1990s – Page 3 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Steve Earle – Feel Alright

Every so often, I always go back to Steve Earle. When he first came out, rock and country stations would play him. I was way more of a rock fan than a modern country fan, but artists like Earle and Dwight Yoakum changed that for me. They brought in the Merle Haggard and Buck Owens Bakersfield sound, which I liked. Earle also brought in a Townes Van Zant and Texas songwriting approach. I saw many of my musician friends who were songwriters starting to pick up this approach, which was great to see.

This came off of his 1996 album I Feel Alright. It was his 6th album, and he had signed to Warner Brothers. I heard of him in the late eighties with a song called I Ain’t Ever Satisfied. I first saw him in 1989, opening up for Bob Dylan at the now-demolished Starwood Ampitheater in Nashville. He was one of the best opening acts I’ve ever seen, to that point. That night, Bob was sick (we found out later), and he only played for 45 minutes, but Steve Earle made the show worth it. I do remember someone yelling as Bob was leaving the stage, “I know you are an old son of a bitch but 45 minutes?” Bob was 48 at the time!

The album was released after Earle had successfully overcome heroin addiction and incarceration, and the lyrics matched that: Yeah, but be careful what you wish for friend ‘Cause I’ve been to hell and now I’m back again. One critic said at the time that this album was Earle telling people in the 90s: Don’t feel bad about feeling good. The album was critically acclaimed.

The album charted at #38 in Canada, #106 on the Billboard 100, #29 in New Zealand, and #44 in the UK in 1996. This song was released as a single but didn’t chart.

Steve Earle: I’m a folkie. I come from coffee houses just like Gram (Parsons), Townes (Van Zandt), Guy (Clark), and Chris (Hillman). We’re all post-Bob Dylan coffee house bred songwriters. South Texas was a great place to grow up musically, but then things really busted open when I moved to Nashville. I was still only 19 and got to see bluegrass music up close for the first time – and old-time music, music that was more from the Appalachian Mountains versus western swing – one of the main components of rock and roll in the first place.

Feel Alright

I was born my papa’s sonA wanderin’ eye and a smokin’ gunNow some of you would live through meThen lock me up and throw away the keyOr just find a place to hide awayHope that I’ll just go away, hah

Well, I feel alrightI feel alright tonightI feel alrightI feel alright tonight

And I’ll bring you precious contrabandAnd ancient tales from distant landsOf conquerors and concubinesAnd conjurers from darker timesBetrayal and conspiracy, sacrilege and heresy

And I feel alrightI feel alright tonightI feel alrightI feel alright tonight

I got everything you won’t needYour darkest fear, your fondest dreamI ask you questions, tell you liesCriticize and sympathizeYeah, but be careful what you wish for friend‘Cause I’ve been to hell and now I’m back again

I feel alrightYeah, I feel alright tonightYeah, I feel alrightI feel alright tonight

Ywah, I feel alrightFeel alright

Wilco – I Must Be High

I really like this band and many of the bands during this period. Good music and good lyrics…they have it all. This one album is quite different than their later albums. It sounded like a continuation of Tweedy’s former band Uncle Tupelo.

This song was the opening song on their A.M. album released in 1995. Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar had creative differences with Uncle Tupelo so they split…Tweedy with Wilco and Farrar with Sun Volt. They both released an album within 5 months of each other.

Wilco was formed in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, following the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band was founded by Jeff Tweedy, along with former Uncle Toledo members John Stirratt, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston. Over the years, Wilco evolved from an alternative country sound into a more experimental and genre-blending style. After this album, their sound changed from the alt-country sound they had with Uncle Tupelo.

The album wasn’t a commercial success but it would pick up fans through the years. I’ve also added Casino Queen to this post. The two were the first two the band ever recorded as Wilco. All songs on the album were written by Jeff Tweedy. The album peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart.

Jeff Tweedy: We recorded “A.M.” with Brian Paulson at Easley Studios in Memphis. “I Must Be High” is the first take of the first performance that we ever did as Wilco. Maybe that’s noteworthy. We had all been in a band together as Uncle Tupelo, and we played together a little bit just sitting around with acoustic guitars to learn the songs and everything, but the very first tape that we ever rolled as Wilco recording is basically what you hear on that first song on the record. “Casino Queen” on that record would be the other one I’d talk about. My dad asked me to write a song about it—it’s a real riverboat casino. I took my dad to go to the casino one time, and he said, “This could be something you could write a song about.” He basically forced me to do it

Jeff Tweedy: “We had all been in a band together as Uncle Tupelo, and we played together a little bit just sitting around with acoustic guitars to learn the songs and everything, but the very first tape that we ever rolled as Wilco recording is basically what you hear on that first song on the record.”

