The Obama Irish Song?

OK, then. Kind of funny....O'Bama's Irish?

Stealing Stuff Again

I got these from another blog, so I ain't that smart. I am at least honest about stealing.
But, being that Kurt Vonnegut went to the University of Iowa, that makes him a righteous dude of the first order.

Thanks, KK

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.' Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.

From your mouth to God's ear...thanks, Karl

The Stand Up Comedy Hall of Fame

I stole this idea from another website (kinda like rock and roll isn't it)?

I have put together what I like to call the Stand Up Comedy Hall of Fame.
Here are MY charter members...

George Carlin



Richard Pryor



Lenny Bruce



You can vote for your favorites to the right. Enjoy!

From George Washington to Barack Obama Under Four Minutes

Fascinating.

Top 100-Henry Gross

A few months back, I started posting about the Top 100 albums in my life, then I got sidetracked, as per usual. Let's continue the countdown, kids. Here's one that would fit somewhere in the 75-80 range.At age eighteen, Henry was a founding member of the world famous Rock & Roll revival group, SHA NA NA, wearing on-stage the "Greaser" clothes he wore in high school "because he thought they looked good". The groups' popularity took a giant step after legendary performances in the Fillmore Auditoriums, East and West and at the Woodstock Festival. With the groups' appearance in the movie "WOODSTOCK" their popularity became a worldwide phenomenon.
Henry left the band in 1970 to pursue a career as a singer songwriter signing his first solo deal with ABC DUNHILL RECORDS in 1971. The albums lack of commercial success did not discourage him and in 1973, after performing at colleges and clubs all over the country, he was signed to a production deal by Cashman and West, legendary producers of Jim Croce, who almost immediately placed Henry on A&M RECORDS.

Yes, Henry Gross did the song "Shannon" which, I thought, was a heartfelt tribute to a passing friend. Only later did I find out it was about his...dog. That kind of ruined it for me. Before he did "Shannon", he relased an album full of great pop rock and roll. I had this on 8 track and wore it out. I bought this CD as an import from my buddy Tom at "Now Hear This" many years ago and again, it found a regular place on my CD player. Henry's got a high voice and the harmonies on this album makes me think of the Beach Boys and indeed, the CD features Carl Wilson. Along with the production duo of Cashman/West (Amercian City Suite), this is a joyful, great power pop record.

"One More Tomorrow" starts it off with a great ELO guitar riff and is a solid, moving, driving tune that would sound great on the interstate at about 75 mph. (I should know) Great harmonies and a killer solo in the middle. Dude could play.

"I'll Love Her" is a great word song wrapped in some cool harmonies (again) and a nice building groove. The guy has quite the vocal range. Great playing from the studio musicians he hired for the porject (including one of my favorite drummers Alan Schwartzberg and with keyboardist Micheal Kamen). This should ahve been a hit single.

"Southern Band" "I'll find me some smokin yankees and make a southern band" Great guitar song and he shows his chops here. Funky bass laid down by Warren Nichols.

"The Driver's Engine" This could've been done by Micheal Murphey (see previous post). Once again, tight Beach Boy like harmonies and a song that has a very distinct country feel.

"Travelin Time" You bet. Let's grab the Ipod, crank the windows down and crank this baby up. Last song on side one.

"All My Love" Beach Boys meet the Beatles, why this song wasn't a number one song is beyond me. Must have been the record company's fault. One of my all time favorite songs.

"Only One" the filler song, here he shows us how he can sing, but we already knew that. A bit sappy for me, but very heartfelt.

"Evergreen" cool song that reminds me of the mountains, featuring a banjo and a pedal steel guitar. "Evergreen, evergreen, you are my hearts true delight, with your lines softly whispering in the night..don't know why they made the city black and white"

"Dixie Spiderman" One of the best pop guitar songs ever, very well (maybe over) produced. Almost sounds like the Raspberries meet ELO

"Tommorrow's Memory Lane" the riff is from "Sweet Jane" by Lou Reed but his voice soars on this one. Nice finale to a great album

Yes, he's still around and making music. Here's his website, where he talks about writing "Shannon" (OK, after reading it, I am a bit more impressed than before) and how he and Carl Wilson became good friends. I always liked his music, not many hits, but the song "Tie Our Ships Together" remains one of my favorites.

When The Wind Blows

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands.

Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic.

They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic,

wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received
a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached
the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help,
hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from
dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed
next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the
little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No
sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.

Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had
been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens
were in the coops, and the doors were barred.
The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.
Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his
hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while
the wind blew.
When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically,
you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the
wind blows through your life?
The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he
had secured the farm against the storm.
We secure ourselves against the storms of life by
grounding ourselves in the Word of God.
We don't need to understand, we just need to hold
His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.
A friend of mine sent this to me today,
and I enjoyed it so much, that I wanted to send it to you.
I hope you enjoy your day and you sleep well.

Why So Serious?

Post 1,400

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. "

Thomas Jefferson

Lint On My Shirt

...I leave Bloomington/Normal with mixed feelings. I think I left the stations better than I found them and I am sad not to have been able to finish what I started. I leave confident though, knowing that I found a whole new skill set for myself. I really liked the area and was excited about getting more involved in the community and the lifestyle there. It's on to the next challenge, wherever and whenever that may be.

...I believe that you must continually exercise your brain, at least as much, if not more than your body. This blog is an exercise of my brain. Writing is something I have done since the high school newspaper days. Too bad I haven't got much better at it.

...I remember how much I caterwalled at the tremendous amount of crap my mother in law had acquired before her death and how it seemed that the job of emptying out her apartment took forever. The amount of junk I collected in less than a year in Bloomington rivals that. If I ever move away again, please remind me that "less is more". Incredible.

...Stress can really mess with your body. It can shut you down or open you up, whichever.

...I think of myself as being a good Christian man (what would be a "bad" Christian?), conversely, I sometimes like bawdy entertainment. Example, I am now at episode 11 of Deadwood. Yes there are a lot of $#&+ers and c&*^%$ers, but the entertainment value is incredible and just the thought of trying to make it back then makes me wonder how tough those people were.

...When people ask me how it's going, I at least have some options opened up to me. I could say that this is the winter of my discontent, but I have already been through that. Being so sick that you can't get out of bed for three months will certainly put it all into perspective.

...When I try and sleep, sometimes song lyrics will play over and over in my head, here's the one that's been on my mind lately..."A gal comes towards you, You once used to know, You reach out your hand, But you're all alone.."

Here's the video for the whole song..



Al Stewart's music is so real, so basic. This features Peter White on guitar, one of the most underrated players in the business and Brian Savage on saxophone. Peter and Brian are huge in the Smooth Jazz world. According to Al, he didn't like this song much, but it became a huge hit for him. The follow up to "Year of the Cat". Al is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He came through St. Louis and played at a small club with just him and a guitar. Hard to do this song without the sax, though. Ah, yes, the summer of 1978..

January 20 2009

By some freak of nature and I am not smart or clarvoyent enough to know what it means, as President Obama was taking his oath of office, I passed the exit sign in Springfield Illinois for the Abraham Lincoln Museum. I believe it is exit 96. Some stupid chasm of time, space and continuum. Either that or I just left St. Louis at the right time for this to happen. I'll go with answer number two. It was kind of freaky though. One of those things that I'll always remember where I was when he took the oath.

A New Motivational Poster

Meandering Musings

Yesterday was the road trip day. You know, as much as I like to drive, yesterday was a bit much. I borrowed a truck from a friend of mine, left St. Louis at nine am, heading to Bloomington to get the last (I thought) of my stuff. I sold some things on Craigslist (which was decent experience) and decided after talking to my daughter, that she could use the rest. I arrived in Bloomington about 11:30 and packed up the truck (by myself) with a couch, kitchen table and chairs, a coffee table, two end tables and my bike. The people who bought my bed and dresser on Craigslist got there early, so leaving Bloomington at 1:15 put me 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Driving west on interstate 74, I encountered some of the strongest winds in recent memory. I stopped along the highway to make sure my load was tight and secure and nearly got decapitated my someones rear view mirror. Between Galesburg and the Quad Cities, the winds were blowing so hard that, for a few miles, there was nearly a white out. People spinning out on the highway even though it hadn't snowed in days. I arrived at my daughters in Davenport at about 3:45 or so, unloaded the truck by myself (except for the couch) and was on my merry way around five. I ate at my favorite Mexican restaurant (Rudy's in Moline) and headed for the Gateway City at about six. Once again, between Galesburg and Peoria, cars were spinning everywhere, the snow was blowing so hard it was packing up the highway and making travel pretty dangerous, but me, being the soldier I am, marched on. I arrived here at 10:20pm, worn out, tired and ready to read at church this morning at 7:30am. The strange part about this moving bit is that I am not done yet. I have to go back one more time to finish the job. It makes me wonder how I could have accumulated all that stuff in 6 months. THAT has to change.

