The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

RJDiogenes · Jul 3, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
So basically, you're asking what their bag was, right?

Right on, man.

The Old Mixer · Jul 3, 2019

Posting this a night earlier than usual because my bag will be holiday stuff tomorrow night...

_______

55 Years Ago This Week

Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day said:
July 6 – Piccadilly Circus, in the heart of London, is brought to a standstill by vast hordes of Beatles fans wanting to catch a glimpse of the group as they arrive for the royal world charity premiere of A Hard Day's Night at the London Pavilion cinema.

Wiki said:
July 6 – Malawi receives its independence from the United Kingdom.
July 8 – U.S. military personnel announce that U.S. casualties in Vietnam have risen to 1,387, including 399 dead and 17 MIA.

Mark Lewisohn's The Beatles Day by Day said:
July 10 – First UK release of A Hard Day's Night as a single and LP. The Beatles fly from London Airport to Liverpool Airport for a massive homecoming. After a procession through the streets of Liverpool, from Speke – where the airport is located – to the city centre, the group is honoured with a civic reception at the Town Hall. Then comes the northern premiere of A Hard Day's Night. More than 200,000 Liverpudlians spend at least some part of the day saluting the city's four most famous sons.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "I Get Around," The Beach Boys
2. "Memphis," Johnny Rivers
3. "Rag Doll," The Four Seasons
4. "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," Gerry & The Pacemakers
5. "Can't You See That She's Mine," The Dave Clark Five
6. "My Boy Lollipop," Millie Small
7. "People," Barbra Streisand
8. "A World Without Love," Peter & Gordon
9. "The Girl from Ipanema," Getz / Gilberto
10. "No Particular Place to Go," Chuck Berry
11. "Bad to Me," Billy J. Kramer w/ The Dakotas
12. "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)," Jan & Dean

14. "Chapel of Love," The Dixie Cups
15. "Good Times," Sam Cooke
16. "Don't Throw Your Love Away," The Searchers
17. "Try It Baby," Marvin Gaye
18. "Keep on Pushing," The Impressions
19. "Little Children," Billy J. Kramer w/ The Dakotas
20. "Walk On By," Dionne Warwick
21. "What's the Matter with You Baby," Marvin Gaye & Mary Wells

23. "Nobody I Know," Peter & Gordon
24. "Love Me Do," The Beatles
25. "Yesterday's Gone," Chad & Jeremy

27. "Wishin' and Hopin'," Dusty Springfield
28. "Don't Worry Baby," The Beach Boys
29. "Alone," The Four Seasons
30. "Farmer John," The Premiers
31. "Under the Boardwalk," The Drifters
32. "Today," The New Christy Minstrels
33. "Beans in My Ears," The Serendipity Singers
34. "Everybody Loves Somebody," Dean Martin
35. "Hey Harmonica Man," Stevie Wonder

38. "Steal Away," Jimmy Hughes

41. "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am," Nancy Wilson
42. "I Wanna Love Him So Bad," The Jelly Beans

44. "Hello, Dolly!," Louis Armstrong & The All Stars
45. "My Guy," Mary Wells

52. "Not Fade Away," The Rolling Stones

57. "I Like It Like That," The Miracles

65. "You're My World," Cilla Black

69. "Handy Man," Del Shannon

70. "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)," The Rolling Stones

77. "Where Did Our Love Go," The Supremes

85. "How Do You Do It," Gerry & The Pacemakers
86. "Walk, Don't Run '64," The Ventures

89. "Just Be True," Gene Chandler

100. "C'mon and Swim," Bobby Freeman

Leaving the chart:

"Do You Love Me," The Dave Clark Five (10 weeks)
"Every Little Bit Hurts," Brenda Holloway (10 weeks)
"Viva Las Vegas," Elvis Presley (8 weeks total)

New on the chart:

"How Do You Do It," Gerry & The Pacemakers
(#9 US; #1 UK in 1963)

"Walk, Don't Run '64," The Ventures
(#8 US)

"C'mon and Swim," Bobby Freeman
(#5 US)

"Where Did Our Love Go," The Supremes
(#1 US the weeks of Aug. 22 and 29, 1964; #1 R&B; #3 UK; #472 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)

Total Beatles songs on the chart: 1

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Right on, man.

Solid.

TREK_GOD_1 · Jul 4, 2019

gblews said:
I had heard that there was some question about the circumstances of his death but never heard this story. Sounds like Brian was headed for a bad end one way or another.

