Badfinger (Max)

Star Trek – Is There in Truth No Beauty?

★★★★ October 18, 1968 Season 3 Episode 5

If you want to see where we are…and you missed a few…HERE is a list of the episodes in my index located at the top of my blog.

This show was written by Gene Roddenberry, Jean Lisette Aroeste, and Arthur H. Singer

A story that would always interest me in school was Medusa. You would turn to stone when you saw her. This one is built off of that story.

Before I start…I will say that in the 3rd season, the camera crew did a good job. They added some different shots like using a fish-eyed lens. I liked the different angles they used because it made it feel different and it was effective.

The Enterprise is tasked with transporting an ambassador from a race who is perceived as so ugly, that just the sight of one by human eyes will cause instant madness. The Medusan ambassador Kollos is accompanied by a telepathic human aide named Miranda, who claims that her life of training on Vulcan allows her to see him without insanity ensuing.

A scientist aboard happens to be a scorned lover of Miranda’s. In a fit of jealousy, he attempts to murder Kollos, predictably causing him to go mad. He takes over control of the engines and shoots the Enterprise out of the galaxy into a disorientating patch of space. Only Kollos’s ultra-intelligent mind can bring the Enterprise back.

But he needs control of the bridge, something that is obviously infeasible. Spock must attempt a mind-meld with Kollos, merging the two men into Spock’s body. Miranda feels a special connection to Kollos and attempts to stop this from happening. But Spock wins out and the two merge and help the Enterprise reenter the galaxy.

Miranda sabotages Spock out of jealousy, trying to make him go mad. A now sick Spock needs a mind-meld with Miranda. Kirk is able to convince her to do it.

It’s a very good episode.

From IMDB:

Diana Muldaur was given a dark wig to wear for the role of Miranda. This was largely to help distinguish the character from her previous guest role as Dr Ann Mulhall in Star Trek: The Original Series: Return to Tomorrow (1968).

Although often cited by some fans as evidence of a “larger message” in Star Trek, the “IDIC” (“Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”) medallion that Spock wears during the dinner scene had much baser origins. Leonard Nimoy was originally supposed to give a lengthy speech about the medallion and what it represented. Nimoy found the speech completely unsuited to the plot, and refused to say the lines until he got an explanation from producer Gene Roddenberry, who had had the lines and the use of the medallion inserted into the script. Roddenberry came to the set and admitted to Nimoy that he was selling the “IDIC” medallions through his personal marketing company, Lincoln Enterprises, and inserted the scene about the “IDIC” purely as product placement to generate sales. Nimoy ultimately refused to say the lines, and instead the scene was re-written with Capt. Kirk and other characters commenting on Spock’s wearing of the medallion instead.

This episode included a rare glimpse of the seldom seen left side of the bridge opposite the turbolift.

Spock/Kollos says to Miranda, “O Brave New World that has such creatures in it.” She replies, ” ‘Tis new to thee.” These are
lines in As You Like It (1908)’s The Tempest, Act V, Sc. 1, whose heroine is named Miranda.

The episode title is from a poem by the 17th century English poet and clergyman George Herbert, from his poem “Jordan (I)”, line 2: “Who says that fictions only and false hair/ Become a verse? Is there in truth no beauty?”

Shots of the Enterprise in the galactic void are recycled from Star Trek: The Original Series: Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966).

The remastered version replaced the Medusan home-world effect with that of a newly-designed Federation vessel. It strongly resembles one of the early sketches that art director Walter M. Jefferies drew of the USS Enterprise, as reproduced in ‘The Making of Star Trek’.

A very rare stock shot of the Enterprise is used when the ship warps towards the barrier under Marvick’s control: it is taken from the opening of Star Trek: The Original Series: The Cage (1966) (just before the “Guest Star Susan Oliver” credit) and shows the Enterprise at high speed blasting towards the camera. The same shot is reused later in Star Trek: The Original Series: That Which Survives (1969).

The name Kollos, is pronounced kàlos, a reference to the Greek word Kallos which means Beauty.

The tartan Scotty wears as part of his dress uniform during the dinner with Amanda Jones IS in fact the dress tartan for the clan Scott.

The arboretum was originally built for Star Trek: The Original Series: Elaan of Troyius (1968), but its appearance ended up as a deleted scene. Apart from this one, it was only seen in Star Trek: The Original Series: And the Children Shall Lead (1968).

The dinner scene marks the first presentation of the Vulcan IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) symbol.

Jessica Walter was offered the part of Dr. Miranda Jones but was unavailable.

In Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) it is explained that Commander Trip Tucker designed the Constitution-class Enterprise warp engines that Doctor Larry Marvick commandeers from Scott.

This is one of only two instances in which Scotty wears a dress uniform complete with ancestral tartan. But whereas he wears white socks here, in Star Trek: The Original Series: The Savage Curtain (1969) he wears red ones.

When David Frankham guest-starred on The Outer Limits: Don’t Open Till Doomsday (1964), his character was also the victim of an alien hidden in a box which injured those who glimpsed it.

This was Eddie Paskey’s last appearance in the series.

This is the last appearance of antigravs in the series.

The pictures of exotic planets seen in the dining room reappeared in Kirk’s quarters in other third-season episodes.

The second mention of Scotty’s first name: Montgomery. The first was Star Trek: The Original Series: Wolf in the Fold (1967)(#2.14).

One of two episodes written by Jean Lisette Aroeste, a UCLA librarian and Star Trek fan whose unsolicited scripts were read and recommended by co-producer Robert H. Justman. Her other story was “A Handful of Dust,” which was produced as “All Our Yesterdays.” (S3E23)

The script was written by Jean Lisette Aroeste, one of four writers of Star Trek who had no prior TV writing credits. The other three were David Gerrold (‘The Trouble with Tribbles’, ‘The Cloud Minders’), Judy Burns (‘The Tholian Web’) and Joyce Muskat (‘The Empath’).

McCoy comments that a blind person couldn’t pilot a space craft. However, in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), the blind Geordi LaForge piloted the Enterprise-D as the ship’s helmsman during the show’s first season. Dr Jones’ neural net can be seen as a precursor to LaForge’s VISOR.

This is the third of five “Star Trek” episodes to feature a question mark in the title. The other four are Star Trek: The Original Series: What Are Little Girls Made Of? (1966), Star Trek: The Original Series: Who Mourns for Adonais? (1967), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Who Mourns for Morn? (1998) and Star Trek: Discovery: Will You Take My Hand? (2018).

Apparently, many people think that members of the Enterprise crew can not walk and listen at the same time. Often, when a ship wide announcement is made, they stop to listen to the announcement. However, is has always been policy that when a captain speaks, the whole crew stops non-essential work to listen, out of respect.

This takes place in 2268.

Miranda Jones wears her hair in a loosely draped style with a toroidal loop on top, very similar to that worn by Kelinda in Star Trek: The Original Series: By Any Other Name (1968). Roses also play an important role in the narrative for each character.

Leonard Nimoy appears to be suffering from nasal congestion during this episode

The first of two times that William Shatner stars with a character who is a blind woman. He would do so again in T.J. Hooker: Blind Justice (1982)(#2.4).

Summary

The Enterprise is tasked with transporting the Medusan ambassador, Kollos, to his home planet along with his human aide, Dr. Miranda Jones, who, for reasons initially understood only by Dr. McCoy, can safely travel be with the Medusan. Medusans are formless creatures, the very sight of whom makes humans go insane. (Like the snake-haired Medusa of ancient Greek mythology whose looks caused humans to turn to stone.) For that reason, aside from Dr. Jones, only half-Vulcan Spock can be in the same room with the ambassador. She expresses envy of Spock. When Engineer Laurence Marvick, unrequitedly in love with Dr. Jones, tries to kill Kollos, he goes insane and dies, after sending the Enterprise beyond the edge of the galaxy. Only Spock and the ambassador (with Miranda’s help) can navigate the starship back to known space.