I Must Be High

You always wanted more time
To do what you
Always wanted to do
Now you got it
And I, I must be high
To say goodbye
Bye bye bye

You never said you needed this
You’re pissed that you missed
The very last kiss
From my lips
And I, I must be high
To say goodbye
Bye bye bye

And you never looked in my eyes
Long enough to find
Any peace of mind
But now you got it, and I
I must be high
To let you say goodbye
I must be high

Bye bye bye
Bye bye bye

…

Son Volt – Drown

I’ve been staying on this Americana kick with some new bands to me….or alt-country…whichever label you wanna use. So many of these great bands started or really hit their stride in the 1990s. The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, The Blue Shadows, Wilco, The Old 97s, and many more. Bands to listen to…to forget your problems. No, you will not see a ton of hits with these bands and that is ok with me because they sound so damn good.

When Uncle Tupelo dissolved in 1994, singer Jay Farrar set out to create a new band that would continue blending rock with country influences. This led to the formation of Son Volt, a band that would quickly become a major force in the alt-country movement.

This song was released as a single on their debut album, Trace, in 1995. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Alternative Chart and #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts. The album received critical praise for its songs, authenticity, and raw sound. It peaked at #166 on the Billboard Album Charts and #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.

Son Volt has continued to perform and record. They have released 11 albums, and their last one was in 2023, named Day of the Doug. Another thing I like about these albums is that they are organic sounding with no big production or tricks.

Drown

Sky cracks open, walls falling to the floorJust as well to keep it, a guessing game in storeYou’re with me now, will be againAll other points in between

And the cruel, cruel morningsHave turned to days of swim or sinkIf living right is easy, what goes wrongYou’re causing it to drown

Didn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drownDoesn’t make a difference nowYou’re causing it to drown

Silence knows, can’t drown a heartHappenstance is falling through the cracks each dayToo close now to change itFool’s gold is lighter anyway

When in doubt, move on, no need to sort it outYou’re with me now, will be againAll other points in betweenAnd I want to find the right side of you

If living right is easy, what goes wrongYou’re causing it to drownDidn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drown

Doesn’t make a difference nowYou’re causing it to drownSilence knows, can’t drown a heartWhen in doubt, move on, no need to sort it out

You’re with me now, will be againAll other points in betweenAnd I want to find the right side of youIf living right is easy, what goes wrong

You’re causing it to drownDidn’t want to turn that wayYou’re causing it to drownDoesn’t make a difference now

You’re causing it to drownSilence knows, can’t drown a heart

…

Lucinda Williams – Can’t Let Go

He won’t take me back when I come around
Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

I was an instant fan when I heard this song. I spent some time figuring out who the hell this lady was. Her vocals and the song really impressed me. The track is so down to earth and real, with the music being as tight as you can get. It came off her breakthrough album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Steve Earle played guitar on the album and helped produce it. I thought this song was a big hit because it was played a lot in Nashville when it was released. When she goes into the lyrics at the top, He won’t take me back when I come around, her voice really kicks in.

The album was produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy. Williams wrote every song on the album except this one. Randy Weeks wrote Can’t Let Go and first recorded it with his band, The Lonesome Strangers, in the late 1980s. The song had a bluesy, rootsy feel but didn’t gain much recognition then. Williams first heard the song performed by Randy Weeks at the Palomino Club in Los Angeles and asked him if she could work it into her own style.

Can’t Let Go won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. I never really liked awards for things like this…but she deserved this one. The song didn’t chart (Life is not fair), but the album peaked at #65 in the Billboard 200 and #14 in Canadian RPM Country Albums.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss covered the song on their album Raise the Roof, and their version also received praise. Personally, I like the Williams version the best. It’s hard to beat her vocals. I tried to find a live version, but none of them has the intensity of the studio track, which is odd.

