Elvis For Everyone - 8 Track Tape

In packing for my big move I came across a couple of 8 track tape players. Three of them maybe. If there were three, I threw away two of them. And I kept the smallest one, a Radio Shack TR-8, I believe it's called.

I plugged it in tonight to see if it still worked and it did. It makes a lot of hissing, shushing noise, and a couple of the program LEDs don't light up. But the rest seems to work. (I didn't test out the recording features.)

I also threw away most of my 8 track tapes, a box full of them. But I kept the Elvis tapes that weren't literally moldy, as some of them were, and a few other tapes that are already packed.

This is the tape I tested the machine with tonight. "Elvis For Everyone!" by Elvis Presley, of course.

The first thing I notice is how simple the cover art is. This album had a pretty nice cover, with Elvis looking like he's standing at a stand that sells records, his own older albums. There's a cash register behind him and the Victor dog, Nipper. The definitely reduced matters for the tape!

The tape has "Stereo Effect Reprocessed from Monophonic."

The album goes fast, three songs per program. Some of the songs I don't hear much, including several: Your Cheatin' Heart, Summer Kisses, Winter Tears, Santa Lucia, Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers, etc. But listening to them, I liked them a lot, except for Santa Lucia, which is a drag.

Everything on the tape seemed OK till I got into program 4, then I was hearing some heavy bleeding from one of the other programs. That was distracting. I'm not sure what would suddenly cause that.

Jimi Hendrix "Valleys Of Neptune" Released Early?

I was at Walmart and saw the new Jimi Hendrix CD today, March 5.

I was saying to my wife, "I thought this was supposed to come out on March 9." But there it was on the shelf, several of them. So I figured it must have come out on March 2.

I bought one and came home to see when the release date was supposed to be, since I could've sworn it was March 9. And indeed, that's what the internet sites all say.

Meaning that I, apparently, for once in my life, got something early. What a big coup, huh? It probably sounds the same this week as it would next week.

What I was actually more concerned with was that I thought some of them were going to be numbered, like the CD single was, but these didn't appear to have any number. Still, who cares? The numbers never do me any good anyway.

I'm listening to it on my little computer speakers. Sounds fine.

In case you don't know, Jimi Hendrix was a well known rock guitarist from some years back. Initially he had quite a bit of success, then died and refused to release his last album for another 40 years. In eternity, it seems, he's got all the time in the world.

A New Jimi Hendrix Album!

I must have been living under a rock not to hear that there's a new Jimi Hendrix album coming out in March. How can this be?

I was Walmart today and saw a CD single from it, with a bonus track, plus a free download of something else. So I got one. The new long player is called "Valleys of Neptune," which is what this CD single is entitled too.

The CD single has the title track, plus an previously unreleased alternate recording of "Peace In Mississippi." I have several Jimi Hendrix albums but haven't got them memorized that I would know how any of this fits together.

The free download track is "Red House," as recorded at Clark University in 1968. I used to download Hendrix stuff like crazy off of Usenet, so I probably had this at one time. But then I got rid of all those downloads. So it's nice to have this one as a legal download.

Being unfamiliar with all the details of Jimi's recording sessions, I'm still wondering how it could be that there is this album out there. Why wasn't it released before?

Also, this CD single is numbered! I didn't notice that at the store. I didn't see it until I was busy reading the back. At the store I was just trying to find one that didn't have a cracked case. I hate that when brand new CDs are setting at the store in cracked cases. I should over and look at Walmart's eggs and see if every other one is broken. Probably not. Anyway, I found a couple (out of a total of about 6) that weren't cracked. So I would guess the other numbers were around mine, which was a little over 9000 out of 15000. I don't want to say exactly what number I got, just in case there's some collecting marauders in the area looking for this particular one. Very paranoid.

Moondance

The song and album, "Moondance" by Van Morrison is perpetually refreshing and nice.

I was just shuffling songs on iTunes in my library and they were like "yuck, yuck, yuck," skipping each one till it popped on "Moondance." It's good for any mood, and very soothing. Something I can listen to

I used to live somewhere (Iowa City) where a guy had a nightly program on the radio, and his program was called "Moondance," so he played this song at the opening, as the theme song each night. That might be overkill, since as I recall it was the whole song each time.

Hearing it, it's hard not to think back to that show. But I have other associations with the album over the years. The same good vibe always seems to be there.

I need a good vibe, so I hope this does it. Before I get an ulcer.

Celebrities Spotted At The Grammys

I caught a couple glimpses of Ringo Starr. He must've got a good seat.

I thought I saw Weird Al Yanokovic when Beyonce was coming out.

I just saw Eric Clapton on a commercial for a phone that looks like part of a guitar, a Fender. 

Double You (W)

 

In my journeys at YouTube I came across some videos for these two darling looking young Japanese women, who, I discovered, went by the name of "W," sometimes spelled out "Double You."