CAST

William Shatner … Captain James Tiberius ‘Jim’ Kirk
Leonard Nimoy … Mister Spock
DeForest Kelley … Dr. McCoy
Diana Muldaur … Dr. Miranda Jones
David Frankham … Larry Marvick
James Doohan … Scott
George Takei … Sulu
Nichelle Nichols … Uhura
Walter Koenig … Chekov
Bill Blackburn … Lieutenant Hadley (uncredited)
Bob Bralver … Yeoman (uncredited)
Frank da Vinci … Lt. Brent (uncredited)
Vince Deadrick Sr. Vince Deadrick Sr. … Engineer (uncredited)
Louie Elias … Engineer (uncredited)
Dick Geary … Security Guard (uncredited)
Roger Holloway … Lt. Lemli (uncredited)
Jeannie Malone … Yeoman (uncredited)
Eddie Paskey … Lieutenant Leslie (uncredited)

Eric Clapton – After Midnight ….Under The Covers Tuesday

We had Cream not long ago so we will progress to Eric today. I will say I did like Eric more with Cream.

This song was not an Eric Clapton-written song…it was written by the great J.J. Cale. Cale seemed to have an aversion to fame but he was thankful to hear Eric cover his song at the time. He said “I was dirt poor, not making enough to eat and I wasn’t a young man. I was in my thirties, so I was very happy. It was nice to make some money.”

It was a much-needed windfall to an artist struggling in obscurity, and already into his 30s. He landed a deal on Leon Russell and Denny Cordell’s Shelter label and thought he had finished recording his first album for them, Naturally, when Cordell suggested he revisit this composition and share its limelight. When his album Naturally came out in 1971 it got played thanks in part to Clapton covering this song a year before.

J.J. Cale’s version of After Midnight on the album peaked at #42 on the Billboard 100 and I could not find it charting in Canada. His song Crazy Mama peaked at #22 on the Billboard 100.

After Midnight was on Clapton’s self-titled debut album released in 1970. The album had some Clapton classics on it. Blues Power, After Midnight, and Let It Rain. The producer was Delaney Bramlett of the band Bonnie and Delaney that Clapton and George Harrison had played and toured with off and on. I like the album although I think it does sound a bit thin…no fault of Clapton.

The song peaked at #18 on the Billboard 100, #10 in Canada, and #17 in New Zealand in 1970.

Clapton released another, more mellow version of “After Midnight” in 1988 on his greatest hits compilation Crossroads. It was released as a single but did not chart. This 1988 version was used in commercials for Michelob beer. It’s odd that he would let them use it since he was in rehab in 1987 to get off of alcohol. Which to his credit he has supposedly been off of it since.

Eric Clapton: “I wanted to go in the other direction and try to find a way to make it minimal, but still have a great deal of substance,” he told NPR. “That was the essence of J.J.’s music to me, apart from the fact that he summed up so many of the different essences of American music: rock and jazz and folk, blues. He just seemed to have an understanding of it all.”

After Midnight

After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down
After midnight, we’re gonna chug-a-lug and shout
We’re gonna stimulate some action
We’re gonna get some satisfaction
We’re gonna find out what it is all about
After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down

After midnight, we’re gonna shake your tambourine
After midnight, it’s all gonna be peaches and cream
We’re gonna cause talk and suspicion
We’re gonna give an exhibition
We’re gonna find out what it is all about
After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down

After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down

After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down
After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down
After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down
After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down

Rivieras – California Sun

If you are interested…Dave at A Sound Day posted an article I wrote on the Replacements.

This was garage band rock and roll at its best. It’s hard not to feel good when this song comes on the radio. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard 100, #3 in Canada (CHUM), and #6 in New Zealand in 1964. It’s one of those songs that just make you feel good.

Now…is this band from sunny California? No…not even close. They are from South Bend Indiana. They were a garage band and the members all went to South Bend Indiana Central High School in the early sixties. They were originally called the Playmates but alas…there was another band in the area with the same name. They ended up naming themselves after the Buick Riviera.

The song was written by Henry Glover and recorded first by Joe Jones and his version made it to #89 on the Billboard Charts. Instead of guitars, Joe Jones’s version used horns. It’s also been covered by The Ramones, The Beach Boys, Frankie Avalon, The Shondells, and dozens more.

Marty “Bo” Fortson left shortly after this single came out to join the Marines and go off to Vietnam. The other band members dropped out one by one under pressure from their parents to go on to college and stop playing this rock ‘n’ roll.

The song was written by Hendry Glover. Glover was a producer for an independent record label King Records. At one time, record mogul Morris Levy of Roulette Records was listed as a co-writer but that got taken off. Levy was the founder and owner of Roulette Records, which had known ties to the mafia. After the Jones version failed to gain popularity the Rivieras ran with it.

The Ramones covered this one as well.

California Sun

Well I’m going out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long

Where I’ll walk
And they walk
I’ll twist
And they twist
And I’ll shimmy
And they shimmy
And I’ll fly
And they fly
Where they’re out there having fun
In the warm California sun

Well, I’m going out west
Out on the coast
Where the California girls
Are really the most

And I’ll walk
And they walk
I’ll twist
And they twist
And I’ll shimmy
And they shimmy
And I’ll fly
And they fly
Where they’re out there having fun
In the warm California sun

Well, the girls are frisky
In old ‘Frisco
A pretty little chick
Wherever you go

And I’ll walk
And they walk
I’ll twist
And they twist
And I’ll shimmy
And they shimmy
And I’ll fly
And they fly
Where they’re out there having fun
In the warm California sun
Where they’re out there having fun
In the warm California sun

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Please Read the Letter

I saw Alison Krauss with Union Station in Franklin Tennessee in the 1990s. I never knew she was that good of a musician. Her voice was great as well and I wasn’t a fan when I was given the tickets…but I was after I saw her.

Since the first time I heard this song…I loved it. It’s put together so well and Plants and Krauss harmonize beautifully. Please Read The Letter was originally off the Walking Into Clarksdale album by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. The song was written by Charlie Jones, Michael Lee, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant.

I listened to the Page and Plant version…it just didn’t have the magic that the Krauss version did. I usually go with the loud guitar but not in this case. Plant and Alison Krauss met at a tribute concert to Leadbelly, and decided to collaborate. They made an album together in 2007 called Raising Sand. The album featured production by T-Bone Burnett and songwriting by Plant, Tom Waits, Sam Phillips, Townes Van Zandt, and Gene Clark among others.

This version peaked at #20 in the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and #102 in the UK in 2009. I like the original version but Krauss’s harmony lifts this version up over that and turns into a great record. The arrangement of this version highlights the lyrics and enhances the song. I was hooked at the first listen.

Raising Sand won The Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2009. The song was off of the Raising Sand album. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Album Charts, #5 in Canada (The Canada peak number I’m not sure about), #2 in the UK, #3 in New Zealand in 2007-08.

The follow-up album was released in 2021 and it’s called Raise The Roof.

Robert Plant: “When we started this project together, the whole game was a mystery. We gave ourselves three days, and we said if it doesn’t work, we’ll just take lunch, and I’ll go back to Wolverhampton. But we brought this song out and it’s been given that Nashville touch and it feels pretty good.”

