tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1753505538748463672024-03-13T06:21:33.016-07:00Bells Will Be Ringing, Mark's Holiday Music BlogUnusual, offbeat, vintage and rare Christmas and holiday songs, including background on my annual holiday music mixes. Features holiday tunes and Christmas carols you probably haven't heard before, plus other holiday fun for all. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.comBlogger394125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-71757015209837898122024-02-27T13:22:00.000-08:002024-02-28T11:40:01.605-08:00Watch Daryl Hall and John Oates Celebrate Christmas Together in Happier Times<div>Late last year, it was widely reported that all was not well between Daryl Hall and John Oates, whose musical partnership produced scores of hit records in the '70s, '80s and '90s, including 12 <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_charts" target="_blank">Billboard Top 10 </a></b>singles and five #1s. It seems the two had some kind of falling out over ownership rights to their various songs, Mr. Hall sued Mr. Oates and now the whole matter is in court. You can read more about the gory details <b><a href="https://apnews.com/article/hall-oates-lawsuit-3a4c6c89668da0fcddedaefe47245e1c">HERE</a></b>, </div><div><br /></div><div>I liked a lot of the material Hall & Oates created, including some of their lesser known releases. I especially liked their 1977 album <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwzChHtois4&list=PLtOduJQyr_HWrA5HbC34tBPL4Cu-ZBntg" target="_blank">Beauty on a Back Street</a></b> and the songs "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5HDae6r5XY" target="_blank">Do What You Want, Be What You Are</a></b>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYEpFJhuu1E" target="_blank"><b>Sarah Smile</b></a>" and the 1973 song "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2T_eTraa14" target="_blank">I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)</a></b>." which was the B side of their 1976 single "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cos7id7HtE" target="_blank">She's Gone</a></b>." More recently, I've enjoyed a bunch of episodes from the Daryl Hall series <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@realdarylhall" target="_blank">Live from Daryl's House</a></b>, which features a range of artists playing informally in Hall's living room. I'm less fond of the slicker pop the duo put out in the 1980s, which may be why I only recently tripped over a pair of music videos they released in 1983 to hype their two nearly identical versions of the holiday classic "<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_Bell_Rock" target="_blank">Jingle Bell Rock</a></b>." I couldn't find many differences between Hall's version and Oates', though frankly I didn't invest more than a minute trying to distinguish them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's "Daryl's version" of the tune:</div>
<div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5vyMuxxLsD0?si=3ARXfdyf20MgdgcP" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>And here's "John's version":</div><div><br /></div><div>
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</div><div><br /></div><div>Hard to believe these two characters are now facing off in court, although I suppose no partnership is ever truly safe from falling on hard times. It would be nice if they could work things out, right? Perhaps they could then give us a new unified version of their 1976 classic "<b><a href="https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&sca_esv=f5ffd29b8bf133f7&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS748US748&q=%22Back+Together+Again%22+Hall+%26+Oates&tbm=vid&source=lnms&prmd=vihsnmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib_suI4s6EAxVeJEQIHWHRBSwQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1745&bih=835&dpr=1.1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0c5922b7,vid:F_JEs2HC77c,st:0" target="_blank">Back Together Again</a></b>."</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_VtqkQ5MTw&t=2302s" target="_blank">Watch Daryl Hall's 2022 Appearance on Bill Maher's Club Random Show</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJlme1wdiuo" target="_blank">Listen to a Collection of Hall & Oates' Greatest Hits</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by9Yf2szxkM" target="_blank">Hear Daryl Hall Discuss His Relationship with John Oates with Howard Stern in 2007</a></b></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-5815894147420654432024-02-23T12:31:00.000-08:002024-02-23T12:57:42.652-08:00Former President Jimmy Carter Honored with White House Holiday Ornament<p></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDyX10DkmDiO25Mz1O4xlXNC75_03VTSTJNEsLP1bdtMbM0eLtaZG1wDpw93_KwSz8Rzw04-vEMOCszVRUDIZB9Dqpc6oiC4_9Y4_DeuTADU3Al-RchEZOxFqJwHDLwgTL0H9m5mVRpzvcaQCEl4z82pJrGNzFs_77H6uE6rwTvEX2TRgVaaQv_gpO0uc/s1800/Jimmy%20Carter.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDyX10DkmDiO25Mz1O4xlXNC75_03VTSTJNEsLP1bdtMbM0eLtaZG1wDpw93_KwSz8Rzw04-vEMOCszVRUDIZB9Dqpc6oiC4_9Y4_DeuTADU3Al-RchEZOxFqJwHDLwgTL0H9m5mVRpzvcaQCEl4z82pJrGNzFs_77H6uE6rwTvEX2TRgVaaQv_gpO0uc/w200-h133/Jimmy%20Carter.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Former President Carter</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will be honored with a special Christmas ornament this year, the White House Historical Association announced this week. The nation's 39th president, Carter, age 99, is the first living president to be honored by the Association with such an ornament.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Founded by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, the White House Historical Association has been creating and releasing official White House ornaments each year since 1981. The ornaments celebrate the history of the White House and the presidents who serve there. Sale of the ornaments help fund the Association, which raises money from private sources to maintain the White House and its furnishings.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The release of the 2024 ornament honoring Carter is detailed in the following video:</span></p><p>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelIR-ZKBrLzKAkIlX33qcfBGikBVhoTgIlR1idWoESBAU69ejtaly49_opbv5xHadyi_wqEwUlwwgAgOyWvSFxHnBR5ErFPTGZZo330FIwf2Z3TN86b9DQvJCqiasH-iPpLL8Qh9enXf_s9IK69ZxVv14VYCoUxsDv_h0vxLzjULkzDkjL6pLZP_IOMgs/s800/2024CarterOrnamentFTSQ_Shop_800x800_crop_center.webp" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelIR-ZKBrLzKAkIlX33qcfBGikBVhoTgIlR1idWoESBAU69ejtaly49_opbv5xHadyi_wqEwUlwwgAgOyWvSFxHnBR5ErFPTGZZo330FIwf2Z3TN86b9DQvJCqiasH-iPpLL8Qh9enXf_s9IK69ZxVv14VYCoUxsDv_h0vxLzjULkzDkjL6pLZP_IOMgs/w200-h200/2024CarterOrnamentFTSQ_Shop_800x800_crop_center.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2024 Holiday Ornament<br /><br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table>While the first several annual ornaments marked White House holiday traditions in general, the Association eventually established the practice of honoring each former president with their own design. These have been done chronologically, and in 2024 it happens happens to be President Carter's turn. <div><br /></div><div>Elected in 1976, Carter served one term in office and served from 1977-81. Carter served during a particularly challenging time and faced a variety of difficult issues including a worldwide energy crisis, high inflation, a declining economy and the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran by militant Iranian students. Since leaving office 43 years ago, Carter has dedicated himself to a variety of worthy causes and is respected by people across the political spectrum for his selflessness and commitment. His wife, Rosalynn, died this past November, and Carter himself is currently in hospice care in his home in Plains, Georgia. </div><div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The White House Historical Association featured the annual ornaments tradition in its The 1600 Sessions podcast two years ago, as you can see in the following video:</span></p>
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<div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">History will likely not record Jimmy Carter's presidency as an unqualified success, but President Carter will almost certainly be remembered as an honorable and principled man who dedicated his life to serving others and making this world a better and more just place for all. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/james-carter/" target="_blank">Read Jimmy Carter's official White House biography</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/" target="_blank">Visit the White House Historical Association Website</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-39604037454589251722024-01-01T01:10:00.000-08:002024-01-01T01:10:33.818-08:00Happy New Year, and Welcome 2024!Residents from around the world said goodbye to 2023 and welcomed 2024 today, with fireworks, speeches, parties and quiet get-togethers among friends, families and neighbors.<div><br /></div><div>Australia was among the first countries to start celebrating:<div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ybGnDqj1olU?si=Vcz0Fukmor8I46SA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Chinese families listened to a New Year's address by their president:</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TEd3CtcL1pU?si=Thnrdu1ASihH-cJV" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Folks in Singapore were treated to an especially beautiful fireworks show:</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a6yIayDH9Vk?si=pqavPxbNJkUKU5uT" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>In Dubai, another magnificent show kicked-off from the world's tallest building:</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VGzWdrzTIvA?si=rIKSXADqxI0Ac3XB" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><p>And in New York's Times Square, locals and visitors participated in the traditional countdown and dropping of the Times Square ball:</p>
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</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Wherever you were and whatever you did to mark the occasion, I hope you have a happy, healthy and peaceful 2024!</div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-70339254836801586042023-12-30T00:15:00.000-08:002024-01-01T01:18:22.130-08:00<h2 style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">This One's About Cowbells, Not Sleigh Bells, But It's One of the Best SNL Sketches Ever</b></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoquwrR6Uzae4scW79WZsOCSS9iEvLA3OjgjI6jFT5pnumI3xD3nkc-OLTVyEMHKZSU2fMsSoEJ14ObaRlRO8c9evDmhSMyE79TFJkoaNZccmC99iyEva2u0r_YdIMrtMWJAeX7rlKznPApc5RlZcOfyBo0TF8gbB5ViBGREDN2xTpajL0TxrRutvUh50M/s1434/SNL%20Holiday%20Flashback.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1434" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoquwrR6Uzae4scW79WZsOCSS9iEvLA3OjgjI6jFT5pnumI3xD3nkc-OLTVyEMHKZSU2fMsSoEJ14ObaRlRO8c9evDmhSMyE79TFJkoaNZccmC99iyEva2u0r_YdIMrtMWJAeX7rlKznPApc5RlZcOfyBo0TF8gbB5ViBGREDN2xTpajL0TxrRutvUh50M/w320-h106/SNL%20Holiday%20Flashback.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Every Saturday from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, we open the vault to share a classic Saturday Night Live holiday-themed sketch to bring some fun and laughter to your holiday season. With Christmas now over and New Year's Eve just one day away I tried to find a funny SNL New Year's sketch, but there aren't any. Maybe that's because the show is typically on mini-hiatus from mid-December to sometime in January. Anyway, rather than run yet another holiday bit, I thought I'd share what to me remains one of the best SNL sketches of all time, the fabulous "Behind the Music" spoof of the recording of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" from Season 25 (2000), more commonly known as Christopher Walken's "Cowbell" sketch. It stars Walken as fictional music producer<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Bruce Dickinson, who repeatedly prods band member Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell) for "more cowbell." <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon are also featured. Enjoy!