Spring forward they say. It must be springtime, Wally World raised their soup prices back up to 1.88 again.
David Ray asked me to forward the link to the My City Was Gone, and so I archived it and republished it out in the open so that folks can see it again. It has never gone away, it's been tacked somewhere in the back catalog of Record World, which ratings have once again dipped under 100 and in danger of going under 2,000 views for the whole month. Not that it really matters much, I usually cram the whole news in the Week In Review and then add to it as we go along. The usual passings still come and go, Lew Soloff one of the horns in Blood Sweat And Tears passed away, he also always had a high pitched sound to his solo, most notably on Spinning Wheel or the trademark end to Hi De Ho. But he also worked into jazz with his own band too.
In our ongoing series called The Last Bargain Hunt I write another blog that gets 20 views per say if I'm lucky about the places I go to in search of bargains and adding more to the hoarder house. Originally a concept that I thought about writing a Kindle book and get as much sales as I do as my band's CDs, has been demoted to a when I feel like it saga about the trying to find music in an age that record stores are dying, Best Buy's continual shrinkage of their CD selection (they have shorten it again as we speak) and trying to find the ultimate single or album or CD. But at this stage of the game the vinyl revival has come back even making it even more difficult to find anything worth noting. Despite the odds, I still find them. So let's cue up some of that Nelson Riddle nifty early 1960s background happy music to start this off.
To compare Marion today from yesterday, feel free to cue up the My City Is Gone Archives but today's Marion is a far cry from the town I used to know. Read the My City Is Gone first, basically the thoughts are no different than they are and I rather not repeat myself......
The cold winter skies have given away to a more seasonal but still below normal temps as Daylight Savings Time takes hold and we get an extra hour of daylight while losing a hour of tossing and turning. Marion today is a town full of antique malls, thrift stores and usual franchise food places located on a crowded seventh avenue to which the stop lights are not in sync, and when they finally change you have a traffic jam at rush hour. They have big plans for downtown Marion to turn it more into a art type of town, and bringing the old Memorial Hall out of mothballs for hipster bands to jam there when summer comes around. If you're into pizza, there's about 10 of them in a mile radius, the locals like Zoey's Pizza, I enjoy Naso's more and if you want Corporate, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and Dominoes are there too, so is Tomaso's, which lies on the burial ground of old town Marion now long gone, just like the trains that used to rumble through thirty years ago.
I'm basically biding time before deciding to return to Madison, but that town seems to be in a uproar just like going to St Louis and the Ferguson fiasco. Another story of a police officer killing of a unarmed black 19 year old who was bopping into traffic and being a nuisance, to which the police followed him back to his apartment and it became a he said they said thing. I may have ran into this dude a few years ago, as I came across a skateboard black dude weaving in and out of traffic and he fell off the skateboard right in front of me. And lived to tell about it. Usually this is the time of year that I haven't been up to Madison (last time there: July 2014) and wasn't impressed with the findings. With Presidential hopeful Scott Walker turning the great state into yet another Right To Work For Less State I been thinking to go there less and less anymore and just been hanging close to home. Which is basically Marion Iowa. Marion like Cedar Rapids doesn't have a record store to call their own anymore, 20 years before we had at least 8 to go to. However Marion does have about 10 antique stores and malls to chose from and it seems like a trendy thing but records are being found up in these places as well. Considering that I decided to see what I could find.
Antique Malls are basically a hoarder house with things for sale and at inflated prices. You can basically find just about anything associated with your past childhood there. I usually like the one up where the old Balster's Furniture Store is at, it's like revisiting your past but in a different setting. The old gas station crap that was around the places I used to work at, Marion 76 or The Costal mart (Derby) or Apco, are there. An old price sign that you can get gas for 18 cents a gallon is there, even vintage oil cans full of motor oil can be brought for 10 dollars a can. Old beer cans, beer bottles, unrusted cone tops are there for a price. But I'm there for the records.
And most of the records are overpriced. Located in a part of a two doors down store lies a box full of sleeveless 45s for 4 dollars a single. The problem is that a lot of these records have been played to death, got scratches deeper than the pot holes outside 7th Avenue, some need to be cleaned up. I have no problems paying 4 dollars for a 45 if it looks to be in great shape, I do have problems with they don't have a sleeve. The nadir of bargain hunting is that 45s are not always found, there are collectors out there that will snap them up without question, buying in bulk, taking the pick of the litter and donating the rest away. Back when they were still making 45s there was this anticipating of finding DJ promo copies of great songs that wouldn't get played along with the vintage stuff as well. Even a good jukebox copy would spur interest. But not in this day and age. We have 3 major labels and the stuff they put out is garbage. So I hope for the best and find something unique. And so, the crate digger digs deep for something of value.
There were some 45s that I took note but not enough to invest 4 dollars into, so I moved on to the five dollar albums. A lotta junk, a lotta mold, most of the records were scratched up, I saw a Tom and Jerry Surf guitar album I would have picked up, but had too many scratches, and I don't need references copies taking up space at home. One place, had a couple boxes of interesting stuff, I could have completed most of Chad And Jeremy LPs but the majority have seen better days. Located in a five dollar box was Tin Huey's 1978 Warner Brothers album still sealed. I had a warped DJ promo of I'm A Believer and the CD a while ago but sold both of them, but thought the record was worth picking up again. At least that would buy a pack a cigarettes for the kind woman up there.
The Antique Mall where the Boston Store used to be, had the better selection of music including the mentioned five dollar mold and scratch albums but there was another section that had better albums and some comedy albums from Sam Kinison and Andrew Dice Clay, although thinking paying 15 dollars for them wasn't cost effective. Somebody had some old Sport Cars In Stereo LPs for 18 dollars, they do command high prices when in better shape but again if I'm going to get something for 18 dollars it better be in pristine shape. I can do only so much Nostalgia. Some of the interesting things they had was The Archies's Greatest Hits and a band called Snafu (featuring Micky Moody later of Whitesnake fame) that made an album for Capitol in the 70s and others. But I can also tell who ever had the albums marked different prices on these. And for all intent purposes, they had some knowledge of how to price them. Which perhaps made me think that maybe I should have kept most of my collection before I traded some of that for that Led Zeppelin box set that came out in the early 90s that I haven't played much from. I got caught in that new fad called CD collecting too.
Growing up in the 60s and 70s, that the big albums from The Beatles, Zeppelin, Stones etc command even more money from the consumer but I draw the line of seeing a chewed up Apple Lp of the Beatles White Album selling for 50 dollars or G shaped albums for 18 dollars or more. If they threw in a new needle to replace yours after playing the scratched up album I might consider but I tend to be more picky than picking up every mold encrusted copy of Sgt. Pepper's and getting sick all over again. It's fun digging the crates and forming opinions about the life span of a record and forgotten group, but the sad fact is that at these Malls, the record inventory hardly changes. The same old overpriced record are still there, the mold and dusty ones are still there and you don't get a lot a new arrivals. And your are stuck listening to THE FOX or KDAT or god forbid, KISS Country and I can't handle Corporate Radio so I don't stay too long. So I'm looking at going to Marion as a once every three months thing. I have better luck seeing what Goodwill or Salvation Army has for new stuff.
The upstairs at the old Balster's has a cheap consignment record store, their name escapes me but it seems they have a slightly better newer selection of music, mostly jazz and soul. Their albums are 2 dollars, with the exception of a few others, and I ended up finding Joe Tex's Rub Down (his 1978 Epic album) and the 1969 Peanut Butter Conspiracy LP on Challenge that had a cover that the lady cashier took one look and laughed like crazy. That one sold for 4 dollars although the original price had I found it at the local Venture in the late 60s I could have gotten and one more album for 77 cents. The price of inflation. In the downstairs area they had some premium priced albums selling for me, and still up there is a Epic cut out of The Yardbirds Little Games album. Nice if I really needed it but I still have the import at home, with more and better songs rather than the anemic choice that Epic used for song selection. I think they wanted 15 or 18 for that.
While it was nice doing the antique mall tour of Marion, I don't forsee it to be a major happening. Not enough turnover to warrant more than once every three months. The self serve record store upstairs the old Balster's will probably be the only place I return to. The success ratio from Antiques stores to thrift is about the same, buyer beware of course. But I do get feel a bit nostalgic when i go up there, be it to see old scratchy 45s, rusty beer cans, former keepsakes turned into dust collectors and even old vintage motor oil cans or old gas station signs. But not enough for me to pony up big bucks for mold encrusted albums or vintage oil or beer cans. I'm sure you wouldn't want to drink old beer cans or put old oil in your car. The memories are good enough for me.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Archives: My City Is Gone-Marion Iowa Revisited Again
UPDATE 3-9-15 I have for the 3rd time put the pictures back into place, hopefully they will not disappear this time. Darren Ferreter get photo credit since they're from his FB site. The pictures can be found here as well. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.318051344964875&type=3
Update: 9-25-15 The Town And Country Bowl was located in the basement of Town And Country Shopping Center and for part of the 70s it was unique for being a underground bowling alley. While I haven't found pictures of it in its heyday, somebody snapped this while they were tearing that bowling alley down for the new Fareway Store. Perhaps we'll come up with another My City Is Gone Series sometime in the future that will focus more around the Cedar Rapids area.
Update 1/22/19 Early 50's My Guess is NW corner of 7th and 12th St. Marion Radio (later Marion TV and Records) sits at the corner, Irwin's is next door, and the Electric Light and Power Co, probably where you pay your bills at. From what I remembered, The Boston Store was next door to the Power Co. Fun Fact: Notice the IA 64 sign above 151. By 1969, IA 64 was no longer a part of Marion; it was relocated to the east side of Anamosa and best known as the road to Wyoming (or Maquoketa)
Now after 58 years and then some Irwin's in Downtown Marion is closing up shop forever (they closed December 30th of 2014). And that store was the link between the now and the past. With that, Irwins will join The Boston Store, Orphan Variety, Marion TV and Records, Sorg's Pharmacy, Box Kar Hobbies and so many stores into the past of Marion. The Good Old Days gone forever.The Antique Mall and stores across from the strip mall continues to be busy on the weekends and I've been known to go up to the one where Balster's used to be. A hoarder house full of old things long ago forgotten now takes up two floors. Another Antique showcase is where Boston Store used to be. Always a thrill of sorting through moldy old forty fives and albums I can be found up there once in a great while. The former Irwin will probably be a new Antique store in the making.
Used to be Marion was a great place to be growing up. Not so much anymore but Darren from My Space added some pictures that jogged the memories of downtown Marion. Before progress took it's personality away. In order to follow along, I advise you to follow from the website listed above.
The first pic is from 1968 thereabouts and this what Marion used to be. Main thoroughfare is to the left. Marion Shoe Shop, Bill's Tap, The Side Pocket bar-later on it would be the head shop Folks And Uncle Leonard, Town Square Book Store (a place where I spent many a time there), a appliance repair place, then Ole's Ham And Egger before you got to the train depot.
picture 11 Marion Shoe Shop, Bill's Tap, Salvation Army took over when the hippie shop folded, the empty lot is where Town's Square Bookstore caught on fire and it remained an open space. A appliance repair shop is next to the empty space that was Town's Square Books and Ole's further down. I'd say this picture is probably 1985 thereabouts.
Ole's Ham And Egger, where I used to spend many a time playing pinball, playing the jukebox and pissing off the old waitresses when they wouldn't give back my quarters when the pinball machine ate them. Some good memories here although I had some creepy old dude in a 68 green Chevy following me home one day in the mid 70s. Next to Ole's the old train station in the process of being torn down.
pictures 23, 24 Milwaukee Road Train Bridge over Indian Creek. A recent picture from Darren Ferreter, this area is behind the former Todd's Indian House (now a used car lot) and back in my wild youth, I used to hunt for beer cans back in this area to which I still have some rusty old Meister Brau and Falstaff cans in my collection. Used to be a big dam back here but the city tore that down. There's a walking trail in the area above the bridge but they have closed that off since you see it's not safe to cross, but perhaps in the future they may refurnish it so that we can use it someday.
The Milwaukee Road Bridge, and wooden damn over Indian Creek. Bridge in the background is the 8th Ave Bridge, long ago torn down. 1917.
Picture 17: 7th and 9th again, early 60s at least 1963 or 1964. Note the big Caddy and 59 Chevy Impala in background. They don't make them like that anymore.
7th avenue early 60s. Royal Inn, original location of Queen N Teen, Marion TV and Records (my second home), the Ben Franklin store and the uptown restaurant. Around 1971, Iowa banned beer signs outside on display, note the Falstaff sign far left side. The Ben Franklin name was changed to Orphan Variety, which still boasted one of the biggest candy sections in town. Plenty of sugar buzzes would come from this place. The apartments over the stores was something to behold. I seem to recall them being leaning over toward one side and the fear that someday those upstairs apartments would collapse. I think they went for like 200 a month back in the early 70s. Cockroaches included.
Between 7th and 10th, Dickie's Dry Cleaners, Dr Cameron J Hill, Podiatrist place (thanks for the info Cathy) , Mr. Bills Pizza Place, Stickney's Scoreboard and a Coast To Coast Hardware Store. Across the alley was the infamous Marion Theater that in 1971 turned into a XXX movie joint. Me and Scott Waters used to go by the back door and kick on it a few times before running away. We never did caught. This picture probably late 60s, before Coast To Coast moved further down 7th avenue and the Scoreboard expanded into the former hardware store area. And before Iowa banned having beer signs outside establishments around 1971 thereabouts.
Marion in the 1970s had plenty of trains going through town and sometimes the trains would have to stop in place for another to pass on through. Train 519 was one of two in town trains that would come through the switching yard from time to time. I think I spent most of my time at the junior high looking at the window to see passing trains go through town. Train 521 also was part of the Marion scene and I could tell what they were by the sound of the whistle. The fun of walking to school was hopefully have a stopped train in place so we can be late and get away with it. Which meant a few games of pinball at Ole's. Across the street from the UP caboose is the OK Lounge to where my band finally made it on stage on December 7, 1984. The old Marion Post Office was across the street from the OK. OK Lounge was torn down to make way for the Nancy Miller Public Library.
Ginther's on 10th. Don't recall seeing this building although it's more down from where Box Car Hobbies used to be at but they bulldozed this place down to put up a drug store in the mid 70s. They later moved over to the strip mall area on East Post Road. The Marion Theater was across the street.
Missing Picture: Box Kar Hobbies: used to be the place to go when you were a kid. They had a big track up in the back room so you can play race cars, and had a huge selection of Train collectibles that I used to have but gave most of them to my best friend Steve Willard. Next door was the Danish Maid Store, a Barbershop, after that I'm guessing there was a women's store, a jewelery store and I think a Goodwill store or perhaps a record store that started up but didn't last too long there. Next to the barbershop which has closed down, was the new location of Bill's Tap since the great city of Marion booted everybody out of the original location to put up that hideous strip mall which took away the heart and soul of Marion and basically my childhood years. Box Kar has moved from place to place around the Cedar Rapids/Marion area and is now based out of Town And Country. Final thought: Box Kar also sold beer cans in the 70s (with no beer of course). Bought a few of them out there.
New Pic: David Ray found an old picture of the 8th Avenue Bridge over Indian Creek in the early 1900s. Marion would have been a beautiful place to live back then it seems. (Photo credit: David Ray)
Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.318051344964875&type=3
A fond lookback.....
A short history of my growing up years and after careful thinking and planning, I decided to leave the last names of former high school sweethearts out for the sake of common courtesy and basically they're part of a long and forgotten past. A past that sometimes reminded me that things were not all bad and sometimes I did managed to walk home a good looking classmate.
Now since this gets viewed a lot: Marion continues to go into the toilet with plans for two roundabouts as Mayor Snooks continues to turn the town I used to know into a town that I don't want to know anymore. The sad fact of places that I used to work at, The old Marion Apco on 584 7th Avenue and the old Derby at 501 7th Avenue plus the old Marion 76 down the road are ancient memories. The sound of King's Concrete is now gone as well as the trains that used to go through town. I suppose it all for the best, not that my childhood meant that much but I remember a lot of things and old girlfriends that I used to walk home from school. Hard to fathom that I used to walk Cheryl home, a block and half from Longfellow but it was true for a while at least in grade school that we were together (to what they call Puppy Love) I didn't like junior high all that much nor High School for that matter, too many asshole bullies and stuck up girls that wouldn't give you the time of day unless they were trying to make their boyfriends jealous. I'll never know the reason why Janice decided to chase me around American Studies class along with co conspirator Sue in my Sophmore year, having her to jump on my lap one day in class on a dare. Perhaps I should have taken her on right there and then, we both had our moments of what could have been. Or had I asked her out or vice versa, but in the end, the only time I did take somebody out was Penny and that got messed up, since I had to work at Applegate's on Homecoming night and they wouldn't let me have that off. Somebody had to do the dishwashing I guess even though that job sucked from day one. But then again, I never seem to pick the right steady at any time during those formative years. But then again my sanctuary was the record store, girlfriends just got in the way, unless they were the cook at Applegate's taking glee as they dropped off their dirty dishes in the tub and snickering all the way as I try to clean the damn things. Maybe the good old days weren't so great after all.
But the streets are decaying despite the roundabout on 29th looking fine considering its out there in nowhere's land. The wide open spaces out by what used to be the four way stop at 151 and 13 is now a Wal Mart, a Casey's two trailer courts of varying degree, an Audi's and plenty of stop lights along the way. I long for the days of going to DX to pick up those NFL trading stamps that they had in 1972 and bothering the dudes up at DX for more stamps. Oh I tried out for Football but couldn't handle the practices and finding myself being demoted to the D squad and even further had I stuck it out. I wasn't good at sports, Barker ran circles around me when we played basketball and in baseball, the only year I tried out, I ended up with a zero batting average. It didn't help when my grandparents both died that year either. But basically i sucked at sports.
