Category: 1970s

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes – Havin’ A Party

When that chorus kicks in, I’m in heaven. It sounds like early sixties greatness, and it’s just fun to sing along with.  I’ve never been to New Jersey, but Southside Johnny and Springsteen make me feel like I did. Asbury Park has served as a musical mecca for decades. I’m hoping that one day I will get there.

This is not just a cover of the Sam Cooke standard; it is a full Jersey Shore revival meeting, led by Southside Johnny, who sounds like he has lived every lyric and is still catching his breath. When I see him perform on film, he performs with the audience rather than for… in what I’ve seen. He gets them involved and everyone has a good time. 

I love this version because he doesn’t try to out-sing Sam Cooke, because who could? You can hear him reacting in real time, stretching lines, yelling encouragement as he feeds off the band as much as they feed off him. They are built to hear live, and they live up to that job. 

It was on the album Havin’ a Party With Southside Johnny, released in 1979-1980. This song on the album was live, and it’s from 1976. The song was written by Sam Cooke and released in 1962. The original version peaked at #17 on the Billboard 100 and #30 in Canada in 1962. Rod Stewart also did a version that charted in 1994. 

Havin’ A Party

Yeah, everybodyYeah, get every one apartIs there a problem, whooCan we do this now

We’re havin’ a partyEverybody’s swingingDancing to the musicOn the radio (we’re on our way, man)So listen, Mr. DJKeep those records playing (alright)‘Cause I’m having such a good timeDancing with my baby

We’re having a partyDancing to the musicPlayed by the DJOn the radioCokes are in the ice boxPopcorn’s on the tableMe and my babyAre out there on the floor

And we’re havin’ a partyEverybody’s swingingDancing to the musicOn the radioSo listen, Mr. DJKeep those records playing‘Cause I’m having such a good timeDancing with my baby

Everybody’s swinging (oldies)Oldies, doing the twist nowIf you take requestsI’ve got a few for youDon’t forget the soul twistPlay that one called “I Know”I got to hear what suites meNo other songs will do

And we’re havin’ a partyEverybody’s swingingDancing to the musicOn the radioSo listen, Mr. DJKeep those records playing‘Cause I’m having such a good timeDancing with my baby

‘Cause I’m having such a good timeDancing with my baby‘Cause I’m having such a good timeDancing with my baby

Baby, is alright (baby, is alright)Baby, is alright (baby, is alright)Baby, is alright (baby, is alright)Baby, is alright (baby, is alright)Baby, is alright (baby, is alright)Is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Baby, is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)

Is alright (is alright)Baby, is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Baby, is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Is alright (is alright)Baby, is alright (is alright)

…

John Prine – John Prine …album review

Ever since I wrote up the John Prine song Paradise (thanks to  halffastcyclingclub) I knew then I had to write up the album. This album is very daunting to write up. If one person listens to it, then my job is done. It is one of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard in rock, pop, country, folk, or anything else. I’m truly ashamed I didn’t dive into John Prine sooner. I knew some of his well-known songs like Dear Abbey, Angel From Montgomery, and a few other songs of his, but it was the song Paradise that totally won me over. Like the old lyric I remember from a long time ago…listening to this album is like taking a trip without leaving the farm. 

John Prine was working as a mailman in Chicago, delivering letters by day and sharpening songs by night. He began playing open mics at the Old Town School of Folk Music, where his storytelling and humor transfixed the audience. One night in 1970, Kris Kristofferson wandered in, heard Prine sing Sam Stone, and reportedly told his record label mates he’d just seen “the best songwriter I’ve ever heard.” That moment changed everything for Prine.

Atlantic Records moved quickly, pairing Prine with producer Arif Mardin, a surprising choice. Mardin, known for polished soul and pop productions. He immediately understood that these songs didn’t need a big production. Sessions were kept deliberately restrained, focusing on clarity and feel rather than polish. Many of the songs were already road-tested long before they were recorded. Hello In There, Sam Stone, and Paradise had been perfected in coffeehouses and small clubs

At 24 years old, he plays thirteen songs that feel lived in, warm, sly, funny, haunted, and most importantly, human. There is one thing I found out about this album. On first listen, I thought it was charming. On the tenth, it is devastating. On the twentieth, it feels like a friend you have known your whole life, and I’m not exaggerating.

Right from the opener Illegal Smile, Prine is already telling you “Last time I checked my bankroll, it was gettin’ thin, Sometimes it seems like the bottom is the only place I’ve been”. Then comes Spanish Pipedream, which practically bursts out of the speakers, preaching the joys of ditching society’s noise. blowing up your TV, and finding your own piece of mind. But the album’s heart and soul song runs deeper. Sam Stone, with its unforgettable line “there’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes,” still lands like a gut punch.

And then, of course, there is Angel from Montgomery. If Prine had written only that one song, he would still have ended up on songwriter Mount Rushmore. I won’t go over every song, but if you like great lyrics and great melodies, this is the album for you. Google the lyrics on this fine Sunday and sing along with John Prine. It will be a beautiful Sunday…trust me on that. My personal favorites? Paradise, Sam Stone, Illegal Smile, Angel from Montgomery, and…ah, just listen to them all.