</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8kIzOr6DP8" target="_blank">Will Ferrell Admits He Ruined Christopher Walken's Life with SNL's "Cowbell" Sketch</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGv7jqc34YE" target="_blank">Christopher Walken Discusses the "Cowbell" Sketch with Conan O'Brien</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://dellandrem.medium.com/why-was-more-cowbell-so-popular-3364aa63ac70" target="_blank">What's the Secret to the Enduring Popularity of SNL's "Cowbell" Sketch?</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vuOnVNiYtg&list=PLmXU5uLKDNG37KHyW9-iBQfji4XKQg2cy" target="_blank">Watch Nine Other Fabulous SNL Sketches Featuring Christopher Walken</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-11197785760219654552023-12-26T00:30:00.000-08:002023-12-30T04:42:15.698-08:00Yes, It's Boxing Day . . . and Our Friends from the North Have Gifted Us with an Interplanetary Horror Show called "The Christmas Martian"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMbh1oJtwbrWRkkn5GIe6qpXPMAkURMTzBVSc2BtrgkeaHW-KMBh2ywzN-JypxUMwm5bzT75msJXa3qoYEFa1VywlFIfQYbWm3LYwT0HlFeg4KJOkFToQKX-htAM_RZPNg76KPKoxMbvIm0gIfOW8UsagUFPPf_anzA5UQi49gTl96SjMQ-3xf6qzLN6h/s1318/Boxing%20Day.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMbh1oJtwbrWRkkn5GIe6qpXPMAkURMTzBVSc2BtrgkeaHW-KMBh2ywzN-JypxUMwm5bzT75msJXa3qoYEFa1VywlFIfQYbWm3LYwT0HlFeg4KJOkFToQKX-htAM_RZPNg76KPKoxMbvIm0gIfOW8UsagUFPPf_anzA5UQi49gTl96SjMQ-3xf6qzLN6h/s320/Boxing%20Day.png" width="320" /></a></div>From my earliest memories, December 26 has been a day of decidedly mixed emotions. Sure, there are new toys and presents to enjoy, as well as a generous spread of leftover food and drink. And of course there are warm memories of the fellowship and fun of the preceding days. But there's also the let-down that invariably follows any big celebration, and for many of us age 16 and over the reality of the deferred costs incurred. <div><br /></div><div>In many parts of the world, December 26 is celebrated as Boxing Day, which extends the merriment and postpones the inevitable. At this address we've chosen to mark the day in a more realistic if not sadistic fashion by sharing some of the very worst holiday movies available in what we call out annual Boxing Day Horror Show. Think of it as a bucket of ice water to the face after a warm night by the fire.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This year's selection is a Canadian flick with a space-age theme called "The Christmas Martian." It takes place in a small town in Quebec province, where bizarre things have been happening. Residents have been seeing strange objects in the sky at night. A local shopkeeper sees an odd-looking character stumble into his store, wolf down a bunch of snacks and run away. A taxi driver sees a funny-looking woman come out of a phone booth and fly off into the air. As the grown-ups begin to investigate, Frankie and Kathy discover strange looking tracks in the snow while out looking for a Christmas tree. The tracks lead them to a spaceship and a visiting Martian wearing a fishnet stocking on his face who tempts them with candy and introduces them to a world beyond our own. As Frankie and Kathy get to know their new friend, the adults in town make a muck out of everything — and on Christmas, of all days! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The story is bizarre, the dialogue is tacky, the special effects are awful </span>— it's just the sort of thing you'd expect of our Boxing Day Horror Show!</p><p>The full video is no longer available on YouTube, but you can catch it for free for a limited time on Tubi, right <b><a href="https://tubitv.com/movies/697566/the-christmas-martian" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. </p><p>To set the stage, here's a review of what you're in for. Don't say we didn't warn you!</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G5KiXwMF9nw?si=J2jUA7yVJjxyGXZC" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p></div><div><br /></div><div>I hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas and that we've managed to prepare you for the necessary return to reality with another miserable holiday movie. Want some further punishment? Check out some of our previous Boxing Day Horror Shows by way of the following links:</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-christmas-horror-show.html" target="_blank"><b>Watch Our 2012 Boxing Day Horror Show, "Santa Claus"</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/search/label/Santa%20and%20the%20Ice%20Cream%20%20Bunny" target="_blank"><b>Watch Our 2014 Boxing Day Horror Show, "Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny"</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2015/12/heres-your-boxing-day-horror-show-for.html" target="_blank"><b>Watch Our 2015 Boxing Day Horror Show, "The Magic Christmas Tree"</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2016/12/brace-yourself-for-our-annual-boxing.html" target="_blank"><b>Watch Our 2016 Boxing Day Horror Show, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians"</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2017/12/boxing-day-horror-show-for-2017.html" target="_blank"><b>Watch Our 2017 Boxing Day Horror Show, "A Visit to Santa"</b></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2018/12/its-have-we-hit-rock-bottom-yet-edition.html" target="_blank"><b>Watch Our 2018 Boxing Day Horror Show, "Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen"</b></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2022/12/this-years-boxing-day-horror-show-wants.html" target="_blank">Watch Our 2022 Boxing Day Horror Show, "Santa with Muscles"</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-75014148839250411712023-12-24T19:23:00.000-08:002023-12-24T19:24:38.158-08:00Happy Holidays!<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y0-MHvyXCSda8l3Pu50895JCIX3MChZ2zdcqGUiuM-TsRq-abdQcmEOQitPicKi7WyiUVSsqghoTldtgCQSO-4lzA0Iqio0mIHPITR9DYzXBqPjV6acUvj4V4ONyJ14GyFLLNTirvceHo2tDljgV75B5MTK06NzQgUmAqCBflobooD18ZYjVCBjxqDCu/s320/73a1fab63c9ba51b72608b1984c2095a.gif" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y0-MHvyXCSda8l3Pu50895JCIX3MChZ2zdcqGUiuM-TsRq-abdQcmEOQitPicKi7WyiUVSsqghoTldtgCQSO-4lzA0Iqio0mIHPITR9DYzXBqPjV6acUvj4V4ONyJ14GyFLLNTirvceHo2tDljgV75B5MTK06NzQgUmAqCBflobooD18ZYjVCBjxqDCu/s1600/73a1fab63c9ba51b72608b1984c2095a.gif" width="320" /></a></p>It's Christmas Eve, and I imagine Santa and his helpers have begun their annual mission to bring joy and laughter to children around the world. Of course, Santa can't make it to every house in a single night. Let's hope the rest of us can do something to fill the gap and spread a bit of happiness as best we can. <p></p><p>Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours.</p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-80203765911558586442023-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:002024-01-18T07:45:03.970-08:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>Alec Baldwin Reprises His Famous Sales Role Motivating Elves in Glengarry Glen Christmas</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKbkT4wotJJiOQIi-bLNAVIrrMc5dEFIUvLPb2eEDuhgZHVwhu9vECywfrRi_-9XKajVc9J9Xom9vF_CXjraoOdp2CGvfetXxtkYLEyia1tGEBHh7FHFxKT9jet1rUizoLjDXgGKe6oLfkKQiIjG_Zwp12YAtCbi3x73f0_-TOHypzt2nG229xF494YMr/s1435/Header.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="1435" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKbkT4wotJJiOQIi-bLNAVIrrMc5dEFIUvLPb2eEDuhgZHVwhu9vECywfrRi_-9XKajVc9J9Xom9vF_CXjraoOdp2CGvfetXxtkYLEyia1tGEBHh7FHFxKT9jet1rUizoLjDXgGKe6oLfkKQiIjG_Zwp12YAtCbi3x73f0_-TOHypzt2nG229xF494YMr/s320/Header.png" width="320" /></a></div><div>Every Saturday from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day we like to crack open the video vault to share a vintage holiday clip from Saturday Night Live. This week's clip is from SNL Season 31 (2005) and features Alec Baldwin reprising his role in the powerful 1992 film <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKEQmvapfK0" target="_blank"><b>Glengarry Glen Ross</b></a>. In the movie, Baldwin plays a sales pro who was brought in to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PE2hSqVnk&t=8s" target="_blank"><b>motivate a group of salesmen</b></a> played by Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, and Ed Harris. Here, he plays "an elf from the home office" sent by Santa to motivate a group of surprisingly lackadaisical elves. Watch for the moment when Baldwin mistakenly repeats one famous line from the original movie instead of the Christmas line in this holiday adaptation. The film was based on a successful play by David Mamet but despite boasting one of the most incredible ensemble casts ever assembled, was a commercial disappointment. Today, however, it's widely regarded today as a truly first-rate work, and this SNL sketch really measures up, too. Check back next week for our final SNL Flashback of the 2023 holiday season!</div><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J_vSirIJEsY?si=AyE3pBh_ZjD9eTwh" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-86940721802545838212023-12-22T07:34:00.000-08:002024-01-24T08:53:46.088-08:00Christmas Cheer - Part 12 and Out<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3EZ22yRxOsfyVyPPebV2lwtdz41wh1u8y0AuEWsN6z7gk_3DKQhQ6tJ8AdDxXdWY8W1M3D5P_alnvyVJAVvH8xkTqw1lY9oVJ7eUhkKKCxDjr5b8IN4nzcol0Wc0l9xxFjyN3IJ08Uvl0T9fch9slJ00wXHCn6e15vQtfZff60xYxKIwBFFumeWAka8a/s726/2023%20COVER%20-%20TRUE%20FINAL.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="726" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3EZ22yRxOsfyVyPPebV2lwtdz41wh1u8y0AuEWsN6z7gk_3DKQhQ6tJ8AdDxXdWY8W1M3D5P_alnvyVJAVvH8xkTqw1lY9oVJ7eUhkKKCxDjr5b8IN4nzcol0Wc0l9xxFjyN3IJ08Uvl0T9fch9slJ00wXHCn6e15vQtfZff60xYxKIwBFFumeWAka8a/w200-h196/2023%20COVER%20-%20TRUE%20FINAL.png" width="200" /></a></div>For the past few weeks we've been posting just a bit of background on each of the 37 tracks on my 19th and most recent holiday holiday mix, <b><a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/copy-of-latest-2" target="_blank">Christmas Cheer</a></b>. Today, with two shopping days left to go before December 25, I'm proud to share some information about the final three tracks on the mix. I believe this is the earliest we've ever completed this task, and because we started early we were able to proceed at a pleasant and leisurely pace with nobody getting upsot. There's a lesson in the somewhere, though I'm darned if I can figure out just what it is!<br /><p></p><div><b>Track 35<br /></b><b>Yonder, The Sisterhood (1974)</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Track 35 is the last of the song-poems on this year’s mix, and while it
appeared on an M.S.R. Records album titled "Christmas Album," the lyrics don't seem to have anything to do with December 25. Frankly, it’s not
immediately apparent just what they <i>are </i>about:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Yonder with a
village view sits a village queen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">And around all
reading through planted with all colors of green<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">A little boy far
traveled,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Might also care to
travel back<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">With a seaboard,
crates and masts<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">He is educational,
years of more track<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Towards yonder,
where all work is done<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">With harvest
enduring years<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">And more of
distribution begins where all reading is shown by far and nears<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">[Repeat both stanzas]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Where all reading is
shown by far and nears<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Far and nears<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nkAX5ODDpoY?si=Ro94Jv9CjqUiXLSf" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The song is credited to The Sisterhood, a group of several female
singers who worked for the M.S.R. label. The lyrics are by a fellow named <b><a href="http://www.songpoemmusic.com/guygax.htm">Thomas Jackson Guygax, Sr.</a></b>,
a Springfield, Missouri resident who wrote at least ten sets of lyrics that
were ultimately set to music and released by M.S.R. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">To say Guygax had an unusual style would be an understatement.
