Describing the Marx Brothers in their Paramount movies is like describing a hurricane and a car wreck combined. The brothers were in vaudeville from the early 1900s to 1924 where they finally made it to Broadway in a play called “She Say’s It Is”. Broadway audiences had never seen anything like them. They literally tore up the stage with being so energetic. The brothers’ names were Julius (Groucho), Adolph (Harpo), Leonard (Chick-o) and Herbert (Zeppo). They had another brother that was not in the act Milton (Gummo).
Groucho was always in a power position in the plays and movies. Harpo and Chico would be there to take him down a few notches. Zeppo would be the straight man. Harpo, of course, would play the harp in a musical part, Chico would play the piano and Groucho would sometimes play the guitar…but the comedy is what everyone came to see.
They started movies around 1928 and again no one had ever seen anything like them on screen. The five movies they made for Paramount were Coconuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers and Duck Soup. These movies were anarchist chaos. After 1933 they signed a deal with MGM and their movies were tamed down to have more of a storyline and some were good but never matched the wildness of the Paramount movies where they had no respect for authority and lived and talked by their own rules. Groucho would say things that we would love to say in real life but we could never get by with it…he would say them in real life…and get by with it.
They are hard to compare to anyone else. The Three Stooges were not the same comedy whatsoever. In the 1970s college students were drawn to the Marx Brothers and their popularity went up with college students standing in lines around the block to see Animal Crackers in a theater. Their movies are still relevant today and can be enjoyed by every generation…
Harpo is my favorite…who never said a word in any film. He was a master of prop comedy and he could have been a big star in silent comedy. He was also a really good harp player also. He wrote one of the best autobiographies (Harpo Speaks!) I’ve ever read. For fans it’s great and for the average person, it’s an interesting read. The book is what first got me into the Marx Brothers.
I had a stereo that had a record-able 8-track system built in. I would record straight off the radio to the 8-track and from records. I will add that it could be a miserable format to listen to music. If you had a favorite song that you wanted to hear a couple times in a row…get ready to wait till it came back around and then for the infamous “click” and you would switch tracks…and either wait some more or miss the beginning.
But there is more… you may be listening to a song and suddenly the song fades out for a while because it’s too long for the track and then finally the “click” and it finishes out on the next track.
William Powell Lear, the man behind LearJet, was also the inventor of the 8-track cartridge tape system. In 1964 William Lear convinced Ford to install the 8-track in their cars.
In September 1965, Ford Motor Company offered 8-track players as an option in their 1966 model cars. A Ford spokesperson reported that 65,000 players were installed in the first year. As a result of the popularity, the 8-track player soon became standard in all Ford cars.
In 1966 home units and portable units were offered. Now people could share their tapes with each other. The peak years of the eight-track were 1967 through 1975. Then, improvements in the tape quality of smaller cassettes and decreasing quality in eight-tracks led consumers away from the eight-track tape.
The last official release on 8-track was Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits in 1988. By then though Compact Disc had taken over the market.
I did have quite a collection of official 8-tracks and self-made 8-tracks. I also have an old 8-track system in my closet…hey you never know.
This video is a must. It shows an Eight Track Museum. It is interesting.
Great song great music great voice. This song was performed by Rufus with Chaka Khan and written by Stevie Wonder. The song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 and #21 in Canada in 1974. The Talk-Box which Frampton later used sounds great in this song.
Rufus evolved from a group called The American Breed, who had a hit with “Bend Me, Shape Me.” They took their name from a column in Popular Mechanics magazine called “Ask Rufus,” later shortened to Rufus when Chaka Khan joined the band in 1972.
Stevie Wonder wrote this song and recorded it himself on December 13, 1973 – he copyrighted it on January 3, 1974. His version was never released, as he gave it to Rufus, since Stevie was a fan of their lead singer, Chaka Khan. Around this time, Wonder was turning many of his best songs over to female singers with otherworldly voices: Aretha Franklin recorded his “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” and Minnie Riperton did “Lovin’ You.”
