This guitarist has a prolific resume. Founder of the band Grin, they put out some solid rock albums. He was in Neil Young’s Crazy Horse and later Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
Meanwhile he put out a number of solo albums like this one in 1975.
When you have close to 700 albums, it’s hard to play all of them consistently. I don’t come home from work and say, gosh I really have to hear some Lofgren. But I should, you should too.. There’s a reason Neil and Bruce like him. He’s a rock and roll guitar player who has fun, plays loose and his music on this album and my two Grin albums sounds like the best bar band you just stumbled onto.
Highlights include Keith Don’t Go, fun homage to Keith Richards complete with Stones’ riffs. “Going Back,” a Goffin/King song shows off his piano skills which I didn’g even know he had.
SCENE: Courtroom 222 in a massive underground city beneath the dead city of Orlando. The new city was called Boybando. No one knows why. It is still the year 2525,
Burnees stood tall before the judge. She knew he would order her killed so she thought she might as well have some fun. You know that kind of fun that makes the target explode.
JUDGE: Burnees Firesky, how do you plead to these charges?
BURNEES: Which charges?
JUDGE: These charges you have been brought up on — corrupting God-fearing people, blasphemy. sedition and 10 charges of antagonistication
‘BURNEES: I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t recognize your jurisdiction o’er me. Your jurisdiction needs some consultation,
JUDGE: What are you saying?
BURNEES: I am reminded of the words of Prosby who said it so profoundly: Gonna dig ya on a scoobydoo. Gonna gitcha on’a scubadie Ooh boog-a-boo you. You ooh boog-a-boo you, little boy Get hip to the consultation of the boolawee.
JUDGE: See Ms. Firesky this is just the kind of thing that has gotten you into so much trouble. And don’t ever say ‘boolawee’ in my court again.
BURNEES:: You say that because you are not hip to the consultation of the boolawwee.
JUDGE: Out of order. Now Ms,Firesky you now have 11 charges of antagonistication. I sentence you to be hung, no, nailed to a tree, a tall tree, with rusty nails. What do you have to say for yourself?
BURNEES: Well, in the words of Akfak: “He who seeks does not find, but he who does not seek will be found.”
The Judge started to talk but Burnees continued. “But she who seeks will find and she who does not seek will not be found.:
Again the judge , very confused now, tried again but Burnees continued louder. “And she who seeks sea shells by the seashore will sell sea shells by the seashore but how many sea shells fetched from the sea shore will she sell?
Miles away, both vertically and horizontally, Prosby shifted from shadow to shadow on his way to the Alexander Springs portal. He may die trying but he was on his way to rescue Burnees.
I’m kind of new to this Record Store Day thing. Last year I went to Charlemagne and Renaissance on Birmingham’s Southside. Don’t even remember what I bought to be honest. I just wasn’t in to shopping for records, I guess.
This year I was feeling it a little more as I continue to countdown my record collection officially standing at 678 records (there’s more than that now because of outings like the one Saturday.
I went to Seasick this time and confirmed what kind of collector I am.
I spent $10. For 10 records.
While others were pulling multicolored vinyl reissues of popular new or rediscovered hip music at $20, $30, $40 a pop, I dove into the bargain bin. It’s easy to take a gamble with 1 buck rather than $50. Now what I got may not be impressive to a ‘real’ collector, it affirmed my growing awareness that I am a bargain record hunter. My collecting began in the 1960s, 1970s as a kid. I have 678 from then which i am counting down on this blog to raise awareness of this brain disease I have: Lewy body dementia.
More than half of my records are likely cutouts. If I have any expensive collectibles, I can tell you its by accident for the most part.I went about 25 years without buying a record when CDs came out in the 1980s.
So Saturday was confirmation of this aesthetic. No Record Store Day fancified records for me –though I don’t begrudge those who did walk away with shiny new vinyl. In fact I’m envious. But I’m also excited about my little 10-spot haul. Here’s my list in alphabetical order. I picked these in 30 minutes arriving about 3 -something.
