A Complete Unknown

Sorry for the duplication but Bailey talked a little about the movie in a post I had a few weeks ago. I saw this movie tonight…and it was…

I want to get this down while it’s still in my brain. I saw A Complete Unknown tonight. I am very critical of music bios. I saw Queen but all I could do was pick out stuff that wasn’t right and I’m not a huge Queen history fan. So when I say I’m critical I really am. 99 percent of the time I would rather see a well-made documentary. I could watch a documentary on grass growing… but most music bios I’ve seen just make up things or get things completely out of order. This one not so…

Ok on this movie…FANTASTIC. I could just say that for a one-word review. I know Dylan’s early history pretty well up until the 1980s. When the characters showed up, I knew who they were like Bobby Neuwirth who was played by Will Harrison. I will say something out loud here that I don’t usually talk about. I’m not the biggest Pete Seeger or Joan Baez fan but this movie made me appreciate them more and I sure as hell appreciate Dylan more. I have nothing against them personally, I just never got into their music as much but both helped Dylan a lot…that I always gave them credit for. 

Now the actors and actresses, Timothée Chalamet was outstanding and did all of the singing live as they filmed. You have to respect that and it came out great. I knew nothing about this guy before this movie…he really impressed me. Monica Barbaro played Joan Baez and she did all of the singing like Timothee did…she did an incredible job. Edward Norton played Pete Seeger and he had his look and sound down. Elle Fanning played Sylvie Russo, Bob’s girlfriend who was photographed with Bob on the album Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Only one thing was wrong with that….her real name was Susan “Suze” Rotolo. Bob had asked if they would change her name. 

Writer-Director James Mangold said that Dylan had a reason for the change. “Bob talked to Jim a lot about the script, and the one thing he wanted was Suze’s name to be changed in the script because he felt like she wasn’t a public figure, she always wanted to remain a private person. I really held that in my heart, the gravity of Bob’s choice, because they had stayed close until she passed away in 2011.”

Johnny Cash was played by Boyd Holbrook and was right on the mark with him. He came up in pivotable scenes. The movie basically covers 1961 with Bob coming to see Woody Guthrie to Bob playing electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. They also at least got some small appearances from important people. Albert Grossman, Bob’s manager and he would later on manage Janis Joplin and The Band. John Hammond is shown briefly and Dave Van Ronk a folk musician. 

I was worried they would not get the feel of that time. That came off well and the movie would be enjoyed by non-Bob Dylan fans as well as fans. The small details they got right..they found the same kind of microphone for the Newport festivals. When I see them do things like that…I know they have most of the movie correct. No it’s not 100 percent correct but damn close. Because of time restraints, they don’t go into the British Invasion and how that affected him but it does show him playing a Kinks song which I thought was cool. 

Quotes

  • Bob Dylan: I don’t think they want to hear what I want to play.
  • Johnny Cash: Who’s they?
  • Bob Dylan: You know, the people who decide what folk music is or isn’t.
  • Johnny Cash: Fuck them, I wanna hear you. Go track some mud on somebody’s carpet. Make some noise, B.D.

_________________________________________

The Making Of

…

Vince Taylor – Brand New Cadillac

How you find new music can sometimes be surprising. I was looking for a guy with the nickname of Prince Stash, his name is Stanislaus Klossowski de Rola. He hung out with a lot of sixties rock stars and I found out he played in Vince Taylor’s band. I started to listen to Vince Taylor and his rockabilly is really good. I knew I heard his name before and it was when I covered the Clash’s version of this song. 

Vince was born in England but his family emigrated to the United States in the early 1950s, settling in New Jersey, where Taylor was exposed to the new rock and roll scene. While living here he became exposed to the greats like Presley, Little Richard, and Gene Vincent. In the late 1950s, Taylor returned to the UK, where he adopted the stage name Vince Taylor inspired by American culture. It was probably the smart thing to do at the time. The UK treated the 50s rock stars much better than America did. 

Brand New Cadillac was released in 1959. It was the B side to a song called Pledging My Love. Taylor wrote the song but Tony Sheridan is credited with the cool guitar riff running through the song. The song’s riff reminds me of the original Batman riff…or really the other way around.