I do believe--from the statements of all involved--that if Frank Thorogood was never sent to work for Jones, that history would have played out in a very different manner. I'm not going to say that he was going to live to some ripe old age, or that the long-rumored "supergroup" idea (where Jones allegedly talked to friends Jimi Hendrix & John Lennon about forming a band, as each were either solo by that point, or on Lennon's case, he would be in a few months after this period), but Jones would have at least not become a casualty of all that was wrong in the Stones' business dealings by working with people like Tom Keylock & Thorogood.

Not surprised that he may have been a victim of homicide. Things were so weird back then with all the drugs and lack of knowledge of their detrimental affects on the body.

His then-girlfriend and his parents each said Jones has laid off of hard drugs to a considerable degree in the last months of his life, reduced to some prescription (I know, there's an irony there). He loved drinking (too much), but the really out of control, blacked-out, spacey drug episodes from say, 1967 into mid '68 were being put behind him.

Bill Wyman seems to be the only one of his bandmates to show any positive feelings toward him, and tries to set the record straight on his place in the group's creation, ascendency, and in music history. You hear next to nothing from Watts, and as for Jagger and Richards, well, you know the rest.

The Old Mixer said:
"How Do You Do It," Gerry & The Pacemakers

Eww. I've never tolerated this song. Its almost as repetitive and bad as fake "British" bands used on 1960s sitcoms like My Three Sons or The Munsters. Thankfully, their genuine classics--"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" and "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" more than made up for that.

The Old Mixer · Jul 4, 2019

TREK_GOD_1 said:
Eww. I've never tolerated this song. Its almost as repetitive and bad as fake "British" bands used on 1960s sitcoms like My Three Sons or The Munsters. Thankfully, their genuine classics--"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" and "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey" more than made up for that.

It was the song that the Beatles could not be seen with! Which worked out for Gerry & The Pacemakers in the short term, because they beat the Fabs to having a #1 on the main British chart of the time. The long term, however, justified the Beatles' refusal to release it as a single.

BTW, the "fake 'British' band" that appeared on The Munsters was American band The Standells, a year before this:

TREK_GOD_1 · Jul 4, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
It was the song that the Beatles could not be seen with! Which worked out for Gerry & The Pacemakers in the short term, because they beat the Fabs to having a #1 on the main British chart of the time. The long term, however, justified the Beatles' refusal to release it as a single.

Yeah, they did not miss any opportunities with that decision.

BTW, the "fake 'British' band" that appeared on The Munsters was American band The Standells, a year before this:

I forgot it was the Standells on The Munsters. I just remembered there was "that kind of group" on the show. Then again, it says something if what I was remembering of them was not good. Now that I look them up, on the sitcom they performed "Come On and Ringo" (Really. Ohh...my head!) and their version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand." That's embarrassing. I know that's the angle the show wanted to exploit, but if I were in the Standells' shoes, for pride's sake, I would have had their manager ask Connelly and Mosher to allow them to play something else. National TV exposure on a popular sitcom is one thing, but practically screaming "Look at us! We're doing something-something like the Beatles!" was too much.

RJDiogenes · Jul 4, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Posting this a night earlier than usual because my bag will be holiday stuff tomorrow night...

I'll be drinking Dorchester Beer and toasting the Battle of Dorchester Heights. :beer:

And here's some of Mother Nature's fireworks for the 4th. I took this about a half hour ago from the edge of a cliff at a place called Moswetuset Hummock, a possible source of the name Massachusetts, which was where the United States of America was invented.

Happy Independence Day. :bolian:

"How Do You Do It," Gerry & The Pacemakers

Fun and catchy. I guess I'm in the minority again. :rommie:

"Walk, Don't Run '64," The Ventures

Makes me want to sing along.

"C'mon and Swim," Bobby Freeman

Meh.

"Where Did Our Love Go," The Supremes

Absolute classic, of course.

The Old Mixer said:
American band The Standells, a year before this:

Another classic.

The Old Mixer · Jul 4, 2019

_______

The Wild Wild West
"The Night of the Fugitives"
Originally aired November 8, 1968

Wiki said:
Jim travels to the town of Epitaph to arrest Norbert Plank, the chief bookkeeper for the corrupt and powerful syndicate that owns the town's mining company. Through Plank, the agents stand to get hold of valuable records about the syndicate's illegal activities.