As far as I knew, never having heard of them, they were a current act in Japan. I watched several of the very frenetic dancing videos they do, with a lot of dancing in which each one mirrors the dancing of the other. It's quite charming.

But then I started looking them up, like at Wikipedia, and they're not a current act but were current five years ago or so. But, going by memory, it sounds like whoever owned the act broke it up, disbanded them because they were minors and one of them got in some trouble. Apparently she was caught smoking, which doesn't sound like such a terrible offense, but I don't know all the cultural ramifications. The other thing she did, according to what I read, was to date a 37-year-old man. So it sounds like she got in trouble. I wonder what happened to the guy, since that would be a definite no-no here.

So, they as an act were gone before I ever heard of them. But we still have their videos on YouTube to occasionally enjoy, perhaps.

Nancy & Lee

I got this as a download at Amazon the other day. It's one of the 50 albums at $5 for the month.

I've listened to it several times. It's cool.

I'm old enough to remember hearing the big songs on the radio, so I'm not coming to it fresh. But this is the first time I've ever heard the album with everything in context.

For the most part, the big songs, "Jackson" and I believe "Summer Wine," are very much like the other songs. Which is good.

The first song, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," if you don't know what's coming on, Lee sounds like a frog. But once you get over that, his craggy old voice is very pretty (to me anyway).

Nancy has always been represented in my album collection by her "Boots" album, which I've always liked, except we laugh at a song like "Run For Your Life."

But back to this album. Nancy and Lee's vocals are effortless -- no one's being especially stretched. Still, that's OK. I like the laid back vibe of it. The little bits of banter are cute, like Bing and Rosie.

The silliest song is "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman." The first time through didn't appeal to me but I like it OK now. I do remember something about an "Economic Opportunity Program" in the Johnson years... Can't think what they called it exactly. Nancy says she can't even pronounce that!

Most of the songs have a serious tone to them. These are very nice, including "Summer Wine," "Sundown Sundown," and my favorite, "Storybook Children." I could listen to these over and over.

"Jackson" was a big hit and ought to be familiar to everyone who was alive at the time.

"Some Velvet Morning" is also familiar, so it must have been on the radio. It's more of a free ranging, strange poetry, psychedelic song. I'm not sure what Phaedra means. Something to do with goddesses and flowers, I guess. It's Lee's experience in the song, how she gave him life and how she made it end. It's easily the most far out song (and very nice).

"Sand" reminds me of a western song with a Mideastern twist. Maybe his name is Sand because he blows in from somewhere on the western plains or Arabian desert. I said "Some Velvet Morning" was psychedelic, but it's "Sand" that has the strange backwards played instrumental break. Nancy uses "thee" and "thy" language in regards to Sand.

With the song "Lady Bird" I'm expecting something about Mrs. Johnson, but there aren't any references that have to do with her. So that's a relief. It's just a guy who has a "Lady Bird" in his woman, who's always flying high. Maybe Twittering.

The last song is "I've Been Down So Long (It Looks Like Up To Me)." Just a down on my luck song, applied to Lee. Another song on the funny side.

I didn't mention "Elusive Dreams." That's a serious song about a couple who roam from place to place in pursuit of their elusive dreams. Their child died in Alaska (that's the way I take it), so that's sad.

Andy Williams -- Now Dead To Me?

Good grief. Don't any of the major performers remember what happened to the Dixie Chicks? Remember back, think back. They said one little negative thing about that former god President George W. Bush -- is this ringing any bells? -- and they were castigated, shunned, and kicked to the curb.

But now it's becoming mainstream to say outrageous things about the president. Since he's black and ... (gasp) ... a Democrat! We've got kooks bringing their guns to presidential rallies, and that elicits a gigantic ho-hum. Facebook wonders in a matter of fact way if Mr. Obama should be killed. Just like that.

And now ... this is terrible ... even old Andy Williams is getting in on the act! Who knew mellow Andy Williams was also a crazy, a wingnut?

Who knew Andy Williams would be potentially dead to me? Out of all people. Why would someone of such blessed American memory be jumping on this outrageous bandwagon? Why wouldn't he just keep his stupid yap shut? Can anyone believe this?

Andy Williams thinks President Obama is a Marxist who wants America to fail. Andy Williams thinks that. Andy Williams.

Does this mean I really am going to have to consider Andy Williams actually dead to me? Maybe so. That's sad. He's got like the Number One record at Goodwill for the last 20 years running. He's very hot. I just bought another Andy Williams record at a garage sale this past Saturday. Somehow he sold millions and millions of records and lost millions and millions of fans to death and dementia, because his records are everywhere.

Am I going to need to destroy my latest Andy Williams record? I just got it! Ha ha, don't make me have to do that, Andy.

