Picking the ’70s Christmas record that’s most enjoyable cut after cut, start to finish, is more about the memories associated with it and less about the quality of the tunes.

Truth be told, that’s probably the case with our favorite ’80s record, sampled in Vol. 35. Listening to Alexander O’Neal’s “My Gift To You” brings back good memories of Christmases in the first house we owned, a rambling 1920s-era two-story on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin.

It was the late ’80s. The lovely Janet and I were just married. It was a time when we started to forge traditions that were ours, distinct from those of our families.

That’s why picking that most enjoyable ’70s Christmas record was easy. We listened to it then, too.

“A Motown Christmas” was one of the first Christmas records I ever bought. I picked it up about 30 years ago at Prange’s, a big regional department store, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where I was going to college. We’d always had Christmas records at home, and I figured it was time to have my own.

There’s something for everyone on “A Motown Christmas.” I like some songs. Janet likes others. It has sophisticated songs. It has kids’ songs.

But as I sat down and surfed through the iTunes, I realized I most enjoy “A Motown Christmas” as presented on the record, in that particular order, rather than as individual, random cuts. Out of order, it somehow doesn’t hold up as well. It isn’t the soundtrack to my memories.

So here, in a most particular order, are three from under our tree.

“Someday at Christmas,” Stevie Wonder. It’s the title track from Wonder’s 1967 Christmas record. It’s a Motown original, written by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells. “Someday at Christmas/there’ll be no wars.” Sadly, that message hasn’t aged a day.

“Frosty the Snowman” the Jackson 5. On which the other Jacksons take a few well-deserved turns with the lead vocals before Michael steals the show in the final minute. It’s from “The Jackson 5 Christmas Album” from 1970.

“Jingle Bells,” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. Cool, laid-back vocals backed by the Funk Brothers’ guitars and drums. It’s from “The Season for Miracles,” their 1970 Christmas record.

They are the third, fourth and fifth cuts from Side 3 of “A Motown Christmas,” 1973. This two-record set is out of print but is available digitally.

Another good long-player from the ’70s (and another guilty pleasure) is “Christmas Jollies” by the Salsoul Orchestra, from 1976. It’s chock full of tunes done in the style of the day. I’ve had “Peace Is ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’” by the Edwin Hawkins Singers for only a couple of weeks, but that 1972 record measures up as well. We sampled it in Vol. 32.

Next up, a good one from the ’60s.

Actors: Belmondo Jean-Paul,Caprioli Vittorio,Meyer Hans,Garcin Bruno,Gerome Raymond,Lefebvre Jean,Weber Andre,Deschamps Hubert,Musson Bernard,Barrera Rene,Puebla Rodrigo,Rambal Jean-Pierre,Comedy,

French speakers: Can someone check this for me please?
I had to write a few sentences using the past tense for a French project I have to do. I wrote them, but all I need to do is check to see if I did it all right. I’m only a level 2 French student, so please, bare with me here lol ^ – ^

Le Voyage Au Japon

Bonjour, Je m’appelle Akita Suzuki. Aujourd’hui je vous invite avec moi dans le passe. On a voyage au Japon!

Je me suis reveille a 6h avec ma soeur. Tu t’appele Mimi. Elle a 6 ans. Tres mignon mais penible.

Nous sommes partis pour Tokyo a 12h. (Mimi a mange des bonbons pour le petit dejeuner.)

Nous sommes arrive a Palace Hotel vers 2h. Mon petite soeur, elle s’est endomi en le sofa.

Plus tard sur, nous sommes visite un Tokyo Tower. C’etait magnifique! Et enorme! C’etait tres coloree aussi.

Aussi, nous sommes visite Harajuku District, Takeshita Dori et un
Togo Shrine. Nous avons pense c’etait plus cool.

Nous avons mange au Kana Uni. C’est delicious! Mimi aime il!

Nous sommes visite Mount Fuji.

Nous sommes retournees a France.

If there is anything I could add or change to make it better, please don’t be afraid to tweak it ^ – ^ You’ll get credit for all that you help me with, promise ^ – ^

THANKS!!!!
Thank you SaThie ^-^

A 6h, ma s?ur et moi, nous nous sommes reveillees. Elle s’appelle Mimi. Elle a 6 ans. Tres mignonne, mais aussi tres penible.

Nous sommes parties pour Tokyo a 12h. (Mimi a mange des bonbons pour le petit dejeuner.)

Nous sommes arrivees au Palace Hotel vers 2h. Ma petite s?ur s�est endormie sur le sofa.

Plus tard, nous avons visite le Tokyo Tower. C’etait magnifique ! Et enorme ! C’etait aussi tres colore.

Nous avons aussi visite le quartier Harajuku, Takeshita Dori et un reliquaire Togo. Nous avons pense que c’etait le plus cool.

Nous avons mange au Kana Uni. C’etait delicieux ! Mimi a aime aussi !

Apres, nous avons visite le Mont Fuji.

A la fin nous sommes retournees en France.

