“My name is Brian and I’m a pizza-holic…Hi, Brian.” Sad, but true. There are so very few things you can count on in this world. (If you’re in doubt, just check out your local meteorologist’s forecast track record. That’s where the real job security is. ) Pizza, more specifically in its frozen-store-bought form, has always been there for me. Maybe it’s just a case of lowered expectations, but there’s something comforting about frozen pizza. It was there when I was a kid, as a teen, and it’s still there for me as an adult. Now that I think about it, I don’t even think comfort food was an actual term for a good deal of those years. Hmm. While some of your more uppity “foodies” will describe it as not unlike cardboard, I disagree. Somebody has to be buying the stuff, right? I mean you could stop in a grocery…
This band was from Winston-Salem, North Carolina but the group was formed in New York City in 1978. The members were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby, and Gene Holder. Chris Stamey played bass for Alex Chilton in 1977.
This song was released in 1984 on Bearsville Records and it was on the album Like This. In 2012, the band completed its first new studio album called Falling Off the Sky in 25 years and it’s first in 30 years with the original lineup.
Love is for Lovers
Holsapple
Do you remember when blue was the feeling Gray was the weather, one was the number? Do you remember when love was for others? Now and forever, love is for lovers.
Do you believe that real love is right now? Could we be having the time of our lives now? Do you believe this? Do you believe this?
Now every day is like summer vacation Christmas and birthday rolled into one day Now every night is a special occasion Where does it all end? Maybe next someday.
Can you believe this love is forever? Can you conceive of anything better? Do you believe this? Do you believe this is love?
Oh, love is for lovers Love is for lovers Oh, love is for lovers.
Do you believe that love is a sure thing? You say hello and I hit the ceiling Do you believe this? Do you believe this is love?
Oh, love is for lovers Love is for lovers Oh, love is for lovers.
I used to think that love was for pleasure More like adventure, measure for measure It’s plain to me that we can’t rise above it No one’s a lover just ’cause they love it.
And if you’re happy then you oughta stay there I’m not certain that I know the way there Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Do you believe this is love?
Oh, love is for lovers Love is for lovers Oh, love is for lovers Love is for lovers Oh, love is for lovers Oh, love is for lovers Oh, love is for lovers Love is for love is for lovers.
So Sad About Us could be the definition of powerpop.
This song was not a hit…in fact, it was never released as a single. The Who recorded this song in 1966, though it was originally written for the Merseys, a band that shared the Who’s manager and had a hit with a Townshend-produced version of the song that same year. It is one of the most covered songs by the Who. I remember the version by the Jam.
The song was on the album A Quick One. The album didn’t chart in America but it did peak at #4 in the UK in 1966.
So Sad About Us
La la la la la la la La la la la la la la La la la la la la la La la la la la la la
So sad about us So sad about us Sad that the news is out now Sad, suppose we can’t turn back now Sad about us
So bad about us So bad about us Bad, never meant to break up Bad, suppose we’ll never make up Bad about us
Apologies mean nothing When the damage is done But I can’t switch off my loving Like you can’t switch off the sun
La la la la la la la La la la la la la la La la la la la la la La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la La la la la la la la la la la
So sad about us So sad about us Sad, never meant to break up Sad, suppose we’ll never make up Sad about us
Couldn’t I Just Tell You was the follow-up song to I Saw The Light. The record company decided this should be the next single. It wasn’t the hit they were looking for so they decided to edit the album version of Hello It’s Me down and release it. That song was a hit. Although Couldn’t I Just Tell You was not a big hit it did get airplay and still does to this day.
Todd didn’t like what the record company did so in his liner notes to the album he wrote of this song…The hits just keep on coming.
The song peaked at #93 on the Billboard 100 in 1972. The album Something/Anything? was released in 1972 and peaked at #29 on the Billboard Album Chart.
