Blues (Singing) with a Feeling

During a recent work from home session, I was listening to a blues radio station in the background — Waterfront Blues Radio. I believe it’s in Portland, Oregon. The singer’s voice was familiar, but I couldn’t immediately place it. Oh, wait a minute, it’s B.B. King! That made me realize how often his vocal ability is overlooked or overshadowed by his guitar playing. The song he was singing is called “Ain’t Nobody’s Business.”

For the record, I’ve never watched any of the TV shows like The Voice, America’s Got Talent, The Masked Singer or whatever musical variety shows are popular this week. Hey, at least they are entertainment which, to my knowledge, doesn’t involve Star Wars, Batman, or “reality.” I bring this up because from the commercials and promotional clips I’ve seen, the panel of judges gets into the technical aspects of singing.

It’s not that I don’t care about those things, but I really don’t. Listening to this B.B. King track made me realize, that a good singer has the ability to MOVE the listener with his or her voice. You either pick up what they’re putting down or you don’t.

Another example is Jimi Hendrix. His status a Guitar God will never be in jeopardy, but I have always liked his singing. I got into an argument with my department store co-worker about that when I was about 17. He said something like “Hendrix couldn’t sing” and I took serious exception to that.

Since he is a Guitar God, a lot of conversations focus on his epic instrumental abilities. No argument here. However, I will say that Jimi Hendrix’s voice moves me. It always has. I chose to post his lesser known song “Remember” because I always liked it. To my ears, it’s basically a pop song. I used to listen to this one and the others on “Smash Hits” before I went off to the daily drudgery that is high school. I think you can make the same argument about Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s singing as well.

Obviously, SRV’s guitar abilities aren’t in doubt, but I think you have to give him some credit for the vocals, too.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Trespassing in East St. Louis

I can’t say I recommend trespassing in East St. Louis, but I CAN recommend the 1992 Walter Hill film called “Trespass.” (By the way, East St. Louis is in Illinois for those of you keeping score at home. ) The film’s story unfolds as two Arkansas firefighters learn about a treasure trove which is supposedly in an abandoned building. As the story unfolds, some local gangsters and a homeless dude become entangled in the hunt, too. The firefighters and gangsters are played by some familiar faces like Bill Paxton, William Sadler, Ice-T, Ice Cube to name a few. One thing I like about Walter Hill films is he often uses musician Ry Cooder on the soundtrack.

In addition to the title cut, “King of the Street” features Cooder’s music interspersed with some dialogue from the film. I always thought this could be an interesting way to market film soundtracks. I remember “Titanic” had a Celine Dion mix like that, but it doesn’t seem like it’s really done all that often.

Trespass is hard to categorize. IMDB.com puts it in the action/thriller category, but I think of it as a gritty drama with an urban backdrop. I would say “the smart survive” is one of the main themes of this film. Apparently, it’s loosely based on the John Huston film “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” with Humphrey Bogart.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Saturday Night’s Alright for Elton

Elton John. He’s thought of highly as a songwriter, but I’ve never really been that into his music. Call him “critically acclaimed”, but I don’t relate to most of it. I mean, sure, there’s “Benny and the Jets” and lots of other radio staples, but the issue I may have with it is it’s PIANO driven — not GUITAR driven. Perhaps that’s why my all time favorite composition of his is “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” The electric guitar in this song rocks! Thank you, Davey Johnstone.

It’s not just the guitar that I love in this song (although it’s worth mentioning that this tune makes use of suspended chords like numerous Rolling Stones compositions. The Open G tuning a la Keith Richards also works quite well with this one.) Despite all of Elton John’s outlandish eyeglasses, Donald Duck costumes, etc. the lyrics to this song are extremely macho.

Give credit to Elton John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. To my ears, this song REALLY captures something — it captures the sounds of working your ass off all week long and blowing it all out on Saturday Night. If a fight breaks out, so be it. Call it a byproduct of the working class.

Here’s another way of looking at it. People try to make “West Side Story” some big street gang thing. Personally, I could never relate to it. This Elton John song on the other hand…I completely relate to it. The lyrics to this song are genius. “A couple of the sounds that I really like are the sounds of a switchblade and a motorbike.” I don’t remember that in West Side Story.

Till next time keep your guard up, and your Mojo on the Horizon!

Out of the Furnace

If I told you there is a film that stars Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shephard, Willem Dafoe, and Forest Whitaker, would it be hard to believe? For all of its “star power”, this 2013 film is pretty restrained — understated even. Bale and Affleck star as two tough, working class brothers in Pennsylvania. One works at a steel mill while the other is on a revolving door of tours in Iraq. “Out of the Furnace” could be described as a slow paced, gritty drama. It was directed by Scott Cooper, who’s probably best known for “Crazy Heart” with Jeff Bridges as an aging country music star. The only song listed on Furnace’s soundtrack is called “Release” by Pearl Jam.