Sam Stone

Sam StoneCame homeTo his wife and familyAfter serving in the conflict overseasAnd the time that he servedHad shattered all his nervesAnd left a little shrapnel in his kneeBut the morphine eased the painAnd the grass grew ’round his brainAnd gave him all the confidence he lackedWith a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goesAnd Jesus Christ died for nothin’, I supposeLittle pitchers have big earsDon’t stop to count the yearsSweet songs never last too long on broken radiosMmm-hmm-hmm-hmm

Sam Stone’s welcome homeDidn’t last too longHe went to work when he’d spent his last dimeAnd soon he took to stealin’When he got that empty feelin’For a hundred dollar habit without overtimeAnd the gold rolled through his veinsLike a thousand railroad trainsAnd eased his mind in the hours that he choseWhile the kids ran around wearin’ other people’s clothes

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goesAnd Jesus Christ died for nothin’, I supposeLittle pitchers have big earsDon’t stop to count the yearsSweet songs never last too long on broken radiosMmm-hmm-hmm-hmm

Sam Stone was aloneWhen he popped his last balloonClimbing walls while sittin’ in a chairWell, he played his last requestWhile the room smelled just like deathWith an overdose hoverin’ in the air

But life had lost its funAnd there was nothin’ to be doneBut trade his house that he bought on the G.I. BillFor a flag draped casket on a local heroes’ hill

There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goesAnd, Jesus Christ died for nothin’, I supposeLittle pitchers have big earsDon’t stop to count the yearsSweet songs never last too long on broken radiosMmm-hmm-hmm-hmmHmmHmm-hmm-hmm-hmm

Robert Gordon – Flying Saucer Rock And Roll 

I wanted to get a rockabilly post in before the new year got any older, and Robert Gordon is a great place to start! He did rockabilly proud as he stuck to the roots while also sharing his unique style in the songs.

Gordon released his debut album (Robert Gordon with Link Wray) in 1977. This song is on that album. Everyone thought he would be huge. His producer was Richard Gottehrer, and he helped launch the careers of Madonna, Blondie, The Ramones, and The Talking Heads. Gordon paved the way for future rockabilly acts like The Stray Cats, which emerged in the 1980s. He also shone a much-needed light on the legendary guitarist Link Wray. He saw Wray playing the oldies circuit and convinced Wray to play guitar with him.

Much like The Yardbirds and John Mayall, Gordon had a knack for picking great guitar players to play with him. Chris Spedding (a versatile session guitarist), Danny Gatton (toured with Roger Miller and others), Eddie Angel, Quentin Jones, and, most recently, Danny B. Harvey. Gordon’s 2020 album Rockabilly For Life had players such as Albert Lee, Steve Wariner, and the great Steve Cropper.

This song was written by Ray Scott and first recorded by Billy Riley and His Little Green Men (Love that name) in 1957.  Others have covered this song like The Flamin’ Groovies, The Box Tops, and many others. This was on Gordon’s debut album, and it rocks! For a music fan, it’s pure entertainment.

From 1977 to 2022, he made 12 studio albums and 4 live albums. Gordon died in 2022 of acute myeloid leukemia.

Flying saucers Rock & Roll

Well, the news of the saucer been a-flyin’ around
I’m the only one that seen it on the ground
First thing I seen when I saw it land
Cats jumped out and they formed a band

Flyin’ saucer rock and roll, flyin’ saucer rock and roll
I couldn’t understand the things they said
But that crazy beat just a stopped me dead

Well the little green men, they were real hep-cats
Rockin’ and rollin’ doin’ their crazy flats
They brought out a sax and they started to blow
They brought out the drums and they started to roll

Well, I come out a-hidin’ and I started to rock
Little green men tought me how to do the bop
They were three foot high, hit a few bars
Started rock and roll al the way from mars

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Smokey And The Bandit

I wanted to do something fun today…not exactly a thinking man’s movie, but fun. 

I ran across a trailer for this on YouTube and ended up watching the movie again. Yes, I know this isn’t exactly Citizen Kane or the most sophisticated movie,  but it does have redeeming qualities. This movie was released in the era of Jaws, Star Wars, and many more classics. It’s still remembered today very highly. It is not a movie that is going to make you think…it’s just going to entertain you, which is what movies are for. There are no hidden messages, just pure fun. 

In the mid-1970s, Coors beer had a near-mythic reputation east of the Mississippi. It was not widely distributed nationwide, and it was famously unpasteurized, meaning it had to stay cold and be delivered fast. To people back east, Coors was contraband. The movie goes into this perfectly, turning a real-world distribution quirk into the ultimate outlaw challenge.

The entire plot kicks off with a simple outlaw wager: haul a truckload of Coors beer from Texas to Georgia in under 28 hours, back when the unpasteurized beer couldn’t legally be sold east of the Mississippi. The Snowman (Jerry Reed) drives the rig loaded with ice-cold contraband, while the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) races ahead in his black Trans Am, using speed and nonstop CB chatter to lure every lawman in the region away from the Coors. It was a game of misdirection and bravado, with Sheriff Buford T. Justice closing in, all for the satisfaction of proving that sometimes the best reason to. Along the way, Bandit picks up “frog” (Sally Field), a bride who just ran out of a wedding with Bufford T Justice’s son. 