Couldn’t I Just Tell You
Keep your head and everything will be cool You didn’t have to make me feel like a fool When I try to say I feel the way that I do I want to talk to you And make it load and clear Though you don’t care to hear
Couldn’t I just tell you the way I feel I can’t keep it bottled up inside And could we pretend that it’s no big deal And there’s really nothing left to hide
Something sure doesn’t seem right to me When you can turn your back whenever you please And you stroll away and calmly bid me adieu Why can’t I talk with you And put it in your ear though you don’t care to hear
Hear me out Why don’t you lend me an ear You’ve got no reason to fear I’ll make it perfectly clear I love you
I don’t come whining with my heart on my sleeve I’m not a coward if that’s what you believe And I’m not afraid but not ashamed if it’s true I got to talk with you And then I’ll make it clear
Hanspostcard had mentioned he was reading this book and from what he said I had to give it a try. I got the audible version. The author Tom O’Neill has an interesting quote that sums up the book… “My goal isn’t to say what did happen—it’s to prove that the official story didn’t,”
When I first started to listen I thought it was going to be a big conspiracy book but I was pleasantly surprised…Tom O’Neill took pains not to go there. He is pretty open that he does not find the “answer” to the murders. He also made it clear he wasn’t trying to clear the guilty parties of the Tate/Labianca cases. They are no doubt guilty but it was more about the circumstances around the question of why and the Helter Skelter theory brought by Vincent Bugliosi. Vincent was the prosecutor in the case and later wrote the book Helter Skelter…the best-selling true crime book ever.
Manson’s parole officer Roger Smith was really baffling. Manson was on parole through the late sixties and did everything he could to break his parole…Smith kept giving him a pass, protecting his family, and even fostering one of Manson’s kids. Manson must have had a hell of a rabbit’s foot or someone or some organization was looking out for him. If any of us would get caught with an underage girl, stolen cars, and narcotics… a trip to jail would be in our immediate future…even in the 1960s…much less being on parole at the time.
O’Neill has the documents to back up his claims. Bugliosi did suppress evidence and most around the case are still afraid to talk. Some of the evidence yes could have got by him but not to this extent. Tom interviewed a countless number of people… including tense interviews with Bugliosi.
Tom spent 20 years on this book. The story of him writing the book is just as interesting as the story. He became depressed and obsessed with the murders. In 1999 he was writing an article for Premier Magazine and kept extending the deadlines for the 30th anniversary of the murders. Then in 2009, it was going to be a book published by Penguin for the 40th…that didn’t work out because he kept finding new leads and information. Finally this year the book was released for the 50th anniversary of the murders.
What I found interesting also was the other subjects that were brought up…COINTELPRO, Operation CHAOS, and MKULTRA…goverment secret programs that could come into play. There is much more in the book than I’ve touched on…I would recommend getting it…it makes you think and question.
“Crosstown Trafic” was recorded at the Record Plant in 1968. Traffic’s Dave Mason was a guest vocalist on this song. This song includes a famous kazoo riff, which Hendrix originally performed using a comb and a piece of cellophane.
This song peaked at #52 on the Billboard 100 in 1968. The album was Electric Ladyland and it was Jimi’s only number 1 album in Billboard.
Hendrix wanted a Linda Eastman photo for the album cover… A photo of the band and some kids at Central Park on an Alice In Wonderland Statue… he wrote “Please use color picture with us and the kids on the statue for front or back cover — OUTSIDE COVER,” but Reprise ignored his request…this is the photo he wanted.
Instead, they used this one
The UK cover was of 19 nude women which again…Jimi didn’t want or ask for… The public opinion was that the cover was tasteless. Hendrix agreed. He distanced himself from the photo in interviews and proclaimed disdain for the photo.
From Songfacts
This song is about a girl who is hard to get rid of. Getting through to her that she’s not wanted is like getting through crosstown traffic.
The lyrics are similar to many Blues songs in that they are filled with sexual references in clever metaphors: “I’m not the only soul, who’s accused of hit and run, tire tracks all across your back, I can see you’ve had your fun.”
Dave Mason from the group Traffic sang on this. That’s him singing the high part on the word “Traffic.”
Chas Chandler produced the original tracks, but Hendrix remixed them when he started producing his own music in 1968.