Many of his efforts read like a jumble of random words that tumbled out of a high-speed blender in no particular order <span face="Calibri, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt;">—</span> and yet . . . there’s a certain
weight, even majesty, to some of them.</p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwE3OVbQvaKMMuGIab7uNjTtSfaCTl43qJF7YipqfgSwCpwGWJ5qmqcvi1SqUuvkpRuM5QOX27TD5C2QOK477DFwvmsz4ofICBk3KNRaPu0gT_CM5bEESyyXCATHK2SUZkSMLnGaWJStWcxfLhTW2E-xFmcYSSw6i2qCiRF81w5r22_Nx2FGIKEgCgesZ6/s290/sisterhood.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="290" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwE3OVbQvaKMMuGIab7uNjTtSfaCTl43qJF7YipqfgSwCpwGWJ5qmqcvi1SqUuvkpRuM5QOX27TD5C2QOK477DFwvmsz4ofICBk3KNRaPu0gT_CM5bEESyyXCATHK2SUZkSMLnGaWJStWcxfLhTW2E-xFmcYSSw6i2qCiRF81w5r22_Nx2FGIKEgCgesZ6/w200-h130/sisterhood.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Sisterhood</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Song-poem enthusiast <b><a href="http://www.songpoemmusic.com/what_is.htm" target="_blank">Phil Milstein</a></b> has speculated that English may not
have been Guygax’s first language, which would certainly explain the jumbled
syntax. Or maybe he just wrote to the beat of a different drummer.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">In any case, I’ve grown rather fond of “Yonder” over the many years
since I first heard it. I guess I never really paid too much attention to the
lyrics, however, for it was only recently that I figured out that this isn't a Christmas
song at all. All M.S.R. had to do is include the tune on one of its several holiday releases and that was apparently all I needed to park it in an honored spot on this year's mix.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Before we bid <i>adieu </i>to <i>M.</i> Guygax, allow me to share another set of lyrics from one of his ten M.S.R. releases:</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHqrhJimmX3S2r_-uE2gdI2nUIbpT_avUKZqDcClPthAhA6WMj1F_Oxy08g-EEjcXfo8Y73ICzsVM_gmbrqmqDkifhpxmoQd8q7WgIdShm2OHqpI7e8QsGuYF6qx0WLc05ymEiW2wocNtMlzDT0YdWRlv6ma6aQWYd7wMtEcaESp6mtlApIjXa5edgF8Y/s284/Guygax.PNG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="261" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHqrhJimmX3S2r_-uE2gdI2nUIbpT_avUKZqDcClPthAhA6WMj1F_Oxy08g-EEjcXfo8Y73ICzsVM_gmbrqmqDkifhpxmoQd8q7WgIdShm2OHqpI7e8QsGuYF6qx0WLc05ymEiW2wocNtMlzDT0YdWRlv6ma6aQWYd7wMtEcaESp6mtlApIjXa5edgF8Y/w184-h200/Guygax.PNG" width="184" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Thomas J. Guygax</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><b>A POET<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">(Thomas J. Guygax,
Sr.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">as recorded by Dick
Charles<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">A poet once sat
among his papers<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Letters from here
and far across the sea<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">He scribbl'd with
his pencil a moment<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Saying, "My!
what's happen'd to me?"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">"Should I wrote
poetry or prose?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Heaven only knows!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">I wish I had
something to write about<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Then I wouldn't have
to sit here and pout<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">So let's call Jerry
and dance about."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> I think that pretty much </o:p>says it all, n’est-ce-pas?</p></div><br /><p><br /></p><div><b>Track 36<br /></b><b>Happy Holidays, Robbie Robertson (2019)</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I surprised myself by finishing this year’s mix in early September, roughly three months ahead of my typical schedule. The way I have to assemble
these things today makes it very difficult to make any changes to the mix once it's complete, so I really figured it was done until the first weekend in November when I happened upon this song on YouTube.
I knew instantly that I had to include it, so I removed what had been the
penultimate track (“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uycsWEmP5gc"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The True Meaning Christmas</b></a>,” by
Ambulances) and stuck this one in its place.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59nxyfXpdi1qU4riLIhYWtYZAe1m6UUBLw2AIn39nXeuEzTvObcE1VFfogJVFQw8tQK8XToMafDu0SmVh8qS6hk6yJ0082EB2MKdhbHya9rs88Q2G2WjwXITnJcrMpDQ4BS0m93gbNmsy6w3z2MvaUB7bZ0K5dgpvZjVL5IaZKaA2nNFLO6abnWSaoR4P/s1080/Robbie%20Robertson.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59nxyfXpdi1qU4riLIhYWtYZAe1m6UUBLw2AIn39nXeuEzTvObcE1VFfogJVFQw8tQK8XToMafDu0SmVh8qS6hk6yJ0082EB2MKdhbHya9rs88Q2G2WjwXITnJcrMpDQ4BS0m93gbNmsy6w3z2MvaUB7bZ0K5dgpvZjVL5IaZKaA2nNFLO6abnWSaoR4P/s320/Robbie%20Robertson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Robbie Robertson has long been one of my favorite artists, and news of
his death this past August cast a long shadow over 2023 for me — a year that
started off on a sour note with the January 18 death of another of my all-time favorites, the legendary David Crosby. I used to try to include tracks by those artists I really liked who’d passed each year but discontinued the practice because the lists of
departing celebrities were beginning to get too long. But I certainly wanted to
honor Robertson and this is a terrific and appropriate track to do it with.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Recorded during the sessions for his last solo album, <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzQCV4LQDV0&list=OLAK5uy_nOsr8TXVIXlTKzU0GjsMlz3Usa0n03EX4&index=2" target="_blank">Sinematic</a></b> (2019), “Happy Holidays” is Robertson’s playful attempt at
pointing out the yin and yang of the modern holiday season.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“We love Christmas and the holidays,” Robertson said in statement
quoted in Rolling Stone. “[They] brings good cheer, and also stress and
depression, so I wanted to do a song that celebrates both sides and have a
little fun.” This is evident from the very first verse:</p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Please don’t leave
Old Saint Nick</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Too much milk and
cookies</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">’Cause by the time
he gets round to us</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">He won’t be able to
get</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">His fat ass down the
chimney.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Proceeds from the song were donated to the American Indian College
Fund. Robertson himself had indigenous roots, as his mother was part Cayuga and
part Mohawk, and two of his six outstanding solo albums focus on Native American themes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoDYyzqz8m8&list=OLAK5uy_l4sNk9CnOiKkA5DcG7od_scTnEZuV8RMs"><b></b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoDYyzqz8m8&list=OLAK5uy_l4sNk9CnOiKkA5DcG7od_scTnEZuV8RMs"><b><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tL4-prO3VlQ?si=KivxJPCl__-udyrb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is the second holiday song of Robertson’s I’ve used. My 2012 mix <a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/2011"><b>Gee Whiz . . . It's Christmas (Again!)</b></a><b> </b>included The Band’s song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBlLN5HQJhY"><b>Christmas Must Be Tonight</b></a>,” which Robertson wrote for their 1977 album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islands_(The_Band_album)"><b>Islands</b></a>.</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I was familiar with Robertson’s work as a member of The Band but became a really big fan with the release of his first <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deoqI0oMg3E&list=OLAK5uy_mg38_wU-ElswjfZdt2HM-VJYChfNtBshQ&index=2" target="_blank">self-titled solo album</a></b> in 1987. I loved the video for the first single off the album, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KP9PNSUME4"><b>Somewhere Down the Crazy River</b></a>,” which was directed by Martin Scorsese. I was also wowed by Robertson’s appearance on Saturday Night Live around that same time, which featured the rock song “Testimony” that he recorded with U2.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Over the next 35 years, Robertson released a string of outstanding albums, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXH-durvr18&list=PLP5E3f0kgIG0lrxWYqcNfKk2fdj4NfDHC"><b>Storyville</b></a> (1991), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYk4kjNQLVw&list=OLAK5uy_l70bgGPr2p1yH8uJnGSatYMHvEyMYnDXs"><b>Contact from the Underworld of Redboy</b></a> (1998), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUeX2ImdwU"><b>How to Become Clairvoyant</b></a> (2011) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzQCV4LQDV0&list=OLAK5uy_nOsr8TXVIXlTKzU0GjsMlz3Usa0n03EX4"><b>Sinematic</b></a> (2019). In 1994 he collaborated with the Red Road Ensemble on a collection of stunningly beautiful songs written to accompany a TBS documentary, later released as an album called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoDYyzqz8m8&list=OLAK5uy_l4sNk9CnOiKkA5DcG7od_scTnEZuV8RMs"><b>Music for the Native Americans</b></a>,</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">He
also worked closely with Martin Scorsese, scoring a series of the famed
director’s biggest films. Shortly before his death, Robertson completed the
score to Scorsese’s latest release, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16y4BGB2LVM&list=PLLv3qeuV3YDpYbdqu3rKy-KbpA3HxcPtN"><b>Killers of the Flower Moon</b></a>.</p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Robertson was one of a kind, and he’ll be sorely missed.</p><br /><p></p></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AkLhJOfGLs" target="_blank">Listen to Robbie Robertson on Marc Maron's Famous WTF Podcast</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fAGYBCvgE0" target="_blank">Robbie Robertson Discusses His Parents' Backgrounds and How He Got Started in Music</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Track 37<br /></b><b>One Tin Soldier, Cher (1972)</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This year's mix goes out pretty much the same way it came in, with an excerpt from the Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. This track features Cher singing her version of the 1969 song "One Tin Soldier," written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and originally recorded by the Canadian pop group The Original Caste. It was later recorded by the group Coven for the 1971 Warner Brothers film "Billy Jack." Cher's version begins with her singing an excerpt from the classic carol "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," followed by Cher singing Coven's version of the song over a
