Neko Case, striking chords and melting hearts; image courtesy of merryswankster.com

I love lists. At the end of every year, I dutifully check in with my AV Clubs and my Pitchforks and my NPRs and my Dusteds and whatever other publications appeal to politically liberal youngish people trying to keep up.  

There’s a special place in my heart for music lists. Back in my college radio days, we used to devote hours (some of them on air) to dissecting the year-end best-of lists. Having served posts at office jobs that require a considerable amount of editing and fact-checking, and thus allow for some quality headphones time, these sorts of lists now serve as a discursive mix tape that I can alternately love, hate, or dismiss.   

Yet, I tend not to make lists. It isn’t a matter of feeling like my opinions aren’t valuable. It’s a resistance to canon formation. I question whether the list itself is a useful tool with which to measure history. There’s something so arbitrary about ranking, so temporal about certain offerings, and so glass-cased final about the results. It seems to render the chosen cultural moments accidental, temperamental, and airless. And often the items deemed worthy on these lists have nothing to do with me or anyone else who isn’t a straight white adult male.   

To me, the only use a list has is to argue about it with a group of friends over beer, make another list to counter someone else’s (whether it be drafted by a friend or a respectable publication), or scrawl all over the margins of the pre-existing document. Otherwise, the proceedings seem deceptive and unsatisfying to me. And even though I like to wrestle with lists, I don’t really need proof that good things came out each year. Good movies, TV shows, books, and especially music get made every year.  

That said, I do believe in favorites. While favorites can shift with time and gathered experience, I’m a big believer in selecting a defining text that encompasses the year. I don’t remember if I originally thought Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver was my favorite movie of 2006, though I know I loved it. When I think about it now though, I remember calling my mother immediately after the screening I attended because the thought of living in the same house as a grown woman with your mother who might be a ghost was too profound an idea not to relate to her.  

I remember how TV on the Radio’s Dear Science captured the hope of change promised by the potential election of Barack Obama, especially in the wake of a demoralizing Bush administration that the band gestured toward in previous, more emotionally turbulent albums.  

So what of this year? Well, my choice for album of the year picked me. 

Cover for Middle Cyclone (Anti- , 2009); image courtesy of pastemagazine.com

 Before getting into why I picked the album I did, which I established as my #1 way back in March despite keeping fantastic company with offerings from Bill Callahan, Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, P.O.S., Fashawn, Micachu & The Shapes, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, St. Vincent, Bat for Lashes, Speech Debelle, Grizzly Bear, Themselves, Memory Tapes, Janelle Monáe, Phoenix, Taken By Trees, Nite Jewel, Destroyer, Julianna Barwick, Fever Ray, The Noisettes, Atlas Sound, Vivian Girls, Gossip, Best Coast, Dan Deacon, Brother Ali, and so many others, I’d like to be candid for a moment. When I think about this year, I think about how I tried to make it a good one. I believe I was successful and I know I have many people to thank for that. But it was definitely a growing year, and usually not in the certain, considerable, triumphant ways that “growth” often suggests itself as a word.  

I started this blog at the end of April. While I made a New Year’s resolution to do it, I created it out of a need to control my feelings about a professional setback that rendered itself more heart-breaking than I thought it would when the decisions were finally handed down. Throughout this year, I’ve often (re: daily) reflected upon my future and who I want to be, worried not so much that I lack the ability to progress toward a career I really want and think I’d be great at, but that I’ll never get the chance to develop and move forward. That’s some heavy shit. It doesn’t translate well into party-time chit-chat either, especially when some of your friends are already on the path you’d like to be on someday.  

As a result, I tried to broaden my focus and interests. I tried to get some related things accomplished and made some progress. But I also got comfy and more involved with my current job, read more books, saw more movies, heard more music, hung out with my friends, had quiet nights at home with my partner and our cat, got involved with Girls Rock Camp Austin, co-taught some rad music history workshops, paid off my loan, and threw myself into this blog with abandon. Admittedly, it’d be nice to get paid to put this site together, as I could easily be happy making a career out of it. But it’s been so fun and rewarding to write up these posts and have smart, sensitive people follow along and participate. I’ll gladly pay the money to keep the domain name.  

But none of this fucking matters when a tornado is ripping up your house or a killer whale is eating your lungs. And with that, let’s get into Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone.  

So, the second time I heard this album, I knew it was the one to beat. And before people cry “safe choice!” or “bias!” I’ll point out that Animal Collective secured many publications’ top spot with a crossover hit back in January. And then I’ll add that Middle Cyclone, much like Merriweather Post Pavilion (and Dear Science before it and Kala before it) distilled the musician’s artistic growth. In this particular case (no pun intended), she honed her considerable writing ability, developed her Gothic noir musical tendencies, piled on catchy melodies and haunting harmonies, and showcased a maturing, perfect alto. The issue of vocal range is one of great importance to me, as it means I can sing along with her. We had some good sessions in my car.  

It was also the long-awaited follow-up to Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, which continued but further shaded the cinematic work the singer had done with Blacklisted. Fox Confessor was a cycle of post-apocolyptic fairy tales about car accident victims, army widows, and fingerless cannery workers.  

As is evident in much of her earlier and subsequent work, animals show up. Sparrows, lions, and foxes make often allegorical appearances, though her gendered connection to nature would take a more literal, weirder turn when she decided to record crickets chirping for Middle Cyclone’s final 30 minutes. Sometimes cover songs get re-interpreted, as on the spiritual “John Saw That Number” and Sparks’ “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” and Harry Nilsson’s “Don’t Forget Me” on her follow-up.   

Sometimes Case would show up too, most noticeably on “Hold On, Hold On.”   

But Case is all over Middle Cyclone. Whether she’s singing about a love-lorn tornado or a biker’s wife or a convict or an owl, she’s singing from their perspective rather than narrating their lives. She’s also often singing as herself, revealing who that might be with lines about being the dangling ceiling of a caved-in roof or threatening to punch a lover in the face if the word “forever” is uttered in “The Next Time You Say Forever.” I also love her assertion that “heaven will smell like the airport” but that we shouldn’t worry about whether we get proof of it is fair in “I’m An Animal.” However, her candor on the title track moves me the most.  

Through the liner notes, we even got more of a sense of who she is. Her deprecating sense of humor is evident, as is her confident sense of artistic ownership and her craftiness with collage art and découpage glue. As this was the year Austin City Limits released their cookbook, I can’t wait to try out her recipe for houndstooth chocolate chip cookies. And let’s not forget how many pianos she needed to make this album. She may be a goddess, but she’s also a kooky lady.   

This goddess and kooky lady are evident as one on the album’s bad-ass cover. While it’s Neko on the hood of a car, the image is far from Vargas girl cheesecake. This one is barefoot and holding a sword, but she’s also 38 (now 39) and pretending to be an eight-year-old boy.  

In sum, Middle Cyclone was a defining and distinctly female work that came about from age, experience, a clear sense of self, some hard knocks, and even more defiance to overcome them. It was exactly the album I needed to hear this year, often and at full volume.

Today’s music video is ‘Without You’ from Harry Nilsson.