This episode was originally planned for the third season. However, Robert Conrad was seriously injured when he fell from a chandelier while filming a fight scene. Production was shut down and not resumed until the following season, by which time Conrad had recovered. The shot of the fall appears in this episode. (Gunnar Hellstrom directed until the shutdown, after which Mike Moder directed the rest of the episode and received sole credit.)

Rhoda: And what if West comes back?
[Jim crashes through the window next to her in a roll.]

This week's story has West nabbing his prey (J.S. Johnson) early, but finding himself trapped in a town so corrupt from top to bottom that one of its deputies is Red West! And the Black Sheep preunion doesn't stop there, because the big boss behind the town, Diamond Dave Desmond, is none other than Conrad's future general, Simon Oakland!

It's pretty much Jim's adventure for the first half, with Artie relegated to having Colonel Richmond around for somebody to talk to back on the train. He eventually gets in on the mission by posing as a traveling preacher, Hallelujah Harry, but after a while the real Harry shows up in Epitaph, blowing Artie's cover and tipping off Desmond and his men that Jim has been hiding in the church belfry that Artie had insisted he'd already searched. With help from an explosive distraction from Artie, Jim uses his piton pistol zipline to get out of the belfry with Plank over his shoulder.

Artie finds Plank's books but the pages are blank. At first he thinks there may be an invisible ink involved, but by the coda he's learned that Plank was a memory expert who kept all the syndicate's secrets in his head.

This week's bad girl is saloon keeper Rhoda (Susan Hart), who has bars that close over her room's door and window...kinky.

_______

TREK_GOD_1 said:
National TV exposure on a popular sitcom is one thing, but practically screaming "Look at us! We're doing something-something like the Beatles!" was too much.

Yeah, there's nothing worse than a band shamelessly emulating the Beatles for the sake of a sitcom....

RJDiogenes said:
Happy Independence Day.

Purdy.

Fun and catchy. I guess I'm in the minority again.

I don't think it's all that bad for the Pacemakers...but it's a point of pride that the Beatles wouldn't do it.

Makes me want to sing along.

Even The Ventures aren't exempt from the Squiggy Rule? Yeesh!

Meh.

Really? I think this is a very fun song...hard to sit still to, and a timely seasonal entry.

Absolute classic, of course.

Something tells me we'll be hearing more from these gals....

RJDiogenes · Jul 5, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
The Wild Wild West
"The Night of the Fugitives"

More like "Night of the Deadly Chandelier." This is why studios don't like stars doing their own stunts. But I love that they used the shot in the episode and I'll bet Conrad was happy with the way it turned out. :rommie:

He eventually gets in on the mission by posing as a traveling preacher, Hallelujah Harry,

I think Neil Diamond wrote a song about him.

Artie finds Plank's books but the pages are blank. At first he thinks there may be an invisible ink involved, but by the coda he's learned that Plank was a memory expert who kept all the syndicate's secrets in his head.

So why are there books? As a lure for buttinski Secret Service agents?

Yeah, there's nothing worse than a band shamelessly emulating the Beatles for the sake of a sitcom....

This is why people say you monkey around.

Even The Ventures aren't exempt from the Squiggy Rule? Yeesh!

Nah, it's good music. I was just being funny. Possibly hilarious.

Really? I think this is a very fun song...hard to sit still to, and a timely seasonal entry.

There's something off about it to me. It sounds improvised or thrown together or unfinished or something.

Something tells me we'll be hearing more from these gals....

I'll be listening....

The Old Mixer · Jul 5, 2019

RJDiogenes said:
I think Neil Diamond wrote a song about him.

Did I mention when I caught a Saturday episode of The Big Valley about a traveling preacher named Brother Love, which predated the song by a year or two?

So why are there books? As a lure for buttinski Secret Service agents?

Even General Mo...er, Diamond Dave...thought Plank had everything on the syndicate in his books, so I assume as an insurance policy.

This is why people say you monkey around.

Glad I wasn’t being too subtle.... :lol:

The Old Mixer · Jul 6, 2019

_______

50 Years Ago This Week

July 6 – Francisco Franco orders the closing of the border and communications between Gibraltar and Spain in response to the 1967 Gibraltar sovereignty referendum.

In other words, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still...alive.

July 7 – French is made equal to English throughout the Canadian national government.
July 8 – Vietnam War: The very first U.S. troop withdrawals are made.
July 10 – Donald Crowhurst's trimaran Teignmouth Electron is found drifting and unoccupied. It is assumed that Crowhurst might have committed suicide.

