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Showing posts from 2018

Horse Head Dig and Flip: Justice League Of America Archives - Volume 1

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Graphic Novel Find "Justice League Of America Archives - Volume 1" (Last fall, I stumbled upon a good-sized box filled with a variety of graphic novels at an estate sale. No official count yet, as I'm just pulling from the box when I find time to read one.  Afterward, I'll post the book and go from there.) "Justice League Of America Archives - Volume 1" by Gardner F. Fox --  Mike Sekowsky (Illustrator) 1992 by DC COMICS  256 pages  Includes:  The Brave and the Bold  #28-30 and Justice League of America  #1–6. (1960-61) This beautiful hardbound archive collection is all about nostalgia.  A time when friendship and teamwork were all that mattered.  A time of innocence. A time of confidences. JLA is made up of seven superheroes that team up to combat a "dangerous" giant starfish (I'm serious) determined to take over the Earth.   The superheroes include  Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter (who I was

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."37 Minutes Of Group Therapy" (1969)

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"37 Minutes Of..." - Group Therapy (1969) There isn't a whole lot out there about this 60s band that hails from New York.  Over at Discogs, they pin down Group Therapy as being psych rock...and there is a bit of trippage goin' on.  I read somewhere they sounded like a poor man's Vanilla Fudge ...and they do, sort of, lean in that general direction.  But they're not as sludgy...or trippy.  A few songs do fuzz it up, but not nearly enough. It would have been nice to hear the band really light it up. Their label gave Group Therapy a nice gatefold unipak for their sophomore effort though, and I'm a sucker for gatefold albums. The copy I found appears to have been well-taken care of as the unipak has not come unglued yet.  For those who might not be aware, a gatefold with a unipak sleeve means you have to first open your gatefold in order to access the record.  The idea was to protect the record from accidentally sliding out...and not a bad idea in th

I Went...SIRIUS...All The Way Home

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(a short jaunt) "Flip The Switch" - The Rolling Stones / "Bridges to Babylon" (1997) This was the opening track on their 23rd studio album.  And it was also one of the first albums I bought with my own money.  Actually, it was a nicely packaged CD.  The song has Charlie and Keef driving the bus right out the gate.  In fact, the whole album sounds like everyone showered, shaved and had a healthy breakfast.  Fun lyrics.  It was the best thing they'd done in years.  "Bridges..." still sounds fresh and I played the shit out of it. "Space Captain" - Joe Cocker / "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" (1970) In small doses, I enjoy Joe Cocker , but his music has been a little hit and miss for me.  However, JC always seemed to bump it up a notch...I mean, really commit...when he had his good friends at his back.  And when that happens, I'm all in.  Here's a good example and one seldom heard.  Love the playful "ooohs

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Kinks Kontraband" (1988)

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"Kinks Kontraband" - The Kinks (1988) I picked this up back in November from a private record flipper I affectionately refer to as..." The Garageman ."  This is an unofficial Kinks release.  A bootleg mix of  BBC live recordings and outtakes.  Side One is definitely the stronger.  It's filled with 9 early live BBC recordings and a demo.  Yes, their two early biggies are on here, but it's the lesser known that really ices the cake.  One is the never studio recorded song by the band... "This Strange Effect."   It has a haunting, floaty vibe that dances on trippy and is just killer.  Side Two opens with a tasty garage-fuzz outtake of... "Time Will Tell."   There is also a rare live track from the Preservation period... "Slum Kids" ...and is a nice rescue.  The album's last three songs are later stuff, and I like them, but I just didn't hear much difference in the outtakes.  I'll leave that to true Kinks aficion

I Went...SIRIUS...All The Way Home

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(a short jaunt) "Don’t Bogart That Joint" (live) - Little Feat / "Waiting for Columbus" (1978) This song is over and done before anyone could even begin to accuse someone of hogging the doobie.  In a little over a minute, Little Feat reminds everyone how much fun they're having.  Happy driving.  Many consider "WFC" one of the best live albums ever recorded. "Revelation" - Fleetwood Mac / "Penguin" (1973) My appreciation of Bob Welch during his Fleetwood Mac period has grown in leaps and bounds.  Love this song.  Bob's guitar work is diamond and I've always been a sucker for the way Bob's floaty vocals add haunting mystery to some of the songs.  Plus John McVie's driving bass on this jam is just killer.  Btw...the penguin has been Fleetwood Mac's mascot since the early days when John and Christine  were just lovebirds living near the London Zoo. "The Pause of Mr. Claus" (live)

Horse Head Has An Idea: "Merry Christmas Mr. Bean"

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HERE'S AN IDEA! "Merry Christmas Mr. Bean" (1992)...is an episode from the UK television show that ran for four seasons called, you guessed it..., "Mr. Bean."  This had been in my "watch-later" box for months, along with other holiday finds, to curl up with as the "silver bells" get closer.  I'm really glad I did.  This is a wonderful little gem.  It follows Mr. Bean from the evening before Christmas until the big day.  It's all very funny and sweet and a tad melancholy in that special Mr. Bean trademark fashion.  This should be annual watching along with The Grinch...Charlie Brown...and The Andy Griffith Xmas episode.  It will never grow old, only endearing. "Merry Christmas Mr Bean"   (1992) Good Stuff Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."You Broke My Heart So..."