The Carpenters — “Horizon.” A Rolling Stone critic called this album the Carpenters”most musically sophisticated.” For me they are a guilty pleasure featuring Karen’s beautiful voice. This somewhat underlooked album has Solitaire’ and ‘Only Yesterday.’ For my wife, Catherine, there’s no guilt. One buck still in shrink wrap.
Rick Derringer “All American Boy.” I was disturbed when I lost this record many years ago. I loved it at 14. I was ecstatic finding it in the $1 bin Saturday. “Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo.” A quarter if you can name two bands Derringer was in.
Dave Edmunds “D.E. &th” — I’m a big fan of Rockpile, Nick Lowe and Edmunds.
Four Tops “Soul Spinning” — Early soul from this Motown quartet. A little more raw than their immensely popular later work.
Mouth and MacNeal “How Do You Do.” The song is the best-worst song in the world as declared by MyVinylCountdown.com Had to buy it for a buck. Had never actually seen this before.
The Partridge Family -“Up to Date Nostalgia purchase. Enjoyed the TV show when I was 10. David Cassidy and Shirley Jones. were the only two allowed to sing. The others lip-synced professional singers.
The Raiders “Cherokee Nation.” Big hit was the title song. Wasn’t it controversial? Paul Revere was gone from the group at the time but ostensibly the most talented –Mark Lindsay — was keeping it real;
Rainmakers — When this came out in 1986 Newsweek called it “the most auspicious debut album of the year.” “Let My People Go-Go.” I used to have this on cassette and played it to death. Awesome find for me, these Kansas City, Mo., boys.
Swimming Pool Q’s “Blue Tomorrow” I have this album. It’s one of my favorite albums. Why would.n’t I buy a back-up copy for a buck.
The Young Rascals “Groovin’ — I have their greatest hits. But critics say this is their best album. Title song is classic. This group had about a dozen hits over several years.
bought this debut album in my early Birmingham years. Probably because of lyrics like this: And this old porch is like a steaming greasy plate of enchiladas With lots of cheese and onions And a guacamole salad And you can get them down at the LaSalle Hotel
Lovett went to Texas A&M just like my Dad.
Lovett loved cheese enchiladas just like Dad (who taught me to love them).
Lovett married Julia Roberts. Dad married Jo Ellen Oliver, beautiful women both. Dad stayed married.
Though I haven’t listened much lately I have this album and a couple Lovett CD’s. His song about church going on too long is a favorite.
Then there’s the ultimate cheating song ‘God Will.‘
So who says he'll forgive you And says that he'll miss you And dream of your sweet memory God does But I don't God will But I won't And that's the difference Between God and me
In the liner note the legendary Guy Clark wrote: “The first time I met Lyle I thought he was a French blues player. You can’t tell he’s Texan ’til you hear the songs. Then he’s so Texas he doesn’t have to say it.”
After publishing this and weeks later I discovered I had another vinyl Lyle Lovett album called Pontiac. It’s even better than the self-titled debut I reviewed here. HIghlights: “If I had a Boat,’ ‘She’s No Lady,’ and ‘Give me Back My Heart.’
Rhino Records knows how to make something from not much. This decidedly minor group gets a cover with lots of photos, a plastic cover sleeve with Rhino’s catalog: Best of Troggs, the Nazz, the Standells, the Box Tops, and so on.
Then there is a history on a sheet inside that is everything you would ever want to know about four anonymous guys in a band you’ve hardly ever heard of. That’s Rhino! I love them. Who knows? We document their history and some time in the future there is a Left Banke revival? Nah, but they did one thing that put them on the pop-rock map: ‘Walk Away Renee.’ It’s a pop classic, strings and all. (The version by the Cowsills on their live album is awesome and where I first heard it at about 11 years old.)
‘Pretty Ballerina’ was their other hit and it’s not so much. Two tracks are from the group Stories, which had a cool song about interracial dating/love affairs that was likely bold for its day called Brother Louie. Stories morphed out of the Left Banke in early 1970s.
