And so, the Minor League Season is over, we get to be tortured for another week of bad Cubs baseball, who had to endure the St Louis Cardinals and was swept away once again. St Louis has been hot as the weather, winners of now 16 straight wins, sweeping Milwaukee and then poor Chicago the next. Too little too late for the division title but too bad St. Louis didn't get going sooner. They will be home for Milwaukee and conclude the Cubs season soonafterwards, Milwaukee did clinch the title Sunday dropping the fading New York Metropolitans 8 to 4 but the Cards had to come from behind to beat the Cubs. And once again the Cubs have another long losing streak of 8 games. Which makes me wonder if the Cubs would have kept the lead in these games this year that they could have at least finished with a 500 or slightly better mark, but the constant blowing of leads, by the worst starting pitchers they ever had in history, or the inept bullpen (seems like at least 50 pitchers have come and gone this season) or shitty sandlot league infield players.......one wonders if this team could have contended. We were wondering about the Cards ourselves but they have caught fire at the right time and even if Chicago was playing better, the Cards would have won anyway. Put the Cards in the east, and they're ahead by four games. But Milwaukee ran and hid most of the season, and thanks to them dominating the Cubs, had the title at hand. If St Louis plays like this in the playoffs, the Brewers may have to be a bit concerned. You can have a great record in regular season, and then go home if you get swept or beat in the playoffs. Eat or be eaten as they say. Meanwhile the Cubs will end the season on the road against Pittsburgh, which will have the basement all to themselves anyway and three more losses to the Cardinals. Could St. Louis have a 22 game winning streak before the playoffs begin. My guess is probably not, they host Milwaukee, which got swept away last week. Incidentally, the Cubs are scoring more runs since the house cleaning, but their pitching, both starters and relievers suck. Next season they better find somebody that can last more than 3 innings as a starter.
Four weeks into the Football season, the Iowa Hawkeyes are undefeated, tho they didn't look so great against a subpar Colorado State team 24-14, in fact the Rams led at halftime, dominating a Iowa offense that continue to confuse most of us. Second half, Iowa got it together, the Rams fumbled deep in their own territory, Tyrone Tracy ran a reverse in for a TD and then Spencer Patras found a wide open Sam LaPorta for the other TD and that was all she wrote. Colorado State simply could not overcome the errors. Still the Rams front seven defense proved that they could handle anybody and leading the Hawks in Iowa City would have sent shock waves all over college football. Iowa's defense has been the best so far, they dominated Indiana and made Iowa State look bad, and they should have blown Colorado State out of the stadium. But the offense is the big question and what will make their season will be two major games, one with a vastly improved Maryland team and then Penn State, which leapfrogged over Iowa for number 4 on the top 25. On the other side of the state, Baylor held off Iowa State when the Cyclones didn't get the two point conversation at the end of the game, a bad snap and Brock Purdy tossed it into an empty end zone. 31-29 final score and Iowa State got tossed out of the top 25. Bad special teams and bad defense play as well. For a team that was supposed to be one of the top best, the Cyclones have been the most disappointing, Chrome Dome Finebaum saying Iowa State is not worth mentioning anymore and he should know. We do know Baylor is lightning fast and could be a top 10 football team if they get their act together. We also know Iowa State is in a big mess right now and any more defeats will just add to the disappointment. Finebaum loves to give Dabo Swinney lots of shit when Clemson fucks up, just like they did when NC State beat them. The Chrome Dome man called Sweeney a lousy loser. Well everybody is a lousy loser, but Clemson's season might be done anyway. They get to play a up and coming Boston College. And if you read this far, Arizona State beat Colorado 35-13 in Tempe. Next up, UCLA.
Foorball: Bears suck. No offense line. Justin Fields is going to get killed. I think the coach will be fired in a few weeks. In the meantime, on November 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey kicked a 63 yard field goal to power New Orleans over Detroit. Fast forward 50 years later and playing in Detroit, Justin Tucker kicked a 66 yard field goal, to which a lucky DOINK shot, and the ball bounced over for a 19-17 victory for the Baltimore Ravens. In a twist of irony. New Orleans won 19-17. You can't make this stuff up. Detroit fans were in a sour mood anyway, booing the owner for the ceremony of Calvin Johnson into the ring of fame at halftime.
