Our other senior, William B and his wife welcomed a baby boy into his world on Thursday. Basically he pretty much kept it hid from the rest of the working stiffs so I imagine that he'll be gone for a couple weeks thanks to our company's wonderful maternity leave policy. I think guys get two weeks off whereas the women get a full six weeks off. So I guess we'll be losing our designated web-surfer for a while. No word on what they named the boy but I think he wanted to name it Wesley, since his other son is Wyatt. But that has met with stiff resistance. They eventually settled on Landon Laine???? Gawd. Congratulations anyway Billy.
I was very disappointed that the Jimi Hendrix box set had a truncated version of Little Richard's I Don't Know What You Got But It's Got Me so i started looking to the web for the complete 4:44 version of it. I have the 45 but it's in poor condition and EBAY had 45's starting at 10 bucks and what I saw really don't appeal to me. So I settled on a CD of Little Richard's Best Of The Vee Jay Years Volume 1 and it had the complete version of said song. The best part of the song is hearing Richard work up to a frenzy at the last part of the song. This remains a underrated and one of the best soul songs that Little Richard ever did but it stalled around #82 on the Billboard chart. The CD was the cheapest of what was out there. Fun fact: Don Covay who wrote the song, sings background. And of course Jimi Hendrix on guitar. I would include it on the Top Ten but it's already been on there back in January.
And if anybody out there knows where I can get a copy of the 1953 novelty song One Beer by Chuck Murphy (Coral 9-61014) let me know. Been trying to find a copy and EBAY don't have it and my dad's copy has seen much better days. Probably 1953.
The Top Ten Of The Week:
1. The Chain-Fleetwood Mac 1977 The first song that lead off the midnight hour at KKPT after the ending of Beaker Street and perhaps it was the station's backhanded compliment to Clyde that he shouldn't break the chain. The chain of the overplayed classic rock that's killed many a song. Nevertheless, this remains one of the highlights of Rumours, and I'm sure this song had more to do with the romance on the rocks of the McVies and Buckingham/Nicks rather than KKPT and Beaker Street parting of the ways. I think everybody in high school had their own copy of Rumours. I think a friend left this at my house and never came back for it. Maybe I still have it somewhere..................
2. Shot Down In The Night-Hawkwind 1979 If memory serves me well this was the first Hawkwind song I have ever heard and it off a compilation of bands for the now defunct Bronze Label (some of the bands were Motorhead, Uriah Heep, Angel Witch, Girlschool to name a few). The album was called A Quiet Night In, and this song was a edit of the 7:42 song which was on their Live 79 album, which was only available as an import. Supposedly, the highest charted single in the US but don't take my word for that.
3. The Unknown Soldier-The Doors 1968 I gotta love my mom for finding me some interesting 45s in my childhood which has made me what I am today. I know when we lived in Waterloo she bought me Hello I Love You at the old Ben Franklin (or was it Woolworth's?). So basically when we moved to Webster City later that year I became acquainted with the 4 for dollar bins at their Woolworth's and basically I played word association with what I saw for 45s. Namely anything Doors or Jimi Hendrix or Steppenwolf got snapped up. One day I found two Doors 45 that I bought, one was Love Me Two Times and then the other, this number. Freaking weird as a single and it wouldn't be released in this PC world of today. Which is why the late 60s was the best times for music on 45. Jim Morrison goes out in three parts about war, capture and execution of the unknown soldier. And then proclaims the war is over betwen ringing bells at the end. I think the bells got left off the 45. But then again I played this song so much that the grooves were worn off so I couldn't tell.
4. The Impression That I Get-The Mighty Mighty Bosstones 1997 I suppose you can call them a one hit wonder although they were around a long time before they got this top ten hit. Hell, their ska punk was around before No Doubt but No Doubt had the bigger hit with Don't Speak from Tragic Kingdom that came out a year before Let's Face It. Kind of bizarre hearing this alongside Mister Mister or Kenny G on the soft rock catastrophe that is KDAT but they do from time to time. It's just when I don't listen to KDAT. The Bosstones sold a ton of Let's Face It, and the majority now in the dollar bins all across America. Dicky Barrett went on to be MC/Sidekick to Jimmy Kimmel on Kimmel's late night show.
5. Absolute Dissent-Killing Joke 2010 With Youth and Big Paul Ferguson back in town, Killing Joke's original lineup has made their first album together since the 80s and it does sound a bit like Hosannas From The Basement Of Hell although I think Bennie Calvert played more manic drums than Ferguson did but Big Paul pounds the hell out of the drums on this album. The title track is a great lead off and it pretty much keeps things steady although I think side 2 of this album tends to drag a bit. Nevertheless, when Killing Joke reunited back in 1993 they started making their best music and the high points remains the 2003 self titled with Dave Grohl setting in and then 2006's Hosanna's, the fitting finale to the career of Paul Raven. The new KJ isn't bad but the production reminds me of 1995's Democracy; muddy and mirky. Just the way Jaz Coleman likes it I gather.
6. Must Of Got Lost-J. Geils Band 1974 I came across an old ad for Iowa Jam which used to be a big deal back in the 70's. Where else could you see such notables as Foghat, or J.Geils Band or Johnny Winter sharing the bill, ya think Iron & Wine or The Strokes or Kings Of Leon would do that nowadays? Oh yeah, Coachella. Not the same. Neither was J. Geils when they were playing their Detroit boogie blues via way of Boston sound and the old coot in me likes the Atlantic mid 70s period more than the new wave EMI albums that broke them big.
7. Wanted Man-Johnny Cash 1991 Later day recording for Mercury that didn't get much airplay but Johnny Cash still made pretty damn good country records after Columbia and before Rick Rubin.
8. I Know Why-Phil Spector & The Spectors Three 1959 Another scratchy forty five that has been in my collection and found during a visit over my folks out. Carol Connors from The Teddy Bears sings backing vocals on this song. Sounds closer to The Fleetwoods to the wall of sound although there's plenty of echo in the background. Co produced by Lee Hazlewood and Lester Sill to which Phil would co found Philles Records. Can be found on You Tube if you look hard enough. However if you really want to hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqzlJsP3ctQ
9. Are You Happy-Iron Butterfly 1967 Long time ago Iron Butterfly's In da Gadda Da Vadda was the best selling album in Atlantic Records history before a certain band called Led Zeppelin rewrote the book on that and of course Hootie & The Blowfish in the 90's. In other words a little case of hippy dippy for ya. No need to thank me.
10. Back On The Streets-Gary Moore 1978 RIP Gary.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Post Thoughts after Beaker Street Last Broadcast.
On the subject of Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl: Like every other band that has played there, The BEP's got slagged in tweets by about 10 to 1. For that matter, I didn't comment much nor watched it myself, I ended up switching back and forth to Spike's TV 1000 Ways To Die, whereas my GF watched the BEPs and she liked the performance. I did catch part of Fergie's take on Sweet Child Of Mine with Slash playing guitar but I never did like the GnR version much, nor Sheryl Crow. The best version came from Luna from their forgotten Days Of Our Nights CD of the late 90s. But if my GF says that BEPs rocked it, then take her word.
On the subject of Expanded Edition Of Classic Albums: Enough is enough. The major labels aren't smart enough to develop rising artists anymore since they using their $$ to sue everybody and lobby in congress. Their bright idea is to reissue and reissue with bonus tracks and then reissue things as a 2 CD set and charge big bucks for it. I'm not a big fan of that, after all the original album release was the way it was intended to be. Not add outtakes or 14 takes of one song or have a live bonus cd. I also take a dim view of a label reissuing an album and retitling it, such as Train's Save Me San Francisco (Golden Gate Edition). This is why CD sales are tanking even more every year. The lack of good music coming out and their rehashing of the classic albums we grew up with. Ever since Polygram got swallowed up by Universal the reissues have been Craphazard at best. We can't seem to get Universal to reissue The Brains Money Changes Everything (the S/T album of 1980) but they can stick out pointless stuff like Us and Us Only-the subpar 1998 MCA album from The Charlatans UK, and I do like The Charlatans UK a lot.
