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Would you bend over for a dime? (blog version)

I walked over a dime the other day..

Saw it, shiny and silver, and strode with my dog on a leash, right over the dime on a sidewalk. I barely thought about it until I started thinking about it.

I used to pick up pennies. I think now I would bend down to pick up a quarter. This is terrible, I began thinking. It’s money for goodness sake. I can certainly see passing over a penny, maybe even a nickel but a DIME. I’m now walking past one-tenth of a dollar. I could buy …. um, ….what can I buy with a dime? Used to be a dime to call someone from a telephone booth.

What’s a telephone booth? You ask.

Aye yi yi.

Is it inflation or aging? Or both. I sometimes let my shoes go untied rather than bending over with my aching back and tired knees and ankles.

But I say a part of it is the erosion of American values. My grandparents were Depression-era folks who knew how to save money and make things last. My now deceased father-in-law was a child of the Depression in way small town Epes (In Alabama near LIvingston).Bill Willis would take one tissue, tear it half and put it in his pocket for later use — all before blowing his nose in the one-half tissue that was left. That can save a lot of tissue over time. Toilet paper too, I suppose, but I’d rather not go there.

So what is your coin cut-off. Pictured at the top of the story are a penny, a nickel, a dime, a quarter, a Liberty dollar coin and just for fun, a $2 bill and some sort of Asian coin like thing that I was given for good luck in California. Don’t know what it is exactly but I would definitely stop and pick it up.

Which one, If you saw them lying on a sidewalk, would you stop, bend over and pick up?

I guess I learned that my threshold is not a dime.

From here on, I vow to stop and pick up dimes. I’ll assess nickels on a case-by-case basis.

Sorry pennies but for me a penny saved hurts my back more then the meager return on my investment.

But I’ll keep my eyes on the PPI. (Penny Pinching Index).

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Vinyl Negotiations: Records I didn’t sell

If you came here from my vinyl negotiations story at AL.com you are in the right spot.

If you have read that article you know that I sold three records at a recent record show in Gardendale:  Nick Drake’s ‘Five Leaves Left;’ ‘Buckingham Nicks’; and Electric Light Orchestra’s ‘OLE with yellow/gold vinyl.

I feel like I could have stayed and sold more but I felt drained. Here’s what I didn’t sell:

Led Zeppelin ‘Houses of the Holy’ (original pressing, Broadway address, Robert Ludwig initials in dead wax). I was asking $200 and was pretty firm about that price. Several expressed interest but no offers on that.

Jimmy Buffett ‘High Cumberland Jubilee’ (an early, early Buffett album). I was asking $20 but would’ve taken $15.

Keith Whitley ‘A Hard Act to Follow.’ Near mint EP with press release and 8X10 photo. Asking $50 but would have taken $30.

Scorpions ‘Virgin Killer’ and ‘Best of Scorpions’ (I was asking $15 each but would have taken $10 each.)

Dion ‘Runaround Sue’. Cover was frayed but Laurie label record pristine. I was asking $30. Probably would have taken $20.

Tips for vinyl negotiations.

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The Monkees — 314

ALBUMS: Greatest Hits

MVC Rating: 4.0/ $$

There are several examples of successful ‘assembled’ bands that made music, or at least pretended they were making music.

The Archies come to mind; Josie and the Pussycats, the Partridge family and Spinal Tap for that matter. The Rutles were a band parodying the Beatles.

I haven’t researched all ‘fictional’ bands but I can’t believe there’s any one of those that was or is more successful than the Monkees.

The Monkees have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, according to its Wikipedia entry. That makes them one of the top selling groups of all time with hits such as Last Train to Clarksville“, “Pleasant Valley Sunday“, “Daydream Believer“, and “I’m a Believer“.

I think their hits, many from the Boyce/Hart songwriting tandom, sound pretty good. I especially like (I’m not) Your Steppin’ Stone’..

In a 2012 interview, Dolenz described The Monkees as being “a TV show about an imaginary band… that wanted to be the Beatles that was never successful.”

Looking back I find it kind of weird — the show I mean. It was almost like pre-psychedelia TV effects (sped-up action, filming in reverse, the in and out camera lens thing. I’m sure there was some backmasking going on. “Mom, what’s in those Fruit Loops?”

I was about 9 and 10 years old, and a big fan. I remember it coming on about 11:30 and it usually capped off a full morning of cartoon watching. (Superceded sometimes by chores my mother would give us). So end of the Monkees or Johnny Quest would be a signal to the beginning of a long afternoon outdoors. Had to be home by sundown.

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Daniele Luppi’s MILANO — 315

ALBUM: Milano (2017)

MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$$

This is composer Daniele Luppi’s musical statement regarding Milan when it was party central in the 1980’s.

This album features Karen O and Parquet Floors. It has some interesting songs including a few that have nothing on Prince’s early work when it comes to R-rated sexual content.