Lucinda Williams: “I was playing Steve Earle’s dobro, which had a really wide neck, and my fingers kinda slipped on it. But the track was so brilliant that everyone went, No, no, it’s great! I agonized over it for weeks and weeks, and they all kept saying, It’s great. But see, there’ve been other things where I’ve gone in and said, ‘I think we should redo this track because it’s not in the pocket or it’s too fast

Can’t Let Go

Told my baby one more time
Don’t make me sit all alone and cry
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
I’m like a fish out of water
A cat in a tree

You don’t even want to talk to me
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

See I got a candle and it burns so bright

In my window every night
Well it’s over I know but I can’t let go
You don’t like to see me standing around

Feel like I been shot and didn’t fall down
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

Turn off trouble like you turn off a light

Went off and left me it just ain’t right
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
Round every corner something I see

Bring me right back how it used to be
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go
He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

He won’t take me back when I come around

Says he’s sorry then he pulls me out
I got a big chain around my neck
And I’m broken down like a train wreck
Well it’s over I know it but I can’t let go

It’s over I know it but I can’t let go
It’s over I know it but I can’t let go
It’s over I know it but I can’t let go

Tragically Hip – Little Bones

My Canadian friends Deke, Dave, CB, and Randy got me into this band and Deke (check his YouTube channel out) mentioned how he really liked this 1991 album Road Apples. Before I started blogging I only knew The Band, Guess Who, Neil Young, and Rush were from Canada but these guys have filled me in.

I’ve posted a few of their songs but nothing off this album. After listening to them this past year…I don’t understand and wonder why they didn’t explode over here.

The two songs I’ve posted are great. New Orleans Is Sinking (great classic rock sound) and Ahead By A Century. The Tragically Hip is an institution in Canada, and still something of a cult band everywhere else… I love cult bands such as Big Star and The Replacements so that is fine with me but it’s not fair.

This song was inspired by a conversation lead singer Gord Downie had with a cab driver in New Orleans. The driver explained the basics of life and survival, saying something like “you gotta eat—it’s just little bones”, which stuck with Downie. This was their second album and it did great. It peaked at #1 in Canada but failed to chart on the Billboard album chart. The song peaked at #11 in Canada in 1991.

They got their name from Elephant Parts. That was a video by Michael Nesmith (Monkee guitarist) and they heard it in an Elvis Costello song (Town Cryer) also. Gordon Downie said: “There’s one skit in there that is sort [of] like a TV plea: ‘Send some money to the Foundation for the Tragically Hip.’ And that phrase has also appeared in an Elvis Costello song. It crops up every now and again, and it’s just a name that we like.”

They formed in 1984 in Kingston, Ontario. They were together until 2017. They have released 13 studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, two video albums, two extended plays, and a boxed set. In 2017, lead singer Gord Downie passed away.

Little Bones

It gets so sticky down hereBetter butter your cue finger upIt’s the start of another new yearBetter call the newspaper up

Two-fifty for a highballAnd a buck and a half for a beerHappy hour, happy hourHappy hour is here

The long days of Shockley are goneSo is football Kennedy-styleFamous last words taken all wrongWind up on the very same pile

Two-fifty for a decadeAnd a buck and a half for a yearHappy hour, happy hourHappy hour is here

I can cry, beg and whineTo every rebel I findJust to give me a lineI could use to describe

They’d say, “Baby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bonesBaby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bones”

So regal and decadent hereCoffin-cheaters dance on their gravesMusic all it’s delicate fearIs the only thing that don’t change

Two-fifty for an eyeballAnd a buck and a half for an earHappy hour, happy hourHappy hour is here

Well, nothing’s dead down here, it’s just a little tiredNothing is dead down here, it’s just a little tiredWell, nothing’s dead down here, it’s just a little tiredNothing is dead down here, it’s just a little tired

Oh baby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bonesBaby, eat this chicken slowIt’s full of all them little bonesLittle bonesFull of all them little bonesAah, little bones

Whiskeytown – 16 Days

I got sixteen days / One for every time I’ve gone away
One for every time I should have stayed

I was playing with a drummer in the late 90s, and he asked me if I had ever heard of Whiskeytown. I hadn’t and never really looked for them because it was the 90s and not as easy as it is now. I started to listen to them recently, and I can see why he was a fan. It’s great alt-country/Americana, which fits me fine.