Only some little changes and corrections

SaThie | Mar 30, 2009

Click on the above picture to enlarge

Artist: Ray Francis
Release: An Olde Tyme Christmas
Format: LP Album
Year: 1973

Home: Chatham Ontario Canada
Label: Marathon Music INC.
Genre: Country Music
Cover photo by: John Haslip

Discography as of 1973:
Ray Francis and the Whippoorwills – 1963 – Country Jamboree
The Whippoorwills – 1964 – The Whippoorwills
Ray Francis -1973 – The Countrey Way
Ray Francis – 1973 – An Olde Tyme Christmas

Liner Notes from Ray Francis.
  Here is a selection of Christmas Songs that have long been favourites of mine year after year.
  In this album you will experience the many moods of Christmas from Joy and Hope, Love and Laughter, to Peace on Earth and Good Will to all men.
  I hope there is something for everyone in the twelve songs of Christams I have chosen for both the young and the old.
  A Merry Christmas to one and all.
Ray Francis

Ray was born Feb. 9th 1931.

_________________________

Actors: Dale Jim,Milligan Spike,Bluthal John,Rossington Norman,O’Shea Milo,Beaumont Richard,Landen Dinsdale,Morgan Garfield,Spinetti Victor,Towb Harry,Warren Kenneth J.,Todd Bob,Family,Fantasy,Sci-Fi,Comedy,

Glastonbury Festival 2007 full lineup?

June 2007
Pyramid Stage
Friday 22 June
Arctic Monkeys – confirmed
Kasabian – confirmed
The Fratellis – confirmed
Bloc Party – confirmed
The Magic Numbers – confirmed
Amy Winehouse – confirmed
Gogol Bordello – confirmed
The Earlies – confirmed
The View – confirmed
Adjagas – confirmed
Saturday 23 June
The Killers – confirmed
The Kooks – confirmed
Paul Weller – confirmed
Paolo Nutini – confirmed
Lily Allen – confirmed
Dirty Pretty Things – confirmed
Guillemots – confirmed
The Pipettes – confirmed
Seasick Steve – confirmed
Liz Green – confirmed
Sunday 24 June
The Who – confirmed
Kaiser Chiefs – confirmed
Manic Street Preachers – confirmed
Shirley Bassey – confirmed
James Morrison – confirmed
Pyramid Stage
Sunday 24 June
Damian Marley – confirmed
Stephen Marley – confirmed
The Waterboys – confirmed
Corb Lund – confirmed
National Youth Orchestra – confirmed
Other Stage
Friday 22 June
Bjork – confirmed
Arcade Fire – confirmed
Rufus Wainwright – confirmed
The Coral – confirmed
Super Furry Animals – confirmed
Bright Eyes – confirmed
The Automatic – confirmed
Modest Mouse – confirmed
The Cribs – confirmed
Reverend And The Makers – confirmed
Mr Hudson and the Library – confirmed
Saturday 23 June
Iggy & the Stooges – confirmed
Editors – confirmed
Maximo Park – confirmed
Babyshambles – confirmed
Klaxons – confirmed
CSS – confirmed
Biffy Clyro – confirmed
The Long Blondes – confirmed
Brakes – confirmed

raysny | Jun 10, 2007

The BBC has the best overal glasters website

http://bbc.co.uk/glastonbury

Looks like its going to be a wet one
Janet A | Jun 11, 2007

Horror Express, also known as Pánico en el Transiberiano, is a 1973 Spanish horror film directed by Eugenio Martin, written by Arnaud d’Usseau and Julian Zimet (credited as Julian Halevy), and starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas.

Cast
  Cristopher Lee … Prof. Sir Alexander Saxton
  Peter Cushing … Dr. Wells
  Alberto de Mendoza … Father Pujardov
  Silvia Tortosa … Countess Irina Petrovska
  Julio Peña … Inspector Mirov
  Angel del Pozo … Yevtushenko
  Helga Liné … Natasha
  Alice Reinheart … Miss Jones
  José Jaspe … Conductor Koniev
  Jorge Rigaud … Count Maryan Petrovski

Silvia Tortosa as Countess Irina Petrovska

Trivia:

Amazon Specials!

This is just an attempt at putting some thoughts together to see if they make sense.

First, the background for 1973-1976 developments is Sarit’s regime and Sarit’s legacy. Though there’s not much good to say about him, he nevertheless instilled some very deep values in the generation that played a major part in how 70s turned up for Thailand.

Sarit was a strongman in every sense, completely dominating political scene. In fact he simply outlawed politics altogether. With a man like Sarit in charge there was no need for things like parliament, and there was no need for any checks and balances. He was incorruptible, dedicated, selfless servant of the nation and the King. Whether he lived up to this image is not the point – people believed it and they cherished it. Sarit brought the monarchy back into the center of “Thainess”, making it a symbol of the state and everything good in the world, monarchy was again inviolable and indispensable. Sarit also showed no mercy to “troublemakers”, I think he even executed a few himself. Sacrificing troublemakers lives for the betterment of the nation, in the name of unity and the King, was deemed acceptable and no one gave it a second thought.