The story Chaka Khan tells is that Wonder was going to bring them a song in the studio, and when he dropped by and played her the song, she stunned her bandmates by telling the mighty Stevie Wonder she didn’t like it; Chaka says she was 19 and pregnant, so she was a little prickly at the time. Wonder asked her astrological sign, and when she told him Aries, he delivered “Tell Me Something Good.” According to Chaka, she loved it and they worked out the song together in the studio, although Stevie is the only credited writer on the song.
Tell Me Something Good
You ain’t got no kind of feeling inside I got something that will sure ‘nough set your stuff on fire You refuse to put anything before your pride What I got something will knock all your pride aside
Tell me something good Tell me that you love me, yeah Tell me something good Tell me that you like it, yeah
Got no time is what you’re known to say I’ll make you wish there was forty eight hours to each day The problem is you ain’t been loved like you should What I got to give will sure ‘nough do you good
Tell me something good Tell me that you love me, yeah Tell me something good Tell me that you like it, yeah
You ain’t got no kind of feeling inside I got something that will sure ‘nough set your stuff on fire You refuse to put anything before your pride What I got something will knock all your pride aside
Tell me something good (oh, yeah, yeah) Tell me that you love me, yeah Tell me something good Tell me that you like it, yeah
Tell me something good (tell me baby baby, tell me) Tell me that you love me, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah Tell me something good (oh, tell me, tell me, tell me) Tell me that you like it, yeah, yeah, don’t you like it, baby?
I’ve always liked the peculiar World of Dr. Suess. It could be strange but it was wonderful. The strange creatures that spoke in rhyme kept me hooked.
In 1973 the cartoon “Dr. Suess on the Loose” (Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories) aired and featured three stories. The Sneetches, The Zax, and the great Green Eggs and Ham. I still enjoy this cartoon.
I will admit that every time I watch a Dr. Suess cartoon that when I have a conversation afterward I want to talk in rhyme.
The Zax – One day in the Prairie of Pax a North-Going Zax and a South-Going Zax run into each other. Both are trying to get to their desired locations, but neither will move out of the way to let the other one pass. Both are too proud to compromise, they fail to see that the world continues on moving and time passes by.
The Sneetches – The Sneetches is about two types of creatures, separated by having or not having stars on their bellies. The Star-Belly Sneetches think they are the best, and look down upon Sneetches without stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches remain depressed and cannot associate with the Star-Belly Sneetches…Until a fellow named Sylvester McMonkey McBean comes with a Star off and Star on machine and after every Sneetch goes the machine over and over again…and McBean takes all of their money…No one knows who had stars or not… It’s a great message in this…to treat everyone the same no matter their background. (http://www.umich.edu/~childlit/Sneetches/display1.htm)
I am a sucker for Green Eggs and Ham. Still, love it and can read it or watch the cartoon in a box…with a…nevermind. The book was released in 1960 and as of 2016, it has sold over 8 million copies. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham)
Green Eggs and Ham – is about Sam-I-Am, trying to convince an unnamed character to try green eggs and ham. He will stop at nothing but the more he tries to convince him to try green eggs and ham the more this character refuses. I love the wordplay in this as Sam-I-Am is a persistent little…uh…whatever he is…but he wins at that end.
“GREEN EGGS AND HAM” (by Doctor Seuss)
I AM SAM. I AM SAM. SAM I AM.
THAT SAM-I-AM! THAT SAM-I-AM! I DO NOT LIKE THAT SAM-I-AM!
DO WOULD YOU LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM?
I DO NOT LIKE THEM,SAM-I-AM.
I DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
WOULD YOU LIKE THEM HERE OR THERE?
I WOULD NOT LIKE THEM HERE OR THERE.
I WOULD NOT LIKE THEM ANYWHERE.
I DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
WOULD YOU LIKE THEM IN A HOUSE?