************************************************************************************

I love reading at church, I love being in church. There is something calming and soothing about being in God's house that really appeals to me. Church makes me think, it makes be happy, it makes me cry sometimes. I never feel lost there and to use one of the very few gifts that God has given me to proclaim his word to the masses, makes me feel, in some small way, that I am doing his work.

************************************************************************************

I have a nibble on a VERY large fish. Please pray for me that I can pull this fish into the boat. The images of guys reeling in huge marlins or swordfish come to mind. It could be one of the biggest fish in my life and maybe one of the most satisfying. Your good karma thoughts and wishes are certainly appreciated.

************************************************************************************

Yes, I am STILL rooting for Kurt Warner to get to the Superbowl. I don't find myself getting caught up in all the football fanatics, but I am a fan of his and hope that he continues his comeback story. Good things DO happen to good guys, and as far as I am concerned, he is about as good as it gets.

************************************************************************************

I love the State Farm commercial. It's real song done by Frank and Nancy Sinatra.

Here's the video for all who care...actually not a bad song

That's all for now, see you soon.

Not For The Sqeamish

My arteries are getting clogged just thinking about this...not sure where this is, but ya gotta hand it to them...truth in advertising.

(Thanks KK)

Nice uniforms.

The scene of the grime, er I mean crime

Unbelievable.

Oh, my!

Ick

Have you ever lost a girlfriend, see her years later and wondered what happened to her? Why has she let herself go? I had the same feeling yesterday when I took a road trip back to the house I grew up in outside of Ava, Mo. It looks like there hasn't been any work done on the house since we left it in 1971. I was sad..

My dad rebuilt that house with his bare hands...he's spinning in his grave.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

What started off as a great idea has turned into a complete and worthless sham. The nominees were inducted last night and while I agree with Little Anthony and The Imperials, War, Wanda Jackson, The Stooges and Jeff Beck and almost agree with Metallica, RUN DMC was inducted. RUN DMC had one song and it was mostly done by Aerosmith (who should be ashamed of themselves they have sold out so badly).
Still, no love for...

Three Dog Night (someone said Three Dog's problem is that they didn't write their own songs, well, neither did Rod Stewart)



The Moody Blues (this is travesty)



The Doobie Brothers (How can this be?)



Chicago (what the...)



Deep Purple (one of the original heavy metal bands that had musical ability)



Yes (the soundtrack of my adolescence, my first experience with "headphone" rock)



J. Geils Band (the hardest working band I've ever seen, America's answer to the Stones)



Grand Funk (drove my parents nuts)



Leon Russell (one of the greatest songwriters ever)



Rush (the thinking man's band)



Let's even go with Alice Cooper this live performance shows you how good they were live



Can't forget The Guess Who, live on the Johnny Cash show



Dire Straits, anyone? (maybe one of the best guitar solos ever)