Sarit’s reign also coincided with Americanization of the country, when the US made Thailand it’s strongest ally in South East Asia. In exchange Thailand got growing investments, then Vietnam war brought in even more, and good times rolled. The country boomed, Americans built roads to Eastern borders and with that came even more development, spreading deeper into the countryside. Everything was on the up, up, up.

Then Thanom-Prapas took over, continuing in the same vein, but without Sarit’s charisma and public presence.

Middle classes expanded tremendously during those years, people really started to think they could climb up the social ladder and get rich. Education was also booming with university enrollment doubling and tripling every couple of years. Middle classes thought their kids would really really make it big, any moment, aspirations were set really really high.

Then the reality asserted itself.

First there were allegations of corruption against Thanom and Prapas. Perhaps people didn’t want a repeat of embarrassment of disclosure of Sarit’s assets after his demise, perhaps it was toying with democracy in the form of national assembly (Thanom-Prapas staged a coup against their own government and dissolved the parliament), but they were not going to tolerate these two one way or another, then Thanom’s son married Prapas daughter and it became Thanom-Prapas-Narong evil trio.

That brought 1973. While the movement was spearheaded by the students, the vast majority of protesters were middle class, respectable citizens. When half a million of well dressed and well mannered people took to the streets the establishment couldn’t ignore it. So there was “people revolution”, it was exhilarating, but while the notion of benevolent dictatorship has quietly disappeared, people were not prepared to ditch its values, and they had no idea where to go from there, and so from then on it got only worse.

First there was the worldwide oil crisis that drove inflation up and the investments and land speculation down, and the boom as people knew it was basically over. Then Americans started losing the Vietnam war, Thais were left to themselves, and it wasn’t very promising. Then Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia fell into communist hands and Thais were really scared they would be next as communist insurgency was raging through the countryside.

Internally, students who were leaders of 1973 uprising were taking a very anti-American stance, following their counterparts on campuses in the US. That was alarming.

Another major problem is that culturally students didn’t turn out as middle classes expected them to be. In Sarit’s days “student” was a status symbol, students were supposed to enter the sacred halls of bureaucracy and become model citizens. Instead middle classes were confronted with generation of free thinkers who didn’t display any outward respect to the monarchy and analyzed reverent Thai history in terms of class struggles and parallels with Europe. That was shocking. This new generation was very anti-establishment, the same establishment parents groomed them to be the best part of.

The growth in student population during economic crisis also meant many of them were unemployed, or even unemployable.

Another disturbing feature of post 1973 period was tremendous growth in labor strikes. In Sarit’s days unions were outlawed, strikes were unimaginable, and punishment was death. Instead middle classes were forced to endure personal inconvenience, losses in profits, increased wages, absolute impunity, and some unkempt, good for nothing layabouts arguing that this is the way it should be.

It’s in this soil that the right-wing establishment planted the seeds of 1976 crackdown. They came up with their own propaganda – people should unite around Nation-Religion-King triplet and good old values so that the country can pull through the crisis together and fight off communist malaise.

There was nothing scientific or rational about it – the country was supposed to be saved through faith and sacrifices, the country was punished and it needed to be put back on the straight path.

It worked brilliantly. It appealed to people’s core values and memories, and it strengthened itself by offering a “full package” in form of various Village Scouts, Red Gaurs, Nawapon and other popular organizations. Many of those groups were acting as social clubs where disillusioned people got their doze of nationalism, monarchism, traditional culture, songs and stage performances etc. The leaders were local pooyais and hi-so and I suppose membership was somewhat prestigious.

When crisis fully hit and they were told horror stories about what’s to come, and there was a need to blame someone for it, guess who was at the top of their list, edging out Chinese and Vietnamese? Students and the leftist movement in general.

That strategy assured middle class support for the crackdown. The muscle itself came in the form or Nawapon and Krating Daeng (Red Gaurs).

For Nawapon the establishment recruited vocational students, playing up on their second class status and higher unemployment rates. They were offered a chance to get back at their “superior” university counterparts, and they were enticed with the offer of the same goodies their parents wanted them to enjoy – money, booze, brothels, good life. For some reason violence was in these guys nature, when not fighting leftists they were busy bashing each other (and they still do, in 21st century).

Red Gaurs were established by Border Patrol Police, had people close to royal family, and they were driven by pure ideological hatred.

Nawapon and Red Gaurs were armed to the teeth and between 1973 and 1976 they attacked and killed a number of students and leftists, and the police couldn’t touch them. They were practically flaunting their untouchable status.

Ideological connection with middle classes prevented any serious public backlash, and so the right wing was fully prepared to unleash the horror of 6 October, 1976.

People like Samak, with unquestionable loyalty to the Nation-Religion-King, resolute and merciless to enemies were the heroes, and people voted for them with their hearts, and it stayed in their memory for decades – Samak won over a million of Bangkok votes in 2000 elections, people still don’t care about several hundred dead students.

