Monday, May 08, 2023

May 2023 New Top 10 1)The Lost Weekend: May Pang / John Lennon 2)It Ain't Over 3)Picard, the Last Season 4) Jourdan, JONFX, Guardians of the Galaxy and more

 Send your music and films and books to demodeal{@}yahoo.com

It's the Joe Vig Top 40 for May 2023 


1)The Lost Weekend: May Pang / John Lennon

2)It Ain't Over  Yogi Berra Biopic

3)Picard, the Last Season

4) Jourdan

5)The Philosophy of Modern Song, a book by Bob Dylan 

(Lillian Roxon returns!)


1)The Lost Weekend, A Love Story


https://www.maypang.com/the-lost-weekend


2)It Ain't Over   Yogi Berra Biopic



3) Picard the Last Season

4)Jourdan


Was just playing Frankie Lyman's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" on the piano when Jamaican agent supreme, Racquel Reynolds, sent Jourdan's  Way Too Long ft. Liacay which is filled with Lyman flavors but is its own original, majestic song that is just so ....comfortable and wonderful to listen to.  And then it just stops.  Wow.  Three minutes and twenty six seconds that you will want to play over and over and over again.  It's Pop, it's Reggae, highly commercial and smooth as smooth can get 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd7xQo5G1QU

https://www.target.com/p/the-philosophy-of-modern-song-by-bob-dylan-hardcover/-/A-86202106?ref=tgt_adv_xsp&AFID=bing&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012790841&CPNG=PLA_Entertainment%2BShopping%7CEntertainment_Ecomm_Hardlines&adgroup=SC_Entertainment&LID=700000001230728pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=o&device=c&location=&targetid=pla-4585100929127865&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&msclkid=f1887e19bdb4153473a01a470934d11a&gclid=f1887e19bdb4153473a01a470934d11a&gclsrc=3p.ds


The Philosophy of Modern Song is Bob Dylan's first book of new writing since 2004's Chronicles: Volume One--and since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan's unique prose. They are mysterious and mercurial, poignant and profound, and often laugh-out-loud funny. And while they are ostensibly about music, they are really meditations and reflections on the human condition. Running throughout the book are nearly 150 carefully curated photos as well as a series of dream-like riffs that, taken together, resemble an epic poem and add to the work's transcendence.

In 2020, with the release of his outstanding album Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan became the first artist to have an album hit the Billboard Top 40 in each decade since the 1960s. The Philosophy of Modern Song contains much of what he has learned about his craft in all those years, and like everything that Dylan does, it is a momentous artistic achievement.




https://wdwnt.com/2023/03/disney-releases-official-poster-for-the-little-mermaid-movie-official-trailer-to-debut-during-the-oscars/

 Vintage Reggae Album by JonFX with songs like : 1.If I Could Have This Girl 2.Rude To Your Parents 3.Miracle 4.Work It Out 5.Rudeboy  6.Bad Cinderella 7.Adore You 8.Dancehall Nice Again 

https://www.deezer.com/en/album/402357077?deferredFl=1

YouTube

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=noei22ClgGk&list=OLAK5uy_kBELVq1WEgMYxumeYtOjniEg8AaAMsKFg

You can play repeatedly every track on Vintage Reggae presented by JONFX (if you don't believe me, click on the Deezer link where you can hear samples,) a composition like "Miracle" draws you in with precisely played memorable sound. There is so much reggae coming from all around the world, but JONFX and his authoritative understanding of how to entertain, tell a story, and make it work from track to track is a pure delight in this day and age of repetitive copying.  "Work It Out" pleasantly is an instantly good-feeling tone that builds an atmosphere around you.   Saturate yourself with this disc and the melodies will stay in your mind and follow you around in a good way.   


https://insidethemagic.net/2023/05/boycott-guardians-of-the-galaxy-3-starts-huge-debate-af1/






https://www.amazon.com/Redeemer-Matthew-Modine/dp/B000087F5R

REDEEMER - DVD Movie

Amazon.com

When a Black Panther raid on the house of a dope dealer goes awry, an innocent young man is killed and the leader of the raid team, a Panther named Charles Henderson (Obba Babatunde), is sentenced to life in prison. Bestselling author Paul Freeman (Modine) offers a creative-writing class in Henderson's prison, initially looking for a story for his next book; but when Henderson becomes his student, Freeman starts to investigate Henderson's case and becomes convinced that, after 20 years, Henderson deserves to be released--but the next step is convincing the sister of the man whose death Henderson is responsible for. Redeemer is a bit obvious, but the script does tackle its subject from a variety of perspectives, the direction is clean and straightforward, and the performances have commitment and energy--Babatunde is particularly compelling. --Bret Fetzer




12)Staying Alive: Ozzy and Dweezil Zappa
this is fantastic




14)Peaches in Regalia   Dweezil
https://youtu.be/TOywUUqDuBE

 https://youtu.be/MLIGxNZeW78





16)Hummingbird Syndicate
The opening track on the SOUND + LIGHT album. A wave rolls over the sea, gracefully.

Macey's Parade had a song that Jon Macey and Barry Marshall co-wrote, "Comical," a magnificent pop moment.  "Gracefully" follows in the jangle jangle guitar motif with this compelling and lovely song that comes in at 4:59 (5 minutes,) with a truly decorative video.  Grade A with a lovely pop/Gospel conclusion.  