In the mid-sixties, he and his band The Playboys co-headlined a tour with the Rolling Stones with “Prince Stash” Stanislaus Klossowski de Rola playing percussion. Jimmy Page and others were also at one time part of the Playboys. I’ve been reading about his live performances and watching some concert footage…and he was a hell of a performer. I can see why he built a following for his live performances. 

Bowie has said that Vince Taylor was a huge influence on Ziggy Stardust. He said in the early seventies his name was coming up again as in Golden Earring’s song “Just Like Vince Taylor.”

 Taylor had some problems with drugs in the sixties and his career started to go downhill as he became unstable. In the 1970s, he briefly attempted comebacks in Europe, but he could not recapture his earlier success. He lived a nomadic life, working odd jobs, including as a mechanic in Switzerland.

He passed away in 1991 from cancer. 

David Bowie: “I met him in Gioconda one day and the guy was right out of his tree. I mean, this guy was bonkers, absolutely the genuine article. I can’t remember if he said he was an alien or the Son of God but he might have been a bit of both. And then one time we were on Tottenham Court Road… He dragged out this world map and we were crouching on all fours outside Tottenham Court Road Tube Station and he was showing me where all the aliens had their bases throughout: under the Arctic and in this mountain… And business people stepping over our map. I think: what the hell am I doing in the middle of Russia with this bonkers American looking at the map of the world and I thought there’s something in this, I’m gonna remember this. This is just too good.”

Clips of Taylor live

Brand New Cadillac

Well my baby drove off in a brand new Cadillac
Ooh, my baby drove off in a brand new Cadillac
Well she looked at me, daddy, I ain’t never comin’ back

I said baby-baby-baby won’t you listen to me
Come on sugar, come on hear my plea
Well she looked at my Ford, we’ll never agree
Cadillac car! Oh yeah!

Well the Caddy’s rollin’ and going ’bout ninety-five
Well the Caddy’s rollin’ and going ’bout ninety-five
Well me and my Ford, we’re right by here side

I said baby-baby-baby won’t you listen to me
Come on baby, come on hear my plea
Turn that big car around, come on back to me
Hangin’ on Scotty, here we go!

Well my baby took off in a brand new Cadillac
Ooh, my baby took off in a brand new Cadillac
Well she looked at me, daddy, I ain’t never comin’ back

I ain’t never comin’ back
I ain’t never comin’ back
I ain’t never comin’ back

 

 

…

 

 

 

Graham Parker – Saturday Nite Is Dead

I’ve been listening to this era a lot recently and you will see something about it in a couple of weeks. This album was made by Graham Parker & The Rumour. His first album Howling Wind remains my favorite so far but this one (Squeezing Out Sparks) is catching up…the more I hear it the more I like it. 

When he met the manager of Brinsley Schwarz. With ex-members of Brinsley Schwarz and ex-member Nick Lowe producing them…they made his debut album Howlin’ Wind in 1976. His band had a name at this point…The Rumour. The Rumour would be Graham’s backing band for years. They also recorded their own albums separately and did three in all. They broke up in 1980 and then reformed and started to back Parker up again in 2011 and remain his backup band to this day.

When I hear Parker, I can hear some Springsteen, Van Morrison, and Elvis Costello in his music. This song is straightforward, no-frills, traditional rock ‘n’ roll delivered at full steam ahead. You have The Rumour pumping this music out while Graham spits out the lyrics. 

The song is on his fourth album Squeezing Out Sparks which was released in 1979. The album did well as it peaked at #40 on the Billboard Album Charts, #79 in Canada, and #18 in the UK. The album was helped out by the single Local Girls that got a lot of play on MTV but failed to chart. 