So once again Davenport was the place to be in terms of bargain hunting. Last week, we went to The Source Bookstore, Ragged Records and Co Op Moline, this weekend was back to the thrift stores and I cannot believe the turnaround of CDs at Goodwill Bettendorf and somebody donated a Japanese CD (unsealed) of Tommy Bolin's Teaser. Nothing like picking up a CD originally sold for 25 dollars and us finding it for 2 dollars. I didn't think I would find much 45s, the DAV Thrift store still have some remaining but they were the ones that were in worst shape or in the case of The Stroll by The Diamonds a crack. The Bettendorf Goodwill had the 45's, mostly 70s stuff but I did find three soul 45s and a Stanley Brothers cover of Bill Monroe's I hear my Savior Calling. On Sunday, I found that Ragged wasn't opened but I did discovered the forth Goodwill Store in the area in Rock Island and even managed to find 2 CDs, including a BMG music club copy of Stack Of Tracks/Beach Boys Party! 2 fer. I'm not a fan of music club copies but I had to listen to it due to a review of it in another Blogspot site. It seems like I'm picking up duplicate copies of LPs and CDs that I have had simply of the fact that they look better then the ones I have now.
Since the River Bandits forced a game five, I decided to stay there overnight and stayed at an overpriced hotel, which the shower sucked and needed some sort of repair. I didn't enjoy that scalding hot water with soap in my eyes and trying to get a level of comfort. But I got the see the classic B movie Hell Bound on TCM twice. So I had an extra day to check out other places that I wouldn't have. Books A Million doesn't have a CD section anymore. Disc Replay in NorthPark did have some interesting CDs, A Fleewood Mac best of on CBS, Hoyt Axton's American Originals (since I had the two cd best of, this was not needed) but I didn't pick them up. Barnes N Noble had some new CD and LPs, this is the best place to find new music, since Best Buy can't be trusted.
In the end, if I'm looking for interesting CDs and off the wall stuff, Davenport never disappoints, nor Dubuque for that matter. The donations of Cds have been the most hard to believe, and there will always be crap from the likes of FGL Celine Dion, and dozens of classical, gospel and other stuff nobody wants. Somehow among the piles of Hootie and George Strait and Jimmy Buffet's Greatest Hits, there are diamonds in the rough.
What Was Found: CD
Tom Petty: Echo
Dave Brubeck Greatest Hits
Skeeter Davis-The Pop Hits
Sidney Brecht-Running Wild
Beach Boys-Party!/Stack O Tracks
Neil Diamond-Gold
Grateful Dead-100 Year Hall
The 5 Satins Greatest Hits
Little Jimmy Dickens-I'm Little But I'm Loud
Lou Christie-Enlightenment
The Electric Hell Fire Club-Kiss The Goat
Black Sabbath-The Dio Years
Nine Inch Nails-Pretty Hate Music
Queensryche-American Soldier
Della Reece-Voice Of An Angel
Tommy Bolin-Teaser
Chumbawamba-X
Best Of Tyrone Davis
Peaches-Best Of The Stranglers
Echo, American Soldier, Pretty Hate Music and 100 Year Hall I had in my collection at one time, the latter had a scratch that didn't play, so I got rid of that one and picked this one up years later. American Soldier, I wanted to hear, this was during the Geoff Tate led years which the band didn't care much for. And Pretty Mate Music is classic 9 inch nails but I never been a big fan of Trent Reznor. Echo is a dark album from Petty and goes on a bit too long. Della Reece, is like Sarah Vaughn or label mate Eartha Kitt or Lena Horne but Reece was more, shall we say, more soulful. Five of these CDs were 99 cents from the Stuff Etc in Davenport, usually I have come up empty The Electric Hell Fire Club, is a curio. Pretty tame for satanic metal. Given seeing that and 9 inch Nails and the Black Sabbath Dio Cds, I'm thinking some metal head or his mom donated them. Skeeter Davis' Pop Hits is actually better than the two best ofs that RCA put out, Davis could do pop as well as country. She's almost a dead ringer for Lesley Gore. 100 Year Hall is the Dead on a great night, Bertha and Truckin' has a fun jam vibe. Now if Donna Gordeaux would just shut up and let the guys sing this would be classic.