17)Stephen Bishop ("On and On" 
https://youtu.be/ljuJnUYozUg  ) sends us a Demo that Got the Deal Saturday night, 5/20/23 via Twitter



18)Kat Quinn,  Big Life Teaser

19) 
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius One Foot in the Next World (Live at ProgStock)   https://youtu.be/riBWgHo3MgE




Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock)”
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius Release Live Box Set (two CDs, two DVD/Blu-rays) on May 19
(Album release party: May 31 at the Iridium NYC)
 
Deninzon has been called the Jimi Hendrix of electric violin… his violin swoops, howls, and dive bombs, while charting an eccentric course that conjoins whiplash funk, spacey electronic, and progressive rock!!”
-Strings Magazine
  
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius are releasing their new live box set,
Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock)” on May 19 on Melodic Revolution Records.  The collection on two CDs and DVD/Blu-rays show this treasured electric violinist/singer-songwriter’s history of favorites in the past decade and a half in the rock scene. 
  
Game of Chicken” is a race to self-destruction. The country-inspired “Climbing,” and Joe’s co-write with Alex Skolnick “Heavy Shtettle,” are just part of Stratospheerius’ sound.  There are topical songs for speaking up against corrupt and hypocritical leaders, “Behind The Curtain,” “The Prism,” and “Take Your Medicine.”
One Foot in the Next World,” which is also topical, is the new music video out on YouTube at   https://youtu.be/riBWgHo3MgE 
(Live at ProgStock)” features eclectic covers. King Crimson’s “Frame by Frame” a Queen-esque approach to muse’s “Hysteria,” and an unrehearsed cover of Chick Corea’s “Spain” with blind piano and flute virtuoso Rachel Flowers and Alex Skolnick. 
 
Behind the Curtain (Live at ProgStock)” is three years in the making; the collection is made up of his 2019 and 2021 live performances at the ultimate Northeast progressive rock festival, ProgStock. Writes festival attendee John Giordano in the new issue of UK’s “The Progressive Aspect, “The performance is so alive, I can almost feel the discomfort of the old theatre seat on my bum. Wow!”
  
Part of the (Live at ProgStock)” celebration includes the only USA show for the group this spring and summer at the Iridium, NYC, May 31.  Special guests for this performance and party are Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), and Bill Hubauer (Neal Morse). Randy and Bill and Joe have shared bills and recording projects through the years.
 
Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ previous studio album, “Guilty of Innocence” reached #4 on the Jamband/Relix charts in North America, and broke the European Top 200 Indy releases at 72. The group, which has 5 albums out, is signed to Melodic Revolution Records. 
 
Joe (who plays in orchestras for the Who, Bruce Springsteen, 50Cent, and as the concertmaster for Renaissance) and his bandmembers: (Jason Gianni-drums (The Ultimate Queen Celebration, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neal Morse Band), Michelangelo Quirinale-guitar (Thrilldriver), and Paul Ranieri-bass (Mark Wood, Riot Act), have streamed over 3 million times on Spotify, YouTube, and other digital services. 
 
Stratospheerius.com |JoeDeninzon.com |MelodicRevolutionRecords.com

20)Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez
Song Review by Joe Viglione [-]



A & M Records single #1737 is a haunting four minutes and forty-four seconds of music from Joan Baez which stands as a classic epic translating a love affair by two legends into equal parts paean/spiritual revenge. Calling her ex the "unwashed phenomenon" and someone good at keeping things "vague", she tells Bob Dylan and the world she needs "some of that vagueness now." "Now" is the end of 1975 and urban legend has it that this Top 35 hit (not nearly as big as her Top 3 "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" from 1971) was the product of some record company ultimatum to deliver a chart song or else. Much like the alleged demands put on Garland Jeffries which resulted in "Wild In The Streets" on Atlantic (and the "or else" anyways, or else being termination of residence at that particular label). If the myth is true, this is a pure pearl from the oyster's irritation, recorded between January 21-24 1975, it would gain momentum in October and November of that year. A truly magical excursion into the relationship between Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, the songstress has to deliver words on par with her stunning voice, and she does, matching her famous ex-lover and capturing a "Hollywood" relationship brilliantly. Bernie Gelb's liner notes shed some light on the creation of "Diamonds & Rust", noting it was the first track cut at the sessions. Baez equates gems and tarnish with thinking about the past, and concludes the ode/attack with the notation that she's already purchased that luxury, paid in full. Reading between the lines is half the fun, and Dylan's friend Buzzy Linhart says he can go on and on about the significance in these grooves, as can most fans of Dylan...and Baez. A classic in the truest form of the word, produced by Joan and David Kershenbaum with the singer on guitar as well as Moog and Arp Synthesizers. Exquisite, and the title of a superb and important album from this artist. For more insight into the workings of this great moment, one only has to go four more cuts into the record as Joan concludes side 1 with a parody of Bob Dylan's voice on his own "A Simple Twist Of Fate", which could be Baez reflecting on what she's just done - turned the tables. https://www.allmusic.com/song/diamonds-rust-mt0010683866


21)Three Times in Love, Tommy James

Song Review by Joe Viglione  [-]   




