Friday, September 8, 2017

Nirvana on Vinyl, 1988-1994

On September 9, 1992 – 25 years ago this month -- Nirvana appeared on the MTV Music Awards to reluctantly perform “Lithium,” and the performance ended with Krist Novoselic tossing his bass in the air.  And then it landed on his head.  I play bass.  Not pleasant.
In celebration(?) of that, here’s a Nirvana vinyl discography from 1988 (their first release) through the spring of 1994 (Kurt Cobain’s death).  This is the most efficient (though not least expensive) way to find all of Nirvana’s music on vinyl from their brief time together.  So this list is not a guide to outtakes, bootlegs, reissues, foreign pressings, etc.  It’s just the most expedient way to get everything on original US and UK vinyl.  I have also included notes on what to buy if you just want everything on those new, easy-to-use CDs.




1988:
* “Love Buzz” / “Big Cheese” single
Includes picture sleeve.  This was the first entry in the Sub Pop Singles Club. A-side begins with a short sound montage that is unavailable elsewhere; the song without the montage is on the “Bleach” LP.  The B-side was added to pressings of “Bleach” starting in 1992.
On CD: On the “Bleach” LP, but without the montage intro.

Here's how to spot a LEGITIMATE copy...
-They have a fold-over sleeve (i.e. it’s a 7” by 14” piece of cardboard that is folded in the middle, so it opens like a book; the disk goes in between the folds)
-The text on the back can be seen read. Some copies have the names of Alice Wheeler and Suzanne Sasic too dark to read, or they've been traced over.
-The vinyl is black
-The labels are black with white print
-The matrix information is hand-written as follows:

Side A:
SP-23-A Why Don't You Trade Those Guitars For Shovels? L-31540

Side B:
SP-23-B L-31540X

Counterfeits often come close, but have errors in the matrices such as the print being too large (3mm on fakes; 2mm on legit copies). Some copies omit the question mark on the shovels quote, or add quotation marks, or even get the exact order (as listed above) wrong. Other copies dispense with the dashes, or have the information stamped instead of handwritten.
Legitimate copies also have "Kdisc" (the name of the pressing plant) stamped into the groove.

* “Spank Thru”
On the LP “Sub Pop 200” (also released as a boxed set of three 12” singles).
On CD: “Sub Pop 200.”

1989:
* “Bleach” LP
First studio album; 11 tracks. Original pressings (1,000 copies) on white vinyl; some copies came with a poster.  Second pressing (2,000 copies) on black vinyl; most of these copies came with a poster.  A few of the first- and second-pressing copies include a press kit as well.  Later pressings are on different colors, and pressings starting in 1992 added the songs “Big Cheese” and “Downer.”

* “Blew” EP
British EP, includes tracks that are also on “Bleach” or “Incesticide,” except the version of “Been a Son,” which is only available here and on 2002’s “Greatest Hits.”
On CD: All tracks on “Bleach” or “Incesticide,” except the version of “Been a Son,” which is only available here and on 2002’s “Greatest Hits.”

1990:
* “Do You Love Me?”
From the KISS tribute album, “Hard to Believe: A KISS Covers Compilation” (C/Z Records).
On CD: ““Hard to Believe”; "18 Original Hits Performed By 18 Unoriginal Artists" (PolyGram PMP 011, 2/21/95)

* “Sliver” single
On the U.S. 7” version only, the A-side is followed by a phone call from Sub Pop’s Jon Poneman to a very sleepy Krist Novoselic.  On the UK 12”, they add a live version of “About a Girl” from the Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Oregon, recorded February 9, 1990.
On CD: On the UK CD single, there is a fourth track, a live version of “Spank Thru” from the Pine Street show. “Sliver” and “Dive” are both on “Incesticide”; the entire Pine Street Theatre show is on the deluxe edition of “Bleach,” but has been remixed.  The original mixes are on the 1990 UK CD single.

1991:
* “Molly’s Lips”
Split single (with The Fluid) on Sub Pop with a live version of “Molly’s Lips” from the Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Oregon, recorded February 9, 1990.
On CD: The entire Pine Street Theatre show is on the deluxe edition of “Bleach,” but has been remixed.

* “Here She Comes Now”
Split single (with the Melvins) on colored vinyl from the Velvet Underground tribute album, “Heaven and Hell Vol. 1” (Communion Records).
On CD: WTLO.

* “Nevermind” LP
Original U.S. pressings are on black vinyl with a black label, and include a custom innersleeve.

1992:
* “Smells Like Teen Spirit” single
The UK 12" picture disk (first in a series of four) adds unique versions of “Even In His Youth” and “Aneurysm” (which is different from the one on “Incesticide”).
On CD: “Even In His Youth” is on the deluxe reissue of “Nevermind,” and “Aneurysm” is on WTLO.

* “Hormoaning” EP
Japan/Australia EP released February 5, 1992 to promote the band’s upcoming tour.  Contains six tracks, five of which are available on “Incesticide” or on singles listed on this page.  One song -- "D-7" – is from an October 21, 1990 John Peel/BBC session and is only available on vinyl here, or on the 2011 RSD reissue of the “Lithium” single (DGC DGCTP 9).  This EP was also reissued for RSD 2013.
On CD: All tracks are on “Incesticide” or the reissue of “Nevermind.”

* “Come As You Are” single
The UK 12" picture disk adds live versions of “Endless, Nameless” and “School” (recorded on Halloween, 1991 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle).  The US 7” (no picture sleeve) instead has a version of “Drain You” from the same show.
On CD: The entire Paramount Theatre show is on the deluxe edition of “Nevermind,” and may have been remixed.  The original mixes are on the 1992 UK CD single.

* “Lithium” single
The UK 12" picture disk adds a live version of “Been a Son” (recorded at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle on Halloween, 1991) and the studio cut, “Curmudgeon.” 
A fourth track is added to the UK CD (“D-7”) from a John Peel/BBC session.  That cut is only on three pieces of vinyl: the 1992 “Hormoaning” EP, the 2011 Record Store Day reissue of this single (which includes all four cuts on a 10”, DGC DGCTP 9), or the 2013 RSD reissue of “Hormoaning.”
On CD: “Curmudgeon” and “D-7” are on WTLO; “Been a Son” is part of the entire Paramount Theatre show on the deluxe edition of “Nevermind,” and may have been remixed.  The original mix is on this 1992 CD single.

* “In Bloom” single
The UK 12" picture disk adds live versions of “Sliver” (recorded at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle on Halloween, 1991) and “Polly” (recorded at the O’Brien Pavilion, Del Mar, California, December 28, 1991).  “Sliver” is sometimes mistakenly listed as being from the Del Mar show.
On CD: Both tracks are on the reissue of “Nevermind,” where “Sliver” may have been remixed.  The entire Del Mar show was recorded by Westwood One for radio broadcast.  CDs – and possibly reel to reel tapes -- of the show were sent to radio stations.

* “Incesticide” LP
Compilation album released December 14, 1992. Original pressings are on blue vinyl and include a custom innersleeve.

1993:
* “Oh, the Guilt” single
Split 7” single (with The Jesus Lizard) on Touch and Go Records.  British copies (pressed in France) are on blue vinyl with silver labels; jackets have a UPC barcode that is clearly grafted onto the original artwork.  American pressings have a better-integrated UPC code, are on black vinyl with black labels.
On CD: Remixed for WTLO.

* “Return of the Rat”
From a boxed set of four 45s titled, “Eight Songs For Greg Sage and the Wipers” (Tim Kerr Records)
On CD: Original mix on "Fourteen Songs For Greg Sage and the Wipers" (Tim Kerr Records TK 917010 TRIB2, 1993); remixed for WTLO.

