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Mike Madness: Best one yet

The T-shirts were turned up to Purple.

Myself JD Crowe, John Archibald, and others who did not deserve such treatment, got dunked in a giant container of water — and that was after the main event.

At least 20 teams clashed on the basketball courts at UAB Rec Center fSaturday for the annual Mike Madnss basketball tournament to raise awareness — and money — for the little known and misunderstood disease Lewy body dementia. And we had a raucous crew at Trim Tab Brewing where I made a foolish attempt to moonwalk in my socks on a concrete floor while Karaoke-eying to MJ.

WIthout a doubt, it was the best Madness yet. The first year we raked in $13,000; last year, $12,000 — and we are still tallying but expect to pass each of those years. My ambitious moonshot goal of doublingup at $25,000,however, is likely out of the realm. Money will go to research at UAB and the Lewy Body Dementia Association.

Stay tuned for more numbers, team winners and more in social media, ALcom and this website: www.myvinylcountdown.com

So many thank yous to all who helped and contributed — which you can still do at www.mikemadness.org

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Daily Journal, June 20, 2019, One Brain and a song edition

I was invited to speak this morning at an Alzheimer’s lecture series in Birmingham sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. It went well.

I was pleased to be invited but I didn’t want to ‘lecture’ in the negative meaning of that word. I told my story of diagnosis. I talked about my decision to ‘come out’ in my early stages and told them I believe I can be an advocate as a writer describing what I am going through for as long as my illness allows me .

I also touched on the lack of awareness people have on the subject of Lewy body dementia.

Well, I believe I heard them say that they would help promote MikeMadness. That’s a great start. We may be different diseases but we are all one brain. (Um I think I should work on that phrase a little.)

Still room for more teams in the hoops tournament for Lewy bod dementia awareness and research. See www.mikemadness.org

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Curtis Mayfield — 336

ALBUM: Superfly Original Soundtrack (1972)

MVC Rating: 4.5/$$$$

I feel like I’ve been remiss in not touting Curtis Mayfield enough. My early exposure to soul when I was around 9 or 10 was mainly from Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Aretha. Oh yes, Al Green a little later.

But I recollect I loved the song ‘People Get Ready,’ an overt religious gospel piece that Rolling Stone ranks as the 24th of the 500 best songs that shaped rock music.

And Superfly is one jammin’ soundtrack, with a message for the ‘man.’

And at about the same time Marvin Gaye (another favorite) started becoming socially conscious in songs such as ‘What Going On?.’

Superfly, the soundtrack from the movie was in that vein. Mayfield with his ever-present falsetto sang about the junkies, the pimps, the violence, injustice from the street level.

Song was punctuated with: Trying to get over — Superfly.

Besides being a great songwriter and singer, Curtis could play some guitar.

The album is funky fun from 1 to 9 cuts with standouts such as the title song, Pusherman, Freddie’s Dead and Little Child Runnin’ Wild.

I’m not sure why they called movies like Superfly blaxploitation films. Shaft was another favorite of mine by Isaac Hayes. Do they call ‘Rambo’ a whitesploitation film?

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Psssst. Hoops, Purple T-shirts, Karaoke, Dunking: I got inside info on MikeMadness hoops tourney

ME: (To man on the street. Waiting for the light to change.) You know I’ve never done this before.

MAN: Done what? (Looks me up and down with a mixture of confusion and hostility).

ME: Oh, I can’t tell you yet, I’m not sure if I’ve been authorized. But, (I lean a little closer) it involves dunking.

MAN: Oh hoops. You gonna try to dunk (slight smile on face as he sizes me up again. Yes this is a balding 59-year-old white man, he confirms). You? Dunk? No way. (Man was laughing now).

ME: Yes way. OK, I can tell you it will happen after the MikeMadness Basketball Tournament. You heard of that?

MAN: Well now that you mention it, I saw a poster about that. Gonna be at UAB?

ME: Yes, UAB Recreation Center, July 20, 8 a.m. You should get three buddies and sign up. It costs $150 a team and it’s for a good cause, to raise money for Lewy body dementia. It’s a fatal brain disease and I have it. I’m Mike of MikeMadness.

