For those of you old enough to remember when the stars came out on Labor Day for a good cause, this is for you: If you weren’t there, I’m sorry for you. It was an indescribable mix of heart and schmaltz. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
"Newsview magazine is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of this mutt." How much it comes out seems to vary in an image search, but as I recall, he had some temple-graying going on as Tigh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Thunder Any time Golden Age Johnny uttered the syllables that matched his magic word, "Cei-U"--which sounded like "say you"...it summoned his eager-to-please genie-like Thunderbolt, who proceeded to cause magical mischief at Johnny's every stray suggestion. Context or inflection didn't matter, just that he strung together those syllables...which of course happened a lot. So while I type it as "Oh, Donald," an "Oh! Donald..." would work just as well going by those rules. But at least we've put women in space...whether we'll ever go back to the Moon at all is questionable, and the only people who've been there so far were all men. I probably picked this up from something that I read, but for the purpose of doing covers, Larry Williams seems to have been John's Little Richard, since Paul had a lock on the Little Richard material in the band. Longing for the day that he can join his departed love I'd describe as morbid at best. That Squadron Supreme storyline was really slow to get going thanks to the intervening combination of a parallel Kang storyline going on with another group of Avengers and a couple of fill-in issues that, IIRC, contained what was meant to be the next issue of Giant-Size Avengers before that line was discontinued...but the DC spoofery in 147-148 was pure gold. The only blemish was that both the cover blurbs were still getting them mixed up with the Squadron Sinister, and the writing inside compounded the problem, with Iron Man making references to previous encounters with the other version of Doctor Spectrum as if they were the same character. I'd considered spoofing on that! This was definitely too odd and quirky a song to make it as a single. The Jim parts sound good and prominently reference the passing of Otis Redding, but the countryish Robby vocals always sounded to me like he was spoofing on Dylan, and I have no idea what the connection would be between those two elements. It's got a good enough sign-o-the-times vibe that I got it despite it being sub-Top 30 on this side of the pond. Here I thought I'd have to tell everybody that the singer was Tony Orlando...and now I have, for those who weren't in the know! Fun fact, this wasn't his first hit...he'd scored a solo-billed Top 20 single earlier in the decade: (Charted Aug. 14, 1961; #15 US; #5 UK) This one is the last we should be hearing from The Rascals as 50th anniversary business, as it proved to be their final Top 40 single. It really is, and that's from somebody whose primary exposure to the song was this version: Yeah, the telethon was an institution for as long as I can remember...these days it feels like the holiday has lost what I always considered to be its main thing.
I had meant to comment on this one and forgot. Yeah, Smith's version of the song is pretty great. I didn't remember it until I clicked on the vid. The arrangement works and the lead vocalist can REALLY sing. The song loses none of it's passion. When it came to soulful crooning, John Lennon left nothing on the table. I googled this song just to confirm that it was a Goffin/King composition. To my shock, per Wiki, it's a Burt Bacharach song (with multiple lyricists). This does NOT sound like a Bacharach song to me. It seems like the perfect Goffin/King song. Weird, but certainly in line with the phenomenally talented Burt Bacharach. Might as well do the trifecta and post the Shirelles' original:
I never missed it. Labor Day was always about the Jerry Lewis Telethon, the new TV schedule, and back to school. I guess so, but I never would have guessed that he was 50. Ah, I see. I am apparently totally unfamiliar with this character. We shall return! Well, that too. Cheerfully morbid. Or morbidly inspirational. Or something. I never would have caught that. I think I will get it myself. I like it. It said so on the video, so I'm not sure if I would have recognized his voice on my own. The song itself sounds kind of Four Seasons-ish.
