Tom McMahon

Banjo Lapel Pin

Banjo Lapel Pin 

 

A great gift for the banjo lover/player in your life. But do banjo players ever wear clothes that have lapels? (Don't be confused by their confusing web page, you can still order just one lapel pin.)

Revealed: The Most Exciting Moment In Modern Popular Music

. . . is when Otis Day switches from "a little bit softer now" to "a little bit louder now" in Shout.

Songs That Have Sold Over 4 Million Copies In The USA

• "Another One Bites The Dust", Queen
• "Hey Jude", The Beatles
• "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel", Elvis Presley
• "I Will Always Love You", Whitney Houston
• "I'll Be There", Jackson 5
• "Le Freak", Chic
• "Let's Get It On", Marvin Gaye
• "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)", Los Del Rio
• "Whoomp! (There It Is)", Tag Team
• "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams

Only two songs have sold more copies than this. Can you guess what they are? Answer here.

British Invasion Quiz

Name the artists:

• Glad All Over
• Woman
• Yesterday's Gone
• I'm Telling You Now
• Time of the Season
• Can't You Hear My Heartbeat?
• All Day and All of the Night
• Bits and Pieces
• Game of Love
• Pretty Flamingo
• Shapes of Things
• Stop! Stop! Stop!
• Catch Us If You Can
• Willow Weep For Me
• I Go To Pieces
• A Summer Song
• This Door Swings Both Ways
• Love Is All Around
• Over And Over
• Tell Her No
• Go Now!
• Heart Full of Soul
• I Can See for Miles
• Crossroads

For the answers, start here.

The 1955 Record Album Lonesome Echo: The Songs Are Sung By Jackie Gleason. The Album Cover Is Painted By Salvador Dali. And The Mind Boggles.

The 1955 Record Album Lonesome Echo: The Songs Are Sung By Jackie Gleason. The Album Cover Is Painted By Salvador Dali. And The Mind Boggles.

From Varifrank:

Think about it for a second.

Gleason - Dali.

Unfortunately, this is not where the weirdness ends. Heres just a partial list of things I that I find weird about this rather odd artifact from the past.

1. Jackie Gleason, made record albums where he showcased his singing. Apparently this went on for years with no intervention from the authorities.

2. Capitol Records, who would one day have the Beatles under contract, gave Jackie Gleason a contract to make these albums, which were not for comedy skits, but singing. I assume this was done for money and profit and not for laughs or as a result of the loss of a bet on the part of a record company executive.

3. People bought the albums. I cannot for the life of me figure out why. Perhaps there was a shortage of rodent repellant in the 1950's.

And that's just a partial list of Varifrank's partial list. I guess that the Gleason style just isn't his cup of tea. But maybe it's not about the songs anyway:

Although Gleason's 1955 album is not nearly as well known as most others in this list, it can be seen as one of the most important. Throughout the 50s, more and more experimentation with album art was taking place, particularly in the jazz scene. While the crooners of the day still tended to favour a simple photo of themselves as their album cover, others such as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Count Basie were employing artists to come up with more interesting concepts. When TV personality Gleason used a piece by legendary surrealist Salvador Dali for his album cover, it was official; the album cover was a legitimate art form. It hasn't looked back.

The Leningrad Cowboys

The Leningrad Cowboys

An excerpt from David St. Lawrence:

Finland's answers to the Blues Brothers are still alive and rocking today.

With their extreme hair styles, bizarre glasses and pointy shoes, the Finnish rock group, the Leningrad Cowboys make a splendid contrast to the Red Army Choir as they performed together recently in a rousing rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama" to the enthusiastic applause of Russian teen-agers.

This is a seriously off-the-wall group and if you are into truly bizarre musicians, you may enjoy this video. I definitely want a pair of the glasses they are wearing.

The Kind Of Music That A Typical White Person Listens To

The Kind Of Music That A Typical White Person Listens To

This Guy's In Love with You: The First Number One Hit For Herb Alpert In 1968

This Guy's In Love with You: The First Number One Hit For Herb Alpert In 1968

An excerpt from an informative page by music writer Serene Dominic:

Whilst Herb Alpert prepared for his April 22 CBS TV-special, he had two coups already sewn up; advance orders of over a million for his tenth album with The Tijuana Brass and $100,000 worth of sponsorship. What he didn’t have was a song to serenade his wife Sharon on the program, something that he could walk along a California beach and croon without breaking a sweat.