WOULD YOU LIKE THEN WITH A MOUSE?
I DO NOT LIKE THEM IN A HOUSE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM WITH A MOUSE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM HERE OR THERE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM ANYWHERE.
I DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
WOULD YOU EAT THEM IN A BOX?
WOULD YOU EAT THEM WITH A FOX?
NOT IN A BOX. NOT WITH A FOX.
NOT IN A HOUSE. NOT WITH A MOUSE.
I WOULD NOT EAT THEM HERE OR THERE.
I WOULD NOT EAT THEM ANYWHERE.
I WOULD NOT EAT GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
WOULD YOU? COULD YOU? IN A CAR?
EAT THEM! EAT THEM! HERE THEY ARE.
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT, IN A CAR.
YOU MAY LIKE THEM. YOU WILL SEE.
YOU MAY LIKE THEM IN A TREE!
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT IN A TREE.
NOT IN A CAR! YOU LET ME BE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM IN A BOX.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM WITH A FOX.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM IN A HOUSE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM WITH A MOUSE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM HERE OR THERE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM ANYWHERE.
I DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
A TRAIN! A TRAIN! A TRAIN! A TRAIN!
COULD YOU, WOULD YOU ON A TRAIN?
NOT ON TRAIN! NOT IN A TREE!
NOT IN A CAR! SAM! LET ME BE!
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT, IN A BOX.
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT, WITH A FOX.
I WILL NOT EAT THEM IN A HOUSE.
I WILL NOT EAT THEM HERE OR THERE.
I WILL NOT EAT THEM ANYWHERE.
I DO NOT EAT GREEM EGGS AND HAM.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
SAY! IN THE DARK? HERE IN THE DARK!
WOULD YOU, COULD YOU, IN THE DARK?
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT, IN THE DARK.
WOULD YOU COULD YOU IN THE RAIN?
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT IN THE RAIN.
NOT IN THE DARK. NOT ON A TRAIN.
NOT IN A CAR. NOT IN A TREE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM, YOU SEE.
NOT IN A HOUSE. NOT IN A BOX.
NOT WITH A MOUSE. NOT WITH A FOX.
I WILL NOT EAT THEM HERE OR THERE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM ANYWHERE!
YOU DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM?
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
COULD YOU, WOULD YOU, WITH A GOAT?
I WOULD NOT, COULD NOT WITH A GOAT!
WOULD YOU, COULD YOU, ON A BOAT?
I COULD NOT, WOULD NOT, ON A BOAT.
I WILL NOT, WILL NOT, WITH A GOAT.
I WILL NOT EAT THEM IN THE RAIN.
NOT IN THE DARK! NOT IN A TREE!
NOT IN A CAR! YOU LET ME BE!
I DO NOT LIKE THEM IN A BOX.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM WITH A FOX.
I WILL NOT EAT THEM IN A HOUSE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM WITH A MOUSE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM HERE OR THERE.
I DO NOT LIKE THEM ANYWHERE!
I DO NOT LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM!
I DO NOT LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM.
YOU DO NOT LIKE THEM. SO YOU SAY.
TRY THEM! TRY THEM! AND YOU MAY.
TRY THEM AND YOU MAY, I SAY.
sAM! IF YOU LET ME BE,
I WILL TRY THEM. YOU WILL SEE.
(… and he tries them …)
SAY! I LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM!
I DO! I LIKE THEM, SAM-I-AM!
AND I WOULD EAT THEM IN A BOAT.
AND I WOULD EAT THEM WITH A GOAT…
AND I WILL EAT THEM, IN THE RAIN.
AND IN THE DARK. AND ON A TRAIN.
AND IN A CAR. AND IN A TREE.
THEY ARE SO GOOD, SO GOOD, YOU SEE!
SO I WILL EAT THEM IN A BOX.
AND I WILL EAT THEM WITH A FOX.
AND I WILL EAT THEM IN A HOUSE.