Crosstown Traffic
You jump in front of my car when you you know all the time Ninety miles an hour, girl, is the speed I drive You tell me it’s alright, you don’t mind a little pain You say you just want me to take you for a drive
You’re just like crosstown traffic So hard to get through to you Crosstown traffic I don’t need to run over you Crosstown traffic All you do is slow me down And I’m tryin’ to get on the other side of town
I’m not the only soul who’s accused of hit and run Tire tracks all across your back I can, I can see you had your fun But, darlin’ can’t you see my signals turn from green to red And with you I can see a traffic jam straight up ahead
You’re just like crosstown traffic So hard to get through to you Crosstown traffic I don’t need to run over you Crosstown traffic All you do is slow me down And I got better things on the other side of town
This song peaked at #15 in the Billboard 100 and #3 in the UK in 1965. The Animals were a tough Rhythm and Blues band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne. Burdon’s voice drives this Animals song.
This song was written by Horace Ott, Bennie Benjamin, and Sol Marcus. Benjamin and Marcus were a songwriting team that had been working together since the 40s… their songs include “Lonely Man” by Elvis Presley and “Fabulous Character” by Sarah Vaughan.
Ott started writing the song after getting in a heated argument with Gloria Caldwell, whom he had recently married. Sitting down at the piano, he expressed in song how he was well-intentioned, but misunderstood by his wife – a sentiment many married men could relate to.
Gloria Caldwell is listed on the credit instead of Ott because of contractual issues. She learned to understand him: the couple stayed together.
The Animals were one of the British Invasion bands…One of the rawer and bluesy bands.
From Songfacts
Nina Simone was the first to record this song, releasing an orchestrated, downtempo rendition on her 1964 album Broadway-Blues-Ballads that nicked the US chart at #131. The best-known version is by The Animals, who reworked it into a rock song. Eric Burdon recalled in Rolling Stone magazine, “It was never considered pop material, but it somehow got passed on to us and we fell in love with it immediately.”
In our 2010 interview with Eric Burdon, he said: “I’ve really been misunderstood. By my mom, my dad, school teachers, a couple of the women that I married. I’ve been misunderstood all of my life.”
In 2013, Eric Burdon recorded a new version of this song with Jenny Lewis for the HBO TV series True Blood. “When I was asked to record a new version of ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ for the new season with Jenny Lewis, I had to bite,” Burdon said of recording the song for the vampire drama. The song was included on Volume 4 of the show’s soundtrack.
Other well-known versions include covers by:
Joe Cocker, who covered this on his 1969 debut album, With a Little Help from My Friends. His version was played over the ending credits of the 2004 film Layer Cake.
Disco group Santa Esmeralda’s 1977 dance version, which incorporated flamenco, salsa, and other Latin rhythm and ornamentation elements. Released as a single it reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s instrumental passage was later used by Quentin Tarantino during the duel between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii in his 2003 movie Kill Bill: Volume 1
Lana Del Rey, who covered this for her 2015 Honeymoon album. Her version is in the vein of Nina Simone’s jazz original but also uses The Animals organ sound. Del Rey had previous covered another Nina Simone song “The Other Woman” for her Ultraviolence album. The “Video Games” singer told NME she is drawn to Simone’s “melodies and words.” “Personality-wise we’re quite different,” she added. “We may have had some of the same issues, but I picked that song simply because it resonated with me.”
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
Baby, do you understand me now? Sometimes I feel a little mad But don’t you know that no one alive can always be an angel When things go wrong I feel real bad.
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
Baby, sometimes I’m so carefree With a joy that’s hard to hide And sometimes it seems that, all I have to do is worry And then you’re bound to see my other side
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
If I seem edgy, I want you to know, That I never mean to take it out on you Life has its problems, and I get my share, And that’s one thing I never mean to do
Cause I love you, Oh,
Oh, oh, oh, baby – don’t you know I’m human I have thoughts like any other one Sometimes I find myself, Lord, regretting Some foolish thing, some little simple thing I’ve done
I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood Yes, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood Yes, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
One of my favorites off of Exile on Main Street. This was going to be the first single off of the album but Tumbling Dice… understandably was the first. This song didn’t chart but it just added to the greatness that is Exile on Main Street.