Bob Lefsetz makes this prediction about new music from his latest blog.
We’re on the cusp of musical breakthroughs unseen since the late sixties. Everything’s up for grabs. You’re gonna be wowed, you’re gonna be moved by artists doing it their own way, following their own path, not worried about mainstream acknowledgment.
My reaction: I Don't believe it. Iron & Wine? Don't get them. Arcade Fire? Not my type of music. I haven't been wowed since 1997 and anything that did come out that was good came from bands I grew up listening to in the 70s or 80s. The last CD that wowed me was The Randy Cliffs and that came out in 2003 for fuck's sakes. There's no such thing as black rock and roll anymore, they're too busy being rappers or gangsta or bad R and B. Only thing that wowed me was The Roots but even I don't play them too often. .The Black Keys are good at what they do but they're something I would play every day. Peter Bjork and John I saw on Conan O'brien and my reaction was more WTF than this rocks. In fact, I don't think there's much out there today that rocks like it did 10 or 20 or even 30 years ago. While the new hip critics bash away at the boogie bands of the past. Foghat still remains on my player and I am still proud to say I am a Foghat fan just as my GF is a Black Eyed Peas fan. Both bands serve a purpose even though the hip youngsters perfer a Iron & Wine or The Decemberists or Peter Bjork & John. But for those who still like to hear three chords and the truth or a love song, we have not been getting it at all in life after 1999 although Airbourne has come close to the sex, drugs & rock and roll side of things.
Music done right should mean a fun time rather than attacking my eardrums and making me that much more deaf. It takes a lot to wow me in the music department. And I have not been wowed at all.
Just saying.
UPDATE: The swiss label Black Rills has The Fantasy CD listed on their reissue file but I'm not sure if this is legit to get it. Black Rills is hard core in terms of forgotten kraut rock and forgotten bands that only I remember (or you too). http://www.blackrills.ch/
Fantasy/Same. CD 25.-. USA, 1970 + 4 bonus tracks. We proudly present a treasury for everyone into music in style Julian Jay Savarin! All material of the band on one CD. Fantasy was formed in 1967 in Miami and was comprised of 5 teenagers, Billy Robbins (Lead Vocals), Bob Robbins (Bass), Jim DeMeo (Guitar), Mario Russo (Keyboards), and Greg Kimple (Drums). Fantasy started out playing at teen dances and graduated to performing at The Experience, a Miami underground hippie hangout. From 1967 through 1970 the band, led by its charismatic young singer Billy Robbins, was developing a following. In 1968 The Experience closed its doors and morphed into Thee Image, a large converted bowling alley which featured the biggest artists of the day. Fantasy was chosen as the house band and every weekend they found themselves on the bill with the likes of Cream, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Frank Zappa and Led Zeppelin to name a few. The bands regional popularity was soaring when tragedy struck. In the Summer of 1970, Fantasy’s lead singer Billy Robbins was found dead. Several months later the band began its search for a new singer, settling on a 16 year old female vocalist Jamene Miller. Where Billy Robbins was all charisma, Jamene was all talent. She got on board and the Fantasy train kept a rollin’. It was only a matter of months before the band signed a manager and hooked up with the Liberty/United Artists record label This album/CD, is the first and only true Fantasy album. It is a pure and honest testimonial to its time. Black Rills BRR CD 014.
On the subject of Expanded Edition Of Classic Albums: Enough is enough. The major labels aren't smart enough to develop rising artists anymore since they using their $$ to sue everybody and lobby in congress. Their bright idea is to reissue and reissue with bonus tracks and then reissue things as a 2 CD set and charge big bucks for it. I'm not a big fan of that, after all the original album release was the way it was intended to be. Not add outtakes or 14 takes of one song or have a live bonus cd. I also take a dim view of a label reissuing an album and retitling it, such as Train's Save Me San Francisco (Golden Gate Edition). This is why CD sales are tanking even more every year. The lack of good music coming out and their rehashing of the classic albums we grew up with. Ever since Polygram got swallowed up by Universal the reissues have been Craphazard at best. We can't seem to get Universal to reissue The Brains Money Changes Everything (the S/T album of 1980) but they can stick out pointless stuff like Us and Us Only-the subpar 1998 MCA album from The Charlatans UK, and I do like The Charlatans UK a lot.
Bob Lefsetz makes this prediction about new music from his latest blog.
We’re on the cusp of musical breakthroughs unseen since the late sixties. Everything’s up for grabs. You’re gonna be wowed, you’re gonna be moved by artists doing it their own way, following their own path, not worried about mainstream acknowledgment.
My reaction: I Don't believe it. Iron & Wine? Don't get them. Arcade Fire? Not my type of music. I haven't been wowed since 1997 and anything that did come out that was good came from bands I grew up listening to in the 70s or 80s. The last CD that wowed me was The Randy Cliffs and that came out in 2003 for fuck's sakes. There's no such thing as black rock and roll anymore, they're too busy being rappers or gangsta or bad R and B. Only thing that wowed me was The Roots but even I don't play them too often. .The Black Keys are good at what they do but they're something I would play every day. Peter Bjork and John I saw on Conan O'brien and my reaction was more WTF than this rocks. In fact, I don't think there's much out there today that rocks like it did 10 or 20 or even 30 years ago. While the new hip critics bash away at the boogie bands of the past. Foghat still remains on my player and I am still proud to say I am a Foghat fan just as my GF is a Black Eyed Peas fan. Both bands serve a purpose even though the hip youngsters perfer a Iron & Wine or The Decemberists or Peter Bjork & John. But for those who still like to hear three chords and the truth or a love song, we have not been getting it at all in life after 1999 although Airbourne has come close to the sex, drugs & rock and roll side of things.
Music done right should mean a fun time rather than attacking my eardrums and making me that much more deaf. It takes a lot to wow me in the music department. And I have not been wowed at all.
Just saying.
UPDATE: The swiss label Black Rills has The Fantasy CD listed on their reissue file but I'm not sure if this is legit to get it. Black Rills is hard core in terms of forgotten kraut rock and forgotten bands that only I remember (or you too). http://www.blackrills.ch/
Fantasy/Same. CD 25.-. USA, 1970 + 4 bonus tracks. We proudly present a treasury for everyone into music in style Julian Jay Savarin! All material of the band on one CD. Fantasy was formed in 1967 in Miami and was comprised of 5 teenagers, Billy Robbins (Lead Vocals), Bob Robbins (Bass), Jim DeMeo (Guitar), Mario Russo (Keyboards), and Greg Kimple (Drums). Fantasy started out playing at teen dances and graduated to performing at The Experience, a Miami underground hippie hangout. From 1967 through 1970 the band, led by its charismatic young singer Billy Robbins, was developing a following. In 1968 The Experience closed its doors and morphed into Thee Image, a large converted bowling alley which featured the biggest artists of the day. Fantasy was chosen as the house band and every weekend they found themselves on the bill with the likes of Cream, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Frank Zappa and Led Zeppelin to name a few. The bands regional popularity was soaring when tragedy struck. In the Summer of 1970, Fantasy’s lead singer Billy Robbins was found dead. Several months later the band began its search for a new singer, settling on a 16 year old female vocalist Jamene Miller. Where Billy Robbins was all charisma, Jamene was all talent. She got on board and the Fantasy train kept a rollin’. It was only a matter of months before the band signed a manager and hooked up with the Liberty/United Artists record label This album/CD, is the first and only true Fantasy album. It is a pure and honest testimonial to its time. Black Rills BRR CD 014.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Last Beaker Street Notes
Notes to the final Beaker Street on The Point. UPDATE 2021, Beaker Street lives on on the Arkansas Rocks network and Tyler Vincent taking notes and track by track on Beaker Street Playlist.
https://beakerstreetsetlists.com/
I am listening to final Beaker Street Broadcast from The Point and the one thing I gotta say, is that the Point's streaming is Godawful. Too tinny but I'll be posting off and on till the midnight hour and seeing what they bring up.