The only thing that I was good at was buy records and 45s and that got me through the years of growing up in Marion, although downtown Marion had everything I needed. A used book store, Marion TV and Records and Ole's Ham And Egger that had the greatest selection of music in the jukeboxes, some of the 45s I still have today. And the Boston Store, all like Irwins' which closed December of 2014 and the Marion Bowling Alley that closed earlier that year are history. All gone but not forgotten in pictures.
So I remember the pictures and the good times and the bad times as well. The skinny dreamer who peddled Penny Saver's for a lousy penny a paper but it paid me enough to buy music. And to go bike riding with my best friends, without a care in the world before discovering girls and having things change before our very eyes. But between grades 4 through 6 were the best of times, and it a shame it didn't last forever.
Truly, my city is gone.
Update: 9-25-15 The Town And Country Bowl was located in the basement of Town And Country Shopping Center and for part of the 70s it was unique for being a underground bowling alley. While I haven't found pictures of it in its heyday, somebody snapped this while they were tearing that bowling alley down for the new Fareway Store. Perhaps we'll come up with another My City Is Gone Series sometime in the future that will focus more around the Cedar Rapids area.
Update 1/22/19 Early 50's My Guess is NW corner of 7th and 12th St. Marion Radio (later Marion TV and Records) sits at the corner, Irwin's is next door, and the Electric Light and Power Co, probably where you pay your bills at. From what I remembered, The Boston Store was next door to the Power Co. Fun Fact: Notice the IA 64 sign above 151. By 1969, IA 64 was no longer a part of Marion; it was relocated to the east side of Anamosa and best known as the road to Wyoming (or Maquoketa)
Now after 58 years and then some Irwin's in Downtown Marion is closing up shop forever (they closed December 30th of 2014). And that store was the link between the now and the past. With that, Irwins will join The Boston Store, Orphan Variety, Marion TV and Records, Sorg's Pharmacy, Box Kar Hobbies and so many stores into the past of Marion. The Good Old Days gone forever.The Antique Mall and stores across from the strip mall continues to be busy on the weekends and I've been known to go up to the one where Balster's used to be. A hoarder house full of old things long ago forgotten now takes up two floors. Another Antique showcase is where Boston Store used to be. Always a thrill of sorting through moldy old forty fives and albums I can be found up there once in a great while. The former Irwin will probably be a new Antique store in the making.
Used to be Marion was a great place to be growing up. Not so much anymore but Darren from My Space added some pictures that jogged the memories of downtown Marion. Before progress took it's personality away. In order to follow along, I advise you to follow from the website listed above.
The first pic is from 1968 thereabouts and this what Marion used to be. Main thoroughfare is to the left. Marion Shoe Shop, Bill's Tap, The Side Pocket bar-later on it would be the head shop Folks And Uncle Leonard, Town Square Book Store (a place where I spent many a time there), a appliance repair place, then Ole's Ham And Egger before you got to the train depot.
picture 11 Marion Shoe Shop, Bill's Tap, Salvation Army took over when the hippie shop folded, the empty lot is where Town's Square Bookstore caught on fire and it remained an open space. A appliance repair shop is next to the empty space that was Town's Square Books and Ole's further down. I'd say this picture is probably 1985 thereabouts.
Ole's Ham And Egger, where I used to spend many a time playing pinball, playing the jukebox and pissing off the old waitresses when they wouldn't give back my quarters when the pinball machine ate them. Some good memories here although I had some creepy old dude in a 68 green Chevy following me home one day in the mid 70s. Next to Ole's the old train station in the process of being torn down.
pictures 23, 24 Milwaukee Road Train Bridge over Indian Creek. A recent picture from Darren Ferreter, this area is behind the former Todd's Indian House (now a used car lot) and back in my wild youth, I used to hunt for beer cans back in this area to which I still have some rusty old Meister Brau and Falstaff cans in my collection. Used to be a big dam back here but the city tore that down. There's a walking trail in the area above the bridge but they have closed that off since you see it's not safe to cross, but perhaps in the future they may refurnish it so that we can use it someday.
The Milwaukee Road Bridge, and wooden damn over Indian Creek. Bridge in the background is the 8th Ave Bridge, long ago torn down. 1917.
Picture 17: 7th and 9th again, early 60s at least 1963 or 1964. Note the big Caddy and 59 Chevy Impala in background. They don't make them like that anymore.
7th avenue early 60s. Royal Inn, original location of Queen N Teen, Marion TV and Records (my second home), the Ben Franklin store and the uptown restaurant. Around 1971, Iowa banned beer signs outside on display, note the Falstaff sign far left side. The Ben Franklin name was changed to Orphan Variety, which still boasted one of the biggest candy sections in town. Plenty of sugar buzzes would come from this place. The apartments over the stores was something to behold. I seem to recall them being leaning over toward one side and the fear that someday those upstairs apartments would collapse. I think they went for like 200 a month back in the early 70s. Cockroaches included.
Between 7th and 10th, Dickie's Dry Cleaners, Dr Cameron J Hill, Podiatrist place (thanks for the info Cathy) , Mr. Bills Pizza Place, Stickney's Scoreboard and a Coast To Coast Hardware Store. Across the alley was the infamous Marion Theater that in 1971 turned into a XXX movie joint. Me and Scott Waters used to go by the back door and kick on it a few times before running away. We never did caught. This picture probably late 60s, before Coast To Coast moved further down 7th avenue and the Scoreboard expanded into the former hardware store area. And before Iowa banned having beer signs outside establishments around 1971 thereabouts.
Marion in the 1970s had plenty of trains going through town and sometimes the trains would have to stop in place for another to pass on through. Train 519 was one of two in town trains that would come through the switching yard from time to time. I think I spent most of my time at the junior high looking at the window to see passing trains go through town. Train 521 also was part of the Marion scene and I could tell what they were by the sound of the whistle. The fun of walking to school was hopefully have a stopped train in place so we can be late and get away with it. Which meant a few games of pinball at Ole's. Across the street from the UP caboose is the OK Lounge to where my band finally made it on stage on December 7, 1984. The old Marion Post Office was across the street from the OK. OK Lounge was torn down to make way for the Nancy Miller Public Library.
Ginther's on 10th. Don't recall seeing this building although it's more down from where Box Car Hobbies used to be at but they bulldozed this place down to put up a drug store in the mid 70s. They later moved over to the strip mall area on East Post Road. The Marion Theater was across the street.
Missing Picture: Box Kar Hobbies: used to be the place to go when you were a kid. They had a big track up in the back room so you can play race cars, and had a huge selection of Train collectibles that I used to have but gave most of them to my best friend Steve Willard. Next door was the Danish Maid Store, a Barbershop, after that I'm guessing there was a women's store, a jewelery store and I think a Goodwill store or perhaps a record store that started up but didn't last too long there. Next to the barbershop which has closed down, was the new location of Bill's Tap since the great city of Marion booted everybody out of the original location to put up that hideous strip mall which took away the heart and soul of Marion and basically my childhood years. Box Kar has moved from place to place around the Cedar Rapids/Marion area and is now based out of Town And Country. Final thought: Box Kar also sold beer cans in the 70s (with no beer of course). Bought a few of them out there.
New Pic: David Ray found an old picture of the 8th Avenue Bridge over Indian Creek in the early 1900s. Marion would have been a beautiful place to live back then it seems. (Photo credit: David Ray)
Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.318051344964875&type=3
A fond lookback.....
A short history of my growing up years and after careful thinking and planning, I decided to leave the last names of former high school sweethearts out for the sake of common courtesy and basically they're part of a long and forgotten past. A past that sometimes reminded me that things were not all bad and sometimes I did managed to walk home a good looking classmate.
Now since this gets viewed a lot: Marion continues to go into the toilet with plans for two roundabouts as Mayor Snooks continues to turn the town I used to know into a town that I don't want to know anymore. The sad fact of places that I used to work at, The old Marion Apco on 584 7th Avenue and the old Derby at 501 7th Avenue plus the old Marion 76 down the road are ancient memories. The sound of King's Concrete is now gone as well as the trains that used to go through town. I suppose it all for the best, not that my childhood meant that much but I remember a lot of things and old girlfriends that I used to walk home from school. Hard to fathom that I used to walk Cheryl home, a block and half from Longfellow but it was true for a while at least in grade school that we were together (to what they call Puppy Love) I didn't like junior high all that much nor High School for that matter, too many asshole bullies and stuck up girls that wouldn't give you the time of day unless they were trying to make their boyfriends jealous. I'll never know the reason why Janice decided to chase me around American Studies class along with co conspirator Sue in my Sophmore year, having her to jump on my lap one day in class on a dare. Perhaps I should have taken her on right there and then, we both had our moments of what could have been. Or had I asked her out or vice versa, but in the end, the only time I did take somebody out was Penny and that got messed up, since I had to work at Applegate's on Homecoming night and they wouldn't let me have that off. Somebody had to do the dishwashing I guess even though that job sucked from day one. But then again, I never seem to pick the right steady at any time during those formative years. But then again my sanctuary was the record store, girlfriends just got in the way, unless they were the cook at Applegate's taking glee as they dropped off their dirty dishes in the tub and snickering all the way as I try to clean the damn things. Maybe the good old days weren't so great after all.
But the streets are decaying despite the roundabout on 29th looking fine considering its out there in nowhere's land. The wide open spaces out by what used to be the four way stop at 151 and 13 is now a Wal Mart, a Casey's two trailer courts of varying degree, an Audi's and plenty of stop lights along the way. I long for the days of going to DX to pick up those NFL trading stamps that they had in 1972 and bothering the dudes up at DX for more stamps. Oh I tried out for Football but couldn't handle the practices and finding myself being demoted to the D squad and even further had I stuck it out. I wasn't good at sports, Barker ran circles around me when we played basketball and in baseball, the only year I tried out, I ended up with a zero batting average. It didn't help when my grandparents both died that year either. But basically i sucked at sports.
The only thing that I was good at was buy records and 45s and that got me through the years of growing up in Marion, although downtown Marion had everything I needed. A used book store, Marion TV and Records and Ole's Ham And Egger that had the greatest selection of music in the jukeboxes, some of the 45s I still have today. And the Boston Store, all like Irwins' which closed December of 2014 and the Marion Bowling Alley that closed earlier that year are history. All gone but not forgotten in pictures.
So I remember the pictures and the good times and the bad times as well. The skinny dreamer who peddled Penny Saver's for a lousy penny a paper but it paid me enough to buy music. And to go bike riding with my best friends, without a care in the world before discovering girls and having things change before our very eyes. But between grades 4 through 6 were the best of times, and it a shame it didn't last forever.
Truly, my city is gone.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Forgotten Bands Of The 60s-The Blues Project
As far as I know, The Blues Project only made one proper album in their career Projections and I tend to agree with Al Kooper that the mix sucks. Upon hearing the Verve reissue of the CD way back in 1995 it sounded like it was mastered from an old scratchy acetate, which overlook that and you can tell that the album is quite good.
The Blues Project was a idea based upon a jamming group of dudes, Al Kooper the better known but had Steve Katz, Danny Kalb, Andy Kulberg and Roy Blumenfeld (and don't forget Tommy Flanders) as a band collective. Kooper worked with Bob Dylan during the Blonde on Blonde album and classic recording of Like A Rolling Stone, one of the first 6 plus minute song to make it on 45. Upon gigging at the Cafe Au Go Go, Verve decided to issue that via their fledgling Verve/Folkways later Verve/Forecast offshoot label and although the live album is hit and miss it does have a few staples that they would revisit from time to time Going To Louisiana, Catch The Wind and a lot more of the Willie Dixon catalog that most bands were covering at that time. I tend to think Spoonful and Who Do You Love go on a bit too long but overall, The Blues Project were good purveyors of the blues.
Tom Wilson seemed to be the idea producer to work with. At that time, Wilson was working with The Animals, Bob Dylan and Mothers Of Invention to name a few and what better way to get noticed is with a hip producer but again what stands out in Projections is who screechy and tinny the sound is on their classic I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes which basically recopies Howlin' Wolf's Little Baby or Blind Willie Johnson. Or blame Val Valentin's for the lousy sound since he was head engineer of most of the MGM Verve roster recordings. Still Projections is the Blues Project at their best and versatile, they could retell Chuck Berry and make it rock (You Can't Catch Me) or take a stab at pop (Wake Me, Shake Me) and even jazz comes into play (Flute Thing) or country (Fly Away) but overall, it's a blues effort although I tend to think that the whole 11 and half minutes of Two Trains Running comes close to make one fall asleep while Caress Me Baby is somewhat like the Jefferson Airplane was doing when they cover Rock Me Baby. It's been known that Kooper calls Two Trains Running vintage Danny Kalb on the liner notes to the Rhino Best Of The Blues Project but perhaps it's best to see them perform this in concert rather than under headphones.
A split in the band came when Kooper wanted to add more horns to the songs whereas the band didn't, so Kooper and Steve Katz left to form Blood Sweat And Tears and made their pseudoclassic Child Is Father To The Man album (before Kooper left that band under mysterious circumstances) and Verve was trying to come up with new Blues Project music and settled upon adding crowd noise to a couple of singles and leftover live performances and called it Live At Town Hall. No Time Like The Right Time, a single only release, was peppered with applause as well as a couple other forgotten singles; for the live performances, the Electric Flute Thing is quite boring and we get an alternative version of Wake Me Shake Me and a lesser known Mean Old Southern. The record label was already scraping the bottom of the barrel. With Kooper gone, Andy Kulberg recruited new members for the drab Planned Obsolescence. If nothing else that album would be the beginning of a new project that eventually became Seatrain. Outside of If You Gotta Make A Fool Out Of Somebody which owes a lot to Blind Faith, the rest of the album bores me to death. Tommy Flanders came back to play on the two Capitol albums but I have not heard any of these. However, in 1973, The original boys (sans Flanders) did Reunion in Central Park for MCA and while reviews were lukewarm, I actually liked this album and thought that this version of Fly Away was superior to the one on Verve. And it did come out on CD for a short while in the 90s.
As for the best ofs, they provide a nice sampler although the only remote thing they had for a hit was No Time Like The Right Time (which can be found on the original Nuggets album via Elektra/Rhino/Sire). Although I give a slight nod to the Rhino best of for the obscure Flute Thing that didn't make the Reunion In Central Park listing over the Polygram 2 CD anthology but both best ofs omit anything from Obsolescence or the Capitol albums. They're both flawed for overviews buyer beware. In the end, if nothing else The Blues Project can be considered one of the early pioneers of jam band which is not a bad thing, The Grateful Dead is a jam band as well. But like some jam bands, the songs can be tedious (Electric) Flute Thing comes to mind or Two Trains Running. But when they do find a right jam be it I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes or Wake Me Shake Me, The Blues Project knows how to jam. Andy Kulburg died in 2002 but sometimes Steve Katz or Danny Kalb and Roy Blumenfeld have known to resurrect The Blues Project from time to time, last in 2013. Al Kooper continues to do his own thing and has his own column of writing about his favorite music called New Music For Old People you can find at The Morton Report.
Grades:
Live At A Cafe Au Go Go (Verve/Folkways 1966) B+
Projections (Verve Forecast 1967) A-
Live At Town Hall (Verve Forecast 1968) B-
Planned Obsolescence (Verve Forecast 1969) C-
Lazarus (Capitol 1971) NR
Blues Project (Capitol 1972) NR
Reunion At Central Park (Sounds Of The South/MCA 1973) B+
Best Of The Blues Project (Rhino 1989) B
The Blues Project was a idea based upon a jamming group of dudes, Al Kooper the better known but had Steve Katz, Danny Kalb, Andy Kulberg and Roy Blumenfeld (and don't forget Tommy Flanders) as a band collective. Kooper worked with Bob Dylan during the Blonde on Blonde album and classic recording of Like A Rolling Stone, one of the first 6 plus minute song to make it on 45. Upon gigging at the Cafe Au Go Go, Verve decided to issue that via their fledgling Verve/Folkways later Verve/Forecast offshoot label and although the live album is hit and miss it does have a few staples that they would revisit from time to time Going To Louisiana, Catch The Wind and a lot more of the Willie Dixon catalog that most bands were covering at that time. I tend to think Spoonful and Who Do You Love go on a bit too long but overall, The Blues Project were good purveyors of the blues.
Tom Wilson seemed to be the idea producer to work with. At that time, Wilson was working with The Animals, Bob Dylan and Mothers Of Invention to name a few and what better way to get noticed is with a hip producer but again what stands out in Projections is who screechy and tinny the sound is on their classic I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes which basically recopies Howlin' Wolf's Little Baby or Blind Willie Johnson. Or blame Val Valentin's for the lousy sound since he was head engineer of most of the MGM Verve roster recordings. Still Projections is the Blues Project at their best and versatile, they could retell Chuck Berry and make it rock (You Can't Catch Me) or take a stab at pop (Wake Me, Shake Me) and even jazz comes into play (Flute Thing) or country (Fly Away) but overall, it's a blues effort although I tend to think that the whole 11 and half minutes of Two Trains Running comes close to make one fall asleep while Caress Me Baby is somewhat like the Jefferson Airplane was doing when they cover Rock Me Baby. It's been known that Kooper calls Two Trains Running vintage Danny Kalb on the liner notes to the Rhino Best Of The Blues Project but perhaps it's best to see them perform this in concert rather than under headphones.
