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Lewy minutia: Living with this brain disease is no small challenge

It’s the little things that Lewy body dementia makes more difficult.

Tearing open a wrapped cookie. Typing. Remembering where you put your glasses.

Parkinson’s Disease, Lewy’s cousin, can work much of the same territory.

Remembering what day of the week it is. Picking up your feet to walk. Putting on a shirt.

I don’t know if it’s better to have a pull-over shirt so that I may tie myself into a knot as I push my head through a sleeve instead of the neck hole.

Like a newborn baby getting pushed out of the birth canal my pulled-tight face, stuck in my sleeve, looks real funny in the mirror.

Or should my early morning hijinks start with a buttoned-down shirt where I spend 15 minutes to push those plastic buttons sideways into a too-small hole only to find out that the buttons on the right side of my shirt didn’t go into the correct holes on the left side of my shirt. Aaaaargh!

Maybe I’ll leave it, no one will notice. OK, that might have worked except, upon further inspection, I missed with the buttons by two holes each. My shirt looks like a Picasso painting.

Ah, maybe I should button the shirt beforehand and then pull it over my head? That might work except there’s already a tangled up, pull-over shirt halfway on my torso. So I walk (carefully) downstairs looking like a shirt rack and approach my beloved wife and caregiver and meekly say: Help.

It’s the little things.

Like climbing out of the bed in the morning.

I’m pretty sure that someone rolls me up in two sheets, a quilt and a blanket, sometime in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping. Houdini could not get out of this straightjacket. I push away bad thoughts that Catherine does this as revenge for all the button and pull-over mishaps. (Hmm. It does buy her more peaceful coffee time before she’s confronted with the walking shirt rack.)

Wrapped like a mummy in bed sheets, I’m limited on how to contact help. I cannot stand up, so I can’t walk down for help. She keeps her phone with her so I could call her with my phone which is on the night stand about six inches from my face. My arms are tied, but I briefly entertain the idea of trying to peck at the phone with my nose.

It’s the little things. Lewy minutia, I call it.

But when you’re shuffling down the hallway, unable to find your glasses, with your head stuck in a sleeve, it can seem rather daunting.

NOTE: This is a fictionalized account based on real events. And the names have not been changed.

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Frank Sinatra — 71

ALBUM: The Best of Frank Sinatra

MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$$

Now here’s a bit of a switch. Frank Sinatra. He’s arguably one of the best or best known singers of the 20th Century.

I picked this re-issue up in Birmingham sometime in the 1980s. I can’t remember exactly why — I may have heard a Sinatra song in a movie. Or, I may have just wanted to be able to field a request. If someone’s at my house listening to music — which was a common pastime — and said, ‘Hey got any Sinatra? I could say, ‘Of course.’

For me, his music was ‘easy listening or jazzy easy listening. Critics often cite his ‘effortless’ singing style and phrasing as to what made him so good. I see that. The songs come out fully baked, casual, effortless and you are left wondering ‘how did he make me like this song.

I have little awareness of the days when he was in his prime. This greatest hits captures some of his best and best known songs like ‘Young at Heart,’ ‘High Hopes,’ and ‘Chicago.’ Noticeably absent however is ‘Strangers in the Night,’ which supposedly Sinatra hated. Also ‘My Way’ is not here. I’m going to dock the grade a point for not having those iconic songs on a ‘Best of.’

When I was a kid I knew a little about the Rat Pack. I liked Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin the best; I actually didn’t see Sinatra on TV as much as Davis and Martin.

I even read Davis’ autobiography, how he lost his eye and all of that. I knew Dean Martin through the Jerry Lewis movies and and his own variety TV show. Martin always had a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. And that was while he was singing(:

I did pick up some Frank Sinatra on 78 records but I still need to sift through a stack of these to see what I have.

It was a whole different world of popular music back then —1940s and 50s. Sinatra, however, in the 1960s must have been listening to newer stuff. He called the Beatle George Harrison’s song, “Something,’ the ‘greatest love song of the past 50 years.’

Sinatra covered that song as did about every crooner around the world, from Liberace to James Brown to (more recently) Billie Eilish.

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Feargall Sharkey — 75, 74

ALBUMS: Feargall Sharkey(1985); Wish (1988)

MVC Ratings: Feargall 4.0/$$$$; Wish 3.0/$$$

Feargall Sharkey in the 1970s was lead singer of the northern Irish punk band The Undertones. I believe I still have my CD anthology of this influential group best known for its song ‘Teenage Kicks.’

The band eventually split over differences in musical direction, according to Wikipedia’s bio. It’s easy to figure out the differences upon listening to Sharkey’s solo albums. His music was glossy and very poppy. Feargall was going for the big commercial score.