Graham Parker: “In Squeezing Out Sparks I was kind of attempting a concept album about the suburbs of England, or at least trying to capture a vague approximation of suburban life. This idea succeeds in “Saturday Nite Is Dead” and “Local Girls” particularly well. I guess I drifted off the mark there for the rest of the record because the concept turned out to be a little confining for a whole album. I’m too restless to stick with such a narrow program”

Saturday Nite Is Dead

Everybody just looks ugly now information don’t compute
I draw a blank every time I think
The football crowd is going to give me a boot

And Saturday night is dead Saturday night is dead
It don’t matter what they say
You’ve got to use your own head some day
Saturday night is dead Saturday night is dead
Yeah it’s dead

The ultraviolet light hurts me so
It used to be my friend
I used to know a good place to go
But now it’s nothing like it was then

And Saturday night is dead
Saturday night is dead
It don’t matter what they say
I’m going to the funeral Sunday
Saturday night is dead
Saturday night is dead
Yeah it’s dead

It must have been murder it ain’t no accident
Oh no it means nothing to me
The clock goes tick tick tick in my head
Saturday is dead
Saturday is dead
See upcoming rock shows
Get tickets for your favorite artists

I look inside to find a place to hide
But there ain’t no place I know
It’s just as well that I’m stupefied
It makes it easy
It makes it easy to deliver the fatal blow

Deliver deliver deliver

CHORUS (FIRST VERSION)

Saturday night is dead REPEAT AND END

…

Flamingos – I Only Have Eyes For You

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/Holiday. Now, we are back to our regularly scheduled programming. 

I don’t feature enough ballads and this is one of the best The song is the ultimate date song.  I’ve heard this in countless movies and I still listen all the way through. I would have loved hearing this coming out of an AM speaker in the 1950s and 60s. I sometimes use the word beautiful but only when I mean it and with this song I do. 

This is the only top-20 hit they had in America. My dad had their greatest hits so I know more than just this one. I do get in moods where I like good doo-wop. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 100 and #3 on the Billboard R&B Chart in 1959. 

They formed in 1953 and went through a series of names like The Swallows, El Flamingos, The Five Flamingos to simply The Flamingos. They were successful in the 1950s and on the pop and R&B charts. 

As music changed in the 1960s, the Flamingos struggled to maintain their commercial success, though they continued to record and perform. Members of the group went through several changes, with different lineups carrying on the Flamingos’ name over the decades.

The Flamingos were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in 2004

I Only Have Eyes For You

My love must be a kind of blind loveI can’t see anyone but you(Sha bop sha bop)(Sha bop sha bop)(Sha bop sha bop)(Sha bop sha bop)(Sha bop sha bop)

Are the stars out tonight (sha bop sha bop)I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright (sha bop sha bop)I only have eyes for you dear(Sha bop sha bop)

The moon may be high(Sha bop sha bop)But I can’t see (sha bop sha bop) a thing in the skyI only have eyes for you

I don’t know if we’re in a gardenOr on a crowded avenue(Sha bop sha bop)

You are here(Sha bop sha bop)And so am I(Sha bop sha bop)

Maybe millions of people (sha bop sha bop) go byBut they all disappear from viewAnd I only have eyes for you

…

Clash – Death Or Glory

I first heard London Calling with my friend who had an import copy of it in the early 1980s. He and his older brother had some great music that wasn’t mainstream at the time. Bands like Big Star, Grateful Dead, Replacements, and The Clash. I learned to appreciate the so-called “nonpopular” bands at that time. It’s a trait I’ve kept ever since. Search music out and you will find good music.

They started off as a punk band but The Clash, unlike some other Punk bands, could play and sing well…, especially Mick Jones. He was probably the best pure musician in the band. The Clash wanted to break out of Punk’s limitations.

When they released London Calling, they moved beyond pure punk rock and began exploring a variety of styles, including rock, reggae, ska, and more. This song has very accessible music but the words are biting. You can get many things out of it but I pretty much get the hypocrisy directed to us all. They were directing much of it at the rock scene of the time. It’s also about the difficulties of not selling out. It’s not easy to do when navigating the trials of adulthood.

The album was produced by Guy Stevens, an unpredictable producer known for his eccentric methods. He encouraged spontaneity while creating an unorthodox atmosphere in the studio. He would throw chairs or ladders to “inspire” the band while recording. After thinking about this…he sounds perfect for The Clash. He would die of an overdose in 1981 of a medication that was helping him to reduce his alcohol intake. The Clash wrote a song in tribute to him called “Midnight to Stevens“. Stevens also produced Free and they wrote a song about him called Guy Steven Blues. 

