This song was released in 1981 and I bought the single. It peaked at #9 in the Billboard 100, #31 in the UK, #7 in Canada. The song was off of Lindsey’s debut album “Law and Order.
After reading about the rock tours of the 1970s… many locations became famous for the decadence of The Who, Led Zeppelin, Doors, and many traveling musicians. I’ve picked some spots that have been mentioned here and there in stories of travel.
Continental Hyatt House or The Riot House – Swimming pool on the roof…check…John Bonham riding a motorcycle down the hallway…check…Keith Richards dropping a TV out of room 1019 or 1015…check…. every major rock act including Led Zeppelin, The Who, Doors, and Stones, stayed there. During the filming of Almost Famous, it was having a makeover, and director Cameron Crowe filmed it just in time before it all changed.
8401 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Edgewater Inn Seattle – The Beatles stayed here on their 1964 tour. You can just open the window and go fishing from your room. Led Zeppelin also stayed here in 1969 and their wild reputation started here…just google Led Zeppelin Edgewater Inn if you want…
The Rainbow Bar and Grill – The original Hollywood vampires formed here. Keith Moon, Alice Cooper, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson formed an informal club to drink their and your share of booze. Alice Cooper is trying to revive the club now with the help of Johnny Depp.
Villa Nellcôte – The mansion in France that Keith Richards rented in 1972 where Exile On Main Street was recorded in the basement of the mansion. Many events happened here and nearby. Car chases, drugs, boat excursions and a visit from John Lennon…
Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco – Rodney opened this up in 1972 and it stayed open through 1975. It catered to Glam Rock but Led Zeppelin would hit this club when they came into town.
If you were reading music magazines in 1993 you know this band was really overhyped. There is no way any band could have lived up to it. When I heard this song though I could tell the singer listened to Van Morrison because some of the phrasings are the same. In 1993 The song went to #5 on the Hot 100 Airplay, #1 in Canada and #28 in the UK.
This was written by lead singer Adam Duritz and guitarist David Bryson (the other three band members also got composer credits). On an episode of VH1’s Storytellers, Adam explained: “It’s really a song about my friend Marty and I. We went out one night to watch his dad play, his dad was a Flamenco guitar player who lived in Spain (David Serva), and he was in San Francisco in the mission playing with his old Flamenco troupe. And after the gig we all went to this bar called the New Amsterdam in San Francisco on Columbus and we got completely drunk. And Marty and I sat at the bar staring at these two girls, wishing there was some way we could go talk to them, but we were too shy. We kept joking with each other that if we were big rock stars instead of such loser, low-budget musicians, this would be easy. I went home that night and I wrote a song about it. I joke about what it’s about, that story. But it’s really a song about all the dreams and all the things that make you want to go into doing whatever it is that seizes your heart, whether it’s being a rock star or being a doctor or whatever. Those things run from ‘all this stuff I have pent up inside of me’ to ‘I want to meet girls because I’m tired of not being able to.’ It is a lot of those things, it’s about all those dreams, but it’s also kind of cautionary because it’s about how misguided you may be about some of those things and how hollow they may be too. Like the character in the song keeps saying, ‘When everybody loves me I will never be lonely,’ and you’re supposed to know that that’s not the way it’s gonna be. I knew that even then. And this is a song about my dreams.”
Mr. Jones
Sha, la, la, la, la, la, la Mmm Uh huh
I was down at the New Amsterdam Staring at this yellow-haired girl Mr Jones strikes up a conversation With a black-haired flamenco dancer You know, she dances while his father plays guitar She’s suddenly beautiful We all want something beautiful Man, I wish I was beautiful
So come dance the silence down through the morning Sha la, la, la, la, la, la, la Yeah Uh huh Yeah
Cut up, Maria! Show me some of that Spanish dancin’ Pass me a bottle, Mr Jones Believe in me Help me believe in anything ‘Cause I want to be someone who believes Yeah
Mr Jones and me Tell each other fairy tales And we stare at the beautiful women She’s looking at you Ah, no, no, she’s looking at me Smilin’ in the bright lights Coming through in stereo When everybody loves you You can never be lonely
Well, I’m gonna paint my picture Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful Yeah, well, you know gray is my favorite color I felt so symbolic yesterday If I knew Picasso I would buy myself a gray guitar and play
Mr Jones and me Look into the future Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women She’s looking at you I don’t think so She’s looking at me Standing in the spotlight I bought myself a gray guitar When everybody loves me I will never be lonely I will never be lonely Said I’m never gonna be Lonely
I wanna be a lion Yeah, everybody wants to pass as cats We all wanna be big, big stars Yeah, but we got different reasons for that Believe in me ‘Cause I don’t believe in anything And I wanna be someone to believe, to believe, to believe Yeah!
