Grahame Edge, the only Moody Blues player to play on all their albums, passed away Wed at age 80. He suffered a 2017 stroke that took away his ability to play. He wrote the poems (Mike Pender voiced them) and did write a few songs as well. His After You Came is the Moody Blues at their most hard rocking.
Sam Huff, one of the toughest linebackers in the history of the NFL passed away from natural causes at age 87, one of the lucky ones that didn't die before his time. Better known as the Giants MLB, the hated Allie Sherman traded him to the Washington Redskins for a couple players which continue to piss him off, long after retiring from the Redskins after 1969. He butted heads with the likes of Jim Taylor, who Huff pounded the crap out of the 1962 game to which Taylor had the last laugh and Jim Brown to which as legend has it, stopping Brown for a loss and telling he stinks. Next play, Brown went in for a long TD to which Brown said after scoring how do I smell now..
I haven't paid much attention to the CMA's simply of that fact that I don't know most of the country acts and Jason Aldean and Luke (Gomer) Bryan I can live without. It is noted that this year Chris Stapleton won four awards and Brothers Osborne beat out Dan N Shay for best duo group. The times are a changing, Miranda Lambert didn't win anything, Carly Pierce won best female, Luke Combs is entertainer of the year, Jimmie Allen-best new artist, Old Dominion best vocal group. The shock was seeing Stapleton cleaning house with his Starting Over album, which was quite good. Brothers Osborne's last album tanked, it was more southern rock than country but anytime anybody beats Dan N Shay, it's a good feeling. But the feeling of Miranda Lambert singing a medley of her songs rather than the whole songs, seems like she's now a relic of the past. No thanks to Jay Joyce.
Searching through the bargains and discarted CDs at the local thrift stores, I didn't find much to take home. The Workingman's Dead CD from The Dead probably was the best but this CD had a bad CD rot to it and wasn't worth getting. I did find a Bob Marley Live At The Rainbow at Goodwill but too many people at the check out lane and I decided to put back. They still had some of the of the old soul 45s, that I went back to take a second look but the Clarence Carter, Take It Off him and Put It On Me single was too far scratched up. To waste more time, I went to the Vinyl Emporium to see what they had for 50 cent 45s, some were in better shape than the Goodwill buys.
Goin' Steady-Faron Young (Capitol F-2299) 1952 #2 Country
Love You So Much-New Colony Six (Sentar ST-1205) #61 1967
Don't Let The Rain Fall Down On Me-The Critters (Kapp K-838) #39 1967
Playboy-Gene And Debbie (TRX T-5006) #17 1968
National City-Joiner Arkansas Junior High School Band (Liberty F-55244) #53 1960
Name Of My Sorrow-Billy Eckstine (Enterprise ENA-9026) 1970
So basically I did find a playable copy of Playboy, which sounds at home on a Quintin Taratino soundtrack., but it does sound a minor league Sonny and Cher. Love You So Much, still shows the NCS going through their garage rock roots. B side Let Me Love You is much harder rocking, lyrics more bubblegum but this might be one of the best songs the NCS wrote. Both songs made it to the long out of print Rhino best of. Speaking of bubblegum, we come across the Critters' last chart showing of Don't Let The Rain Fall Down On Me, somewhat in tune with The Walker Brothers or early Moody Blues. Don Giconnie would be drafted to join the Four Seasons eventually. The next to last single on Kapp, tho The Critters moved on to Project 3 and other minor labels.
Billy Eckstine pairs up with Issac Hayes in a attempt to modernize, kinda like when Cotillion revived Brook Benton's career. Written by Jimmy Webb, who knows a good riff and lyric. Going Steady was Faron's first chart buster, B side Just Out Of Reach was covered by Solomon Burke later for decent country R and B hit. Goin Steady does Hank Williams proud. and this would pave a nice career for Faron Young. National City is a great lost instrumental classic, tho I think the JAJHSB may be tongue in cheek. This sounds too good for a Junior High Band. I should know, I made an attempt to play in our Junior High Band and we never sounded halfway as good at this one.
All came from the Vinyl Emporium in CR. All had no sleeves and the sounds varies. The Liberty single was the roughest looking but plays fairly good. As for the Blondie photo, I'm still looking up the person that needs to be credited for this.
Sometimes when you have to go, you gotta go, to which Sophia Urista had to really go, right in midsong with her band Brass Against, in a version of RATM's Wake Up, some burly dude offered to be her potta potty. This took place at the Welcome To Rockville in Florida Thursday Night. Of course, there is footage of this bathroom break, to which burly guy raised up afterwards and decided to share his reward so to speak. Next time, somebody bring a bucket, just in case you need to go.
Rockville In Florida continued on with Slipknot concluding the fun and games with a fun show. Metallica closed it down on Sunday. Brass Against did put on a good show but nothing was mentioned of it from the RIF website.
Classic pinup from the70s' The Runaways. Joan Jett always looks great in black.