* “Heart-Shaped Box” single
UK 7” copies have a non-album B-side, “Marigold.”  American 12” promo copies have the non-album B-side “Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip” (which was only on non-US CD copies of “In Utero” in 1993).
On CD: Both tracks are on WTLO and the reissue of “In Utero.”

* “In Utero” LP
Studio album released September 21, 1993. Original pressings are on clear, blue-tinted vinyl and include a custom innersleeve.  The front cover has a small legend at the bottom reading “Special Limited Edition Disc.” Later or non-American pressings have a UPC barcode on the back that looks grafted onto the original artwork; original American pressings have a better-integrated UPC code.

* “I Hate Myself and Want to Die”
From the various artists compilation, “The Beavis and Butthead Experience” (Geffen).
On CD: “The Beavis and Butthead Experience” (Geffen); remix is on WTLO.

* “All Apologies” single
The UK 12" and 7” vinyl issues add the song “M.V.”
On CD: The original mix is on the CD single from 1993. “M.V.” has been remixed for the reissue of “In Utero.”

1994:
* “Pennyroyal Tea”/”I Hate Myself and Want to Die” single
Slated for release in April, 1994, but shelved after the death of Kurt Cobain.  A-side was a remix of the “In Utero” track; the B-side would have been the same mix as on the “Beavis & Butthead” compilation.  For many years, a batch of supposedly legitimate UK copies of this 45 (with picture sleeve) circulated with collectors, but they are most likely fakes.  This single was finally issued for RSD 2014, with the original, album mix of the A-side and a remix of the B-side.
On CD: The reissue of “In Utero” contains both mixes of “Pennyroyal Tea” and the remix of “I Hate Myself and Want to Die.”  The original mix of “I Hate…” is only on “The Beavis & Butthead Experience.”

* “Pay to Play”
Demo version of “Stay Away” with different lyrics, released only on UK vinyl on the compilation album “Geffen Rarities, Vol. 1” (Geffen/MCA GFL-19247, September 21, 1994).
On CD: WTLO; “DGC Rarities, Vol. 1” (DGC/Geffen/MCA DGCD-24704, July 5, 1994)

CD only releases
* “Sappy”
No original vinyl release; first vinyl issue was on “No Alternative” for Record Store Day 2013.
On CD: WTLO; "No Alternative," (Arista/BMG 07822-18737-2, 1993).

* “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (Le Summum, Grenoble, France, February 18, 1994)
No vinyl release.
On CD: “Home Alive-The Art of Self-Defense,” (Epic E2K67486, 1996); this is on the double CD edition only; a later single-disc version does not include the Nirvana track.

* “Rape Me” (“Saturday Night Live,” September 25, 1993)
No vinyl release.
On CD: “SNL The Musical Performances Vol. 2,” (Dreamworks 0044-50206-2, 1999)

* “Spank Thru” (1985 “Fecal Matter” demo); “Sappy” (1990 studio take); “Come As You Are” (1991 boombox version)
No vinyl release.
On CD: Only available on “Sliver: The Best of the Box” (2005), a sampler from WTLO that contains these three exclusive tracks.


So what does this mean to the CD buyer who wants all the music, and isn’t going to track down dozens of 20-30-year-old pieces of vinyl?  You need to buy the following…
Deluxe editions of “Bleach,” “Nevermind,” “In Utero” and “MTV Unplugged in New York”
“Incesticide” (1992)
“Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!” (video, 1994)
“From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah” (1996)
“With the Lights Out” (boxed set, 2004)
“Live at Reading” England 1992 (video, 2009)
“Live at the Paramount” Seattle 1991 (video, 2011)
“Live and Loud” Seattle 1993 (video, 2013)

And then to complete the official discography, find…
-intro to “Love Buzz”
-“Spank Thru” (“Sub Pop 200")
-“Do You Love Me?” (“Hard to Believe: A KISS Covers Compilation”)
-“Radio Friendly Unit Shifter” (live, 1994; “Home Alive-The Art of Self-Defense")
-“Rape Me” (live 1993; “SNL The Musical Performances Vol. 2")
-“Spank Thru” (1985 “Fecal Matter” demo); “Sappy” (1990 studio take); “Come As You Are” (1991 boombox version), from the 2005 CD “Sliver: The Best of the Box”
-“Been a Son” and “You Know You’re Right” (Greatest Hits, 2002)


Other curios:
An interesting, CD-only promo radio show featuring interviews with the band and previously released music.

* Nirvana recorded four BBC sessions: three for John Peel (10/26/89, 10/21/90, 9/3/91) and one for “Mark Goodier’s Evening Session” (11/9/91).  The 1990 and ’91 sessions are collected on WTLO, “Incesticide” and the reissue of “Nevermind.”  The 1989 John Peel session has never been officially released anywhere, but a very nice 7” bootleg EP (somewhat alluding to the design motif from “Blew”) is easily (and cheaply!) available.  The session featured versions of “Love Buzz,” “About A Girl,” “Polly,” and “Spank Thru.”

* In 2004, a radio series titled “Nightly Nirvana” began circulating to radio stations.  CDs of that show contain a great deal of unreleased material.

* The bootleg series “Outcesticide” has done an outstanding job of cataloging rare and unreleased Nirvana.


For a reference to every song Nirvana has ever released, click here.

And I didn't know where to put this, so it's going here... the rare poster included with first pressings of "Bleach":

Friday, August 18, 2017

The Best of Glen Campbell

I posted this on Facebook when Glen Campbell died, but figured I would wait to print it here...

I only have one Glen Campbell album, "The Best of Glen Campbell," from 1976 (pictured).  This was from an era when Capitol Records was running a campaign titled "The Greatest Music Ever Sold," with lots of compilations aimed at the holiday market.  This LP hit #11, and even though Glen could have probably filled three LPs with hits at that point -- and even though a lot of the other Capitol compilations were double albums -- they pared it down to his biggest hits on the POP -- not country -- charts for one disk.  So you don't have to listen to "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife," "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)," "True Grit," "Burning Bridges," "Manhattan, Kansas," "Bonaparte's Retreat," "Don't Pull Your Love," "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye," "Sunflower" or any of his '70s countrypolitan tunes (blech).  You also don't get the mellow theme to the Clint Eastwood film "Any Which Way You Can," which came out later (1980).
(For a good survey of his earlier country-only hits, check out 1971's "Greatest Hits," which only has 50 percent overlap with "Best of.")
Another weird aspect of the 1976 album is that the cover photo (complete with 1970s Dad hair) was apparently taken by Kenny Rogers?
I like this "Best of" not only because it's wall-to-wall enjoyable, but it doesn't substitute live versions for any of the hits (as later compilations seem to).  Beware of the CD of this album; it has a very different track list, but the same cover.
One Glen Campbell cut that never appears on any of his albums is 1965's "Guess I'm Dumb," a tune that Brian Wilson wrote and produced for Glen as he left the touring version of the Beach Boys and headed out on a solo career. Even the backing vocals are by the Beach Boys; it's like a lost BB single.
As a bonus... here's a video I must have watched a thousand times when I was little: Glen Campbell from the Smothers Brothers' 20th Anniversary (February 3, 1988), joined at one point by the great John Hartford.  Within that medley, there's an excerpt of their 1968 appearance, which is available here.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Goodbye, cassette tapes! And VHS, 8-track, Minidisc, DV, Beta...