The big surprise is hearing the Yardbirds doing Dazed And Confused off the long discarded Live Yardbirds that Epic put out and added fake audience sounds in the background. Only other time I heard this was off KUNI when Bob Dorr trotted it out one night. He had a well worn copy of it. Somehow it got reissued by some dedicated folk. The CD sound is quite remarkable, unlike the Epic album.
We're not hearing any of the commercials from the point, just instrumental music. Perhaps it's just as well.
The 10 PM showcased the full version of Steppenwolf's Monster from that album. I remember getting the album from the Salvation Army years ago. Basically you seldom ever hear the single version anyway.
Fresh Air from Quicksilver Messenger Service. Another mainstay of Clyde's show.
Clyde is playing my request Jamie Brockett's Legend Of The USS Titanic, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one requested that. Next to Cindy's Crying by Deep Water Reunion it's one of the most requested song on Beaker Street.
Clyde has played a lotta latter day Emerson Lake And Palmer, Black Moon being one of them. But then again I haven't paid much attention to ELP since their 1978 Love Beach. Less said the better about that crapfest.
White Bird-It's A Beautiful Day another mainstay of the BB show. IABD's albums would never stay in print thanks to Matthew Katz and his visit to the lawsuit store every other day. Then again the most unlucky band still remains Moby Grape.
The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get gets a lot of airplay.,the lesser played that is. Midnight Moodies/Happy Ways another BB mainstay. Of course I can tell this record gets played a lot due pops and scratches.
Time Has Come Today-The Chambers Brothers, Clyde is bringing out the heavy hitters. Espeically the long 11 minute version of said song. Of course the way things are going, Clyde is pretty much going make me rewrite the next top ten of the week. I never heard the full version till I bought the Best Of Chambers Brothers LP in 1977.
Locomotive Breath-Jethro Tull, that didn't become a hit till 1976 when it was put on the MU Best Of. Bought the 45 which was an edited. Originally on Aqualung, not of my favorite Tull albums but just my opinion.
Morning Dew-Tim Rose another BB mainstay though I haven't heard it much outside BB. More familiar with the Lulu and Grateful Dead version but I did find Tim Rose's version from Rock Artifacts Volume 4, that compliation of music from the CBS/Sony Vaults. Oops Clyde threw a curve, he played the version from The Hour Glass. Or was it the Allman Joys? Don't see it on any Allman Brothers album. Correction: The Tim Rose number on Artifacts Volume 4 was Hey Joe, not Morning Dew.
Stoned Cowboy-Fantasy 1970 One of those oddball 45s that I bought. Never heard the full 6 minute version till I heard on Beaker Street. Seen the LP at Goodwill years ago but never bought it. But while talking to somebody on Beaker Street Blog he mentioned he never heard the 45 version. First time for everything. You wanna hear it? You can't, due to You Tube copyright infringements. But I'm sure it's out there.
2,000 Light Years From Home-one of the lesser known Rolling Stones selections that is another BS nugget.
Final song, The Circle Game Joni Mitchell. First time I heard this, more familiar with the Tom Rush version.
I am listening to final Beaker Street Broadcast from The Point and the one thing I gotta say, is that the Point's streaming is Godawful. Too tinny but I'll be posting off and on till the midnight hour and seeing what they bring up.
The big surprise is hearing the Yardbirds doing Dazed And Confused off the long discarded Live Yardbirds that Epic put out and added fake audience sounds in the background. Only other time I heard this was off KUNI when Bob Dorr trotted it out one night. He had a well worn copy of it. Somehow it got reissued by some dedicated folk. The CD sound is quite remarkable, unlike the Epic album.
We're not hearing any of the commercials from the point, just instrumental music. Perhaps it's just as well.
The 10 PM showcased the full version of Steppenwolf's Monster from that album. I remember getting the album from the Salvation Army years ago. Basically you seldom ever hear the single version anyway.
Fresh Air from Quicksilver Messenger Service. Another mainstay of Clyde's show.
Clyde is playing my request Jamie Brockett's Legend Of The USS Titanic, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one requested that. Next to Cindy's Crying by Deep Water Reunion it's one of the most requested song on Beaker Street.
Clyde has played a lotta latter day Emerson Lake And Palmer, Black Moon being one of them. But then again I haven't paid much attention to ELP since their 1978 Love Beach. Less said the better about that crapfest.
White Bird-It's A Beautiful Day another mainstay of the BB show. IABD's albums would never stay in print thanks to Matthew Katz and his visit to the lawsuit store every other day. Then again the most unlucky band still remains Moby Grape.
The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get gets a lot of airplay.,the lesser played that is. Midnight Moodies/Happy Ways another BB mainstay. Of course I can tell this record gets played a lot due pops and scratches.
Time Has Come Today-The Chambers Brothers, Clyde is bringing out the heavy hitters. Espeically the long 11 minute version of said song. Of course the way things are going, Clyde is pretty much going make me rewrite the next top ten of the week. I never heard the full version till I bought the Best Of Chambers Brothers LP in 1977.
Locomotive Breath-Jethro Tull, that didn't become a hit till 1976 when it was put on the MU Best Of. Bought the 45 which was an edited. Originally on Aqualung, not of my favorite Tull albums but just my opinion.
Morning Dew-Tim Rose another BB mainstay though I haven't heard it much outside BB. More familiar with the Lulu and Grateful Dead version but I did find Tim Rose's version from Rock Artifacts Volume 4, that compliation of music from the CBS/Sony Vaults. Oops Clyde threw a curve, he played the version from The Hour Glass. Or was it the Allman Joys? Don't see it on any Allman Brothers album. Correction: The Tim Rose number on Artifacts Volume 4 was Hey Joe, not Morning Dew.
Stoned Cowboy-Fantasy 1970 One of those oddball 45s that I bought. Never heard the full 6 minute version till I heard on Beaker Street. Seen the LP at Goodwill years ago but never bought it. But while talking to somebody on Beaker Street Blog he mentioned he never heard the 45 version. First time for everything. You wanna hear it? You can't, due to You Tube copyright infringements. But I'm sure it's out there.
2,000 Light Years From Home-one of the lesser known Rolling Stones selections that is another BS nugget.
Final song, The Circle Game Joni Mitchell. First time I heard this, more familiar with the Tom Rush version.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Crabb's Observations Of The Week-Prog Pop Bands, My Space Etc.
On the subject of
Spam Mail:
Seems like the Spam Commenters like to throw things in the Jock Itch Jams Blog touting drugs & Viagra and whatever is bad for you. This is why we approve things otherwise I would have 20 comments of absolute bullshit and nothing to do with the songs. Put some thought in them and I may consider them. Everytime I see a spam comment I pretty much know where the blog it's coming from.
Prog Rock and the lesser known:
Was reading TAD's blog on the new Prog rock book he was reading and it sounds like any book out there. It's good in some subject, ignorant on others. It's hard to figure what passes for Prog rock once you get past the usual suspects. As for Camel, I didn't know anything about them till I picked up a copy of their 1984 Live Pressure Points at a Las Vegas pawnshop and then from time to time bought some when i seen them (Rain Dances, Nude). For US prog rock Kansas is best known, and Styx is number 2 although by the time Tommy Shaw joined they were more pop rock then prog rock and after Equinox their records were spotty at best. Didn't like Crystal Ball very much, Grand Illusion had Miss America and the title track and overplayed Come Sail Away and not much more. Pieces Of Eight was better although I haven't listened to it when the cassette player ate the cassette tape of that and got off the bus on Cornerstone. If they were prog rock it would be the Wooden Nickel albums (to which you can get in a complete 2 CD set from Hip O) but once they signed on to A&M they had an eye on the top forty chart and adapted according to plan. And forever lost their Prog Rock cred with the wedding song Babe.