—Click here to sign up now —-

MAN: You’re Mike? Fatal disease? (Man steps back)

ME: (Laughing) No no, it’s not contagious. I’ve had it for three years and I’m still working, playing basketball and now this dunking. Oops don’t repeat that.

MAN: You telling me you are going to be dunking?

ME: Well, it involves me and it involves dunking. That’s all I can say now. Except it also involves some celebrity types like a certain Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist will be going for a dunk.

MAN: Where is this going to be?

ME: The after party and dunking will be after the tournament, starting at 1 p.m., at TrimTab brewery. It’s at 2721 5th Ave South in Birmingham.

MAN: And that Pulitzer Prize guy, you aren’t talking about John Archibald are you?

ME: Yes but don’t tell anybody, I’m not authorized yet. There’ll probably be other celebrities like disc jockeys and athletes. Last year Trent Richardson and Buck Johnson showed up.

MAN: You mean Archibald is gonna dunk? (Now laughing harder).

ME: Let’s just say, me and John will be called the ‘Splash Brothers.”

MAN: Well, let’s go then!

ME: Heck yeah, let’s go. (I reach out for a fist bump).

MAN: No, I mean the light has changed, time to cross.

THE FINE PRINT: Sign up now on the link above or go to mikemadness.org The tournament is free to watch July 20 from 8 am to about noon. Teams consist of three or four (if you want a substitute, most do) and team entry fee is $150. Sure to be collectible T-shirts, for $15 each, and are purple this year in honor of Prince who was, we hear, a great basketball player in his day. New this year will will be a 3-point contest. Entry fee is $20. I’m looking forward to seeing who will come in second place. The after party at TrimTab is at 1 p.m. and it’s free. The brewery will donate 10 percent of its proceeds during this time. Remember this is all about raising money for Lewy body dementia a killer brain disease which I have. Last two years we raised $25,000 combined. I’m looking to match that two-year-total this year with $25,000 bringing the total to $50K in three years. Ambitious yes? But important. Money raised will be going to Lewy body research at UAB and the Lewy Body Dementia Association. For more on my living with the disease plus music, check out www.myvinylcountdown.com

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Joe Jackson — 404

ALBUM: Night and Day (1982)

MVC Rating: 3.5/$

Joe Jackson’s Night and Day

I’m pretty sure I bought this new as freshman in college at UGA. Maybe after all the Rolling Stones, Who and Allman Brothers blasting from my Reed Hall dorm room, I was trying for something a little more sophisticated. Joe Jackson was Elvis Costello with a piano.

Whereas Costello’s voice was tinged with irony and anger, Jackson’s voice had an undercurrent of irony and condescension. A little Steely Dan in there.

He had some hits, notably ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him’ (not on this album) and ‘Stepping Out’ and ‘Breaking Us in Two (both on this record). The album is jazzy. ‘Stepping Out’ is the sound of tinkling champagne toasts in Manhattan, which come with promise, but disappear after midnight.

“We are young but getting old before our time, we’ll leave the TV and radio behind,’ Jackson sings.

Nominated for a Grammy, this record’s another bargain in the used market. I saw it for $3 the other day.

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Harry James — 405

ALBUM: Trumpet After Midnight (1954)

MVC Score: 4.0/$$

Harry James album

Interesting background here for a trumpet player.

He was a contortionist in the family circus at age 4. Based in Albany, Ga., he did fancy trick horseback riding up until some horses tried to trample him, only to be saved by his mother’s pony. All this on his Wikipedia page.

He went on to become a band leader and his band was the first to back a young singer named Frank Sinatra.

Musically he was well-respected for his technical prowess on the instrument. My album is great. I have to admit that when I play jazz it’s usually one of my Blue Notes or Chet Baker or even Teo Macero. But I’ve had my James record on the turntable for several days now, and it is fabulous. It is sweet sounding, transports you to another time without being maudlin. It’s the sound of tinkling glasses, a post-war giddiness and a Cold War caution.

The liner notes give an interesting history of the trumpet itself and its place in music.