Burt Reynolds was in his prime during this stretch.  A lot of guys grew the mustache, and their hair was black. My dad had the same look as Reynolds at this time. He had already been in many successful movies, including Gator, Deliverance, W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, The Longest Yard, and more. At this time, he was one of the biggest, most recognizable movie stars on the planet. 

The public mostly adored Reynolds, but the critics did not like him. He had a charisma about him that he had at the beginning when he was on Gunsmoke for 3 years. Sally Field was also in this movie, and she played her part perfectly. The Flying Nun to “Sybil” or “Frog” in this movie is quite a stretch. She was one of my first crushes as a young boy, and in this film, that crush was only strengthened. 

I guess one reason I love this movie is that it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is. It doesn’t aspire to great movie-making. It was just supposed to be 90 minutes of entertainment on the big screen, and it’s still entertaining. Turn your brain off for a while and have fun with it. It rolled into theaters and straight through American pop culture. Jackie Gleason’s Sheriff Buford T. Justice is the perfect comic counterweight to Bandit, loud and absolutely unhinged. Add Sally Field’s runaway bride with attitude and Jerry Reed’s snowman trucker charisma, and you’ve got a cast that clicks like a great bar band.

If you want Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or Lawrence of Arabia…you have come to the wrong movie, but give it a chance and have some fun. Oh, I forgot Fred, the lovable Basset Hound dog in this movie, he was chosen by Burt Reynolds because the dog wouldn’t obey commands, adding to his character as Snowman’s independent but loyal companion.

…

Dave Mason – Only You Know and I Know

I’ve heard this one since I was a kid, and I’ve always liked it. It just rolls right along.

The song itself grew out of Mason’s acoustic roots, written simply and deliberately, with the melody doing most of the heavy lifting. There was no attempt to modernize it for radio, which ironically is probably why it connected. When the song was released as a single in late 1970, it quickly became Mason’s breakthrough hit. It established him as more than “the guy who left Traffic.”

It was written and recorded by Dave Mason in 1970. It was on his album, Alone Together. The song was his first charting single, and it became a minor hit for him in the U.S. and Canada. Dave Mason played with Traffic; he also played on the Jimi Hendrix song All Along the Watchtower, Beggars Banquet by the Stones, and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. The guy got around and was in demand from other artists.

Recording sessions for Alone Together were loose but purposeful. Mason brought in an all-star cast of friends and collaborators, including members of Delaney & Bonnie’s circle, Leon Russell, and Jim Gordon. No one overplayed, no one tried to steal the spotlight. It feels organic because it is, musicians listening to each other instead of competing for space.

The song peaked at #42 on the Billboard 100 in 1970. It was also recorded by  Delaney and Bonnie and peaked at #20 in 1971. I grew up hearing both versions of it.

Only You Know And I Know

Only you know and I know
All the lovin’ we’ve got to show
So don’t refuse to believe it
By reading too many meanings

‘Cause you know that I mean what I say
So don’t go, and never take me the wrong way
You know you can’t go on gettin’ your own way
‘Cause if you do, it’s gonna get you someday

We’re both here to be pleasin’
Oh, no, no, not deceivin’
But it’s hard to believe in
Ah yeah, when you’ve been so mistreated

‘Cause you know that I mean what I say
So don’t go, and never take me the wrong way
You know you can’t go on gettin’ your own way
‘Cause if you do, it’s gonna get you someday

If I seem to mislead you
It’s just my craziness comin’ through
But when it comes down to just two
Ah, I ain’t no crazier than you

‘Cause you know that I mean what I say
So don’t go, and never take me the wrong way
You know you can’t go on gettin’ your own way
‘Cause if you do, it’s gonna get you someday

Only you know and I know
Only you know and I know
Only you know and I know, oh yeah
Only you know and I know, oh yeah, get up

Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody

This is fast becoming my favorite rock Christmas song second only to John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over). This week is going to be Christmas week. I will let up on the weekend but let’s bring in the cheer.

This is a great Christmas song that was released in 1973 and ever since it re-enters the charts every December in the UK. The song never hit in America but it went to #1 in the UK Charts. I first heard it on a Doctor Who episode in the mid-2000s and have liked it ever since.

This was based on a psychedelic song, “My Rocking Chair,” which Noddy Holder wrote in 1967. In 1973 the Slade vocalist decided to convert it into a Christmas song after a night out drinking at a local pub.

He and the band’s bass player and co-writer Jimmy Lea camped out at Noddy’s mother’s house and got down to changing the lyrics to make them more Christmassy. Jimmy Lea incorporated into the verse parts of another song which he was then writing and Noddy re-wrote the words incorporating different aspects of the Christmas holiday season as they came to mind.

This went straight in at #1 in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies on the day of its release, making it at the time the fastest ever selling record in Britain. It eventually became Slade’s best-ever selling single in the UK, selling over a million copies.

In the UK this has become a standard, and it is usually reissued in its original form each Christmas. On several occasions, the song has re-entered the Top 40.

