Got music?

Its been awhile since I shared some old music with yall.

This first one was on the soundtrack to the movie "Car Wash" (1976)--which I once reviewed for the (very) long-defunct Focus Rock Entertainment, back in the day. I wrongly predicted it would be a hit; instead, the theme song "Car Wash" was the big hit. (sigh) But it did become a funk classic and was popular in the discos, as the B-side of the hit ballad from the film, "I wanna get next to you."

Produced and written by the late, great Motown-powerhouse, Norman Whitfield, this song features the legendary funk bass of Lequeint 'Duke' Jobe--an amazing groove. All punctuated with beautiful big brass noise, which defines 70s funk for me.

To this day, now and forever, when someone says "put your money where your mouth is"... I mentally finish the sentence: "or you ain't said a damn thing"...

Yep.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Rose Royce



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I know I have played this here before, probably more than once. Its one of my favorite pieces of instrumental music, ever.
(PS: Link for those who missed the old instrumentals post! I never did get around to posting part 2, so consider THIS part 2.)

Although I love the original studio version (and most live renditions), the Allman Brothers video clips currently on Youtube have some fuzzy audio and are not as good as simply listening to (Allman Brothers guitarist) Dickey Betts play it as an 8-minute guitar lesson (with his son Duane) for Guitar World magazine... elegant, spare, and oh so lovely.

They have to slow down at around the 3:45 mark (the "second theme"), where it gets somewhat complicated and psychedelic. Other than that, this version is almost good enough to stand on its own.

In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - Dickey Betts



Aside: I didn't know Betts had named his son Duane, which gets me rather choked up.

~*~

Time for working class proletarian bluegrass. You can blame the election. Class consciousness uber alles!

This is an old union song I grew up with. The Blue Diamond mines in Kentucky are still going strong, in case you didn't know. The union? Not as strong.

You old black gold you've taken my soul
And your dust has darkened my home
And now that we’re old you're turning your back
But where else can an old miner go

It’s Big Leatherwood and it’s Algoma Block
And now it’s Blue Diamond too
The pits they are closing - get another job
But what work can an old miner do

John L. had a dream but it’s broken it seems
And the union is letting us down
Last night they took away my hospital card
Saying why don’t you leave this old town.

The union didn't let you down, the Rockefellers did. Now they have decided they were wrong; they are divesting and fast-dissociating themselves from fossil fuels. And how many miners died to make them rich?

A day late and a dollar short. Not our dollar, though.

Blue Diamond Mines - Jean Ritchie

Sweet as cherry pie

Cherry Pie - Sade



Again, a tip of the hat to WPCI!

Thursday tunes

A variety of old tunes, excavated from Daisy's dusty memory vaults.


Listen to this woman's pipes! Outstanding! This is from Melba Moore's Tony-award winning performance in the musical "Purlie" in 1970. She was also in the famous hippie musical HAIR (both stage and movie versions). I am guessing this is from the TV broadcast of the Tony Awards, since this is also the year she won the Tony.

I Got Love - Melba Moore



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Listen to this woman's pipes! Outstanding! From the TV special "A Concert Behind Prison Walls" hosted by Johnny Cash, taped in 1976 in the Tennessee State Prison, and first broadcast in 1977. (On piano is Andrew Gold, writer of "Thank you for being a friend"--which you've heard at the beginning of every "Golden Girls" episode.) I do passionately love this weepy ballad, but I confess, I associate it with too much drinking. I'm sure I'm not the only one! (Written by Libby Titus and Eric Kaz.)

Love has no pride - Linda Ronstadt



~*~

Nice 70s classic rock anthem from Canadian band April Wine.

Roller - April Wine



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Decades ago, I heard that this extraordinary song was written by "a blind guy dressed like a Viking, who walks around New York reciting his poems"--which is not something you readily forget. Like many legends, it turned out to be true; his name was Moondog, and a documentary about his life titled "The Viking of 6th Avenue" is currently in production. I can't wait to see it.