As Alpert told A&E Biography, “There’s a question I ask all great songwriters that I’ve been privileged to be around ‘is there a song you’ve written that’s tucked away in a drawer someplace that you had a good feeling for but for some reason never surfaced. I asked Burt that question and he pulled out “This Girl’s In Love With You.” The melody was an anomaly for Bacharach in that it’s written between an octave and a fifth, but sounds like it’s only five notes. And there isn’t a three syllable word hidden in its simple lyrics. No wonder everyone with a five-note range rushed to record it. ...

Who could’ve predicted a Help Alpert song that starts with an electric Wurlitzer, harmonica and strings and doesn’t get wind of a trumpet until two minutes have passed? Anyone hearing the trumpeter bleat out those words in monotone with a massive orchestra firing on all cylinders, and how vulnerable he sounds when they all drop out of the sonic picture, would have to agree with Noel Gallagher’s assessment that this is “the best love song ever.”

Indeed. A #1 hit for four weeks, by a guy who couldn't sing, that's still as moving and endearing 40 years later. By the way, eleven years later Alpert's instrumental #1 hit Rise made him the first and only artist to have both a vocal #1 hit and an instrumental #1 hit. 

Quiz: Jimmy Webb or Burt Bacharach?

These songs were all written by either Jimmy Webb or Burt Bacharach. But which ones are which?

• All I Know
• Baby It's You
• By the Time I Get to Phoenix
• Galveston
• Highwayman
• MacArthur Park
• One Less Bell to Answer
• Only Love Can Break A Heart
• Paper Cup
• Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
• The Worst That Could Happen
• (They Long to Be) Close to You
• This Guy's in Love with You
• Up, Up, and Away
• What's New Pussycat?
• Where's the Playground Susie
• Wichita Lineman

The Great American Songbook Quiz: Name The Composers

To make this easier, I limited your choices to Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. For the answers, start here. The songs:

• Anything Goes
• Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)
• Begin the Beguine
• Blue Moon
• Blues In The Night
• Days of Wine and Roses
• Don't Fence Me In
• Fools Rush In
• Heat Wave
• Hooray for Hollywood
• I Get a Kick Out of You
• I Got Rhythm
• I Remember You
• I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande
• It Might as Well Be Spring
• It's De-Lovely
• I've Got You Under My Skin
• Jeepers Creepers
• Kiss Me, Kate
• Moon River
• My Favorite Things
• My Funny Valentine
• Night And Day
• Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'
• Puttin' on the Ritz
• S’Wonderful
• Some Enchanted Evening
• Someone to Watch Over Me
• Summer Wind
• Summertime
• Tangerine
• That Old Black Magic
• The Lady Is a Tramp
• They Can't Take That Away from Me
• White Christmas
• You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby

G. David Schine: Assistant to Senator Joseph McCarthy, Executive Producer of The French Connection, Part Owner of the Ambassador Hotel Where RFK Was Shot, Married to Miss Universe 1955, Purveyor of Bubble Gum Music, and Had A Cameo On the Batman TV Show

G. David Schine, Sen. Joe McCarthy, and Roy Cohn

• Wikipedia, imdb, and the G. David Schine Official Site
• Schine Music holds the copyright to the old DeFranco Family hit "Heartbeat -- It's A Lovebeat"
• Batman: It was the favorite show of his 6 kids, so he made a cameo in the next-to-last episode.

Rock n Roll Plane Crash Trivia: Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen Performed On Stage The Night Otis Redding Died In 1967

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

By early evening, a police officer called Adamany and described some of the victims. That 's when Adamany knew it was Redding and his band. A long line already formed outside the Factory. The first of two shows was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. None of the fans knew the tragic news. Adamany had an employee use a bullhorn to tell concertgoers from an open window. "No one believed it, of course, " Adamany said. "It was in the era of students not trusting business people. " Radio reports, however, confirmed the news. Police asked Adamany to have a show. He presented a free concert.

In a 2003 interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen said he was a member of one of the acts that performed. "The news spread slowly, " Nielsen said. "People were walking around in a daze. Instead of locked doors, we played. "

In a twisted development one week later, some concertgoers started copying tickets and using fake ones for the $3 ticket refund. "We refunded way more than we sold, " Adamany said, "and we sold about 700 or 800 tickets.