And The Old Mixer is the size of a large mango. Wait, when was I the size of a small mango?

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)," Zager & Evans
2. "Spinning Wheel," Blood, Sweat & Tears
3. "Good Morning Starshine," Oliver
4. "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet," Henry Mancini & His Orchestra
5. "One," Three Dog Night
6. "Crystal Blue Persuasion," Tommy James & The Shondells
7. "Bad Moon Rising," Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. "The Ballad of John and Yoko," The Beatles
9. "Color Him Father," The Winstons
10. "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)," Jr. Walker & The All-Stars
11. "My Cherie Amour," Stevie Wonder
12. "Get Back," The Beatles w/ Billy Preston
13. "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby," Marvin Gaye
14. "Love Me Tonight," Tom Jones
15. "Mother Popcorn (You Got to Have a Mother for Me), Part 1" James Brown
16. "In the Ghetto," Elvis Presley
17. "Baby, I Love You," Andy Kim
18. "Black Pearl," Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd.
19. "Israelites," Desmond Dekker & The Aces
20. "Let Me," Paul Revere & The Raiders
21. "Grazing in the Grass," The Friends of Distinction
22. "Quentin's Theme," The Charles Randolph Grean Sounde
23. "I Turned You On," The Isley Brothers
24. "I Can Sing a Rainbow / Love Is Blue," The Dells
25. "Moody Woman," Jerry Butler
26. "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

28. "More Today Than Yesterday," Spiral Starecase
29. "My Pledge of Love," The Joe Jeffrey Group
30. "Sweet Caroline," Neil Diamond
31. "Good Old Rock 'n Roll," Cat Mother & The All Night News Boys
32. "Yesterday, When I Was Young," Roy Clark
33. "The Popcorn," James Brown

39. "Everyday with You Girl," Classics IV feat. Dennis Yost
40. "Choice of Colors," The Impressions

46. "But It's Alright," J. J. Jackson

50. "See," The Rascals

53. "It's Getting Better," Mama Cass

55. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," Jackie DeShannon
56. "Reconsider Me," Johnny Adams
57. "Polk Salad Annie," Tony Joe White
58. "Don't Let the Joneses Get You Down," The Temptations
59. "I'd Wait a Million Years," The Grass Roots

62. "Tell All the People," The Doors

64. "Listen to the Band," The Monkees

70. "Feeling Alright," Joe Cocker

73. "Hurt So Bad," The Lettermen
74. "Get Together," The Youngbloods

83. "Laughing," The Guess Who

90. "Soul Deep," The Box Tops

94. "Lay Lady Lay," Bob Dylan

Leaving the chart:

"I Want to Take You Higher," Sly & The Family Stone (7 weeks)
"Love (Can Make You Happy)," Mercy (13 weeks)
"These Eyes," The Guess Who (14 weeks)

New on the chart:

"Laughing," The Guess Who
(#10 US)

"Lay Lady Lay," Bob Dylan
(#7 US; #19 AC; #5 UK)

And new on the boob tube:

The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 21, episode 36, featuring Bobby Vinton, Lainie Kazan, Jackie Vernon, The Sugar Shoppe, and Gordon MacRae

_______

RJDiogenes · Jul 6, 2019

Retro Pop Culture Bad News Dept.

It's being reported that MAD magazine is no more. I don't think it's been officially confirmed by DC as yet, so hopefully somebody jumped the gun on that one. But, man, I loved MAD when I was a kid and bought up every issue and all the collections (and the early paperbacks and comic book inserts also fed my interest in retro culture). It had a huge effect on me in my formative years, which I'm sure explains a lot. :rommie:

The Old Mixer said:
Did I mention when I caught a Saturday episode of The Big Valley about a traveling preacher named Brother Love, which predated the song by a year or two?

Interesting. Common source or was Neil Diamond a Western fan? :rommie:

Glad I wasn’t being too subtle....

Nahhh....

The Old Mixer said:
And The Old Mixer is the size of a large mango. Wait, when was I the size of a small mango?

Maybe you're twins. I've heard it takes two to mango.

"Laughing," The Guess Who

I love this one.

"Lay Lady Lay," Bob Dylan

I love this one more.

The Old Mixer · Jul 7, 2019

Happy 79th, Sir Ringo!