In the meantime, enjoy:

All Is Loneliness - Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company



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Even all the awful violins cannot ruin this lovely 60s melody from Jimmy Webb, sang beautifully by Glen Campbell. (He also plays the lovely guitar break, showing off his celebrated session-musician chops.)

Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell

So much loss...

... its hard to contemplate. I am concentrating on gratitude. Just when we start to think we need more money, more cars, more houses, more STUFF... the world caves in and reminds us of first principles and what is truly important. Its a cliche, but oh so true.

It is almost impossible to process.

A short recap --

As of right now, the whole Boston area is on lockdown, looking for the second Boston Marathon bomber.

As of right now, West, Texas is in mourning following a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant. The mourners include my dear friend Yellowdog Granny, whom I have quoted and borrowed from so often in this space. This is her first-hand account of experiencing the explosion up-close and personal, which I also read aloud on the radio yesterday.

Some looney tune Elvis impersonator tried to poison President Obama and Mississippi Senator Wicker, for reasons unknown.

Sean Collier, a police officer at MIT, was shot and killed.

The controversial gun control bill was defeated.

And just when you think things can't get any worse, The Atlantic is warning us that Tylenol is scrambling our ethical sense. Yow!

Currently, we have thunderstorms all over Georgia and the Carolinas, and in the famous words of Tony Joe White (by way of South Carolina's own Brook Benton), I feel like its rainin all over the world.

~*~

Rainy Night in Georgia - Brook Benton

Cadillacs

Black Cadillac - Lightnin Hopkins



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Pink Cadillac - Bruce Springsteen



Cadillac Ranch - Bruce Springsteen



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Freeway of Love (the Pink Cadillac Mix) - Aretha Franklin



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Brand New Cadillac - The Clash



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My great-uncle Kenneth, may his soul rest in peace, had a purple Cadillac.

Really.

Ellie's Love Theme

YouTube abruptly yanked my favorite Isaac Hayes song, thereby ruining my 2008 obituary post for Hayes. Boo. Hiss. (PS: I just edited it back in, so at least it's intact for now!)

I am happy to report that someone else has kindly uploaded this lovely gem, and I am hereby sharing it while I have the chance. LISTEN NOW, before the evillll corporate meanies steal it from us, and/or the uploader's account expires.

Smooth and nice as gravy on rice. When I think of the 70s, I think of music like this.

Isaac Hayes - Ellie's Love Theme (SHAFT soundtrack)

Soulful Saturday

Why Can't We Live Together - Timmy Thomas (1972)



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Slippin Into Darkness - War (1971)

Taxes, Death and Trouble

Daisy's latest pesky earworms and other assorted music for your Thursday. Turn it up!

Only You Know And I Know - Delaney and Bonnie with Eric Clapton



Live from their British tour in 1969, also features George Harrison. YOWZA! Listen to them purty gee-tars! Excellent visuals, also.

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That song reminded me of this one, since Delaney and Bonnie play/sing back-up... we also heard the Jerry Garcia Band's version on the indispensable DEAD AIR (namesake of this blog) last night.

Lonesome and a Long Way From Home - Eric Clapton



Rest in Peace, Delaney Bramlett. A true son of the south, you rocked the house with aplomb and style.

~*~

Got bluegrass?

Nice capsule history of this tune is provided before they break out the shit-kickin music. As I have written here before, my stepfather played bluegrass professionally, and he loved this song.

I always find it somewhat jarring to see bluegrass played by people wearing SUITS, ha.

Rocky Top - Osborne Brothers



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They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose....

Deacon Blues - Steely Dan



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Super Motown finale!

This song was the theme to the movie of the same name. (The movie's protagonist is named Mr T, and I've always assumed that is where the famous Mr T got his name.)

Smooooooooth and nice as gravy on rice. Unbelievable talent.

Biographical aside: I used to listen to this song every day before I went off to slog through the 10th grade... for several months. It made me feel like an otherworldly being! Especially when combined with other things, but we won't go there...

I just love love love it, and I was somewhat surprised to discover, in a check of this blog... that I have never posted it before. (Must correct this situation posthaste!)

Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye



And yes, it's where we get today's blog post title. Rest in Peace, Marvin.