AND I WILL EAT THEM WITH A MOUSE.
AND I WILL EAT THEM HERE AND THERE.
SAY! I WILL EAT THEM ANYWHERE!
I DO SO LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU, SAM I AM.
Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was not flashy and wild like some of his 1950s peers such as Elvis, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The first I heard of Fats Domino was on “Happy Days” and the song Blueberry Hill. I was at a relative’s yard sale when I was a kid and was given his greatest hits.
Domino was the youngest of eight children in a musical family, he spoke Creole French before learning English. At age 7 his brother in law taught him how to play the piano. By the time he was 10, he was already performing as a singer and pianist.
Fat’s first hit in the Billboard 100 was the great “Aint That A Shame” in 1955 written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew that peaked at #16 and his last charting song was a cover of the Beatles “Lady Madonna”(great version) that peaked at #100 in 1968. He had 45 songs in the top 100 and 4 top 10 hits…many more top 10 hits in the R&B Charts.
My favorite song by him is “I’m Walking” because it’s so simple but yet effective. The odd beat sounds modern and it hooks you. He was inspired to write the song when his car broke down and someone said “Hey Fats Domino is Walking” and he thought to himself…Yea I’m walking.
Ricky Nelson covered the song and it went to number 4 on the charts.
What is sad to me is Pat Boone covered Aint That a Shame and it went to number 1 while Fat’s version only made it to 16 in the same year. That was the era where some parents would buy their kids the Pat Boone version of the song and the kids would hide their self-bought Fats Domino version… Same went with Little Richard also.
Domino received The Lifetime Achievement Grammy, a National Medal of the Arts from President Bill Clinton and the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fats semi-retired in the 80s and said he would not travel outside of New Orleans.
During Hurricane Katrina, he lost most of his possessions and him and his family were rescued by the coast guard. He unselfishly made many personal appearances to raise money for the hurricane relief. His house was hit hard and he lost his National Medal and gold records but George Bush gave him another medal to replace the lost one and the RIAA gave him replacement gold records.
To raise money for repairs for his own home, friends and fellow musicians recorded a tribute album, Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, featuring the likes of Robert Plant, Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney. He as living in New Orleans at the time of his death on October 24, 2017.
He was a huge influence on The Beatles, Elton John, Robert Plant, Randy Newman, and Elvis even called Fats “The King.”
I’m walkin’, yes indeed, and I’m talkin’ ’bout you and me I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me (yes) I’m lonely as I can be, I’m waitin’ for your company I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me What ‘ya gonna do when the well runs dry? You’re gonna run away and hide I’m gonna run right by your side, for you pretty baby I’ll even die I’m walkin’, yes indeed, I’m talkin’ ’bout you and me I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me
I’m walkin’, yes indeed, and I’m talkin’ ’bout you and me I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me (yes) I’m lonely as I can be, I’m waitin’ for your company I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me What ‘ya gonna do when the well runs dry? You’re gonna sit right down and cry What ‘ya gonna do when I say bye-bye? All you’re gonna do is dry your eye I’m walkin’, yes indeed, I’m talkin’ ’bout you and me I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me
The commercial came out in 1968 – 1970 and I still see it every once in a while. The spot leaves us with a puzzling question…How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
The original commercial was 60 seconds long and that one is not seen as much…it was edited down to 15 seconds and all we see is the boy and Mr. Owl…but the original had more….here is the script…
Boy: Mr. Cow… Mr. Cow: Yeeeeesss? Boy: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Mr. Cow: I don’t know, I always end up biting. Ask Mr. Fox, for he’s much clever than I. Boy: Mr. Fox, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Mr. Fox: Why don’t you ask Mr. Turtle, for he’s been around a lot longer than I? Me, hee hee hee, I bite. Boy: Mr. Turtle, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Mr. Turtle: I’ve never even made it without biting. Ask Mr. Owl, for he is the wisest of us all. Boy: Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Mr. Owl: A good question. Let’s find out. A One… A.two-HOO…A three…
(crunch sound effect) Mr. Owl: A Three! Boy: If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a smart owl. Narrator: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
(crunch sound effect) Narrator: The world may never know.
