A quick perusal of past posts (sorry for spitting) shows that I've featured Honeybus in some capacity no less than five times, each of those times, mentioning Andy Partridge's comment on how he wished he had written the band's hit "I Can't Let Maggie Go." That song is a good one, no question. And so is the follow-up "(Do I Figure) In Your Life." But to be honest, I don't know if I had heard much more of the band before yesterday. I've owned the See For Miles collection "Honeybus At Their Best" for years, and it's quite possible the last time I listened to it was back when it was released in 1989.
Honeybus is fantastic! Apologies if this is old news, but it's new to me.
At their best, Honeybus sounds like Badfinger at their best. Or, maybe it's the other way around. The singles on Deram are beautiful and infectious; baroque pop to rival, at times, The Left Banke, with lush harmonies and enough hooks to snag a flounder.
As wonderful as "I Can't Let Maggie Go" might be, there are much stronger tracks scattered about the collection.
Tomorrow, February 28th, will be the first in a series of economic blackouts protesting corporate greed, and companies that have rolled back their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and Presinot Shitler's efforts to eliminate federal DEI programs. People are encouraged to not spend any money for 24 hours, though from my record sales, it seems like the boycott started in November of 2024.
That said, I am calling February 27th, Small Business Thursday because, well, this small business really needs to pay some bills.
As usual, I have some fine records for sale, priced more often than not, cheaper than any other dealer with an equivalent record.
Take a look at my modest but potent selection over here. Tomorrow's boycott is all about the big names, but supporting the small names is still ok.
I don't recall exactly when I found out that Ray Davies produced "Turtle Soup," The Turtles last proper album, but it wasn't that long ago. I still find the hook up to be somewhat strange. Nevertheless, "Turtle Soup" is a favorite of mine, and it was while I was listening yesterday, that I began to notice similarities to Kinks classics like "Village Green" and "Arthur." I am by no means saying that "Turtle Soup" comes close to the brilliance of those records, but it's hard not to recognize the overall vibe of the record sounding more like a Ray Davies record than a Flo & Eddie record.
If you've never heard "Turtle Soup," it's worth your time.
Forgive me if this is old news, but before Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal released the debut Tears For Fears album, they released a full length under the moniker Graduate...and it's pretty damn good...if you like that late 70's/early 80's Jags meets The Vapors at Elvis Costello's house kinda vibe.
"Acting My Age" could have easily gotten lost in the new wave, skinny tie shuffle, and then completely forgotten about once Curt & Roland did an about face with their sound, or at least that's what I am telling myself is a fine excuse for not knowing of its existence. Regardless, I really enjoyed this record. It's a bit clumsy at times, but the seeds of those melodies that Tears For Fears perfected with age are there. There are more than a few pop gems on "Acting My Age," a couple or three that might even pass as power pop.
This is meant to be a helpful update on what is going on here and over at the Now Playing blog.
Burning Wood is what it is.
The sidebars on the left are as follows:
S.O.T.D.:
This is a daily, a song that can be accessed on YouTube by clicking the pic. At the end of the week, the seven songs of the day will be zipped up and posted as a mix every Sunday.
Below the S.O.T.D. is "Shout It Out Loud." This is the chat box where you can share info and ask questions, when it works. Just be polite.
Below the chat box are two recent additions, the Reggae Record Of The Week, which changes every Monday, and the Jazz Record Of The Week, which changes every Friday. These were both implemented by request. I know neither genre goes over well, but my suggestions are there for those interested.
Below the reggae and jazz boxes sits my little reminder that I will buy your vinyl, if you are looking to sell.
The sidebars on the right are as follows:
"Best Thing I Listened To Yesterday" still seems to cause confusion. It is NOT the "BEST" record of all. If I listen to Jethro Tull's "Stand Up" and The Who "Sell Out" in the same day, and "Stand Up" surprises me, it doesn't mean the Tull record is better than The Who record. I listened to the new Liminanas record yesterday and I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. But it is NOT a better record than "Rubber Soul." Which brings me to "Now Playing..."
