Badfinger (Max)

Alice Cooper – No More Mr. Nice Guy

I grew up with this band as they were played on AM radio, and we had a few singles. What I just realized recently is how pop this all sounds. For all the guillotines, snakes, and fake blood of Cooper’s stage show, this song could have sat alongside power pop songs of the era. That is a compliment.

It took me a long time to figure out that Alice Cooper was a band, not the lead singer (well, until they broke up). The change from the band name to the singer’s name occurred in 1975 when the original band broke up, and the lead singer, Vincent Furnier, legally changed his name to Alice Cooper so he could continue with that name. The band, originally called The Earwigs and then The Spiders, decided to change their name to Alice Cooper in 1968. They wanted a name that was wholesome-sounding, a contrast to their horror-themed image. For publicity, the band said it came from an Ouija board and Alice was a witch from long ago.

By 1973, Alice Cooper wasn’t just a band; they were a phenomenon. The name Alice had gone from a person to a brand, from a weird underground theater act to global headlines. I would say Alice Cooper and Ziggy Stardust were the big theater kind of acts until KISS came along later.

Cooper wrote this song with Michael Bruce, who was a member of the original Alice Cooper. Bruce played guitar, keyboards, and contributed vocals as a band member. He was also the group’s chief songwriter and wrote or co-wrote many of their most-recognized songs, including School’s Out, Under My Wheels, I’m Eighteen, Ballad of Dwight Fry, Be My Lover, Desperado, and Billion Dollar Babies.

This song was an answer to nervous mothers and everyone else who was scared of his influence. He was basically saying he was going to keep doing what he was doing. Funny thing is, now Alice Cooper is one of the most grounded rock stars of them all. I saw him open up for the Rolling Stones in 2006, and he was great! With the little bit of makeup he was using, he looked like he walked out of 1973.

This was the third single from Billion Dollar Babies, the sixth studio album by Alice Cooper. This was the band’s most commercially successful album. It topped the album charts in both the United States and the UK, and also made the Top 10 in Australia, Austria, and Canada. Bob Ezrin was the producer who produced many of Alice Cooper’s albums. Alice called Ezrin our George Martin.

The song peaked at #15 on the Billboard 100 and #10 in the UK in 1973

No More Mr. Nice Guy

I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing
‘Til they got a hold of me.
I opened doors for little old ladies,
I helped the blind to see.
I got no friends ’cause they read the papers.
They can’t be seen with me and I’m gettin’ real shot down
And I’m feeling mean.

[Chorus]
No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
They say he’s sick, he’s obscene.

I got no friends ’cause they read the papers.
They can’t be seen with me and I’m feelin’ real shot down
And I’m gettin’ mean.

No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
They say he’s sick, he’s obscene.

My dog bit me on the leg today.
My cat clawed my eyes.
Ma’s been thrown out of the social circle,
And dad has to hide.
I went to church incognito.
When everybody rose, the Reverend Smith,
He recognized me,
And punched me in the nose, he said.

No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
He said you’re sick, you’re obscene.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – The Devil’s Platform

November 15, 1974 Season 1 Episode 7

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

This episode stands out as one of the most polished and eerie episodes of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It blended political ambition with supernatural horror in a way that worked. The episode follows Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin), the Chicago reporter who never backs down from a strange lead, as he investigates a string of mysterious deaths, all linked to a political figure, Robert Palmer (played by a favorite actor of mine, Tom Skerritt). Palmer’s charm and clean-cut image make him the perfect candidate for office, except for one detail: he’s literally made a deal with the Devil.

What makes this story memorable is how grounded it feels. The murders are bad enough, but the real horror comes from the suggestion that evil often hides behind respectability. Kolchak’s investigation takes him through a web of corruption and secrecy, from a reporter’s curiosity to outright disbelief that someone could strike a deal with the devil in modern Chicago. Yet as always, Kolchak’s sense for the bizarre proves right, and the evidence, mysterious paw prints, unexplained fires, and a black dog that appears and vanishes, points squarely toward the supernatural. The dog starts to follow Kolchack at the beginning. My guess is that this was influenced by The Exorcist, which was released a year earlier.

Skerritt plays Palmer as a man who seems almost too perfect, a slick politician whose every move is rehearsed. The scenes between McGavin and Skerritt are great, especially when Kolchak pushes too hard and Palmer’s mask slips just enough to reveal him. Tony Vincenzo (Kolchak’s boss) is more open in this one to Carl investigating this politician, although minus the he made a deal with the devil part. He is willing to go along with everything but that.

It remains one of Kolchak’s finest episodes so far, smartly written and unsettling. It captures everything that made the series unique. It’s a good commentary about power, ambition, and the price of selling one’s soul.

SPOILER

The climax, involving a showdown between Kolchak and Palmer, delivers both suspense and irony, as the Devil’s disciple realizes that even dark deals have expiration dates.

One line I loved, Kolchak’s boss, Tony Vincenzo, and Kolchak were arguing about Carl’s suit and hat. Kolchak asked him what bothered him so much about his hat? Vincenzo’s reply was classic: “What’s under it.”

The Complete Episode

Nashville Teens – Tobacco Road

I want to thank purplegoatee2684b071ed for bringing this song up in a comment.

I never knew much about this band. I read about them in a Who book. When the Who were having troubles in the mid-sixties, Keith Moon was thinking seriously about joining this band. I’m glad he didn’t do it, but I can see why he liked them. Very tough-sounding band in league with The Animals and Them, at least with this song. The Nashville Teens would later back Jerry Lee Lewis on his live album recorded at the Star-Club in Hamburg, which makes perfect sense; they were built for that kind of controlled chaos.