Around 2000 or 2001, a lot of TV stations started trying to go tapeless. They planned to rely on hard drives for playback and storage of shows, using tape only for ENG (electronic news gathering), which would immediately be digitized and edited for air. But the technology wasn't totally reliable yet. When 9/11 hit, a lot of stations found that out the hard way. Another decade passed before stations were able to really go tapeless, especially since they had to go HD anyway.
Until that point, I was something of a tape hoarder: cassettes, VHS, Hi8, U-Matic, Betacam AND Betamax, 8-track, microcassette, DV, DVCPro, reel tapes... Not only would I try to record my family, I had to tape community events and whatnot for work. I often copied rare TV and radio shows when I could find them.
"You have a Beta tape with an episode of ALF, including the original commercials? I'll send you a blank!"
"You've got a Peter Laughner private-press bootleg? I want it!"
And this was on top of my audio tapes, a collection that had grown since I was old enough to operate my portable Panasonic RQ-2107 cassette recorder. So in addition to store-bought cassettes, 8-tracks and reels, I had blanks with my various garage bands, rare concerts, mix tapes and all sorts of other weird stuff. There's a whole tape of me and my friend fake interviewing eachother in 8th grade under the pretense that he's a British journalist. Another tape is the birth of my younger brother. Playing all these back required me to keep a museum of machines on hand, from Teac 4-track reel decks to a Sony dual-record cassette with Dolby S to a NOS Panasonic car 8-track deck, which I always thought would look cool installed in a new car.
Around 2008, I realized... I'm not the library!  And a lot of this stuff was starting to be posted online.
So I began liquidating my equipment, while also digitizing the tapes. Say what you will about analog purity: I would much rather have the tape of my morning announcements from high school -- recorded with a handheld Toshiba recording Walkman, from a speaker in the ceiling of Mrs. Bernacek's room -- as a 40mb WAV file, instead of on a Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal cassette with the record-safety tabs covered over. The quality difference does not faze me.
As I've tossed equipment and sent old tapes to either Goodwill or to collectors, my basement has slowly emptied out. My tape collection was likely not as extensive as some people, but it took up probably three large file cabinets, and the equipment was just a big, fat fire hazard.
Finally, last spring, I got a Sony DV/DVCPro  playback deck. Even though these tapes are digital, and the deck had FireWire out, modern computers can't handle that. So I went S-Video into my laptop, while also using a Teac stereo reel deck (on its last legs) to digitize reels into a Marantz flash recorder.

So what did I learn during this multi-year odyssey?
1) Magnetic media sounds magical, but is a pain to store.
2) Cassettes need to be played more than once every 20 years
3) I should have waited to sell all of my Nintendo stuff
4) Garrard turntables are satan
5) Minidiscs were unnecessary
6) Hi8/8mm/Digital8 recorders have the slowest fast-wind on planet Earth
7) There's nothing classic about old VCRs

More importantly, what did I see and hear?
1) A tape of my band from 8th grade playing, and we ROCKED
2) Another garage tape -- recorded with two microphones -- where I say "goodnight left microphone," and "goodnight right microphone" at the end.
3) My son and daughter introducing something called "the big, big shooooooow"
4) My brother asking me to play my "Yellow Submarine" record, and he keeps trying to sing "You all live in a Yellow Submarine" to bother me
5) Me interviewing people at the ice-cream shop in town, right after it opened
6) A tape of me at age 1, greeting my Dad after work, who asks my Mom if she had lunch.  She replies, "I haven't had a candy bar, I haven't had pizza, I haven't had ANYthing," as if those were the only acceptable options for lunch.

Anyhow, you see from the pic at the top of this post, I'm done digitizing!!!! That's the last box of tapes I had, all digitized and bulked and ready to go to the great tape room in the sky.

As for equipment, the Teac reel is going with them. I've sold the Sony DV deck and all my VCRs.  I have a nice Sony cassette machine and a couple of nice portable Walkman recorders to sell. And I'm keeping a nice Otari MX-5050 4-track reel, a Teac half-track reel and a Technics RS-T80R double cassette deck... just in case. Because there were about two dozen cassettes and reels I simply couldn't dump. That's the second pic in this post: a small box of recordings that were really, really good and sound amazing. No point in digitizing them if I still have nice playback machines and perhaps, years from now, I'll mixdown everything properly -- all-analog -- and have it pressed up onto vinyl.
I also saved a half-dozen tapes of family importance: that audio tape of my brother's birth, a brief interview with my Dad on the day he came to America in 1967, a video of my daughter as a newborn. Perhaps in a hundred years, they'll be able to take a magnetic tape and extract the atmosphere and reconstruct someone in person who existed on that tape. Sound crazy?  Well just imagine telling someone in 1917 that, someday, they could see and hear a person in a other country in real-time.  Mind-blowing!

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Norm Macdonald Live with Sarah Silverman and David Letterman

Norm's "new season" has dropped with David Letterman!  It's really an apparent continuation of season 3, which began with two episodes last September and then went on hiatus.  Anyhow, I decided to write up my reviews of the show so far.

Season 1
-26 March 2013 Super Dave Osborne -- classic; Bob Einstein is a comedy machine
-2 April 2013 Tom Green -- low-key and Green seems sad, but is quite engaging
-9 April 2013 Fred Stoller -- good stories; hilarious reactions to Adam Eget
-16 April 2013 Russell Brand -- can't watch him
-23 April 2013 Billy Bob Thornton -- Norm transforms a weird and uncomfortable guest into someone watchable
-30 April 2013 Larry King -- another classic; far more entertaining than I would have guessed
-7 May 2013 Kevin Nealon -- cool SNL stories; always a good guest
-14 May 2013 Simon Helberg -- haven't seen it
-21 May 2013 Nick Swardson -- filthy and great but seems a little too in awe of Norm; watch for his Mr. Furley imitation alone
-27 May 2013 Andy Dick -- another pleasant surprise; much less annoying than I would have predicted
-11 June 2013 Gilbert Gottfried -- hilarious, but we need less callbacks! The show's only an hour!

Season 2
This season was uniformly entertaining...
-12 May 2014 Ray Romano
-21 May 2014 Adam Sandler
-26 May 2014 David Spade
-2 June 2014 Carl Reiner
-9 June 2014 Fred Willard
-16 June 2014 Todd Glass -- lots of YT comments about how Norm spent the whole time messing with him; NO! Norm messes with everyone
-30 June 2014 Bob Saget
-7 July 2014 David Koechner -- some commenters feel that Norm was apathetic toward David Koechner, or that Koechner misunderstood Norm's jokes, but I disagree.  He was entertaining
-14 July 2014 Roseanne Barr -- surprisingly low-key; very entertaining; best death stare at Adam Eget since Super Dave
-21 July 2014 Marc Maron
-28 July 2014 Martin Mull -- good chat about his stand-up
-7 August 2014 Jack Carter -- I believe this was his last appearance anywhere

Season 3
-15 September 2016 Stephen Merchant -- Norm starts by imitating William F. Buckley, which is appropriate since this ends up feeling more like a UK v US political roundtable (at one point, Merchant even asks why Norm isn't asking for cool showbiz stories, like when Adam Sandler was the guest)
-26 September 2016 Bill Hader -- cool showbiz stories, but Hader seems really low-energy
-25 July 2017 David Letterman -- classic
-1 August 2017 Mike Tyson -- the only time Norm and the guest both seem to make eachother uncomfortable. Hilarious.
-8 August 2017 Bobby Lee -- funny but disturbing
-15 August 2017 Sarah Silverman [two episodes] -- classic
-22 August 2017 Dana Carvey -- classic; Carvey clearly has a lot of respect for Norm
-29 August 2017 Jerry Seinfeld -- I didn't know that Jerry was such a Norm fan! At the end, Norm says the show was "dream like"; I agree. This also includes a slew of excellent impressions from Norm
-5 September 2017 Caitlyn Jenner -- haven't seen it except for clips
-12 September 2017 Rich Little -- only watched part of it; Little has slowed down a bit
-19 September 2017 Margaret Cho -- funny but also informative
-26 September 2017 Tim Allen -- much better than expected; Allen was really "on" compared to some of his mainstream talk show appearances
-3 October 2017 Jim Carrey -- a perfect, anarchic last episode, just as it was when Carrey was the final guest on "Larry Sanders," 19 years earlier. Fitting.