Samak was literally the voice of their hearts back then, and he was no doubt articulate, witty, and intelligent, and they couldn’t accept that he might have been wrong.

After 1976 Nawapon and Red Gaurs were sent off to fight communists, and Village Scouts disappeared themselves, as far as I know. The whole massacre episode was rather embarrassing and was left unspoken, a quiet admission that it was a mistake. Thais don’t do soul cleansing very well, it’s not Christianity with it’s value of confessions, people deal with sins in a different way here.

It’s December and the winter weather has arrived, so here’s something to warm the cockles of your heart.

Barry White’s vocal backing trio consisted of Glodean James (who he married), her sister Linda James and Diane Taylor. Their first hit was Walking In The Rain With The One I Love – weather was obviously a big topic with these ladies!

It May Be Winter Outside was a bigger hit over here than in the States, reaching number 11. If you look on YouTube you can also see a version with the ladies performing the song but I chose this version to send early Christmas greetings to our readers ;o)

Pink Floyd:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9SW0KG8V

CLICK FOR TRAILER

What?

The belief in evil – and that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith, author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin wove The Exorcist, the frightening and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity.

Academy Award-winner Friedkin, who introduces the film and supervised this new video transfer from restored picture and audio elements, gets effective performances from Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow and Lee J. Cobb. Winner of 1973 Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Sound, The Exorcist remains, 25 years later, one of the most shocking and gripping movies ever made.

Where?

At home.

With?

A massive headache.

Why?

I’ve never seen any of the sequels and it’s been about 15 years since I’ve seen this one, so I’m going to start from the beginning and make my way through the series.

Worth It?

The first time I watched it, it was my birthday and I was in a group of about 16 people. I found the movie to be quite embarrassingly dated, not remotely scary and actually quite laughable.

I’m (slightly) more mature now and I can see just why this is treated as a classic, because with experience I can see just why this movie is so damn creepy. You can really tap into the helplessness that Chris is going through as well as the mourning of Father Karras, these themes weren’t apparant when you’re 12 and you’re after cheap scares.

The effects still hold up well, and the finale is fantastically shot as well as being a pretty big pay off to a story that grows tensor with every scene.

Highly recommend and I look forward to part 2, which I’ve heard some OK things about.

8/10

[Edit: Sorry.  This was supposed to post on the 17th, and I know it did because I saw it... but then Loren was like, why haven't you posted?  And I checked again and then saw that somehow this was only a draft... so here's a new-old post... sorry again.]

Today was the 36th anniversary of an important event in modern Greek history, and I thought it might be interesting for people back home to know more about it and Athens.

In 1967, the military took control of Greece and established a military dictatorship, exiling the king and contemporary politicians.  As in most military dictatorships, the government did not allow a particularly large amount of freedom for the people.  By 1973, the situation in Greece had declined considerably, and the students of Greece’s Polytechnic University (as one of my professors put it, the Greek MIT) began a revolt, demanding “Bread, Education, and Freedom.”

They locked themselves inside the school, located next to the now National Archaeological Museum, and began an illegal radio station on which they called for people to join their protest.  During the day, they did what protesting they could without getting arrested, though apparently they were frequently harassed and abused by the police.  By night, they stayed inside to be safe.  Doctors and other civilians would sneak into the school with supplies and food to help the injured.

On the night of the 16th, it was apparent that things would come to a head.  The police had lost control of the situation and the government ordered the military to advance on the school.  The students barricaded themselves in by moving the cars of the administrators in front of the gates.  In the middle of the night, tanks rolled down the streets and the military ordered the surrender of the students who, of course, refused.  So the tanks rolled into the school and past the car barricade.  How many people were killed inside is still contested greatly.  I heard from two different CYA faculty two different stories.  One said hundreds died inside the school, the other that no one inside died but there were collateral casualties from the gunfire, etc.  A book with pictures taken (illegally) by journalists hiding in nearby buildings had a list in the back of 56 people who have since been reported as being killed in the event.  However, the real number will probably never be known since families who were missing children could not come forward immediately to report their relatives missing since they would have been arrested.

My Modern Greek professor was a child at the time and lived right down the street from the Polytechnic.  She said that following the tank attack, hundreds of the protesters who escaped sneaked into the building and were housed by people in the apartment building, or just slept on the stairs.  The doctors in residence were using personal supplies to tend to the wounded in the stairwells, in the pitch black since they had to keep all lights off to avoid notice by the police or military.  In the morning, the government announced military control of the city.  Citizens were only allowed outside at certain times of the day, schools were closed down, etc.

The students who escaped hid amongst people who were sympathetic to their cause for days, until they could blend in with others and move to new safe houses.  They could not return home since the government knew who many of them were through under cover cops or informants.

In 1974, the military dictatorship gave control of the country back to the exiled politicians (though by popular vote, the monarchy part of the former government was never restored), apparently because they recognized that they had made such a mess of things that they could no longer even pretend to be in control.  And thus was democracy established in modern Greece.