The last song on the album is an instrumental free jazz piece that is as good as it is long and as long as it is unexpected in the context of other songs. I’ll have to file this record under ‘re-visit’ when I’m in a better place to take more time to get into it.

I believe this was sent to me — new vinyl late last year by one of my relatives but honestly have forgotten who.

Danielle Luppi worked as an arranger for artists like Gnarls Barkley and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

According to a Pitchfork review in the Milan Luppi is evoking is that of a city where everything was possible.. “Money flowed, parties raged, and the streets were filled with glamorous foreigners.”

It was superficial but vibrant.

Featured here are Karen O, the lead singer with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Parquet Floors. One blogger called it the strangest albums recorded. I’d say yes, it’s strange, but after recently reviewing the Mothers of the Invention, my threshold for strange has been broadened and few albums are stranger than several of Zappa.

I also hear a B-52’s influence here in songs like Flush. I hear bits of Talking Heads and Prince as well.


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Old ears, wax and ‘I’m sorry, what did you say?’ (Blog version)

This is an opinion column.

I’m here today to talk to you about hearing loss.

What?

I SAID I’M HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT HEARING LOSS.

What? We’re NEARING SLOSS? We’re FEARING FLOSS?

No, no, no. HEARING LOSS..

Hearing loss happens to all of us getting older. It makes you feel left out because you  can’t hear what they are saying behind your back anymore.

 I went to Costco to get some hearing aids but they took one look at my ears (two looks actually) and said I need to go see an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat doctor). So I did. I’m  supposed to put drops in my ears for a few days and go back next week to get rid of what was called an ‘occlusion.’

I understand that to be packed-in ear wax.

So gross. I’m writing about my own ear wax.

Hey Oliver don’t you write about music?

My answer: Hmmmm. Hearing loss and rock music. Wonder how that might be related?

Yes it is documented that loud music – just like loud construction noise, can be harmful to hearing.

My ears rang for days after the Who concert in the 1980s in Atlanta.

The music at concerts may not be as loud as it was in my day with the Who, Black Sabbath, AC/DC and KISS making ears bleed from coast to coast. Punk rock. Loud.

Healthline.com reports that long exposures to sounds over 85 decibels (dB) can cause hearing loss. Concerts tend to be about 115 dB or more, Healthline says.

Old man tip: Wear earplugs to concerts.

It’s like using sunscreen at the beach, a must do.

Don’t wait until you’re 50 to do it. Put them in now so you won’t have to put hearing aids in later. (Price check:  Hearing aids are expensive like $3,000 to $12,000 for a pair.)

Young ears brutalized by decibels turn into deaf ears as you age.  Besides the ‘occlusion’ I also have nerve damage. Do I need hearing aids? Stay tuned I’ll find out next week.

Now back to my vinyl records – or known by another name: Wax.

Mike Oliver who has Lewy body dementia often writes about living with that disease and other health and aging issues.. See his blog here.

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Mountain — 316

ALBUM: The Best of Mountain

MVC Rating: 4.0/$$

It might sound weird to describe this straight ahead hard rock band as influential. They rarely colored out of the lines. Guitarist and lead singer Leslie West took his direction early following Eric Clapton’s gritty blues rock as displayed by Clapton’s work with the Yardbirds and Cream..

But they did become influential in that they are one of a several bands mentioned as precursors to heavy metal. The Long Island, NY, group also had a big fan in fellow Long Island native Howard Stern. And they played Woodstock.

Leslie West’s guitar playing was admired and mimicked by later hard rocking heavy metalists. The crunching chords and cowbell (yes more is less) opening to Mississippi Queen was and is a staple of classic rock radio.

Key members of Mountain included West, Corky Lainge and Felix Pappalardi. I’ve had this record a long time and not sure where I picked it up but I think it was from my Athens, Ga., high school and college years. I hadn’t played it in a while prior to this review and it’s solid, rock solid.

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The Mothers of Invention (compilation) — 317

ALBUM: The Mothers of Invention (1970)

MVC Countdown: 3.5/$$$$

Frank Zappa records tend to be worth a little more in the resale market. This is a greatest ‘hits’ album of early stuff before Zappa put his name out front of the band, which was made-up of former members of the 60’s rock/pop group the Turtles.

I will be writing more about Zappa when I get to the Z’s. He can be brilliant and disgusting, often at the same time.

Meanwile, enjoy (if you are able) songs such as Wowie Zowie and Who Needs the Peace Corps and Flower Punk. This album had a median price, used, of $12 on Discogs; it’s probably the least valuable of my Zappa stuff.

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Kinks break

Those of you following this blog know I am a big Kinks fan, since my teen years.

They were a genre-defying band that were described in many ways: quirky, satirical, whimsical, a garage band , uber British, and so on. They got kicked out of the U.S. during the British invasion for bad behavior so they missed out on big fame for a while. Ray and Dave fought a lot and I mean physical brawls, tearing hotel rooms apart. Although Dave’s pioneering heavy metal guitar in early to mid-1960s with You Really Got Me and All Day and All Night brought attention, there came a lull. They went through a period where they were experimenting with concept album, mini-musicals if you will.

