When I grew up in a small Tennessee town, every afternoon at 5:30 pm…the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite would grace our living room. I didn’t understand half the news he was talking about but I liked him. He didn’t scowl, growl, throw a fit, cry, or visibly pull for one thing or another. He was a newscaster who was for the most part unbiased (yes they did exist).
Cronkite conveyed fairness and honesty with actual integrity. You felt like you could trust Uncle Walt with your news to have it fair and factual. He started off as a radio announcer and newspaper reporter in the Midwest. He joined United Press, where he became a war correspondent during World War II, covering battles in North Africa and Europe and witnessing historic moments such as the Normandy landings.
1962, Cronkite became the anchor of the CBS Evening News, which he led from a 15-minute to a 30-minute format in 1963. Cronkite took us through the Kennedy assassination, the Moon Landing, the Vietnam War, Watergate, Jimmy Carter, and finally ending as Ronald Reagan became our 40th president.
He did have a moment where he did open up about something in a commentary. After his trip to Vietnam in early 1968, anchorman Walter Cronkite broadcasted his coverage of the Tet Offensive. Cronkite concluded his report with a personal commentary, voicing his skepticism of official assertions of military progress.
“To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. . . . But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.”
Lyndon Baines Johnson (The then President): “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”
This wasn’t something he did regularly at all. He was human and I have no doubt that at times he might tilt one way or another on issues…but when I go back and watch some of his old newscasts…they stuck pretty much to the cold hard facts. That seems so hard to do today.
When I got this album I loved it but at first didn’t understand why the quality was so low but the music makes up for it. The recordings are from 1962 in their last engagement in Hamburg and they didn’t want to be there. I have mentioned this album with some posts but never really went over it.
These are the punk Beatles. Raw and relentless playing fast and furious. The Beatles before the world was paying attention to them. This was recorded on an old reel-to-reel recorder at the slowest speed to conserve tape. It was not meant to be an album or anything commercial. A friend named Ted “King Sized” Taylor the leader of a band called the Dominoes, put a microphone near the stage to record them. The quality is poor, to say the least.
Peter Jackson has mentioned that he would love to work on this album. He could improve the sound a lot using modern technology and I wish they would let him try it. It was released in 1977 and the record company sunk 100,000 dollars just to make the audio listenable. Ted Taylor did ask the Beatles before he recorded and they had no qualms with it. Later on, they tried to sue to block its release but obviously were unsuccessful. I’m glad they were…this is a fun and historic listen.
The Beatles were playing to an audience of sailors, prostitutes, drunks, and gangsters. They would rip through songs at such a speed that only 2 songs on this double album are over 3 minutes long. It was like the Beatles doing a future Ramones imitation. They were “enhanced” by prellies (Preludin) that sped them up quite a bit.
They are a great band here. You catch them with their guard down and acting completely natural. The Beatles were on their last club dates in Hamburg. They had already recorded Love Me Do and it was on the charts. They did not want to be back in Hamburg but they honored a previous agreement and were there. They didn’t mail the performances in but they were loose and relaxed.
It contains mostly cover songs with very few originals. The track listing is at the bottom of the post. This is close to what Brian Epstein heard when he first saw them, this is why they took over Liverpool and this is why they got signed.
Casual fans will not want this album but serious Beatles fans will love it. This is more than a low-fidelity album…it is history. John Lennon always said that the world didn’t hear the best of the Beatles live…I agree. By this time in Hamburg they were getting lazy as well. They didn’t want to be there because they were sitting on Please Please Me waiting for it to get released in the following year.
After they became THE Beatles…they could not hear themselves play because of the long constant jet taking off screaming. On this album, you hear them as they were before the screams. I was 11 when I bought this and I didn’t get the importance until a few years later.
This is out of the book Tune In… Without a doubt the best book out on the Beatles. It’s the first of three volumes.
Their playing is adept and hyper-energetic, and the microphone catches many important moments. The tape’s value has been downplayed on the basis that the Beatles are musically sloppy and perhaps even lazy, knowing they’ve one foot out of the door, but this is to ignore its virtues. The Beatles did hate being in Hamburg this last time … but the recording shows them still cutting the mustard on stage. They’re sloppy because, here, they can be, but they’re not lazy, and they’re not playing with extra care because they’re being recorded: this is an authentic eavesdrop on their club act, not something fizzed-up for the tape machine.