50th Anniversary Album Spotlight Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash Released May 29, 1969 Chart debut: June 28, 1969 Chart peak: #6, November 15, 1969 #259 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time CSN are often referred to as an early example of a supergroup, its members having all come from already-established hitmaking bands--The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies, respectively. Their debut album starts powerfully with the masterful "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," which would have made a far stronger lead single than the one that they chose. (Charts Oct. 4, 1969; #21 US; #418 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time) I did not know that! I've always been underwhelmed by the actual lead single, "Marrakesh Express," a goofy little ditty which Graham Nash brought with him from The Hollies...but it proved to be quite popular in these parts, so what do Iggy and I know? (Charted July 19, 1969; #28 US; #17 UK) More impressive to me is David Crosby's striking, ethereal "Guinnevere": Crosby said that it was about three women that he loved, one of whom was Joni Mitchell. Stephen Stills's "You Don't Have to Cry" has that distinctive CSN vocal/acoustic sound, and resembles parts of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," which definitely gives it a strong advantage over "Marrakesh Express". The first side closes with Nash's "Pre-Road Downs," which is the album's first rocker. As such the vocals aren't as appealing, but its chunky bass and guitar licks that are either backwards or processed to sound like they're backwards compensate handily, making it more than a match for poor "Marrakesh Express". Side two opens with "Wooden Ships," a song written by Crosby, Stills, and Paul Kantner from Jefferson Airplane. Recorded by both CSN and the Airplane, this groovy rocker portrays survivors in a hippie-flavored post-apocalyptic scenario. I'd been vaguely familiar with this song prior to getting the album, and it caught on with me more when I found that it was one of three CSN(Y) studio songs used in the Woodstock film. You know what CSN song they didn't use in the Woodstock film? Yeah, I don't have to say it, do I? If "Marrakesh Express" has one up on any other song from this album, it would be Nash's "Lady of the Island," which is a bit of a snoozer for me. At least "Marrakesh" is mildly entertaining in its half-assed manner. "Lady" goes for a soft, gentle vibe in a cloying sort of way, with none of the atmosphere of a "Guinnevere". Reportedly this is another song that was written with Joni Mitchell in mind...she was pretty popular in the group. Stills's alliteravely lyriced "Helplessly Hoping," in contrast, has that CSN three-part harmony sound going for it...so we're back to being better than "Marrakesh Express," at least. The other song from this album used in the Woodstock film is Crosby's "Long Time Gone," a pretty strong rocker with distinctive two-part harmonies in the chorus. This one might have done well as a single...it's certainly better than one single from the album that I could name. The Stills-written "49 Bye-Byes" is a good song in its own right, but not one of the stronger ones on the album to my ear. "Marrakesh Express" isn't necessarily better, but it might have made for a more distinct closer. So the common denominator in the songs that I liked least is...Graham Nash. Which is surprising, as I generally enjoyed The Hollies' major singles. The group also won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Next up: 55th Anniversary Album Spotlight--Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto, feat. Antonio Carlos Jobin _______ Yeah, her vocal style reminds me of Dusty. I believe that the expression for this sort of occasion is..."D'oh!"
An epic, unique classic. And it's actually something I did know. But it's so purely CSN. Kind of ironic, I guess, since it was written for the Hollies-- something I did not know. Such a weird, sad song. Both a sage and a muse.
When retro-worlds collide...on Labor Day: WARNING: Okoyay ingsay. (But stick around for the end anyway.) Part of my problem with it is that it doesn't sound like CSN to me, from the other songs that I know by them.
That’s what I’m talking about! Hi yo! Jerry … man, was that the most uptight intro ever? I thought he was gonna tell Lennon he had chunks of pinkos like him in his stools. Later, though, Jerry joined the fun and gave peace a chance. Send money!
I'm going to somewhat disagree with this. First, I'd add Dylan, Donovan, and Simon and Garfield as artists who were also just as important as CSN and The Band, (more important in the case of Dylan). in the early development of the singer/songwriter genre. And also, I disagree with the "sea change" comment. Blues based rock was going strong in the late 60's to early 70's with Mick and the Stones, Led Zep, and many others. Blues based rock was what the hair bands of the 70's played and they didn't peak until the mid 70's or so. The way I remember it, the singer/songwriter genre created an alternative to blues based rock rather creating a "sea change" in popular music with both running along parallel lines. I've always thought that the word "suite" was a reference to this song sounding like it is 3 different songs slapped together. Of course I could be wrong, but to me it sounds like song 1 ends at about 5:00, song 2 starts about 5:09, and song 3 starts at about 6:33. I like "Judy", but I've always had a little less respect for songs that are created from "spare parts" (or at least, when it sounds like it). It's the main reason I have never thought of "A Day In the Life" as the Beatles' greatest song.
Wow, Jerry Lewis is like... the 5th Beatle or something. Interesting. Totally different perspective there.