The lyric “Love and hate tattooed across the knuckles of his hands” got me thinking about a film called The Night of the Hunter. I did some research and yes Joe Strummer was a huge fan of the movie when he was a teenager and that line is said to be a reference to Robert Mitchum’s sinister character Reverend Harry Powell who has that on his knuckles.

London Calling peaked at #9 in the UK, #3 in Canada, #12 in New Zealand, and #27 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1979-1980. 

Death or Glory

Hey

Now every cheap hood strikes a bargain with the worldEnds up making payments on a sofa or a girlLove and hate tattooed across the knuckles of his handsHands that slap his kids around ’cause they don’t understand how

Death or gloryBecomes just another storyDeath or gloryBecomes just another story

And every gimmick hungry yob digging gold from rock and rollGrabs the mic to tell us he’ll die before he’s soldBut I believe in this, and it’s been tested by researchHe who fucks nuns will later join the church

Death or gloryBecomes just another storyDeath or gloryBecomes just another story

Ooh, ah-ah-ah, oohOoh, ah-ah-ah, oohOoh, ah-ah-ah, ooh

Fear in the gun-sights, they say lie lowYou say ok, don’t wanna play the showNow all you’re thinking, was it death or glory now?Playing the blues for pennies sure looks better now

Death or gloryJust another storyDeath or gloryJust another story

And every dingy basement, on every dingy streetEvery dragging hand clap over every dragging beatIt’s just the beat of time, the beat that must go onIf you’ve been trying for years, we already heard your song

Death or gloryBecomes just another storyDeath or gloryJust another story

Gonna march a long wayFight a long timeGot to travel over mountainsGot to travel overseas

We’re gonna fight you, brotherWe’re gonna fight ’til you loseWe’re gonna raise troubleWe’re gonna raise hellWe’re gonna fight you, brotherRaise hell

Death or gloryBecomes just another storyDeath or gloryBecomes just another story

Death or gloryJust another storyDeath or gloryBecomes just another story

…

Bing Crosby – Silent Night

This song is not only my favorite Christmas Carol… I think it’s up there with the best songs ever written. I hope everyone has a great Christmas/Holiday. This will close out my Christmas Marathon. I wish you all the very best. 

Randy wrote a great article yesterday on the top 10 most-covered Christmas songs. Silent Night did very well!

There are over 26,000 different versions of “Silent Night” on Spotify, meaning you could listen to a different rendition of the carol every night for 72 years.

Halfway through December 1818, the church organ in St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, 11 miles north of Salzburg in what is now Austria, broke (a popular version of the story claims that mice had eaten out the bellows).

The curate, 26-year-old Josef Mohr, realized it couldn’t be repaired in time to provide music on Christmas Eve. He told his troubles to his friend, a headmaster and amateur composer named Franz Gruber, while giving him as a present a poem he had written two years earlier. Gruber was so taken by the rhythm of the poem that he set it to music, and on Christmas Eve there was music after all. Mohr played his guitar while the pair sang the song. It was the first public performance of “Stille Nacht” or as we know it “Silent Night.”

It is believed that Silent Night has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time.

From Songfacts

Bing Crosby’s version became his best-seller of the 1930s.

Music licensing company PPL announced in December 2010 that this carol tops the list of Britain’s “most recorded Christmas song of all time.” Said Mike Dalby, Lead Reporting Analyst at PPL: “Silent Night is a beautiful carol which encapsulates the feeling of Christmas entirely. Everyone from punk band The Dickies right through to Sinead O’Connor has recorded it, which exemplifies just how much it resonates with all different types of artists.”

According to PPL, Sinead O’Connor’s 1991 recording was the most popular version of the carol in Britain.

When the organ builder finally did show up to repair the St. Nicholas organ, he was given a copy of the “Silent Night” composition and brought it home. From there, traveling folk singers got a hold of it and began incorporating the carol into their repertoire. It didn’t make its way to America until 1839.

As the song gained traction throughout Europe, Franz Gruber composed several different orchestral arrangements. He donated all profits from the carol to local charities for children and the elderly, and eventually died penniless.