At least three sets were recorded, and because the Beatles rarely repeated themselves in Hamburg, there are only five duplicates among the thirty-seven songs. The repertoire is a real surprise. The only self-written pieces are “Ask Me Why” and “I Saw Her Standing There” (twice), so there’s no “Love Me Do,” “PS I Love You,” “Please Please Me,” “One After 909” or any of several other possibilities, and there are few of the songs from the spine of their all-conquering 1962 stage sets—no “Some Other Guy,” “Soldier of Love,” “Please Mr. Postman,” “Don’t Ever Change,” “A Shot of Rhythm and Blues,” “Devil in Her Heart,” “Baby It’s You,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody,” “Hey! Baby, A Picture of You,” and so on. What’s here is an idiosyncratic selection of old rock numbers all played at breakneck speed—Prellies pace. The nights of half-hour “What’d I Say” marathons are past: everything is high velocity, only three numbers tipping into three minutes.
Side one
Introduction/”I Saw Her Standing There” (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 0:34/2:22
“Roll Over Beethoven” (Chuck Berry) – 2:15
“Hippy Hippy Shake” (Chan Romero) – 1:42
“Sweet Little Sixteen” (Berry) – 2:45
“Lend Me Your Comb” (Kay Twomey, Fred Wise, Ben Weisman) – 1:44
“Your Feet’s Too Big” (Ada Benson, Fred Fisher) – 2:18
Side two
“Twist and Shout” (Phil Medley, Bert Russell) – 2:03
“Mr. Moonlight” (Roy Lee Johnson) – 2:06
“A Taste of Honey” (Bobby Scott, Ric Marlow) – 1:45
I’ve been thinking of the Kinks marathon we did and the next one will be on this man…Bruce Springsteen. I’ll wait til after the new year to give everyone a rest.
When I heard this song I could relate because I lived parts of this song while growing up. The rebellion and the misadventures of the teen years resonated with me. But when they said, “Sit down” I stood up and sounded like Max in high school. The album leans that way as well and that was probably the reason I connected with Greetings From Ashbury Park right away. This song is one of my many favorites on the album. He captures teen rebellion perfectly with lyrics that ping pong everywhere.
The song was on his debut album Greetings From Ashbury Park, which happens to be my favorite Springsteen album. It was released back in 1973. Springsteen was signed to Columbia Records in 1972, largely thanks to the efforts of legendary talent scout John Hammond, who had previously discovered artists like Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin. Hammond was blown away by Springsteen’s songwriting and performance and decided to sign him. He played his songs that ended up on this debut album.
The album received some great reviews from critics, but it wasn’t an immediate commercial success. However, the album grew in stature over time, especially after other artists began covering its songs. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band covered “Blinded by the Light,” which became a No. 1 hit in 1977, bringing more attention to Springsteen’s early work.
Bruce Springsteen: “I come from a boardwalk town where everything is tinged with just a bit of fraud. So am I. In 1972 I wasn’t any race-car drivin’ rebel, I wasn’t any corner street punk, I was a guitar player on the streets of Asbury Park, but I held four clean aces: I had youth, I had a decade of hardcore bar-band experience, I have a great group of musicians and friends who really knew my playing style, and I have a magic trick. Now, I’m here tonight to provide proof of life to that ever-elusive, never completely believable, particularly these days, us. That’s my magic trick. And like all good magic tricks, it begins with a setup.”
Growing Up
Well, I stood stone-like at midnight
Suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair, it was just right
And commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain
And I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone
And came out with my soul untouched
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd
But when they said, “Sit down” I stood up
Ooh, growin’ up
The flag of piracy flew from my mast
My sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for a first mate
She couldn’t sail but she sure could sing
And I pushed B-52 and bombed them with the blues
With my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school
Never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded warmth of the crowd
But when they said, “Come down” I threw up
Ooh, growin’ up
Work it back now
I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere
And you know it’s really hard to hold your breath
I swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared
I was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
But my feet they finally took root in the earth
But I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe
In the engine of an old parked car
I hid in the mother breast of the crowd
When they said, “Pull down” I pulled up
Ooh, growin’ up
Ooh, growin’ up
When I watch this movie I marvel at the talent on the screen. John Wayne, Ron Howard, Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Scatman Crothers, John Carradine, and more. I watched it as a teenager in the 1980s at some point. The movie was released in 1976.
I really, really like this movie a lot and have liked it from the first time I saw it. Along with Wayne, it is fun seeing Ron Howard in his role here. No, it’s not the Clint Eastwood trilogy or John Wayne’s own The Searchers but a really good film.