In the late 70's Epic signed Starcastle, a band that came from Illinois and boasted ex REO lead singer Terry Littell. Starcastle was the closest thing the US ever came to having a band sound like YES and their first album echos plenty of The Yes Album, and is the only prog rock album to be recorded in Pekin Illinois. And despite the odds, Sony Music still has it in print. Littell was a screamer in REO Speedwagon but in Starcastle he sounded just about like Jon Anderson. Resulting albums Fountains Of Light and Citadel, which Roy Thomas Baker produced showed them to be pretty good in the YES soundalike department & they were damn good musicians and their own way. But by 1979, their record label forced them to go a more radio ready (we want hits translation) and Real To Reel was the result. Perhaps Epic Records way of trying to turn Starcastle into REO Speedwagon but the band has disowned this record and refused to put up song downloads on their website. Real To Reel wasn't that bad of an album if you like pop rock of that time, in some ways it reminds me of Prism, the Canadian Prog Pop Band that made five albums for Ariola/Capitol in the late 70s. But Real To Reel wasn't a prog album. It was a pop album through and through, it didn't sell and Epic dropped Starcastle soon afterward. Renassiance Records has issued the other Epic albums but beware, they're on CD R and the cover art is poorly Xeroxed.
The other Epic Band of note was Trillion to which their first album was produced by Barry Mraz (Styx) and featured future Toto vocal replacement Fergie Fredericksen and their music was a combination of Styx keyboard to YES like guitars, Fergie's vocals a combo of Geddy Lee/Tommy Shaw. Bought the album didn't like it much, Fredericksen's vocals were not for me. Thom Griffin replaced him on 1980's Clear Approach and it was much better, with Make Time For Love which graced the outer top 100. But I wouldn't call Clear Approach a prog rock album, it was more in line with the music of Journey and Kansas Audio Visions era. I think I bought Clear Approach just for the cool cover art. Trillion broke up after Epic dropped them. Fredricksen would appear on albums by LeRoux (All Fired Up) & Toto (Isolation), but Patrick Leonard, the keyboard player would go to produce such notables as Madonna, Peter Cetera and The Outfield and team up with Kevin Gilbert in the underrated Toy Matinee which made a decent prog pop album for Reprise. Then hooked up with Richard (Mr. Mister) Page in 3rd Matinee.
My Space
Five Years ago, I started blogging over there and for the first year or two My Space was a good place to keep up on friends and such. The cool Mingles folks that managed to keep in touch rather than go bed jumping. Keeping in touch with some of The Roosties. Checking out cool bands. And keeping in touch with friends in town. Things went to the toilet after News Corp bought My Space and countless problems made me pull the plug over there. The new and improved My Space is a joke. I posted a link to this site and if you access it from My Space, the My Space Nazi's call it spam. Fed up, I told whoever's left in there to google R S Crabb and then choose the right site. Third from the top. In the coming weeks I'm going to try to save the best of the blogs over them and incorporate them over here. I think some of the old gang have been reading them and it's great to once again chat with Starman and The Real Brooksie on music, just like the old times in chat, before things got too political over there.
I suppose with a bit more promoting I could have build this site up to be the Best Damn Place For Music Talk but I tend to go off subject when something else crosses my mind. I try not to rant and rave like I did in the old days and in the old MSN Groups, basically there's too much negative and sensationalism in the news and in the music department so I try to keep things as simple and as user friendly as possible. If I feel a need to show my Torrette's Syndrome I take it over to Twitter. and of course a record review although it's hard to tell you to buy an album or avoid it in 180 characters or less. Besides, politics tend to get me in trouble anyway.
The Weather This Week:
Yeah we got 16 inches of snow here but it was straight snow and nothing icy or rain to it. Naturally, I did managed to dig myself out of the driveway although I'm getting sick and tired of the below zero weather that we have been getting since December. I think we're more into a new ice age than global warming myself. But really can do without the extreme weather. After all, it could be worse.
Aerosmith:
Big issue was that the guys practiced without Joe Perry in tow but Joe Perry tweeted that he had prior dealings and couldn't make it. I love Aerosmith just as much as the other guy or y'all but I think they really need to come up with their own stuff and not rely on outside songwriters such as Marti Fredericksen or Desmond Child and (God Forbid) Diane Warren. Last group effort was Done With Mirrors (1985) which may have been more jam than actual songs but I actually like that over the rest of their Geffen and Columbia albums although Honkin On Bobo was fairly consistent. I guess the Steve Lillywhite sessions didn't fare very well. Hell, Joe Perry released more new albums than Aerosmith did the last five years. Would I buy the new Aerosmith if it came out? I donno, I didn't on 9 Lives or Just Push Play but I did on Bobo and the Rockin The Joint Live album. But I'm beginning to think that they are the US Rolling Stones, making so so albums and charging up a storm playing live. I think I trust Joe Perry a lot more than the Toxxic Twins together.
Bargain Hunting In February:
The weather hasn't helped and I can't get our mechanic to get the car fixed so haven't ventured out to Dubuque at all and went to Iowa City once in December. The long term forecast looks to be cold and below zero at nights and basically it's not a lotta fun driving in the cold anyway. So looks like it's the weekend at Half Priced Books and checking out Goodwill.
The big finds seems to be the boxset of Merle Haggard from Time Life, 4 CDs for 14.98 is a steal. I guess Time Life has also sent out The History Of Bluegrass, and the History Of Folks Music Box sets as well for the same price. Don't know how Half Priced Books been getting them but The Merle Haggard and The Bluegrass History box sets are bargains. For vinyl, HP Books have been getting some great vinyl reissues across the pond with John Entwistle Smash Your Head Against The Wall for 14 bucks vinyl (somebody bought it) Live at The Roxy Volume 1 (The UK Roxy and not the LA Roxy) and A Quiet Night IN....originally on Bronze and featuring choice cuts from Hawkwind, Motorhead, Uriah Heep for 8 bucks. Actually I still have the Bronze Import vinyl in my closet and I think I paid 15 bucks for it years ago. First time I got introduced to Hawkwind with their biggest US hit Shot Down In The Night. Still Half Priced Books has been getting some great cutouts from the Fantasy Jazz label and plenty of Time Life Cutouts that the guy up there gets bored and throws them in the 2 dollar bins when they don't sell. Which is where I found The Spinners' Pick Of The Litter. Nobody wanted to pay 6 bucks for it, so they marked it down to two and guess who bought it? Looking for bargains is fun.
Beaker Street Farewell?
Sunday Night Clyde Clifford will conclude his Beaker Street Show on The Point. So far, no word on if Beaker Street will be picked up somewhere else and I haven't seen anything new from the Beaker Street website. However I remain hopeful that it will return somewhere and if not Clyde, please play Ballad Of The USS Titanic one more time before you turn out the lights please?
Spam Mail:
Seems like the Spam Commenters like to throw things in the Jock Itch Jams Blog touting drugs & Viagra and whatever is bad for you. This is why we approve things otherwise I would have 20 comments of absolute bullshit and nothing to do with the songs. Put some thought in them and I may consider them. Everytime I see a spam comment I pretty much know where the blog it's coming from.