His bandmates updated their punk-pop sound of the Undertones by launching the hard-edged band That Petrol Emotion. I will review that album later (if I can find it.)

Sharkey’s albums are overproduced and inoffensive shmears of big band, balladeer and dance. I know what your thinking. If they are bad, why do you have two. OK, the first album got me with its two inexplicably catchy singles: ‘A Good Heart,’ and ‘You Little Thief,’ songs that had a little oomph to them. So, I bought the second album on the basis of those two songs on the first album. (Maybe there would be four or five good songs this time? But, eh, no.)

‘You Little Thief’ does have a great line in a break-up song: ‘There’s no hard feelings, there’s no feelings at all.’

‘A Good Heart’ was written by Lone Justice singer Maria McKee.

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T. Rex., The Turtles — 82, 81

ALBUMS: ‘T.Rextasty — The Best of T. Rex, 1970-1973 (1985); The Turtles Greatest Hits (1983)

MVC Rating: T. Rex; 4.0/$$$$$; Turtles, 4.0/$$$$$

Again, another package deal in the ‘T’s. Note: I feel like I will be in the U’s in the next week barring the occasional ‘S’ that keep popping up. From the U’s we have UVWXYZ. Don’t get too excited, I snuck a peek and I have a fair amount left (83 is what is registered (that number beside the title) But I will most certainly have surplus. More on that later.

The Turtles and T. Rex. Seems like a mismatch to me but don’t underestimate a turtle. Both of these groups were light psychedelia/pop/folk. Both had one song each that was career defining.

For T. Rex it was Bang a Gong (Let’s Get It On.) Fun Fact: Members of the Turtles played on some T. Rex songs, including contributing backing vocals on ‘Bang a Gong.’

For the Turtles, their career song was ‘Happy Together,’ a spectacularly catchy and hummable song that spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

T. Rex were huge in the UK where Bang a Gong was atop the charts for weeks. In the US, the song ‘Bang a Gong’ reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Bolan was killed in a car accident in which he was a passenger in 1977. Members of the Turtles joined Frank Zappa’s band for a time in the 1970s.

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Richard and Linda Thompson — 92

ALBUMS: R&L ‘Shoot Out the Lights (1982); Richard Thompson ‘Hand of Kindness’ (Solo album 1983)

MVC Rating: R&L 5.0 $$$$$; Richard 4.0/$$$$$

Oh man, this is a good one, I had going in this was a 4.5. In other words a high quality, almost perfect album. But then I dropped the needle after about 25 years of not hearing this album — at least all the way through.

It’s a ‘5.’

And the Richard solo album is excellent especially if you are a fan of his unusual guitar style.

‘Shoot’ was reportedly a break-up album kind of like Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.

Richard and Linda, veterans of the English folk rock scene (Fairport Convention), broke up after about 10 years of marriage at the time this record was being made in early 1980s.

It is dark, full of pain, fraught with emotion. And wonderful because Linda has a beautiful voice. And Richard propels by guitar the mess of hurt through a carnival of dark shadows and broken dreams.

“I’m walking on a wire and I’m falling,” Linda sings.

More amusement ride imagery with both singing in a bouncy way that belies the words: “Won’t you ride on the Wall of Death one more time.”

The title song says the darkness makes it real — ‘real as a gun’ —shoot out the lights. Still another song plumbs the depths of human love and hate, and the confusion of the motives behind one’s actions.

‘Did she jump or was she pushed.’ A theme explored in depth by John A. Knowles in the novel. A Separate Peace.

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The Three O’Clock — 93

ALBUM: Arrive Without Travelling (1985)

MVC Rating: 3.0/$$$

Spun Gold is about the only song on here that I truly enjoy. It’s the last song on the album. Other decent songs are here but others are just irritating.

Singer Michael Quercio needs to learn exactly what to do with that high voice. I’m a fan of odd voices and even higher than usual ones (Freddy Mercury, Prince, Geddy Lee even). Quercio sounds great in Spun Gold, a swirling round of a song, but too often the voice is a distraction.

Guitarist Louis Gutierrez is a solid player. He just needs better songs to wrap around. The Three O’Clock was part of the so-called Paisley Underground, an LA based tag that plagued some of the artists in it. The Bangles were so labeled. I see the all female Bangles as less Paisley and more retro 60’s style. Green on Red is another so called Paisley Underground badge wearer but GOR was much more raw, rocking and funny to be Paisley anything.

The Three O’Clock were the Herman Hermits through a 1980s prism and Quercio is Davy Jones in a higher octave.

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Stanley Turrentine with the Three Sounds — 94

ALBUM: Blue Hour (1985 RE of 1960 release)

MVC Rating (4.5/$$$$$)

This is another of my Blue Note jazz albums, and as I’ve come to expect with the label, it is high quality, high fidelity jazz.