Underneath "Best Thing I Listened To..." is the link for the other blog. "Now Playing" started out as nothing more than me writing down what I listen to everyday. It was just another way to start a conversation. It took some time to take off, and now it has been getting a good number of hits and the occasional comments. Like "The Best Thing," it is NOT me grading records. It's me grading the listening experience. I created a Pete Townshend playlist that consisted of 15 songs that I love, so why did it get four stars instead of five? Maybe the sequencing. Maybe I wasn't in the mood. Who knows? Robert Palmer's "Drive" just came out on vinyl for the first time and man, did it sound great! Four & a half stars! I still like five Robert Palmer albums more. Got it?
Below "Now Playing" is "Today's Cover Version" which is Today's Cover Version. It is supposed to change daily, but more often it is every other day to give everyone a chance to hear it.
Below "Today's Cover Version" is the donate button. Feel free, as I make nothing. Both of these blogs are a labor of love.
Lastly, if you check Burning Wood on your phone or tablet, you might not see the sidebars on the left and right. You need to scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click "view web version."
Wicked Man- Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men- XTC Demons- The Blind Boys of Alabama Protex Blue- The Clash Sorry Somehow- Husker Du Under The Street Lamp- Joe Bataan Crippled Inside- John Lennon
Wicked Man- Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama (Never been a Ben Harper fan, but I played this collaboration to death when it was
released. I haven't heard it in years. Man, it still holds up. If you dig this, check out the whole of "There Will Be A Light.")
The World Is Full Of Angry Young Men- XTC (Someone mentioned "Rag & Bone Buffet" last week, another record I haven't played in ages. Great collection of odds and ends, including this gem.) Demons- The Blind Boys of Alabama (The rare inclusion of two tracks by the same band on one mix, here's another Blind Boys track that slays me. This one from the "Atom Bomb" record.) Protex Blue- The Clash (What's better, the U.K. track list or the U.S. track list of the Clash debut? I say the U.S., but then you miss out on this track.) Sorry Somehow- Husker Du (Some of the worst drum sounds ever committed to tape can be found on the Husker Du catalog. These records don't need remastering. They need to be re-recorded. Still, those records rock, and so does this track.)
Under The Street Lamp- Joe Bataan (A perfect piece of Latin soul that evokes a sweltering August day in N.Y.C., courtesy of the King, Joe Bataan.)
Crippled Inside- John Lennon (Whenever I play the "Imagine" album, I always start with Track Two.)
I first heard Josh Roseman play his trombone on Charlie Hunter's 2000 self-titled release. And then, serendipitously, a CD came across the counter at the shop featuring Roseman as the leader of the Josh Roseman Unit. I was intrigued by both the players---John Medeski, Joey Baron, Lester Bowie---and the tune selection---songs written by Otis Blackwell, John Lennon, Page & Plant, Sun Ra and Kurt Cobain. That CD, "Cherry" quickly went into heavy rotation.
It's been years since I've listened to it, but after a few minutes of dialing up some tracks on YouTube, I remembered exactly why I loved the record. Roseman takes familiar melodies and turns them inside out. The "Unit" sounds like the Mingus Big Band and The Skatalites through a grunge machine. Roseman actually toured with The Skatalites for a bit, as well as appearing on records by Don Byron, Sean Lennon, Cibo Matto, Jason Moran, Ron Sexsmith, Sheryl Crow and countless others.
I imagine "Cherry" won't be everyone's cup of tea. But hopefully some of you will turn it up loud and have as much fun with it as I did.
The Jam is one of my favorite bands of all time. I knew right from the second I heard "In The City," that something special was going on. It was everything I had been listening to and loving up to that point, from British Invasion and Motown, right on into my first experiences with punk. The Jam had it all- great riffs with words to back it up, courtesy of Paul Weller, and a relentless rhythm section featuring Bruce Foxton on bass and Rick Buckler on drums.
Rick Buckler was only 69.
Listen to "Extras" today. This is a collection of b-sides, demos, alternates and covers, that is miraculously cohesive, and one of the best collections of its kind.
