be a rough game and Iowa needed to come through, but when the 3s didn't drop, school was out.  We'll see how Iowa rebounds with a Tuesday night game versus Purdue.  The start of the big ten season. 

Give Me Your Unwanted 45's

 

The past month, I have managed to find a lot of scratchy ole 45s at various junk stores.  Coralville, Dubuque, Davenport and now somebody dumped a bunch of juke box and junk box records at our local Goodwill store.  Plenty of 1990s 45s from various juke boxes, but I did have to pass of the lot of them.  I did pick one Gin Blossoms 45 but left the other behind due to the jukebox kisses and scratches of being played 100's of times.  A record collector's dream but a hoarder's nightmare. overbuying on the singles that I will donate back later on.  The kindness of donators, but once getting rid of, the pickers come along and trash the 45s and picture sleeves.  I found that out the hard way, when I donated about 200 45s about 10 years ago and returned, only to find some of the pristine copies out of their sleeves and gaining scratches that haven't been there before.  Geezus people, if you are not going to buy, then at least stack them nicely back.  

(Licht Und Blindheit: Photo credit) 

(From On The Flip Side Blogspot site) 

Mary Wells-Old Love (From Crabby's Scratchy Record Emporium) 

We are six decades removed from the 1960s, to which most of my music memories started with.  And then the 50s from the box of records that awaited me when we visited Grandma Ambrose in Illinois years ago.  And then received most of them later on and then started replacing the worn out copies from future record hunts.  It hasn't been easy but I have managed to get about 85 percent of them through luck and finding them at various venues.  The bigger challenge was to try to get the original records that I grew up with.  And it took me almost 50 years to get Gonna Send You Back To Walker by The Animals.  And then settling for a reissue of Piano Nellie by Bobby Brant, which came from my first ever box of records that we got at some Waterloo store (Maybe it was Wells that sold them?) 10 records for a 1.99.  I think the only ones missing that I have yet to find was Tommy Facenda's High School USA (Baltimore-DC Version) and a Carla Thomas Stax single that didn't impress me.  It's a shame I didn't take better care of Piano Nellie (East West label) or the Atco distributed The Gamble from Roy Agee (to which I found in Madison this summer). But my record player was a cheap VF kid's player and most of those records got the grooves wore off.  I always had a good memory of what I had in my record collection as a child but even today the memories can be a blur.  I am certain of remembering Gonna Send You Back To Walker or I (who had nothing) from Ben E King, but I can't think of the early Motown singles that the old man brought from Esterville when he was working as a gas station manager.  I remember a Tamla single from perhaps the Marvelettes, or maybe that Motown single was Eddie Holland's Leaving Here.  Then again my imagination may be playing tricks on me.

As I approach 60 years of living (hard to believe but thank the internet for wasting the last 20 years away, just like that), I have come to the conclusion that there is still plenty of 45s to be found.  The vinyl revival hasn't been too kind to the 7 inch single.  Sure there's been times that the local junk store didn't have many 45s but of late, it seems people are emptying their attics and basements and bars for singles.  And this month, I have gotten fairly lucky on buys.  Looks can be deceiving, I found records that look beat up but play fine, and I have seen copies that look mint, that played like shit due to a bad needle from the previous owner.    But take a peak of the week's findings.

From Collectibles:

Church Bells May Ring-The Willow  COL 3025

Why Don't You Write Me-The Jacks

Denise-Randy And The Rainbows  COL 2110

My Block-The Four Pennies

Basically I got it for The Willows, one of the better uptempo doo wop numbers from the 50s, tho The Jacks song is vintage mellow doo wop.  I always liked Denise, the song but not so much The Four Pennies song.   In the case of Collectible's, their 45's sound more polished than the original masters 

She And I-Alabama  (RCA PB-14281)  #1  1986

I'm surprised this didn't make the pop charts. It's more rocking than your typical Alabama balladry. A little Alabama goes a long way but this was one of the songs that I played in the reunited Stone Garden band that didn't last long as She And I made number 1 for 3 weeks on KHAK.   B side is for The Fans. But not for me.

Chattanooga Choo Choo-Harper's Bizarre (Warner 7090)  #45 1967

Listening to these guys, you'd never know that two of the finest Warner Brothers staff producers were part of this band, Lenny Waronker and Ted Templeman, well Ted was in the band, Lenny just produced them.  I kinda enjoy the laid back ness of their Glenn Miller cover.  B side Hey You In The Crowd adds some canned applause to a so so Templeman/Scoppettne comp.  The Association did this soft pop better.  The record is in better than average shape. 