Prog Rock and the lesser known:
Was reading TAD's blog on the new Prog rock book he was reading and it sounds like any book out there. It's good in some subject, ignorant on others. It's hard to figure what passes for Prog rock once you get past the usual suspects. As for Camel, I didn't know anything about them till I picked up a copy of their 1984 Live Pressure Points at a Las Vegas pawnshop and then from time to time bought some when i seen them (Rain Dances, Nude). For US prog rock Kansas is best known, and Styx is number 2 although by the time Tommy Shaw joined they were more pop rock then prog rock and after Equinox their records were spotty at best. Didn't like Crystal Ball very much, Grand Illusion had Miss America and the title track and overplayed Come Sail Away and not much more. Pieces Of Eight was better although I haven't listened to it when the cassette player ate the cassette tape of that and got off the bus on Cornerstone. If they were prog rock it would be the Wooden Nickel albums (to which you can get in a complete 2 CD set from Hip O) but once they signed on to A&M they had an eye on the top forty chart and adapted according to plan. And forever lost their Prog Rock cred with the wedding song Babe.
In the late 70's Epic signed Starcastle, a band that came from Illinois and boasted ex REO lead singer Terry Littell. Starcastle was the closest thing the US ever came to having a band sound like YES and their first album echos plenty of The Yes Album, and is the only prog rock album to be recorded in Pekin Illinois. And despite the odds, Sony Music still has it in print. Littell was a screamer in REO Speedwagon but in Starcastle he sounded just about like Jon Anderson. Resulting albums Fountains Of Light and Citadel, which Roy Thomas Baker produced showed them to be pretty good in the YES soundalike department & they were damn good musicians and their own way. But by 1979, their record label forced them to go a more radio ready (we want hits translation) and Real To Reel was the result. Perhaps Epic Records way of trying to turn Starcastle into REO Speedwagon but the band has disowned this record and refused to put up song downloads on their website. Real To Reel wasn't that bad of an album if you like pop rock of that time, in some ways it reminds me of Prism, the Canadian Prog Pop Band that made five albums for Ariola/Capitol in the late 70s. But Real To Reel wasn't a prog album. It was a pop album through and through, it didn't sell and Epic dropped Starcastle soon afterward. Renassiance Records has issued the other Epic albums but beware, they're on CD R and the cover art is poorly Xeroxed.
The other Epic Band of note was Trillion to which their first album was produced by Barry Mraz (Styx) and featured future Toto vocal replacement Fergie Fredericksen and their music was a combination of Styx keyboard to YES like guitars, Fergie's vocals a combo of Geddy Lee/Tommy Shaw. Bought the album didn't like it much, Fredericksen's vocals were not for me. Thom Griffin replaced him on 1980's Clear Approach and it was much better, with Make Time For Love which graced the outer top 100. But I wouldn't call Clear Approach a prog rock album, it was more in line with the music of Journey and Kansas Audio Visions era. I think I bought Clear Approach just for the cool cover art. Trillion broke up after Epic dropped them. Fredricksen would appear on albums by LeRoux (All Fired Up) & Toto (Isolation), but Patrick Leonard, the keyboard player would go to produce such notables as Madonna, Peter Cetera and The Outfield and team up with Kevin Gilbert in the underrated Toy Matinee which made a decent prog pop album for Reprise. Then hooked up with Richard (Mr. Mister) Page in 3rd Matinee.
My Space
Five Years ago, I started blogging over there and for the first year or two My Space was a good place to keep up on friends and such. The cool Mingles folks that managed to keep in touch rather than go bed jumping. Keeping in touch with some of The Roosties. Checking out cool bands. And keeping in touch with friends in town. Things went to the toilet after News Corp bought My Space and countless problems made me pull the plug over there. The new and improved My Space is a joke. I posted a link to this site and if you access it from My Space, the My Space Nazi's call it spam. Fed up, I told whoever's left in there to google R S Crabb and then choose the right site. Third from the top. In the coming weeks I'm going to try to save the best of the blogs over them and incorporate them over here. I think some of the old gang have been reading them and it's great to once again chat with Starman and The Real Brooksie on music, just like the old times in chat, before things got too political over there.
I suppose with a bit more promoting I could have build this site up to be the Best Damn Place For Music Talk but I tend to go off subject when something else crosses my mind. I try not to rant and rave like I did in the old days and in the old MSN Groups, basically there's too much negative and sensationalism in the news and in the music department so I try to keep things as simple and as user friendly as possible. If I feel a need to show my Torrette's Syndrome I take it over to Twitter. and of course a record review although it's hard to tell you to buy an album or avoid it in 180 characters or less. Besides, politics tend to get me in trouble anyway.
The Weather This Week:
Yeah we got 16 inches of snow here but it was straight snow and nothing icy or rain to it. Naturally, I did managed to dig myself out of the driveway although I'm getting sick and tired of the below zero weather that we have been getting since December. I think we're more into a new ice age than global warming myself. But really can do without the extreme weather. After all, it could be worse.
Aerosmith:
Big issue was that the guys practiced without Joe Perry in tow but Joe Perry tweeted that he had prior dealings and couldn't make it. I love Aerosmith just as much as the other guy or y'all but I think they really need to come up with their own stuff and not rely on outside songwriters such as Marti Fredericksen or Desmond Child and (God Forbid) Diane Warren. Last group effort was Done With Mirrors (1985) which may have been more jam than actual songs but I actually like that over the rest of their Geffen and Columbia albums although Honkin On Bobo was fairly consistent. I guess the Steve Lillywhite sessions didn't fare very well. Hell, Joe Perry released more new albums than Aerosmith did the last five years. Would I buy the new Aerosmith if it came out? I donno, I didn't on 9 Lives or Just Push Play but I did on Bobo and the Rockin The Joint Live album. But I'm beginning to think that they are the US Rolling Stones, making so so albums and charging up a storm playing live. I think I trust Joe Perry a lot more than the Toxxic Twins together.
Bargain Hunting In February:
The weather hasn't helped and I can't get our mechanic to get the car fixed so haven't ventured out to Dubuque at all and went to Iowa City once in December. The long term forecast looks to be cold and below zero at nights and basically it's not a lotta fun driving in the cold anyway. So looks like it's the weekend at Half Priced Books and checking out Goodwill.
The big finds seems to be the boxset of Merle Haggard from Time Life, 4 CDs for 14.98 is a steal. I guess Time Life has also sent out The History Of Bluegrass, and the History Of Folks Music Box sets as well for the same price. Don't know how Half Priced Books been getting them but The Merle Haggard and The Bluegrass History box sets are bargains. For vinyl, HP Books have been getting some great vinyl reissues across the pond with John Entwistle Smash Your Head Against The Wall for 14 bucks vinyl (somebody bought it) Live at The Roxy Volume 1 (The UK Roxy and not the LA Roxy) and A Quiet Night IN....originally on Bronze and featuring choice cuts from Hawkwind, Motorhead, Uriah Heep for 8 bucks. Actually I still have the Bronze Import vinyl in my closet and I think I paid 15 bucks for it years ago. First time I got introduced to Hawkwind with their biggest US hit Shot Down In The Night. Still Half Priced Books has been getting some great cutouts from the Fantasy Jazz label and plenty of Time Life Cutouts that the guy up there gets bored and throws them in the 2 dollar bins when they don't sell. Which is where I found The Spinners' Pick Of The Litter. Nobody wanted to pay 6 bucks for it, so they marked it down to two and guess who bought it? Looking for bargains is fun.
Beaker Street Farewell?
Sunday Night Clyde Clifford will conclude his Beaker Street Show on The Point. So far, no word on if Beaker Street will be picked up somewhere else and I haven't seen anything new from the Beaker Street website. However I remain hopeful that it will return somewhere and if not Clyde, please play Ballad Of The USS Titanic one more time before you turn out the lights please?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Answers to your questions and White Stripes
Followup to the Top Ten Blog.