Three Times in Love

Tommy James




"Three Times In Love" is as exquisite a pop confection as you'll find, a #1 Adult Contemporary hit for Tommy James which should have ushered in a whole new career for the singer/songwriter in the 1980's, one that could have had him giving Olivia, Elton, Helen and Barry a good run for their money on the pop charts. Millennium Records single #11785 came at the dawn of that new decade going Top 20 on the singles charts in February of 1980. The guitar strums are even lighter than Nick Lowe's hit, "Cruel To Be Kind" from the year before, the sentiment a lot more positive than Lowe, a song about falling in love head over heels, not once, not twice, but three times. It's survival of the fittest from the first love of teen years being a game and and ultimately fading away to the second time around finding the person in question older and wiser, The lyrics take a back seat to the gorgeous hook, a gliding vocal of "three times in love" over cascading acoustic guitars with a stunningly sweet lead right before the bridge. Tommy James made some good records for Fantasy in the '70's, including a wonderful re-make of "Tighter, Tighter", the hit he wrote and produced for Alive 'n Kickin'. The label change to Millennium Entertainment allowed this title track the opportunity to reach an audience, and it deserved to. Sophisticated adult pop by a craftsman who has the voice and intuitive charm, this number drives politely, swimming in pretty sounds and is a far cry from the garage rock of "Hanky Panky" which launched James' storied career. Of the 19 chart songs he wrote or performed, there's something extra special about this one. Co-written by Tommy James and guitarist/bassist Ronnie Serota, the song clocks in at four minutes and nine seconds. A Spanish version was also released, which has become something of a collectors item.

https://www.allmusic.com/song/three-times-in-love-mt0004334491




22) THE TOMORROW WAR 






The Tomorrow War's Time Travel Rules Explained (Is There A Paradox?)

What are The Tomorrow War's time travel rules - and do these time travel rules serve to explain the paradox Amazon's sci-fi film may contain?





34)New  Paul McCartney with John Lennon

Did Paul McCartney write new?

  • " New " is a song written by Paul McCartney. It was originally recorded by McCartney and produced by English musician Mark Ronson for McCartney's sixteenth studio album New, and appears as the sixth track on the album.

New (Paul McCartney song) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_(Paul_McCartney_song)

"New" was greeted positively by critics and the musical press. As well as being selected as BBC Radio 2's Record of the Week[4][5] and placed on their A-list,[6] the track was greeted as the "Track of the Day" by Mojo which praised its "doe-eyed optimism, irresistible melody" and "orchestrated pop arrangements".[7] Rolling Stone's Will Hermes, praised its "bouncy harpsichord-laden melody", giving it a four-star rating and drawing comparisons to the Beatles' "Got to Get You into My Life",[8] a view shared by The Daily Telegraph which described it as a "jaunty, Beatles-esque stomp".[9]


 / Source: TODAY

Paul McCartney is peeling back the curtain on his last conversation with his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon.

In his new book “The Lyrics,” the musician writes how he and Lennon spoke about baking bread the final time they spoke.

“It was very special to me that we reached that point, actually, because you had the whole horrible thing of the group breaking up,” he told “The Howard Stern Show.” “I think we just realized, ‘Come on, guys. We love each other. What are we doing? We’re messing around.’”

 https://www.today.com/popculture/paul-mccartney-talks-his-final-conversation-john-lennon-t238607



McCartney performed the song live on late night shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as well as at the iHeartRadio Music Festival where he premiered it as well as several other songs off the new album.


Producer: Mark Ronson Producer, Additional Producer: Giles Martin Editing done by: Dae Lims Associated Performer, Background Vocalist, Drums: Abe Laboriel Jr. Associated Performer, Background Vocalist: Paul "Wix" Wickens Associated Performer, Background Vocalist, Guitar: Brian Ray Associated Performer, Background Vocalist, Guitar, Bouzouki: Rusty Anderson Associated Performer, Bass Guitar, Bouzouki, Piano, Harpsichord, Mellotron, Organ, Conga, Vocals, Maracas: Paul McCartney Associated Performer, Trumpet: Steve Sidwell Associated Performer, Baritone Saxophone: Dave Bishop Associated Performer, Tenor Saxophone: Jamie Talbot Composer Lyricist: Paul McCartney








35)Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Action, Adventure, Thriller


Official Trailer
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.

36)The Fat Man
Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., in Winnetka, Illinois, the only child of Katherine Wood, a telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer, Sr., an auto mechanic who abandoned the family during the depths of the Great Depression. As "Roy Clark" in The Fat Man










Song Review by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/song/downtown-mt0005194582

