sidewaysagain

2011-10-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

It was 1973, the first year since 1970 that all four Beatles released Solo albums simultaneously. That's a lot of fab music for one year. And a welcome thing too, had the records been chock full of great songs. But it's telling, all these years later, that only Ringo's record holds up to repeated listenings. Not that I'm complaining. I love the Beatles (then and now) and eagerly bought and listened to all the crazy crap they released in the 70s. But here's the thing: I just can't sit through these records, one by one, anymore. George is just too pedantic and whiny; John had lost touch with the pop music world in general, and his songwriting skills in particular; Paul, like John, seemed bereft of original ideas, melodies, and inspiration; and Ringo, well Ringo got some help. He (wisely) didn't produce his record himself (unlike each of his former band-mates), and it's that extra set of ears behind the boards that really sets his record apart from the others. If John, Paul and George had simply reached out to a first rate producer (George Martin, for example) for some considered feedback, their recorded documents from '73 might actually be worth spinning. But, of course, that's the last thing they wanted: pleasant Beatly music. And too bad too, because the alternative was a crop of narrow-visioned albums that left their fans (this fan in particular) befuddled and bemused.

So, is there any decent music inside the covers of Mind Games, Red Rose Speedway, Living in the Material World and Ringo? Well, yes! I've distilled 75 minutes from the collective 160 into what I feel is a very tasty, satisfying set. Some of these songs are among my favorites. John's I'm The Greatest, sung by Ringo is, well, the greatest; George's Be Here Now is sublime; Paul's My Love still inspires; and Ringo, well, Ringo hardly faltered due to the able assistance of pop-producer-extraordinaire Richard Perry. So here it is: Steve's ersatz Beatles record from 1973. I'm calling it 'Living In Ringo's Red Rose Mind Game'. And the entire set fits nicely onto one CD. Copies available on request. Listen and enjoy.

I'm the Greatest
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
Photograph
Sue Me, Sue You Blues
My Love
Get On the Right Thing
You Are Here
Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)
Be Here Now
Oh My My
One More Kiss

Mind Games

I Know (I Know)

Living in the Material World
Six O'clock

Tight A$

Little Lamb Dragonfly

You're Sixteen

2011-03-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Since I continued to follow the Coop, career-wise, for the remainder of the 70' and into the early 80s, I'm adding an addendum to my previous 'Kudos to Alice Cooper' post . The records I'm commenting on here are not a string of classics, but the few I didn't discard after purchase. It's not that I ever stopped listening to Alice, it's just that besides being a dedicated AC fan, I'm also a dedicated record collector, and keeping the minions at manageable levels means thinning the ranks every so often. Over the years I've sold dozens of records (some regrettably, most not) that fell off the play-list and simply took up valuable shelf space. The AC records that fit this category are few, and I'm currently on the look-out for a replacement Flush the Fashion, since the opening two song salvo of "Talk, Talk" and "Clones" did at least hold the promise of great things to follow.

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Alice Cooper Part 2: the Solo years. Once Alice Cooper (the band) broke-up in late 1973, Alice Cooper (the man) had some decisions to make. The biggest one being: What the hell to I do now? Actually, he knew exactly what he wanted to do: carry on right where Billion Dollar Babies left off. So, he cooks up another concept, gets 'producer extraordinaire' Bob Ezrin back into the fold, and voila, phase 2 begins without a hitch.

Welcome To My Nightmare (1975)

What do you do when you're a famous singer without a band? Hire one, silly. Luckily for the Coop, when Bob Ezrin was dismissed in '73 prior to the completion of Muscle of Love, Bob immediately began working with Lou Reed on Berlin (the record, not the city). The two (Bob and Lou) put together a crack session band for the album, and Lou liked 'em so much, he kept them on for the accompanying tour. And then Lou being Lou, after the tour ended, he fired everyone. So when Alice was ready to go back into the studio in the Autumn of '74, he and Bob Ezrin (already back on-board as producer) didn't have far to look for musians. Bob knew a great band that had both recorded and toured together, and they were lookin' for work. Welcome to My Nightmare, like School's Out two years before it, is little bit Broadway, and a little bit Rock-n-Roll. Not an easy match, but it worked for Alice. And both records have at least one song that, while serving the concept, also stands alone as a radio-friendly rocker. On WTMN, it's "Cold Ethyl." Steve Hunter's guitar catches fire on this track, and he's given free rein to rock his Hendrix-lovin' heart out. This would have been my choice for single release, but I guess the title tune and the big ballad, "Only Women Bleed" sold the concept better. The "Nightmare" itself is fleshed out with a tight set of story songs, and here again, Bob Ezrin uses high production values to keep things chilly and dreamlike. The Act 3 section, including "Years Ago", "Steven", "The Awakening", and "Escape" is Alice's best finale since Killer. Because of what this album ultimately did for the 'Coop's career,
it's a Definite Classic.

Goes To Hell (1976)

This is where sustained appreciation of Alice Cooper becomes a little more difficult. At this point, you're either a fan or you're not. I didn't then, and I still don't today, see this record winning the 'Coop many new fans. But the ballad "I Never Cry" did chart in '76, so at least he continued the momentum. For Goes to hell, Alice pretty much stuck with the same formula that served him so well on Welcome to My Nightmare: same producer, same band, same high production values; but this time out, our hero descends from his nightmare into hell. The problem is: there's nothing very "Hellish" going on in the music. Luckily, this is one of Alice's funnier records: his dialogues with the Devil catch a little fire. And Steve Hunter gets to shred a couple times (Guilty and Wish You Were Here); but for this fan, there's too much talkin' and not enough rockin'. I rate this album Very Good+, but Not Essential

In 1977 Alice released two records, (Lace and Whiskey & The Alice Cooper Show), that I purchased, listened to a few times, then sold at my local used-record store. The competition was getting much tougher by this time, and my ears were being drawn to other sounds. Here's a short list of the records that grabbed my attention in '77:

Going For The One - Yes

Aja - Steely Dan

RA - Utopia

All N All - Earth, Wind & Fire

Heavy Weather - Weather Report

"Heroes" - David Bowie

Lust for Life - Iggy Pop

Lights Out - UFO

Talking Heads '77

Live! In the Air Age - Be Bop Deluxe
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel

From The Inside (1978)

Old band Out, Studio band In. Actually, this is the beginning of Alice's long and winding search for another Bob Ezrin, his true production soul-mate. For this record, David Foster steps in--this is the era before he became a bombastic 'Pop-music' kitsch-miester. Was it Foster who convinced Alice, for the first time, to seek professional help with the lyrics? No matter. Alice and word-write Bernie Taupin managed to concoct a concept out of the Coop's recent stay at a mental institution for treatment of acute alcoholism. Exploiting personal problems for profit is always risky, and if not handled skillfully, the "product", in this case, The Record, can quickly devolve into maudlin melodrama. And that's the problem here. Very much like Goes To Hell, the music is not nearly as dark or compelling as it might have been had the writers dug a little deeper and allowed our hero to hit rock bottom before regaining the surface. Deferring to his (mostly) juvenile audience, Alice stays very PG-13 on this one--to his own loss. Luckily, his humor still lingers, so "Nurse Rosetta" and "Wish I Were Born In Beverly Hills" are fairly funny; and Steve Lukather's able rock-n-roll chops assure "Serious" rocks a little. And while no single song really stands out, Alice's latent ability at ballad writing resulted in "How You Gonna See Me Now?" his 4th consecutive weeper to chart. Pretty Good, but Not Essential.

Alice released records in 1980 and 1981 (Flush the Fashion & Special Forces), that I purchased, listened to a few times, then sold at my local used record store. The competition was getting much, much tougher by this time, and my ears were being drawn to other sounds. Here's a short list of the records that grabbed my attention in '80 and '81:

Back In Black - AC/DC

Boy - U2

Hotter Than July - Stevie Wonder

Los Angeles - X

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel

Pretenders - Pretenders

Remain In Light - Talking Heads

Zenyatta Mondatta - The Police

American Garage - Pat Metheny

Tattoo You - The Rolling Stones

Moving Pictures - Rush

4 - Foreigner

Zipper Catches Skin (1982)

Here we find our hero grabbing at straws in a bold attempt to stay radio friendly and hip. No single concept emerges from this collection of tracks, and no single song sparks; but Alice, at least momentarily, has abandoned ballad writing in favor of his new found focus: stand-up comedian. So what is Zipper Catches Skin? Exactly what the title suggests: a bunch of painful excursions into satire and comedy. What makes it a keeper for me is the music. Alice's record company probably set the budget for this record at . . . well, lets just say, not very high. Luckily, his collaborators were in the mood, (if not 'in the money'), so the jokes are at least partnered with saucy guitar riffs. Like his last few records, Zipper Catches Skin will garner Alice no new fans; and many of the old ones, including this one, thought, "what the hell is this?" We sure have come a long way from Dead Babies. And maybe that's the point.
Of interest to die-hard AC fans only. Definitely Not Essential.