Ever since then, on November 17th, the people of Athens march from the Polytechnic University all the way to the American Embassy.  Usually, the demonstration is peaceful.  The way my Modern Greek professor explained it is that the demonstrators themselves are peaceful, but there are terrorist (anarchic, fascist, communist, etc.) groups that use the march as a cover for violent acts.  Typically these involve smashing car or building windows, setting fire to trash cans, and things of the sort.  The police are then forced to react, and it is this reaction that sometimes provokes mass riots involving tear gas and the like.

As far as I know, this year the demonstration was completely peaceful.  To be honest, I haven’t seen anything on the news at all, but there has been nothing terribly out of the ordinary around the city.  More police around, of course, and the main streets were closed since we’re close enough to the march’s path that they have to be.

To close, the reason the protest ends at the U.S. Embassy every year is because the Greeks perceive (and most agree, though the actual facts on this matter are blurry) that during the military dictatorship, the U.S. government, through the CIA, supported the junta.  In an effort to keep communism out of Greece, the U.S. policy ended up supporting an oppressive regime.

ASSALTO no canavial. Direção, produção e roteiro: Mário Jorge Calheiros Feijó. Elenco: Antônio Nelson, Mário Feijó, Cleide Santos, Carlos Sarmento e Vanilda Sarmento. Capela-AL. 1973. Média-metragem (25min), sonoro, ficção, Super 8 (câmera Kodak).

Sinopse: História de um padre trambiqueiro que aplica golpes, tem uma bíblia com revólver dentro, faz um pequeno assalto no meio dos canaviais e foge com a mulher do fazendeiro.

I really wanted to represent David Bowie somewhere on this weblog at some point, because the guy is just so damn cool. Unfortunately, I’m a bit of a newcomer to his sound, and I don’t actually have (though I have heard) his Ziggy Stardust album. I do, however, have his so-called “sequel” album to that, Aladdin Sane, so I guess we’d better talk about it then:

Really, I probably should have picked a more popular Bowie album to heap praises upon, but I haven’t heard anything from the man I haven’t liked yet, and this album is no exception. It’s the direct follow-up to Ziggy Stardust, and has been treated as a “sequel” by people who like to use the word “sequel” when it comes to albums. The actual writing of the songs that weren’t already written by The Rolling Stones were written while Bowie was on tour promoting his hugely popular previous album.

Having just started reading about this album, it seems that critics can’t seem to make anything of it. Some think it’s half terrible, and others think it’s half brilliant. Personally, I don’t know enough about David Bowie to hate any of this album. I think the songs themselves are really great, and who knows maybe there’s some “derivative” work here, I’m too busy enjoying the whole thing to care. So, as opposed to being “fair” or “critical” of this album, which really isn’t my style anyway, I’ll tell you what I like about it.

The album caught my attention immediately when I blasted “Watch That Man”, because I had to check my Winamp, thinking “Oh sorry that’s The Rolling Stones”. Turns out I’m wrong! It’s a guitar and piano blues-rock fest much in the style of something the Stones would have done (indeed Bowie was something at least one of the Stones has done ooooooh that’s freaky). Indeed, the voice is unmistakably Bowie, unmistakably buried underneath the mix, and I was quite confused by this, so I checked Wikipedia and it turns out they agree with me on both counts. Well, Bowie or Stones, I love this kind of music, I don’t care who’s making it.

I will say, however, that the second track is where the album really comes alive for me. The title track  had me thinking one thing and one thing alone: “Holy crap what a piano solo!” As it turns out, this is the most cliché thing I could have possibly thought to myself about this song, as Bowie reportedly has never gone a week without being asked about the piano solo on this particular song. It has to be heard to be believed, folks. Basically, it’s the most messed up, musically complex to the point of seeming random piece of piano work I’ve ever heard, and I’m a Gentle Giant fan, kids. It sounds basically like a cat chasing a helicopter around the keyboard. The rest of the song is awesome too, but really this is one of those stand-out piano tracks. Just… try to refrain from asking Bowie himself about it, he’s probably sick of that now.

Similarly, “Time” is a track that heavily leans on piano, recalling a kind of rag-time era sound, only more bizarre and manic. As if that wasn’t enough, there are dual guitars, which is always fun. This song isn’t the only use of old-timey sounds either, “Drive-In Saturday” recalls a kind of doo-wop sound if it were done in the year 2000 (the future) with the sounds of lasers and flying cars like what we have. It’s also about people learning how to have sex from pornography, which is pretty cool I guess!

Speaking of The Rolling Stones and piano and lasers, those are about the only 3 words I can legally use to describe Bowie’s cover of “Let’s Spend The Night Together”, but at the risk of legal prosecution, I will also say that this cover is way better than the original at least by virtue of being way faster and Bowie-tastic.