This video was posted to You Tube by damianszkatula

Harry Nilsson used only his surname for his recordings, and is one of those singers with a voice that just stays with you. He was another of those singers who already had an extensive career before becoming that ‘overnight success’. His early career saw him writing songs that were recorded by The Shangri – Las, The Yardbirds, and Glen Campbell. One of his songs was a minor hit for the Monkees, ‘Cuddly Toy’, and another, ‘One’ was recorded by Three Dog Night, and also ‘covered’ in Australia by John Farnham, who had a big hit with that song.

His work was being noticed by those already popular musicians, and when the Beatles first toured America, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney quoted Nilsson as their favourite American act.

He recorded the Fred Neil song ‘Everybody’s Talkin” in 1968 and it became a minor hit, but a year later the song was picked up as the theme for the movie ‘Midnight Cowboy’, and the song became absolutely huge for him, earning him his first Grammy Award. His version is the best known one of this song which has been covered by more than 100 other artists and bands.

While still recording quite prolifically, his next hit was not until 1971 with this song featured here today, ‘Without You’. The song was written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans from the British rock group Badfinger. Nilsson did the cover in his wonderful way and it is one of the tracks on his hugely popular album, ‘Nilsson Schmilsson’, his 11th album, released in 1971. The song was a huge hit all across the Planet, with Nilsson’s soaring vocals, and the song earned him his second Grammy Award.

He had a few minor hits following this, but nothing approaching the size of this one. In all, Nilsson had 22 studio albums, and released 46 singles, with only 5 of them entering the Top Ten, and this song the only one to go to Number One.

Paul McCartney actually called this song ‘the killer song of all time’. This one song alone has since been recorded by more than 180 artists, but this verion by Nilsson remains without doubt the best version of this wonderful song.

Nilsson was known for his extreme reluctance to perform live in concerts and his concert appearances were so rare as to be almost non existent, hence there is only a rare hand taken clip of him actually performing this song in front of a live audience. This was put down to his extreme stage fright, something you might not expect from someone with such a wonderful singing voice. As this song was recorded long before the advent of the current style of music videos, and with so few live performances, this clip shows an overlay of images over the wonderful song.

Sadly, Harry Nilsson is no longer with us, passing in January of 1994.

Aujourd’hui, c’est l’anniversaire de mon ami l’Alsaco, un de mes petits camarades d’échanges musicaux.

(Hip) Hop la !

Les biscuits de mon enfance clamaient “si l’Alsacienne a de grandes oreilles, c’est pour mieux écouter les gourmands”. Et ben c’est pareil pour lui. De très grandes oreilles, une curiosité qui confine souvent à la psychopathie, et une gourmandise sonore insatiable.

L’alsaco (aka Ear Division) passe la plus grande partie de son temps libre (quand il ne fabrique pas des ballons de foot dans un sweatshop) à chercher du son, et à organiser ses découvertes en compilations thématiques.

La dernière en date, c’est “Years”, qui concentre a peu près tous les bons morceaux uniquement composés d’une date (ce qui exclut par exemple “en 1990” de Jean Leloup, ou heureusement “cette année là” de Cloclo). Il a fait une exception pour Sexcrime (1984) parce que bon, c’est lui qui décide, quoi.

L’individu ne s’étant pas encore décidé à devenir bloggiste-conseil, je vous droppe la playlist en question. La prochaine fois, il s’en chargera lui-même, j’ai pas que ça à foutre.

Ear Division – Years

1901 Phoenix
1941 Harry Nilsson
1957 Buck 65
1958 Skalpel
1963 New Order
1969 Boards Of Canada
1973 Tahiti Boy & The Palmtree Family
1974 Rubin Steiner
1976 RJD2
1979 Smashing Pumpkins
Sexcrime (1984) Eurythmics
1984 Uffie
1986 (Unreleased) Kavinsky
1989 The Rakes
1999 Prince
2012 Gossip
3000 Dr. Octagon
3030 Deltron

Je complète d’un petit Yeasayer-2080, c’est cadeau ça me fait plaisir.

Bon anniversaire Vrefi. Je t’offrirai ton gâteau préféré dès qu’on se croise.

oui, il boit de la Kro et habite dans une cabane dans un arbre (©DVLS)

I can’t believe that in all this time I haven’t touched on Harry Nilsson. Total unfairness, because he is one of my favorites. Nilsson had a golden voice, a gift for beautiful melody, a sharp wit, and the patronage of John Lennon, which should have been enough to propel him to global stardom. Unfortunately, what he had in talent, he lacked in charisma and the success and acclaim he so richly deserved never materialized. And BTW, the cover of Nilsson Schmilsson is exactly how I’ve always imagined Arthur Dent to look.

Harry Nilsson cameos on an episode of “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” from 1969.

This story originated from the mind of the late Harry Nilsson who said, “I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, ‘Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn’t, then there’s a point to it.” (source Jacobson, Alan (May 2004). “What’s The Point? The Legendary 1971 Animated Feature on DVD”) It took me a while to hunt up a copy of this as the original airing of it was on television back when a special program was typically shown at best, once a year. The Point follows the tale of a little boy name Oblio, a round headed boy in a village where by law, everyone and everything had to have a point. The sketchy style and expressive background coloring is very reminiscent of the old School House Rock short snippets on Saturday Morning where staying in the lines was ignored for patchy swatches of color as representational form. Voices provided for the characters include such notables as Ringo Starr (four people actually did the voice of the narrator, however, Starr’s voice was used for the home release of this movie), Davey Jones, Mickey Dolenz and Paul Frees. The storyline follows a highly imaginative group of individuals including giant bees, a pointing man and rock people. Be prepared for puns and double entendres as well as the melodious old songs of Harry Nilsson.

I spend the night in a chair thinking she’ll be there
But she never comes
And then I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And I rise to face another day
Without her

It’s just no good anymore when you walk through the door
To an empty room
And then you go inside and set a table for one, it’s no fun
When you spend the day
Without her, do do do…

We burst the pretty balloon took us to the moon
It’s such a beautiful thing
But it’s ended now
And it sounds like a lie
I said I’d rather die than live without her

Love is a beautiful thing when it knows how to swing
And it moves like a clock
But the hands on the clock tell the lovers to part
And it’s breaking my heart
To have to spend another day without her, do do do…
I spend the night in a chair thinking she’ll be there
But she never comes
And I wake up and wipe the sleep from my eyes
And I rise to face another day
Without her, do do do…
Can’t go on without her
There’s no song without her
It’s all wrong without her
Can’t go on

/fala sério, esse era um cara foda.

Well in 1941 a happy father had a son
And by 1944 the father walked right out the door
And in ‘45 the mom and son were still alive
But who could tell in ‘46 if the two were to survive
Well the years were passing quickly
But not fast enough for him
So he closed his eyes through ‘55
And he opened them up again
When he looked around he saw a clown
And the clown seemed very gay
And he set that night to join that circus clown and run away
{Scat solo}
Well he followed every railroad track
An every highway sign
And he had a girl in each new town
And the towns he left behind
And the open road
Was the only road he knew
But the color of his dreams
Slowly turning into blue
The he met a girl the kind of girl
He wanted all his life
She was soft and kind and good to him
So he took her for his wife
And they got a house not far from town
And in a little while
The girl had seen the doctor
And she came home with a smile
Now in 1961 a happy father had a son
And by 1964 the father walked right out the door
And in ‘65 the mom and son were still around
But what will happen to the boy
When the circus comes to town?

uma das coisas mais bonitas, mais

Soundtracks, we all have our favorites and some of us refuse to acknowledge their existence all together. I, on the other hand, have a good relationship with soundtracks, depending on the movie/television show/web series it comes from. These are pretty good choices that I just happen to own, interested? Read on.