Whiskeytown had one member that you might know. They were an alternative country band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They were active from 1994 to 2000. The band was led by Ryan Adams who played a role in popularizing the alt-country genre in the 1990s. He blended traditional country with rock and indie influences. They fit in well with The Jayhawks and Wilco in that era.

This song is one of their best-known songs. It was from the album Strangers Almanac, released in 1997. Ryan Adams wrote this song and gave a very good vocal performance as well. During this period, the band was plagued by conflicts and multiple lineup changes. Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary remained the only consistent members.

Adams has also produced albums for Willie Nelson and collaborated with the Counting Crows, Weezer, Norah Jones, America, Minnie Driver, Cowboy Junkies, and Toots & the Maytals. He has written a book of poems, Infinity Blues, and Hello Sunshine, a collection of poems and short stories.

16 Days

I got sixteen daysOne for every time I’ve gone awayOne for every time I should have stayedYou should have worn my wedding ringI got sixteen daysFifteen of those are nightsCan’t sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side

The ghost has got me runningThe ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

I got sixteen daysGot a bible and a rosaryGod, I wish that you were close to meGuess I owe you an apology

I got sixteen daysFifteen of those are nightsCan’t sleep when the bed sheet fightsIts way back to your side

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away

Old tin cups, little paper dollsAll wrapped up, in ribbons, bowed with heartsOld tin cups, and little paper dollsAll wrapped up, in the ribbons of your heart

The ghost has got me runningYeah, the ghost has got me runningAway from you, away from you, away from you.

Sixteen daysI got sixteen daysIt’s like before I hang

…

Blue Shadows – Deliver Me

I love finding new/old music and this band I like a lot. Warren was commenting last weekend and mentioned this band. If I had heard of them before I had forgotten about it. Their sound is right up my alley and I liked it right away. I hear a strong Everly Brothers and Country Byrds with this band. The harmonizing sounds wonderful along with the Rickenbacker jangly guitar. As with my other post today…the hardest part was picking a song because so many are that good.

When Warren mentioned that Billy Cowsill formed the band with Jeffrey Hatcher…it didn’t hit me where I saw that name before. Billy owsill had previously been a member of the 1960s pop group The Cowsills. After hearing the Blue Shadows…I would have never made that connection. Hatcher had been the singer for Jeffrey Hatcher & The Big Beat before joining Cowsill.

They were a Canadian country-rock band formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1992. They had the complete package of harmonies, songwriting, and their blend of country and rock. Many critics drew comparisons to The Everly Brothers and Graham Parsons.

This song is from The Blue Shadows’ debut album, On the Floor of Heaven released in 1993. The band would go on to release 2 albums in total. Their second album Lucky To Me was released in 1995. The band broke up in 1996, partly due to Cowsill’s declining health and a lack of major commercial success. Billy Cowsill passed away in 2006 with various health issues.

Here are the Blue Shadows outside of the recording studio in Vancouver in 1993.

Deliver Me

Driving at midnight and the moon is
Looking right at me
I can feel it settling down on me
Over me
Come deliver me from this night
When I left you standing so alone
Then I started wondering
But I don’t mind saying it now
Oh please come to me
Come deliver me from this night
Ahh that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver me
This canyon’s on fire now
And I’m wondering
How much longer will it be
Till it comes tumbling down
Over me
Come deliver me from this night
Ahh that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver me
Yeah all that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver us from our yesterdays
Hold us together if it can’t be done
Deliver us from all that might be
If we get what we think we want
Ahh deliver me
Driving at midnight and the moon is still
Looking right at me
I can feel it settling down on me
Over me
Come deliver me from this night
Ahh that love we had found
Well we drove it underground
Deliver me
Oh please deliver me
Come on now deliver me
Come on now deliver me
Deliver me from this night
Deliver me
Deliver me
Come on come on come on now deliver me
From this night
Deliver me
Come on, come on deliver me
From this night

Lite-Brite

One of my favorite toys growing up. To this day I like collecting vintage lighting fixtures like soft drink clocks or signs probably because of this toy. They came with designs that you could use to create different cartoons and clowns but I never used those. I liked to create my own masterpieces.

