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Robbie Robertson – Once Were Brothers

In 2019, a documentary (Once Were Brothers) about The Band was released. It took me years, but I finally watched it not long ago. Not that I didn’t want to, but it was one of those things where I didn’t get to it. I was going to write up about the documentary, but decided just to stick to this song. Yes, it’s a great documentary, and you should watch it when you get a chance. You see footage and hear things that you have never heard before. He tells the story of the Band in this song, and it’s both beautiful and sad.

This song was the theme and the soul of the documentary. Robertson always had characters in his songs. Virgil Kane, Crazy Chester, Fanny, and a certain drunkard’s dream. In this song, though, these are not just based on real people; they are real people. You don’t have to be a Band fan to enjoy this. We all have had long friendships that faded or ended on a misunderstanding.

This is Robertson looking back on The Band, not as legends, but as brothers tied together by music. As a longtime Band fan, the song hits hard for me. Robbertson acknowledges that what they created together was bigger than the fights and the silence. The Band would always be a part of him.

It just hit me recently why Robbie’s solo material didn’t sound much like the Band. I don’t think he went out of his way to be different. It took the 5 of them to make it sound like The Band.

The trailer to the documentary.

Once Were Brothers

When the light goes outAnd you can’t go onYou miss your brothersBut now they’re gone

Mm, uh…When the light goes outWe go our own wayNothing here but darknessNo reason to stay

Oh, once we’re brothersBrothers no moreWe lost a connectionAfter the war

There’ll be no revivalThere’ll be no one coldOnce were brothersBrothers no more

When that curtain comes downWe let go of the pastTomorrows another daySome things weren’t meant to last

When that curtain comes downOn the final actAnd you know, you know deep insideTheres no goin’ back

Once were brothersBrothers no moreWe lost our wayAfter the war

Can’t even rememberWhat we’re fighting forBut once were brothersBrothers no more

We already had it outBetween the north and southWhen we heard all the laughsComin’ out of your mouth

But we stood togetherLike we were next of kinAnd when the band played dixie(Dixie, dixie, dixie)Dixie marchin’ in

Once were brothersBrothers no moreWe lost our connectionAfter the war

There’ll be no revivalThere’ll be no encoreOnce were brothersBrothers no more

Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas Everybody

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…

Merry Christmas to You All!

Happy Christmas Eve to you all. I can’t believe we are almost to 2026.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, whichever you prefer. Since I started this blog, I have tried to post an interesting song or some pop culture fact. Most of you drop by for a view when I post, and I appreciate it so much.

I look forward to finishing this year and discovering the new year together. I can’t believe this is my eighth year doing this, and if not for the feedback I get daily, I would have stopped a long time ago. I don’t know how much I discovered about music you didn’t already know, but I have learned so much from you all.

When I started in 2017, it took me around six months to get one follower, one like, and a comment. I don’t take anyone for granted, and I want you to know that. Also, a huge THANK YOU. You don’t have to stop by, but you do—you must be a glutton for punishment! I hope you and your families have a happy holiday and safe travels.

Signed

Max…the owner of this run-down joint.

Band – Christmas Must Be Tonight

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas Must Be Tonight

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

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

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

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

Al Stewart – Nostradamus

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nostradamus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul Kelly – How To Make Gravy

Here is a Christmas post I wanted to get in this year since the day fits!

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

…

Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus and Lucy

Nothing like Vince Guaraldi for this time of the year. It’s hard to resist this song. It automatically makes me happy when I hear it. I see the Peanuts gang doing their thing.

This song I can hear anytime of the year and be happy. It’s associated with Christmas also…whichever… I never get tired of it.

Ironically, just about everyone would call this “the Charlie Brown song” even though it’s actually titled after Linus and Lucy Van Pelt, brother and sister in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip universe.

The song is most famous for its use in the yearly favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired in 1965, but it was written two years earlier for a documentary about Schulz and the Peanuts gang called A Boy Named Charlie Brown, which never aired.

Producer Lee Mendelson was in charge of the documentary and asked Vince Guaraldi to compose music for it

Guaraldi was huge in the jazz world and won the 1962 Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition for “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” for his group, the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Mendelson was searching for what kind of music to play for the documentary when he took a taxi cab, and “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” was playing as he crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. He loved it and his decision was made.

Guaraldi wrote a series of songs for the project, including “Linus and Lucy,” that he recorded with his group, the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Even though A Boy Named Charlie Brown was shelved, the soundtrack was released in 1964, which is where “Linus and Lucy” first appeared.