This film has John Wayne at the end of his long career and Ron Howard at the beginning of his adult career. This was John Wayne’s final role before he died later. Wayne was battling cancer in real life during the film’s production, adding a poignant parallel to real life.
It was directed by Don Siegel and is based on the 1975 novel by Glendon Swarthout. The movie is set in 1901 and follows the story of J.B. Books (played by Wayne), an aging and ailing gunfighter who learns he has terminal cancer. Determined to face his final days with dignity, Books seeks peace but becomes embroiled in conflicts that challenge his desire for a quiet end.
James Stewart had not made a film for five years. He agreed to play the doctor as a favor to John Wayne and his hearing was getting bad by then.
Don Siegel was a very successful director. Some of Siegel’s huge movies came with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Coogan’s Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), Dirty Harry (1971), and Escape from Alcatraz (1979). Siegel was known for his direct no-nonsense directing and ability to draw performances from his actors. Clint Eastwood said he was one of his mentors.
I always liked Nick Lowe and his brand of power pop. I first heard of him with Cruel To Be Kind and then Rockpile who I wish would have made more albums as Rockpile. When I started to blog, Brinsley Schwarz came on my radar and I really then realized how talented this guy is.
This was Lowe’s first solo single following the split of the pub rock band, Brinsley Schwarz. It was also the first single released on Stiff Records, a label formed by the music managers, Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman. The single bore the catalog number BUY 1, establishing Stiff Records as a pioneering label in the UK punk and new wave scenes.
Although So It Goes failed to chart, it still earned a profit for the young Stiff Records. It was on the American album Pure Pop For Now People. The album in the UK was called Jesus of Cool. It peaked at #127 on the Billboard 100 in 1978.
Lowe got the title from a recurring line (So It Goes) in Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 novel, The Slaughterhouse-Five. It is used every time a death occurs in the book. Steve Goulding (drums) and Nick Lowe were the only two musicians on this song. Lowe and Jake Riviera produced the album.
Nick Lowe: “It’s not my favorite, it’s a bit too much like Steely Dan. I think I must have got it from something they’d done.”
So It Goes
Remember on night the kid cut off his right arm
In a fit to save a bit of power
He got fifty thousand watts
In a big acoustic tower
Security’s so tight tonight
Oh they’re ready for a tussle
Gotta keep your backstage passes
‘Cause your promoter had the muscle
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
In the tall buildings
Sit the head of our nations
Worthy men from Spain and Siam
All day discussions with the Russians
But they still went ahead
And vetoed the plan
Now up jumped the U.S. representative
He’s the one with the tired eyes
747 for the midnight condition
Flyin’ back from a peace keepin’ mission
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
In the air there’s absolution
In the wake of a snaky Persian
On his arm there’s a skin tight vision
Wonder why she admires she is hissin’
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
And so it goes and so it goes
And so it goes and so it goes
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
But where it’s goin’ no one knows
Badfinger has always been one of my favorite bands. They had a brilliant songwriter Pete Ham and a very good one Tommy Evans. No Matter What is considered one of the earliest power pop songs.
Badfinger is the band that got me into power pop. After reading about them my interest widened into Big Star and then the Raspberries. If any of you readers have a time machine I could use…take me back to January 19, 1973, at the Chicago Aragon Ballroom…where The Raspberries opened up for Badfinger. That would be a power pop dream.
This song was featured on their 1974 album Wish You Were Here. It was written by Pete Ham and he is the lead vocalist. Dennis is on many “Badfinger Best” lists…in some number 1 over Baby Blue, Day After Day, and No Matter What. The melody in this song is very good.
The album was released in late 1974 and was pulled in early 1975 before it had time to do anything because of litigation between Badfinger’s manager (Stan Polley) and the Warner Brothers. It was released and pulled in a matter of weeks. Warner Brothers saw the money was missing (Polley took it all out of trust) and yanked the album off of the shelves. It was rising in the charts when it was pulled. They recorded another album right after this called Head First but because of litigation, it wasn’t released until 2000.
The band was basically broke. With all of their self-written hits, they should have been set financially for years.
Pete Ham didn’t have the money to pay his mortgage and with a baby on the way drunk and depressed at the fatal age (for rock stars) of 27 Ham hanged himself at the age of 27 in his garage studio in 1975. In 1983 after scrambling for gigs, Tom Evans broke and was not able to get to any of the royalties due him from co-writing Without You with Pete…hanged himself also.