In Praise Of Power Pop: All Hail The Knack!

In Praise Of Power Pop: All Hail The Knack!

For you youngsters out there, here's the story:

Forming in Los Angeles in the late '70s, the Knack (Doug Fieger, vocals/guitar; Berton Averre, lead guitar; Prescott Niles, bass; and Bruce Gary, drums) were neither punk nor rock, but pure simple pop, standing out among the musical dross that littered the Sunset Strip. Signing with Capitol after a feeding frenzy of label offers, the Knack released their debut, Get the Knack, in 1979. With its leadoff single, "My Sharona," the Knack climbed both the album and singles charts (eventually selling millions of copies around the globe), gained wide commercial acceptance, and regenerated the power pop scene that had laid dormant for half a decade. The Knack's image, or lack thereof, was often unfavorably compared to the Beatles, but their music relied on the rough punchiness of the Kinks and the Who rather than the Fab Four. Their refusal to do interviews turned critics against them, and by the time they released their second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand, less than a year after the debut, the backlash had already begun ("Knuke the Knack").

Well, part of the story anyway. Now the part about their most famous song:

Mike Chapman, who heard about the Knack from an L.A. writer, was chosen by the band to produce their debut album. The reason given was that "his pop sensibilities and vision paralleled the Knack's." Of course, Chapman's number-one singles by Blondie, Nick Gilder, and Exile over the last year didn't hurt his chances either. Almost all the tracks were cut live in one take; there were overdubs (mostly lead guitar) on only a few tracks. The entire album was recorded, mixed, and in the can in eleven days flat. Total cost: $18,000. It was perhaps the cheapest platinum album ever made. Released on June 11, it went gold in thirteen days -- the fastest climb by any new group in years. It went platinum on August 3 and sold more than four million copies.

Doug Fieger, who described his most distinguishing feature as "smirk on face," listed his favorite pastime as "writing nasty songs about girls that I know." One was a young groupie named Sharona. "Berton had this basic guitar and drum riff lying around for a long time," he said, "even before the Knack got together. He played it for me, and I really liked it. I said we would do it someday, but I didn't know how we could use it at the time. Then, at the same time the Knack started, I met a little girl named Sharona, whom I fell in love with. When I would think about Sharona, Berton's riff came to mind. So Berton and I got together and worked out a structure and a melody and the words. The result was 'My Sharona'."

"My Sharona" was in good company:

Perhaps the most successful power pop single of all time, The Knack's My Sharona, spent six weeks in the number one position of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. Cheap Trick's Surrender, The Romantics' What I Like About You, and Rick Springfield's Jessie's Girl were other notably successful power pop singles of the era.

And for what it's worth, "My Sharona" occupies a spot on George W. Bush's iPod. I've enjoyed listening to their recent Live performance:

Live from the Rock 'n' Roll Fun House

So for all you Baby Boomers out there, Congratulations!: You've lived long enough so now it's OK to Get The Knack. You'll thank me, I know you will.

Scotch And Soda: The Musical Connection Between New York Mets Hall Of Fame Pitcher Tom Seaver And The Kingston Trio

Another interesting story from Wikipedia:

Through the years, the most requested song for The Kingston Trio was "Scotch and Soda," which was always performed as a solo number by Bob Shane. The trio discovered this song through Tom Seaver's parents who had first heard it when on their honeymoon. One member of the trio was dating Seaver's older sister at that time, and heard the song on a visit to the Seaver home. Although it is credited to Dave Guard, the trio never did discover the real songwriter's name, though they searched for years.

Wisconsinology Day: Dave Dudley, King Of The Eighteen Wheelers

Dave Dudley was the guy who sang "Six Days On The Road". An excerpt from Wisconsinology:

After a concert in Deerfield, Wisconsin he handed a friend of mine a book entitled "Everything I Know About Fishing and Women by Dave Dudley." My friend opened the book. All the pages were blank. His final recording was a collection of patriotic truck driving songs written in response to 9/11. My favorite of these new tunes tells the tale of an army of eighteen wheelers chasing down Osama Bin Laden. Priceless.

The Singing Turkeys In West Side Story

The Singing Turkeys In West Side Story

Washboard Tie

Washboard Tie

Now you can make a musical statement and a fashion statement all at the same time. Made with 24-guage rippled stainless steel. As fun to play as it is to wear. Comes with two metal thimbles so you can play right out of the package. $18.