Withdraw your excursion into wingnut politics. Can't we have Andy Williams back?

Mackenzie Phillips

Easily the most sickening story of the day are the revelations of Mackenzie Phillips, of her sexual experiences with her father, Mama's and Papa's singer John Phillips.

I say "revelations," but apparently there's some dissension in the family, with one person at least saying John Phillips would've never done that. So Mackenzie's comments would be "charges" to them.

Anyway, whatever, it's a sickening story of incest of an ongoing nature, like 10 years or thereabouts. And drugs. Each detail worse than the last.

Might make me feel differently next time I hear a Mama's and Papa's song on the radio!

I hope whoever the folks are who profit from the old records have made enough money, because it might be ... this is beyond Chris Brown and Michael Vick ... the money's going to dry up.

Very, very yucky.

The Beatles Are Coming

I'm looking forward to getting the Beatles boxed sets. They're on their way.

The reviews I've read say some very good things about the remastering work. So I believe it's all going to be great.

Now if I can just clear some time in my schedule to actually sit and listen to CDs.

I would guess this is the last time in my life I'm going to be buying the Beatles music. Have 'em on records, then the first bunch of CDs, now this. I'm not saying there aren't other sound inventions out there coming -- but what could it be?

I'm Not As Good As I Once Was

I looked it up. The song "As Good As I Once Was" is by Toby Keith. I didn't know that.

I was at the pool yesterday and this song came over the speakers, as clear as a bell. I could sit there and hear the whole thing. Which at first sounded cute, but then as it went on, it seemed endless and trite. I probably don't need to say I don't need the MP3!

The basic point -- and this is a shocking song in the Cialis age -- is that he's getting older and he's simply not as good as he once was. But if push comes to shove, his pride will take over and he'll have to see if he can do it again.

The chorus as a line that I couldn't quite understand, even though I heard it the five or six times it's said, where he says, "But I'm as good once as I ever was." I thought it didn't make sense. But now that I see it in print I can tell what he's getting at. He's great once, then he'll go to sleep. I don't know.

Is it entirely sexual. Or is he talking about sports? Drinking people under the table. It has to be sex.

But is this the kind of song we need? People's failing abilities, aging, losing what they have and lamenting it -- then rising up in pride and giving it one last shove? Will we revisit the subject with a follow up hit ever 10 years?

I don't know how old Toby is, but let's say he's between 40-50. So when he's 60, "I Don't Know That I Can Do It Without A Week's Notice." When he's 70, "I'm Still Able To Imagine What It's Like." At 80, "Nurse, Do You Date Older Guys?" At 90, "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off."

Now That's What I Call Music - 8

I went back and got that CD that I wrote about yesterday, "Now That's What I Call Music - 8." I would like to have the full set without paying full price, and as long as I can get them occasionally at the thrift store, they're very cheap.

I was reluctant to buy this one, as I have others, because of its scuffed up condition. I'm just naturally finicky about wanting my stuff in good condition. But then sometimes I wonder why, just take a chance, you can always put toothpaste on it, transfer it to your Ipod and live happily ever after. You never know when another one will show up anyway. And there have been a few that I've passed up because of condition and haven't seen again.

I went back and it was still there. So I hem/hawed around about it and finally got it. And I'm happy so far, because I ripped it and it sounds good so far. Haven't heard any skips. I wasn't listening to popular music in 2001, the year of this CD, so most of the songs aren't familiar. But they definitely sound good -- they're new to me -- now. The last track is "Walk On" by U2, which I'm hearing right now (I started in the middle somewhere), and it sounds like a cool song. I've never heard it before.

Music is very cheap, if you're willing to wait a few years!

Miscellaneous

Put another quarter in the vibrating bed, dear, 'cause there's not much life left in you. Possibly a good country song for some creative composer.

Stopped by a rubbish sale today. Didn't find much.

Learned at Dairy Queen: They sell enough bananas each year for banana splits that it would meet the needs of 43,552 monkeys for one full year. It's been a long time since I've had a banana split. Years in fact. So thanks to me there's at least a few monkeys who are still being fed.

I saw the CD "Now That's What I Call Music" number 8 today, but it was pretty messy, so I didn't get it. I really didn't recognize many songs on it but would like to have the entire series. I only have a few so I know it's not realistic that this rate. I looked at the notes and it was dedicated to Aaliyah, someone I'm not familiar with. She has a song on it and it said she died in a plane crash. They also listed the others who died at the same time. By saying I'm not familiar with her, it does seem to ring a bell that a celebrity singer died back then (2001) and I do remember seeing the name somewhere. The name I think of for someone who died, and again I think in a plane crash [turns out it was a car wreck], was Left Eye Lopes, from TLC. Anyway, I didn't get the number 8 CD, but that doesn't mean I won't go back tomorrow and get it. A little toothpaste on it, rub it around and it might play OK.