Engineer Andy Johns talked about this single. It was the first song finished for the album and Mick thought it was perfect for the first single. Andy disagreed and told Mick. I know this is a long quote but it’s worth a read. It shows you how much power some bands like the Stones had in the 60s and 70s.
Andy Johns:
“It was the first one that was finished cause we’d be working for months and months. Mick got very enamored. ‘It’s finished! It’s going to be the single!’ I thought, ‘This isn’t really a single, you know.’ I remember going out and talking to him and he was playing the piano. ‘Mick, this isn’t a single. It doesn’t compare to “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” or “Street Fighting Man.” ‘Come on, man.’ He went, ‘Really? Do you think so?’ I thought, ‘My God. He’s actually listening to me.’ (laughs). And then, I was having a struggle with the mix I thought was gonna be it. Ahmet Ertegun then barged in with a bunch of hookers and ruined the one mix. He stood right in front of the left speaker with two birds on each arm (laughs). I told Mick, ‘I can’t hear it here. If I could hear it on the radio that would be nice.’ It was just a fantasy. ‘Oh, we can do that.’ ‘Stew (piano player Ian Stewart), go to the nearest FM radio station with the tape and say we’d like to hear it over the radio. And we’ll get a limo and Andy can listen to it in the car.’ I went, ‘Bloody hell…Well, it’s the Stones. OK.’ So sure enough, we’re touring down Sunset Strip and Keith is in one seat, and I’m in the back where the speakers are with Mick, and Charlie is in there, too. Just because he was bored (laughs). And Mick’s got the radio on and the DJ comes on the air, ‘We’re so lucky tonight. We’re the first people to play the new Stones’ record.’ And it came on the radio and the speakers in this car were kind of shot. I still couldn’t tell. And it finishes. Then Mick turns around. ‘So?’ ‘I’m still not sure, man.’ I’m still not used to these speakers’. ‘Oh, we’ll have him play it again then.’ Poor Stew. ‘Have them play it again’ like they were some sort of radio service. It was surreal. Up and down Sunset Strip at 9:00 on a Saturday night. The Strip was jumpin’ and I’m in the car with those guys listening to my mixes. It sounded OK. ‘I think we’re down with that.’ So then we moved on.”
From Songfacts
When The Stones gave this to a Los Angeles radio station in 1971 while they were still working on it so they could hear what it sounded like on the radio, it spread rumors that it would be the first single off Exile on Main St., but that honor went to “Tumblin’ Dice.”
Producer Jimmy Miller added percussion. He had to play some of the instruments on the album because The Stones were rarely together during the sessions, which took place at a French villa Keith Richards rented.
Kathi McDonald sang backup. She was a backup singer for Leon Russell and went on to record with Nicky Hopkins and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
All Down The Line
Yeah, heard the diesel drumming all down the line. Oh, heard the wires a humming all down the line. Yeah, hear the women sighing all down the line. Oh, hear the children crying all down the line.
(All down the line) We’ll be watching out for trouble, yeah. (All down the line) And we’d better keep the motor running, yeah. (All down the line) Well, you can’t say yes and you can’t say no, Just be right there when the whistle blows. I need a sanctified girl with a sanctified mind to help me now.
Yeah, all the people singing all down the line. Mmmm, watch the men all working, working, yeah. (All down the line)
(All down the line) We’re gonna open up the throttle yeah. (All down the line) We’re gonna bust another bottle, yeah. (All down the line)
I need a shot of salvation, baby, once in a while. Hear the whistle blowing, hear it for a thousand miles.
(All down the line) We’re gonna open up the throttle, yeah. All down the line, we’re gonna bust another bottle, yeah. Well you can’t say yes, and you can’t say no, Just be right there when the whistle blows. I need a sanctified mind to help me out right now.