In 1965, Mendelson put together the first Peanuts TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, using many of the same people who worked on the documentary. “Linus and Lucy” formed the score, and a song he wrote with Guaraldi called “Christmas Time Is Here” was included in a key scene.

When A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted in 1965, it quickly turned the Peanuts franchise into a television institution. That first special also shot Guaraldi to greater fame, and he became connected to all subsequent Peanuts shows.

Guaraldi would continue to work on Peanuts films until his death in 1976.

No words…just enjoy

…

Jayhawks – Blue

After I found out about this band in 2000, I had to know more. This song would rank high on the list of my favorite songs of all time. When Olson and Louris lock in on “Why don’t you stay behind? So blue.” they hit that sweet spot that gives me chills. This is the kind of sadness you can hum along to. To me, they are a modern version of Big Star in many ways. They never could buy a hit, but released some excellent music.

The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul music scene in the mid-80s. Minneapolis had a strong scene for bands in the 1980s. Gary Louris and Mark Olson built the early band around harmony singing, country roots, and the spirit of the Flying Burrito Brothers, which was not exactly the fashionable choice in a town dominated by Hüsker Dü, the Replacements, and Prince. The Jayhawks went more for warmth and melody instead of loudness. They have a little of The Flying Burrito Brothers mixed with Big Star in them.

Olson eventually left the band to focus on family and a quieter life, leaving Louris to carry on with the Jayhawks. Still, whenever the two reunited, even briefly, the chemistry returned. Their 2008 duo album (Ready For The Flood) and subsequent tours proved the bond still worked.

The song was on the album Tomorrow the Green Grass, an album many fans still consider their masterpiece. They recorded the album between Los Angeles and Nashville, a setup that gave it an open feel. Producer George Drakoulias understood that the Jayhawks’ feel wasn’t in piling on big sounds, it was in letting the songs breathe…and breathe they did. This song was written by Mark Olson and Gary Louris.

The album peaked at #92 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1995. The song peaked at #33 in Canada. They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album, Paging Mr. Proust, was produced by Peter Buck of REM.

They combine country, folk, rock, and pop with good harmonies.

Gary Lourist: Mark was tired of the grind of playing the game, going to the radio stations and being a low- to mid-level success. I think it just wore him out. He was always frustrated by all the waiting. The Jayhawks made just seven records in 20 years, so there was a lot of it. The Creekdippers did it very organically and made lots of records. But the main thing was that he wanted to be with his wife.

Gary Lourist: What brought Mark and me back together? It started way back with The Rookie, a mediocre Dennis Quaid movie about an older pitcher who makes the big leagues. The producer or the director was a Jayhawks fan, and they wanted a new Olson/Louris song. Olson’s manager called my manager, and the next thing you know, I’m driving out to Joshua Tree. We talked through our old issues. We wrote a couple of songs that day. They didn’t make it in the movie, but it got us thinking that we still really had something when we got together. So we started doing some tours, but we didn’t have any new material, so that lead us to Ready For The Flood, and that led us to the new Jayhawks record.

Blue

Where have all my friends gone?
They’ve all disappeared.
Turned around maybe one day, you’re all that was there.
Stood by on believing, stood by on my own.
Always thought I was someone, turned out I was wrong.
And you brought me through and you made me feel so blue,
Why don’t you stay behind?
So blue. Why don’t you stop, and look at what’s going down.

If I had an old woman she’d never sell me a lie
It’s hard to sing with someone who won’t sing with you.
Give all of my mercy, give all of my heart.
Never thought that I’d miss you, that I’d miss you so much.
And you brought me through and you made me feel so blue.
Why don’t you stay behind?
So blue.
Why don’t you stop and look at what’s going down.

All my life (staying while) I’m waiting for (staying while)
Someone I could (waiting around) show the door
(now that I’m blue) but nothing seems to change (that I’m blue from now on)
You come back that month so blue.
Why don’t you stay behind?
So blue.
Why don’t you, why don’t you stay behind?
So blue.
Why don’t you, why don’t you stay behind?
So blue
Why don’t you stop and look at what’s down

Big Country – Fields Of Fire

I first found out about this band in the 1980s with a dose of a bagpipes sound with the song Big Country. The first thing I thought of was BIG…not because of the name. The song came out of the radio like an elephant. The drums and the sound were so huge. This one has the same effect on me, a large sound, but it isn’t sanitized and polished to death.