One song that really resonated well with me is the final track, “Lady Grinning Soul”. When I think about what the words “avant-garde” mean to me, I often come up with the wrong definition, but the music I picture is a lot like this tune. It’s an ultra-smooth minor-key tune with echoey vocals, excellent instrumentation bringing in horns and really fancy piano (seriously this may be one of my favorite “piano” albums ever) against an acoustic guitar and delicate bass-line. The melody is to die for, and though people say things like “James Bond” when they mention the melody, I don’t really hear it, but I’m not a big Bond fan I guess.

Oh, and before I forget, there is another song that also struck quite a chord with me, the Bo-Diddley-beat-driven “Panic In Detroit” (have I ever mentioned how much I love the Diddley beat?) The song has a great vocal melody (albeit pushed way in the background again), and a great use of the legendary bomp-bomp-bomp … bomp-bomp beat, but the real star of the show is the amazing guitar solo that eats its way into the song in the last minute. It’s not that it’s a technically proficient guitar solo (it’s basically noise), but that noise is just beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful noise, the song that appears right after that, “Cracked Actor”, is kind of a mess. I do enjoy the song, but yeah guitar feedback kind of crowds the foreground at various points, and harmonica (which can easily be mistaken for more guitar feedback) fills things up as well. I like the song, all right, it’s just one that you may have to turn down for Grandma, is all I’m saying, especially since it’s all about prostitutes, and your Grandma would probably not want to be reminded of her past.

Anyway, that’s all but a couple of songs, but those songs are good too. Again, I’m finding it really hard to say anything overtly negative about this album. About the worst that anyone can come up with is that it’s not Ziggy Stardust and really, there are many worse albums by many worse artists that hold that same distinction.

So, until next time!

Jim Croce nasce a Filadelfia il 10 gennaio 1943 e muore il 20 settembre 1973 in un incidente aereo. Aveva 30 anni.

Jim a 17 anni entra negli Spires (guidati da Tommy West). Il gruppo, che è un classico chorus group ispirato al modello dei New Christ Minstrels e che nel 1963 realizza un Lp.

Nel 1965 Jim viene scelto dalla National Student Association per partecipare ad una tournée in Medio Oriente e in Africa, e l’anno dopo sposa Ingrid Jacobsen, cantante e chitarrista.

Tommy West, che lavora per la ABC, invita Jim e Ingrid a New York e li fa suonare nei più noti locali della città,  dove Jim diventa una piccola rarità, cantando tranquille ballate blues che arrivano più al cuore che al cervello. Nel 1969, dopo aver catturato l’attenzione di Nick Venet, arrivano alla Capitol e produco il loro primo LP in coppia: Approaching day.

L’album risulta un poco approssimativo e, deluso dall’insuccesso, Jim ritorna a Filadelfia e riesce a scrivere molte canzoni d’ispirazione country. Accompagnando l’ottimo chitarrista Maury Muehleisen nella compilazione dell’album Gigerbread (Capitol 1970), riesce a migliorare e perfeziona quella sua particolare vena compositiva che lo farà poi diventare celebre. Con Muehleisen alla chitarra e prodotto da Tommy West, viene realizzato nel 1972 l’album “You don’t mess around with Jim“, caratterizzato da una delicata e malinconica vena folk, con semplici arrangiamenti arricchiti da tocchi orchestrali e con la nitida voce di Jim in primo piano.

Le vendite finalmente arrivano, grazie anche al buon lancio di supporto di due singoli, uno dei quali “You don’t mess around with Jim” riesce a raggiungere il numero 8 in classifica USA. Confortato dal successo, Jim si butta a capofitto nel lavoro e l’anno dopo esce il nuovo LP “Life and time” che vende ancora di più, scalando la classifica fino al 7° posto. Il singolo proposto, con la spiritosa “Bad bad Leroy Brown” arriva addirittura al numero 1.

Era il 1973 e nel Tour organizzato per lui le sale da concerto erano sempre esaurite; Jim finalmente poteva godersi un pò del meritato successo, ma il 20 settembre, l’aereo che trasportava Jim Croce e Maury Muehleisen si schianta vicino alla città di Natchitoches, in Louisiana.

Pochi giorni dopo esce l’album “I got a name”, subito numero 2 in classifica USA e disco d’oro, mentre la canzone omonima e Time in a bottle (tema del film TV She lives) arrivano entrame al numero 1 in classifica singoli USA.

Jim Croce diviene subito un piccolo “cult” della musica folk, e le sue canzoni vengo riproposte con una certa regolarità nelle varie antologie proposte dalle case discografiche.

Jim Croce era un cantante di talento e un ottimo scrittore di testi; suonava il pianoforte, la chitarra e l’armonica. Qualcuno dice che quando è morto doveva ancora scrivere le sue opere migliori, qualcuno dice che, come spesso accade, è stata la sua morte a dare popolarità alle sue canzoni. Io penso che Jim abbia scritto alcune pregievoli melodie e stava ancora maturando, quando la morte repentina gli impedì, forse, di diventare ciò che Simon e Garfunkel erano stati per la generazione precedente.

