The most recent chapter of the Phil Spector story is a tragedy that can’t be undone. But I’ll miss thinking about him as the guy who created this wall of sound for The Crystals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqgtsai2aKY]
She’s About A Mover
March 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I’m not at SXSW this year, so I’m living vicariously through the Twitter posts of the ShoreFire-ians who are (two Wavy Gravy sightings!). But when I saw in Billboard that there’d been a couple of Doug Sahm tributes in Austin, one starring former client Alejandro Escovedo and the other featuring current clients Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles, I knew I had to post this video of the Sir Douglas Quintet playing “She’s About A Mover,” one of the greatest happy-dance songs ever – and dig those shiny suits!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-VFq6nWvT8]
You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother…
August 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
(Shut your mouth.)
That would be Shaft, John Shaft. Sadly, the man who penned the film’s immortal theme, Isaac Hayes, has died, at 65. The Times obituary by Ben Sisario may forever redefine the parenthetical use of “furthermore.”
Hayes’ first recording session was with Otis Redding. With his partner David Porter, he helped create the distinctive sound of Stax Records, which released some of my favorite music of all time.
I produced a soul music project once that wound up being mostly Stax artists, and when I drove cross-country on my way back from LA to NYC, planned my route so I could visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music on McLemore Avenue in Memphis , one of the better museums anywhere, which contains, among other exhibits, Hayes’1972 peacock blue, gold-trimmed two-door Eldorado Cadillac.
The next time you use a manual toothbrush, try doing it in rhythm to the opening of this tune and see if your recommended two minutes don’t go a lot faster:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzBrxj-Gjo]
Holy Hullabaloo, Batman!
July 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I’ve previously mentioned my fondness for Hullabaloo!, the mid-Sixties prime-time TV show on NBC that featured all the acts you might expect, from Paul Anka to the Zombies, as well as some you might not, such as Judy Collins. There was a regular infusion of the British Invasion (Chad and Jeremy, the Kinks), undoubtedly helped along by Beatles manager Brian Epstein’s appearance as the host of a London segment, and lots of Motown, including Marvin Gaye and The Supremes. A similar show called Shindig on ABC was its antecedent, but I don’t remember it being as good.
Hullabaloo!’s dancers were a highlight of every show (they included Michael Bennett and Donna McKechnie, best known as creator and star of the original production of A Chorus Line), and a segment called “Hullabaloo! A Go-Go” featured a dancer in a cage, shaking it while wearing a fringed minidress and short white go-go boots.
Fans of The Dark Knight will undoubtedly object, but here are the Hullabaloo! dancers cavorting to the “Batman” theme:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qPckHLmq-g]
Get Even Smarter
June 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The movie version of Get Smart is out today, and while from the trailer it doesn’t seem nearly as funny as the TV series written by two of the world’s greatest comic geniuses, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, it will probably become one of those movie remakes I go to primarily because of the theme song, a list that has included The Jetsons, Mission: Impossible and Life of Brian. (The last is in its own way a remake of King of Kings, isn’t it? And don’t you find yourself whistling “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life” right about now?)
The “Get Smart” TV theme was written by Irving Szathmary, who doesn’t seem to have written much else. The movie music is credited to Trevor Rabin (yes, of Yes), and what I’ve heard of the theme arrangement makes me suspicious (too many strings, not enough brass). But I will sit with my popcorn and see if anything in the film can equal this classic opening sequence:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvMj5LuT5hk]
Hammers Of The Gods
June 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Last night I was witness to an amazing thunderstorm in Central Park. It was flashy and loud, and my dog, who as a Southern California-raised girl is used to such qualities, but not in weather, didn’t like it one bit.
Lightning forks lit up the sky, so powerful and clearly etched that it looked like Zeus and Thor were having a throwing contest, and it made me think of songs about thunder and lightning, including:
- “Thunder Road,” by Bruce Springsteen;
- “Knock on Wood,” by Sam and Dave (‘It’s like thunder, lightning – the way you love me is frightening”);
- “You Love The Thunder” by Jackson Browne;
- “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors (if that’s playing on classic rock radio, you know it’s raining);
- “Chain Lightning,” by Steely Dan
And a list like this wouldn’t be complete with the thunderously heartbreaking Johnny Thunders:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4NZ_mVkoiw]
Forget The Red Bull, Have A Shot Of Josh Fix
May 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Newsweek called the B-52’s album ‘Funplex’ “a sonic shot of vitamin B12″ and the same could be said for Josh Fix’s debut album ‘Free at Last’. I’ve been substituting my addiction to sugar free Red Bull with a daily viewing of this video for “Don’t Call Me In The Morning.”
Josh has also been bringing the same fever to the stage at Arlene’s Grocery every Tuesday night this month.
Iron Man Is “Institutionalized”
May 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I really loved Iron Man, one of the better superhero movies ever. Great performances by Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Palrow and Terence Howard (and the best robot team since R2D2 and C3PO) and strong direction by Jon Favreau give life to a smart, action-packed script.
Music plays an important part in the movie, including the accidental destruction of a Bluthner piano, which horrified me more than the subsequent pulverizing of a mint-condition Lotus (and, in a production that features blatant product placement throughout, made me wonder, why not Fazioli or Bosendorfer?).
The song choices by music supervisor Dave Jordan, also responsible for Transformers and The Fast and the Furious, were excellent, especially Suicidal Tendencies’ hardcore plaint “Institutionalized,” used perfectly to express our hero’s angst. (Yes, that is indie-film superstar Mary Woronov as the mom in the original video below.)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXK0Hjfkrgw]
Wired’s Listening Post blog has an excellent rundown of various kinds of Iron Man music, past and present. Who knew the Cardigans covered Black Sabbath?
Prince Is A “Creep”
April 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment
If you were at Coachella this past Saturday night, chances are you saw this: Prince playing Radiohead’s “Creep” as part of a two-hour set. And chances are that I envy you.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u1ekw3LB0I]
Remembering MLK Jr and James Brown This Weekend
April 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
The 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination is today, April 4. A good deal of programming will air over the next few days in honor of Dr. King’s legacy and the effect that his untimely death had on our country.
One such show, “The Night James Brown Saved Boston,” airing on VH1, is about James Brown’s televised concert in Boston the night after MLK Jr. passed away in April 1968. The event, and James himself, were largely responsible for keeping the city relatively peaceful. While Boston listened to the godfather of soul, many American cities were literally going up in flames as people reacted to the assassination. Read more about the program on VH1.com and listen to an interview with the show’s director on NPR. It airs at 9PM Eastern Time on Saturday.
Here’s a clip of the concert where James tells the crowd, and the police, to calm down as tension starts to build.