Mighty Clouds Of Joy-The Mighty Clouds Of Joy (Dunhill/ABC D-15025)  1974

Alas, a record that played worse than it looked.  Dave Crawford produced this gospel gone soul band, with help from MFSB band.   A decent song but the record is trashed.

Back To The Couch I Go-Tommy Hammond (Hickory K-1526)  1968

Journeyman country singer that made a couple of forgettable singles for Hickory.   Another so so country song that nobody remembers.  B side If You Don't Love Me (you should) is wishful thinking.

As Long As It Matters-Gin Blossoms (A&M  31458 1672 2)  #75 1996

Our beloved band from Tempe Arizona, the Gin Bunnies have always been one of my all time fave bands of the 1990s.  This stems back to when I saw them at Chuy's in Summer of 1992, replacing the Sand Rubies/Sidewinders and I managed to get a couch view of these guys in action.  I did buy New Miserable Exp. when it came out and got to ride the wave of success that they had.  They came to play the Freedom Fest in CR in 1993 between the floods.  They did managed to get their hits issued on 45s, some that I have found but not in playable shape. This record was one of two juke box 45s, the other Hey Jealousy was a bit more scratched up, but hey, this one had a live version of Allison Road as a b side. The studio version was issued as b side to Found Out About You, to which that one is on the wish list.  But I do admit I'm not a big fan of As Long As It Matters, I thought it was Till' I Hear It From You, their number 11 hit from the Empire Records soundtrack.  Being a fan, As Long It Matters really does matter.   Even if this song is subpar.

E T Blues-Texas Troubadours (Decca 32065)  1966

Ah, Leon, as in Rhodes, who wrote this little tribute to leader, the legendary Ernst Tubb and maybe Buddy Emmons is on steel guitar on this as well. B side is Walking The Floor Over You, done as an instrumental. 

Tulsa Time-Don Williams (MCA 53557) #106 1978  #1 Country

The gentle giant, Williams scored plenty of top 10 country hits but this song was more rocking than what Williams usually does, but still a bit laid back.  Eric Clapton turned it into a number 30 hit in 1980.   Still, you can compete with Mr. Williams.  B side is Love Is On A Roll, another number 1 country hit in 1983.  A double sided oldies hit as you can tell.  Mr. Williams will be back later in this collection of singles.

The Oogum Boogum Song-Brenton Wood (Double Shot 111)  #34 1967

Wood's first top 40 single (next song Gimme A Little Sign made number 9), a silly R and B number that is fun to sing to.  I haven't listened to the B side I Like The Way You Love Me, since some dumbass decided to put a price sticker on the playing surface, a major no no.   Thankfully the label sticker came off and left no sticky residue.  A so so ballad.

Strollin' In The Springtime-Fabian (Chancellor C-1051)  1960 #83 Cashbox 

Like Bobby Sherman, Fabian has been raked over the coals by so called know it all critics, best one came from Fred Schrurers who called him the Instant Asphalt Elvis from Philadelphia.  But then again anybody from Rolling Stone would consider Dion the best of the teen idols of that era and anybody else was shivering wannabes.  Of course Dion was the best, but Ricky Nelson could his own, Brian Hyland could host his own, ditto Bobby Vee, tho Fabian Forte and Franklie Avalon and Paul Anka might be pulling up from the rear.  There's a guilty pleasure of hearing Tiger or Turn Me Loose, tho when you played Hound Dog Man at 78 RPM, it sounded like Hot Dog Man and everybody got a laugh out of that. I remember having a garage sale of getting rid of some scratchy 45's (most were chewed up) and one collector took Got The Feeling/Come On And Get Me off my hands.  It was probably still in decent shape.  Getting back to the current single, Strollin' in the Springtime was a knockoff on the stroll craze but Fabian's song didn't chart on the billboard chart, tho it made number 83 and b side I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter made number 85 on Cashbox.   For fun and games Strollin' is the better number but you won't hear this on the radio.  Maybe on my stereo once in a great while.

It's A Long Way To Georgia-Don Gibson (RCA 47-9563)  #12 Country

To be honest, Don Gibson made some great singles and albums in the 50s and early 60s but as his time with RCA was winding down, the songs weren't so much great.  Maybe a change in scenery and labels might help him (He did wind up on Hickory for a decade long revival of sorts) but It's A Long Way To Georgia isn't any better than previous song the number 72 Good Morning Dear, to which Gibson reprised his whistling to better effect (?) but then again the blame can be placed on Brenton Banks banal arrangements.  Even with Gibson doing his best, this sounds tossed off.  B side Low And Lonely is better but Gibson had done better.  Even on off days.