Two New Dennis Day Collections On CD

 
Two New Dennis Day Collections On CD:
A Song In My Heart
Serenade

Both of these were released in 2007. 

Two Cheap Ways To Transmit Your Music Library Around the House: The Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Music System and the C. Crane FM Transmitter

The Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Music System

Just so you know, the Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Music System is an orphan -- Logitech doesn't list it on their website any more. But that's probably why Tigerdirect has it for just $60. I just added a pair of cheap powered speakers and I was good to go. Sound quality was much better than I expected. The nice feature about this unit is that you can skip over a song you don't like, or pause it to take a phone call.

The C. Crane FM Transmitter

The C. Crane FM Transmitter will set you back about $70. Yeah, I know there are much cheaper FM transmitters out there, but most of those only let you chose a couple of FM frequencies -- the C. Crane unit lets you choose any frequency you want. The advantage of this approach is that you broadcast to every FM radio in the house (the Logitech only broadcasts to its one receiver). The downside is you can't pause or fast forward.

Any other cheap solutions out there?

Neil Sedaka Sings Yiddish! Connie Francis Sings Jewish!

Neil Sedaka Sings Yiddish! Connie Francis Sings Jewish!

Daddy sang bass Yiddish, Momma sang tenor Jewish, me and little brother just joined right in there. Hanan Levin over at grow-a-brain has a page full of more Yiddish links.

The Blues Name Generator: To Sing The Blues, You Need To Know Your Blues Name

Blues Name Generator From Planet Proctor
Letter	Your First Blues Name	Your Middle Blues Name	Your Last Blues Name
A	Fat	Bones	Jackson
B	Muddy	Money	McGee
C	Crippled	Harp	Hopkins
D	Old	Legs	Dupree
E	Texas	Eyes	Green
F	Hollerin'	Lemon	Brown
G	Ugly	Killer	Jones
H	Brown	Hips	Rivers
I	Happy	Lips	Malone
J	Boney	Fingers	Washington
K	Curly	Boy	Smith
L	Pretty	Liver	Parker
M	Jailhouse	Gumbo	Lee
N	Peg Leg	Foot	Thompkins
O	Red	Mama	King
P	Sleepy	Back	Bradley
Q	Bald	Duke	Hawkins
R	Skinny	Dog	Jefferson
S	Blind	Bad Boy	Davis
T	Big	Baby	Franklin
U	Yella	Chicken	White
V	Toothless	Pickles	Jenkins
W	Screamin'	Sugar	Bailey
X	Fat Boy	Cracker	Johnson
Y	Washboard	Tooth	Blue
Z	Steel-Eye	Smoke	Allison
Rule	Use your first initial	Use your middle initial	Use your third initial
Example: TMM becomes Big Gumbo Lee from http://www.tommcmahon.net

Have fun, pass it on, and sing!

Steve Goodman: High School Classmate of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Steve Goodman: High School Classmate of Hillary Rodham Clinton

From George Buddy:

One was Hillary Rodham, a classmate, who had a small role in an elaborate high school production of "Showboat," with Steve selected as the lead singer for "Old Man River" and other tunes from the Broadway hit musical. Rodham, later Hillary Rodham Clinton, had a small part as a dancer in the play but always remembered Goodman's rendition of the song. "He just knocked it out of the park," she told Eals.

Besides Goodman and Rodham, other famous alumni of Maine East High School include Karen Black, Hugh Brannum (Mr. Green Jeans), Harrison Ford, Marshall Seese of The Weather Channel, and the Son of Svengoolie himself, Rich Koz.

Steve Goodman was diagnosed with leukemia in 1969 when he was just 20. He died in 1984, just before his beloved Chicago Cubs made post-season play for the first time since 1945. From Goodman's song A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request:

He said, "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
and I'll read you my last request
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the "National Anthem"
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers, carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral, Hey Ernie lets play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die

(via J-Walk)

Do You Have The Courage To Stand With Me On This?: I Love Minnie Riperton!

Do You Have The Courage To Stand With Me On This?: I Love Minnie Riperton!