#A – Girl Interrupted.My first glimpse into WILCO, a lovely little band that may see a bit on the pretentious side but really have some amazing songs. One of those bands that make you love every song, sound, word, vibe. They start off this semi-depressing group of misfit songs that work well with the movie of the same description. Title works fantastic with the motif of this album, “How to Fight Loneliness”, this first glimpse was not the end of my relationship with Wilco, they are still alive in my soul to this day. This album also has one of the greatest bands and one of my favorite songs from them, Jefferson Airplane with “Comin’ Back to Me”, such a beautiful song, really beautiful is the one perfect word to explain this song, and most of their music as a whole. Other artists include, Aretha Franklin, The Band, The Mamas & The Papas. Take a listen why don’t you?

#B – The Craft.

Witches who just so happen to be a bunch of bitches, makes for a great soundtrack, well its more of a sentimental one for me with a couple good songs that make me reminiscent of the first viewing of the movie. Great pop song with Letters to Cleo’s “Dangerous Type” and some heavy grungy hate music with Sponge’s “All This and Nothing” and a surprisingly good song by Our Lady Peace with “Tomorrow Never Knows”, (you can tell I’m obviously not their #1 fan). A not so good cover of a Harry Nilsson song, Tripping Daisy’s “Jump into the Fire”, I’d rather” they have put the original but they never asked my opinion on the subject. Some other good jams, like Spacehog’s ”Horror” & Love Spit Love’s “How Soon Is Now”, but the gem is Matthew Sweet’s “Dark Secrets” which made me want to own it to begin with, it pleases the ear gods for sure.

#C – Jawbreaker

Yes, pranks that turn deadly mixed with pretty girls who look nothing like the regular high school student, proves great for a rockin’ soundtrack. (Plus, Julie Benz, a young vampire on BTVS, classic). Songs to get you pumped and sent back into the 90’s like a whirlwind. I’ll start of with the favorites, The Friggs ”Bad Word for a Good Thing”, those Frigg girls can belt and rock, plus rock while never becoming famous, some hardcore girl power going on with that song. The icing on the cake? Imperial Teen’s “Yoo Hoo”, again the reason I even wanted the album in the first place, an amazing jam with the most intoxicating sound, voice is prime on this one. Ending it out with one of the most depressing songs I’ve ever heard in my life, The Transisters “Flow”, its beautiful and sad and painful, if I ever needed to be heartbroken with a theme song, this is it. Having a bad breakup? Lost a person close to you? Listen UP.

#D – The Wedding Singer

Get ready for some 80’s! This soundtrack has the “good shit” from the 1980’s, and its a double disc-er! Unfortunately I only have one half the album but that’s alright by me.  The half I have has bands like, Billy Idol, David Bowie, New Order, Musical Youth, Elvis Costello, The Thompson Twins, The Police, Culture Club, The Psychedelic Furs, and so on. If your in an 80’s mood, then stick the sucker in and enjoy your weird flashback that ensues.

yeah, tricked you. I know its not a song, but Buscemi rocks.

#E – Garden State.

We’ve got some good ones on here folks. Of course their is the “what lead me to own it” song, which we’ll begin with. Frou Frou’s ”Let Go”, a very graceful sound and is a basic recap of the movie itself. Jump in, what are you waiting for? Date Natalie Portman, Zach Braff, just DO IT! But any who, next up is another great jam, that I didn’t come in contact until long after I had the Cd, but when a friend of mine did it in a talent show, another song full of beauty, Bonnie Somerville’s “Winding Road”, pretty voice meets pretty sound, good good. The entire beginning of this Cd gets me in a crazy odd mood, I used to listen to it on my Ipod walking through the halls of high school, very surreal. First, Cold Play’s “Don’t Panic”, and No, I am not a cold play fan or freak, its the only song I dig, so get over it. Following it, is The Shins with “Caring is Creepy”, great sound, goes right through to the bone. And after that? Zero 7’s “In the Waiting Line”, one of the other songs I am in love with on this soundtrack, a main reason you might as well just go out and get it right now.

#F – Once More With Feeling – BTVS

A musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer belongs on this list, if not dominating it. Joss Whedon, the entity himself, wrote the songs, music, all of it. Which would be good reason for me to love it so, and I do. Its addictive to the highest extent. These actors, just people, who yes, famous, but normal; not singers, (well not all of them, James Marsters, Amber Benson, & Tony Head), just people, made beautiful music together. I probably listen to it at lease a couple times a week. I don’t think I would have the power to actually say out loud, or type, my favorite song from this album. I’ll just go through most of them for you to decide.

So, we start with Buffy complaining shes lost her mojo for her job, we can all sing a long as the demons agree with her and she diss’s the gentleman in distress.

Then you’ve got a group jam with the gang, which turns ugly with Anya, the demon, yelling about bunnies, and ending with a who-even-gives-a-crap attitude brought along by sad-sap Buffy.

A song about Mustard being removed from clothing.

A lesbian love song between the 2 most believable, non-skanked-out-for-the-sake-of-MALES-everywhere lesbians on television ever, and probably will always be. You just gotta love Willow & Tara, for ever, and ever, and so on.

Then we have the couple, demon and construction worker, Anya & Xander, talking about the things they can’t stand about each other that they could never say out loud, without song of course, which leads towards the end with Anya “dancing crazy!”. You have to love a song  that has a line about penis diseases, classy.

One of great writers of the show finds herself singing about a ticket she’s getting for parking in front of a hydrant, which has become one of my favorites to sing in the car.

Then the addictive song of Spike, the whiny love ridden fool song, he even admits he’d be Buffy’s slave, talk about being whipped. Just let him rest in peace, Buffy. Just let him be buried and go get Angel to sooth the pain. Sorry…

Next, a snippet of dawn’s voice before she gets kidnapped, pretty voice while its lasts.

Pretty Ballet instrumental leads to the dancing demon, Sweet, singing out with his great deep man singing voice trying to hit on 15 year old Dawn, Hawt.

A big hit in my car sing-a-long, the Giles song, sad but upbeat and lovely, he doesn’t want to leave Buffy, but needs to, sweet slow-mo scene with some kick-ass dodging of sharp things while pulling off some gymnastic moves, go SMG.

Here we have 2 songs emerge which is a high on the list for me, putting together the two amazing voices of Tony Head and Amber Benson, wonderful actors and brilliant singers. Such a beautiful addition to the already amazing track listing.

Up next, everyone joins in while wanting to walk through the fire, another great song, with some awesome lines, “things are turning out so dark”, “No, I’ll save her then I’ll kill her!” &  “I think this line mostly filer”. The best part is when the scooby gang chimes in and does their little part, is the slayer too far gone to care?

Then us listeners get something to sing about, a glittering world, and a dancing almost-to-her-death Buffy ending with dropping the heaven bombshell.