This toy allowed you to be creative in a very different way. It brought out the artistic side in you. You could design different things and it would light up your room in the dark with colors. Lite-Brite was invented by Joseph M. Burck, a senior designer at Chicago toy and game design company Marvin Glass and Associates. The company licensed Lite-Brite to Hasbro, which officially launched it in 1967. It became a staple toy in the 1970s.

Of course…when I got older I would make crude messages on the Lite Brite for friends. Lite-Brite is recognized as one of the greatest toys of all time by the Toy Hall of Fame. It has become part of our pop culture.

Lite Brite commercial from the 1970s. Did you have one growing up?

My love of Pinball Machines

When I would go skating, the best part was playing all of the pinball machines. I’ve always favored them over the video games at arcades because they were machines instead of a screens. Some took some skill and bumping the machine a little but not too much to tilt. I remember Baseball pinball machines, the Elton John model, KISS model, The Who Pinball Wizard model, and many bicentennial models. Below is a quick history of these works of art.

The start of pinball machines started in the 19th century with a “Bagatelle-Table”, a sort of hybrid between a “pin table” and pool table. Players tried to hit balls with cue sticks and get them into pockets or slots surrounded by nails and pins. Another step towards the modern pinball form occurred sometime at the end of 19th century when inventor Montague Redgrave patented a device called a “ball shooter”, which was based on the recently invented steel spring.

The first coin-operated “pinball machine” was invented in 1931 by Automatic Industries and was called the “Whiffle Board”. But the gaming industry really began in the mid-1930s with the production of a game called “Ballyhoo”. It was invented by one Raymond Maloney, who later started the Bally Manufacturing Company of Chicago, IL.

Pinball machines really grew in popularity after World War II. The ten-year period of 1948-58 is referred to by some as the “Golden Age” of pinball, due to the invention of flippers in 1947 by the D. Gottlieb Co. in a game called “Humpty Dumpty”, and was one of the main reasons for the renewed interest in pinball machines at the time. Humpty Dumpty was the very first pinball machine with flippers!

In 1966, the first digital scoring pinball machine, “Rally Girl” was released Rally. In 1975, the first solid-state electronic pinball machine, the “Spirit of 76”, was released by Micro. In 1998, the first pinball machine with a video screen was released by Williams in their new “Pinball 2000” series machines. Versions of pinball are now being sold that are completely software-based.

I still like the software-free machines…some were like works of art.

I didn’t know they had a Beatle pinball machine.

I have to close this out… with what else?

Magic 8 Ball

I was told as a kid that a Magic 8 Ball could predict the future. I bought it hook line and sinker…I was also told by my older sister (8 years older) that snakes bite the second person in a line while I was merrily leading the way hiking in the woods as a 5-year-old…so I caught on pretty quick after I stepped on a snake…didn’t get bit though…but I never let her forget it.

I bugged my mom till she got me the mysterious Magic 8 Ball. I was amazed at this toy…well it wasn’t a toy to me. I thought this was great. So being 5-6 years old I thought I would put it to use… Oh, Magic 8 Ball should I color in the encyclopedias with my crayons? I shook it up and waited for the triangle to give me the answer… “signs point to yes”…those signs must have pointed in a different direction than my Mom… she wasn’t a fan of the Magic 8 ball after that.

Abe Bookman invented the Magic 8 Ball, a fortune-telling toy currently manufactured by Mattel.

During World War II, a man named Alfred Carter in Cincinnati created a tube-like fortune-telling toy. To help him he got his brother-in-law to help…that would be Abe Bookman. they created a 7″ tube device with glass on both ends with a pair of floating dice with responses. It was sold as the “Syco-Seer: The Miracle Home Fortune Teller.” Their company was called Alabe Crafts.

Carter died in 1948 and Bookman revised it into a crystal ball but it still didn’t sell really well. Then the Brunswick Billiards company commissioned Bookman to make them one shaped like an 8 ball as a promotional giveaway.

After the giveaway was finished Bookman kept producing them shaped like an 8 ball.

The Magic 8 Ball that we have known since then has contained a 20-sided polygon inside a hollow plastic ball, floating in a liquid-filled, 3-inch diameter tube. The liquid largely consists of dark blue ink and alcohol. The predictions, yes, no, or non-committal, appear on each triangular face of the polygon.

Bookman marketed it as a conversation piece, a paperweight and then a toy.

Ideal Toys bought Alabe Crafts in 1971. Next, Tyco Toys bought the ball in ’87. Mattel owns it today and sells one million units a year.