Like her eventual friend Helen Reddy it took Petula Clark many records before this fantastic breakthrough hit, "Downtown", although it ushered in 1965's first week with the #1 position on the U.S. charts. The anatomy of this brilliant Tony Hatch composition and production is as interesting as the sound. After the musical interlude the song explodes back into the middle 8 "and you may find somebody kind to help and understand you". The listener hears that drum roll from Little Peggy March's reworking of a French tune, what became early 1963's #1 smash "I Will Follow Him". It seems lightning does strike twice as Clark had recorded that title as well, along with an Italian language version of Dionne Warwick's "Anyone Who Had A Heart". The singer's range and intuitive skills coupled with Tony Hatch's full understanding of pop music resulted in a classic itself covered immediately by a diverse array of artists from Marianne Faithful to Ray Conniff. "Downtown" had a sequel as blatant as Lesley Gore's "Judy's Turn To Cry" in "I Know A Place", returning to the underground dungeon she calls in that song "a cellar full of noise" (not the mis-heard lyric "a south of Illinois", one of the most classic mondegreens in pop history). The "underground" of the downtown theme continued 11 hits and two years later with her admonition to a relationship "Don't Sleep In The Subway", all made possible by this seductive single, Warner Bros #5494 in the U.S., three minutes and one second of positive reinforcement that one didn't have to take the advice of The Drifter's 1962 hit of making that dangerous climb "Up On The Roof" when this old world got one down, the wonderful sax wailing in the background at the conclusion of this hit invites you to the films, the places that never close, the rhythm of the gentle bossa nova. The imagination needed in "Up On The Roof" is too solitary, the background singers beckon with their sensual advertisement that imagination is not necessary, dreams can come true and you'll be "happy again". Interesting that 15 years later Jon Macey would issue a stern warning when his group Tom Dickie & The Desires had an underground FM hit (of course) on Polygram with their advice, they didn't want to hear none of that "Downtown Talk". The simplicity of the sixties gave way to another sign of the times: heroin in the 1980's, yet this shimmering moment from 1965 inspired many and launched the hard working Pet Clark and her producer into the pop pantheon with its unique study of the music of the day, especially that by the chart climbing female artists now joined by this British actress. The sentiment was bound to work because it was not the imagination of The Drifters or the smack addressed by Tom Dickie & The Desires, this was the reality that here you may actually find "somebody kind to help and understand you" (add Little Peggy March drums).  




      






Part of the booklet that comes with our CD, THE DEMO THAT GOT THE DEAL
The Motown Deal ...Jimmy Miller Produces The Mannish Boys from U.K., Managed by Jo Jo Laine (demogotdeal.blogspot.com)      https://demogotdeal.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-motown-deal-jimmy-miller-produces.html





Boston's own: #64 on list. Jeffrey Allen “Skunk” Baxter



https://za.investing.com/magazine/actors-private-sector-jobs/?origin=taboola&tp%5Bclick_id%5D=GiCzjnkVKNRNEZkfM7SkAOd7C4tCbasqNByxCmPDJXpgeCChqVQo6N_z4Mjw_NZQ&tp%5Bsite_id%5D=1486869&tp%5Bsite%5D=buzzfeedinc-huffpostus&tp%5Bts%5D=2023-05-13+01%3A23%3A57&tp%5Bcampaign_id%5D=24972688&tp%5Bad_id%5D=3689827467&tp%5Bcpc%5D=0.1208&im_dars=1x100_3x115_5x501_7x651&im%5Bp19%5D=223735#tblciGiCzjnkVKNRNEZkfM7SkAOd7C4tCbasqNByxCmPDJXpgeCChqVQo6N_z4Mjw_NZQ

Formerly From: Guitarist of Steely Dan
Currently: Defense Consultant, US Dept. of Defense
Net Worth: $6 million*
Steely Dan guitarist Jeff Baxter has been in the music industry since 1968, but he has primarily turned to non-musical pursuits. He became a consultant for the Department of Defense almost by accident. He was looking into new music recording tech when he stumbled upon software written for missile programs. He then became a self-taught missile expert, writing a five-page paper about converting the Aegis anti-aircraft missile into a different defense system. After he gave his paper to a Congressman, they were so impressed that he hooked Baxter up with DoD professionals. And thus, his new career began. https://za.investing.com/.../actors-private-sector-jobs/...


39)PJ Colt


P.J. Colt Review

 

by Joe Viglione

  [-]

This self-titled album from singer P.J. Colt gets into the history books as the first album recorded at Electric Lady Studio, and the participation of Jeff Baxter, who performed with Steely Danthe Doobie Brothers, and many others. Some reference guides list this album's year of release as 1970, others as 1976. There is no copyright on the disc, making 1970 seem like the release date; it certainly looks and sounds like a project from the early '70s. There are two standout tracks, "Grave Down by the River" and "Growing Old," although the record is pretty consistent and listenable all the way through. Colt originally released the song "Growing Old" on a single and an album by Boston band Dirty John's Hot Dog Stand on Amsterdam Records in 1970. The track has a spacy opening, while Colt's vocal sounds hauntingly like early Michael McDonald. "Growing Old" follows "Blues Train," a competent cross between Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally" and the Velvet Underground's "Train Comin' Round the Bend." The musicianship shines throughout; guitarist Baxter emerged a star after his involvement with "the Bosstown Sound" of producer Alan Lorber on the third Ultimate Spinach album, which is a testament to talent winning out. Ray Paret did the production here, listed in the smallest of type. He certainly did not get in the way of the band, musicians who cook on Bonnie Bramlett's "Someday," "Black Jesus" -- actually, on every track. Ed Costa's keyboards and the plethora of backing vocalists are all tastefully combined in the straightforward production and mix. There's a significant cover of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love," a song suited to Colt's vocal style, while the rendition of "Honky Tonk Women" -- try though it may -- does not achieve what it seeks: the drunken barroom Leon Russell atmosphere and attitude. Colt's originals are listenable blues-rock, from the funky opening track "Once in the Morning" to the blues-drenched "I'm Tired Now." Drummer Jim Wilkins, pianist Costa, and guitarist Baxter collaborated to pen the tune "Leave Me Alone," one of the album's more rocking and commercial numbers.