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys had an amazing run of releases starting with their 1990 debut right on up to their last studio record to date, 2015's "Voyageurs." I came in around 1998 with "Bayou Ruler," mostly because of my love for C.C. Adcock's 1994 debut. C.C. played some guitar on "Bayou Ruler," and that album kickstarted my love affair with the Mamou Playboys.
Riley was also a key member of Lil' Band O' Gold, a supergroup of Lousiana legends that featured Adcock, Warren Storm, David Egan, Dickie Landry and Richard Comeaux. The output of all of these people, either separately or together, constitutes some of my very favorite music from Louisiana.
Yesterday, I revisited The Mamou Playboys 2011 release "Grand Isle," a record that I played to death upon its release. Listening again after a long layoff made me realize just why I loved it so much then. It perfectly captures the heart and soul of traditional Cajun music, and yet sounds like something fresh and unique. Some of it reminded me of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros, which makes sense since Joe was a fan.
I'm not sure where you stand on Cajun music, but if you have even a modicum of interest and weren't sure where to start, listen to "Grand Isle." It's more than just fiddles and washboards. I bet dollars to donuts, it will surprise you in the best ways.
It's easy to miss out on a good record. Even as a guy who listens to more music per day than most, it's impossible to be on top of it all. So, I can be forgiven for not knowing that Australia's Icecream Hands released an absolute gem of an album in 2020. But, I cannot be forgiven for not knowing that this band has been around since 1992. I mean, what the hell?
That said, if I didn't check in with my friend Dave to see what he was listening to yesterday, I could have possibly gone another 30 years without hearing "No Weapon But Love," a smart, hook-filled, power pop (sort of) jewel of a record.
This is not your by the books, power pop crunch fest. These guys employ Beach Boys harmonies underneath what I can only describe as an Americana version of "Revolver." Or maybe not. That might be pushing it. You listen to it and you figure it out. I'm hearing Petty/Heartbreakers, The Jayhawks and yes, Big Star. The lead singer, at times, has Peter Wolf's phrasing, and it's damn good, especially if you have ever dreamed of J. Geils Band making a power pop album. (I'm fine, really.)
Check out these tracks and then, maybe you will want to buy the record like I did.
Liar- Sex Pistols Slow Motion- Ultravox Lost My Girl- Rick & Sandy I Give It All 2 U- The New Orleans Bingo! Show Everlasting Love- David Ruffin Race- Prince Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home- Preservation Bass
Liar- Sex Pistols (An obvious choice, maybe, for best punk album of all time. But "Bollocks" rocks, too.)
Slow Motion- Ultravox (I've gone on about the first three Ultravox albums, especially the debut. But "Systems Of Romance," the third and final album with John Foxx, has become just as important in that trilogy.) Lost My Girl- Rick & Sandy (Who are Rick & Sandy? Ya got me. But I love this one-off British single from 1965.)
I Give It All 2 U- The New Orleans Bingo! Show (One of the greatest live acts I have ever seen in New Orleans. It was performance art, a circus act behind Clint Maedgen's songs. Bingo is done, but Maedgen's since played sax in the Preservation Hall Band. Bingo's records
are solid, but pale in comparison to the live show. Good to hear this
one, though. It's been awhile. This one might surprise you.)
Everlasting Love- David Ruffin (I've been wanting to write up the Ten Best Non-Compilation Motown Albums for some time. Ruffin's "My Whole World Ended" would make the list.)
Race- Prince (Revisited Prince's contract breaker "Come" last week. Without the baggage, it ended up being a fun spin. Time heals!)
Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home- Preservation Bass (Really? "Bill Bailey?" Yes, really. The only way to cover this oft covered standard is to make it special. And Preservation Brass does just that. If this doesn't put a smile on your face and some pep in your step, well, you're just being difficult.)
As far as I can tell, no official Dennis Coffey compilation is currently in print. The Detroit guitarist, as part of Motown's Funk Brothers, can be heard on dozens of your favorite songs, including "Cloud Nine," "Ball Of Confusion," War" and "Psychedelic Shack," for starters. Not to mention scads of soul hits like Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold" and The Wicked Pickett's "Don't Knock My Love." He hit the big time with his solo single "Scorpio," that featured a drum break so badass, it was sampled years later on countless hip hop tracks, including Young MC's "Bust A Move."