video created by animator <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_David_Wilson">John David Wilson</a>:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></div></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vg84L84uop8?si=VvOKJml9SgZh9iVQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div>I remember loving this song as a child, although I recall it took me a few listens to understand its principal message. It's profoundly sad to think that 50 years later we're no closer to world peace than when the song was first released.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, that's it, folks. I hope you've enjoyed many of these tracks and that you have a most enjoyable holiday with family and friends!</div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-8088383632411600202023-12-21T22:04:00.000-08:002023-12-22T07:35:08.830-08:00How About Taking a Short Holiday Trip Back to a More Civilized Time . . . <p></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-insideh: none; mso-border-insidev: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 77.4pt;" valign="top" width="103">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b>The Time:</b><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 241.8pt;" valign="top" width="322">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;">December
2009<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 77.4pt;" valign="top" width="103">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b>The Place:</b><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 241.8pt;" valign="top" width="322">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;">The White
House, Washington, DC<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 77.4pt;" valign="top" width="103">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b>The Event:</b><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 241.8pt;" valign="top" width="322">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;">President
and Mrs. Barack Obama Record a Holiday Greeting to the Nation to Mark Their
First Christmas in the White House<o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7SDwKWexFE8?si=yGo9DsMtG6qkIdmE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p>I guess Donald Trump misspoke when he alleged that neither President nor Mrs. Obama ever said "Merry Christmas" during their tenure in the White House.</p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-22394074111627443932023-12-20T10:16:00.000-08:002023-12-21T12:19:08.949-08:00David Letterman Reunites with Darlene Love and Paul Shaffer for a Christmas Tradition<p>There's one cherished holiday tradition I've really missed over the past nine years, and it's the one that ended when <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Show_with_David_Letterman" target="_blank">The Late Show with David Letterman</a></b> went off the air in 2015. For a span of 28 years, from 1986 until 2014, Darlene Love appeared on the final Letterman show before Christmas 21 times to sing her classic "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvZOXEoJ84" target="_blank">Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)</a>.</b>" Recorded in 1963 for the iconic album "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL-NbN8uTOighonNOY1keK0f0jPkqjYzm" target="_blank">A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector</a></b>," it's my favorite Christmas song of all time. </p><p>Well, it's not quite the same, but Letterman reunited briefly just the other day with Love, his former band leader, Paul Shaffer, and executive producer Barbara Gaines, to share their memories of this former holiday tradition:</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Shr8aESYZcY?si=qRXLkW9_UAcxzgN3" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Love first appeared with Letterman in December 1986, when his show was on at 12:30 a.m. on NBC following Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. She returned in 1994 after Letterman moved his show to CBS and appeared every year of its CBS run save for 2007, when a writers' strike preempted most original programming. I didn't watch much late night TV during those years, but I always tried to watch Letterman's final broadcast before Christmas to see Love perform.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were two other traditional components to the last pre-Christmas show each year. First, Paul Shaffer regaled folks with his <b><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2014/12/have-you-heard-one-about-cher-and.html" target="_blank">story of the appearance of William Conrad</a></b>, the star of TV's Canon, on the Sonny and Cher Christmas show. Next, Jay Thomas was usually on hand to tell his <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hsLI3Qwypc" target="_blank">famous Lone Ranger story</a></b>. Sadly, Thomas died several years ago and therefore missed this week's reunion. Shaffer did tell his William Conrad story at this year's get-together.</div><div><br /></div><div>For those others who loved this late night Late Show tradition, super fan <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dongiller/videos" target="_blank">Don Giller</a></b> has created a lengthy tape featuring all of Darlene Love's appearances and other related material that's well worth watching.</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8V2IrH1owdw?si=KTB-V7QXc5_sOEZC" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Be sure to check out Giller's written description of the video on its YouTube posting page <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V2IrH1owdw" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to Don Giller and to all who are responsible for this wonderful tradition and for this year's reunion!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CocL2Hrbi9k" target="_blank">Watch a Supercut of Darlene Love's Holiday Appearances on Letterman Over the Years</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reasontorock.com/tracks/xmas.html" target="_blank">Read An Appreciation of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" on "Reason to Rock"</a></b></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-84010705487494994952023-12-20T07:05:00.000-08:002023-12-26T16:31:47.529-08:00Sound Opinions' Annual Holiday Spectacular Features Andy Cirzan's Song-Poem Collection<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY9PSN47oFKrCFXiA9PL1cQCRqypkiJpz5772MGL5QoB5y8mwfoErJsnB4-WEn791Sg5gykEIQ6bHpuMpF2J2FurFi2BUgLsOiJ8dDDRVr7E-F06fZ9qRex8H_JBIhFp1nNKYvq-7jkghcNJiPYXZJz7ixfjIYeBXLUDO6R6hNSXgjyY9DJWBYKA2luyw/s1500/Andy%20Cirzan.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1500" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY9PSN47oFKrCFXiA9PL1cQCRqypkiJpz5772MGL5QoB5y8mwfoErJsnB4-WEn791Sg5gykEIQ6bHpuMpF2J2FurFi2BUgLsOiJ8dDDRVr7E-F06fZ9qRex8H_JBIhFp1nNKYvq-7jkghcNJiPYXZJz7ixfjIYeBXLUDO6R6hNSXgjyY9DJWBYKA2luyw/w320-h223/Andy%20Cirzan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Andy Cirzan</b></td></tr></tbody></table>It's almost time for one of our favorite holiday traditions <span face="Calibri, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt;">—</span> the annual Sound Opinions Holiday Spectacular, featuring offbeat holiday music expert Andy Cirzan. Andy's been making his annual holiday mixes for even a good bit longer than I have; in fact, it was Andy's work that inspired me to attempt my own pale imitations. Each year in December, Andy's the featured guest on the weekly radio show <b><a href="https://www.soundopinions.org/" target="_blank">Sound Opinions</a></b> to unveil his annual mix and talk about unusual holiday music.<p></p><p>As luck would have it, Andy's latest mix and the corresponding Sound Opinions Holiday Spectacular both focus on holiday song-poems, which is also the theme of my latest mix, <b><a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/copy-of-latest-2" target="_blank">Christmas Cheer</a></b>. In fact, the first song featured on the Sound Opinions show is "<b><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-cheer-part-11.html" target="_blank">Snowman</a></b>," which can also be found on Christmas Cheer. A preview of this year's Spectacular appears below, along with links to hear or download the entire show.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="https://www.soundopinions.org/" target="_blank">Sound Opinions</a></b> is a weekly show where people who love music
can come together, make discoveries, debate, learn about pop culture, engage,
have fun and find new ways to further enrich our lives through music.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Whether you're an expert, or just a casual fan, Sound
Opinions is your source for smart and engaging music criticism and
conversation. Each week on the show, nationally respected rock critics Greg Kot
and Jim DeRogatis interview artists, talk about pop culture and music industry
news, review new record releases and give trends a historical context. And,
because on Sound Opinions, "everyone's a critic," listeners are
invited to join in the debate.<o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Sound Opinions is distributed nationally by PRX. Sound
Opinions can be heard on stations across the country and online at
SoundOpinions.org.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="https://www.soundopinions.org/show/943" target="_blank">Listen to the 2023 Sound Opinions Holiday Spectacular, featuring Andy Cirzan</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="https://rss.art19.com/episodes/96440661-54a9-478f-b454-97ae99803f59.mp3" target="_blank">Download This Year's Sound Opinions Holiday Spectacular</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" height="175" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-sneak-peek-at-our-holiday-spectacular/id94793843?i=1000638425263" style="border-radius: 10px; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; width: 100%;"></iframe>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-27064137189823036112023-12-19T16:55:00.000-08:002023-12-19T17:01:20.397-08:00Eight of the Top 10 Songs on Billboard's Latest Hot 100 are Christmas TunesChristmas music continues to dominate Billboard's Hot 100 again this week, capturing eight of the Top 10 spots on the latest chart. Unfortunately, Mariah Carey has returned to the #1 spot with her hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You." I admit it's popular, but I don't like her and I don't like her song. Not much I can do about it, unfortunately. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw7d5zHkCuMaqXotdpPQFKBTe7oOG9TIBJi7QdQOA_l2Tz2CZYGix4U_EF6grwgysJ3sJmij8I_XmaNvHDuzBZ3q1tjJlf69Na5LwUzBJl7gCHvVL8vT9B4xVQs_L5-bs1MFIAU8fetdsajMpUZVKrz7OuM4DwYDaQWkEDfgUNZnfQelUs5pFYnEm5U6q/s908/Billboard%20Hot%20100,%2012.23.23.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="908" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGw7d5zHkCuMaqXotdpPQFKBTe7oOG9TIBJi7QdQOA_l2Tz2CZYGix4U_EF6grwgysJ3sJmij8I_XmaNvHDuzBZ3q1tjJlf69Na5LwUzBJl7gCHvVL8vT9B4xVQs_L5-bs1MFIAU8fetdsajMpUZVKrz7OuM4DwYDaQWkEDfgUNZnfQelUs5pFYnEm5U6q/w640-h394/Billboard%20Hot%20100,%2012.23.23.png" width="560" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On a brighter note, "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," by Darlene Love, has moved up three spots to #18. If this were a just world, Darlene would be sitting at the top of the chart!</div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-26095996198936551372023-12-19T16:36:00.000-08:002024-01-03T14:08:58.252-08:00Christmas Cheer - Part 11<p>I'm back with the next three songs from this year's mix. The end is now in sight!</p><div><b>Track 32<br /></b><b>Snowman, Bob Gerard (1978)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Track 32 is another song-poem called “Snowman,” which was released in 1978
on the Tin Pan Alley label. The song is performed by Bob Gerard, who seems to
be competing with his bass player to see which one could sound the flattest.