I don't mind sneezing two or three times. But today, with a cold, I've sneezed at least 20 times. It gets old after a while.

That banana trivia from DQ reminds me of an article I read a month or so ago, that bananas (as we know them) are endangered. Because of something like this: they had to breed bananas in a particular way to get them the way we want them. But it might be that the strain is too narrow and thereby threatened by disease or other negative conditions. So eat up now while you still have the chance!

Ryuichi Sakamoto

I've been listening to a CD by an electronic, ambient, found-sound, whatever, kind of artist, Ryuichi Sakamoto, called Soundbytes.

This is someone I had never heard of before, but, as always, when looking him up on the internet, I discover that he's already quite well known. All these artists are well known if you check with the right circles. For me, never being in the right circles, you have to be pretty famous for me to know you, or, like Ryuichi, to have your CD in Goodwill and to have it look sufficiently appealing for me to buy it. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something different, sometimes I'm not. In this case, I was, and I liked the sounds of the titles, the artwork, etc., making me take a chance on it. I'm glad I did.

When I say "I've been listening" to it, I mean I heard a few tracks last night and I heard a few tracks this morning. It's actually something pretty good for my state of mind in the morning, which is to be contemplative yet willing to be iconoclastic. I like a good drone, really I do, or anything more typically contemplative. But I also like things that go stranger, more unpredictable directions, sometimes. Today was one of those days, where I'm willing to branch out and engage different thoughts.

The liner notes compare Ryuichi to Brian Eno and Kraftwerk, two that I'm familiar with, but I'm rarely concentrated on any one individual or act so that I'm an expert or afficiando. I'm always more general than that. I've had an album or two or three by each of them.

But, whatever, I've heard once now the first eight tracks. They have an interesting, quirky electronic sound, a found sound kind of feel, yet with a lot of thought behind each one. In a way, they sound like something you'd imagine, then simply do, and let the feel along the way determine where it's going to go.

I looked up this album and believe they gave it only 3 stars at All Music. For whatever reason. But it's not really an album (as one work) but a compilation of tracks off several albums. So it's, to me, a good sense of Ryuichi's solo work from those albums, and whether it's 3 stars or 1, that doesn't make any difference. If you want to sample several things at once, this is a good CD, just going by the first eight songs.

One of the songs, I think it's "Variety Show" has a voice synthesizer in it that sounds precisely like one I downloaded between 1996-1998. The one I had then was downloaded from a source in Hawaii, and worked like this, you typed in your words, not according to actual spelling but according to the way it was likely to be produced, then a monotone guy spoke it. I have a soundfile of an example of this somewhere. But Ryuichi has a longer series of words, like paragraphs, typed in and coordinated it with music.

4 Minutes

"We only got four minutes to save the world." I like this song by Madonna and Justin. I got it as a free download the other day, from a sticker on a CD I bought.

I hear it on the radio once in a while and think how great it sounds. So now I can listen to it any old time. Ya-ha!

Four minutes is the amount of time we used to get on a Super 8 movie cartridge. I used to think how cool it'd be to have more time, so you weren't rushing through taking a movie. Little did I know four minutes was about right. Anything more than that you've got long, extended boring movies instead of the quick cuts and rushing from one subject to another.

I've had video cameras over the years, including a black and white one in 1979. It needed to be hooked up to a home VCR at the time, so it was impossible (for me) to be dragging it anywhere besides the apartment where we lived. The few videos that still exist are boring, the kids, I don't know what. But at least they have this to their credit, they're short.

My next video camera was a color one, and it seems like we could put a VHS tape in it ... or maybe it too was hooked up to a VCR. Now that I think of it, I don't remember taking videos around outside. The ones I took were inside. Someone broke in and stole it, so it's long gone.

There's the video feature on my Olympus camera, but it barely counts because the videos are just small crap. And the video feature on my phone, worse yet. Those don't count.

Now I have a Flip Ultra, and it takes video for around 55 minutes before it's filled up. I was just videoing the dog and thinking I should keep it around four minutes. I videotaped a thing yesterday that was 50-some minutes. The file is huge, hard to handle. You make a copy of it and it takes forever to process, like trimming it. Although it was a lot faster with the Flip software (still crappy) that came with it than with Windows Movie Maker.

A Concert I Went To

I thought the internet was a respository of all information, but I can't find any remembrance or mention of a concert I went to in (I think it was) 1971. In Des Moines. It might have been 1972.

Featured at this concert, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds were Leon Russell, Albert King, and J.J. Cale. Does anyone out there remember this concert or tour?

I remember J.J. Cale had a really weird looking guitar, like it was a technological marvel, holes, wires, gadgets. I got one or two Albert King LPs after that at some point. And we loved Leon at the time. Haven't heard much about him lately.