Dennis
Deeper waters flowed Recently it showed Tryin’ to cover your head Tryin’ to frighten you Tryin’ to fight with you Really gettin’ you scared But don’t you worry, you love of mine Pretty soon it will all be fine And we’ll just go on
Higher hills to climb Climbin’ all the time Tryin’ to find a way through Fallin’ down again, on the ground again Wonderin’ what you can do But don’t you worry, you love of ours They look like weeds, but they’re really flowers And they’ll soon be gone
You won’t stand up, you won’t sit down Your head’s a mile above the ground And though we tend to scold you now I couldn’t start to tell you how We couldn’t start to tell you how There’s just no way to say how much we love you
You, little Dennis, you You’re full of new surprise Love you You, little Dennis with the rascal in your eyes You’re a prize
It could be bad, it could be worse You’re taking out your mother’s purse And though you cried when you got told The money there was for the old To keep their dogs from getting cold The only thing that can’t be sold is love
You, little Dennis, you You’re full of new surprise Love you You, little Dennis with the rascal in your eyes
Will you pick up your toys? Will you be a good boy? Will you please, please?
There’s a way There’s a way If you’ll play If you’ll stay There’s a way through There’s a way to Take away blue Take away blue
There’s a way There’s a way If you’ll play If you’ll stay There’s a way through There’s a way to Take away blue Take away blue
There’s a way There’s a way If you’ll play If you’ll stay There’s a way through There’s a way to
John turned his Kustom K200/A Amp up to 11 with this song. It’s a little harder than their radio hits and they dip into blues rock with this cut. It was never released as a single but has become a fan favorite, especially among those who appreciate CCR’s rock album tracks.
It featured on their 6th studio album Pendulum released in 1970. This album was the last to feature Tom Fogerty, the band’s rhythm guitarist and older brother of lead singer John Fogerty. He would leave the band band after this one. The album departed from the band’s previous work in several ways. Fogerty’s songs are strong throughout and are made more interesting by the addition of horns and keyboards
It was recorded at Wally Heider’s studio in San Francisco, it took a month to record which was a long time for a Creedence album. , was down to the fact that the initial take on each song was performed by all four members, this was then followed by overdubbing by John. The overdubs included a horn section, keyboards, and additional backing vocals, all of which were played and sung by John.
The album was met with mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the deeper sound they had in their songs. Some wanted the rawer energy they had on their previous 5 albums. It included the two hits Have You Ever Seen The Rain and Hey Tonight. Pagan Baby does have that earlier CCR energy.
Pendulum peaked at #5 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 in Canada, and #8 in the UK in 1970. Their next album Mardi Gras was the only CCR album to be panned by critics and fans alike…including John Fogerty.
Pagan Baby
Pagan baby, won’t you walk with me? Pagan baby, come on home with me. Pagan baby, take me for a ride. Roll me, baby, roll your big, brown eyes.
Yeah! ooh! ooh!
Pagan baby, let me make your name. Drive it, baby, drive your big love game. Pagan baby, what you got, I need.
Don’t be savin’, spread your love on me.
Aah! mm-mm-mm!
Pagan baby, now won’t you rock with me? Pagan baby, lay your love on me.
This movie changed me when I was a teenager. It made me realize the power that a movie can have. Just a few movies have moved me like that, and this was one of them. Platoon and Full Metal Jacket were two others. I had seen violence before on the screen but this was realistic and brutal…especially when you are a very young guy (too young to watch this) viewing it for the first time. I had to rethink many things after seeing it.
I love the soundtrack, especially the music performed on a Moog synthesizer, which set the tone for the film. I’m not giving a synopsis of the movie…there are plenty of books and internet sites doing that… but a movie that will change you does its job and more. This film was directed by the great Stanley Kubrick and you know it’s his movie within 30 seconds of the intro.
There is a story about a frog and a scorpion, which I relate to this movie. It goes like this. A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid of being stung, but the scorpion argues that if it did so, they would both drown. Considering this, the frog agrees, but midway across the river, the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both. When the frog asks the scorpion why, the scorpion replies that it is in its nature to do so.
This movie runs the gamut…cruelty, horror, the absurd, violence, pity, and justice. In my opinion, this movie shows that evil exists in all of us and what happens if we let it take over. Also, I think the movie shows you that no one can change someone’s nature no matter what drugs or treatment you may give them outside of a lobotomy. Treatment and drugs may slow them down and help but their nature is not going to change. They will at least have to keep fighting it every day.
