Badfinger (Max)

Bob Dylan – Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again

I’ve seen the man live 8 times and this song…I saw him play one time. Whenever you see Bob Dylan you usually get a variety of songs. He is not an oldies show…he will throw in some but he doesn’t do a Vegas Greatest Hits show.

I don’t post many Dylan songs…not because I’m not a huge fan…like I said I’ve seen the man 8 times. If I get a chance, I’ll see him 8 more times. When you post a Dylan song you almost feel the urge to do an interpretation of the song…I have no interest in doing that. It would lead me down too many roads. Some people are good at that though…I’m not.

Dylan was growing frustrated with the recording in New York so producer Bob Johnston mentioned Nashville. Dylan’s manager at the time, Albert Grossman, told Johnston if he ever mentioned Nashville again that he would fire him. Didn’t work…Dylan ended up recording Blonde On Blonde in Nashville. He would also go to record more here as well.

This song was one of my many favorites of this album. Dylan is still going in 2024, but this was his peak for me. In the mid-60s, Dylan was on fire, cranking out songs that blurred the lines between folk, rock, blues, and poetry. Dylan later described the sound of Blonde on Blonde as “that thin, wild mercury sound”—a phrase as cryptic as Bob can be. What does that mean exactly? No one knows for sure, but the music does have a thin sound… almost surreal quality to it.

In Al Kooper’s book, he talked about some of the stories that Johnston shared making the album. Kooper said that Bob Johnston shared one of the wilder stories from those sessions, one that captures the vibe of those late-night Nashville nights. He recounted an incident involving a blind keyboard player nicknamed Pig (Hargus “Pig” Robbins), who played on the album.

Pig was hanging out with some drunk friends one night when he suddenly declared, “I wanna drive. You so-and-so’s move over and let me navigate this Cadillac!” And because this was Nashville in the 60s, and because his buddies were drunker than Pig, they actually pulled over and let him behind the wheel.

Now, picture this… A blind man is driving a car down the highway, while a bunch of rowdy passengers coach him from the front seat: “A little to the left … good … now a little to the right … speed up a bit…” And for a few glorious moments, they were pulling it off until the red-and-blue lights of the Tennessee Highway Patrol appeared in the rearview. They panicked and had Pig pull over, but what happened next? Johnston said people were laughing too hard by then to care how it ended.

Bob released 5 singles from this double album. He had two top 10 hits, two top 40 hits out of it. This was the end of an era for Bob. After this album, he had a motorcycle accident and he changed his songwriting style. He followed this album with John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline which was nothing like his earlier music.

The musicians on this album included Robbie Roberston, Al Kooper, Rick Danko, Kenny Buttrey, Charlie McCoy, and Charlie McCoy. After this, his songs became a little less wordy and chaotic and became more structured.

I checked on “Pig” for information about the blind session man. It looks like Pig drove a lot when given a chance. Walter Haynes was a Nashville studio session man and he told this story. “Pig and I have worked together many times in the studio, he has played on many sessions that I produced. He has a most remarkable ear and you only have to run a song once and he’s ready to do it. As you know, Pig is blind and one day I was walking behind Columbia Records and I saw pig driving a car down the alley, of course someone was sitting beside him telling him which way to turn the wheel, what a guy!”

Al Kooper: The credits are vague on the Blonde on Blonde album. Maybe I can fill in a few holes for the reader. Joe South is playing bass on “Visions of Johanna.” He has a very special style of playing bass, sort of hillbilly funk. His unique guitar style is most discernible in the mix on “Memphis Blues Again.” He and I have some nice organ-guitar trade-offs in that on

Stuck Inside Mobile With These Memphis Blues Again

Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block
I’d ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don’t talk
And the ladies treat me kindly
And they furnish me with tape
But deep inside my heart
I know I can’t escape
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the
Memphis blues again

Well, Shakespeare, he’s in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
And I would send a message
To find out if she’s talked
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine
An’ I said, “Oh, I didn’t know that
But then again, there’s only one I’ve met
An’ he just smoked my eyelids
An’ punched my cigarette”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Grandpa died last week
And now he’s buried in the rocks
But everybody still talks about how
Badly they were shocked
But me, I expected it to happen
I knew he’d lost control
When I speed built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now the senator came down here
Showing ev’ryone his gun
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son
An’ me, I nearly got busted
An’ wouldn’t it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck
Oh, Mama, is this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now the tea preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest
But he cursed me when I proved it to him
Then I whispered and said, “Not even you can hide
You see, you’re just like me
I hope you’re satisfied”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now the rainman gave me two cures
Then he said, “Jump right in”
The one was Texas medicine
The other was just railroad gin
An’ like a fool I mixed them
An’ it strangled up my mind
An’ now people just get uglier
An’ I have no sense of time
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

And when Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon
Where I can watch her waltz for free
‘neath her Panamanian moon
An’ I say, “Aw come on now
You know you knew about my debutante”
An’ she says, “Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb
They all fall there so perfectly
It all seems so well timed
An’ here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again

…

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Cujo

It’s getting near Halloween so I’m going to feature some more horror movies in the next two weeks…that’s my excuse anyway. I will start by saying that this is not the best Stephen King adaptation by any stretch but it’s entertaining. I think it’s thrilling and I like the director’s pacing in this one. Plus…the ability to make a Saint Bernard look convincingly menacing takes a lot of work. Also, check out a movie reviewer… my friend Bernie from Reelybernie. He is one of the best movie reviewers on WP and he is doing a Halloween series now.