UK copyright collection society and performance rights organization PRS For Music estimated in 2009 that 42 percent of the earth’s population has heard this tune.

The song was written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea of Slade. It was produced by Chas Chandler formerly of the Animals. The harmonium used on this is the same one that John Lennon used on his Mind Games album, which was being recorded at the studio next door.

Noddy Holder: “I wrote the original verse with the lyrics, ‘Buy me a rocking chair, I’ll watch the world go by. Bring me a mirror, I’ll look you in the eye,’ in 1967 in the aftermath of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper,” I was being psychedelic. Dave (Hill) wrote another part to the song but it didn’t work so we put it away. Then in 1973 he remembered my verse one day when we were trying to write a Christmas single. We changed the words to, ‘Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?’ and the rest fell into place.”

Noddy Holder: “As a lad we used to knock sleds with old orange boxes and go tobogganing down this big old quarry in the snow at Christmas. It was the inspiration for the line ‘are you hoping that the snow will start to fall.’”

Merry Christmas Everybody

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
It’s the time that every Santa has a ball
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?
Does a ‘ton up’ on his sleigh
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

Chorus:
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you sure you got the room to spare inside?
Does your granny always tell ya that the old are the best?
Then she’s up and rock ‘n’ rollin’ with the rest

Chorus:
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

What will your daddy do
When he sees your Mama kissin’ Santa Claus?
Ah ah

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall?
Do you ride on down the hillside in a buggy you have made?
When you land upon your head then you’ve been slayed

Chorus (4x)
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

…

Band – Christmas Must Be Tonight

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Eve. I’ll be late commenting today, but I’ll get on as soon as I can.

Christmas has always meant a lot to me. My mom and dad are gone now but as corny as it sounds… the magic of Christmas stays with me. My son is in Germany with his girlfriend this year, but we will have a good time and I will think back at all of Christmas Eve’s past. Sort of like a good ghost that tells me I have a lot to be thankful for.

Robbie Robertson’s Christmas gift to his new son, Sebastian, during the sessions for the Northern Lights-Southern Cross album… never became a seasonal favorite, but it should have been. It wasn’t released until the Islands album in 1977.

Rick Danko sings this song from a Shepherd’s point of view. It’s pure and down to earth like only the Band can be. No sleigh bells or other Christmas trappings…just pure music. Maybe that is the reason it never got picked up.

Robbie Robertson re-recorded this song after he left the group. And he did the soundtrack for Bill Murray’s Scrooged. That version is very good, but I still like The Bands version much more…it’s hard to beat Rick Danko.

Christmas Must Be Tonight

Come down to the manger, see the little stranger
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, the prince of peace
Wheels start turning, torches start burning
And the old wise men journey from the East

How a little baby boy bring the people so much joy
Son of a carpenter, Mary carried the light
This must be Christmas, must be tonight

A shepherd on a hillside, where over my flock I bide
Oh a cold winter night a band of angels sing
In a dream I heard a voice saying “fear not, come rejoice
It’s the end of the beginning, praise the new born king”

I saw it with my own eyes, written up in the skies
But why a simple herdsmen such as I
And then it came to pass, he was born at last
Right below the star that shines on high

Al Stewart – Nostradamus

I’ve always liked story songs, and this one spans a lot of time and ground. The song hits over 9 minutes, but it builds all the way. The bass doesn’t kick in until after the two-minute mark.

This 1973 song is like a book pulled from a shelf in some old library. Along with a story, you have a great melodic backing. This was Al Stewart before his radio hits, before Year of the Cat made him a star. He was still a cult artist at this point. I was really impressed by the lyrics and music alike. It’s not a song that you play at a party, but one that you listen to.

It was on the album Past, Present, and Future, and it isn’t an easily accessible album, and that is part of the charm. It’s more intellectual, with Stewart going with his passion rather than being commercial. His inspiration for this song came from British scholar Erika Cheetham, who wrote books interpreting Nostradamus’s prophecies.

Stewart sought out Cheetham, and they became friends. Stewart and Cheetham would go over prophecies that Nostradamus made. He included prophecies about historical figures like Napoleon and Hitler in the song.  He said that he focused on the idea of prophecy itself, the tension between fate and free will. The sense that history moves in cycles… So yes, it is interesting. I’ve gained a whole new respect for Al Stewart, the songwriter.

All songs on this album have historical themes, each song representing a decade of the 20th century. John Anthony was the producer, and he went for more of an atmospheric sound to go with the lyrics. It worked because the lyrics get center stage, but the music is very strong. Stewart’s fans like this album, and in 2015, he performed the entire album at the Royal Albert Hall.

The album peaked at #133 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1974.