And to help finish it off, sweet rubs it in all our faces that things didn’t quite go our way with the whole dancing thing, that lead to the death thing, and the “aw we all have so many secrets!” thing.

Ending with the cast leaving confused, not knowing where to go from there. And a big sloppy wet one from Buffy & Spike, which I wish i could scrub from my brain.

If you’ve never see the episode, watch it. If you’ve never heard the soundtrack, listen to it. You’ll have to track it down like I did, since the boyfriend and I bought the only 2 copies in our area. Plus, if your REALLY lucky, like me, you’ll get to take a trip to Indianapolis and watch actors act out the episode, sing the songs, and dance the dances, an amazing experience, especially on the night before Halloween.

#G – Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog

How shocking, right? Another Joss choice, you get my love yet? Do you? Do You? Well you’ll figure it out eventually. Now, this sound track is Uh-Maze-Ing, seriously. NPH (For the less hip folks, Neil Patrick Harris) really shows us the talent that Doogie never really did, he sings, and he sings well. Fantastically well to be exact. He’s a villain looking for his big villainy break, to belong to the big-bad’s club, that’s of course ran by a horse, derr. Then we have the love interest, with a killer voice, no other than the beautiful Felicia Day, (who if you don’t watch the guild, START, I’ll explain more later), the helpless-helping-homeless-home-giving goddess that the villain is head-over-heels in love with. But in walks the bad guy, wait no, the GOOD guy. He just happens to be a prick, with a picture of a hammer on his chest. But he is played by no other than the mystical, magical, stud-man-guy Nathan Fillion. The guy crushes of the world surround this guy, which makes it easy for your Felicia, “Penny”, to fall for instead. (sad). So with this comes amazingly catchy songs that, yet AGAIN, Whedon is responsible for, also making it a family affair adding brothers and a sister-in-law. This is another Cd that is found being played in my car multiple times within a week. You’ve GOT to get this soundtrack, like now, LEAVE, GO!

#H – Pick of Destiny

Okay, Tenacious D is the best band EVER. Maybe this statement is not something you would agree with, and if it isn’t, stop lying. Seriously you know the truth, they probably ARE the greatest band EVER, why you ask? Because they have it ALL. What other band can use curse words like poetry, I mean really, “Mother Fucker” never sounded so good. If you haven’t had the chance to gander at the power that is the D, its time my friends. My passion for the D is forever deep, I was hooked the first time I heard them, saw them, and inevitably fell for them. “The Pick Of Destiny” is a movie and an album, and both are glorious. Watching Jack Black and Kyle Gas for 93 minutes straight has to be an experience, and sir, it was. But, the soundtrack that came along? GODLIKE, truly amazing music, which is not surprising from this duo. Another album i could not possibly begin the misery of deciding the best song on it, so you will have to venture out on your own and taste the taste that is TENACIOUS D.

be blown away by Rage Cage & Jables, KG & JB.

#I – Nashville

Great movie, wonderful soundtrack. Robert Altman is an amazing director and he did an amazing job on all the movies I’ve seen of his. They always have crazy relationships, and madness masked in innocence and he didn’t shy away from that with this one. Country singers, singing and crawling in drama filled situations; if you get a chance make sure to check this one out, i have a feeling you’ll be pleased if your in anyway cool, or hip, or happenin’ in the way I am. So rent it, steal it, borrow it, either way watch it, and make sure you listen to the songs you hear, it won’t be hard. I’ve leave you with a video of my favorite song from the movie that happens to be a great part of the film. Watch and aw.

So that’s it for now, I might come back and surprise you with more amazing songs that go with amazing movies/tv shows/web series, or I wont, don’t hold your breath. I leave you with a thought… Come back and see me, I mean read me, sometime.

sas

F/D. 15   11/12/09

Today my co-workers decided that with this crummy weather we’ve been having, that it would be a good day to order lunch out from this Thai restaurant we like, called Talay Thai.

I had already brought my lunch, but with my body still coughing post-sickness, I felt an order of soup was in my future. Last time we ordered lunch from this place I got Wonton Soup which was good, but it’s nothing special, and it’s also not actually Thai food. So today I tried a new soup called Chicken Herbs (Tom Ka Gai). It’s described as “chicken with herbs, spices, galanga root, lime juices and coconut milk.” Aside from not knowing what galanga root is, I like all of the ingredients, so it sounded pretty promising.

When I got the soup it looked like it was a coconut milk-based dish. I was expecting some milk, but not this much. Ordering a milky food was probably not the best choice for being sick, but then again, coconut milk isn’t dairy so that’s ok. Anyways, the soup was creamy white with a few pieces of chicken and parsley and had a reddish spice mixed through. It sort of looked like this:

I was glad to have some hot liquid going down my throat, but when I was able to distinguish the taste, I wasn’t too sure I ordered correctly. The soup was milky and kind of sour. Normally I am a big fan of lime, but the lime juice in this spicy coconut concoction was too overpowering. I also wished there was more than three small pieces of chicken. If this soup is being called Chicken and Herbs, there should be chicken and herbs visibly present. Also, the few pieces of soggy parsley were too sparse. While it wasn’t a complete failure of a dish, I don’t think I would order it again.

As I was describing this limey-coconut soup to my co-workers, we realized that there was actually a song of what I had eaten:

]]> http://sawyerstoltz.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/the-point/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:37:08 +0000 Sawyer Stoltz http://sawyerstoltz.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/the-point/

I’ve recently been watching The Point repeatedly, a film is based on a concept album by Harry Nilsson, one of the most incredible and overlooked composers of the 60/70s singer-songwriter movement (One, made popular by Three Dog Night and Aimee Mann, and Everybody’s Talkin). The story depicts Oblio, a child born without a “point” in The Land of Points. Essentially Nilsson’s tale is a coming of age story in which Oblio discovers that even outcasts made to feel inadequate by society serve a purpose in the grand scheme of things. Being “pointless” does, in part, hold validity. The Point,though inspired by an acid trip Nilsson experienced, provides a well founded social commentary that resonates on many different levels. The poetic yarn is relatable to children as well as adults and is worth seeking out. I would almost argue that it is, in fact, geared towards young adults that have lost ambition and need encouragement to forge ahead. We all desire direction and validation to some extent.

“Every man has some kind of a point, whether it shows or not”

A particular song recalled a principle that I overlook too frequently. I often speak to my mother when I am feeling overwhelmed and her advice generally boils (pun intended) down to a single idea: Put your tribulations into perspective, in the great scheme of things they are most likely minuscule.

Think About Your Troubles

Sit beside the breakfast table
Think about your troubles
Pour yourself a cup of tea
Then think about the bubbles
You can take your teardrops
And drop ‘em in a teacup
Take them down to the riverside

And throw them over the side
To be swept up by a current
Then taken to the ocean
To be eaten by some fishes
Who were eaten by some fishes
And swallowed by a whale
Who grew so old
He decomposed, doo, doo, doo

He died and left his body
To the bottom of the ocean
Now everybody knows
That when a body decomposes
The basic elements
Are given back to the ocean
And the sea does what it oughta

And soon there’s salty water
Not too good for drinking
‘Cause it tastes just like a teardrop
So they run it through a filter
And it comes out from a faucet
And it pours into a teapot
Which is just about to bubble
Now think about your troubles, now

Harry Nilsson, “Everybody’s Talkin’ at Me” (MP3)

Quick! Somebody needs to save modern music!!!

