For Auld Lang Syne

 

"Is it really me you miss, or just your long-lost youth?"

Ev'ry Picture Tells a Story

 Don't it though?

(Aside: I have stood where Macca is standing 

- Red Square, not onstage.)

Edit: In that same time frame (late February '75), my [junior HS] running buddy Marcus and I spent an evening in our Leningrad/St. Petersburg hotel bar committing diplomacy with some CCCP sailors (and their wives/girlfriends) on shore leave, while a Russian band bravely attempted several covers of Western rock music, including - naturally - some by the Fab Four.  After one of our hosts had admired my western bolo tie (with a horse head, originally from JC Penney's in Irving, TX, IIRC), most of the evening, I gifted it to him or his girlfriend (hence, diplomacy). It was probably the pinnacle act of détente, or the seminal moment of гласность.

Stuck in my head.

What I didn't know then.

Forgiveness.

Forgiveness.

Quark?

 

Stairway?

 Some describe this as Reginald's Stairway to Heaven.  Hard to disagree.

The sun also rises

 Just like...

Last Ceausescu speech

Even in communist countries, leeching from your citizens - no matter how much you claim to be doing it 'for their own good' - is considered poor form. At some point, people who have eyes to see and brains to think, see the light and act. There comes a time when people don't buy the BS anymore and break out of their apathy, even - maybe especially - as the aging despot desperately tries to consolidate and project power.

Sic semper...

Rider in the storm

 

I'm 6' 1" on foot, but atop this rig, about 6' 3".

I don't like to ride during thunderstorms. 

 

I couldn't help chuckling when this song came on the playlist.

Apropos, I suppose.

In case you're wondering, the 'artist' notation is

The Last of the New Yardbirds.

Note to self

Despite knowing better, and having possibly the best collection of motivational books outside of Half Price Books, I've somehow allowed myself to wallow for a bit in self-pity. Oh, I go out to the pub with friends on trivia night, and, although I don't dance on the table (truthfully, I usually nurse a single beer - those specialty brews are not cheap - for the evening), I'm most times the liveliest member of our group. I go to church on the weekends, and show up when they need help for special events. Sometimes, infrequently, I'll attend another church as well, where I know lots of people. I smile at strangers in the grocery store, start conversations with people I don't know. 

Yet most of the time, I keep my own company. I'm tuned in to the news, monitor a handful of blogs, and frequent some Youtube channels about tools, aviation, guitars and music, and engines. As noted before on these pages, I consider myself an 'extroverted introvert' - it's not an ordeal to be with people, in fact I enjoy it, but being a hermit is my inertial state. 

After listening to Brad Barton's forecast, I deemed it safe to take an early morning bike ride, and figured a sausage biscuit wouldn't hurt since I generally eat responsibly. Getting the 'senior coffee' was a plus. As I sat down to eat, I noticed the sky had darkened and the wind had picked up. The weather that was deemed unlikely at 7:00 a.m. had arrived about four hours early. After waiting for the downpour (and lightning) to subside, I started back home, joyfully singing along with my Bluetooth speaker in the drizzle. And I thought to myself, "this is living!"  

This song came to mind: 

 

This song was next on Youtube when I looked up the TK song. I've not heard it for years, but it seemed appropriate in context of what's going on in the world, so I'm posting it also. 

 

It's well past Memorial Day, but thank you to all the Pvt. Andrew Malones.

A poet and a one man band

 A shame these guys can't get along, but a blessing for the musical memories they've made.

So grateful to have seen them in '83 at the Cotton Bowl.

Most Peculiar

They positively never would've believed modern headlines at the soda fountains of either of the drug stores on 4th Avenue, back in the town where I was born.

Owing to a discussion the week prior, I wore a P-Mac (Macca for you Britons) concert🔹t-shirt to trivia night at the pub last week. My crew quizzed me as to why the graphic on the back was of the Beatles. "Because he was IN the Beatles..." Duh!  Truly, you're more likely to sell more shirts if you co-reference the Liverpool lads than just the McCartney tour itself (Wings Over America possibly notwithstanding).

