Hall & Oates Remakes

The other day I was at a store, and of course a lot of them are playing music over the speakers. I was interested to hear a new version -- new to me -- of Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes," by some sweet woman singer. It was very lovely.

Then, amazingly, the next day I was in another store and heard another remake of a Hall & Oates song, also by some sweet woman singer, in this case, "I Can't Go For That." I always liked that song! This version was very sweet.

The big difference, other than being by a woman singer and being a little jazzier, was that they left out the "no can do" piece in the refrain. But that was okay, and they probably figured that anyone who knew the song, like me, would be mentally filling it in or even singing it anyway.

Now I am wondering if the two songs might have been recorded by the same woman and would be from the same CD, and if so... who she might be. What other great Hall & Oates remakes might she be responsible for?

A Time Machine CD

I'm listening to a CD that I haven't listened to for years. Dire Straits' "Brothers In Arms."

It's on my iTunes, from back when I was trying to get all my CDs on there, and only managed to get up to E or G.

It's definitely a time machine CD, since I don't listen to it with any regularity. I remember buying it at the place we lived in 1986-87. CDs were very new at the time and I didn't have a lot of money to buy them. So it was a big deal to get it.

Now that I'm a big success, having enough groceries for a couple of days, this CD reminds me of tougher, more challenging times.

If I'm ever down on my luck -- which could happen out of the blue -- I'll know which CD to get out to promise me we'll get through it.

Trying To Learn The Key Of F

This probably isn't very interesting.

But really, what is?

Isn't life just one boring detail after another made interesting by your attitude toward it? I believe so. I think I'll state that as a statement instead of a question. Life is just one boring detail after another made interesting by your attitude toward it.

I have my own things going on. In a way, I'm not that into these particular details, but I'm writing something tonight and this may as well be it.

I'm an old man who's been playing the guitar for 40 years. Or just a little over. But I'm one of the more unusual old time guitarists in that I haven't greatly improved in all that time.

Of course I've always known the F chord and can do it OK. But I haven't really played songs in the KEY of F, and I didn't even know what chords were the basics in it till the other day. Normally I've done F without the bass strings, but looking at the key of F, an online description of it, they bar across, etc. I can do that only fairly well.

It's the next two chords that I'm not great at, B flat and C7th. Although I know a version of C7 which is just the C chord plus one finger down on the 2nd string. The C7th chord on the website is different and sounds slightly different, with some barring on the 3rd fret and two other depressed strings on the 5th fret. That one comes tough to me, not being used to it. And B flat I've always done without the bass strings, but trying to bar across is tough on that one. Because your fingers are very bunched up.

It's not sounding good. Plus my old fingers are getting old and hurt a little more than they did 40 years ago.

A Terrific Week For Andy Williams

Look at this Billboard chart from May 25, 1963, monaural albums, just the top 10 of a larger chart.

What a terrific week for Andy Williams! Number 1 and Number 10, two separate albums. At that point "Moon River & Other Great Movie Themes" had already been on the chart for over a year and it was still in the top 10! Along with other long-termers "West Side Story" and "Peter, Paul & Mary."

Andy's success back then explains his perennial presence at every Goodwill and Salvation Army story in the world today. Because a lot of his fans who were buying LPs back then are now dead. His albums are everywhere!

Just looking again, Peter, Paul & Mary have two albums on the top 10 too.

The Elvis album at number 4, "It Happened At The World's Fair" is an LP you never see these days. I don't think I've ever seen one at Goodwill. His LPs are not usually there, maybe because people have the suspicion that they're collectable. They are, of course. The ones I do see are always beat to death ... and they're not collectable.

The album at number 9 is the one with Frank Fontaine's goofy character's face on the front, Crazy Guggenheim. I've had it, maybe I still do somewhere. And I saw it in the bins at some point in the last six months.

All in all, it was a great week for Andy! And several others.

I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas

Here's a song we used to sing around my house, for some reason. But with this one Louis Armstrong says, "You oughta see me do my stuff," and we used to sing "You oughta see me do my thing."

To me, wherever this song entered my consciousness is in the shrouded memories of the past, which I don't remember because they are so shrouded. Maybe it was on an old cartoon. We used to hear the song "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?" on a cartoon and thought it was pretty funny. Also memorable.