So…this has been a slow couple of weeks. And it has left me with no choice but to go back into the past and download some tracks that have been waiting patiently for me to download. Not that all of these tracks are oldies, but the new stuff definitely has a lot to be desired. So let’s get started…shall we…?

Norah Jones – “Chasing Pirates” (pop)
Doing her best Tracy Chapman, this jazz chanteuse is back with a lead single from her soon-to-be-released new album that is a nice little departure from her regular sound. Poppy and pretty…should be a hit.

Tim McGraw – “Good Girls” (country)
From the new album, “Southern Voice”, this slow track just sort of meanders and is very descriptive. I like it…but it reminds me more of Rascal Flatts than McGraw for some reason.

Paramore – “Brick By Boring Brick” (rock)
I bought the whole album, hoping to recapture some of the magic of the last album and…well…it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I am hoping that Paramore is not a one note pony with explosive guitar riffs and high school laments. But the band is young and eventually they will need to branch out a bit and explore new horizons. That being said, I won’t recommend or not recommend their new disk called “Brand New Eyes” because, for what it is, it’s not the wrost thing I’ve ever heard. But the best track on the album is this one. And it is great!

Benton Paul – “Run” (pop)
Itunes free song of the week. Not bad. Good pop. Will probably be all over Top 40 radio soon. I’ll be tired of it by tomorrow.

Josh Stone feat Jamie Hartman – “Stalemate”
The soulful voice of  Stone and the raspiness of Hartman make this track standout from Josh Stone’s new album “Colour Me Free!”. Nice & relaxing…

Devo – I Bought 3 Tracks…”Girl U Want”, “R U Experienced”, and “Uncontrollable Urge”
You want to hear what the early 80’s sounded like? Devo exemplifies it. And these 3 tracks are AWESOME 80’s! My wife will hate it. And I LOVE it!!!

Pepper – “Wet Dreams” (alternative pop reggae?)
I added the ? beside the “reggae” because USUALLY Pepper has a reggae tinge to it, but THIS track is pure alternative and it’s awesome! I LOVE their album “Kona Town”, but this single is off “Pink Crustaceans & Good Vibrations” and it’s cool as all hell!

Harry Nilsson – “Everybody’s Talkin’” (70’s pop)
Remember the movie “Midnight Cowboy”? You do? Well then…you are my age. And you probably remember this little ditty. You either love it or ya don’t. I won’t judge either way. And neither should you.

Hockey – “Song Away” (alt-pop)
This is good time music. Go download it right now. Too bad it wasn’t released in the summertime because it’s built for sunshine and cool breezes…

The 69 Eyes – “Framed In Blood” (goth rock)
This Finnish band dropped out of the goth rock race years ago, but this track is excellent! If you’ve never heard of them, go check out their “Greatest Hits” package called “Framed In Blood” because it is truly awesome.

Collective Soul – “Welcome All Again” (rock)
I absolutely LOVE this band. And this track kicks major ass! Go download it and get ready to rock n roll!!!

Joey Scarbury – “Believe It Or Not” (Theme from Greatest American Hero)
So…I started singing this to my kids the other day and they thought I was crazy. So I downloaded it on my IPhone and let them hear it. And they still think I’m crazy. But I like it anyway. So screw them.

Concrete Blonde – “Little Sister”
I love CB in the fall (in my opinion, lead singer Johnette Napolitano, is one of the most underrated voices in the music business), and I used this song for a video I produced for my little sister’s birthday party. Released in 1987, this self-titled debut album is excellent. Go download the whole thing and love it up!

The “This One Is For The Ladies” Pick Album of the Week: MoZella – “Belle Isle”
Yeah…every track on here is built with the ladies in mind. Well…that and a featured music montage on “Grey’s Anatomy”. Women will love it, men will hate it. It’s good pop music and sounds a little Amy Winhouse-ish. Go check it out. I’d recommend “Magic” & “Four Leaf Clover” if I were to buy anything off this album…which obviously I didn’t ’cause I’m a guy.

The “Dumbest Song Title EVER!” Track of the Week: “Karma Is A Female Dog” by Bomshel
Not only is the song title dumb, but so is the name of the band. And the song is awful also. Who comes up with this crap?

The “This Is The Music Industry Taking Advantage Of Michael’s Death” Album of the Week: “Michael jackson: The Remix Suite”
Seriously…every one of these tracks are terrible. Why bother? Oh yeah…because Mike died and there’s a new movie coming out. Might as well enlist a bunch of producers to remix a bunch of average MJ tunes from when he was 7. Not a good idea. At all.

Harpers Bizarre were an odd lot of gentlemen. Their first LP, Feelin’ Groovy, was a sunshiny, saccharine starburst from the Summer of Love. Heavy on West Coast feel-goodery and carried along by very well chosen Randy Newman covers, it ushered in a new era of quirky twee pop.

Their second LP did it again. And the one after that did it over again. And so on and so on, with each subsequent disc producing diminishing returns. So the best of Harpers Bizarre can be distilled to maybe half of a greatest-hits collection (and has been repeatedly), though their impact outstretches their inability to flower into what could have been a truly impressive new direction in modern music. Oh well.

When they were good, they were great. Tackling a cover of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” on a 1967 album of the same name, Harpers Bizarre solidified their style with help from legendary producer Lenny Waronker and the simply legendary Van Dyke Parks. Shimmering and effervescent, the album played 40 years after its release leaves the listener quietly charmed.

Of course, back in the day you’d probably wonder whether this band of merry goofs could possibly be trying to sink their career. Remarking on how minimal its impact was and how few copies it moved, allmusic.com reviewer Richie Unterberger said it could only have “generated enough royalties to feed the parking meter for a few hours.” Ha. Probably.

Harpers Bizarre “This Is Only The Beginning” & ”Anything Goes”

It seems that the first New York City mix was well received, so here’s another one. There will be at least one more (or two, depending on how popular this one turns out to be), next time going retro in black and white — like all the great New York photos.

* * *

TRACKLISTING
1. Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Jules Munchin – New York, New York (excerpt) (1949)
NYC hook: It’s our three sailor friends’ first time in New York, and having just arrived on shore leave (happily in New York, not in LA where they might have gone on to beat up Mexicans), they already presume it to be “a helluva town” because “the Bronx is up, but the Battery’s down”. Additionally, “the people ride in a hole in the ground” (as they do in many other cities, so big deal, chums).

2. Frank Sinatra & Tony Bennett – New York New York (1994)
NYC hook: Let’s face it, our boy from Hoboken was a promiscuous man when it came to American cities. Chicago? His kind of town! L.A.? It’s a lady he can’t say goodbye to. Las Vegas? He made it! And New York? Well, more of a challenge than a love affair; it seems. By the way, the song needs no fucking high-kicks, party goers.

3. Theme – Seinfeld (1989)
NYC hook: Would Seinfeld have worked had it been set anywhere else? Nah!

4. Klaatu – Sub-Rosa Subway (1976)
NYC hook: The song that caused speculation about a clandestine Beatles reunion. Alas, it was just a bunch of Canadians with a funny name singing about Alfred Beach, the man who built America’s first subway in New York, based on the London Underground. (More on Beach)

5. NRBQ – Boys In The City (1972)
NYC hook: You might leave New York for the country, but you’ll still sing about “the trees in the Park”.