The lyrics don’t win any prizes either; in fact, it’s hard to imagine anyone
paying to have these words set to music: </div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">I made a little
snowman,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">He was cute as could
be,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">I made him by the window,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">So he could look at
me.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Next morning when
the sun came,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">And he took a little
peek,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">I saw the snowman
wink at me,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">And tears ran down
his cheeks.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">[Instrumental]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">[Repeat earlier
verses]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Bye, bye, snowman!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">See you again!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Goodbye!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mercifully, the song lasts for only 93 seconds. That doesn’t sound very
long. But try playing it with your eyes closed while blocking everything else
from your mind. When you’re truly being tortured, a minute and a half can be an
eternity.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">What do you think?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VMxjj9l95R0?si=Rst9kaMFyK3SKBlB" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://bobpurse.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-intoxicating-sound-of-incompetence.html">Hear
Two More Winners by Bob Gerard, “The Proon Droon Walk” and “Wandering Eyes,”
courtesy of Bob Purse’s Excellent The Wonderful and the Obscure Blog</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Track 33<br /></b><b>Holiday Greetings, Tony Bennett</b></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvhOQJC-QSWok2xrGhjJ4WxaLA-Kd_I9Thr4fZin7sgRy7jxEu3dVjTl3wj_SXHAbkZn0Xi56PcwQloDMRgM4WM-OuBOPTwcTRhkriFKJkg1tiFdtUPJbByska4LISql1EY1J_raURKS1ZjPsXSbT6AC-lH_j03UHAks_ZwGHoWEW27BaDHweRJr7qHJQ/s640/Tony_Bennett_in_2003-e1644513204448-640x360.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvhOQJC-QSWok2xrGhjJ4WxaLA-Kd_I9Thr4fZin7sgRy7jxEu3dVjTl3wj_SXHAbkZn0Xi56PcwQloDMRgM4WM-OuBOPTwcTRhkriFKJkg1tiFdtUPJbByska4LISql1EY1J_raURKS1ZjPsXSbT6AC-lH_j03UHAks_ZwGHoWEW27BaDHweRJr7qHJQ/s320/Tony_Bennett_in_2003-e1644513204448-640x360.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Tony Bennett</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
final celebrity holiday greeting on this year’s mix is from <b><a href="https://www.tonybennett.com/">Tony
Bennett</a></b>, who died this year at the age of 96. Providing a complete biography
or even an appropriately detailed appreciation is really beyond the scope of
this blog, but I sure know he was an extremely talented singer
and performer who also seemed like a thoroughly decent man. He was certainly a
prolific recording artist. Bennett released 61 studio albums in his 69-year career,
including at least three Christmas albums:
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m8wSNLbTDlCsc6zqjjmSMw2BW8LD43WFQ">Snowfall:
The Tony Bennett Christmas Album</a></b> (1968); Christmas with Tony Bennett
and the London Symphony Orchestra (2002) and <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLiYFOaUVR0QxittbwYOLyU7f7iJDM1Rh">A
Swingin’ Christmas</a></b> (2008). Each of these offers music with Bennett's signature sound, and all three are likely to brighten up any holiday gathering with memories from times gone by.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kpKtmY9NiA&list=RD8kpKtmY9NiA&start_radio=1">Listen
to Tony Bennett’s Holiday Yule Log</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Track 34<br /></b><b>The Day Snowflakes Were Born, The M.S.R. Singers (1978)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This year’s mix contains a number of song-poems, and, as a result, I’ve
had several people ask me about my interest in this particular oeuvre. One
friend asked bluntly, “Aren’t you just trying to make fun of the poor folks who
wrote these awful lyrics?” Actually, that’s not it. Some of the lyrics are
pretty awful, but many of them aren’t bad at all — and most of them offer a
glimpse of real life that commercial releases miss altogether. If I had to
guess, I’d say most song-poem fans are more contemptuous of the companies that
churn out the typically half-baked arrangements than of the poets who put their
souls into the words of each song. Track 24 is one of those rare offerings where
the tune is every bit as appealing as the message. This is a song-poem I truly
love, and while there are elements that are slightly amusing I’ve been
listening to it for years and genuinely enjoy it each time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This song was originally released in 1978 and achieved considerable
recognition some 20 years later when it was featured in the 2003 documentary “<b><a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/36949">Off
the Charts: The Song Poem Story</a></b>,” which was broadcast multiple times on
many PBS stations. It was also recorded and frequently played live by the
Boston band <b><a href="https://www.weisstronauts.com/">The Weisstronauts</a></b>. There aren't many song-poems that were recorded and or played by other bands, although as Christmas music collector Andy Cirzan has pointed out, another is the classic "Rudolph Pouts," which was recorded by <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k04a3RntAU0" target="_blank">Mary White</a></b> (the original) and <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZkSkp93LnU" target="_blank">Israfel's Son</a></b> (the remake). Which version is more enjoyable? Darned if I can say. They're both awesome.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LORLGEubp8E">Watch The Old Lady Drag
Queens Sing “The Day Snowflakes Were Born”</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG1Sgq5sDNA&list=OLAK5uy_kbVf3crTpoN86glZ1ryk2-NM4xYiB1ylw&index=2">Hear
The Weisstronauts Version of “The Day Snowflakes Were Born”</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Only three more tracks to go, and just five more shopping days until Christmas!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div><br /></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-87835271965061122442023-12-16T07:49:00.000-08:002023-12-17T06:30:46.069-08:00<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">Weekend Update's Stefon Offers Tips for a Thrilling New York City Holiday</span></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yz2n7KlHkMsQ462vGvKVjj4j6cXvcomePf10wKVQrupBP6BliBQMC84GIY_h9IgxW3ak7c3PATSu76kBWJgLnw8qmIYbEf3A-MN_hcoDqSbpOeL2iIu7CTN2ZnGVkrXtrFk71l3XNB_LgITFVsIduiWQl2cmoLV9Bd8l5HhmiGA-k2J78Yy8jlq15flu/s1434/SNL%20Holiday%20Flashback.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1434" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yz2n7KlHkMsQ462vGvKVjj4j6cXvcomePf10wKVQrupBP6BliBQMC84GIY_h9IgxW3ak7c3PATSu76kBWJgLnw8qmIYbEf3A-MN_hcoDqSbpOeL2iIu7CTN2ZnGVkrXtrFk71l3XNB_LgITFVsIduiWQl2cmoLV9Bd8l5HhmiGA-k2J78Yy8jlq15flu/s320/SNL%20Holiday%20Flashback.png" width="320" /></a></div>This week's Saturday Night Live Holiday Flashback features popular Weekend Update City Correspondent Stefon (Bill Hader) with tips for holiday travelers looking to have fun in the Big Apple. Host: Seth Meyers.</div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pYcJZFZaUkc?si=WNH7b7ahp9YwpI2M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuRX9r82rPXgeOUKnLZoNc3HjTpYLQa9H" target="_blank">Watch Stefon Share 16 Additional Tips for a Fun Time in New York City</a></b></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-59999605436181819952023-12-15T15:55:00.000-08:002023-12-17T14:43:04.740-08:00Christmas Cheer - Part 10<p>With only nine days to go until Christmas, we're getting into the shank of the holiday season. I guess it's only fitting then to discuss several tracks that represent the kind of material I had in mind when I first started putting these mixes together during the first few years of the current millennium. My earliest collections were filled with the tackiest and most grating stuff I could find. Most of the evidence of those original efforts has been destroyed, thankfully, but they didn't include many tracks you'd willingly listen to twice. Over time, I've come to include a more balanced mix of material, but I still sprinkle a little dreck in each mix for flavor, and today we're going to look at three of the dreckiest cuts from <b><a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/copy-of-latest-2" target="_blank">Christmas Cheer</a></b>.</p><div><b>Track 29<br /></b><b>Merry Christmas, Elvis, Michele Cody (1978)</b></div><div><br /></div>
<div>I’ve written before about <b><a href="https://wfmu.org/archiveplayer/?show=122884&archive=228454" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WFMU</span>-FM</a></b>, which for around ten years
offered a treasure trove of internet oddities on its wonderful <a href="https://blog.wfmu.org/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Beware of
The Blog</b></a> website. I discovered this tune via the first iteration of WFMU’s
<a href="http://www.wfmu.org/365/index.shtml"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">365 Days Project</b></a>, which offered up a unique and typically
bizarre aural track each day throughout 2003 It was sufficiently popular and
successful that they ran another series in <a href="http://www.wfmu.org/365/2007-01.shtml"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2007</b></a>.</div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bTz12eWze2uu4WnPqNEuqaEfJpq0zmisLnOcTaXzK1yHHq5Mxa0qn_fTR7ExXKtdnTM5gNfzp6Mo2tTGlUknDHq0dZilRgefzsg69JyL3IByBrLYXDXMwpC86PKgahPq3HQjuYLQk-Q2t-7prgEobmUDUVa0S2JsduhvK5UNX13mVhr4m-77-BR_-j9O/s600/Merry%20Christmas%20Elvis%20(Safari)-Smaller.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bTz12eWze2uu4WnPqNEuqaEfJpq0zmisLnOcTaXzK1yHHq5Mxa0qn_fTR7ExXKtdnTM5gNfzp6Mo2tTGlUknDHq0dZilRgefzsg69JyL3IByBrLYXDXMwpC86PKgahPq3HQjuYLQk-Q2t-7prgEobmUDUVa0S2JsduhvK5UNX13mVhr4m-77-BR_-j9O/w200-h200/Merry%20Christmas%20Elvis%20(Safari)-Smaller.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Longtime WFMU contributor Dancin’ Dave offered the following introduction to “Merry Christmas,
Elvis” back on December 23, 2003:<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">We all know that
Nashville is a music town and Nashville kids get into music early. They have
"been playin" since they’s babies, get work before they’re two.' For
singers, it seems to be about age nine when the urge to perform kicks in.
(Although it’s probably the parents who have the urge and not their kids.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Yes, there’s nothing
they like better in Nashville than a tiny little girl who sings country music.
She doesn’t actually have to sing well. After all, she is only nine. But she
gets up there and sings her little heart out, God bless her.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">I have collected a
half dozen singles by these "Little Girls From Nashville' and each one is
a crime against nature. (See also "Happy Birthday Jesus” by Little Cindy
on November 2nd, number 306, and anything you can find by Rita Faye.) The girls
don’t have good voices, the songs are sickeningly treacly, and the lyrics often
involve God or the Easter bunny. It all adds up to a perfectly insufferable
record.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">The gem I present
for you now has been hand-picked as the worst offender, perhaps the awfullest
45 I own. Released in 1978 on the Safari label, just a year after the passing
of The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, this one has it all: Cloying sentiment, a message
to a recently deceased celebrity, and a holiday theme! All wrapped up in two
minutes and 31 seconds of pure joy.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">You may be tempted
to listen to the first minute and say "Okay, I’ve heard enough.' But I
implore you, listen all the way to the end. There’s a spoken-word section that
sends the Cringe-O-Meter to 11.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Interestingly,
there’s a phone number listed on the label. Is it the number for Safari
Records? Or is it Michele Cody’s home number? I must admit, I looked it up.