I think it would have been more powerful without as much harmonizing during the verses, but it’s good. When people talk about the British Invasion, the usual names jump out: The Beatles, The Stones, The Animals, but in there also were The Nashville Teens, a band whose name sounded American but whose sound was pure British R&B.

The Nashville Teens came out of Surrey, not Tennessee, but you wouldn’t know it from the way they attacked this song. The song itself was already a piece of southern gothic storytelling, written by John D. Loudermilk about a poor boy’s dream to rise above his dirt-poor roots. Loudermilk loved their version. He once said he’d “never imagined the song could rock that hard.” After the Nashville Teens’ success, Tobacco Road became a standard, covered by everyone from Jefferson Airplane and David Lee Roth to Rare Earth and Eric Burdon.

What really makes this jump off the record is its slow, building arrangement. It starts with a moody, almost dirge-like verse before exploding into that chorus. This is the sound of the mid-sixties British blues scene before it amped up and got stadium-sized with Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

This song peaked at #3 in Canada, #6 in the UK, #9 in New Zealand, and #14 on the Billboard 100 in 1964.

Another version of the song by Rare Earth.

Tobacco Road

I was born in a trunk.Mama died and my daddy got drunk.Left me here to die alonein the middle of Tobacco Road.

Grow up in rusty shackall I had was hangin’ on my back.Only you know how I loathethis place called Tobacco Road.

But it’s home, the only life I ever known.Only you know how I loathe Tobacco Road.

InterludeGonna leave, get a jobwith the help and the grace from above.Save some money, get rich and old

bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane

blow it up, start all over again.Build a town, be proud to show.Gives the name Tobacco Road.But it’s home, the only life I ever knownand it’s lost…But I lost it’s your home

…

Fabulous Thunderbirds – T-Bird Rhythm …album review

This album is like a bag of chips; you can’t stop at one song. Hence, the reason I dropped the one song and just went on to the complete album. These guys deserve some attention for more than their two hits.

When I heard these guys in the 1980s, I loved what I was hearing. Tuff Enough hit, but the one that got me was Wrap It Up. Now I’ve gone back and started to listen to some of their other music, and it’s just what I expected. It’s tough, tight, and with a blues edge. What surprised me (it shouldn’t really) was who the producer was on this album. Nick Lowe strikes again in the middle of this tough R&B band. He really shows his versatility with this album.

Instead of trying to reshape the Thunderbirds, Lowe just pointed the microphones in the right direction and let them go. The production is warm and lean, nothing fancy, just that gritty barroom sound. He kept that edge to the music that the Thunderbirds would give.

I was disappointed when I didn’t hear any more songs by them on the radio. I should have known that there would not be much more in the 1980s. Guitar-driven rock/blues just wasn’t in as much. This band didn’t just hit out of nowhere. They formed in 1974 with original members Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson (singer), Keith Ferguson, and Mike Buck. Austin vocalist Lou Ann Barton also performed occasionally with the group during its early years.

I’ve heard the phrase it’s The Groove That Won’t Quit before…Well, I will apply that to this album. Tracks like My Babe and Diddy Wah Diddy sound like they came out of a 1956 jukebox, but there’s nothing nostalgic about it. They gave life to R&B music in their own style and as contemporary as you could be in an era that wasn’t screaming for it. Every single note on this album feels road-tested.

One of my favorites off the album is How Do You Spell Love. It’s built like a tank and comes straight at you. Another favorite is Can’t Tear It Up Enuff, Jimmie Vaughan’s Telecaster stings and swings, and Kim Wilson tears through the vocal. This is the album that put them on the map. A few years later, they would be headlining tours and having hits.

This album was released in 1982 and rock critics were paying attention. The grouchy Robert Christgau wrote: “both sides open with fetchingly offhand ravers, Kim Wilson works his shoo-fly drawl for gumbo lilt, and the mysterious J. Miller contributes the irresistible ‘You’re Humbuggin’ Me’, which had me tearing through my Jimmy Reed records in a fruitless search for the original.”

Can’t Tear It Up Enuff

I’m in the mood to tear it up
I’m in my prime for tearing it up
I dig tearing up that stuff
I just can’t tear it up enuff

Don’t want no full time love
Baby let me be
I need a whole lotta part time love
To satisfy me
Don’t want no hand-me-downs
Got the biz rags on my back
I don’t need no used car
I got a brand new Cadillac

I’m dying to tear it up
I ain’t lying, I’m gonna tear it up
I dig tearing up that stuff
I just can’t tear it up enuff

I’ve got the finest weather
Living in this town
I’m sitting on top of the world
Nobody gonna get me down
I’ve got a diamond ring with
A gold bracelet to match
Baby, I got everything
With no strings attached
When it comes to having a party
I can’t be beat
Baby, just stay out of my kitchen
If you can’t stand the heat
You got to move, let’s go
I ain’t gonna wait for you
Got lots of places to go
And a whole lotta things to do

I’m in the mood to tear it up
I’m in my prime for tearing it up
I dig tearing up that stuff
I just can’t tear it up enuff

…

Band – Katie’s Been Gone

I was revisiting Bob Dylan and The Band’s The Basement Tapes album. How could that many great songs come in one collection? And that is just the original version, not the expanded versions released since. I didn’t grow up with this album, unfortunately. I grew up with The Band’s Greatest Hits; the irony is, I didn’t have the greatest at all by this band with that package.