41)Joseph Anthony Viglione
I'm not related to this dude, and I am not this guy, but he came up under an image search for me so we bless him with being #41 this month


Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities, Vol. 2 Review by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/northern-souls-classiest-rarities-vol-2-mw0000306570 



Great sounding and dense with information Northern Soul's Classiest Rarities, Vol. 2 is a true labor of love, compiling 24 solid tracks on the Kent label, a follow-up to the first volume released in 2001, four years before this wonderful sequel. It is sonically superior to another 2001 classic, Northern Soul Connoisseurs on Spectrum/Uni, the huge quantity of these anthologies from this music genre almost as overwhelming as the 45 rpm singles they collect. Ady Croasdell delivers 12 pages of liner notes on slick paper rife with photographs and copies of the actual labels from some of the 45s contained herein. The music is breathtakingly magical, the "Heatwave" beat driving the Extremes "How I Need Your Love" sliding quickly into Jimmy "Bo" Horne's "I Can't Speak," hardcore doo wop merging with '60s pop creating sweet soul confections that stand up to repeated, endless spins. Isaac Hayes and Joe Shamwell combine to write the superb "Sea Shells" as voiced by the Charmels, produced by the legendary Hayes/Porter combo. It's followed by William Hunt's dynamite version of Bobby Hebb's "Would You Believe," also recorded by original Procol Harum drummer Bobby Harrison, as well as Grady Tate and Kenny Lonas. The song lineage here will no doubt make Northern soul fans' mouths water for more versions of these hard-to-find classics. Lonas' rendition goes for a good hundred dollars if you can find it, Hunt's version that's included here is probably even rarer as it came from a Steamside demo. For students of the genre, Croasdell's liner notes are thorough and worth putting on the xerox machine to enlarge and cherish as you read them and listen to Janice Christian with Johnny & the Charmers performing "Just a Bad Thing," which sounds like Barbara Lewis and the Toys' Barbara Harris all rolled into one -- and how can you not help but love that! Jennifer Wells "Dining in Chinatown" is bright and full of fun, reminiscent of Ramona King's "Oriental Garden," though more up-tempo. Jackie Washington's "Why Won't They Let Me Be" is also a standout, but there's not a bad track on these two dozen sides which have not only stood the test of time, they've escaped total obscurity by virtue of their inclusion here. ~ Joe Viglione
Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Revival Time Review by Jack Phillips https://www.allmusic.com/album/revival-time-mw0000588944

by Joe Viglione [-]

Revival Time is a disturbing but terrific production and presentation by John R. Phillips, not to be confused with the late John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas. One really doesn't want to venture where lyricist Blake Silverstrom is going with nine of the ten poems he has constructed, and Phillips' eloquent readings also make the listener wonder what the motivating force is here. The singer's voice is close to Meatloaf in texture, and "Conversations in Styrofoam" could be right out of a censored version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show; it is dark, it is frightening, it is not something you'll want to play often. "Art Kills takes this concept, not a step further, but sideways, where it sounds like the protagonist is extinguishing the life from his lover. The entire album isn't this devastating but, though the artist and his collaborators could have moved into a Christopher Cross direction (the singer's voice is able to go from Mr. Loaf to Mr. Cross), a ditty like "I'm on the Cover of Newsweek, Mom" isn't about the celebration of success, but more like the despair of a parent whose child happens to be John Hinckley, Jr. or Timothy McVeigh. The dark joke here is that these tunes could be uplifting and wonderful, but the artists paint a different sort of picture. "Church of Nowhere" states that the earth will "reclaim the church and God will have nowhere to go." The instrumental, "Eternity," displays Phillips' musicianship without the twisted words, but even here it is dark and eerie. Revival Time would be an appropriate soundtrack to a horror movie like Session 9 but, for those picking it up thinking it will be a fun-filled revival, well, there's no "California Dreaming" in these grooves. Track ten, the reprise of "She Could Use Who She Wanted," puts the downer lyrics to a painful solo piano performance. The band plays the negative sentiment as if it is a bright and snappy pop tune on track seven. The reworking sounds like the artist has listened to too much John Cale and, had Cale produced this, both he and Phillips would be damned for all eternity. It's well-crafted, but harrowing stuff. Tim Burton should play this a few times before making his new film; however, it is not for fans of Petula Clark or Cass Elliot.