Any of that old stuff. There was another one I was thinking of, like "Mama Don't Allow No..." although that's usually a country type of song. But it seems like I heard an R&B version of it just recently. "We don't care what Mama don't allow, we're going to pick our git-tar any old how!"

Check out the video above. The guy who made that video has numerous others, some obscure old 78 rpm records that are treasures.

What Punk Rockers Think About All Day

What do punk rockers think about all day?

Mostly maggots, they think of maggots. And barbed wire, razor blades, electric fences, and pain. They think about thrashing about, hitting their heads against each other and other hard surfaces.

To them, it's nothing to dwell among the dregs, to make every experience as bitter as possible, to excite themselves with a quick gouge to the eye or to poke a knife in their leg.

They might get drunk and get a tattoo of something feral on their face. Tattoo artists see them coming and know they either give in or get their trailer trashed. They'll start their tirades if they're denied.

Everything to them is negative, a chance to laugh at normality, which, strangely, they appear to recognize.

The rest of us, if we looked at a policeman cross-eyed, they'd have us in chains and big tight cuffs. But these punk rockers can drive by at 100 mph, fingering everything in their wake, living it up, and railing to high heaven, making garbage out of everything in their path, and no one lays a hand on them.

It's all nihilism and hedonism, self-inflicted pain and suffering, and inflicting it on others. A quick knife to the gut, to them that's their idea of glory.

The Archies - "Truck Driver"

One of my favorite songs by The Archies is "Truck Driver." I've been looking around the house for one of my 45s of it. (I think I have two, but I knew I had at least one.) And today, while looking for something else, I found one of them.

So I made an MP3 of it right away, since it's always been one I liked.

"Truck Driver" is the flip side of The Archies' first hit, "Bang-Shang-a-Lang."

Listening to it, I like it. But the story of "Truck Driver" doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. In the song, the singer knows a girl with eyes of brown. She's gone somewhere. And if he can catch a ride with the truck driver, maybe he can find her.

I personally think Baltimore would be a good place to check. Because he says "She talked about it the night before." Which might be an excellent clue as to her whereabouts. But then he has all the rest of the country to check, the United States, and that's a very big place. Even if the truck driver went to every state, the chances of seeing the girl are slim.

The truck driver is going to take his load through "27 different states." That still leaves quite a few.

If not Baltimore, how about New York City, where the lights are pretty. Plus, she'd go to Hollywood if she could.

I like this part where he says he won't get in the way of the truck driver. Except he'll be "standing on the running board calling her name through every town along the way." You don't think that would constitute "getting in the way"? The police are constantly pulling you over. "Hey, buddy, you can't be riding on the running board like that, screaming at the top of your lungs. It's not allowed."

In summation, this is a big country. And trying to find a single girl by riding a truck and calling out her name is not likely to get the job done!

Lady Gaga Five Years Ago

That's Lady Gaga from 2005, when, I guess, she was an unknown, average person in a restaurant.

It's a video that has a few clips of her on an MTV show from the time called "Boiling Point." I never heard of the show, but the premise apparently was to get on people's nerves and see if they could keep from losing their temper.

In this case they took her food and brought it back to her table with garbage on it. That would be a shocker.

She's very cute, I think. And five years ago isn't that long, from being unknown to being maybe the Number 1 artist in the whole world today. I love her songs and as far as I know I have them all.

The 2010 Fruitgum Company

In the '60s we had the 1910 Fruitgum Company, doing some great bubblegum classics. Now that we're coming around to '10 again, it's time for a reunion, as the 2010 Fruitgum Company!

I wonder if they thought of that.

Andre Rieu -- The Vienna I Love

The video I'm referring to in this post is a VHS tape of a program called "The Vienna I Love -- Waltzes From My Heart," by Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra. It doesn't look like it's still available, but looking around, I notice there are lots of programs by Rieu on DVD. Wow, I wouldn't mind having the Christmas one.

