Wicked Wizard
By Joe Viglione
The two hours and forty minutes of Wicked will entertain most fans of Wizard Of Oz creator L. Frank Baum’s characters… so much so that it could have been five hours long, and this film would captivate still.
Where director Sam Raimi’s 2013 Oz the Great and Powerful (James Franco, Rachel Weisz) was fun for ten minutes, did good box office, but was unmemorable, director Jon Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) hits the audience marvelously the moment the film opens - and just escalates - returning us to Oz in a way no film has done since the 1939 MGM classic most of the planet knows and loves. That’s 85 years if you are counting. Not Michael Jackson and Diana Ross in 1978’s The Wiz, not Disney’s 1985 Return to Oz, not the 2007 TV mini-series Tin Man, the 2011 TV series The Witches of Oz, and a plethora of animated stories. Many that tried, and many that failed until American novelist Gregory Maguire started his series of books…and the eventual stage play of his Wicked.
With Maguire’s vision, and director Chu’s interpretation – along with terrific acting, we finally return to the real Oz created by Judy Garland’s immortal classic.
The sets are vivid and beautiful, and for those not fond of musicals, remember, the original Wizard of Oz was a musical that didn’t feel like a musical, and the same goes for Wicked. It’s a story with music in it. Jeff Goldblum is very special as the Wizard and the effects in the Wizard's lair are what we want and what we who treasure the original film need.
But for this critic it is the chance to go back to a world that we, as children, would watch again and again, year after year, as the film graced the TV screen of the generations of kids from the 1950s to today. Wizard of Oz became a TV institution with only Mary Martin’s Peter Pan (1960) causing similar excitement, but not enduring as it was basically a play put on television. That Peter Pan was fun for kids growing up in the 60s, but Oz, as a television feature, created memories. Jon Chu’s direction and emphasis on making it colorful and real brings back those memories in a big way, and in a good way. He’s finally brought us back to Oz in a film that will make those who love the 1939 classic feel right at home.
Jon M. Chu directed the PG “Wicked,” which stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey.
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The interesting thing about this marvelous CD package is that you see the contributing artists in a different light. Billie Joe Royal, resplendent in "Down in the Boondocks" guitar riffs here imitates Dylan's voice in "These Are Not My People," https://youtu.be/Xm-kjyTrosc introducing listeners to non-hit songs that they may not have heard before. Boondoicks was written by the great Joe South and has Royal sounding like Gene Pitney. Eric Andersen's "Honey" is here, though his rendition of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right Mama," a song Dylan also covered, might have been more obvious. Still, this compilation is teaching the audience lesser known songs from these artists. This writer has interviewed Tom Rush at least three times or more and I've never heard "You Can't Tell a Book By It's Cover" from Rush's Take a Little Walk With Me album. He absolutely has the Dylan vibe here. Meanwhile Dion himself, from Kickin' Child The Lost 1965 album, produced by Tom Wilson, also on Bronx Blues, a far cry from "Runaround Sue," in fact, it sounds more Dylan than Dion. Bobby Darin's with the highway patrol checking up on his gender with "Me and Mr. Hohner" is so far from "Mack the Knife," and even further from "Beyond the Sea." Who knew???
Lou Reed's "Men of Good Fortune" is a far cry from Lou's song of the same name on the Berlin album and artists as diverse as Bob Seger and Boz Scaggs are mixed in with the obvious P.F. Sloan with "Halloween Mary" (he wrote "Eve of Destruction") and Barry MaGuire's "Let Me Tell You Where It's At" (he sang the hit version of "Eve of Destruction") with Donovan's "Universal Soldier" the only song here that has any semblance of a hit record from the era, this compilation, He Took Us By Storm is as daring financially as it is adventurous artistically. The publishing alone on 25 titles has got to be two and a half times what a vinyl ten-song album pays out. The cover of the album is mind-blowing too with many of the artists said to have been inspired by Zimmerman popping out of his head. A unique and progressive album in this era of tinnier speakers in your coffee shop and too much bass. Truly great stuff that is back to the future.
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Change of Face Review by Joe Viglione
A&R man Peter Lubin and noted producer Phil Benton take over the reins from Barry Beckett, who oversaw the first Whiteface outing two years earlier in 1979. Gone is founding member vocalist/bassist Kyle Henderson (who went on to the Producers), replaced here by future Bareback member Barry Dunaway. The result is even more pleasant AOR pop with Southern rock leanings, bordering very close to middle of the road. Benton had produced vocalist Paul Davis prior to this, and Davis eventually pulled the band into sessions for his 1981 self-produced Cool Night disc -- a sound that can be found on the band's original composition, "Double or Nothing." It has a bit more texture than the earlier, self-titled Whiteface album, but still misfires when seeking the essential hit single. It's not that much of a "change" of face, though the sound has matured. Identity is missing throughout -- drummer Benny Rappa's "Saved By the Bell" feeling, pardon the pun, faceless. There's an Andy Fraser/Alfred McCrary composition, "Keep Holdin' On," which is one of the better executed numbers, but the momentum can't be sustained when drummer Rappa contributes "Be True," a move away from the slick pop into a light rock, again with little merit. The same problem that plagued Beckett's production of the first LP reappears here, a group attempting to follow the success of other mainstream pop artists but getting stuck in a quagmire, as on Doug Bare's "Cross Your Heart." The producers and the band need to be held responsible for not digging in and finding that one diamond to lift this music out of the obscurity where it found itself years later. The phenomenon here is that the band didn't even make it to the bargain bins, their three discs rather hard to find. It's not that they didn't have talent, it's that there simply wasn't any definition on the two studio releases.