{NOTE: this article originally ended with the listing for the David Letterman episode, and then the following upcoming guest info. It was updated June 25, 2023 with the remainder of season 3. Obviously, only a few of the upcoming guests actually made it onto the show... and I also recall Norm mentioning Jan Michael Vincent.}

Upcoming guests?
Sarah Silverman (see pic) and Caitlyn Jenner have apparently already been taped, and Norm seems to confirm, in this interview, that Mike Tyson and Jim Carrey are being taped soon.  (UPDATE: Jerry Seinfeld airs next week).
Other upcoming guests listed on Wikipedia include Dana Carvey, Judd Apatow, Margaret Cho, Jerry Mathers, Bobby Lee, Conan O'Brien, Bruce Vilanch, Artie Lange and Jon Hein.  Norm also mentioned in the above article that he's been trying to get O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Elvis Played His Final Concerts 40 Years Ago in Cincinnati and Indianapolis

Elvis Presley began his final run of concerts 40 years ago today, June 25, in Cincinnati.
More than 17,000 people jammed into Riverfront Coliseum – now called U.S Bank Arena – for what would turn out to be Elvis’ second-to-last concert.  Presley arrived late, telling the crowd it was due to dental problems.
The show came at the end of almost two months of constant touring, and the King of Rock and Roll’s performance was described as “loose and light-hearted” by the Cincinnati Enquirer --  a far cry from some of Presley’s other 1977 shows.
After Cincinnati, Elvis flew to Indianapolis and played what would be his final show on June 26, 1977 before about 17,000 people at Market Square Arena.
Before the show, cameras at the airport captured the last known footage of Presley, accepting a gold record.  The film would be used in the posthumous TV special, “Elvis In Concert,” that fall.  The program – like many of Presley’s final shows -- was noted for the singer’s unhealthy appearance and inconsistent performance, and has never been shown again.  (The concert footage in the special was actually shot in Omaha on June 19 and Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 21.)
A few weeks before his death, Elvis’ “Moody Blue” LP was released on translucent blue vinyl.  Although much of Elvis’ 1970s product consisted of cheaply slapped-together compilations of old cuts built around hit singles, “Moody Blue” was somewhat consistent: six cuts from sessions at Graceland in October, 1976, and three from live shows in April, 1977.  A studio session meant to fill out this LP was scheduled for January, 1977, but canceled, which is why RCA recorded the live tracks; they also rounded out the LP with a live cover of Olivia Newton-John’s “Let Me Be There” that had already been released in 1974.
The content is pretty good: “Moody Blue” is a light touch of disco that somehow topped the country charts and also hit #31 on the pop charts.  “Way Down” is a chugging rocker with eerily prescient lyrics.  It also hit #1 country and #31 pop, but then shot back up to #18 pop after Elvis died.  In England, it became Elvis’ first #1 since 1970’s “The Wonder of You.”  It also contains what is recognized by the “Guinness Book” as the lowest note ever recorded by a human voice (J.D. Sumner’s double-low-C).  Another stand-out cut is a live cover of Olivia Newton-John’s “If You Love Me (Let Me Know).”  Even Elvis’ take on “Little Darlin’” outshines Rogers & Clark.
The album itself hit #1 country and #3 pop.
Copies of “Moody Blue” (like many later Elvis works) seem to be budget bin staples; I routinely find sealed copies of this album for under a dollar, likely because it sold so much better than his other albums of that era.
The first half-million blue vinyl copies sold out in early August, 1977, and RCA switched to standard black vinyl.  When Elvis died on August 16, the company immediately went back to blue vinyl, thus making the black vinyl copies very rare.  Note that Canadian black vinyl copies, and later black vinyl reissues from the 1980s and beyond, are not rare.
What of the arenas?  Riverfront Coliseum would be the site where, in 1979, 11 fans were trampled to death before a concert by The Who.  Its name was changed to “The Crown” in 1997, “Firstar Center” in 1999 and “U.S. Bank Arena” in 2002.
Market Square Arena’s main tenant for most of its life was the Indiana Pacers.  The arena closed in 1999, the day after the team closed its season and moved to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  The next season (1999-2000), they made their only (to date) NBA Finals appearance, eventually losing to the Lakers in six.  David Letterman spent much of the spring and summer of 2000 cheering on the team during his program, while also wistfully recalling their ABA days with Darnell Hillman and Bob Netolicky.
Five weeks after playing Indianapolis, Elvis’ former bodyguards released a tell-all book (“Elvis: What Happened?”) detailing his drug use.  Two weeks after that, on August 16, he died of a heart attack.  He had been scheduled to leave that evening for another tour.

And now, for no reason, is a discussion of Andy Kaufman's take on Elvis, just months before the final shows.

Here's video from Elvis' final shows.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

SNL and Harry Potter

One of SNL's most famous episodes in recent years -- May 1, 2004, with Lindsay Lohan -- includes not only the Debbie Downer/DisneyWorld sketch, but also this take on Harry Potter. Less well-known is a second sketch: a few years later, when Daniel Radcliffe hosted, they mocked a grown-up Potter returning to Hogwarts.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Interesting celebrity commercials with John Cleese, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Alda

Here's some more classic celebrity commercials. They are not as bad as most of the ones I've posted here.

First up, Sir John Gielgud for Paul Masson wine, and its immortal cathphrase.

Bruno Sammartino, Bobby Riggs, Phil Esposito, Brooks Robinson, Johnny Unitas and Walt Frazier all pretend like they love to hang out at Bally's Atlantic City. The weird audio edit at the end is far more annoying than what they intended (humor?).

A post-MASH Alan Alda tries to sell Atari computers (just before Commodore's Jack Tramiel took over the company from Warner Bros. and initiated a race-to-the-bottom price war that only further exacerbated the Video Game Crash). And a pre-MASH Mike Farrell sells Schmidt's Big Mouth Beer. Both of these are likely already addressed in this post.

One of many commercials for Memorex tape featuring the great Ella Fitzgerald. Chuck Mangione is also in the ad with her, and from the way they describe things, could this be for the short-lived and elusive Type III audio tape?! This (and the next ad) are taken from the April 14, 1979 broadcast of SNL with host Milton Berle (a train wreck).

The Commodores sell Schlitz beer; it's catchy and goofy. Schlitz is the same company that would make The Bull malt liquor a few years later.

Here's Dustin Hoffman showing some pretty good physical comedy/comedic timing chops while showing off the Volkswagen Type 3. For some non-Dustin Hoffman, non-Type 3 VW commercials (all about the Beetle/Bug aka Type 1) check out this blog post.

John Cleese for American Express.

And finally, Tim Conway for Lays potato chips

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Louis CK: Checking out of hotels

A fine two-hander from one of Louis CK's recent hosting stints.  I wonder if this originated with one of the writers, or from Louis' experiences on tour.  And fortunately, it is NOT a TV parody... the next time you watch an episode from the late 1990s forward, note how many of the sketches seem to have been inspired by very-late-night channel-surfing.  It's embarrassing!  I maintain the problem is due to 1) writing in the middle of the night (instead of being out with people), and 2) having 80,000 channels and a TV in every writers' office (which was not the case at SNL for many years).