DADA (1982)

After cycling through a list of capable producers (David Foster, Roy Thomas Baker, Richard Podolor, Himself & Eric Scott, and Steve Tyrell), Alice finally re-teamed with producer extraordinaire Bob Ezrin for DaDa. And this fan is very glad he did. The concept for this record is the pseudo-legend of the maniacal Warmer family, which should have set this crack team of studio veterans on a chilly journey through America's twisted heartland. Sounds like fun to me! And to their credit, Alice and company do attempt to fill the spaces with tension and intrigue, but nothing really compels. The production values are high, (due to Bob's presence, no doubt), so doctor visits, dark family secrets, desperate escapes, and grim discoveries all get plenty of "atmosphere," but little else. If this record had been released in '79, or even earlier (like in '77, instead of Lace and Whiskey), the team might have sounded less tired. And that's the missing element here: enthusiasm. It would be four long years before Alice made another record, and listening to Dada, it's easy to see why.
Good, but Not Essential.

Greatest Hits (1974)

This is the best place to go for proof that Alice Cooper was much more than a freak show. His string of classic hits is here, in chronological order; and the band's musicianship, songwriting prowess, and Bob Ezrin's extraordinary production skills shine as brightly today as when these tracks were first recorded. A Definite Classic.

2011-03-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

In honor of Alice Cooper's entry into the Rock-N-Roll hall of fame, I'm posting my impressions of the band's run of classic hard-rocking albums recorded between 1971 and 1973. It's a staggering accomplishment, both in quality and consistency, but maintaining such a high standard proved to be overwhelming. The band broke up shortly after the release of Muscle of Love. A final tour was started, then abruptly abandoned; but Alice Cooper left behind a string of 5 killer albums, 12 memorable hit singles, and a live act that inspired, for good or evil, legions of ghoulish followers. These were the rock records that I grew up listening to, and I'm still listening to them today. Congratulations Alice Cooper!

LOVE IT TO DEATH (1971)

Most of the elements that made Alice Cooper a unique 70s act are in place here. Luckily, producer extraordinaire Bob Ezrin caught the band live one night at a half-full Max's Kansas City in New York. They had already released two undistinguished albums that had done little to grow their fan base beyond the local club scene in Detroit. All that changed when Mr. Ezrin convinced his boss Jack Richardson to let him take Alice Cooper into the studio. He turned their raw, unfocused sound into something with serious commercial potential without polishing away any of their rough edges. Garage Rock, Proto Punk and Arena Rock can be heard on “Caught In A Dream”, “I’m Eighteen”, and “Long Way To Go” respectively. And the band’s trademark weirdness appears in the two Gothic epics, “The Ballad of Dwight Fry” and "Black Juju.” Alice is in top form vocally, employing a variety of “voices”; Mike Bruce and Glen Buxton layer each song with distinctive guitar work, and the rhythm section of Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway drives each track into the stratosphere.
A Classic.

KILLER (1971)

This is where the band really solidified their hard rock style while simultaneously perfecting their ability to produce a wide variety of songs that, taken together, provided the Coopers with a lose theme for their macabre live shows. On Killer, songs like “Dead Babies” and the title track fit in perfectly. But what keeps the record a compelling listen are the shorter, punchier hits, like “Under My Wheels”, “Desperado”, and “Be My Lover.” The long and winding “Halo of Flies” with its rhythmic, punchy synthesizer parts, sounds very Who-ish to this fan, but in a good way. The Coopers were always a little derivative, but at least they had excellent taste. The songs “You Drive Me Nervous” and “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” burn with the garage-rock energy of their early club-stomping days. A Classic.

SCHOOL'S OUT (1972)

Did the band stay up late one night, drop acid, and watch West Side Story. Except for the fact that they came up with their most original, incendiary single to date, School’s Out sure sounds like it. No matter, the record still burns with raw energy, and they did get a theme for the accompanying tour out of it, so why not. This just might be the Cooper’s Art Rock record. “Looney Tune”, “Gutter Cat vs. the Jets”, “Street Fight”, and “Grand Finale” are all pieces of a grand and grandiose design, and “My Stars” and “Blue Turk” while rocking, trade the garage for the theater with their grand piano adornments and cool jazz arrangements. “Public Animal # 9”, the meanest song on the record, gives Alice a chance to employ another of his great character voices, and "Alma Mater" is reverent without being overly sentimental. A Classic.

BILLION DOLLAR BABIES (1973)

This is where I first heard Alice Cooper. My older brother had a copy, which really attests to the crossover popularity of Billion Dollar Babies. The band pretty much peaked with this one, due mainly to the quality and quantity of its hit singles and overall high production values. “Billion Dollar Babies”, “Elected”, and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” all charted. And “Hello Hooray” and “Generation Landslide” became FM radio staples. There are so many good singles here it’s scary! The theme for the tour was defined by the tracks “Sick Things” and “I Love the Dead”; and for this fan, both seem a little more calculated than compelling. With hindsight, it’s easy to see why the band became so divided after this recording. It’s a great record sure, and it brought the band more fans than ever: they went from national attention to worldwide fame. But they had also strayed well away from their garage rock roots, and the theatrical nature of their recordings had become confining. I still play this record, and it always satisfies; but its slickness is also its salvation. A Classic.

MUSCLE OF LOVE (1973)

The great divide: the band wanted Bob Ezrin, big production and grandiose themes gone; the singer wanted to continue in the direction they had so successfully board out. So what is Muscle of Love? To this fan, it’s simply a great collection of hard rocking songs, pretty ballads, a movie title song (The Man With the Golden Gun) and forward looking experiments that could and should have been explored further. I love this record! I would characterize this one as the band’s Deep Purple album. They pulled back on the futuristic sounding synthesizers and upped the organ ante considerably. If the songwriting hadn’t been up to the band's usual high standard, things could have gone terribly wrong; but the songs are there. On a side note: on previous records, Bob Ezrin had begun substituting professional studio musicians for band members when he thought it necessary, and that practice continued on Muscle of Love. The record making process, The Job, had all come a long way from Love It To Death; and maybe the time was right for a split. But I simply cannot fault this record. The singles, “Teenage Lament ‘74” and “Muscle of Love” are as good as the band gets. And both sides of the record have a flow, a groove, that makes them, for this fan, compelling listens. This is a personal record that sheds new light on the Coopers. A Classic.

2011-02-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

U Tube Rules!

I've been reading this book by Alex Ross called, 'The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century', and without utube, I wouldn't have finished the first chapter. The book is mostly about post-modern classical music: the atonal, forbidden tritone (diabolus in musica) variety. Since I don't know that music well, it would be a real slog reading The Rest Is Noise without the ability to instantly reference these older, relatively obscure pieces of classical music. Seriously, if you don't know the music well, there's no other way to appreciate the book. Utube rules! Well, utube and Wikipedia both. My verdict on the music? Awesome.

Utube has also helped me build a huge play-list of favorite music. It's funny, but any website that sells music, like amazon, only provides soundbites of songs; but (I guess) since utube is considered strictly a video website, the music, any music, flows freely simply because it is used as background noise for video. Funny. Awesome, but funny. And all the more valuable to me. Now, when I'm working, or anytime, I'm not searching for CDs to play or downloading songs from itunes, I'm listening to utube. The only drawback is that sometimes videos are pulled, but that's usually no problem because there are multiple postings of just about everything. Most of the video is amateurish, but some of it is interesting, like the one that accompanies Also Sprach Zarathustra, by Deodato: the animation that plays with the music is well worth watching. Mostly, though, I just listen to the music.

Another favorite search for me lately is interview clips of my favorite contemporary musicians telling funny or interesting stories. Sometimes, like this clip of Chris Squire, the stories are both funny and interesting. So I'm blogging this one mainly to share it, but also so I can watch it myself without searching for it. It's kinda long, but well worth the time if you've got a few minutes free. And probably much more enjoyable than my favorite Shoenberg clip. I'll post that later!

Chris Squire telling a funny story.

2010-10-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading a biography about chameleon rock star, David Bowie. It's written by Marc Spitz and titled, simply, Bowie. I'd have gone with Chameleon Rock Star, myself; or maybe, Rock & Roll Savior. Anyway, it's one of a hundred or so bio's published in the last 35 years detailing the Glamor King's life; but even though I'm a huge DB fan, until now I've never bothered to read one. I figured (wrongly) that they'd all be too gossipy and salacious to hold my interest, but Mr Spitz's book was a treat to read from start to finish. Then I searched the internet and found this clip from the British sit-com, Extras, which is mentioned in the book, and I laughed my ass off while watching it. And now look, I've managed to figure out how to post videos from utube. Will wonders never cease. The clip with Ricky Gervais and Patrick Stewart also rocks. Oh, go ahead, watch them all!