"It's So Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House" Originally aired March 13, 1969 The visitation happens after Donald has to cancel plans for the two of them to spend the night visiting Ann's parent's in Brewster because of an assignment. Ann actually doesn't recognize her visitor as a mouse...she exaggerates its size and appearance to Donald on the phone. But once Donald comes over, she doesn't want to kill it. So they switch apartments for the night, and Mr. Marie comes by the next morning to find Donald answering the door in his underwear. Of course, nobody gets around to explaining the situation before he starts going on about the need for a shotgun wedding in Baltimore. Feeling the need to prove the existence of the mouse to her father, Ann calls an exterminator (Bill Bramley), but he leaves when she explains that she just wants him to expose it and "shoo it away" without harming it. Finally, when Ann's convinced that her father believes her and Donald, Donald comes out of the kitchen with the mouse dangling in his hand, frightening both of the Maries. In the coda, Ann goes into a panic again when she sees the mouse being kept in a cage in Donald's apartment. Definitely kinda meh generic sitcom stuff here. "Oh, Donald" count: 7 "Oh, Daddy" count: 2 _______ "Bad Day at Marvin Gardens" Originally aired March 20, 1969 That's Ann collecting rain water in a pot for washing her hair. We get a good look at Ann's hall closet shelf, which is where she keeps her games for the purpose of this episode, but her can of flour and her records are nowhere to be seen. The haggling over familiar Monopoly properties is kind of amusing. I have to wonder if this was deliberate product placement. Later at a Broadway show, Lew's still trying to persuade Donald to sell him Marvin Gardens. Ultimately the situation causes Lew to get into a fight with Helen, causing him to get his own hotel room. When Ann wants to call her father to tell him how silly he's being, Donald stops her, expressing his understanding of Mr. Marie's pride and principles. By the end, we find Lew and Donald bonding over their mutual competition in the game. "Oh, Donald" count: 0 "Oh, Daddy" count: 2 (One sounded more like an "aw," but the closed captioning said "oh".) _______ "Sue Me, Sue Me, What Can You Do Me?" Originally aired March 27, 1969 (Season 3 finale) Lew slips in the hall because of a puddle left by a leaky water cooler. While he goes uncredited, the janitor at Newsview is Len Lesser, Jerry Seinfeld's Uncle Leo. Lew's perfectly willing to sign the waiver when Jerry Bauman stirs him up on the issue of potential future complications. Newsview puts pressure on Donald, suspecting that he's involved in collusion. The publisher gives Donald a speech about how the company is like a family, but doesn't know his name, and Donald quits. Mr. Marie tries to get him his job back but it doesn't help. But Donald's editor, who insists that he really runs the magazine, feels differently about the situation and convinces Donald to stay. In the end, Jerry slips and falls in the same spot. Hall closet shelf continuity: The games are still there. "Oh, Donald" count: 2 "Oh, Daddy" count: 1 "Oh, Dr. Heindorf" count: 1 _______ The even earlier development, perhaps. One can always go back a little further, but CSN and The Band would be more immediate influences on early '70s music. I'll agree with that. The singer/songwriter thing was very prevalent in the early '70s, but it wasn't the only game in town. Four segments, actually. My mileage varies...something like "Suite" has more of a classical vibe. 1972's a bit late for that...he'll have to settle for being the Second Yoko.
Another opportunity for a genre version of That Girl. It would certainly be a lot better than everybody indulging Mr. Marie's painfully Victorian sexual mores. Or maybe they're just messing with him to see if he'll die of a heart attack or something. "Exterminator" was a bad choice then . "Mouse Whisperer" would have been better. No, "Oh, a mouse?" Does she have Mouse Trap? Apparently, Ann wants a guy just like the guy that married dear old Mom. Pay up, Newsview. Still kind of a step up.