R I P Delaney Bramlett

Bramlett was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi and after a stint in the United States Navy, moved to Los Angeles, California. There he established himself as a singer-songwriter, writing with fellow musicians Joey Cooper, Mac Davis and Jackie DeShannon. Bramlett also became a regular on the U.S. television show Shindig! as member of the show's house band, the Shindogs. During this time, he also worked with J.J. Cale, who was his first guitar player, and Leon Russell and released some unsuccessful solo singles.
Bramlett's musical history spans four decades. Known as a songwriter, singer and musician, he has also mentored other musicians, including Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Leon Russell, George Harrison, and J.J. Cale.
Over the years, some of his songs have reached "standard" status, such as "Superstar" originally titled, "Groupie Superstar" which was co-written with Leon Russell and has been covered by scores of artists, (recorded most recently in 2006 by Usher and in the past by Luther Vandross, The Carpenters and many others).
Bramlett's other hits included "Let It Rain," which was co-written with and recorded most notably by Eric Clapton; and "Never Ending Song Of Love" which has appeared on the soundtracks of the films, RV and A Good Year. "Never Ending Song of Love" has been recorded by more than 100 artists, including Ray Charles, and Patty Loveless and Dwight Yoakam.
Eric Clapton joined Delaney, Bonnie & Friends on tour, Bramlett produced and co-wrote songs for Clapton's first solo album, "Eric Clapton". Clapton still credits Delaney for pushing him to sing and teaching him the art. Bramlett produced King Curtis' last LP, which had two hit singles: "Teasin'" and "Lonesome Long Way from Home". He produced an assortment of artists, such as Etta James, Elvin Bishop, John Hammond, Dorothy Morrison (of "Oh Happy Day" fame), and The Staple Singers.
George Harrison had his first slide bottle placed in his hand by Bramlett, who taught Harrison how to play slide guitar, which led into a gospel jam that resulted in Harrison's hit "My Sweet Lord". Bramlett wrote, recorded, or appeared on stage with many notable performers, including Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Dave Mason, Billy Preston, John Lennon, The Everly Brothers, Spooner Oldham, Steve Cropper, Billy Burnette, Mac Davis, Dennis Morgan, and his own daughter, Bekka Bramlett. In 2006 Bramlett was one of the duet artists on the Jerry Lee Lewis album Last Man Standing, singing and playing guitar on "Lost Highway".
Producer Jerry Wexler, the founder of Atlantic Records, says some of the best music he ever heard was played by Duane Allman and Bramlett on deck of his home in Long Island,New York. The two musicians remained friends until Allman's death in 1971.
In 2008 Bramlett released his first CD in six years, A New Kind of Blues.
On December 27 at 4:55 a.m., Bramlett died from complications of gall bladder surgery. He is survived by his widow, Susan Lanier-Bramlett (Susan Lanier), three daughters, Suzanne, Michele, and Bekka Bramlett and a son, Dylan Thomas.

Here's Delaney, Bonnie, Eric and Dave from "the Price of Fame" TV show in 1969.

Newspaper clipping June 21 1986

Going through some stuff, I found this. The KSHE folk bowled against "The Fabulous Thunderbirds" on that night and yes, that's me next to Jimmie Vaughan. I'll try to magnify the print but, as I remember, it was a blast. Jimmie bowled a 68 or something like that. Hope you can read the print.

So Long 2008

The rest of the list

EARTHA KITT...maybe the best Catwoman, earthy, sultry.
FREDDIE HUBBARD...maybe the best trumpeter ever, although Maynard Ferguson played at my high school.
CHARLTON HESTON...for only two quotes..."Get your filthy paws off of me, you damned dirty ape!" and "Soylent Green is people!" No one could have done Moses better
RICHARD WRIGHT...Pink Floyd keyboardist and song writer...thanks for the good times under the headphones
JIM MCKAY...the theme from "Wide World of Sports" is as a part of my youth as anything.
ISAAC HAYES...Under-rated musician and singer...He also made a couple great "Rockford Files" episodes, where he kept calling the famous James Garner character, "Rockfish..* thanks Sid, his 22 minute version of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" notwithstanding
TIM RUSSERT...Gladys was in England when I told her. She cried. So much a part of Sunday morning
TONY SNOW...former Bush White House press secretary, Fox News anchor, political columnist, I didn't agree with him much, but his courage and grace under pressure was inspiring
BERNIE MAC...one funny dude, his TV show was hilarious.
GEORGE CARLIN...maybe THE reason I got into radio, he made the five oclock news sound so much fun. I miss him.
SUZANNE PLESHETTE...I was so in love with her in high school, what a great part she played on Newhart, pretty, funny and a REAL hottie
JEFF HEALEY...Blind blues musician. My band "The Traffic Jam" opened for Jeff Healey at Mississippi Nights at a free concert. We were very well received and while I was leaving the stage, Jeff said "they love you, go back out" to which I replied "opening bands don't get encores". "Mine do", he said. What an incredible guy. How sweet.
BO DIDDLEY...Reknowned blues guitar afficionado, but better known for his Nike/Bo Jackson commercials in the late 80's...interviewed him twice, he was a prick both times, couldn't stop eating either time
DICK MARTIN...The other half of Rowan and Martin, one of a few guys who could make me laugh so hard I peed my pants
HARVEY KORMAN...here's another one. Carol Burnett, "Blazing Saddles", you name it..he killed me
PAUL NEWMAN...Still hard to believe he ever got old, I can't list enough things that inspired me. See earlier post about how he was in the very first movie I remember
LEVI STUBBS...Four Tops frontman, trained as an alto, sang as a soprano, that's how he got that "ache" in his voice
JERRY REED...I quote him everyday when I talk to my sales crew..."we got a long way to go and a short time to get there". Thanks for "Amos Moses", I loved that song
DON LAFONTAINE...in a world far away, man, what a voice.