In the end, A Clockwork Orange challenges viewers to consider human freedom and the ethics of “curing” people against their will. This movie has been analyzed to death and rightly so. It could have only been made in the period it was made. I can’t imagine this movie coming out now…although I wish more modern filmmakers would take chances.
The scene that stick with me are the record shop scene, the Billy Boy gang fight, Singing in the Rain, and of course the eye scene… The record shop scene was filmed in the Chelsea Drugstore… I would love to have a room like that place. Very 60’s-70s futuristic…immortalized in the Stones’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”…The building is now sadly a McDonalds…modern progress?
Malcolm McDowell as Alex was excellent in this movie along with his droogs Pete (Michael Tarn), Georgie (James Marcus), and Dim (Warren Clarke).
Plot from IMDB
Alex DeLarge is an “ultraviolent” youth in futuristic Britain. As with all luck, his eventually runs out and he’s arrested and convicted of murder. While in prison, Alex learns of an experimental program in which convicts are programmed to detest violence. If he goes through the program, his sentence will be reduced and he will be back on the streets sooner than expected. But Alex’s ordeals are far from over once he hits the streets of Britain.
The cool car is an Adams Probe 16 AB/4 that was referred to as a Durango 95 in the film has been restored…
This is part 4 of this series and I thought it was about time to do another installment. I found some more rare songs this time except for Mr. Berry.
Kinks – Cadillac
I think all of these I do must have Cadillac in at least one song. This one was on their debut album and it was written and recorded by Bo Diddley in 1960. The Kinks debut album Kinks was released in 1964.
Gene Vincent – Pink Thunderbird
This song was written by Tex Davis and Paul Peek. It was released by Gene Vincent in 1957. Gene Vincent’s voice and slap back echo go together perfectly. Every rock artist after Gene Vincent has gone after that sound including Springsteen.
Cliff Gallup played some great guitar on this recording. He recorded 35 tracks with Vincent including Be-Bop-A-Lula.
Chuck Berry – Maybellene
Chuck Berry was THE first guitar hero in Rock and Roll. He was also rock’s first poet. This song evolved out of “Ida Red,” a hillbilly song by Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys from the early ’50s. Berry heard that song on the Country radio station KMOX in St. Louis but didn’t know who recorded it.
Not only is the music great with the steady beat… but those lyrics. The motor cooled down the heat went down, And that’s when I heard that highway sound, the Cadillac a-sittin’ like a ton of lead, a hundred and ten half a mile ahead, the Cadillac lookin’ like it’s sittin’ still, and I caught Mabellene at the top of the hill
You can see what is happening in the song in your head with no problem… no MTV story video needed. He was one of the best descriptive lyricist rock and roll has ever had.
The Three Milkshakes – Jaguar
They were a rockabilly band from the 1980s led by singer Mark Kermode, who is now well-known as a British film critic. The group specialized in vintage rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly music, covering songs in a classic ’50s style. They were part of the vibrant rockabilly revival scene in the UK during that time.
Bob Dylan – From A Buick 6
This song is from Bob Dylan’s album Highway 61 Revisited released in 1965. This song was the B side to the single Positively 4th Street. It’s a cool bluesy song that has those Dylan lyrics going everywhere. It resembles Sleepy John Estes’ Milk Cow Blues.
Thank you Keith @ https://nostalgicitalian.com for inviting me to do this. Keith had bloggers over to his site to write about their favorite toys while growing up.
Whenever I see red, white, and blue not only do I think of the flag but I think of Evel Knievel. A hero to many in the 1970s… He is responsible for more broken arms, legs, bruises, bumps, and scrapes than anyone… Kids set up homemade ramps and then jumping them with their bicycles. I said kids…it wasn’t exclusive to boys because I remember some girls jumping also.
Riding down hills standing on your seat, popping wheelies, jumping ramps with your buddy stupidly laying in-between. We wanted to be Evel Knievel jumping over those cars or buses.
He was THE Daredevil… There are Daredevils around today but no one has reached the popularity that Knievel achieved. Not only did he jump and crash he looked cool jumping and crashing. He was like a cool Elvis in a jumpsuit jumping various objects.
I got the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle and Figure when I was 8 years old on Christmas Eve. I have a picture that I can see halfway unwrapped. I immediately started to play with it that night. Over the next couple of months, I would jump everything in sight.