Country leavened belter Maria McKee delivers a hybrid punk country voice that is big and just a shade too sharp for my ears. No question she’s talented. But the LA band came with lots of hype.
One critic declared the self-titled debut the greatest album ever made, according to the band’s Wikipedia page.
Huh?
Just in the sub-genre of cowpunk, two out of three of my Jason and the Scorchers records match or exceed this.
They had a few singles but none did super well. The Tom Petty-penned ‘Ways to be Wicked’ is possibly the best.
ALBUM: Love Tractor , ‘Themes from Venus’ (1988); Let’s Active, “Big Plans for Everybody.’ (1986).
MVC Rating: Tractor 4.0/$$$; Active, 3.5/$$$
I was disappointed to pull out my Love Tractor album and find that it was warped. I’m talking about a big warp at the inception of the record which makes it skip. Sadly I am probably going to have to throw it away. And that’s a shame because I remember it fondly. Another Warped Hometown Band.
I combined Let’s Active with this as well because it was part of a group of records that were my college soundtrack. Both had Mitch Easter connections and Athens, Ga., connections, my more or less hometown. Let’s Active was from, I believe Chapel Hill, a university town that followed Athens’ as an incubator for good music. Of these Love Tractor is more varied and a little bit more alternative or should I say Avant Garde.
They started out as a mostly instrumental band. When they found their words they were mostly super silly but cool super silly like “I Like My Power Tools.”
Let’s Active was often compared to REM but except for some trebly jangly-ness of the guitars I didn’t see them that like that. I thought they sounded more like Ryan Adams.
Love tractor had the wonderful ‘I broke my saw’ in the spirit of Big Fat Tractor by the Swimming Pool Q’s.
I received an offer to ask a few questions of dementia expert John DenBoer who is behind a Netflix documentary on dementia premiering today at a venue in Phoenix before going on Netflix May 1.
It is called ‘This is Dementia.’
I will say upfront that I am pleased the doctor is inspired to push for more awareness after his caretaker experience with his beloved grandmother. I am still a little uncertain why there is not more discussion specifically of Lewy body disease, but I haven’t seen the movie yet.
Dementia experts has documentary airing tonight(4/11/19)
If there’s an internal medical debate about what Lewy body is or even if it exists — some docs say it’s a different kind of Parkinson’s — let’s get to the bottom of it so we can properly research it.. DenBoer points out ‘vascular’ as a top type of dementia — as well as Lewy. Everyone agrees that Alzheimer’s Disease is No. 1.
He agreed with my worry about — and I’ve expressed it here before — a lack of awareness could hurt Lewy body’s quest for research dollars. A lack of awareness seeps into the whole system.
From the patient who can’t get a proper diagnosis to the patient rigged up to a brain stimulator which may be contraindicated for their particular type of disease. We need more doctors like DenBoer to keep asking these questions and, meanwhile, helping push non-invasive brain exercises to tamp down symptoms.
He’s also focusing on early diagnosis which I think may be the most important first step toward cure. The more time we have to study these patients and treat them whether its medications or brain exercises the closer we will get.
Here’s DenBoer with answers to 8 questions from me via email.
OLIVER: How did you become interested in studying dementia?
DENBOER: It was really a synthesis of a tough personal situation (my Grandmother, who I had a special relationship with, developing dementia) and my professional pursuit in the study of Geriatric Neuropsychology. These two things coincided, which galvanized my personal and professional mission to help people with dementia. My primary emphasis is to do this through early identification and mitigation of cognitive and functional decline.
OLIVER: Tell me about the Netflix documentary and what are some of the themes?T
DENBOER The documentary is entitled “This is Dementia.” It chronicles my relationship with my grandmother, my relationship with my patients, and my quest to impact this terrible disease. I feel that it is a realistic yet hopeful portrayal of the effect the disease has on people and their families.
OLIVER: There seems to be confusion over the types of dementia. I have Lewy body dementia, sometimes called dementia with lewy bodies. Can you briefly describe the differences in the types of dementia?