This one was written by Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson. It’s easy to forget that this song was never meant for public ears. These were friends, playing in a basement in West Saugerties (in the Big Pink), playing for themselves after the chaos of Dylan’s electric 1966 tour. Was Katie a real person? We probably will never know, but it is widely believed to be a reference to the folk singer Karen Dalton, a friend of Bob Dylan and a popular figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s.

The song opens with Richard Manuel’s gospel type piano and that half-broken voice of his. Manuel was a master of singing the heartache between the notes. When Richard Manuel sings it, you believe every cracked note. Rick Danko chipped in with his usual ragged and real vocal harmonies. Those harmonies would make a pure pop producer cry, but for roots music, it’s beyond perfection. It’s those back porch vocals that are real and keep the song grounded.

Among Dylan fans, some were upset that some Band-only songs were on here. Some thought that this release would be wall-to-wall Dylan. That caused some head-scratching among Dylan diehards. In truth, Robbie Robertson and The Band had a big hand in shaping what eventually became The Basement Tapes. Robbie helped assemble and clean up the collection, selecting from reels upon reels of material recorded in 1967 at Big Pink in Woodstock. He included Band-only tracks like this song, Bessie Smith, Orange Juice Blues, and Ain’t No More Cane, not because they were Dylan-free, but because they fit the mood. Fitting the mood is what The Band did best.

Robbie Robertson:“Because of all this stuff the Hawks had been through, [we had] a maturity in our musical taste, in our approach. We didn’t feel a part of what was happening at that time out in the world. We weren’t very good at being trendy. It wasn’t that we tried not to do anything, it was just we were evolving to a place and a musicality that had subtleties. Music was just getting louder and more abrasive.

“I understood the attitude and the anger and the excitement of everything that was happening, but we’d already done that. I started with Ronnie Hawkins and screaming on my guitar. [laughs] And now to be able to really play and think: we didn’t use these phrases at the time, but it’s what you leave out — and less is more. There was something about things that just slipped in and what that did to your heartbeat and how it made you feel. It was sexy and it was beautiful and sad and a celebration all at the same time. I thought that’s where we’ve grown to and that’s where we’re going with this.”

Katie’s Been Gone

Katie’s been gone since the springtimeShe wrote one time and sent her loveKatie’s been gone for such a long time nowI wonder what kind of love she’s thinkin’ of

Dear KatieIf you can hear meI can’t wait to have ya near me

Dear Katie, since ya caught that busWell, I just don’t know how things are with usI’m still here and you’re out there somewhere

Katie laughed when I said I was lonelyShe said, “There’s no need to feel that way”Katie said that I was her only oneBut then I wonder why she didn’t wanna stay

Dear Katie, if I’m the only oneHow much longer will you be gone?Oh, Katie, won’t ya tell me straightHow much longer do I have to wait?

I’ll believe youBut please come throughI know it’s wrong to be apart this longYou should be here, near me

Katie’s been gone and now her face is slowly fading from my mindShe’s gone to find some newer placesAnd left the old life far behindDear Katie, don’t ya miss your home?I don’t see why you had to roam

Dear Katie, since you’ve been awayI lose a little something every dayI need you here, but you’re still out thereDear Katie, please drop me a lineJust write, Love, to tell me you’re fine

Oh, Katie, if you can hear meI just cant wait to have you near meI can only thinkWhere are youWhat ya do, maybe there’s someone new

Sam Roberts – The Inhuman Condition …EP review

I just found this Canadian artist on a recommendation, and I’m loving what I’ve heard so far. I picked a song that I wanted to cover, but I started to listen to the EP and decided to make an EP review instead. I picked up on every song, and it stuck.

Sam Roberts was born in Westmount, Quebec, Canada, in 1974. He started with the violin and then transitioned to the guitar. He was influenced by classic rock and Brit Pop and makes no apologies about it.

Roberts was still an indie artist when he released his 2002 EP The Inhuman Condition, recording much of it on his own dime. The song “Brother Down” caught fire organically; it wasn’t hyped or manufactured. It was word-of-mouth, the way rock used to spread. When the song crossed over to mainstream radio, it became a hit in Canada.

Roberts recorded much of it on his own, along with musician Jordon Zadorozny. Right out of the gate, “Brother Down” hit like an unexpected home run. That track alone could have carried the EP, and he could have filled it with filler, but he didn’t.

Back in 2002, before Spotify and playlist culture, there were still artists working their way onto the airwaves the old-fashioned way, by writing songs so good you couldn’t ignore them. Six songs, no filler, all good. It introduced a new voice to Canadian rock that felt classic and also forward-looking all at once. He is a guy who could hang with Tom Petty, The Clash, and Sloan, yet still sounds completely like himself.

I was intrigued by Brother Down, but then I listened to “Don’t Walk Away Eileen,” which was power pop joy. Big jangly guitars and a hook that could’ve been written in 1966 and still sound fresh. I won’t go through every track but the tracks go in different directions, but stay firmly with his style. When I listen to this EP, I think of The Tragically Hip and Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes. I’ve spot listened to his other albums and this EP, and this one is a great place to start enjoying the music of Sam Roberts.

For you Canadians, if you only know “Brother Down,” go back and play the whole EP. It’s six songs of everything rock should be: melodic and human…and catchy.