Nostradamus

In the east the wind is blowing the boats across the seaAnd their sails will fill the morning and their cries ring out to me

Oh, the more it changes, the more it stays the sameAnd the hand just re-arranges the players in the game

Oh, I had a dreamIt seemed I stood aloneAnd the veil of all the yearsGoes sinking from my eyes like a stone

A king shall fall and put to death by the English parliament shall beFire and plague to London come in the year of six and twenties threeAn emperor of France shall rise who will be born near ItalyHis rule cost his empire dear, Napoloron his name shall be

From Castile does Franco come and the Government driven out shall beAn English king seeks divorce, and from his throne cast down is heOne named Hister shall become a captain of Greater GermanieNo law does this man observe and bloody his rise and fall shall be

Man, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to meMan, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to me

In the new lands of America three brothers now shall come to powerTwo alone are born to rule but all must die before their hourTwo great men yet brothers not make the north united standIts power be seen to grow, and fear possess the eastern lands

Three leagues from the gates of Rome a Pope named Pol is doomed to dieA great wall that divides a city at this time is cast asideThese are the signs I bring to youto show you when the time is nigh

Man, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to me

Man, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the seaI am the eyes of Nostradamus, all your ways are known to me

Kinks – Father Christmas

This is my first Christmas post of the year. I really miss posting all of the Christmas posts I have, but I’ll get some in before Christmas…not too many though. We have less than a week til Christmas. I’m looking forward to it. I hope all of you are doing well!

This song always brings a smile to my face. Any Kinks Christmas song would have to be different…and this one is.

I’ve always liked this raw and rough Christmas song. A writer at the NME wrote, “Successful Xmas songs are more about mood than specifics, but as this is an anti-Christmas song, it’s fine.” This is the kind of song you would expect from Ray Davies. Anti-Christmas or not…it has become a popular classic Christmas song that gets airplay every year.

The single was released during the height of punk rock and certainly exudes a punk attitude. Dave Davies told ABC Radio that he “always thought The Ramones would do a great version of it. I don’t know why they didn’t do it.”… thinking about it…Dave was right…it would have fit them perfectly.

The song was released in 1977 with the B side Prince Of  The Punks. The track was included on the Arista compilation Come Dancing with The Kinks and is also available as a bonus track on the CD reissue of the Kinks’ 1978 album Misfits.

In England, Father Christmas is the personification of Christmas, in the same way as Santa Claus is in the United States. Although the characters are now synonymous, historically Father Christmas and Santa Claus have separate entities, stemming from unrelated traditions.

This song is the rare holiday song that actually tells the truth. It jingles, it rocks, and it quietly asks why the season of giving so often feels like a season of needing. Play it loud, pour something strong, and remember that Ray Davies could turn even Christmas into a perfect little slice of real life.

Ray Davies: “When the record came out we were on tour with a very successful band at the time supporting them,” he recalled during an interview with Southern California radio station KSWD. “I went on dressed as Santa at the end of the show to do ‘Father Christmas.’ And the other band found it hard to follow us. The following night with the same band I went to run on but there was a bunch of heavies preventing me from running on stage. And I was protesting. But the people said, ‘The Kinks didn’t do an encore but Santa Claus was there and they were stopping him from going on stage.'”

Father Christmas

When I was small I believed in Santa Claus
Though I knew it was my dad
And I would hang up my stocking at Christmas
Open my presents and I’d be glad

But the last time I played Father Christmas
I stood outside a department store
A gang of kids came over and mugged me
And knocked my reindeer to the floor

They said
Father Christmas, give us some money
Don’t mess around with those silly toys
We’ll beat you up if you don’t hand it over
We want your bread so don’t make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys

Don’t give my brother a Steve Austin outfit
Don’t give my sister a cuddly toy
We don’t want a jigsaw or monopoly money
We only want the real mccoy

Father Christmas, give us some money
We’ll beat you up if you make us annoyed
Father Christmas, give us some money
Don’t mess around with those silly toys

But give my daddy a job ’cause he needs one
He’s got lots of mouths to feed
But if you’ve got one I’ll have a machine gun
So I can scare all the kids on the street

Father Christmas, give us some money
We got no time for your silly toys
We’ll beat you up if you don’t hand it over
Give all the toys to the little rich boys

Have yourself a merry merry Christmas
Have yourself a good time
But remember the kids who got nothin’
While you’re drinkin’ down your wine

Father Christmas, give us some money
We got no time for your silly toys
Father Christmas, please hand it over
We’ll beat you up so don’t make us annoyed

Father Christmas, give us some money
We got no time for your silly toys
We’ll beat you up if you don’t hand it over
We want your bread so don’t make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys

What Christmas Means To Me

This year I won’t be swamping you with many Christmas posts like I usually do, probably a relief to some…But I do really love Christmas. Because of work, I can’t post much through the week, but I’m going to try to get some in next weekend. This was written for Dave’s Turntable Talk, and the subject was What Christmas Means to Me. It was posted last week on his site. For those who didn’t see it…here it is. 

I remember Christmas when I was a young kid of around 4-5. We always had our Christmas on Christmas Eve. My family and I would have such a good time. We would start on Christmas Eve and go to my grandparents (my mom’s side) at around 5pm and eat, eat, and did I mention eat? Some of the kids there would get small gifts. Funny thing, though, my father would never go with us. It always puzzled me why he didn’t go and decided to stay at home. 