A split in the band came when Kooper wanted to add more horns to the songs whereas the band didn't, so Kooper and Steve Katz left to form Blood Sweat And Tears and made their pseudoclassic Child Is Father To The Man album (before Kooper left that band under mysterious circumstances) and Verve was trying to come up with new Blues Project music and settled upon adding crowd noise to a couple of singles and leftover live performances and called it Live At Town Hall. No Time Like The Right Time, a single only release, was peppered with applause as well as a couple other forgotten singles; for the live performances, the Electric Flute Thing is quite boring and we get an alternative version of Wake Me Shake Me and a lesser known Mean Old Southern. The record label was already scraping the bottom of the barrel. With Kooper gone, Andy Kulberg recruited new members for the drab Planned Obsolescence. If nothing else that album would be the beginning of a new project that eventually became Seatrain. Outside of If You Gotta Make A Fool Out Of Somebody which owes a lot to Blind Faith, the rest of the album bores me to death. Tommy Flanders came back to play on the two Capitol albums but I have not heard any of these. However, in 1973, The original boys (sans Flanders) did Reunion in Central Park for MCA and while reviews were lukewarm, I actually liked this album and thought that this version of Fly Away was superior to the one on Verve. And it did come out on CD for a short while in the 90s.
As for the best ofs, they provide a nice sampler although the only remote thing they had for a hit was No Time Like The Right Time (which can be found on the original Nuggets album via Elektra/Rhino/Sire). Although I give a slight nod to the Rhino best of for the obscure Flute Thing that didn't make the Reunion In Central Park listing over the Polygram 2 CD anthology but both best ofs omit anything from Obsolescence or the Capitol albums. They're both flawed for overviews buyer beware. In the end, if nothing else The Blues Project can be considered one of the early pioneers of jam band which is not a bad thing, The Grateful Dead is a jam band as well. But like some jam bands, the songs can be tedious (Electric) Flute Thing comes to mind or Two Trains Running. But when they do find a right jam be it I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes or Wake Me Shake Me, The Blues Project knows how to jam. Andy Kulburg died in 2002 but sometimes Steve Katz or Danny Kalb and Roy Blumenfeld have known to resurrect The Blues Project from time to time, last in 2013. Al Kooper continues to do his own thing and has his own column of writing about his favorite music called New Music For Old People you can find at The Morton Report.
Grades:
Live At A Cafe Au Go Go (Verve/Folkways 1966) B+
Projections (Verve Forecast 1967) A-
Live At Town Hall (Verve Forecast 1968) B-
Planned Obsolescence (Verve Forecast 1969) C-
Lazarus (Capitol 1971) NR
Blues Project (Capitol 1972) NR
Reunion At Central Park (Sounds Of The South/MCA 1973) B+
Best Of The Blues Project (Rhino 1989) B
Monday, March 2, 2015
Week In Review: He's Dead Jim
It's March but looking outside you wouldn't know it. Except for parts of January, all of February was cold and snowy, and the last two days of that shitty month we had twenty below temps. And it feels more like January than March with single digits. Climate change sucks. Seems like every winter we're getting back to the ice ages. Not a good sign.
The continual disgust of the world, a ten cent gas tax hike and another ten cents and we're back at two fifty a gallon, with the majority of gas stations continuing to rape the consumer with dime raises here and there throughout of last month. On a brief run to Moondog Music a out of the way gas station in Hopkinton had it at 2.15 a gallon and one other at 2.09 and the pumps you can turn out without prepay. A real throw back to the good ole days. I got a kick out of having to count to ten and then turn it back on, since it was a slow pump and the poor guy come running out in 5 degree weather telling me how to do that. He also remarked it's cold outside. In terms of all of this, blame shouldn't be on the Emperor Terry Branstad, longest serving dictator of this great state, but rather on Tod Bowman, asshole from Maquoketa after voting for a pay raise since he thinks he's done a great job, said that we needed better roads, which happens to be another excuse of having a local option sales tax that was supposed to be doing this in the first place. The bi partisan vote for the hike also had a few GOP/Democrats saying no to the idea. The next road trip will be to McQ and seek out Bowman and nut punch him. Funny how these asshats say that they're speaking for us when I have yet to hear any of them actually speaking about what we want. Koch brothers robot Joni (wonderbags) Ernst sure in the hell don't speak of me when she opens her big mouth. Visions of the Michelle Bachman Jr from somebody who won on the ass vote, meaning how Iowans sat on their ass at home and didn't vote. Can't get rid of these Koch puppets just by bitching about it, voting them out should have been the answer. In the meantime, I'm once again stuck with another fucking cold that has not gone away at all since December when they were saying get a flu shot, I did and been sick ever since. I always know when I'm going to get sick, when it feels like I got a granola bar stuck in my throat and can't get it out. So far 2015 has been even more shitty than last year. And cold and snow and cough colds every other week do not help.
Death has been very busy this year and he once again made the rounds and picked two out. Minnie Minoso, the long time Chicago White Sox player who played five decades (he could have played six decades but MLB said no). Minoso was to the Sox as was Ernie Banks was for the Cubs and in this day and age of sports they were rare. He was 89. But the big story was Lenard Nimoy, the beloved actor who was Spock on Star Trek but also starred in Mission Impossible after Martin Landau left and was host of In Search Of, one of the best syndicated shows of the 70s that nobody remembers. Later on he appeared in Futurerama's show of the late 90s. An all around actor he also made a few records, his Proud Mary version is the stuff of legends. As they say, He's Dead Jim and now has been beamed up to the Enterprise to join Scotty and Bones McCoy.
Orrin Keepnews is synonymous with jazz music especially the classic albums that he overseen on his Riverside Label, classic recordings from Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins and most notably Monk, which the classic and hard to played Brilliant Corners album to which Orrin spliced together a couple takes since the original song was very hard to play. Challenge Neil Peart and Rush to try to play this. Riverside was famous for Cannonball Adderley and the two minute Jive Samba which the long version is 11 minutes long. Orrin would later found Milestone in the 60s and later became one of the best writers on jazz, he gives deep insight on the Bluebird reissues of the 1980s and Fantasy Concord would issue the Keepnews Collection, a batch of Riverside Recordings Reissued with Orrin's views on those albums. Even up to his passing he was continuing to write about jazz albums and music. He was 91 and died one day short of what would have been his 92nd birthday. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/arts/music/orrin-keepnews-jazz-producer-and-record-executive-is-dead-at-91.html?_r=1
Country radio today sucks. Here today gone tomorrow A and R nobody Gary Overton got his 5 minutes of fame by saying If you're not on country radio you don't exist and the Nashville country artists came storming back with comments of their own. One of the better new country artists is Aaron Watson as well as Sturgill Simpson but now old timer (hard to say that) Charlie Robison gave his two cents worth in a interview blasting out some I Heart DJ of Bobby Bones (whoever he is) after Watson called one of the receptionist (Let's use that word since i can't spell secretary, hell I actually did spell it right) a sweetheart and Bones popped a tampon. This shows you how out of touch that I am about new music today or country. Or who plays it. Corporations took out all the independent stations be it rock or country and replaced them with robots from a satellite or personalities from afar. I don't know Bobby Bones, nor care to since he also started up a flame war with Farce The Music (FTM posted a link to that last week but you can look it up on your own). I'm not that big of a fan of Charlie Robison either but I do admire his line of thinking of dealing with A and R beancounters like Gary Overton, who will be losing his job once the Bro country fad wears thin or Florida Georgia Line gets resigned to Average Joe's whichever comes first. Music continues to revolve all the time but it has been regressing since Luke Bryan gave us the infamous Dallas Davidson line of Conway and T Pain a few years ago. The folks at Lucky Dog may have given Charlie Robison a bad taste in his mouth during his time there but he's so dead on, that perhaps I might return to his back catalog to see what I missed. And on the same but different department Israel dictator Benjamin Netanyahu is a asshole too. http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/charlie-robison-pens-epic-response-to-gary-overtons-you-dont-exist-quote
Of course FGL continues to rub it in, throwing up a picture of them making faces in front of a sold out crowd. After all, a bit of manipulation of the charts gave them the all time number single. But perhaps the best parting shot which FGL was left searching for words came from Robison. “How do you lose respect for someone who doesn’t exist?”
And that no picture can ever compensate. Drink on Boys.
Blog of the week: Jim Wright He tells it like it is, especially when it comes to the Koch Brother party and a few others. Not music related but more common sense. http://www.stonekettle.com/
Late to press: The NTSB has decided to look into the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens after 56 years. The conclusion was of pilot error and that Roger Peterson misjudged the clipper system that blew up the winds and snow that downed the plane and took him and the rest out of this world. The original findings can be found here: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/CAB_2-3-1959.pdf
The basic take on this is that 56 years after the fact all involved are dead and basically it's a waste of taxpayer money to even open up such a case. Or have Roger Peterson being blamed for taking the lives of three up and coming rock pioneers. Nothing will bring any of them back. If there was any of today's technology they would have stayed on ground and waited till the clipper system moved out of their area. The winds and snow may have impaired Peterson's judgement but we'll never know his final moments before impact. Anybody who gets stuck out in blizzard conditions knows that the blinding snow and winds can impaired judgement or knowing your sense of direction. In Roger's case he paid dearly. Perhaps if there was a working heater on a bus music might be much more differently today, but in a world of speculation that's all it is. A sad way to end lives but perhaps it's too bad that they couldn't postpone a rock show a day just to get clear their minds. Basically the promoters in charge of the Dance Party of 59 could be considered murderers for this unheard of places to play and having Buddy and company hop around the midwest in the middle of winter. Even today, it would be a miracle to even complete such a grueling schedule as the promoters drew it out.
Record Review Time (A list of things found at Moondog Music)
Terry Reid-Bang Bang You're Terry Reid (Epic 1968)
If you really want to know what would have happened had Reid joined up with the New Yardbirds instead of unknown Robert Plant, this record really tells the story. Reid's vocals were higher up in range kinda like Plant although history has shown that Robert would be the better known. Jimmy Page really wanted Reid to join up and I can see why. A cult classic as they say, one track Without Expression (don't be the man) was later covered by REO Speedwagon of the early 70s. One of the longest albums of the the 60s (the timing actually goes over 50 minutes for a single record) Reid turns Season Of The Witch into a 10 minute freakout, that instead of building up to a climax, it slowly descends back into the grave at the ending and Bang Bang owes more to Vanilla Fudge than Sonny And Cher. And another 10 minute medley gives way to Summertime Blues, probably the least of the versions that I have heard but that's not a bad thing, it kinda leads nowhere. Perhaps Reid could have used a better producer, he ended up with the indifferent Mickie Most and there have been horror stories of bands trying to to work with Most and not liking the end results (See Little Games by The Yardbirds for example). Reid also borrows from the Yardbirds, Tinker Tailor and slows it to a blues like number. Rumor has it that Reid turned down Page's offer to join up the New Yardbirds since he was tied up with Most but he did suggest Robert Plant. And thus remained a cult artist at best and disappearing off the map for a time before coming back on a album for Warner Brothers in the 1990s. Oh, and that other band The New Yardbirds, They went on to become Led Zeppelin and the rest is history. For shits and giggles, find a copy of Bang Bang and play it along side Led Zeppelin's first album and compare. You'll be surprised at the results.
Grade B+
Mel "Pigue" Robbins-Hully Gully To The Hits (Smash 1964)
File this under Tom And Jerry (Tom Tolimson and Jerry Kennedy not Simon And Garfunkel). Back in the early 60s there was no shortage of instrumentals doing the latest hits to either the Twist or the lesser known Hully Gully. Hargis or Mel as he was known back then was a outstanding piano player that can be heard on many many country and rock singles of that time (He had two Jerry Lee Lewis type of piano pumping numbers that came out on Argo/Chess that collectors have been looking to find) but another fun fact that he was a blind piano player. At that time he was part of the Mercury/Smash records session group known as the The Merry Melody group and Singers who sang on recordings by Leroy Van Dyke and Ray Stevens and was lead by Jerry Kennedy, himself no stranger to music only albums (Golden Guitar Greats can be found easily at thrift stores if you look hard enough). Perfect for dance parties of 1964 thereabouts, Hully Gully To The Hits are just that, and Robbins and company go through the hits of the time although none will ever replace the vocals once such as I Know or Mother In Law. And basically this is a fun romp and listen, Robbins' White Sliver Sands grooves harder than Bill Black Combo's version without the cheesy organ. It's also fun to hear Robbins play around with Blueberry Hill by adding the melody of On Top Of Old Smokey. Of course the ever capable Boots Randolph is there to provide sax, as well as the Merrie Melody Singers shouting along to Baby Hully Gully, which was done by The Olympics. It may not be much to hear it fifty years later but I still get a kick out of LPs like this.
Grade B
Willie Nelson-Country Willie His Own Songs (RCA 1965, Buddha reissue 1999)
Out of all of the RCA recording stars of that era, Willie Nelson was the most stripped down, at least on his RCA debut and like he did when recording for Liberty he redid some of his famous songs, but even back then, Willie's oft kilter vocal phasing wasn't the stuff for country music, he was eccentric from the word go. Without the Anita Kerr Singers who smothered him on the Liberty album And Then I Wrote, it's Willie on guitar and a sympathetic group led by Chet Atkins (with the late Jerry Reed helping out as well). Perhaps the polished Atkins production might get in the way but I think they added some clarity on his single One Day At A Time and Healing Hands Of Time. Willie flirts with jazz blues on Night Life and adds Pete Drake's talking steel guitar novelty on Hello Walls. The other thing that stands out is how dark these songs are, Willie could write a nice love song if he wanted to but the grimness of Darkness On The Face Of The Earth or Mr. Record Man is telling. Later recordings with Atkins and then Felton Jarvis trying to add more strings and the Anita Kerr Singers returning and getting minimal results, one later best of Naked Willie has some of his better songs relived of the singers and strings that got in the way. But for all intent purposes Country Willie is in reality the first true Naked Willie and it would also would benefit him greatly 10 years later on his signature album Red Headed Stranger. For myself, I tend to look at his RCA years with a lot more appreciation than on his classic Columbia albums, it shows a struggling and hungry songwriter wanting to do his own thing. In a way his first album was like that, uncompromising and stripped down dark country. And it worked.
Grade B+
Dr. Feelgood-I'm A Man (Best Of The Wilko Johnson Era) (Parlophone 2015)
There isn't no Dr Feelgood albums in the US that is available anymore (unless Sony Music still has Malpractice in print) and the early years with Wilko Johnson is arguably their best years although Gypsie Mayo gave them a classic in the 1981 Case Of The Shakes album. It basically cherry picks Wilko's tunes from Down By The Jetty and Malpractice and curiously leaves off Paradise from Sneaking Suspicion. I still would recommend Jetty and Malpractice in a heartbeat but this has five cuts from the outrageous Stupidity, which shows them in fine form. I suspect this compilation would not exist had Wilko's Going Back Home recorded with Roger Daltrey became a surprise hit but I also thank our lucky stars and Rhino for at least had the guts to put out on CD. After all, America should have at least one Dr Feelgood record in print. (although in a perfect world they would all be available). A nice sampler of the early years and Lee Brilleaux is still missed.
Grade B+
Various: The Danceland Years (Pointblank Classic 1994)
20 years ago, Virgin via their blues outlet Pointblank issued a compilation of most of the sides that Morris Kaplan issued for his short lived Danceland label of the late 1948 through 1951 and perhaps best known for five hard to find John Lee Hooker numbers under the Baby Pork Chops alias he was using for that label. Basically hard bop blues is the subject here, both John and little known Tony "blues" Lewis have 9 cuts between them, which leaves Candy Johnson with the songs that sold the best for Danceland, Stampin' and Ebony Jump which echoes a bit of very primitive rock and swing. The final track, at that time a mystery unknown What's The Matter With The World turns out was done by The Goldtones upon further research, The Goldtones somewhat a smooth harmony doo wop which owed as much to the Mills Brothers and Ink Spots too, with a shimmering vibrato guitar providing melody. Apparently Sammy Kaplan, couldn't locate the other side to this song Lazy Daisy Blues since according to the liner notes, acetates of songs were lost or exchanged hands. The Danceland Years basically was compiled after an interest of finding lost John Lee Hooker songs and the five songs are trademark Hooker boogie/blues but with a very young voice, Tony Blues Lewis sounds more like Guitar Slim. For those with a liking of obscure blues, Danceland Years is a find addition to your collection and about the Artist Unknown, mystery solved, although little is known about the Goldtones (there's a doo wop band going around the area but I doubt if they're related), despite the internet and Google. Update: There's a 50th Anniversary Edition of The Danceland Years that you can get off Itunes, and does provide a few more missing pieces to this puzzle plus Rose Nelson, the missing Lazy Daisy Blues from The Goldtones and Tommy Jefferson's Rock With Jesus. But Candy Johnson's selections are MIA.
Grade B+ (this applies to the Virgin/Pointblank Comp).
Reference link below about Dance land Records.
http://www.lovelanemusic.com/#!__danceland-records
Foghat-Drivin' Wheels Best Of Foghat (Raven 2014)
I guess we'll never get a full decent compilation of Foghat's greatest moments but this comes very close. Unlike the Rhino best ofs, Raven goes further and adds the full length versions of their hits. Complaint number 1 is that only 2 selections are from the last five albums and only one is the B side to Slipped Tripped Fell In Love (MIA) as well as Live Now Pay Later (MIA too) and Wide Boy (Ditto number 3). Complaint number 2, we really don't need Take It Or Leave It or Couldn't Make Her Stay on a best of, (although the latter song is only 2 minutes long, it's still filler, and Take It Or Leave It isn't one of Dave Peverett's better songs. Overlook that, and the comp gives you the indication of just how damn good Foghat is in delivering the boogie and it takes three of the best four available numbers from Rock And Roll Outlaws as well, IMO their most underrated. There's more to them than just Slow Ride which will forever give Roger and company a nice living 40 years after the fact. Will the young un's buy this? You never know although I do hold out some hope for the future of the kids of today. After all I know a certain old bar band that did love this band enough to note for note cover the live version of I Just Want To Make Love To You. And it turned out to be their highlight as well.