Page and Plant’s version

Please Read the Letter

Caught out running
With just a little too much to hide
Maybe baby
Everything’s gonna turn out fine
Please read the letter
I mailed it to your door
It’s crazy how it all turned out
We needed so much more

Too late, too late
A fool could read the signs
Maybe baby
You’d better check between the lines
Please read the letter, I
Wrote it in my sleep
With help and consultation from
The angels of the deep

Once I stood beside a well of many words
My house was full of rings and
Charms and pretty birds
Please understand me, my
Walls come falling down
There’s nothing here that’s left for you
But check with lost and found

Please read the letter that I wrote
Please read the letter that I wrote

One more song just before we go
Remember baby
All the things
We used to know
Please read my letter
And promise you’ll keep
The secrets and the memories and
Cherish in the deep

Ah…

Please read the letter that I wrote
Please read the letter that I wrote
Please read the letter that I wrote

Star Trek – And the Children Shall Lead

★★ October 11, 1968 Season 3 Episode 4

If you want to see where we are…and you missed a few…HERE is a list of the episodes in my index located at the top of my blog.

This show was written by Gene Roddenberry, Edward J. Lakso, and Arthur H. Singer

Walter Koenig was not happy about this episode. While he felt that the episode was very poor overall, his biggest complaint was the casting of noted criminal attorney Melvin Belli as Gorgan, firstly because it severely undermined the main villain, and secondly, because he considered it an act of stunt casting which had robbed professional actors from a potential job. Belli’s son played one of the children…Stevie.

Have you ever seen Children of the Corn? There is a little of that feeling in this. The Enterprise comes to an outpost to check on the Starnes Exploration Party and finds that all the adults committed suicide. All that remains are the kids, who oddly seem quite happy and indifferent to the deaths. So, despite all the warning signs that there is a major problem, the kids are taken back to the ship where they unleash their reign of terror after a little bit.

Something has been influencing them since they were on the planet. The something was an evil presence named Gorgan. The Starnes Exploration Party accidentally released Gorgan from his cave. He used the party’s children to evoke the fears of the adults, eventually rendering the adults mentally unstable and driving them to commit mass suicide. He manipulated the children to follow him in his quest of conquering the universe.

While this episode might have been poor, it is written with a decent understanding of how children can resent their parents and deal with grief through denial. That’s about the best thing I can say about it. After the kids use Gorgan’s power to manipulate the crew…Kirk talks to the kids to make them understand they have been used.

From IMDB:

This was lawyer Melvin Belli’s (Gorgan) first time playing a fictional character. His son Melvin Caesar Belli plays one of the children (Stevie).

Leonard Nimoy explained that when he complained about the script to Fred Freiberger, Freiberger said, “This script is going to be what ‘Miri’ should have been”. Nimoy objected, calling Star Trek: The Original Series: Miri (1966) a beautiful, well-acted story, and felt that Freiberger’s comments were as much as saying, “‘Miri’ was a piece of trash”.

This is the only episode of the original series in which we see the fully fledged United Federation of Planets flag. Previous appearances, such as Star Trek: The Original Series: The Menagerie: Part II (1966), simply used the pre-existing United Nations flag.

During one scene on the bridge, Kirk tries to give orders to Leslie, but his words are garbled. If the audio for this scene is played in reverse, Kirk can be heard to say, “Remove Lieutenant Uhura and Mr. Spock from the bridge. Confine them to quarters. Did you hear me? Take Mr. Sulu to his quarters. He’s relieved of duty. Remove Lieutenant Uhura and Mr. Spock from the bridge. Confine them to quarters. Take Mr. Sulu to his quarters, I said. (garbled) Mr. Spock from the bridge. Confine him to quarters. Mr. Leslie, take Mr. Sulu to his quarters. He’s relieved of duty.”

Producer Fred Freiberger hoped that the presence of Melvin Belli would boost ratings. This plan failed and Freiberger realized it would have been more appropriate to cast an actor in the role.

Actor Craig Hundley also made a musical contribution to “Star Trek.” Under the name Craig Huxley, he invented the Blaster Beam, an 18 foot long aluminum bar strung with piano wire and played with artillery shells. The instrument’s distinctive metallic twang was used to represent V’Ger on Jerry Goldsmith’s soundtrack to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). James Horner used it as well for his “Star Trek” soundtracks, and Huxley composed “Genesis Project” for the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) soundtrack.

Craig Huxley (Tommy Starnes) previously appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series: Operation — Annihilate! (1967) as Kirk’s nephew Peter.

In James Blish’s novelization, Sulu is terrified by the sight of missiles on the view-screen, not swords. More interestingly, the children sing spells to cause havoc among the crew rather than making the fist-pumping gesture which has earned a lot of ridicule among fans.

It is never explained how Kirk knew to refer to the Friendly Angel as “Gorgan”. Based on early drafts of the script, and in a bit of sloppy editing, episode writer Edward J. Lakso alternated between the various names, explaining why it appeared and stuck so late in the episode. A deleted scene had revealed that Tommy did tell Kirk the name. However, this scene took place in the script after Kirk had used the name.

The title paraphrases the last line of Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

Raymond Burr was the director’s, and several of the main cast’s, original choice to play Gorgan. However, he was either unavailable/too expensive/not interested or the director was overruled by the producers (depending on the source).

Professor Starnes and the other male colonists wore jumpsuits left over from Star Trek: The Original Series: The Devil in the Dark (1967), which were reused many times during the series.

The name on one of the tombstones of the parents is “Tsing Tao” which is the name of a city in China, now written as Qingdao. Tsingtao beer was originated there.

The mirror in which Uhura sees her aged reflection at the communications station is never used in any other episode. Of course, like Uhura’s reflection, the mirror itself may have been an illusion created by the children.

All eight major regular performers of the second and third seasons – Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, Chapel, and Chekov – appear in this episode.

A female Expedition Party member wore Martha Leighton’s costume from Star Trek: The Original Series: The Conscience of the King (1966).

This episode borrows elements and concepts from several sources, including Greek mythology (Gorgan), the Old Testament (the Book of Isaiah), and puritanical/colonial witchery (the incantations). It also has a similar plot to the first-season episode Star Trek: The Original Series: Charlie X (1966).

The arboretum set was originally built for Star Trek: The Original Series: Elaan of Troyius (1968), but became a deleted scene due to time constraints. It was later modified for the arboretum that appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series: Is There in Truth No Beauty? (1968).

This episode is the first appearance of the set piece depicting the entrance to the Gorgan’s cave. It would be seen again in many third season episodes, including Star Trek: The Original Series: Spock’s Brain (1968), Star Trek: The Original Series: The Cloud Minders (1969), Star Trek: The Original Series: All Our Yesterdays (1969), and Star Trek: The Original Series: That Which Survives (1969).

The dress worn by the one of the female members of the Starnes Expedition Party was also created by William Ware Theiss, and was previously worn by Janet Wallace in Star Trek: The Original Series: The Deadly Years (1967). ) In fact, both costumes worn by Wallace can be seen in this episode, one worn by Don Linden’s mother and the other worn by an unnamed woman (who commits suicide in the teaser).

Pamelyn Ferdin and Brian Tochi would later co-star on the live-action children’s science fiction TV series Space Academy (1977), which was developed out of a rejected concept for Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) and starred ‘Lost in Space’ (1965) veteran Jonathan Harris.

This episode was the twenty-sixth remastered episode of the The Original Series to air. It premiered in syndication the weekend of 14 April 2007 and, aside from the standard CGI replacement footage of the Enterprise, this episode most notably featured new effects shots of the planet Triacus.

Kirk’s request for “a very small” dish of ice cream, which he never actually eats, may have been a reference to the fact that William Shatner had put on considerable weight between seasons 2 and 3. According to producer Robert Justman, Shatner was invited to see the rushes (raw footage) from the first day of photography for “Spectre of the Gun.” He was aghast at how he looked on screen and immediately went on a crash diet.

Cameo
Chad Everett: uncredited as the crewman in Auxiliary Control who helps Scotty fight off Kirk and Spock.