10)Whiteface Review by Joe Viglione
Whiteface's self-titled debut album from 1979 was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio by the brilliant Barry Beckett, the keyboard player for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Maybe he put all his magic into recordings by Bob Dylan, Alabama, Buzzy Linhart, and others, because this competent album is missing the one thing that could have established Whiteface, something Beckett was very well versed in: the fine art of the hit single. Art director Mike McCarty's cover photo of a white mask with a cloud exiting the right eye -- red rose in its mouth -- is intriguing enough, but the photo on the back truly depicts a band out of time. Looking like a cross between David Essex and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, they need more than imitation David Pack on the song "Strangest Feeling" to break out of this mold. When Ambrosia, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and Average White Band brought pop/album rock to the 1970s, other artists quickly proliferated -- Atlanta Rhythm Section producer Buddy Buie finding the nondescript Stillwater to add to the list of musicians cloning a sound. Information on Whiteface is scarce, and their 1979 debut is a good reason why -- a smooth-sounding record played with lots of precision and absolutely no risk. "I'll Take It Out on You" is a pretty ballad and could be the album's best track, but repeated spins of this disc just go right through you. A song like "Mama" (not the Harriet Schock tune covered by Helen Reddy) has a good groove and could remind one of Paul Davis, who Benny Rappa, Steve Hardwick, and Doug Bare from this group backed up on Davis' 1981 hit album Cool Night. "Sit Right Down" almost makes it, but that's the problem, near misses produced with such a gloss that there's nothing to hold on to. All it would have taken was a cover of Sweathog's "Hallelujah" to make some waves. Interesting to note that drummer Benny Rappa went from Whiteface to Blackfoot...and Ted Nugent.
Whiteface Biography by Joe Viglione
Urban legend has it that Whiteface was a major Atlanta attraction in the mid-'70s, though the music recorded by Doug Bare (keyboards/vocals), Steve Hardwick (guitar/vocals), Kyle Henderson (bass/vocals), and Benny Rappa (drums/vocals) has faded into obscurity, making the group a bit of an album rock oddity. Signed to Polygram's Mercury division, they were initially recorded by the keyboard player for the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Barry Beckett. On May 18, 1979, the band performed at the Agora Ballroom in Atlanta, at what was said to have been the record release party for the band's self-titled debut LP. George Pappas engineered the tapes, produced by Red Dog and released by Mercury as a promotion-only tool, the live record kicking better than both studio releases, revealing that they were probably a might too careful during the recording process. Henderson left the group and was replaced by bassist Barry Dunaway, which led to their recording Change of Face with producers Phil Benton and A&R legend Peter Lubin, released in 1981.
Still glossy -- the slight edge in their live show polished for hopeful radio play -- there may have been a bit more cohesion to the second commercial outing, but it still lacked the power the group proved they had live. Producer Benton had worked on Paul Davis albums, including the 1977 smash with "Sweet Life" and "I Go Crazy," with Davis himself bringing Dunaway, Bare, Hardwick, and Rappa on board for his 1981 Cool Night album, which had the title track hit as well as "'65 Love Affair." They dissolved in 1981, Dunaway moving on to play with Pat Travers, Saraya, and Yngwie J. Malmsteen; drummer Rappa working with Liz Larin, Blackfoot, and Ted Nugent; and keyboardist Bare doing stints with Pat Travers, Blackfoot, Funky Blue Messiahs, John Mayall, and others. Original bassist/vocalist Kyle Henderson moved on to Atlanta band the Producers, who released their Epic debut in 1981 while Whiteface was issuing what would be their final studio release.
It's Time Review by Joe Viglione
Although Delaney Bramlett co-wrote the first track, "Your Kind Of Kindness" along with Bonnie and Jerry Allison, he is nowhere else to be found on It's Time, a project recorded in Macon, Georgia. This is Bonnie Bramlett with a little help from her friends, Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Chuck Leavell, saxophone player Randall Bramblett, Big Bill Stewart, Eddie Hinton, Clydie King, Shirley Matthews and lots of others. This is Bonnie going deep into Cajun soul music with chirping horns and earthy guitars. Ivory Joe Hunter's "Since I Met You Baby" oozes authenticity with Tommy Talton's slide guitar and Chuck Leavall's keys. Even a cover of Jackie Wilson's smash "Higher & Higher" moves away from pop and gets immersed in Southern Rock and blues. And a modern instrument like Tom Ridgeway's ARP Synthesizer does nothing to change that. This is probably the artistic album Janis Joplin wanted to make, free from the constraints of a Top 40 mentality. The same year, Stone The Crows' Maggie Bell put out Queen Of The Night produced by Jerry Wexler in New York. The similarities - and differences - in these two albums by women whose voices shake the foundations of everything in their path, are worth studying. While Joplin electrified the Kozmic Blues with a touch of psychedelia five years earlier, Bonnie Bramlett takes the Gregg and Janice Allman title "Oncoming Traffic and creates a subtle explosion utilizing traditional sounds. From sweet to violent, Chuck Leavell on piano, Gregg Allman on organ, the result is mesmerizing. That the Allman Brothers enormous popularity, coupled with the success of Delaney & Bonnie did not propel It's Time to a more solid place in rock history is a mystery. Bonnie Bramlett is so much more than the gal on Roseanne's TV show - and these ten titles speak with an authority that Etta James' legion of fans have come to embrace. It's Time is a treasure ripe to be discovered by a new generation of blues enthusiasts, the title track just a magnificent and powerful work of art.