Grade B+
Can't review them all: Cheap Trick, Herman's Hermits
While people are continuing to volley for them being into the Rock Hall Of Fame, it gave me some time to revisit what I remember from Cheap Trick in their catalog. Their classic years were on Epic and their classic albums remain the ones up to Dream Police although Budokan broke them big. The most successful power pop rock band ever but I had to admit that I'm not an major gotta have it all fan of theirs. The one thing that stands out is how they phased Bun E Carlos out of the band leaving him on the outside looking in. The other thing that stands out, is their first album, folks call it an instant classic, and I listened and didn't think it was and despite of a couple numbers, I gave it a B minus and sold the record off. They hit their mark with In Color and Heaven Tonight but Dream Police outside of the hit single was a drop off and Need Your Love sounded best on the live Budokan album. And then they polished a turd up and called it All Shook Up and that's where I quit listening. Then they got their biggest hit with hair metal pop ballad The Flame, which good for them gave them some pop credo but to these ears they sold out and got a gold ballad in return. Moving to Warner Brothers for Woke Up With A Monster that CD is famous for hitting the cut outs in record time and The Tricksters moved on to independent record land at times coming up with a listenable record (Rockford) once in a while. They tend to miss more often than hit but once they can come with something that's pretty damn good (Surrender, Stiff Competition) their songs are just as good as anyone else. What they were good at was being a great live show band, especially during the Budokan years and having 20 thousand screaming Japanese girls in the background? I'll always will fast forward over I Want You To Want Me, classic rock radio ran that into the ground but the pop rock charm of Bukodan will always remain despite radio overkill plays of I Want You etc. Fun fact: I have seen Cheap Trick twice in this area. One when they opened up for Blue Oyster Cult when BOC was touting The Revolution At Night and later in 1996 when they opened up for Styx, I would have forgotten the latter had I not come across an old ticket stub of the latter show. Like any bands still around from the 70s they're looking much older and not as sexy but Rick Neilsen as long as he still lives remains one of the better live guitar players in rock history. I'll never be sold on the first Cheap Trick album nor anything after Budokan but the first three albums are the reason why fans want them in the Rock hall. And prove to be a valid argument for consideration.
It's pledge month at PBS and they have dusted off the same old DVD of past bands of the 60s to which most of the members have retired or died. Hell, most of them are dead (Jim), and let's face it, the 60s were fifty years ago and it's a time we'll never return although the music will remain. Perhaps the most unlikely of bands or singer that really hasn't changed is Peter Noone, who continues to be heard on 60s on 6. That said, I haven't been much of a fan of Herman Hermits, blame that on I'm Henry The 8th I Am, which is silly as they come or Mrs Brown You Got A Lovely Daughter which brings memories of holding my nose while singing that in the shower. Better to leave that on the radio than in your collection. That also said, The Hermits had some nice songs of their own, Can't You Hear My Heartbeat actually does Buddy Holly proud, or No Milk Today which is nicely placed along the works of the Hollies, or East West another song that rarely gets mentioned or played anymore. Noone's career after Herman was spotty at best, there was a band that made two albums for CBS that I can't recall but he's played the role of an aging teen idol quite well. Noone makes the oldies' circuit at times (he was here with The Turtles with Flo And Eddie and Mitch Ryder last year) and they put on a good show. I consider Herman Hermits to be in the same league as Gerry And The Pacemakers or Freddy And The Dreamers, pop idol music that got them lucky with a couple of novelty numbers. ABKCO has updated the very best of Herman Hermits and has all the good and bad that one could ever need. A singles bands but not a very good album band, that's Peter and the Hermits.
Finally, record buying over the internet can be a tricky and sometimes challenging. Looking at EBAY pictures of records that appear to be VG or better can also reveal them to be more VG minus or F or G. Interesting read about how photoshop can reveal the scratches that you may not see on the photo. The rule of thumb is that if the label looks a bit chewed up, chances are the vinyl is too. Buyer beware. http://www.aux.tv/2015/03/this-photoshop-trick-shows-you-how-damaged-used-vinyl-is/
The continual disgust of the world, a ten cent gas tax hike and another ten cents and we're back at two fifty a gallon, with the majority of gas stations continuing to rape the consumer with dime raises here and there throughout of last month. On a brief run to Moondog Music a out of the way gas station in Hopkinton had it at 2.15 a gallon and one other at 2.09 and the pumps you can turn out without prepay. A real throw back to the good ole days. I got a kick out of having to count to ten and then turn it back on, since it was a slow pump and the poor guy come running out in 5 degree weather telling me how to do that. He also remarked it's cold outside. In terms of all of this, blame shouldn't be on the Emperor Terry Branstad, longest serving dictator of this great state, but rather on Tod Bowman, asshole from Maquoketa after voting for a pay raise since he thinks he's done a great job, said that we needed better roads, which happens to be another excuse of having a local option sales tax that was supposed to be doing this in the first place. The bi partisan vote for the hike also had a few GOP/Democrats saying no to the idea. The next road trip will be to McQ and seek out Bowman and nut punch him. Funny how these asshats say that they're speaking for us when I have yet to hear any of them actually speaking about what we want. Koch brothers robot Joni (wonderbags) Ernst sure in the hell don't speak of me when she opens her big mouth. Visions of the Michelle Bachman Jr from somebody who won on the ass vote, meaning how Iowans sat on their ass at home and didn't vote. Can't get rid of these Koch puppets just by bitching about it, voting them out should have been the answer. In the meantime, I'm once again stuck with another fucking cold that has not gone away at all since December when they were saying get a flu shot, I did and been sick ever since. I always know when I'm going to get sick, when it feels like I got a granola bar stuck in my throat and can't get it out. So far 2015 has been even more shitty than last year. And cold and snow and cough colds every other week do not help.
Death has been very busy this year and he once again made the rounds and picked two out. Minnie Minoso, the long time Chicago White Sox player who played five decades (he could have played six decades but MLB said no). Minoso was to the Sox as was Ernie Banks was for the Cubs and in this day and age of sports they were rare. He was 89. But the big story was Lenard Nimoy, the beloved actor who was Spock on Star Trek but also starred in Mission Impossible after Martin Landau left and was host of In Search Of, one of the best syndicated shows of the 70s that nobody remembers. Later on he appeared in Futurerama's show of the late 90s. An all around actor he also made a few records, his Proud Mary version is the stuff of legends. As they say, He's Dead Jim and now has been beamed up to the Enterprise to join Scotty and Bones McCoy.
Orrin Keepnews is synonymous with jazz music especially the classic albums that he overseen on his Riverside Label, classic recordings from Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins and most notably Monk, which the classic and hard to played Brilliant Corners album to which Orrin spliced together a couple takes since the original song was very hard to play. Challenge Neil Peart and Rush to try to play this. Riverside was famous for Cannonball Adderley and the two minute Jive Samba which the long version is 11 minutes long. Orrin would later found Milestone in the 60s and later became one of the best writers on jazz, he gives deep insight on the Bluebird reissues of the 1980s and Fantasy Concord would issue the Keepnews Collection, a batch of Riverside Recordings Reissued with Orrin's views on those albums. Even up to his passing he was continuing to write about jazz albums and music. He was 91 and died one day short of what would have been his 92nd birthday. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/arts/music/orrin-keepnews-jazz-producer-and-record-executive-is-dead-at-91.html?_r=1
Country radio today sucks. Here today gone tomorrow A and R nobody Gary Overton got his 5 minutes of fame by saying If you're not on country radio you don't exist and the Nashville country artists came storming back with comments of their own. One of the better new country artists is Aaron Watson as well as Sturgill Simpson but now old timer (hard to say that) Charlie Robison gave his two cents worth in a interview blasting out some I Heart DJ of Bobby Bones (whoever he is) after Watson called one of the receptionist (Let's use that word since i can't spell secretary, hell I actually did spell it right) a sweetheart and Bones popped a tampon. This shows you how out of touch that I am about new music today or country. Or who plays it. Corporations took out all the independent stations be it rock or country and replaced them with robots from a satellite or personalities from afar. I don't know Bobby Bones, nor care to since he also started up a flame war with Farce The Music (FTM posted a link to that last week but you can look it up on your own). I'm not that big of a fan of Charlie Robison either but I do admire his line of thinking of dealing with A and R beancounters like Gary Overton, who will be losing his job once the Bro country fad wears thin or Florida Georgia Line gets resigned to Average Joe's whichever comes first. Music continues to revolve all the time but it has been regressing since Luke Bryan gave us the infamous Dallas Davidson line of Conway and T Pain a few years ago. The folks at Lucky Dog may have given Charlie Robison a bad taste in his mouth during his time there but he's so dead on, that perhaps I might return to his back catalog to see what I missed. And on the same but different department Israel dictator Benjamin Netanyahu is a asshole too. http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/charlie-robison-pens-epic-response-to-gary-overtons-you-dont-exist-quote
Of course FGL continues to rub it in, throwing up a picture of them making faces in front of a sold out crowd. After all, a bit of manipulation of the charts gave them the all time number single. But perhaps the best parting shot which FGL was left searching for words came from Robison. “How do you lose respect for someone who doesn’t exist?”
And that no picture can ever compensate. Drink on Boys.
Blog of the week: Jim Wright He tells it like it is, especially when it comes to the Koch Brother party and a few others. Not music related but more common sense. http://www.stonekettle.com/
Late to press: The NTSB has decided to look into the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens after 56 years. The conclusion was of pilot error and that Roger Peterson misjudged the clipper system that blew up the winds and snow that downed the plane and took him and the rest out of this world. The original findings can be found here: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/CAB_2-3-1959.pdf
The basic take on this is that 56 years after the fact all involved are dead and basically it's a waste of taxpayer money to even open up such a case. Or have Roger Peterson being blamed for taking the lives of three up and coming rock pioneers. Nothing will bring any of them back. If there was any of today's technology they would have stayed on ground and waited till the clipper system moved out of their area. The winds and snow may have impaired Peterson's judgement but we'll never know his final moments before impact. Anybody who gets stuck out in blizzard conditions knows that the blinding snow and winds can impaired judgement or knowing your sense of direction. In Roger's case he paid dearly. Perhaps if there was a working heater on a bus music might be much more differently today, but in a world of speculation that's all it is. A sad way to end lives but perhaps it's too bad that they couldn't postpone a rock show a day just to get clear their minds. Basically the promoters in charge of the Dance Party of 59 could be considered murderers for this unheard of places to play and having Buddy and company hop around the midwest in the middle of winter. Even today, it would be a miracle to even complete such a grueling schedule as the promoters drew it out.
Record Review Time (A list of things found at Moondog Music)
Terry Reid-Bang Bang You're Terry Reid (Epic 1968)
If you really want to know what would have happened had Reid joined up with the New Yardbirds instead of unknown Robert Plant, this record really tells the story. Reid's vocals were higher up in range kinda like Plant although history has shown that Robert would be the better known. Jimmy Page really wanted Reid to join up and I can see why. A cult classic as they say, one track Without Expression (don't be the man) was later covered by REO Speedwagon of the early 70s. One of the longest albums of the the 60s (the timing actually goes over 50 minutes for a single record) Reid turns Season Of The Witch into a 10 minute freakout, that instead of building up to a climax, it slowly descends back into the grave at the ending and Bang Bang owes more to Vanilla Fudge than Sonny And Cher. And another 10 minute medley gives way to Summertime Blues, probably the least of the versions that I have heard but that's not a bad thing, it kinda leads nowhere. Perhaps Reid could have used a better producer, he ended up with the indifferent Mickie Most and there have been horror stories of bands trying to to work with Most and not liking the end results (See Little Games by The Yardbirds for example). Reid also borrows from the Yardbirds, Tinker Tailor and slows it to a blues like number. Rumor has it that Reid turned down Page's offer to join up the New Yardbirds since he was tied up with Most but he did suggest Robert Plant. And thus remained a cult artist at best and disappearing off the map for a time before coming back on a album for Warner Brothers in the 1990s. Oh, and that other band The New Yardbirds, They went on to become Led Zeppelin and the rest is history. For shits and giggles, find a copy of Bang Bang and play it along side Led Zeppelin's first album and compare. You'll be surprised at the results.
Grade B+
Mel "Pigue" Robbins-Hully Gully To The Hits (Smash 1964)
File this under Tom And Jerry (Tom Tolimson and Jerry Kennedy not Simon And Garfunkel). Back in the early 60s there was no shortage of instrumentals doing the latest hits to either the Twist or the lesser known Hully Gully. Hargis or Mel as he was known back then was a outstanding piano player that can be heard on many many country and rock singles of that time (He had two Jerry Lee Lewis type of piano pumping numbers that came out on Argo/Chess that collectors have been looking to find) but another fun fact that he was a blind piano player. At that time he was part of the Mercury/Smash records session group known as the The Merry Melody group and Singers who sang on recordings by Leroy Van Dyke and Ray Stevens and was lead by Jerry Kennedy, himself no stranger to music only albums (Golden Guitar Greats can be found easily at thrift stores if you look hard enough). Perfect for dance parties of 1964 thereabouts, Hully Gully To The Hits are just that, and Robbins and company go through the hits of the time although none will ever replace the vocals once such as I Know or Mother In Law. And basically this is a fun romp and listen, Robbins' White Sliver Sands grooves harder than Bill Black Combo's version without the cheesy organ. It's also fun to hear Robbins play around with Blueberry Hill by adding the melody of On Top Of Old Smokey. Of course the ever capable Boots Randolph is there to provide sax, as well as the Merrie Melody Singers shouting along to Baby Hully Gully, which was done by The Olympics. It may not be much to hear it fifty years later but I still get a kick out of LPs like this.
Grade B
Willie Nelson-Country Willie His Own Songs (RCA 1965, Buddha reissue 1999)
Out of all of the RCA recording stars of that era, Willie Nelson was the most stripped down, at least on his RCA debut and like he did when recording for Liberty he redid some of his famous songs, but even back then, Willie's oft kilter vocal phasing wasn't the stuff for country music, he was eccentric from the word go. Without the Anita Kerr Singers who smothered him on the Liberty album And Then I Wrote, it's Willie on guitar and a sympathetic group led by Chet Atkins (with the late Jerry Reed helping out as well). Perhaps the polished Atkins production might get in the way but I think they added some clarity on his single One Day At A Time and Healing Hands Of Time. Willie flirts with jazz blues on Night Life and adds Pete Drake's talking steel guitar novelty on Hello Walls. The other thing that stands out is how dark these songs are, Willie could write a nice love song if he wanted to but the grimness of Darkness On The Face Of The Earth or Mr. Record Man is telling. Later recordings with Atkins and then Felton Jarvis trying to add more strings and the Anita Kerr Singers returning and getting minimal results, one later best of Naked Willie has some of his better songs relived of the singers and strings that got in the way. But for all intent purposes Country Willie is in reality the first true Naked Willie and it would also would benefit him greatly 10 years later on his signature album Red Headed Stranger. For myself, I tend to look at his RCA years with a lot more appreciation than on his classic Columbia albums, it shows a struggling and hungry songwriter wanting to do his own thing. In a way his first album was like that, uncompromising and stripped down dark country. And it worked.
Grade B+
Dr. Feelgood-I'm A Man (Best Of The Wilko Johnson Era) (Parlophone 2015)
There isn't no Dr Feelgood albums in the US that is available anymore (unless Sony Music still has Malpractice in print) and the early years with Wilko Johnson is arguably their best years although Gypsie Mayo gave them a classic in the 1981 Case Of The Shakes album. It basically cherry picks Wilko's tunes from Down By The Jetty and Malpractice and curiously leaves off Paradise from Sneaking Suspicion. I still would recommend Jetty and Malpractice in a heartbeat but this has five cuts from the outrageous Stupidity, which shows them in fine form. I suspect this compilation would not exist had Wilko's Going Back Home recorded with Roger Daltrey became a surprise hit but I also thank our lucky stars and Rhino for at least had the guts to put out on CD. After all, America should have at least one Dr Feelgood record in print. (although in a perfect world they would all be available). A nice sampler of the early years and Lee Brilleaux is still missed.
Grade B+
Various: The Danceland Years (Pointblank Classic 1994)
20 years ago, Virgin via their blues outlet Pointblank issued a compilation of most of the sides that Morris Kaplan issued for his short lived Danceland label of the late 1948 through 1951 and perhaps best known for five hard to find John Lee Hooker numbers under the Baby Pork Chops alias he was using for that label. Basically hard bop blues is the subject here, both John and little known Tony "blues" Lewis have 9 cuts between them, which leaves Candy Johnson with the songs that sold the best for Danceland, Stampin' and Ebony Jump which echoes a bit of very primitive rock and swing. The final track, at that time a mystery unknown What's The Matter With The World turns out was done by The Goldtones upon further research, The Goldtones somewhat a smooth harmony doo wop which owed as much to the Mills Brothers and Ink Spots too, with a shimmering vibrato guitar providing melody. Apparently Sammy Kaplan, couldn't locate the other side to this song Lazy Daisy Blues since according to the liner notes, acetates of songs were lost or exchanged hands. The Danceland Years basically was compiled after an interest of finding lost John Lee Hooker songs and the five songs are trademark Hooker boogie/blues but with a very young voice, Tony Blues Lewis sounds more like Guitar Slim. For those with a liking of obscure blues, Danceland Years is a find addition to your collection and about the Artist Unknown, mystery solved, although little is known about the Goldtones (there's a doo wop band going around the area but I doubt if they're related), despite the internet and Google. Update: There's a 50th Anniversary Edition of The Danceland Years that you can get off Itunes, and does provide a few more missing pieces to this puzzle plus Rose Nelson, the missing Lazy Daisy Blues from The Goldtones and Tommy Jefferson's Rock With Jesus. But Candy Johnson's selections are MIA.
Grade B+ (this applies to the Virgin/Pointblank Comp).