DENBOER: Dementia is an umbrella term to describe the general neurodegeneration of the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, although vascular forms of dementia are also very common. Lewy Body dementia can also be fairly common. What makes this more complicated is that there are really no pure forms of dementia – all are typically combinations of each other.
OLIVER: What are the most promising areas of research for medications to stop or slow down the disease progression?
DENBOER: Unfortunately, research in the area of medications has not been very promising. By far the best way to slow down the disease is a combination of aerobic and cognitive exercise. Medication has been found to work at less than 5% efficacy. Unfortunately, there is nothing that we know of to stop the disease entirely.
OLIVER: My concern after learning of my diagnosis was that there was little awareness of Lewy body dementia, even though my understanding is that it is the second leading type of dementia after Alzheimer’s. This concerns me because if people don’t know about it they won’t get proper treatment – like Robin Williams who had Lewy body. Your thoughts?
DEBOER: Unfortunately, there is far too little awareness of all types of dementia. We do know about Alzheimer’s disease, although other forms of dementia (such as Vascular and Lewy Body) are forms that are not as well known. Our job as providers is to educate primary care providers of the important role they play in screening aging individuals and referring them to neuropsychologists and neurologists to perform more in-depth testing.
OLIVER: What also concerns me with Lewy that its lack of visibility will lead to less money for research than for example Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Thoughts on that?
DEBOER: You could be right about that, unfortunately. When people think of dementia they usually only think of Alzheimer’s dementia. Honestly, I think this is a failure on the part of our national organizations (e.g., Alzheimer’s Association) to properly educate and promote awareness of the other (equally prominent) forms of dementia.
OLIVER: Any thoughts on what the causes of the various types of dementa are?
DENBOER: There are as many different causes of dementia as there are types. Each type of dementia has its own distinct etiology. The commonality across them all is the degeneration (i.e., shrinkage) of the brain. New and novel learning can help mitigate this decline (www.brainuonline.com).
OLIVER: What should people do first if they suspect that they or a loved one may have dementia?
DENBOER: The key is to recognize this as early as possible, prior to when they have dementia or mild cognitive impairment. MCI develops 5-7 years earlier, prior to the first beginnings of dementia. By the time people have noticeable symptoms of dementia the mitigative possibilities of the disease are greatly reduced. Typically, we can slow the decline associated with the disease if people are in Stage 2 or less. If people suspect that they themselves or a loved one may have dementia my suggestion would be to present to a neuropsychologist right away. Typically, the visit is covered by Medicare/insurance. They will undergo a 2-4 hour evaluation which will assess memory, attention/concentration, etc.. The neuropsychologist will tell you whether there is a suspicion of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. If there is, a visit to a geriatric neurologist is warranted; an MRI of the brain may be needed. All of this information will be used to make a diagnosis of MCI or dementia.A simple explanation of Lewy body:
Dr John DenBoer is a US-based dementia researcher and the creator of Smart Brain Aging (http://www.smartbrainaging.com/) – a company that helps delay the onset of dementia and reduce its severity, through a science-backed brain training program. Dr DenBoer was inspired to become an expert in the field after his grandmother was diagnosed. See www.smartbrainaging.com for more information.
Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear — Sunday school song based on Bible passage in Luke
As a lifelong journalist, I’m all about information. Open records open meetings. Free speech. I say no secrets is the best way to run a government and, for the most part, your personal life.
But also in my experience as a journalist in Alabama, Florida and California I’ve seen burnout.
I learned to protect myself but you can’t always. I didn’t want to see the crime scene photos of Chauncy Bailey, a journalist and colleague in Oakland Calif. but after I pushed the photos away I snuck a glance. He was shot in the face with a shotgun.
I cannot unsee that.
Covering the cop beat in Birmingham years earlier a similar thing occurred when a police detective said “Hey this is what we were working on. He threw the envelope with photos of the crime scene. They watched me pull out a 70-something-year-old woman who was stabbed more than a dozen times. I passed the hazing of a cub cop reporter by not throwing up.