Bo Diddley

MCA Records CD, CHD-5904.

Bo Diddley passed on. I got this CD in 1986 or '87. It combines two albums from Chess Records, "Bo Diddley" and "Go Bo Diddley." I don't listen to it much, but there are several songs on it I really like. It has 24 tracks, with track 6 and 23 being the same song, and I'm thinking the same everything, each being 2:32 for time. [Later edit: Track 6 and 23 have two different master numbers, and a slight personnel difference between the takes, according to the liner notes.]

1) Bo Diddley - Great song with the Bo Diddley sound. "Have ya heard?" Clever, casual lyrics, almost nursery-rhyme like, Mockingbird stuff, with muddy, persistent sound. Very direct and live. This is the definitive Bo Diddley sound.

2) I'm A Man - The rhythm as far as I know it is the "I'm A Man" rhythm. Like the first track, it's an iconic song. Spell "M-A-N, Man." Great declaration. And it's unapologetic, 100% man, making love in such a way they can't resist. Legendary song.

3) Bring It To Jerome - Very cool repetition of the title throughout. Melody is walking along at a good speed, and the voices interplay with this lazy repetition of, "Bring it to Jerome." The rhythm of Bo Diddley songs have a nice individuality.

4) Before You Accuse Me - More classic blues sound. "Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself." You got somebody else. The guitar work sounds so casual, almost informal, yet every note gets in there.

5) Hey! Bo Diddley - Wild combo, thrashing out a distinctive rhythm. Telling a story in snippets. "Saw my baby runnin' across a field, slipping and sliding like an automobile." Shout and response on the title throughout.

6) Dearest Darling - So direct and right before you. Song is about someone the Lord picked out for him. It marches along, with the vocals slow and deliberate. She has two hearts and he has none. Gets brasher toward the end, insistent, volume increases, very feeling. Soulful.

7) Hush Your Mouth - Very fast pace, "Ahhh, hersh yer mouth." Mockingbird type of rhythm, which is what the Bo Diddley sound is like. "Mama going to buy you a diamond ring," etc. Dirty, thick sound on the track, powerful drums.

8) Say Bossman - Relaxed combo sound, close up background singers. Lead vocal, telling bossman of the 19 kids he has to feed. The background singers add to the whole relaxed vibe. The lead vocal is like a preacher's voice, with a swaying choir.

9) Diddley Daddy - The Bo Diddley rhythm, little snippets, little lines, in the nursery rhyme kind of poetry. They fill in a song that has a strong instrumental presence. The recording on some of these songs -- this one -- has some distortion, being quite casual.

10) Diddy Wah Diddy - Strong, guitar and almost doo-wop vocal style. This is a blues rocker. I love this song. It has a cleaner sound overall, the recording quality. He has a gal, she lives way down in diddy wah diddy. Ain't no town, ain't no city, but how they love in diddy wah diddy. I think I got that right. Beautiful guitar on this one.

11) Who Do You Love - This is a famous one. I've heard this song a lot without even trying. Weird, cryptic lyrics, poetry in a different stream. Then the title repeated several times, a beautiful song. Mentions rattlesnakes and whips, Arlene, and somebody screamed.

12) Pretty Thing - Very crisp, clear guitar opening. Then the group comes in with rhythms that are distinctive Bo Diddley. Prolonged instrumental section. "Let me give you all my love the rest of my life, you perty thing." Become my blushing bride, "O, you perty thing."

13) Crackin' Up - This is another song I love. It has a loping rhythm, and several aspects of cool group interaction. Bo addresses a loved one who's always complaining. Such a great song. "You buggin' me, yeah yeah, you're crackin' up." This is a song that could go on for a half hour as far as I'm concerned. It's that great. "I'm all fed up, yeah yeah, you buggin' me."

14) I'm Sorry - Romantic sound to the instruments. The vocal is a sentimental one, of sorrow, with a doo-wop like background going on, sorry for the things I said to you. This one is very much like a traditional doo-wop, soul song. Slow, pleading. Interesting lyrics, "For I knew not what I was saying."

15) Bo's Guitar - Instruments going in generally the same direction, a real stew in their interplay. Quite a band sound -- unlike most songs you've ever heard. Nearly like noodling around, with everything thrown together. Completely instrumental song.

16) Willie and Lillie - The vocals dominate, intense delivery. The instruments are not sparse, but more reserved. The recording on this song sounds like it needs someone to clean it up a bit. Kind of a bad one.

17) You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) - This is like a call and response song, with the response being from the moaning instruments, immediately there. He has a complaint against her, with the title telling the story. The band rocks out on this one, some killer piano licks.