After the commercial, Mr. Owl became the mascot for Tootsie Roll Pops, appearing in marketing campaigns and on the packaging.
Researchers at New York University and Florida State University conducted a study in 2015 to find out how many times one would need to lick a Tootsie Pop to reach the center. Their findings revealed that 997 licks are needed to get there… Mr. Owl was off by 994!
However…many other colleges tested it with different results…I guess we will never know the answer.
The original 60 second commercial with Mr. Cow, Mr, Fox, Mr. Turtle, and Mr. Owl.
My favorite Tootsie Roll commercial was this one from 1977
The world looks mighty good to me
Cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see
Whatever it is I think I see
Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me
Tootsie Roll, how I love your chocolatey chew
Tootsie Roll, I think I’m in love with you
Whatever it is I think I see Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me
If I had to name my favorite commercials it would be a really short list. This Mean Joe Greene and Kid commercial would top the short list though.
This ad debuted on October 1, 1979. It showed an injured Mean Joe headed for the locker room to encounter a star-struck kid (Tommy Okon) that offered Mean Joe a coke. Greene eventually took the coke and while limping away pitched his jersey to the kid.
The commercial spot aired repeatedly through Superbowl XIV where the Steelers beat the Rams 31-19. It took 3 days to film the commercial and Joe ended up drinking around 18 cokes to finish it.
When Greene found out Tommy Okon didn’t get to keep the jersey from the commercial he mailed him an autographed jersey for Christmas.
Coke looked at Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, and teammate Jack Lambert but Joe Greene won out. The right man got the job.
The commercial helped to soften Joe Greene’s reputation. Before it aired Greene said people were intimidated by him. This is a quote from Greene.
“I was suddenly approachable,” Greene recalled during a presentation at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta. “Little kids were no longer afraid of me, and older people – both women and men – would come up and offer me a Coke.”
The song was released in 1975 and peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, UK and the Canadian charts. It was off the album Who Loves You and the title single peaked at #3.
It was written by keyboard player Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker.
According to the co-writer and longtime group member Bob Gaudio, the song was originally set in 1933 with the title “December 5th, 1933,” and celebrated the repeal of Prohibition. Neither lead singer Frankie Valli nor co-writer (and later, Gaudio’s wife) Judy Parker were thrilled about the lyrics (and Valli objected to parts of the melody) so Gaudio redid the words and Parker redid the melody until all were content with the finished product. It ended up being a nostalgic love song.
“December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)”
Oh, what a night Late December, back in ’63 What a very special time for me As I remember, what a night
Oh, what a night You know, I didn’t even know her name But I was never gonna be the same What a lady, what a night
Oh, I I got a funny feeling when she walked in the room Hey, my As I recall, it ended much too soon
Oh, what a night Hypnotizing, mesmerizing me She was everything I dreamed she’d be Sweet surrender, what a night
And I felt a rush like a rolling bolt of thunder Spinning my head around and taking my body under Oh, what a night
Oh, I Got a funny feeling when she walked in the room Hey, my As I recall, it ended much too soon
Oh, what a night Why’d it take so long to see the light? Seemed so wrong, but now it seems so right What a lady, what a night
Oh, I felt a rush like a rolling bolt of thunder Spinning my head around and taking my body under Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do) Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do) Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do) Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do) Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do) Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do) Oh, what a night (Do do do do do, do do do do)
In 1989 Jeff Healey came out with this song that peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100, #86 in the UK, and #16 in Canada. The song was written by John Hiatt and Fred Koller.
Jeff Healey was a Canadian that started to play guitar when he was 3. He was blind and played the guitar on his lap. He could bend the notes to a limit where normal guitar players could not. His solos were just as interesting as the song themselves.