Over the weekend, I happen'd upon an article ranking the former members' 66 post-Beatles albums. Unfortunately - but unsurprising - Mr. Starkey's efforts pretty solidly anchored the bottom 10. George and Paul constituted most of the middle of the list, with John's works beginning to appear in the top half or third.

Obviously, McCartney, having outlived all but Ringo, has the most output. And, for the sake of transparency, I'll disclose that I've always skewed more to the Mac than the Len of the group - not slavishly so, though, and I have [vinyl] works from both in my collection. John has generally been regarded, by the 'public' and critics, as the group's 'genius'.  So, I was a bit surprised when the #1 album by a former Beatle was not his.

What was it? All Things Must Pass, which I don't think I have in the archive. I might have to snag a CD for cheap off of Ebay.

🔹The t-shirt was from the 2014 'Out There' tour.

Rescue underway

 While most of the top levels of our nation's 'leadership' are MIA regarding competent planning and execution of our exit from a certain south/central Asian country, I have been able to confirm that we've inserted elite undercover intelligence operatives to assist in smuggling trapped Americans and friendlies to safety.

Please stand by...

For the latest news from the house that is painted white.

'Ghanistan, oh 'Ghanistan

Apparently, if one watches the pretender-in-chief, the country we just vacated is called 'Ghanistan'. Or mabes he's just a late blooming hipster...

GC knew his way around a Strat.

Let 'Em In

 First Phil, now Don.

Awhile back I was considering re-writing the lyrics to this song - a la Stubie Doak - as 'Go Away', predicting most people's response if 'authorities' started going door-to-door inquiring about vaccination status. It would've started as: "Fauci knocking at the door, Biden ringin' a bell" and ended with "go away", but I couldn't satisfactorily work out the internal meter.

Back to the Everlys. A few months ago I went to see an Eagles tribute band, Desperado, in Arlington. They did an excellent set, then iced the cake with a superb version of 'When Will I Be Loved', the 1960 EB hit that was later covered by Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill, Bryndle, and Fogerty/Springsteen.

Les montagnes gagnent

This was on my playlist rotation on tonight's bike ride...

Look at my toes...

 Seen on LinkedIn

Just genius

 

A consummate musician. His playing on the song's bridge is amazing.

Steal Your Heart

 

Nice intro

 The interwebs are chock full of little swirls and eddies (Munster?). On YouTube you can find woodworking projects, instructions on how to fix a car or a sewing machine or how to play a musical instrument. And often, detailed analyses of some of the rock and roll standards that many of us were raised on. My apologies, sorry-not sorry, for ending a sentence with a preposition.

At least a couple of the channels weekly keep me in suspense regarding whether Stephanie Lynn Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham can put aside decades-long animosities for a final blowout tour of the classic '70s Fleetwood Mac lineup. (Author's note: Like most guys my age, back in the day I wanted Stevie to be my 'girlfriend'.) 

I've seen FM three times: Rumours tour @ TCCC, 1980 @ Reunion (LB was a bit under the weather), and early oughts @ Fair Park (sans Christine). At that last show, I thought the musical director did a phenomenal job utilising backup singers, seamlessly weaving their vocals to artfully conceal that Ms. Nicks' voice is shot. And without wishing to be disrespectful of her, I've found - anyone with me here? - that more and more (over and over?) Christine McVie has become MaryAnne, vis-a-vis Stevie's Ginger.

I probably watch more YouTube than the USDA RDA. So be it. I still hope a full FM reunion of 'The Five' can take place, but it sure seems that 'Bella Donna' is more 'Prima Donna', and likely the biggest impediment at this time.

This post was originally going to be an observation about a curious sub-genre of presumably teen girls playing covers of songs three or four times their age. Some of them seem quite talented - others, dressed very scantily, have passable musical talent, but appear to be marketing something else. Shocking, I know.