TAD-That may have been the longest comment that I have seen, must have been a good one eh? The Stan Freberg number is the one that you're thinking of, to which the singer gets locked in the closest and the bongo playing dude tells him he's too loud. I still can't recall the puppet show that KCRG put on around the early 70s but they did a skit around that. I found the CD at the Salvation Army over the weekend to which the old buzzard up there was saying I had 10 minutes to look before they closed. That store rarely has any decent CDs and although they have lots of vinyl albums the majority of them are the old religious stuff that nobody listens to and Johnny Mathis albums that looked liked they been on the interstate all night. I find a lot of the Capitol Collector Series of Mr Freberg dated and the John Martha song annoying more amusing but that one sold a ton of 78s. There was supposed to be a Collectors Series Volume 2 but I guess demand wasn't enough to warrant that.
Chance remains a varied listen although I tend to think most of Manfred Mann WB albums were like that. Nightingales and Bombers was probably their best, The Raging Silence their worst despite Blinded By The Light, one of the most overplayed songs on the radio. Warners never did them any favors by putting out that lousy best of a few years ago, they left Stranded off that thing. One thing is for certain, Manfred owes Bruce Springsteen.
Bread doesn't get their due. They made perfect radio ready ballads that still sound good 40 years on but they could rock when they want to. Hearing the opening guitar riffs of Make It To You sounded perfect on radio. I think everybody had a copy of Best Of Bread on their collection at one time but I traded mine in for the Rhino Definite Collection which has 2 CDs of all their hits, plus some rocking B sides. I never did forgive Elektra for leaving Mother Freedom off that cheapo collection......
The Spinners to me were part of a great soul renaissance that was part of the early 70s. Motown couldn't or wouldn't help them that much even when Stevie Wonder gave them their only top ten with It's A Shame. But the key was getting Phillippe Wynne into the band and moving them to Philadelphia to record with Thom Bell and the MFSB band. You can probably make a case of I'll Be Around to be more rock than soul. The 2 CD One Of A Kind compilation gives the most complete picture of mid 70s Atlantic years although Best Of The Spinners has the major hits although they should have used the longer version of Rubberband Man. I guess the wheels came off after the first Best Of Spinners (Atlantic not Motown), and when Johnny Edwards took over and Michael Zager replaced Bell as producer. Never cared much for the Working My Way Back To You/I'm Sorry or Cupid Medley that were the last top 20 hits for The Spinners. Phillipe Wynne went solo, and was working with George Clinton till he passed away from a heart attack in 1984. Meanwhile The Spinners limped on and Atlantic moved them to Mirage/ATCO for a uneven affair with Gerald McMahon. Which gave the indication that Edwards was cool but Wynne was better.
And finally Gordon Lightfoot remains one of the special singer songwriters that we have known in our time and listening to the United Artists Collection proves that he could hold his own with Bob Dylan. And had a better voice too. He survived being on Warner/Reprise for about 28 years, 20 after having his last hit Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald. And still made decent to good albums, All Music I disagree with Endless Wire being a 2 star album. It's just as good as Summertime Dream. And the recent find Shadows (1982) might be his most underrated. He almost lost his cred working with David Foster on East Of Midnight (1986) and Waiting For You (1993) was spotty at best, but the final Reprise CD 1998's Painter Passing Through finding him singing in a different pitch which is acquired taste at best, but the songs are top rated including I Used To Be A Country Singer. The Rhino Best Of Complete Greatest Hits (2002) isn't complete, there's missing UA tracks and not all WB/Reprise hits are there but the radio hits are there and is preferred to the Gord's Gold albums of the late 70's of remakes of his hits. Since leaving Warners, Goldfoot has only recorded one album but he still tours regularly. http://gordonlightfoot.com/Home.asp
The big story of the day is The White Stripes finally putting an end to their career. They haven't done much since Icky Thump except a post live album and one appearance in 2009. I wasn't a hard core fan, didn't care much for Get Behind Me Satan and the early albums were low fi garage rock for more acquired tastes. Still think the high moment was Elephant which Ball & Biscuit remains classic. Icky Thump a nice ending to the band as well. While Meg White actually settled into the married life, Jack has been keeping busy with The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs and Wanda Jackson's backing band. I don't think he's the absolute weirdo that people make him out to be but rather a genuine love of rock and roll and music in particular. It wouldn't surprise me to see Meg reunite if things don't go well in the domestic side of life but then The White Stripes have put together a good legacy of music for you to discover. I'd start with Elephant than backtrack to White Blood Cells and then on to Icky Thump. Upon a second listen White may have gone over the top with Wanda Jackson's Party Ain't Over but he did get it right on Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose of 2004.
And so it goes.
http://www.patrickhazell.com/LedZeppelinPage.html
On January 15, 1969 Led Zeppelin paid a visit to Iowa City and the IMU, the first time they ever played the state. I'm guessing they were promoting their first album. Anyway if you read the review the guy was either too old or not into the hard rock that was Zeppelin but he did make an interesting point that with time and material they would become better and command more attention as the established bands of that time. Fun fact: it was Led Zeppelin's second concert but it did managed to attract a few hundred kids out to see what the next big band would be.
As for The Mother Earth Blues Band, they were pretty big around the state, mostly around Iowa City since Patrick Hazell lived there. Later editions would feature Bo Ramsey and The Backsliders coming from the ashes of Mother Earth breaking up. Sonny Lott also played drums for a time. I remember him being the janitor at National Computer Systems and I would trade tapes with him to listen to. He would later play in Divin Duck, a Iowa City jam band that was popular in the 1990's. Patrick Hazell still plays as a one man blues band from time to time.
TAD-That may have been the longest comment that I have seen, must have been a good one eh? The Stan Freberg number is the one that you're thinking of, to which the singer gets locked in the closest and the bongo playing dude tells him he's too loud. I still can't recall the puppet show that KCRG put on around the early 70s but they did a skit around that. I found the CD at the Salvation Army over the weekend to which the old buzzard up there was saying I had 10 minutes to look before they closed. That store rarely has any decent CDs and although they have lots of vinyl albums the majority of them are the old religious stuff that nobody listens to and Johnny Mathis albums that looked liked they been on the interstate all night. I find a lot of the Capitol Collector Series of Mr Freberg dated and the John Martha song annoying more amusing but that one sold a ton of 78s. There was supposed to be a Collectors Series Volume 2 but I guess demand wasn't enough to warrant that.
Chance remains a varied listen although I tend to think most of Manfred Mann WB albums were like that. Nightingales and Bombers was probably their best, The Raging Silence their worst despite Blinded By The Light, one of the most overplayed songs on the radio. Warners never did them any favors by putting out that lousy best of a few years ago, they left Stranded off that thing. One thing is for certain, Manfred owes Bruce Springsteen.
Bread doesn't get their due. They made perfect radio ready ballads that still sound good 40 years on but they could rock when they want to. Hearing the opening guitar riffs of Make It To You sounded perfect on radio. I think everybody had a copy of Best Of Bread on their collection at one time but I traded mine in for the Rhino Definite Collection which has 2 CDs of all their hits, plus some rocking B sides. I never did forgive Elektra for leaving Mother Freedom off that cheapo collection......
The Spinners to me were part of a great soul renaissance that was part of the early 70s. Motown couldn't or wouldn't help them that much even when Stevie Wonder gave them their only top ten with It's A Shame. But the key was getting Phillippe Wynne into the band and moving them to Philadelphia to record with Thom Bell and the MFSB band. You can probably make a case of I'll Be Around to be more rock than soul. The 2 CD One Of A Kind compilation gives the most complete picture of mid 70s Atlantic years although Best Of The Spinners has the major hits although they should have used the longer version of Rubberband Man. I guess the wheels came off after the first Best Of Spinners (Atlantic not Motown), and when Johnny Edwards took over and Michael Zager replaced Bell as producer. Never cared much for the Working My Way Back To You/I'm Sorry or Cupid Medley that were the last top 20 hits for The Spinners. Phillipe Wynne went solo, and was working with George Clinton till he passed away from a heart attack in 1984. Meanwhile The Spinners limped on and Atlantic moved them to Mirage/ATCO for a uneven affair with Gerald McMahon. Which gave the indication that Edwards was cool but Wynne was better.