 Tim Moore Review

by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/tim-moore-mw0000625721

Tim Moore is a pop maestro, and the ten songs on Tim Moore, mostly copyrighted 1972 and 1973, have an exquisite understanding of pop structure and melody. The mystery here is how "Love Enough" escaped Rita Coolidge, Barry Manilow, Helen Reddy, or anyone seeking a hit during the '70s explosion of pop songs on the radio. It would have been perfect for Kenny Rogers, come to think of it. Russ Kunkel is on drums on that tune, as well as "A Fool Like You," arranger Tom Sellers providing the bass accompaniment on those two tracks. "Aviation Man" is a real departure with some Cajun blues thrown into the garage rock mix -- it is the artist stretching out and moving away from the serious pop of "Second Avenue" and "Charmer." Released on A Small Record Company, distributed by Gulf & Western's publishing division, Famous Music Company, the album was picked up by Asylum records the same year, and finally released on CD in 2002 via the people at Edsel. "When You Close Your Eyes" has that bouncy pop that Three Dog Night could've done a great job with -- this album is brimming with hooks and melodies, a smorgasbord of sound. The understated production by Nick Jameson, who also plays drums on "Aviation Man," is just perfect for the performer. "I'll Be Your Time" brings thoughts of Randy Edelman, David Pomeranz, and other '70s songwriters to mind, that stark vocal against a sparse piano/guitar/drum/bass backing which doesn't get in the way. Moore's voice really plucks at the heart strings, a naïve Dan Fogelberg who should have had multiple tunes on hit radio. Tom Sellers' string arrangements are also underplayed, which is a good thing. Sellers takes control from the very first track, "A Fool Like You," the words, vocals, and musicianship all very direct. As with the songs of Buzzy Linhart, there's an immediate charm to this material. Fans of Harriet Schock's classic debut Hollywood Town would find this collection very, very appealing; it could be the East Coast male counterpart to Hollywood Town.


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Behind the Eyes Review
"For the Minute," the opening track, is as exquisite a pop tune as you'll find. Evoking thoughts of the Beatles, Emmit Rhodes, and Eric Carmen, the cover photos of a semi-faceless Tim Moore -- only hair, eyes, and facial outline behind multiple skies and clouds, a red ribbon behind him -- is very reflective of the music. The back cover has the face that's missing from the front and is a good argument for putting CDs in album jackets. "Lay Down a Line to Me" has flavors of Dan Fogelberg in the voice and a Bernie Taupin-type line: "Take me out of focus." "I Think I Wanna Possess You" is a nice little stomp that would make Screamin' Jay Hawkins proud. "Now I See" is a pretty, hook-laden essay with Moore's wonderfully naïve voice at his most expressive. But it is "Rock & Roll Love Letter" that just explodes off this disc, shaking up the easy listening format the way Eric Carmen's "Hey Deanie" would give a jolt to his laid-back LPs. Both songwriter/singers have that '70s formula down. This hit for the Bay City Rollers has so much integrity in its original form, some kind of inverted, mutated Chuck Berry riff and sentiment with T.Rex-style piano and guitar frostings. "Rock & Roll Love Letter" is Moore's signature tune and a complete turn around from his sweet pop ballads. "If Somebody Needs It" is a bubbly pop tune that Peter Noone or the Monkees could have a field day with; "The Night We First Sailed Away" has subtle strings, a charming theme, and would be a nice duet if Randy Edelman was around for the recording. "Kaptain Kidd" has Moore rocking out again and is not as strong as the rest of the material, but that was part of the fun of '70s albums, their ability to stretch out and jam. "Bye Bye Man" closes the LP with more orchestrated pop from this singer/songwriter.


The Modern lovers, 'she cracked" Song Review by Joe Viglione https://www.allmusic.com/song/she-cracked-mt0011849687

One of the six John Cale produced "demos" from the combination of tapes which are the first Modern Lovers album, "She Cracked" is the stuff Velvet Underground fans' dreams are made of. It is Jonathan Richman mutating the as-yet unreleased Velvets tune, "Foggy Notion", merging it with a bit of Lou Reed's "Sister Ray" vocal style (these vocals louder and easier to understand than Lou's) while bringing the tempo up and adding lyrics that make sense probably only to the singer. He sings these words which tumble forth with such authority that one gets the idea it empowered him to venture forth into the world of Ice Cream Men and nursery rhymes, an obsession which frustrated the faithful to no end.
Richman calls himself "almost as good as Dick Tracy" in chronichling a timeline for this music in his liner notes to Bomp's The Original Modern Lovers, though it is the appreciative who take a song like this and evaluate it's expressive originality more than the time and place from which it emerged. Piecing together the sounds generated by the early Modern Lovers is more fun than listening to latter day groups who need computers to expand their already limited scope. If Jonathan's attitude imploded the group, it is that same attitude which makes these performances of "She Cracked" fun and endearing decades after their creation. The Kim Fowley Los Angeles tapes featuring this song (from the Fall of 1973) are a doorway to view that Velvet Underground influenced feel . Jonathan wanted the level of the "radio interference and dial-switching", as he called it, down in the mix. It works pretty cool on that particular tape while the Cale take on it has more of what FM radio could embrace in its rock and roll infancy. Years later the two productions of this interesting observation of what she did and what he won't do both stand the test of time. The Fowley supervised garage tapes an interesting blend of the Yule softer Velvet Underground group with the hard edged organ from the days when that band featured John Cale. "It's all horizontal" Richman calls out, and whether he likes it or not if The Velvet Underground was the rock messiah, this material was certainly the acts of the Apostle. As such, "She Cracked" is highly listenable and valuable to those who like trying to figure Jonathan out in a more traditional basement band setting.