I would make it jump on our porch, our outside dog, and finally, I got a great idea. It took me hours to set it up but I finally got it right. I had ramps going over my mom’s car. I never could get it to go completely over but I got it really close when it came down on the trunk…who needed the Snake Canyon? My mom wasn’t a big fan of the Stunt Cycle…when Evel missed and hit the flowers…some flowers would be missing. When I revved it up in the house…more than one glass shattered making mom shut down my jumping activities.
I wouldn’t mind getting one now to tell you the truth!
Another…well Keith could disqualify this but it was a toy to me…it was called Pong. Basically, it was magical! It would connect to your television, and you could play table tennis all day long. It was the forerunner of modern games that we have today. It was simple black and white, but I can’t tell you how it felt playing the thing.
I got it around 1977 and we just didn’t have things like this. There is one thing I remember well though…mom made me play it at night or on rainy days. The days were made for kids to go out and play baseball, play in the creek, or ride their bicycles for miles. What I wouldn’t give to relive one of those days being 11 again.
Que that spooky piano part now. This 1978 film is a horror classic that I still enjoy watching. While I’m at it…Happy Halloween Everyone! Sometimes, sequels can ruin a franchise and it gets silly. We sometimes forget how great the original is. I’m not a fan of the no-brain slasher movies that followed this.
From the very beginning, Halloween grabs your attention with its eerie, minimalist score—also composed by Carpenter himself. The haunting piano melody sets the tone for the entire film, creating a sense of dread even before it begins. It’s one of those soundtracks that sticks with you long after the credits roll. The two main leads…Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence do an excellent job. I’ve liked Pleasence in anything he has done.
What’s surprising about Halloween after rewatching it, is how little blood and gore is actually shown. The movie relies more on atmosphere and suspense than graphic violence, which is why it remains such an effective horror film today. Carpenter’s use of shadows, lighting, and camera angles makes everything feel off-kilter. Halloween doesn’t go overboard with its horror… just enough to leave a sense of unease.
There are little things as well that this movie does well. Before it all starts Lauire (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Annie (Nancy Kyes) are smoking a joint in a car while Michael is following them. While this was going on…Don’t Fear The Reaper was playing on the radio faintly. Annie’s dad is the sheriff and his name is Brackett. Dr Loomis (Donald Pleasence) tells him that he and his town better be worried. Michael Myers escaped a facility and was headed toward the town where Myers lived when he killed his sister when he was a kid.
This is another movie that has been ingrained in pop culture. After this film, there was a part 2. John Carpenter did not want to make it but was sued to make it. He made sure to blow Myers up in the 2nd film and part 3 had nothing to do with Myers. Halloween II was written by Carpenter and Debra Lee…the two who wrote Halloween. He refused to direct it and he never liked it. “I had to come up with something. I think it was, perhaps, a late night fueled by alcoholic beverages, was that idea. A terrible, stupid idea! But that’s what we did.”
Rob Zombie remade the film in 2007 and a sequel with much more blood and gore. He traded mystic for the obvious, which didn’t work as well for me…but I’m glad he put a little more reason on why Michael did what he did.
Plot IMDB
The year is 1963, the night: of Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that 15-year-old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death by her 6-year-old brother, Michael. After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out on the night before Halloween. No one knows, nor wants to find out, what will happen on October 31st, 1978, besides Myers’ psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be too late for many people.
Quotes
Loomis: I met him, 15 years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding in even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this… six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and… the blackest eyes – the Devil’s eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply… evil.
_____________________________________
Brackett: I have a feeling that you’re way off on this.
Loomis: You have the wrong feeling.
Brackett: You’re not doing very much to prove me wrong!
Loomis: What more do you need?
Brackett: i going to take a lot more than fancy talk to keep me up all night crawling around these bushes.
Loomis: I-I-I watched him for fifteen years, sitting in a room, staring at a wall; not seeing the wall, looking past the wall; looking at this night, inhumanly patient, waiting for some secret, silent alarm to trigger him off. Death has come to your little town, Sheriff. Now, you can either ignore it, or you can help me to stop it.
It doesn’t get much more Halloween than this song. Black Sabbath was a hard rock band that gets credited a lot for influencing heavy metal. That is perplexing to me…what is heavy metal and what is hard rock? When I think of heavy metal I think of some of the many heavy 80s bands with a huge processed sound on guitar. That probably isn’t what others think of though.