Thru Spray Covered Glasses-Dino, Desi & Billy (Uni 55127)  1969

A one off single for Uni, to which they hooked up with David A Gates (Bread) and Stu Phillips to put together a 2 minute sunshine pop throwaway for a forgotten B movie.   B side Someday, is interesting to see the used to be teen heartthrobs go for a more hippy dippy rock number. Coming from DDB, it sounds weird.  I'd say the record is not very playable, plenty of scratches to go around and probably thrown back in the donation stack. 

I Can Make It With You-Pozo Seco Singers (Columbia 4-43784)  #32 1966

Their two albums came out on a Collector's Choice CD years ago (and hard to find now) and I found their folk rock not exactly that exciting with the exception of this song which is sung by Don Williams, who would leave for a more rewarding country career.  Follow up single Look What You Done also petered out at number 32 but the only other song I remember was the crappy song Diet.  But to these ears, I Can Make It With You is their best song.   B side is their take on Come A Little Bit Closer, which was done better by Jay And The Americans.  Record is in decent shape.

Lisa, Listen To Me-Blood, Sweat And Tears (Columbia 4-45477)  #73 1971

BST continued to stumble along in the early 70s after the popularity of their S/T album faded away and each album, they continued to lose fans.  Go Down Gamblin' was hard rock fun including horns but even that record didn't impress the charts.   Lisa, on the other hand was a bit more country than rock but I don't remember the local radio stations playing it much, if at all. KLWW might have.  B side Cowboys And Indians is three minutes of boredom.   Another sleeveless record that plays VG.

I Don't Need No Doctor-Ray Charles (ABC 45-10865)  #72 1966

The other side Please Say You're Fooling was the higher placement at number 64 but I don't remember hearing it on the radio.  However I Don't Need No Doctor was the better known song, to which Humble Pie turned it into a metallic rocker and New Riders Of The Purple Sage did a more country jam version. I don't think Ray Charles lost his popularity, in fact in the mid 60s, I seek out Ray's ABC Paramount stuff, and yes I could use another copy of Let's Go Get Stoned/The Train.  That poor record really got the grooves worn out (you can see my copy on Fun With Scratchy Records).   Please Say You're Fooling, is kind of a update to Modern Sounds in Country and Western, but at that time, Ray was recording out his RPM/Tangerine studios and the sound he got from there was a bit more rough.  I know I had a friend that had a copy of that record, not sure who.  One of Ray's best songs of the mid to late 60s, No Doctor is tough R and B which shows that Brother Ray could rock with the best of them.  As for the record itself, it's rough sounding but not as bad as the Dino, Desi and Billy song.  Since it's Ray Charles, it's a keeper.

So that concludes this new batch of found 45s and the usual chest beating of look what I found.  I'm sure we'll continue to Singles Going Steady sides if and when we get lucky finding 45s.  My guess the next batch will be sooner than later.

They usually are.

The Beaker Hour on KCCK 12/19/2020

Smoke On The Water-Deep Purple

Rock And Soul Music/Love-Country Joe And The Fish

I Love to Change The World-10 Years After

Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow-Jethro Tull

The King Will Come-Wishbone Ash

Humpback Whales-National Lampoon

Muffin Man-Frank Zappa

The Knife's Edge-Emerson Lake And Palmer

Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Sayne Lang-Jimi Hendrix

A very slight tilt toward the classic rock side of things with Deep Purple and 10 Years After but Big Mo played something off the Jethro Tull Christmas Album and concluded with an Jimi Hendrix outtake.

Iowa Basketball Three Point Madness

It's been a great week if you're into Iowa Hawkeye football and basketball.  First up, Iowa took the first quarter off and then came back to outlast Illinois 35-21. Next up, an encounter with Wisconsin.

(Joseph Cress-IC Press Citizen Photo)

Usually Carver Hawkeye has been a  bust for Iowa basketball, mostly visitor friendly, and for three quarters Wed night, the Iowa State Women were having their way, outplaying and outclassing the girls and led by seventeen points, till Iowa roared back with a 23-7 four quarter domination and won on a last second Caitlin Clark three pointer to beat the Cyclones 82-80, the only time that the Hawks led by the way. Clark scored 34 points in her efforts.  Cyclones' superstar Ashley Joens had 35 points but missed with the final shot in the game.  This would have been the first Cyclone win in Iowa City since 2006 but Clark's had the final say in her three bomb.  In the Cy Hawk Series, the Iowa girls swept UNI, ISU and Drake in girls basketball. 

