Badfinger (Max)

Blue Harlem – Hallelujah! I Love Him So

CB recommended this band and it’s fresh sounding and I like their choice of covers. When I heard Imelda May sing…that was all I needed. I heard Hound Dog first and it sounds very 40s but yet modern. They now have a different singer but she is also great…Sophie Shaw. This is different for me and I like it…it’s nice to switch up occasionally. When I heard Hallelujah! I Love Him So it got me into them much more. I know this song very well…it was one of the first songs Quarrymen recorded and that led me to Ray Charles who wrote and recorded the song.

Blue Harlem has been one of the top swing/jump-blues bands on the London scene for over 25 years. They have become regular favorites at venues such as the world-famous Ronnie Scott’s, The 100 Club, The Hippodrome, Hideaway, Jitterbugs, and more. They have been invited on three occasions to perform at Highgrove House charity balls for the Prince’s Trust.

They are a British band formed in 1996 by tenor saxophonist and arranger Al Nicholls. Known for blending jazz and rhythm and blues, they take inspiration from the swing and jump blues styles of the 1940s and 1950s.

.They have also enjoyed international recognition, performing at festivals across Europe and the Middle East. Blue Harlem played a huge role in launching the career of vocalist Imelda May, who gained fame and success after performing with them. Sophie Shaw now serves as their lead singer, bringing a new feel to the band’s sound.

Imelda May left the group in the early 2000s. After leaving, May quickly rose to fame in her own right with the release of her debut solo album No Turning Back in 2003, followed by her breakthrough album Love Tattoo in 2008.

Hallelujah! I Love Him So was on the album Talk To Me released in 2005 with May lead singing. I added Hound Dog by Blue Harlem as well…it was on their Me And My Radio album released in 2011.

I have three songs. The bottom two feature Imelda May singing Hound Dog and Hallelujah! I Love Him So. Below is Sophia Shaw singing Swing Brother, Swing. She is a very good singer as well but I like May a little more.

Hallelujah! I Love Him So

Let me tell you ′bout a boy I know
He is my baby and he lives next door
Every morning before the sun comes up
He brings my coffee in my favorite cup
That’s why I know, yes I know
Hallelujah I just love him so

When I′m in trouble and I have no friends
I know he’ll go with me until the end
Ev’rybody asks me how I know
I smile and tell them he told me so
That′s why I know, yes, I know
Hallelujah I just love him so

Now if I call him on the telephone
And tell him that I′m all alone
By the time I count from one to four,
I hear him on my door
In the evening when the sun goes down
When there is nobody else around
He kisses me and he holds me tight
He tells me “baby everything’s all alright”
That′s why I know, yes I know
Hallelujah I just love her so

Favorite Toy of Childhood

Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle

Thank you Keith @ https://nostalgicitalian.com for inviting me to do this. Keith had bloggers over to his site to write about their favorite toys while growing up.

Whenever I see red, white, and blue not only do I think of the flag but I think of Evel Knievel. A hero to many in the 1970s… He is responsible for more broken arms, legs, bruises, bumps, and scrapes than anyone… Kids set up homemade ramps and then jumping them with their bicycles. I said kids…it wasn’t exclusive to boys because I remember some girls jumping also.

Riding down hills standing on your seat, popping wheelies, jumping ramps with your buddy stupidly laying in-between. We wanted to be Evel Knievel jumping over those cars or buses.

He was THE Daredevil… There are Daredevils around today but no one has reached the popularity that Knievel achieved. Not only did he jump and crash he looked cool jumping and crashing. He was like a cool Elvis in a jumpsuit jumping various objects.

I got the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle and Figure when I was 8 years old on Christmas Eve. I have a picture that I can see halfway unwrapped. I immediately started to play with it that night. Over the next couple of months, I would jump everything in sight.

I would make it jump on our porch, our outside dog, and finally, I got a great idea. It took me hours to set it up but I finally got it right. I had ramps going over my mom’s car. I never could get it to go completely over but I got it really close when it came down on the trunk…who needed the Snake Canyon? My mom wasn’t a big fan of the Stunt Cycle…when Evel missed and hit the flowers…some flowers would be missing. When I revved it up in the house…more than one glass shattered making mom shut down my jumping activities.

I wouldn’t mind getting one now to tell you the truth!

Pong

Another…well Keith could disqualify this but it was a toy to me…it was called Pong. Basically, it was magical! It would connect to your television, and you could play table tennis all day long. It was the forerunner of modern games that we have today. It was simple black and white, but I can’t tell you how it felt playing the thing.

I got it around 1977 and we just didn’t have things like this. There is one thing I remember well though…mom made me play it at night or on rainy days. The days were made for kids to go out and play baseball, play in the creek, or ride their bicycles for miles. What I wouldn’t give to relive one of those days being 11 again.