On The Air Again

Grabbing the headphones and on air all week, doing the old Randy Raley Experience, from 2p-7p starting Tuesday. You can hear me at http://www.eagleclassicrock.com/.

"Playing all the hits for you.. for you wherever you may be. The bright good-morning voice who's heard but never seen. Feeling all of forty-five going on fifteen" I haven't done this for a while, it ought to be fun. I wonder if I remember how.

Goodbye Part Two

Michael Crichton...man, your stuff scared the shit out of me. I read "The Andromeda Strain" in high school and nearly soiled my pants. I went back and re-read it earlier this year and it still had the same effect on me. Next came "The Terminal Man", "The Great Train Robbery", "Congo","Sphere" and, of course "Jurassic Park." "Prey" has been turned into "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Crichton has written or directed in several motion pictures or TV series. In the 1970s in particular he was intent on being a successful filmmaker. His first film, Pursuit (1972) was a TV movie both written and directed by Crichton that is based on his novel Binary.Westworld was the first feature film that used 2D computer-generated imagery (CGI) and the first use of 3D CGI was in its sequel, Futureworld (1976), which featured a computer-generated hand and face created by then University of Utah graduate students Edwin Catmull and Fred Parke. Crichton directed the film Coma, adapted from a Robin Cook novel. There are other similarities in terms of genre and the fact that both Cook and Crichton were physicians, were of similar age, and wrote about similar subjects. Given the private way in which Crichton lived his life, his battle with throat cancer was not made public until his death. He died unexpectedly of throat cancer on November 4, 2008. On Crichton's death, long term friend and collaborator Steven Spielberg issued a statement: “Michael’s talent outscaled even his own dinosaurs of ‘Jurassic Park.’ He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the earth. In the early days, Michael had just sold ‘The Andromeda Strain’ to Robert Wise at Universal and I had recently signed on as a contract TV director there. My first assignment was to show Michael Crichton around the Universal lot. We became friends and professionally ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘ER,’ and ‘Twister’ followed. Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place.” Amen, Steven. Man, this guy filled my nights with soooo much entertainment.

Danny Federici Where would Bruce Springsteen be without Danny Federici? The happy Hammond b3 in "Hungry Heart". The haunting throbbing mellow pulsating organ on "Point Blank" and "My Hometown". He filled in the band's sound and actually asked Bruce to join HIS band. Federici started to play accordion when he was seven years old, which he learned from watching The Lawrence Welk Show. When he mastered classical music and polka, his mother booked him at parties, clubs and on radio. While he continued his studies in classical accordion, he gained an interest in jazz and blues, after he heard a professor on Neupauer Conservatory of Music in Philadelphia play those styles on accordion.
During in-concert band intros, Springsteen often referred to him as "Phantom," sometimes said to be because of an incident in Asbury Park in the 1960s where Federici evaded a police crackdown that resulted in the arrest of numerous others. Federici attended high school at Hunterdon Central High School in New Jersey. When he, along with Vini Lopez started the band Child at the end of the 1960s, their choice for a singer fell on Bruce Springsteen; Federici also joined Springsteen in other early efforts such as Steel Mill.
Federici's organ fills are a key component in the E Street sound, and sometimes take on a more prominent role, such as on the hit "Hungry Heart". His use of the electronic glockenspiel is also an easily recognized E Street element; he subsequently used electronic keyboards to simulate the glockenspiel sound. Another notable performance is his accordion solo on "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)". It was reported in an interview in Backstreets magazine that Federici did not have the best working relationship while playing with pianist David Sancious in the early days of the E Street Band; Sancious would comment on Federici's parts, constantly telling him what to play and what not to play. Federici married Kathlynn Helmeid, a flight attendant he had met on the Born in the USA tour, in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1987. After years of failed adoption attempts, they adopted two daughters, Madison and Harley. The couple separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. Kathlynn suffered from Crohn's disease and died in 2007. On November 21, 2007, it was announced that Federici would take a leave of absence from Springsteen and the E Street Band's ongoing Magic Tour to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano Springsteen stated at the time: "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return." Federici made his only return to the stage on March 20, 2008, when he appeared for portions of a Springsteen and E Street Band performance at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Federici died on April 17, 2008 in New York having suffered for three years with melanoma. Federici's son, Jason Federici, daughters, Madison and Harley and fourth wife, Maya, survived him.