The song was inspired by a series of ominous and eerie experiences. According to bassist Geezer Butler, the concept for the song emerged from a frightening incident he had after reading an occult book given to him by Ozzy Osbourne. Butler claims that after leaving the book on a shelf, he saw a dark figure standing at the foot of his bed that disappeared suddenly. This experience led him to write the lyrics. The song is credited to Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
The album cover. It has to be the spookiest album cover ever. On one hand it looks real and on another it looks like a horror movie poster but better. At the center of the album cover is a mysterious, cloaked woman dressed in black. Her identity has been the subject of speculation for decades. Some have claimed she symbolizes a witch or an occult figure, which fits the band’s early associations with the dark arts. It’s one of rocks most iconic album covers.
Louisa Livingstone was a model that was hired for the cover. No one knew who she was until Rolling Stone tracked her down in 2020. Turns out Mrs. Livingstone is not much a fan of Black Sabbath after she finally listened to the album. It just wasn’t her type of music. She now records electronic music under the name of Indreba. Keith Macmillan is the photograhper who shot the album cover.
The album peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200, #29 in Canada, and #8 in the UK in 1970.
Keith Macmillan: “She was a fantastic model. She was quite petite, very, very cooperative. I wanted someone petite because it just gave the landscape a bit more grandeur. It made everything else look big. She wasn’t wearing any clothes under that cloak because we were doing things that were slightly more risqué, but we decided none of that worked. Any kind of sexuality took away from the more foreboding mood. But she was a terrific model. She had amazing courage and understanding of what I was trying to do.”
Louisa Livingstone: I had to get up at about four o’clock in the morning, or something as ridiculously early as that. It was absolutely freezing. I remember Keith rushing around with dry ice, throwing that into the pond nearby, and that didn’t seem to be working very well, so he was using a smoke machine. It was just, ‘Stand there and do that.’ I’m sure he said it was for Black Sabbath, but I don’t know if that meant anything much to me at the time.”
If you want to know about Black Sabbath’s album Black Sabbath VOL 4 cover… go to The Press Music Reviews.
Black Sabbath
What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I’m the chosen one
Oh no
Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan’s sitting there, he’s smiling
Watches those flames get higher and higher
Oh no, no, please God help me
Is it the end, my friend?
Satan’s coming ’round the bend
People running ’cause they’re scared
The people better go and beware
No, no, please God help me
Next to The Shining, this is my favorite King adaptation.
Carrie is a 1976 horror film directed by Brian De Palma, based on Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel of the same name. He used many techniques in this movie that put it over the top. Split screens, slow motion, and vivid color contrast just to name a few.
It is one of the most iconic films in the horror genre and focuses on subjects like bullying, supernatural powers, and revenge. It’s so easy to relate to because in high school we have all been through embarrassing things…getting pig blood dumped on you…probably not but we can relate with Carrie. We know the good people and we have known the bad people in this movie. We also know the popular cliques and the not-so-popular cliques. The girls that were out of reach and the ones that were.
The story revolves around Carrie White, a shy and socially awkward high school girl who is mercilessly bullied by her classmates. Raised by an overbearing, fanatically religious mother, Carrie leads a lonely and repressed life. After experiencing a traumatic event at school, she discovers that she has telekinetic powers. The situation escalates when her classmates cruelly prank her at the senior prom. In a moment of intense emotion, Carrie uses her powers to take a horrifying revenge on those who tormented her.
Sissy Spacek starred in this film and was perfect in the role. Piper Laurie portrayed her mother with an exaggerated, fanatically religious fervor. Laurie’s portrayal of a zealot was intentionally over-the-top, adding to the film’s tone. . The movie also launched the film careers of Nancy Allen and Amy Irving who both went on to star in many movies.
In 1976 my class went to see Charlotte’s Web at the theater. On the wall were movie posters of Carrie. Since then I’ve always associated them with each other. As a 9-year-old, seeing a teenager covered with blood with an evil look made me want to see it. I didn’t get to see it until almost a decade later. It was worth the wait!
Both Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received Academy Award nominations for their performances, a rarity for the horror genre.
This story has been remade in 3 different movies. This one in 1976, 2002, and a remake in 2013. I’ve watched all of them…trust me on this…this is the best version out there at least to me.
That Lil Ol’ Band from Texas. I loved it when Billy Gibbons had this tone on his guitar. This was pre-Eliminator and his tone was just perfect. They sound loose in this but the music is tight. It’s classic ZZ Top. A buddy of mine had most of their albums and played this one a lot and Fandango.