(Jim Slosiakek-The Gazette Photo Credit)  Luke Garza.  

  On the Men's side, Iowa made 17 3 point bombs to blow by North Carolina 93-80, Jordan Bohannon scored 24 points to lead the team including 7 3 bombs (despite going 1-2 in FT shooting).  Luke Garza was held under 20 points for the first time all season but still had 16 points and 14 rebounds. Good thing Iowa could make the three point baskets, their FT 8-14 was one of the subpar highlights and North Carolina did come back to take a brief lead before Iowa made 16 straight points to finally seal the game.  Carver hawkeye, didn't do the Hawks any favors with poor free throw shooting but for the first time in years, the three bombs were going for the home team.  Iowa then took care of Iowa State 105-77, Luke Garza becoming the legend of Iowa Basketball, going 13-14 shooting the ball and scoring 34 points.  Plus making 6 out of 7 three pointers.  Jack Nunge coming off the bench to score 17 points.  Coach McCaffery's kids scoring 13 points as well.    On Sunday, Iowa doubled their pleasure and their point total with a 106-53 whopping of winless Northern Illinois, Coach McCaffery's 200th career win. Iowa has had 93 or more points all season in each game they played.  And all 16 Hawkeye players got playing time. Luke Garza led with 23 points. J. Wienkamp had 20 and coach's son Patrick McCaffery had 14 coming off the bench.  Hard telling if Iowa is for real this season due to COVID, but Garza's return to play his senior season has paid great dividends for Iowa.  It's been a great week for Iowa teams this week, the men's 3-0 record, the girls come from behind win, and the guys getting the Heartland trophy back to Iowa city.  Hawks will take it easy before Gonzaga comes calling.  For the Iowa football team, their reward is to play Michigan this weekend.  For Michigan, this season hasn't been fun at all, and for the first time ever, they will not play Ohio State due to COVID.  Which is just as well, it would have been a buckeye blowout. 

(Patrick Been-AZ republic photo) Jackson He, first Chinese born to play college football and score

We haven't talked about Arizona State football this season, the COVID wiped out most of the season, but they did have their annual Territorial  Cup and boy did Arizona State blew out the Wildcats in Tucson in the most lopsided rivalry game ever, racing to a 42-7 halftime lead and put up four more touchdown to win 70-7.  Somebody had to win the game, and the Sun Devils won their first game of 2020.  Arizona U, falls for 0-4.  ASU has now won four straight against the Wildcats. A first: Jackson He, the first Chinese born person to ever play a college football game also, became the first to score a touchdown.  The game was decided right off the bat when D J Taylor took the opening kickoff and went 104 yards, and then after that, school was out. Rasheed White after fumbling the previous carry, made it up by ripping through the Wildcat D with a 93 yard TD run.  

Consider this, the 2020 Territorial  Cup mirrored the 1919 Territorial game, when that year we had the big flu outbreak, but in that game long ago and far away Arizona destroyed the then named Tempe Normal school 59-0 in a downpour mud game. Tempe would not play another football game for three years.  Forward to the present, Herm Edwards is undefeated against UA.  ASU will play one more game before calling 2020 a season.  But this was their bowl game.  As for Arizona, their coach Kevin Sumlin was shown the door. He was supposed to turn the team around after leaving Texas A&M for Arizona but being blown out, the AZ AD seen enough.  He'll get a nice 7.7 million dollar buy out.  

And as for Michigan/Ohio State, the game was canceled due to too many Michigan players testing positive for COVID. At least Jim Harbaugh won't lose this game this year.  Ohio State will play Northwestern for the Big 10 title, despite winning only five games, much to Indiana's chagrin, but OSU does have the tiebreaker anyway for BEATING  IU.   The COVID also wiped out Michigan coming to Iowa City to play Saturday for the Champions week.  Michigan ends with a 2-4 record and whatever happens to Jim Harbaugh remains to be seen. 

In the case of Iowa football team, had they played the first two games, they would be challenging Indiana for the title.  The Hawkeyes manhandled Wisconsin 28-7  Ihmur Smith-Marlette caught two TD passes and Tyler Goodson ran one for 80 yards.  You knew it was going to be a good day, when the Iowa Punter dropped the snap but still managed to kick it 40 yards on the bounce.  Iowa finishes the regular season at 6 and 2.  It was the first win for the Hawks against the Mad City Badgers since 2015. And with the win, The Heartland Trophy returns to Iowa City to a full Trophy case.   The Hawks did something most teams in the big ten didn't....they played the full eight games this year.