It was released in 1983 on the album The Crossing. This was their debut album, and it made them known throughout the world. Steve Lillywhite produced this album and track. This came at a time when he was emerging as one of the top producers in the business, known for his work with Peter Gabriel and U2.

As I mentioned earlier, they incorporated a bagpipe sound into their songs, and they utilized the E-bow effect on their guitars. E-bows (Electronic Bows) are handheld, battery-powered devices that create infinite sustain and harmonics on stringed instruments, especially electric guitars, by generating a magnetic field that vibrates the strings, mimicking the effect of a violin bow. They enable guitarists to produce synth-like sounds, bowing effects without the use of a traditional pick. Now I want one!

Here is an example of one:

I did it again…drifted too far into guitar effects, but I just cannot help myself.

Stuart Adamson formed this band in 1981 in Scotland. Adamson was their main songwriter and the lead singer. He was joined by guitarist Bruce Watson, bassist Tony Butler, and drummer Mark Brzezicki. They would go on to release 9 studio albums and 18 live albums. They would release 29 singles, and 16 ended up in the top 40 in the UK.

Fields of Fire peaked at #10 in the UK, #26 in New Zealand, and #52 on the Billboard 100. This album peaked at #18 on the Billboard Album Charts, #4 in Canada, #3 in the UK, and #8 in New Zealand in 1983.

In 1999, they released their last album with lead singer Stuart Adamson, called Driving to Damascus but without much success. Adamson moved to Nashville in the mid-1990s, where he met country music singer/songwriter Marcus Hummon, and together they released an alternative country studio album as The Raphaels in 2001.

Fields of Fire

Between a father and a sonBetween the city and the oneBefore the teacher and the testBefore the journey and the rest

The shining eye will never cryThe beating heart will never dieThe house on fire holds no shameI will be coming home again400 miles without a word until you smile400 miles on fields of fireBetween a woman and a boyBetween a child and his toyBetween a woman and a boyBetween a child and a toyBefore the following of the westBefore the journey and the rest400 miles without a word until you smile400 miles without a word until you smile400 miles on fields of fire

…

Kinks – Father Christmas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Father Christmas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Max’s Drive-In Movie – The Devil and Daniel Webster

I was instantly hooked on this 1941 movie on my first viewing. I love the Faust story in all of its versions. One of my favorite old movies. I do like fantasy movies, and this one doesn’t need spinning heads or big special effects.

They do a great job retelling the old story. It opens with Jabez Stone, his wife Mary Stone, and his Mom in an old farmhouse. Everything that can go wrong… does for Jabez. He is a struggling New Hampshire farmer who, in a moment of pure desperation, blurts out that he’d sell his soul for a little luck. He then meets “Scratch” (The Devil) inside his barn, and then is one of the many talked into a deal for his soul. The cast assembled for this movie is perfect. Not a bad performance in the movie. Edward Arnold is convincing as the popular congressman and senator, Daniel Webster. The 1940s had some of the best character actors of any era. Walter Huston as the Devil was played chillingly and brilliantly.

Huston doesn’t enter with flames and fury; he strolls in like a salesman who knows he’s got exactly what you want. Suddenly, Jabez has prosperity and a dangerous new confidence. What makes the movie work, even now, is the blend of Americana and an eerie atmosphere. Bernard Herrmann’s musical score, which won an Oscar, shifts from fiddle hoedowns to otherworldly sounds without missing a beat. The cinematography focuses on contrasts that make every room feel haunted.

Also known as “All That Money Can Buy” it was released in 1941 by RKO Radio Pictures.

Not trying to give much away, but it comes down to a battle between Daniel Webster and the Devil over Jabez’s soul. The jury is the jury of the dammed. The movie is definitely worth watching.

The movie was based on a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét.

What Christmas Means To Me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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George Thorogood – Move It On Over

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

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

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

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

Move It On Over

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jason and the Scorchers – Absolutely Sweet Marie

I first heard this band in the 1980s in Nashville. A rock band that even hit the MTV playlists. When I first posted them years ago I didn’t think I would get a huge response. People from outside of Nashville and the surrounding states had probably never heard of them, or so I thought. People from New Zealand, UK, and around the world had heard of this band. They were big on college radio and they had many ties with Nashville and played here quite often. I can’t really explain how much of a powerful band they were in a live setting.