Brother Down

One life to live but we’re doing it wrong
You see, got my brother down cause it’s nothing to me
Everyone’s saying that it’s wrong to cheat
But there’s no other way to get my life on easy street

Someone else telling you what you’re living for
Been knocking you down, now you’re looking for more
The only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they’re bringing you war
Rich man’s crying cause his money’s time
And poor man’s smiling cause he knows he ain’t blind
There’s a man over there says he’s tougher than me
But i got eyes that can see through fantasy

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Take it all back cause it don’t mean nothing
If you give it away and you’re looking for something back
Wake up every morning when there’s nothing there
No reason to die but no reason to care

Someone else telling you what you’re living for
Been knocking you down now you’re looking for more
The only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they’re bringing you war
One life to live but we’re doing it wrong
You see, got my brother down cause it’s nothing to me
Rich man’s crying cause his money’s time
Poor man’s smiling cause he knows he ain’t blind

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Tom Petty – Mary Jane’s Last Dance

To tell you the truth…I always thought the title was Last Dance of Mary Jane. I thought the video to this song…lives up to Halloween.

I like the rawness of the song, and the lyrics are fun. Tom was making his second solo album, Wildflowers, but the record company wanted a couple of tracks to go on the greatest hits album. Mary Jane’s Last Dance is one of Tom’s most successful songs. This would be the last song Stan Lynch played drums on for the Heartbreakers.

Petty himself once said he didn’t really know what the song was about when he wrote it, “maybe about leaving behind the past.” The Mary Jane double meaning, weed or woman, kept the mystery alive. Later on, he said that Mary Jane is the same character as the female in American Girl, with a few hard knocks.

Petty made some strange videos, and this was no exception. Tom played a mortician who takes home a corpse played by Kim Basinger. When he gets her home, he puts her in a wedding dress and dances with her. Then he puts her in a pickup truck and throws her into the ocean, and she opens her eyes as she sinks. It won Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The song was released as part of the band’s 1993 Greatest Hits compilation. The song peaked at #14 on the Billboard 100, #5 in Canada, and #52 in the UK in 1994. It was like the end of one era and the beginning of another. Petty was saying goodbye to the jangle rock of his past and heading toward the inward-looking of Wildflowers.

I always liked the line “There’s pigeons down in Market Square
She’s standin’ in her underwear” because it sounds like it could have been off a mid-sixties Dylan album.

Kim Bassinger: Now that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. It was classic, wasn’t it? He was a doll, and he was so sweet and asked me to do it, and both of us are extremely shy so we just said three words to each other the whole time. I’ll never forget how heavy that dress was! And I had to be dead the whole time. You know, it’s really one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, because I had to be completely weightless to be in his arms the way I was. It won all those awards, and the kids love it even today!

Mike Campbell: “That song took on a few shapes. It was written in my garage. I didn’t write it, but we were jamming in the garage and Tom was playing one of my guitars. It was called ‘Indiana Girl,’ the first chorus was ‘Hey, Indiana Girl, go out and find the world.’ We liked the song and Rick Rubin suggested we cut it. It had actually been around for a while, just the basic riff and that chorus. We cut the song and Tom was singing the chorus, and he decided he just couldn’t get behind singing about ‘Hey, Indiana Girl,’ so we went back and about a week later he came in and said ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ so he changed the chorus to ‘Last dance with Mary Jane.’ In the verse there is still the thing about an Indiana girl on an Indiana night, just when it gets to the chorus he had the presence of mind to give it a deeper meaning.”

Mike Campbell: “An interesting thing about that record, the same day we did the last overdubs, that guitar and a few little bits, we did a rough mix here at my house, just did it by hand. Then we went to 3 or 4 different studios over the next couple of weeks and tried to do a proper mix, and we could never beat that rough mix, so that was the mix we put out. It’s an interesting track, it’s very inaccurate, it’s kind of greasy and loose. That day we just gelled and every time we mixed it we could clean up the sound and make it more posh, but it just didn’t have the juice that one mix had.”

Mary Jane’s Last Dance

She grew up in an Indiana town
Had a good lookin’ momma who never was around
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night

Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen
She blew the boys away, it was more than they’d seen
I was introduced and we both started groovin’
She said, “I dig you baby but I got to keep movin’…on, keep movin’ on”

Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin’ in and I’m
Tired of this town again

Well I don’t know what I’ve been told
You never slow down, you never grow old
I’m tired of screwing up, I’m tired of goin’ down
I’m tired of myself, I’m tired of this town
Oh my my, oh hell yes
Honey put on that party dress
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Take me as I come ’cause I can’t stay long

Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin’ in and I’m
Tired of this town again

There’s pigeons down in Market Square
She’s standin’ in her underwear
Lookin’ down from a hotel room
Nightfall will be comin’ soon
Oh my my, oh hell yes
You’ve got to put on that party dress
It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone
I hit the last number, I walked to the road

Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin’ in and I’m
Tired of this town again

Star Trek Continues

***I have the next Kolchak written up, but I didn’t want to post two television shows in one day, so I’m going to go over the entire season of Star Trek Continues with this post, and I’ve scheduled Kolchak for next Friday! Sorry for the interruption. *** BTW… the link to next week’s episode is THIS.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I found this 11-episode Star Trek a few years ago. It’s called Star Trek Continues, and it’s so well done! That link gives you ALL the episodes on YouTube. I added an episode at the bottom so you can check out the look of this. The only non-consistent thing is…much like the original (another doctor in the pilot), one actor plays Dr. McCoy in the first two episodes and another (a better one) plays him in the rest of the series. The same characters: Spock, Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura. It’s as if they went back in time and took over the sets while the original stars were on break, then filmed this show.