As some of you know, I have had three Saint Bernards, so I like any movie with them, even if it’s evil. Cujo is not really evil; he has rabies and it’s a frightening thought. They are very strong dogs, they can pull thousands of pounds so if one was rabid you would be…to put it mildly in bad trouble. I have played wrestle each one and I couldn’t imagine if they were being serious. I watched this movie again with Martha, my current Saint, right beside me which was cool because she is the spitting image of Cujo with her marks.

Our first Saint was 175lbs with no fat on her. I did see her in action though one time. A German Shepard was coming at my wife from across the street, our dog knocked down our metal gate and ended up body-slamming the Shepard to the ground. It got up and never came back. She also wandered out on the road one day after getting out of the house. She was hit by a church bus…I thought she was dead but she got back up and barked at the bus. We did take her to a vet and she had some bruising but that was it. They are tough dogs but the most lovable lugs you would ever meet.

This 1983 movie starts with a big fun Saint Bernard chasing a rabbit…he sticks his big nose down a rabbit hole and is bitten by a bat. Cue the slow descent into a rabid madness. I’ve never read this book before but in the movie, nothing supernatural happens which is strange for a Stephen King adaptation. I’ve read where the book does have some supernatural events in it but not many. The movie just concentrates on the story.

At first, Cujo is just a regular, lovable dog who belongs to a mechanic named Joe Camber, his son, and his wife. But after the bat bite, Cujo starts acting strange and becomes more aggressive as the rabies takes over. You could tell that Joe Camber was not father or husband of the year material. His wife and son planned on a trip to her sister’s home. The movie didn’t say but I think they were leaving and never coming back.

Meanwhile, we meet the main characters, Donna Trenton (played by Dee Wallace), her husband Vic, and their young son Tad. Donna is having some personal troubles because she’s having an affair, and her marriage is falling apart. Vic, her husband, has to leave town for work, leaving Donna and Tad on their own. Dee Wallace was fantastic in this role. The critics were mixed but most gave her high marks for this movie.

One day, Donna and Tad drive out to Joe Camber’s farm to get their car fixed, but when they arrive, they discover that Cujo is no longer the friendly dog he once was. My favorite scene is where Camber’s son Brent calls for Cujo before he and his mom leave for her sister’s house…Cujo comes out of the fog growling and foaming but recognizes Brent (his owner) and slowly walks away. No one else gets that lucky.

They are now stuck at the farm and Cujo is now rabid and bloodthirsty and he quickly attacks them. Donna and Tad end up trapped in their broken-down car, with Cujo circling around them, ready to pounce. The heat inside the car is unbearable, and they can’t escape because the dog is waiting for them.

Dee Wallace was fantastic in this film. The movie got mixed reviews but Wallace was singled out by most as doing a great job. Lewis Teague directed this movie and I have to give him credit. He didn’t try to rush it, he slowly built the tension up and it paid off at the end.

Despite the film’s portrayal of Cujo as a terrifying dog, the Saint Bernard dogs used on set were friendly and often wagged their tails during scenes where they were supposed to be menacing. To overcome this, the filmmakers had to tie down the dogs’ tails until they finished with the scene.

..,

Sheryl Crow – Can’t Cry Anymore

I’m going to post a couple of posts today…this one and one that is leading up to Halloween!

On October 26, 1997, I saw The Rolling Stones at Vanderbilt. That is where I met Steve Forbert and that is the only time I got to see Sheryl Crow. It was in the afternoon and her voice soared through the Fall afternoon air. She performed great and I became even more of a fan that day.

At the time you had female artists like Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and then here comes Sheryl with her electric guitar with a rock edge…one of the best opening acts I ever saw. In the late 80s, she struggled to break through as artists like Madonna and Paula Abdul ruled the airwaves. Her first album Tuesday Night Music Club wasn’t released until she was 31 in 1993. That was because female singer/songwriters finally started to gain popularity in the 90s.

The song was written by Sheryl Crow and her producer Bill Bottrell. This song is off of her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club. The song peaked at #36 on the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada, and #33 in the UK in 1994.

Now she is really into pro-environmental concerns. On her tours, she demands only biodegradable cups and dinnerware be used by the caterer, as well as food that is “organic and purchased from local suppliers as much as possible” and water that “must be sourced from a local spring water vendor.” She also asks for separate plastic, glass, and paper recycling bins and wants her buses and trucks to be fueled with biodiesel only.

A fun sidenote to Sheryl. The first guitar she ever had was a 1964 Gibson Country and Western acoustic and she calls it The Moneymaker because most of the hits she wrote…was on that guitar.

Sheryl Crow: You’ve got a bunch of really young women out there who don’t really understand the importance of what they’re doing. They allow themselves to be exploited and they actually play that game and use sex to sell themselves. It undermines our credibility as artists.

Sheryl Crow talking about her parents: My earliest, most vivid memories are of them coming home with their friends and playing records – Stan Getz, Stan Kenton, Ella Fitzgerald – and me and my sisters sleeping out on the stairs so we could hear them.

Can’t Cry Anymore

Tell me you don’t care
Or tell me you’re just scared
But give me something I can hold on to

Just say what’s on your mind
Or am I just wasting time?
If you don’t want somebody loving you

You’ve got one foot in and one foot out the door
And baby I can’t take it anymore

Just give it to me
Give it to me
Give it to me
All your love

You’ve got demons in your past
You think real love doesn’t last
So you pull me close and then push me away

Can’t you look me in the eye?
Could you scream or laugh or cry?
But baby if you’re leaving say goodbye

But if you can’t find the right words anymore
Well then take me up the stairs and close the door

Give it to me
Just give it to me
Give it to me
All your love

Oh baby I’m begging you please
You’ve got me down on my knees tonight
I know what we have is real
Please remember how it feels to us

You’ve got one foot in and one foot out the door
And baby I can’t take it anymore

Give it to me
Just give it to me
Give it to me
All your love

Give it to me
Give it to me
Give it to me
All your love

Rumble In The Jungle

The 50th anniversary of this is coming up in 16 days. I thought I would go ahead and post it today. It brings back a lot of memories with my dad. We will get back to music and movies tomorrow. If you ever wondered where the phrase “rope-a-dope” got famous…this is it. This is one of the most iconic events of the 20th Century.