According to Steve Sullivan’s Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Crosby, a devout Catholic, refused to record the religious song, arguing it would be “like cashing in on the church or the Bible.” Crosby met with Father Richard Ranaghan, a priest trying to raise money for overseas missions, and decided to donate the royalties to the cause. But Ranaghan died in a car accident later that year, so the money went to several charities throughout the US and abroad.

This song lends itself to interpretation because the first four bars are all on the same chord. Jim Brickman explains: “There’s room to treat it dynamically in a different way: in the tempo, in the sounds and silences, in the time signature.”

The first English Version…Thanks Randy!

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
‘Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
‘Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Billy Squier – Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You

This Christmas song doesn’t get played a bunch here. I’ve always liked it since it was released. It was written by Billy Squier and was the B side to the single “My Kinda Lover.” I post it every year and most people don’t remember it but I was 14 when it was released and it stuck with me. 

In 1981 MTV made its debut and Billy Squier’s career was going strong with the 1981 release of the Don’t Say No album. MTV at the beginning had a more family atmosphere. The crowd in this sing-a-long included technicians, secretaries, executives, the production assistants.

MTV helped countless careers. It made some careers larger than they would have been and some had careers because of MTV. It changed everything for a while.

Billy had a great career going on until the Rock Me Tonite video with the pink tank top…then it all fell apart in 1984. Google Billy Squier + Pink Tanktop. 

The video was filmed at the Teletronics MTV studio.

 VJ Nina Blackwood: “It was taped at our original Teletronics Studio on West 33rd Street and featured our original studio crew, who we all loved and were very close to, along with all the people from the MTV offices,” “Everybody traipsed down to the studio from 44th Street & 6th Ave for the taping. Billy Squier’s career was on fire at this time, and since he lived in NYC, he was a frequent guest at the studio, so it was appropriate that he was chosen for the video.”

“Pretty much what you see on camera is an accurate representation of the celebratory and fun feeling that was happening,” Blackwood said. “It was like one big happy family, which sums up the entire vibe of the early days of MTV. One of a kind experience. When I watch all of these early MTV Christmas videos, the overwhelming sensation I come away with is that of joyous love.”

Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You

Christmas is the time to say “I love you”
Share the joys of laughter and good cheer
Christmas is the time to say “I love you”
And a feeling that will last all through the year

On the corner carolers are singing
There’s a touch of magic in the air
From grownup to minor no one could be finer
Times are hard but no one seems to care
Christmas Eve and all the world is watching
Santa guides his reindeer through the dark
From rooftop to chimney, from Harlem to Bimini
They will find a way into your heart

Christmas is the time to say “I love you”
Share the joys of laughter and good cheer
Christmas is the time to say “I love you”
And a feeling that will last all through the year

Just outside the window snow is falling
But here beside the fire we share the glow
Of moonlight and brandy, sweet talk and candy
Sentiments that everyone should know
Memories of the year that lays behind us
Wishes for the year that’s yet to come
And it stands to reason that good friends in season
Make you feel that life has just begun

Christmas is the time to say “I love you”
Share the joys of laughter and good cheer
Christmas is the time to say “I love you”
And a feeling that will last all through the year

So when spirits grow lighter
And hopes are shinin’ brighter
Then you know that Christmas time is here

Beatles – Christmas Time Is Here Again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas time is here again

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

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

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

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

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

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

[spoken]

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

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

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

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

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

Band – Christmas Must Be Tonight

Robbie Robertson’s Christmas gift to his new son Sebastian during the sessions for Northern Lights-Southern Cross album… it 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 Shepherds 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 for the soundtrack of 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

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

I promise after tomorrow…no more Christmas posts! 

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 every day, 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 seventh 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 crummy joint. 

Frosty The Snowman

Most of us had favorite Christmas specials we would watch as kids. Mine was Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch, and this one was fourth…Frosty The Snowman. These four would get me primed and ready for Christmas…as if I needed anything else.

“Frosty the Snowman,” debuted in 1969. It was by Rankin/Bass Productions, the same company that produced many holiday specials.