When I did the Star Trek series, going over every episode, I meant to write this one up, but never did. This series was made between 2013 and 2017. They were professionally made but fan-made. When I say “fan-made,” what I mean is a Kickstarter drive with professional actors who are huge fans. They got it down almost perfectly. Good writing and a talented cast to bring the original characters to life. It’s such a labor of love with these Star Trek-obsessed actors. They went to great lengths to recreate the original atmosphere. The space scenes even look like the remastered original series.

This is not a “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; it’s a copy of the original with new stories. They have the lighting, look, feel, and everything pretty much on target. This show only has 11 episodes total. Some shows are continuations of the original shows. It was a 5-year mission, but the original series only got 3 years. So this picks up in the 4th year and goes through the 5th and even sets up the first movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

When I watch Star Trek TOS and get through every episode, I wish there was more… then I found this. They have some guest stars from the original series, and Chris Doohan, son of Scotty (James Doohan), plays Scotty, and the rest of the cast is really good. The only one that is hard to get is Todd Haberkorn, who played Spock. That is probably the hardest role you could get, but he does make it work. I don’t think he got Leonard Nimoy’s toughness as much.

All of these were released straight on YouTube when made. If you like the original series and wish they had made more…this is for you. Rod Roddenberry, son of Gene Roddenberry, said the show was superb and should be in the canon.

Some of these episodes are great, especially the two-part ending. You do get one character that was made up just for this. That would be the ship’s counselor, Michele Specht, as Dr. Elise McKennah. They do explain in the last show why she isn’t in the movies.

You also get a character named “Smith” played by Kipleigh Brown, which I think is super cool. The reason is there WAS a “Smith” in the original episode Where No Man Has Gone Before. She only had one line, but they used her in this series. She ties into the two-parter conclusion because of what happened in that original episode. This was brilliant to me. Getting a basically unknown character and making a story around her.

The original Barbara Smith is holding hands with Marshall in that episode.

The new Barbara Smith…same character

Pilgrim of Eternity: A direct sequel to the TOS episode “Who Mourns for Adonais?”, featuring the return of the character Apollo. Michael Forest played Apollo in the original AND in this one.
Lolani: Inspired by the portrayal of Orion slave girls (Green is my favorite color!) in the original series. Lou Ferrigno makes an appearance and is GREEN again.
Fairest of Them All: A continuation of the Mirror Universe, picking up from the events of “Mirror, Mirror“.
The White Iris: A head trip for Kirk that deals with the fates of women he met on previous missions, such as Rayna from “The Ultimate Computer” and Miramanee from “The Savage Curtain” and more women that Kirk was involved with. Even the Joan Collins character (Edith Keeler) from The City On The Edge Of Forever.
Divided We Stand: Kirk and McCoy are trapped in an incident from the American Civil War, inspired by the time travel episode “Tomorrow Is Yesterday“.
Come Not Between the Dragons: The Enterprise is threatened by a pursuing alien creature.
Embracing the Winds: Kirk is recalled to a starbase to face an ethical dilemma.
Still Treads the Shadow: The Enterprise discovers a lost starship and an unlikely passenger.
What Ships Are For: Kirk struggles to aid a society with a unique view of their world.
To Boldly Go, Part I: The Enterprise returns to the starting point of Kirk’s five-year mission. These last two episodes go back to Where No Man Has Gone Before.
To Boldly Go, Part II: The series finale concludes Kirk’s mission with a final battle. This episode takes you up to the movies.

Primary Cast
Vic Mignogna as Captain James T. Kirk
Todd Haberkorn as Mr. Spock
Larry Nemecek as Dr. McCoy (Episodes 1 & 2)
Chuck Huber as Dr. McCoy (Vignettes & Episodes 3-11)
Chris Doohan as Mr. Scott
Grant Imahara as Mr. Sulu
Kim Stinger as Lt. Uhura
Wyatt Lenhart as Ensign (Later Lt.j.g.) Pavel Chekov
Michele Specht as Dr. Elise McKennah, ship’s Counselor
Recurring Cast
Steven Dengler as Lt. William C. Drake, Security chief
Kipleigh Brown as Lt.j.g. Barbara Smith, relief Conn officer (formerly Ship’s Yeoman)
Cat Roberts as Lt. Elizabeth Palmer, relief Communications officer
Martin Bradford as Dr. Jabilo G. M’Benga, relief Medical officer/Vulcan specialist
Reuben Langdon as Lt. Kubaro Dickerson, Security officer
Liz Wagner as Ensign Lia Burke, nurse
Marina Sirtis as ship’s Computer voice
Amy Rydell as Romulan Commander

I hope you enjoy this!

…

Dave Matthews – So Much To Say

I’ve heard some Dave Matthews here and there, mostly live music. I’ve heard some good songs posted by my fellow bloggers that I’ve liked. This is my first Dave Matthews post, which surprises me. I posted a Rare Earth song on Friday, and the same thing hooked me with this, the groove. From what I’ve heard from Dave Matthews, everything is built around it.

In 1996, the Dave Matthews Band had built a loyal live following, their concerts becoming legendary for long jams and Matthews’ guitar grooves. This song is from their breakthrough album Crash, which was the song that officially cracked the mainstream. The song grew out of a jam between Matthews and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, with producer Steve Lillywhite helping turn that little riff into a full-blown single. What really got me about the song is…you guessed it! That groove.