My ‘Blue Hour’ is a 1985 re-issue from the original tape of the 1960 classic.

In about 20 seconds after dropping the needle, Turrentine’s tenor sax slides in like butter. The sound on my re-issue is fabulous. I haven’t heard the 2000 re-master but it would be hard to beat the warm tones of this one. I give it an extra bump in the ratings for sound quality.

It’s late night, last call music. The Three Sounds know when to step up and when to step back. Bill Dowdy on drums, Andrew Simpkins on bass, and Gene Harris on piano.

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James Taylor — 96

ALBUMS: James Taylor (1967); Greatest Hits (1976)

MVC Rating: James Taylor 4.0/$$$$; Greatest 4.0/$$$$

I grew into James Taylor. Mainly through my future wife, Catherine, who was a huge fan. While I had all my rock and roll mixtapes, she consistently pined for JT, Carol King, Carly Simon — the holy triumvirate of soft folk rock in the 1970s. (The Carpenters were a favorite but were more pop than folk.) So, of course I made mixtapes with these songs for her.

I remember she talked me into buying concert tickets when they went on sale at Auburn University, which Cat and I attended (and graduated). This was was one of these all day in line things, complete with folding chairs to snag tickets before they were sold out.

We got tickets and I proceeded to have about as enjoyable a concert as I have had in my 21-year-old life. He played all the classics ‘Fire and Rain,’ You’ve got a Friend,’ Carolina on My Mind,’ ‘Shower the People,’ and How Sweet It Is.’ But he also rocked out in the encores, playing some Chuck Berry I believe and others that have slipped through the memory of time. I just remember marveling at the concerts’ quality from songs to musicianship, coupled with a laid back easy personality that is his trademark.

The Greatest Hits may be all you need if you are just coming into JT. But all of his albums I know are good. I have his self-entitled debut which had ‘Carolina on My Mind’ with Paul McCartney on bass. Many of the other songs on this first album are unfamiliar these days but show a young man with a talent for simple songs that say more than they seem.

It doesn’t surprise me that he, now in his 70s, is still filling concert venues.

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Stephen Stills –97

ALBUM: Stephen Stills (1970)

MVC Ratings: 4.0/ $$$$

How many other musical artists can say they had Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton play on their solo album?

Stephen Stills is one I can think of. In fact, the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Clapton and Hendrix played on different tracks, recorded at different times on this Stills’ album, so it wasn’t like they were physically in the same room at the same time.

But a nice score for Stills nonetheless.

Two good songs too. Hendrix plays lead guitar on ‘Old Times, Good Times.” (Hendrix fun fact: He played the guitar left-handed so he would flip a right-handed guitar and re-strung it for a lefty.)

Although known for his aerial string-bending assault on the boundaries of music, he was quite restrained here and also quite tasty.

Clapton plays lead on ‘Go Back Home,’ his Fender Stratocaster cutting through all the other instruments as he takes off on his precision runs.

And Stephen Stills is no third-stringer here, playing lead guitar throughout most of the rest of the album (and organ too).

Good solid album. The hit was ‘Love the One Your With.’

In his many iterations Stills has sold 35 million albums.

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Ten Years After — 100, 99, 98

ALBUMS: The Classic Performances of Ten Years After (1975); A Space In Time (1971); Undead (Live) 1968.

MVC Rating: Classic (4.0/$$$$;) A Space in Time (4.0/$$$$); Undead (4.5/$$$$$$)

Ten Years After was a hard rock, blues band from England that had their career launched into orbit after their performance at Woodstock.

Alvin Lee played guitar like a man possessed with picking so fast that some have called him the father of the shredding style of guitar playing which emerged a decade or more later in the 1980s.

At Woodstock the group’s ‘I’m Going Home ignited the crowd.

The group’s highest charting hit was ‘I’d Love to Change the World.” It’s a nearly perfect rock songs musically with slow picking intro, segueing into power chord riffing as the vocals kick in amid it all.

The only thing that made me uncertain about the song were the lyrics.

‘Everywhere there’s/ freaks and hairies/dykes and fairies/ Tell me where is sanity .. Tax the rich/ feed the poor till there are no rich no more

I’d love to change the world … but I don’t know what to do

It’s hard to figure what the group meant by the lyrics which insinuate by these examples the world is messed up. The question surfaces in the actual examples themselves, it sounds a bit like an old, crotchety man blaming the state of the world on those long hairs. Yet the message seems slightly odd coming from a group of four musicians with hair down past their shoulders. But, hey, the music sounds good.

The third album I have is a live one cleverly called ‘Undead” and it gives us ‘Woodchopper’s Ball,’ a Woody Herman song that Alvin Lee tore the cover off of. Lee grew up listening to his father’s record collection, heavy on jazz and was pushing the group toward jazz at every turn.