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Showing posts from February, 2008

Track 4:-->"Playing The Game" - Gentle Giant - The Power and the Glory (1975)

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" I'm the king in fighting competition... and the other pieces are there for my art and my tactics now. All my games are won before they're played... for I have planned that no opposition can stage a fight." Gentle Giant Gentle Giant was a 5 member progressive rock band hailing from Britain. Formed in 1970, Gentle Giant were creating quite a buzz for their numerous and experimental chord changes and rhythm progressions By the mid-seventies, Gentle Giant was trying to tame...somewhat...their musical eclectic creations for a more commercial sound. "The Power and the Glory"(1975) reached #78 on the U.S. Billboard Charts...and, after giving this disc another spin...still holds up well today. Gentle Giant was a cross between King Crimson and Genesis , to my ears...and "The Power And The Glory" ...though not considered their best release...has many rewards for the listener. Gentle Giant "The Power And The Glory" was a concept album abou

Ramblings:-->Dr. Loveless -&- Thunderclap Newman

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" Now, there's a certain thing that I learned from Jim... that he'd always make sure I'd understand. And that is that there's a certain way That a man must swim... If he expects to live off of the fat of the land. Thunderclap Newman If you looked up the definition of cool...one of the pictures beside it would be... Michael Dunn. Or...as I was introduced to him...Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Arch-nemesis of James West and Artemus Gordon in the "Wild Wild West". When I was much younger, I remember seeing Michael Dunn for the first time...and he blew me away. Sure...he only stood 3'10", but he commanded the screen. Oozing with confidence and bravado, Dunn stole every scene he was in. And, as mad scientist, Dr. Miguelito Loveless ...he created a villain that was really bad. Bad...in the good way. Michael Dunn appeared in ten Wild, Wild West episodes as Dr. Loveless ...and I think I've seen every one. And I bought season 1 & 2 of WWW bec

Ramblings:-->Howard The Duck - Vista Start Menu - & - Uriah Heep

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"There rides the Rainbow Demon... On his horse of crimson fire. Black shadows are following closely... On the heels of his desire." Uriah Heep Comic book writer Steve Gerber passed away last week (Feb 10, 2008), and was perhaps best known for his incredibly original character... "Howard The Duck". Howard the Duck #1 began in 1976 ...and was published by Marvel Comics . And, in spite of a firestorm of pressure and creative interference...lasted through issue #31, dated May 1979. Among Gerber's long line of antagonists was Disney ...who threatened to sue Marvel for making "Howard" look too much like... "Donald"! Steve Gerber wrote the first 27 issues. "Howard The Duck" was notoriously cynical about everything... And we loved him for it. "Trapped in a world he never made" ... was his tag-line. Howard The Duck & the Mysterious Dr. Bong #15 Gerber was given (for a time) free reign...and allowed to experiment with

Ramblings:-->SNL Season 2/Episode 6 - & - The Band

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"Hear the sound, Willie Boy, The Flyin' Dutchman's on the reef. It's my belief... We've used up all our time. This hill's too steep to climb, And the days that remain ain't worth a dime. The Band Just finished watching SNL: Season 2 /Episode 6 (1976) the other night and was struck by numerous observations and thoughts. Six episodes into Season Two and Bill Murray has yet to make an appearance. His name has been announced as part of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players " since the beginning of this season. It is officially announced that Chevy Chase will be leaving the cast after tonight. (Perhaps making way for Bill Murray to appear in episode 7. Guest Host, Buck Henry ...receives a vicious blow across his forehead and scalp during the infamous skit called... "Samurai Accountant" . While Belushi is ranting in his Japanese garb and waving his very heavy and sharp sword about...he accidentally bangs the blade against Buck Henry&#

Book Buzz:-->"Wolf Whistle" by Lewis Nordan (1993)

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"I am just a simple man, trying to be me. Oh, it ain't easy. I am just a simple man, trying to be free. Oh, believe me. Freedom's the only thing means a damn to me. Oh, you can't fake it." Bad Company NO SPOILERS: Wolf Whistle (1993) by Lewis Nordan was inspired by a true event in 1955 revolving around the murder of a young black boy (Emmitt Till) for simply whistling at a white woman . In public, no less. To make a tragedy worse...the accused men were tried and found innocent. And that's the way things sometimes happened in the South...in this instance... Mississippi. This is a good story, but let me give a caveat to readers. Wolf Whistle is not a crime story in the usual sense. Nor a mystery novel. In other words, this is not a thriller. Lewis Nordan has created a rather surreal story filled with eccentric and sometimes exaggerated, well-developed characters. And each afforded a dialect that is quite readable and sometimes downright funny. A

Introduction:-->Elton John and Some Lost Gems

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"There's a Greyhound outside in the lane... it's waiting for us. So tell him goodbye, we gotta go west on that bus." Elton John As with most "Greatest Hits and Best Of" music collections...they just never seem to get it right . Often catering to the mainstream listener...while leaving the knowledgeable fans more frustrated than "Sipowicz" on a NY stakeout. Elton John on RS 1973 So, in no particular order...ten of my favorite lost gems from Elton John . 1. "Blues For Baby And Me" ----- Don't Shoot Me... (1973) (" Your old man got mad when I told him we were leaving. He cursed and he raged and he swore at the ceiling .") 2. "Street Kids" ------- Rock Of The Westies (1975) (" And if you think you've seen gasoline burning in my eyes... Don't be alarmed. Tell yourself it's good to be, its good to be alive ." ) 3. "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" ----- Honky Chateau (1972)

Ramblings:-->Paste Magazine - Death To Anders - College BB Fouls -&- Nektar

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"Never thought he’d ever get his metal boat to fly in the air... Moses did it." Nektar Just received my second issue of "Paste Magazine" and I have to say...I'm really digging it. Especially the writing. Very interesting without being too long-winded. Better than "Spin" which I always found to be lame and boring. The music CD included with each issue has been a real treat...with enough variety to satisfy most ears. It's the first thing I tear open each month. Hopefully, you hooked up with "Paste" while they were bravely offering a year subscription for the generous amount of..."What ever you wanted to pay". In the long run...this gamut may pay off for them. I hope so. Good stuff! AND ANOTHER THING: The California based indie band... Death To Anders has released their 2 nd CD... “Fictitious Business”(2008) ...and it offers up some tasty, deceptively simple, jangling guitar work that wonderfully foreshadows somethi