The vinyl is rigid and thick and says “unbreakable” on it. It’s sort of in the mode of the heavier vinyl used in new pressings. For you old-timers who may remember, the circus he grew up with was called the Mighty Haag Circus.

Some songs: Autumn Leaves, Moanin’ Low, If I Loved You, How Deep is the Ocean.

This is not an expensive record and could probably be ordered online at $5 to $10 plus shipping,

MVC Record Grades Explained

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The Grass Roots– 444-443

ALBUMS: Their 16 Greatest Hits (1971); Golden Grass, The Grass Roots (1970);

MVC Ratings: 16 Greatest 4.0/$$$; Golden 3.5/$$$

This is a case where I knew the artist and bought a couple of greatest  hits albums that I probably wouldn’t have ordinarily have bought. Well, maybe in my youth I might have pitched a few bucks for them.

I was always partial to Top 40 hit machines and man, Rob Grill and gang  put together a string of hits that have squeezed out chart spaces alongside rock legends like the Beatles, Aretha Franklin and Rolling Stones.

I knew Grill while I worked in Florida, the 1990s. Rob and his wife, Nancy, were part of a neighborhood of young families in aptly named Lake County. We’d gather at someone’s house and grill out or whatever. After we moved to California we lot touch.

Even though I was having cookouts  in the backyard, I didn’t know who Rob Grill was at these dinners until someone, after months, told me. I didn’t know Rob Grill from Adam but as soon as I started humming the  Grass  Roots songs,  I was surprised at how many were rolling around in my head.

Fun fact: They started out the Grassroots (one word) then changed it to two. You can see it on the two album covers I have published with this story.

He never really talked about his music, maybe a little bit. I told him I had a cover version of Midnight Confessions by the Blake Babies that was interestingly odd. Rob kind of smiled and said something about whether he or the band got any residuals from that.

I remembered the Grass Roots from their songs, Midnight Confessions, Let’s Live for Today, Soon or Later. and Temptation Eyes. So while Grill helped sell millions of records worldwide, he  had no trouble fitting in with his boat and fishing pole. That’s the reason Grill, a native Californian, came to wind up in Lake County: fishing, and Nancy, who was disc jockey in the Orlando area when they met.

Rob retired at a relatively early age, married Nancy and picked a county outside Orlando known for its fishing (maybe not in that order.)

Rob died following complications from a stroke in 2011. RIP Rob.  He was reportedly listening to Live for Today on headphones as he died.

About the music? The well-honed British influenced pop, was their bread and butter and the Top 40 was where they focused.. But at times, you’ll hear some soul and jazz.. Midnight Confession, their biggest hit, had some swinging horns on it.

The Grass Roots have had singles on the Billboard 100 21 times. They have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.

In their career, they achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100 a total of 21 times.

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The Four Tops — 467

ALBUM: The Four Tops

For me with the Four Tops it starts with ‘Reach Out I’ll  Be There,’ which is one of the top soul/rock songs of the 1960’s,  and likely beyond. On top of that  they dish out such timeless Motown  winners as ‘Standing in the Shadows of Love.’

They had many many more charting songs which all but ignored the era’s trend toward the psychedelic sound in favor of straight rock ‘n soul.

The vocal group, spanning four decades, worked with the successful writing team Holland-Dozier-Holland in the early part of their career.

Singer Billy Bragg wrote a song about the baritone lead singer called  Levi Stubb’s Tears.

Fraternities and sororities across the nation applaud the Four Tops for providing their soundtrack to the big parties that comes with higher education (at least these were the songs popular at frats and sororities in my college-going day): Songs like “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch); ‘It’s the Same Old Song;’ and ‘Baby I Need Your Loving.” Be careful readers. Just reading the song titles out load will load that song on a loop in your brains.

Baby I need your loving, got …. to have all your loving .   

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Fleet Foxes – 477

ALBUM: Crack-Up

I am going to keep listening to this  album. Even though right now I don’t get it.

The heavy two-records of vinyl comes in an elegant package, sophisticated design.