Summary

The Enterprise responds to a distress call from the scientific colony on Triacus and arrives to find that all of the adults are dead. Oddly, the children seem unaffected by the deaths and continue to play as if nothing had happened. When questioned, they show no remorse whatsoever and express a dislike for parental authority. Expedition logs reveal that the expedition had discovered an ancient civilization and that there might be one survivor. In fact, the Gorgon thrives on the innocence of the children and the adults’ self-doubt.

CAST

William Shatner … Captain James Tiberius ‘Jim’ Kirk
Leonard Nimoy … Mister Spock
DeForest Kelley … Dr. McCoy
Craig Huxley … Tommy Starnes (as Craig Hundley)
James Wellman … Professor Starnes
Melvin Belli … Gorgan
James Doohan … Scott
Majel Barrett … Nurse Chapel
Nichelle Nichols … Uhura
George Takei … Sulu
Walter Koenig … Chekov
Pamelyn Ferdin … Mary
Melvin Caesar Belli … Steve (as Caesar Belli)
Mark Robert Brown … Don
Brian Tochi … Ray
Louie Elias … 1st Technician (as Lou Elias)
Paul Baxley … Security Guard (uncredited)
Bill Blackburn … Lieutenant Hadley (uncredited)
Frank da Vinci … Transporter Operator (uncredited)
Dick Dial … Security Guard (uncredited)
Roger Holloway … Lt. Lemli (uncredited)
Jay D. Jones … 2nd Technician (uncredited)
Jeannie Malone … Yeoman (uncredited)
Eddie Paskey … Lieutenant Leslie (uncredited)
Leslie Carol Shatner Leslie Carol Shatner … Child (uncredited)
Victor Toyota … Tsing Tao (uncredited)

Dave Edmunds – From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)

When CB and I did the Dave Edmunds post a few weeks ago I had a couple of sentences about this one but I knew…I wanted to dive deeper. It’s such a likable song from the first time you hear it.

Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded this song during the 1979 River sessions. Bruce didn’t release it though until 2003 on the bonus disc of The Essential Bruce Springsteen. He would meet Edmunds in 1981 and give him the song (see long Dave Edmunds quote at the bottom…it’s well worth the read). Bruce described the song to Dave like this… “This is like a Chuck Berry thing that tells a story without repeating any of the lyrics, like The Promised Land.”

Bruce Springsteen and Dave Edmunds

You couldn’t have written a better song for Dave Edmunds. As Dave says…it was perfect for him. Edmunds released the song in 1982. The song peaked at #28 in the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts and #15 in Sweden.

On July 4, 1981, Bruce Springsteen was playing at Wembley Stadium and Dave Edmunds went backstage. He wasn’t sure if Bruce would know who he was but of course, he did along with the E Street Band. Instead of me paraphrasing what he said…I think Dave should tell the story…not me.

Dave Edmunds: I’d never met Bruce Springsteen before and had no idea of what he knew about me (except, perhaps, for my recording of ‘I Hear You Knocking’ and a few others). How had he known that I was at the gig? The security guy led me through the backstage area to Bruce’s dressing room, where he was sitting alone. Being careful not to blurt out, “Great show, man!” (you don’t do that), and before either of us could say anything, a noisy E Street Band stormed through making their way towards the hospitality area: “Hi Dave, love your records!” And, “Hi Dave, you’re terrific, man!” – and so on. And off they went.

We talked – about what I don’t recall. He asked me if I’d been recording lately and I said, “No” – “Got anything…?” He strapped on his Fender Esquire and explained, “This is like a Chuck Berry thing that tells a story without repeating any of the lyrics, like The Promised Land.” And he played ‘From Small Things Mama Good Things One Day Come’ (not the snappiest of titles) – from beginning to end. It was perfect for me! “It’s yours, man!”

He hadn’t recorded the song but promised he’d lay down a rough cassette with just guitar and vocal – for me! “Gimme a couple of weeks…,” and I could pick it up at his manager’s office, in New York. In such encounters, such promises can evaporate before you leave the room. The way things worked out, I needed to be in New York a few weeks later, and that’s the truth. I went to his manager’s office and, sure enough, there was a cassette of Bruce’s song, with my name on it, awaiting me. That’s class.

Six months later, midway through a US tour with my band, I was playing at the Peppermint Lounge in Manhattan. Bruce turned up — unannounced and alone but for his Fender Esquire. It was good to see him. He waited patiently in the dressing room until the end of my set, and then (although the audience knew something was cooking) he sauntered onstage — you can imagine. We played a load of Chuck Berry songs and ended with “Small Things.” So, good things one day come.

From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)

At sixteen she quit high school to make her fortune in the promised land
She got a job behind the counter in an all-night hamburger stand
She wrote faithfully home to mama, “Now mama, don’t you worry none
From small things, mama, big things one day come”

It was late one Friday, he pulled in out of the dark
He was tall and handsome, first she took his order then she took his heart
They bought a house up on the hillside where little feet would soon run
From small things, mama, big things one day come

Oh, but love was fleeting
It’s sad but it’s true
When your heart is beating
You don’t want to hear the news

She packed her bags and with a Wyomie County real state man
She drove down to Tampa in an Eldorado Grand
She wrote back, “Dear mama, life is just heaven in the sun
From small things, mama, big things one day come”

Well, she shot him dead
On a sunny Florida road
When they caught her all she said
Was she couldn’t stand the way he drove

Back home, lonesome Johnny waits for his baby’s parole
He waits high on the hillside where the Wyomie rivers roll
At his feet and almost grown now, a blue-eyed daughter and a handsome son
From small things, mama, big things one day come
From small things, mama, big things one day come
Well, from small things, mama, big things one day come

From small things, mama, big things one day come
From small things, mama, big things one day come
Yeah, from small things, mama, big things one day come

Star Trek – The Paradise Syndrome

★★★★ October 4, 1968 Season 3 Episode 3

If you want to see where we are…and you missed a few…HERE is a list of the episodes in my index located at the top of my blog.

This show was written by Gene Roddenberry, Margaret Armen, and Arthur H. Singer

I like this episode. I remembered seeing it and I searched through all of the seasons to find it again. It had been a long time. This movie was Armageddon before the Bruce Willis movie. Oh, and Kirk gets married and seemed ready to settle down…although his memory is gone.

Kirk is missing and presumed lost on a Class M planet after he accidentally falls into an obelisk-shaped alien structure and is hit with a memory beam. He then suffers from amnesia on the planet which is populated by native Indians while Spock and McCoy are forced to abandon their search for the captain for 2 full months! They had to return to the Enterprise to unsuccessfully divert a giant asteroid from destroying the planet where Kirk was lost…that is why they are there. Kirk and McCoy are struck by how much like Earth it is.

When Kirk vanished Spock told McCoy they had to beam back up to the Enterprise. McCoy argued about leaving the Captain there but Spock slowly explained to the Doctor that if they cannot divert that asteroid…there would be no planet to search. The asteroid was 2 months away but they had to go to a certain spot to divert it there…they couldn’t divert it when it was close.

When Kirk regains consciousness and walks out of the alien obelisk, he is seen by Miramanee, a native Indian woman who thinks he is a god. Kirk then promptly saves the life of a drowning child thus instantly becoming the native Indian’s new medicine chief Kirok. However, he makes an enemy, the former medicine man (Sallish), and has to deal with that throughout the episode. Shatner did a good job of acting here…he seems nonstressed compared to his regular job…of course, he cannot remember what that job is.

The theme in this one involves placing Kirk in a scenario completely divorced from his usual duties and watching his other true self emerge…the gentle, unhampered Kirk existing with the Indians. Miramanee and Kirk fall for each other and got married. The episode is beautiful, and the fact that Miramanee carried Kirk’s baby is a bit shocking even today. Certainly, it had to be powerful stuff back in 1960s television. It was touchingly and sensitively acted by William Shatner.

