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Showing posts from March, 2019

Horse Head Has An Idea:..“Thriller" (1960-1962)

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HERE'S AN IDEA! “Thriller"  was a strange, often creepy, TV show that ran for two seasons in the early '60s.  It was hosted by the iconic monster guy... Boris Karloff ...who would show his mug at the beginning of each episode and occasionally have a part in one of the stories.  "Thriller,"  I'm sure, was the kind of show you'd watch as a kid and talk about at school the next day. This particular episode... "The Incredible Doktor Markesan" ...takes place in an old, spooky mansion (of course) and looks fantastic. I didn't recognize the actress (Carolyn Kearney), but the actor is Dick York who played Darrin on "Bewitched" and if you can get that image out of your head for a little while, he does a pretty good job in this. In this story, he takes his wife to visit his weird, estranged uncle, because the couple is practically broke and they need a place to stay for a week or two just to get back on their feet.  After a little

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."The Young Person's Guide to King Crimson" (1976)

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"The Young Person's Guide to King Crimson" - King Crimson (1976) This is a double-album compilation...of all things...and it's not bad for a first go-round.  Robert Fripp cherrypicked every song...pulling from the band's first 7 albums and also chose where each song would appear on the record.  Fripp also included a couple of interesting and lesser-known tracks for the comp, as well, which is very cool. The first surprise is the alternate version of "I Talk To The Wind" with Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention) taking lead vocals.  Nice, but doesn't outshine the more familiar Greg Lake version.  The other bonus is the B-side track  "Groon" that was only released as the flip to their single, “Cat Food.” (1970)  Both were pretty rare listens at the time. The gatefold artwork is excellent, both front and back.  Weird, cool and fun to display.  The album also comes with a 20-page booklet filled with band history and photos and crit

TCCDM Dig and Flip: "The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch"

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"The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch" (I stumbled upon a good-sized box filled with a variety of graphic novels at an estate sale. No official count as I've just been pulling from the box when I find time to read one.  Afterward, I post the book and go from there.) "The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch" by Neil Gaiman,  Dave McKean (Illustrator) 1995 by Vertigo 96 pages NO SPOILERS: Mr. Punch, of course, is the main puppet from the vintage "Punch and Judy" show.  Punch was abusive, violent and famous for taking a stick and beating the crap out of everyone.  Kids loved watching him, I suppose, but maybe not as much as one would believe.  Neil Gaiman tells the story through the eyes of a young boy's encounter with a puppet show and the memories that almost rise to the surface but never quite leave the safety of darker shadows. The macabre artwork provided by Dave McKean in this graphic is not

I Went...SIRIUS...All The Way Home (again)

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(a short jaunt) "Lucky Town" - Bruce Springsteen / "Lucky Town" (1992)   Here performing at Stockholm 1993-05-28 There's a reason you find so many of this particular CD in the used bins.  It's Bruce with a new band behind him...not the E. Street.  Most fans didn't take a shine to that idea.  Plus the songs just aren't very memorable.  But man, do I love the title track.  Of all the songs from the album, this one sounds the most like "The Boss" we all love.  On the wet streets getting his hands dirty.  It kicks ass.  I remember seeing him on SNL performing this song with his new guitar man dipping and weaving all over the place sounding terrific and honoring the privilege.  And I appreciated the effort. "Bad Bad Boy" - Nazareth / "Razamanaz" (1973) The song is what it is.  It's hilarious.  And it rawks!  Dan McCafferty's vocals will make your throat hurt. Kind of a faceless band, but they kn

Horse Head Has An Idea:..."The Hitch-Hiker" (1953)