Monday, June 12, 2017

Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time

It's been 14 years since "Rolling Stone" magazine compiled its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.  Most of the complaints about the list are that it's Baby Boomer-centric (and I can't argue with that), but is that a bad thing?!  That's open to discussion.  Jann Wenner's tastes have always baffled me, and in fact remind me more and more often that his magazine is the best of a weak lot... Crawdaddy?  CIRCUS?!?!  (Check out this blog post, which features a terrible commercial for Circus.  Publisher Jerry Rothberg has no business on-camera... "do you know the faaaaacccccts").

Anyhow, RS also compiled a 100 greatest LP list (1987) and a 200 greatest (1997), so aren't they due?  In 2012, the 500 greatest was updated with 38 new albums, 16 of which came out after the original list.  I guess they wanted to seem relevant or something (and then they published it in a BIG, FAT, PRINTED BOOK instead of making it available in an easy-to-navigate online format).  I don't know enough about the revised list, but I would love to see them go all the way to 1000... not unlike the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list.

All that being said, there are several disks I never see on any of these lists, which should be.  To wit:

-Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles, 1967): I make a case for this in this video (at the 36:30 mark, or so).
-Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd. (The Monkees, 1967)
-A Wizard, A True Star (Todd Rundgren, 1973)
-Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (Spirit, 1970)
-On the Threshold Of a Dream (Moody Blues, 1969)
-Nashville Skyline (Bob Dylan, 1969)
-Tug of War (Paul McCartney, 1982)
-Ringo (Ringo Starr, 1973)
-33 1/3 (George Harrison, 1976)


As a bonus, since I don't know where else to put it, here's the catchy opening "theme" (if you can call it that) from The Beatles ABC-TV cartoon series:

Friday, June 9, 2017

2 Promos For Happy Days and Bob Newhart

Following on the post about "Happy Days" promos, here's one from Nick at Nite (and one for Bob Newhart, below), back when promos were actually useful (1998) and not just a crawl on the screen. I have to say, this is probably more entertaining, and took more effort, than most of the actual shows on Nick at Nite today. Happy Days writer Mark Rothman talks about the origin of "Sit On It" on his blog. And for fun, here's a manic Tom Hanks taking on the Fonz in 1982.



This "Bob Newhart Show" promo must have been the brainchild of the same person who made "Sit On It" above. Both of them have that 1990s LA vibe that gave us Quentin Tarantino and "Pulp Fiction." And they're both catchy.

#snl4kidz

Thursday, June 8, 2017

2 Horrible Christmas Songs by Bob Seger and Brian Wilson

It's June, so you know that means; CHRISTMAS SONGS!

I've cringed at the following two awful Christmas songs as much as I have whenever I hear "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."

"The First Noel" by Brian Wilson sounds like a terrible, warbly mess that was concocted on a department store keyboard. I hate, hate, hate it, probably because I know Mr. Wilson can (and has) made lots of music that was better than this:


Bob Seger recorded his first Christmas song, "Sock It to Me, Santa" in the late 1960s, when he was still a goofy kid. It's his attempt at James Brown, and it has its charms. However, I cannot forgive him for his take on "The Little Drummer Boy," recorded when he was a GROWN MAN at age 44!  Again, it's a case of a fine artist recording horrible music.  Sad.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Karl's Video Store (The Beta Barn?) on SNL

SNL only did two "Karl's Video Store" sketches: October 9, 1993 with host Jeff Goldblum, and a second one with host Bob Saget (May 6, 1995).

It's interesting they decided to do these almost two years apart. Maybe when Saget showed up, they remembered mentioning him (seemingly randomly) in the 1993 sketch, and it triggered them to write a second one. It's also interesting to see the show at two diametrically opposed points: the Goldblum episode had a huge host and musical guest, and the show was still basking in several years of huge acclaim (and only its second "Outstanding Comedy Variety Series" Emmy, which they won Sept. 19, 1993). All of that acclaim would rapidly dry up, and by the end of season 20 (when Saget hosted), things seemed stilted. The second sketch, though, actually comes off well, and functions almost like the Scotch Tape Store sketches of the late 1970s: not a lot of hard laughs, but interesting and enjoyable to watch a character who is overly devoted to his job.

By the way, I have linked these from two different sources: usually, the same sketches are posted to NBC.com. as well as Hulu.  For some reason, each Karl's Video sketch is only on one of the sites.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Joan Rivers and her FIRST Talk Show, "That Show"

I had NO IDEA that Rivers had a daytime show in 1968-69, "That Show with Joan Rivers." It's on Hulu now. Each half-hour episode has a featured topic discussed by one expert and one celebrity (such as Johnny Carson, on episode two). I've found no info about the show except an episode guide and a listing on imdb. Based on those, it says there were 200+ episodes (I've seen either 214 or 255 as the count) from September 16, 1968 until September 12, 1969. The set was clearly designed to appeal to women (who were usually home) of the era and the topics were similar to what you'd see on daytime now: interior decorating, natural childbirth, cosmetic surgery, etiquette, hypnosis, etc. Below is a clip (not from Hulu, where you may need a Hulu+ subscription) featuring a cringey Jerry Lewis discussing kids in showbiz families (episode eight):


The two most interesting things about this show are 1) it seems totally forgotten, and 2) we all know the trouble Joan had when she got her own late-night show on Fox in 1986. That led to Johnny Carson totally cutting off ties with her forever (after being very, very close for the previous 20 years), because she didn't tell him until the night before the announcement. Clearly, since appeared on episode two of "That Show" (and later in the run, we see Ed McMahon and several others with strong Carson-ties), he was not offended by this daytime show... and that's likely because 1) it wasn't a direct competitor to his show, 2) she was not yet his permanent guest host (as she was from 1983-86), and 3) she DID tell him about this one. We'll never know. I think the reverse view of, "why should Joan have had to kowtow to Johnny in 1986 when negotiating with Fox?" -- is amply considered in this piece.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Zach Galifianakis Drops By the Set (SNL)

One of the best SNL episodes ever (March 6, 2010, with musical guest Vampire Weekend) featured this sketch in which Zach Galifianakis visits "Law & Order," Brian Williams and many more shows.  Later in the SNL episode, they called back to this during their "Today Show" parody.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Bobby Runnel & the Faux Pas: "True Love -- Heartaches"

Bobby Runnel was a singer/musician from the deep south who, for many years, was based in Northeast Ohio.  This blog post from Garage Hangover discusses his career and his finest garage-rock moment, "True Love -- Heartaches."  The third version of that tune (from 1969) was with Bobby's group, The Faux Pas, recorded during a residency at Nino's restaurant in Akron.  I had no idea there was such a large Italian population in Akron, but apparently there was (as evidenced by the beloved local pizza place, Luigi's).

Friday, June 2, 2017

Poochinski v. A Christmas Story

I was sent a link today to an unsold pilot I had forgotten about: "Poochinski," which aired on NBC on July 9, 1990.  That's almost a year-to-the-day after another unsold NBC pilot, "The Seinfeld Chronicles"; fortunately, the network changed their minds about Jerry and his show.  And how knows?  If "Poochinski" had been given a four-show order, we might still be watching all sorts of "talking dog"/"Turner & Hooch" rip-offs.

Anyhow, the reason this caught my eye is that it "stars" Peter Boyle.  As you'll see in this clip*, he was in the first section of the pilot, then voices the dog after his character is killed.  So I have to assume he would have only provided a voice if this went to series.  Why would you hire the singular-looking Peter Boyle and then only use his (also great) voice?!