And finally Gordon Lightfoot remains one of the special singer songwriters that we have known in our time and listening to the United Artists Collection proves that he could hold his own with Bob Dylan. And had a better voice too. He survived being on Warner/Reprise for about 28 years, 20 after having his last hit Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald. And still made decent to good albums, All Music I disagree with Endless Wire being a 2 star album. It's just as good as Summertime Dream. And the recent find Shadows (1982) might be his most underrated. He almost lost his cred working with David Foster on East Of Midnight (1986) and Waiting For You (1993) was spotty at best, but the final Reprise CD 1998's Painter Passing Through finding him singing in a different pitch which is acquired taste at best, but the songs are top rated including I Used To Be A Country Singer. The Rhino Best Of Complete Greatest Hits (2002) isn't complete, there's missing UA tracks and not all WB/Reprise hits are there but the radio hits are there and is preferred to the Gord's Gold albums of the late 70's of remakes of his hits. Since leaving Warners, Goldfoot has only recorded one album but he still tours regularly. http://gordonlightfoot.com/Home.asp
The big story of the day is The White Stripes finally putting an end to their career. They haven't done much since Icky Thump except a post live album and one appearance in 2009. I wasn't a hard core fan, didn't care much for Get Behind Me Satan and the early albums were low fi garage rock for more acquired tastes. Still think the high moment was Elephant which Ball & Biscuit remains classic. Icky Thump a nice ending to the band as well. While Meg White actually settled into the married life, Jack has been keeping busy with The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs and Wanda Jackson's backing band. I don't think he's the absolute weirdo that people make him out to be but rather a genuine love of rock and roll and music in particular. It wouldn't surprise me to see Meg reunite if things don't go well in the domestic side of life but then The White Stripes have put together a good legacy of music for you to discover. I'd start with Elephant than backtrack to White Blood Cells and then on to Icky Thump. Upon a second listen White may have gone over the top with Wanda Jackson's Party Ain't Over but he did get it right on Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose of 2004.
And so it goes.
http://www.patrickhazell.com/LedZeppelinPage.html
On January 15, 1969 Led Zeppelin paid a visit to Iowa City and the IMU, the first time they ever played the state. I'm guessing they were promoting their first album. Anyway if you read the review the guy was either too old or not into the hard rock that was Zeppelin but he did make an interesting point that with time and material they would become better and command more attention as the established bands of that time. Fun fact: it was Led Zeppelin's second concert but it did managed to attract a few hundred kids out to see what the next big band would be.
As for The Mother Earth Blues Band, they were pretty big around the state, mostly around Iowa City since Patrick Hazell lived there. Later editions would feature Bo Ramsey and The Backsliders coming from the ashes of Mother Earth breaking up. Sonny Lott also played drums for a time. I remember him being the janitor at National Computer Systems and I would trade tapes with him to listen to. He would later play in Divin Duck, a Iowa City jam band that was popular in the 1990's. Patrick Hazell still plays as a one man blues band from time to time.
Top Ten Of The Week-Despite Blizzards The Top Ten Must Go On
After a uneventful January, the first of February gave us the BLIZZARD OF THE CENTURY. But neither ice, snow or ten below will stop THE TOP TEN OF THE WEEK. Kick out the jams to that mutherfucka.
1. Stranded-Manfred Mann Earth Band 1980 What better song to start out this week is this ode to being stuck in a ditch during a blizzard in the great state of Iowa by a band that's never been here? From their problematic album Chance, famous for not only another Bruce Springsteen cover but a cover of Tom Gray's Heat In The Street. Tom Gray of The Brains mind you. Trevor Rabin co produced this.
2. Mother Freedom-Bread 1971 Much maligned for their soft rock top ten hits, David Gates could rock out and this is probably the most heaviest rock songs that Bread ever did. But then again, I do like their ballads although their albums were spotty (Liked On The Waters, Baby I'm A Want You, didn't care much for Manna or Lost Inside Your Love). The late Mike Botts helluva of a drummer.
3. Baby Step Back-Gordon Lightfoot 1982 This charted although I never heard it on the radio. Gordon more famous for Early Morning Rain or Sundown but by the time the 80s came around his albums sold enough for him to make another album. Wounded Bird Records reissued most of his Reprise/WB albums last year. This is off Shadows, a very underrated album.
4. Banana Boat (Day O) Stan Freberg 1957 Music satirist, Freberg is a cult artist at best. Long ago, he worked for Warner Brothers Cartoons and actually was the voice of Pete Puma in a Bugs Bunny cartoon and a few others. But I heard this version in a local puppet show, can't think of the name but they used this song as a skit. Harry Belifonte didn't care much for this parody. I think Stan's best moments when he did the Joe Friday parodies, he actually got the Walter Schmann from Dragnet to score the music on a couple sections.
5. Every Generation Got Its Own Disease-Fury In The Slaughterhouse 1993 Their biggest hit. They came from Germany and made a few albums to which BMG issued two of them in the states. The first Mono was the better of the two and can be found in dollar bins at your local junk shop.
6. Commercial Rain-Inspiral Carpets 1990 Forgotten band part of the Madchester Music Scene I guess, best known for their shoegazer alt music but with a keyboard sound that hakens back to the 60's and The Doors.
7. She Lives In A Time Of Her Own-The Judybats 1991 Another band you see in the dollar bins, The Judybats made two listenable albums before losing their female background singer and their identity in the progress. Their meddling label forced them to do this Roky Erickson cover and it turned out to be their best song. They made two more albums for Sire but it sounded like 3rd rate Samples or DMB.
8. Games People Play (They Just Can't Stop It)-The Spinners 1975 In my wild youth I actually was more into the R & B out there and The Spinners always made great music. This was one of those songs although I think I enjoyed it more now than I did back then. Phillippe Wynne excellent singer, once he left, The Spinners were never the same.
9. Piano Nellie-Bobby Brant 1958 If you follow my blog this was a repeat from the lost songs earlier in the week but I had to repost this again. Actually known as Bobby Poe, he made a few rockabilly singles on White Rock before changing his name to Brant and made this wild rockabilly number that wouldn't sound out of place at Sun Records. The piano player was Big Al Downing who would go rock on with Wanda Jackson on her Capitol singles later and then Downing has a somewhat successful career as a black country and western singer. This song does sound like lot The Blasters, I'm surprised they didn't cover this song.
10. Snowblind-Black Sabbath 1972 I thought this song pretty much sums up everything about this blizzard. Although I'm sure Ozzy wasn't singing about snow. Or was he?
1. Stranded-Manfred Mann Earth Band 1980 What better song to start out this week is this ode to being stuck in a ditch during a blizzard in the great state of Iowa by a band that's never been here? From their problematic album Chance, famous for not only another Bruce Springsteen cover but a cover of Tom Gray's Heat In The Street. Tom Gray of The Brains mind you. Trevor Rabin co produced this.
2. Mother Freedom-Bread 1971 Much maligned for their soft rock top ten hits, David Gates could rock out and this is probably the most heaviest rock songs that Bread ever did. But then again, I do like their ballads although their albums were spotty (Liked On The Waters, Baby I'm A Want You, didn't care much for Manna or Lost Inside Your Love). The late Mike Botts helluva of a drummer.
3. Baby Step Back-Gordon Lightfoot 1982 This charted although I never heard it on the radio. Gordon more famous for Early Morning Rain or Sundown but by the time the 80s came around his albums sold enough for him to make another album. Wounded Bird Records reissued most of his Reprise/WB albums last year. This is off Shadows, a very underrated album.