But, alas, this VHS tape is the only one I have. And I just about gave it away to the thrift store yesterday to get it out of my way. It's been on my shelf for a few years and I never watched it. Then yesterday, cleaning my room, I was putting some stuff in a box for the thrift store and this was tossed over there. But then, just for some entertainment while I cleaned, I put it in the TV (which has a player) and it was very cool to see.

I guess I didn't know anything about Andre Rieu, just that he had something to do with music, since the tape's been around for a while. I hadn't really look at it that closely.

Anyway, it's quite wonderful. A bunch of waltzes, classical music. With a full orchestra, dressed up in really nice clothes and everything. And they had a packed house. Wherever it was, actually Vienna it looks like.

Andre plays the violin. I read somewhere that he plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin. I don't know if that's what he's playing in this concert, since I don't know my violins. It's definitely pretty and doesn't look over 300 years old.

As to the music, it's delightful stuff. Played with a lot of flair, with Andre right out front, standing the whole time. He's kind of like the conductor but he's not doing a lot of typical conducting. He must conduct while moving his bow on the violin. And maybe the players were used to his style.

On this tape there's a lot of humor, the introductions Andre makes to songs, plus some funny interplay of the musicians. He speaks in German throughout but there are subtitles in English.

This particular tape was copyright 1995.

In watching it, I'm up to the 11th selection, which is the "Emperor's Waltz." Johann Strauss wasn't the composer of everything on the tape, but several of the selections.

I wish I had the Christmas DVD ... but in a few days, after Christmas, I won't be wishing that anymore.

The short story here is that I'm glad I didn't give this tape to the thrift store. Because it's enjoyable and I would guess I'll watch it again someday!

(The DVD on the Amazon.com ad is a different program than what I wrote about. But it looks like it'd be something very similar.)

That's Me On Guitar

That's me on guitar on Adam Lambert's song "Music Again." It's a hot solo, done by me of course. I had my lip curled at the time. That's how I got it so hot.

Adam Lambert's New Single

I hope Adam Lambert's new single is burning up the charts. I haven't looked it up.

I saw it was Number 1 on Amazon singles downloads the first day, but it's gone down since then.

It's called "Time for Miracles," and is from the movie 2012. It's got some good vocal pyrotechnics in it, which Adam is known for.

I'm looking forward to his album, which I think comes out Nov. 23.

I'm a little reluctant to advance order it, because I heard there was a deluxe version too, which I haven't seen information on yet. It might be one of those deals where you have to buy it three or four times to get all the songs. I hope not.

Bonnie Bramlett Albums

I listened and recorded two Bonnie Bramlett albums tonight, LPs.

I've never really paid any attention to her. I remember seeing the old Delaney and Bonnie and Friends albums, and hearing their hit, but that's about it.

But tonight I was looking through my albums, which I've gotten here, there, and everywhere -- thrift stores, garage sales, etc. -- and there were a couple of hers.

I read about them on All Music and they seemed to rate fairly well. These are "It's Time" and "Lady's Choice," which are albums in sequence, in that order of release. I don't know where I got them or how many years it might've been ago. But they're both promo releases and in really good condition.

Anyway, they're quite enjoyable to hear. The All Music people give "Lady's Choice" some demerits for the song selection and the duets. But I guess my ear isn't as jaded as musical experts. I enjoyed it quite a bit. When they said she turned it over to these other singers, I didn't realize it was duets. Until I saw the liner notes.

Good stuff.

The Class of '57

I'm listening to a very great old song by the Statler Brothers, "The Class of '57."

I'm a little more wistful about this song as time goes on and the various individuals named in this song are aging. Time marches on. "Tommy's selling used cars, Nancy's fixing hair." Tommy and Nancy are probably retired by now. Maybe dead.

But a lot of the class of '57 are still out there. My parents were from the class of '52, and my mom is still doing well. She's been doing some work in her town with the class records from the old school, photographs, etc. And she has something to do with my late father's classmates, keeping in touch, sort of.

We were out at the cemetery a week and a half ago, and I saw the grave of some classmates, friends of my parents. They have their picture engraved on the tombstone. They were from the class of '52, but this particular couple got married secretly in '51, and, according to mom, they would've been kicked out of school if they knew they were married. So good for them for keeping it a secret. But now it's on their tombstone -- their wedding date in '51 -- blaring it out to any school officials who might also be buried nearby.