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Halloween

Que that spooky piano part now. This 1978 film is a horror classic that I still enjoy watching. While I’m at it…Happy Halloween Everyone! Sometimes, sequels can ruin a franchise and it gets silly. We sometimes forget how great the original is. I’m not a fan of the no-brain slasher movies that followed this.

From the very beginning, Halloween grabs your attention with its eerie, minimalist score—also composed by Carpenter himself. The haunting piano melody sets the tone for the entire film, creating a sense of dread even before it begins. It’s one of those soundtracks that sticks with you long after the credits roll. The two main leads…Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence do an excellent job. I’ve liked Pleasence in anything he has done.

What’s surprising about Halloween after rewatching it, is how little blood and gore is actually shown. The movie relies more on atmosphere and suspense than graphic violence, which is why it remains such an effective horror film today. Carpenter’s use of shadows, lighting, and camera angles makes everything feel off-kilter. Halloween doesn’t go overboard with its horror… just enough to leave a sense of unease.

There are little things as well that this movie does well. Before it all starts Lauire (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Annie (Nancy Kyes) are smoking a joint in a car while Michael is following them. While this was going on…Don’t Fear The Reaper was playing on the radio faintly. Annie’s dad is the sheriff and his name is Brackett. Dr Loomis (Donald Pleasence) tells him that he and his town better be worried. Michael Myers escaped a facility and was headed toward the town where Myers lived when he killed his sister when he was a kid.

This is another movie that has been ingrained in pop culture. After this film, there was a part 2. John Carpenter did not want to make it but was sued to make it. He made sure to blow Myers up in the 2nd film and part 3 had nothing to do with Myers. Halloween II was written by Carpenter and Debra Lee…the two who wrote Halloween. He refused to direct it and he never liked it. “I had to come up with something. I think it was, perhaps, a late night fueled by alcoholic beverages, was that idea. A terrible, stupid idea! But that’s what we did.”

Rob Zombie remade the film in 2007 and a sequel with much more blood and gore. He traded mystic for the obvious, which didn’t work as well for me…but I’m glad he put a little more reason on why Michael did what he did.

Plot IMDB

The year is 1963, the night: of Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15-year-old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death by her 6-year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st, 1978, besides Myers’ psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be too late for many people.

Quotes

Loomis: I met him, 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this… six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and… the blackest eyes – the Devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply… evil.

_____________________________________

Brackett: I have a feeling that you’re way off on this.
Loomis: You have the wrong feeling.
Brackett: You’re not doing very much to prove me wrong!
Loomis: What more do you need?
Brackett: i going to take a lot more than fancy talk to keep me up all night crawling around these bushes.
Loomis: I-I-I watched him for fifteen years, sitting in a room, staring at a wall; not seeing the wall, looking past the wall; looking at this night, inhumanly patient, waiting for some secret, silent alarm to trigger him off. Death has come to your little town, Sheriff. Now, you can either ignore it, or you can help me to stop it.
Brackett: More fancy talk.

..,

Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

Happy Early Halloween Everyone!

It doesn’t get much more Halloween than this song. Black Sabbath was a hard rock band that gets credited a lot for influencing heavy metal. That is perplexing to me…what is heavy metal and what is hard rock? When I think of heavy metal I think of some of the many heavy 80s bands with a huge processed sound on guitar. That probably isn’t what others think of though.

The song was inspired by a series of ominous and eerie experiences. According to bassist Geezer Butler, the concept for the song emerged from a frightening incident he had after reading an occult book given to him by Ozzy Osbourne. Butler claims that after leaving the book on a shelf, he saw a dark figure standing at the foot of his bed that disappeared suddenly. This experience led him to write the lyrics. The song is credited to Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.

The album cover. It has to be the spookiest album cover ever. On one hand it looks real and on another it looks like a horror movie poster but better. At the center of the album cover is a mysterious, cloaked woman dressed in black. Her identity has been the subject of speculation for decades. Some have claimed she symbolizes a witch or an occult figure, which fits the band’s early associations with the dark arts. It’s one of rocks most iconic album covers.

Louisa Livingstone was a model that was hired for the cover. No one knew who she was until Rolling Stone tracked her down in 2020. Turns out Mrs. Livingstone is not much a fan of Black Sabbath after she finally listened to the album. It just wasn’t her type of music. She now records electronic music under the name of Indreba. Keith Macmillan is the photograhper who shot the album cover.

The album peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200, #29 in Canada, and #8 in the UK in 1970.

Keith Macmillan: “She was a fantastic model. She was quite petite, very, very cooperative. I wanted someone petite because it just gave the landscape a bit more grandeur. It made everything else look big. She wasn’t wearing any clothes under that cloak because we were doing things that were slightly more risqué, but we decided none of that worked. Any kind of sexuality took away from the more foreboding mood. But she was a terrific model. She had amazing courage and understanding of what I was trying to do.”

