The College Crowd Digs Me

"When darkness falls...he goes by the stars getting directions from Jupiter and Mars . It was he who created this strife . He is fighting for his life . He is longing to see...his wife and his family. " Gamma Ronnie Montrose has a long and strong RnR pedigree...not only breaking bread with the likes of Herbie Hancock , Edgar Winter Group , and Van Morrison ...but has also rolled some sweet numbers of his own...that add up to over forty years of guitar pleasure. Gamma was the 2nd official rock band lead by guitar wizard... Ronnie Montrose . Not a "great" vocalist himself... Ronnie has always been adept at locating...really strong singers. Like his earlier 70's band... (Montrose) ... Ronnie had Sammy Hagar as his frontman. For Gamma ... Ronnie grabbed the fantastic... Davey Pattison ...a vocalist more easily identified with another guitar great... Robin Trower . With Pattison laying the vocals down and Ronnie bending strings... Gamma was a "don...

"Doors of light...surround the night Chased away...by dawn's new day. As far as the eye can see Your love burns a hole into me." Nutz NO SPOILERS: "Conspiracies " (2000) by F. Paul Wilson is the third Repairman Jack novel...And it's one dandy of a ride. (The 1st and 2nd novel can be found here and here .) Repairman Jack , for those new to this blog, is an urban mercenary with a soft heart for the ill-treated underdog. He has went to the nth degrees in wiping out any record of his existence and has skilled himself in various ways of defense and offense. He'll tackle any job, small or large, if it is a worthy request. And Repairman Jack is not adverse to mysteries bordering the edges of X-file goodness . In "Conspiracies" ... RJ is asked to track down a missing woman scheduled to speak at a conspiracy theorists convention . And, of course, in RJ's attempts at solving this mystery, he encounters various odd, if not paranoid individ...

"Now I have seen that sad surrender in my lover's eyes. And I can only stand apart and sympathize. For we are always what our situations hand us. It's either sadness or euphoria." Billy Joel I sorta dig Billy Joel ...especially his earlier work...and am always dismayed when some of my favorite songs never reach the airwaves. Or seldom, anyway. And most greatest hits or best of collections usually get it wrong, too. But that 's another sore subject. So with that in mind...here are my top twelve early Billy Joel songs that rarely, if ever, receive radio airplay...from 1971 to 1980. Check it out. 1) "Summer, Highland Falls" ---------------- Turnstiles (1976) "They say that these are not the best of times But they're the only times I've ever known. And I believe there is a time for meditation In cathedrals of our own." 2) "Vienna" -------------------------------- The Stranger (1977) ...

"They’re leaving you nothing and nowhere to go. Just put you in the corner...like an old banjo. The strings are breakin’ but you can’t say no. You’re runnin’ with the devil...it’s touch and go." Emerson, Lake & Powell NO SPOILERS: Sometimes the best way to enjoy a movie is just to suspend your belief for a couple of hours. Take the movie premise on face value and disengage your oft-times boring analytical mind. Dig the story being told and to hell with the plot holes. Westworld (1973) is a small sci-fi movie that quite simply entertains from beginning to end. Written and directed by best-selling sci-tech author, Michael Crichton , Westworld is about one of three very expensive fantasy camps... (Medievalworld and Romanworld are the others) ...where every wonderful imagined scenario can be explored and relived. Each location is filled with high tech robots that are life-like in every way...ready to help visitors live out their fantasies. Whether that be having a gun...

"Eyes open wide... doin' the midnight creep. Well, it’s just a holiday for a circus dream... 'cause I’m a music man, baby... hangin' from a wire with no net below." Doobie Brothers Music by the Doobie Brothers will go down as some of the best Americana Rock of all time. Oozing with good vibes and made for rolled down windows and long highway summer drives. Obviously, underrated ...and perhaps that is because the band, for the most part, were faceless. Ya kinda know what they look like...but...no one really stands out. It is the first five CDs by the Doobs I enjoy the most. (the pre-McDonald era, if you will) And "Stampede" (1975) was their last one before evolving into another great sounding band of the same name. The CD "Stampede" is often forgotten...though, from beginning to end, is as solid a record as their obvious must-own... "The Captain And Me" ( 1973). And I like "Stampede" better. No big hits generat...

"I used to be a preacher, had a good life. I had a wonderful family... Always tried to do right. When I saw her in church I knew she didn't come to stay. She looked at me and said, "I got a confession. Don't tell anyone but I'm the backdoor to heaven." Sam Kinison (courtesy of Leslie West) Season 2/Episode 8 may have been the greatest SNL episode of all time. It certainly was the definitive episode that handed the ... "Torch of Total Coolness" to SNL . It was " Must-Watch" television at its best. Observations: Chevy Chase is gone from the cast...but makes a cameo. Still, no Bill Murray ...though he is mentioned as part of the cast. Guest Host Paul Simon famously sings 1st verse of "Still Crazy After All These Years" in a turkey costume. Paul Simon performs "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". Paul Simon shyly introduces George Harrison and perform "Here Comes The Sun" & "Homeward Boun d"....

"And if you go forward... I'll meet you there. And if you climb up through the cold, freezing air... Look down below you, search out above. .. And cry out to life for a frozen love." ~ Buckingham Nicks ~ When Buckingham Nicks released their self-titled alb in 1973 , it sold miserably. A failure by all accounts. Little did we know that Lyndsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks would become household names. Respected by fans and peers alike. Once the duo joined Fleetwood Mac , their panned LP became something of a cult legend. A record that, at the least, was worthy of a double-take. Turns out...it wasn't bad at all. In fact, this little footnote of a record, easily deserved better than what the fickled fates allowed. My folks own this record. And from the looks of it...it appears to have been played a lot. And for good reason. There are some tasty nibbles on this disc. Over at the Buckingham Nicks website...you can freely download the entire album. And that...