The music is slow, sometimes building building to, what? That’s what I’m trying to figure out. It’s one that, as with Father Misty’s Pure Comedy,  deserves more listens to figure out what it is  I cannot figure out. Josh Tillerman, aka as Father Misty, used to be the Foxes drummer. He left the band some time ago but you can see the connection still. between their sounds.

With Fleet Foxes, I started like I do with music, especially newer music like this. Ii ask the question::  Who do they sound like? Who did they grow up listening to?

Knee-jerk reaction would be to call them a modern Fairport Convention, a big folk rock band. But Fairport songs are  more structured and are grounded in the European folk traditions. The Foxes run away from tradition  and  then shyly come back. Sometimes it just  feels like so much background music even though they are making valiant attempts to whisper in your head. Other touch tones I threw on the wall to see if it stuck: Roxy Music, Sade, Nick Drake, Arcade Fire,Robert Wyatt. Was going to say OMD (Orchestral Maneuvers  in the Dark, but OMD a little more poppy, as was Sade.

So I don’t know. Really hard to pigeon-hole, which is not a bad thing. Now if their multi-talented selves could figure out a way to avoid fading into the wallpaper. Again I’m coming at this with no context of their other work, and I’ll keep listening.

Another Ocean is a beautiful song but even it seems to fade into mist.

A commenter on their YouTube video said previous works have been more earthy and that this one is more watery. I’ll buy that.

 

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The Cowsills — They should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — 569

ALBUM: “The Cowsills in Concert (1969):

MVC Rating: 3.5/$

I’m serious here.

The Cowsills deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, alongside other family acts like Sly and the Family Stone, the Allman Brothers, the Staple  Sisters, the Jackson 5 and others. They could be in the family band section, if there was one.

I have to admit I just recently bought this record for $2 at Birmingham’s  Seasick Records, one of several great pre-owned record dealers in the area. Nice prices and nice selection for folks like me trying to do a blog on this stuff.. Although I have 678 of my own records to count down,

On a Cowsills fan website, there is a case made to put the ‘real Partridge Family’ in the Hall of Fame. (They are already in the Rhode Island  Music Hall of Fame, for goodness sakes.)

Among the myriad reasons they should be in the Hall, the  website post argues is that they wrote and performed the theme song for the TV show Love American Style. I loved that song and watched that show every Friday night,  as a youngster. It came on some time after the Partridge Family, I believe.?

This record was a nostalgia purchase. I couldn’t resist buying it. Because it tweaked early early rock and roll memories.

I remember in 5th grade coming over to a friends house in Athens, Ga., and my friend’s brother was dancing on the coffee table with ‘Hair’ going full blast. I think it also fueled my dislike of haircuts in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Kind of strange that this appealed so much to young kids. The song came from the Broadway musical of the same name, notorious for its nude scenes.  The song was also a #2 national hit for the Cowsills.  Not surprising as they turned it  into a silly but arresting pop single –which is the correct interpretation of such a goofy song — as opposed to the more serious take from the musical.

And, i’m not kidding you here: They could really sing and play as this live album shows. They were the model for TV’s popular  Partridge Family, and musically, they would have blown most of the Partridges back to their high school drama classes. Some were amazed at the Cowsills pulling off the  Beach Boys” Good Vibrations.’ live in concert — a difficult task as the Beach Boys themselves learned  because of the degree of difficulty playing Brian Wilson’s masterpiece. 

The Cowsills consisted of the mother, three brothers) and sister (Susan). The live album had lots of well-played covers and introduced me to tunes I would love later like Walk Away Renee, Monday Monday, Please  Mr.Postman and Good Vibrations. Devil with a Blue Dress.

This website has has  a dissertation’s worth of arguments for why the Cowsills should be in the HOF.

I see that others don’t find the value in the Cowsill’s concert disc that I, in my 40 years of record collecting say it warrants. Excellent music, family band cute, lots of drama  over the years and nearly virtuoso playing and, get  this, Discogs is listing this record at $1 plus shipping. What? Did they make 5 million of these things?

They should be as rare as a Bobby Sherman Remembering You record, I say.

I’m serious here. Sort of.

Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.