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Showing posts from April, 2019

TCCDM Dig and Flip: "In Pale Battalions" - Robert Goddard (1988)

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"In Pale Battalions" ...Robert Goddard (1988) 368 pages NO SPOILERS: I've never been a huge fan of British mysteries.  I tend to be a little harsher with my 'hit or miss' proclamations.  Fortunately, Robert Goddard is a strong hoss.  In this mystery, a young woman discovers long-kept secrets surrounding her birth and now has new secrets of her own to carry.  This family saga murder mystery takes place mostly in England while the tribs of WWI is raging on.   This is a clever and heavily constructed puzzle with dashes of romance and plenty of deception to go around.  The novel is a delicious slow-burn.  Steady, but never rushed,.  The author juggles a variety of characters and the juggling is seamless.  Every “i” gets dotted. Robert Goddard has a mesmerizing style that lets the reader know they're in good hands.  I discovered this novel while perusing a recommended book list from Stephen King.  (SK loves to recommend books, doesn't he?)  Anyway, o

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

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(a short jaunt) "New Age" - Velvet Underground / "Loaded" (1970) "Can I have your autograph, he said to the fat blonde actress"  is a bit of a coffee spitter the first time you hear this.  It was for me, anyway.  That opening line is just so...matter-of-fact.  Indelicate.  But I don't believe it was meant to be mean-spirited.  The song is about an 'over-the-hill' actress and sounds very emotionally odd.  It's all atmosphere.  I'm not sure who Lou Reed  was thinking about, but there's a certain actress (from my era) that always comes to mind whenever I hear this song.  I didn't intentionally run through an actress database or anything, her name/face just pops up.  But I won't share, because that would just be mean.  Besides, we all must go to the mirror. "Don't Step on the Grass, Sam" - Steppenwolf / "The Second" (1968) One of my favorites.  In your face and catchy as hell.  Full

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues" (1967)

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"A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues" - Sky Saxon Blues Band (1967) This is a "Fonzie Jumped The Shark" kind of album.  Like Metallica's..."St Anger."   Kiss'..."The Elder."  "A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues" was a drastic Louie from what fans expected.  And in this instance, far removed from the garage, psych sounds fans were anticipating.  The expectation is the devil's vinyl playground. Sky Saxon Blues Band was indeed The Seeds as the cover photo suggests...but it also included the addition of a few band members from Muddy Waters .  This is a terrible Seeds album.  But as a blues-rock album... "A Full Spoon..." is mostly...not great.  However, the album is not as bad as its reputation suggests.  There are at least a couple songs that are decent, and when pulled from the album tracklist, are pretty good.  Tasty harmonica and guitar and yes, even the snotty vocals of Sky Saxon are kind of fun.  I threw $15 at i

Interview -- Roger Earl (Foghat)

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"Hold me, roll me,  slow ridin' woman  you're so fine." ~ Foghat ~ Roger Earl is the drummer and founding member of the English hard rock and roll band... Foghat .  No smoke and mirrors, this band.  No sleight of hands.  No misdirection.  No frilly surprises.  Foghat is what it is.  They give you what you need.  Every day.  All day long.  Roger Earl has been immersed in the holy waters of Muddy .  Baptized in the raucous fires of Jerry Lee .  Which might explain why Foghat has always been known for being one of the harder working bands.  Roger Earl is well aware that the joy is in the jamming.  And so he does.  The band tours like a junkie.  Always has.  And since 1972, Foghat has been road-mapping the world.  Roger is, indeed, a ' fool for the city.'    Go get you some. Roger Earl Interview -- April 2019 Roger Earl Casey Chambers:   Let's jump right into it.  One of my favorite songs from Foghat and one with just a ki

Horse Head Has An Idea:.."Columbo" - "Death Hits The Jackpot" (1991)