I was 7 years old when this took place but I remember my dad was super excited for this fight. I also remember him griping how it wasn’t on television. It was on closed-circuit TV in theaters back on October 30, 1974, in America. It was later played on television here a week later I believe on Wild World of Sports. I watched it with my dad and he was happy that Ali won so I was as well.

It was George Foreman against Muhammid Ali. Ali, written off by most, faced the seemingly unbeatable Foreman, who was younger, stronger, and terrifying. Foreman had thoroughly beaten Joe Frazier and Ken Norton…the two men who had given Ali serious trouble.

The event took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) Africa, a choice by promoter Don King. King promised both fighters $5 million each (a staggering amount for the time) and found a host in Zaire’s dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, who saw this as an opportunity to showcase his country to the world.

From the moment Ali landed in Zaire, it was clear… Ali was the people’s champion. He embraced the locals, chanting “Ali, bomaye!” (“Ali, kill him!”). Ali knew the power of spectacle, and he hyped the fight into a clash of good vs. evil—himself, the people’s hero, against the seemingly cold and invincible Foreman. Ali knew all about spectacles and how to create them. No one could hype an event like Ali could. Below this is what happened in the fight.

Foreman, by contrast, kept to himself. He was intense and silent, bringing his deadly reputation but lacking Ali’s charisma and showmanship. As Ali paraded through the streets of Kinshasa, the crowd adored him, feeding his ego and energizing his mission. Foreman? He just looked like a man on a mission to destroy Ali. Foreman threw a hell of a punch. If you got caught flat-footed with him…one punch is all it would take. Ali wasn’t the Cassius Clay a few years before…he was a little older and a little slower (still faster than Foreman)…but smarter.

Before writing this I sat down and watched the entire eight rounds. Ali was 32 years old but Foreman was 25 and the current Heavy Weight Champion of the World. You could still feel the electricity in the air now when you watch it. Ali came out swinging but in the second round Ali would lean against the ropes a cover…all the while Foreman would punch and punch…and punch. He got some hits in Ali’s side but Foreman could not land THAT punch. As this was going on…Ali’s mouth was running as usual…telling Foreman to punch him and punch again. He kept antagonizing him Foreman and it made him do exactly what Ali wanted… use up his energy.

I won’t go through every round but basically, Ali got Foreman to punch and use his energy up on useless punches. Ali knew that Foreman hadn’t gone over 4 rounds since 1971 plus George is a huge guy. By the 8th round, you could tell George was spent. He still was throwing punches but he wasn’t as focused and it cost him. Ali connected on 6 straight punches and the 7th punch knocked Foreman down and Ali was once again…the World’s Heavy Weight Champion. Ali said the famous phrase “rope-a-dope” as the way he beat Foreman…laying on the ropes while Foreman punched himself to a loss.

The local crowd was with Ali because of his hype and the professionals mostly picked Foreman in an easy win over the older Ali. George never got the rematch with Ali and that is a shame. In 1977 Foreman became a Christian Minister and retired and a much nicer guy. On November 5, 1994, at the age of 45 years old George Foreman beat Michael Moorer for the Heavy Weight Champion of the World. He was behind in point until George unloaded that lethal punch and that was it. Moorer was down and he lost the championship. I know it well because our band was playing in a sports bar and I got to announce it to the crowd there.

There is so much more to talk about with this fight but the post has gone on much longer than I had wanted. Hope you enjoyed it! The two ended up being National Treasures and some of that started with this fight.

One commenter named Beth brought up the documentary When We Were Kings about this….it’s worth a watch!

THE ENTIRE FIGHT

…

Bruce Springsteen – Born In The USA …album

When this came out in 1984 it was some exciting times. Michael Jackson and Prince had released two massive albums. I didn’t really relate to Thriller but I loved Purple Rain. When this album dropped I bought it without buying the lead single which I did for some reason at times. Unlike The River or Nebraska, this one was in your face. The record company knew what they had here…they had a blockbuster album.

After this album, Springsteen wasn’t just a cult-following guy anymore. Just like I mentioned about Bob Seger with Against the Wind…some Springsteen fans loved it and some refused to listen. It was a massive hit and that is one of the reasons given by Springsteen fans I knew at the time. He wasn’t just their secret anymore. The album served as a bridge for people who had heard of him but didn’t really know him. Now the serious ones were going through his catalog.

Bruce toyed with not releasing it. He recorded a lot of it in 1982…2 years before it was released. He knew it was going to be a hit…and because of that, he hesitated. It probably got larger than he ever imagined. From 1984 to 1986 I never stopped listening to this album and neither did radio listeners. I still do from time to time and it holds up well.

My immediate reaction was the sound! Let’s forget the songs for a second. Listen to the clarity of the album. It was the clearest production I’d ever heard and stands as probably the cleanest-sounding rock album I’ve heard to this day. Bob Clearmountain mixed it and that made a huge difference. It sounded so good over your 1980s car stereo at the time…you could hear everything so clearly. Grab some headphones and listen to the album today.

The first big hit off the album wasn’t my favorite. That song was Dancing In The Dark and I liked it but not like the others. When I got the album, the songs to really hook me were Darlington County, No Surrender, Bobby Jean, and the huge title track. This was never my favorite Springsteen album but it broke him into the mainstream with a huge blast.