Discografia essenziale:

Approaching day (1969, Capitol)
You don’t mess around with Jim (1972, ABC)
Life and time (1973, ABC)
I got a name (1973, ABC)

Jim Croce Official Website

*Jakarta Globe, 13 December 2008

It is noon when Christine Hakim makes an entrance on the staircase of a hotel on Bali Island. The weather is balmy and the air has a faint smell of salt. Hakim wears a batik shirt with a cloud pattern and a jade-green lizard-skin tote bag slung over her shoulder. Her signature streak of green hair is barely noticeable when pulled tightly back.
Hakim runs into Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, who has just addressed a conference, at the reception desk.
The press immediately swarm around them. “Mbak Christine!” the photographers and journalists call out.
Hakim answers questions with good humor and the poise that comes from being in the public eye for more than three decades.
“There is still no one in the film industry who can rival her,” whispers a journalist.

Since Hakim launched her acting career in Teguh Karya’s “Cinta Pertama” (First Love) in 1973, barely an unkind word has been written about her in the media.
It is not hard to see why. “As I age, my maternal side develops. I treat them like they are my children, even the older journalists,” Hakim says. “I jest with them, pretending to be difficult. They in turn try to coax me, as a child would coax their mother for a treat, to give them an interview,” she adds with a wink.
After the press conference, Hakim heads for the airport. The appearance of her very famous face — the vermilion lips, the warm eyes under darkened lashes, the beauty spot — causes many people to do a double take.
Besides being a screen icon, Hakim was the first Indonesian to be invited to sit on the jury of the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival and she also graced the cover of TIME magazine as one of their Asian heroes of 2004 for her contributions to film and society. Yet it is with a deep sigh that she sums up her life in the limelight in one word: “heavy.”
“It was my never my intention to end up this way. I just wanted to be a good person,” she says, referring to her humanitarian work.
“These are the consequences of the decisions I have made throughout my life. So I have to be consistent with my choices,” Hakim says. “In a way it is a moral burden — if I choose to let go of my commitments — because at times they involve the livelihoods of others.”
Hakim’s compassion for others and her nationalism are evident in the roles she has chosen to play in films such as “Daun Di Atas Bantal” (Leaf on a Pillow), about the lives of street children; “Serambi” (Verandah), about the aftermath of the tsunami in Aceh; and “Cut Nyak Dhien,” about an Acehnese freedom fighter.
Hakim is also an advocate for public education and children’s welfare. “If I can help someone who is in need — and release them from their troubles — that is what makes me smile,” she says. “When I am in trouble and help comes my way, it is an incredible feeling. Because I have felt that, I want others to feel the same.”
In 2008, Hakim was appointed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or Unesco, to be a Goodwill Ambassador for Teacher Education in Southeast Asia.
Her own foundation, The Christine Hakim Foundation, provides nutrition for malnourished children in West Java Province. “We [as public figures] do not always have to contribute to the community, but perhaps I want to give meaning to my own life. I feel if I do things only for myself then my life is less meaningful. But if my life can give meaning to others, then it has more purpose.”
A friend decides to fly back to Jakarta with Hakim and takes the last available seat — in economy. Without a second thought, Hakim gives up her business-class seat to her friend.
“I much prefer sitting in the back of the plane,” she says, waiting patiently for the crowded line to move forward. “Besides, it is the safest place in case of a crash.”
At lunchtime, Hakim takes out a brown paper package of rice from her favorite street stall in Bali. She politely refuses a stewardess’s offer of utensils.
Her down-to-earth attitude — sitting in economy, eating rice with her hands — appears to puzzle the other passengers, who watch her constantly. “Acting is a profession, just like any other. Life does not only encompass acting,” Hakim says. “The gist of life is not there [in film] but comes back to my existence as a human being. There is no difference between one person and another. We all have pluses and minuses. I do not feel I am better than anyone else.”
Arriving at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport, Hakim sails through immigration, past a sea of officials’ smiles. “The kindness of others makes my life easier, but it has also become a burden for me. People are nice to me because they appreciate, respect and believe in me. In that sense, I have to tread carefully so as to not disappoint anyone.”
The arrival hall is almost empty — aside from a film crew on break. Their camera and sound rigs are strewn around the area. Hakim recognizes a few of the crew members and stops to chat. They discuss a movie that is currently in production in Jakarta. The verdict is not good. Hakim shakes her head sadly.
“That film has been rife with problems from the start,” she says.
Once in her car, Hakim sinks back into her seat, clearly travel-weary. “On three occasions I wanted to stop making films” she discloses, pausing for thought. “But my soul is in film. As humans, we all have a calling. We all have our own duties to fulfill — of that I am convinced. Whenever I face a major predicament, in other aspects of my life positive things, such as recognition for my work, appear. So how can I stop?”
These awards symbolize people’s hopes and appreciation — their support. And so I continue,” Hakim says.
Back at her office in South Jakarta, Hakim rolls out a mat and begins to pray. The soft recitation of bismillah — in the name of Allah — resonates throughout the room. After praying , she changes into a boldly patterned top and a ruby-red Spanish-style tiered skirt.
Hakim says she does not find it hard to be a woman working in a patriarchal culture.
“I do not want to be a man. My femininity has become my strength. It sets me apart from men. It is an asset,” she says.
“In life, you have to be able to be tender and hard. I can be hard, believe it or not,” she says.
Darkness hangs over the capital as Hakim makes her way to a gallery opening, where she is guest of honor.
“In the end, it is my life,” she says. “But when people already respect and believe in me, they only want to see me as that person [they see onscreen]. They need to understand that I am also human and can also make mistakes. “
She reaches her destination and glides out of the car with a grand smile for the wall of photographers who greet her. Then Christine Hakim disappears into the throng.