This is a classic case of too many cooks.  Along with Boyle, the talent here was all over the map as far as their backgrounds.

Will MacKenzie had directed a lot of episodes of "Newhart" and "WKRP," "Moonlighting," "Family Ties," "Everybody Loves Raymond" (with Boyle!) and many other shows.  (He also played Carol's husband on "The Bob Newhart Show").

Amy Yasbeck played John Ritter's wife in "Problem Child," and also in real life.

Andy Summers is the guitarist for The Police!

Frank McRae was Sharkey in "License to Kill" (one of the most violent yet under-rated James Bond films ever), and also the police captain in "48 Hours."

But the biggest surprise is producer David Kirschner, the man behind both "An American Tail" and the stupid Chucky horror films!

Not a good combination of talents.

It kind of reminds me of "A Christmas Story," which was directed by Bob Clark (“Porky’s” and the horror-cult classic “Black Christmas), based on a book by Jean Shepard, who wrote humor pieces for "Playboy," "Car & Driver" and "MAD Magazine."  That movie came out much better than "Poochinski," though.

*NOTE: The clip of "Poochinski" above is from an ABC special on (I believe) unsold pilots.  Despite the branding, "Poochinski" really did air on NBC.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Birdie Num Num with Peter Sellers

The 1968 film "The Party" seems to be either over-praised or under-praised, depending on whom you ask.  I think we can all agree, however, the most famous scene involves the phrase "Birdie Num Num."  And for good measure, here's another scene with Sellers playing an Indian.


 #snl4kidz

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

How Are the New York Mets, Star Trek and The Peter Pan Singers Connected?

Who remembers Peter Pan Records?  The label started in the 1950s making childrens 78s, but by the 1970s, they were releasing LPs with recordings of popular hits... proto-Kidz Bop!  I owned two of these albums: one with film hits from 1978-79 (the themes from "Animal House" and "The Main Event" plus "Long Live Rock" from "The Kids Are Alright"), and the album below.  In both cases, I vaguely knew these were NOT the original hits, but I didn't know much else about the generic backing bands or singers.  I still don't, but I do have a new appreciation for what turns out to be pretty high production values.  They clearly made a lot from a little, as evidenced on the "Black and White" LP ("The New Hit!" according to the jacket) profiled here.  Looking at the track list, it's a Three Dog Night cover larded with an album full of racial tolerance pleas, like you might hear in a Guitar Mass.  The drummer on "Move a Little Your Way" is a monster (even if the trumpet solo ends on a near-clam)...


Like most of the songs on "Black and White," that tune was written by someone named Ruth Roberts, who died in 2011.  She also (co?)-wrote the New York Mets 1961 fight song, "Meet the Mets," plus "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" (recorded by both Buddy Holly and The Beatles).  Her son was also a producer who worked on "Star Trek."  Not a bad track record of creations!

One last note about Peter Pan Records... the logo above has always looked semi-evil to me.  I decided to remove his bangs (pic below), and he looks much happier.  Those bangs were doubling as angry eyebrows!

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

A Salute to Richard Cheese

Richard Cheese has made a name for himself as the Los Angeles King of Unintentional Swing. Here’s his takes on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of.”

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Collecting Vinyl in the 1990s


With the hundreds of vinyl reissues flowing forth each week and available everywhere from Wal-Mart to used book stores, I was reminded what a bizarre process it was to buy vinyl in the 1990s; new AND used.  This blog post is my way of answering young kids who ask "how did YOU get records in your day?"

New vinyl was impossible to find back then.  I, fortunately, worked at our high school radio station, which was still on all the lists to get promotional albums.  Back when stations actually MAILED you promo disks.  That's how I got copies of Primus' "Frizzle Fry" and The Beastie Boys' "Check Your Head" -- everyone else at the station was into CDs and found the vinyl to be an annoying space-waster.  Plus, being in the upper-middle-class suburbs, the Beasties were mostly ignored in favor of Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey... or there was a small contingent who wanted to rebel against Dad's job as regional sales manager, and opted for Sepultura. Those kids are now CPAs.

Once I got my license, I started going to Quonset Hut, a record store near the mall.  Apparently, The Black Keys worked there.  And here I was, playing bass and tuba and experimenting with tape machines. Looks like we just missed eachother.
Along with a huge CD section, Quonset Hur stocked a lot of vinyl.  I can still remember buying Rage Against the Machine's first two albums there, as well as Beck's "Odelay."  I also remember NOT buying LPs of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" and "Adore," because they were $12.98 -- or about 10 percent what those albums are worth today.

I have three other weird memories of Quonset Hut.
First, it was next door to Ohio Sound, a snooty stereo shop that is also long-gone.  I always thought it would be cool to buy an LP at QH and then take it next door to test the equipment.  Alas, Ohio Sound was always closed on the nights I went, and this never happened.

Second... in 1992, as "Wayne's World" exploded, we all went scrambling for Queen albums. Unfortunately, the band hadn't been very popular in the U.S. for a decade, AND they had just switched to Hollywood Records.  So there was little product out there.  I had a 45 of "We Will Rock You," as well as the LP of 1984's "Works" (since I loved the video for "Radio Gaga" as a kid), and a friend copied me a hissy cassette of 1981's "Queen's Greatest Hits."  It did not, however, include "Bohemian Rhapsody," which he lopped off so the album would fit on one side of a C-90!  So I asked the clerks if there was a CD or vinyl (or even cassette) of Queen's Greatest Hits, and they almost sold me the then-new compilation with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and a bunch of 1980s (post-"The Game") songs.  But I was wise to their little game!

Third... in 1997, I saw a video for Wyclef Jean's "We Just Trying to Stay Alive," and went to Quonset Hut to ask if it was available as a 12".  The clerk said it wasn't, and then confidently added that it never would be.  He wasn't being condescending, he just seemed so sure of himself.  Years later, I learned it HAD been released as a single.

That was what I did for new vinyl, since the other option was mail order... not easy for a teenager with no credit card.  The one time I called Acoustic Sounds, Chad Kassem himself got on the phone to get rid of me.  Hooray?

So basically, I bought a lot of used albums (which was fine, since I wasn't really into "modern music" and grunge).

In the early '90s, Spin-More in Kent was the only used record store close enough to trick my parents into taking me.  The staff there (a middle-aged couple and their 20-something son, if I read the situation correctly) had their albums priced right out of the Goldmine price guide.  No late-80s Zappa album in decent-but-unspectacular condition should have been $40 -- then or now.  The store was dusty and dark, and probably a fire hazard.  It closed in 2012, and since then it seems everyone in Northeast Ohio has come out of the woodwork with a weird story about Spin-More.  My favorite: a friend went in during a night of heavy drinking, picked up a rare German Rolling Stones boxed set and asked the clerk if he could take it outside and convince his brother to buy it.  The clerk agreed, and my friend ran outside... forever.  (The thief in question now owns a store of his own, by the way).

When I went to Spin-More, I would trade-in CDs that no one wanted (from the school radio station) for vinyl.  My best trade was for a sealed copy of Elvis' "That's the Way It Is."  In 1995, I asked them to special order me a copy of "Beatles Anthology I," which they said they would do, and then call me once it was in.  I'm still waiting.