I might've met this couple in my life but don't remember them personally. Just heard about them numerous times over the years, what they and my parents used to do, where they hung out.

So they were only five years older than the Class of '57.

If you're out there ... anyone from the Class of '57 .... (or '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56, '58, '59) ... All the best to you! Keep going! And God bless you!

Moon Mullican's Problem With Pork Chops

I got a record by Moon Mullican the other day and was just listening to it. "I'll Sail My Ship Alone / Seven Days to Rock," King 45-5172 from 1959.

I looked up the record, since "Seven Days to Rock" is pretty cool, a rockabilly song. This site says he had a problem with teen record buyers, since Moon was bald and portly.

But the sentence I love is this:

On New Year's Eve 1966, he resolved to cut down on pork chops but died the following day.

But look on the bright side. It couldn't have made that much difference if he was eating pork chops or not. At least it couldn't have made much difference if he would've cut down on them a week before.

Our Daily Death Watch: Mary Travers

People, quit dying! It's getting ridiculous.

But it's happened again. Peter, Paul, and Mary.

I've got some of the tracks from their "Ten Years Together" CD playing.

Everyone's got to go. Me too. Just hate to see it.

Beatles Day

I wonder how it went for 09-09-09 as it related to The Beatles.

It was very uneventful for me, since I bought the sets of CDs on Amazon ... and I have the pleasure of waiting till they get here. Apparently it's supposed to be tomorrow.

But I'm still glad I put my order in early and that they're on the way. Because according to articles I was reading, the supplies were very very limited at stores. Then I'd be sitting here with nothing today ... and tomorrow.

Come on. It's The Beatles. Sitting here with nothing is not an option.

Live Tweeting: "Nancy Wilson -- Gentle Is My Love"

NANCY WILSON - I will be Live Tweeting the LP "Gentle Is My Love" by Nancy Wilson. It's Capitol Stereo (ST 2351), two sides of course...

I just got this record today at Goodwill. I looked at it last night and didn't get it. I didn't have any money but I could've borrowed some.

It seemed like it looked a little scratchy but nothing terrible. Anyway I put it back, then went back today expecting it to still be there.

I got it. 50 big cents. The cover is extremely nice and the record isn't bad at all. I cleaned it and recorded it to MP3. It's on my iPod.

I like Nancy Wilson but I don't see her records around like I used to. I probably have 6 or 7 different ones.

One other proviso: I don't know much about music, like I can't use a bunch of musical terms, ballad, notes, falsetto runs, all that...

So it will be short & sweet, the general theme & sense of a song as we progress through it. I barely have any followers so it's no big deal.

I don't what would happen to a guy with 12,000 followers if he Live Tweeted an entire album. They'd probably run screaming.

OK, enough prologue. On with the album. 6 songs on side 1, 5 songs on side 2.

The album is full of romantic melodies, an entire album of romantic tempos. It's a fairly blue sounding record, crystal clear, but moody.

I heard it from the other room while it was recording. It sounded like late night listening, the lights low, a nice bachelor's lounge.

1) Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) - The liner notes say this is a masterful study in desolation. I love the description.

Soft, moody, wondering, going where destiny leads. No star to guide me, no one beside me, I'll go on my way, darkness will hide me.

But maybe tomorrow I'll find what I'm after, throw off sorrow. With you. But who can I turn to if you turn away.

That's a very pretty song. I'm almost sorry she has the hope of happiness, because I want desolation to be desolate, no bright side.

That might be a little heavy though for a song. She's going for her share of laughter, yet it's there, What if YOU turn away? (He won't.)

2) There Will Never Be Another You. Lighter, breezier right off the bat. (So beautiful fidelity to the recording.)

There'll be other nights like this, other experiences she'll know as the seasons pass, but there'll never be another you. Nice theme.

Very lavish orchestration in the middle. It's like listening to a super CD. Nancy's voice comes back to dream a million dreams. Lovely.

[Live Tweeting the Nancy Wilson LP from 1965 "Gentle Is My Love" - Song 3 coming, "If Love Is Good To Me"

Spring will come, grass will grow, brooks will hum with melted snow, if love is good to me.