That's Happy 29th to 50th Anniversary Ringo, and Happy 24th to 55th Anniversary Ringo!

Peace and Love!

RJDiogenes said:
Retro Pop Culture Bad News Dept.

It's being reported that MAD magazine is no more. I don't think it's been officially confirmed by DC as yet, so hopefully somebody jumped the gun on that one. But, man, I loved MAD when I was a kid and bought up every issue and all the collections (and the early paperbacks and comic book inserts also fed my interest in retro culture). It had a huge effect on me in my formative years, which I'm sure explains a lot.

That reminds me that we lost Arte Johnson a few days ago. And, I just now saw, João Gilberto.

Interesting. Common source or was Neil Diamond a Western fan?

Dunno, but here's the episode. With Robert Goulet as the title character.

I've heard it takes two to mango.

*groan*

I love this one.

Ha ha haha ha ha...

Ha ha ha ha HA ha ha!

I love this one more.

Stay tuned for this week's regularly scheduled album spotlight!

RJDiogenes · Jul 7, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Happy 79th, Sir Ringo!

That's just mind blowing.

Peace and Love!

Peace and love.

That reminds me that we lost Arte Johnson a few days ago. And, I just now saw, João Gilberto.

Yeah, I saw that, too. Un-be-lievable. RIP to both. They're with Gladys and the Girl From Ipanema now.

Dunno, but here's the episode. With Robert Goulet as the title character.

Nothing there or on the Wiki page. Just a coincidence, I guess.

*groan*

Hee hee.

Ha ha haha ha ha...

Ha ha ha ha HA ha ha!

Hee hee hee hee.

Stay tuned for this week's regularly scheduled album spotlight!

Groovy.

TREK_GOD_1 · Jul 7, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
"Laughing," The Guess Who
(#10 US)

Still running strong, this Canadian band did not fail to please at this point.

"Lay Lady Lay," Bob Dylan
(#7 US; #19 AC; #5 UK)

My favorite Dylan song by far. I've always thought it was his most unique/best track, despite not having the significance (in a musical influence sense) of his earlier work.

RJDiogenes said:
Retro Pop Culture Bad News Dept.

It's being reported that MAD magazine is no more. I don't think it's been officially confirmed by DC as yet, so hopefully somebody jumped the gun on that one. But, man, I loved MAD when I was a kid and bought up every issue and all the collections (and the early paperbacks and comic book inserts also fed my interest in retro culture). It had a huge effect on me in my formative years, which I'm sure explains a lot.

I will leave that one alone....

About MAD. In my opinion, the magazine stopped being relevant in the early 1980s, as it fell into the trap of trying to comment on life, but it appeared to be jumping on bandwagons. The natural cultural satire/commentary from its first 20 or so years was gone, much like the darker sense of humor that once defined the publication. I recall picking up an issue in the 90s and just eye-rolling at how sugary/controlled its voice had become, being more "in name only"--an empty shell than anything close to its glory days (similar to the situation with Marvel Comics of the 90s). Well, at least you can still buy the early issues, or collections.

The Old Mixer · Jul 7, 2019

_______

50th Anniversary Album Spotlight

Nashville Skyline
Bob Dylan
Released April 9, 1969
Chart debut: May 3, 1969
Chart peak: #3, May 24, 1969

Wiki said:
Nashville Skyline is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on April 9, 1969, by Columbia Records as LP record, reel to reel tape and audio cassette.

Building on the rustic style he experimented with on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline displayed a complete immersion into country music. Along with the more basic lyrical themes, simple songwriting structures, and charming domestic feel, it introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan, who had temporarily quit smoking—a soft, affected country croon.

The result received a generally positive reaction from critics, and was a commercial success. Reaching No. 3 in the U.S., the album also scored Dylan his fourth UK No. 1 album.

This album's predecessor, John Wesley Harding, is on the Rolling Stone list (#301), but I got it last year at a point when I was still trying to catch my album purchases up with 50th anniversary business, and thus before I'd started posting album reviews. Nashville Skyline isn't on the list, but was included in my purchasing as part of an attempt to get a fuller picture of Dylan's work in the 55th and 50th anniversary periods. Note that the availability of Bob's songs on YouTube is still limited to what he's posted on his Vevo, so I don't even have linked audio clips for many of the ones discussed here.

The album opens with Bob revisiting "Girl from the North Country," a song based on the traditional ballad "Scarborough Fair" that he'd previously done on his breakout 1963 album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Here we don't just get a new arrangement, but a duet with Johnny Cash!
Bob and Johnny also performed this song on Cash's TV show on June 7, 1969.