Anyway, this young lady, modestly dressed, does a really spot-on 12 string acoustic intro of WYWH, followed by some interesting slide playing on her Les Paul Jr.

Approach with caution

From the pictured cover, you would assume the album was If You Could Read My Mind.

You'd be right. Sort of.

See, when Reprise first issued this GL album, it was titled 'Sit Down Young Stranger'.

Now, SDYS was a fine song and all, but IYCRMM was a breakout hit. Reprise didn't want record (that's vinyl to you, sonny) buyers to miss this, so they re-titled it to correspond with the hit tune.

It was Lightfoot's sixth recording, and remains his top seller. One of the very best of the singer/songwriter genre, it's extremely listenable, including a cover of 'Me and Bobby McGee', rumoured to have featured Kris on harmony vocals. Additional musicians included Randy Newman, John Sebastian, Ry Cooder, and Van Dyke Parks.

Now you know...the rest of the story.

Oh, and yes, of course my copy has the original title.

Jeder Weiß, Verstehen?

When Leonard Cohen died a few years ago, there was much adulation, notably for 'Hallelujah', although his canon was quite extensive. 

This song resonated more with me.

Perhaps the reason this hasn't been taken off YT is that it's not a DHH composition.

 

The facts as we know them

 

Time marches on

Maybe someone will recognize this demolition site. I spent a fair amount of my childhood years there, once one of the largest shopping venues between Dallas and Fort Worth. The view is to the southwest.

Kroger (the original one), Powell's Meat Market, a barbershop, Leonard Bros., Skillern's, M.E. Moses, Cooper's Toyland, Hancock Fabrics (my mother dragged me in there), J.C. Penney, Kresge's, S&H Green Stamps, E. M. Kahn, Mr. Meagher's Chateau Theater, and Sanger-Harris (not in this view - razed decades ago). Not an exhaustive list, but I can remember patronizing or shopping in all of those. There may be others I've forgotten (in 40-ish years). The last couple of places I frequented were the Chateau Theater the mid-'80s, and a couple of visits to Harbor Freight (which was in the old Skillern's slot) in this century.

This shot is looking east. As noted, Sanger-Harris was demolished decades ago, would have been to the right (south) of the Baptist Church. Doesn't appear that the site has been rebuilt (I think these pictures are c. November 2020).

After a brief stint overseas (non-military related), we relocated to the community a few miles south and  west of here. In the years following, much has changed there, as well (a toll road now runs directly over where the stables once stood where I kept my horse).

 

(Naturally, the original of this is blocked)

At the southern end of that community, in those days, there was a secluded lane that was swell for resting one's motorcar, listening to music, and enjoying female companionship. Although 'progress' is encroaching, a check of Google Maps satellite view indicates that it remains a refuge not yet molested by development. I shan't disclose its location.

I gotta know...

 Are these creatures the same?

Just one more

This song came up on my playlist during a bike ride last night. Although I'm irked at what David Foster did to Chicago, I still bought some of PC's early releases (yeah, they kinda have that distinctive '80s sound, as music production migrated from human musicians to MIDIs, Linn and Roland machines, but anyway), including this album (possibly one of my last vinyl acquisitions of that decade. 

This particular album was released, IIRC, the year my wife and I met.

Insufficient

I don't know if I've posted this previously, and don't want to take the time to check the archives.

At DHH's 70th birthday concert in 2017 at AAC, Mrs. John McEnroe joined him onstage to perform a great rendition of this song.

Open Line Tuesday

 Unlike Dr. Johnny Fever, I occasionally take requests, this one from James in...well, I'm not sure - the screener didn't say.

Maybe from composing this post on the small screen - I seem to have gotten something in my eyes...

Almost 20 years

 Jimmy Webb wrote this song while in college. He was better at songwriting than studying. He'd written this song as part of a broader musical that didn't get traction, but it did attract the interest of one Francis Albert...well, you know the last name.