It’s not listed as either. Besides, even if I could track down Michele she’d be
about 34, and she’s probably lost that adorable quality that you can only find
in only a talentless nine-year-old from Nashville.</p><br /></div><div>I couldn't have said it any better myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_Tk6Njetek?si=1XuTKoIfQSsk1m0-" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://wfmu.org/flashplayer.php?version=3&show=122884&archive=228454&starttime=0:26:38" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Hear
Linda Hughes’ “(It's A Sad, Sad Time For Me) Elvis Won't Be Here For
Xmas” (1977)</b></span></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRW7rMu4QA" target="_blank">Listen to Diana Williams' "Goodbye Bing, Elvis and Guy" (1977)</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Track 30<br /></b><b>I Want Kristy for Christmas, Craig Malon (1979)</b></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve got
really mixed emotions about this track, friends — and I’m still conflicted
about whether I should have included it in this year’s mix. On the one hand,
it’s the kind of tacky period piece that I usually love. The first time I heard
it I felt like I’d been magically transported right back to 1979. I suddenly
wanted to flip on an ABC Afterschool Special or catch an episode of Battle of
the Network Stars. On the other hand, this song is creepy as hell. I have no
idea who Craig </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Malon is and while I don’t mean to sound judgmental, what kind
of man would actually record a song about having a crush on a teenage TV
actress? Sometimes it feels like today’s standards are going to hell, but I’m
guessing this song would raise an awful lot more concern today than it did back
then — and that’s a good thing. So far as I can tell, this is the only tune
Craig ever recorded, and that’s probably OK, too.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoyUHN8Sq0q7ntgUSMn109haLAQmJLzh297cdMEfUYzn0TdR63XIwLN19tiVzYCvzJ2YVNleTCU7sYw5vKE4pElpSnDKNFfFyDbeU4fIdCr_3Oj8azU61uW7Q7TJlHQaN6O3ZQtiVZ1i0ih-4rCHdAs4cFgU0B0SFXmsYvkQbDBolLk-k_zieYxj6f7dM/s414/Kristy%20McN.PNG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="355" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoyUHN8Sq0q7ntgUSMn109haLAQmJLzh297cdMEfUYzn0TdR63XIwLN19tiVzYCvzJ2YVNleTCU7sYw5vKE4pElpSnDKNFfFyDbeU4fIdCr_3Oj8azU61uW7Q7TJlHQaN6O3ZQtiVZ1i0ih-4rCHdAs4cFgU0B0SFXmsYvkQbDBolLk-k_zieYxj6f7dM/w171-h200/Kristy%20McN.PNG" width="171" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kristy McNichol</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">For younger
readers who likely have no idea who she is, Kristy McNichol was a popular child
actress in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s best known for her work on the ABC
series <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjRKHXSwMS0&list=PLK28k95g3JRcM_IOKxJh4TXvIisjaUzBU" target="_blank">Family</a></b>. This show was intended to be an honest depiction of a typical
upper-middle-class, suburban family with realistic characters and relatable challenges
and struggles. McNichol played the family’s youngest daughter, Buddy, and she
earned strong reviews for her work. She won Emmy nominations for Best
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series three years in a row and won in 1977 and
1979. In 1980 she was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
She appeared in over 20 movies from 1978-93 and had roles in more than a dozen
other TV shows. As this song suggests, McNichol was also a favorite in the teen
and celebrity press.</span><p></p><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: left;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">During the
1990s, McNichol stepped away from acting a couple of different times amidst
reports that her busy schedule and career pressures had taken a toll on her.
She was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sometime later she acknowledged
that a key cause of her difficulty was the stress associated with hiding her
sexuality. McNichol came out as a lesbian and said she hoped doing so would
help others who were afraid or being bullied. I suspect Craig Malon did not
celebrate McNichol’s announcement, but I wish her a very merry Christmas and
hope she’s finally comfortable being herself. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: left;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SZmQ3kPhIa0?si=cEHR8Ba3b_B9Xi9M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Track 31<br /></b><b>I Want a Hee Haw Honey Under My Christmas Tree, Boxcar Willie (1978)</b></div><p>Finally, we’ve got one more track to share today that is — as a friend
of mine used to say — top-heavy with class. This one is something of an homage
to that classic down-home variety show <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@heehawwarehouse55">Hee Haw</a></b>, and while
there are a number of different versions of the song in circulation, I chose to
use the one by Boxcar Willie.</p></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT9DQowuLP74oiH1rzAoARjk-zNineWOV4AwMhcN5lugufX9rHRFSri6vanWtM9xiFqDignpgiQ1blUiY4f-kRV79VdGFTMqI3LUtwofbduepgX2nGV9bti6HFSRDFHzUJ7dBEQqj9CaflFkLoLWDMLBIyW3lKlWcombrU2uOr_j4J9S30YNmbY4up8LX/s665/minniepearltag_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="548" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT9DQowuLP74oiH1rzAoARjk-zNineWOV4AwMhcN5lugufX9rHRFSri6vanWtM9xiFqDignpgiQ1blUiY4f-kRV79VdGFTMqI3LUtwofbduepgX2nGV9bti6HFSRDFHzUJ7dBEQqj9CaflFkLoLWDMLBIyW3lKlWcombrU2uOr_j4J9S30YNmbY4up8LX/w165-h200/minniepearltag_orig.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Minnie Pearl</b></td></tr></tbody></table>I never really cared for Hee Haw much myself. I thought it was pretty
corny, the jokes seemed tired and I’ve never been all that crazy about most
country music. There was one thing about the show I did appreciate, and that
was the friendly sense of community and camaraderie found in the show. Co-hosts
Buck Owens and Roy Clark were as friendly and welcoming as they could be, and
the rest of the cast seemed to be relentlessly upbeat and gracious (if not
always funny). Minnie Pearl always stuck out most to me, no doubt because she
always seemed to wear a hat with the price tag still hanging from it.<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m told the show was loosely based on <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebGYu3wXtG4" target="_blank">Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In</a></b>,
only with a country slant. Even as a kid I preferred Laugh-In, which seemed a
lot more topical and relevant. Growing up outside of Boston, the cornfield of Hee
Haw seemed pretty remote and foreign to me, and the cast struck me as dull and
dowdy compared to the quick-witted and “with it” folks who did the Frug at the
crazy Laugh-In parties. I even had a poster in my room featuring Arte Johnson's
character, German soldier Wolfgang ("veeeeery eeenteresting!"). I
couldn’t see myself hanging a poster of Minnie Pearl anywhere in the house.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I guess the other common element that both shows had was pretty women.
Owens and Clark surrounded themselves with good looking younger woman on most
episodes of Hee Haw, which is really what this song is all about. This is
another song that really wouldn’t get too far today, as it’s out of fashion to think
of women as sex symbols. I don’t think women ought to be objectified myself,
but I can’t pretend that it doesn’t happen or that men used to openly celebrate
that it did. In other words, I think of this song as a period piece that
reflects the different sensibilities that were prevalent 30 or 40 years ago.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Network television in the 1950s and ‘60s looked a lot different than
what we’re used to seeing in many respects. One of the key lines of demarcation
came with the “rural purge” of the early ‘70s largely orchestrated by Fred
Silverman, who was in charge of programming at CBS at the time. Data showed
that viewers of the many country-style shows on CBS were less responsive to
advertising than viewers of more sophisticated programs based in urban and
suburban settings. In response, Silverman axed a bunch of successful rural
shows including Petticoat Junction, Mayberry RFD, The Beverly Hillbillies, The
Jim Nabors Hour, Green Acres — and Hee Haw. They were replaced with such shows
as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, The Bob Newhart Show and The
Carol Burnett Show, all of which worked more effectively for the sponsors.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u4oLUJF_cRg?si=jsbYahtFQNm89rQp" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<b><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--qX-FNPxnw">Watch the Hee Haw
Documentary</a></span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Just six left to consider and I'll be back one of these days to tackle a few more.</div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-40618193916650448062023-12-15T14:57:00.000-08:002023-12-15T14:57:42.274-08:00How's About a Whole Album of Soviet Holiday Favorites?<p> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/52GsqHvrPBg?si=nktSSBhKgu8AIhY5" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>Throughout its inglorious 74-year history, the government of the former Soviet Union took a dim view of organized religion. Karl Marx famously called religion the "opium of the masses," and Soviet leaders were smart enough to see that communism would fare better without the church around as competition. Yet don't ever count the church out too soon. Russian churches are drawing larger crowds than ever and there's evidence that even during the Stalin years significant numbers of Soviet citizens continued to worship and celebrate Christmas.</p><p>I recently ran across this collection of Soviet Christmas songs, which reminds me of the many horrors the Russian people have had to endure over the centuries. I fervently hope their latest affliction is removed from power soon.</p><p><br /></p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-11541191649743306552023-12-12T18:26:00.000-08:002024-01-03T17:29:30.833-08:00Christmas Cheer - Part 9<p>Here's a little background on three more of the tracks from my latest holiday mix, <b><a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/copy-of-latest-2" target="_blank">Christmas Cheer</a></b>. </p><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIWF9R9tpPVpY04gNresH2XhYDjOh5SPhUvCR-6JGNwn7y5KyTBv1p2Tx6xna07ZiWyNbcvNrYOm5WQHYExcnEpak1-yrD_yb-Jmgor_WNel_FsLlUysI8bKfO_bMHH1c2toeRE9DbTygQt3EYjQcIVkbdYNWodlt3g_Zli29DFSB8bg0Q-_69u4Tt7s6/s516/Willie%20Nelson.PNG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="516" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIWF9R9tpPVpY04gNresH2XhYDjOh5SPhUvCR-6JGNwn7y5KyTBv1p2Tx6xna07ZiWyNbcvNrYOm5WQHYExcnEpak1-yrD_yb-Jmgor_WNel_FsLlUysI8bKfO_bMHH1c2toeRE9DbTygQt3EYjQcIVkbdYNWodlt3g_Zli29DFSB8bg0Q-_69u4Tt7s6/s320/Willie%20Nelson.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Willie Nelson at His 90th Birthday Concert</b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Track 26<br /></b><b>Holiday Greetings from Willie Nelson</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Willie Nelson celebrated his 90th birthday this past April, and while I
can’t claim to be especially familiar with his extensive catalogue, I really
like a lot of the stuff I’ve heard. Beyond that, there’s no disputing that he’s
a bona fide original — a genuine national treasure. From where I sit, his work
ethic, activism and honesty deserve great respect.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">A long description of Nelson's myriad contributions to our culture and politics is probably beyond the scope of this blog, and it would take more time than I have available to do justice to the task. I'm just happy he's still "on the road [again], doing well and doing good.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhNeWaPdXwc&list=PLJbkwTChT5usJUG-xCEEFyNE6v16AANv3">Listen
to a Collection of Willie Nelson’s Christmas Songs</a></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://store.bobbleheadhall.com/products/willienelson">Order the New
Willie Nelson Bobblehead</a><o:p></o:p></b></p></div><p><br /></p><div><b>Track 27<br /></b><b>Christmas Time for Sailors, Green Monkey Christmas Chorale (2019)</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Forty years ago, a Seattle musician named Tom Dyer started a fledgling
underground record label with the idea of producing and promoting some of his
city’s formidable underground music artists. The label, known as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Monkey_Records#cite_note-4">Green
Monkey Records</a></b>, has never been terribly successful financially, but it’s
a gritty little competitor that sprung back to life after an eight-year hiatus in
2009 and is still releasing new music today (albeit from its new location in
Olympia). The label boasts a number of local bands whose sound has been described
as "post-punk/pre-grunge Seattle" and "indy pop music—good
honest, ballsy, delicate, garage-y, punky, folky, mildly trippy pop music."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Since its resurrection 14 years ago the label has perhaps become best
known for its <b><a href="https://greenmonkeyrecords.com/artist-gmr-christmas/">annual holiday compilations</a></b>,
proceeds of which benefit <b><a href="https://www.musicares.org/">MusicCares</a></b>, an industry-based charity
that supports struggling musicians with health care and other basic needs.