2010-05-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

R. I. P. Ronnie James Dio

2010-03-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

In honor of Genesis' entry into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, I'm posting a recent review I wrote for my favorite Progressive Rock website, ProgArchives. Although this is a harsh review of my least favorite Genesis record, overall I'm stating how much I've enjoyed Genesis' music over the past 4 decades. Congratulations GENESIS! Hopefully this recognition will lead to other great Prog Rock bands gaining long overdue entrance into those Hallowed Halls. Next on the list should be Yes, followed (in no particular order) by King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Camel, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Nektar, Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues, PFM, & Rush.

********** ****** **********

For this Genesis fan, Duke is the low point in the band's deep catalog of stellar recordings. It disappoints mainly because of the sub-standard quality of the song writing, and because (owing to its 2 very popular hit singles: Turn It On Again and Misunderstanding) it received so much attention. It generated the band's highest album sales to date resulting in their first chart topping record. It's just irritating that something this mediocre (relative to other Genesis records) could also become hugely popular. I'm positive the purchasers of Duke had no prior knowledge of Genesis' music. But those aren't the only reasons I'm giving it a low rating.

The album as a whole feels incomplete: it doesn't flow like other Genesis records. The main problem as I see it: Many Too Many filler songs. And since Duke is the band's longest record, that's a lot of filler. It's almost as if the group gave up on it, or they weren't given the time to finish it properly. That may have something to do with the fact that Phil Collins was absent from the collective writing process while trying to patch up his marriage in Vancouver. And I'm sure their record company, Atlantic, was screaming for a follow-up to And Then There Were Three, which contained the band's first hit single, "Follow You, Follow Me." So I give the band points for continuing the momentum; but take some back for turning in such a jumbled, overwrought, and overlong turkey.

As it stands, Duke offers 29 minutes of group written material, plus an additional 27 minutes of solo (by that I mean solo written, not solo performed) tracks. This would be fine if the solo songs stood up to the group stuff, but for this fan, the solo songs are bland and tuneless. They lack polish, conviction, humor, and any real connection to a concept, theme or unified musical identity. And the lyrics are appallingly bad. So many of the reviews I've read state that Heathaze is one of the best songs on Duke. Really? Tony Banks has written much better lyrics than: "Silent as a day can be, Far-off sounds of others on they're chosen run, As they do all those things that they feel give life some meaning, Even if they're dull." Only Bernie Taupin could write less evocative lyrics. He follows that stanza with: "Time to stop this dreaming, Must rejoin the real world, As revealed by orange lights and a smoky atmosphere." Yes, Tony, you must rejoin the real world.

All of the solo songs suffer from this same lackadaisical word play: the exception being Phil's songs because he was writing about the very real breakup of his marriage. However, it doesn't save his songs from sounding like much of the music heard daily on AM radio. As Tony Banks has pointed out, "Phil has a James Taylor side to him." On Duke, he almost goes Joni Mitchell.

But what really sinks this record for me was the decision, (by the band?, the record company?) to integrate the solo songs into the group written material. Breaking up the Duke Suite in order to balance sides A and B was a calculated concession to hide sub-par tracks. It may have (momentarily) kept fans from feeling gypped for purchasing a single sided record, but it just killed the momentum.

I must finish by stating that I am, above all, a true Genesis fan. I don't divide the band's career into pre and post Peter-Gabriel's-departure eras. I do wish both Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett had remained in the band, but Phil Collins is a great singer, he is; and he really came into his own as a songwriter when the band needed it the most. He gets huge points from me for that. And lastly, I love music; and Genesis has, above all, consistently made very good music--no matter what the line-up.

So here's how I solved my "Duke" problem. I reunited the Duke Suite, which is: Behind the Lines, Duchess, Guide Vocal, Turn It On Again, Duke's Travels and Duke's End. Then I combined, on an 80 minute CD, And Then There Were Three, (sequenced in reverse order minus Down And Out), with the Duke Suite immediately following Undertow. That means I get about 46 minutes of ATTWT followed by 29 minutes of Duke. For this Genesis fan, That's All that is required

2009-05-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ouch!

2009-02-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

Oscar post 2009

I enjoyed watching the Academy Awards again this year. As usual, I managed to see most of the contenders prior to award night, and I enjoyed many of the films of 2008, both nominated and not. Overall, not a great movie-going year for this film fan, but a good one.

The film I'd recommend first is Man On Wire. This documentary is my favorite movie of the year. Philippe Petit is either amazingly brave, or completely alien to this world. Probably a little of both. Either way, this movie was a thrill to watch from start to finish. And one that rewards with repeated viewings. A true gem of a film.

Slumdog Millionaire has captured all the awards both here and around the globe, and rightly so IMHO. I'm glad I hadn't heard much about it before seeing it--it both shocked and engaged me. Not bad for a little indie film. The story of Warner Bros. passing on it (or trying to send it straight to the DVD market) must make the Oscar win that much sweeter for Danny Boyle and his crew. I'm looking forward to seeing this one again soon.

I'm not a big fan of either Ron Howard or Richard Nixon, but I enjoyed Frost/Nixon very much. I agree with all the great things that have been written about it: great script, great acting, excellent directing and a fab supporting cast. A pleasant surprise for me at the theater, and another film I'd recommend for sure.

My only challenge to the "And the Oscar Goes To" list is Meryl Streep for Best Actress. Forget about her 14 previous nominations, her long list of great films, and her two previous Oscar wins: she deserved the statuette this year based solely on her outstanding work in Doubt. She's awesome. Phil Hoffman is also great, but it's the paranoid and cunning Sister Aloysius Beauvier that drives this film forward (and the church backward). If you haven't seen it yet, go.

Honorable mention must also go to: Milk, The Visitor, Wall-E, Iron Man, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road, The Reader, Tropic Thunder, and The Dark Night.

2008-11-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

White Men Can't Jump . . . or can they?

I was in Watts today, and I couldn't pass up the chance to visit Simon Rodia's house, Watts Towers. It's my second trip here, and like before, the place is quiet. I guess growing up in Southern California, watching tv news and reading the local papers, I'm always expecting to see street gangs on the prowl in this part of town. Not that there haven't been, but I've never seen them. For me, the Towers attack like magnets. Viewing the hand-craft up close boggles the mind, expands the imagination, brings smiles.

Watts also pops up in a favorite film of mine, White Men Can't Jump. This area looked much different back in '92. Now, fresh coats of multi-colored paint spank the flyover bridge to the Metro station, and manicured landscapes surround the grounds. Next to the church, new homes sprout like April flowers.

A beautiful Fall day: blue skies and crisp air. The church and basketball court are still here (just behind me and across the street), where Woodie and Wesley shot some hoops; but today it all looked so much smaller. There wasn't a soul around except me, some stray dogs and these park-n-rec guys.

The site is currently closed to visitors and undergoing restoration work, but the grandeur is still evident. I could spend weeks trying to capture the magic with my camera and never get it. But I snapped away. It will re-open next year.

The rainbow colors quickly catch the eye, but this is not something planned, or consciously considered; it's wild, raw and untamed.

This is just one in a series of panels that tell the story of the site and the current restoration.

This entrance is intriguing. I can't wait to enter in 2009.

I last visited the Towers April 29, 1992. The short stop interrupted an early morning return trip to LAX: my brother was flying back to Hawaii after a week-long vacation to the mainland. We had fun that week. Unknown to me, my brother had purchased tickets to a hi-fi convention, and we had a great time checking out all the latest stereo equipment. A mini-concert by Mike Garson easily overwhelmed all the futuristic audio hardware, though, and demonstrated simply and concisely how a live performance can trump any audio source, not matter how high the fidelity. But I digress.

That sunny April day in '92 also marked the beginning of the LA riots. Although I had been following the Rodney King trial, I had no idea the verdict was scheduled to be delivered that day. Anyway, after viewing the towers for about an hour, my brother and I continued on. We had lunch at a diner near the airport, and then I dropped him at the curb and headed home. By the time I arrived, the city had exploded into a violent fiery mess. I sat transfixed in front of the TV for hours. I'm still a little shocked at how close my brother and I came to being caught up in the fray, and whenever I catch myself sulking, I recall that day in '92 and count my blessings. Now here I am, back at the site. And it's the day after the 2008 presidential election. For half a minute, I thought I might be caught-up in a similar outpouring of emotion: a wild release of pent-up angst, and I looked forward to it. Looks like I missed again.

This multi-level scaffolding is a sight in itself. It provides some height perspective to the towers which stand about 100 feet tall.

It's almost too much detail to fully appreciate in a single visit.

Rodia captured this wonderful green hew by using thousands of 7 Up, Squirt, Bubble Up and Canada Dry bottles. Click on the photo to get a sharper image.