Reference link below about Dance land Records.
http://www.lovelanemusic.com/#!__danceland-records
Foghat-Drivin' Wheels Best Of Foghat (Raven 2014)
I guess we'll never get a full decent compilation of Foghat's greatest moments but this comes very close. Unlike the Rhino best ofs, Raven goes further and adds the full length versions of their hits. Complaint number 1 is that only 2 selections are from the last five albums and only one is the B side to Slipped Tripped Fell In Love (MIA) as well as Live Now Pay Later (MIA too) and Wide Boy (Ditto number 3). Complaint number 2, we really don't need Take It Or Leave It or Couldn't Make Her Stay on a best of, (although the latter song is only 2 minutes long, it's still filler, and Take It Or Leave It isn't one of Dave Peverett's better songs. Overlook that, and the comp gives you the indication of just how damn good Foghat is in delivering the boogie and it takes three of the best four available numbers from Rock And Roll Outlaws as well, IMO their most underrated. There's more to them than just Slow Ride which will forever give Roger and company a nice living 40 years after the fact. Will the young un's buy this? You never know although I do hold out some hope for the future of the kids of today. After all I know a certain old bar band that did love this band enough to note for note cover the live version of I Just Want To Make Love To You. And it turned out to be their highlight as well.
Grade B+
Can't review them all: Cheap Trick, Herman's Hermits
While people are continuing to volley for them being into the Rock Hall Of Fame, it gave me some time to revisit what I remember from Cheap Trick in their catalog. Their classic years were on Epic and their classic albums remain the ones up to Dream Police although Budokan broke them big. The most successful power pop rock band ever but I had to admit that I'm not an major gotta have it all fan of theirs. The one thing that stands out is how they phased Bun E Carlos out of the band leaving him on the outside looking in. The other thing that stands out, is their first album, folks call it an instant classic, and I listened and didn't think it was and despite of a couple numbers, I gave it a B minus and sold the record off. They hit their mark with In Color and Heaven Tonight but Dream Police outside of the hit single was a drop off and Need Your Love sounded best on the live Budokan album. And then they polished a turd up and called it All Shook Up and that's where I quit listening. Then they got their biggest hit with hair metal pop ballad The Flame, which good for them gave them some pop credo but to these ears they sold out and got a gold ballad in return. Moving to Warner Brothers for Woke Up With A Monster that CD is famous for hitting the cut outs in record time and The Tricksters moved on to independent record land at times coming up with a listenable record (Rockford) once in a while. They tend to miss more often than hit but once they can come with something that's pretty damn good (Surrender, Stiff Competition) their songs are just as good as anyone else. What they were good at was being a great live show band, especially during the Budokan years and having 20 thousand screaming Japanese girls in the background? I'll always will fast forward over I Want You To Want Me, classic rock radio ran that into the ground but the pop rock charm of Bukodan will always remain despite radio overkill plays of I Want You etc. Fun fact: I have seen Cheap Trick twice in this area. One when they opened up for Blue Oyster Cult when BOC was touting The Revolution At Night and later in 1996 when they opened up for Styx, I would have forgotten the latter had I not come across an old ticket stub of the latter show. Like any bands still around from the 70s they're looking much older and not as sexy but Rick Neilsen as long as he still lives remains one of the better live guitar players in rock history. I'll never be sold on the first Cheap Trick album nor anything after Budokan but the first three albums are the reason why fans want them in the Rock hall. And prove to be a valid argument for consideration.
It's pledge month at PBS and they have dusted off the same old DVD of past bands of the 60s to which most of the members have retired or died. Hell, most of them are dead (Jim), and let's face it, the 60s were fifty years ago and it's a time we'll never return although the music will remain. Perhaps the most unlikely of bands or singer that really hasn't changed is Peter Noone, who continues to be heard on 60s on 6. That said, I haven't been much of a fan of Herman Hermits, blame that on I'm Henry The 8th I Am, which is silly as they come or Mrs Brown You Got A Lovely Daughter which brings memories of holding my nose while singing that in the shower. Better to leave that on the radio than in your collection. That also said, The Hermits had some nice songs of their own, Can't You Hear My Heartbeat actually does Buddy Holly proud, or No Milk Today which is nicely placed along the works of the Hollies, or East West another song that rarely gets mentioned or played anymore. Noone's career after Herman was spotty at best, there was a band that made two albums for CBS that I can't recall but he's played the role of an aging teen idol quite well. Noone makes the oldies' circuit at times (he was here with The Turtles with Flo And Eddie and Mitch Ryder last year) and they put on a good show. I consider Herman Hermits to be in the same league as Gerry And The Pacemakers or Freddy And The Dreamers, pop idol music that got them lucky with a couple of novelty numbers. ABKCO has updated the very best of Herman Hermits and has all the good and bad that one could ever need. A singles bands but not a very good album band, that's Peter and the Hermits.
Finally, record buying over the internet can be a tricky and sometimes challenging. Looking at EBAY pictures of records that appear to be VG or better can also reveal them to be more VG minus or F or G. Interesting read about how photoshop can reveal the scratches that you may not see on the photo. The rule of thumb is that if the label looks a bit chewed up, chances are the vinyl is too. Buyer beware. http://www.aux.tv/2015/03/this-photoshop-trick-shows-you-how-damaged-used-vinyl-is/
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Classic Albums Of The 70s-Pretty Things Savage Eye
One of the longest lasting bands of the British Invasion but never quite reached the highest highs of The Rolling Stones or Beatles, The Pretty Things, named after a Bo Diddley song and having Dick Taylor on bass, who played on the earliest version of the Stones, managed to play some dirty R N B rock and roll in the Bo Diddley beat but perhaps they were too dirty for the American buying public who basically ignored them. Shout Factory did a fairly good job of capturing the early years and of course the critics choices of the late 60s and early 70s on Come See Me. Snapper's 2 CD Get The Picture focuses on the early years and of course a heaping helping of Bo Diddley music done The Pretty Things way. Polygram issued Get A Buzz, which is the Fontana years and worth finding. Coming in March, Snapper Classics in the UK goes all out and will be issuing a big box set of just about everything The Pretty Things committed to vinyl or CD in their five decades of togetherness. We're talking 16 CDs baby!
Somehow The Pretty Things managed to find themselves on Rare Earth for Parachute and S F Sorrow, which the former managed to make the original Rolling Stones best 100 albums of all time which is debatable. I never did catch on what made them popular. Then again critics choices tend to disappoint if you expect too much. In the mid 70s, begin a much more harder rock sound with Freeway Madness, issued on Warner Brothers and somehow The Medicine Label, an offshoot of Giant Records reissued it and I come to find it to be a better listen than Parachute or SF Sorrow, a matter of taste I guess. Madness didn't sell but then Jimmy Page and Peter Grant came calling and signed The Pretty Things up on the Swan Song label for a couple of albums. Working with Norman "hurricane" Smith on both of them, Silk Torpedo was the first and despite of a couple rocking tracks. Singapore Silk Torpedo and Dream/Joey I didn't think much of it. Slightly less enjoyable than Freeway Madness, next.
Savage Eye came out in 1975 and to these ears it was their best record of the 70s, beginning with the Under The Volcano which sounds a lot like Led Zeppelin with the Page like riff at the middle and end of the song. The new guy Jack Green helps the mellow but sad "Sad Eye" before they turn the amps up to ten and get the Led out on Remember That Boy. Special mention to Skip Alan who does sound a bit like John Bonham. Except for the so so My Song, the first side really does hold up.
Side 2 begins with the T Rex/Slade, glam slam of It Isn't Rock And Roll and I'm Keeping (Bad Company) which may have been a shout out to the other band on Swan Song. Phil may wails on It's Been So Long and perhaps the weakest track Drowned Man is still worth a listen before things wind down with Song For Michelle. Snapper Music adds three bonus tracks from later sessions after Phil May left and the band tried to carry on before pulling the plug after running afoul of Peter Grant. While the liner notes detail about the final recordings and messy breakup, the original Swan Song album has the lyrics. Which is disappointing leaving the words off on the CD, there is a reference to Maggie Bell who signed on with Swan Song after a album on Atlantic that garnered good reviews. However, Phil May revived the band in 1980 and The Pretty Things returned to Warner Brothers for the lousy Cross Talk album. The less said the better. But May and the Things have been recording new albums in the past 35 years all of varying degree.
Reviews have been mixed, Richie Umberger called it the least memorable in an All Music Review. Certainly Savage Eye was geared toward FM radio and it did get airplay here in the Midwest. And although it only made it to 163 on the charts, it became one of only 2 of their albums to ever break into the top 200. If Umberger may have been turned off by the Zeppelin type of sound and would rather hear Parachute instead. He wasn't alone, other critics complained it to be too 70s and too polished although I tend to disagree on that. What Savage Eye was really the first time I was introduced to The Pretty Things via FM radio and Under The Volcano and Remember That Boy, I love those songs. And Jack Green does provide a vocal counterpoint to May's attempt to try to be in Robert Plant's league. Which doesn't happen, sometimes May's high pitched vocals do remind the listener that he's no Plant. Overlook My Song and Savage Eye is a enjoyable mini classic. To which afterwards, when the Pretty Things returned in 1980 they gave up the hard rock that started with Freeway Madness and ended with Savage Eye. But while the rest of the world will remember them for the hard nitty gritty of the 60s or the rock opera attempts of Parachute and SF Sorrow, I'll be happy to remember them for Savage Eye, even though I may be in the minority.
Somehow The Pretty Things managed to find themselves on Rare Earth for Parachute and S F Sorrow, which the former managed to make the original Rolling Stones best 100 albums of all time which is debatable. I never did catch on what made them popular. Then again critics choices tend to disappoint if you expect too much. In the mid 70s, begin a much more harder rock sound with Freeway Madness, issued on Warner Brothers and somehow The Medicine Label, an offshoot of Giant Records reissued it and I come to find it to be a better listen than Parachute or SF Sorrow, a matter of taste I guess. Madness didn't sell but then Jimmy Page and Peter Grant came calling and signed The Pretty Things up on the Swan Song label for a couple of albums. Working with Norman "hurricane" Smith on both of them, Silk Torpedo was the first and despite of a couple rocking tracks. Singapore Silk Torpedo and Dream/Joey I didn't think much of it. Slightly less enjoyable than Freeway Madness, next.
Savage Eye came out in 1975 and to these ears it was their best record of the 70s, beginning with the Under The Volcano which sounds a lot like Led Zeppelin with the Page like riff at the middle and end of the song. The new guy Jack Green helps the mellow but sad "Sad Eye" before they turn the amps up to ten and get the Led out on Remember That Boy. Special mention to Skip Alan who does sound a bit like John Bonham. Except for the so so My Song, the first side really does hold up.
Side 2 begins with the T Rex/Slade, glam slam of It Isn't Rock And Roll and I'm Keeping (Bad Company) which may have been a shout out to the other band on Swan Song. Phil may wails on It's Been So Long and perhaps the weakest track Drowned Man is still worth a listen before things wind down with Song For Michelle. Snapper Music adds three bonus tracks from later sessions after Phil May left and the band tried to carry on before pulling the plug after running afoul of Peter Grant. While the liner notes detail about the final recordings and messy breakup, the original Swan Song album has the lyrics. Which is disappointing leaving the words off on the CD, there is a reference to Maggie Bell who signed on with Swan Song after a album on Atlantic that garnered good reviews. However, Phil May revived the band in 1980 and The Pretty Things returned to Warner Brothers for the lousy Cross Talk album. The less said the better. But May and the Things have been recording new albums in the past 35 years all of varying degree.
Reviews have been mixed, Richie Umberger called it the least memorable in an All Music Review. Certainly Savage Eye was geared toward FM radio and it did get airplay here in the Midwest. And although it only made it to 163 on the charts, it became one of only 2 of their albums to ever break into the top 200. If Umberger may have been turned off by the Zeppelin type of sound and would rather hear Parachute instead. He wasn't alone, other critics complained it to be too 70s and too polished although I tend to disagree on that. What Savage Eye was really the first time I was introduced to The Pretty Things via FM radio and Under The Volcano and Remember That Boy, I love those songs. And Jack Green does provide a vocal counterpoint to May's attempt to try to be in Robert Plant's league. Which doesn't happen, sometimes May's high pitched vocals do remind the listener that he's no Plant. Overlook My Song and Savage Eye is a enjoyable mini classic. To which afterwards, when the Pretty Things returned in 1980 they gave up the hard rock that started with Freeway Madness and ended with Savage Eye. But while the rest of the world will remember them for the hard nitty gritty of the 60s or the rock opera attempts of Parachute and SF Sorrow, I'll be happy to remember them for Savage Eye, even though I may be in the minority.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Week In Review: Physical Graffiti redux, Blind Blake
Well we haven't gotten the snow and blizzards that have been burying the Northeast and Niagara Falls has have so much snow and cold that the falls actually have frozen over in spots. The problem has been a blocking low over Greenland which actually been ushering in more cold Siberian and Canadian temps and pushing the snow more south and east. The lesser of the evils and I'll take cold over snow anyday although Callie the Outdoor Cat has a different opinion. She's certainly wearing out her welcome by plopping her ass on my new car half the time, leaving muddy paw prints after I got done washing it on a sub zero day (a lost cause, since I live out on gravel roads and the damn dust covers the clean car up anyway. She's also been on my shit list since sneaking in the doorway and sharpening up her claws on the couch. To which a squirt bottle and an evil eye works wonders. But it's gonna come down to eventually drop her to a no kill shelter and hopefully she can get a good home. She's a good cat, a smart cat but this house indoors is not made for a feline who likes to walk on CDs and records and scratch up the couch and rocker.
Gary Glitter: rock and roll pedophile and his fall from grace complete by the UK courts, giving him a 16 year sentence for his actions against minors. I once liked him and his album that had Rock N Roll Part 1 and 2 until the latter song became a jock itch anthem. The guy lived a shady double life and the more I read about his history I have come to despise him, some freaky 70 year old pervert trying to go after the pre teen girls that used to like his music. I'll never listen to his music again and perhaps Glitter, his 1972 album could be misinterpreted as a concept album about his actions in the songs of I didn't know I loved you till I saw you rock and roll, Shakey Sue or the cover of Baby Please Don't Go. It's a shame really, Glitter did have some good songs, but his twisted mindset and actions has blackballed him ever from my record player again;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971695/Paedophile-singer-Gary-Glitter-jailed-16-years-historic-sex-attacks-three-schoolgirls.html
Curtis Lee who had a one hit wonder with Pretty Little Angel Eyes passed away at age 75 from a long illness. The sign of the times, we'll all getting old and someday we'll all be gone too. Just ask Jerome Kersey who also left the world. And Clark Terry, jazz trumpet player that played on Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Miles Davis in their bands and albums, he was 94. And a few others.
Farce The Music has been one of the longest followers of my antics on Twitter, though we really don't talk much. Their meme's are hit and miss but this Monday's meme's might be one of the best that they have come up yet.http://www.farcethemusic.com/2015/02/monday-morning-memes-sturgill-aldean.html
A blast from the past became a facebook friend. Kathy Welsh worked at Record Realm back in the late 70s and every guy including myself had a crush on her. She would have made a beautiful pin up doll. Still stunning in her 50s, she moved to California got married and had twins along the way. Somehow she found my FB site. Still a sweetheart.
Better off alone just ask Steve Earle. His new album is now out although Best Buy did not have it. Terra-plane, produced by R.S.Field (John Mayall, Webb Wilder) and showing more of a blues side to Earle, but also he wrote a song called Better Off Alone, which means that his 7th wife Alison Moorer and him are now separated. I think Alison was with Steve when he played Iowa City last year but as they say, together we grew apart. Perhaps the part of touring and raising a autistic son may have also strained the relationship. Sometimes it's like that in life, sometimes you can find the perfect partner to help you through life, and sometimes you have to go through 3 or 4 or even 7 or 8 to find the right one, or maybe you never do. Some folk needs somebody in their life, others prefer to be alone. Being a musician/record collector/hoarder also can play havoc too. Problem is that sometimes your better half tries to change you into somebody else. Which doesn't work. And never will. Steve is doing quite well being the hard core troubadour on his radio show on Outlaw Radio and of course being a top notch voice of the generation. He's a restless spirit and maybe he'll find a new love and wife number 8. Better off alone? That depends on who you ask. And we wish Alison Moorer the best of luck on life's highway.
I guess they'll moving new releases to Friday now, instead of being the last in line on Tuesday. Of course, Bob Lefsetz, well nothing left to say, ends up bitching about that and those who buy vinyl or CDs don't impress him, which makes me think if it doesn't bother him, why does he continue to bitch about it? http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2015/02/26/release-day-blues/
As the years go by, and new music not impressing me that much I tend to, like every other online music blogs go back to different places and times. 25 years ago, I would make trips out to the mall and hang at Camelot Music and buy out the cutout CDs at 7.88 or the lesser known at 3.88 and ended up getting most of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry's albums that way. 35 years ago, cable came into our house and I spent countless hours watching Video Concert Hall and Night Tracks and old black and white comedy shows. And worked as a small time gas sales associate at Marion 76 and being enshrined with any young woman with curves and sunshine smile. Basically after graduating from high school, I basically fucked off about three years of my life and have been trying to play catch up ever since. As time goes by, the names of them girls that I wished for a date for have become faded or blurry or messed up. I'm sure they don't look like that anymore, neither do I for that matter. But think a while and faces from the past come out of the deep ends of your mind and you can see them again. The girl at Record Bar that would always smile and wink at me after making a sale. The chatting petite woman at Radio Shack that slightly touched my arm after a pleasant conversation. The world of a shy boy who would fantasied about a date with one of the two while playing albums on lonely weekend nights I remember quite well. Looking back I think I had chances of dating a few more girls if I wanted to, but my world revolved around records and music. Then I tried to play catch up and that didn't work very well; the 80s and most of the 90s I was the dateless wonder. Didn't help that much that when I did ask somebody out, it never lasted more than a couple dates and that was it. Really 1980 was a year of discovery of new things and the new medium known as satellite TV and cable, and going to the mall and spend most of my check on video games at Lindale Mall. Or see what new releases was out at Record Bar and trying to maintain eye contact with the winking sales clerk which my mind was looking elsewhere.
