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The Greg Kihn Band — 389

ALBUM: RocKihnRoll

MVC Rating: 3.0/$

At the risk of releasing a giant ear worm, here’s the band that wrote and recorded ‘The Break-up Song.’ Don’t remember it?

How about if I add the rest of the song title. (‘They Don’t Write ‘Em) No?

How about this hint:

Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah

Yes, they don’t write ’em like that anymore.

It’s a decent song with little to say other than people are dancing to a song like you don’t hear much anymore. That may be profound. Or, like a lot of things, profundity is in the eye of the beholder, or in this case the ear of the listener.

Remember this was 1981. So we can look back and say the same thing about this song.

Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah. They don’t write ’em like that any more.

Maybe we are thankful.

Some decent power pop rock on this album with the emphasis on ‘some.’ I don’t recall buying this but I must have obtained it pretty cheaply. Mostly forgotten fodder. Most of the songs are written or co-written by Kihn. But there’s a cover of “Sheila” by Tommy Roe, he of ‘Dizzy’ fame. “I’m so dizzy, my head is spinning.’

Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah, ah.

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Robert Gordon w/Link Ray — 390

ALBUM: Fresh Fish Special (1978)

MVC Rating: 3.5/$$

Authentic 1950s rock-a-billy from the 1970s. Gordon does his best Sun years Elvis or Eddie Cochran or Gene Vincent.

Gordon along with guitar rock-a-billy pioneer Link Wray gives a by-the-note lesson in reproducing the sound of the era. And to top it off, Gordon gets a contemporary Bruce Springsteen song — ‘Fire’ — that not only sounds right at home but was so catchy it jumped on to the charts where it sounded like no other song in the Top 40 at that time..

Gordon operates in the relatively small universe of non-novelty retro sounds as put forth by the Stray Cats and Chris Isaak.

Gordon is mostly a great interpreter here rather than trying for a new or hybrid sound with rock-a-billy — unlike, say, Jason and the Scorchers who punked their billy up a bit.

As Allmusic.com writes:

He still comes off more as an enthusiastic interpreter than a musician with a vision of his own. Still, there weren’t that many American-born rock & rollers who were willing to fly the flag for rockabilly at end of the ’70s, and if other acts would surpass Gordon in imagination and impact a few years on, he certainly gets an ‘A’ for effort.”

Oh and you may notice that this is out of alphabetical order. I missed it — it was in the wrong place. It’s a ‘G’ record at a time I’m opening up the K’s.

There are others coming I’m sure. I’ll point it out when it happens . At the end, I’ll probably have several that I missed and finish with an addendum after the Original 678. Remember if you are looking for an album, you can narrow it down some by clicking on its letter in the categories at the left. Or, simply type the name into Search.

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The Best Rendition of the National Anthem at a sporting event wasn’t at the Super Bowl

This came out today on CBS Sport.com ranking the Top 10 National Anthems. A pretty good list but two things for historical perspective and posterity need to be mentioned.

Whitney Houston may have done the best version ever. Luther Vandross may be in the Top 10. Jennifer Hudson may be No. 2 behind Whitney.

But these soulful renditions would not have been possible, IMHO, without the pioneering sporting event National Anthems done by two men.

Way back in 1968, a blind Puerto Rican, Jose Feliciano, took heat following his ever so slightly Latin-tinged rendition and Spanish guitar flourishes at baseball’s World Series, Game. Some sources say the backlash nearly derailed Feliciano’s career: This is the man who made a pop standard out of the Doors’ ‘Light My Fire.’

And at the 1983 NBA All Star game Marvin Gaye blew the lid off the structure of the song and made it a soul song of incredible depth– still my favorite version. When has there ever been a National Anthem performance that had the crowd clapping and swaying in time near the end of the song.

I remember watching it live on TV and being riveted, hanging on to every verse to see what Gaye would do next with it. Check it out.

For more see My Vinyl Countdown posts on Feliciano and Gaye.