I saw them on the Eliminator tour and they were fantastic. They had Sammy Hagar opening up for them after he released Three Lock Box. ZZ Top had the best lighting show I’ve ever seen to this day.
This song has the entire band credited. Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard. This song was on their debut album ZZ Top’s First Album released in 1970. That is an easy way of remembering it.
This album isn’t as polished as some of their others, but it previews exactly what sound you would get until Eliminator. ZZ Top was formed in 1969, with Billy Gibbons (guitar and vocals), Dusty Hill (bass), and Frank Beard (drums). Before forming ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons played in various bands, most notably The Moving Sidewalks, which opened for Jimi Hendrix during his 1968 tour.
The album didn’t make a huge splash commercially, but it helped establish the band as a powerful live act. The album was produced by Bill Ham, who became a key figure in shaping ZZ Top’s sound. He would go on to produce their subsequent albums and manage the band for decades. Ham produced or co-produced all of their albums up through 1996’s Rhythmeen as well as being their manager. They parted ways in 2006. He passed away in 2016 at 79.
Going Down to Mexico
I was on my way down to Mexico There was trouble on the rise It was nothin’ more than I’d left behind Which was much to my surprise I turned around and lit a cigarette Wiped the dust off of my boots When up ahead I saw the crowd I knew it was no use
It’s been the same way for oh so long It looks like I’m singin’ the same old song
A fine and fancy man was he Doin’ good things for the poor Givin’ rides in his rocket 88 for free They could not hope for more When it came my turn, he said to me “Have I seen your face before?” I said, “Oh no, you must be wrong I’m from a distant shore”
So if you don’t mind, I’ll just move along But it looks like I’m singin’ the same old song
A 1940 movie star With a long-forgotten name She was a sexy mess in her beaded dress Still hangin’ on to fame With forgotten lines, she missed her cue And left her glass of wine at home She was singin’ the same song that I was Could we both be wrong?
So hand in hand we walked along Each of us singin’ the same old song
This band went through two distinct phases: an early rock/blues era followed by a shift to power pop. Their diverse catalog spans power pop gems, gritty blues-rock, and classic rock ‘n’ roll. In this song, we’re focusing on their rock/blues period from the early ’70s, hearing the raw Groovies.
I first heard this band with the song Shake Some Action. That song is probably their best-known, but the blues/rock period should be heard. This song was written by Cyril Jordan and Roy A. Loney.
Released the same year as the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers, Mick Jagger reportedly noticed the similarities between the Groovies Teenage Head album … and thought the Flamin’ Groovies did the better take on the theme of classic blues and rock ‘n roll. The band was started in 1965 by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. By the end of the sixties, they clashed over where to go. Loney was more Stones and Jordon leaned toward the Beatles. Loney left in 1971 and they got an 18-year-old lead singer named Chris Wilson.
They moved to London and started to work with Dave Edmunds. With Chris, they did more power pop and that is when Shake Some Action came about with Wilson and Jordon writing it. They would go on to be a great power pop band known as an early proto-punk band…they pretty much covered the gamut. This anti-drug song was written by Jordon and Loney before he left…Chris Wilson is singing it.
I’ve listened to this album and it does sound very Stonesy but not copying them at all. This album was released before the Stones Sticky Fingers.
There is a Canadian band with the same name as this album and song…Teenage Head. They took their name from this song title and album. They quickly gained a loyal following on the Ontario club circuit for their shows, highlighted by Gord Lewis’ guitar work and frontman Venom’s (Frankie Kerr) vocals and on-stage presence.
Their self-titled debut album was released in 1979 and distributed by Epic Records Canada. A year later, the group signed to Attic Records and released the Frantic City album, which put them on the international radar. The hit singles, “Something On My Mind” and “Let’s Shake” helped propel the album to platinum sales (100,000) in Canada.
I added another cool song off of the album called Yesterday’s Numbers.
Teenage Head
I’m a monster
got a revved up teenage head.
Teenage monster
California born and bred.
Half a boy and half a man
I’m half at sea and half on land, oh my
Bye-bye.
Got a woman,
she’s my hopped up high school queen.
She’s my woman,
she’s a teenage love machine.
She knows how to turn me on
and get me high and get it on and on,
yeah she does.
When ya’ see me,
better turn your tail and run,
’cause I’m angry
and I’ll mess you up for fun.
I’m a child of atom bombs
and rotten air and Vietnams; I am you,
you are me.
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