Be my little baby for a while. Won’t you be my little baby for a while? Won’t you be my little baby for a while? Won’t you be my little baby for a while? Won’t you be my little baby for a while?
“Here he comes, here he comes; Speed Racer. He’s a demon on wheels…” that will always stick with me.
I first saw this in the 70s at some point and it was different. I had said that Jonny Quest was different and it was but this one…was completely different than anything I had seen. It was my first viewing of Japanese Anime. Speed Racer was one of the first Japanese anime cartoons to make it stateside back in the 1960s. The show originally called Mach Go Go Go reached millions of kids around the world while in syndication. My first thought while watching it while I was older…this was NOT Hanna-Barbera.
I discovered Speed Racer and Jonny Quest at the same time. I would watch it at my cousin’s house and was blown away by the different animation.
Speed Racer (Go Mifune) is the young driver of the Mach 5, an incredible supercar designed by his father “Pops” Racer (Daisuke Mifune). Speed would race dangerous routes against dangerous people and come out on top with his “girlfriend” Trixie (Michi Shimura) trailing him in a helicopter and his little brother Spritle (Kurio) and his pet chimp Chim-Chim (Sanpei) frequently stowing away in the trunk.
Through the years there have been remakes of the show in the 90s and a movie in 2008 which was not received well. It was a groundbreaking show in the US and opened the door for Japanese Anime afterward.
Peggy Sue Got Married was the sequel to Holly’s hit Peggy Sue. The original hit was named after the girlfriend of Crickets drummer Jerry Allison.
Buddy Holly recorded this alone, on acoustic guitar, in his New York City apartment, along with “Crying, Waiting, Hoping,” “That’s What They Say,” “What to Do,” “Learning the Game” and “That Makes it Tough” which would be his last songs. After his tragic death, these recordings would be overdubbed to become the Holly songs we know today.
A little more than five months after Holly’s death, Coral Records on July 20, 1959 released “Peggy Sue Got Married.” It appeared as a B-side to Buddy Holly’s “Crying, Waiting, Hoping.”
Below is the demo of the song and the released version which Buddy would never hear.
The real Peggy Sue… Peggy Sue Gerron passed away at 78 years old in 2018.
From Songfacts
In this song, Holly finds out that the girl from his 1957 hit “Peggy Sue” has gotten married. It was one of the first sequels of the Rock Era.
This song provided the title for the 1986 movie Peggy Sue Got Married, starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage. In the movie, Holly’s demo version with just his voice and acoustic guitar was used.
When producer Jack Hansen augmented Holly’s demo of this tune and made a hit out of it, it was the first instance of an entirely ‘new’ unheard song being completed and released after a star’s death. Later instances of songs of deceased acts being revived and “completed” include tunes by The Beatles, the Carpenters, The Doors, Lynyrd Skynrd, Bob Marley, Charlie Parker, Frank Sinatra, Biggie Smalls, Tupac and Hank Williams.
Demo
Released Version
Peggy Sue Got Married
Please don’t tell No, no, no Don’t say that I told you so I just heard a rumor from a friend
I don’t say That it’s true I’ll just leave that up to you If you don’t believe I’ll understand (understand)
You recall a girl that’s been in nearly every song This is what I heard of course the story could be wrong
She’s the one I’ve been told Now she’s wearing a band of gold Peggy Sue got married not long ago
You recall a girl that’s been in nearly every song This is what I heard of course the story could be wrong
She’s the one I’ve been told Now she’s wearing a band of gold Peggy Sue got married not long ago Peggy Sue got married not long ago
I always feel good when I hear this song. I first heard it when I was using my stereo recordable 8-track to record songs off of the radio. This one and the Walter Egan song Magnet and Steel I got back to back…I can’t hear one without thinking of the other.
The song peaked at #41 in the Billboard 100 and #5 in the UK in 1971. It was on the Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One album. The song is reminiscent of Lola which is on the same album. The album peaked at #35 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1971. This album was somewhat of a comeback album in the US. They had released great albums but didn’t get the airplay they deserved.