18) Say Man - Very fast beat. And interaction between two. A humorous song about a guy who insults the other guy's girl. I don't know what the genre is called, but there's a category of songs in which they exchange insults about their girl, their mamas, etc. His chick is so ugly she has to sneak up on a glass to get a drink of water. Like that. Funny. The band just keeps a beat going, overlaid with the two speakers.

19) The Great Grandfather - Probably my favorite song, not as good as Crackin' Up, actually, but it's a sentimental favorite. I used to sing this one to my kids, and I still sing it. About the great grandpappy. Telling about the old guy, then moaning, ohh, ohh... Includes redskins, so it's like the old pioneers or something. "The grand grandpappy was a busy man, cooked his grub in a frying pan. Picked his teeth with a huntin' knife, he wore the same suit all of his life." That's the part I love. Also a cool falsetto bit.

20) Oh Yea - The classic Bo Diddley sound slowed down a bit. Crisp and clear, and confident vocals. "She's my woman, all in all, she's my lover, she's my ball." Declarations about his lover, who says, "Bo Diddley, you the one, O yea, sho nuff."

21) Don't Let It Go - Song hustles along. Great background work on this one. Like a revival meeting going at it in song. Piano working it, but the real distinctive is the vocal work. Bo right up front, then everyone else coming in.

22) Little Girl - Faster blues rhythm. Simple song, generic lyrics, "Little girl, can I go home with you." Good excuse to dive into some instruments.

23) Dearest Darling - We had this song. Same as track 6.

24) The Clock Struck Twelve - Very dirty sound on the instruments, meaning intense sound and jagged edges. Clean recording. This has some intensity, all music, instrumental. Toward the end there's a dominant solo, some kind of highly taut thing, picked like a rubber band. Then a violin that gives it a smoky, dive-like sound.

Conclusion

If I were going to download eight songs off this album, they'd be: 1) Bo Diddley; 2) I'm A Man; 3) Diddy Wah Diddy; 4) Who Do You Love; 5) Crackin' Up; 6) The Great Grandfather; 7) Pretty Thing; 8) I'm Sorry. But the first six on that list are my favorites.

Other Groups' Walruses

Maybe you've heard The Guess Who's "Friends of Mine" at some time in your life. It was mildly popular at one time, at least where I lived. It was on the radio once in a while, fairly often, and it was kind of an event to listen to it. I remember really paying attention closely.

But it's a song that, to my knowledge, doesn't get played on the radio much anymore. And whenever I see a collection of Guess Who tracks, I look to see if it's there, and I never see it.

It was on the Wheatfield Soul album. And of course it was on the CD of Wheatfield Soul. I don't know if there was a shortened version put out as a single or not. It seems to me I used to hear a shortened version once in a while, but that could be my imagination, or a radio edit.

This is a song -- once an event, as I said -- that was a lot better at the time. Listening to it now, and this was true even a little over 20 years ago, it doesn't pack quite the same punch. The lyrics sound to me almost embarrassing. (I also loved the movie Billy Jack at the time, but last time I tried to watch it...my attempt was unsuccessful.) There are plenty of songs that have stood the test of time, or were sufficiently poetic to have transcended the bounds of their time. This one didn't quite make it.

Just to review the song, then I want to make another point about the Walrus ... and who the Walrus is ... and who cares.

This is a song that chugs along for just over 10 minutes. It starts off, "Friends of mine, don't have the time for food or wine, just money is on their mind." The lyrics are fairly cryptic. It's also a sing-along for those who've heard it a lot, except for the recitations. But the lyrics aren't the greatest throughout, such as, "Gotta do it to a duck on a two-ton truck." It has some nice treble guitar things going on.

Then there are the references to Magical Mystery Tour, with this lyric, "And Kurt is the walrus, (repeated), and the walrus does funny things to the veins in his left arm, all right." I want to get back to that line.

We go on to hear that Michael is a proud father, and that that means Michael's wife is a mother, stated in a very matter of fact way. The instruments are smoking. Then we come to a pause, a breakdown of sorts. This introduces the condemned man's walking the 13 steps to the gallows, and a recitation about death being near. We are marching up the steps and the soul of the condemned man is about to leave his body. This is cryptic. Then the man was dead. He went down, down, down, "to a place we laughingly refer to as hell." But none of us will go there because we're all "far too groovy." There's kind of a howling in here, and we're out in a wasteland somewhere. Until we ultimately question God, in a very overstated, overly dramatic way, "And where was God??" Echoed with weird effect.

That takes us back into the chugga chugga, an instrumental break. A time for us to drift away and consider it all. Then a moaning section, with a plaintive lyric about "Flanders Field," where the hippies go to smoke the poppies and feed their heads. "And they're all friends of mine." Then we get back into the main, original theme, "bu-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-baby!" It's all over and it's all right!

Toward the end we're all drifting about, doing our own noodling thing with the guitars and drums, a major breakdown, drifting vibes. But right at the end, the discipline returns and we get the organ, the essential tune we started with, bringing it to a nice conclusion, fading out.