That Other Mile Review by Joe Viglione
Another excellent album which didn't find an audience, Chuck Leavell of the Allman Brothers Band plays keyboards and writes an effective paragraph on the back cover stating that, in 1974, he worked with Randall Bramblett on two Gregg Allman tours, and that it turned out to be "one of the most musically satisfying points in my career." There are some very big names helping out on the excellent nine songs that make up That Other Mile. Beautiful keyboard sounds -- the kind that Merl Saunders pours over his discs -- permeate the quality songwriting here. The title track and "Driftin' into a Woman's Arms" become outstanding numbers through the jazz, blues, and pop that color these performances. Paul Hornsby's organ is perfect playing against Leavell's electric piano -- and the song "Driftin' into a Woman's Arms" does drift on and on with backing vocals and slide guitar that remove all hype from Leavell's brash liner notes. Steve Tyrell's production is simply wonderful, as are the strings by Elton John conductor Paul Buckmaster. With contributions from the Brecker Brothers, sax solos by Randall Bramblett, and truly heartfelt vocals, the mystery here is why this album didn't find an audience. That Other Mile is pleasant and cries out for repeated spins. [Out of print for decades, in the new millennium That Other Mile was combined with Bramblett's second solo album, Light of the Night, on a single CD and reissued in remastered form by Bramblett's Blue Ceiling Records.]
Randall Bramblett– 627
ALBUM: That Other Mile (1974)
MVC Rating: 4.5/$$$$
I started counting the musicians credited on this album and got to about 15 before giving up.
But listen to this bluesy, jazzy minor masterpiece and everything fits. Sax, bass, drums, wah- wah guitar, steel guitar, steel drums, keyboards, congas – you can tell there’s a lot of music going here, but it plays to a whole; every note counts. The players give each other space and let the music breathe.
I was once decades ago offered $40 for this album. I think it is not so easy to find this one, his first. As you can see, I still have it. I didn’t sell.
Bramblett for a long time lived (and may still) in my hometown of Athens, Ga. Of course, this preceded the Athens explosion of talent in the 1980s led by B-52s, REM and Widespread Panic.
The urban legend has it that Didi Stewart walked into Don Kirshner's office with a demo tape in hand and got herself a record deal. A Boston delight with her band, the Amplifiers, this brilliant and underrated songwriter/vocalist might have been better off releasing some of the original demos here, since producer Stephan Galfas was unable to bring a hit record out of a woman who is full of potential million-sellers. But isn't that one of the major traumas of the record industry: incredible talents getting lost in the translation? Begin Here has a beautiful cover photo of Didi Stewart with different colors on each finger of one hand -- blue, purple, red, yellow, and green -- and the pastel lettering is just perfect. There are some excellent tracks and "Upward Mobility" is one of them; it should be a hit for someone. With T.O. Sterrett's stirring keyboards and haunting background vocals like a new wave Shangri-Las, the solid-hook and rocking band make for the funniest moment on the recording. "Girls Night Out" is another bouncy, campy tune, which for a serious artist like Diane "Didi" Stewart is the paradox. The depth on her 1989 Northeastern release One True Heart, 12 songs showing control and power, may have been more appropriate for the CBS-distributed Don Kirshner imprint, at least in terms of potential commercial success. But "Girls Night Out," "Slipping into Darkness," and "Angelina" are amazing songs in their own right, they just needed a more polished production. The demo of "Angelina" has this spirit which could have translated nicely had that sort of aura been captured again. A few years after this disc was released, Didi Stewart left her Amplifiers to form Girls Night Out, a band named after the aforementioned song on Begin Here. That band would continue the pajama-party atmosphere that was initiated on this collection. "Saturday Night Special" and "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" are fun pop moments with a lighthearted attitude, but they don't have the dazzle of "Slippin' into Darkness," and despite Stewart's craftsmanship, it almost sounds like this studio group -- featuring such Boston luminaries as Steven Paul Perry, Dennis Brennan, and Kim Pandapas -- was rushed while recording. A couple of years after this release, Ms. Stewart's voice would conquer the New England region as the highly popular Girls Night Out generated a bidding war among booking agents (they got a reported 175,000 dollar guaranteed year of bookings from the winner, The Channel nightclub). For a local band that is a staggering sum, but the 1985 release with four new Didi Stewart tunes, like this album, was not representative of the bandleader/lead vocalist. 1989's One True Heart is the album that captures the essence of Didi Stewart, but the importance of Begin Here is that it documents this vital artist and her creative process at this point in time, and despite its flaws, it is something to be proud of.