Louisa Livingstone: I had to get up at about four o’clock in the morning, or something as ridiculously early as that. It was absolutely freezing. I remember Keith rushing around with dry ice, throwing that into the pond nearby, and that didn’t seem to be working very well, so he was using a smoke machine. It was just, ‘Stand there and do that.’ I’m sure he said it was for Black Sabbath, but I don’t know if that meant anything much to me at the time.”

If you want to know about Black Sabbath’s album Black Sabbath VOL 4 cover… go to The Press Music Reviews.

Black Sabbath

What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I’m the chosen one
Oh no

Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan’s sitting there, he’s smiling
Watches those flames get higher and higher
Oh no, no, please God help me

Is it the end, my friend?
Satan’s coming ’round the bend
People running ’cause they’re scared
The people better go and beware
No, no, please God help me

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Carrie

Next to The Shining, this is my favorite King adaptation.

Carrie is a 1976 horror film directed by Brian De Palma, based on Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel of the same name. He used many techniques in this movie that put it over the top. Split screens, slow motion, and vivid color contrast just to name a few.

It is one of the most iconic films in the horror genre and focuses on subjects like bullying, supernatural powers, and revenge. It’s so easy to relate to because in high school we have all been through embarrassing things…getting pig blood dumped on you…probably not but we can relate with Carrie. We know the good people and we have known the bad people in this movie. We also know the popular cliques and the not-so-popular cliques. The girls that were out of reach and the ones that were.

The story revolves around Carrie White, a shy and socially awkward high school girl who is mercilessly bullied by her classmates. Raised by an overbearing, fanatically religious mother, Carrie leads a lonely and repressed life. After experiencing a traumatic event at school, she discovers that she has telekinetic powers. The situation escalates when her classmates cruelly prank her at the senior prom. In a moment of intense emotion, Carrie uses her powers to take a horrifying revenge on those who tormented her.

Sissy Spacek starred in this film and was perfect in the role. Piper Laurie portrayed her mother with an exaggerated, fanatically religious fervor. Laurie’s portrayal of a zealot was intentionally over-the-top, adding to the film’s tone. . The movie also launched the film careers of Nancy Allen and Amy Irving who both went on to star in many movies.

In 1976 my class went to see Charlotte’s Web at the theater. On the wall were movie posters of Carrie. Since then I’ve always associated them with each other. As a 9-year-old, seeing a teenager covered with blood with an evil look made me want to see it. I didn’t get to see it until almost a decade later. It was worth the wait!

Both Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received Academy Award nominations for their performances, a rarity for the horror genre.

This story has been remade in 3 different movies. This one in 1976, 2002, and a remake in 2013. I’ve watched all of them…trust me on this…this is the best version out there at least to me.

..,

ZZ Top – Goin’ Down To Mexico

That Lil Ol’ Band from Texas. I loved it when Billy Gibbons had this tone on his guitar. This was pre-Eliminator and his tone was just perfect. They sound loose in this but the music is tight. It’s classic ZZ Top. A buddy of mine had most of their albums and played this one a lot and Fandango.

I saw them on the Eliminator tour and they were fantastic. They had Sammy Hagar opening up for them after he released Three Lock Box. ZZ Top had the best lighting show I’ve ever seen to this day.

This song has the entire band credited. Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard. This song was on their debut album ZZ Top’s First Album released in 1970. That is an easy way of remembering it.

This album isn’t as polished as some of their others, but it previews exactly what sound you would get until Eliminator. ZZ Top was formed in 1969, with Billy Gibbons (guitar and vocals), Dusty Hill (bass), and Frank Beard (drums). Before forming ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons played in various bands, most notably The Moving Sidewalks, which opened for Jimi Hendrix during his 1968 tour.

The album didn’t make a huge splash commercially, but it helped establish the band as a powerful live act. The album was produced by Bill Ham, who became a key figure in shaping ZZ Top’s sound. He would go on to produce their subsequent albums and manage the band for decades. Ham produced or co-produced all of their albums up through 1996’s Rhythmeen as well as being their manager. They parted ways in 2006. He passed away in 2016 at 79.

Going Down to Mexico

I was on my way down to MexicoThere was trouble on the riseIt was nothin’ more than I’d left behindWhich was much to my surpriseI turned around and lit a cigaretteWiped the dust off of my bootsWhen up ahead I saw the crowdI knew it was no use

It’s been the same way for oh so longIt looks like I’m singin’ the same old song

A fine and fancy man was heDoin’ good things for the poorGivin’ rides in his rocket 88 for freeThey could not hope for moreWhen it came my turn, he said to me“Have I seen your face before?”I said, “Oh no, you must be wrongI’m from a distant shore”

So if you don’t mind, I’ll just move alongBut it looks like I’m singin’ the same old song

A 1940 movie starWith a long-forgotten nameShe was a sexy mess in her beaded dressStill hangin’ on to fameWith forgotten lines, she missed her cueAnd left her glass of wine at homeShe was singin’ the same song that I wasCould we both be wrong?