There is some controlled chaos going on in this song, but it stays grounded throughout. It remains one of those songs that captures exactly what makes the Dave Matthews Band tick: great musicianship, off-the-wall songwriting, and a sense of weirdness that feels timeless. This song still sounds fresh today, almost 30 years later.

The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in 1996. This song won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and it helped Crash become a huge hit.

So Much To Say

I say my hell is the closet, I’m stuck insideCan’t see the lightAnd my heaven is a nice house in the skyGot central heating and I’m alrightYeah, yeah, yeah

Can’t see the lightKeep it locked up insideDon’t talk about itT-t-talk about the weatherYeah, yeah, yeah

Can’t see the lightOpen up my head and let me out, a-little baby‘Cause here we have been standing for a long, long timeTreading, trotting trails for a long, long time

I say my hell is the closet, I’m stuck insideCan’t see the lightAnd my heaven is a nice house in the skyGot central heating and I’m alright

‘Cause here we have been standing for a long, long timeTreading, trotting trails for a long, long timeTime, time, time, time, time, time

I find sometimes it’s easy to be myselfSometimes I find it’s better to be somebody else

I see you, young and soft, oh, little babyLittle feet (little hands), a-little feet (little feet), a-little babyOne year of crying and the words creep up insideDeep into your mind, yeah

So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to saySo much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say

‘Cause here we have been standing for a long, long timeTreading, trotting trails for a long, long timeTime, time, time, time, time, time

I find sometimes it’s easy to be myselfSometimes I find it’s better to be somebody else

So much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to saySo much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to saySo much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to saySo much to say, so much to say, so much to say, so much to say

Open up my head and let me out, little baby

…

Everly Brothers – Bye Bye Love

Love the intro to this song. It’s the kind of song that turns teenage heartache into pure joy. This song was my introduction to the Everly Brothers, and I have never stopped listening.

The husband-and-wife songwriting team of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant wrote this song. Together, this talented couple wrote many hits for the Everly Brothers and other artists, including Wake Up Little Susie and All I Have To Do Is Dream. The Bryants are credited with being the first songwriters to come to Nashville and make a living only by writing songs. Almost 30 other artists had previously rejected this song before The Everly Brothers recorded it. It became their first hit in both the UK and the US.

Behind the scenes, the recording session was minimal: two voices, a couple of guitars, Floyd Chance on upright bass, and Buddy Harman on drums, but the sound was huge. The Everlys blended country, pop, and rock ’n’ roll, and it gave teenagers something they hadn’t quite heard before. That ringing acoustic rhythm became very influential, later inspiring everyone from The Beatles to Simon & Garfunkel, The Hollies, and countless power-pop bands down the road.

This song was more than just a hit; it opened doors. The Beatles modeled their early vocal style after Don and Phil. Keith Richards once said that hearing the Everly Brothers changed everything for him. The song has been covered by everyone from Simon & Garfunkel to George Harrison. It’s a rare song that never feels dated

The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard 100, #1 on the Billboard Country Charts, #2 on Canada’s CHUM charts, #1 in New Zealand, and #6 in the UK in 1957. It was recorded in Nashville at the RCA Studios.

Boudleaux: “I wrote ‘Bye Bye Love’ while traveling home one night. Felice was driving down the highway and I got the first verse and chorus right down there. I always make sure I have a pen and paper in the car for these occasions.”

“We really believed in the song and were disappointed when so many people turned it down. They said it was unsuitable, some even asked if we has anything better!”

Bye Bye Love

Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness, hello loneliness
I think I’m-a gonna cry-y
Bye bye love, bye bye sweet caress, hello emptiness
I feel like I could di-ie
Bye bye my love goodby-eye

There goes my baby with-a someone new
She sure looks happy, I sure am blue
She was my baby till he stepped in
Goodbye to romance that might have been

Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness, hello loneliness
I think I’m-a gonna cry-y
Bye bye love, bye bye sweet caress, hello emptiness
I feel like I could di-ie
Bye bye my love goodby-eye

I’m-a through with romance, I’m a-through with love
I’m through with a’countin’ the stars above
And here’s the reason that I’m so free
My lovin’ baby is through with me

Bye bye love
Bye bye happiness, hello loneliness
I think I’m-a gonna cry-y
Bye bye love, bye bye sweet caress, hello emptiness
I feel like I could di-ie
Bye bye my love goodby-eye

Bye bye my love goodby-eye
Bye bye my love goodby-eye

English Beat – Save It For Later

I always heard of this band but didn’t know much about them in real time. When I heard this recently, I was caught unaware of how good it was. It’s a pop gem out of the 1980s, which you don’t hear me say a lot.

Dave Wakeling, the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, wrote this song when he was still a teenager, and that teen confusion seeps through every line. It’s a song about growing up, about wanting to hold on to innocence while the world says no, you are going to grow up.

By 1982, The English Beat (also known as The Beat at home) had established a presence in the British ska and new wave scenes. But this song, from their third and final album Special Beat Service, was something else entirely, a melodic farewell that bridged ska and pop. This one was more reflective, a coming-of-age song packaged in jangly guitars and on-target harmonies.

Behind the scenes, the song nearly didn’t make it. Wakeling and guitarist Andy Cox had trouble convincing their bandmates that this softer, more melodic song fit the band’s style. But they pushed it through, and it became one of the band’s most remembered tracks. After Special Beat Service, The Beat split up, with Wakeling and Ranking Roger forming General Public and Cox and bassist David Steele launching Fine Young Cannibals.