2008-10-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Records for Sale!

I brought home a few choice selections from the Buena Park Record Convention this past weekend, and can you believe it, I had no place to put them. Not really, but after inspecting the minions, it became clear to me that I had to thumb through the Doubles, Doubtfuls and Discards section and get rid of some overstock. Don't you hate it when that happens!

I managed to pull a quick fifty from the pile, but I instantly reclaimed ten disparate souls. The following forty, however, had to be let go. I rationalized this treasonous behavior because many of these long players are in fact doubles; a select few are triples. Some of the others just never seemed to gain a foothold in my record-spinning repertoire.

All of these are double. And great cover art, don't you agree? The one record of note here is Daryl Hall's first solo album, Sacred Songs. If you've never heard it, do yourself a favor and check it out. Produced by Robert Fripp, it has a wonderful atmosphere all its own. I found it in a thrift store someplace, but I managed to find another better one someplace else. The Carly Simon record is a classic. I still listen to it, and Chicago, The Motels, Culture Club, Paul McCartney, and Steely Dan. The Saga record not so much.

A nice wide shot here: looks like a giant poster, dunnit? Great records from Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, Bruce Springsteen, Gentle Giant, and . . . Toto; good God, how'd that get in there! Killer is a triple. It's missing the calendar because I separated it from the cover and pinned it up shortly after purchase. I wasn't a collector then, just a fan. That Alan Parsons cover has a nice stained-glass-window quality to it, and the music is similarly ornate. Pete Townshend and Ronnie Laine look relaxed on their duo release; this is the reissue of Rough Mix without the gatefold cover. I found a rarer first issue some years back. This one may have to rejoin the mob--saves wear on the original, ya see.

A nice view of Linda Ronstadt from 1977; the inside cover and picture sleeve are nice, too. I've always liked the simplicity of McCartney's Venus and Mars cover: original photo taken by his wife, Linda. And here's a better shot of that afore mentioned Alan Parsons album, Turn Of A Friendly Card. The Chicago VII cover has a tooled-leather-like detail that must have cost an extra penny or two.

That Pink Floyd cover is very distinctive, even iconic to my generation. But this one is a late pressing on Capitol; it's also a triple. The album just below that is Sunburst Finish from Be-Bop Deluxe, a great record and cover. This is a cut-out I've long since replaced. To the left of Dark Side of the Moon is Avalon, by Roxy Music--a brilliant record from 1982; and that's Earth Wind & Fire on the right--a record that still sparks after 33 years. Man, I'm gettin' old ;-)

What stuck here? Let's see . . . definitely the Jackson Browne, Supertramp and The Cars. And yes, James Taylor and Elton John, too. MCA always put a lot of money into the EJ sleevs--lots of gatefold covers, lyric sheets, posters and picture sleeves to accompany his popular songs.

Hopefully the staff at Bionic Records will appreciate this band of brothers and sisters. Their small used-vinyl section could use some re-enforcements to refresh the anemic legions of heavy metal, disco, and country records they've managed to accumulate. Wish me luck.

2008-07-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Class Reunion, bah! Nothin' classy about this 30 year High School reunion--except the setting. The Queen Mary, now 75, is still a site to behold. I first visited the great ship in 1978 for my Senior Prom.

Taking in the ocean breeze with a leisurely stroll on deck brings back fond memories. It's a little stuffy below decks, but the air is fine out here. It's been 30 years since I've seen any of the 200 people I'll be dining with tonight. I still know Suzie. She's better than ever, but the ship has seen better days.

Moving aft, I smell salt and roting wood. She's clean, but a little worn out. The tell-tale signs of aging are everywhere, (rust spots, frayed awnings, faded colors), but restoration work has begun. I'm proud my class has contributed to the makeover. Maintaining the Queen must take a huge effort.

Our stateroom was comfy and warm. The period appointments are now for decoration only. Sure wish those air ducts worked.

The portholes provided a nice breeze, but they weren't much good for ventilation.

Everyone say "30 Year Reunion!"

Hey Mike, remember that time we . . .

. . . yeah, that was fun.

The 20-something DJ played endless disco music from some lame 70s compilation. It left us all feeling time-warped and deaf. "What was that you said, Suzie?" The whole night was pretty much like that.

Is she thinking what I'm thinking? That's either the best pair of falsies I've ever seen, or something is wrong with this picture. Just another couple of the colorful cast we had for the night.

2008-06-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

I knew I was in trouble as soon as I stumbled into that club. Lou was Vicious, Mick was Dancing with Mr. D, and David was Aladdin Sane. Could have been a Perfect Day, too: maybe 100 Years Ago, but there was Panic In Detroit. My Satellite of Love was Coming Down Again, and I felt like a spoke in a Wagon Wheel because every Cracked Actor started Hangin' 'Round my little Heartbreaker, 'The Prettiest Star', Angie. I whispered, "Hide Your Love," and she did.

Back from his Walk On the Wild Side, Lou thumped Andy's Chest and yelled, "I'm So Free." I said, "But Can You Hear The Music, Lou, or are you just trying to Make Up?" The Jean Genie finally ran out of Time when his Lady Grinning Soul got busted at the Drive-In Saturday; and after a New York Telephone Conversation, The Silver Train returned Mick to his perpetual Winter. What a Starfucker he turned out to be.

I saw Angie once more that night. "Watch That Man," I said, but it was too late. The waiter dumped a drink on her, and after that it was Goodnight Ladies. I never even got to say, "Let's Spend The Night Together."

SEPTEMBER 1973, CBGB's
WAITING FOR IGGY TO TAKE THE STAGE. MICK WAS IN RARE FORM. WE LAUGHED ALL NIGHT.

2008-06-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

Because of my job, every day I'm driving all over Southern California. I'm lucky, I guess, or at least not easily bored, because it seems to me there's cool stuff to see in every town I visit. Case in point, a sunny neighborhood called Hawthorne.

Here in the shadow of the 105 freeway stands California Historical Landmark # 1041. I learned of it a few months ago when I read a Brian Wilson bio called Catch A Wave. It renewed my interest in the group, and in Brian Wilson in particular. After finishing the book, I spun my old records with new insight. I searched Netflix for any Beach Boys DVDs and put a couple at the top of the list. The unveiling of CHLM # 1041 is captured for posterity on The Beach Boys - An American Band. Check it out.

A warm sunny day, light winds, cruising south passed the Forum. I couldn't help recalling all the great bands I'd seen there over the years. So many great memories. The surrounding area, once a little seedy and rundown, now seems like every other town: a new Starbucks is going up while old retail stores and houses are coming down. The Wilson's neighborhood borders the Municipal Airport, and seeing the runway just ahead, I turned into it. I headed north on Kornblum to 119th, turned left, and their it was.

Looking closer at the tiles, I noticed messages of love and support from family, friends and fans from around the world.

Nice details: I especially like the Gold Records.

The sixth Beach Boy is childhood friend David Marks.

Gone but not forgotten. When the 105 freeway went up, the childhood home of the Beach Boys came down. The sting of progress is tempered somewhat by this reverent landmark.

Some of Sammy's favorites

These 2 mid-70s compilations were my first exposure to the early music of the Beach Boys.

It was Surfs Up and Holland, especially Holland, that first made me a fan of the band. I still regard Sail On Sailor as one of my all-time favorite songs.

It was much later that I became a fan of Pet Sound and Smiley Smile. They represent both the pinnacle and decline of Brian Wilson as the driving force behind the group: the Boys disliked both projects bitterly, and their non-support sent Brian into a tailspin that would continue for many years. To me, they just get better with every listen.

Great iconic cover art for the second album and pretty much the last time the Beach Boys can be heard playing together as a group. Brian replaced the other members with studio musicians when he stopped touring with the band in 1964.

Wonderful 70s live album before the Boys became a novelty act. Spent many hours listening to this while playing Risk with my friends after school. Really great live record.

Brian began releasing solo records in the 80s. I still enjoy listening to this one from 1988.

SMiLE was finally completed in 2004 with Brian's current touring band. They provide the conviction the Boys couldn't muster in 67, and it's definitely worth the wait.

2008-04-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sammy's Belated Oscar Post

This year, except for Juno and Michael Clayton, I'm viewing most of the Oscar contenders from home. I prefer the big screen, but the two films I just mentioned didn't really require it. I haven't yet seen There Will Be Blood, but I'm pretty sure that one would have played better in the theater--the spewing oil and derrick fires must have exploded off the screen like fireworks.

My pick for Best Picture would probably have gone to Juno, but I did see No Country For Old Men, the winner, and I enjoyed it. But Juno I'll watch many times, not so with No Country. I do want to read the book now because the film left me with so many questions, like: What happened? It kinda reminded me of Fargo, but without the humor.