Taking a bold stand on some political issue of the day -- all mere child's play compared to publicly declaring that you, in no uncertain terms, are a true Minnie Riperton fan. And that you love her biggest hit, the high-octave Lovin' You, that went to Number 1 in 1975. (You can see it on YouTube here.) She only lived to be 31, you know:

In 1976, Riperton revealed to Flip Wilson, who was guest-hosting for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, that she had undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Minnie found out that her cancer had already spread to the lymphatic system. In spite of such a grim prognosis, Minnie continued touring in 1977 and 1978, and became the National spokesperson for the American Cancer Society 78-79, but eventually the cancer would take its toll. By June 1979, Minnie was confined to bed and she entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California for the last time on July 9. On July 12, 1979, Riperton died peacefully in her husband's arms as they listened to a recording of a song Stevie Wonder had written for her. Her family inscribed the headstone on her grave with words of her most famous song 'Lovin you is easy cause you're beautiful.'

So there. Just try to say mean things about her now. During Breast Cancer Month, no less. You meanie.

Rick Springfield: Live In Rockford

Rick Springfield: Live In Rockford

If you've been waiting for some solid Rock 'n' Roll out of Rockford, Illinois that's not Cheap Trick, buddy your ship has finally come in.

My List Of Five Show-Biz Types I Used To Love But Now Can't Stand, Plus My Favorite Dead Actor From The Police Academy Movies

My list:

1. Robin Williams
2. M*A*S*H
3. Bob Seger
4. WKLH-FM (The "Classic Rock" Station in Milwaukee)
5. Cartoon Network

For reasons best not explained here, I should probably add that I think the morning team on WKLH is one of the finest I've ever heard. And while Debralee Scott would be a solid choice from that Police Academy in the sky, I'd have to go with David Graf. Our son Ryan never fails to laugh when Eugene Tackleberry shows up on the screen.

Go ahead and add your list, but with this one limit: Every entertainer on your list has to make you sick because of their act, not their politics. So if you just loved the Dixie Chicks until they got all political, just leave them off your list.

What's Your Favorite Slim Whitman Song: Indian Love Call, or I Remember You?

While Indian Love Call did do a nice job of wiping out those pesky Martians (but alas, not in time to save Danny DeVito), it's those Johnny Mercer lyrics that make my decision an easy one:

When my life is through
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of it all
Then I will tell them I remember
Tell them I remember
Tell them I remember you!

Who Are The 5 Singers or Bands You Would Like To Live Without For The Rest Of Your Life?

Mine, in no particular order:

• The Beatles: Yeah, they were lotsa fun on the Ed Sullivan Show, but enough's enough.
• Paul Simon: As the years whiz by, the pretension gets on your nerves.
• The Eagles: The Wonder Bread of Seventies music.
• Lionel Richie: Geez Louise, I have more soul than this guy.
• Bob Dylan: Singlehandedly gave pinko folksingers a bad name from which they have never recovered.

It's Rita Abrams Day Here At tommcmahon.net!!

It's Rita Abrams Day Here At tommcmahon.net!!

From her website:

Two-time Emmy Award winner Rita Abrams and her Strawberry Point School kids captured hearts and airwaves worldwide with their chartbuster hit song, “Mill Valley.” But the story didn't stop there.

As a composer, lyricist and writer, Rita continues to garner honors for her stage musicals, children’s music and videos, pop and novelty songs, humor books, greeting cards, and custom shows.

And after all that, she still lives in Mill Valley!

Rita Abrams Day: Pride And Prejudice, The Musical

Rita Abrams Day: Pride And Prejudice, The Musical

Some info:

The world's most beloved novel springs to life onstage, with 19 fine and funny songs that make more vivid and lively than ever the timeless story and its unforgettable characters~ Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, their daughters, Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Collins, and Charlotte Lucas.

The story centers on the love lives of the Bennet family’s five daughters~Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia~and the social and economic atmosphere of early nineteenth century England, which placed the utmost importance on either having or marrying into wealth.

I've listened to the songs, and they're great. You can hear some of them here.

Rita Abrams Day: At Your Age You're Having a WHAT! The Advantages of Mature Maternity

At Your Age You're Having a WHAT! The Advantages of Mature Maternity

Rita tells the story:

"One look at Ellen Blonder's first drawing, and I knew I'd found the perfect artist. On the left was the profile of a portly but not pregnant middle-aged woman; and on the right was the exact same profile, but with a little foot sticking out of her belly.

And thus began a fabulous collaboration, and a fulfilling life-long friendship. Our daughters, Mia and Lisa, are 25 now, and also best friends. And while the book remains surprisingly relevant, the age of the "mature" mother seems to keep creeping up."