The two brothers deal with issues like PTSD, gambling, the death of their father, prison time, relationships, and more. Some might say the film doesn’t delve too deeply into societal issues, but it does present them — the steel mill closing while business goes to China for example. It’s a pretty macho film — think bareknuckle fighting and hunting rifles. The lone female star is Zoe Saldana, who plays one of the brothers’ love interests. Woody Harrelson plays a very believable costume jewelry wearing bad guy/meth head while Bale and Affleck are also believable as brothers. While the film could never be called “the feel good movie of the year”, it’s worth watching.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

More Celebrity Doppelgangers

I don’t think it’s the game that’s sweeping the nation, but I do run across more than my fair share of celebrity doppelgangers. Nine times out of ten, I will be watching a movie and start trying to figure out where I saw this actor/actress prior to the current viewing. My first example includes actress Kelly Lynch. She’s been in lots of different movies including “Roadhouse” and “Drug Store Cowboy.” Recently I saw part of Django Unchained, and thought she was in that one, too, but it turned out to be Laura Cayoutte. I think they both have sort of “squinty” smiles and they look more similar when they are both blonde.

My next example may be a bit more obscure, but I think there’s a resemblance between character actor Chris Mulkey and the National Hockey League’s Dave Lowry. Mulkey has been in tons of films including the original Rambo film “First Blood.” Lowry, on the other hand, was a winger for the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. One of the two is also a musician of sorts…I’m pretty sure it’s Mulkey. Another has two sons in the NHL and has been an assistant coach. That would be Lowry. Also, I think one has a red beard when it grows out? I think they could both be in the same police lineup, but that’s just my opinion. What do you think?

My final example for this installment of Celebrity Doppelgangers shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s Leelee Sobieski and Helen Hunt. I saw Sobieski on a talk show one time and the host asked her about it. She said she was flattered by it, etc. I think it’s the shape of their noses and their hair, but I could be wrong.

Apparently, I also thought some actress in “Gone Girl” looks like Meryl Streep, but I’m going to have to watch that one again. I looked at film pics on imdb.com and now I can’t see any resemblance at all.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Bob & Bob, Ezra & Conjunctions

A friend of mine had the pleasure of sharing a flight with the band Better Than Ezra recently and snagged a selfie along the way. I knew they had at least one hit in the 90s, but even when I looked them up, the song title “Good” didn’t jog my memory. I guess it could be called The “uh WOW how” song.

I looked to see what songs the band has covered and was pleasantly surprised to find they re-recorded the Saturday Morning Schoolhouse Rock classic, “Conjunction Junction.” (You have to buy the whole album it was released on to get it via iTunes.)

This song and several others for the Schoolhouse Rock thing were written by Bob Dorough. (Jack Sheldon and Terry Morel perform this world famous version. ) You can find versions of Dorough singing it and doing some sort of Ted Talk about Schoolhouse Rock, too. Wikipedia mentions the musical styles of bebop and cool jazz in describing Bob Dorough. I also found a rollicking version of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” by Dorough.

I think he could have added another minute or so of “scat” with it, but that’s just my opinion. He wrote some songs that reached a lot of people. Viva, Bob Dorough!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Chasing the Blues

As an avid movie watcher and music “collector”, this movie’s title made my both my ears and eyes perk up. 2017’s “Chasing the Blues” is an entertaining tale about a hard to find, supposedly cursed, record. By the way, the recording artist/guitarist only had three fingers on his fretting hand, too. How would I describe the storyline? It’s a little bit like Walter Hill’s “Crossroads” meets Roman Polanski’s “Ninth Gate” with some “Midnight Run” and “Storage Wars” thrown in for good measure. A couple of songs featured in the film include Leadbelly’s version of “The Midnight Special” and “Nobody’s Dirty Business” by Mississippi John Hurt.

Grant Rosenmeyer stars as a teacher/music collector who has a conflicting interest in finding the mythical record before his rival/record store owner Ronald L. Conner. Both men are obsessed and willing to give up everything for it. Supporting roles feature Jon Lovitz as a corrupt government official and Steve Guttenberg as another vinyl junkie. The film was directed by Scott Smith. According to imdb.com, Smith and Kevin Guilefoile wrote the story. Apparently, it won a few awards.

I can relate to the obsessive hunt for a song or, in particular, a record. I’ve never collected music for monetary value. I only purchase the songs I love. Watching this movie made me think about two specific cases where I purchased some 45’s. The first one was, Dave Edmunds’ version of “I Hear You Knocking.” The record store clerk (maybe even the owner) was this rough-looking biker dude who told me he would order it for me. To his credit, he did, and I still have it. He shoots he scores!

My second case followed the release of Paul McCartney’s “Russian Album.” I wanted to hear the original versions of two songs that Sir Paul covered. For whatever reason, I went to a different record store in search of Little Richard’s version of “Kansas City” and Lloyd Price’s “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” I remember speaking to the clerk/owner (who was a woman this time) about some of these songs. I might have also bought some Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochran albums there, too. It’s funny how I can remember the specific people who sold those records to me. Maybe the “quest for vinyl” made those trips more memorable. I have to say I have always enjoyed “Chasing the Blues.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Hippie Eco Anthems

To quote Nora Jones “I Don’t Know Why”, but I woke up with a Guess Who song in my head this morning. I can’t consciously remember hearing “Share the Land” on my local Album Oriented Rock station, but I had a Best of or Greatest Hits collection with it. A friend of mine might have had a more extensive collection of this Canadian band as well.