The Modern Lovers "Hospital"
Song Review by Joe Viglione https://www.allmusic.com/song/hospital-mt0033440253


With Jerry Harrison's dirge-like keyboards this is the underground "Whiter Shade Of Pale", a solemn slowed down sentiment originated by Lou Reed in "Pale Blue Eyes" off of The Velvet Underground's first post-John Cale. This track appears on the Cale produced eponymous Modern Lovers album, though he's not credited as the director of this particular performance. It was tracked at Intermedia Sound on Newbury Street in Boston where Moulty & The Barbarians recorded 70's tunes, where Aerosmith's "Dream On" was recorded, and where another Jonathan, Jonathan Edwards, created his Top 5 1971 hit, "Sunshine". That the eventual drummer for The Cars, David Robinson, is on this lament, and that his future band would go on to buy this fancy studio years later is a touch of irony. It's also an indicator that had The Modern Lovers kept going in this direction, they could've been the landlords of the place where this mood piece came into the world.

Jonathan talks about his own eyes as well as the woman he adores here, and the power that resides the eyes of that girl who lives in modern apartments. He's a real stalker in this one, walking down her street with tears in his eyes. The dark romance is not something relegated to just his songs, urban legend has it Jonathan slept all night on the lawn in the rain outside the window of his future wife while she was married to (and sleeping with) someone else. Not to make this review read like The National Enquirer, it is important to note that this creative artist walked the line between the astral world and reality, truly involved in the romances he was writing and singing about.

"Hospital" is a simply great melody from Jonathan Richman, melodies being one of the man's true strengths. It is the organ that dominates this dramatic soap opera of a young guy going "to bakeries, all day long now, there's a lack of sweetness in my life" - descending into some twisted self-tortured mental abuse "I can't stand you", pathos in dichotomy, emotions splitting like atoms over the ominous and slow mood set up by The Modern Lovers. Talking Heads keyboard player Jerry Harrison donated this tape to the album from his archives, and its position on the compilation release that became that landmark disc is essential. The tone sets it apart from the wild fury of many of the other songs it is included with, Robinson's powerful drums picking up the tempo in a way that possibly influenced The Talking Heads, and many others. The song is simple, obtaining its power in the attitude and emotions. You can't help but find this dark essay intriguing, but worry that because it is so well suited to a Psycho film that if a judge and jury got to hear it performed in a courtroom, the singer certainly would have found himself held for observation. This isn't domestic violence, nor is it verbal abuse, it is the strange thoughts of a man who "can't stand what you do, but I'm in love with your eyes." As James Taylor wrote in "Fire And Rain" about his friend at McLeans hospital dying just a couple of years before this episode, one has to wonder what put the subject matter into the "Hospital" in the first place? He knows where she lives. He's scared once or twice, and he's on her street late at night. You do the math. It's where she got her eyes, and he can't stand what she does because it makes him think about himself. Ok. Totally brilliant, malevolent and you just picture poor Jerry Harrison needing therapy going from this gig to "Psycho Killer" in quick succession. Those who think Lou Reed's "Sister Ray" was the most twisted thing you've ever heard give this another spin.

Astral Plane the Modern Lovers
Song Review by Joe Viglione https://www.allmusic.com/song/astral-plane-mt0032758853


Quasi-mystical Jonathan is what we get on "Astral Plane", a brilliant compostion of love in the world in-between - "If you won't sleep with me, I'll still be with you, I'm gonna meet you on the astral plane". And how many actually do visit the people who get almost close to us during everyday life, achieving relationship goals in that realm between the "real world" and sleep? Smart underground poetry from Jonathan Richman at his most poignant, lyrics that glide away from the mainstream but are not too obscure for the intuitive underground rock fan. The Modern Lovers kick in after the song begins with Jo Jo's lonely announcement "Tonight I'm all alone in my room/I'll go insane" and in less than three minutes he projects his persona into your speakers to declare that his everpresent punk/blues can evaporate with a journey plucked out of Sri Paul Twitchell's Eckankar teachings. Richman isn't doing his spiritual exercises, though, he's traveling through the Twilight Zone with the Modern Lovers bashing out their own statement in a world separate from his imaginary lover. The song remains surprisingly consistent in attitude on the latter Kim Fowley demos (not the earlier ones Fowley did with engineer Dinky Dawson ) as on the more popular Warners tapes which have the aura of John Cale's finesse. The band resembles The Velvet Underground more than Jonathan sounding like Lou Reed. He comes off like a Bostonian fronting that venerable group, Jerry Harrison copping the riffs of his producer, David Robinson doing his best Moe Tucker while Richman indulges in his wonderfully brash dementia. The record is so fantastic you actually want to break it over the singer's head for abandoning this jangly guitar confronting keyboard sound, a style that is fresh and exciting years after it was tracked and never duplicated, even by its creator. "Astral Plane" is one of the greatest moments of pop merging with punk, Richman's eccentricities leading many fans to the conclusion that the singer didn't even get his wish in the dreamworld, and that, indeed, it was what drove him allegedly insane.