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WICKED – In Theaters November 22
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After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights), Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 26, 2025.
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
The film also stars Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University’s regal headmistress Madame Morrible; Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers) as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince; Tony nominee Ethan Slater (Broadway’s Spongebob Squarepants, Fosse/Verdon) as Boq, an altruistic Munchkin student; Marissa Bode in her feature-film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba’s favored sister; and pop culture icon Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz.
The cast of characters includes Pfannee and ShenShen, two conniving compatriots of Glinda played by Emmy nominee Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and Bronwyn James (Harlots); a new character created for the film, Miss Coddle, played by Tony nominee Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) and four-time Emmy winner Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as the voice of Dr. Dillamond.
Wicked is produced by Marc Platt (La La Land, The Little Mermaid), whose films, television shows and stage productions have earned a combined 46 Oscar® nominations, 58 Emmy nominations and 36 Tony nominations, and by multiple Tony winner David Stone (Kimberly Akimbo, Next to Normal), with whom Platt produced the blockbuster Wicked stage musical. The executive producers are David Nicksay, Stephen Schwartz and Jared LeBoff.
Based on the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked is adapted for the screen by the stage production’s book writer Winnie Holzman and by legendary Grammy and Oscar® winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The Broadway stage musical is produced by Universal Stage Productions, Marc Platt, the Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
Genre: Musical Event
Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle and Peter Dinklage
Director: Jon M. Chu
Written by: Winnie Holzman
Based on the musical Wicked, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman, from the novel by Gregory Maguire
Producers: Marc Platt, David Stone
Executive Producers: David Nicksay, Stephen Schwartz, Jared LeBof
SUPERSTAR GAYLE MCCORMICK
Taylor Swift Named the Second Greatest Pop Star of the Century by Billboard
In the realm of modern pop stardom, few names shine brighter than Taylor Swift. Billboard has officially crowned her as the second greatest pop star of the 21st century, a ranking that reflects her unparalleled influence and accomplishments over the past two decades. Swift, whose career began with her country music debut in 2006, has since redefined what it means to be a global superstar, amassing record-breaking accolades that read like a checklist of pop supremacy.
Taylor Swift Named the Second Greatest Pop Star of the Century by Billboard The previous page is sending you to https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/taylor-swift-named-the-second-greatest-pop-star-of-the-century-by-billboard/ar-AA1uNK9q?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=NMTS&cvid=2228c7de7e8a4e0b9d0173cd643a55ee&ei=24.
Hallowed By Their Name: The Unofficial Iron Maiden Bible
by Martin Popoff
A thrilling journey through the superlative recorded canon of one of the
world’s most legendary heavy metal bands, in time for the band’s
50th anniversary in 2025 and their 2025-26 world tour
Coming April 28, 2025 via Schiffer Publishing
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| Last of the Romantics Review by Joe Viglione https://www.allmusic.com/album/last-of-the-romantics-mw0000843157 What Engelbert Humperdinck needed in the two years that followed his big comeback hit, "After the Lovin," was another adult contemporary song of that stature. That kind of gem is missing from Last of the Romantics, but it doesn't stop the project from being what it is -- a beautiful collection of ten songs to satisfy Humperdinck's enormous audience. Producer Charles Calello utilizes the sweeping strings and exquisite selection of sounds for these stylish renditions of middle-of-the-road standards. "Just the Way You Are" is exactly how you'd expect Engelbert to perform the 1977 Billy Joel tune -- if you've never heard this version, just imagine the voice of Humperdinck on the melody. There are no surprises. Calello and Joel Diamond (they both worked on the After the Lovin' album) co-produce a beautiful version of Elvis Presley's 1956 hit "Love Me Tender" and the up-tempo "Sweet Marjorene" to good effect. The cover of Joe Brooks' "You Light Up My Life" is very by the book, so much so it could be a computer programming the crooner's slick voice to e-mail the performance in. Dare it be said Debby Boone showed more emotion, and following "Love Me Tender," this cover doesn't have the energy the non-hit soundtrack version displays. Noted songwriter David Pomeranz must have been pleased with the fine rendition of his co-write, "What You See Is Who I Am," while the title track is a real winner. "The Last of the Romantics" is a dynamic ballad heralded by Calello's impeccable production, the front cover of the album looking like the singer is the leading man in a '40s motion picture with this song the name of the film. Just as Engelbert did the earlier version of "Can't Smile Without You" that became a hit for Barry Manilow two years after Humperdinck recorded it, there's a version of songwriter J. Cunico's "When I Wanted You," which Manilow hit with two years after this release, going Top 20 in 1980. There's a terrific version of Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today" from Songs in the Key of Life, and why Engelbert hasn't recorded a full album of Stevie Wonder covers is the mystery; that songwriter and this singer are a perfect fit. Last of the Romantics has great moments, like the stirring "This Time One Year Ago," and even when it is not 100 percent, the album still delivers what the people want and expect. Few artists can do that as consistently as the former Arnold Dorsey.
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We Made It Happen
Engelbert Humperdinck
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Main Album:
AllMusic Review
We Made It Happen Review by Joe Viglione
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/the-beatles-have-a-new-single-in-the-charts-61-years-after-it-was-recorded/ar-AA1tKJyT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=NMTS&cvid=a8f1d8cd6931482ff72644f4c762e52c
The Beatles have made a fresh appearance in the British charts. Despite disbanding in 1970, their timeless appeal and the release of remastered versions of their hit albums have kept them in the charts over the years.