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"You Broke My Heart So..." - Spooky Tooth (1973) This was Spooky Tooth's 5th album.  The one with the ridiculously blunt title.  When I finally got the gatefold home and gave the inside a better look...it turned out to be a bait-n-switch.  The inside is an exaggerated drawn picture of a crazy-mad woman doing the "jaw-breaking."  Pretty funny.  And the album's pretty good, too.  New guitarist Mick Jones (Foreigner) replaced Luther "Ariel Bender" Grosvenor on this album and gives Spooky Tooth a more guitar-driven sound.  Don't get me wrong.  Original member, Gary Wright  is still heavily involved.  His solid keyboard work and backing vocals always seem to give songs a groovy ethereal vibe even on the more harder tracks.  I like reading AMG, but their 2-star rating of this album, I think, is way off!  Apart from a couple of weaker tracks, there's not a bad song on here.  For some reason, Spooky Tooth is one of those bands that seem to

TCCDM Dig and Flip: "Mornings On Horseback" by David McCullough (1981)

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"Mornings On Horseback" ...David McCullough (1981) 445 pages NO SPOILERS: This biography from David McCullough is a little bit different.  This one focuses on the life of Theodore Roosevelt before he runs for president.  Before he reaches the age of 30 even.  We learn in Teedie's childhood years...(yes, that's what he was called before the T.R. moniker caught on)...he was mostly a sickly kid that struggled with wicked asthmatic attacks.  Which is a tough gig, for sure, but his family was so very rich that whenever he had one, they'd pack up and take him on a trip.  Lots of trips! To the south. To the north. Across the ocean and other various places around the world to ease his suffering.  And sometimes Teedie would weasel an unnecessary trip or two just because he could.  Now I trivialize with tongue in cheek, but I think we can all agree the poor boy suffered from extreme bouts of entitlement, too. However, as he entered high school and college, T

I Went...SIRIUS...All The Way Home

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(a 20-minute jaunt) "Tragic Magic"   -  Traffic / "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" (1973) One of the reasons I love traffic is Chris Wood .  His honking jazzical sax always adds mystery and trip to the Rock whenever it raises its head.  On this instrumental jam, Wood feeds his sax through a pick-up and wah-wah pedal.  Nice one for highway driving. "Slipping into Christmas" - Leon Russell / "Slipping Into Christmas"  7" (1972) What a tasty gem!   After all the over-played songs of the season have been regurgitated...(and we're just barely kissing December)... Leon Russell saves the day.  Evidently, this Xmas blues song was only released on a 45 in 1972 and then quickly disappeared into the void.  "Well deck the halls with teardrops, Scrooge ain’t got a thing on me."   I'll take all of this you got! "Bus Rider" - The Guess Who / "Share The Land" (1970) My ears hear a little BTO

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Of Cabbages And Kings"

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"Of Cabbages And Kings" - Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde (1967) Until I heard this album, I felt mostly indifferent about Chad and Jeremy.  Pleasant chaps. Nice vocals.  "A Summer Song" ... "Yesterday's Gone"  and all that.  But I saw them as being rather...dull.  But that was before the unlikely duo released... "Of Cabbages And Kings." (1967)  The year of "Sgt. Pepper."  The year C & J hooked a ride on the psych-train. Side one is almost perfect.  A tasty collection of folk and baroque psych.  Side two is "The Progressive Suite" divided up into 5 movements.  It is the more ambitious.  You'll hear a cacophony of instruments and sounds...from the familiar plucking of the sitar to a ping-pong ball being paddled back and forth.  And with lyrics both earnest and kinda silly, it all pretty much works.  I loved it.  Well, most of it.  A couple of songs from side two would've been better served with less trick

TCCDM: 7 Favorite Books I Read In 2018

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7 Favorite  Books  I  Read  In  2018 Every book is a new book if you haven't read it yet!   And so, let us begin. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson (2005) A detective explores three cold cases that span over 30 years and finds each intertwines in unusual and compelling ways.  It's a clever mystery that's unique in the telling with a tight satisfying payoff. The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition - Stephen King (1978 /1990) There are plenty of apocalyptic novels on the bookshelves these days but in 1978...not so many.  In this instance, a doomsday brought on by a government SNAFU.  And just like that..." Whoomp! (There it is.)"   This is the “uncut/unedited” version filled with dozens and dozens of wonderful minutiae scenes that really don't further the story along but does make the telling of this good/evil story all the more compelling. The Stand is widely regarded as the Bob Dylan song of this genre.  And for good rea

