Here Be…Serpents of the Sea?

When I saw a series called “World War Weird” available on the free streaming network Tubi, I had to check it out. The first episode is a great one. I don’t think the rest of them did a lot for me.

In any event, Season One Episode One focuses on a couple of weird, if not amazing, tales from World War I. The first story focuses on the British cargo ship SS Iberian. It was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915, but that’s not the wild part. Supposedly, the direct hit awakened a large creature from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. A couple of years later, a similar incident was reported with a different ship, Royal Navy convoy sloop HMS Coreoposis. Apparently, they came upon a U-boat crew which was standing on deck of its normally underwater vessel. The U-boat commander told them they were attacked by some giant creature from the depths.

I racked my brain for an appropriate sea serpent tune, but couldn’t find one so I’m posting a version of the traditional folk song “The Water is Wide” by Felix Pappalardi.

I also found another version by Rory Block.

As for the sea serpent stories, no one really knows what happened. Are they true stories or just maritime tall tales? Personally, I don’t care. I feel the value of the stories outweighs whether they’re truth, fiction, or something in between the two. I think part of the appeal is the mystery of deep seas and oceans. Could some enormous thing stay hidden there for half a billion years? I suppose it’s possible.

I briefly looked on Amazon and found a couple of related books: “Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps” by Chet Van Duzer and “The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep” by cryptozoology guru Loren Coleman. If nothing else, I’m sure the graphics and artwork will be awesome. I’ll bet there are some great stories in there, too.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Icarus, Maiden, & the Minotaur?

I don’t know why, but it seems like when I was a kid, my classes ended up reading excerpts of the same stories. Huck Finn is a big story in Missouri…then there was To Kill a Mockingbird…and then the story of Theseus & the Minotaur. My attitude towards the latter was, “Yeah, yeah, bull-headed dude, maze, smart guy with a string.” Did I miss anything? Apparently I did.

Recently, I watched an episode of “Great Greek Myths” on the FreeVee streaming network. Season 1, Episode 9 is entitled “Dedalus and Icarus.” If you’re confused, don’t be. I didn’t remember reading anything about Icarus in the multiple readings of Theseus & the Minotaur, but apparently, he was stuck in the aforementioned maze or labyrinth. British heavy metal band Iron Maiden paid tribute with a song called “Flight of Icarus.” (There is a great WAILING high note at the end of the song.)

MTV gave this song some airplay. The visual effects are fairly cheesy, but whatever…it was the 80s.

Getting back to the program, I don’t remember any tie in to Icarus with the whole minotaur thing. Apparently, his father whipped up some wings so he could fly out of the labyrinth, but there was some wax involved. As Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and Icarus fell into what’s known as the Icarian Sea. Tragic, huh? Then there’s a whole other thing about how the minotaur came to be which is pretty freaky.

Apparently, this was a French TV production because it’s listed on imdb.com as Les Grand Mythes. It was directed by Francois Busnel. There are about 40 episodes to choose from and they offer some stunning visual animation.

By the way, “Flight of Icarus” was written by Maiden’s Adrian Smith and wailing lead singer Bruce Dickinson. Perhaps someone should do a modern version of the whole thing and Theseus and Icarus can escape by playing the song at maximum volume. That should take care of the labyrinth and the minotaur. AAAAAaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

ACCA DACCA Damnation

Contestant: I’d like “Obscure AC/DC “ for $500 please, Alex.

Alex Trebek: This 1978 studio album was released with lead singer Brian Johnson’s predecessor Bon Scott on vocals.

Contestant: What is “Powerage”?

Alex Trebek: Correct! You now have control of the board.

I don’t know exactly where or when I first heard “Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation”, but I only recently came to appreciate how great this song is. If I had to explain what playing to a groove is, this song is a great example. It oozes rhythm. Songwriting credits are shared by Bon Scott along with brothers Angus and Malcolm Young.

I couldn’t find a ton of info on this track, but I would bet the driving force was Malcolm Young and his 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird — a powerful combo. Apparently, the band’s record label wanted a radio-friendly tune and this is what they got. Some might dismiss this song as too basic, but I think that may be the beauty of it. It has a beat you can clap along with and a powerful vocal from Bon Scott.