 Live at CBGB's [Atlantic] Review

by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-cbgbs-atlantic--mw0000109483

This is it, the classic double LP from CBGB's that was instrumental in putting national focus on the "new wave," a brilliant handle comparing the next generation of garage and underground rockers to French cinema. Warren Stahurski may not be a household name, and the band that he fronted, Manster, shares the same fate, but Manster's quirky cover of the Yardbirds' "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" is charming in this setting. Robert Gordon launched from the Tuff Darts, and his penchant for rockabilly lost him some of those fans who were turned on by "All for the Love of Rock & Roll" or the even more notorious "Slash" -- bookends that open and close the four sides comprising Live at CBGB's: The Home of Underground Rock. Annie Golden put a voice to the highly experimental pop of the Shirts, and Capitol Records snapped them up along with Willy "Mink" DeVille. The Shirts' "Operetico" is still novel today. They, the Tuff Darts, and DeVille get three songs each of the 16 spots available, and there are two each for Laughing Dogs and Manster, while Sun, the Miamis, and Stuart's Hammer are fortunate with the inclusion of one track each. At six minutes and 42 seconds, DeVille's "Cadillac Walk" is a sort of Rolling Stones "Memory Motel-type epic. Craig Leon co-produced with Kim King, and this no doubt led to Leon's production deal with MCA Records. As legend has it, DJ Debbie Frost played Leon a Willie "Loco" Alexander 45 rpm on the jukebox at the Rat nightclub in Boston, and he signed the Boom Boom Band to MCA. It's key to this story because the Rat proprietor, Jim Harold, modeled his Live at the Rat compilation after Hilly Kristal's work; while Alexander far and away gave the most impressive performance, five of the Boston acts went on to major label deals, clearly owing a debt to Live at CBGB's. The Laughing Dogs have a Mott the Hoople-type attitude, while Manster's "I'm Really Not This Way" has some of the innovation that Television embraced. Tom Verlaine's manager, Terry Ork, is thanked, but the exclusion of that band, as well as Patti Smith, Blondie, and other eventual stars, was a serious oversight. A minor act but potent force, Wayne County also deserves his/her 15 minutes for the sake of history. Maybe tapes that are sure to exist will surface and expand this amazing project. Until that time, one of the ultimate hate songs, "Slash," has Robert Gordon belt out the immortal line "I'd rather slash my wrist and cut my throat than spend the night with you," concluding this pioneering compilation. It was a historic moment in rock & roll, and this document is a time capsule treasure of the musical movement as it was evolving.
Live at CBGB's [Atlantic] Review

by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-cbgbs-atlantic--mw0000109483

This is it, the classic double LP from CBGB's that was instrumental in putting national focus on the "new wave," a brilliant handle comparing the next generation of garage and underground rockers to French cinema. Warren Stahurski may not be a household name, and the band that he fronted, Manster, shares the same fate, but Manster's quirky cover of the Yardbirds' "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" is charming in this setting. Robert Gordon launched from the Tuff Darts, and his penchant for rockabilly lost him some of those fans who were turned on by "All for the Love of Rock & Roll" or the even more notorious "Slash" -- bookends that open and close the four sides comprising Live at CBGB's: The Home of Underground Rock. Annie Golden put a voice to the highly experimental pop of the Shirts, and Capitol Records snapped them up along with Willy "Mink" DeVille. The Shirts' "Operetico" is still novel today. They, the Tuff Darts, and DeVille get three songs each of the 16 spots available, and there are two each for Laughing Dogs and Manster, while Sun, the Miamis, and Stuart's Hammer are fortunate with the inclusion of one track each. At six minutes and 42 seconds, DeVille's "Cadillac Walk" is a sort of Rolling Stones "Memory Motel-type epic. Craig Leon co-produced with Kim King, and this no doubt led to Leon's production deal with MCA Records. As legend has it, DJ Debbie Frost played Leon a Willie "Loco" Alexander 45 rpm on the jukebox at the Rat nightclub in Boston, and he signed the Boom Boom Band to MCA. It's key to this story because the Rat proprietor, Jim Harold, modeled his Live at the Rat compilation after Hilly Kristal's work; while Alexander far and away gave the most impressive performance, five of the Boston acts went on to major label deals, clearly owing a debt to Live at CBGB's. The Laughing Dogs have a Mott the Hoople-type attitude, while Manster's "I'm Really Not This Way" has some of the innovation that Television embraced. Tom Verlaine's manager, Terry Ork, is thanked, but the exclusion of that band, as well as Patti Smith, Blondie, and other eventual stars, was a serious oversight. A minor act but potent force, Wayne County also deserves his/her 15 minutes for the sake of history. Maybe tapes that are sure to exist will surface and expand this amazing project. Until that time, one of the ultimate hate songs, "Slash," has Robert Gordon belt out the immortal line "I'd rather slash my wrist and cut my throat than spend the night with you," concluding this pioneering compilation. It was a historic moment in rock & roll, and this document is a time capsule treasure of the musical movement as it was evolving.

Gary Sohmers Roar's Back March 8 with Collectibles Show, To Jah Nature Ellis, Tom Hambridge New CD, Keith Richards Waiting for the Man, Sean Walshe American Son, Clive Davis with Anthony DeCurtis

Top 10 1)Gary Sohmers 2)Tom Hambridge 3)Nature Ellis  4)Keith Richards "Waiting for the Man" Lou Reed's Birthday 5)Sean Walshe...