6. Harry Nilsson – I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City (1969)
NYC hook: New York as the new Jerusalem instead of its usual role as a fetid Babylon. So Harry makes his pilgrimage to the city permanent, leaving all his sorrows behind. Same year, he soundtracked Hoffman and Voight’s exit from bad, bad NYC.

7. Mason Jennings – New York City (2002)
NYC hook: Jennings is in love in and with New York City.

8. Kevin Devine – Brooklyn Boy (2006)
NYC hook: The eponymous lad is doing coke on his birthday, prompting Kev — rarely a herald of rampant cheer — to launch into an apocalypso.

9. Ian Hunter – Central Park N West (1981)
NYC hook: Hunter obviously hates living in stinky, crime-ridden, burning New York City. Except he doesn’t: “You’ve got to be crazy to live in the city, and New York city’s the best.”

10. Donavan Frankenreiter – Spanish Harlem Incident (2007)
NYC hook: A rather decent cover of Dylan’s 1964 song about having steamy, casual interracial sex.

11. Bobby Womack – Across 110th Street (1972)
NYC hook: 110th Street is the street that divides Harlem and Manhattan. Bob is not painting a pretty picture of what lies at the other side of Manhattan: pimps and hookers, pushers and junkies jostling on the streets of “the capital of every ghetto town”.

12. Billy Joel – New York State Of Mind (1976)
NYC hook: The New Yorker might leave the city for Miami Beach or for Hollywood, but if they are anything like Bronx-born, Long Island-raised Billiam, they’ll miss the New York Times and Daily News (but not the Post, it seems) so much, they’ll feel compelled to return.

13. Ella Fitzgerald – Manhattan (1956)
NYC hook: On his wonderful radio show, Bob Dylan described the Rodgers & Hart song as a love letter to New York City. Who knew that Zimmerman had a way with words? Ella is full of giddy tenderness as she provides us with a partial road map of the city. Are pushcarts still gliding gently on Mott Street?

14. Hem – Great Houses Of New York (live) (2006)
NYC hook: Native New Yorkers Hem don’t need to mention the city in a song that incorporates its name in the title to prove that it’s set there. It suffices to refer to NYC’s winter climate as a metaphor for a dying relationship, a recurring theme in Hem’s beautiful songs..

15. The Mamas & The Papas – Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon) (1968)
NYC hook: The Mamas and the Papas lived in New York before moving to Hawaii and then to California. It seems fair to say that they didn’t dig New York — “every thing there was dark and dirty “ — and this is their fuck-you note to the city. Most likely, the Daily News won’t be enough to lure them back.

16. Odyssey – Native New Yorker (1977)
NYC hook: Two decades before Thingymajig Bradshaw in Sex And The City made her, erm, acute observations about the politics of sex, Odyssey had it already figured out: “No one opens the door for a native New Yorker.” So, like, take charge of your life yourself, girl!

17. Elkow Bones & The Racketeers – A Night In New York (1983)
NYC hook: A sadly ignored club gem whose horns sounds like New York traffic to me. Delicious.

18. Nicole with Timmy Thomas – New York Eyes (1985)
NYC hook: What in the name of all that’s ophthalmological are these New York Eyes that have short-lived soul starlet Nicole attracted to ’70s soulster Timmy Thomas (who I presume provides the groovy keyboard here)? Whatever they are, reciprocally gazing at Nicole’s NY eyes, they make Timmy feel good inside.

19. Beastie Boys – An Open Letter To NYC (2005)
NYC hook: And it’s another love letter: “Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten, from the Battery to the top of Manhattan. Asian, Middle-Eastern and Latin, black, white — New York you make it happen.”

20. LL Cool J feat. Leshaun Williams – Doin’ It (1995)
NYC hook: Six people are credited with writing this droll ode to physical intimacy. None of them have sought to distance themselves from this lyrical gem which surely provides all the required evidence to support the notion that ladies really can’t help themselves but love Cool James. Mr Toddrattles off the specials on today’s hum menu: “It’s the first time together and I’m feeling kinda horny, conventional methods of makin’ love kinda bore me. I wanna knock your block off, get my rocks off, blow your socks off, make sure your G-spot’s soft” (you get hard G-spots? And, more importantly, how do you get away rhyming “off” with “soft”?). With Cool James, sex is a matter of territorial chauvinism, not unlike the so-called World Series. He points out that he represents Queens, whose residents may well jostle for prime bedside seats, the better to cheer on their local stud muffin. Cool James’ hopefully softly G-spotted friend was raised “out Brooklyn”, where she learnt to yearn for a “Big Daddy” who might “pull my hair and spank me from the back” and finish off with some “candy rain”. Just as the contender from Queens might, if his dick is as big as his braggadocio.

21. Ben Folds – Rock This Bitch (NYC version) (2004)
NYC hook: Some “motherfucker in Chicago” once shouted out “rock this bitch” at a Ben Folds gig, giving rise to a tradition whereby Folds (evidently reluctantly) improvises a new “Rock This Bitch” version on the spot. As he did in this recording from the 2004 Summerstage concert. “R.O.C.K. with your C.O.C.K. out, in N.Y.C.”

DOWNLOAD

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New York City – Any Major Mix Vol. 1

More mixes
American Road Trip

En la misma linea de la anterior, es del mismo album y también creo que forma parte de la banda sonora de la película (no lo puedo asegurar ya que, aunque la he visto, es tan larga que muchas veces te despistas).

Igualmente hermosa, una balada realmente simple, sencilla, sin grandes alardes técnicos, sonoros y demás, pero, preciosa, magnífica.

Ya quisieran todos esos cantautores del “sindicato de la ceja”, incluyendo a Joaquín Sabina, llegarle a la altura del betún a este genial neoyorkino.

Y que se joda el “Luismemo” y su “alter ego” C_Q_A_D_E, y su ”tontita” amante sandinista,  con su anti-norteamericanismo ESTUPIDO, propio de RETRASADOS MENTALES INCURABLES (como es el caso, claro).