It’s the action of Spock aboard the Enterprise that grounds this episode back to Star Trek reality. He has to come up with a way to deflect a moon-sized asteroid from obliterating the Indian home planet while pushing the Enterprise to its physical limits. All the while…Spock is studying the obelisk.

They do make it back to the planet and just in the nick of time. Kirk and Miramanee are getting stoned to death because of Sallish..after Kirk is slashed and bleeding. Gods don’t bleed.

This is an odd…but very good episode…one of the best ones of the third season. Just a side note…everytime Kirk is missing and Spock takes over…McCoy gives him hell over every decision. I think sometimes the writers went overboard on that. Sometimes the Doctor is not mean but cruel to Spock.

From IMDB:

The obelisk in this episode, constructed at Franklin Lake in the Franklin Canyon Reservoir above Beverly Hills, was erected in the same spot where Opie Taylor throws a rock into the lake during the opening credits of The Andy Griffith Show (1960).

The only episode in Season 3 to be filmed on location and not entirely in the studio.

Only in this episode do we see the ship firing its gold deflector beam.

After living on the planet Kirk’s sideburns lose their distinctive pointed ends and become squared off. This was done to emphasize the passage of time and to show Kirk was becoming assimilated to his new life.

The characters on the asteroid-destroying Obelisk are the basis of the alphabet and characters used by the Predators of the Alien-versus-Predator movie franchise.

During the first attempt to deflect the asteroid, a rare top shot of the Enterprise is shown, first used in the Star Trek: The Original Series: The Changeling (1967).

Paradise Syndrome – though not officially recognized as a mental condition by psychologists – is a term conferred upon those who feel dissatisfied despite having achieved all their dreams. Here it is used merely to describe someone who is overworked and needing a break – whether ostensibly Captain Kirk or, obliquely, series creator Gene Roddenberry.

Although not mentioned on screen, the planet was rather unsubtly called “Amerind” in the script.

This episode takes place over the course of approximately two months.

The first Star Trek production to feature Native American Indian culture as a key plot element. Other examples are Star Trek: The Animated Series: How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth (1974), Star Trek: The Next Generation: Journey’s End (1994), and several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

This is one of very few occasions where Nurse Chapel is beamed/transported down to a planet surface.

This takes place in 2268.

The Native Americans depicted display none of the cultural elements of the tribes mentioned (Navajo, Delaware, Mohican). The houses are tipis, used by plains peoples. The clothing bears no resemblance to actual Native American clothes, and the names of the characters match no Native naming styles. Also, the Navajo were not peaceful. They were very fierce warriors, as were the Mohican. The Delaware were not called “Delaware,” but rather, were the Lenne Lenape.

During the love scene where Miramanee tells Kirk she’s pregnant, a fly lands on Kirk’s face for several seconds.

Dr. McCoy comments about the “Preservers” that he had always wondered about why there were so many humanoid races. In Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Chase (1993), the question is answered in a slightly different way.

When the Enterprise engines burn out, Mr. Scott laments, “my bairns, my poor bairns”. This is Scottish/English meaning “my poor children”.

Summary

Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to a planet that is in the path on an oncoming meteor. They find an idyllic place that is very similar to Earth and whose population is virtually identical to North American Natives. Their visit is meant to be a short one since their mission is to deflect the meteor, still several months away. Before they can return to the ship, Kirk disappears and loses his memory in an accident, forcing Spock to take command of the Enterprise and to leave him behind. On the planet, Kirk is treated like a god when they see him emerge from an obelisk that is actually a deflector beam (which no one remembers how to use, however). When the Enterprise fails to deflect the meteor, they return to the planet only hours before the annihilating meteor’s arrival.

Youtube…has got to the point where any video I try to post has an age restriction if someone slaps someone on the back…youtube blocks me from posting it. So…if there is any action going on…you can forget it. I found the one below that actually allowed me to post it.

CAST

William Shatner … Captain James Tiberius ‘Jim’ Kirk
Leonard Nimoy … Mister Spock
DeForest Kelley … Dr. McCoy
Sabrina Scharf … Miramanee
Rudy Solari … Sallish
James Doohan … Scott
George Takei … Sulu
Walter Koenig … Chekov
Richard Hale … Goro
Majel Barrett … Nurse Chapel
Naomi Newman … Indian Woman (as Naomi Pollack)
John Lindesmith … Engineer
Peter Virgo Jr. … Warrior
Lamont Laird … Indian Boy
Bill Blackburn … Lieutenant Hadley (uncredited)
Roger Holloway … Lt. Lemli (uncredited)
Foster Hood … Indian (uncredited)
Jeannie Malone … Yeoman (uncredited)
Nichelle Nichols … Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (archive footage) (uncredited)
Vincent St. Cyr … Father of Drowning Boy (uncredited)

Left Banke – Walk Away Renée ….Power Pop Friday

I have always liked this song. This was baroque pop at its finest. Baroque pop combines pop with classical music. Some other examples would be As Tears Go By by the Stones, Yesterday by the Beatles, and She’s Not There by the Zombies. There is also a genre called Barogue Rock.

It peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100 and #3 in Canada. The song is constructed so well and has influenced countless artists. They did have one more top twenty hit in 1967 with Pretty Ballerina. The band helped start “baroque & roll” because of the classical arrangements and melodies.

Michael Brown wrote the song but the band fought constantly so after the success of the single Brown was putting together a new Left Banke to tour that included Michael McKean (Lavergne and Shirley and Spinal Tap) on guitar but that didn’t last long.

The original band regrouped in 1967 and recorded a song but then broke up for good. Walk Away Renee was written by band member Michael Brown, who was 16 at the time, with help from his friends Bob Calilli and Tony Sansone. Brown wrote it after meeting Renee Fladen, the girlfriend of the band’s bass player.

Renee Fladen was in the control room when Michael Brown tried to record his harpsichord part. He later said in an interview that he was so nervous trying to play with the beautiful Renee present that his hands were shaking. In the end, he gave up and returned later when he recorded it without any problem.

The line “Just walk away Renee” is often misinterpreted as “Don’t walk away Renee.” The singer has decided that Renee will never return his affections and is better off with her out of his life.

Walk Away Renée

And when I see the sign that points one way
The lot we used to pass by every day

Just walk away Renee
You won’t see me follow you back home
The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same
You’re not to blame

From deep inside the tears that I’m forced to cry
From deep inside the pain that I chose to hide

Just walk away Renee
You won’t see me follow you back home
Now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes
For me it cries

Your name and mine inside a heart upon a wall
Still finds a way to haunt me, though they’re so small

Just walk away Renee
You won’t see me follow you back home
The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same
You’re not to blame

Donovan – Season of the Witch

I’ve always liked the groove of this song. Season of the Witch was released in 1966 on the Sunshine Superman Album but not as a single. It remains one of Donovan’s (Donovan Leitch) most well-known songs. The song has been covered many times and often bands start the song and draw it out to a jam.

In 1966 bands were releasing songs about drugs at this time. The Beatles had Dr. Robert and The Stones released Mother’s Little Helper. Season Of The Witch was recorded in Hollywood and clocked in at 5 minutes. He played it with Bobby Ray (bass) and “Fast” Eddy Hoh, although the electric guitar work has been credited by fans to Jimmy Page, who worked on the album. (The Hollywood session notes do not indicate Jimmy Page or John Paul Jones were present.) The organist is unidentified.

It has a spooky feeling to it. The repetition works nicely and that small riff is driven into your head. I rediscovered the song in 2012 when it was in the animated movie “Paranorman.” The song was written by Donovan and Shawn Phillips.

The song was written in an evening at folk music notable Bert Jansch’s house in north London. John Renbourn showed Donovan a D ninth chord. From that, Donovan built up a riff that, according to the memories of those present, he then played solidly for the next seven hours.