But it isn't just "Scorpio" that excites me. All of these tracks are brilliant exercises in funky riffage and groovy goings-on.
This compilation was put together many years ago by an anonymous philanthropist, who then distributed them to various record and CD shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn, where they were clandestinely sold for $15 a pop. I just happened upon my copy this week after not listening to it for years. I hope you dig it as much as I do.
TRACKLIST Scorpio Getting It On Taurus Ride Sally Ride Son Of Scorpio Capricorn Thing Theme From Enter The Dragon If You Can't Dance To This Finger Lickin' Good Wild Child Boogie Magic Back Home Wings Of Fire Free Spirit
It's been almost 30 years since TubeTopMania took over the staff of NYCD.
Who is TubeTop?
TubeTop were a one and done power pop band out of Seattle that consisted of The Posies rhythm section, Mike Musberger and Dave Fox, along with songwriters Gavin Guss and Brian Naubert. Their only release, 1997's "Three Minute Hercules" features a couple of tracks produced by Peter Buck, as well as Posy Jon Auer adding some harmony on a track or two. We all loved this record so much, one staff member created an expanded deluxe CD version for in-house enjoyment, pulling all the stray tracks from various indie singles and power pop compilations, including fine covers of Dave Davies' "Susannah's Still Alive" and the Ace Frehley classic "Getaway."
We were, in a word, nuts...about this record!
I haven't thought about this album in ages, partly because I haven't had a working CD player in years. All of my listening is done either by playing vinyl or plugging in my iPod. So while I was uploading a few stacks of CDs into the pod, the TubeTop CD caught my eye. It's every bit as wonderful as I remembered it.
If you dig these tracks, treat yourself to the whole thing over at Bandcamp.
Yesterday, our pal Steve Simels posted a Stealers Wheel track over at the invaluable funhouse we know and love as the Power Pop blog. The song, "Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine," is a sublime piece of pop music, especially the single version, which differs from "Everything Will Turn Out Fine," the album mix that is found on the Wheels' "Ferguslie Park" release. Some prefer the album version. I prefer the single, though I am not certain if the song was remixed, re-recorded, or if it is simply an alternate take from the same session. One thing I am sure of, you can't go wrong with handclaps.
Single mixes and single edits are very common. As a rule, I'm not a fan of edits. I understand why they existed back when real radio existed. You needed to say it in 2:48. But that doesn't always work. I would much rather hear the song the way it was intended. Listen to the absolutely horrible single edit of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" and you'll understand why. The edit completely decimates the gorgeous bridge and that stunning bass line. You can feel the edit physically. Think, Moe slapping Curly on the back of the head.
Conversely, one of my favorite Elvis Costello tracks is "It's Time" from "All This Useless Beauty." The single edit removes the bridge, which I always thought was clunky, both lyrically and melodically. It was a speed bump in a perfectly good groove. That song works better shorter. Sometimes, Elvis, you need to shut up.
Or how about Randy Newman's classic, "Last Night I Had A Dream?" The album version is your typical, piano based Newman arrangement, whereas the single is a fired up, grungey psych fest! Newman hated it, I believe. I love it.
Single edits are more common than complete alternates. Alternates can boggle the mind. (See Randy Newman.)
I am on the fence with remixes. What Giles Martin has done recently with The Beatles' catalogue has been nothing short of miraculous. This is music that is in our blood and yet, Martin somehow made us hear things we hadn't heard before. Conversely, Tony Visconti, since David Bowie's death, has pointlessly remixed the Bowie catalogue so we can also hear things we haven't heard before. More Tony Visconti.
Now this.
What we have here are two versions of The Romantics' power pop gem, "Tell It To Carrie." The first version from 1978, is how I first heard it. I fell in love immediately. Two years later, when they got signed to a major label, and changed their suits from white to red, "Tell It To Carrie" was re-recorded. Did the indie label Bomp not give Epic the rights, or did Epic not like the original version? Or maybe the band didn't like the original single? All I know is, when I bought the debut LP, I was crushed when the new version of "Carrie" came on.