I watched a program which described Scott as a “street poet.” This song is a prime example of it. Lyrically, there are some mentions of respect, disease, and whipping boys. Maybe street preacher would be a better term for his delivery. I love the bits of vocal harmony along with the call-and-response “Damnation.” Around the 2:30 mark, there’s a great bit of vocal phrasing strung together in one breath “Livin’ on the street you got to practice what you preach.”

I found a few different cover versions of this song…one from Buckcherry, one from a band called The Screaming Jets, and a true to the original acoustic cover by guitarist Eric McFadden. To his credit, the acoustic version still grooves and he also hits a really high vocal note in one spot, too.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Blueszilla Guitarists

If you follow this blog with any regularity, you see the term “Guitar God” from time to time. To me, this means the well-known, stadium-filling guitarists who have achieved some level of mainstream success….Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Those are the obvious ones to me. I suppose their ability to play both mind-blowing solos and tasty licks contribute to the label as well. You can certainly add other names to the list…Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, and many more. Alex Lifeson’s “Working Man” guitar solo wins a lot of points with me for example.

We all have our personal preferences on what moves us and what doesn’t. Personally, I love a lot of roots and blues music….slide guitar especially. I’m sure I was searching YouTube for certain guitar models when I came across a guitarist named R.J. Ronquillio.

I know I have watched many of his videos doing demos on resonator guitars I’d love to own from brands like Danelectro, Eastwood, and Hwy 61. Plus, he gives lessons on slide guitar as well. Recently, I saw one video demo of a distinctive guitar called the Guild Guitars Starfire I Jet 90. https://www.rjronquillo.com/

Another bluesy guitarist I came across is a Canadian guy named Colin James. I’m not certain, but I might have encountered his playing while searching for covers of songs I know and love like John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” or Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow.”

I had not heard his name previously, but his recordings left a memorable impression on me. According to Wikipedia, he has played with musicians like Bonnie Raitt, Long John Baldry, and The Chieftains. He even played a command performance for the Queen. According to his website https://colinjames.com/ he is currently touring Canada.

Have these two achieved Guitar God status? Maybe not, but they are really damn good in my opinion. This wins them both my inaugural Blueszilla Guitar award. Congrats!

Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Assassinating Jesse James

I can honestly say I’ve never seen another film like “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” — and it’s not just because of the monosyllabic title. It’s a truly unique film. I’m familiar with the story of the James-Younger Gang not only because I live in Missouri, but also because of other films on the same subject. More on that later.

This 2007 film was written and directed by Andrew Dominik and stars former Missouri resident Brad Pitt as the gregarious but ruthless Jesse James and Casey Affleck as the creeptastic, sniveling Robert Ford. I would describe the film as dark, serious and, visually striking. As you might expect, there is violence, but it’s not just a shoot ’em up Western. The film’s soundtrack definitely contributes to the dark mood thanks to songs like Nick Cave & Warren Ellis’ “Song For Jesse.”

For those of you hoping Ben Affleck plays Bob’s older brother Charley Ford, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. However, Sam Rockwell injects some humor into the character. Paul Schneider is a standout as the poetic womanizing gang member Dick Liddil. Gang members Wood Hite and Frank James (Jesse’s brother) are played by the late Sam Shephard and Jeremy Renner, respectively.

A big piece of the film is the relationship between Jesse James and the Ford family, Bob Ford specifically. The scenes with Affleck and Pitt are good ones. Ford is portrayed as a young Jesse James fanboy while James is the alpha male of the gang. It’s not all black and white, though, as both have strengths and weaknesses. Sideline aspects of the story include gang related murders , cover ups, and revenge motives. That’s something you don’t really see in Walter Hill’s “The Long Riders”, which is one of my favorite films. “The Long Riders” also gives more attention to the Younger family, which this film doesn’t.

As for general cinematography, the film captures some great visuals of a nighttime train robbery and another of riding across a snow covered prairie on horseback.