Goodbye Part one

Throughout the last couple of weeks here in 2008, I will pause long enough to say goodbye to people I will miss in ther future or say sayanara to someone who has touched my life in the past. Here is the first in a number of segments.

Bobby Mercer I hated the Yankees. No question about it. Even back then. Since basesball was only broadcast on Staurday, all of America usually got the Yankees. One guy who played as hard as he could and I really admired was Bobby Mercer. Apparently, he was one of the nicest cats, ever. Even while going through the ravishes of chemo and radiation, he signed autographs for 2,000 fans on Bobby Mercer day at Yankee Stadium. He died earlier this year of cancer at the age of 62.


Arthur C. Clarke

"2001: A Space Odyssey" started as a piece called "The Sentinel" written in 1948 for a BBC competition. I've read "The City and the Stars","Childhood's End" and "2001". He was the inspiration for a number of writers and songwriters. The Moody Blues have said that they wanted make their music sound like an Arthur C. Clarke novel and have duly noted his influence on their music. In December 2007 on his 90th birthday, Clarke recorded a video message to his friends and fans bidding them good-bye. Clarke died in Sri Lanka on 19 March 2008 after suffering from breathing problems, according to Rohan de Silva, one of his aides, only a few days after he had reviewed the final manuscript of his latest work, The Last Theorem, co-written with Frederik Pohl. He was buried in Colombo in traditional Sri Lankan fashion on 22 March, with his younger brother, Fred Clarke, and his Sri Lankan adoptive family among the thousands in attendance.

Jo Stafford-The fisrt musical anything I can remember are 78 rpm records. We had a bunch of them and most of them were Jo Stafford records. "...see the pyramids across the Nile..." is one of my first musical memories. Thank God my mom liked music, and usually pretty good stuff. Jo Stafford was better than good stuff, she was great. My first introduction into music was done with class and style and by someone who could just flat out sing. ...."you belong to me..." She died in July at 90.

Here's the song

RIP Dennis Yost

While better late than never, I must pay tribute to one of the under looked guys in pop music.
Dennis Yost was responsible for some of the best MOR sounds of the mid- late sixties. "Stormy" "Spooky" "Traces of Love" and my favorite "Pollyanna" were all over pop radio and now oldies radio. Looking back after all these years, I wonder what kind of an effect these songs had on couples split apart by the war. His stuff was on the radio from 1967-1969 and I can only imagine what kind of memories they must produce with wives STILL waiting for their men to come home. While not the most gifted of musicians, he surrounded himself with great players. Robert Nix, Dean Daughtry and James Cobb went on to form the Atlanta Rhythm Section (see earlier post) and his producer Buddy Buie did the same for ARS. He performed with various members as Dennis Yost and the Classics IV for the almost forty years. Following an outdoor concert on September 24, 2005 at Chenay Bay Resort, St. Croix, Virgin Islands at "Kat-Fest", Brian Correll and Don Martin headed for home, while the rest of the group stayed on the island for about a week. Martin had some business affairs to attend to and Correll returned to the recording studio to work on some songs that the group had been putting together for a new album to promote a 2006 tour, which would have marked the 40th anniversary of the group. However, plans for 2006 were soon abandoned after Yost became seriously ill. On July 11, 2006, while recovering at home in a suburb of Cincinnati, Yost fell down a flight of stairs and suffered serious brain trauma. Although Yost subsequently underwent a significant amount of rehabilitation, he was never again able to perform. Since Yost's unique voice was integral to the Classics IV sound, his injury effectively placed the group on hiatus. To assist Yost and his wife with their medical bills, a benefit concert was held on March 25, 2007, at Rhino's Live in Cincinnati, Ohio, the benefit was originally thought up by Yost's close friend Jon "Bowser" Bauman. Many musical entertainers and some surprise guests from the 1950s through the 1970s performed some of their biggest chart-topping hits in tribute to Yost, backed by local favorites, BlueStone Ivory and Classics IV guitarist Brian Correll. An interesting note to the benefit concert is that it did not benefit Yost or his wife financially. Without question the benefit was a huge boost for Yost allowing him to see and visit with so many old friends, but the expenses far exceeded the money raised leaving the whole event in the red.
Yost died of respiratory failure, on December 7, 2008, at the age of 65.