Rita Abrams Day: And Rita Is A Professional Greeting Card Writer, Too!

I never knew anybody who wrote stuff for greeting cards, have you? Follow this link for a gallery of some of Rita's cards:

As a professional greeting card writer, Rita has written hundreds of cards for companies including Recycled Paper Products, Marcel Schurman, Portal Publications, Paramount, Northern Exposure, and Landmark. A winner of two Louie Awards (the "Oscar" of the greeting card industry), she specializes in humor, but occasionally lapses into verse:

"The smile sparkles, the eye twinkles, there's so much love, but so few wrinkles."

Rita Abrams Day: Dr. Elmo and Rita Abrams

Who would have guessed?:

Together, Rita and Dr. Elmo have created and recorded over 20 albums of comedy songs, for labels from Sony/ BMG to Walmart. Last Christmas their Sony/ BMG Christmas album was second in sales to ELVIS in the Special Products Division. And their Halloween album, "Dr. Elmo Sings the Boos," made the Billboard online charts for 8 consecutive weeks. Their topical songs like "Prison Without Martha," "Email from Nigeria," and "Global Warming," can be heard throughout the year on courageous radio stations across the country. Elmo credits Rita's songwriting skills for "giving me a career." The feeling is reciprocal.

Rita Abrams Day: The All Music Guide Review of Her 1972 Album, Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class

Rita Abrams Day: The All Music Guide Review of Her 1972 Album, Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class

It's written by Greg Adams:

"Mill Valley" was an enchanting left-field hit in 1970, written by kindergarten teacher Rita Abrams and performed with the third grade class from her elementary school, which was really called Strawberry Point. Abrams' clear, pretty, girl-next-door voice is similar to Lynn Ahrens of Schoolhouse Rock! fame, and the children's chorus heaps innocent charm on songs that are already bursting with it. Sounding like a cross between the Carpenters and the Sesame Street theme song (which isn't a strange mix at all, considering that the Carpenters had a major hit with "Sing" from that children's program), Abrams and the kids sing about summertime, nature, and gladness on her well-crafted originals. The two non-originals, "You Are My Sunshine" and Norman Greenbaum's "Buildin' a Heaven on Earth," perfectly fit the happiness (and, in the latter case, hippie-ness) of the mood. Abrams and company had a total of three singles reach the adult contemporary Top 40 in 1970-1971 and an album was compiled in 1972. The CD reissue has all ten songs from the LP, an uncharacteristically sad outtake from the album sessions, and a couple of worthwhile non-album tracks, including a later effort credited to Abrams alone. Only the most hard-hearted cynic could find no enjoyment in this minor masterpiece of early-'70s soft pop.

UPDATE: This album/CD is now available as a non-DRM MP3 download at eMusic.com.

The Essex: When The US Marines Hit The Top 40

The Essex: When The US Marines Hit The Top 40

From allmusic.com:

Fondly recalled for their 1963 chart-topper "Easier Said Than Done," R&B vocal quintet the Essex was formed in 1961 by Walter Vickers and Rodney Taylor, a pair of U.S. Marines stationed in Japan; upon returning stateside to Camp LeJeune, NC, the duo recruited fellow leathernecks Anita Humes, Billie Hill, and Rudolph Johnson and recorded a demo tape which earned them a contract with the Roulette label. Highlighted by Humes' distinctively sassy lead vocal, "Easier Said Than Done" reached the top of the American pop charts in June of 1963, although the Essex found promoting the single trying as they were forced to coordinate their live appearances around their Marine duties. Johnson's subsequent shipment to a military base in Okinawa, Japan, further complicated matters, but the group's follow-up "A Walkin' Miracle" nevertheless reached the number 12 spot; when the Essex's third single "She's Got Everything" stalled, however, their chart run was over, and after a handful of little-noticed records like "Curfew Lover," they disbanded. Humes later pursued a solo career.

The Song From The Visa Check Card Commercial: Take Your Time By Buddy Holly

Take Your Time, I can wait
For all the love I know will be mine
If you Take Your Time

Take Your Time, though its late
Heart strings will sing like a string of twine
If you Take Your Time

Take Your Time and take mine too
I have time to spend
Take Your Time go with me through
Times 'till all times end

Take Your Time, I can wait
For all the love I know will be mine
If you Take Your Time
                     -- Buddy Holly

The irony, of course, is that Buddy Holly himself didn't have any time. He was killed in that famous plane crash when he was only 22 years old.