So I learned to avert my eyes and steel myself: When a decomposing body of a heatwave victim was taken out of her house; when a female murder victim was pulled from a quarry; when people broke down and screamed in anguish at funerals of children; when a man cried showing me the spot where he found his dying brother, carried by a tornado 100 yards from his house.
When I was offered to cover an execution while working at the Orlando Sentinel, I declined. When a woman threatened to jump off the Oakland Tribune building in a suicide, I chose not to watch as the street filled with onloookers.
But I heard the the eerie simultaneous gasp of the crowd below when she hit the pavement. I can’t unhear that.
I guess i am hoping to give you a strategy, however ineffectual, and as a warning, however meaningful it may be.
I am three years into a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia. The average lifespan after diagnosis is 4 to 8 years.
I am scared. I am sad. I am angry. I am resigned. All those things at different times but I’m also practicing my strategies learned in the past.
That doesn’t mean I will stop gathering information about my disease or listening to others’ experiences in memory care centers, in support groups and in YouTube videos.
On YouTube I watched John and Dawn’s achingly beautiful video. It shows what will likely happen to me. I doubt I will watch it again, because that would be too much. I’m linking it here but don’t watch if you are not up for it right now. Self protection.
I wanted to do something funny with this post. I was going to propose a Lewy body dementia free day. A day where patients like myself and caretakers like my super strong wife, Catherine, and my daughters Hannah, Emily and Claire could have a daylong respite from encountering, talking, reading, watching anything about dementia..Lewy Free Day.
Maybe the symptoms will go away for a day. Maybe that burning feeling on my neck will go away. That my fingers will return to their past nimbleness. I actually took typing in school and could get 50 to 60 words a minute. Now I find myself hunting and pecking.
What if we had one day a week as Lewy Free Day.
We all know that’s a pipe dream. But we can choose a day –i’ll say Monday — to mindfully focus on what is positive in our lives. Watch an uplifting movie, read something not about dementia. Make your favorite dinner or go out. Put off any non-urgent actions related to dementia care or research or talking about new symptoms until the next day.
Don’t even joke about dementia. Finger to lips to anyone who brings it up.
On this day, dementia doesn’t exist.
Lewy Free Day or, to broaden it out, Dementia Free Day. T-shirts could be made:
‘Dementia Free Day’ on the front.
On the back: ‘Don’t forget.’ (or vice versa.)
I’m putting my Dementia Free Day for Monday on my calendar.
ALBUMS: El Rayo X (1981); Win this Record (1982); Mr. Dave (1985} Very Greasy (1988).
MVC Rating: El Rayo X, 4,5/$$$; Win This Record, 4.5 $$$; Mr. Dave, 4.0/$$$; Very Greasy, 4.0/$$$$.
It’s been said that David Lindley can play any stringed instrument put before him. Just give him some string.
The eccentric looking musician — long unkempt locks, plaid shirts, psychedelic pants, bushy mutton chop sideburns — was the antithesis of smooth, suave So-Cal performer Jackson Browne, whom Lindley backed on much of Browne’s discography and live shows.
That’s probably why Lindley’s side projects were so much fun. His eccentricities — kept in check while playing a note perfect lead on ‘Running on Empty’ for example were finally his to accentuate.
And he did, mixing covers of obscure reggae rasta tunes, blues, country with scorching slide guitar and other instruments you may not know.
For example, on Very Greasy , Lindley is listed as playing slide guitar, Bouzouki, Saz, and mandolin. I know mandolin and slide but not the other two. Apparently they are lute-like instruments from Turkey and surrounding areas. (At least he used existing instruments with a track record unlike 10cc ‘s Godley & Creme who went noodling around with middling success on their self-made Gizmo.)
It should be noted that Lindley in his younger days won the Topanga Banjo/fiddle contest in California five times. From 1966 to 1970 he played in Kaleidoscope, a band he co-founded.