“Angel Eyes” was written by the songwriters John Hiatt and Fred Koller, and produced by Greg Ladanyi. It stands as Jeff Healey’s only Billboard Top-40 hit; however, considering what a unique character he was, it seems most unfair to dismiss him as a one-hit wonder. Amongst many other things, he was much bigger on the Canada Singles chart; he picked up Juno Awards, got an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Album, and played alongside such talent as Dire Straits, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, ZZ Top, and Eric Clapton.
Angel Eyes
Girl, you’re looking fine tonight And every guy has got you in his sight What you’re doing with a clown like me Is surely one of life’s little mysteries
So tonight I’ll ask the stars above “How did I ever win your love?” What did I do? What did I say To turn your angel eyes my way?
Well, I’m the guy who never learned to dance Never even got one second glance Across a crowded room was close enough I could look but I could never touch
So tonight I’ll ask, the stars above “How did I ever win your love?” What did I do? What did I say To turn your angel eyes my way?
Don’t anyone wake me If it’s just a dream ‘Cause she’s the best thing Ever happened to me
All you fellows You can look all you like But this girl you see She’s leavin’ here with me tonight
There’s just one more thing that I need to know If this is love why does it scare me so? It must be somethin’ only you can see ‘Cause girl I feel it when you look at me
So tonight I’ll ask the stars above “How did I ever win your love?” What did I do? What did I say, To turn your angel eyes my way? Hey, hey, hey, yeah, awww
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 on 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.
It was released in 1977 and the record company sunk 100,000 dollars just to make the audio listenable.
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.
They are a great band here. You catch them with their guard down and acting completely natural.
The Beatles were in their last club dates at 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 was 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.
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 to 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
What a mood this song creates. This is before the Moody Blues went searching for the lost chord…or evolved into a more progressive type band. They are just a beat group at this stage but the song’s arrangement pointed to a different direction. The singer is Denny Laine that later ended up playing with Paul McCartney and Wings. He quit the Moody Blues in 1966 and was replaced by Justin Hayward.
The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard 100, #2 in Canada and #1 in the UK in 1965.
Go Now
We’ve already said “goodbye” Since you gotta go, oh you’d better Go now, go now, go now (go now, ooh) Before you see me cry?
I don’t want you to tell me just what you intend to do now ‘Cause how many times do I have to tell you darlin’, darlin’ I’m still in love with you now Whoa oh oh oh
We’ve already said “so long” I don’t want to see you go, oh you’d better Go now, go now, go now (go now, ooh)
Don’t you even try? Tellin’ me that you really don’t want it to end this way ‘Cause darlin’, darlin’, can’t you see I want you to stay, yeah
Since you gotta go, oh you’d better Go now, go now, go now (go now, ooh) Before you see me cry I don’t want you to tell me just what you intend to do now ‘Cause how many times do I have to tell you darlin’, darlin’ I’m still in love, still in love with you now Ooh ooh ooh I don’t want to see you go but darlin’, you better go now
Great power pop song by Matthew Sweet. The song reached #4 on the Alternative Billboard Chart in 1991. The song was off of his 3rd album of the same name. The album was Sweet’s breakthrough album.
The song has a little of everything in it…noisy guitar, loud drums but with a pop melody.
I wanna love somebody I hear you need somebody to love Oh, I wanna love somebody I hear you’re looking for someone to love
‘Cause you need to Be back in the arms of a good friend And I need to Be back in the arms of a girlfriend
I didn’t know nobody And then I saw you coming my way Oh, I didn’t know nobody And then I saw you coming my way
Don’t you need to Be back in the arms of a good friend? Oh, ’cause, honey, believe me I’d sure love to call you my girlfriend
Alright
Don’t you need to Be back in the arms of a good friend? Oh, ’cause, honey, believe me I’d sure love to call you my girlfriend
‘Cause you got a good thing going, baby You only need somebody to love Oh, you got a good thing going You’re only looking for someone to love
‘Cause you need to Get back in the arms of a good friend
And I’m never gonna set you free No, I’m never gonna set you free
Sitcoms come and go but some will be remembered long after they are gone…this is one of them. This series featured a single woman Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) working and dating. She had career ambitions far beyond getting married and having children. Doesn’t seem like a big deal now but at the time this wasn’t done. Everyone knew Mary from The Dick Van Dyke Show which finished a few years before.