50th Anniversary Cinematic Special Alice's Restaurant Directed by Arthur Penn Starring Arlo Guthrie, Pat Quinn, James Broderick, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and William Obanhein Released August 19, 1969 1970 Academy Award Nominee for Best Director I was not overly familiar with the 18-1/2-minute song upon which the film is based, though I was generally aware of its status as a Thanksgiving tradition for some, and familiarized myself with it via YouTube prior to watching the film (the song being of such length that iTunes doesn't allow it to be purchased as an individual track). The song was a humorous account of actual events in Guthrie's life, and the film in turn was more loosely based on Guthrie's life via its adaptation of the song. Most of the dramatic storylines involving Alice (Pat Quinn), Ray (James Broderick), and Ray's addict friend Shelly (Michael McClanathan) was strictly scripted for the film. Note that I'd be inclined to post the song here for reference, but it includes an account of somebody using the f****t slur, which is against board policy. The film starts with Arlo trying to evade the draft by enrolling in a Montana college, but that doesn't work out when he faces a rough time from local citizens and law enforcement. Like Easy Rider, this film plays up the clash between conservative rural America and the counterculture. It's not like Arlo's actual life, however, as the incidents depicted in the film causing Arlo to leave Montana didn't happen. Over the course of the film Arlo makes multiple visits to his bedridden father, Woody (Joseph Boley), who dies during the story. In real life, Woody Guthrie passed in 1967. During one visit, Arlo accompanies folk legend Pete Seeger, as himself, playing for Woody: (Unfortunately, that video has that annoying effect going on that makes it look like the background is moving behind the characters.) We also see Arlo performing in the film while playing gigs. And the chorus of the song appears in-story as a local radio commercial jingle that Arlo records for Ray and Alice. The garbage dump incident, which kicks off the chain of events described in the song, happens halfway into the film. Said events are, as in the song, played up for absurdity. [Arlo hands a clerk his urine sample.] Clerk: That ain't enough. Arlo: That's all I had. There are more serious antiwar beats to be found as well, such as a friend just out of the Army who now has a hook for a hand. During the trial, the evidence is described in Arlo's narration as being 8 x 10 color glossy photographs, as in the song, but the pictures that we see onscreen are in black and white. Of note, Officer Obie is played by William Obanhein, the actual police chief who arrested Arlo and a friend for the dumping incident. In contrast to the humorous events of the song, the added dramatic storyline involving Alice, Ray, and Shelly feels like it wants to be in its own film. The climactic hippie wedding at the deconsecrated church where Alice and Ray live is based on an actual event, however. One item that really stood out for me...at Shelly's funeral, Tigger Outlaw (apparently known mainly for appearing in this film; perhaps related to Geoff Outlaw, who played Roger Crowther) performs a Joni Mitchell song called "Songs to Aging Children Come," which I found hauntingly familiar, causing me to wonder when I might have heard it before. Possibly going way back to early childhood? Joni's original: Overall, I found this film to be a decent contributor to the immersive sign-o-the-timesiness, though it isn't playing on the same field as the likes of Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy. And the song's story did grow on me via its retelling in the film. _______ I meant band-wise, not, y'know... The exterminator did make a crack about Ann needing a guy with a flute and a funny hat. Nope, a couple of presumably made up games and Monopoly. Quite likely, now that you mention it. Harsh.
I wouldn't call it a Thanksgiving tradition for me, although I do like the song. It would probably be obvious if I saw it, but right now I have no idea what that's supposed to be. When I write my autobiography, it's going to be legendary. It's the drugs, man. Now that's cool. I'm not familiar with that one. Sounds like fun, although I am very opposed to littering. Well, I'm not French.
55 Years Ago This Week Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week: Leaving the chart: "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," Solomon Burke (8 weeks) "Handy Man," Del Shannon (10 weeks) "I'll Keep You Satisfied," Billy J. Kramer w/ The Dakotas (7 weeks) "I Wanna Love Him So Bad," The Jelly Beans (12 weeks) "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)," Jan & Dean (11 weeks) "Rag Doll," The Four Seasons (12 weeks) "Steal Away," Jimmy Hughes (12 weeks) "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)," The Rolling Stones (10 weeks) "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am," Nancy Wilson (11 weeks) Recent and new on the chart: "Rhythm," Major Lance (Aug. 22; #24 US; #3 R&B) "From a Window," Billy J. Kramer w/ The Dakotas (Aug. 22; #23 US; #10 UK; written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney--really Paul) "Tobacco Road," The Nashville Teens (#14 US; #6 UK) "Little Honda," The Hondells (#9 US; written by Brian Wilson & Mike Love) "Come a Little Bit Closer," Jay & The Americans (#3 US) Total Beatles songs on the chart: 7 _______ It's a tradition for some radio stations to play it on the holiday, which is how I heard part of the song once. This likely goes back to closer to its original release, when it's said to have been big on freeform radio. The word's more benign definition is "a bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel." He said something to the effect that he'd rather make a fool of himself than have somebody else make a fool of him. Now I did have the film on in the background on Decades years back, so the song may have caught my attention then...but this felt different. It was like a fairly intense deja vu moment. I may look into that album just based on that song.
One of my favorite of Chuck's classics. I mean REALLY Paul. The song sounds SO Paul and I just love it. I had completely forgotten "From a Window" and how much I used to love it, until I clicked on the vid. Perfectly crafted little pop song. One of those corny little pop tunes that I liked back in the day, but would have been loathe to admit I liked back in the day.