I first heard them do a live version of “The Race Is On”…the old George Jones song, and it won me over. They were really a big deal in the southeast in the mid-eighties and should have spread more. Their music seemed to have a kinship to the Georgia Satellites and The Blasters, but they were a little more country. They did have some MTV play with Golden Ball and Chain. The best way to describe them is they lived in a place where country met punk, where Hank Williams shook hands with the Ramones. This is before I found The Replacements, so this excited me to hear real rock and roll on the radio and live.

They turned Dylan’s Absolutely Sweet Marie into a barn burner of a song. What I love most is how natural it feels. They didn’t force a punk edge onto Dylan; they exposed one that was there all along. Jason Ringenberg charges into the lyrics like a man trying to outrun a tornado on an open highway.

This song came out in 1983 and was on their Fervor EP. It was released by a small label called Praxis, but they were signed by EMI, and they re-released the EP the following year. Jason had to convince his bandmates to cover this, and I’m thankful they agreed. They broke up in 1989 but have reunited off and on since then. The last time was in Nashville last year. Jason continues to release solo albums.

In the video of the song, you can see them going into Tootsies Orchid Lounge, a famous place in Nashville that I’ve haunted a few times in the 1980s and 90s.

Absolutely Sweet Marie

Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can’t jump itSometimes it gets so, so hard, you see.I’m just sitting here beating on my trumpet,With all these promises you left for me.So where are you tonight?Where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

Well, I waited for you when I was-a half sickWell, I waited for you when you hated me.Well, I waited for you inside the frozen traffic,When you knew I had some other place to be.

Where are you tonight?Where are you tonight, sweet Marie?Well, I don’t know how it happenedBut the riverboat captain, he knows my fate.Let’s do this baby, even you maybe, It’s just gonna have to wait, wait, wait- Yeah!

Where are you tonight?Where are you tonight, sweet Marie?Well, anybody can be just like me, obviouslyThen again not any of them are like you, fortunately… fortunately!Six white horses, that you did promiseWere finally delivered to the penitentiaryBut to live outside the law, you must be honest, darling.I know you will always say that you agree.So, where are you tonight?Where are you tonight, sweet Marie? Alright!Where are you tonight? Where are you tonight?Where are you tonight, sweet Marie?

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North Mississippi Allstars – Meet Me In The City

I had never heard of this band until recently. What a rootsy down to earth band. I had some headphones listening to this band. Fantastic is what I’ll say about them.

The North Mississippi Allstars formed in 1996 in Hernando, Mississippi. Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson grew up immersed in Hill Country blues through their father and legendary producer and musician Jim Dickinson. He worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to Big Star and Alex Chilton. Blues was not something the Dickinson brothers discovered later; it was already in there. The brothers are credited with guitar, vocals, cigar box guitar, drums, bass, drums, percussion, vocals, guitar, and synthesizer.

The band took its name from the North Mississippi Hill Country blues style, a cousin to Delta blues, associated with artists like Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Otha Turner. Unlike the regular 12-bar structures of Chicago or Delta blues, Hill Country blues leans heavily on repetition and groove that builds as it goes.

This song was written by Junior Kimbrough in 1992. It’s been covered by The Black Keys and others. The North Mississippi Allstars released it on their album World Boogie Is Coming. It has a groove that is irresistible. Luther Dickinson’s guitar is the engine that makes it run, sliding around that beat like it’s got its own ideas on what it’s about. Cody Dickinson locks in underneath with a drum pattern that’s less about fills and more about being hypnotic. It’s just plain out cool.

This is some cool blues going on here with that groove. This sounds like it came out of a bar somewhere while slightly rattling the glasses. I’m going to give you a bonus song called Peaches that I liked on the first listen. Peaches came off the album Up and Rolling, released in 2019.

Meet Me In The City

Meet me over in the city
In the city, things so fine
We’ll get together, ah yes we will girl
Oh yes, we will
We’ll make everything alright now, honey don’t, oh honey don’t
So please, please don’t leave me right now girl
‘Cause right now, right now, oh no no no

You got me baby, you got me girl
You got me where you want me, whoa ho-ho-ho yeah
Now girl I know you are satisfied baby
So please, please don’t leave me right now girl
‘Cause right now, right now, oh no no no

Sometimes I think I will baby
Then again my, my-my-my-my-my-my mind will change
Now tell me don’t do it no more
So please, please don’t leave me right now girl
‘Cause right now, right now, oh no no no

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