Here is a video tribute, starting with MY favorite "Pollyanna" where they sound more like the Four Seasons than the Classics IV. I was eleven when "Pollyanna" came out, and yes there was this girl... The "Traces" video was on a local Cleveland TV show. The guy looks and sounds an awful lot like Dick Clark.

Enjoy the recesses of your mind where a lot of good songs are still stored in our own personal Ipods.












Here is the Atlanta Rhythm Section version with Ronnie Hammond

Over Rated Part 3

On his blog, my buddy Brian has a section on musicians he thinks are overrated. You can get to his site by clicking the link on my roster of friend's websites. Since this is such a subjective subject, I thought I'd steal his idea and post mine.

Exhibit C

Aerosmith A.D. (after drugs)
While I would put Aerosmith's first four albums against anyones (Aerosmith, Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic and Rocks), I wouldn't walk across the street to see them now. Permanent Vacation was OK ("Hangman's Jury" was the best song on that album). "The Other Side" and "F.I.N.E" from Pump were OK, but once they started making a statement... "Janie's Got A Gun", "Livin on the Edge", etc. they were done to me. Anytime any band has recorded a Diane Warren song (see Heart), they are toast.
"I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" was nothing more than a full scale sell out and made me wretch whenever I heard it. While I have heard "Honkin on Bobo" is interesting, I couldn't tell you because they were finished in my mind and still are. I'll put it bluntly, they made better music when they were fucked up. Over rated.

Hidden gem

While driving back from B/N last night, I took some oldie but goodie CDs with me, one being John Cougar Mellencamp's "Nothing Matters and What if it Did". My heart stopped when this song came on. It hit me like a bullet from another time and dimension. I had forgotten the power it once held over me and I was transported back to 1981 when I went throught this exact situation with a woman. I still think of her.

The truth shall set you free.



You were NEVER better than this song, John.

Sorry about the weirdness in the video, it was the only "youtube" video of the song.

Over Rated Part Two

Sorry, Brian, this one's gonna hurt...

Exhibit B

KISS

Never got these guys at all. In fact, they were all I was against when it came to rock and roll bands. Can you play, write and sing? With these guys, my answer to each one was a resounding no. A friend of mine had their debut release in 1974 and brought it to my house. He lept and I wept. My first response was...what are they hiding? Sure, their shows are a hoot and I am pretty comfortable in my knowledge that they were in on the joke the whole time. A self marketer's dream but, to me, as I think of myself as a rock purist (my love for Journey notwithstanding), they represnted the side of rock and roll I didn't care for. The farewell tour lasted three years and came back to St. Louis twice. They do get points however for being nice guys. My interview with Paul and Gene at KSHE in 1994 was one of the best I have ever done. Personable and funny, but that don't mean nothin' when it comes to your place in rock and roll history. I think they will be much better known for the spectacle rather than the music. Over rated.

Upcoming Milestone

Just goes to show what passes for entertainment in this starved culture. This blog is approaching one hundred thousand hits. Not bad for being less than four years old. I think you all are absolutely insane, but, thanks for picking my journal of crap. At least it's my crap. I'd invite you all to a bar, but I don't know where we would hold the ceremony. I'll have a glass of white wine and ponder my navel.

Damn! He missed.

I think the whole country has wanted to do this for years, too bad he missed.

Over Rated

My buddy Brian is doing a feature on his blog about the most overrated bands in rock and roll. Since copying is the most sincerest form of flattery (or something like that), we'll get into Randy's most over rated...

Exhibit A

The Grateful Dead.

Now mind you, I like a lot of their stuff, it's the endless noodling and the God like fascination their followers have with the band that does it for me. Jeez, stay in time and in tune will ya? They had a couple of decent releases ("Workingman's Dead" being one). I remember buying their live album (Europe 72) when I was 16 and taking it back to get my money refunded the next day. I just didn't get it. I still don't. Nice enough stuff but hardly cult like legions of unwashed material. Hey, it's a subjective blog and I appreciate good music like the next person, but having lived through it, I still don't get it. "Noodle music" as my dad described it. "Do they play, or do they just noodle all day?" Over rated.

Louis CK

I found this on smays.com. He found it somewhere else, ain't the internet grand?



I not only had a rotary dial, when we were on the farm, we had a party line that featured old Mrs. Harris on our line and she would sometimes answer our calls. Urgh, if kids only knew..