Narrated by the legend Jimmy Durante, the special involves a magic hat that transforms a snowman, Frosty, into a living being. The magician who owned the hat wanted it back now that he knew it contained actual magic, so the kids had to get together and find a way to bring Frosty to the North Pole to keep him from melting. However, once there, Frosty sacrifices himself to warm up the little girl, Karen, who took him to the North Pole. He melts, but Santa Claus explains that Frosty is made out of special Christmas snow and thus can never truly melt. Frosty then comes back to life and everyone has a Merry Christmas.

The song was written in 1950 by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson. They wrote it for Gene Autry, especially, after Autry had such a huge hit with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” the previous year. It was later recorded by Jimmy Durante as we hear in this wonderful cartoon.

This wasn’t the only animation of Frosty…

In 1954, United Productions of America (UPA) brought Frosty to life in a short cartoon that is little more than an animated music video for a jazzy version of the song. It introduced the characters mentioned in the lyrics visually, from Frosty himself to the traffic cop. The three-minute, black-and-white piece quickly became a holiday tradition in various markets, particularly in Chicago, where it’s been broadcast annually on WGN since 1955.

The complete Frosty The Snowman

The Polar Express

I’ve never covered this movie before so I thought it was about time…to add another to my Holiday Christmas marathon. 

When Bailey was four years old we went to the theater to watch this in 2004. For me, it was an instant classic. They used the new style motion-capture technology at the time and it worked. I don’t think they got the eyes quite right but other than that it was a great story and a well-done movie. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis. 

In 1985, Chris Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated the book The Polar Express. The book tells the story of a young boy who boards a magical train headed to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. It is about belief, wonder, and the magic of childhood. The book received critical acclaim, winning the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1986 for its illustrations. In the movie, they stayed true to the illustrations. 

Polor Express Book

I watched the movie with 4-year-old Bailey and he really liked it…it was the Rudolph of his generation. The next Christmas we traveled to Watertown Tennessee to ride a Polar Express train they had set up to look like the one in the film. He has never forgot the movie or train ride. 

It’s a good story that kids and adults can like with the universal humor. Tom Hanks played many characters in this movie and as always does a great job. The kids on the train span a nice cross-section of kids including one known as “Know It All” and he was annoying. Eddie Deezen appropriately did the voice for the character. We had a neighbor kid at the time exactly like him. 

It’s a nice adventure film with some great characters including the big guy Santa. The North Pole was definitely my favorite place in the film. It looked like what you think it would look like in a realistic feel. In a surprise, Steven Tyler makes a short appearance on a unicycle…yes Tyler on a unicycle. 

If you haven’t seen it…stop reading now. 

The best part of the movie was the bell that came off of Santa’s sleigh in my opinion. That is what the main character known as the hero boy wants out of any present. Grown-ups could not hear it ring because they stopped believing a long time ago. If you could still hear it ring…you still believed in the magic of Christmas. In the movie he could still hear it when he grew up so he kept the magic intact. I hope all of you can still hear that bell ring. No matter how old or young you are. 

Merry Christmas to all of you…Max

Plot IMDB

Santa Claus does not exist. Or does he? For one doubting boy, an astonishing event occurs. Late on Christmas Eve night, he lies in his bed hoping to hear the sound of bells from Santa Claus’ sleigh. Then to his surprise, a train’s roar and whistle can be heard outside his bedroom window. The conductor invites him on board to take an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with many other pajama-clad children. There, he receives an extraordinary gift only those who still believe in Santa Claus can experience.

…

Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa

Bob Dylan making a Christmas album just doesn’t compute but he did and yes I love the results. 

I would never bet against Bob doing anything. When one of my friends told me at the time that Dylan released a Christmas album…I thought he was kidding. No, he wasn’t…and I liked it when I heard it. This song was based on a German drinking game, with the lyrics taking on a ‘call and answer’ structure… “Who’s got a beard/That’s long and white?/Santa’s got a beard/That’s long and white.”

“Must Be Santa” was written by Hal Moore and Bill Fredericks. The song was first released in 1960 by Mitch Miller. In 2009, Bob Dylan covered Brave Combo’s arrangement as part of his holiday album, Christmas in the Heart.

All of the profits from this album went towards Feeding America Crisis, and the World Food Program. In 2009, Dylan told Bill Flanagan that he had intended to make a Christmas record for some time: “Yeah, every so often it has crossed my mind. The idea was first brought to me by Walter Yetnikoff, back when he was President of Columbia Records.”