This is not a film for everyone, but it is a great one as well as a long one at 2:40. It’s based on a book of the same title by Ron Hansen.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Limo Ridin’ w/ Ronnie

Where were you in 1981? I guess I was in the house I grew up in, but that was about …40 years ago?? Wow. On August 1st of ’81, Music Television premiered. Later that same month, The Rolling Stones released their album “Tattoo You.” I remember seeing a few of the Stones’ videos like “Start Me Up” on MTV, but I don’t think I owned the album until five or ten years later. I feel like a lot of people roll their eyes when you mention “Tattoo You”, but I would argue there’s some good stuff on there. (To put it into perspective, this album was released between 1980’s “Emotional Rescue” and 1983’s “Undercover”.) One song I remember liking the first time I heard it was “Black Limousine” – – a song which Jagger-Richards shared writing credits with Ronnie Wood. Wood recorded the song a few times on his own.

Besides “blues”, how else could you describe this song? Beats me. Call me basic, but I don’t need to psychoanalyze music and lyrics to enjoy music. This song is RAW. It “grooves”. It has rhythm. It has a FEEL to it.

I’m sure there are Rolling Stones fans who could care less about this particular track, but I am not one of them. One review I read compares the sound of this song to the Stones early singles when they were just another up and coming blues cover band.

If you’re looking for some deep lyrical meaning, this song might not be for you. As far as the 80’s goes, it wasn’t ALL parachute pants, legwarmers, and Rubik’s Cubes. The Blues was still around and The Stones were still carrying the torch. Maybe Kajagoogoo or A Flock of Seagulls has more lyrical meaning….I don’t know, I didn’t listen to them then and I don’t listen to them now.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Slide Guitar Torpedoes

It’s officially 2023 so I’m reviewing my blog ideas. While I can’t say my past week of couch potato time has been extremely fruitful, there are lots of fun blog entries ahead…everything from sea serpents to marionettes and blues guitar to other obscure song, film, and TV oddities. It has been extremely cold in my neck of the woods so I justify my TV time as frostbite avoidance therapy.

In any event, one show that pops to mind was a Classic Albums video on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1979 album “Damn the Torpedoes.” The album yielded several hits like “Here Comes my Girl” and “Even the Losers.” One of my friends refers to “Don’t Do Me Like That” as the “Hurt Yourself” song. There’s also “Refugee” (which is a word bandied about plenty on the news these days) and an album cut I hadn’t heard called “Louisiana Rain.”

This song brings to light a couple of things. First, there’s Petty’s talent as a songwriter and storyteller, but also the guitar chops of the often-heard-but-underrated lead guitar of Mike Campbell. In the Classic Albums program, Petty talks about the idea behind the song and Campbell mentions the fact that there are TWO slide guitar tracks on this one.

I looked around for cover versions of this song and it seems like females have the more well-known versions. I found one by the husky-throated Bonnie Tyler and another by the distinct voice of Lucinda Williams. I really enjoyed the one by Kansas City native-turned Louisiana resident Samantha Fish.

I wonder if the slide guitar is what caught Fish’s ear? She plays some mean slide and does it on both cigar box guitars and standard ones. Maybe she just bought “Damn the Torpedoes” like millions of other listeners, or maybe both? Honestly, I don’t think I ever owned Petty’s album, but I heard the hits a million times via classic rock radio.

I’ve seen interviews with songwriters where they say a song “takes on a life of its own” so that seems to be true in this case. I suppose from Tom Petty’s standpoint, you never know which song will resonate with a mass audience or an individual listener.

By the way, the “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” quote is attributed to Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Did he really say it exactly like that? Probably not, but it’s a good mantra for a new year!

Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

French Foreign Elvis

So there I was…watching the 1977 film “March or Die” starring Gene Hackman and Max von Sydow when I thought I recognized a song being played in a bar scene. I begrudgingly used the phone app Shazam, but it came up with nothing. So much for technology! It turns out I was right. The tune in my head was “Can’t Help Falling in Love” — made famous by The King, Elvis Presley.

Elvis used to close his shows with this song and it was apparently the last song he performed live before his untimely death (also in 1977). Sad day. Getting back to “March or Die”, the film is set in the 1920s and Hackman stars as an American major in the French Foreign Legion. (More on the Legion in a bit. ) I couldn’t find the exact video clip from the film, but the original French tune is called “Plaisir d’amour.”

Apparently, the lyrics were written as a poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian and the music by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. This song has been recorded by the likes of Joan Baez, Charlotte Church, Marianne Faithfull, and Judy Collins. There’s even an English version by Roger Whittaker,

As for the French Foreign Legion, I’d have to say the uniforms are pretty badass. You have the blue uniform coat with the gold buttons and the white caps (kepis) with the neck flaps. That’s not something you see every day. There’s also a company called Palladium which sells desert boots based on the FFL’s. I think they may have been the original manufacturer or something like that.