Strange year indeed.

KCCK had played the Beaker Street hour but nobody bothered to do the playlist.  Songs include Rollin And Tumblin from Live Cream, Evil Ways by Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles and a couple of Canned Heat numbers.  They also played Blind Eye from Wishbone Ash.

I should finish up my best of 2020 before the year is out.  I finally got the new King Gizzard KG album and the latest Body Count.  Once they've been listened to, I'll get around putting together my last attempt of remembering the best of 2020 albums, even tho this year's list is even shorter than last year.

Charley Pride became another COVID causality when he passed away at age 86.  He wanted to be a baseball player (he did try out for the Milwaukee Brewers  if memory served me well) but ended up being the first black country artist to score a number 1 country hit.  His late 60s albums for RCA are his best, with hits like Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger, Kiss An Angel Good Morning, Let The Chips Fall and many others.  My favorite was The Spell Of The Freight Train (written by Jack Clement who produced Charley) the B side to Does My Ring.  https://themusicuniverse.com/charley-pride-dies-86/  

Record Reviews:

The Best Of Restless Heart  (RCA 1990)

I guess boredom and cheap dollar cds are the reason why I tend to review the forgotten artists and bands of the 1980s.  I could have reviewed Richard Marx's first album but then again I would reveal my inner hoarder in me.  Restless Heart was a faceless MOR country pop band that scored a few ballads, namely the number 7  I'll Go On Loving You, recorded in the great musical year of 1985, which gave us, the puke inducing Take On Me or Broken Wings, but why KDAT play those 80s garbage rather than the mellow I'll Go On Loving You is beyond me (thank TimesSquare Media for that even decreasing and shrinking playlist of songs).  Not that I'll Go On Loving You is a classic song but compared to the whiny Broken Wings, I prefer this or Richard Marx's Don't Mean Nothing.  Their harmonies are more like The Outlaws (the Southern rockers, not Waylon Jennings) rather than the Eagles but they are polished and radio ready.  Perhaps their best song is The Bluest Eyes In Texas, which can be country classic but I tend to think Restless Heart would have sounded at home with Dan Fogelburg or England Dan/John Ford Coley.  They didn't rock out very often and Fast Moving Train is the best of them.  There's another best of that adds more songs but the original Best of (aka You've heard it on the radio) is all you really need.  Unless you like soft rock country.   B-

The Best Of Bobby Sherman (K Tel 1995)

My girlfriend wanted me to try to learn Julie Do Ya Love Me for shits and giggles.  The things we do for love.   Back in the 70s, we had teen idols with the likes of Bobby Sherman fighting the 16 magazine generation with Donny Osmond and to a lesser extent  Mark Lindsay.  Being a pop teen idol isn't bad, but back in 1970, it wasn't cool to like Led Zeppelin and Bobby Sherman too.   I mean he couldn't have been a total hack, hell he had Jim Gordon play drums on some of the songs.  But anyway, the meanest thing I ever did was buy my brother a copy of With Love Bobby, to which I bought for 44 cents and the look in my brother's eye was worth the price of admission.  I do think we ended up using that record for a frisbee. 50 years later, nobody plays Bobby Sherman on the radio.  There's a certain charm of hearing how he recited Easy Come, Easy Go in a carefree manor, or the one song that they might play in Little Woman, (tho the "come on girl" gets a bit tiring) or Julie Do Ya Love Me.  I did consider buying Waiting At The Bus Stop just to impressed my grade school steady, the line (I bet she thinks I'm dumb) might be a little on the creepy side when you hear the lyrics.  Critics were never kind to Sherman, (Paul Evans  in the Rolling Stone Review Guide, mentioned that Sherman made Shaun Cassidy seem like Robert Johnson...ouch) and Robert Christgau banished him to the meltdown file.  In reality, Sherman did get good songs to cover, as much as you can hate Hey Mr Sun or Seattle, there's a sunshine pop that could even make a grouch like Christgau smile for a sec.  And Restless/Enigma did issue a CD best of Bobby Sherman which is worth seeking.  And the music was perfect for K TEL to reissue when K Tel returned to the CD scene in 1995.  Bobby has remained one of the good guys of pop music, when his teen idol years were behind him, he went into acting and got so involved in CPR after starring in a episode of Emergency, he became part of the Los Angeles Police Department. and most recently started up a charity foundation for students in developing countries.  Still, K Tel managed to use the Metromedia masters for these songs which are not re recordings, which might have drag K Tel into nadir and they did issue his albums on CD (which were replaced by 2 LPs on I CD via Collectibles). Getting Together might have been the best of the bunch but in reality, if you remember AM radio quite fondly, you'll be content with the best of.  I mean somebody had the good sense to hire Jim Gordon to play, so it has to be a worthwhile recording?  Even if Paul Evans disagrees, which reminds me, what ever happened to Paul Evans?  B