Mr Jones and me Stumbling through the Barrio Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women She’s perfect for you Man, there’s got to be somebody for me I wanna be Bob Dylan Mr Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky When everybody love you Oh! Son, that’s just about as funky as you can be
Mr Jones and me Starin’ at the video When I look at the television, I wanna see me Staring right back at me We all wanna be big stars But we don’t know why, and we don’t know how But when everybody loves me I’m wanna be just about as happy as I can be Mr Jones and me We’re gonna be big stars
A band discovered by Pete Townshend of The Who that featured John “Speedy” Keen, Jimmy McCulloch, and Andy “Thunderclap” Newman. The song peaked at #37 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in the UK Charts in 1969.
It was written and sung by John “Speedy” Keen. The song has been featured in many movies and commercials. 16-year-old Jimmy McCullock would later play in Wings and the reunited Small Faces.
Something In The Air
Call out the instigators Because there’s something in the air We’ve got to get together sooner or later Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right And you know that it’s right
We have got to get it together We have got to get it together now
Lock up the streets and houses Because there’s something in the air We’ve got to get together sooner or later Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right And you know that it’s right
We have got to get it together We have got to get it together now
Hand out the arms and ammo We’re going to blast our way through here We’ve got to get together sooner or later Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right And you know that it’s right
We have got to get it together We have got to get it together now
In 1995 “Roll to Me” peaked at #10 in the Billboard 100, #5 in Canada and #22 on the UK charts. I liked the song the first time I heard it and it is incredibly catchy.
Ironically it was the bands biggest hit and they did not like the song.
Del Amitri toured the US when this became a hit, but they played the song reluctantly, often telling the audience that it was something they had to do. Del Amitri wasn’t able to get a foothold in the States, and this was their last hit there.
Roll to Me
Look around your world pretty baby Is it everything you hoped it’d be The wrong guy, the wrong situation The right time to roll to me
Roll to me
Look into your heart pretty baby Is it aching with some nameless need? Is there something wrong And you can’t put your finger on it? Right, then roll to me
And I don’t think I have ever seen A soul so in despair So if you want to talk the night through Guess who will be there?
So don’t try to deny it pretty baby You’ve been down so long you can hardly see When the engine’s stalled and it won’t stop raining It’s the right time to roll to me Roll to me Roll to me
And I don’t think I have ever seen A soul so in despair So if you want to talk the night through Guess who will be there?
So, Look around your world pretty baby Is it everything you hoped it’d be The wrong guy, the wrong situation The right time to roll to me The right time to roll to me The right time to roll to me…oooh
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
This is a 2010 comedy/horror movie. I just watched it 2 years ago on a recommendation from a co-worker. It is more comedy than horror. If you like dark humor combined with stupid humor you might like this movie.
It’s a parody on horror movies and the film goes over the normal cliches. Tucker and Dale are West Virginia mountain men that bought a cabin in the woods and are excited for their “vacation cottage.” It is an old beat up cabin but they plan to fix it up.
They meet some college kids that are staying near them and the kids think Tucker and Dale are killers. You have sympathy for Tucker and Dale right away. They are nice guys just happy to have their cabin. Tucker is trying to teach Dale with his limited knowledge on women and how to be social.
The movie surprised me and I really liked it. The director is Eli Craig, Sally Field’s second son.
If you are looking for another Gone With The Wind…this is not it but if you are in a mood for a stupid comedy/horror that is funny…give it a try.