During Led Zeppelin’s soundchecks, they often warmed up by playing this. The song allows for lots of jamming when played live, which makes it a popular cover for many bands.

Donovan: I played a white Fender Telecaster Electric Guitar on “Witch,” chunking down on the chord pattern, wailing a chilling chorus. A major seventh with an open G, to D 9th with a G-flat bass (Bert Jansch chord). The riff is pure feel.

Donovan: “I remember the bass line going down and Mickie saying, ‘We’ve got a problem. The engineers are saying that they can’t turn the bass up.’ I said, Why? They said, ‘Well, it’s going into the red.’ And so he said to the engineers, ‘Look, you go into the red, I’m giving you permission. Go in the red! That’s the bass sound I want. Very, very loud.’ And they said, ‘Well, we’ll have to have a meeting.’ So they went upstairs and had a meeting about whether the bass should go into the red. And they came down, they said, ‘No, I’m sorry, the equipment can’t stand it.’ So Mickie Most said, ‘Look, I’ve just made a record deal with your boss Clive Davis for $5 million and seven bands. And he’s given me $1m right now. So do you think if I phone him up, you’d give me a little bit more bass?’ And they looked at each other, and immediately realized that their jobs were on the line. They said, ‘OK, you’ve got more bass.’ We got more bass the needle went into the red, the equipment didn’t blow up. I guess next time they made that needle, they did that thing by just moving the red bit a bit farther to the right, like in Spinal Tap: ‘My amp goes up to 11!'”

Season of the Witch

When I look out my window,
Many sights to see.
And when I look in my window,
So many different people to be
That it’s strange, so strange.

You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
Mmm, must be the season of the witch,
Must be the season of the witch, yeah,
Must be the season of the witch.

When I look over my shoulder,
What do you think I see?
Some other cat looking over
His shoulder at me
And he’s strange, sure he’s strange.

You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
Beatniks are out to make it rich,
Oh no, must be the season of the witch,
Must be the season of the witch, yeah,
Must be the season of the witch.

You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
The rabbits running in the ditch,
Beatniks are out to make it rich,
Oh no, must be the season of the witch,
Must be the season of the witch,
Must be the season of the witch.

When I look out my window,
What do you think I see?
And when I look in my window,
So many different people to be
It’s strange, sure is strange.
You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
You’ve got to pick up every stitch,
The rabbits running in the ditch,
Oh no, must be the season of the witch,
Must be the season of the witch, yeah,
Must be the season of the witch.
When I look, when I look.

Max Picks …songs from 1958

1958

Welcome to another edition of Max Picks. We will start it off with Ricky Nelson on a slow note but this song is so haunting to me. Nelson wasn’t always taken seriously because of his acting in his parent’s sitcom Ozzie and Harriet. That’s a shame because he released some top-grade rockabilly songs. Here he is with the ballad Lonesome Town.

As promised…here is more Buddy Holly, his window was short but strong. Buddy’s songs would influence everyone from The Stones, Hollies, Beatles, and more. He also could have unknowingly started the Power Pop genre. His jangly guitar and that voice with the hiccups. I went to the Buddy Holly Broadway show when it toured and stopped in Nashville. I can’t explain in words how a 3 piece band sounded so full with the music he wrote.

Now we have the one and only Chuck Berry weaving his lyrics about a guy who left his home to make it playing guitar. This song IS Rock and Roll and has been played by every self-respecting garage band ever since. It’s also covered by heavy metal, country, pop, and rock bands. I would lay money down that somewhere tonight in some bar somewhere…Johnny B. Goode will be heard.

Link Wray and his Ray Men gave us this instrumental Rumble in 1958. This instrumental was somewhat controversial because it implied gang violence – some radio stations refused to play it. It might be the only instrumental song ever banned on the radio. It was feared that the piece’s harsh sound glorified juvenile delinquency. Did the song cause juvenile delinquency? We can only hope.

Now we will end it with an artist that unfortunately is about to go in the Army at this time. He would never be the same again. Yes, we would get some great songs in his future but Elvis Presley became more of an all-around entertainer after this year. His rock and roll days were going to fall behind for a while when he started to make movies. This is a fantastic song.

…

Star Trek – The Enterprise Incident

★★★★★ September 27, 1968 Season 3 Episode 2

If you want to see where we are…and you missed a few…HERE is a list of the episodes in my index located at the top of my blog.

This show was written by Gene Roddenberry, D.C. Fontana, and Arthur H. Singer

***If you have time please check out my new feature Max Picks coming up right after this.***

This episode is excellent. We are going from a bad episode to one of the best of the 3rd season. The plot was pretty exciting plus it gave Spock a big chance to stretch himself as a character–without McCoy or Shatner tagging along. Also, any episode with the Romulans is great fun, as they were in many ways a more dangerous and more of a foe than the Klingons.

The episode begins with Kirk behaving very erratically. He even orders the ship into Romulan space and nearly starts a war. It seems that the Captain has gone mad and the Romulans take possession of the ship. At the same time, Spock becomes very chummy with the beautiful Romulan commander, a lady who seems determined to have Spock. I’d like to say more, but it really would spoil the suspense. Just let me say that there is a lot more to the story than this and the show is both interesting and keeps you guessing.

The commander charges Kirk with espionage and locks him up… Kirk injures himself whilst trying to escape. The Romulan commander is attracted to Spock and attempts to turn him. Everyone aboard the Enterprise thinks Spock is a trader and you are wondering while watching. Spock gives Kirk a “Vulcan Death Grip” ostensibly to kill him.

This is one of the best episodes from the 3rd season. It exploits the rivalry between the Romulans and the Federation, and it has some of the best acting of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy combined with a compelling and unpredictable storyline. I also liked the cool and controlled Joanne Linville as the Romulan Commander who never raises her voice, even when she condemns Captain Kirk to death.

From IMDB:

This episode is the first to feature a female starship commander.

The Romulan cloaking device prop was created using the Sargon globe (Star Trek: The Original Series: Return to Tomorrow (1968)) and portions of the Nomad probe (Star Trek: The Original Series: The Changeling (1967)).

First broadcast episode of TOS to feature the D7 Klingon battle cruisers. Although the episode Star Trek: The Original Series: Elaan of Troyius (1968) was produced three months before this episode, and technically the first to feature the D7s, this episode was aired on television first, since NBC changed the airing order for all the episodes. For the Remastered series in 2006, digital shots of the D7s were inserted into scenes in the episode Star Trek: The Original Series: Errand of Mercy (1967), which now officially makes that episode to be the first to have the D7s.

D.C. Fontana’s initial inspiration for this story and its title was the Pueblo incident which involved the capture of an American intelligence gathering ship, the USS Pueblo (AGER-2), by North Korean forces during the Vietnam War. North Korea claimed, without evidence, the ship had violated its territorial waters. The incident occurred on January 23, 1968, just two months before Fontana completed her first draft story outline. Although the crew was released after nearly a year, NK still maintains possession of the vessel as a “war trophy”.

This was the last live-action appearance of the Romulans in the “Star Trek” franchise until Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Neutral Zone (1988) 20 years later.

In the opening segment, in regard to the enemy vessels, Spock declares “Romulans now using Klingon design!” Several explanations/theories have been advanced as to why the Romulans use Klingon ships. The real reason is simply because the original Romulan model ship was gone. Non-union, independent creative designer Wah Chang designed and built the original Romulan Bird of Prey model for Star Trek: The Original Series: Balance of Terror (1966). He is also the creator of several iconic Trek costumes and props, including the communicator, original phaser, salt vampires, and tribbles, to name a few of his contributions to the show.