Bob Lind: From The Bright Elusive Butterfly Of Love To Writer For The Weekly World News

Bob Lind: From The Bright Elusive Butterfly Of Love To Writer For The Weekly World News

You might wake up some mornin'
To the sound of something moving past your window in the wind
And if you're quick enough to rise
You'll catch a fleeting glimpse of someone's fading shadow
Out on the new horizon
You may see the floating motion of a distant pair of wings
And if the sleep has left your ears
You might hear footsteps running through an open meadow

Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

An excerpt from sfbg.com:

Some one-hit wonders really deserve the title. Think of Zager and Evans, Timbuk 3, or Jump 'n the Saddle Band. On second thought, don't.

Sometimes, though, the hit song that brings fleeting fame winds up unjustly obscuring the rest of the artist's catalog. Such is the case with singer-songwriter Bob Lind, whose one hit, the breathless folk rock ballad "Elusive Butterfly," is an oft-cited example of wide-eyed hippie-era excess or just bad high school poetry set to music. "Butterfly" was later mocked by the Bonzo Dog Band and Frank Zappa, among others, who heard unintentional comedy in Lind's frail vocals and admittedly over-the-top lyrics. Whatever the merits of "Elusive Butterfly," though, there's more to Lind than that one song.

After that one hit Bob Lind found himself as a writer for The Weekly World News:

"I wrote, made up stories and had a wonderful time," he said with a wry smile. "There were days when I'd leave that newsroom and my face hurt and my stomach would hurt because I was around funny people." ...

"There was a whole cult in college who would buy the paper," said Lind. "One person would buy the paper. He would bring it to the dorm. Everybody would read it."

And when asked for an epitaph for TWWN, Lind said, "I don't know. 'ENJOYABLE NEWSPAPER CHOKES TO DEATH CASS-ELLIOT STYLE IN ITS OWN EXCESSES.'"

Midnight Star: Weird Al Yankovic's Tribute To The Weekly World News

I was waiting in the express lane with my twelve items or less
At the checkout counter at the local grocery store
I was only passin' by
But a paper caught my eye
And I learned a few things I never knew before

It said your pet may be an extra-terrestrial
It said the ghost of Elvis is living in my den
You can learn to cope with stress
You can beat the IRS
And the incredible frog boy is on the loose again

Oh, Midnight Star
It's in the weekly Midnight Star
Aliens from outer space are sleeping in my car
Midnight Star, I wanna know, I wanna know

Eat jelly doughnuts and lose twenty pounds a day
Hear the story of the man born without a head
And top psychics all agree
That the telephone company
Will have a brand new service that lets you talk to the dead

Oh, Midnight Star
You can believe it if you read it in the weekly Midnight Star
They're keeping Hitler's brain alive inside a jar
Midnight Star, I wanna know, I wanna know

(Tell me, tell me, tell me how to make my bust-line grow)
Midnight Star, I wanna know

Oh, Midnight Star
Well, don't you know that I read it, I read it in the weekly Midnight Star
The UFOs have landed and we'll tell you where they are
Midnight Star, I wanna know, I wanna know

Midnight Star
Well, you can read all about in in the weekly Midnight Star
You can use you ESP to learn to play guitar
Midnight Star I wanna know, I wanna know

An original song by Weird Al Yankovic

Buy Christmas Music Cheap On Used CD's

Here's what I bought to-day at SecondSpin.com:

1. Burl Ives: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer $1.79
2. Frank Sinatra: Christmas Through the Years $1.79
3. Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir $1.79
4. Pat Boone: Family Christmas $1.79
5. Andy Williams: Christmas Album $1.79
6. Glen Campbell: Christmas with Glen Campbell $1.79
7. Ray Conniff: Here We Come A-Caroling $1.79
8. Dean Martin: Season's Greetings from Dean Martin $1.79
9. Various Artists: Christmas Soul [Rhino] $1.79
10. John Denver: Christmas Like a Lullaby [Laserlight] $1.79
11. Various Artists: Jingle Bell Rock: An Oldies Rock and Roll Christmas $1.79
12. Lawrence Welk: Jingle Bells $1.79
13. Harry Simeone Chorale: Little Drummer Boy [Polygram] $1.79
14. Red Army Chorus: Yuletide Favorites $1.79
15. Various Artists: 1940's Christmas [Laserlight] $1.79
16. Mahalia Jackson & Nat King Cole: O Holy Night $1.79
17. Boston Pops Orchestra: Arthur Fiedler Conductor: Christmas Favorites $2.99
18. Andy Williams: We Need a Little Christmas $2.99

The Grand Total with shipping and tax was $47.32 for all 18 CD's. No, I'm not going to play them now, but since these are used CD's and the selection varies over time, the early bird gets the worm and all that, you know.