By the way, the singer-pianist, Burton Cummings, also wrote the song. “Share the Land” has an eco-friendly theme and also features some great harmony and Cummings’ soulful vocals. I like the way he matter of factly sings the line “talkin’ ’bout together now”. I remember watching The Howard Stern Interview on the E! Entertainment Network and Stern’s mom was a big fan of Burton Cummings. You’ve gotta love the drummer’s fringed vest in the video, right? It WAS 1970 after all.

The same year, Randy California and his band Spirit released the environmentally-conscious tune called “Nature’s Way.”

This song has a totally different feel than “Share the Land”. It’s haunting and sounds more like a cautionary tale about the environment as opposed to shaking hands, etc. This song says a lot it two and a half minutes. Very sparse in some ways, but effective. There’s also a timpani on the end of it. Jack Blades (Night Ranger) has a great version of this song as well. I think Tommy Shaw (Styx) might also sing on the track. No word on if any fringe was involved, but we can only hope.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Bigmouth Barry Champlain

If memory serves me correctly, I was in college when I first saw the 1988 film “Talk Radio.” I recently watched it again on the Tubi Network and have to say it did NOT disappoint me. The film directed by Oliver Stone focuses on a fictional Dallas talk radio host named Barry Champlain (played by Eric Bogosian). To call Champlain a loudmouth might be the understatement of the last fifty years. Maybe it’s the time period of the film, but he reminds me of the radio version of Morton Downey, Jr. — loud, confrontational, angry. There are some familiar names/faces in the cast including John C. McGinley and Alec Baldwin. For my money, Michael Wincott nearly steals the show with his appearance as a teenager listener named Kent.

I would say one of the main themes of the film is the whole idea of media mirroring society — and it’s not pretty. People call Barry to rant and ramble about issues including race, money, and crime. There are definitely some oddball callers like a woman who is afraid of the “gunk” in her mother’s garbage disposal. Barry is incendiary and loves to argue. He’s articulate and entertaining, but he’s also angry and self-destructive. It’s almost like the more contempt he has for his audience, the more they love it.

The origin of Talk Radio gets a little confusing. It’s based on a book called “Talked To Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg”, which was written by Stephen Singular. The book was apparently turned into a play by Eric Bogosian and Tad Savinar. I have never seen the play, but Bogosian is truly dynamic as the Barry Champlain character in the film. What struck me about the film this time around is how Bogosian plays the “bigmouth” while Alec Baldwin and John C. McGinley are only supporting cast members. Some viewers might recognize Bogosian as a captain from one of the 30 or so “Law and Order” series out there.

Whether you love or hate Oliver Stone, I think you have to give him some credit for bringing this story to the big screen. Nowadays, your only choice at the theater is “Star Wars” or “Marvel.” What would Barry Champlain think about that?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

One Hit Christmas Wonders?

Every Christmas Season I’m plagued…I’m tormented even…trying to decide what is the BEST CHRISTMAS SONG OF ALL TIME (or at least which one is my personal favorite.) I have yet to come to a definitive conclusion. To me, there are many different factors in this all too important matter. I have a short list of say 10-12 songs in the running. There are entries from well known artists like Elvis, John Lennon, The Beach Boys, and The Eagles. Then there are your sort of one hit Christmas wonders like Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock.”

It should be noted that Hank Garland gets the credit for playing lead guitar on this one. What a sound! While the guitar is a distinct part of this track, there is a lot happening in the two and half minutes of this Christmas classic: backing vocals, jingle bells, etc. I never realized the lyric is “to go GLIDING in a one horse sleigh” — I always thought it was “riding.” Apparently Garland and Helms both missed out on songwriting royalties for this one. I did a quick search for “JBR” on YouTube today, I found a version of Helms performing this on a TV show while wearing an eyepatch. Interesting. There are also a couple of odd “Hall and Oates” videos out there and a Billy Idol version in the same vein.

Another song which jumped out at me this year is “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” which features a fantastic vocal by Darlene Love. I knew when I heard it on the radio it was a Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” thing.

Spector shares a songwriting credit with fellow Brill Building writers Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry on this one. It was released on the 1963 album “A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.” This song really grabs me from the get-go, but my favorite part is the pause and the lyric about “Deck the Halls” and “not like Christmas at all.” Over the years, David Letterman had Darlene Love on his show to perform this song almost thirty times.

While none of the cover versions can compete with the original, you can find attempts by Joey Ramone, Smash Mouth, U2, Hanson, and many more. There’s even a dance mix version with Rosie O’Donnell and Cher. Apparently, Cher sang backing vocals on the original.

There are plenty of other One Hit Christmas Wonders and oddities out there. I found one which parodied “Roxanne” by The Police this year. Good luck finding them and deciding on your favorites.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!