I thought I would highlight the songs that got me into the album. Most of these were not worn out by radio except maybe the title track. Believe me…if you listened to the radio in the mid-80s…you know the rest! If not I have the album on Spotify at the bottom.

Darlington County – When I think of this album this is the song I think about. This is one of the very few on the album that wasn’t a hit…but it’s just as good as many of the others. Bruce originally wrote this for his 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but it didn’t make the cut. The riff in the song reminds me of Cadillac Ranch which was on The River album.

The song resolves itself in the end with the narrator’s buddy in trouble. I have a friend named Paul who I thought of when he mentioned Wayne.

Driving out of Darlington County
My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
Driving out of Darlington County
Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford

Surrender – When you are 17 years old and waiting for your life to start… then hear the lyrics Well, we busted out of class, Had to get away from those fools, We learned more from a three-minute record, than we ever learned in school… it gets your attention.

I think every song on the album could have been released as a single. This one did not chart but remains a strong song. Steven Van Zandt convinced Springsteen to include this song on the album because Bruce was going to leave it off.

Born In The USA – It’s probably the most misunderstood Springsteen song out there. Springsteen wrote this about the problems Vietnam veterans encountered when they returned to America. Vietnam was the first war the US didn’t win, and while veterans of other wars received a hero’s welcome, those who fought in Vietnam were mostly ignored when they returned to their homeland.

What a demented-sounding vocal…I LOVE it! I haven’t heard anything like this since Twist and Shout by the Beatles. I remember back in the 80s Chrysler offered Springsteen $12 million to use this in an ad campaign with Bruce… Springsteen turned them down so they used “The Pride Is Back” by Kenny Rogers instead. Springsteen had never let his music be used to sell products. He also turned Ronald Reagan down who wanted to use it for his re-election against Walter Mondale. Walter Mondale then said “I share the same American Dream” as Bruce. Bruce disagreed and said so. I’m happy that he turned both of them down.

Goin’ Down -Bruce makes it abundantly clear that he is not going to town, nor around, or in any way… up…nope he is going down, down, down, etc… He repeats “down” over eighty times in this song…My word count is 90 in the song. I don’t care…its a good song and as Bruce always does he sings it with conviction. It’s a very likable rock/pop song.

The reason I like this song is the overall sound that Bruce got on the guitar and the echo in his voice… it’s just perfect. I can hear the Sun Records’ influence in this one.

Bobby Jean -This one I really think would have been a hit if they had released it as a single…but that can be said about a few other ones also. This song was really poignant when I heard it because I was about to graduate and I was starting to say goodbye to a lot of classmates that I knew I’d never see again.

This was written as a farewell message to guitarist Steven Van Zandt, who left the E Street Band during the recording of Born In The U.S.A. to pursue other projects. Van Zandt returned to the band years later.

Here is the complete tracklist and the Spotify if you want to indulge yourself today.

1. Born in the U.S.A.
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working on the Highway
5. Downbound Train
6. I’m On Fire
7. No Surrender
8. Bobby Jean
9. I’m Goin’ Down
10. Glory Days
11. Dancing in the Dark
12. My Hometown

…

Brothers At Arms – Johnny and Dorsey Burnette

We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In this series from myself and Randy, have discussed “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings. This week Randy talks about the Burnette brothers. They were at it while most of the other brother’s acts were still in diapers. The original post is here.

“Tear It Up” by Johnny Burnette and The Rock ‘n Roll Trio (1956) written by Paul Burlison, Dorsey Burnette, and Johnny Burnette. Covered 40 times including Rod Stewart in 1981.

Dorsey William Burnett Jr. (December 28, 1932 – August 19, 1979) and his younger brother John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) along with Paul Burlison (February 4, 1929 – September 27, 2003) were the original Rockabilly band. One thing The Rock ‘n Roll Trio loved almost as much as music, was fighting.

Dorsey and Johnny grew up in the housing projects of Memphis where being tough was a distinct advantage. They both took to boxing and became Golden Glove Champions. In 1949 while working on oil barges on the Mississippi they met another Golden Glove champ, Paul Burlison, also from Tennessee. After work the three began playing in bars at night and in 1952 they formed a band.

After several wins at Amateur contests they landed a record deal with Coral Records. Unfortunately their national TV debut on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour aired on ABC the same night as Elvis’s September 9, 1956 Live appearance on CBS that had 82% of the viewing audience. Misadvised I would say, they performed “Hound Dog” that Elvis had released in July. They appeared on a few other shows but they struggled to gain wide spread fame, but they never gave up.

“Rock Billy Boogie” (1956) by Johnny Burnette and The Rock ‘n Roll Trio, written by Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette, George Hawkins and Henry Jerome.

First cover of “Rock Billy Boogie” was by Robert Gordon in 1979.

The two brothers never entirely gave up ‘boxing’ either. Life on the road was tough and the tensions would lead to some nasty fistfights between Dorsey and Johnny. Sometimes the fights started on stage and would spread into the audience. Apparently one night the three of them took on everyone in the place, and won. This led to several bans from bars and tours. One night in August of 1956 in Niagara Falls, NY the brothers had a brutal fight. The next day Dorsey left the band and it was just days before their big break to appear in the Alan Freed movie Rock! Rock! Rock!

Johnny quickly recruited Bill Black’s (Elvis’s bass player) younger brother Johnny Black and the appearance went ahead. The record company credited their next release with Johnny Burnette at the front and even when Dorsey returned a year later that’s how they were billed. They would then pursue solo careers and continue to write some great rock and roll songs. Johnny would die in a boating accident in 1964. His original recording of “You’re Sixteen” appears on the American Graffiti Movie Soundtrack. Covered over 90 times and of course by Ringo Starr that hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1973.