Good things will happen, always with skies of blue. "As long as Mother Nature makes you love me." Kind of a stair-step, building song.

Everything depends on you, my dear. It will ALL be if love is good to me. I don't know this song but it's lovely.

The arrangements have strings, a touch of brass and reeds, and an easy but ever-present rhythm. -- from the liner notes.

Next is song 4, side 1: "My One and Only Love." Notes: She warmly spreads her mystic vocal charms over the haunting melody.

The touch of your hand is like heaven, a heaven I've never known. Everything about the lover is transformative, making her heart sing.

You appear in all your splendor, my one and only love. "Mystic charms" is actually part of the lyric, "your lips so warm and tender."

Every song on this album so far is beautifully lush. Listening to Nancy Wilson would make even Jethro Bodine seem classy.

Next, the 5th song: "Funnier Than Funny". I heard this one a while ago. It's more playful.

Notes say "On the sunny side, you'll find yourself delighting in the subtlety of FUNNIER THAN FUNNY..."

Everything is "funnier than funny." Memories can bring happiness by pleasures they impart. It's funny how they captivate your heart.

How you and I can share a kiss, then talk of funny things like this is very funny, funnier than funny. Excellent romantic, playful song.

Really concerns the wonders of love.

Next, the 6th song on the LP, the last song of side 1, "More."

Starts with an evocative strings section and single horn.

Oh, this is the "More than the greatest love the world has ever known" song. If it's the one I'm thinking of. It sounds a little familiar.

More than you'll ever know, my arms long to hold you so. A pretty romantic song of yearning, wow.

Waking, sleeping, laughing, weeping. -- "Far beyond forever you'll be mine." -- "I know I've never lived before..."

Stunning with the horn coming back in. "No one else could love you more."

Time to flip the album. Side 2, Song 1, "Gentle Is My Love." The title song to the album.

He's sweet and tender, not at all like you. So there's some comparison of lovers. "So gentle is my love," meaning HE, her love, is gentle.

He's not demanding. (So her ex must've been a monster to get a song like this."

You made me feel I was owned by you, while you could do what you wanted to. Now I have someone who belongs to me, etc.

This isn't what I expected. Kind of a tough sentiment: You suck, but he's great.

He's not like you. We don't need orchestration for a song like this, but maybe a honky tonk combo and a sputtering Nancy Wilson!

Definitely "Gentle Is My Love" is the worst song on the record so far. Hard to believe it is the title song. The title evokes better!

OK, continuing with Side 2. That was definitely a downer. I'll try to press on but I'm disappointed. Let me collect my thoughts here...whoa.

Song 8 is "At Long Last Love." The notes say "She ushers in dream time with two very familiar love songs done more slowly and...

meaningfully than ever before..." MORE was the 1st one, and AT LONG LAST LOVE the 2nd. --- So we're ushering in dream time again...

At Long Last Love - Is it an earthquake or simply a shock? Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock? Is it a cocktail, this feeling?

OR....is it the REAL McCOY, meaning is it "At Long Last Love"? Very exploratory song, expansive thoughts, wondering, examining love...

Definitely we're back in the realm of the great romantic sound here. Enough strings in the orchestra to fly a million kites. Beautiful...

Next is the 9th song, "Time After Time." I wonder how many songs have this title. This is NOT the Cyndi Lauper song, of course...

Time after time, I tell myself that I'm so lucky to be loving you. So lucky to be the one you run to see in the evening ...

This is a reflective song, reminiscing on the benefits of the love we've shared. With "Time after time" you've heard me say I was lucky.

This is a great romantic song to celebrate an anniversary. It would make him or her cry. Or at least give you a special kiss afterwards.

I like it.

Next, the 10th song (out of 11), "If Ever I Would Leave You."

Starts with the title. "It wouldn't be in summer, seeing you in summer I never would go..." I've heard this song before somewhere.

I think it'll be I'll never leave you now, then, anytime.

If I'd ever leave you it couldn't be in autumn, how I'd leave in autumn I'd never know...

This song gives the idea of leaving you but then knows it can't be done. Like saying "I don't like you ... I LOVE YOU."