In this episode of Contender or Pretender, we take a look at some of the NCAA teams of note:
Purdue: Pretender. Oh, they looked good against Penn State (and so has Michigan) but they're getting blown to bits in Columbus. And while Michigan is 9-1, till they beat Ohio State, they will be a pretending team. They beat Penn State today. Alabama played a cupcake team, New Mexico State, even with that, The tide is a contender. Baylor upset and pissed off Oklahoma on a FG on last play of the game. Not sold on Baylor tho, Pretender. Georgia is the best. Wisconsin might be a contender, Ohio State remains a contender till the play a SEC team. And you can forget about Texas, which lost to Kansas for their fifth straight loss. 57-56 was the score. Steve Sarkanian may not survive this season.
Floyd stays home, although the referees did their damnest to give the game to Minnesota, but the Hawkeyes won 27-22, tho Minnesota had the ball twice as long as the Hawkeyes did. Alex Padilla threw for two scores, and Charlie Jones scored on a 72 yard bomb. Minnesota scored on a long bomb which a chop block was called but then the flag was picked up. Which set the Iowa faithful in fits. However the tired Defense did hold up for the final plays against Tanner Morgan, who ran out of miracles and even the refs couldn't help, as hard as they tried. It's the seventh straight victory for Iowa and Floyd Of Rosedale will get to spend another winter in Iowa City. Minnesota has not beaten the Hawks in Iowa City since 1999. Illinois is next in Iowa City. Minnesota should have a easier time with Indiana next week. And in the meantime, Charlie Jones says bye bye to the Gophers on this 72 yard TD grab and go.
Arizona State has seemed to find their groove again, coming back from a 17-7 Washington lead to win 35-30 up in Seattle Rasceed White scored the go ahead TD with 2 minutes left and then Merlin Robinson's pick six made it 35-24 lead. Washington would score with 3 seconds left and recovered an onside kick. But the pass was battled down for a very exciting Sun Devils win. This was the first game that Washington gave up 35 points in a game for the first time in 84 games. ASU moves to Corvallis next week against the Oregon State Beavers. Washington then fired Jimmy Lake the next day.
(Floyd stays an Iowa resident for the 7th year in a row)
As for Iowa State, it has not been their year after being picked to be in the top ten NCAA teams, bad luck and lackadaisical play as well. Down 31-17 at the half to Texas Tech, The Cyclones battled back to tie up the game only to lose on a 62 yard field goal from Jon Gariby with three seconds left. And Iowa State lost to another mediocre team and with their coach being fired a couple games ago. Cyclones fall to 6-4 and with two games to play may be on the outside looking in.
A story from Buddy Guy about Junior Wells.
Buddy Guy: Junior had him a hellacious sound on harp, and he was a helluva singer too. He could dance all over the stage. I’d call him an all-around entertainer. When we started doing shows together, he liked my way of not even being in the club when the band started playing. He got him a 150-foot cord for his amp like I had for my guitar. We’d come marching in from the men’s room or the kitchen. Alone, I could cause a sensation that way. With Junior the sensation got bigger.
Junior had a beautiful soul. I remember one night when Sonny Boy dropped by Theresa’s—the same Sonny Boy who’d pulled a knife when Junior wanted some advice on how to play. Junior wouldn’t even look at him. Sonny Boy tried to say something, but Junior turned his back.
“Wait a minute, motherfucker,” said Sonny Boy. “I know you pissed about how I did you.”
“Goddamn right I am,” said Junior. “But look here, I told you that shit to see if you was serious. If you really wanted to be a bluesman, I figured you was the kinda cat who would go off and prove me wrong.” “That’s just what I did.”
“I know,” said Sonny Boy. “I hear. So all I’m saying is that I did you a solid. Wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t blow good as you blow. I got you off your ass, boy.” Junior closed his eyes and didn’t say nothing. I could hear the wheels turning inside his head. “You know something ,” he told Sonny Boy. “You right.” From then on they was cool.
Guy, Buddy. When I Left Home: My Story
Five Star Mud Game. New York 19 Philadelphia 14 11/18/62 Yankee Stadium
One for Sammy.
Upon the death of Sam Huff, it's fitting to pay tribute to him by showcasing a game to which they played in the rain and the field turning into goo. Be it, Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium or even the Yale Bowl, Neil Liefer, who was at some of the finest mud games ever probably took these photos of the Giants D and Sam at various times of this game. Most of scoring was done in the first quarter with Sonny Jurgensen hooking up with Tommy McDonald with a scoring pass. Timmy Brown running past Huff and company on a 62 yard dash and Alex Webster scoring one for the Giants and Don Chandler kicking one of four field goals. In fact, the Giants D dominated the Eagles the rest of the game and Chandler kicking FGs in each quarter. Webster had 107 yards rushing. This game was the fifth in a 9 game winning streak for the G men, to which would end on a windy and cold day in Yankee Stadium as Jim Taylor and the Green Bay Packers beat them 16-7.