And now Rob Sheffield's look at Rush: http://www.salon.com/2013/08/06/rush_how_i_learned_to_forgive_and_even_like_the_most_hated_band_of_all_time/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
And the continuing tax where it hurts, Emperor Branstad signed into law a 10 cent gas tax increase which they say will repair roads and bridges but we all know that they'll vote themselves a raise in pay and more roundabouts for accidents to happen. In the meantime gas prices have continued to go up and up, from 1.79 to now 2.35 a gallon thanks to the usual excuses of pipeline maintenance and and spontaneous combustion as tank cars blow up and pipeline leaks causing ecological harm. The only thing good out of this, is that Obama vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, which one company has pulled their dirty oil out of this forthcoming money pit. To which Bitch McConnell, pockets full of Koch Brothers and Big Oil bribes is screaming about unpatriotic the president is. And the loss of 23 permanent jobs. Whereas, here in the great Midwest, we continue to feed Big Oil, and the GOP with yet another tax hike which we can't pay our bills in the first place. In a perfect world, the assholes who voted for this would get voted out but judging from the last election, the lazy folk will vote sitting on their ass, while Koch Industries continue to get the voters out, by basically bribing them so they can vote for the 1 percent party. And the one percent continue to get richer.
And I always had a wondering mind. (sorry hon, I wasn't paying attention ;-) )
Which reminds me to tell you that Blogger is changing their adult content policy of posting sexually explicit photos on March 23rd. Which is explains if anybody complains about certain pictures this could be taken down, or this becomes a private blog. Judging by the ratings and readership Record World is a half step above private anyway. This might also explains the disappearing Ivy Doomkitty photos from various blogs. Here one minute gone the next although the pictures that came from my personal collection have disappeared entirely and none of the St Louis or Steve Earle concert photos were explicit. It's annoying to see those gone and it's a bitch to try to find them and post them back up if I hadn't deleted them from my camera. Since 2006, Blogger has been the choice home after My Space lost it's luster and most of my blogs prior to February 2008 where some classic stuff went into the great black hole in cyberland, lost forever. While some adult content pictures seemed to fit the mood, none I would think would be that bad, although the picture about the protesting girl saying she gets more than the GOP did get airbrushed off one of the blogs that I had up a few years back. But let's face it, we really don't have freedom of speech like we used to.
The intention of Record World is basically a peek of what's going on in my world be it music, records or who died and once in a while Ivy Doomkitty, the cos player devine. But for every 9 people that agree or like what you read, there's always that 1, that's either complaining about the slightest thing, or trolling to make anonymous negative bullshit that makes me rewrite the rules of comments here. Or the 1 that throws in porn association comments in the keyword search as well. Do I have to change of how I word things? Do I have to change record porn to record art since that 1 person didn't get the joke? Does the photo of the Look In My Eyes Dammit Cos player have to be taken down since I can't use it to do a funny observation? Is the bicycle race girls posted a couple weeks ago so offending that while the majority call it art, some call it porn? Have we lost our sense of humor to the point that we can't comment on anything anymore? Is showing off any new record finds going to cause chaos and bedlam in here? Hell it ain't worth it, not with minimal readership. Record World is not even a dust spot in the internet world. Once in a while I'll write up a blog that was get noticed (Swinging Steaks, Mom's Apple Pie) and might get commented on or bring a link from a website to get folks to read it, but 99 out of 100 blogs go by without any notice. And Natalie Monet (number 6 on the most used keyword) nor Ivy (number 3 on the list) haven't brought in the readers either.
The fact of the matter is the pride of posting the lost 45s, you can only find here at Record World. But it's a hobby, a show and tell of sorts, and the Singles Going Steady blogs are not high rated sellers either. The latest installment, despite promoting it only brought in 20 viewers from the world. Which makes me think that maybe they did put me in private mode. Although I'm sure Blogger's new rules is geared to shut down the naughty sites or turn them adult and private is a good thing and perhaps clean up their website. Beauty and content is in the eye of the beholder and reader I guess. Which means the bicycle girls may have to go riding into the sunset, unless they cover up. Or have somebody edited out the eye girl below to slightly above the neck. Then you won't be detracted as she points and say LOOK IN MY EYES DAMMIT!
Reviews:
Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti (Swan Song 1975)
The big story is the reissue of this 2 record classic with a bonus CD of 7 songs of alt mixes or demos and since I rather much have the original album in tact, my observation is that the original album is a necessity, the expanded edition a luxury you can live without, unless you're hard core, then it is for you. Go get it. That said, P.G. is one of the most definitive 2 record sets ever released, rivals to Exile On Main Street or Hampton Grease Band Music To Eat so to speak. I always thought that the original album mix kept the record at bay, Custard Pie screams to be heard all the way up, The Rover rides a rockin groove and In My Time Of Dying remains a all time favorite. What's amazing about this track is how John Bonham really simplifies things without complications, you really have to be a seasoned drummer to either hesitate or omit the snare on the third bar. A lot of the songs on Graffiti came from other sessions earlier in the 70s but somehow work better, Houses Of The Holy sounds more at home here than it would have on the namesake album. If you want funky rhythms Trampled Underfoot works quite nicely and the Wonton Song comes close. The sweet country swing of Down By The Seaside, the 50s throwback rockabilly of Boogie With Stu (with a little help from Ian Stewart with a nod at Richie Valens) the folk eclectic of Black Country Woman, and Side 4 of Night Flight and ending with the rocking Sick Again makes me think that perhaps P.G. might be even better than Exile On Main Street, I don't think there's a minor track anywhere on this record except maybe the Jimmy Page instrumental but I think it's pretty damn good here. Believe it or not, my least favorite song is everybody's favorite, Kashmir which really ushered in a new type of metal that would lead to other imitations of that style (Stargazer from Rainbow is almost identical, Richie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio really studied Kashmir). I do not hate Kashmir, it's damn good, I just don't play it thanks to Corporate Classic Rock Radio doing that for me. I rather listen to Custard Pie, or Time Of Dying or the reflective Ten Years Gone, which reminds me of the one that got away. This is a band collective effort and John Paul Jones is just as valuable to Zep as was Page's guitar, Plant's vocals and Bonzo's drumming, it's him driving the band on Trampled Underfoot, it's him at the haunting beginning of In The Light and it's him shaping up the counterpoint on Custard Pie. When Page remastered the album in the late 90s he finally had the technology to make it sound like the true classic it is today and I'm sure the even newer mix is more to the point. Led Zeppelin would never make another album this hard rocking and as good ever again, they only had two left before Bonham drank himself to oblivion in 1980 but Physical Graffiti remains (to me) their best ever. Bob Lefsetz agrees too. End of the world next.
Grade A+
The Metronone All Star Bands (Bluebird 1988)
If you're into big band or jazz swings this might be of some interest to you. RCA back in the old days would put together collective all star jam sessions off and on and it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to have Fats Waller sit in with Tommy Dorsey, or Buddy Rich jamming it with Count Basie and a collection of who's who brings some fun from these sessions which begin in 1937 with Honeysuckle Rose by Waller and Dorsey with the forgotten George Wettling on drums. The Blues selections are basically easy listening, but things pick up with Buddy Rich leading a Count Basie/Coleman Hawkins/Charlie Christian/Harry James jam through a swinging Bugle Call Rag.and One O Clock Jump. The historical and final January 3 1949 has a dream lineup of Dizzy Gillespie/Miles Davis/Fats Navarro/Kai Winding/J J Johnson with Shelly Manne pounding away on two wild versions of Overtime to which Shelly Manne never seems to get enough credit for being a legendary drummer himself. They just don't make them like that anymore, nor the All Star jam sessions that made swing jazz listenable back then.
Grade A-
Ahmad Jamal-Tranquility (Impulse 1968)
Jamal has been very underrated over the years. While best known for But Not For Me, a album that came out enos ago on Argo and part of the Chess Masters reissues, Jamal has worked best in a trio format and every album that I have heard has been just about picture perfect. This late 1968 issue has Jamal trying out a couple of Burt Bachurach numbers (I say a little prayer for you, The look of love) although with mellow themes and it's quite nice to hear. Side 2 containing the progressive jazz sounding of the title track and Manhattan Reflections gives me visions of Rick Wakeman for some reason. The moody bass drum beginning and end of the title track and Jamal's interweaving with bass player Jamil Nasser on M.R.makes the second side essential listening for jazz improvisation. It's argumentative but I tend to think Ahmad's years with ABC Impulse was his classic period. Tranquility makes a valid point about that.
Grade A-
Rockin' Instrumentals (Cornerstone/MCA 1998)
When I was growing up, I tend to favor specialty songs, or instrumentals, most could be heard before the top of the hour on the AM stations years ago and today, the folks at Underground Garage will use them before a has been rock star or DJ pops up to bore you with useless blabbing. Cornerstone Marketing, had two of them out before the turn of the century, one was more pop, this one more rocking although Lawrence Welk's Calcutta is about as rocking as Vaughn Monroe's Swinging Safari which was once used for the opening of a game show. Being square as Mr. Champagne Welk or Square Pants Vaughn was, I actually enjoyed the hook to Safari and find some guilty pleasure in Calcutta. Anything that was hit instrumental in the late 50s and early 60s is right here and where else can you have Al Hurt's Java hanging with the In Crowd by Ramsey Lewis, Lonnie Mack's Memphis, Ray Anthony's Peter Gunn Theme (although the hard rumble of Duane Eddy's version is missed, but I grew up with both versions on singles) and Link Wray's Rumble, the only thing hard rock that Archie Beyer issued on his label and regretted releasing it. And that's on disc 1. Disc 2 has a bit more cheese (Fifth Of Beethoven, White Sliver Sands, Hawaii Five O and the aforementioned Welk/Monroe tracks) but also has the cowbell laded Grazing In The Grass, the surf classic Pipeline and the rare long version of Time Is Tight by Booker T and The MGs, to which perhaps the shorter single version would have been a better choice. In a nutshell, Rockin Instrumentals shows how wild and varied the songs could be for two minutes and playing riffs without words. Unless you count somebody yelling Tequila. Or the Heh heh hehs of Watermelon Man.
Grade A-
Blackberry Smoke-Holdin' All The Roses (Rounder 2015)
For all the comparisons to new country, Blackberry Smoke is more akin to The Georgia Satellites or Dash Rip Rock and Kentucky Headhunters; hard southern rock with a more attention to detail in the song lyrics. Charlie Starr boasts another positive, he sounds like a southern Dave Edmunds as well. Taking pot shots at Dallas Davidson and the Peach Pickers in particular, Let Me Help You Find The Door is a big middle finger to bro country Rock And Roll Again leveled at what ever passes for modern rock is another zinger song but perhaps the best of the bunch is Wish In One Hand (Shit in the other and see which one fills up first for you brother), perhaps the runner ups on The Voice or American Idol should take to heart. Too High might be dedicated to the Smoke themselves. Credit should be given to Brendan O Brien, who has worked with southern rock bands with good effect before and his production really shines. Probably the best album of 2015 that I have come across, but that's not saying much, I only reviewed three others. But I do believe after the year is gone, this will be in my top favorite albums of the year. Music I can relate to.
Grade A-
Tim Buckley (Elektra 1966)
In his short recording career (his son Jeff's was even more shorter and more influential, which is debatable) Tim has proven to be a very eccentric and a very erratic recording artist but on his debut album, he is presented as a folk artist. And perhaps out of all of his Elektra and Straight/DisCreet albums, his first is the most listenable. Starts out with the hippie dippy I Can't See You but Buckley does let loose what would be his trademark high tenor screams on Strange Street Affair Under Blue and of course failed single Aren't You The Girl. I actually come to enjoy the moody melancholy of Song Slowly Sung, basically a throwaway but for myself it actually works quite nice. I found this album used for a dollar and it's been played a few times but out of all of Buckley's albums I like this one the best although the consensus think that Buckley was being held back by Paul Rothchild's production, which basically sounds a lot like the Doors' debut. And Rothchild's production can be heard on the majority of the Elektra roster at that time be it Tim, or Love or Jim Morrison. A good band is backing him up (Billy Mundi, Van Dyke Parks, Jim Fielder and Lee Underwood). After this album, Tim would slowly rethink his music and turned it upside down on later albums (Starsailor, Lorca, the porn soul of Greetings From LA, the faux soul of his final one Look At The Fool) but for straight folk rock, Tim Buckley the album shows promise and potential.
Grade B+
Howlin Wolf-Live And Cookin At Alice Revisited (Chess 1972)
For the legend that is Chester Burnett, it's a sad fact that he was never recorded in his prime, basically he started late in life anyway but by the time we get to this 1972 live set, Burnett was in ill health although you wouldn't know it by his powerful vocals. Most of the living Chicago blues sessionmen (at that time) backed him up, Hubert Sumlin, Louis Myers, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Shaw and Fred Below are present and accounted for. Instead of recording in a south side juke joint, Ralph Bass decided on a coffeehouse. Burnett not playing it safe goes for a obscure song list, the best known was Sitting On Top Of The World which was recorded a few times before. But to prove a point the riffs known for Back Door Man or Spoonful or Burnett's signature Smokestack Lightning are rearranged but with different lyrics. I would like to say that it would be required listening but it turns out to be curio for Howlin Wolf fans only. Lead off track When I Laid Down I was Troubled gets off on the wrong foot; either this was their first attempt or they didn't have their stuff together, Fred Below not even on the same beat. It's rough blues, even Sumlin and Shaw hit a raw and sour note on Sitting On Top Of The World. And the band never really starts cookin till Don't Laugh At Me comes into play six songs in the album. The bonus tracks tend to be the better, The Big House and another attempt at Smokestack Lightning in the way of the long and jammed out Mr. Airplane Man ends this on a much better note than the original album version. But there's hardly anything out there of Burnett's live performances and the ones that are out there, are poorly recorded import bootlegs. Which leaves Live And Cookin as the only Howlin Wolf live album worth noting. Even with the actual product it's buyer beware. But get the expanded edition, the bonus tracks do help a lot.
Grade B-
Record find of the day:: West Coast Blues Blind Blake
Steve Warren, owner and picture taker of this album found this at a thrift store for a dollar which may be the find the year for anybody. Because, it's one of the famed Paramount Records of the late 20s and number 2 and most importantly the even rarer 78 Paramount Record sleeve is harder to find. If the record is in VG or better shape, he can probably get at least 100 up to a 1000 thousand dollars from hard core collectors looking for anything off Paramount Records. Blind Blake remains one of the most mysterious and famous of the post war acoustic blues and being a top recording star in the late 20s before disappearing after making his final recordings for Paramount as they were shutting operations down in 1932. After many many years and many folks trying to find anything of his whereabouts, it was noted that Blake died on December 1, 1934. from TB. http://onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/blindblake.html
Another link about Blind Blake: http://www.tdblues.com/2011/10/blind-blake-details-found/
Gary Glitter: rock and roll pedophile and his fall from grace complete by the UK courts, giving him a 16 year sentence for his actions against minors. I once liked him and his album that had Rock N Roll Part 1 and 2 until the latter song became a jock itch anthem. The guy lived a shady double life and the more I read about his history I have come to despise him, some freaky 70 year old pervert trying to go after the pre teen girls that used to like his music. I'll never listen to his music again and perhaps Glitter, his 1972 album could be misinterpreted as a concept album about his actions in the songs of I didn't know I loved you till I saw you rock and roll, Shakey Sue or the cover of Baby Please Don't Go. It's a shame really, Glitter did have some good songs, but his twisted mindset and actions has blackballed him ever from my record player again;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971695/Paedophile-singer-Gary-Glitter-jailed-16-years-historic-sex-attacks-three-schoolgirls.html
Curtis Lee who had a one hit wonder with Pretty Little Angel Eyes passed away at age 75 from a long illness. The sign of the times, we'll all getting old and someday we'll all be gone too. Just ask Jerome Kersey who also left the world. And Clark Terry, jazz trumpet player that played on Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Miles Davis in their bands and albums, he was 94. And a few others.
Farce The Music has been one of the longest followers of my antics on Twitter, though we really don't talk much. Their meme's are hit and miss but this Monday's meme's might be one of the best that they have come up yet.http://www.farcethemusic.com/2015/02/monday-morning-memes-sturgill-aldean.html
A blast from the past became a facebook friend. Kathy Welsh worked at Record Realm back in the late 70s and every guy including myself had a crush on her. She would have made a beautiful pin up doll. Still stunning in her 50s, she moved to California got married and had twins along the way. Somehow she found my FB site. Still a sweetheart.
Better off alone just ask Steve Earle. His new album is now out although Best Buy did not have it. Terra-plane, produced by R.S.Field (John Mayall, Webb Wilder) and showing more of a blues side to Earle, but also he wrote a song called Better Off Alone, which means that his 7th wife Alison Moorer and him are now separated. I think Alison was with Steve when he played Iowa City last year but as they say, together we grew apart. Perhaps the part of touring and raising a autistic son may have also strained the relationship. Sometimes it's like that in life, sometimes you can find the perfect partner to help you through life, and sometimes you have to go through 3 or 4 or even 7 or 8 to find the right one, or maybe you never do. Some folk needs somebody in their life, others prefer to be alone. Being a musician/record collector/hoarder also can play havoc too. Problem is that sometimes your better half tries to change you into somebody else. Which doesn't work. And never will. Steve is doing quite well being the hard core troubadour on his radio show on Outlaw Radio and of course being a top notch voice of the generation. He's a restless spirit and maybe he'll find a new love and wife number 8. Better off alone? That depends on who you ask. And we wish Alison Moorer the best of luck on life's highway.