Sam Cooke: Having a Party

I am currently watching the wonderful American Masters documentary titled Sam Cooke: Crossing Over (2010).

So much history is still unrecorded about pioneering black artists who "crossed over" into mainstream, radio pop-hit stardom. Cooke was one of the very first, achieving his first hit on the pop charts in 1957, still a very racially-incendiary time. Black artists on the mainstream charts then sounded like Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole, not like Cooke's bluesy "You Send Me."

When Cooke performed at the Georgia State Fair, police were called in to maintain order because large integrated gatherings routinely attracted attention from racist groups like the kkk. The film clips of enthusiastic, racially-mixed southern audiences, standing up to scream and greet him, suddenly take on new significance when you keep in mind, they likely had to argue with their families for the right to be there.

The party was an act of affirmation.

Cooke's experiences made an emotional impact on him. In 1963, he joined Aretha Franklin in refusing to play for segregated audiences. When he played the Copacabana, the slicked-up patrons had never heard actual R & B before, and hardly knew what to think; they expected Sammy Davis Jr. Variety magazine wrote that Cooke "wasn't ready" for the Copa, when it's obvious it was the Copa audience that wasn't ready for him.

In late 1964, a woman named Bertha Franklin shot Sam Cooke, and nobody has ever been sure why. There is a great deal of controversy over the 'official' account of his death, which changed several times.

He had just become strongly politicized and was playing a greater role in the Civil Rights movement. Singer Etta James and others, wrote that the circumstances of his death were highly suspicious. An understatement.

When I heard "Having a Party"--I almost started to cry, it's just so beautiful.

Got funk?

Great Ohio Players documentary, if you have 40 minutes to spare.

If not, just skip on down to the song.

~*~

UNSUNG (documentary)- The Ohio Players



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My January 2nd post (about the infamous Ohio Players album covers) featured the fabulously-sensuous studio version of this song, which runs closer to 8 minutes... unfortunately it has since been yanked by awful capitalists.

Trying again.

Skin Tight (TV 1974) - Ohio Players



This video, introduced by Wolfman Jack, appears to be from the Midnight Special broadcast, which means it may also get yanked eventually, so LISTEN NOW! I am somewhat shocked to discover that my post of the New York Dolls on the Midnight Special is still intact. Of five songs on that post, only one has been removed since (Carole King), and that is much better odds than most of them.

Unfortunately, YouTube is constantly yanking videos, rendering many of my old posts DEAD as a DOORNAIL... and for those interested in which corporations/individuals are behind this nefarious scheme to deny us our online fun, check out the invaluable YouTomb for details.

Move On Up

I heard My Morning Jacket's cover of "Move on up" last night on this blog's namesake, Uncle Dave's Dead Air. I then decided to look up Curtis Mayfield's original, which I have always loved passionately. And virtually simultaneously, Tami posted her last blog post, titled "Movin On Up."

Cosmic synchronicity!

Good luck Tami, wishing you all the best in your new endeavors. I will miss your blogular brilliance.

And Curtis, as always, we miss you.

~*~

Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield (1970)

Tuesday Tunes: Walking in Rhythm

Donald Byrd & The Blackbyrds - Walking in Rhythm

Tuesday Tunes

Turn it up!

Somebody argued with me that Blondie wasn't a punk band, so this is for them. Yes, I know they made pop hits to pay the rent, but this song totally burns the place down.

And I hereby rest my case!

Detroit 442 - Blondie



It also helps that Debbie looks fabulous.

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It has been pointed out to me that Tom Petty was ON "King of the Hill" (well, his animated image was, in any event!) --but this lovely tune was recorded in 1991 and the cartoon started in 1997... I wonder if the song was an inspiration for the title?

It's easy to figure out who wrote what parts of the song: the verses sound like Petty/Heartbreakers, but the chorus is pure McGuinn/Byrds... beautiful!

King of the Hill - Tom Petty and Roger McGuinn



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Too amazing for mere words:

Here But I'm Gone - Curtis Mayfield



May his soul rest in peace.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

At left: We enjoyed sets by The Flashbacks last evening in downtown Greenville. I love me some big brass noise with my old soul music! (You can click to enlarge.)