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HERE'S AN IDEA! I don't remember ever seeing this Columbo episode, but it's a pretty good one despite having to throw a pet chimp in the cast.  Guest star-bad guy  Rip Torn  is obviously enjoying himself...hamming up scenes without restraint.  The groundwork for the crime and coverup are neatly in place before the wonderfully annoying  Columbo (Peter Falk) shows his mug a cool 30 minutes in.  The story mixes more humor than usual with this mystery, but it pays off with a great ending.  I thought I knew what was going to trip him up, and I was pretty dang close, but Columbo's thumbscrew was on a different level.  Psycho Betsy Palmer (FRIDAY THE 13TH) even makes an appearance.  I was hoping the writers would let her have a summer cabin flashback but that was just a good opportunity missed.  Time to play the lottery. "Columbo" / "Death Hits The Jackpot" (1991) Good stuff. Casey Chambers Follow Me On FACEBOOK

TCCDM Dig and Flip: "The Bone Collector" by Jeffery Deaver (1997)

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"The Bone Collector" ...Jeffery Deaver (1997) 421 pages NO SPOILERS: It's hard to beat a good cat and mouse story and Jeffery Deaver has delivered a pretty unique and tasty page-turner.  Lincoln Rhymes , a retired crime scene savant, now a quadriplegic, is asked to lead a serial killer investigation.  Unable to easily leave his apartment, he assigns Amelia Sachs ...a reluctant young officer...to be his eyes, ears, nose, and legs to every crime scene.  And it's the dynamics between these two characters that really sell the story. The variety of tricks and techniques used to analyze crime scenes are extremely fascinating, but it would just be another textbook story without Rhymes and Sachs .  You've got to love well-written characters.  There is also a real-time feel that adds urgency to solving the crimes.  There is also an under-story about the subject of assisted suicide that works without being a distraction.  The movie is streaming on Netflix as

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Mad Love" (1980)

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"Mad Love" - Linda Ronstadt (1980) For whatever reason, Linda Ronstadt albums can be found everywhere and for mucho cheapo.  Which is great because Linda never made a bad album.  It's true!  So when you come across one...you have to pick it up.  There's no risk.  And “Mad Love” just happens to be my favorite.  Each song is sprinkled with the very lightest of new wave dust.  Even with the 80s dusting, the album still sounds fresh and powerful.  “How Do I Make You”..."Party Girl"..."Hurt So Bad"...."Girls Talk"...the title track.  The album is packed.  No filler.  Whether thumping her chest, (I'll wait while you think about that) or duct-taping a broken heart...Linda Ronstadt is all over it.  My copy is a promo I found in a $2 box.  Which is just a bonus 'cause I was buying the record anyway.   Hype sticker.  Promo sticker.  Back cover has lyrics which is always cool.  And a fantastic album cover.  There are plenty of place

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

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(a short jaunt) "Franklin's Tower" - Grateful Dead / "Blues for Allah" (1975) Roll away the dew, my friends.  This song is smothered in all kinds of catchy, groovy vibes. What does this song mean?  Beats me.  It means whatever you want it to mean.  I'm not a Deadhead yet...but I'm starting to drink their kool-aid.  Take this mantra...and use it for good. "The Friends Of Mr. Cairo" - Jon and Vangelis / "The Friends Of Mr. Cairo" (1981) I heard this once on the radio a long time ago and then I never heard it again.  The DJ never identified the song when it finished and I couldn't recall any specific lyrics to Google it up.  That's hell!  But I do remember being wonderfully tranced listening to it.  I'd long since forgotten about the song...except for the occasional outta-the-blue moments when a jangle snippet would bounce around in my head for no apparent reason.  This past week and a decade later, I fi

TCCDM Pulls One Out..."From A Naked Window" (1970)

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"From A Naked Window" - Jeremy Storch (1970) “From A Naked Window” (1970) is a die-cut, Unipak gatefold album.  The inside includes the lyrics penned by Jeremy Storch with a photo of the artist.  The record is one of those little treasures that just get lost in the rack sometimes and that's a shame because piano singer/songwriter, Jeremy Storch delivers a debut album that's filled with angst quite like nothing else.  The album is labeled as psych...and I guess it is...a wee bit.  But it isn't “in-your-face" psych.  This record spins on your turntable and throws off a quirkiness similar to the ending vibe of a microdot journey you've taken.  Light-psych, for sure.  The music is beautifully arranged, and wonderfully odd which all contributes to a more gentler trippiness rather than jarring. Jeremy Storch sounds like someone who might have flown up to the top of a windmill at some time...and never completely came back down.  The vocals are fragil