I guess they'll moving new releases to Friday now, instead of being the last in line on Tuesday. Of course, Bob Lefsetz, well nothing left to say, ends up bitching about that and those who buy vinyl or CDs don't impress him, which makes me think if it doesn't bother him, why does he continue to bitch about it? http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2015/02/26/release-day-blues/
As the years go by, and new music not impressing me that much I tend to, like every other online music blogs go back to different places and times. 25 years ago, I would make trips out to the mall and hang at Camelot Music and buy out the cutout CDs at 7.88 or the lesser known at 3.88 and ended up getting most of Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry's albums that way. 35 years ago, cable came into our house and I spent countless hours watching Video Concert Hall and Night Tracks and old black and white comedy shows. And worked as a small time gas sales associate at Marion 76 and being enshrined with any young woman with curves and sunshine smile. Basically after graduating from high school, I basically fucked off about three years of my life and have been trying to play catch up ever since. As time goes by, the names of them girls that I wished for a date for have become faded or blurry or messed up. I'm sure they don't look like that anymore, neither do I for that matter. But think a while and faces from the past come out of the deep ends of your mind and you can see them again. The girl at Record Bar that would always smile and wink at me after making a sale. The chatting petite woman at Radio Shack that slightly touched my arm after a pleasant conversation. The world of a shy boy who would fantasied about a date with one of the two while playing albums on lonely weekend nights I remember quite well. Looking back I think I had chances of dating a few more girls if I wanted to, but my world revolved around records and music. Then I tried to play catch up and that didn't work very well; the 80s and most of the 90s I was the dateless wonder. Didn't help that much that when I did ask somebody out, it never lasted more than a couple dates and that was it. Really 1980 was a year of discovery of new things and the new medium known as satellite TV and cable, and going to the mall and spend most of my check on video games at Lindale Mall. Or see what new releases was out at Record Bar and trying to maintain eye contact with the winking sales clerk which my mind was looking elsewhere.
And now Rob Sheffield's look at Rush: http://www.salon.com/2013/08/06/rush_how_i_learned_to_forgive_and_even_like_the_most_hated_band_of_all_time/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
And the continuing tax where it hurts, Emperor Branstad signed into law a 10 cent gas tax increase which they say will repair roads and bridges but we all know that they'll vote themselves a raise in pay and more roundabouts for accidents to happen. In the meantime gas prices have continued to go up and up, from 1.79 to now 2.35 a gallon thanks to the usual excuses of pipeline maintenance and and spontaneous combustion as tank cars blow up and pipeline leaks causing ecological harm. The only thing good out of this, is that Obama vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline bill, which one company has pulled their dirty oil out of this forthcoming money pit. To which Bitch McConnell, pockets full of Koch Brothers and Big Oil bribes is screaming about unpatriotic the president is. And the loss of 23 permanent jobs. Whereas, here in the great Midwest, we continue to feed Big Oil, and the GOP with yet another tax hike which we can't pay our bills in the first place. In a perfect world, the assholes who voted for this would get voted out but judging from the last election, the lazy folk will vote sitting on their ass, while Koch Industries continue to get the voters out, by basically bribing them so they can vote for the 1 percent party. And the one percent continue to get richer.
And I always had a wondering mind. (sorry hon, I wasn't paying attention ;-) )
Which reminds me to tell you that Blogger is changing their adult content policy of posting sexually explicit photos on March 23rd. Which is explains if anybody complains about certain pictures this could be taken down, or this becomes a private blog. Judging by the ratings and readership Record World is a half step above private anyway. This might also explains the disappearing Ivy Doomkitty photos from various blogs. Here one minute gone the next although the pictures that came from my personal collection have disappeared entirely and none of the St Louis or Steve Earle concert photos were explicit. It's annoying to see those gone and it's a bitch to try to find them and post them back up if I hadn't deleted them from my camera. Since 2006, Blogger has been the choice home after My Space lost it's luster and most of my blogs prior to February 2008 where some classic stuff went into the great black hole in cyberland, lost forever. While some adult content pictures seemed to fit the mood, none I would think would be that bad, although the picture about the protesting girl saying she gets more than the GOP did get airbrushed off one of the blogs that I had up a few years back. But let's face it, we really don't have freedom of speech like we used to.
The intention of Record World is basically a peek of what's going on in my world be it music, records or who died and once in a while Ivy Doomkitty, the cos player devine. But for every 9 people that agree or like what you read, there's always that 1, that's either complaining about the slightest thing, or trolling to make anonymous negative bullshit that makes me rewrite the rules of comments here. Or the 1 that throws in porn association comments in the keyword search as well. Do I have to change of how I word things? Do I have to change record porn to record art since that 1 person didn't get the joke? Does the photo of the Look In My Eyes Dammit Cos player have to be taken down since I can't use it to do a funny observation? Is the bicycle race girls posted a couple weeks ago so offending that while the majority call it art, some call it porn? Have we lost our sense of humor to the point that we can't comment on anything anymore? Is showing off any new record finds going to cause chaos and bedlam in here? Hell it ain't worth it, not with minimal readership. Record World is not even a dust spot in the internet world. Once in a while I'll write up a blog that was get noticed (Swinging Steaks, Mom's Apple Pie) and might get commented on or bring a link from a website to get folks to read it, but 99 out of 100 blogs go by without any notice. And Natalie Monet (number 6 on the most used keyword) nor Ivy (number 3 on the list) haven't brought in the readers either.
The fact of the matter is the pride of posting the lost 45s, you can only find here at Record World. But it's a hobby, a show and tell of sorts, and the Singles Going Steady blogs are not high rated sellers either. The latest installment, despite promoting it only brought in 20 viewers from the world. Which makes me think that maybe they did put me in private mode. Although I'm sure Blogger's new rules is geared to shut down the naughty sites or turn them adult and private is a good thing and perhaps clean up their website. Beauty and content is in the eye of the beholder and reader I guess. Which means the bicycle girls may have to go riding into the sunset, unless they cover up. Or have somebody edited out the eye girl below to slightly above the neck. Then you won't be detracted as she points and say LOOK IN MY EYES DAMMIT!
Reviews:
Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti (Swan Song 1975)
The big story is the reissue of this 2 record classic with a bonus CD of 7 songs of alt mixes or demos and since I rather much have the original album in tact, my observation is that the original album is a necessity, the expanded edition a luxury you can live without, unless you're hard core, then it is for you. Go get it. That said, P.G. is one of the most definitive 2 record sets ever released, rivals to Exile On Main Street or Hampton Grease Band Music To Eat so to speak. I always thought that the original album mix kept the record at bay, Custard Pie screams to be heard all the way up, The Rover rides a rockin groove and In My Time Of Dying remains a all time favorite. What's amazing about this track is how John Bonham really simplifies things without complications, you really have to be a seasoned drummer to either hesitate or omit the snare on the third bar. A lot of the songs on Graffiti came from other sessions earlier in the 70s but somehow work better, Houses Of The Holy sounds more at home here than it would have on the namesake album. If you want funky rhythms Trampled Underfoot works quite nicely and the Wonton Song comes close. The sweet country swing of Down By The Seaside, the 50s throwback rockabilly of Boogie With Stu (with a little help from Ian Stewart with a nod at Richie Valens) the folk eclectic of Black Country Woman, and Side 4 of Night Flight and ending with the rocking Sick Again makes me think that perhaps P.G. might be even better than Exile On Main Street, I don't think there's a minor track anywhere on this record except maybe the Jimmy Page instrumental but I think it's pretty damn good here. Believe it or not, my least favorite song is everybody's favorite, Kashmir which really ushered in a new type of metal that would lead to other imitations of that style (Stargazer from Rainbow is almost identical, Richie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio really studied Kashmir). I do not hate Kashmir, it's damn good, I just don't play it thanks to Corporate Classic Rock Radio doing that for me. I rather listen to Custard Pie, or Time Of Dying or the reflective Ten Years Gone, which reminds me of the one that got away. This is a band collective effort and John Paul Jones is just as valuable to Zep as was Page's guitar, Plant's vocals and Bonzo's drumming, it's him driving the band on Trampled Underfoot, it's him at the haunting beginning of In The Light and it's him shaping up the counterpoint on Custard Pie. When Page remastered the album in the late 90s he finally had the technology to make it sound like the true classic it is today and I'm sure the even newer mix is more to the point. Led Zeppelin would never make another album this hard rocking and as good ever again, they only had two left before Bonham drank himself to oblivion in 1980 but Physical Graffiti remains (to me) their best ever. Bob Lefsetz agrees too. End of the world next.
Grade A+
The Metronone All Star Bands (Bluebird 1988)
If you're into big band or jazz swings this might be of some interest to you. RCA back in the old days would put together collective all star jam sessions off and on and it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to have Fats Waller sit in with Tommy Dorsey, or Buddy Rich jamming it with Count Basie and a collection of who's who brings some fun from these sessions which begin in 1937 with Honeysuckle Rose by Waller and Dorsey with the forgotten George Wettling on drums. The Blues selections are basically easy listening, but things pick up with Buddy Rich leading a Count Basie/Coleman Hawkins/Charlie Christian/Harry James jam through a swinging Bugle Call Rag.and One O Clock Jump. The historical and final January 3 1949 has a dream lineup of Dizzy Gillespie/Miles Davis/Fats Navarro/Kai Winding/J J Johnson with Shelly Manne pounding away on two wild versions of Overtime to which Shelly Manne never seems to get enough credit for being a legendary drummer himself. They just don't make them like that anymore, nor the All Star jam sessions that made swing jazz listenable back then.
Grade A-
Ahmad Jamal-Tranquility (Impulse 1968)
Jamal has been very underrated over the years. While best known for But Not For Me, a album that came out enos ago on Argo and part of the Chess Masters reissues, Jamal has worked best in a trio format and every album that I have heard has been just about picture perfect. This late 1968 issue has Jamal trying out a couple of Burt Bachurach numbers (I say a little prayer for you, The look of love) although with mellow themes and it's quite nice to hear. Side 2 containing the progressive jazz sounding of the title track and Manhattan Reflections gives me visions of Rick Wakeman for some reason. The moody bass drum beginning and end of the title track and Jamal's interweaving with bass player Jamil Nasser on M.R.makes the second side essential listening for jazz improvisation. It's argumentative but I tend to think Ahmad's years with ABC Impulse was his classic period. Tranquility makes a valid point about that.
Grade A-
Rockin' Instrumentals (Cornerstone/MCA 1998)
When I was growing up, I tend to favor specialty songs, or instrumentals, most could be heard before the top of the hour on the AM stations years ago and today, the folks at Underground Garage will use them before a has been rock star or DJ pops up to bore you with useless blabbing. Cornerstone Marketing, had two of them out before the turn of the century, one was more pop, this one more rocking although Lawrence Welk's Calcutta is about as rocking as Vaughn Monroe's Swinging Safari which was once used for the opening of a game show. Being square as Mr. Champagne Welk or Square Pants Vaughn was, I actually enjoyed the hook to Safari and find some guilty pleasure in Calcutta. Anything that was hit instrumental in the late 50s and early 60s is right here and where else can you have Al Hurt's Java hanging with the In Crowd by Ramsey Lewis, Lonnie Mack's Memphis, Ray Anthony's Peter Gunn Theme (although the hard rumble of Duane Eddy's version is missed, but I grew up with both versions on singles) and Link Wray's Rumble, the only thing hard rock that Archie Beyer issued on his label and regretted releasing it. And that's on disc 1. Disc 2 has a bit more cheese (Fifth Of Beethoven, White Sliver Sands, Hawaii Five O and the aforementioned Welk/Monroe tracks) but also has the cowbell laded Grazing In The Grass, the surf classic Pipeline and the rare long version of Time Is Tight by Booker T and The MGs, to which perhaps the shorter single version would have been a better choice. In a nutshell, Rockin Instrumentals shows how wild and varied the songs could be for two minutes and playing riffs without words. Unless you count somebody yelling Tequila. Or the Heh heh hehs of Watermelon Man.
Grade A-
Blackberry Smoke-Holdin' All The Roses (Rounder 2015)
For all the comparisons to new country, Blackberry Smoke is more akin to The Georgia Satellites or Dash Rip Rock and Kentucky Headhunters; hard southern rock with a more attention to detail in the song lyrics. Charlie Starr boasts another positive, he sounds like a southern Dave Edmunds as well. Taking pot shots at Dallas Davidson and the Peach Pickers in particular, Let Me Help You Find The Door is a big middle finger to bro country Rock And Roll Again leveled at what ever passes for modern rock is another zinger song but perhaps the best of the bunch is Wish In One Hand (Shit in the other and see which one fills up first for you brother), perhaps the runner ups on The Voice or American Idol should take to heart. Too High might be dedicated to the Smoke themselves. Credit should be given to Brendan O Brien, who has worked with southern rock bands with good effect before and his production really shines. Probably the best album of 2015 that I have come across, but that's not saying much, I only reviewed three others. But I do believe after the year is gone, this will be in my top favorite albums of the year. Music I can relate to.
Grade A-
Tim Buckley (Elektra 1966)
In his short recording career (his son Jeff's was even more shorter and more influential, which is debatable) Tim has proven to be a very eccentric and a very erratic recording artist but on his debut album, he is presented as a folk artist. And perhaps out of all of his Elektra and Straight/DisCreet albums, his first is the most listenable. Starts out with the hippie dippy I Can't See You but Buckley does let loose what would be his trademark high tenor screams on Strange Street Affair Under Blue and of course failed single Aren't You The Girl. I actually come to enjoy the moody melancholy of Song Slowly Sung, basically a throwaway but for myself it actually works quite nice. I found this album used for a dollar and it's been played a few times but out of all of Buckley's albums I like this one the best although the consensus think that Buckley was being held back by Paul Rothchild's production, which basically sounds a lot like the Doors' debut. And Rothchild's production can be heard on the majority of the Elektra roster at that time be it Tim, or Love or Jim Morrison. A good band is backing him up (Billy Mundi, Van Dyke Parks, Jim Fielder and Lee Underwood). After this album, Tim would slowly rethink his music and turned it upside down on later albums (Starsailor, Lorca, the porn soul of Greetings From LA, the faux soul of his final one Look At The Fool) but for straight folk rock, Tim Buckley the album shows promise and potential.
Grade B+
Howlin Wolf-Live And Cookin At Alice Revisited (Chess 1972)
For the legend that is Chester Burnett, it's a sad fact that he was never recorded in his prime, basically he started late in life anyway but by the time we get to this 1972 live set, Burnett was in ill health although you wouldn't know it by his powerful vocals. Most of the living Chicago blues sessionmen (at that time) backed him up, Hubert Sumlin, Louis Myers, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Shaw and Fred Below are present and accounted for. Instead of recording in a south side juke joint, Ralph Bass decided on a coffeehouse. Burnett not playing it safe goes for a obscure song list, the best known was Sitting On Top Of The World which was recorded a few times before. But to prove a point the riffs known for Back Door Man or Spoonful or Burnett's signature Smokestack Lightning are rearranged but with different lyrics. I would like to say that it would be required listening but it turns out to be curio for Howlin Wolf fans only. Lead off track When I Laid Down I was Troubled gets off on the wrong foot; either this was their first attempt or they didn't have their stuff together, Fred Below not even on the same beat. It's rough blues, even Sumlin and Shaw hit a raw and sour note on Sitting On Top Of The World. And the band never really starts cookin till Don't Laugh At Me comes into play six songs in the album. The bonus tracks tend to be the better, The Big House and another attempt at Smokestack Lightning in the way of the long and jammed out Mr. Airplane Man ends this on a much better note than the original album version. But there's hardly anything out there of Burnett's live performances and the ones that are out there, are poorly recorded import bootlegs. Which leaves Live And Cookin as the only Howlin Wolf live album worth noting. Even with the actual product it's buyer beware. But get the expanded edition, the bonus tracks do help a lot.
Grade B-
Record find of the day:: West Coast Blues Blind Blake
Steve Warren, owner and picture taker of this album found this at a thrift store for a dollar which may be the find the year for anybody. Because, it's one of the famed Paramount Records of the late 20s and number 2 and most importantly the even rarer 78 Paramount Record sleeve is harder to find. If the record is in VG or better shape, he can probably get at least 100 up to a 1000 thousand dollars from hard core collectors looking for anything off Paramount Records. Blind Blake remains one of the most mysterious and famous of the post war acoustic blues and being a top recording star in the late 20s before disappearing after making his final recordings for Paramount as they were shutting operations down in 1932. After many many years and many folks trying to find anything of his whereabouts, it was noted that Blake died on December 1, 1934. from TB. http://onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/blindblake.html
Another link about Blind Blake: http://www.tdblues.com/2011/10/blind-blake-details-found/
Monday, February 16, 2015
Week In Review: Townedger Radio 5, Lesley Gore, SNF 40
For those are waiting with baited breath, Carl Sentence is the new lead singer of Nazareth. Why yes,they're still around why'd you ask?
Love that chicken from Popeyes? I wouldn't know but the big thing going on in town is the opening of one in Cedar Rapids, to which the masses responded with a traffic jam stemming back as far as Lindale Drive on the first day. A week later, I still counted cars waiting to go through the drive in, off Blairs Fairly about five cars deep on the road but eventually the novelty will wear off. I am not that hard up to try them out, I probably get in and out by going to Waterloo, which had one operating for many years and you can get in and out sooner instead of holding up traffic down here.