4. Banana Boat (Day O) Stan Freberg 1957 Music satirist, Freberg is a cult artist at best. Long ago, he worked for Warner Brothers Cartoons and actually was the voice of Pete Puma in a Bugs Bunny cartoon and a few others. But I heard this version in a local puppet show, can't think of the name but they used this song as a skit. Harry Belifonte didn't care much for this parody. I think Stan's best moments when he did the Joe Friday parodies, he actually got the Walter Schmann from Dragnet to score the music on a couple sections.
5. Every Generation Got Its Own Disease-Fury In The Slaughterhouse 1993 Their biggest hit. They came from Germany and made a few albums to which BMG issued two of them in the states. The first Mono was the better of the two and can be found in dollar bins at your local junk shop.
6. Commercial Rain-Inspiral Carpets 1990 Forgotten band part of the Madchester Music Scene I guess, best known for their shoegazer alt music but with a keyboard sound that hakens back to the 60's and The Doors.
7. She Lives In A Time Of Her Own-The Judybats 1991 Another band you see in the dollar bins, The Judybats made two listenable albums before losing their female background singer and their identity in the progress. Their meddling label forced them to do this Roky Erickson cover and it turned out to be their best song. They made two more albums for Sire but it sounded like 3rd rate Samples or DMB.
8. Games People Play (They Just Can't Stop It)-The Spinners 1975 In my wild youth I actually was more into the R & B out there and The Spinners always made great music. This was one of those songs although I think I enjoyed it more now than I did back then. Phillippe Wynne excellent singer, once he left, The Spinners were never the same.
9. Piano Nellie-Bobby Brant 1958 If you follow my blog this was a repeat from the lost songs earlier in the week but I had to repost this again. Actually known as Bobby Poe, he made a few rockabilly singles on White Rock before changing his name to Brant and made this wild rockabilly number that wouldn't sound out of place at Sun Records. The piano player was Big Al Downing who would go rock on with Wanda Jackson on her Capitol singles later and then Downing has a somewhat successful career as a black country and western singer. This song does sound like lot The Blasters, I'm surprised they didn't cover this song.
10. Snowblind-Black Sabbath 1972 I thought this song pretty much sums up everything about this blizzard. Although I'm sure Ozzy wasn't singing about snow. Or was he?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Booyah Blizzard
It's here. Winter Storm number 2 came roaring into our area around 2 PM and turned into a full blown blizzard two hours later. I've been outside trying to clear the path to the car and clean the snow off the the cars but every hour the wind just blows it back all over the cars and drifts over the paths outside.
The roads are terrible, travel not recommended and it's a bitch being outside more than 15 minutes at a time. You gotta give a big hand to the snowplow drivers out there trying to clear a path. Thankfully this storm didn't give us any ice. I'd rather have a foot of snow than a inch and half of ice anyday.
School is canceled from Des Moines to Iowa City up to Madison and I'm sure Chicago is getting hit. Even Oklahoma City got 10 inches of this. Even Detroit will get about 10 inches of this too. Folks in St Louis got both ice and snow. I'm sure there has been storms of the century out there every winter and it's too early to tell how much this will be of historical events. Could be worse, folks in Australia have got a 400 mile long cyclone coming toward them and they just got over a big flood event last month.
No I didn't go to work, otherwise I would have been stranded out there or in a ditch trying to get there. It's so bad I'm sure that third shift will be called off. Probably means we may have to work the weekend but that's okay with me. I got word that the University of Iowa Campus in Iowa City they have snowdrifts 2 to 3 feet tall. I'm also certain that we probably 2 to 3 drifts on the road to Highway 151 right now. Not driving out to find out, my brother got the snowplow parked behind the cars!
I'm sure I'll be adding updates as the night goes on. Time for me to go clear the snow off the cars again. It doesn't look like they been touched....
UPDATE 1: They now predicting 18 inches of the white shit here now. I think we are halfway there.
UPDATE 2 : 9PM Been getting two inches an hour here, plus thundersnow. Winds are blowing so bad that I cannot see the church across the street here. There's a snowdrift right up to my car's driver side. And the worst is yet to come.
UPDATE 3: 11 PM Snow covered up the damn cars again, I keep cleaning them off, wind blows it back on them 15 minutes later. Travel not recommended anywhere here, winds have drifted all the roads in town shut. 35 MPH winds from the North, visibility is one block tops.
UPDATE: Midnight, Still blowing, still coming down, my footprints from going out to the road disappeared in snow and that was an hour ago. Till the winds die down, I doubt things will improve.
ONE AM: Snow has tapered off a lot, I can now see County Home Road from here but the winds are still strong and still drifting. Gawd it's going to be a bitch shoveling this white shit when things are over. Next up, watch the temps go below zero....
PS: The storm was winding down when I went to bed around 2 AM but we had plenty of blowing and drifting snow to the point that the snowdrifts were right up to the car outside. I think the snow wasn't falling from the skies at that point but there was so much on ground blowing that one couldn't tell if it was. Anyway it looks like we'll be shoveling this shit for the day. Perhaps we'll be out and about tomorrow. Provided if the damn snowplows don't wall us in the driveway. Can't wait for spring.
The roads are terrible, travel not recommended and it's a bitch being outside more than 15 minutes at a time. You gotta give a big hand to the snowplow drivers out there trying to clear a path. Thankfully this storm didn't give us any ice. I'd rather have a foot of snow than a inch and half of ice anyday.
School is canceled from Des Moines to Iowa City up to Madison and I'm sure Chicago is getting hit. Even Oklahoma City got 10 inches of this. Even Detroit will get about 10 inches of this too. Folks in St Louis got both ice and snow. I'm sure there has been storms of the century out there every winter and it's too early to tell how much this will be of historical events. Could be worse, folks in Australia have got a 400 mile long cyclone coming toward them and they just got over a big flood event last month.
No I didn't go to work, otherwise I would have been stranded out there or in a ditch trying to get there. It's so bad I'm sure that third shift will be called off. Probably means we may have to work the weekend but that's okay with me. I got word that the University of Iowa Campus in Iowa City they have snowdrifts 2 to 3 feet tall. I'm also certain that we probably 2 to 3 drifts on the road to Highway 151 right now. Not driving out to find out, my brother got the snowplow parked behind the cars!
I'm sure I'll be adding updates as the night goes on. Time for me to go clear the snow off the cars again. It doesn't look like they been touched....
UPDATE 1: They now predicting 18 inches of the white shit here now. I think we are halfway there.
UPDATE 2 : 9PM Been getting two inches an hour here, plus thundersnow. Winds are blowing so bad that I cannot see the church across the street here. There's a snowdrift right up to my car's driver side. And the worst is yet to come.
UPDATE 3: 11 PM Snow covered up the damn cars again, I keep cleaning them off, wind blows it back on them 15 minutes later. Travel not recommended anywhere here, winds have drifted all the roads in town shut. 35 MPH winds from the North, visibility is one block tops.
UPDATE: Midnight, Still blowing, still coming down, my footprints from going out to the road disappeared in snow and that was an hour ago. Till the winds die down, I doubt things will improve.
ONE AM: Snow has tapered off a lot, I can now see County Home Road from here but the winds are still strong and still drifting. Gawd it's going to be a bitch shoveling this white shit when things are over. Next up, watch the temps go below zero....
PS: The storm was winding down when I went to bed around 2 AM but we had plenty of blowing and drifting snow to the point that the snowdrifts were right up to the car outside. I think the snow wasn't falling from the skies at that point but there was so much on ground blowing that one couldn't tell if it was. Anyway it looks like we'll be shoveling this shit for the day. Perhaps we'll be out and about tomorrow. Provided if the damn snowplows don't wall us in the driveway. Can't wait for spring.
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