The Mary Richards character was going to be divorced in the show but the producers thought the audience would think she divorced Dick Van Dyke…so that wasn’t happening. This show featured women and men writers and a great cast. As the show progressed it wasn’t all about Mary, the talented cast all got their turns.
Mary moves into a studio apartment in Minneapolis Minnesota with a neurotic landlady Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman) and a tough New York Jewish neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper).
She gets a job at WJM-TV a low rated television station in Minneapolis. Her boss was Lou Grant (Ed Asner) and her co-worker’s name was Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod). The weatherman was Gordy Howard (John Amos) and the newscaster was the incompetent Ted Baxter (Ted Knight).
The show was written to entertain adults more than a family. The writing was smart and nothing ever seemed forced. This is a great sitcom that many modern shows look to.
The show featured one of the best-known episodes from any sitcom…“Chuckles Bites the Dust”
Let’s go through the characters.
Mary Richards – Mary is a career minded, honest and good to a fault person. She was the cheerleader in high school you had a crush on.
Rhoda Morgenstern – A self-deprecating neighbor who envied Mary Richards but ended up her best friend. Her and Mary’s relationship was an important part early on in the show.
Lou Grant – The hard-drinking, gruff, tough but lovable boss who was the father figure to Mary. Lou would treat everyone fair through the office and would stop himself from strangling Ted.
Phyllis Lindstrom – Phyllis and her husband Lars (who is never seen) manage the building which Mary lives in. She is snobbish, neurotic, and has an adversarial relationship with Rhoda but you still end up liking her.
Murray Slaughter – The writer of the show and he is eternally mad at Ted Knight for mispronouncing everything he has written. He is a middle-aged man married with kids but has a secret crush on Mary…like everyone in the office.
Ted Baxter – Ted Knight was made for this character. Ted has a giant ego, is incompetent but makes more money than anyone at the station…yea like real life. Ted supplies a lot of the humor for the show.
Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White) – She is catty, man-hungry and can be downright mean. She is always ready with a backhanded compliment to Mary. She created more audience sympathy for Phyllis when she had an affair with Phyllis’s husband Lars. Once in a while, the writers will show her vulnerable side.
Gordy Howard – A very professional weatherman who gets promoted much to Ted’s dismay…John Amos left to star on Good Times.
Georgette Baxter (Georgia Engel) – Georgette may have been the most innocent character ever on a sitcom. She dated Ted for a while and then Ted finally married her. She may have been sweet and innocent but she could handle Ted.
I remember watching Dead Man’s Curve when I was a kid about Jan and Dean and the terrible car wreck Jan Berry was involved in.
This song was written by Brian Wilson and he didn’t think he would ever finish it. Jan met him at a party and helped Brian finish the song. Dean also contributed some lines but never asked for any writing credits. “Two girls for every boy”…what teenage boy didn’t want to go there for a visit. It was the first surf record to hit number 1 nationally.
Brian Wilson’s controlling dad Murry was furious at Brian for giving away a number 1 hit to someone else. Brian was happy that another group took his song and made a hit with it.
When I was a senior in High School for some unknown reason I really got into surf music at the beginning of the year. I listened to Jan and Dean, the Beach Boys, and The Ventures. I was the first person at school to wear a Hawaiian shirt and got snickered at…but by the end of the year there were other people wearing them…the one and only time in my life I was a trendsetter…a fact I’m not really proud of…
I must have been looking forward to my after graduation summer trip with my buddies to Cocoa Beach Florida. A fifteen-hour drive one way in a Celica Sports Coupe with 4 guys packed in there. We picked the name (Cocoa Beach) because it sounded great…Yep pretty stupid because we could have driven 7 hours to Pensacola instead.