From Songfacts
Ray Davies wrote this song about a man who is unhappy with the modern world. Looking to escape the problems caused by his fellow humans, he plans a journey away from home, where he can live like an “apeman.” Escape from our modern-day society is a theme prevalent in many of Ray Davies’ other songs, both solo, and with The Kinks.
Ray Davies had to re-dub the line “the air pollution is a-fogging up my eyes” for the radio, and for their November 1970 performance on Top Of The Pops, because it sounded too much like “the air pollution is ‘a f—ing’ up my eyes.” The Kinks had the same situation with their previous single, “Lola” where Ray had to replace the line “Where you drink champagne and it tastes just Coca-Cola” with “Cherry cola” for airplay. >>
John Gosling (aka “The Baptist”) wore a gorilla outfit while sitting behind his keyboards during the Kinks’ Top of the Pops performance of this song.
The song was covered by former Marillion singer Fish for his 1993 album Songs from the Mirror.
This appeared in the 1986 Robin Williams movie Club Paradise.
Apeman
I think I’m sophisticated ’cause I’m living my life Like a good homo sapiens But all around me everybody’s multiplying and They’re walking round like flies man So I’m no better than the animals sitting In the cages in the zoo man ‘Cause compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees I am an apeman
I think I’m so educated and I’m so civilized ‘Cause I’m a strict vegetarian But with the over-population and inflation and starvation And the crazy politicians I don’t feel safe in this world no more I don’t want to die in a nuclear war I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman ‘Cause compared to the sun that sits in the sky Compared to the clouds as they roll by Compared to the bugs and the spiders and flies I am an apeman
In man’s evolution he’s created the city And the motor traffic rumble But give me half a chance and I’d be taking off my clothes And living in the jungle ‘Cause the only time that I feel at ease Is swinging up and down in the coconut trees Oh what a life of luxury to be like an apeman
I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman I look out the window but I can’t see the sky The air pollution is a-fogging eyes I want to get out of this city alive and make like an apeman
Oh come on and love me, be my apeman girl And we’ll be so happy in my apeman world
I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman I’ll be your Tarzan, you’ll be my Jane I’ll keep you warm and you’ll keep me sane We’ll sit in the trees and eat bananas all day, just like an apeman
I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman I don’t feel safe in this world no more I don’t want to die in a nuclear war I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
Anissa was on the popular family comedy called Family Affair. Everyone knew her as Buffy and her TV brother (Johnny Whitaker) as Jody. I watched the show in the early seventies. I watched in syndication and I grew up with Buffy and Jody. It seemed unreal in 1976 when I heard on the news that Anissa Jones had died at the age of 18.
At eight years old, Anissa was cast as Buffy on Family Affair, which aired from 1966 until 1971. Just a year before she started on Family Affair, her parents had gone through a terrible divorce with a long and bitter custody battle for her and her little brother. Sadly, her father died shortly after he was awarded custody in 1973.
She did appear in an Elvis movie “The Trouble With Girls” in 1969. Family Affair was the last thing she did besides a Dick Cavett appearance.
She was known to be a caring person as a kid up until she died. Earl Graham was the janitor on the set of the show Family Affair. When he passed away during the third year of the show, the cast and crew attended his funeral. By the following Monday, everyone was ready to get back to work. To Anissa, it seemed like everyone was acting like Earl had never existed at all. Anissa went to her mother and asked if she could take an ad out in Variety saying goodbye to her good friend. The ad cost Anissa $400.00. Anissa’s Mom said that was one of her proudest moments as a mother.
She was up for the Regan MacNeil part in The Exorcist but the director was fearful that people would think “Buffy” had been possessed. Her friends and family said she was relieved when she was turned down because she wanted to be with her friends in school. She was also invited to try out for “Easy” Steensma in Taxi Driver but turned it down. She was very intelligent but fell into the wrong crowd.
In 1975 she started to skip school and take drugs and ended up in a juvenile hall for a bit. She eventually dropped out of high school working at restaurants until she was 18 in 1976 and she gained control of 180,000 dollars she got from Family Affair. She fell into the drug culture.