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HERE'S AN IDEA! "The Hitch-Hiker" hints of terrible things to come.  Our villain is played by William Talman .  You'll recognize him as the TV District Attorney who always laid a golden turd on the b/w "Perry Mason."  But as the hitchhiker, he gets to stretch his chops playing a psycho murderer with a peep-eye that never closes.  His victims are played like a couple of average Joe Schmos who are neither risk-takers nor tough guys.  That's really kind of refreshing. The film was directed by Ida Lupina ...one of the few female directors of her era (or any era) and she was also the only woman to direct a "Twilight Zone" episode which I find to be doubly cool.  (It was the one called "The Masks" ...about a bitter millionaire that forces all his guests to wear hideous masks until midnight.) "The Hitch-Hiker" looks terrific in that film noir, low budget style, but the story is much tamer than your imagination might le

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Trout Mask Replica" (1969)

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"Trout Mask Replica" - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (1969) Okay, borrowing a line that  Joe Pesci  used in an Oliver Stone film..." It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma."   And that pretty much describes "Trout Mask Replica" right down to the gnarly fish lips.  I had been forewarned what to expect, but since I knew I was going to find this album eventually, I waited until I could actually spin the dang thing for myself before listening to it.  The album is crazy weird, but wonderfully so.  And not quickly accessible.  "Trout Mask Replica" is the absolute definition of a grower.  Appreciation by repeat spins.  Listen... and then back away slowly.  Sometimes, I like the weird shit.  My copy is a 1989 reissue and I'm keeping it. Will you like it?  If you're open to the avant-garde weirdness of artists like Frank Zappa ...perhaps.  The Captain is a little bit like that.  Coming off less jazzy though a

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

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(a short jaunt) "Terrifying" - Rolling Stones / "Steel Wheels" (1989) It has that dated 80s mix but, dang it, this song rocks.  Bill Wyman is playing one-man ping pong underneath.   And Keef is playing odd guitar chords.  I really like the muted horn minimally dancing in and out on the outro. I've never given the album a fair listen,  but I imagine this tune is a pretty underrated song in their catalog. I'd never heard it.  This was their 21st American studio album. "Key To The Highway" - Derek and the Dominos / "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" (1970) A lot of people have covered this.  This is the version my ears are most familiar with.  It's a good blues rock jam. Clapton and Duane.  It's like, "Okay, watch what I can do!”  Like I said, it is good.  But I always thought the song was too long and...meh.  The song just gets lost when surrounded by so many other great ones on the album.  I probably p

Interview -- Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad)

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"Come on and ride the railroad... one more time." ~ Grand Funk Railroad ~ And the thunder's gonna roll.  Grand Funk Railroad was a three-piece absolute thunderdome led by founding member... Mark Farner .  The band was heavy and loud. They were soulful and trippy.  And for nearly a decade they ruled the school.  Yet the critic snobs wouldn't offer them a ride across the street if the band paid for their own gas.  Didn't matter.  The people loved'em.  Blue collars and neckties.  Stoners and hard rockers.  Headbangers and footstompers.  They loved the way Grand Funk Railroad buttered their bread.  They got in the trenches.  They got their hands dirty.  Nothing fancy or prissy here.  Just pounding, chunking, rock and roll soul.  Mark Farner  is a thunder-maker. Go get you some. Mark Farner Interview -- March 2019 Mark Farner Casey Chambers:   I'd like to begin with "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home." (1970)  It has long bec

TCCDM Dig and Flip: "The Amalgamation Polka" by Stephen Wright (2006)

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"The Amalgamation Polka" ...Stephen Wright (2006) 323 pages NO SPOILERS: Liberty Fish is the son of Abolitionist parents from New York.  He is also the grandson of slave-owning grandparents from South Carolina.  It was the days of slavery.  It was the time of the Civil War.  But the story is less about battles in uniform and more about conflicts in everyday clothes. Every location is richly described and without slowing the reader down.  Nicely done.  The dialogue and parlay between characters ring true and breathe an authentic air to every scene.  But the story sometimes dances into the land of grotesque and strange.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing.  Many novels that linger around the Civil War era can become quickly repetitive.  But in this novel, however, Stephen Wright throws a bit of a bouncing horseshoe.  What does this all mean?  It means his writing might be better than the actual story if that makes any sense.  But I quib.  I followed this one all