When we got home…Santa Claus would have miraculously already dropped by on Christmas Eve night! When I opened that door…it was a beautiful sight! A tree I had helped decorate with presents underneath. Also, with presents unwrapped and sitting around. The cookies I left out were always half-eaten.  I remember in my stockings I would get tangerines and oranges, as well as small gifts and candy. The tangerines were always cold. I just knew they were cold because they came from the North Pole. In different years, I remember the pinball machine, the Star Trek Enterprise bridge area toy, the Evel Knievel stunt motorcycle, albums, a record player, etc. My mom and dad were not rich by any means, and I wonder now how long they saved to give all of this stuff to Tammy (my sister) and me. Dad would be standing there and telling me he met Santa and helped him unload the sleigh. Ah! That was the reason he stayed at home, to help Santa. 

Soon after 1975, my mom and dad got divorced. Things changed in my life, and it sucked. I missed my dad being around, but my mom did her very best to be mother and father to my sister and me on an everyday basis. I would see Dad around 3 weeks or so a year. My mom didn’t like it when I went to his house a lot. Not because he was mean, abusive, or anything like that, but because of kidney stones and what he took to relieve the pain, and to excess. He had 70 stones in his life, and when he passed away in 2005, he still had two in him. It was the 1970s, and doctors gave him medicine to get up and to go to sleep, and he would self-medicate at times. He eventually got better and stopped that for the most part, but that was later on in the 1980s. He was never arrested or anything like that, or caused any trouble. He made guitars and musical instruments, and one time drove from Nashville to Los Angeles in 2 days without sleep.

The ONE time a year my entire family was together (every year) was Christmas. Mom and Dad never fought on Christmas (even right after the divorce), and they grew closer each year. Both got married again, but that never affected how they acted. So, to answer the question, Christmas is about family to me, and now, as the years pass, my mom and dad are always near me. That was the only time I saw them all together every year after the divorce. I’m fiercely protective about Christmas to this day. Until dad passed away, every Christmas, he would come down. He only missed one year, and it was because of an ice storm in the early 2000s. When Bailey was born in 2000, we all always had a great time, and it brought back memories of being a kid again. The only Christmas activity I changed was that Bailey had his Christmas on Christmas Day after waking up from Christmas Eve.

 I’ve been with Jennifer since 1993, and Bailey came along in 2000. We were together every single Christmas until around 2021 when Bailey went to Germany and be with his girlfriend. I argued with him about it. It’s probably the only argument we ever got into in his adult life. Yeah, I was wrong, but it was the history of it for me. I knew I had to let go…I told him…you could be gone for 364 other days, and I would be fine…but of course I got over it. He has alternated ever since. My sister, her son, his wife, and their children always come down as well.

Funny, my mom and dad almost got back together in the 90s, but my mom started to lose her memory at an early age (high blood pressure and mini strokes in her 40s), and it never happened. Mom and Dad ended up dying within 6 months of each other in 2005 – 2006. To this day, I think of mom and dad while Tammy comes down on Christmas Eve. I know it’s kinda unorthodox on how Christmas is to me, but it’s the truth. And…I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world…so Merry Christmas to you all…and to mom and dad.

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George Thorogood – Move It On Over

I first heard of George Thorogood when I watched the movie Christine back in the 1980s and the song Bad to the Bone. This song is what a grimy bar (not a dance club) in the 1980s sounded like…trust me. I forgot to thank Matt, who posted this Hank Williams song yesterday.

In this song, George rewires an old Hank Williams song and gives it some kick.  It leaves plenty of space for Thorogood’s overdriven slide guitar to bark and growl. The Destroyers keep things locked in, drums steady, bass walking just enough to keep the floor moving. There’s nothing fancy here, and that’s the point. Thorogood has always understood that blues rock works best when it sounds like it could fall apart at any second but never quite does.

In 1978, they were still an underground band, a hard-working bar band with national hopes and a deep love for old blues and boogie records. The album was only their second album, but it’s the record where everything fell into place. It was recorded quickly and cheaply; the album captured the band in near-live form, loud amps, and minimal overdubs. Thorogood had said he wanted energy, and the sessions matched that request.

The song was written by Hank Williams. This song was his first big hit. The song was written by the man himself. He released this song in 1947. Two years later, he received his invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry. This song was the title track for the album, released in 1978. The album peaked at #33 on the Billboard Album Charts, #29 in Canada, and #10 in New Zealand.

Move It On Over

I come in last night about half past tenThat baby of mine wouldn’t let me inSo move it on over, rock it on overMove over little dog, a mean, old dog is movin’ in

She told me not to mess aroundBut I done let the deal go downMove it on over, rock it on overMove over nice dog, a big, fat dog is movin’ in

She changed the lock on my back doorNow my key won’t fit no moreMove it on over, rock it on overMove over nice dog, a mean, old dog is movin’ in

She threw me out just as pretty as she pleasedPretty soon I’ve been scratchin’ fleasMove it on over, slide it on overMove over nice dog, a mean, old dog is movin’ in

Yeah, listen to me dog before you start to whineThat side’s yours and this side’s mineSo move it on over, rock it on overMove over little dog, a big, old dog is movin’ in

Yeah, she changed the lock on my back doorNow my key won’t fit no moreMove it on over, rock it on overMove over little dog, a big, old dog is movin’ in

Move it on overMove it on overMove it on over, won’tcha rock it on over?Move over cool dog, a hot dog’s movin’ in

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – Mr. R.I.N.G.