Next up is "Nashville Skyline Rag," a perfectly enjoyable (if you're not Squiggy) country-flavored instrumental that helps set the tone for the album, but at the same time feels like it wants to be buried a little deeper on it.

Things take a more distinctly country rock direction with "To Be Alone with You":
Clarification note: That's Dylan's voice at the beginning, addressing producer Bob Johnston.

Then things get gentler and more introspective with the first single released from the album, "I Threw It All Away" (charted May 17, 1969; #85 US; #30 UK):
Bob also performed this one for his Johnny Cash appearance (song begins about 0:55). And I read that George Harrison performed it during the Get Back / Let It Be sessions, having been treated to a private performance from Dylan months before it was recorded.

"Peggy Day" is an upbeat but rather unremarkable ditty. It was also the B-side of the song that opens side two...

...which is the album's best-known track, "Lay Lady Lay" (charted July 12, 1969; #7 US; #19 AC; #5 UK):
If I had to put my finger on my feelings about this number, it's that it sounds too much like Bob trying to do an "ordinary" song instead of a distinctively Dylanesque song, as he'd come to be defined by his work up to this point. An interesting historical tidbit related to upcoming Cinematic Special business...

Wiki said:
"Lay Lady Lay" was originally written for the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but wasn't submitted in time to be included in the finished film.

"One More Night" has effectively the same subject matter as "I Threw It All Away," but in a more upbeat and less engaging package.

"Tell Me That It Isn't True" gives us another angle in the album's prevailing theme of relationship drama, this time about a significant other who's rumored to be unfaithful. Musically it's among the album's more middling tracks.

"Country Pie" has a lot in common with "Peggy Day"...also upbeat but unremarkable, if with a tad more character, and also the single B-side of the next song on the album.

The album closes with its third and final single, "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" (charts Nov. 1, 1969; #50 US), which is one of the album's stronger numbers musically.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonight_I'll_Be_Staying_Here_with_You#Background

The lyrics of "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" mark a change from many of Dylan's earlier love songs, which expressed a restlessness in search of perfect love. In contrast, "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" expresses Dylan's devotion to his lover and willingness to stay with her.

What I read of the general reception of this album is that it seems to have been regarded as a turn toward less remarkable, more commercial music for Dylan. I also read that he was actively attempting to shed his "spokesman of a generation" image with his album following this one, 1970's Self Portrait, and I think that he may have started down that direction here, whether or not he did it as knowingly. Nashville Skyline is listenable and enjoyable for what it is, but not nearly as engaging (and sometimes mesmerizing) as what I've heard of his earlier works. From here on for 50th anniversary purposes, I think I may just go with what made it onto the RS list, which means that the next one I'd be getting would be 1975's Blood on the Tracks. His classic '60s period seems to be over, but I'll still be getting to much of it as 55th anniversary business.

Next up: The Gilded Palace of Sin, The Flying Burrito Brothers

_______

Nerys Myk · Jul 8, 2019

RJDiogenes said:
They're with Gladys and the Girl From Ipanema now.

I'm pretty sure Ruth Buzzi is still alive.

GNDN18 · Jul 8, 2019

Nerys Myk said:
I'm pretty sure Ruth Buzzi is still alive.

And on Twitter. Check ze tweet:

Tyrone: Good. Then you know what I'm here after!

RJDiogenes · Jul 8, 2019

TREK_GOD_1 said:
I will leave that one alone....

About MAD. In my opinion, the magazine stopped being relevant in the early 1980s, as it fell into the trap of trying to comment on life, but it appeared to be jumping on bandwagons. The natural cultural satire/commentary from its first 20 or so years was gone, much like the darker sense of humor that once defined the publication. I recall picking up an issue in the 90s and just eye-rolling at how sugary/controlled its voice had become, being more "in name only"--an empty shell than anything close to its glory days (similar to the situation with Marvel Comics of the 90s). Well, at least you can still buy the early issues, or collections.

That sounds about right.

The Old Mixer said:
Here we don't just get a new arrangement, but a duet with Johnny Cash!

That's really nice.

...which is the album's best-known track, "Lay Lady Lay"

I find it amusing that he missed his deadline. Maybe he didn't want to be in the movie. :rommie:

An interesting historical tidbit related to upcoming Cinematic Special business...