Here are the magical statements of the Magic 8 Ball

As I see it, yes
Ask again later
Better not tell you now
Cannot predict now
Concentrate and ask again
Don’t count on it
It is certain
It is decidedly so
Most likely
My reply is no
My sources say no
Outlook good
Outlook not so good
Reply hazy, try again
Signs point to yes
Very doubtful
Without a doubt
Yes
Yes, definitely
You may rely on it.

Sugar – Tilted

As most of you know, I’m a huge Replacements fan and the Minneapolis Music Scene they came from in the 1980s. The one band I haven’t listened to enough from that scene was Hüsker Dü formed by Bob Mould. I’ve seen and heard more of his solo career than I’ve heard from either one of his bands. He covers a lot of ground…from punk rock to power pop.

He formed Hüsker Dü with drummer Grant Hart and bassist Greg Norton. At first, they were just another punk band, but something was different…Mould and Hart were more punk/pop songwriters. They had a melodic edge to their punk sound.

Hüsker Dü split up in 1988. Mould’s first solo outing, Workbook, in 1989, took a different turn. Unlike his previous band, it featured acoustic-driven songs. In 1992, he formed Sugar with David Barbe (bassist) and Malcolm Travis (drummer), a trio in which he could release his aggressive music with a little more polish and refinement.

I can see why Husker Du might not have regularly made the charts, but this band gave you a little bit of everything. Their songs were catchy and good.

This song came out in 1993 on their second album Beaster. It came out of the same recording sessions as their debut album, Copper Blue, but had a darker, heavier, and more intense sound. Mould has said that he didn’t expect Beaster to be as widely embraced as Copper Blue but was pleased that fans appreciated it.

Beaster peaked at #130 on the Billboard Charts, #18 in New Zealand, and #3 in the UK in 1993. Tilted peaked at #48 in the UK.

This song is another off of Beaster called Come Around.

Tilted

I only do these things to freak you out
I never wanted you to doubt me
I believe you/ Do I believe you
I try to block you out to hear myself
I can’t believe I’m thinking to myself
Would I leave you/ In such suspense

I let it go and go and go
But what you’re thinking through the silence
I really wish you understood
A couple of words get so much mileage

I never felt an urge to say a word
I’d rather listen to the din of
Other people closing in one me/ I lay in bed
And think of words that you should hear
I fall asleep and then they disappear
A fall from grace/ From memory

I hear a voice inside the silence
Speak your peace and all’s forgotten
I hear the static on the line
Remember how this all got started

Remember/ Remember/ It’s tilted

I turn away a minute disappears
I turn away in shame when I don’t hear
What you’re thinking/ Tell me what you’re thinking
You take it out on me
You’re not flaking out on me, are you
Turn it tilted/ Hey wait a minute

I never wanted you to be upset
But I can see you’re trying to forget
What was said/ What was said
Don’t try to hang me up again
Don’t try to hang up on me wait up

Turn it tilted/ I need help it’s

Remember/ Remember/ It’s tilted

…

Beatles – Christmas Time Is Here Again

It’s that time of year…and this is one-holiday song that is on my list and not worn out. I first heard this in 1994 when I bought the Beatles Anthology album. I never knew of this song before. This song was never officially released until it appeared as the B-side to “Free As A Bird” in 1994. I’ve posted it every year since I’ve blogged and will continue to do so…it’s repetitive but I like it…it drives home the point.

My friend Dave posted this song in 2021 and he has more info than I do so check it out.

The song is credited to Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starkey. The original version was distributed to The Beatles fan club in 1967. It’s the only song written specifically for the Beatles Fan Club members. Along with the Beatles…actor Victor Spinetti and roadie Mal Evans were on the recording.

Between December 1963 and December 1969, they sent out 7 flexi discs that had spoken and musical messages to their official fan clubs in the UK and the US at Christmas time.

The Beatles recorded this in 1967 and wasn’t released until 1994 paired with “Free As A Bird”. It is a fun Christmas song that will stick in your head. The Beatles did not release a Christmas song commercially… only to their fan club when they were active.

I like the end where each Beatle tells you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Many performers of this era like The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons released Christmas songs, but The Beatles never had an official Christmas release.