HARRY NILSSON – ” I GUESS THE LORD MUST BE IN NEW YORK CITY “

I’ll say goodbye
To all my sorrow
And by tomorrow
I’ll be on my way
I guess the Lord must be in New York City

I’m so tired
Of getting nowhere
Seein’ my prayers
Goin’ unanswered
I guess the Lord must be in New York City

Well, here I am, Lord
Knockin’ at your back door
Mmm…Ain’t it wonderful to be
Where I’ve always wanted to be?
For the first time, I’ll breathe free here in New York City
Say goodbye
To all my sorrow
And by tomorrow
I’ll be on my way
I guess the Lord must be in New York City

So tired
Of getting nowhere and
Seein’ my prayers
Goin’ unanswered
I guess the Lord must be in New York City

Well, here I am, Lord
Knockin’ at your back door
Mmm…Ain’t it wonderful to be
Where I’ve always wanted to be?
For the first time, I’ll breathe free here in New York City”

Voy a decir adiós
A todos mi dolor
Y para mañana
Estaré en mi camino
Supongo que el Señor debe estar en Nueva York

Estoy tan cansado
De llegar a ninguna parte
Mi Seein oraciones
Goin ’sin respuesta
Supongo que el Señor debe estar en Nueva York

Bueno, aquí estoy, Señor,
Golpeando a tu puerta de atrás
Mmm … ¿No es maravilloso que se
En caso de que siempre he querido ser?
Por primera vez, voy a respirar en libertad, aquí en Nueva York,
Diga adiós
A todos mi dolor
Y para mañana
Estaré en mi camino
Supongo que el Señor debe estar en Nueva York

Tan cansado
De llegar a ninguna parte y de
Mi Seein oraciones
Goin ’sin respuesta
Supongo que el Señor debe estar en Nueva York

Bueno, aquí estoy, Señor,
Golpeando a tu puerta de atrás
Mmm … ¿No es maravilloso que se
En caso de que siempre he querido ser?
Por primera vez, voy a respirar en libertad, aquí en Nueva York “

Una preciosa canción, una canción para siempre. El tema principal de la película “Cowboy de media noche”.

Harry Nilsson, cantautor neoyorkino, ganador de dos premios “Emmy” y que fué mucho mas conocido por su éxito “Whithout you (Si no estás tu)”, es el autor y cantante de esta canción tan sencilla como bella, en el año 1.969 que ha sido luego utilizada, sobre todo, aparte de en la película indicada, en multitud de series y anuncios en los que el tema es una escapada dejandolo todo atrás.

Uno de esos temas que nunca se olvidan y que siempre gusta escuchar.

HARRY NILSSON – ” EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ “

Everybody’s talking at me.
I don’t hear a word they’re saying,
Only the echoes of my mind.
People stopping staring,
I can’t see their faces,
Only the shadows of their eyes.

I’m going where the sun keeps shining
Thru’ the pouring rain,
Going where the weather suits my clothes,
Backing off of the North East wind,
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone

No se escucha una palabra que están diciendo,
Sólo el eco de mi mente.
Impedir que la gente mirando,
No puedo ver sus caras,
Sólo las sombras de sus ojos.

Voy donde el sol sigue brillando

A través de ‘la lluvia,
Va donde el tiempo se adapte a mi ropa,
Retroceder de viento del noreste,
Navegar en Summer Breeze

Today I’m stuck on: “One” by Harry Nilsson

One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It’s the loneliest number since the number one

He’s not the one I want. So why did I invite him over tonight? To hold me? To fuck me and play my guitar? What am I doing, really?

It’s funny how being with another person can sometimes make you feel lonelier than if you were by yourself. The desperate sensation of my skin touching his almost made me burst into tears tonight. I have to end this, but feel more drawn to him than ever.

———————————————–

Click Song for MediaFire Download Link
“One” – Harry Nilsson

There was no denying that, by 1975, popular music was undergoing another change.  The advances of the late 1960s had sunk in, and rock had already gotten over the Beatles by introducing bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Foghat.  The second wave of hard rockers were honing their chops in 1975, and names like Aerosmith, Boston and Van Halen were waiting in the wings.

But the pop charts were showing a different shade: black.  Black artists had always been a part of pop music, of course: names like Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross regularly appeared on the Top 40, as did Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and the Staple Singers.  By 1975, soul music and R&B had been influenced by psychedelic guitar music, and the new music born from that was called funk.

Curtis Mayfield

One of the big artists of the early Seventies was Curtis Mayfield, who soldiered through the 1960s as the mastermind behind the Impressions and their groundbreaking hits like “People Get Ready,” “Keep On Pushing” and “We’re A Winner.”  Mayfield left the group in 1970 and as a solo artist he helped put black music on the top 40 with his classic soundtrack to the blaxploitation movie Superfly.   In 1975 Mayfield took his own label, Curtom, to Warner Bros., and he anchored the first sampler from that year, All Meat.  In 1990 Mayfield would be seriously injured by falling stage lighting, and he was paralyzed from the neck down.  After nearly a decade in this condition, Mayfield died in 1999.

By the mid-1970s it seemed Warner/Reprise was no longer the trailblazer it was just six years earlier.  The label seemed to be happy milking the singer/songwriter formula (James Taylor, Seals & Crofts) and sponsoring the Southern branch of the hard rock movement (Capricorn Records‘ stable including the Allman Brothers and Wet Willie).  All Meat reflected this situation: Elvin Bishop, Wet Willie, Grinderswitch rocked their newest material while James Taylor offered “I Was A Fool To Care” and the Doobie Brothers begged “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me).”  Gary Wright was about to break big, evidenced here by “Dream Weaver,” and Jimi Hendrix is long gone but not forgotten as he turns up on All Meat with the newly discovered track “Captain Coconut.”

Emmylou Harris made her debut with “Bluebird Wine,” from her first album, and the disintegrating Faces (billed as the Faces/Rod Stewart) promised “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything.”  Super producer Phil Spector brought his own label to Warner Bros. and his newest was a duet between Harry Nilsson and Cher, doing “A Love Like Yours,” which was written by the ex-Motown team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.  And finally, Curtis Mayfield bows on a sampler with “So In Love.”  Black music is also represented by Allen Toussaint doing a solo song and producing Labelle (with an odd version of the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”!) and Earth, Wind and Fire makes an appearance on a 1969 track from the Warners vaults, “Moment Of Truth.”

The Force, another 1975 two-LP sampler, marched to much of the same beat: rock, pop and a little funkiness.  Jethro Tull surfaced with the radio hit “Bungle In the Jungle,” the Doobies offered their monster track “Black Water;  Deep Purple, Trapeze and Montrose represented the hard rockers, Kenny Rankin and John Sebastian the singer/songwriter contingent.  One singer/songwriter making a splash at the time was Leo Sayer, a Brit who first made it big by writing a hit song for Roger Daltrey (“Giving It All Away”).  Sayer had his own solo hit with “The Show Must Go On,” later covered by Three Dog Night, and the hits kept comin’, with “One Man Band,” “Moonlighting” and “Long Tall Glasses,” which appeared on The Force.  Sayer would hit his peak in 1977 with a pair of monsters, “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” and “When I Need You.”  Sayer today continues to make music that occasionally reaches the U.K. charts, he now lives in Australia.

The Force also featured a couple of novelties: “Laurel and Hardy,” by the surfin’ duo of Jan & Dean, was a 1968 single that tried to bring the duo into the psychedelic era; it is presented here as a not-available-anywhere-else rarity.  And then there’s “Norton,” a track from the first solo LP from Mike McGear.  McGear had a few hits in England but was best known as the brother of one James Paul McCartney, who himself was a member of a British pop group.   Mr. McCartney  co-wrote “Norton” with his brother, produced Mike’s album and plays various instruments throughout – this is almost certainly his guitar work on the song.  Bringing up the funk and soul are Graham Central Station with “Feel The Need,” Tower of Power with “Only So Much Oil In The Ground” and Percy Sledge with “I’ll Be Your Everything.”