By the mid-90s, Spin-More's remoteness and high prices drove me to the Record Exchange, a Cleveland chain that sold new and used music.  They finally started branching into the suburbs, opening near Chapel Hill Mall in 1994.  My first trip there was that April, and I was blown away.  I remember pawing through the albums that day and finding a near-mint copy of "Exile On Main Street," while two middle-aged guys near me found a near-mint "Moby Grape."  The problem with Record Exchange back then was that the records had no prices... you'd take them to the front counter, trembling, so a clerk could price them.  He or she would decide by examining the disks, the jacket and YOU.  I can remember another visit during which I had two copies of "Beggar's Banquet" to choose from, and had to decide which one looked worse before approaching "The Judge."  I also made sure to look a little pathetic by removing my hat to display the messed up hair beneath.

On that first visit, I paid a grand total of $4.50 for "Exile."  Another visit netted Derek & the Dominos "In Concert" for a dollar.  And these are just a few of the hundreds of albums I bought there over the years.  Who says records are a bad investment?  As the '90s wore on, the vinyl selection at Record Exchange dwindled.  More and more useless 12" singles started popping up, along with umpteen terrible '80s albums (Air Supply, Loverboy, Journey).  And the "Exchange" developed a new scheme: a small black sticker indicated a record was 50 cents (by 2002 or so, the black sticker had dropped to 10 cents).  At some point in the 2000's, I think The Record Exchange split in two: some stores became "CD/Game exchange" and others were "The Exchange."  All still sold mostly CDs and DVDs, plus lots of gaming hardware and software... and a bit of vinyl.  They even opened locations in Chicago, which I frequented.  About eight years ago, I visited "The Exchange" in Kent for the first time in a decade, and scooped up numerous copies of "Rubber Soul" and early Pink Floyd albums from the bargain bin (the black stickers were gone by this point, and their baseline became a buck).  Slowly, new vinyl crept in, mostly thanks to Record Store Day, and now there's enough of THAT around that I can find marked-down or used albums released just 3 years ago.  Kids today don't know how good they have it when it comes to vinyl shopping.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

How to Collect The Beatles' Solo Work, And Deep Cuts

There's been a lot of news about Beatles' solo releases in the past few months. Paul has re-signed with Capitol Records after a gap of several years (with Concord Music), and has resumed his series of deluxe re-issues (with "Flowers In the Dirt"). George has a vinyl boxed set out with all of his solo albums (but no extras!). In watching all of this, I realized that there are people who just want THE HITS and maybe some other key tracks, and don't feel like shelling out hundreds of dollars for solo albums which, sad to say, had few highlights after 1982. I do see a lot of those albums in the used bins these days, and I wonder if a young kid who is into the Beatles might accidentally pick up a weak entry like "Gone Troppo" (George, 1982) or "Wings at the Speed of Sound" (1976) and be HUGELY disappointed, assuming all Beatles' solo stuff is crap... which is wrong.

In this post, I'll cover John, George and Ringo's work. Paul has more releases, and more complex ones; he'll be in tomorrow.

RINGO:
Most of Ringo's albums involve him recording a mix of covers plus tunes written with (or by) his friends, in an "All-Starr Band" format. The best example is 1973's "Ringo," which features all three of his bandmates, plus The Band, Harry Nilsson and many others. The LP is always in the vinyl dollar bins, but the 1992 CD reissue adds the great single, "It Don't Come Easy" (really written by George, but given away to his buddy).

You could also just grab 2007's "Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr." Most of the best stuff is on this CD.

For deep cuts, I would add "Blue Turning Grey Over You" (from 1970's "Sentimental Journey"), plus "$15 Draw" and "Wine, Women and Loud Happy Songs" from 1970's "Beaucoups of Blues." That LP, which I wrote about here, is a minor country classic, with lots of Nashville sessions cats laying down the backing... it could be any random country LP from that era, but Ringo adds a dollop of charm. The b-side to the "Beaucoups of Blues" 45 is a loud, jamming outtake titled "Coochy Coochy," which is infectious. It's also added to the 1995 CD reissue.

Two guilty pleasures are "Drowning In the Sea of Love," a 1978 attempt at disco that's usually derided for being out of Ringo's range. It's still catchy. And 1981's "Private Property" (from "Stop and Smell the Roses") was written and produced by Paul. Sounds like a could-have-been-single.

JOHN:
John started his solo career with three experimental LPs, then came half of a ragged live album ("Live Peace In Toronto 1969"). He also released five non-album singles in this period. His first "proper" LPs are the classic and soul-baring "Plastic Ono Band" (1970), followed by 1971's "Imagine" (called "POB with marshmallow coating" by John). However, I have to say that "POB" is a tough listen in spots, especially given what happened during the rest of John's life. Almost as good (and much more polished) is 1974's "Walls & Bridges."

In the LP bins, I often see the great 1982 compilation "The John Lennon Collection," which contains the non-album 45s, almost all of John's tracks from 1980's "Double Fantasy," and all of John's other hit singles.

If you'd rather go digital, and get more tracks to boot, get 2005's double-CD "Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon." Not only does it contain all the hits, it adds most of the "Imagine" LP and the best outtakes that came out after "John Lennon Collection."

If I were to add any more deep cuts to "Working Class Hero," they would be "Rip It Up/Ready Teddy" from 1975's "Rock and Roll," plus the live "Yer Blues" from the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (taped 1968, but issued in 1996). That blistering performance has John backed by Mitch Mitchell, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. Amazing. Another track that's out there is "India, India." That's a demo that John recorded in the late 1970s, which was issued in 2010 on "The John Lennon Signature Box." A version with tasteful Indian backing (which I prefer) has been easily findable on bootlegs/online for years.

GEORGE:
"All Things Must Pass" still stands as George's masterpiece, but 1987's "Cloud Nine," 1976's "33 1/3" and 1988's "Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1" are also worth seeking out. Unfortunately, the latter two are not represented on the excellent 2009 CD compilation, "Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison." It's his only compilation that includes material from both the Apple Years (1968-75) and the Dark Horse era (1976-92), but it's also incomplete!

For deep cuts, I would start with the charting singles "Faster," "Ding Dong, Ding Dong," "You," "Crackerbox Palace" and "Love Comes to Everyone." (I'm not including the the single "Bangladesh," which hit #23 but is just not a great song). Then, add tracks like "This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)," "Pure Smokey," "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" (almost released as the second single from "Living In the Material World") and "Mystical One." After that, if Dhani could dig out his dad's demo of "Sour Milk Sea" from 1968, it would be great to hear that in pristine sound. It would also be nice to include the B-side that birthed The Traveling Wilburys, "Handle with Care." A guilty pleasure is the very non-rocking "Drilling a Home" from 1968's "Wonderwall Music" soundtrack.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Commercials from the MASH series finale, 1983

Today is Gary Burghoff's 74th birthday!  Amid all the parades and speeches, take time to watch these commercials, which aired during the series finale of MASH ("Goodbye, Farewell and Amen") on February 28, 1983.  It's interesting that the only "special" commercial is the first one, for Chevrolet, where they mention "this special program."  That's it.  Not like today where every commercial during the Superbowl is an EVENT.
There are also a few live hits and promos for WBBM Channel 2's coverage that evening of an after-party in Chicago, hosted by human haircut Bob Sirott.  I keep trying to get his stories from that evening, and he keeps sending me restraining orders.  Oh well.  Someday I will tell the story of how my parents -- who have always loved MASH -- missed the entire broadcast.


Tuesday, May 23, 2017

4 Hilarious -- But Not Forgotten -- Scenes

These four scenes make me laugh and yet aren’t very well-known…

-A subplot on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” involving Larry’s parents also involves him shooting scenes as a mob boss in a (fictional) Martin Scorsese film. Here’s two of those scenes; Larry’s level of anger with the added toupee and mustache is over-the-top and truly scary if you don’t know the show.