“You’re Sixteen” (1960) by Johnny Burnette reached #8 on the Hot 100, written by Richard Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The Sherman brothers would go on to write all those amazing songs for Disney Movies such as “Chim Chim Cheree”, “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)”, “Super-Cali-Fragil-Istic-Expi-Ali-Docious”, “It’s a Small World” and dozens more.

…

Elvis Presley – Hound Dog

The Big E was at his best in the fifties before the Army and films changed him. This is the song that I first heard by him and it made me a fan when I was around 5 or so. The song brought up images to kids and was easy to understand in a kid’s sort of way…and it rocked.

I think it’s one of the best rock singles ever released. Do you want a double A-side? Try Hound Dog backed with Don’t Be Cruel. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Those early Elvis songs were magical. Hound Dog, That’s Alright, I Forgot To Remember To Forget, Mystery Train, Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t Be Cruel, and the list goes on. Many artists have played rock and roll but it’s hard as hell to beat these primal songs. I think one of the reasons is they were mostly recorded live in a studio. They don’t have 100 overdubs…just simplicity at its best and it hits its target.

Hound Dog was first recorded by Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton and was a number 1 rhythm & blues hit in 1953. Her voice is incredible in this song. She nailed it and so did Elvis. Elvis’s version is a little faster than Thornton’s version…but that made room for her dynamic voice.

Elvis Presley’s version didn’t do too bad. It peaked at #1 on the Hot 100, #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts, and #2 in the UK in 1956 (I could not find Canada). The song was written by teenagers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They would go on to write many more chart hits for everyone…including Elvis with Jailhouse Rock.

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller: “We’d actually written ‘Hound Dog’ 90 percent on the way over in the car. I was beating out a rhythm we called the ‘buck dance’ on the roof of the car. We got to Johnny Otis’s house and Mike went right to the piano… didn’t even bother to sit down. He had a cigarette in his mouth that was burning his left eye, and he started to play the song. We took the song back to Big Mama and she snatched the paper out of my hand and said, ‘Is this my big hit?’ And I said, ‘I hope so.’

Next thing I know, she starts crooning ‘Hound Dog’ like Frank Sinatra would sing ‘In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning.’ And I’m looking at her, and I’m a little intimidated by the razor scars on her face, and she’s about 280-320 pounds, and I said, ‘It don’t go that way.’ And she looked at me like looks could kill and said – and this was when I found out I was white – ‘White boy, don’t you be tellin’ me how to sing the blues.’ We finally got through it.

Johnny brought Mike back in the room and asked him to sit down at the piano, which was not easy because Johnny had this female piano player who was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. They finally exchanged seats and did the song the way it was supposed to sound. And that was one of those where we said, ‘That’s a hit.’ And I thought immediately: We both said it, it’s gonna put a hex on it!”

Hound Dog

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeYou ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

Well, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYeah, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYeah, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeYou ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

Well, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYeah, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

Well, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYa know they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeYou ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitYou ain’t no friend of mine

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog

Max’s Drive-In Movie – High Noon

When I see Gary Cooper I think of one person…and that is Lou Gehrig because he did a great job portraying him in Pride of the Yankees. Gary Cooper plays Sheriff Will Kane in this western on his wedding day. Grace Kelly plays his Quaker’s new wife and she is stunning. Katy Jurado is also great in the role of Helen Ramírez, a beautiful and successful woman.

There are other excellent Westerns like The Unforgiven, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, The Eastwood Trilogy, The Searchers, and Tombstone…this is right up there with them. It’s very uncluttered and doesn’t have 20 plotlines going on at once…it’s simple but exciting. I’ve watched this movie around 5 times and I always find something I didn’t before.

The Killer Frank Miller is due on the noon train and his first order of business is to kill Kaine, a man who Kane helped send to prison five years ago and swore blood vengeance at the time. The three members of his gang are waiting at the depot. Miller escaped hanging, got a long sentence, and some idiots on the parole board turned him loose.

Cooper is a man’s man in this one…a badass but a laid-back one. He refuses to run away from a fight despite having no help from the town members who say he once saved the town. He visits the bar and The church and gets nothing. He takes them on himself.

The 40s and 50s had some great character actors. One in this movie I always have liked…Thomas Mitchell, was in some Capra films, including It’s A Wonderful Life. You have other actors that you have heard of. Harry Morgan of Dragnet and M*A*S*H. Future movie stars Lloyd Bridges and Lon Chaney Jr.

Give this one a watch…it’s only 85 minutes long and Cooper just oozes goodness in many roles including this one. He is not an anti-hero but a man who stands for what is right no matter the cost. This film explores the best and worst of mankind.

The fictional Tony Soprano : Let me tell ya something. Nowadays, everybody’s gotta go to shrinks, and counselors, and go on “Sally Jessy Raphael” and talk about their problems. What happened to Gary Cooper? The strong, silent type. That was an American. He wasn’t in touch with his feelings. He just did what he had to do.

..,

Steppenwolf – Move Over

The more I listen to this band’s non-hits…the more I like them. They have some great album tracks that didn’t make it as hits. This song was released as a single and it did make the top 40 but it’s not as well known as Born To Be Wild and Magic Carpet Ride. It was written by John Kay and Gabriel Mekler.

The song was on the Monster album which was released in 1969. The album was produced by Gabriel Mekler, who had produced their first four albums and really helped create their sound. The reason I mentioned him is because their early songs have a raw sound but are polished at the same time. That’s not always an easy thing to do.