Double Trouble-The Cobra Records Story (One Day/Not Now 2013)

Cobra Records, next to Chess made perhaps the most hardest hitting R and B of the late fifties.  Willie Dixon was moonlighting and put together some of the finest musicians that backed up the Chess artists, but at Cobra, the songs were more loose and at times, dark, as Otis Rush's classic Double Trouble sounds.  It sounds like being in the bad part of Chicago, but the song was so good, Stevie Ray Vaughan named his band after said song.  Unlike the  Capricorn long deleted Cobra Records Story, Double Trouble takes us more into the doo wop and pop sounds that Diana Haig overlooked when she compiled the Capricorn/Warners album.   The folks at One Day/Not Now managed to find overlooked songs from Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm in Walking Down The Aisle.  The Clouds Rock n Roll Boogie rocks while seldom heard B side I Do is more Doo Wop.  For 40 songs, the compilers do give Magic Sam, Betty Everett and Otis Rush four songs apiece, but also Duke Jenkins and the Calvoes have three songs of their own.  Fuel 2000 and Stan Lewis's Paula/Jewel label managed to cherry pick songs for various comps but I do admit that there's about half of these songs that I didn't have that are on Double Trouble. The scattershot package and remaster leaves a bit to be desire (as with all One Day issues, the last song has some sort of That's All message or drum roll that gets to be annoying at the end of disc two) but give them credit for at least bringing something new and unheard to their collection.  B+

David Crosby-Oh Yes I Can (One Way reissue 1988)

This was destined to the cut outs a few months after release and while David Crosby tends to be a egotistical prick that Graham Nash or Neil Young wants nothing to do with him, Oh Yes I Can turned out to be a better album than American Dream, the crappy 1988 reunion album with CSNY.  Somebody at One Way decided this needed a revisit compared to the American Dream or Live It Up, Oh Yes I Can outclasses those albums.  But it's a not a perfect album, it's more flawed than If I Can Only Remember My Name that Crosby issued in 1971. Crosby could rock if he wanted to (Drive My Car), halfass the blues if he wanted to (Drop Down Momma) or improvise if he wanted to (Flying Man).  I think his intentions are good as he tells about his personal demons and how that TX prison stint was a wake up call.  Still an egotistical prick but at least his intentions are good.  B-

Beaker Street Playlist; 12/11/2020  Show number 32.  Tyler Vincent compiled.

9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

1. Page and Plant “Battle of Evermore” (Live – No Quarter)

2. Argent “I Am The Dance Of Ages”

3. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Willie The Wimp (And His Cadillac Coffin)” (Live- Live Alive)

4. Black Sabbath “N.I.B.”

5. Ten Years After “Choo Choo Mama”

6. Traffic “Medicated Goo”

7. Rush “2112 (I: Overture; II: The Temples of Syrinx)”

8. The Allman Brothers Band “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” (Live)

9. Todd Rundgren “The Smell Of Money” (Live- 2nd Wind)

10. Wishbone Ash “Throw Down The Sword”

10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

1. Iron Butterfly “Butterfly Bleu”

2. Shawn Phillips “Moneydance”

3. J.J. Cale “Stone River”

4. Black Oak Arkansas “Lord Have Mercy On My Soul”

5. Blue Oyster Cult “Veteran Of The Psychic Wars”

6. James Gang “Ashes The Rain And I”

7. Whalen And The Willows “Peaceful”

8. Jeff Beck “Hey Joe” (Live- joined mid-song on the stream)

9. Vanilla Fudge “People Get Ready”

10. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins “You Put The Spell On Me”

11 a.m. to Midnight

1. The Corporation “India”

2. Van Morrison “And It Stoned Me”

3. Little Feat “Roll Um Easy”

5. The Byrds “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man”

6. Blues Magoos “Never Goin’ Back To Georgia (El Pito)”

7. Trout Fishing In America “Park Avenue And Tyson Street”

8. Rainbow “Tarot Woman”

9. Alan Parsons “One Day To Fly”

This is where I first heard Rush, Beaker Street 1976, 2112 Overture/Temples Of Syrinx, rising above the incident background music that Clyde played in the background.  40 years after the fact, it makes a return to Beaker Street.   Iron Butterfly gets a repeat from last week and deep cuts are from SRV (hooray for Willie The Wimp) and Rainbow Tarot Woman.   Choo Choo Mama makes the 32nd installment a fun listen. 