I think my biggest surprise so far is La Vie En Rose. This is another one I wish I'd seen on the big screen. For me, this film has it all: great (tragic) story, wonderful music, top notch acting, and picturesque settings (Paris, New York, and California). I can, and will, watch this film many times. It reminds me of one of my all time favorites, Amadeus. Marion Cotillard is mesmerizing as Edith Piaf. I was really pulling for Ellen Page on Oscar night, but the statuette ended up where it rightly belongs. What an amazing performance.

Some honorable mentions are: Knocked Up, the funniest movie of last year; Ratatouille and Surf's Up, both fun and funny; Sweeny Todd and Across the Universe, two solid musicals with some stunning visual set pieces; Eastern Promises and No Country for Old Men, both dark and gritty; 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford, a pair of Westerns I wasn't expecting to enjoy, but very much did; Into the Wild, great book, good movie; and Sicko, another revealing documentary from Michael Moore.

I'm still waiting for Sideways 2, Capote 2, and the conclusion to A Door In The Floor, but I'm patient, and I'm always on the lookout for good movies.

2008-03-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter !

2008-01-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Is this the best, most ambitious record Yes ever made, or is it an overblown sonic nightmare of fragmented pseudo-spiritual nonsense?

I've been listening to Tales From Topographic Oceans for 4 days now, and I still don't get it. Not that I ever got Close to the Edge, or Gates of Delirium. For the most part, I listen to Yes to hear the band play, and I can usually get a sense of what Jon Anderson is singing about. But not here.

Of the four extended pieces, I don't think I ever played 'The Ancient' or 'Ritual' very much. 'The Remembering' got a few listens, but usually I just played side 1, 'The Revealing Science of God.'

In an effort to better focus on the unfamiliar stuff, I tried skipping the first part. That didn't really work for me because side 2 seems to drag without the previous 20 minutes of up-tempo, thematic music. I got half way into side 3 before starting over from the beginning.

This time, I sailed through to side 4, then stopped after the first few minutes--the pieces didn't seem to fit. There were lots of good parts, and the sides were filled with interesting music, but I still felt I was missing something: a code, a clue. So I went back again.

I flipped the record and replayed side 3, followed that immediately with side 4 and finally completed the journey--but there was no joy in it: I didn't feel like I'd actually been anywhere, ya know? What to do, what to do? Must be the lyrics, I wasn't paying attention to the lyrics!

I went back again to side 1 (yes, I'm that crazy), but this time decided to read the lyrics while listening. It's funny, when Jon Anderson is singing, his words seem to work very well with the music. It's only when I tried to read along with the text that I got hopelessly lost again. I'm sure it makes sense to Jon, but all his fractured images and florid proclamations leave me cross-eyed and numb. But I didn't give up.

As I write these words, Tales is playing yet again, and I'm really starting to get into it.

Another great album cover. This one is from Classic Yes, a favorite of mine along with Close to the Edge, Yessongs, Yesterdays and Relayer. Roger Dean is awesome, he created some of the best album cover art ever.

2007-12-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

Ground control to major TomGround control to major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground control to major Tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you

This is ground control to major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare

This is major Tom to ground control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look different today

For here
And I'm sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles
I'm feeling very scared
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much she knows

Ground control to major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me major Tom?
Can you hear me major Tom?
Can you hear me major Tom?

Can you...

Here, am I floating round my tin can?
Far above the moon
Planet earth is blue
And there's nothing I can do

What's the best music for outer space? Eno, Major Tom, Also Sprach Zarathrustra? These images made me think of the all those and a lot more. Probably Space Oddity first, though, that's why I went to the trouble of reprinting the lyrics.

What music do you hear when you think of space?

2007-06-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Bloggers,

I haven't been able to sign into my google account for weeks, so I kinda gave up trying. But today I got in without a hitch. Weird! I've had more problems since google took over blogland. Anyway, I'm back, and with a nice picture, too!

Down here in Southern California, May gray has given way to June gloom. But this picture reminds me that warm summer days are on their way.

I sure hope my account plays nice.

2007-03-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sammy's Belated Oscar Post

Could it be that 2006 became Martin Scorsese's year because his competition departed? Where were Tarantino, Payne, Polanski, Altman, Soderberg, Lee, or Coppola? Okay, Robert Altman's dead, so he's off the hook, and Sophia Coppola made Marie Antoinette, but the academy didn't like it much. Clint Eastwood finally made a movie I liked with Letters From Iwo Jima, but he's got enough Oscars to last him two lifetimes; and Alejandro Anarritu's Babel, while bold, was a film far too gritty and meandering to pose much of a threat to Marty.

Perhaps 2005 had so many quality films, 2006 was bound to be a let down. For this movie fan, no year is a bad year if at least a few great films get released, and so it was last year--you just had to root around a little to find the pearls among the swine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there were more duds in '06, just not as many surprises; and certainly no single film stood out as the clear winner for Best Picture.

On Oscar night, Little Miss Sunshine was my pick for Best Picture of the year. It was a long-shot for sure, but this film really surprised me: I laughed, I cried, and I cheered. And not just for Olive, but for the whole family: the wacky dad, the mute son, the suicidal brother-in-law, the drug addicted grandpa, and the caught-in-the-middle-of-it-all mother. IMHO all of these characters are fully realized, the plot never twists out of control, and the look of the picture-- the primary color pallet, the open-road vistas, and those faces, those determined faces-- is simply hopeful. If you haven't seen it, move it up to no. 1 on your Netflix list.

2nd on my must-see list is Pan's Labyrinth. It was my pick for Best Foreign Film (Mexico), but it didn't win either; although it did pick up Oscars for Art Direction, Cinematography and Makeup. It's full of dark fairy-tale characters and an even darker fairy-tale story. Imagine Spain in 1944--Fascists, freedom-fighters and a pair of siblings trapped on opposite sides. Into this mix put a 12 year old girl with an over-active yet academic imagination. Wonder Woman should be so brave! A must-see for sure, but definitely not for the young ones.

Easily my favorite Summer Blockbuster film was POTC: Dead Man's Chest--I thought it was even better than the first one. Now, I read many reviews before seeing it, and I must say, the critics couldn't have been more wrong. The naysayers seemed to have fixated on plot, character-arc and, most troubling, logic--missing completely the very natural coupling of Pirate legend and Sea-Lore. This time around we get a wicked Davey Jones and his half fish/half mortal crew. This film commanded the big screen like no other. Filled with so much fantastic detail it easily holds up to repeated viewings. I saw it twice in the theater, and I'm well on my way to wearing out my 2 disk Special Edition DVD. Can't wait for the next chapter this summer!

Dreamgirls should have been one of the 5 films nominated for Best Picture--it's that good. It's like a mini-history of Motown records that focuses on just one group, The Surpremes. It's not meant to be historical of course, but there are obvious parallels. None of that really matters because the top quality music, acting, and production combine to make a seamless and sensational picture that transcends time and place. Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy stand out, but the entire cast is wonderful. This film was a real bright spot in a year filled with dark stories and graphic violence.

Although I didn't pick The Departed for Best Picture, I did enjoy the film. So many times a big movie like this, with lots of star power and huge promo budget, sinks quickly beneath the weight of its own hype. But not this one. All the stars brought their A-game to the project, and Scorsese matched them. I found the story interesting, the characters believable and the setting, Boston, richly mystical. Now, do I feel this film equals earlier efforts by Mr. Scorsese, or any of the famous actors in his cast? No, I don't. Marty has better films, as does Jack, Leonardo, Matt, Mark, Martin, and Alec. But I don't begrudge Marty's win. IMHO he's long overdue for Oscar recognition, and sometimes it has to play out like this: the winner wins because he simply cannot be overlooked any longer.

I have to admit, there were a couple of nominated films I didn't get to see before Oscar night; but as usual, weekends in January and February turned into movie-marathons for the wee wifey and me. We'd see two, sometimes three a day. We were movie maniacs! Without a nice variety of stories and styles this practice can be mind numbing, but only a very few let us down.

So tell me, what were some of your favorite films from 2006?

2007-02-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

Actually, it was a bright sunny day at Hearst Castle when I snapped this picture. It's my favorite shot of dozens of shots I snapped last Saturday. I was trying to get something that would capture the Gothic feel of the place. In this one, I like the way the gold leaf accents shimmer against the black wrought iron trim. The interior of the castle has much more of this type of detail, so the 2 hour walking tour was a real feast for the eyes. Randy Hearst must have had a wild imagination when he built this dream home for his new wife. He certainly had the bucks to indulge his every architectural whim. To bad no one lives there now.

I wonder if, in another 100 years or so, people will be touring Bill Gates' castle. I've heard he's put zillions of dollars into it. But will it charm the way Hearst's castle still does today? Only time will tell.