OK, who is the Walrus, and who cares?

We know from The Beatles' song that, "I am the walrus," with John singing. And we know as well, from "Glass Onion," that, "The walrus was Paul." All quite significant, right? The Beatles actually have a walrus mask and other masks from your basic walrus collection. It is a thing of pop lore, the Walrus, yes!

But when we get to The Guess Who, and this line, "Kurt is the walrus," we're like "Kurt?" Sounds like an inside line, and because we don't really know anything about them or their friends, it's hard to care. Then we hear that the Walrus does funny things to the veins on his left arm, and for me, I have to pull back and ask for some respectful discretion. Funny things? Not funny, ha ha, I'm assuming. But funny as in strange, odd, self-destructive, while the rest of us are busy keeping our left arms looking good.

As far as I can discern, that's the end of Kurt's story. You've got the Magical Mystery Tour. That's clear enough, The Guess Who are propounding mysteries a la The Beatles. The announcement of Kurt's status as the Walrus means exactly what? Don't know. But what he's doing, some kind of drug thing, like the hippies later smoking poppies, is what we remember him for.

The conclusion to this fine blog post is this: The only Walrus we really care about is The Beatles'. Other groups -- if they have a Walrus -- need to either call it something else, or give us more of a reason to tune in and find out what their Walrus is up to. I'm respectful of The Guess Who on several levels, and mean no disrespect. But no one really cares about other groups' Walruses.

End of post, print it!

Lunachicks - Take 2

I was listening to that Lunachicks CD a little more tonight, walking around downtown with my Ipod. I think I only got to track 9, although that's pretty far.

My method of reviewing CDs really isn't the greatest, which is to describe it pretty much the first time through. I heard a few songs then put it on and type-type-type. Even so, I was pretty nice.

But listening to it close like that, while walking, it has more texture and more depth in the ear. The vocals sounded sweeter and more trained, but while typing the vocals are more one dimensional.

Anyway, each song really has something to commend it. And even the lyrics that are overly-vulgar or a tad bit of a reach, have a nicer ring to them when you're not reading them at the same time.

"Edgar" was a song that leaped out at me, hearing it while walking. It's a song about a cat, a cat like most cats that goes to the bathroom and it smells. We can all relate. Songs about your animals are a nice thing. Anyone ever heard The Shagg's "My Pal Foot Foot"? In my opinion, their best song. A good tribute.

I was trying to think of other songs that are about pets, and know I know some, but couldn't think of any while walking. "Martha My Dear," of course, by Paul McCartney. "Old Shep," sung by Elvis. "Ode to Billy Toad," by Bobbie Gentry. Hey, I like that, "Ode to a Toad."

Lunachicks - Jerk of All Trades

Lunachicks - Jerk of All Trades

CD on Go-Kart Records, 1995, GK013. The group is made up of Theo (vocals), Squid (bass & vocals), Gina (lead guitar and vocals), Sindi (guitar), Chip (drums). Produced and engineered by Ray Martin.

1) Drop Dead - Rousing opener. "I like you better when you're deader...Drop dead! Drop!" Catchy tune. The thing about this album is going to be lots of vulgarity, just putting it out there, whatever body function, four-letter word applies. So it's either parody, self-parody, some other form of humor, putting the things off a bathroom wall to music. It was a strong opening.

2) Fingerful - I like the riff, basic guitar thing going on all through this song. Very insistent. The lyrics go with the tune for more classic rock sound on this track than on the first. Some real sweet building of guitars in the chorus. Some of the same kind of "bathroom" stuff, literally, then in the lyrics. Nothing so terrible. Funny actually, but this tune seems to require something less funny. This is a great tune, the lyrics are so-so.

3) F.D.S. - The same guitar sound, in a more theatrical, eccentric way on this song. It marches along in a fast way, then stifles out, goes silent. The second time through there's a great guitar solo. The lyrics are in key with the whole CD, which in this case has some children's rhymes along with the whole over-the-top vibe. Such as "Greasy, grimy gopher guts ... and I forgot my spoon," which is probably public domain, that part of it.

4) Light As A Feather - This one is going to be like Fingerful, with a more classic rock, riff sound. The lyrics sound like kids messing around with tarot cards, seances, etc., autobiographical from stuff kids do for excitement. "Spin the bottle." Maybe you could say this album is bubblegum music with a heavy metal twist. Not much difference, really, between "Indian Giver" or "1, 2, 3 Red Light" and "Spin the Bottle" and "Greasy, Grimy Gopher Guts." It's nostalgia and biography. Just inside memories.

5) Edgar - About a cat named Edgar, "named after that Poe dude." A loving tribute, with good humor and sentiment. Sweet tune, and a good memory of how smelly his droppings were. Kind of a personal song, but with some good shared insights.