Their first single to chart in the UK was 'Love Me Do' from 1962, which peaked at number 12 that October. The following April, 'From Me to You' gave the band their first number one, staying at the top for seven weeks.
In total, The Beatles have had 18 number one singles in the UK, with the most recent being last year's 'Now and Then', featuring restored John Lennon vocals from the 70s alongside new recordings from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The chart success of 'Now and Then', released as the final Beatles song, set a new record for the longest gap between an act's first and last number one.
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The ‘Spirit’ continues: The Observer revisits an interview with Norman Greenbaum
As stated earlier in the saga of Norman Greenbaum, Malden native and singer/songwriter best known for the hit “Spirit in the Sky,” his Dr. West’s Medicine Show was a jug band that hit with a song based on a science fiction movie and comic books, much like a punk band, Unnatural Axe, that would do something similar 10 years later in 1978 with their notorious punk E.P. Science Fiction and comic books go hand in hand with rock and roll, but not necessarily jug band music, which was the strange twist — the seed, if you will, of the consciousness that gave the world “Spirit in the Sky.”
Now back to an interview with Greenbaum that is continued from last week’s edition of the Observer:
Q: Oh, very nice. How did the hit “Eggplant that ate Chicago” come about, writing wise?
Norman: Well, it came from watching outer space type movies, I guess, and comic books...the gist of the story came from the aliens from outer space sort of thing...who knows how my worked then or now to tell you the truth. You’re born with some kind of something but this silliness has always existed there...at that time I found I was really proficient at that...more so than sitting down and writing serious things.
I was a fan of comedy and I was able to express it along with music. So I chose an outer space kind of thing, you know, a song of doom...I don’t know where it came from exactly...but it was our featured song and...
We auditioned for some managers who managed The New Christy Minstrels, Jose Feliciano...amongst other big acts, so they were pretty legit.
Q: A: Q:A: Oh really? He signed us! And that’s how it all got started; we went in and recorded and made an album, he put the single out and surprisingly enough of all things to happen it made the charts. I mean a jug band record made the charts! So that was pretty interesting.
Q: So George Greif was the guy who got the deal with GO GO Records.
A:Q: That’s amazing that George Greif signed Dr. West. I’m very impressed. And then Dr. West ran its course?
A: All the other original members left the band for various reasons as I evolved and they were replaced by different people and the band itself sort of evolved into more electric music...got away from the silliness of the jug band-type material and we worked and recorded some more material but it sort of ran its course. And we disbanded.
Q:A: Yes it is; they released a CD which has a ton of songs on it. Wish it had more, to tell you the truth. I was told they couldn’t find them all. There were some good ones they didn’t find. There were some good ones they did find, believe me, I forgot I had actually written those songs.
A: No, it didn’t. I completely left that situation and the George Greif’s management company and wanted to do something different and on my own. I then went about putting together a band that was more in sync with folk rock, rock, and was going to completely leave this jug band-type music behind. I wanted to have, I was about to say the word “normal” band, but there’s no such things, that’s mental, a regular type four piece band.
Doing that, I had different players but at this point I was the leader and I was calling all the shots. I wanted to do my material only the way I wanted to do it. I had a configuration and we were playing at the Troubadour and Eric Jacobsen happened to stop by and heard me and that’s what started the next stage of my career because he signed me to a writer’s contract to his company. And then...he had an open deal with Warner Brothers to bring acts to them...’cause he had just finished producing all the Lovin Spoonful records and Tim Hardin...so he got me a deal with Reprise and then we recorded “Spirit in the Sky.”
Q:A: That wasn’t put out as a single at first, no, I believe “Jubilee” was put out as a single first; it didn’t make it obviously. We did call the album “Spirit in the Sky” ... the whole object was to have “Spirit in the Sky” out as a single and it did finally get put out. There were a little wary of putting it out at the time, it was very different. Very, very, very different. It was also very long, all of four minutes but compared to 2:20 for everything else. (The executives at Warner Brothers/Reprise said,) “It’s like two songs, too long, they’ll never play it.” But, you know, they did!
Q: The beauty of it...that guitar just grabs you at the beginning...and then the Gospel singers...everything is just perfect around the great melody that you wrote.
A: That was one of the things ...it came about, you know...I worked...the lyrics came easy even though I wasn’t Christian. I was watching Porter Wagoner do a country music show. He’d always do a country gospel lyric song...I’d think “Gee, that’s kind of interesting. I never did anything like that. I’m writing about Eggplants (laughs),” maybe I should go in that direction, you know? Of course you’ve got to write about Jesus if you’re going to write Gospel in America, so that was pretty easy to put the lyrics together. And I worked on arrangements a few months and finally said I’ve gotta do this one because my mind just keeps going back to that beat. So... we got a band together because I was signed as a single artist and so we put a studio band together in Northern California out in San Francisco. We rehearsed, went in and recorded quite a few songs. “Spirit in the Sky” stood out during the sessions — it just came together. We had numerous people working on it. I said, “Great, we’ll get the gospel singers.” We went to Oakland and found these girls ...it just all came together — and it was quite simple...and, in lieu of another word, it was sort of miraculous, you know?