Christmas time is here again

Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again

Ain’t been round since you know when
Christmas time is here again
O-U-T spells “out”

Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again

Ain’t been round since you know when
Christmas time is here again
O-U-T spells “out”

Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again
Christmas time is here again

Ain’t been round since you know when
Christmas time…[music continues and fades to background]

[spoken]

This is Paul McCartney here, I’d just like to wish you everything you wish yourself for Christmas.

This is John Lennon saying on behalf of the Beatles, have a very Happy Christmas and a good New Year.

George Harrison speaking. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas, listeners everywhere.

This is Ringo Starr and I’d just like to say Merry Christmas and a really Happy New Year to all listeners

[a John Lennon pastiche at this point, very hard to understand]

Paul Kelly – How To Make Gravy

Happy Gravy Day in Australia! It happens every December 21st in Australia because of the first verse of the song.

Here is a Christmas song that is good on any day of the year but one we don’t hear much in America. I looked up “Gravy Day” in Australia and this is what I found: Gravy Day is an unofficial Australian holiday as marked by Kelly in his song, How to Make Gravy. The song is written from the perspective of a recently incarcerated man, Joe, as he writes to his relative, Dan, from prison.

Paul Kelly: “I started thinking… maybe I’ll write it from the point of view of somebody who is missing Christmas, who can’t get to Christmas, why can’t they get there? Maybe they’re overseas and they can’t get home. Then I thought, ‘Oh, he’s in prison’. The song wrote itself from there.”

The song is written in the form of a letter from a prisoner named Joe, addressed to his brother Dan, shortly before Christmas. Joe expresses regret about missing Christmas with his family, gives instructions on how to make gravy (a key part of their holiday meal), and reflects on family members, relationships, and the pain of separation.

I like great storytellers…and Paul Kelly is one of them. His music touches on many styles. Country, rock, folk, reggae, bluegrass, and touches of many more styles. He has been described as the poet laureate of Australian music. He writes about everyday life that many people can relate to. I’ve seen this stated about him… Paul Kelly’s songs dig deep into Australia’s culture.

As for who will make the gravy in the song, the question has been debated over the years, although most believe it to be Dan as Joe is sharing the recipe with him.

And yes the recipe in the song is real for gravy.

Paul Kelly: “It was a song that doesn’t have a chorus, it’s set in prison, so I never thought it would be a hit song or anything.”

How To Make The Gravy

Hello Dan, it’s Joe here
I hope you’re keeping well
It’s the 21st of December
And now they’re ringing the last bells
If I get good behaviour
I’ll be out of here by July
Won’t you kiss my kids on Christmas Day?
Please don’t let ’em cry for me

I guess the brothers are driving down from Queensland
And Stella’s flying in from the coast
They say it’s gonna be a hundred degrees, even more maybe
But that won’t stop the roast
Who’s gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won’t taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce
For sweetness and that extra tang

And give my love to Angus, and to Frank and Dolly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, I screwed up this time
And look after Rita, I’ll be thinking of her
Early Christmas morning when I’m standing in line

I hear Mary’s got a new boyfriend
I hope he can hold his own
Do you remember the last one? What was his name again?
Ahh, just a little too much cologne
And Roger, you know I’m even gonna miss Roger
‘Cause there’s sure as hell no one in here I want to fight

Oh, praise the Baby Jesus, have a Merry Christmas
I’m really gonna miss it, all the treasure and the trash
And later in the evening, I can just imagine
You’ll put on Junior Murvin and push the tables back

And you’ll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don’t hold her too close
Oh, brother, please don’t stab me in the back
I didn’t mean to say that, it’s just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact

You know I love her badly, she’s the one to save me
I’m gonna make some gravy, I’m gonna taste the fat
Ahh, tell her that I’m sorry, yeah, I love her badly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, and kiss the sleepy children for me
You know one of these days, I’ll be making gravy
I’ll be making plenty, I’m gonna pay ’em all back

Yeah, do-do-do-do, do-do
Do-do-do-do, do-do

…

Chris Isaak – Round ‘n’ Round

In 1993 Chris Iaasak released the album San Francisco Days. I’ve had this album playing at work, where I listen a lot. It is well-balanced and very likable. I picked this song for the guitar sound of James Wilsey, it’s a little different from his reverb playing because it has more crunch to it. He is the guitarist who played the guitar for Wicked Game and made it memorable with that dreamlike quality.