-“The Lonely Guy” is a forgotten 1984 Arthur Hiller film that had too many cooks: Bruce Jay Friedman (“Splash”) wrote the book, Neil Simon adapted it and then Stan Daniels and Ed. Weinberger (“Taxi”) wrote the screenplay. All of these people have top-drawer credentials, but somehow it doesn’t gel… and that’s despite having Steve Martin and Charles Grodin in the film! One scene that does work is below, as Martin and Grodin discuss haircuts. It’s strange to think that Grodin is actually 10 years older than Steve, isn’t it?


-The sitcom “Soap” was popular, critically acclaimed and controversial in its day, but it’s mostly forgotten now except as a footnote in Billy Crystal’s career. This scene features the most dim-witted mind-reading act ever...


-There’s so many great scenes in “Blazing Saddles”… here’s one I always cite as a model of efficiency, laying out the entire conceit of the plot in two minutes.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Sarah Silverman festival

Comic genius Sarah Silverman is well-known for her whole Matt Damon/Jimmy Kimmel comedy love-triangle. Less-well-known is this first appearance after her break up with Kimmel, in which he punks her with footage from “Commmunity Auditions,” a local Boston show on which Silverman sang in 1985. I’ve never warmed to Kimmel, but this was funny.


-This is from Silverman’s film, “Jesus Is Magic,” and is her uncomfortable ode to German cars.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Late Night with David Letterman on Saturday Night Live

David Letterman was reportedly slated to host SNL on May 15, 1993: the final episode of season 18 (which won the show its second Emmy for Outstanding Comedy/Variety Series).  It didn't work out, though, since he had already announced he was leaving NBC for CBS (in January, 1993) to compete against "The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno."  Kevin Kline ended up hosting instead (then promoting the unrelated MOVIE named "Dave"), with musical guests Paul Simon & Willie Nelson.

Over the years, SNL has only had two Letterman impersonators of note.

"Late Night" premiered on February 1, 1982.  On Feb. 20, SNL got what may be its first jab at Dave in a "Bizarro World" sketch (everything is opposite... Tom Snyder is rewarded by having his show canceled for Dave's).  Five months later (July 8), Joe Piscopo made his first and only appearance on the show.  And when SNL returned for season eight, Piscopo lampooned "Late Night" on its season premiere (9/25/82, with host Chevy Chase and musical guest, Queen).  This sketch is not online, but it's a spot-on take; the audience even seems startled at how good it is.

Piscopo returned to play Dave on SNL on the season finale (5/14/83, Ed Koch/Kevin Rowland & Dexy's Midnight Runners) during a pretty weak episode (it came a week after the classic show hosted by Stevie Wonder; maybe the writers were wiped out).

Piscopo trotted out the impression on SNL just once more, during the classic episode hosted by Don Rickles (1/21/84, with musical guest Billy Idol) in a brief promo for (the real) Dave's 2nd Anniversary Show (which would air the following week in SNL's time slot).  Oddly enough, this sketch is also online.  Perhaps the impression wasn't done more frequently due to SNL not wanting to mock a show they likely were fans of.

Piscopo would later host two specials (and he portrayed Dave in at least one), which seem like pilots for a variety show.  Neither one was picked up, but today Piscopo still trots out his aged impression of Letterman, complete with wacky, high-pitched laugh.  He actually performed it during his lone appearance on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman" during "Impressionist's Week" (5/3/07).  Dave seems to mildly enjoy it here.  He did NOT enjoy Piscopo imitating him (to his face) on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (10/23/87 -- Johnny's 62nd birthday) even though Joe seems like he's trying to be incredibly good-natured and friendly about it.

Fast-forwarding, Norm Macdonald -- an incredible standup and huge fan of Dave's -- played Letterman on three occasions: Kevin Spacey/Beck (1/11/97), Alec Baldwin/Tina Turner (2/22/97) and Jon Lovitz/Jane's Addiction (11/8/97).  I'm always struck by how accurate this impression is of mid-'90s, laissez faire Dave, and yet how different it is from the Piscopo take (which was totally accurate for the early '80s).
Macdonald's version comes from the years between when Dave was beating Leno's show and living the dream in what Rolling Stone magazine called "Dave's Funhouse" (1993-95), and the years when he became an elder statesman of TV and started winning Emmys (1997-02).  This laissez faire era (1995-97) roughly coincides with when Les Moonves came to CBS (whom Dave did not care for), the network was falling further behind NBC due to the rise of "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "ER," CBS was bought and sold a few times, and Dave had to send some key production staff (such as Jude Brennan and Peter Lasally) to produce "The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder."  Within the show, many key players left entirely around this time, too: announcer Bill Wendell and director Hal Gurnee both retired.  Confidante and producer Robert Morton was fired for trying to move the show to ABC (and Head Writer Rob Burnett had to be promoted to take his place).  The end of this period seems to coincide with the hiring of Justin & Eric Stangel as head writers.

Back to SNL, Norm actually performed his impersonation for Dave after some gentle mocking on a "Late Show" in the late 1990s.  This was during the period when he was frequently discussing his problems at SNL on the show with Dave.  Several times, Norm says he only enjoyed "Weekend Update" because he was no-good in sketches (certainly not true, as evidenced by the Letterman impression and all the "Stan Hooper" skteches, for starters).

SNL has only imitated Letterman once more (3/9/02) with host Jon Stewart.  This was at a time when it seemed like a very real possibility that Dave would jump to ABC, displacing "Nightline," and Stewart would finally be given a shot at 11:30 on a network.

None of that happened, of course: Dave stayed put and later appeared with "Nightline" host Ted Koppel for an interview (out of respect).  Stewart was just finding his talents for tearing into politicians at this point, six months after 9/11, and obviously would guide "The Daily Show" to big success over the next 13 years.  On his lone SNL outing, Stewart played himself in a sketch alongside impressions of other late night hosts.  Letterman is played by Jeff Richards, and it's weak: he looks and sounds more like "Evil Dave" from the Howard Stern show.

As a final shout-out (not actually on SNL) Seth Meyers recreated the original open for "Late Night" (which was used from 1982-86 or so) the night before Dave's last show.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Driving Around With Dr. Katz Professional Therapist

Another of my favorite moments from "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist" was in episode 6, "Family Car."  The whole seen with Ben (H. Jon Benjamin) and Dr. Katz (Jonathan Katz) trying to talk while Ben is driving (4:55) is hilarious...

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

The Fabulous Martin Mull

This isn't a particularly memorable day in Martin Mull history, but I decided to post these up anyway. First off, here's a 1978 New York Times profile of Mull. Next, we have a loooong blog post about his appearance on Norm Macdonald Live (is that still a thing?), and finally, an explanation of an excerpt from the NYT piece, about Bill Murray almost wanting to murder Martin Mull.

I've always liked him (from my first exposure -- as a kid -- to his work in "Mr. Mom"), and this Pizza Hut commercial:



These were part of a series that also included Pat Morita, Hoyt Axton, Susan Anton, Rita Moreno... and probably others. Still not as good as the Priazzo Italian Pie!

Here's Martin Mull's Humming Song, done in front of a live (and clearly LA) audience; and here is a link to the studio version.

One last thing I'll add: Mull's first big film role was in the 1978 movie, "FM," notable for its theme song (by Steely Dan) and for constantly being referred to as the "inspiration" for the show "WKRP in Cincinnati," which premiered that fall. It was not -- none of the characters are similar, there's far less humor in the movie, and the show was being planned while the movie was in production. So there. Martin Mull still comes off pretty well in "FM," however.