So hand in hand we walked alongEach of us singin’ the same old song

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

I love silent movies but I wasn’t prepared for this one. I’d heard it was scary but I thought…how scary could a 1922 film be? I think the comedy of Keaton and Chaplin is some of the best comedy to this day but horror?

It was a great surprise with this one. The one word I would use is shadows…they make great use of them in this one. With the film stock they use plus that grainy look…it does make this vampire frightening. Some prints are tinted blue and yellow in some scenes. Nosferatu himself works well as a different-looking Dracula.

The first time I saw it was with my son who found out about it in high school. I tracked it down and bought a copy around 2017 or so. We were both impressed by this movie and it’s just so creepy and disturbing. Yes, you have to follow the subtitles of course but it isn’t filled with them.

Some people avoid silent or foreign films but try this one out. It’s only an hour and twenty minutes. You can see it for free on YouTube. There is another adaptation coming out this Christmas.

It’s a wonder we have this film at all. This was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula by Bram Stroker. Since the production company, Prana-Film did not secure rights from Stoker’s estate, they changed some elements—Count Dracula became Count Orlok, and the settings were shifted from England to Germany. However, the film’s narrative remained close to the novel.

After the film’s release, Florence Stoker, Bram Stoker’s widow, sued the producers for copyright infringement. The court ruled in her favor, ordering the destruction of all copies of the film. However, several prints survived, allowing the film to gain recognition over the years.

PLOT

Wisborg, Germany-based estate agent Knock dispatches his associate, Hutter, to Count Orlok’s castle in Transylvania as the Count wants to purchase an isolated house in Wisborg. They plan on selling him the one across the way from Hutter’s own home. Hutter leaves his innocent wife, Ellen, with some friends while he is away. Hutter’s trek is an unusual one, with many locals not wanting to take him near the castle where strange events have been occurring. Once at the castle, Hutter sells the house to Orlok, but he also notices and feels unusual occurrences, primarily feeling like there is a dark shadow hanging over him, even in the daytime when Orlok is usually asleep.

Hutter eventually sees the Count’s sleeping chamber in a crypt, and based on a book he has recently read, believes the Count is really a vampire or Nosferatu. While Hutter is trapped in the castle, the Count, hiding in a shipment of coffins, makes his way to Wisborg, causing death along his way, which most attribute to the plague. Hutter himself tries to rush home to save his town and most importantly save Ellen from Nosferatu’s imminent arrival. In Wisborg, Ellen can feel the impending darkness as Nosferatu gets closer. But she learns that a sinless woman can sacrifice herself to kill the vampire. Will Hutter be able to save Ellen, either from Nosferatu and/or her self-sacrifice?

…

King Curtis – Soul Twist

As I was searching for 50s and early 60s songs for my painting playlist…I ran across this cool instrumental. I love that guitar and Curtis’s sax is really cool. It has a dirty sound when it starts up and I find it quite infectious. The one guitar is playing that cool small riff and then the rhythm comes in to lift it up. Another new/old song to add to my playlist. John from https://thesoundofonehandtyping.com/ suggested it and I wanted to add to it anyway.

Curtis was a great saxophonist who worked with many artists. He was on the Coasters Yakety Yak and Aretha Franklin’s Respect. He also worked with Buddy Holly, Nat King Cole, and The Shirelles to mention a few.

He also worked with Duane Allman and they formed a friendship. They worked on a few songs together but the one I like the best is their version of The Weight. Curtis’s sax sounds so good and clear in this version along with Duane’s slide playing.

In 1965, Curtis and the Kingpins opened for The Beatles at Shea Stadium. On August 13, 1971, King Curtis was tragically killed at the age of 37. He was stabbed during an argument outside his apartment in New York City. His sudden death shocked the music world, and Aretha Franklin sang at his funeral, along with other artists like Stevie Wonder and Duane Allman.

The song was successful…it peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts and #17 on the Billboard 100 in 1962. I have a playlist at the bottom that I made of instrumentals during my break.

Duane Eddy – Forty Miles Of Bad Road

I made a playlist of instrumentals and took recommended ones from the 1950s. I think the heyday of instrumentals was the fifties and sixties. Here is one that caught my ear… Forty Miles Of Bad Road

I have a soft spot for that twangy reverb guitar. Eddy played a major role in shaping the surf rock genre and influenced many following guitarists. The song peaked at #11 in the UK, #4 in Canada, and #9 on the Billboard 100 in 1959. This song was written by Duane Eddy and Al Casey. The song was on the compilation album $1,000,000 Worth of Twang. Damn, that is a great name for an album! Not to mention the title of the song as well.