January 10, 1975 Season 1 Episode 12

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

***Since it’s the Christmas season and most people are watching seasonal programs and are rushing around, Kolchak will return on January 9th, 2026! I do apologize for the interruption, but I thought it was best. We only have 8 more to go.***

The episode centers on an escaped experimental android named Mr. R.I.N.G. (R.I.N.G. stands for Robomatic Internalized Nerve Ganglia), a government project that went off the rails. Kolchak stumbles onto the story because he missed the day before fishing, so a huge story was given to a co-worker. Kolchak was handed the chore of writing an obituary for a scientist.  But of course, he investigated it, and it was a murdered scientist that spiraled into a cover-up with secrecy, classified files, and shredded evidence. The threat here is technology running amok, walking the streets with a purpose no one fully understands. Mr Ring is basically AI before AI. He learns as he goes. 

The android itself is unsettling because it isn’t really bad. Unlike the show’s monsters, Mr. R.I.N.G. appears to be struggling to understand its own purpose and emotions. The more Kolchak uncovers, the clearer it becomes that the danger comes from the government forces that created it, not from the robot. This dynamic gives the episode a tragic feel, as though Kolchak is chasing a victim who never asked to be born. Frankenstein comes to mind with this show as well because the “monster” is trying to find itself and is not inherently bad. 

It feels close to Westworld, early Terminator, and a touch of The Stepford Wives.  Darren McGavin’s performance is especially sharp here, because Kolchak’s sarcasm bounces off humorless officials and tight-lipped agents who refuse to acknowledge anything out of the ordinary. His frustration grows as every lead is buried under regulations. One thing that is different in this episode is that Tony, his boss, is forced to believe in Kolchak this time. The government threatens the newspaper if Tony lets Kolchak continue investigating this. 

SPOILERS BELOW

The ending drives home the show’s theme: truth is buried by the system. Mr. R.I.N.G. is erased like a clerical error. Kolchak gets close to exposing everything, only to watch the evidence vanish once again. He is left with nothing except a story no one will print.

Trivia

A little trivia for you, the Tyrell Institute is used as the headquarters in this episode, and a decade later, the name would be used in Blade Runner. Many fans and critics view the Tyrell Institute in Kolchak as a direct precursor or inspiration for the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner, sharing themes of artificial life and corporate control over synthetic beings.

January 9th episode HERE.

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“You shouldn’t like music that was made before you were born”

I thought I would do something different today. I was reminded of this by the phrase, “it was before my time.” Movies and music fall into this category. I do know people who will not watch movies made “before their time.” I don’t think many of my readers would agree to this statement, but who knows?

I had a co-worker in the early 2000s (Sam) tell me that I shouldn’t like music that was before my time because it was unnatural (yes, he said that). I was first kinda of amused and shocked. I like Sam a lot, and we would talk a lot; he is a smart fellow. However, on this point, I didn’t understand. Why? Is there some unwritten law that I can’t like 1950s or 1960s music up to 1967, when I was born?  That cut off some of the best music of the 20th century and beyond.

He grew up in the 80s, as I did,  and was probably around 5 or so years younger than me. I’ve seen other people act the same way. If it were before they were born, then they would not give it a second listen. If a movie is black and white, they act as if they are near a radiation leak!

 I think the subject centered around how I loved 50s and 60s music and The Beatles, The Who, The Stones, and The Kinks. He said I should be listening to music from my teenage years (well, I WAS…60s music was my soundtrack growing up), but I DID listen to the top 40 when I was a teenager, which, to me, didn’t live up to those bands to any degree or form. Maybe it wasn’t fair to compare Men Without Hats to those 1960s bands. It was hard to stomach some of the ’80s for me, but not all. Now I’m busy catching up on music I missed that wasn’t on Top 40 radio at the time. I did find an oasis in the 80s, alternative music like The Replacements and REM…and the classic bands.

I still want to find other music and movies I like. Why would age have any effect on the music, whether we like it or not? That doesn’t mean I don’t like new music. I have posted newer bands here before who have just released albums. If it’s good, it doesn’t matter what era it came from, at least not to me. Christian, Graham, and Lisa all posted some newer songs that I liked. With movies, yes, I find some I like. I just saw Weapons and loved it, plus there are others.

I’m not putting people down at all who think like that. Hey, if that is what they believe, more power to them. I never believed in criticizing people for their opinions, music, or otherwise. Whatever blows their hair back.

Anyway, what do you think? 

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Kolchak: The Night Stalker – Horror in the Heights

December 20, 1974 Season 1 Episode 11

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

This episode is the most highly rated episode of the series. It is a good episode and will take you down the path where things are not what they seem. The setting is Roosevelt Heights, a Chicago neighborhood largely populated by elderly Jewish residents, and a series of gruesome killings quickly points to something beyond ordinary. Kolchak goes past the police explanations and discovers details about creatures from Indian folklore. It’s a darker, more atmospheric episode, leaning heavily into folklore.