2006-12-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

Playlist for 2006

I first heard Seu Jorge on the radio. He played a couple songs live and talked about his then current tour of America and the movie, The Life Aquatic. This CD has his Portuguese versions of 12 Ziggy-era David Bowie songs. Best Bowie covers I've ever heard!

Last year the Pat Metheny Group toured to support their new CD, The Way Up. I hadn't seen them live since 1997, so I bought the CD, loved it, and then bought tickets to their show at the Universal Amphitheater.

The tour and CD impressed me so much that I took a renewed interest in the PMG's 2002 CD, Speaking of Now.
I spent many hours of 2006 listening to Pat's "New Band," and I'm glad I did. The album is filled with wonderfully melodic songs and virtuoso playing. I'm now ready to go back to The Way Up.

I've been listening to Youssou N'Dour for a while. I first heard him sing on two albums from 1986, Paul Simon's Graceland and Peter Gabriel's So. Both records clearly bore Youssou's individual stamp, so I began searching for some of his solo stuff. This must have been around 1988 because CDs from everybody were available by then. Anyway, luckily for me, Nelson Mandela was there.

I like this CD very much. I guess I'd already been primed to the rhyme, but at first, I had to struggle not to to stumble with the rhythm. The power of this music both embraces and transcends politics.

When I'm writing estimates, I like a quiet, relaxed environment, but in our busy office that's almost impossible. One small alteration I can make is my choice of music.

As it turns out, Ambient music sounds especially good when I'm working. I'm not sure why, but I believe the lack of an active melody frees the pulse of my inner poet and draws the elusive muse from the shadows. Sometimes, anyway.

I usually listen to several ambient records together in random order. The Pearl, Ambient 1, Ambient 2, and a sampler from Eno's All Saints label called Compounds + Elements make for an especially productive soundtrack to my work day.

Ambient 2 is also a duet with Harold Budd. Actually, this one came out first, but I got it after The Pearl. There is a timelessness to this music that captivates me. Eno is the Jackson Pollack of Rock-n-Roll.

The Talking Heads have so much interesting music, but Remain In Light is my current favorite. Listening to this CD in the afternoon is like drinking a strong cup of coffee seconds before slipping into a mind-numbing food-coma. The funk keeps my head boppin' and the lyrics keep me sharp. I'll be sitting there, working away, and then suddenly I'll hear, "Falling bodies tumble 'cross the floor/Well, I'm a tumbler!" or I'll catch a bit of, "The wind in my heart/The dust in my head/Drive them away." Some other stinging lines are, "Sometimes the world has a lot of questions/Seems like the world knows nothing at all," and "Facts are simple and facts are straight/Facts are lazy and facts are late/Facts all come with a point of view/Facts don't do what I want them to." Right on Dave! The one change I make to the program is the set list. When the record first came out, it had a fast side and slow side; which is fine, but when I'm working, I like things a bit more balanced. Anyway, one day I hit the random button on my CD player and got what I feel is a much better running order to the songs. It starts with Once In A Lifetime, then Listening Wind, Born Under Punches, Great Curve, Seen And Not Seen, Crosseyed and Painless, Houses In Motion and The Overload. If you're able to program your CD player, try listening to the songs this way and tell me what you think.

I first started listening to Dylan in 1975, when he released Blood On The Tracks. From that starting point I worked my way backwards, investigating his classic 60s records one by one. It has taken a long while to chart that course, and the journey is still not complete; but Bob kept putting out records, didn't he. Lots and lots of records. Much of his 80s output remained largely unknown to me until the appearance of this CD. It's not that I didn't have the records: I kept collecting them. After all, I'm a hopeless record collector--I just hadn't listened to them. Then I got this one, and I listened to it. I've been listening to it a lot ever since. The best thing I can say about Greatest Hits Vol. 3 is this: it plays very well as a collection of songs, and it has drawn me back to an overlooked period in the maestro's career--just like any good retrospective should.

2006-10-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

Old Friends, New Friends & Napa Valley

Here's the Happy Couple friday night, Silverado Vineyards.
We made new friends here. Food and Wine superb!

Saturday, Greystone Castle. A little bit of heaven for Another Happy Couple on their wedding day.

Dramatic lighting for the great stone foyer at Greystone Castle.

Let's find our talble.

My very elegant wife. Beautiful dress, Sweety!

Sunday, Peju Province. One statue, or three?

Stompin' grapes at Grgich Hills. Nope, the Pinot doesn't stain.

The champagne flowed at Domaine Chandon.
Thanks for joining us Susie (and Gary). Wonderful, Wonderful trip!

2006-10-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Good Grief Charlie Brown! It's the Great Pumpkin!

Probably the first music I really connected with was Vince Guaraldi's jazzy soundtrack to the Charlie Brown Christmas special. I was very young the first year I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, but I think my taste in music as an adult can be traced to that event. Had I been older when the specials first aired, my ears might already have been tuned to the music of my older siblings: Rock-n-Roll. But in 1966, I wasn't yet aware of Dylan, the Beatles, Motown, or the Rolling Stones. I'd heard the pop music of the day on the radio, but it just didn't resonate with me the way Vince's music did. Years latter, when I investigated Rock music as a teenager, that's when I began to feel connected with it. I pretty much went from Do You Hear What I Hear and Winter Wonderland to Linus & Lucy and The Great Pumpkin Waltz.

I guess all kids go through a phase where everything they see or do has to reflect their burgeoning individuality. I guess that phase started for me around six. Back then I couldn't wait to fill the barren walls of my mind with stories and music. Perhaps it's only natural for youngsters to want stories first, then music. Anyway, that's the way it was for me. Enter video.

What'd we have back then, 7, maybe 8 channels? Didn't matter, the walls were filling. I wouldn't say that I watched a whole lot of TV as a kid, but I did enjoy it when I could choose the station--when I could watch cartoons!--and The Charlie Brown Christmas Special was definitely one of my favorites. For me, 30 minutes never flew by so fast. In every scene, music and action blend seamlessly. That's what captured me. From that first image of Snoopy shredding ice like a pro, I'm hooked. Vince's music effortlessly catches the abandon. Ditto for the Halloween Special. In both, the nimble instincts of the small jazz combo shift easily from Holiday classics to character themes, and nicely highlight all the fun and silly antics of the Peanuts Gang. To this day, there can be no better harbinger of the Holiday Season.

So on October 1st, I broke out my Charlie Brown statuary and cued up the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack. For me, it just wouldn't be Autumn without it.

Can you feel the season change where you're at? I hope so.

2006-08-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!

One bonus of visiting clients in their homes is that they sometimes live in exotic or unusual places. I've seen many elaborate pads over the years, and I'm always amazed at how much effort certain homeowners exert to deck out their digs. I'm talking really beautiful but majorly anal-retentive stuff--like elaborate built-in entertainment centers, restaurant-style kitchens, and gaudy Vegas-like bedrooms. It's nice, I suppose, but because I'm in the Restoration Business, I've seen far too many Grand Palaces reduced to ruble by the overwhelming power of fire, water and mold; or worse, the slow but inevitable decay delivered by father time. Houses are work, major work, and I say use the money for travel, buy one really nice painting, or take piano lessons. Keep the place comfy, of course, but not so plush that its loss would send you into a depressive tailspin. And believe me, I see it happen every day.

Anyway, last week I met one of my clients in her office at Paramount Studios. Normally, I would try to conduct business over the phone, but I must admit, I found the notion of a midday meeting on the Paramount lot very intriguing. I'm a huge movie fan and anytime I can work something movie-related into my workday, I'll go for it every time. So here are some shots I took while walking the grounds after my meeting, and after my very gracious host gave me a personal tour aboard her spunky little golf cart. The seeds of the commentary were planted as I strolled.

The Pond.
This area can be filled with millions of gallons of water and used as a mock ocean. The parting of the Red Sea in The 10 Commandments was filmed here. It's funny, but after seeing Bowling for Columbine, I find it very difficult to watch Chuck Heston movies. He's just such a Bone-Head. My favorite of his films now is the remake of Planet of the Apes because he's an ape, he warns other apes of man's brutality, and then he dies. Call me crazy, but I think it's Poetic Justice to have this grumpy gun advocate uttering words of warning against violence. Sure beats his customary rote recitation of the 2nd Amendment.

New York Facades used in Ghost.
I'm a reluctant fan of this movie, but I do really like it. It's lightweight for sure, and a little too sentimental, but I never tire of watching Whoopi Goldberg's wacky performance--she's brilliant in this. To me, this film is much more her story than anyone else's. And I like the way her character, Oda Mae Brown, is not just a Psychic, she a kicked-up-a-notch Medium that can speak to departed loved-ones, pass messages to those left behind, and allow the dead to inhabit her body at will. She's lewd and crude and very, very funny. A nd she almost makes Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze watchable. Almost.