The phrase was apparently inspired by a comment overheard by Duane Eddy and his producer Lee Hazlewood while in line at a movie theater. They heard two guys talking about one of their blind dates. He said she looked like 40 miles of bad road. Of course, they looked at each other and said that has to be the title of our new song.

This (and many of his songs) was recorded in a Phoenix studio which had an echo chamber that was originally a large water tank. A single speaker was placed at one end of the tank, the microphone at the other, and the guitar was piped in there. The title was referenced in a REM song called Crush With Eyeliner…instead of 40 miles…”She’s Three Miles of Bad Road.”

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Dr. No

I have a different relationship with James Bond than some. I didn’t watch them as a kid but I started to watch them in my late 20s. I finally found out what all the fuss was about. I do remember seeing parts of Moonraker when it came out but it just didn’t pique my interest at 12. I recently read a review of From Russia With Love from princecranoir and would recommend everyone reading. That one may be my favorite James Bond film but this one holds a special place for me as well. My favorite always changes when I do a Bond marathon at home. I did a post a while back about my favorite Bond films…and Dr No was at the top…so it does change.

Dr. No was a commercial success, paving the way for numerous sequels and establishing the template for future Bond films. Sean Connery’s portrayal of Bond became iconic, and the film is credited with launching the spy genre in cinema. We will still be watching this in 2062.

Dr. No was the first Bond film I ever watched all the way through. Released in 1962, it introduced the world to James Bond, a suave, sophisticated British secret agent with a license to kill. Based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name, the film marked the first installment of one of the most successful and enduring franchises in cinematic history. Dr. No laid the foundation that would define Bond for decades—high-stakes espionage, glamorous locations, and, of course, iconic villains. There were really no gadgets in this one…that would come in the next film.

It was based on Ian Fleming’s 6th book about the Spy but the first one was adapted into a movie. Sean Connery is James Bond to me and there was no better way of kicking off a franchise than this. The film looks great in its vivid color and scenery. The bulk of the film was filmed in Jamaica in early 1962.

There is no better use of a Sunday afternoon than to spend it with James Bond and the absolutely stunning Ursula Andress. When she walked out of the water on Crab Key, it was close to everything magically turning to color in The Wizard of Oz… She was the first of many Bond girls to follow and you could not find a better first one. I was humming Under the Mango Tree for days after I saw it.

JFK, an avid Ian Fleming fan, even hosted a private screening of “Dr. No” at the White House. Legend has it he remarked, “I wish I had James Bond on my staff.” Who wouldn’t? If you haven’t seen this film, treat yourself and immerse yourself in Bond’s world; and for those who have, a rewatch is always a pleasure.

Plot (Spoilers)

The movie starts with Bond, played by Sean Connery, being sent to Jamaica to figure out why a fellow British agent went missing. Pretty mysterious, right?

When Bond gets to Jamaica, things get tense. He teams up with some local allies, like a fisherman named Quarrel and CIA agent Felix Leiter. They help him uncover clues, which eventually lead to a creepy, secretive island called Crab Key. This is where Dr. No, the villain, is hiding. He’s a super smart but evil scientist who works for a dangerous organization called SPECTRE. His plan? To mess with American space missions using some kind of high-tech radio beam. Bond realizes he needs to stop him before things get out of hand.

Bond’s adventure takes him into Dr. No’s hidden lair, where he also meets Honey Ryder (played by Ursula Andress), a woman who’s just out collecting shells but gets tangled in Bond’s mission. Together, they navigate the dangers of the island, avoiding Dr. No’s guards and traps.

In typical Bond fashion, he manages to outsmart Dr. No, destroy his base, and save the day. The movie ends with a big explosion as Bond and Honey escape. It’s classic spy action, with all the charm, gadgets, and danger you’d expect from a Bond film!

Quotes

Dr. No: The Americans are fools. I offered my services; they refused. So did the East. Now they can both pay for their mistake.
James Bond: World domination. The same old dream. Our asylums are full of people who think they’re Napoleon. Or God.

_______________________________________

[Honey describes how she killed the man who had hurt her]
Honey Ryder: I put a black widow spider underneath his mosquito net… a female, they’re the worst. It took him a whole week to die.
[Bond looks shocked]
Honey Ryder: Did I do wrong?
James Bond: Well, it wouldn’t do to make a habit of it.