Most people, during that 1970s period turned away. The albums such as A Soap Opera, a splendid little story piece, or the Preservation albums, wound up in bargain bins or, worse, garbage. Many thought they were a lightweight band. They should have known better from the 1960s heavy metal  riffs, although even back then lead Kink Ray Davies wrote catchy little love songs (see Tired of  Waiting, Stop Your Sobbing, etc.)

One of their biggest songs ‘Lola’ was about a transvestite.

So when my buddy Michael Ludden, former boss, novelist and all around music lover turned me on to a video blues number by the Kinks, it was not only a further validation of arguments I’ve had with folks who think the Kinks never earned their rootsy stripes like the Beatles, Stones and the Who. It was somewhat of a revelation seeing the early Kinks performing a damn good Slim Harpo blues rendition, ‘Got Love if You Want It,’ worthy of the best of the Yardbirds or the Animals, at least. From deep cuts, I knew they did this kind of stuff now and then but to see the performance is eye-opening:

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Daily Journal, July 23, 2019, on raising money, raising awareness and having fun while doing it

Slow down hoss. Things are moving slower now. After that frenzied state of MikeMadness.

We raised thousands of dollars over the weekend for Lewy body dementia. It will pay for research for a cure of Lewy body, the second leading form of dementia after Alzheimer’s..

Yes, I still have it. The basketball tournament, the socializing, the games and rallying isn’t going to suddenly block the bombardment of destructive proteins trespassing in my brain. But I’ll be damned if it didn’t help on a several levels. This is living. Even when you know you are dying. There’s a ‘thing’ about it, maybe it’s human empathy I’m trying to express this ‘thing’ with this blog.

I got a nice comment on my blog the other day from someone who said he started reading this blog for the music reviews, but then became interested in learning more about the disease and says he has been hooked by my story as a person living with the disease.

This is exactly how I wanted it to work. His comments can be read in full in the comments section of this blog but he said:

Thank you for putting so much information out into the world in such a positive way, and spreading the word about LBD as you do. It’s not an easy subject to tackle, or to even talk about, and you seem to do both superbly.
I’ll admit that I got hooked on your reviews of your lp collection, as you seem to have some similar tastes as me, but then I found that along with the musical explorations, I was getting more and more interested in your story and your cause. Now I just can’t stop reading.
I hope this finds you well. I’m looking forward to more of your insights, and I enjoy going down the rabbit hole with each new post. I listen along to the artists as I read.

So what’s this about again? This is about families coming together. I had 20-plus relatives over to support the cause with money and with love. (My nephew Zach Cohen won the 3-point contest.)

We’ll have all winners listed in my next story when I firm up donation totals and ready the photos.

Still awaiting some donations to be processed. Hurry up if you’ve put it off. MikeMadness.org

Stay tuned to this website and AL.com for specific amounts raised and where they will go and lots and lots of pictures. from UAB which graciously donated the Rec Center facilities and Trim Tab Brewing where we got dunked, sang Karaoke and sipped beverages and ate delicious authentic tacos from a food truck . Great atmosphere, kids loved both the Karaoke and dunk tank as you might imagine.

Thanks Trim Tab for donating 10 percent of sales on Saturday to the cause.

My song for Saturday, or today for that matter is by The The. No, that’s not a typo: there are two ‘The’s. (And nothing else)..

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Meat Loaf — 326

ALBUM: Bat Out of Hell (1977)

MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$

Meat Loaf motorcycle appears to be flying out of my computer keyboard.

Meat Loaf. That’s Mr. Loaf to you sonny.

Meat Loaf was who he was/is.

What he was was: A powerful singer, who produced a highly entertaining album as I was a senior in high school. Collaborator Jim Steinman wrote the songs and Todd Rundgren threw some of his magic potion in.

And man, did the Meat Loaf album capture a teen moment with humor and dumbed down imagery so that even the slowest among us could get it. A play-by-play featuring former baseball player and announcer Phil ‘Scooter’ Rizzuto.

Bombastic. Sure it was. World changing. Surely it wasn’t.

Unless you are the one being asked in a backseat moment:: ‘What’s it going to be boy, yes or no? … Do you love me, will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life …”

And we know what rhymes with ‘life.”

Wiki says the album is one of the best selling of all time with 43 million copies sold. It was 343 on a top 500 greatest albums list by Rolling Stone.

Entertaining. Yes. It is like a teen movie, cinematic in scope. American Graffiti with a Springsteen reach for grandeur and a Rocky Horror Picture Show reach for vamp.

Cool fact: It was rejected several times and was really was a slow starter coming out of the garage. But it picked up big support in the UK and Canada before going nuts in the U.S.

Speaking of Ellen Foley –– she was back-up singer and sang the part of the young woman asking those hard questions: Yes, yes, yes, or no?