I continued to listen to the Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” and “Endless Summer” albums but was never really into the Beach music again. Surf music is nothing but fun… The Beach Boys took it further than anyone with Pet Sounds. By that time though Surf purists didn’t like it. They wanted the old formula songs… I wasn’t a purist…
Surf City (Wilson and Berry)
Two girls for every boy
I got a ’34 wagon and I call it a Woody (Surf City here we come) You know it’s not very cherry, it’s an oldie but a goodie (Surf City here we come) Well it ain’t got a back seat or a rear window But it still gets me where I want to go
Well, we’re going to Surf City ‘coz it’s two to one Yeah, we’re going to Surf City, wanna have some fun Well, we’re going to Surf City ‘coz it’s two to one Yeah, we’re going to Surf City, wanna have some fun
Two girls for every boy
Well, [Incomprehensible] tension ‘coz there’s always something goin’ (Surf City, here we come) You know they’re either out surfin’ or they got a party growin’ (Surf City, here we come) Well, there’s two swingin’ honeys for every guy And all you gotta do is just wink your eye
Well, we’re going to Surf City ‘coz it’s two to one Yeah, we’re going to Surf City, wanna have some fun Well, we’re going to Surf City ‘coz it’s two to one Yeah, we’re going to Surf City, wanna have some fun
Two girls for every boy
And if my Woody breaks down on me somewhere on the surf route (Surf City, here we come) I’ll strap my board to my back and hitch a ride in my wet suit (Surf City, here we come) And when I get to Surf City I’ll be shootin’ the curl And checkin’ out the parties for a surfer girl
Well, we’re going to Surf City ‘coz it’s two to one Yeah, we’re going to Surf City, wanna have some fun Well, we’re going to Surf City ‘coz it’s two to one Yeah, we’re going to Surf City, wanna have some fun
This was a film that covered Bob Dylan on his 1966 European tour backed up by the Hawks that eventually became The Band minus, Levon Helm. The film was to be shown on ABC television but ABC rejected and saying it was “incomprehensible” because Dylan himself was one of the editors and wanted the film to have more of an artistic feel.
It was filmed by D.A. Pennebaker who filmed Dylan’s 65 European tour when he played acoustically called Don’t Look Back. Don’t Look Back is terrific. This film is very disjointed. That is not saying I don’t like it. This is the Dylan period that probably is my favorite. The Hawks are raw and powerful and Dylan was
There are some highlights to this odd film. A spontaneous piano duet with Dylan and Johnny Cash, John Lennon and Bob Dylan very high riding around in a cab, and the famous concert where an audience member yells out “Judas” because of Dylan’s conversion to electric music. After the Judas remark, he proceeds to tell Robbie Robertson to play it loud and they kick off in a vicious “Like a Rolling Stone.” My favorite live version of that song. Those folk music fans were harsh.
The film is disjointed and frustrating to watch because some of the songs you want to see and hear are there…but only partly. You will be seeing Dylan performing something and then flash away to something else. Some of the concert footage and film from this ended up in the Martin Scorsese movie No Direction Home…I would recommend No Direction Home to everyone.
Bob was pale and nervous and there is no secret he was doing drugs heavily through this movie. After the tour, Dylan had a motorcycle wreck heard around the world and after he recovered he didn’t tour for years.
The cab ride with John Lennon is historical now. Both of them in sunglasses and Lennon trying to inject humor into the situation and Dylan is ok at first and then starts getting sick as the filming stops.
If you are a Dylan fan it’s worth a watch. I’m glad we have “No Direction Home” to see some clear film segments on that tour. Eat The Document has not been officially released but you can get a bootleg of it or watch most of it on youtube.
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 