This band was rock, country, blues, pop and a little of everything. Their music is played on practically every jukebox and by every self-respecting bar band. The songs are not intricate masterpieces like Bohemian Rhapsody or A Day In The Life but masterpieces all the same.
Bands go their whole career without writing one song that is NOT a love song…this band wrote about everything else but love. Many of their songs have become standards today. They had songs about rivers, swamps, backdoors, jungles, and riverboats.
The band…or should I say John Fogerty wrote one song after another and kept hitting the charts. At the time it must have felt like the well would never run dry. Their songs were simple but so effective. John has a distinctive sound with not only his guitar but his voice. His voice was an instrument itself that drove his songs.
They were together in the public eye from 1968 to 1972. Creedence was one of the biggest bands in the world during those years. Songs kept coming like Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Who’ll Stop the Rain, Green River, Looking Out My Back Door, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Lodi, Traveling Band and etc… They were a singles band and they were an album band. Albums such as Cosmo’s Factory, Green River, Willy and The Poor Boys are classic albums.
Many people thought they were from the south…maybe Louisiana but they were from El Cerrito, California. Hard to believe they were from the same area as the Grateful Dead and the San Francisco music scene of the late sixties. Creedence was not a jam band like many of their peers, they played songs to the letter. They were called rock, country rock and swamp rock.
The band had 9 top ten hits and 16 songs that charted.
They were originally signed to Fantasy Records by Saul Zaentz to a bad record deal that kept John enslaved to the company long after the band broke up. Saul held the rights to John’s songs. Saul had promised the band, to begin with, that he would renegotiate the contract when the band got more successful…he never did.
The band included guitar player, lead singer and writer John Fogerty, drummer Doug Clifford, bassist Stu Cook and Tom Fogerty (John’s brother) on rhythm guitar. Eventually, Tom, Stu, and Doug started to feel like John’s backup band and wanted more control. Tom quit and Creedence became a trio and took off on a tour and made an album.
The band broke up in 1972. It was a sad thing because who knows how many more songs Creedence could have created. Instead of music, the band bickered back and forth and still will file lawsuits from time to time against each other.
I’ve tried to read a few books about them but it’s hard to get through the name calling and the lawsuits that flew back and forth. They all were friends earlier but Stu, Tom, and Doug would usually take Saul Zaentz’s side against John. The brothers rarely talked to each other before Tom died in 1990.
I’ve always admired Cheap Trick. First of all, they didn’t look like any other band. They had two bonafide looking rock stars in lead singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Peterson. Their great guitar player Rick Nielsen looked like Huntz Hall from the old Bowery Boys films and the drummer Bun E Carlos looked like an old uncle you would have somewhere.
They were a hard-working band from Rockford Illinois in the mid-70s. None of their first three albums made it in the top 40 but they did have a single to chart…a single off their third album “Heaven Tonight” was the first to chart in America…”Surrender” (Studio Version) peaked at #61 on the Billboard 100 in 1978. They were not getting any traction in America but in Japan, they were getting huge.
They toured Japan in 1978 with a Beatlemania atmosphere and played at Budakon and recorded a live album there. “Cheap Trick at Budakon” is what finally broke them in America in 1979.
I got to see Cheap Trick in 1984 in Opryland and I became a fan. They had some great rockers but also some power-pop gems like “Voices.” The albums I like are Heaven Tonight, Dream Police, In Color and of course Live at Budakon.
They never had that milestone studio album that really marked their career like some bands but they made enough good music to be remembered. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Voices
You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear
Hey, it’s me again Plain to see again Please, can I see you every day? I’m a fool again I fell in love with you again Please, can I see you every day?
You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear
Words don’t come out right I try to say it oh, so right I hope you understand my meaning Hey, it’s me again I’m so in love with you again Please, can I see you every day?