After “Balance of Terror”, the model Bird of Prey was returned to Chang, per his contract, but he eventually disposed of it as he had limited storage and there was never any contractual obligations with CBS to retain it. However, either through poor planning or poor communication or both, season three’s “Enterprise Incident” production staff, expecting to re-use the season one Romulan model, learned from Chang that it was gone. The decision was made to modify the story to use only Klingon model ships, which were kept by the studio, although in recent airings one of the three ships appears to be the original Romulan model. Asking Chang to construct a new Romulan model ship would have been prohibitively costly. Economically, switching to Klingon vessels was the obvious solution.

The Walter M. Jefferies-designed Romulan symbol, composed of a yellow hexagon in the center with three colored spokes coming out of it, can be seen outside the commander’s quarters, above her door. This symbol never appears again in any Star Trek series or movie.

One of the few episodes that opens with McCoy making entries in his medical log.

Jack Donner, who played The Romulan Sub-Commander Tal, was one of only three actors to appear in both the original series and in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001). The others are Joseph Ruskin and Clint Howard.

The Romulans use Klingon disruptor pistols.

Spock scans space out to one-half parsec and says that there are no ships present. As the Enterprise enters the Neutral Zone, Romulan ships appear from nowhere. Later, Spock says that the Romulans must have invented a cloaking device, but they already knew the Romulans had one as they witnessed it in use in Star Trek: The Original Series: Balance of Terror (1966), and their whole mission is to obtain that cloaking device.

In Star Trek: The Original Series: Balance of Terror (1966), the Romulan ship only had simple impulse engines. In this episode, the Romulan ship is capable of going faster than Warp 9 – a major upgrade in capability for such a short time.

Joanne Linville’s Romulan Commander is given the name Dion Charvon in a 1977 Star Trek novel called “The Price of the Phoenix”, by Myrna Culbreath and Sondra Marshak. In the 1999 novel “Vulcan’s Heart” by Josepha Sherman, her name is given as Liviana Charvanek. It’s not clear if either novel is “canonical” but Liviana Charvanek seems to have higher authority and credibility. In addition, Diane Duane’s 1984 novel “My Enemy, My Ally” states that the commander had her name stripped from her because of the events of this episode, and introduces the commander’s aunt, Ael t’Rllaillieu.

This episode takes place in 2268.

One of the most famous lines from this episode is “There’s no such thing as a Vulcan death grip.” In Peter David’s ‘New Frontier’ series, Soleta, a Vulcan, kills a Romulan guard with what she calls the Vulcan death grip. When another character says there’s no such thing as a Vulcan death grip, Soleta glances at the body, and then replies, “There is now.”

During Spock and the Romulan Commanders romantic moment she clearly smears the makeup on Spock’s face

The drink that Spock and the Romulan commander are drinking is very similar to Tranya.

When Spock and Kirk are about to transport over to the Romulan ship, they step onto two of the transport pads. How would they know which pads to step onto as the two Romulans transport over to the Enterprise at the exact same time.

Summary

The Enterprise deliberately crosses the Neutral Zone, on Kirk’s orders, into Romulan space and is promptly surrounded by Romulan warships, each equipped with a “cloaking device” that renders it undetectable. Spock betrays the apparently irrational and paranoid Kirk to the Romulan commander, a woman who is obviously attracted to Spock. A deadly game between Kirk, Spock and the Romulans risks not only the Enterprise but the tenuous cease-fire between the Romulans and the Federation.

CAST

William Shatner … Captain James Tiberius ‘Jim’ Kirk
Leonard Nimoy … Mister Spock
DeForest Kelley … Dr. McCoy
Joanne Linville … Romulan Commander
Jack Donner … Tal
James Doohan … Scott
Nichelle Nichols … Uhura
George Takei … Sulu
Walter Koenig … Chekov
Majel Barrett … Nurse Chapel
Richard Compton … Technical Officer
Mike Howden … Romulan Guard
Gordon Coffey … Romulan Soldier
Roger Holloway … Lt. Lemli (uncredited)
Eddie Paskey … Lieutenant Leslie (uncredited)

James Brown – Living In America

4th of July memories… I have a few but one of the many stupid things I remember is my sister (who is 8 years older) and I would chase each other around with Roman Candles on the 4th of July.

These fabulous weapons of destruction shot out fireballs and sometimes I landed a great shot. I was 8-10 years old and harder to hit. By some miracle, we were never hurt…bad anyway. Scorch marks yea…but we kept all of our limbs. Sorry…now to the song.

I first heard this song in Rocky IV. It was good to see Brown have a hit song. Living In America was released in December of 1985 and was his first Billboard charting song since 1976. The horns on this song sound incredible. They were called The Uptown Horns who also backed The J. Geils band on the Freeze Frame album and The B-52’s on Love Shack.

This was written by Dan Hartman (“I Can Dream About You”) and Charles Midnight. The song won the 1986 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance. The song was a huge hit. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard 100, #5 in Canada, #5 in New Zealand, and #5 in the UK in 1986. The song blends elements of soul, funk, and R&B.

When I saw the lead guitar player on this song I was stunned because I’d never heard of him playing on this. The guitar player was Stevie Ray Vaughan and this was around the time when his career was really taking off. He finished up playing on David Bowie’s album Lets Dance just a couple of years before.

The song’s co-writer Dan Hartman later included his recording of the song on his 1994 album Keep the Fire Burnin’.

Living In America

Yeah, uh
Get up, ow
Ow
Knock it out this
Woo

Super highways, coast to coast
Easy to get anywhere
On the transcontinental overload
Just slide behind the wheel
How does it feel

When there’s no destination that’s too far?
And somewhere on the way you might find out who you are, woo

Living in America (ow)
Eye to eye, station to station
Living in America
Hand in hand, across the nation
Living in America
Got to have a celebration

Rock my soul, huh, ow, huh

Smokestack, fatback
Many miles of railroad track
All night radio, keep on runnin’
Through your rock ‘n’ roll soul
All night diners keep you awake
On black coffee and a hard roll, woo

You might have to walk a fine line (say it)
You might take the hard line
But everybody’s workin’ overtime

Living in America (huh)
Eye to eye, station to station
Living in America
Hand in hand, across the nation
Living in America
Yeah, got to have a celebration, woo

I (I) live in America
Say it loud
I live in America
Wait a minute

You may not be lookin’ for the promised land
But you might find it anyway
Under one of those old familiar names
Like New Orleans (New Orleans), Detroit City (Detroit City)
Dallas, uh (Dallas), Pittsburgh, PA, (Pittsburgh, PA)
New York City (New York City), Kansas City (Kansas City)
Atlanta, woo (Atlanta), Chicago and L.A.

Living in America
Hit me
Living in America, yeah
I walked in and out
Living in America

I live in America
Say it loud, It’ll make you proud, uh
Said, I live in America
Hey, I know what it means, ah

Living in America
Eddie Murphy, eat your heart out

To the bridge, ay

Living in America
Hit me
I said now, eye to eye
Station to station
Living in America
Oh, so nice with your bad self (uh)
Living in America
Whoa, I feel good

Jimi Hendrix – The Star Spangled Banner

Happy Independence Day! Hendrix did a great version of The Star Spangled Banner in my opinion. He had served as a paratrooper in the Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Clarksville Tennessee in the early 60s.

Yes, this is my favorite version of the song. The poem that formed the basis of the lyrics was penned in 1814 during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer who was sent to negotiate with the British in an attempt to gain the release of an American prisoner they were holding.

Later, Key watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship he was on. The next morning he saw the Americans take down the battle-torn US flag at the fort and replace it with a larger one.

Key’s poem was published on September 17, 1814, the day after he returned to Baltimore. The poem was sung to the music of a popular British drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven, ” attributed to John Stafford Smith.