Rod Stewart’s solo success spelled doom for his former band the Faces, and guitarist Ron Wood put out his own solo LP in 1975, pointedly titled I’ve Got My Own Album To Do.  “I Can Feel the Fire,” on The Force, is like “Norton” in that it most likely features some star guest performances, possibly from one of Ronnie’s mates like Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ian McLagan, Andy Newmark or Willie Weeks.  Despite having his own album to do, Ronnie would offically become a member of the Rolling Stones in 1976, a position he retains to this day.

Next: More from 1975!

MP3: “A Love Like Yours” by Cher & Harry Nilsson (from All Meat)

MP3: “So In Love” by Curtis Mayfield (from All Meat)

MP3: “Moment Of Truth” by Earth, Wind & Fire (from All Meat)

MP3: “Captain Coconut” by Jimi Hendrix (from All Meat)

MP3: “Long Tall Glasses” by Leo Sayer (from The Force)

MP3: “Laurel and Hardy” by Jan & Dean (from The Force)

MP3: “I Can Feel The Fire” by Ron Wood (from The Force)

MP3: “Norton” by Mike McGear (from The Force)

Inside the WB/Reprise Loss Leaders at Dustbury.com

30 Days Out’s series on the WB/Reprise Loss Leaders

No sé ustedes, pero a mí me parece que en este caso tanto la letra (en español o en inglés) como la música son tan buenas, por lo que tantos se han atrevido a hacer sus propias versiones, sus propias modificaciones e, incluso, llevarla a otros ritmos. Haciendo una rápida búsqueda en You Tube encontré varias versiones: de Harry Nilsson, Air Supply, Mariah Carey, il Divo y hasta nuestro querido salsero peruano Antonio Cartagena. Creo que cada una tiene lo suyo. La flauta en la versión de salsa me parece muy buena. ¿Qué dicen ustedes?

(a previous post from the former NuPoppa blog)

INT: Portland International Airport. It’s the Continental overnight flight from Portland to Newark. People are milling about, attempting to wipe the sleep from their eyes as they prepare to board. DOUG had just come from California earlier in the day, where he was working for three days. He had about a couple of hours to drive out to his in-laws to have a quick dinner with his wife, in-laws and son. He is on his way back to Philadelphia to go to the funeral of his 101-year old grandfather. He is tired, bags under his eyes, but seems to be rallying. The elite passengers are called to board and DOUG ambles to the gate and meekly hands his boarding pass to the agent. A wan smile is all that can be mustered as he lopes to his seat on the plane. As is his habit, DOUG leans his head down on the window and tries to get shut-eye. He has always seemed to have had bad luck with seatmates and this is his way to show that he’s really not interested in conversation.

(Music up: “A Wink and a Smile” by Harry Connick, Jr.)

A mop-headed boy walks towards the seat next to DOUG. He looks to be around 8 or 9 years old. He is carrying a green backpack. His MOM and SISTER settle in the seats across from the boy named TOBY.

TOBY
Hello.

DOUG
Hi. How are you?

TOBY
I’m good.

(Music up: “Make Someone Happy” by Jimmy Durante)

TOBY pulls a handheld video game out of his bag. He fires up a basketball game. He is also a big Celtics fan, being from New England. DOUG leans over to see what’s going on. TOBY notices that DOUG is watching the screen and politely tilts it towards DOUG so that he can get a better look.

TOBY
It’s an NBA game. But there are WNBA players and you can’t really pick the players that you want. See? Ray Allen is playing for the Warriors and some WNBA player is on the team.

DOUG
Yeah, that’s kind of weird.

TOBY
Yeah, but it’s still a fun game. What team do you like?

DOUG
Portland Trail Blazers.

TOBY
Yeah, they’re good.

(Music up: “Dreams” by The Cranberries)

DOUG turns his attention to his iPhone, where he begins playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour. TOBY leans over to get a better look. DOUG tilts it towards TOBY and shows him how to play the game. DOUG, who usually ends up with 400-pound, sweaty people next to him on flights, smiles because he’s enjoying sharing video games with his seat-neighbor. DOUG starts thinking about his little son.

(Music up: “Over the Rainbow” by Harry Nilsson)

TOBY’S MOM leans in from the other row to make sure that he’s not bothering DOUG. DOUG gives her a little wave that implies, “nah, everything is cool.” By this point, DOUG is showing TOBY pictures of his son on his iPhone. DOUG tells TOBY why he’s headed back to New Jersey. MOM leans over again to say something to TOBY but he beats her to the punch.

TOBY (loudly)
HE’S GOING BACK TO NEW JERSEY BECAUSE HIS GRANDFATHER DIED!

MOM winces at that comment but DOUG laughs it off thinking, “ah, kids.” DOUG finds out that TOBY is almost 9 and he begins to think about his own son and what he might be at 9 years old. He also thinks about the things he would say to his son at 9 years old.

(Music up: “Over the Rainbow” by Harry Nilsson again)

Before the flight takes off, DOUG teaches TOBY how to keep electronic devices on and hidden from flight attendants. If here were older, he would teach him the “briefcase trick” where you can get more legroom in coach. In gratitude, TOBY pulls up his green backpack and opens it.

TOBY
You want some candy? I’ve got Nerds, Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids. Oh, and a juicebox.

DOUG
No thank you, I’m cool.

TOBY
Really?

DOUG
Yep.

TOBY
How did your grandfather die?

DOUG is taken aback a little, but pauses. Now that DOUG is a father himself, he sees this as what all of the fu**ing books like to call a “learning opportunity.”

DOUG
Well. He was just old.

TOBY
How old was he?

DOUG
101.

(Music up: “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” by Carly Simon)

It takes TOBY a second to absorb that large number. He leans over to his MOM.

TOBY
HE WAS 101!

TOBY’S MOM gives a quasi-approving nod with that move where the eyes get wide open out of fear that someone (DOUG) was offended. She mouths “I’m sorry” to DOUG. DOUG, now realizing that TOBY is very nice and looks like the kid from “Sleepless in Seattle,” his favorite movie, just lets it slide and mouths “no problem” to MOM.

(Music up: ah hell, let’s go with “Bye, Bye, Blackbird” by Joe Cocker)

The plane’s door is about to close and the flight attendants ask that all electronic devices be shut off. DOUG and TOBY look at each other, smile and bury their games under their arms.

(Music up: “Gotcha”, The Theme From Starsky and Hutch by Tom Scott. What? I ran out of relevant songs on the “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” soundtracks — cut me a break.)

(END OF SCENE)

—————

Script Notes

The part of DOUG is played by John Cusack. Or Tom Hanks — whoever is available. Or, if neither of them are around, maybe David Spade.

TOBY is played by Ross Malinger, the actual Jonah Baldwin in “Sleepless in Seattle,” but he is somehow magically transported back to what he looked like back then.

MOM is played by the ever cool Kathy Najimy.

We couldn’t find a role for Meg Ryan. Sorry.

However, we gave five roles, in later scenes, to the world’s coolest person, Zooey Deschanel. All of those roles were Zooey just acting like Zooey but she’s so cool, it doesn’t really matter now, does it?

This script was not done using Final Draft, but I do know how to use the program.

I do like Nora Ephron and I wish her, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams the best of luck with “Julie and Julia.” Please note, the chances of Nora Ephron reading this are highly remote. But, in case you are, let’s have a lunch at The California Canteen on Cahuengua, I’d like to pitch you this story. It was really cute.