Pete Townshend loved it so much that he recorded his own version, and it’s shown up in films like Clueless and Kingpin, giving it a second life with new generations. The song peaked at #47 in the UK and #6 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under 100 Singles Charts in 1982. It was written by Wakeling but credited to the entire band…Roger Charlery, Andy Cox, Everett Morton, David Steele, and Dave Wakeling.

Here is Dave Wakeling talking about Pete Townsend calling him up asking about the special tuning to the song. Love his humor in this.

Save It For Later

Two dozen other dirty loversMust be a sucker for itCry, cry, but I don’t need my motherJust hold my hand while I come to a decision on it

Sooner or laterYour legs give way, you hit the groundSave it for laterDon’t run away and let me downSooner or laterYou hit the deck, you’ll get found outSave it for laterDon’t run away and let me down, you let me down

Black air and seven seas and rotten throughBut what can you do?I don’t know how I’m meant to act with all you lotSometimes I don’t tryI just na, na, na, na, na, naNa, na, na, na, nowNa, na, na, na, na, naNa, na, na, na, now (now, now, now, now)

Two dozen other stupid reasonsWhy we should suffer for this?Don’t bother trying to explain themJust hold my hand while I come to a decision on it

Da, da, da, da, daDa, da, da, da, da, da, daDa, da, da, da, da, da, daDa, da, da, da, da, da, daDa, da, da, da, da, da, daDa, da, da, run away, run

Run away, run awayRun away, run awayRun away, run awayRun away and let me down

…

Johnny Burnette Trio – Tear It Up

There is not a week that goes by that I don’t listen to some rockabilly. It’s not just the leads, it’s the fills as well. Rockabilly music is like this machine where parts are moving everywhere, but it always falls into place.

In this song, it’s not the opening riff that gets to me; it’s the fills that the guitar player is playing while Johnny is singing. He also slips some basslines in, all the while the bass is throwing some in as well. When you analyze this music, it can be chaotic, but when done right, it’s hard to resist. It’s like music climbing a ladder on one side and coming back down on the other at the same time.

This song was released in 1956; a very unpolished burst of energy that still sounds electric seventy years later. The Rock ’n Roll Trio, Johnny on vocals and rhythm guitar, his brother Dorsey on bass, and Paul Burlison on guitar, made a sound that helped define the very idea of rockabilly.

While it didn’t chart at the time, its influence was huge. The record’s mix of rhythm and attitude caught the attention of British musicians, guys like Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, and Paul McCartney, who all cited Burnette’s Trio as a crucial influence. The Stray Cats and Robert Gordon helped revived rockabilly in the late 1970s and early 1980s; this song was one of the first songs they covered. You might remember another song by Johnny, Train Kept a Rollin’ and it was covered by Aerosmith and The Yardbirds.

If you only like smoothly produced music, rockabilly is not for you. If you want a primal sound, welcome aboard!

Tear It Up

Come on little baby let’s tear the dancefloor up
Come on little baby let’s tear the dancefloor up
Come on little mama let me see you strut your stuff
Tear it up, tear it up
Tear it up, tear it up
Come on little baby let me see you strut your stuff

I’m leavin’ little baby, gonna be gone a long-long time
I’m leavin’ little baby, gonna be gone a long-long time
So come on little baby, show me a real good time
Tear it up, tear it up
Tear it up, tear it up
Come on little mama let’s tear the dancefloor up
(Goow!)

Well you step back baby, move my way
Step around again an’ let me hear you say
Tear it up, tear it up
Come on little baby let’s tear the dancefloor up
Tear it up, tear it up
Tear it up, tear it up
Come on little mama let’s tear the dancefloor up

Rare Earth – I Just Want To Celebrate

I’m so thankful for a cousin who gave me and my sister a lot of singles. Cool singles, not the ones my sister had. I remember this single because of the artwork. The singles artwork really caught my attention, and when I think of this song, I think of the single spinning around. The groove in this song is hard to resist.

This band helped bridge the gap between Motown soul and straight-up rock and roll. This band was Motown’s attempt to be played on FM radio, and it worked. Rare Earth’s success was more than just a one-off hit; it marked a turning point for Motown. Before these Detroit rockers came along, Berry Gordy’s label was almost exclusively known for its soul and R&B greats: The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. But in 1969, Gordy decided to take a chance on the growing rock audience and launched Rare Earth Records, a Motown imprint named after the band itself. The idea worked while it showcased white rock groups who could carry that Motown groove into new territory. Berry took a chance and it paid off with this band.

Rare Earth was a blue-collar group of guys who could play as hard as Grand Funk but still had a Motown groove. The band had already made some noise with stretched-out covers like Get Ready, (I Know) I’m Losing You, but I Just Want to Celebrate was the one they will be remembered by the most.

This song peaked at #7 on the Billboard 100 and #10 in Canada in 1971. It was off their album One World. This was Rare Earth’s last top 10 single. The song was written by Dino Fekaris and Nick Zesses. This song has been covered by a span of artists, such as David Ruffin, rapper Foxy Brown, Metallica, and Marshall Crenshaw. How is that for different genres?

The song has had one of those second lives most bands only dream about. Decades after its release, the song kept finding new audiences, blasting out in movies like Tropic Thunder, Three Kings, and A Knight’s Tale, and even in TV spots for Ford, Nike, and Coca-Cola.