The monster at the heart of the episode is a Raksasha, a shape-shifting demon from Hindu mythology. It doesn’t just kill; it appears to its victims as someone they trust, lowering their guard before striking. That twist gives the story tension, because every familiar face might not be what it seems. The creature’s appearance, when revealed, is not pretty. Kolchak learns the demon has been feeding on residents, and the community tensions spread in the neighborhood it making it easier for the monster. This reminds me of Pennywise from IT, who was also a shapeshifting creature.

As Kolchak digs deeper, he crosses paths with Mr. Furlin and a community group determined to protect their homes from crime, though they don’t realize the real threat isn’t human. When Kolchak finally confronts the Raksasha, the showdown relies on knowledge rather than brute force. I was relieved because I thought he might have made a mistake…But I won’t give that away.

What makes this episode stand out is that it isn’t just about a monster… It’s about a community losing trust in itself. The demon feeds not only on flesh, but on fear and isolation. With its blend of folklore and social tension, it remains one of the most memorable and unsettling episodes in the Kolchak series.

Get a head start on next week’s episode here.

Jesse Ed Davis – ¡Jesse Davis! …album review

I’ve heard of this guy for so long, associated with Taj Mahal and solo Beatles tracks. He played on over 80 albums of other artists. His guitar playing was top shelf and was truly one of the guitar greats. He doesn’t get the attention he deserves. My admitted lack of knowledge of him led me to think he could only play guitar. Much like last week’s Link Wray post, who I didn’t know could sing, he had a really good voice. I also want to thank Lisa from Tao-Talk for posting a Davis song last Friday. 

Jesse Ed Davis was Kiowa, Comanche, and Muscogee (Creek) on his father’s side, while his mother was of Kiowa and Cherokee descent with a small strand of European ancestry. In other words, he was overwhelmingly Native American, with family roots braided through several Plains and Southeastern tribes. He grew up connected to that identity, not as a stage costume, but as him. His dad painted the cover for this album. 

I started to go through his albums like ¡Jesse Davis!, Ululu, and Keep Me Comin or Keep On Coming. He has a couple more, which I still have to get to. I’m totally impressed by his rootsy music. Again, instead of just picking a song, I wanted to feature the album. There is no #1 hit on the album, nor do I think he was trying for that. Just really good, solid songs. 

When Jesse Ed Davis stepped into a studio to record his 1971 debut album ¡Jesse Davis!. He had already carved out a reputation as the guitarist you called when you wanted soul and a heavenly guitar tone, and most importantly, zero ego. He’d played with Taj Mahal, recorded with Gene Clark, and done sessions with everyone from Albert King to Earl Hooker, Jackson Browne, John Lennon, and a ton of other artists. Jesse was the go-to guitarist of the 1970s. 

How respected was he? On this album, he had some incredible guests. Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Gram Parsons, Alan White, and the Gimme Shelter singer Merry Clayton. This album sounds like a loose jam session that worked all the way around. My favorite song on the album is Washita Love Child. It just hit me and has stuck. I found myself hitting the play button again and again. The band around him cooks with an irresistible looseness. You can hear Clapton on his track loud and clear. After researching for this post, I found out it was featured on the TV show  Reservation Dogs. 

The album works because it stays out of its own way. Lou Adler keeps the production loose and moving. Leon Russell arranged some of the songs and added his unique touch. The songs drift between blues, roots rock, and a kind of West Coast soul. Reno Street Incident floats in like someone cracked open a window at two in the morning. Every Night Is Saturday Night for Me comes alive with Leon’s piano, rolling forward like only Leon can do. And when Gram Parsons or Eric Clapton pop up, they don’t hijack the song; they simply join in.

What really holds everything together is Jesse’s guitar, a voice unto itself. He never shows off, he never “shreds,” he simply plays for the song. His solos feel lived in and warm. He didn’t shout to be heard; he just played. Hearing him play and sing on this album is like slipping into a holey, comfortable favorite shirt.

The album doesn’t scream commercial…it doesn’t scream at all. It’s an album you put on and listen to all the way through, and sit back and enjoy some great music. Jesse Ed Davis passed away in 1988 at the young age of 43. 

I added a 10-minute documentary clip.

Washita Love Child

I was born on the bank
in the Washitaw river
in a Kiowa Comanche teepee

Daddy had a hard time
Mama made his eyes shine
Lord, it was just us three
Well they weaned me riding bareback
And I’d tie my hair back
And i did that pow wow thang
Daddy showed up with his stand up guitar
and then we rocked it i believe

I’m a love child
and I’m running wild
hope it don’t take too long
I’m a love you
I’m a try to make you happy
you got to let me sing my song

Mama said to son
Said what about your school books?
Baby baby what about the draft?
Daddy said honey don’t you worry about this boy he’s headed somewhere
Got a guitar and a van to ride

He’s a love child
He’s gonna be running wild
Hope he don’t take too long
He’s gonna love you
He’s in love with me too
So we got to let him sing his song

Well i got myself together
And i’ve been rolling down the road
Gonna boogie down down down down
If i ever get a chance to boogie woogie you
Ha, you can’t sit down

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