Q: It’s an amazing record; it’s a real work of art. Why go to San Francisco from Hollywood, what was the move?
A: Oh, well, he was based in San Francisco. Erik Jacobsen’s production company.
Q: A: Q: A: Q:A: The road was good, you know. It was like the culmination of what I wanted to do. I had been on the road, of course, with Dr. West. So I knew the road. But this was with a hit. It made a big difference. It went well. Then we had to come back and we were... there wasn’t another hit on the album.
And the problems started...what do you follow-up with when you have a song like that just took America by storm...and the world. The song was in the Top 5 in just about everywhere you could think. Boy, how do you top it? I wasn’t quite prepared. Mentally I was, but mentally for everybody else I wasn’t. And that’s where it kind of started to fall apart...if you wanted to use the words “fall apart.”
We recorded a second album and did it kind of quick. Had to, that’s the way it was...it wasn’t like, “OK, we’ll sit back for two years and work on something” like you do now...uh uh, back then it was like “right away.” So it was rushed. But...I had come up with and again...who knows, my mind wanders, I guess, and when it came to writing it wandered pretty good and here I was, “well, I don’t have (a new) “Spirit in the Sky”...and it wasn’t on purpose that I kept writing about things that were non-Jewish, it just happened to work out that way...but I was in the grocery store with my wife and the people checking out in front of us plopped down this 5 pound canned ham. Now being Jewish I had never had or seen a canned ham in my life. Except if you go to the store and you see one on the shelf. So here’s one right in front of my face — and they seemed all happy about buying this canned ham. So out of nowhere I looked at my wife, my ex-wife now, and said, “When are you going to buy me a Canned Ham, baby?” It just came out. And I go, “Oh boy, that’s a song.” So we did that and we put it out as a single. Now you gotta see the faces on record executives because they had a hard enough time, you know, trying to figure out if they were making the right move by putting out “Spirit in the Sky.” That became a hit so here they are now faced with the same dilemma again, with something crazier called “Canned Ham.” I’m looking at them with a totally straight face going, “Yeah, that’s a hit.” (You could see the executives thinking,) “Can’t you just come in with another ‘Spirit in the Sky’?” But of course I’m going, “When I came in with “Sprit in the Sky” you’re looking at me saying, “can’t you come in with something else!” Anyway they put it out and it was a mediocre hit.
Q: A:Q: I remember the melody, I remember hearing it...so I guess 1,510, maybe Arnie Woo Woo.
A: It got plenty of play but it wasn’t “Spirit in the Sky”...I still like it myself. I get a lot of mail at my Web site which is spiritinthesky.com and there’s a lot of people who really like that song.
Norman is Jewish, of course, and was inspired by Televangelists. "I've never been a sinner/I've never sinned, I've got a friend in Jesus" because he wasn't Catholic. The follow-up hit, "Canned Ham," he asked his girlfriend to buy him a canned ham in a grocery store. He didn't eat ham (at the time, I guess.) He grew up in Malden next door to his first cousin, Roy Belson, ex Superintendent of Schools in Medford. Belson and I were arch-enemies, ha ha, in the public access TV wars, but we always called a truce when it came to our mutual friend Norman. Norman was managed by George Greif (New Christy Minstrels, Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller, Jose Feliciano.) As George and I both managed Mr. Miller at different times, he let me use his office in California! I consider the late Mr. Greif a friend. He got Norman the deal for his first record, Dr West's Medicine Show and Junk Band "The Eggplant that Ate Chicago" https://youtu.be/vfZ1ZHDAq08
Joe Viglione - staff writer for Malden Observer Rosemarie Hague spelling O'Halloran Mickey O’Halloran lived on Clarendon Street in Malden and was a truly unique character working behind-the-scenes in the Boston area music community of the 1970s and 1980s. He died on March 28, 2001 at the age of 58.
https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/observer-advocate/2009/11/26/the-dream-lives-on-malden/39135564007/
Along with booking nightclubs around the region from The Rathskellar in Boston to Jumbos and Jaspers in Somerville, O’Halloran went on to publish a successful local magazine, The Beat, as well as managing the latter-day Stompers (featuring Sal Baglio, cousin of Malden’s own John Baglio) and putting together a quartet of compilation albums of great significance.
Which brings us to our story. Though O’Halloran left this world over eight years ago there was some unfinished business — the release of the compilation album Boston Gets A Grip: 19 Boston bands doing Aerosmith. This was the follow-up to the Motown tribute, Botown Does Motown, the Beatles tribute titled, as you might guess, Boston Does The Beatles, and Boston Gets Stoned, which was re-mastered by former Medford resident, Jimmy Miller, iconic producer of the original versions of “Brown Sugar,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” over 100 titles by the group called “The Greatest Rock & Roll Band In The World.”
“Mr. Jimmy,” as Mick Jagger calls his producer in the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” passed away in 1994, with the Boston Gets Stoned document truly an important nod to this area’s musicians who worked with one of the industry giants.
So why not put an album together of Boston artists performing the music of, unarguably, the region’s most financially successful recording group — Aerosmith. It was a natural, of course, with O’Halloran’s death getting in the way of the album’s release. No one could find the master tapes.