The differences?
I think there is more passion in the lead vocal on the original.
The production is a little hotter on the new version, maybe to match the red suits. The original feels more Merseybeat.
But the most disappointing change happens on the last verse, which begins around the same time on both, around the 2:20 mark. The original features a call and answer in harmony, which is pure bliss. The new version, well, does not have that call and answer. And that kills it for me. I love that part! There is also a very timely "whoa HO HO" on the original that is missing on the new version. The new version just dies, like a two on, two out pop-up.
Last month, I pulled out Dylan's "World Gone Wrong" for the first time in ages, and really enjoyed it. That record and "Good As I Been To You," released in 1992 and 1993, were Dylan's first acoustic records since 1964's "Another Side Of," and both followed the disappointing "Under A Red Sky." I don't mind "Red Sky" so much now, and I think being 30 years older makes me appreciate the traditional folk and blues of the two acoustic albums more than I did when they were released. So much so, I was inspired to go to the source and start my Sunday morning with The Mississippi Sheiks.
The Sheiks were a guitar and fiddle group that consisted of three Chatmon Brothers, Sam, Bo and Lonnie, along with Walter Vinson. Vinson and Lonnie wrote "Sitting On Top Of The World," which has since been covered by just about every blues artist who has picked up a guitar. "Stop & Listen" is a terrific compilation that has all the right tracks, including these three tunes posted here, two of which were covered by Bob on "World Gone Wrong."
Feels Good To Me- Bruford Ma- Tom Ze My Lonely World- Desmond Dekker & the Aces Walkin' Around- Marshall Crenshaw Father's Name Is Dad- Fire Pains Of Life- Rev. Elijah Fair & The Sensational Gladys Davis Trio Rainbirds- Tom Waits
Feels Good To Me- Bruford (Bill Bruford's first solo album is as good as anything in his career. Here's the title track.)
Ma- Tom Ze (This is the opening track from Tom Ze's masterpiece "Estudando O Samba." There is so much going on in this track and it is all wonderful.) My Lonely World- Desmond Dekker & the Aces (aka "To Sir With Love," though not a complete appropriation...for a change.)
Walkin' Around- Marshall Crenshaw (From M.C.'s best record, "Life's Too Short." If you're still partial to the debut, I understand. But "Life's Too Short," to my ears, is just as brilliant, only more mature.) Father's Name Is Dad- Fire (It's a nugget if you dug it! And I did, dig?)
Pains Of Life- Rev. Elijah Fair & The Sensational Gladys Davis Trio (I'm reading David Remnick's book "Holding The Note." In the Aretha chapter, he mentions Don Covay's "Chain Of Fools" being a direct rip from this gospel track. Some half-assed research on my end says this track came a year later. Whatevs, as the kids say. This was fun.) Rainbirds- Tom Waits (There is always at least one beautiful instrumental on every Tom Waits record. This one is from "Swordfishtrombones" and a good way to close things out.)
Friends gathered last night to say goodbye to the one and only Sal Maida. It's always difficult to wrap your head around the loss of a loved one, but it certainly helps to be among so many people who loved the man.
I'll share one story that still makes me laugh over 30 years later.
NYCD had a rotating group of high schoolers that would work on weekends, either watching the crates of dollar CDs, or simply acting as gophers for inventory when the store got busy. One afternoon, one of the kids mentioned that her father worked for the Rolling Stones and if any of us wanted tickets to their shows at Madison Square Garden, she would hook us up. Ever the skeptic, I asked, "So what's your father do?" "He's a lawyer," she said. I might have grunted or groaned, I don't recall. I do remember passing on the opportunity and just buying tickets on my own. But Sal Maida wanted in. So he calmly said, "I'll take a pair." She said, "Okay, I'll tell my father."
A few days later, a slight man oozes into the shop, with a curly, wet-look hairdo, leather jacket, silk shirt, hands behind his back like he was handcuffed. He starts giving us a once over as we stood behind the counter. He paced to the end of the counter, made an about face and paced back. Sal, who was 6'6" and towered over everybody, looked at me as if to say, "What the hell is with this guy?" So, I asked, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, who wants Stones tickets?!" This guy reeked of attitude. But Sal answered. "I do."