I eagerly look forward to Gladys Knight’s version today. She is a veteran and can really sing soul music. I have her at No. 2https://myvinylcountdown.com/2018/04/30/top-10-train-songs-dedicated-to-railroad-park/ on my Top 30 all time train songs.

orts.com/nfl/news/super-bowl-2019-national-anthem-the-top-10-renditions-of-the-star-spangled-banner-at-the-super-bowl/

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Janis Joplin — 391, 390

Album: Greatest Hits (1973); Pearl (1969)

MVC Rating: Greatist: 4.0/$$$; Pearl 4.5/$$$$

NOTE: I added Pearl, which I picked up in a thrift store after I’d done the original review. Half the tracks overlap with Greatest Hits. Pearl is a great classic album. I’m pretty sure I have pretty much all the Joplin I need as I also have a CD with something like 20 song.

—

Talk about pain — as we have been with the country songs of George Jones and Tammy Wynette — Janis Joplin was one hurting puppy.

Her voice was like no other when that inner turmoil came out.

That’s why the video in my last post of Janis and Tom Jones is something of a revelation. Tom Jones (coming to Birmingham soon) is a made for-Vegas, pop singer with a ladies’ following, some nifty dance moves copped from Elvis, and a strong strong voice in his own right. On this duet, Tom and Janis seem to be having much fun as they see who can out belt each other while shimmying around the dance floor to a small but raucous crowd of musicians and dancers.

Janis’ story is sad. Bullied in school in Port Arthur, Texas, for being overweight and having severe acne, she withdrew, thinking she didn’t fit in. She listened to old blues records and began singing in clubs. Next stop San Francisco. It was the psychedelic 1960s’ epicenter. Music, consciousness raising, sexual liberation and drugs came together in a way that was both exciting and very extremely dangerous. Janis died of a heroin overdose at 27.

She died before seeing her cover of the Kris Kristofferson-Fred Foster penned ‘Me and Bobby McGee.’ I might even put that song in my top 10 all time rock songs. Listen to how the lyrics like graceful brush strokes evoke a time, a place, desperation and, yes, freedom.

It was the second No. 1 single to be released after the artist died. The other? ‘(Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay’ by Otis Redding, another song in contention for my Top 10 and another example of voice and words evoking a sad song of wandering and memories. I’ve got some Otis Redding coming so, as Sam and Dave used to sing, Hold On.

Fun fact: Bobby McGee has been covered by many people, but the first cover was by Roger “King of the Road” Miller. Road songs all.

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My wife feels an electrical charge when she touches me (blog version)

For AL.com version go here.

My wife Catherine and I have electricity between us.

That’s a truth I am proud of even if we have to check the voltage every now and again after 30-plus years of marriage.

But what I am about to describe is not actually the spark of love or the metaphorical way we describe electricity between people, sparks flying and all..

I’m talking literally.

When she touches the top of my ear, at certain times, she feels an electrical buzz on her fingertip. When she does and moves her finger back and forth I hear what sounds like a Star Wars lightsaber — bzuhzzzzzzzuhzzzzzuhzzzz (thanks Reddit and Huffington Post for offerings on how to spell that sound.)

We discovered this phenomenon a few weeks back and it kind of freaked me out. Not known to be electrifying, I wondered how there was a current running through me. Now when I touch my ear after she feels the buzzing, I don’t feel anything.

My thoughts eventually led me to wonder if it has something to do with my brain disease, Lewy body dementia. The ear is rather close to the brain I figured. And strange body feelings are sometimes symptoms of LBD.

After some time searching the Internet, I got a better idea of what may be going on – but certainly not a definitive answer. It appears that the culprit may be the computer laptop. Other reports are that the phenomenon is connected to electric blankets.

What I found were scattered reports on website threads from people asking the same thing.

This from a reader on a physics blog.

When my wife uses her laptop, if I touch her skin, I can feel a buzz. She doesn’t feel the buzz, but she can hear it if I touch her ear. So I’m guessing it’s a faulty laptop, and she’s conducting an electrical current. But why would she not feel anything, and what would it be that she would be hearing when I touch her ear?

Similar stories are reported on a few scattered websites but many of these reports are five or more years old. And it’s true that the buzzing goes away if I’m not using my laptop with it on my lap.