Fast forward to 2009 and with the assistance of Eric Boyer of RockShop.com, the “lost” re-working of Aerosmith’s music by regional bands is finally a reality. The 19 tracks show what strong songwriting exists inside the Aerosmith personality, stage flair and entertainment industry marketing hype: deep within the copyrights are touches of magic that the band’s Steve Tyler and Joe Perry helped spawn give their own impressions of, actually providing insight that the original recordings deliberately hide.
Tyler and Perry are clever showmen and their tongue-in-cheek humor on the original recordings is laid bare here when Kelly Knap and Kim Ernst of The Bristols re-live “Seasons of Wither” or when Kip Martin & The Merles do a rockabilly version of “Sweet Emotion.” Producer Jimmy Miller may not have put these two vibes so close to each other had he compiled this, the juxtaposition is a bit disruptive, especially with Steve Barry’s dreamy “Round and Round” and Girls Night Out keyboard player Alizon Lissance giving such exquisite renditions of their respective tracks. Lissance on “Home Tonight” could be the highlight of a very effective group of recordings, she sounds like early-day Laura Nyro at 3 a.m. in a New York bar, distinctly different from Gigi Abraham’s take on “Uncle Salty,” which is also a key track here, the exotic instrumentation absolutely compelling. A side note: here is that Steve Barry’s own label, Beautiful Sounds, released “Boston Goes Def” in 1986, two years before O’Halloran’s Fast Track released Boston Does The Beatles.
Building the album
Medford resident Jada Tringale puts some hip hop on “Back In The Saddle,” intriguing and displaying Tringale’s mighty talent, it’s the stylistic jolt that is as jarring as the first two tracks noted above.
Local fanzine writer A.J. Wachtel does have a haphazard view on rock and roll, a true anomaly he probably cut up the names of the artists and songs, put them in a hat and tossed them in the air one night at the-bar-that-once-was-Bunrattys (where O’Halloran also worked), and in piecing them together, the album is tracked.
Now this writer isn’t certain that the disc was compiled in that fashion, but knowing A.J., the logical mind certainly understands it’s a good theory. The group known as Seven Times gives the smorgasbord another poke with their hard rock on “No More No More.” Perhaps a folk or softer rock version of Aerosmith on one half of the disc and the harder rocking and more esoteric styles — rockabilly and rap — finding their way onto the second half would have made for a more appealing track order, which wouldn’t be a bad idea of someone compiles all four of O’Halloran’s anthologies into a nice boxed set.
At the very least Boston Gets A Grip brings some attention to these hard-working area musicians, and when Jody Sandwich sings about her “old girlfriend” on “What It Takes” in her best Cher approach to forgetting about sexual ambiguity, just put it all out on the line. Sandwich does a nice end-of-Abbey road guitar thing to take the song to its conclusion. There’s no slight in not mentioning all the groups, Martha’s Vineyard resident James Montgomery is perhaps the most famous name, signed to Cotillion Records back in the 1970s he is a contemporary of Aerosmith and continues the fine tradition of adding a few legends to this reprise of legendary music compositions...John Lincoln Wright having made an appearance on the Rolling Stones’ tribute, Boston Gets Stoned.
The Boston Brats aren’t a household name and never will be — and their “Write Me A Letter” is a nice cover, one that you might find in high school dances. The Polkalotz take on “Livin’ On The Edge” annoys the heck out of me — which doesn’t mean they do a bad job — the accordion angle dips into John Lennon’s “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” territory from Sgt. Pepper, and is as bizarre a take on Aerosmith as The Strangemen’s perspective on “Let The Music Do The Talking” or Charley Dee Blues Band going modern-day blues on “Cheese Cake.” Yes, Aerosmith have a deep catalog, but even when you a/b “Dream On” with their versions of The Beatles “I’m Down,” “Helter Skelter” or “Come Together” it all fits perfectly into a groove that the fans can grasp.
Charley Dee Blues Band actually rises above it all and delivers something that the individual members of Aerosmith can do a double take on — in a good way. Where Boston Gets Stoned had very high points and some low points all the music here gets a passing grade and, in many instances, more. So Boston Gets A Grip works in providing entertainment and exploiting (in a good way) the local scene. It just needs a new track order; something Mickey O might have figured out in the 11th hour, and perhaps the tracking is a testament to what the scene is lacking — King Memphis doing “Mama Kin” might be nice on a bill with the Stray Cats but it makes this rock & roller want to open the window and use the disc as a Frisbee. Same with Austin’s Dead’s neo-hardcore take on “Toys In The Attic,” but that’s the chance one always takes with putting so many different personalities side by side on one volume of music. Reggae, hip hop, blues, folk, hard rock, cabaret and rockabilly are a bit much to take in one setting, but it is the (Jah) spirit of the musicians, and the intent of the record label, that makes the pluses far greater than the small minuses.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/the-beatles-have-a-new-single-in-the-charts-61-years-after-it-was-recorded/ar-AA1tKJyT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=NMTS&cvid=a8f1d8cd6931482ff72644f4c762e52c&ei=14
Joey Voices carry through Malden and beyond
One day up at Doug Mascott’s legendary Trax Of The Town local radio show on 91.7 WMWM Salem State I found recordings by Joey Voices. There was a Malden return address on the envelope so I asked Doug about this artist who resides at joeyvoices.com, myspace.com/joeyvoices and facebook.com/joey.voices. Anyone with the phone number 1-866-SEE JOEY has enough intrigue to make a story mandatory, so the Malden Observer decided to make Joey Voices part of our interview series:
Malden Observer: How long have you lived in Malden?