If you want to know what Dylan considers to be a great Christmas meal… it would consist of “Mashed potatoes and gravy, roast turkey and collard greens, turnip greens, biscuit dressing, cornbread and cranberry sauce.”

Bob Dylan: “This version comes from a band called Brave Combo. Somebody sent their record to us for our radio show [Theme Time Radio Hour]. They’re a regional band out of Texas that takes regular songs and changes the way you think about them. You oughta hear their version of ‘Hey Jude.'”

Bob Dylan – Must Be Santa

Who’s got a beard that’s long and white?
Santa’s got a beard that’s long and white
Who comes around on a special night?
Santa comes around on a special night

Special Night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Who wears boots and a suit of red?
Santa wears boots and a suit of red

Who wears a long cap on his head?
Santa wears a long cap on his head

Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Who’s got a big red cherry nose?
Santa’s got a big red cherry nose

Who laughs this way: “HO HO HO”?
Santa laughs this way: “HO HO HO”

HO HO HO, cherry nose
Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Who very soon will come our way?
Santa very soon will come our way

Eight little reindeer pull his sleigh?
Santa’s little reindeer pull his sleigh

Reindeer sleigh, come our way
HO HO HO, cherry nose
Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton

Reindeer sleigh, come our way
HO HO HO, cherry nose
Cap on head, suit that’s red
Special night, beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa, Santa Claus

Remembering Buffalo Springfield

I wrote this before I had any readership so I thought I would post it today. 

I had a friend’s dad who owned their 1969 greatest hits album when I was in sixth grade and we wore it out. Broken Arrow, Mr Soul, and Expecting to Fly were the ones we played over and over, and heard something we missed in the previous play. So when my peers were listening to The Flock of Seagulls (nothing wrong with that!)…I was listening to Buffalo Springfield and I stayed stuck in the 60s for a long time.

Buffalo Springfield is a band that gets lost in the shuffle at times. People know their big hit “For What It’s Worth” but little about the band. They were only active between 1966-68 but had a huge impact on other artists. The band was very talented……with Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin, and Jim Messina who replaced Bruce Palmer. They had some great songs like Mr Soul, Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing, Burned, Expecting to Fly, Bluebird, Rock and Roll Woman, Broken Arrow, and their big hit For What It’s Worth…

I just read Neil Young’s book “Waging Heavy Peace” and he said that the end of Buffalo Springfield started because the bass player Bruce Palmer kept getting busted for drugs and taken away…more than once… By 1968 it was over and what a waste of potential they had…The remaining members reunited in 2011 and played 6 concerts… in 2012 they were going to tour and do 30 concerts. Neil quit and did an album with Crazy Horse. He has a history of leaving projects when they don’t interest him anymore.

If this band would have stayed together originally… There’s little doubt they would have gotten much bigger with the talented members they had in place.

The song Broken Arrow is a song that was made in sections and it’s hard to explain it with words… Something is haunting and beautiful about it. I listen to it now and it’s like Buffalo Springfield’s own A Day In The Life. It was produced in 1967 during the psychedelic era. One of my favorite songs of all time…any song with the lyric “He hung up his eyelids and ran down the hall” grabs my attention. Neil Young wrote this beautiful song. Gregg Allman cornered Neil backstage somewhere in the 2000s and pleaded with him to start playing this song again. He did when Buffalo Springfield reformed. 

Right after the breakup, Stephen Stills helped form Crosby, Stills, and Nash….short time later Young came aboard and would join them occasionally. Furay and Messina helped form Poco and Messina teamed up with Kenny Loggins later on.

They made three albums while together. Buffalo Springfield (1966), Buffalo Springfield Again (1967) and Last Time Around (1968). A greatest hits came out in 1969 called Retrospective The Best of Buffalo Springfield. A box set was released in 2001.

So…what are your thoughts about Buffalo Springfield?

Broken Arrow

The lights turned on and the curtain fell down
And when it was over it felt like a dream 
They stood at the stage door and begged for a scream 
The agents had paid for the black limousine 
That waited outside in the rain 
Did you see them, did you see them? 
Did you see them in the river? 
They were there to wave to you 
Could you tell that the empty quivered 
Brown skinned Indian on the banks 
That were crowded and narrow 
Held a broken arrow? 