Featured artists include such Green Monkey artists as The Green Pajamas,
Donovan’s Brain, The Queen Annes and, of course, The Green Monkey Christmas
Chorale, featuring Dyer himself. That’s the crew that’s responsible for this
wonderful holiday sea shanty, which, as you can see, comes across even better
on video:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tXiiWybfYe0?si=BL7vYknJIUkOeA1a" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://greenmonkeychristmas.bandcamp.com/">Review and Order from the
Collection of Green Monkey Christmas Comps</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div><b>Track 28<br /></b><b>We Want the Best for You, Radio Station Jingles</b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This little jingle comes from a short collection called<b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhmrdqJwsEs&t=16s">Holiday
Radio Station Christmas Jingles, Volume 2</a>, </b>which I found on YouTube. It’s
from the <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PirateRadioUSA/videos">Pirate Radio U.S.A.</a></b> YouTube channel, which features specific audio files collected over the
years by Pirate Radio U.S.A., a non-profit internet radio station that broadcasts
occasionally on the Mixlr application. The content available on this channel is stated to be for educational purposes
only.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">YouTube hosts a wide variety of holiday radio promos, bumpers and
fillers, as well as lengthier tracks such as holiday recordings played in
department stores and shopping centers in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Links
to just a couple of these offerings appear below. If you check them out, be
sure to read some of the comments posted about these nostalgic soundtracks. While
YouTube comments can sometimes be rather mean-spirited (they’ve cleaned them up
a lot in recent years, thankfully), these comments are mostly touching and
bittersweet, pining for the simpler times of 30 or 40 years ago. I can certainly
understand the appeal.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VhmrdqJwsEs?si=e6ZqFqEb5rtKdgLy" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "BD Cartoon Shout"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQt5umECcdo">Check Out Holiday Music Played in K-Mart Stores in the 1970s</a><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIydA6_K71Y">Hear 4 Hours of Vintage Department Store Christmas Music</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It was good to see Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 again this week, and only a part of my happiness comes from the fact she kept Mariah Carey out of the top spot. Six of the ten top tunes are old Christmas songs again this week, and my favorite holiday song of all time, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," by Darlene Love, is up six spots to #21 on this week's chart!</p><p class="MsoNormal">I'll be back soon with thoughts on the nine remaining tracks on this year's mix. Stay warm and dry and be of good cheer!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><br /></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-55921553538464329062023-12-10T13:04:00.000-08:002023-12-18T20:00:25.235-08:00Christmas Cheer - Part 8<p>It's been about a week since I've posted information about the tracks of my 19th and latest holiday mix, <a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/copy-of-latest-2" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Christmas Cheer</a>, so I'd say it's high time to get back to the task at hand. Here's a little background on three more of this year's tracks:</p><div><b>Track 23<br /></b><b>First Snowfall, The Coctails (1993)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I first heard this pretty little tune on <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/John-Waters-Christmas-Various-Artists/dp/B00065GHWE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13CPPTR7XAPDI&keywords=A+John+Waters+Christmas&qid=1702087861&sprefix=a+john+waters+christmas%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1">A
John Waters Christmas</a></b>, a compilation of oddball holiday tunes curated by
the infamous director of such films as <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndt-QtXDxzc">Polyester</a></b> (1981), <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUd_6FF4AtM">Pink Flamingos</a></b>
(1972) and <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP1sHc8yCH4">Female Trouble</a></b>
(1974). I went to college in Baltimore, where Waters is a genuine celebrity,
and listening to his holiday collection made me feel like I was an undergraduate again, roaming
the streets of Fells Point and Waverly.</div><div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfPN9e_q7KqSBUxVeihYhisROMYRI_q7hUIrs6vCEBbwOXyMoEjpgRUNdqVIyWvqeLS_9Bw8kCjPy-7MZH6u4zhNcd6UxpBxMzT03LWNxYh7tVO_cFf_8vQv9DsYiTmb-6tqrx_eewkjE-ql9kX37DKqsh9Nhd_SeSdApBHac_ArieYY23CWve9nb8RFv/s440/Kittys%20Lounge.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="440" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfPN9e_q7KqSBUxVeihYhisROMYRI_q7hUIrs6vCEBbwOXyMoEjpgRUNdqVIyWvqeLS_9Bw8kCjPy-7MZH6u4zhNcd6UxpBxMzT03LWNxYh7tVO_cFf_8vQv9DsYiTmb-6tqrx_eewkjE-ql9kX37DKqsh9Nhd_SeSdApBHac_ArieYY23CWve9nb8RFv/s320/Kittys%20Lounge.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Kitty's Lounge in Baltimore's Waverly Section</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I loved Baltimore in the late 1970s. I'd grown up in a beautiful town called Dover, about 45 minutes southwest of Boston, It was an idyllic community with thousands of acres of protected woodlands and very few major problems. Baltimore was different in so many ways. There was poverty, crime, racial tensions, decay; but there was also excitement and character. The world just beyond our campus offered the promise of adventure and danger, and I resolved to spend as much time in it as possible. It opened my eyes to what was then a whole new world to me.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Along with two friends, I applied for a cashier position at the local Rite Aid pharmacy. Applicants were required to take a polygraph test as part of the hiring process, which I apparently passed. To my surprise, my two friends didn't. I probably learned more in the 20 hours I worked at the Rite Aid each week than I did in class, and I wound up making some very good friends among the local community. In my senior year I became an intern for the local neighborhood council and wrote my senior paper on the role such groups can play in less affluent urban communities. I learned a great deal, and some of the lessons were painful. I once saw a purse snatching on Greenmount Avenue and chased the thief nearly a dozen blocks to retrieve what he'd taken. The pride I felt returning the elderly victim her purse soured a little when she confessed that all she had in the purse were a few Rite Aid discount coupons and around a dollar in loose change.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUEENF17CtX1FsCug0n1WPWk8XlCg9YrL7VOkIrW2b3pd0YzrZ9OeloX9cZGoZpR41wH5rFLCspPSU5nCgsKA3DSe8dQRITvJD6JK9s3XtyCUPTz2LthFv7rvRlJT9Q9IENz8xN3V8xLbG6Quhg15HRwzB8uRnlR-ROdnhEnxNuZHQQK_HRiawtcHLDcV/s606/Rite%20Aid.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="606" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUEENF17CtX1FsCug0n1WPWk8XlCg9YrL7VOkIrW2b3pd0YzrZ9OeloX9cZGoZpR41wH5rFLCspPSU5nCgsKA3DSe8dQRITvJD6JK9s3XtyCUPTz2LthFv7rvRlJT9Q9IENz8xN3V8xLbG6Quhg15HRwzB8uRnlR-ROdnhEnxNuZHQQK_HRiawtcHLDcV/s320/Rite%20Aid.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Two of my Rite Aid Coworkers, 1979</b></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“First Snowfall” is probably the tamest song on <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVlF8sv4wJT4lF7yqkfsDRNNSMAye-Hh_">A
John Waters Christmas</a></b> — a sweet instrumental number that I’m told
features someone playing a hand saw. The Coctails were a Chicago-based band
that formed when the members were all attending the Kansas City Art Institute.
They were active from around 1988 through the mid ‘90s and regrouped several
times after that for brief reunion shows.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The band consisted of members Archer Prewitt, Mark Greenberg, John
Upchurch, and Barry Phipps. While they were often described as a lounge band —
due, in part, I'm guessing, to their name — The Coctails described themselves as a “garage
jazz” band. They were rather prolific during the seven or eight years they made records, and their music actually included songs of many different styles.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The members were also heavily into the visual arts, and they even created a print shop at one point where they made posters, cards and such to promote the band and create other projects. A Japanese company later marketed a set of four action figures depicting the members of the band, and a book was published featuring the album covers and promotional materials created by the group.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand that in 2010, during one of the band's several reunions, they recorded a version of <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMnxjdGTK4w" target="_blank">Erik
Satie's "Gymnopédie No. 1</a></b>,” probably one of the most beautiful tunes ever written. Try as I might, I haven't been able to locate a copy.</span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IC_Mz3VgnPQ?si=CEsHiyiy7j1TdsgS" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.mrdankelly.com/blog/?p=2627">Read a 1993 Interview with The
Coctails from a zine called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pure</i></a> <o:p></o:p></b></p><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Track 24<br /></b><b>Let Us Be Gay, Bobbi Boyle (1973)</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb0JjVFuuNUDytXrgPKV3GqV2xb4KpToaFvd1Cl8KqxkwsNMo14EUyVErBhXd4vcIKl_eHZVfKuzVBP-xePccKxinpH1eAkEcU73Gq1urKYij73cGGG_B5pY7lZ_Loedv-YzWv7xDErvwlsy_on-gY_VLtdoe0k6P7D_I2DQB1CAwpZnvOmdr4ZgO_FuH/s598/Let%20Us%20Be%20Gay.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="598" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb0JjVFuuNUDytXrgPKV3GqV2xb4KpToaFvd1Cl8KqxkwsNMo14EUyVErBhXd4vcIKl_eHZVfKuzVBP-xePccKxinpH1eAkEcU73Gq1urKYij73cGGG_B5pY7lZ_Loedv-YzWv7xDErvwlsy_on-gY_VLtdoe0k6P7D_I2DQB1CAwpZnvOmdr4ZgO_FuH/w200-h199/Let%20Us%20Be%20Gay.PNG" width="200" /></a></div><b><br /></b></div><div>This one's another song-poem, from the album <b><a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/21377827-Dick-Kent-and-The-Lancelots-and-Bobbi-Boyle-and-The-MSR-Singers-Peace-Is-A-Song-To-Cherish" target="_blank">Peace is a Song to Cherish</a></b>, which featured songs by two different M.S.R. acts: Bobbi Boyle and the M.S.R. Singers and Dick Kent and The Lancelots. M.S.R. was one of the biggest of the song-poem mills that operated in this country throughout the 1960s. '70s and '80s. The company name comes from the initials of its founder, Maury S. Rosen, and it's been estimated that they produced more than 3000 45s and something like 300 compilation albums before winding down in 1983. Boyle, who sometimes went by the name Bobbi Blake, was one of the group of M.S.R. staff who comprised The Sisterhood, M.S.R.'s go-to group of female Singers.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I first heard this song on one of the terrific <b><a href="https://mondodiablo.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Mondo Diablo</a></b> podcasts from Hellbound Alleee, an atheist and song-poem enthusiast from Wenatchee, Washington, whose real name was Alison Randall. I used to love listening to her podcasts, which covered a wide spectrum of issues and included lots of diverse holiday music each year. The Christmas podcasts in particular were exceptionally well-curated, and it's clear she put a great deal of work into each show. Sadly, Alison died of cancer in 2019. Her husband, Francois Tremblay, has been posting her podcasts on <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/HellboundAlleee" target="_blank">her YouTube channel</a></b> so they can be more readily accessible. You might want to stop in a take a look around. Start with any of the Christmas shows and you'll probably wind up listening to some of the other ones. Allee was outspoken, genuine and fearless, and she's missed by many, including me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like so many of the old song-poems, there isn't an awful lot of information available about "Let Us Be Gay." I don't know who wrote the words that M.S.R. set to music, but I'm sure wherever the lyricist now resides, he/she is pleased to learn that we're listening to her work as the world falls apart around us in 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can hear "Let Us Be Gay" in the player, below, starting at around 1:09:49. Thanks to <b><a href="https://wfmu.org/" target="_blank">WFMU-FM</a></b> for providing the player and its content, which features a collection of nostalgic and offbeat holiday tunes from <b><a href="https://wfmu.org/profile/711949712/Bill_Mac" target="_blank">Bill Mac</a></b>'s show <b><a href="https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/38571" target="_blank">The Zzzzzero Hour</a></b> from December 25, 2010. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div>