The Saturday Night Life 40 show or Let's Kiss Lorne Michaels' Ass aired on Sunday and if this is what they have for best moments I'll take my memories instead. A couple things stood out, Bill Murray revived his lounge singer act, Jane Curtin's returning to the Weekend Update field (to throw a zinger at FOX news) and Wayne's World which they took a few lighthearted shots at Kanye West. But the whole show was an exercise of trying to stay awake among the five minutes of commercials to which Michaels, if he was such a cutting edge genius would have added more skits and the funny SNL spoofs instead of doing a couple screen shots of them in a meaningless mash them together segments. Way too much time spent on the unfunny SNL skits of this decade, Bill Hader way too much love and not enough for the not ready for prime time players. And I always been creeped out by the Belushi Don't Look Back At Anger spot which they saved toward the end. What Michaels failed to show was the old Taste Buds commercial sketch which may have been one of the best things that Budweiser ever signed off on. Or the The killer Bees. Or the edgy Chevy Chase/Richard Pryor Word Association, leading up to Chase saying the N word and Pryor coming back with Dead Honkie! But the sign of the times that the original cast 40 years later are all gray hair or bald or dead. Paul Simon singing Still Crazy After All These Years ruined by an overblown saxophone solo. Miley Cyrus hashing up 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover to the groans of the old farts used to Simon's original. Still, if anybody would have said that Saturday Night Live would survive after 40 years, would have been laughed at. But the persistence of Michaels continuing to bring new comedians to the show is perhaps the theme of the show, even though SNL hasn't been as viable since the original cast left for the movies and TV shows many many decades ago. Lorne could never replace a John Belushi (who also got folks to buy the original soul music by playing Joliet Jake Blues in the Blues Brothers) although Chris Farley did come close. Looking back upon this, Saturday Night Live did out last a lot of the copy cat comedy troupe shows of the 70s, (ABC's Fridays) but the original inspiration and source of SNL Second City TV, still remained the better of the two shows to which Shout Factory basically released most of that on a few DVDs years ago that I managed to get as cutouts. Even then, Lorne Michaels couldn't top the Eugene Levy, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara lineup of SCTV when the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players were on at that time. Michaels could go on for another 40 years and stop can't top SCTV no matter what he did. But the Not Ready For Prime Time Players were special in their own way too. But Michaels continues to pat himself on the back 35 years later and recycling the warhorse that is SNL, so that people will remember him. Kudos to Eddie Murphy for passing on parody Bill Cosby and his situation that's continues to go on.
Lesley Gore died Monday, aged 68 and from lung cancer. Another victim of cigarettes. Gore has always to me been a different type of female singer, something more deep inside of her, the woman you can never tame. Maybe it had something to do with her coming out being lesbian in the late 2000s but it always wondered me why no guy was with her during her hit making years with Quincy Jones and Mercury. Records. However my favorite song of hers was not anything by Quincy but rather a obscure non album cut called I Don't Know If I Can which was perhaps a swipe at Shelby Singleton Jr who took over production for this and Young Love a number 50 charting single. Basically known for It's My Party and Judy's Turn To Cry the smartasses out there wondering if Lesley wanted Judy more than she did of Johnny. Over the years, I actually found some decent 45s of some of her lesser known stuff, I Don't Want To Be A Loser and an VG plus copy of a sleeveless 45 of Off And Running which I got at a Mad City Half Priced Bookstore for 50 cents. Alas it only made it up to 106 or 108 on the bubbling over chart in late 1966, which is surprising considering how upbeat the music is and was written by Carol Bayer and Toni Wine, one of the more trusted songwriters of the 60s and arranged by Jack Nitzche. By then, Gore was all but forgotten after the glory years of 1963, which her first four singles hit the top ten. Oldies radio still plays those and You Don't Own Me, which could be considered the forerunner of Feminist music, in the style of I Am Woman. Her last top ten California Nights (#16 in 1967) is rarely heard anywhere. While Universal has kept a Lesley Gore best of in print over the years, the best one, the 2 CD It's My Party captures just about Lesley's best moments on Mercury although after Brink Of Disaster, Gore tries more of a contemporary pop something like Petula Clark's stuff but not as memorable or enjoyable. I heard good things about her 1975 comeback album for A&M with Quincy Jones helping out, Jones always seems to bring out the best in Lesley than anybody else but that album didn't sell either. In 2007 Lesley returned with Ever Since, which garnered good reviews as well and then came out of the closet. For the most part, Gore was content to play the oldies circuit and give the fans what they wanted to hear. While today's youth and music has forgotten Lesley, history will show that she was a lot better than most of the teenie boppers of that era, Quincy Jones alone really helped shape her music into what it is today. It's fairly easy to find Lesley's 45s and LPs in the used bins even after death. There's more to her than just the Judy and Johnny saga of It's My Party. I found that out after hearing Off And Running, and eventually sought out the 2 CD retrospective, despite it being scratched up for 20 dollars used and a record club copy to boot.
Record Porn: Tra Le La Le La Triangle/Leavin On Your Mind by Patsy Cline
About six years ago, Cedar Rapids had two Salvation Army stores to go to. the one on 3rd Avenue is still in tact but their record selection is always picked clean and what remains is the usual crap that nobody listens to under the age of 74, the other was located in Czech Village. I really miss that place, they seem to have a better selection. But anyway, the last time I was down there, I donated a bunch of LPs and most of my cassettes that I seldom played anymore. But the last time I stopped in there, somebody dropped off a few country 45s of varying degree. I picked up two, one was a Ray Price number and the other was this Promo copy of perhaps the most pop sounding song that Patsy would record, Tra Le La Le La Triange although I think the B side Leavin On Your Mind has managed to get more airplay on Willie's Roadhouse on Sirius XM. No introduction necessary when it comes to Pasty, perhaps one of more emotional singers who you can feel the pain in the way she sings songs like Leavin On Your Mind or perhaps playing Miss Innocent on Triangle. Whoever owned this copy didn't think much of Leavin and decided to go with Triangle, which made him in the minority. Leavin On Your Mind made it to number 8 on the country charts in January of 1963. I bought this record a week before the major flood of 2008 took out most of Cedar Rapids and The Salvation Army store, to which I'm guessing that my donated cassettes and LPs went down the river. An interesting story behind purchasing the record.
A couple things to read: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/country-music-sexism?curator=MusicREDEF
A article that states Miranda Lambert continues to kick bro country's ass. And of course how shitty bro country is, which reminds me that the new Love And Theft and Blackberry Smoke is out but Best Buy didn't have the the B.S. album, nor the new Steve Earle but they did have LAT. So far this year is shaping up to be even more shittier in new music than last year.
A story on Garret Rein: http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_a8cf2ef8-b718-11e4-a9ac-071ab3464b48.html
As part of looking for new artists, Rein has been very supportive of me and my efforts on Townedger Radio and he can be heard via Lucky Star Radio and a few other net radio outlets. At age 33 he's considered to be a long shot in making it into hard rock but he has built up a following via social media outlets. Thought I would give him a shout out. Side note, Garret makes a comment about a slight mistake in the article."It's Supposed to say "Alvin Taylor toured with Little Richard and bunch of other credentials. David Keckhut was the Lead Vocalist who worked with Michael Devin (Bass Player) of Whitesnake and Johnny G. (Bass Player) with Slash, shortly after Guns n Roses, Slash created his own band Slash's Snakepit"
And: http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/broken-record-why-record-store-day-is-not-working
For an everyday hoarder/collector, every day is record store day when I visit Ragged Records or Half Priced Books or the thrift stores. I tend to think that RSD exclusives are overpriced and most I have on CD or vintage album vinyl. The problem is the lack of close by record stores to hang out. Unless I open up one myself. It would be a money pit but perhaps if I get enough record fans perhaps I could eek out a living for about a month or two.
Wednesday Night is Townedger Radio, my little show on Lucky Star Radio. Every 3rd Wed Night at Midnight CST, 10 Pacific I continue my losing effort to showcase music that is hardly played anymore and I think this show may have been the best one yet. Check it out at this link: www.live365.com/stations/luckystarradio or if that don't work www.luckystarradio.com/
The Playlist for 10/18/15 TE Radio 5
Black Night Crash-Ride
IOU-The Replacements
You Can Look But You Better Not Touch-Bruce Springsteen
Takes A Lot To Rock You-Dwight Yoakam
Gimme Gimme Good Lovin-Crazy Elephant
Turning On Blue-Tommy Keene
Just Enough Love-The Townedgers
Android-Green Day
Detroit Made-Bob Seger
Two People In A Room-Wire
Go Home Little Girl-Dash Rip Rock
Dogs Part 2-The Who
That's What She Said-The Greenberry Woods
Loud And Clear-The Empty Hearts
Oh No-The Mothers Of Invention
Budweiser-The Crew Cuts
The Mighty Quinn-Bob Dylan And The Band
Say It-Voice Of The Beehive
Bring It To Light-The Townedgers
Lawyers, Guns And Money-Warren Zevon
Free Jazz (excerpt)-Ornette Coleman
Love that chicken from Popeyes? I wouldn't know but the big thing going on in town is the opening of one in Cedar Rapids, to which the masses responded with a traffic jam stemming back as far as Lindale Drive on the first day. A week later, I still counted cars waiting to go through the drive in, off Blairs Fairly about five cars deep on the road but eventually the novelty will wear off. I am not that hard up to try them out, I probably get in and out by going to Waterloo, which had one operating for many years and you can get in and out sooner instead of holding up traffic down here.
The Saturday Night Life 40 show or Let's Kiss Lorne Michaels' Ass aired on Sunday and if this is what they have for best moments I'll take my memories instead. A couple things stood out, Bill Murray revived his lounge singer act, Jane Curtin's returning to the Weekend Update field (to throw a zinger at FOX news) and Wayne's World which they took a few lighthearted shots at Kanye West. But the whole show was an exercise of trying to stay awake among the five minutes of commercials to which Michaels, if he was such a cutting edge genius would have added more skits and the funny SNL spoofs instead of doing a couple screen shots of them in a meaningless mash them together segments. Way too much time spent on the unfunny SNL skits of this decade, Bill Hader way too much love and not enough for the not ready for prime time players. And I always been creeped out by the Belushi Don't Look Back At Anger spot which they saved toward the end. What Michaels failed to show was the old Taste Buds commercial sketch which may have been one of the best things that Budweiser ever signed off on. Or the The killer Bees. Or the edgy Chevy Chase/Richard Pryor Word Association, leading up to Chase saying the N word and Pryor coming back with Dead Honkie! But the sign of the times that the original cast 40 years later are all gray hair or bald or dead. Paul Simon singing Still Crazy After All These Years ruined by an overblown saxophone solo. Miley Cyrus hashing up 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover to the groans of the old farts used to Simon's original. Still, if anybody would have said that Saturday Night Live would survive after 40 years, would have been laughed at. But the persistence of Michaels continuing to bring new comedians to the show is perhaps the theme of the show, even though SNL hasn't been as viable since the original cast left for the movies and TV shows many many decades ago. Lorne could never replace a John Belushi (who also got folks to buy the original soul music by playing Joliet Jake Blues in the Blues Brothers) although Chris Farley did come close. Looking back upon this, Saturday Night Live did out last a lot of the copy cat comedy troupe shows of the 70s, (ABC's Fridays) but the original inspiration and source of SNL Second City TV, still remained the better of the two shows to which Shout Factory basically released most of that on a few DVDs years ago that I managed to get as cutouts. Even then, Lorne Michaels couldn't top the Eugene Levy, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara lineup of SCTV when the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players were on at that time. Michaels could go on for another 40 years and stop can't top SCTV no matter what he did. But the Not Ready For Prime Time Players were special in their own way too. But Michaels continues to pat himself on the back 35 years later and recycling the warhorse that is SNL, so that people will remember him. Kudos to Eddie Murphy for passing on parody Bill Cosby and his situation that's continues to go on.
Lesley Gore died Monday, aged 68 and from lung cancer. Another victim of cigarettes. Gore has always to me been a different type of female singer, something more deep inside of her, the woman you can never tame. Maybe it had something to do with her coming out being lesbian in the late 2000s but it always wondered me why no guy was with her during her hit making years with Quincy Jones and Mercury. Records. However my favorite song of hers was not anything by Quincy but rather a obscure non album cut called I Don't Know If I Can which was perhaps a swipe at Shelby Singleton Jr who took over production for this and Young Love a number 50 charting single. Basically known for It's My Party and Judy's Turn To Cry the smartasses out there wondering if Lesley wanted Judy more than she did of Johnny. Over the years, I actually found some decent 45s of some of her lesser known stuff, I Don't Want To Be A Loser and an VG plus copy of a sleeveless 45 of Off And Running which I got at a Mad City Half Priced Bookstore for 50 cents. Alas it only made it up to 106 or 108 on the bubbling over chart in late 1966, which is surprising considering how upbeat the music is and was written by Carol Bayer and Toni Wine, one of the more trusted songwriters of the 60s and arranged by Jack Nitzche. By then, Gore was all but forgotten after the glory years of 1963, which her first four singles hit the top ten. Oldies radio still plays those and You Don't Own Me, which could be considered the forerunner of Feminist music, in the style of I Am Woman. Her last top ten California Nights (#16 in 1967) is rarely heard anywhere. While Universal has kept a Lesley Gore best of in print over the years, the best one, the 2 CD It's My Party captures just about Lesley's best moments on Mercury although after Brink Of Disaster, Gore tries more of a contemporary pop something like Petula Clark's stuff but not as memorable or enjoyable. I heard good things about her 1975 comeback album for A&M with Quincy Jones helping out, Jones always seems to bring out the best in Lesley than anybody else but that album didn't sell either. In 2007 Lesley returned with Ever Since, which garnered good reviews as well and then came out of the closet. For the most part, Gore was content to play the oldies circuit and give the fans what they wanted to hear. While today's youth and music has forgotten Lesley, history will show that she was a lot better than most of the teenie boppers of that era, Quincy Jones alone really helped shape her music into what it is today. It's fairly easy to find Lesley's 45s and LPs in the used bins even after death. There's more to her than just the Judy and Johnny saga of It's My Party. I found that out after hearing Off And Running, and eventually sought out the 2 CD retrospective, despite it being scratched up for 20 dollars used and a record club copy to boot.
Record Porn: Tra Le La Le La Triangle/Leavin On Your Mind by Patsy Cline
About six years ago, Cedar Rapids had two Salvation Army stores to go to. the one on 3rd Avenue is still in tact but their record selection is always picked clean and what remains is the usual crap that nobody listens to under the age of 74, the other was located in Czech Village. I really miss that place, they seem to have a better selection. But anyway, the last time I was down there, I donated a bunch of LPs and most of my cassettes that I seldom played anymore. But the last time I stopped in there, somebody dropped off a few country 45s of varying degree. I picked up two, one was a Ray Price number and the other was this Promo copy of perhaps the most pop sounding song that Patsy would record, Tra Le La Le La Triange although I think the B side Leavin On Your Mind has managed to get more airplay on Willie's Roadhouse on Sirius XM. No introduction necessary when it comes to Pasty, perhaps one of more emotional singers who you can feel the pain in the way she sings songs like Leavin On Your Mind or perhaps playing Miss Innocent on Triangle. Whoever owned this copy didn't think much of Leavin and decided to go with Triangle, which made him in the minority. Leavin On Your Mind made it to number 8 on the country charts in January of 1963. I bought this record a week before the major flood of 2008 took out most of Cedar Rapids and The Salvation Army store, to which I'm guessing that my donated cassettes and LPs went down the river. An interesting story behind purchasing the record.
A couple things to read: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/country-music-sexism?curator=MusicREDEF
A article that states Miranda Lambert continues to kick bro country's ass. And of course how shitty bro country is, which reminds me that the new Love And Theft and Blackberry Smoke is out but Best Buy didn't have the the B.S. album, nor the new Steve Earle but they did have LAT. So far this year is shaping up to be even more shittier in new music than last year.
A story on Garret Rein: http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_a8cf2ef8-b718-11e4-a9ac-071ab3464b48.html
As part of looking for new artists, Rein has been very supportive of me and my efforts on Townedger Radio and he can be heard via Lucky Star Radio and a few other net radio outlets. At age 33 he's considered to be a long shot in making it into hard rock but he has built up a following via social media outlets. Thought I would give him a shout out. Side note, Garret makes a comment about a slight mistake in the article."It's Supposed to say "Alvin Taylor toured with Little Richard and bunch of other credentials. David Keckhut was the Lead Vocalist who worked with Michael Devin (Bass Player) of Whitesnake and Johnny G. (Bass Player) with Slash, shortly after Guns n Roses, Slash created his own band Slash's Snakepit"
And: http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/broken-record-why-record-store-day-is-not-working
For an everyday hoarder/collector, every day is record store day when I visit Ragged Records or Half Priced Books or the thrift stores. I tend to think that RSD exclusives are overpriced and most I have on CD or vintage album vinyl. The problem is the lack of close by record stores to hang out. Unless I open up one myself. It would be a money pit but perhaps if I get enough record fans perhaps I could eek out a living for about a month or two.
Wednesday Night is Townedger Radio, my little show on Lucky Star Radio. Every 3rd Wed Night at Midnight CST, 10 Pacific I continue my losing effort to showcase music that is hardly played anymore and I think this show may have been the best one yet. Check it out at this link: www.live365.com/stations/luckystarradio or if that don't work www.luckystarradio.com/
The Playlist for 10/18/15 TE Radio 5
Black Night Crash-Ride
IOU-The Replacements
You Can Look But You Better Not Touch-Bruce Springsteen
Takes A Lot To Rock You-Dwight Yoakam
Gimme Gimme Good Lovin-Crazy Elephant
Turning On Blue-Tommy Keene
Just Enough Love-The Townedgers
Android-Green Day
Detroit Made-Bob Seger
Two People In A Room-Wire
Go Home Little Girl-Dash Rip Rock
Dogs Part 2-The Who
That's What She Said-The Greenberry Woods
Loud And Clear-The Empty Hearts
Oh No-The Mothers Of Invention
Budweiser-The Crew Cuts
The Mighty Quinn-Bob Dylan And The Band
Say It-Voice Of The Beehive
Bring It To Light-The Townedgers
Lawyers, Guns And Money-Warren Zevon
Free Jazz (excerpt)-Ornette Coleman
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