Our show today had three callers! Woot! Unfortunately, none were (frequently-requested) calls from irate Bob Jones University students, who continue to fulminate on Facebook about Chris Peterman being expelled for watching Glee. They are very upset that he went national with that story, since as everyone around here knows, BJU likes to keep its dirty laundry in-house.

When you ask if you can quote these irate students by name, they immediately flip out. What are they afraid of? Shouldn't they WANT to be quoted and given credit from BJU for their undying loyalty? Hm?

Well, no. Because BJU is a cult, and there is simply no pleasing a cult. These students know, on some level, that they will screw it up. They will say at least one wayward word or use some outlawed phrase that the cult will find displeasing or incorrect, and they KNOW it. So instead of stepping up to preen and get themselves on the air, they shrink and run for the shadows when the spotlight shines on them, and become nearly-hysterical if you suggest you will actually use their names.

They suddenly send a torrent of private messages pleading, pleading, pleading that you will not quote them.

It is patently bizarre, since at the same time, the BJU-student-mouthiness never stops. They do not seem to understand that they draw a lot of attention with their odd behavior, since 1) as products of the BJU-bubble, they don't understand how odd they sound in the first place, and 2) they have not been raised in the glare of the mainstream media, as the rest of us have been. We EXPECT that if we throw a tantrum, people will stare. (By contrast, in the Old South, they would politely look away and pretend they hadn't seen any tantrum. BJU is still steeped in Old South manners and the accompanying paradigm.) The rest of us are aware that if we throw said tantrum in a public place like Facebook, people will inevitably ask for follow-up, they will expect some sort of explanation. They will put the spotlight right on you and gape for several minutes at a time. (And what did you expect?)

These BJU kids seem unaware of this; they are shocked that outsiders like me expect them to answer for their nonsense. And yet, they accuse the world at large of all manner of sins. We just aren't supposed to reply. Instead, they say, they are addressing only Chris Peterman, or other ex-BJU rabble-rousers like Camille Lewis. When somebody like me barges in and asks for clarification, we get the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights expression, and the aforementioned semi-hysterical pleas for anonymity. (Or we can end up simply censored, with no reply at all, as a certain Hidalgo Grain Company person specializes in: endless pissed-off yammerings and then howlings of persecution when those yammerings are taken seriously. This seems to be the general pattern.) Overall: they seem stunned that the outside world exists at ALL.

Well, it does. And we're watching. And we won't stop watching, the way people rarely stop rubbernecking at an especially unpleasant, nasty train-wreck.

We couldn't turn away now if we WANTED to.

I admit: The slow-motion implosion of Bob Jones University is some of the greatest entertainment I have ever witnessed.

~*~

At left: I do not know who this person is, but I knew yall would never believe me (BJU readers excepted) if I didn't take a photo. I saw this Gospel-singing dude on the local Christian TV station late last night, and just check out those flags. (Note: You can see the logo of the Trinity Broadcasting Network in the upper right corner of the screen.)


THIS is what I vainly tried to explain to people in THIS post, and lots of em didn't get it.

As I said in that post, Israel's military well-being is possibly more important to the Christian Right than it is to Jews, and Israel directly benefits from the Christian Right's political power. I would very much like to hear more criticism of this unholy alliance from liberal and anti-militaristic Christians and Jews. But alas... (((crickets))) ... it is not a very popular topic. (Meanwhile, Israel still treats its own Palestinian Christian citizens like shit.)

But take note of that photo, gang... on HIS RIGHT is the Israeli flag. I think the order is supposed to be reversed?

Or maybe not.

~*~

THESE PEOPLE (heavy, heavy warnings) helped me decide that this month would be GAY PRIDE MONTH, on the blog and the radio show. That alarming link takes you to a toddler (!) singing "Ain't no homo gonna make it to heaven" at his church in Indiana. I really wish I was making that up.

Speaking of which, as I reported on my show today, somebody in Texas saw Jesus in their shower mold.

Really.