_______________________________________

[explaining why she believes the legend about Crab Key’s fire-breathing dragon]
Honey Ryder: How well do you know about animals? Did you ever see a mongoose dance? Or, a scorpion with sunstroke sting itself to death? Or, a praying mantis eat her husband after making love?
James Bond: I hate to admit it, but, I haven’t.
Honey Ryder: Well, I have.

Original Trailer

Flamin’ Groovies – Teenage Head

This band went through two distinct phases: an early rock/blues era followed by a shift to power pop. Their diverse catalog spans power pop gems, gritty blues-rock, and classic rock ‘n’ roll. In this song, we’re focusing on their rock/blues period from the early ’70s, hearing the raw Groovies.

I first heard this band with the song Shake Some Action. That song is probably their best-known, but the blues/rock period should be heard. This song was written by Cyril Jordan and Roy A. Loney.

Released the same year as the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers, Mick Jagger reportedly noticed the similarities between the Groovies Teenage Head album … and thought the Flamin’ Groovies did the better take on the theme of classic blues and rock ‘n roll. The band was started in 1965 by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. By the end of the sixties, they clashed over where to go. Loney was more Stones and Jordon leaned toward the Beatles. Loney left in 1971 and they got an 18-year-old lead singer named Chris Wilson.

They moved to London and started to work with Dave Edmunds. With Chris, they did more power pop and that is when Shake Some Action came about with Wilson and Jordon writing it. They would go on to be a great power pop band known as an early proto-punk band…they pretty much covered the gamut. This anti-drug song was written by Jordon and Loney before he left…Chris Wilson is singing it.

I’ve listened to this album and it does sound very Stonesy but not copying them at all. This album was released before the Stones Sticky Fingers.

There is a Canadian band with the same name as this album and song…Teenage Head. They took their name from this song title and album. They quickly gained a loyal following on the Ontario club circuit for their shows, highlighted by Gord Lewis’ guitar work and frontman Venom’s (Frankie Kerr) vocals and on-stage presence.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 1979 and distributed by Epic Records Canada. A year later, the group signed to Attic Records and released the Frantic City album, which put them on the international radar. The hit singles, “Something On My Mind” and “Let’s Shake” helped propel the album to platinum sales (100,000) in Canada.

I added another cool song off of the album called Yesterday’s Numbers.

Teenage Head

I’m a monster
got a revved up teenage head.
Teenage monster
California born and bred.
Half a boy and half a man
I’m half at sea and half on land, oh my
Bye-bye.

Got a woman,
she’s my hopped up high school queen.
She’s my woman,
she’s a teenage love machine.
She knows how to turn me on
and get me high and get it on and on,
yeah she does.

When ya’ see me,
better turn your tail and run,
’cause I’m angry
and I’ll mess you up for fun.
I’m a child of atom bombs
and rotten air and Vietnams; I am you,
you are me.

…

Eddie Cochran – Summertime Blues

In my love for the Who, I never posted this version of this great song. I found out about Eddie Cochran through the movie The Buddy Holly Story where he was played by Jerry Zaremba. I then remember him in La Bamba when Brian Setzer played him to a tee.

After that, I heard The Who’s version of this song and our band played it that way. I then heard Cochran’s version and loved it just as well. The song that really made me connect to Cochran was Twenty Flight Rock when I heard the Stones do it.

Eddie Cochran was a huge influence on the up-and-coming British guitar players of the sixties. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, John Lennon, and Pete Townshend. He was huge in the UK. He was one of the big 50s guitar heroes. He broke through with this song Summertime Blues in 1958 peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100, #10 in Canada, and #18 in the UK. He also did well with C’mon Everybody. He was never really big in America… he was a bigger star in Europe.

He didn’t use his guitar as a prop like some did…he played it and played it well. He also worked as a session musician. He helped bring rock guitar along in more ways than just his playing. He was one of the first to modify his pickups and he did away with the wound G string on the guitar. He replaced it with an unwound string which made it easier to bend. Many future musicians were paying attention, sitting on the front row of his British tour.

In 1960, Cochran and Gene Vincent were in a hired car and it hit a lamp post and Eddie was thrown from the car and suffered a head injury and died in a hospital. He was only 21 years old. Gene Vincent received injuries to his already bad leg and walked with a limp after the crash. Eddie was the only one to die.

Eddie’s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley was a songwriter. She wrote Ricky Nelson’s first hit “Poor Little Fool” and a couple of songs (Love Again and Cherished Memories) for Cochran. She also got injured in the crash.