John Kay’s voice still sounds great after all of these years. I’m happy I got to shake his hand at a chance meeting. I also saw him in the 80s fronting the 80s version of Steppenwolf. Not many singers take control of a stage like he does.

The song peaked at #31 on the Billboard 100 and #12 in Canada. The album peaked at #17 on the Billboard Album Charts and #11 in Canada in 1969.

By 1969, the U.S. was deep in the Vietnam War, and protests against the war were everywhere. The country was also experiencing unrest due to issues like civil rights, government corruption, and the assassinations of political figures, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Because of that, Steppenwolf started to get a little more political in their songs.

This era was probably their most successful period, their following albums didn’t have as much commercial success but they are remembered and do get played.

Move Over

Things look bad from over here
Too much confusion and no solution
Everyone here knows your fear
You’re out of touch and you try too much

Yesterday’s glory won’t help us today
You wanna retire?
Get out of the way

The country needs a father
Not an uncle or big brother
Someone to keep the peace at home
If we can’t get together
Look out for stormy weather
Don’t make me pay for your mistakes
I have to pay my own

Yesterday’s glory won’t help us today
You wanna retire?
Get out of the way

I ain’t got much time
The young ones close behind
I can’t wait in line

If we can not wake you
Then we’ll have to shake you
Though some say you’ll only understand a gun
Got to prove them wrong
Or you will lose the battle
Don’t you know we’ll start a war
Which will be won by none

Yesterday’s glory won’t help us today
You wanna retire?
Get out of the way

I ain’t got much time
The young ones close behind
I can’t wait in line

Move over
Come on, Move Over

Max’s Drive-In Movie – North Dallas Forty

This 1979 sports movie was based on the 1973 novel of the same name by former NFL Dallas Cowboys player Peter Gent. The film offers a gritty and realistic look at pro football. It hits on the physical and emotional toll, corruption, and the commercialization of the game. You get a glimpse into 1970s football with the players, coaches, groupies, and owners. It’s listed as a comedy but it’s more a drama.

I saw this movie in the early nineties and liked it immediately. It has a very realistic feel. I’m a Nick Nolte fan and he was his normal grumpy self in this. You don’t have to be a fan to watch this movie. Seldom has the corruptive nature of professional sports been on display than here. Pro football comes across as supremely exploitative of players, with owners reflecting in the glory. The MLB was basically the same at the time as well.

It really gives an insight into what happened behind the scenes in football and it’s not pretty. Nolte plays an aging talented wide receiver who loves the game and has left himself on fields throughout the league. He hurts constantly but management is more worried about what he does in his own time than on the field. He loves the game but not the business. The movie was not allowed to use real NFL football names. In this movie…the Cowboys are the Bulls.

Players were treated terribly by coaches, managers, and owners. They were not paid well unless they were a star player. Now they pay the players so much they take good care of them but during this era, everyone was expendable except stars and this movie shows that better than most.

Mac Davis played Seth Maxwell who was modeled after quarterback Don Meredith. Nick Nolte played Phillip Elliot who was wide receiver and author Peter Gent. The other players resemble Gent’s Cowboys of the late sixties down to the Tom Landry type of head coach. John Matuszak, a real NFL football player was in this movie as well.

After reading multiple books on the 1970s Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers…this movie is very true to form for those years. In the end, the movie leaves you wanting more.

Plot

It’s a sports drama film based on Peter Gent’s semi-autobiographical novel. The story revolves around Phil Elliott (played by Nick Nolte), a veteran wide receiver for a fictional professional football team, the North Dallas Bulls. The movie explores the brutal realities behind professional football, including the physical pain, drug use, and pressure players endure to stay on the field.

Phil is disillusioned with the sport’s business-like nature, the corruption within the team, and the manipulation by management and coaches. His relationships with teammates, including his best friend Seth Maxwell (played by Mac Davis), highlight the personal cost of sacrificing health and integrity for success. As Phil struggles to maintain his individuality and cope with the harsh demands, he faces a moral dilemma about whether to keep playing or walk away from the game.

The film provides a gritty and realistic portrayal of the darker side of professional sports, contrasting the glamorous public image of football with the physical and emotional toll it takes on the players.

Quotes

Maxwell: You had better learn how to play the game, and I don’t mean just the game of football.

______________________________________

Coach Johnson: Douglas! The reason we drafted you was because they said you were fast and smart. At this point, I’d be delighted if you’d be at least one of those things!

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Big Star – Thirteen

Big Star was the best band never heard. This song is an absolutely perfect song about adolescence. I played it to my then 14-year-old son and it made him a Big Star fan now 10 years later. This song is the most covered song by Big Star with 49 different covers. It’s almost a perfect acoustic song. The song is about an adolescent guy and his girlfriend who are rock fans being what 13-14-year-olds are…confused and lost.

There is not a bad song on the first album. The song was originally featured on the 1972 album #1 Record. It was released as a single by Big Star with “Watch The Sunrise” as the B-Side, on Ardent Records, but was mislabeled as “Don’t Lie To Me”. Chris Bell and Alex Chilton were the two main songwriters.

Bell and Chilton wanted to emulate the Lennon/McCartney formula as much as they could, so they shared credit on many of the songs on #1 Record even though there was, in fact, little writing collaboration between the two. “Thirteen,” was entirely Chilton’s creation.

This was ranked #396 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest songs. Artists who have covered this include Evan Dando, Garbage, Elliot Smith, Wilco, and Kathryn Williams.

Alex Chilton: “I don’t know where it came from but I made up this wild bit of guitar in 15 minutes. You don’t hear many 20-year-olds doing that.”