San Francisco Days was his fourth studio album, was inspired by the city, and features some rock, blues, and his unique singing style. He is a guy that I know because of Wicked Game but like Greg Kihn, there are more things to like but the hits by him. He did have a hit on this album called Can’t Do a Thing (to Stop Me) that peaked at #7 on the Billboard Alternative Charts and #36 in the UK. I will post it above Round ‘n’ Round at the bottom.

When Chris was growing up he was influenced by 1950s rock and roll and country music. Two of the artists that influenced him were Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. You can hear those two artists in his work, especially Orbison. He developed a unique singing style and he can be called a crooner. He released his first album, Silvertone, in 1985. He did get some critical acclaim but not much commercial success. That all changed with this third album Heart Shaped World with the single Wicked Game which was featured in the David Lynch film Wild At Heart.

Chris Isaak on making San Francisco Days: “I kind of set out to make this one a little bit different, People did say that the other albums were very similar. But I’ve always felt like I had something legitimate to say with that style. Otherwise, it would be like a painter saying, ‘I already used blue in my early paintings, so I’m not using it anymore.’ Still, I always want to learn some new tricks.”

Round ‘n’ Round

Here we go round & round.
State your case and then sit down.
Tell me why you want to go,
I don’t love you anymore.

Here you go mad again.
Tell me that your just a friend.
Tell me something I don’t know.
I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore, yeah.

When I do go, I’ll let you know.
It might hurt you, but I don’t think so.

Here we go round & round.
State your case and then sit down.
Tell me why you want to go,
I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore.

…

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Jurassic Park

In 1993 I went to see Jurassic Park and was blown away. I returned two more times and took my Dad to one of the showings. This movie has become part of pop culture and is considered a classic movie. It’s odd thinking of a classic movie that I saw at the theater in real-time.

I’ve always liked dinosaurs since I was a kid but on film, they never looked like I imagined. They usually were claymation or men in suits. I really like claymation a lot on most things but the dinosaurs just never looked right. I do not crave great special effects…the original Star Trek is great to me with its red beams stunning people. They were always able to convey the story and that is enough for me…but dinosaurs were not beams of light or the transporter.

When this movie was released it was shocking. It was a game-changer in so many ways and brought CGI to the forefront. Today younger people can not imagine what it was like seeing dinosaurs come to life that actually matched our imaginations. This is what we were used to.

To see a T-Rex with the new DTS surround sound in a theater was frightening…in a great way though. The most significant change was the way the dinosaurs interacted with their surroundings. This movie benefitted from the new technology…where I think the original Star Wars was not improved by Lucas’s tinkering with CGI trying to improve them.

The movie now is considered a classic for good reason. An island full of dinosaurs who terrorize people… a simple plot but extremely well done. From beginning to end this film is just an enjoyable watch. Back in 1993 when it was released these never-before-seen effects wowed audiences, and even now it still holds up with the animatronics and CGI combo to most things today. When the Brachiosaurus first appeared on the screen, the movie was sealed.

I do believe that CGI can be and has been overused at the expense of a story. In Jurassic Park, they got it right. It still stands up today but now we are so accustomed to CGI that this movie doesn’t get noticed as much…but when it was released everyone took notice and it upped the game in special effects.

Spielberg made the movie after the book Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I just read it and the movie doesn’t follow the book exactly but does keep the spirit of it. I’ve noticed that the three Jurassic Park movies used some scenes from this book as well. The book was much more bloodier than the film by a large margin.

The reason for the success other than the CGI was that Spielberg kept the plot simple. There were not 100 subplots that you had to follow. Billionaire John Hammond creates a groundbreaking theme park with live dinosaurs cloned from ancient DNA. Before the park opens, Hammond invites expert paleontologists Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler, mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm, and his grandchildren for a preview tour. However, when a greedy employee sabotages the park’s security systems, the dinosaurs escape containment, creating chaos.

The actors were good and the children didn’t over act too much at all. It was a balanced cast and a well-made film.

Quotes

John Hammond: All major theme parks have delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked!
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but, John, if The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.

______________________________________________

John Hammond: I don’t think you’re giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things which nobody’s ever done before…
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.

The trailer was fantastic. They showed you just enough of the dinosaurs to make you want to see the film.

…