Ol' Blue Eyes recorded this song, and of course it became one of his standards. In his shows, Mr. Webb tells an amusing story of taking a demo tape to the legend - Jimmy was kind of a hippie in those days - and the crooner's reaction to, and advice for - the blossoming songwriter. 

While The Voice's career was firmly established before recording Jimmy Webb's songs, the following singer - and extraordinary guitar player - got quite a career boost from recording the up-and-coming composer's material. The relationship would prove to be mutually beneficial.

They're animals

Uncharacteristic to my generation, Animals was my first PF album (OK, really it was an 8-track tape).  I don't think I'd requested it - I think it was sort of 'bonus goods' from a family friend who worked in the record business and paid me in records and tapes for mowing his lawn. I had a crush on one of his daughters, but it didn't really pan out. 

'Animals' got a few plays on my 8-track player, but was well down on the rotation list, behind Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Ronstadt, JT, Chicago, Waylon & Willie, Steve Miller, Boston, and Déjà Vu. It would actually be a few years before I acquired 'Dark Side...', 'Wish...', and 'The Wall'. I have none of the Barrett-era recordings.

In Memory

 ...of Ned Beatty.

Déjà Vu again

If you were in the early '70s, you almost certainly had one or more Cat Stevens records. Yes, sonny, they were records - vinyl - back in the day. And we liked it.  

Near the end of that decade, Steven Demedre Georgiou decided he'd had enough of the hedonistic, folk-rockstar, free chicks lifestyle, and - having sampled several of the world religions and philosophies - landed as a follower of Mohammed. For the next quarter century, little was heard from him.

Finally, after we had made it through Y2K, he re-emerged. And in 2020, he released Tea for the Tillerman 2, a 're-imagining' of his fourth studio album from 50 years earlier.

Herewith, one of the very best songs from the singer/songwriter era:

One of the things I found cool about the remake is that it pays homage to the original video - at about 2:41, the television is showing a snippet from the decades-old music vid.

Turn the Page

 Heard a couple of old neo-country songs today on Hank FM (Glen Rose and simulcast from Scotland, TX)

 

This afternoon's sermon had to do with processing prior mistakes/sins in life, absorbing the appropriate lessons, and moving forward.  Curiously, the message seemed to merge with a feeling I've had all week about closing some chapters and starting some new ones.

Tom T. Hall revisited?

 

Westwingworld

Sorry, folks, it appears one of our androids malfunctioned yesterday, promising to take viewer questions following a virtual press conference. 

We apologize for the confusion, and assure you that our top GlobalOne technicians are working diligently to correct the programming issue, and expect to have the SixteenHundred attraction operating again shortly.

I like their take-out

 

Maybe

I need to organize my shed

 

Stowaway, dinner crasher

 He's everywhere...

 

 

Back to the '70s

 I didn't research it, but I'm sure I saw them on The Midnight Special at some point.

 

Mary Had a Little Lamm

 I've said before, this is the best working Chicago band playing today. My best friend recently gifted me with Chicagovich I & II.

My high school girlfriend turned me on to Maynard Ferguson, as well as this Bobby Lamm song.

We are not a gang, we are a club

 OK, so I was still in grade school (like 2nd grade) when this song came out.

Showing off

 I will admit that, although I like his work, I was not previously familiar with this particular track, Terry's paean to Mr. Hendrix, who reportedly once said Kath was his favorite guitar slinger. While I cannot so state from experience (see what I did there?), I would surmise that the ending solo pairs well with properly timed administration of lysergic acid dimethylamide, if one is in that way inclined.

Little Green [bad] Apples

The other night at the pub, our game host had played three Ray Stevens songs (not together), including 'The Streak'.  

One of my teammates questioned him about the preponderance of Ray Stevens, and she played a snippet of a Brownsville Station song for him on her phone. Mind you, this woman just turned the half-century mark, it's a wonder she even knew it. I'm a couple nickels past, and only vaguely remembered it.

Nonetheless, our host, being a good sport who attended NTSU at the same time I did, played this song for the final round:

When I was just a boy...