"Rather than the more abrasive nasal singing style." :rommie:

I also read that he was actively attempting to shed his "spokesman of a generation" image

He just wanted it to rhyme, man-- at least according to Doonesbury. :rommie:

But, yeah, he was never comfortable with that spokesman-of-a-generation thing, which is pretty remarkable.

Nerys Myk said:
I'm pretty sure Ruth Buzzi is still alive.

Yeah, and I don't believe in a hereafter. :rommie:

It was just kind of a nice thought for him.

The Old Mixer · Jul 8, 2019

_______

50th Anniversary Viewing

The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 21, episode 36
Originally aired July 6, 1969
As represented in The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show

Ed said:
Here is young Bobby Vinton, for all of you youngsters...

I think Bobby is more of the oldsters' bag at this point. Anyway, he sings a medley consisting of past hits "Blue Velvet" (charted Aug. 10, 1963; #1 US the weeks of Sept. 21 through Oct. 5, 1963; #1 AC), "Take Good Care of My Baby" (charted Mar. 30, 1968; #33 US; #14 AC; was a #1 hit for not-to-be-confused-with Bobby Vee in 1961), and "Please Love Me Forever" (charted Sept. 30, 1967; #6 US; #39 AC):
tv.com indicates that "Halfway to Paradise" (charted July 20, 1968; #23 US; #8 AC) was also part of this medley, though not shown in Best of or the clip above.

Ed said:
Here is MGM recording star Lainie Kazan singing "Love"!

The singer-actress performs an uptempo, swingish number for the easy listening crowd who were home watching Sullivan on balmy summer evenings. I couldn't find a thing about the song, given its ridonculously common title.

Ed said:
Now here is comical Jackie Vernon!

Jackie's deadpan-delivered routine includes a bit about having an LSD trip in which he saw Ed in tights and other bits about an author and his father both dying at an automat while trying to eat cherry pie without taking it out of the slot...killed by the little glass door coming down.

Ed said:
And now The Sugar Shoppe sing "Save the Country".

Previously mentioned when I first saw the Best of episode in fall of 2017 and discovered that the male singer of this obscure Canadian group was a young Victor Garber...and now available on YouTube!
I recall noting at the time that the Laura Nyro-written song sounded 5th Dimensionish to me...I don't recall if I discovered then that the 5D would later do the song themselves, on their 1970 album Portrait and as a single release (charts June 13, 1970; #27 US; #10 AC; #41 R&B).

Ed said:
Gordon MacRae! So let's have a fine welcome for him....

In the spirit of the holiday weekend, the singer-actor does a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that includes a vaguely Shatneresque spoken-word section at the beginning. Say, why are we inside watching Sullivan in July when we could be outdoors watching fireflies and shooting off bottle rockets?

Finally, Bobby Vinton returns to perform a swinging, big-band arrangement of "Those Were the Days" that could have been a lot better than it was. What we ultimately get is an earsore of a sonic mess. I couldn't find a clip of the performance, but here's a more subdued studio version that doesn't sound quite so bad from a then-recent album:

Also in the original episode according to tv.com:

Music:
--Gordon MacRae and Lainie Kazan do a medley of operetta songs including "The Desert Song," "Rose Marie," "Stout-Hearted Men," "Serenade," "Indian Love Call" and "Lover Come Back to Me."
--The Sugar Shoppe performs "Poor Papa" (1920's song)
Comedy:
--Charlie Manna (comedian)
Also appearing:
--Al Koran (magician-mentalist)
--Valente & Valente (balancing act).

_______

50th Anniversary Fly-on-the-Wall Listening

On July 9, another song to be released on Abbey Road takes shape:

_______

RJDiogenes said:
He just wanted it to rhyme, man-- at least according to Doonesbury.

But in Nashville Skyline even the rhyming isn't as engaging. There's nothing resembling the crazy wordplay of "Subterranean Homesick Blues"...

gblews · Jul 9, 2019

The Old Mixer said:
Previously mentioned when I first saw the Best of episode in fall of 2017 and discovered that the male singer of this obscure Canadian group was a young Victor Garber...and now available on YouTube!

When I scrolled down to this video I took one look and thought, this is going to be a disaster. But to my surprise, it wasn't half bad. The 3 singers have great voices and Save the Country is a great song (love Laura Nyro). Would never have known that was Victor Garber.

One last thing, the dude on keyboards is scary. :lol:

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