The song has been in countless commercials and movies. It is one of those songs that makes you feel good! It’s got soul, rock, and that Detroit groove, no overthinking, just joy. The band is still playing today, but with no original members.

I Just Want To Celebrate

One, two, three, four

I just want to celebrate another day of livin’
I just want to celebrate another day of life
I put my faith in the people
But the people let me down
So I turned the other way
And I carry on, anyhow

That’s why I’m telling you
I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah
Another day of living, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of life
Had my hand on the dollar bill
And the dollar bill flew away
But the sun is shining down on me
And it’s here to stay

That’s why I’m telling you
I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah
Another day of living, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day of livin’
I just want to celebrate another day of life

Don’t let it all get you down, no, no
Don’t let it turn you around and around and around, no

Well, I can’t be bothered with sorrow
And I can’t be bothered with hate, no, no
I’m using up the time but feeling fine, every day
That’s why I’m telling you I just want to celebrate
Oh, yeah
I just want to celebrate another day
Oh, I just want to celebrate another day of livin’
I just want to celebrate another day of life

Don’t let it all get you down, no, no
Don’t let it turn you around and around, and around, and around
And around, and round, and round
Round, round, round, round
Round, round, round, round
Round, round, round, round
Don’t go round

I just want to celebrate
I just want to celebrate
Well, I just want to celebrate
Said I just want to celebrate (celebrate)
I just want to celebrate (I want to celebrate)
I just want to celebrate (I got to celebrate)
I just want to celebrate

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – Firefall

November 08, 1974 Season 1 Episode 6

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

This episode brought to mind the Twilight Zone episode, Mirror Image. A much more deadly version, though. The noir type of narration helps in this one because of the unusual story. Kolchak gets more involved in this one than most… he is in the center of it.

This one has a very different storyline from the others so far. By the time Kolchak: The Night Stalker aired this episode, the series had already established itself as a mix of noir and dark humor. This episode presents one of the show’s more psychologically complex stories. Instead of a vampire, werewolf, or zombie, this one focuses on a ghost-like “doppelganger,” a mysterious double that stalks its victim until it kills him. The result is a haunting-filled hour that shows just how flexible the Kolchak format could be.

The story begins when Kolchak investigates a series of spontaneous combustions connected to a famous symphony conductor, Ryder Bond. People around Bond are dying in fiery, unexplained accidents, and Kolchak quickly suspects something supernatural. But this isn’t your standard ghost story. What sets this one apart is its odd concept: a ghostly twin, born out of a near-death experience, who appears whenever the conductor falls asleep, a sleeping phantom trying to take his place in the world.

Director Don Weis uses shadows, flickering lights, and slow zooms to heighten the tension. Also, he makes the Chicago nights look especially moody here. Darren McGavin’s performance is typically sharp; his Kolchak is funny yet genuinely frightened. He balances humor with desperation as he realizes he’s chasing something that can’t be photographed or fought. The episode also benefits from a solid supporting cast, including Fred Beir as Bond and Madlyn Rhue as his wife.

It stands out more than the Alien episode because it dives heavily into psychological horror rather than pure monster-of-the-week thrills. It’s about the fear of losing yourself and being replaced by something that looks like you but isn’t. For a 1970s network TV show, that’s surprisingly territory. While it doesn’t have the flashy monster effects of “The Werewolf” or “The Zombie,” it lingers in your mind long after it’s over.

The COMPLETE EPISODE

Blasters – This Is It

It’s been a while since I posted a Blasters song (although I’ve posted performances by them), so I thought we would revisit them today on this fine Sunday. When I listen to the Blasters, I feel that I’m hearing every American sound that mattered. Rockabilly, R&B, gospel, blues, and the ghost of early rock ’n’ roll. This song is from their self-titled album, released in 1981.

I missed the Blasters when they were real-time, but I’m happy to be catching up with them now. They didn’t follow trends; instead, they stuck with what they knew best. 1950s energy reimagined through the early 1980s, without the trap of big production and high-gloss synths.

The Blasters album was the one that put them on the map. It caught the ear of critics, landed them an opening spot for Queen and The Cars, and even made them heroes of the early L.A. punk scene. But they didn’t fit neatly anywhere; they were too raw for pop radio, too traditional for punk, and too loud for nostalgia. They were their own being.

The Blasters never had mainstream success…but mainstream radio back in the ’80s would have been greatly improved by these guys. They were a rock and roll band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman.

You can hear the ghosts of Gene Vincent and Little Richard shouting approval. It’s pretty simple, just the sound of American rock ’n’ roll refusing to die. If you’re new to The Blasters, start here with this album because… This is it.

This Is It

This is it, now, baby
The moon, it sure looks fine
I can tell your future by looking
At the highway sign

It’s something we’ll never know
Unless we get up and go
This is it, now, baby
We’re gonna have a time tonight

This is it, this is it
This is it, now, baby
We’re gonna have a time tonight

This is it, now, baby
It’s something we can share
Don’t worry about the rules
Tonight i just don’t care

Our world’s just a little too grey
Tonight’s right for our getaway
This is it, now, baby
We’re gonna have a time tonight

This is it, now, baby
It ain’t no hanging crime
But when the sun comes up
Maybe you’ll change your mind

If you want to go home say when
But you’ll never come with me again
This is it, now, baby
We’re gonna have a time tonight

This is it, this is it
This is it, now, baby
We’re gonna have a time tonight

…