Izzat Loves

 

A old friend and fellow Todd Rundgren fan reminded me via a Facebook message about a collection of Japanese artists reinventing over 30 songs from Rundgren's catalogue. I had forgotten about this, but I did indeed own it. That collection took me to another collection of Todd covers called "For The Love Of Todd," which like the former from Japan, and honestly most tribute collections, is hit or miss. But the ones that hit were worth the time, like The Spongetones' Jamie Hoover's take on "Izzat Love" originally found on 1974's "Todd" album.

I've posted both for your listening pleasure.

 

Clive Davis, 1932- 2026

 

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One Monkee Won't Stop The Show

 

 

Mickey Dolenz, the last surviving Monkee, will release "Timeless" in September. This is a six track E.P. featuring songs written by Andy Partridge, the late Adam Schlesinger, Shelby Lynne, Vicki Peterson and the continued AWOL Paul Westerberg, whose "Terri," the lead track from his somewhat lost and legendary "49:00" album, a record which saw the light of digital day for a mere two days before being hit with licensing issues and deleted, is Mickey's lead single off "Timeless."

Dolenz's tribute records to Michael Nesmith and R.E.M. were both excellent, so I have hope for this one. Though I wonder just how bad the industry has to be to keep two of our greatest songwriters, Andy Partridge and Paul Westerberg, from releasing anything new at all under their own names.

 

 

 

Songs Of The Week, 2026: 6/20-6/26

 

The House Of Blue Lights- Ella Mae Morse & Freddie Slack
Frog Legs- Lloyd Price
Hurry Hurry Baby- Roy Brown
Chicken Shack Boogie- Amos Milburn
Early In The Morning- Papa Mali
Slide Frog Slide- Preservation Brass
Weekend Dance- Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs

 

This week's mix was inspired by a couple of things. Five of the seven songs were played on the June 19th episode of "All That Gumbo," a weekly radio show on WIOX in The Catskills, hosted by my friends Susan Shaw & Allen Vella. Every Friday afternoon from 4-6 PM, they bring New Orleans and its surrounding regions up north and on the 19th, those kids were on fire with two hours of music that kept me on my feet.

I am also reading Nick Tosches' "Unsung Heroes Of Rock & Roll" for the fourth time. If you don't know it, I suggest getting on it toot sweet. There is no book on rock and roll quite like it, and it inspired the inclusion of the Ella Mae Morse and Roy Brown tracks.

It's HERE.

Hope ya dig the music. 

A guy walks into a piano bar with a huge doberman. Within seconds, the manager stops him. “Excuse me, sir you can’t bring that dog in here.” Guy says, “You had an ad for a piano player. He’s going to audition.” Before the manager could register any of this information, the doberman is sitting on the piano bench, hind legs on the pedals, huge paws on the keys. He starts playing a gorgeous version of Billy Joel‘s "Piano Man," then he goes into a medley of standards- Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter. Then he ends the audition with a stunning version of Chopin's "Prelude In F Minor." The manager is in shock and he’s about to hire this dog on the spot when the front door slams open. It’s another doberman, who gallops to the piano, bites the neck of the doberman at the piano and drags him out of the bar into the street. The manager looks at the guy and says “What the hell was that?” Guy says, “Oh that’s his mother. She wanted him to be a doctor.”

Now that I've got you, I just wanted to give a quick plug for my sinkhole of a record business.

I don't have a lot of worthy inventory at the moment, as a few of my best sources have all but vanished from the face of the Earth.

But what I do have is pretty solid and as always, it is priced to moved.

Take a look, maybe you'll see something you just have to have.

 

Thanks, as always!

RECORDS HERE 

Take a look, maybe you'll see something you like.

 

Thanks for looking!

RECORDS HERE 

 

Some Early "Drama" From Nicole Atkins

 

 

I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that irks me about Nicole Atkins. I have friends who swear by her, dig her records, and see her live whenever they can. I've tried, and aside from a song or two, nothing ever sticks. I've also seen her live a few times, as an opener for Ian Hunter and some others I can't recall. She was fine, but I was underwhelmed and ultimately put off by her oversinging, which may be the problem, actually. Every song is sung like the finale in "Evita."

That said, here's her new single from the upcoming album "Drama," due in September on Chris Isaak's new Sun Records imprint Wicked Game Records. Atkins opened for Isaak on a bunch of shows recently and now, she's got a new deal. Way to go!

I do like this new single and will absolutely give "Drama" and Nicole another chance in September. 

If It Was Dwight Twilley, You'd Be All Over It

From 1982 and arguably his best album "High Adventure," please give a listen to Kenny Loggins and what I think is the closest he ever got to power pop. 

Actually, I've loved "Swear Your Love" since I first heard it 44 years ago, but it was only recently that I starting hearing Dwight Twilley. Close your eyes, focus your ears and damn if this track wouldn't sit comfortably on "Scuba Divers."