Any time someone does an unusual approach to this song…there is always a lot of complaining from people. Once when Jose Feliciano did the song in Game 5 of the MLB World Series in 1968 on guitar and singing…all hell broke loose. Some listeners thought he had “desecrated” and disrespected the national anthem but when asked about it, Feliciano explained that the reason he offered a non-traditional rendition of the anthem was to get people to pay attention to it. It was a great version of the song.

Hendrix took the stage at Woodstock at 8am…only around 30,000 were left out of the huge crowd there. He had been warned not to do the anthem when he toured but did it anyway. He even recorded a studio version and after his death, the takes were put together and released but the Woodstock performance is the one that is best known. What amazes me is when he is imitating bombs dropping…he suddenly goes right back in on time and doesn’t miss a lick.

He didn’t get as much flack as Feliciano did…I think because it wasn’t on prime time during a World Series.

Staple Singers – I’ll Take You There

It doesn’t get better than this. I was very fortunate to see Mavis Staples in 2016 open up for Bob Dylan. She was open to the audience and told us that she dated “Bobby” back in the day and thought the world of him. It was a typical hot humid June day in Nashville at a now-defunct amphitheater. She commanded the stage and that voice filled the summer air.

Dylan and Staples first got together during the Newport Folk Festival, possibly in 1963 — though the year was not mentioned. The festival was held annually from 1959 to 1969, barring two years of inactivity in 1961 and 1962. Mavis Staples said, “We would write letters back and forth because we wouldn’t see each other until we were on a festival together. And we’d smooch!”

It has been said that Dylan proposed to Mavis back in 1963. She turned him down because she thought she was too young. Mavis Staple recently said: “I often think about what would have happened if I’d married Bobby, though. If we’d had some little plum-crushers, how our lives would be. The kids would be singing now, and Bobby and I would be holding each other up.”

This song sounds spiritual and very close to a gospel song. There is a reason for that…it came out of a tragic event. Al Bell wrote the song. He signed the band to Stax Records and was an executive and co-owner of Stax Records. His little brother was shot and killed. After returning from the funeral he wrote this song. He said “I went out in the backyard in my father’s home. He had an old school bus there parked that was not running. I went back there and sat on the hood of that bus thinking about all that was happening. And all of a sudden, I hear this music in my head. And I heard these lyrics: ‘I know a place, ain’t nobody worried, ain’t nobody crying, and ain’t no smiling faces lying to the races, I’ll take you there.’ I heard it, and I heard the music. And it wouldn’t leave, it stayed there. kept trying to write other verses, but I couldn’t. Nothing worked – there was nothing left to say.”

It’s a beautiful song that builds hope that there is something better will be in the future. The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #20 in the UK, and #21 in Canada. The song was released in 1972 on Stax Records. It surprises me that it didn’t go much higher in the charts.

The first time I noticed who the Staple Singers were…was in the Last Waltz singing a beautiful version of The Weight. I started to look for more by them and I realized this song, which I knew from childhood, was them. That’s how some of us learn about new music…like a giant tree with roots and a lot of musical branches. With me, it started with the Beatles > Dylan > The Band > The Staple Singers. I found most of the music I like from The Beatles, Stones, and The Who. I followed their influences and what came after.

Mavis Staples: “I sing, ‘Play it, Barry, play your piano…,’ that was Barry Beckett. Then ‘Help me, Daddy…,’ and that was my father playing the guitar. My dad plays that solo, none of that stuff was rehearsed. The only thing that was rehearsed was the verse, but all of the other stuff that I’m doing just came to me in the studio. It wasn’t written down, it all comes from what you feel. And God blessed me to be able to do that. It comes from inside me.”

Al Bell: “Mavis couldn’t get into it, she couldn’t feel it, so I stood there on the floor and tried to sing it to the guys, as they got the music and they got into it. After getting it down, later on, I came back and sat with Mavis and, after a while, she started feeling it and giving in to that rhythm. Of course, she took it to heights that only a Mavis Staples can take it. Nobody else could do it justice, and I guess it was supposed to be that way.”

“Ill Take You There”

Oh mmm I know a place
Ain’t nobody cryin’
Ain’t nobody worried
Ain’t no smilin’ faces
Mmm, no no
Lyin’ to the races
Help me, come on, come on
Somebody, help me now (I’ll take you there)
Help me, ya’all (I’ll take you there)
Help me now (I’ll take you there)
Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Oh! Oh! Mercy! (I’ll take you there)
Oh, let me take you there (I’ll take you there)
Oh-oh! Let me take you there! (I’ll take you there)
Play your, play your piano now
All right Ah do it do it
Come on now
Play on it, play on it
Daddy daddy daddy
Ooh, Lord
All right now
Baby, easy now
Now, come on, little lady
All right
Dum-dum-dum-dum
Sock it, sock it
Ah, oh, oh!
I know a place, ya’all (I’ll take you there)
Ain’t nobody cryin’ (I’ll take you there)
Ain’t nobody worried (I’ll take you there)
No smilin’ faces (I’ll take you there)
Uh-uh (Lyin’ to the races) (I’ll take you there)
Oh, no Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Oh oh oh! (I’ll take you there)
Mercy now! (I’ll take you there)
I’m callin’ callin’ callin’ mercy (I’ll take you there)
Mercy mercy! (I’ll take you there)
Let me (I’ll take you there)
Oh oh! I’ll take you there (I’ll take you there)
Oh oh oh oh Wanna take you there! (I’ll take you there) Just take me by the hand
Let me (I’ll take you there)
Let me, let me, let me lead the way
Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Let me take you there (I’ll take you there)
Let me take you there! (I’ll take you there)
Ain’t no smilin’ faces (I’ll take you there)
Up in here, lyin’ to the races (I’ll take you there)
You oughta, you gotta gotta come let me, let me (I’ll take you there)
Take you, take you, take you over there (I’ll take you there) Ooh! Oh! Oh! All right (I’ll take you there)
Oh-oh! All right! (I’ll take you there)
Oh! Oh! (I’ll take you there)
Mmmm ah Oh! Yeah! (I’ll take you there)
Whoa! (I’ll take you there)
Let me lead the way (I’ll take you there)

Don Gibson – Oh Lonesome Me

I have heard this song all of my life and never knew much about it. I like the song because of the sad lyrics set against upbeat music.

Don Gibson wrote this song and it was produced by a legend of country music…Chet Atkins. Atkins, meanwhile, was inducted into the Country Music, Rock & Roll, and Musicians Halls of Fame. Atkins is also one of the primary figures credited with creating the “Nashville sound,” which transformed country music in the 1950s with a sound much cleaner and smoother than the style that preceded it.

Gibson released this in 1958 and it peaked at #7 on the Billboard 100. This was his only top-10 entry in the pop charts. Gibson, an inductee of the Country Music, Nashville Songwriters, and North Carolina Music Halls of Fame, wrote multiple songs now considered country standards.

It’s been covered by a lot of artists. Neil Young and The Kentucky Headhunters are just two that covered the song as well. It was the biggest hit The Headhunters had and it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Country Charts and #19 on the Canadian Country Charts in 1990.

Others who covered it are Johnny Cash who took it to #13 Country and #93 on the Hot 100 in 1961…Stonewall Jackson’s 1970 rendition went to #63 Country. Other acts to cover the song include Bing Crosby, Bob Luman, Southern Culture on the Skids, Ray Charles, Connie Francis, and Bobbi Martin.

Neil Young covered it on his album After The Gold Rush in 1970.

Oh Lonesome Me

Everybody’s going out and having fun
I’m a fool for staying home and having none.
I can’t get over how she set me free.
Oh, lonesome me.

There must be some way that I can lose these lonesome blues
Forget about my past and find someone new
I’ve thought of everything from A to Z
Oh, lonesome me.

I’ll bet she’s not like me.
She’s out and fancy free,
Flirting with the boys with all her charms
But I still love her so,
And brother don’t you know
I’d welcome her right back here in my arms