SIRIUS...All The Way Home (a 20 minute jaunt)

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(a 20-minute drive home) "The Fever"  - Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes / Live Performing live is how you want to meet Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.  And  "The Fever"  is instant fodder for the proof.   He released a studio version of this song on his debut album,  "I Don't Want to Go Home"  (1976)  but it was a 'live' version I heard driving home.  The original song, however, was an early Springsteen 7 inch.  I haven't heard Bruces' version, but  Southside Johnny nails it just fine. "Who Loves the Sun"  - Velvet Underground / "Loaded" (1970) This song will always be the wonderful little sugar gem that casually strolls its way into "Sweet Jane."   The song has an early Beatles delivery, but with the tiniest hint of a needle waiting its turn to tickle the skin.  "Who loves the sun? Not everyone."  "Station to Station" - David Bowie / "Station to S

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Tarzana Kid"

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"Tarzana Kid" - John Sebastian (1974 ) John Sebastian was the cool hippie that, had I lived in the Woodstock days of yore, I would have most tried to emulate.  He was very cool.  Very relaxed.  As if wherever he was...was exactly where he needed to be.  The friend you'd want around if you were tripping south.  And I'd borrow his warm, effortless timbre, as well, now that I'm rollin'. "Tarzana Kid" (back) Reprise label (promo) "Stories We Could Tell" - John Sebastian / "Tarzana Kid" (1974) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

Interview -- Alison Arngrim (Actress, Author, Comedian)

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“Who's going to do  the cooking?” ~ Nellie Oleson ~ I grew up on “Little House On The Prairie.”   "Little House" was my safe place.  My calm against storms.  I've watched every episode multiple, multiple times.  And still, if I accidentally stumble upon the show when surfing the numbers, I'm quite content to just set my remote down and watch.  I loved all the characters from that show.  All of them.  Yeah, even the snotty and snooty Nellie Oleson .  She was wickedly mean and spoiled to the curd, and I loved her.  Oh, not right away.  Growing up, I despised her like everyone else.  "But just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."  (me doing Van Zandt doing Pacino , but whatever.)  Nellie Oleson, as played by Alison Arngrim was just a whole lot of fun to watch. And think about this a minute.  While the other kids from the show were getting fan letters and gifts, Alison was actually receiving hate mail.  She was only fifteen

Horse Head Has Another Idea: 8 Halloween Songs by Chicago

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CHICAGO "HALLOWEEN" SONGS 2018 Time on my hand, I thought I would dig around a bit and try to find a few forgotten songs for Halloween.  And I found a few!  Here are 8 really scary Halloween songs from the classic rock band...Chicago. From their latest album - "Chicago 666," of course. "Feelin' Stranger Every Day" "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long (to find an ax-sharpener)" "Saturday in the Morgue" "25 or 6 to Life" "Color My Knife Wounds" "Just You 'n' Me and Plastic Wrap" "Hard Elbow To Break" "Does Anybody Really Know What Crime It Is?" "HAPPY   HALLOWEEN   EVERYBODY!" "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" - Chicago / "Chicago In The Rockies" (1973) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

Horse Head Dig and Flip: "Strip" by Thomas Perry (2010)

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"Strip" ...by Thomas Perry (2010) 344 pages NO SPOILERS: This Thomas Perry novel was just a late summer toss read.  Nothing deep.  A story to chew on while waiting for the leaves of autumn to begin changing their clothes.  Just a quick in-and-out. The story revolves around an aging mob boss who learns his strip clubs are getting robbed and the new guy in town he mistakenly fingers for the job. A guy who just wants to eat his sandwich in peace. A guy you shouldn't poke with a stick. There are a few other characters thrown into the mix, each of variable shades of badness and stupid, and to be honest, I found these misfits a lot more interesting.  However, Perry does write some pretty good parlay betwixt them all and throws in a good twist or two to twerk the story along. But at the end of the day, it was really hard to find someone to toss my keys to and drive.  Plus, the story took a couple of louies where I would've preferred the writer feint in another

Interview -- Michael Berryman (Horror Film and Television Actor)

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"We did a kind of  Simon & Garfunkel thing  for a couple of years." ~ Michael Berryman ~ Names can be hard to remember, but a face one never forgets.  Michael Berryman gives good face.  And he knows it. He has appeared in over 100 films and television ranging from cult horror frights and Oscar-winning dramas to even adding a touch of strange to Eminem videos.  Michael Berryman is one of a handful of actors that always give the audience a delight simply by letting the camera catch his beautifully different, wonderfully unique features. For over 40 years, Michael Berryman has been thrilling audiences on the screen with his evil, insane ways. So synonymous has he become with the horror genre, that Berryman is often asked to cameo simply tongue-in-cheek!  It works either way.  Audiences love him. As I said, Michael Berryman gives good face.  Go get you some. Michael Berryman Interview -- October 2018 Michael Berryman Casey Chambers:   Early in your c