Singles Going Steady 69-One And Done Deals

One last bargain hunt before the snow hits and Davenport continues to be the place of forty fives found.  Stuff Etc donated the unwanted forty fives to the Vet Thrift Store.  I stopped at all but one of the thrift stores on a 58 degree sunny day, before SnowShitStorm number 1 comes around.  Some decent finds and a couple of surprises and latter day 80s stuff at well.

Although the Salvation Army junk store don't have much for 45s, the S A store north of it had an impressive bunch of quarter finds.  And of course some CDs found too.  A Best Of Restless Heart that I really really didn't need, nor David Crosby Oh Yes I Can but it was the One Way Reissue.  A best of Buddy Emmonds on Razor and Tie was another interesting find.  And the 20th Anniversary remix of Layla by Derek And The Dominos as well.  I could count on Co Op having the new King Gizzard KG album and new Body Count by passed on the new moe. and White Stripes Greatest Hits, and William Shatner sings The Blues.  The Junk Store got a donation of the Will And Grace seasons 1 through 4 and a bunch of other movies that I watched once and wasn't impressed.  Plus the Cassettes that Wendae gave me over the summer that I had no use for.  I'm sure somebody will snatch them up.   

I'm guessing the stuff that I found from the 80s were jukebox copies, tho k d lang was the interesting find. Usually, finding 45s are like digging for artifacts.  Sometimes you'll find gold, sometimes you'll find crap. 

1)   Baby-The Slades (Liberty F-55118)  1957

From Austin Tx, they recorded for Domino Records but Baby got picked up by Liberty Records, to which it didn't chart.  Followup single You Cheated did at #48 in 1958.  Certainly Baby, is one of the more tougher sounding doo wop singles released, perhaps their Texan roots had something to do with that. However Liberty renamed them The Spades, which didn't set well and a second edition copy reversed that and they reclaimed The Slades name.  Out of all the records found, this one is the find of the week. Without a sleeve it plays like new.  A near mint would go for 50 dollars.  Mine cost 88 cents. 

2)   You Beat Me To The Punch-Mary Wells (Motown 1032)  #9 1962

Motown 45s are hard to find, including promos.  Of course it's exciting to get a classic song like this from the mostly forgotten Mary Wells, who did put Motown on the map.  Alas, there is a half inch scratch on this otherwise VG sounding 45, which is why we strongly advise people to keep their record sleeves on their records.  B side Old Love (let's try it again), is a seldom heard Holland/Dozier/Holland composition, which is slightly not as good as You Beat Me To The Punch.  I haven't had much Motown luck till this year when I started to see some classics from Henry Lumpkin and The Supremes coming in to the collection. 

3)   Why Do You Look At Me-The Medallions (Lenox NX-5556)  1962

A few bands were called The Medallions, but these gals came from New Orleans.  Originally on Nola, Lenox picked this up for national release and got nowhere.   B side You Are Irresistible is a girlie doo wop, with silly lyrics.   They sound a bit like the Orlons.  Record is pretty dusty but it plays fine.

4)    Crossfire-The Orlons  (Cameo C-273)  #19 1963

Their last top 10 single.  One of those Stuff Etc singles that got bounced to the junk store. A look at the Motown sound it seems.  B side It's No Big Thing, is a return to the sound of the twist.  

5)  (help me) Telstar-The Gee Sisters (Hickory 1187)  1962

Originally on Palette, but picked up via Hickory.  Their only known single.  Alan Lorber arranged the song.  A strange pairing since Hickory was more toward country artists, but the Gee Sisters tended to be more girl pop.  The internet doesn't seem to have much on the Gee Sisters.  In fact, outside of a Cashbox photo of them, they are unknown.

6)  Soul Bossa Nova-Quincy Jones (Mercury 72041)  1962

Or the theme from Austin Powers?!   This is the reason that finding off the wall forty fives is fun for me. Music that you wouldn't associate from the past till they use it in a movie and then it all comes together.  Quincy Jones did enjoy a decent music career starting at Mercury Records (He produced Louis Jordan's Mercury sides).  On The Street Where You Live continues the fascination with the Bossa Nova beat.  Thanks to the popularity of the Austin Powers movies, this single sold for 55 dollars on Ebay, near mint around 75 dollars.  I'm guessing I could get 20 dollars for my version if I wanted to. Another "look what I found for 88 cents" find. 