Now the guy goes off.
"These tickets ain't free! I don't know what my daughter told you, but I don't do any favors. The tickets are $400 a pair! Still want'em, yes or no?"
I wanted to tell this guy to go fuck himself. But Sal handled it perfectly. He came out from behind the counter, slowly walked past this creep, opened the front door and said, "Nah. I'll pass. I saw the Stones with Brian Jones. You can keep your tickets."
The lawyer stood there, silent and dumbfounded. Sal just waited by the open door until the guy walked out.
The lawyer's daughter apologized to us on her next shift.
Now, the music.
I put this mix together as a way to celebrate Sal. It consists of songs that he played on, mixed with songs that he played on his radio show "Spin Cycle." A few are absolute gems that I would have never known about if it wasn't for Sal's bottomless pit of rock and roll knowledge.
I hope you enjoy the music.
TRACKLIST
I Never Understood (Where I Stood With You)- The John Sally Ride Nothing To Do- Sparks Bad Misunderstanding- The Critters Wasted- The Runaways Don't Chop Down My Tree- The Raves So Many Things- John Bromley (Dee Dee, You're (Stuck On A Star)- Milk N Cookies Hold On Baby- Sam Hawkins I See The Rain- The Marmalade Jolene- The Lovin' Kind Come Down- The Common Cold Nothing Doing- The John Sally Ride Pyjamarama (Live '74)- Roxy Music When The Alarm Clock Rings- Blossom Toes I Didn't Know I Was Saying Goodbye- The John Sally Ride
A friend and I were discussing how much we love the Steve Miller Band's first five records, and to some extent, most of the big radio hits. (How can you not like "Swingtown?") I particularly like the "Abracadabra" album, as long as I don't ever have to hear the title song. He mentioned listening to "Brave New World" just the other night and so I asked if he knew the story behind "My Dark Hour." He did not, and in case you do not, it goes like this.
The Beatles were at Olympic Studios one late night in May of 1969, and after a bitter argument over Allen Klein, John, George and Ringo walked out, leaving Paul at the studio, where he bumped into Steve Miller. This is when "My Dark Hour" was recorded, with Miller on guitar, and Paul on drums, bass and backing vocals. Once you know this information, you can tell it's Paul on drums, especially if you're a fan of his first solo album and "The Ballad Of John & Yoko." He does have a style.
My friend hadn't heard Miller's 1993 release "Wide River." I told him to at least listen to the title track. He did and he texted, "Nice! And a fine guitar solo, too!"
And here's a favorite from the "Abracadabra" album, because why not?
I was all over the Power Station album in 1985. The supergroup made sense. Robert Palmer, one of the greatest voices in music, was on top of the world at this time, so who better to front the band. The unrelated Taylors, John and Andy, arguably the two most talented members of Duran Duran, along with one of the funkiest drummers alive, Chic's Tony Thompson, would complete the quartet.
Musically, "33 1/3," as the debut is sometimes called when people realize that's the actual title, is to my ears, exactly how a record by these four guys should sound. It worked, and I played it to death, even the cover of the T. Rex classic, "Bang A Gong," which you either loved or hated.
One and done, that was Power Station's career, until 1996, when they reunited for "Living In Fear," a record I hated immediately. 30 years later, I couldn't tell you what it was that turned me off. I only know the first single "She Can Rock It" left me cold, and their cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" was twice as long and half as sexy as the original.
So imagine my surprise when I decided to listen to "Living In Fear" for the first time since 1996, and found myself digging most of it. As the record played, it started to come back to me. This record is only occasionally funky. Most of it sounds like Palmer's harder rocking hits like "Discipline Of Love" and "Addicted To Love," which is fine, except I am not sure that is what I wanted in 1996. Now, with fresh ears and no expectations, "Living In Fear" sounded pretty damn good.
I still don't like "She Can Rock It" or "Let's Get It On," and their cover of George Harrison's "Taxman" is a missed opportunity. But with a few snips, "Living In Fear" is something I will go back to with pleasure.