I think there’s a certain romance with the notion of joining the French Foreign Legion –not JUST the cool uniforms and boots, but walking on foreign sands. For now, I’ll stick to the movies.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Xmas Smackdown

Some may argue it’s in man’s nature to fight. Does it all come down to good guys vs. bad guys or right vs. wrong? The argument of red vs. blue can definitely be made…whether you’re talking about politics, Bloods vs. Crips, or even Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Naturally, that brings up the topic of Christmas — it’s hard to believe that another Christmas is almost here, but “whoomp there it is.”

Hopefully this Christmas season will be one of peace for you,… rest, relaxation, and reconnecting with old friends and relatives. I had a friend years ago whose tradition was hosting a Christmas party in his condo. Good friends, good food, and my friend had VHS recordings of about every Christmas TV show you could name. For some reason, I have a hard time remembering the title of 1974’s “The Year Without a Santa Claus”, but I can definitely remember the music.

I can remember standing in my buddy’s living room when this song came onto his TV and cracking up when the chorus line of little Snow Misers made their entrance.

Maybe it’s the arrangements, but I always thought the songs had a sort of Gene Krupa-Sandy Nelson feel to them. The musical composer’s credit goes to Maury Laws with lyrics by Jules Bass. One interesting bit of trivia about the Snow Miser song: Vocals were performed by Dick Shawn — you might remember him as the emotionally unstable character Sylvester in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” As for his look, Snow Miser definitely has panache. (Mr. Peanut has got nothing on his hat and cane ensemble. ) The ski slope nose with an icicle is a nice touch…or is it “too much”?

Heat Miser, on the other hand, has more of a Bob Dylan-Jimi Hendrix-Don King hairdo happening. It definitely enhances his whole flame vibe. George S. Irving handled the vocal duties on the green Christmas tune. If this was an actual boxing match between the two brothers, Snow Miser would get the decision based on the winter vibe of Christmas.

I don’t remember too much else about this particular TV Christmas special. I think there’s a depressing version of “Blue Christmas”sung by a little girl in it. Otherwise, it’s a glorious stop motion animation thing that’s fun for all ages.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072424/

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

LeopardSkinPillBobDylan

Bob Dylan…an interesting dude. He’s one of the most bootlegged recording artists around and has had many different chapters in his career: folk singer, “protest” songwriter, Grammy winner, member of The Traveling Wilburys, etc.

Some people loved his acoustic recordings, but went nuts when he “went electric”. Others can’t stand his voice, but love his songwriting. I would probably say I’ve been a Bob Dylan fan since my teens or twenties. (The Concert for Bangladesh was probably my initial introduction to him. Thanks, George Harrison!) Recently, I was made aware of a museum called The Bob Dylan Center https://bobdylancenter.com/ …I assumed it would be in his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, but I was wrong….it’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

During a recent road trip, I was fortunate enough to check out this museum and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has some of the things one might expect to find like backstage passes, handwritten lyrics, and interviews. (I’m not including a whole bunch of pics to spoil the fun for those who are able to visit. I will say some of my favorite display items were cards mailed to Dylan from George Harrison.) Museum attendees are provided with headphones and will get a chance to listen to performances and interviews.

So what’s the appeal of Bob Dylan? Some call him a poet. I think part of that poetry he does really well might best be classified as “stream of consciousness.”

And, yes, I’m partial to the bluesy arrangement and unique lyrics of “Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat.” On my drive home from Tulsa, I was listening to a classic rock station and two songs reminded me of Dylan’s impact. The first was Guns ‘N Roses cover of Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”. It’s interesting to think about how many people have heard this song just because this Sunset Strip metal band recorded it. Thanks, Dylan. The second was R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as we Know It (and I Feel Fine).” While Dylan didn’t write this song, it certainly seems like an attempt to imitate him or craft some Dylanesque lyrics.

One of the hardest decisions I had to make was which souvenir to purchase from the BDC’s gift shop. I decided on a guitar capo with the museum’s name on it. I’m going to see if it “balances on my head just like a mattress on a bottle of wine.”

Viva, Tulsa! Viva, Bob Dylan!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!