7)   The Village Of St. Bernadette-Andy Williams (Cadence 1374)  #7 1959

As I get older it seems that I have been embracing the pop side of music.  Andy Williams continues to appear with regularity.  One of those Vet Junk Store finds that the record was in decent shape (60 years without a sleeve and looks and plays like new).  With this song, Andy started going more Muzak pop.  B side I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, is from the Lonely Street album, a group of dark songs set to strings and muzak.  I like the way Williams makes it go.  

8)   You're The Reason That I'm Living-Bobby Darin (Capitol 4897)  #3 1963

It's been a while since we found a Bobby Darin single and I've put myself off of buying this but since I was at the junk shop and it was cheap.  Bobby decides to go country like the way Ray Charles did, strings and chorus.  B side Now You're Gone hints at Bobby's folk moves later on. 

9)   Sad Mood-Sam Cooke (RCA 47-7816)  #29 1960

There were a few Sam Cooke 45's that I did find, most were in rough shape and one was cracked, but this was the third and final Vet's Junk Store find and it was fairly decent shape.   Cooke could sing the blues on Sad Mood.  B side Love Me, is yet another Hugo/Luigi cheesy arrangement to which Cooke does his best to rise above the cheese.

10)   And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind-Mark Lindsay (Columbia 4-45125) #44 1970

Lindsay's MOR pop moves was baffling to say the very least, however I was a fan enough to spring for the Real Gone The Complete Columbia Singles CD, at least he knew who to go for the best songs.  Written by Neil Diamond this did made the local top 30.  Record is a bit more scratchy than my liking tho.

11)  Alvin's Orchestra-The Chipmunks with David Seville (Liberty F-55233)  #33 1960

If the novelty of The Chipmunks were wearing off, it wasn't showing just quite yet. Hell, The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) charted six times in the top 100.  B side were always Ross Bagsadiagn's jazz numbers and he was quite good with those 2 minute jazz ditties, to which Copyright 1960 is B side filler.  But then again, the kiddies would always the a side more.

12)  Full Moon Full Of Love-k.d.lang and the recliners (Sire 7-22932) 1989

Next to Lyle Lovett, lang enjoyed the texas swing of long ago and far away.   Bob Wills would be proud.  My guess, this was a juke box copy.  It has the usual rugburns of being in a juke box player.

13)  Stages-Z Z Top (Warner 7-28810) #21  1986

Strange how classic rock radio tends to avoid anything after 1983, not that Afterburner was that bad of a album but the only song I can stand to listen to from Eliminator is Thug, a song that KRNA or the fox won't play unless it's the classic rock album of the night. Stages sounds so close to Paperback Writer, that I'm surprise nobody mentioned that.  Can't Stop Rockin' the B side would have been the more logical A side, it's a bit more rocking.  KRNA and the FOX did play that song as a album cut, back in 1986.  Before TimesSquare Media started dictating the rules.

14)   Seven Wonders-Fleetwood Mac (Warner 7-28317)  #19 1987

Another jukebox refugee, not one of the better Mac number, nor Stevie Nicks.  But then again, I never cared for Tango in The Night.  B Side Book Of Miracles is a rare instrumental that appeared on the revamped edition of Tango In The Night.  To which I still haven't bought and probably never will.

15)   Does Your Mother Know About Me-Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers (Gordy G-7069)  #29 1968

Their best known Northern Soul song. The Vancouvers were more in tune with The Originals or perhaps The Fantastic Four.  They got Berry Gordy to produced their hit as well as B side Fading Away, which would do the Temptations proud.  In Fact, I think I like the B side better.

16)   Charlie Brown-The Coasters (Atco 45-6132)  #2 1959

That is rock and roll.  With King Curtis adding the original Yakety Sax. B side Three Cool Cats would be covered by The Beatles later on as they trying to find their way.  

17)  (now and then) There's A Fool Such As I-Elvis Presley (RCA 74-7506)  #2 1959

B side I Need Your Love Tonight (#4) has two major scratches that rendered that side unplayable but the A side plays fairly well. It's a shame really, that I need your love tonight is a bona fide rocker.  Dig that crazy bassman singing the (Now and then there's a Fool such as I) part.  Not to worry, I Need Your Love Tonight is on the Elvis Rocks compilation.