When I first saw Sal Maida's name on the cover of a Roxy Music record back in 1976, I had a good laugh. I thought, "What the hell is this paisan doing with these British glam queens?" Years later, while working the night shift at Smash CD's, this lanky giant walked in while I was chatting with my friend Spike.
"Do you know who that is," Spike asked. "I've seen him in here before," I said. "That's Sal Maida, from Roxy Music."
"That's Sal Maida??"
Maida walked over to me. "You're Sal, right? Me too. Did you get in the Japanese Blossom Toes reissue?"
And that was the beginning of a beautiful 34 year friendship.
I worked with Sal. I dined with Sal. I heard live music with Sal. I made music with Sal. He was always the same guy, no matter the situation. Funny, warm, and genuine. He was a brilliant storyteller. A real paisan. My mother loved him.
It's hard to process the chain of events that started in December and ended with Sal's passing on Sunday morning. I truly don't know all of the details. What I do know seems incredibly unfair. I will miss him. Everyone who knew him will miss him.
Bo Diddley- Bob Seger My Pledge Of Love- The Joe Jeffrey Group One Lie For Me, One For You- Chuck Prophet w/Qiensave It's Gonna Be Easy- Doug Sahm The Way It Will Be- Gillian Welch Wide World- Alton Ellis Eye Communication- Marianne Faithfull
Bo Diddley- Bob Seger (This version rocks pretty hard, thanks to that manic tambourine player.)
My Pledge Of Love- The Joe Jeffrey Group (I covered this with The Cool Jerks at one rehearsal, maybe two. It never worked, but I still love this single.)
One Lie For Me, One For You- Chuck Prophet w/Qiensave ("Wake The Dead" gets better with each spin and with each spin, I have a new favorite. This week it's this track.)
It's Gonna Be Easy- Doug Sahm (I was in a Greenwich Village record store this week, diggin' through bin after bin of overpriced garbage. Then I saw "Doug Sahm & Band" and I thought, "I'll buy this." $25. It's a $10 record! Always has been. Still is, if you shop online. But that's the NYC record store experience these days. You flip through thrift store crap and the first solid title is twice the price it should be. Well, I didn't buy it. My MP3's will have to do.)
The Way It Will Be- Gillian Welch (This song haunted me for years because Gillian Welch had been playing it live for years and never got around to recording it. I have various live versions, each with a slightly different title, since no one could confirm the exact title...until finally, in 2011, when it appeared on Welch's "The Harrow & The Harvest" record. It's still as stunning as ever.)
Wide World- Alton Ellis (From this week's "Reggae Record of The Week.") Eye Communication- Marianne Faithfull (And one more for Marianne.)
I am putting the Saturday Dump to rest for a bit. While some of it makes me (and you) laugh, most of it doesn't. Most of it makes me hurt physically.
It's not helping me.
Every day, I think, it can't get any worse. And then, impossibly, it
gets worse. It's a nightmare. And it's only just begun. My day is
over before lunch. I am filled daily with disappointment, shock and
rage. That this
felon, this buffoon, this lowlife, anti-semitic, racist, non-human,
misogynist criminal with the IQ of a handball was voted into and allowed
back in the White House to carry on
dismantling America with no regard for any human life except his own,
and not jailed for all of his offenses,
is sucking the last bit of
life out of me. It's bad.
He has no compassion for the dead or the
living. That smug fucking look as he signs order after order as if autographing
an 8x10 is sick-making. The INJUSTICE of it all makes my blood boil. It can't be real. How can this be
real? You know what really hurts? More than half the country doesn't care. They aren't bothered by it. People that you and I know, aren't bothered by it.
Well, it's wearing me down. I need a break from it...already....just 12 days in. But really, it's more than 12 days. It's years.
"It's a marathon, not a sprint."
No. It's neither. It's a scam.
There. I've said it, and that is the last I'll be saying about all of it. I've got to start living again if it kills me. And if I keep it up, it will kill me. Then, who will write about Todd Rundgren for you?
I will leave you with these words from Leonard Cohen.
"Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in"
And now, back to our regularly scheduled program of music, music, some snark, and more music.