So it's a good romantic track, for all seasons. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring ... then it's all recapitulated at the end.

Never could I leave you AT ALL. Good sentiment. I don't know about that though. Why are you even contemplating leaving me?

NOW, our last song, Number 11. Guess they couldn't come up with a 12th song to round out the album. 6 one side, 5 the other. Chintzy.

You want better balance than that, 6 and 6, an even number, not 11. Why'd they do that? Just to save on royalties? C'mon.

But it's been a long time back, 1965 thereabouts, and chances are it's too late to make it right, so we'll accept it, have to, there's 11.

Number 11: "When He Makes Music." From notes: "To close this superb album...the very dramatic WHEN HE MAKES MUSIC....

A fitting choice, for the tune's lyric captures the feeling Nancy's incomparable performances bestir in songwriter and listener alike...

Love the horn, swelling orchestra. It is more dramatic. "All he has to do is say hello, and that's the sweetest melody I know..."

The sound of angels singing soft and low...when he makes music. The vocals are more searching, hesitant, reaching, lots of feeling.

The lyric speaks of a symphony beginning, and the orchestra swells there. Then a million violins, enunciated by swelling violins. Beautiful.

He makes music only I can hear. -- Very nice, the sense that her beloved is hers alone and that's the way it should be..."

You wonder sometime how people fall in love, what they see in the other person. But it's music only they can hear.

I'm definitely tone deaf about some of the people I see, like walking through Wal-Mart, like How'd THOSE two ever get together?

But that's Mother Nature, composing her symphonies in the many bodies produced, attracted and attracting with "music only he/she can hear."

This is a very nice album. The overall tone is reflective, often prolonging whatever sentiment is being expressed, making it expressive.

Each song is excellent, except for the sub-par "Gentle Is My Love." That song was a downer and shall forever remain one, no redeeming it.

This has been a Live Tweeting of the NANCY WILSON LP, "Gentle Is My Love." Nancy's beautiful and a beautiful singer. Sing on, Nancy!

Cab Calloway - Pasta Handouts

Minnie the Moocher eats Martha the Goocher.

Speaking of "Minnie the Moocher," I listened to an LP compilation of Cab Calloway records, the oldest ones. I made MP3s out of it. Meaning I had to take out a few pops and clicks, which is funny. Why funny? Because the record itself had used old 78 rpm records and the liner notes says the engineers removed "the many ticks and pops which were sometimes present in the original material." Then there were the new ticks and pops on this record. So I have a couple generations of ticks in my hands.

This LP was put out by Bandstand Records, No. 7124. It is called "Cab Calloway and his Famous Band - The Beginning 1930/1934. I like the cover artwork, which is by Kirk De Grazia. Kirk also engineered it with Cecil Spiller. And Kirk wrote the liner notes. Kirk must not like rock 'n' roll, since he says:

[Cab] possessed a voice of remarkable range and his diction was impeccable. That's more than you can say about most of the rotten-roll singers shouting their garbage today.

Excuse me? We're that worried about diction? And as cool as Cab Calloway sounds, and he does sound quite cool, I didn't hear anything on these tracks that made me howl at the moon with my best howling diction. He was great, but big deal. A lot of people are great in their own way. So I don't know exactly who Kirk was talking about there, but he obviously went overboard.

But, all that aside, there's some interesting stuff here. I like the discographical information, which is not as complete as it could be. More on that later. One thing I noticed right away, though, there's a problem with the "Minnie the Moocher" track. There's some kind of wavering, a flub on a word. Right where he says "Minnie had a heart as big as a [whale]. Whale has some kind of recording screw-up, I'm assuming on this particular release. Either that or Cab's diction was slightly off that day.

On the discographical information, I said it wasn't as complete as it could be. On my copy the original owner wrote in the original record labels and numbers and, apparently, even the master numbers of his records. That's very cool. On one track, "Got A Darn Good Reason Now," he put "BR 4936 (1st Record)." BR stands for Brunswick.

Tighten Up

Hi everybody. I'm D.B. Kundalini and the Drells, from Houston, Texas. And we not only sing, but we dance just as good as we want. And down in Houston this is the music we tighten up to.

Can you guess what record I'm listening to right now?