On August 28, 1976, Anissa died of a drug overdose. It was ruled an accidental with cocaine, PCP, Seconal, and Quaaludes found in her system. She was at a party with friends. The coroner would call it one of the most massive overdoses he’d ever seen.
Seeing the news and blog posts on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock made me think of this song. I bought the Woodstock triple album set in the late seventies or early eighties…this song I liked automatically. It’s catchy and is about as anti-authority as you can get. The imagery is fun in this song… Chicken flying everywhere around the plane Could we ever feel much finer and Walking in the hall with his things and all
Smiling, said he was the Lone Ranger
This is the song that really got me into Arlo…though I had heard City of New Orleans. After hearing this I wanted to check out his music.
Arlo wrote this song and it was on his second album Running Down the Road. The great Clarence White played guitar on this song. Other musicians on the album were Ry Cooder, Gene Parsons, and James Burton. The song didn’t chart because it’s pretty clear why (Coming into Los Angeles, Bringing in a couple of ki’s, don’t touch my bags if you please mister customs man)…but the album peaked at #54 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1969.
The best-known version is the Woodstock version.
Studio Version
Woodstock
Coming Into Los Angeles
Coming in from London from over the pole Flying in a big airliner Chicken flying everywhere around the plane Could we ever feel much finer
Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of ki’s Don’t touch my bags if you please Mister customs man, yeah
There’s a guy with a ticket to Mexico No, he couldn’t look much stranger Walking in the hall with his things and all Smiling, said he was the Lone Ranger
Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of ki’s Don’t touch my bags if you please Mister customs man
Hip woman walking on the moving floor Tripping on the escalator There’s a man in the line and she’s blowing his mind Thinking that he’s already made her
Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of ki’s Don’t touch my bags if you please Mister customs man
Coming in from London from over the pole Flying in a big airliner Chicken flying everywhere around the plane Could we ever feel much finer
Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of ki’s Don’t touch my bags if you please Mister customs man, yeah, all right
I can tell you what I was doing 42 years ago on August 16, 1977… I was ten years old and played some baseball with the neighborhood guys and went inside in the afternoon. I started to watch Gilligans Island and then the news interrupted the show. Elvis Presley had died.
It really didn’t affect me too much at the time until I saw my mom and stepdad react. My mom was somewhat upset and although I knew Elvis’s music, the impact just wasn’t there until the news items started to roll across. I called my dad and talked to him and it bothered him…he had just seen Elvis a few years before in Murfreesboro Tn.
I really wouldn’t know how they felt until December 8, 1980, when Lennon was killed. It’s a shame what happened to Elvis because he was trapped by his fame, manager, and by his own excesses. After reading about him more it seemed like it was inevitable…I just wished it could have been different.
Fotomaker was founded by former Rascals members Gene Cornish (bass) and Dino Danelli (drums) They two contacted ex-Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson. The Fotomaker lineup was subsequently completed with guitarist Lex Marchesi and keyboardist Frankie Vinci (lead vocal duties were split between several members).
This song peaked at #81 in the Billboard 100 in 1978. The band opened for the likes of Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Foreigner, and Van Halen. Their self-titled debut album was released in early 1978. They had one more minor hit in 1978 with “Miles Away” which peaked at #63 in 1978.
The band released 3 albums in all before disbanding in 1979.
Where Have You Been All My Life
It used to be My life was like a puzzle in a million pieces And it seemed My purpose and my destiny were mysteries then Girl you came Into my life And you brought my heart a one way ticket Straight to paradise
And just where have you been all my life Tell me where have you been all my life Girl where have you been all my life
Once I believed My life was like a story book of empty pages But now I see All the years I spent in waiting were preparing me for you And it’s true Love can make someone brand new ‘Cause I feel just like a newborn child Whenever I’m with you
And just where have you been all my life Tell me where have you been all my life
All my life I’ve been waiting All my life I’ve been waiting All my life I’ve been waiting
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