You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear
I remember every word you said (word you said) I remember voices in my head (in my head) I remember every word you said (word you said)
(I) Your voices (Heard your voice) Cool voices Warm voices It was just what I needed to
(Words) Cool voices (Don’t seem right) Warm voices Your voices It’s just what I needed for
(Love) Warm voices (Is the word) Your voices Cool voices It was just what I needed to
(I) Your voices (Heard your voice) Cool voices Warm voices It was just what I needed to Just what I needed to Just what I needed
You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear You didn’t know what you were looking for Till you heard the voices in your ear
I must admit I never jumped on the KISS bandwagon when they got popular. I wasn’t blind though, I saw and heard them everywhere at school. I was interested in them because they were such a mystery. The more I was ignoring them the more I felt like I was missing out on something.
The lunch boxes and the KISS Army posters were everywhere. I remember my schoolmates talking to each other about the KISS comic book that had their blood mixed in with the ink. To a 10 year old that was pretty cool. After talking about them to friends I did end up buying “Destroyer.” I liked it ok but it was the image that intrigued me.
They were brilliant in what they did…not getting their photos taken without makeup and keeping their past hidden. They were like cartoon characters coming to life. They knew how to market themselves and kept people wanting more.
I did like some of the songs like Shock Me, Hard Luck Woman, New York Groove, and the anthem Rock and Roll All Night.
I also remember that TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. I will admit I still watch it from time to time because it is so bad it’s good.
After the 70s I really didn’t follow them at all until…
In the 90s I finally got to see them with the original members and makeup. Since I never got to see them at their peak this was as close as it got. It was like finally solving the mystery I couldn’t solve when I was 10. I had fun and that was enough for me… for closure.
I have some friends who are still fans of them and who followed them through the 70s until now.
They do have their place in history whether if you like them or not and they were as part of the 1970’s as Star Wars and Inflation.
If you want to know why and how Saturday Night Live came to be…this is the book. It covers the first 10 years of the show but is primarily about the first 5 years and the one terrible year after the classic cast left. It was written by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad and they interviewed practically everyone connected with the show and it is surprising on how objective they are throughout the book.
Working on the show was/is not for the thin-skinned. It was rough and no one was spared…not even the stars at first. The book goes into detail about how the show started a pattern of work that continued through the decades. The troubles the female writers went through trying to do their job. The endless drugs that fueled many of the all-night writing sessions.
The atmosphere could be very sexist, insulting and aggressive. Michael O’Donoghue was the key writer and gave SNL the edge but he could be difficult. When he left the show he was missed. When the original cast, writers, and Lorne Michaels left, Jean Doumanian took over the show for a year. Things didn’t go well, to say the least. The book details the transition then to Dick Ebersol.
The show went from an ensemble show trying new ideas to a star-driven formulaic show under Ebersol. Maybe the show was destined to do that anyway and it would never be the same again.
I’ve read a few books on SNL but as far as the creation and original cast…this is the one to go to.
Sammy Johns released Chevy Van back in 1975 and it peaked at #5 in the Billboard Top 100 and reached #7 in Canada. It is pure AM 70’s pop but it does take me back to that time.
The musicians that back Johns are the famous Wrecking Crew from Los Angeles. The song has been covered by many Country artists and most recently by Eric Church.
Vans were very popular in the 70s…Not family Mini Vans but rolling waterbed and shag carpet teenage machines. They were customized to have everything in them… Some movies were even centered around vans (Vansploitation)…
Chevy Van
I gave a girl a ride in my wagon She rolled in and took control She was tired and her mind was a-draggin’ I said get some sleep and dream of rock and roll
‘Cause like a picture she was layin’ there Moonlight dancin’ off her hair She woke up and took me by the hand She’s gonna love me in my Chevy van And that’s all right with me
Her young face was like that of an angel Her long legs were tanned and brown Better keep your eyes on the road, son Better slow this vehicle down
‘Cause like a picture she was layin’ there Moonlight dancin’ off her hair She woke up and took me by the hand She’s gonna love me in my Chevy van And that’s all right with me
I put her out in a town that was so small You could throw a rock from end to end A dirt road Main Street, she walked off in bare feet It’s a shame I won’t be passin’ through again
‘Cause like a picture she was layin’ there Moonlight dancin’ off her hair She woke up and took me by the hand We made love in my Chevy van And that’s all right with me
Not the most well-known song by the Stones but a lot of American’s owned it. I bought the single Satisfaction in 1979 and flipped it over and found this oddly named likable song. This was the American B side to Satisfaction. Not exactly Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out but a likable single all the same. The song was released in 1965.