(photo: AFP/Mychele Danau)

La rabbia giovane (Badlands, 1973) di Terence Malick

Il Nebraska non è una terra facile da vivere, così come non lo sono in generale le periferie di questo pianeta.  E il destino dei suoi abitanti a volte sembra essere scritto nei propri cognomi, come accade a l protagonista Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen), il cui nome, come suggerisce il ragazzo stesso, sembra essere “carrozziere”.  In realtà il 25enne lavora come netturbino ma è scontento del suo lavoro e della vita che conduce in questa cittadina del Nebraska. Tutto questo fino a quando incontra la ragazza che le cambierà la vita: la giovanissima (appena 15 anni) Holly Sargis.

Tra i due nascerà una storia d’amore silente e straziante, fatta di poche parole e ancor meno effusioni. E forse errato anche chiamarlo amore, perchè la ragazza ammira nel giovane soprattutto la somiglianza che ha con la star hollywoodiana James Dean. Ma se l’attore americano era divenuto celebre per la sua interpretazione di Rebel Without a Cause (Gioventù bruciata), i due ragazzi diventeranno protagonisti di una nuova storia che si potrebbe intitolare “Assassini senza motivo”.  In effetti, più che la passione, è la violenza gratuita che traspare negli atti dei due ragazzi, una freddezza spietata che porterà ad uccidere 11 persone, tra cui, per primo, il padre di Holly Sargis.

L’alienazione che Terrence Malick mostra è inquietante, nessuna giustificazione agli atti di violenza, nessun idillio per i due fidanzati, nessun senso di colpa per gli atti di brutalità che seminano nel loro percorso. Il loro, in effetti, è un viaggio nel nulla. Le frontiere in Nebraska sono inesistenti, così come lo sono i pionieri, sostituiti da fantocci nati per emulazione, marionette che sembrano muoversi all’interno di una pellicola senza regista, frutto di un montaggio casuale. Anche il rapporto uomo-natura è annullato. La natura non è ostile e non è amica, è solo un grosso nulla che icombe, che osserva l’uomo consumarsi nella sua disperazione. Forse può essere un riparo dalla legge ma alla fine dalla legge non si vuol scappare.

Il giovane Carruthers terrorizzò l’america assonnata del dopoguerra a suoni di pallottole, la destò dalla noia e dal torpore e regalò uno scenario brutale di sangue e violenza. Questo era il suo messaggio, questa la sua bruta e spietata fantasia. Il film di Malick è ispirato, in effetti, ad un storia veria, quella del giovane Charles Starkweather e Caril Ann che nell’inverno del 1957 seminarono il terrore negli Stati Uniti. La storia è così brutale che nemmeno a Quentin Tarantino sarebbe saltata in mente di scriverla, e infatti, il giovane sceneggiatore si limitò a registrarla riadattandola per la stesura di Natual Born Killer (1994). Anche il Boss ne rimase colpito fortemente e ne trasse una splendida canzone, Nebraska, che diede il titolo a uno degli album più belli della storia del rock.

Testo Nebraska di Bruce Springsteen

]]> http://chasness.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/remake-radar-the-crazies/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:00:37 +0000 chasness http://chasness.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/remake-radar-the-crazies/

Welcome to Remake Radar, where we take on Hollywood’s penchant for remaking films for better or worse (which is most of the time). This month’s movie:

“The Crazies” (1973)

Stars: W.G. McMillan, Lane Caroll, and Harold Wayne Jones

Director: George A. Romero

Story: A military plane carrying a dangerous bio-weapon crashes outside the small town of Evans City, Pennsylvania. Troops and scientists are dispatched to contain the area. Meanwhile, the biological agent infects the town’s water supply causing death and permanent insanity to the residents. When the troops show up, all hell breaks loose.

What do we know now?: Pretty much the same plot. Tim Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, and Joe Anderson star. Breck Eisner is directing.

The release date is February 26, 2010

Original trailer:

Remake trailer:

Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen): Se potessi cantare una canzone su come mi sento ora… Diventerebbe famosa…

Holly Sargis (Sissy Spacek): Lo tennero in isolamento per no fargli fare amicizia con i carcerati. Sapevano che sarebbe piaciuto, specialmente agli assassini.