Summertime Blues

I’m a-gonna raise a fuss
I’m a-gonna raise a holler
About a-workin’ all summer
Just to try to earn a dollar

Every time I call my baby
Try to get a date
My boss says, “No dice, son
You gotta work late”

Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a-gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Oh, well, my mom and papa told me
“Son, you gotta make some money
And if you wanna use the car
To go a-ridin’ next Sunday”

Well, I didn’t go to work
Told the boss I was sick
“Well, you can’t use the car
‘Cause you didn’t work a lick”

Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a-gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

I’m gonna take two weeks
Gonna have a fine vacation
I’m gonna take my problem
To the United Nations

Well, I called my congressman
And he said, quote
“I’d like to help you, son
But you’re too young to vote”

Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a-gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Max’s Drive-In Movies – Late Night With The Devil

Usually, I only review older movies but this one is right up powerpop.blog’s alley! It’s a 2023 film set in the year 1977. They have the 1970s down…one of the best time-period movies I’ve seen as far as getting the era right. The audience in the movie could have been off a film clip of the Johnny Carson era Tonight Show. This movie marries nostalgia with horror quite nicely. It’s almost like The Exorcist meets Johnny Carson. It will make you uneasy and you have to pay attention because there are a few subplots you can miss if not. Some of it is based on the reception of the 1980 book Michelle Remembers by Canadian Lawrence Pazder. That book helped cause the “Satanic Panic” around that time on talk shows and the public.

It’s about a talk show host Jack Delroy who was a popular DJ in Chicago who got a chance to host a late-night talk show that was going against Johnny Carson. He signed a 5 year deal in 1972 and now in 1977 it’s running out. A year after the tragic death of Jack’s wife, ratings have plummeted. It’s a “found footage” movie and the footage being a master tape that was never shown again. Desperate to turn it around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil on late-night television.

On Halloween night 1977, Jack is set to host a special live episode featuring an array of guests, including a renowned paranormal expert with a single name, Christou. However, what starts as exploring the supernatural quickly devolves into chaos when a series of unexplained events unfold.

You get to know Jack’s past and about his wife that just passed away from lung cancer. Jack was part of a secret club called The Grove (a reference to the Bohemian Club) that many celebrities and elites joined. That info plays a big part of this movie. Did Jack essentially sacrifice his wife to be popular? It asks the question…what are you prepared to give up for success?

It all starts with Christou picks an audience member and accurately tells her about her son who killed himself. After that, a skeptical but nasty guest named Carmichael the Conjurer starts to say how all supernatural and unusual events are not real. He offered Christou $100,000 to prove he was not a con man. He books an interview with a parapsychologist and the subject of her recent book, a young teenager who was the sole survivor of a Satanic church’s mass suicide. Naturally, all hell breaks loose when paranormal activity begins wreaking havoc during the show.

The plot blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, with the audience left questioning what’s real as Jack faces his worst fears live on air. The tension mounts as the show’s studio audience becomes unsettled, mirroring Jack’s descent into madness. The film’s use of practical effects and atmospheric cinematography sells what is happening.

Horror movies… the one thing that bothers me about most of them are the endings. This one has an ending with a twist. My only complaint…being the 1970s lover I am…I wish they would have used the same kind of film look the Tonight Show had but the set was great. At the end of the movie you will also hear a song by Flo and Eddie called Keep It Warm.

David Dastmalchian did a great job as Jack Delroy.

Doors – Touch Me

In the early eighties, I joined Columbia House and I would sign up fictional people and get free albums. I would buy the required albums for these fictional people but you would get 6-7 free albums for signing up someone to buy one album. Plus that person would get free albums when they joined. I saw the loophole and took advantage of it but I always paid. I got most of my Doors, Moody Blues, and a few other albums through Columbia House.

This Robbie Krieger-written song is immediately likable. This Doors song and album differed from many others because of its orchestral arrangement, which includes brass and strings. It was largely arranged by producer Paul Rothchild. It was also very radio-friendly and Morrison’s voice sounded great in this pop backdrop…he did keep his edge up on the track. Many critics and fans saw the track as a sell-out for The Doors. To me, it was just them expanding their sound to a different genre. Plus the solo in the middle is clearly jazz-influenced not heard in many top 40 hits at the time.

The song was on the Soft Parade album released in 1969. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Album Charts and #4 in Canada. The song did really well. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #6 in New Zealand.

Soft Parade was their 4th studio album. They would only release two more albums with Morrison, Morrison Motel, and L.A. Woman (my personal favorite). With Soft Parade the band decided to experiment with a more polished, orchestral sound. Producer Paul A. Rothchild and arranger Paul Harris introduced horns, strings, and elaborate arrangements and this song is a good example. The two singles off this album were Touch Me and Wishful Sinful which just missed the top forty at #44.

In the Smothers Brothers clip, you will see Robbie Krieger with a black eye. Ray Manzarek said this: Three rednecks got in a fight with Jim and Robbie down the street from the Doors’ office at a bar and there was pushing and shoving and Robbie Krieger got whacked in the eye. Jim ducked a punch, Robbie wasn’t able to duck the punch. That was 2 days before we went on The Smothers Brothers’ Show. They said to Robbie on the show, Let’s put some make-up on that black eye. You don’t want to be on national television with a black eye. And Robbie said, Yes, I do! No one has ever gone on TV with a black eye. I’m going to be the first! It’s a badge of honor.