Donna Summer 1948-2012

On the Radio - Donna Summer (1979)



Last Dance - Donna Summer (1983)



The soundtrack of our youth; cross-country trips, late nights, friends meeting, parties and picnics... goodbye, old friend.

Soulful Saturday

So very hard to go - Tower of Power (Soul Train, 1973)



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All Day Music - War (1971)



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If you want me to stay - Sly and the Family Stone (1973)



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Freddie's Dead - Curtis Mayfield (from the film Superfly, 1972)



We're all built up with progress
But sometimes I must confess
We can deal with rockets and dreams
But reality, what does it mean?

~*~

And a Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone!

Radio podcast is up!

Ohio Players album covers

... were amazing, proudly artsy and pretty dirty, too. (I'm so glad Tipper Gore and the fabled PMRC wasn't around to police us in the 70s.) Did the powers-that-be know about these album covers?

Although pioneering-funk band The Ohio Players (whom I was wildly fortunate to have seen live in 75, rocking the proverbial house!) had #1 hits, these eye-popping album covers seemed to stay under the radar. I remember seeing one of them in a very conservative, old-school Midwestern drug store, another at a truck stop that sold lots of coffee mugs with Bible verses on them. You just had to wonder.

At left, the cover of PAIN, which when opened up, looked like THIS. Coupled with PAIN was, of course, PLEASURE. Finally (and what did you expect?) there was both ECSTACY and ORGASM. That last one, with the metal (is it metal?) dildo popping out of the guy's back, blew my little mind.

Enjoy the linkage-gallery of nostalgic, nasty images; beware questionable taste, probably NSFW.

~*~

And now we go to the video!

Although we are given to believe "skin tight" refers to a woman's jeans, I don't think it does... or rather, I don't think that is the only thing he is talking about. Just a lucky guess!

I remember an interminable ride on the Interstate, primarily saved by these fabulous jams. For this reason, I prefer the long version of this funk masterpiece, which I play in heavy traffic or late at night. Therefore I insist on foisting the original long-ass version on all of you. This is what funk is supposed to sound like! (Yes, you really should listen to all eight-and-a-half minutes for the full 70s experience.)

PS: The guy making this video can't resist showing us the album cover, LOL.

Ohio Players - Skin Tight



Gone, gone, gone with your bad self.

Wanda Johnson rocks the house

This is Wanda's second notable appearance at DEAD AIR. Great music!

Below: Wanda Johnson and her Upstate Rhythm Section, at Main Street Fridays, this evening in Greenville.

She's totally awesome.

Stuff I like

:: Natural Factors chewable Vitamin C. The Boysenberry makes me happiest!

:: Sounds True meditation music, especially the kundalini meditations.

:: The HP Lovecraft Tarot, which I want in the worst way, but not enough to spend $1000 for it (new), or even $350 (used). (I hope Cthulhu won't take it personally; it's never a good thing to be on his bad side.)

:: My surrogate son, South Carolina Boy, writes very personally about familial stress, shifting identities and transition: A Real Trans Person and Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

:: Masada bagels, particularly the Everything bagel and the Cinnamon Raisin! mmmmm

:: Theraneem products, which cured my eczema. I can't recommend them highly enough, for any troublesome skin issue you might have.

:: URBAN FARM, a magazine almost as much fun as Mary Jane's Farm. (Our local equivalent is from Hendersonville, NC: Back Home.)

:: BeeWell Honey, from Pickens County, SC. Besides scrumptious wildflower honey, the best thing in Pickens County is Glassy Mountain. (NOTE: This is not to be confused with Glassy Mountain in Greenville County, which was once stunningly beautiful, but now totally ruined by rich people, golfers and enormous McMansions; Kevin Costner and Tiger Woods are frequent visitors and investors.)

:: Barbara Lynn, known as the Queen of Gulf Coast Blues and Soul.

~*~

You'll lose a good thing - Barbara Lynn (1962)

Old School with Daisy

I thought this was the Stylistics, said Daisy, embarrassed. (An honest mistake; they were both from Philadephia, okay?)

Sideshow - Blue Magic



And this IS the Stylistics:

Betcha By Golly Wow - The Stylistics