Mistletunes: Discover Great Christmas Music

Mistletunes: Discover Great Christmas Music

Their purpose:

Very few people don't love Christmas. It's the most highly anticipated holiday of the year. People gauge the validity of their whole lives against their perceived happiness level at this time of year.

But in this age of "family values," society seems to have decided that only Christmas celebrations worthy of The Waltons are valid. In reality, there are plenty of folks out there who would like Christmas a lot more if it were a little less sappy.

And that's where Mistletunes comes in. Come here and discover the soundtrack to your rockin' Christmas celebrations.

This site exists to allow those who believe in a rock 'n roll Christmas to celebrate the season their way -- from a musical standpoint, at least. I have about 30 years of record collecting under my belt, although I don't bring a collector's viewpoint to my appreciation of music, just a music lover's.

The Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra Meets KXOK's Johnny Rabbitt

The Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra Meets KXOK's Johnny Rabbitt

I used to listen to Johnny Rabbitt all the time growing up. I love that guy over in the corner . . .

The 1979 Number One Hit Reunited by Peaches and Herb: 4 Peaches, 1 Herb

The whole story here. Herb was always Herb Fame. The four "Peaches" throughout the various incarnations of the duo:

1. Francine Hurd Barker
2. Marlene Mack
3. Linda Greene
4. Patrice Hawthorne

It was Linda Greene who sang "Reunited" with Herb and took it to Number One in 1979. So if you thought, like I did, that the song was about Peaches & Herb getting back together after a long separation, well you were wrong wrong wrong just like I was. They played us like a violin, we were such fools. Love songs? Bah, Humbug!

Multicultural Futures: Cultural Diversity and the Desire of Belonging

Multicultural Futures: Cultural Diversity and the Desire of Belonging

Excerpts from the Keynote address presented to the Austrian Association for American Studies annual conference, Salzburg, November 2004, by Deborah L. Madsen, University of Geneva:

The Miss Universe beauty pageant, screed by NBC in June this year, featured a special award for “the delegate who displayed her country's pride and spirit best in costume.” Miss USA, Shandi Finnessey, appeared wearing a body-length war-bonnet style costume. She also wore straps studded with circular metal medallions – and very little else.

The imitation headdress was perceived as an insult by Native American tribal groups; Tex Hall, the President of the National Congress of American Indians, condemned the costume and demanded an apology of NBC and Donald Trump who owns the pageant. Hall was particularly offended that a woman should be seen wearing a war-bonnet which is reserved only for men.

The controversy focuses then upon the question of who has the right to wear “authentic” costumes. A photograph of the Women's War Bonnet Society quickly circulated to contradict Tex Hall's claim that this headdress is only for men though the counter-claim was also quickly made that these women photographed here belong to tribes that traditionally use the war-bonnet. To the objection that Miss Oklahoma 1940, Martyne Woods, wore a war-bonnet as part of her traditional costume came the response that she belonged to the eastern woodland Choctaw tribe and so is also “inauthentic.” The struggle to identify “authentic” people who might qualify to wear this “authentic” costume places in question just what it is that the costume is doing in this representation of identity. What is being “recognized” here? In one of the official photographs of Miss USA, it is significant that the image of her disembodied face appears projected against the US flag. She is shown in three-quarter profile, with her blonde hair cascading down to her shoulders. Here she is the all-American girl, identified by her bodily characteristics with the “Political” nation. But she is also is the same woman who wears faux Native American regalia. She is performing a kind of cultural authenticity that relates to the “Political” nation rather than to her bodily ethnic identification. She chooses Native America in the way that Gish Jen's Mona chooses Judaism – and by choosing they demonstrate their “Americanness.”

This pluralism, which is more a kind of performativity, can be seen also in the photograph of Cher, which features on the cover of her 197