Touch Me

Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, babe
Can’t you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won’t you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

Now, I’m going to love you
‘Til the heavens stop the rain
I’m going to love you
‘Til the stars fall from the sky
For you and I

Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, babe
Can’t you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won’t you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

Now, I’m going to love you
‘Til the heavens stop the rain
I’m going to love you
‘Til the stars fall from the sky
For you and I

I’m going to love you
‘Til the heavens stop the rain
I’m going to love you
‘Til the stars fall from the sky
For you and I

Stronger than dirt

Who – Shout and Shimmy

If this song doesn’t get you up nothing will! I’ve probably covered The Who more than any other band but I’ve missed this excellent cover they did back in 1965. In this post, we will look at the song and the original drummer of The Who.

This is a cover of a lively James Brown original from 1962. The Who recorded in 1965, it was on their My Generation album. It was also part of their appearance on the music show Ready, Steady, Go! alongside the song Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere. Shout and Shimmy did not achieve widespread fame, it reflects the band’s devotion to R&B and soul, influences that heavily shaped their early sound. They also covered the Marvelettes song Heat Wave which was a part of the Mod culture. James Brown wrote and released Shout and Shimmy in 1962.

The Who’s rendition captures the raw energy of their early sound. Keith Moon in the live cut of this is a blur on drums. He was 19 years old and joined The Who the year before replacing The Who’s original drummer Doug Sandom.

Sandom was a good guy and a solid drummer but he was 34 in 1964 and considered far too old for The Who by the record company. Pete Townshend wrote a moving forward to Sandom’s book in 2014: Had we continued together back in 1964 with Doug on drums we may never have become as successful as we are today. Keith Moon was a born publicist as well as a highly eccentric performer. But I have no doubt that personally, I would have been happier as a young man. Partly because I think we would have continued to put music and friendship first in our band because that was Doug’s way. With Doug as my friend, I believe I could have been a better man.

Doug drummed for them as The Detours and The Who. He had this to say about The Detours changing to The Who: “We were setting up our gear when the Ox arrived and told us there was another band called The Detours and they’d already been on TV so we had to change our name. That night we all went back to a friend of Pete’s – a wonderful chap called Richard Barnes (an author and has worked with the Who for decades), or Barnsy, to try to find a new name.

Barnsy initially suggested The Group and Pete favoured The Hair. Someone else suggested No One until we imagined a compere on stage saying: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome No One.’ We’d have been a laughing stock. It was Barnsy who came up with The Who. Pete tried to compromise by suggesting The Hair And The Who until it was pointed out that it made us sound like a pub. Anyway, Roger came round to mine the next day and said it was to be The Who.”

On one of their recording dates, Townshend and Sandom were not in good moods and Sandom retold it: “He had a terrible go at me, snarling, ‘What’s wrong with you? If you can’t get it right then you’re out.’ I just got up from my stool and said, ‘That’s it, I quit.’ It was the biggest mistake of my life.

Sandom stayed in touch with the band until he passed in 2019 at the age of 89 years old.

I always try to give a studio and live version…but in this case…live is the way to go. Around 1:29 is where Moon kicks in.

Shout and Shimmy

Do you feel alright? Well do you feel alright children? Do you feel alright?You know you make me want to shout shimmy, oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy,Oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy, oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy,Oh yeah you know I walk up to the front, I try to do the flop,I walk up to the back, and I move on side to side,Then I stop, oh yeah and then I drop,Oh yeah and then I drop, oh yeah and then I do a little thing ?????,Do you feel alright? Do you feel so good? Do you feel so good?Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright? Tell me now, tell me now,Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright? Everybody do you feel so good?You know I feel alright, you know you make me want to shout shimmy,Oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy, oh yeah you gonna shout shimmy,Oh yeah you gonna shout a little bit soft, shout a little bit quieter,Shout a little bit soft, come on soft, shout a little bit soft,A little bit soft, cool down, cool down, come on, cool it down,I feel so good, I feel alright, drum on, drum on, drum on drummer,Everybody everybody everybody clap your hands, come on clap your hands,Clap your hands, a little bit harder, a little bit louder,A little bit harder, a little bit louder, a little bit louder,Come on and shout, everybody, come on and shout, come on and shout baby,Come on and shout baby, do you feel alright? Do I feel so good?Do you feel alright? Do I feel so good? Call a doctor, call a doctor,Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright?Do you feel alright? Do you feel alright?You know I feel so good I’m gonna shout and shimmy all night,I feel all, you know I feel alright.

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