Paramount Logo and Water Tower.
This iconic logo got me thinking about the many Paramount Pictures in my video library. Here's a short list with comments:

The Court Jester--I remember watching this film on TV as a kid and thinking, "This is like an Errol Flynn movie, only it's supposed to be funny." I still crack-up during Danny Kaye's "Pellet with the Poison, Flagon with the Dragon" routine. Essential!

Rosemary's Baby--Still one of my favorite Horror movies. All the characters are fully realized, but Ruth Gordon's nosy neighbor steals the show. Essential!

The Godfather I & II--Crime as the family business, what a concept. These films never cease to amaze me. Francis and everyone involved at their absolute best. Essential!

Save the Tiger--How did I know as a 13-year-old that there was a dark side to Capitalism? I didn't, but this film struck a chord with me, and it still rings loud and clear. Essential!

Chinatown--Another film exploring the dark side of Capitalism. This one just gets a little darker, a little grittier, and hits a lot closer to home. A true LA story and another home run for Roman Polanski. Essential!

Apocolypes Now--Of all the war movies I've seen, this one seems the most telling about the true nature of war: no good guys, no bad guys, just the harsh reality of it all. This film is eerie and nightmarish, and thanks to Robert Duvall, also extremely funny. Essential!

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home--The best in the Star Trek series for me. This one has it all: humor, heroics, and humpback whales. Anyone even remotely familiar with Star Trek will find (Vulcan) gold here. Essential!

Shirley Valentine--Lonely housewife talks to walls. The other side of domestic bliss. By the way, do you know the F-plan? Essential!

Titanic--Romance, disaster, hubris, humor. This film has a very novelistic quality for me: rich characters, specific settings, and historic connections. Being a former sailor, I appreciate the dignity of the doomed crew, the tragically misguided Captain, and Kate Winslet's wonderful tits! Essential!

School of Rock--In the near future, perhaps the classroom will be the only place young people can learn about Rock-n-Roll. But with teachers like Jack Black, we have nothing to fear. Essential!

Paramount offices.
As my afternoon visit at Paramount came to a close, I had to smile. I knew I probably wouldn't have another opportunity to visit the lot anytime soon; but hey, I was there on that sunny summer day--and I was getting paid for it.

2006-07-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

Funny Story!

Nine months ago I had the Post Office hold my mail for a week during my summer vacation. Sounds simple enough, right? When I got back, my mail arrived no problem, however a few expected packages went AWOL. One, the Vanity Fair book, was a birthday present from my cousin to my wife; the other, the record, was another of my many eBay purchases. The two items were nothing really precious or valuable, but highly anticipated nevertheless. For answers, we grilled our postman, Mike; checked with the post office; reconfirmed the shipping addresses with both senders; then re-grilled Mike, now fully charred. All to no avail. Then nothing. THEN, nine months later, our packages arrived. Here's what happened . . .

Last September, an irresponsible stand-in for our trusty postman Mike must have realized too late in the day that two packages he loaded onto his LLV that morning should not have been brought into the field. Now, if you know anything about working for the Post Office, you know that mail travels only one way, Out--it never comes back In. When workers go Postal, it's almost always because they are overwhelmed by too much mail. Anyway, when this new-be schmuck realized his mistake, he decided to ditch our treasures in the nearest empty receptacle--a neighboring condo's parcel box. He probably thought he'd have the opportunity to deliver them to us the following week. Or, maybe he knew all along these packages were going no further.

Luckily, those nine long months were fairly temperate, or my precious vinyl would surely have warped and the coffee table book would most likely have wilted.

Fast forward to last weekend. On Saturday, our trusty mail carrier Mike knocked on our door. His his arms were full and his smile was large. With what, we wondered? It was neither of our birthdays, nor was it Christmas. "Look what I found!" Mike said. "Remember those packages you were looking for last year." Yes, Yes, YES!

The following conversation held no real answers, only this. One of the parcel boxes on Mike's regular route had no key--which he had somehow ignored for the past nine months. Then he got curious. He decided that the box with the missing key must be opened. Acquiring a replacement key from management took about a week, but when opened, the box revealed our missing treasures. His amazement was surpassed only by his embarrassment. And luckily for us, he choose not to conceal the mistake--his only desire was to present us with the packages we'd been longing for. And here they were! Mystery solved.

My cousin was greatly relieved to hear the good news, but my eBay pal must forever suffer the negative feedback I posted those many months ago.

2006-05-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

"Hey, look what I found!"

Since my favorite pastime is hunting for used vinyl, I thought I'd post a picture of a recent killer find I purchased from a thrift store in Fullerton. Now, I'm not usually looking for anything in particular when I'm browsing, it's really the hunt I enjoy most. I might find some great music, some interesting cover art, or a poster or picture sleeve missing from something I already own; and there's always the hope that I'll discover something rare or unusual; but on this day, as I thumbed through the dusty stacks of worn out Montovani, Streisand and Neil Diamond records, not much looked good until I spotted those bold gold characters on the textured tan case. A quick exam revealed the clincher: no damage, not even minor.

Since I don't read Japanese, its release date or any other basic details remain a mystery. However, the one thing I could read, Toshiba, cued me immediately to expect exceptional quality. So what is it then? Here's what I know--it's a 3 record set of vocal, dance and instrumental music played on traditional Japanese instruments by a provincial or county orchestra. The music itself is quite startling. The Japanese are very much into the dark subtleties of discordant music--much the same as we Westerners are into the sweetness of close harmony. Listening to the vocal sides, I'm amazed at how the singers can blend their voices into something that can only be described as Divine Dissonance. This is deeply mystical music and not for the faint of heart. The sounds seem to emanate from an ancient sensibility that has little connection to anything in the modern world.

Whomever designed this box set did an excellent job. Great care went into every detail of its construction: nice heavy card-stock sleeves, large booklet with color pictures and text, 3 records pressed on red virgin vinyl, and the aforementioned textured tan case with gold lettering to keep it all snug and well protected. I can't imagine what it must have cost new, but judging by the fine quality, I'm sure it was expensive. My guess is that the original owner purchased the set on a whim, and after one listen, discarded it. Sad for him, good for me!

2006-05-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Happy HNT everyone!

Well, this is me at work--feet up, sipping a cold one (diet coke, usually) and calling clients. My office is in the San Fernando valley, but I'm mostly in the field, and that suits me just fine. My job takes my into homes and businesses from Westlake Village in Ventura county to Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills; to Venice Beach, Huntington Beach, Manhattan Beach and Newport Beach; to Fontana, Montclaire and San Bernadino; to Culver City, Harbor City and even La Habra Heights. It's a lot of driving, but hey, it gets me out of the office!

Anyway, this is where I write all of my estimates and invoices, (check my bio for my thoughts on that), where I haggle with insurance adjusters, and where I blog. So I thought it would be appropriate to show you where all this creativity is produced.

If you will, please show my where you produce your best work, where ever that may be, and tell me what inspires you to get on the computer every morning.

Thanks for stopping by and have yourself a wonderful day. -SSS

2006-04-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

A belated HNT to everyone/anyone stopping by. I couldn't resist posting this picture as it captures my alter-ego's insignia and also qualifies as a Half-Naked Thursday shot. But the real question is: whose them two broads spying on me while I change into my uniform? They look nice, but spooky. I'm not sure if I trust them. Was their attention drawn by the fact that I hadn't yet pulled up my tights? I guess I should just be happy they couldn't shout rude remarks. Happy HNT everyone/anyone. See ya next week.

2006-04-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally tossed my reticence and joined the HNT club. Wow, I feel so . . . exposed. I gotta admit though, this giddy freedom I get from casting off the thick outer layer feels great. Why do we wear shoes anyway?

Here's another thought--It's funny how pictures allow us to study, like laboratory rats, the subjects we photograph. I'm now inexplicably drawn, as I view my naked feet, into a curious session of self examination: why do they look so different? Followed, instantly, by the cold realization: I am not symmetrical. ;-) It's odd, isn't it. But I guess all our paired parts are like that, right? I mean, do our hands look alike, or our . . . well you get my drift. Happy HNT everyone. I promise not to be so self-critical in the future.

2006-01-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

Doesn't Sandra Bullock look mean here? I mean, she looks great, but menacing, like her movie, so I chose this still from Crash as a starter for my Academy Award show blog.

It snagged Best Picture, of course, but Brokeback Mountain should have won. However, I did really enjoy Crash, and one of the reasons why was this character, played by a dark and brooding Sandra Bullock--it's probably the best thing she's ever done, IMHO. She, Matt Dillon, Terance Howard, and the rest of the cast really saved this story. On the whole, this film was just a little too overstated for my taste. It has an important message, tolerance; but the films premise, that everyone is so disconnected that crashing into each other is the only way to make contact just didn't ring true for me--and I live and work in Southern California, where the film is set.