Thirteen

Won’t you let me walk you home from school
Won’t you let me meet you at the pool
Maybe Friday I can
Get tickets for the dance
And I’ll take you

Won’t you tell your dad, get off my back
Tell him what we said ’bout ‘Paint It Black’
Rock ‘n Roll is here to stay
Come inside where it’s okay
And I’ll shake you

Won’t you tell me what you’re thinking of
Would you be an outlaw for my love
If it’s so, well, let me know
If it’s no, well, I can go
I won’t make you

Frederick Knight – I’ve Been Lonely For So Long

I love early seventies soul…this is a cool gem of a song and very overlooked. I remember this one when I was around 5-6 being played on A.M. Radio. He released this on Stax Records in 1972. Stax was starting to go down around this time.

In the early 1970s, under the leadership of Al Bell, Stax expanded too rapidly and faced financial difficulties due to over-expansion and mismanagement. Despite producing some hits during this period, including Isaac Hayes’ successful albums, Stax declared bankruptcy in 1975.

The song was written by Posie Knight and Jerry Weaver. It peaked at #27 on the Billboard 100, #8 on the Billboard R&B charts, and #23 in the UK in 1972. It’s been covered 15 times and one cover was by Mick Jagger on his 1993 solo album Wandering Spirit. Paul Young also covered it on his debut album No Palez in 1983.

He didn’t chart any more top 40 songs on the top 100 and he would be known as a one-hit wonder which is a shame. He kept releasing music until 1981 and did get a song in the top 40 of the R&B Charts with I Betcha Didn’t Know That in 1975.

In the mid-1970s, Knight founded his own record label, Juana Records. Through Juana Records, he produced and promoted music for other artists, including the successful disco group Anita Ward, who had a hit with Ring My Bell in 1979.

I’ve Been Lonely For So Long

I’ve been lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come alongI’ve been lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come along

These ain’t rain clouds over my headEverybody’s throwing rocks in my bedJust can’t seem to get ahead in lifeOoh, nothin’ I do ever turn out for the right

Won’t somebody help me please

‘Cause I’ve been lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come alongI’ve been lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come along

I lay awake every nightTryin’ to figure out how to make things rightThere’s got to be a better way I knowTo shake this monkey off ’cause he’s makin’ me so

Won’t somebody help me please

‘Cause I’ve been ooh, lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come alongI’ve been lonely so longDon’t seem like happiness will come along

Yes, I know what it feels like to be lonelyTo have your friends turn their backs on youTo never know the real meaningOf peace of mind, oh

Just can’t seem to get ahead in lifeOoh, nothin’ I do ever turn out for the right

Won’t somebody help me please

‘Cause I’ve been lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come alongI’ve been lonely for so longDon’t seem like happiness will come along

I’ve been down so longI’ve been down so longI’ve been down so longI’ve been down so long

I get lonely, I get lonelyI get lonely, I get lonelyI get lonely, lonely

…

Rolling Stones – Going To A Go-Go

Tattoo You was released in 1981 and they did a massive tour that didn’t come near Nashville. Back then no big band like The Who or Stones would come here. Vanderbilt was the only place big enough and they went through a period where they didn’t allow concerts. In 1972 they did come to Nashville to the Municipal Auditorium and Stevie Wonder opened up for them. I still tell my sister…you could have seen Stevie Wonder and The Stones but you picked the Osmonds and David Cassidy! It doesn’t phase her.

In 1982 they released this single off of their live album Still Life. It was a good album and entry to point to a lot of people…the problem was the live album I knew was Get Your Ya Ya’s Out…which ranks among the best live albums ever. I did like the album though and bought two singles from it before I got the album. I think it has the definitive version of Time Is On My Side and this song…Going To A Go-Go. It was a feel-good live album and the joke was going around on how incredibly old they were…hmmm if only we knew!

This was the last tour you could actually see JUST The Stones and not a stage full of other musicians. They always carried a keyboard player which is cool but after this, they carried backup singers and a huge entourage of players on stage. I never liked that…I would rather hear Keith’s thin backup vocals than professional singers.

I remember watching Friday Night Videos and seeing a clip of Keith Richards clubbing a guy over the head with his guitar. The guy deserved it…remember this was 1981, a year after their good friend John Lennon was murdered. Intruders on stage were not welcomed. Here is a small clip of it.

Going to a Go-Go peaked at #25 on the Billboard 100, #4 in Canada, #24 in New Zealand, and #26 in the UK in 1982. Jagger and Richards didn’t write this one. It was written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, and Marvin Tarplin. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles released in the song in 1965 and it peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100.

The two singles from the album were Time Is On My Side and Going to a Go Go. Time Is On My Side hit the top 10.

Going To A Go Go

Going to a go go, everybody
Going to a go go, c’mon now
Going to a go go, everybody
Going to a go go, c’mon now

Well there’s a brand new place I found
People coming from miles around
They come from everywhere
If you drop in there
You see everyone in town

Going to a go go, everybody
Going to a go go, c’mon now
Don’t you wanna go
And that’s alright tell me

Going to a go go, everybody
Going to a go go

It doesn’t matter if you’re black
It doesn’t matter if you’re white
Take a dollar fifty
A six pack of beer
And we goin’ dance all night

Going to a go go, everybody
Going to a go go, c’mon now
Don’t you wanna go
And that’s alright, tell me

…

Bob Seger – You’ll Accomp’ny Me

I bought the Against the Wind album and then a cassette tape from the Great Escape from one of the two locations in Nashville in the 80s. A great second-hand record store which I hope is still open. That is how I could afford to keep my car well stocked.