6) Dog Yard - Stuttering tune, instrumentals. Cool sounding. The lyrics get into a whole playful thing, I think from a dog's point of view. Reminds me of that dog song -- Damned Dog -- from Times Square. Maybe just because of the dog theme. But this one doesn't really communicate much to me. There are certain similarities between dog excitement and ours, though.

7) Butt Plugg - That is "Plugg" with two G's. Spitting song, short lines, short space for lines. "I like," "I love," quickie. Tribute to a body accessory. Short song.

8) Bitterness Barbie - This song sounds like it's saying something, some of the bitterness of being Barbie, from the doll's point of view when things start going wrong. Like what if Barbie had a mastectomy or clogged-up pores? In the semi-funny lyrics it's still saying something tragic about the ideal Barbie image, how even she can have troubles, and will eventually. Message songs aren't my favorite genre, but something like this has something positive without being overly in your face.

9) Deal With It - A slower tempo song at the very beginning, but it steps up quickly, and sounds like a serious song. It's personal what an artist wants to say, but I think subtlety wins the day, just my own opinion. This one has more lyrical subtlety, at least for the first bit. But "I'm gonna let it all out / Like a fresh water trout," doesn't say much to me. It sounds very 'rough draft.' I do like "mummified in toilet paper," but even that still isn't really touching me.

10) Brickface + Stucco - Exciting beginning. The singing has a real consistency throughout the album. A real sameness, except for the tunes. Brickface and Stucco are doing some gender bending, involving dressing like women, and, in Stucco's case, sailing the seas like a pirate. But in this joining of opposites they have a child together, November 10 is the birthday, and the little girl's name is Formica Linoleum. Building products or surfaces, like Z-Brick (not mentioned). Maybe complexion problems.

11) Jerk of All Trades - Title track, starts with horns. Then the horns after a fanfare are gone, and the guitars and a multiplicity of voices launch into it. This is about "Woman," who can do most anything, as she is the 'jerk of all trades.' The great advantage to singing the first thing that comes to mind is you never reach pretentiousness. The big disadvantage is everything sounds trite. But I like some of the effects in this one, like western noises of shooting. And the voices together are exciting. As the title track this must be saying something about the group.

12) Spoilt - The one starts off really nice, then becomes Generic Tune Off The Lower Shelf That's Within Everyone's Reach. The lyrics are more on the serious side, like the problems of women, the environmental, in war, something like that. Some of the fallout from war, it's what spoils everything, collateral damage, as they say. I like the seriousness of this one. The tune even gets better as we go, and it has a good menacing quality to go along with the lyrical theme. Not a funny song, which is good.

13) Ring + Run - This is another bubblegum one, like kiddie games, ringing doorbells, intercom buttons and running. "We're gonna have a little fun / In Brooklyn playing Ring + Run." Quick Joey Small might like this one. Get the Ohio Express on the line. They could do something great with this song. Just a fun, nostalgic song for every mischievous ex-kid.

14) Fallopian Rhapsody - I'm thinking, having glanced at it an hour ago that this one might have to do with abortion. Now I'm hearing it and it has a serious tune, a serious tone, yep. Taking someone to task for discouraging choice, thinking "procreation [is] what you think we're for." The tune switches in the middle to a very fast, insistent pace. Some angry spitting mad stuff, ending up with this message, "Gotta have choice, it's the only solution...Never go back!" Obviously a serious message song. Not a song I personally find very entertaining or inspiring, but it balances out some of the overly-silly stuff. More than a novelty act.

15) Insomnia - Great sentiment to start this one off, "I wish the sleep fairy would come do the trick." Anyone could identify with this song, anyone who's ever had trouble falling asleep. Even mentions "counting sheep"! Then ends up with the perfect solution to insomnia, which is sex (mercifully restrained here, which shouldn't go without saying). You don't get that on the medicine commercials! "I wanna go to, I really need to, please God let me! Good tune.

16) Why Me - Lyrically a small song. But I like the lyrics to this one maybe most of all. Because it's a little more mysterious about what's going on, so you can project all kinds of things into it. Like any kind of depression, any kind of personal challenge, from a splinter to raging dementia. Neat vocals from the group at the edge, beyond the lead singer. "If something's broken you gotta fix it," is repeated a few times. I think this would be my favorite song on the album. Some good raging attitude on it. Then the instruments break down, in a swirl of craziness. That's nice. Then repeating the "Something's broken" line....till we get to the beautiful, unfolding guitar end. And off.

17) A continuation of Track 16 after a minute or so -- a hidden track -- with a bit of horn from a Herb Alpert song, I think 'Whipped Cream.' And the group is sitting around laughing, burping, having a great time. Several burps. Someone says "Puke up a lung there, honey." A little more laughing and out.