45's
I Hear My Savior Calling-Stanley Brothers (Mercury 70718) 1955
When You Got Money-Bethea (Dynamo D-139) 1969
How Was I To Know That You Cared-Doris Duke (Canyon 35) 1970
Synthetic World-Swamp Dogg (Canyon 53) 1970
Three soul numbers and one gospel forty five. The Stanley Brothers is the gospel number and any bluegrass number is quite nice and Just A Little Talk With Jesus is two sorts of melody. Earlier in the month I found Carl Story gospel 45. This is a reissue it seems. The funky 45s are from Bethea, a jive talking groove, in the vein of Joe Tex. Jerry Williams aka Swamp Dogg put out Synthetic World but the B side Total Destruction Of Your Mind is much funkier and does James Brown. It's Williams that wrote Feet Start Walking for Doris Duke who recorded for Canyon and Mankind at this time. Feet Start Walking might have made the R and B chart and is better than the b side How Was I To Know That You Cared, which is a bit too raw sounding for radio. Not anything X rated, the arrangements were a bit too raw not to be remembered.
LP
Let It Be Written, Let It Be Sung-Ellie Greenwich (Verve/MGM 1972)
Tomorrow Night-Charlie Rich (RCA Reissue 1974)
Greenwich's 1972 album remains a guilty pleasure as the queen of the pop bubblegum era reworks some of her songs into adult contemporary music. This is my third copy, I still have the first but the second album had a big scratch at the end of side 2 which made it unplayable and it was a DJ promo copy. For whatever reason, this one had been at the As Is Salvation Army store for a couple years. Charlie Rich had a long and storied career, but Groove/RCA didn't know what to make of him and he later moved over to Hi Records for one album and then Billy Shirrell ruined him with the Muzak sound of Behind Closed Doors. On a plus side his big sale of Behind Closed Doors and The Most Beautiful Girl opened up the RCA vaults and he scored a top 10 hit with There Won't Be Anymore, a failed 1965 single for RCA which scored a belated chart showing in 1974. Tomorrow Night is a brief 10 song selection of sides recorded for Groove and RCA. He could sound like Nat King Cole (12th Of Never) or Ray Charles (River Stay Away From My Door) but Rich was more R and B than Nat or King Elvis. The Crusty Crab of Record Reviews Robert Christgau gave props to this comp while bashing the 1974 Very Special Love Songs as the real deal and you get Big Boss Man, and She Loved Everybody But Me, both failed Groove singles. A nice addition but it's a shame Sony Music will not give us a complete and decent overview of his RCA years and the Epic comps disappoints, too much Muzak crap and not enough R and B. Tomorrow Night is flawed but not as cheese as Special Love Songs.
The Rolling Stones started their 2021 tour in St. Louis with a lovely tribute to Charlie Watts, and with Steve Jordan taking over, continue to rock the masses. Charlie can never be replaced but I assure you that Jordan can do a great job filling in. In fact, his cymbal lineup is somewhat a tribute to Charlie, with all of the crashes on the ride side. Something that Charlie did in the early 70s. Darryl Jones, the Stones bass player since 1993 took this photo behind the stage.
(Photo: Record Exchange St Louis)
And R Kelly was found guilty of Sex Trafficking and racketeering and will be sentenced next May. Kelly is slated to be at another trial of child pornography, obstruction of justice and more rape charges. Chances are he will be spending a long time in jail when everything is said and done. I never cared for R Kelly's music. But for over 2 decades Kelly has been accused of abuse and the other mentioned above charges. The public will take a dim view of Kelly's music and whatever he accomplished over this.
I have no idea who Dan Sur is, but this Latin Reggae Rapper had surgeons remove his hair and replaced them with gold chains. I'm sure in this day and age of trying to out shock people, this is by far the most radical change of all things dumb and stupid, but if you have money to waste, you could build your own rocket to outer space. Just don't venture too far out in the Mexican desert area, the cartels would have your head on a stick. I don't see the need to post the picture, google is your friend. You'll see it then.
And then there's Lady Evil. To which she is connected to Lady Evil of Black Sabbath in song. Which is probably how I found the Black Sabbath/Dio best of this weekend. The irony of it all.
Passing's:
Commander Cody (George Frayne) passed away Sunday from Cancer he was 76. He was the leader of Commander Cody and his lost planet airmen. Best known for Hot Rod Lincoln.
Alan Lancaster (Status Quo), died from ALS. He was their bass player till 1983 thereabouts.
Sue Thompson. Had big hits with the late John Loudermilk writing them (Norman, James (hold the later steady), then went country and made a couple of duet albums with Don Gibson. Mom of Greg Penny, producer for K D Lang and others). Sue passed away Monday at age 96. One of the last links to the old country sounds.
Dr. Lonnie Smith, master of the B 3 Hammond organ and beloved jazz/blues musician passed from lung disease. He was 79.
No comments:
Post a Comment