Eighteen years of American dream, 
He saw that his brother had sworn on the wall 
He hung up his eyelids and ran down the hall 
His mother had told him a trip was a fall 
And don’t mention babies at all 
Did you see him, did you see him? 
Did you see him in the river? 
He was there to wave to you 
Could you tell that the empty quivered
Brown skinned Indian on the banks 
That were crowded and narrow
Held a broken arrow? 

The streets were lined for the wedding parade 
The Queen wore the white gloves, the county of song 
The black covered caisson her horses had drawn 
Protected her king from the sun rays of dawn 
They married for peace and were gone 
Did you see them, did you see them? 
Did you see them in the river? 
They were there to wave to you 
Could you tell that the empty quivered 
Brown skinned Indian on the banks 
That were crowded and narrow
Held a broken arrow?

Rascals – People Got To Be Free

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday!

The Young Rascals or by this time…The Rascals were the ultimate singles band. A great band that ruled the singles charts. I found the Rascals in 1985 at the same time I found Cream and The Lovin Spoonful. The Rascals and Lovin’ Spoonful were not known for their albums but man did they ever do some incredible great singles. Some of the best of the 60s. Steven Van Zandt is a huge fan of the band and I can see why. 

This is one of their biggest songs. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #14 in New Zealand in 1968. This was their 3rd number 1 song and would be their last. 

A very positive message for all the listeners. Rascals co-leaders Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati wrote the song together. The Young Rascals  / The Rascals had had 6 top ten hits in their career and 13 top-40 songs. The record sold over 4 million copies. They wrote this song in reaction to Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy’s murders, condensing King and Kennedy’s message into a simple missive calling for unity and understanding. The message was simple and clear and not overly political.

Felix Cavaliere wrote it after working for Bobby Kennedy’s presidential campaign. After Kennedy’s assassination, the follow-up song “A Ray of Hope,” was written for the Kennedy family after RFK’s death and the band received a thank-you letter from Bobby’s little brother, Ted Kennedy.

Felix Cavaliere has said that he had to fight with Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records to get this released because Wexler was worried that a message song would hurt the Rascals’ career. Cavaliere won and the song became their biggest hit. 

Felix Cavaliere: I was working for Bobby Kennedy’s (presidential) campaign, and you know that Robert Kennedy got assassinated. I just felt compelled to say something. The record company didn’t really like the idea, but they let it [be released as a single] and it became number one in all the places that were oppressed, such as South Africa, Berlin and Hong Kong, So I was always very proud of that. [Writing this song] was a direct result of the assassination. In my eyes, Bobby Kennedy was an idealistic person who had visions for how our country should be, and his brother (John Kennedy) as well. So I was attracted very much to that. I just thought that it would be a good direction for me, and the United States of America.

People Got To Be Free

All the world over, so easy to see
People everywhere just wanna be free
Listen, please listen, that’s the way it should be
There’s peace in the valley, people got to be free

You should see
What a lovely, lovely world this’d be
Everyone learned to live together, ah hah
Seems to me
Such an itty bitty thing should be
Why can’t you and me learn to love one another?

All the world over, so easy to see
People everywhere just wanna be free (wanna be free)
I can’t understand it, so simple to me
People everywhere just got to be free

If there’s a man
Who is down and needs a helpin’ hand
All it takes is you to understand and
To pull him through, ah hah
Seems to me
We got to solve it individually, ah ah
And I’ll do unto you what you do to me
Said, no

Hear the shoutin’ from the mountains on out to the sea
No two ways about it, people have to be free (they gotta be free)
Ask me my opinion, my opinion will be
Natural situation for a man to be free

Get right on board now, huh, huh

Yeah oh, what a feelin’s just come over me
Love can move a mountain, make a blind man see
Everybody sing it now come on let’s go see
Peace in the valley now, we all can be free

See that train over there?
Now that’s the train of freedom
It’s about to ‘arrive any minute, now
You know it’s been a long, long overdue
Look out ’cause it’s a’comin’ right on through
Ha, ha, yeah, ha, ha, yeah