Now scientists have pretty much ruled out any links between laptops and testicular cancer, a concern in the early days of heavy laptop use. But I haven’t been able to find a study on this particular situation.

So I don’t think it is a symptom of my brain disease but I do wonder – though doubtful – that it may be a cause.

Some reports I have found are here and here.

As ‘Buzzing in California’ asked on a blog post relating an electric blanket experience: This experience prompts two questions; one of an academic nature, and the other more related to general health matters.

Has anybody out there experienced this or know any more about it?

I’d love to hear from you as I keep seeking an answer.

For the time being I’ll just chalk it up to the electrifying chemistry I have with Catherine.

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Tom Jones — 392

Album: Tom Jones Country (1981)

MVC Rating: 3.5/$

Another day, another singer named Jones. As in Tom Jones.

First off this isn’t real country music. Secondly, is this the real Tom Jones?

On record it sounds like Tom Jones and his powerful voice is in fine form. But the cover with Jones wearing a cowboy hat looks an awful lot like Will Ferrell. No? Take a look side-by-side look of both gentlemen in hats:


The left is as it says, Will Ferrell, the right is Jones.

If you are looking for real country music sung by a man named Jones, don’t choose Tom, choose George. (George and Tammy Wynette are reviewed on my previous post.)

Now we transition from George Jones to Tom Jones and watch this smooth segue as I post a video of Tom Jones singing with Janis Joplin — who happens to be next in the myvinylcountdown.com of my 678 vinyl records.

Tom Jones and Janis Joplin having fun in a duet.

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George Jones, Tammy Wynette –394-393

ALBUMS: Wynette: First Songs of the First Lady (1971); Wynette/Jones: Encore (1981); George Jones: All Time Greatest Hits Vol. 2. (1977)

Another day. Another rotation of our earth.

Tammy Wynette is on the turntable. I am awestruck.

“Walk through this world with me,” Tammy sings. “Go where I go. Share all my dreams with me. I need you so.”

This was intended to be my George Jones only countdown review. But I had a record of songs where Jones and Wynette sing duets. And I had a Tammy Wynette compilation album. So this review is a Jones-Wynette review involving those three albums.

This is country music. Period.

No alt, no country rock, no Americana, no crossover, just pure pedal steel guitar and songs about pain and suffering, that are sometimes, somehow soothing.

Tammy’s voice on ‘Apartment No. 9’ snuggles up to the swelling steel guitar. Then there are the lyrics as delivered by Tammy. Aching , soothing, angry but strong. The combination of voice, music and lyric stir a soul.

“Loneliness surrounds me, without your arms around me. ”

George Jones is Tammy’s male alter ego. Together they make you smile and cry.

Why do we like sad songs?

‘Don’t wanna play house; It makes my mommy cry
‘Cause when she played house; My daddy said good-bye. ‘

Jones and Tammy, who were married to each other for about six years and performed together for many more, have touched millions of people.

And what are they singing about? Cheating, drinking, betrayal, hope and despair, love and lust, pain and happiness. Suffering.

Our lives.

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Robert Johnson — 395

ALBUM:   King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2 (1970 compilation)

MVC Rating: 4.5/$$$$

This probably should be a 5 rating due to the massive influence Johnson had on the best rock guitarists in the world.. But I have to take a little off because the primitive sound quality certainly to my ears has an effect on its listening pleasure. This album is considered the best representation of Johnson’s work. And it’s fascinating to listen to old the old blues to see where the rock came from. But I don’t think it’s an easy listening experience. However, by turning the volume up high you can have a cathartic experience. That’s the soul coming in and sometimes it hurts.

I’m Just glad they were able to save the songs. Wiki said that there were only two known, confirmed photos of RJ>

It sounds like it was recorded in the other room. Which I think it literally was. Check out the album cover.

It’s a bit of a strain to hear and become immersed in the electric guitar mastery recorded on 1930’s equipment. But it’s well worth the listening just to hear the songs you’ve heard re-done by Clapton, Zeppelin and the Beatles. It’s a reservoir of rock and roll riffs at the ground level.