The Stones recorded this in Chess studios in Chicago.
The song is about George Sherlock who was the London Records promotions man who accompanied the Stones to California. This was their response to having basically a chaperone.
Well, I’m waiting at the bus stop in downtown L.A.
Well, I’m waiting at the bus stop in downtown L.A.
But I’d much rather be on a boardwalk on Broadway
Well, I’m sitting here thinkin’ just how sharp I am
Well, I’m sitting here thinkin’ just how sharp I am
I’m an under assistant west coast promo man
Well, I promo groups when they come into town
Well, I promo groups when they come into town
Well they laugh at my toupee, they’re sure to put me down
Well, I’m sitting here thinking just how sharp I am
Yeah, I’m sitting here thinking just how sharp I am
I’m a necessary talent behind every rock and roll band
Yeah, I’m sharp
I’m really, really sharp
I sure do earn my pay
Sitting on the beach every day, yeah
I’m real real sharp, yes I am
I got a Corvette and a seersucker suit
Yes, I have
Here comes the bus, uh oh
I thought I had a dime
Where’s my dime
I know I have a dime somewhere
I’m pretty sure
This is a good book about music and pop culture in 1971. The author turned 21 in that year and claims it was the best year musically come to age… He is certain it was the year that produced more great music than any other. He makes a compelling case. Many classic rock albums came out that year…to name a few
Who’s Next – The Who
Led Zeppelin IV (ZoSo) – Led Zeppelin
Hunky Dory – David Bowie
What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Sticky Fingers – Rolling Stones
Blue – Joni Mitchell
Imagine – John Lennon
At Fillmore East – Allman Brothers
There’s A Riot Going On – Sly and the Family Stone
Tapestry – Carole King
Every month he goes through the politics, movies, televisions shows (or the lack of)
and mostly how rock music grew up. He writes with some detail on Marvin Gaye recording “What’s Going On,” Carole King and Tapestry, Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers” and etc…
He highlights the events of that year with plenty of his opinion. It is a fun read and it is written from a UK point of view and covers plenty. One thing I will say…He does lack objectivity at times but you can feel his enthusiasm when he writes about being a teenager in that era.
I’m a sucker for books on music especially in that period…so maybe I lack objectivity but I enjoyed it. If you like classic rock music and the pop culture that goes with it…you should enjoy this.
This movie was based on the 1980 novel by P. F. Kluge. I’ve always liked the 1983 film. At the time the movie came out the rumors of Jim Morrison still alive and Elvis sightings were everywhere and the movie fulfilled some fantasies of “What If.”
It’s about an early sixties band that played fifties type music and were gaining a following. They meet Frank Ridgeway an awkward backward pianist that played classical music. Eddie Wilson sees his potential and starts teaching him how to play rock and roll.
Eddie’s musical vision is ahead of its time. He uses Frank’ classical background to start working on an album called “Season in Hell.” When you hear snippets of the album it is years ahead of their time period. Most of the band hated the new music. The record company rejected the album because it was to “dark and strange.”
After that Eddie’s car crashed through a railing on a bridge and his body was never found. Did Eddie die?
The film picks up in the 80s when a reporter is asking the former Cruisers questions about the lost album.
I really liked this movie. The sequel not as much.
The soundtrack was by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. A hit song was released off the soundtrack. “On The Darkside” peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The movie flopped at the box office but when played on HBO it became a cult classic.
The Cast…
Tom Berenger
Michael Paré
Joe Pantoliano
Helen Schneider
David Wilson
Kenny Hopkins
Michael “Tunes” Antunes
Ellen Barkin
Kenny Vance
“On The Dark Side” The dark side’s callin’ now, nothin’ is real She’ll never know just how I feel From out of the shadows she walks like a dream Makes me feel crazy, makes me feel so mean
Ain’t nothin’ gonna save you from a love that’s blind When you slip to the dark side you cross that line On the dark side, oh yeah On the dark side, oh yeah
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 