Joey Voices: 37 years
MO: When did you start your career as “Joey Voices?”
JV: I started Joey Voices back in 2001 and for two years pieced together the show that I wanted to take on the road across America for corporate and private events. I got my first big corporate show in January of 2005 with Aflac in Indiana, and it was a great experience for me.
MO: What was the inspiration for this endeavor?
JV: I would do impressions of singers at my friend/neighbor/dentist’s office (Dr. Mark Gianatassio in Melrose) for his patients, and he told me I reminded him of Danny Gans out in Las Vegas. I had never heard of Gans before Mark mentioned his name. So I went out and saw him perform, and knew instantly that I could do that. So I put my own act together and continue to build on it.
MO: The late Brad Delp of the band “Boston” was amazing in being able to replicate the voices of John, Paul, George and Ringo, not to mention his own identifiable voice as the sound behind “More Than A Feeling” and other hits. Do you have a “secret sauce” or formula in your mind that enables you to copy sounds as dissimilar as Cher, Frank Sinatra, Joe Cocker and Michael Jackson?
JV: No formula. I’ve just been mimicking the radio since I was a little kid. So it comes natural to me to imitate voices. I can’t do everybody’s voice, but I have a pretty good arsenal that I continue to build upon.
MO: How many gigs do you think you’ve performed in the past decade or so?
JV::I don’t know, maybe upwards of 1,000?
MO: Is there any character you really enjoy more than others?
JV: Michael McDonald (former lead singer of the Doobie Brothers).
MO: How often do you play in the Malden area?
JV: As often as I can. I love Malden and my fellow Maldonians. They are my base and spread the word about me faster than anybody else ever could. I’m grateful for this town. My family has been here since 1943 when my dad came here from South Boston at 6 years old. His name was attorney Thomas P. Noone of Maplewood Square for 30 years. He was the best friend I ever had, and I still have a hole in my heart since he passed in September 2006.
MO: Have you released official CDs or DVDs of your work?
JV: I released an Italian-American parody song on CD of the Irish song “Danny Boy” (I’m Irish by the way), called “Tony Boy, the Italian Danny Boy,” that my fans seem to love ($5.50 at JoeyVoices.com). I also write country songs (50 over the last five months) and will eventually release an original country CD. I also have Joey Voices T-shirts.
MO: What two or three gigs stand out in your mind as extraordinary personal experiences for you?
JV: I have four.
1. Being asked back in 2008 to be the headliner act at the National American Legion annual banquet dinner to honor the living and dead American heroes from around the country, of WWII, Korean, Vietnam and Gulf wars.
2. Back in 2004 I got the opportunity to open for crooner Al Martino (“Spanish Eyes,” “Daddy’s Little Girl” and played Johnny Fontane in the Godfather I) before he died this past year. He told me I look like actor Robert Mitchum. I said, “He’s Dead!” He laughed. Martino told me to take every gig I can get, big and small, because I’ll be using my voice, and you never know who’s going to be in the audience. He told me that’s how he got discovered. Best advice I ever got in this business so far. He even showed up early before his show to see me perform and sent his body guard right over to me as I was waiting to take the stage, to tell me he was watching. What a sweet spirit he had and may God rest his soul.
3. When I opened for 80’s band Bad Company at the Hard Rock Café in Boston, in 2007.
4. Homeland Security’s Christmas party in NYC back in 2006 (great audience).
MO: Have you appeared on MATV and, if so, on which programs?
JV: I was supposed to appear with Malden Good Guys “Colonel” Pete Levine and “The Samaritan” Mike Cherone (Bread of Life) on their new MATV show, which got derailed due to technical difficulties. I’m still waiting for a call back to tape that show. I love those guys.
MO: Have you performed at the Malden Public Library?
JV: Veteran’s Advocate John Webster (who is a veteran himself if I’m not mistaken) asked me to come perform Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” to honor the WWII Vets, of which my neighbor and one of the biggest supporters of my show, Joe Croken Sr. was in attendance. That was one of the biggest honors of my life, next to performing at the National American Legion.
MO: Anything else you’d like to say to readers of the Malden Observer?
JV: Yes, here’s something I’d like people to know. I have been a Born Again Christian for 10 years now, am in my third year of Theological Seminary/Bible College at ACTS Seminary down in Plymouth, am so eternally grateful to Jesus for saving my life and to have fans that love my talent enough to pay money to see me perform, and hire me for their events. If anybody out there is having or planning a private or corporate event, and would like something different as entertainment to make it a memorable one, call Joey Voices at 781-589-7777.
If you want to see a video preview of my show, and purchase tickets to one of my upcoming public appearances, log onto JoeyVoices.com. Thank you for your continued support and may continue to God Bless “We the People.”
Joey Voices will be performing live on Saturday, April 18 at the Georgetown Club in Georgetown. It’s a dinner and a show.