I believe Brokeback Mountain should have won over Crash, Munich, Good Night and Good Luck, and Capote because it has the most universal message, Love Reigns Supreme; and because the top-quality writing and acting made the subject matter both understandable and compelling to even the most homophobic moviegoer. Plus, Ang Lee proved his greatness as a Director by not getting in the way of the script. He could easily have chosen to dumb the story down to make it more TV-ish , and therefore less controversial, but he didn't, and the movie is the better for it. Brokeback Mountain will endure far beyond it's four fellow Best Picture nominees, great as they all were, and long after its controversy has subsided.

Capote was a sentimental favorite for me because Truman is my all-time favorite writer. I really appreciated the way the film didn't try to tell his entire story, like so many bio pics do. Focusing on just six years of the author's life, the viewer gets a crystal clear picture of what writing this best seller was like for Truman. Philip Seymour Hoffman pretty much nailed the part. But I like everything he does, especially his take on Lester Bangs in Almost Famous, and his standout supporting roles in Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Red Dragon. Even that crazy guy in Along Came Polly who has to leave the swanky art gallery party because he "sh-arted" is fun to watch. Other favorite films he's in are Happiness, Love Liza, and Flawless.

Munich blew my mind because it managed to balance fiction and reality so well. Some critics and viewers thought (think) the two simply don't mix, but I disagree. As films, I think Munich, JFK, and even Capote, all tell important and compelling stories--without ever demanding that the viewer except them as absolute fact.

Good Night and Good Luck has perhaps the most immediate impact, because, as Edward R. Murrow himself says in the film, how can we excpect to find truth abroad when we can't even find it at home.

See ya. -SSS

2006-01-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

For the past eight years or so, I've been burning all my precious vinyl records onto CD. Some I transfer as is, with no major editing or song re-arrangement; others get major editing, or have choice songs selected for compilation. Now, with the Beatles, I haven't had to do any editing at all. I'm a huge Beatles fan and I love listening to all their records from start to finish. However, the White Album is the one Beatles disk that has always frustrated me a little. Certainly it qualifies as their most diverse collection of songs, but instead of gelling into a cohesive whole, these songs seem to want to get away from each other. And the anti-climatic finale nearly spoils the whole project.

Granted, to most Beatles fans the sprawling nature of the record, its everything-and-the-kitchen-sink sonic bombast, is the key to its appeal--and for me, too. But it contains a couple of burdensome tracks that, for this fan, keeps the record from reaching its highest ground; and once I decided to transfer it to CD, I took a close listen and made the unthinkable decision, to edit, a Beatles record.

During the selection process, I imagined myself a critical and caring producer, like George Martin, putting his foot down and trimming the set-list without any personal input from the band. My only real constraint: the 80 minutes of a blank CD.

I'll start with Side One. This, along with side Three, is one of the stronger sides. But in an effort to pick up the pace a little I removed Glass Onion, John's little tease to all those deranged "message" fans out there: it was cute at first, but as satire-songs go, this one just doesn't have enough bite to keep it interesting; and Wild Honey Pie, Paul's lumbering, multi-tracked solo vocal of just one repeated line, "Honey Pie" until, about 100 seconds later, he caterwauls, I Love You! Of the two songs with Honey Pie in their title, this is the lesser of the pair: CUT.

On to Side Two. This, along with side Four, is one of the weaker sides. I kept the first five tracks intact, although Piggies and Rocky Raccoon are definitely borderline. The last three are (were) Why Don't We Do It In The Road, a pointless song sung with great gusto by Paul--however, in this case, his conviction alone ain't enough to save it; I Will, a very polished Paul-on-guitar workout--this one just pales in comparison to his others, like Blackbird and Mother Nature's Son; and Julia, John's elegy to his mother--it's a nice song, but I feel that John, like Paul, has similar songs on this record done better, such as Dear Prudence, Revolution and Cry Baby Cry: CUT.

Side Three is easily my favorite side, and the one I feel the other sides should aspire to. I kept everything here but Long, Long, Long, the side closer. This is one of George's songs. It's a slow, tuneless dirge that just gets more annoying with every listen, and it's a serious buzz-kill after Helter Skelter: CUT.

I call Side Four one of the weaker sides for one strong reason, Revolution 9. Now, it's not that I don't like this particular sonic pastiche, it's just that this song is much closer to the conceptual recordings that John and Yoko were creating together, like Two Virgins and Life with the Lions, and has little connection to anything else heard on the White album. To me, its inclusion brings the entire proceedings to a screeching halt: CUT.

With over 8 minutes of side four now gone, I felt this was the perfect spot to re-introduce Hey Jude, a song recorded during the White Album sessions, but pulled early for single release. What this did, in effect, was relegate Hey Jude to inclusion on countless Bealtes compilations--and that's pretty much the only place one can find it now. As I don't like compilations, especially Beatles compilations, this song plays much better for me surrounded by the other material written and recorded with it during the summer and fall of 1968: ADD. I didn't cut Good Night, but I thought about it. It's just that I still like this song and Ringo's guileless vocal delivery.

Well, there it is folks. Steve's brutal, but well intended, edit of the White Album. Listening back to the set now, I'm amazed at how well it works. To me, this version is far less patchy than the original, and has the added bonus of a true Beatles classic as its grand-finale (a la Tomorrow Never Knows from Revolver and A Day In The Life from Sgt. Peppers).

If I cut one of your favorite songs, I'm sorry. If I kept one you don't like, edit the damn thing yourself.

-SSS ;-)

p.s. George Martin thought The White Album should have been released as a single album, not a double. Now that would be a challenge. Which songs would you cut?

2005-12-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

I found this picture while surfing the net and just thought, wow, that would look great in my living room. Since that's never gonna happen, I thought I'd post it on my page so I can view it every few minutes or so.

I think anyone who truly appreciates great art will agree that this painting handily captures the tender humanity inherent in any chaste flowering . . . okay, so it's really just the blatant, in your face erotica that I find most intriguing. That, and the fact that it really is a painting and not a photograph: The skin looks very touchable, the setting suggests the lushness of the relationship, and the cool pastel colors balance the understated but obvious heat. Sounds dispassionately critical, don't you think?

I guess I broke the rules a little as these two are not half-naked, but fully nude. I'll probably be breaking the rules a lot more, especially when there's so much great stuff floating around to post. So, to all the HNT fans out there, of which I am one, enjoy. I sure will.

2005-12-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed another wonderful Christmas this year. Although I have many nieces and nephews to spoil, and a wife, siblings and parents I enjoy exchanging gifts with, I received much, much more than I could ever hope to give. I try, I really do; but my limited budget keeps me from overdoing it. With me, it's always been quality over quantity. Seems to work. Anyway, some of the cool presents found under my tree this year were: Goldmine record guide (which I'm going through page by page, highlighting each vinyl gem I've managed to collect over 35 years); the book See No Evil, which was turned into the film Syriana this year; 2 wonderful dress shirts that fit me to a tee, look nice, and hide my belly; cash from my mom (she likes to keep it simple and agrees with my gift preference philosophy, "cash works"; and perhaps my favorite gift of all, the DVD of Sideways, simply one of my favorite films of 2004. I can and will write more about this little gem later, but do yourself a favor, watch it. I guess I identify with the lead character, Miles, played with an understated brilliance by Paul Giamatti, because, like me, he's an English teacher, (well, I used to be), he occasionally drinks too much, he's not the most confident guy on the block, and he longs to be a novelist. All the main characters in the film intrigued me, from Maya, Miles' future sole mate and fellow wine afficianado, to Jack, the former actor and wanton sex-machine, to Stephanie, the hot single mom who, temporarily, falls under Jack's spell. Do yourself and favor and check it out. You won't be disappointed.

2005-12-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

I guess I'll blog about music since it's really the only thing I can write about easily. This album by the PMG is their latest, and easily their most unusual: it's one song in four parts, and it manages, in 65 minutes, to encapsulate everything I love about the Pat Metheny Group. First, there's no real concession to what's popular. This is a musical journey with musical cues. If rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and melody provide enough stimulus to compel you through a song, then check this out. 2nd, the group really plays well together. Pat always assembles a great team of musicians to record with, and this version of the PMG is no exception--they all add their own distinctive personalities to the composition. Third, live it really worked well. When I saw them at the Universal amphitheater earlier this year, they played the entire piece from start to finish in one long breath that just completely stunned the audience. Even hard-core Metheney group fans, of which I am one, had never seen anything like it. They followed that with 2 more hours of choice PMG material. Really, just one of the best concerts I've ever witnessed. So 2005 was pretty much a PMG year for me. But I also listened to a lot of Todd Rundgren. Start with Runt and work your way through till Nearly Human, and you'll have experienced a bizarre and brilliant body of work.

2005-12-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everybody. Hope you find what you're looking for under the tree!

2005-12-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the famous writer enjoying a day at Disneyland.