This song was written by Seger and stuck with me like the rest of the album. Seger liked to split up recording in a studio (Criteria) and recording in Muscle Shoals with some help from them. This one was recorded in Criteria in Miami using some of the Silver Bullet Band and Bill Payne from Little Feat on keyboards.

I’ve been reading critics talking about the album when it was released. They seemed upset that Seger was releasing an album with simple songs. Not every song can be Night Moves. I’ve met some Seger fans who basically stopped liking his music when this album came out. I saw the same thing with some Springsteen fans when Born in the USA was a hit.

I don’t understand that because this is one of my go-to Seger albums although I do like his earlier ones as well. This album was not written with a teenage viewpoint in mind…it was written for 30-40-year-olds viewpoints. Seger was 34 when this one was released. I bought this album when I was around 16 in 1983 but still could relate…and still can... “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.”

The album Against The Wind was huge. It is his only number 1 album to date. Fire Lake is the song that made me aware of the album and after that I was hooked. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard Album Charts, #1 in Canada, and #26 in the UK in 1980. The reason I say “to date” is because of how the charts are now…it’s not out of the realm of possibility he could get another number 1 from Seger although highly unlikely.

The song peaked at #14 on the Billboard 100 and #8 in Canada in 1980.

You’ll Accomp’ny Me

A gypsy wind is blowing warm tonightThe sky is starlit and the time is rightAnd still you’re telling me you have to goBefore you leave there’s something you should knowYeah something you should know babe

I’ve seen you smiling in the summer sunI’ve seen your long hair flying when you runI’ve made my mind up that it’s meant to beSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meOut where the rivers meet the sounding seaYou’re high above me nowYou’re wild and free ah, butSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny me

Some people say that love’s a losing gameYou start with fireBut you lose the flameThe ashes smolderBut the warmth’s soon goneYou end up cold and lonely on your ownI’ll take my chances babeI’ll risk it allI’ll win your loveOr I’ll take the fallI’ve made my mind up girlIt’s meant to beSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meIt’s written down somewhereIt’s got to beYou’re high above meFlying wild and freeOh but someday lady you’ll accomp’ny meSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meOut where the rivers meet the sounding seaI feel it in my soulIt’s meant to beOh someday lady you’ll accomp’ny meSomeday lady you’ll accomp’ny meYou’ll accomp’ny me, uh, uh, uhYou’ll accomp’ny me, I know you will accomp’ny me(You’ll accomp’ny me) someday lady, someday lady(You’ll accomp’ny me) you gonna accom’ny nowYou gonna walk with me and talk with me, and (you’ll accomp’ny me)(You’ll accomp’ny me) uh, uh, uh(You’ll accomp’ny me) you gonna accomp’ny me uh, uh, uhYou gonna accomp’ny me (you gonna accomp’ny me) someday uh, uh, uh

…

Max’s Drive-In Movie – The Devil Rides Out …..(Hammer Horror)

The two horror movie studios that were great in the sixties and seventies were Hammer and Amicus. They shared two actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee who appeared in many films of both studios. The difference between the two studios was that Amicus was mostly set in modern times and many were anthology films. Hammer was the best known out of the two and they were usually set in a certain time period (this movie was set in the 1920s)…but not always.

Place the speaker on your window and hold your date close for this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. A very eerie film with some creepy characters. It was nice to see Christopher Lee in a hero role. Horror, fantasy, and a nifty bit of time travel.

Back in 1975, we moved to another town for a short while. It was a town named Dickson and we actually lived near the city. That was the only time in my young life that I lived within walking distance of a city unless I was visiting my dad. My sister would take me to a movie theater there (sigh…not a drive-in) in a small shopping mall to see movies. They would sometimes show a double feature…and I remember some of the Hammer films shown as the first feature. I would hide my eyes watching these classic horror movies.

Hammer Horror films from the ’60s and ’70s are great popcorn horror films. It was directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Film Productions, known for their gothic horror films. This 1968 movie is based on Dennis Wheatley’s 1934 novel of the same name. It’s one of Hammer’s more famous supernatural thrillers and features themes of black magic, satanism, and occult rituals.

This one is thrilling and exciting and they dive straight into the satanic rituals starring the great Christopher Lee. Lee puts his fangs away in this movie and plays the sane figure trying to save his friends from the satanic faction that is fighting to get who they can. These movies have an atmosphere that is almost impossible to duplicate now. The film stock, the acting, and the great sets.

The film is considered one of the most authentic portrayals of occultism in popular cinema in the 1960s. It deals with black magic rituals, demonic summoning, and protective spells. Someone did their homework with this movie. The movie was a success at the time but not a blockbuster. It has gained a huge loyal following as well as the other Hammer films.

Plot

The story is set in the 1920s and follows Duke de Richleau (played by Christopher Lee) as he discovers that his friend’s son, Simon Aron, is involved with a satanic cult. Richleau must battle the cult leader, Mocata (played by Charles Gray), to save Simon and a young woman named Tanith, who is also under the cult’s influence. Using his knowledge of the occult, Richleau protects his friends from Mocata’s supernatural powers and attempts to thwart the cult’s plans, which include summoning the devil himself.

Quotes

Duc de Richleau: I’d rather see you dead than meddling with Black Magic!

______________________________________

Rex Van Ryn: You’ve got nothing to worry about.
Tanith Carlisle: I’ve got everything to worry about.

______________________________________

Duc de Richleau: [rising] I tell you, these people are devil worshippers.
Rex Van Ryn: That’s ridiculous.
Duc de Richleau: These are facts, Rex, not superstition. The final proof was in the hamper. They were about to practice the age-old sacrifice to their infernal master: the slaughter of the black cockerel and the white hen.

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