Cr0ssroads is where Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil for his musical abilities on guitar.



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I’ll make this gripe short

I was reading this nice article online called 10 things your doctor won”t tell you about Parkinson’s disease.

The article opens:

Every year in the United States, about 60,000 people learn they have Parkinson’s disease, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association. The degenerative disorder strikes the central nervous system, impairing movement and balance, among other issues.

If you or a loved one has been recently diagnosed, these 10 things that patients who’ve been living with Parkinson’s for several years wish they’d known at diagnosis — which their doctors didn’t tell them — may make managing the disease easier.h

I found nothing wrong with the advice given. It was what advice they didn’t give.

What about Lewy?

Lewy body dementia, practically a kissing cousin of Parkinson’s. It seems ironic on a post about what doctors aren’t saying that they don’t say what is unsaid about Lewy body dementia. Wheww. That’s a tough sentence to unpack but I’m ranting on a blog so it’s OK.

But seriously, if Lewy body dementia is just the expanded version of Parkinson’s why do we leave it out o f a discussion on Parkinson’s, just like it gets left out of a lot of things.

OK, I’m done. For now.

Here’s an article I wrote earlier about Dementia Research Silos

Still upcoming this week

Dunk/Health update– today or Wednesday

Did he sell his soul to the devil?- Countdown continues with RJ –Thursday

-My Vinyl Countdown column — Saturday morning

The Afterlife — Sunday tentative

Is there such a thing as random? — Some random day next week

PS. Happy Birthday Captain Beefheart January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010 –(12/17 is my daughter Hannah’s birthday)

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Elton John and Billy Joel — 398, 397, 396

ALBUMS: Joel: Piano Man ( 1973): John: Don’t Shoot Me (I’m Only the Piano Player;  Greatest Hits) ( 1973, 1974)

MVC Rating: Piano Man 3.5/$$; Don’t Shoot Me 4.0/$$$; Greatest Hits 4.0/$$

They both are about the same age. They both play piano. They have toured together. They both have bunches and bunches of hits over decades. Their last names both start with ‘J’ — and that is why I am reviewing them together now for MVC as we count down alphabetically my 678 vinyl records.

I grew up listening to both of these artists. I think I am more familiar with John’s work. My thumbnail analysis would be this:

Songs: John overall with 19 No. 1 hits; Joel has three.

Song: Tie: John –Benny and the Jets; Joel–Piano Man. Benny is a strange but deceptively great song. I know most would pick ‘Candle in the Wind’.’ From Joel, Piano man is the definition of a great drop-in scene setter, even if the lyrics sometimes seemed to stretch for the rhyme Sample: ” Davy who still is in the Navy.”

Singing: Joel — Elton’s voice had some character and is instantly recognizable but I never considered it a great voice. I was surprised in re-listening to the Piano Man album, just how well Joel sang.

Songwriting: Tie –Elton has the quantity, but Joel has some really strong songs that compete, perhaps even surpass Elton material. Joel’s ‘Still Rock and Roll to Me’ is exemplary songwriting. Same with “Only the Good Die Young,’ ‘You may be Right,’ and ‘Uptown Girl.’ ‘Captain Jack’ could have been great but the line about masturbation was TMI, waay TMI. ‘John’s ‘Your Song’ is a simple but enduring ditty with a beautiful melody. ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down’ and ‘The Bitch is Back,’ along with the aforementioned ‘ Benny and the Jets’ are all excellent songs. John’s songs were of course co-written with Bernie Taupin, who supplied the words before Elton put it to music. I was always amazed at that collaboration and at how John could turn some of Taupin’s oblique lyrics into a catchy song, but he did time and time again. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is special.

Live Performance: John. I never saw either live but from those who have and what I’ve seen on video, Elton wins this category with eyeglasses and apparel alone.

Best Album: John– Goodbye Yellow Brick Road edges the Stranger.

I haven’t followed either one much in recent years. John still seems active, but I haven’t heard what Joel has been doing. They are both great popular artists. I wouldn’t shoot either one, even if they were not the piano man.