<iframe src="https://wfmu.org/archiveplayer/?show=38571&archive=65875" style="border: 0; height: 200px; width: 400px;"></iframe> <div><br /></div><div><b>Track 25<br /></b><b>My Christmas Dream, Dian Rosamond (1975)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I can't remember where or when I found this holiday song-poem and the only information I have to offer is that it was released on the <b><a href="http://www.songpoemmusic.com/labels/halmark.htm" target="_blank">Halmark</a></b> (sometimes spelled "Hallmark") label. </div><div><br /></div><div>I did discover that there is a woman named Dian Rosamond who apparently wrote a short story titled "<b><a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Obsession.html?id=wO1eEAAAQBAJ&source=kp_author_description" target="_blank">Obsession</a>,</b>" that looks to me to be rather odd. I have no idea whether there's any connection to the singer of "My Christmas Dream," but who knows?</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the song, for your holiday enjoyment:</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U2OjPkMpJKw?si=T2p1IO61-RomV0eY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I recently learned of another Halmark song-poem that marries a different set of lyrics to the same tune and arrangement as "My Christmas Dream." It's called "<b><a href="https://bobpurse.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas" target="_blank">The Christmas Message</a></b>" and is credited to Raymond Spence, which is interesting because the vocalist is a female who sounds exactly like the woman singing "My Christmas Dream." I discovered the second of these two songs courtesy of Bob Purse's excellent blog titled <b><a href="https://bobpurse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Wonderful and the Obscure</a>. </b>I sure hope they didn't charge full-price to both lyricists for the same tune.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now. I'll be back with more sometime soon.</div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-74959176170490377132023-12-09T11:45:00.000-08:002023-12-13T16:13:20.779-08:00White House Celebrates a Childhood Christmas<p> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rE19twX6TCA?si=ddf7HTKJsAWSI6mm" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-51694782762077971442023-12-09T08:17:00.000-08:002023-12-10T08:50:03.806-08:00<h2><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000;">Vincent Price Welcomes Classic Hollywood Stars to His 1954 Christmas Special</span></span></b></h2><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUN23k5IHSB9Ps_6v1lLw0r6KfzJ5oi2lZIYXU5aL0y8aWuI5I6HPR_GHqXphs3pwno3OvbR0yvTGLAQm0cOd-dNE1U4eP7p2LLISeqsuoR1CZJ_jiy-s_7LFRXa8_0aYYdgy8TdCa2WuocHSOKT7CyZzTfc2XOaCD8RdaDn10wpVibmoVXhq9YCO6Nlwi/s1434/SNL%20Holiday%20Flashback.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1434" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUN23k5IHSB9Ps_6v1lLw0r6KfzJ5oi2lZIYXU5aL0y8aWuI5I6HPR_GHqXphs3pwno3OvbR0yvTGLAQm0cOd-dNE1U4eP7p2LLISeqsuoR1CZJ_jiy-s_7LFRXa8_0aYYdgy8TdCa2WuocHSOKT7CyZzTfc2XOaCD8RdaDn10wpVibmoVXhq9YCO6Nlwi/s320/SNL%20Holiday%20Flashback.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">This week's Saturday Night Live Holiday Flashback features Vincent Price (Bill Hader) welcoming a lively group of Hollywood celebrities to his holiday variety show, including Katherine Hepburn (Kristen Wiig), James Dean (James Franco) and Liberace (Fred Armisen). Two of the guests have an especially festive time. Can you guess which two guests have an especially festive time together?</span></div></span></span></div><div><br /></div><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q7l77LGgVOY?si=3llaejYTt3s0_Kv1" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-28186427380360386152023-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:002023-12-06T22:25:00.149-08:00Is Christmas Our "Wokest" Holiday?<h3 style="text-align: left;">Two Left<i>ish</i> Holiday Songs for Marxists, RINOs and Other Vermin*</h3><p>Most of us like to think of Christmas as the season of peace and goodwill — a time when even Republicans and Christian nationalists trade beautiful cards to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Sadly, a good many of them seem to forget the lessons Jesus taught <i>after </i>he was born, which tracks their approach to so many kids being born today. I suppose that's understandable. After all, the "love they neighbor" message that Jesus promoted tends to clash with holiday photos of the entire family waving assault rifles in front of a Christmas tree.</p><p>When you stop to think about it, Christmas has always been one of our "wokest" holidays. Jesse Watters and the other bigots at Fox News can scream all they want about blasphemous depictions of Santa as a black man in a wheelchair or nutcrackers with rainbow flag hats, but I'd wager the vast majority of holiday songs are more about such treasured values as fellowship, generosity and enjoying one another's company than about bashing people based on race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. With that in mind, allow me to share just a couple of "woke" holiday tunes that I've run across today and happen to enjoy.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">"This Year My Wishlist Only Says Peace," by theCatherines</h4><p>First up is a song by the German "pop jangle" band <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugWKGoUL9Tc0hCJfkwj2Bw" target="_blank">theCatherines</a></b>, a sweet and timely holiday tune called "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pblzUoO9XSw" target="_blank">This Year My Wishlist Only Says Peace</a></b>." It's got a message that's always appropriate and particularly relevant this year. As one reviewer notes,</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The track is an indie pop gem with jangling sensibilities and sleigh bells aplenty. More importantly, at a time of cheer and joy, this German ensemble reminds us that there are people less fortunate than us. Once again, theCatherines have created a glistening pop song with a deep and meaningful message.</span></span></p></blockquote><div><br /></div><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3990460933/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://thealdorabritainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/this-year-my-wishlist-only-says-peace">This Year My Wishlist Only Says Peace by theCatherines</a></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://thecatherines.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Learn More About theCatherines and Hear More of Their Music</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">"Santa, Stay Home," by U.S. Girls, featuring Rich Morel</h4><div>This one's actually a couple of years old and it's kind of a frontal attack on much of what this blog works to celebrate, but proposing that Christmas be eliminated due to its huge carbon footprint is going to have the gang at Fox News simultaneously clutching their pearls and screaming for the smelling salts. Formed in 2007, U.S. Girls is a Toronto-based, one-woman project by Meghan Remy. I don't necessarily endorse everything this song's proposing, but she raises some valid points, and it's kind of fun to try to "own the MAGAs" for a change.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tsQj-FBCngw?si=ladSZEfe6R3ad8Q9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>, </div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh0oPo8AHsibYz9p0CWJhNw" target="_blank">Check Out U.S. Girls on YouTube</a></b></div><div> </div><div>_____________</div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Hard as it is to believe, one of our former presidents recently echoed Adolph Hitler and several other dictators by publicly referring to his political enemies as "vermin" and threatening to "root them out" if returned to office. Care to guess which former president it was? </span></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-21556659976372829062023-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:002023-12-29T08:03:07.792-08:00More News from The Latest Billboard Hot 100<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9a1CjXoXajr9EXeVhDdD0fhSCV5cNuKmcszFe9GSj5KLJVXKvxQRX7Z-94nRoxbq63AXoaQgsJAI61BD7WLwA6VNGwoifle8_E9gnVD4i8Vw4snEtKv6ayKJAK21gQDaINNhqPop29Pf7uqjOBLiYKh2waRTfPYa8LVaPda9P1UON8dCtfHxfOzO3U5JH/s661/Brenda%20Lee%202023.PNG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="661" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9a1CjXoXajr9EXeVhDdD0fhSCV5cNuKmcszFe9GSj5KLJVXKvxQRX7Z-94nRoxbq63AXoaQgsJAI61BD7WLwA6VNGwoifle8_E9gnVD4i8Vw4snEtKv6ayKJAK21gQDaINNhqPop29Pf7uqjOBLiYKh2waRTfPYa8LVaPda9P1UON8dCtfHxfOzO3U5JH/s320/Brenda%20Lee%202023.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Brenda Lee in November 2023</b></td></tr></tbody></table>As someone who followed Billboard's music charts religiously in the the 1970s and '80s, I was taken aback by <b><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2023/12/brenda-lee-tops-billboards-hot-100-with.html" target="_blank">yesterday's news</a></b> that the #1 song on this week's Hot 100 is a 65-year-old Christmas song by Brenda Lee. Well, Tuesday's the day when Billboard releases each week's full Hot 100 list, and today's chart blew my mind yet again.<p></p><p>In what probably has to be considered good news for seasonal music enthusiasts, six of this week's Top 10, 21 of this week's Top 40 and 26 of this week's Top 50 songs are holiday tunes. (Remarkably, no holiday songs appear in positions 51 through 100.)</p><p>Most of the holiday songs that made the Hot 100 this week are vintage tracks. In other words, they're old. The average age of this week's Top 10 songs is 32 years old. Four of the Top 10 tunes were released before I'd entered kindergarten.</p><p>Frankly, I'm a little surprised by my reaction to these developments. I should really be elated. I love Christmas music, and I prefer music of all kinds from the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s to the kind of dreck that's dominated the charts since the turn of the millennium. Still, I find it unsettling that Burl Ives currently has the #6 song in the nation. I mean, it's terrific, but I feel like I've entered a strange and frightening new dimension. (The fact that Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is the #2 song in land is just flat out horrifying with no silver lining. Ditto for "Last Christmas" at #5.)</p><p>All of this is the result of a long series of changes to the way Billboard tabulates its Hot 100. Back when I followed the charts each week, the Hot 100 included only those songs that had been officially released as singles and their chart positions rose or fell based on radio airplay and singles sales. Today, few songs are even available as singles, so any recorded song can be considered. Positions are based on a host of factors, including not only radio airplay but also downloads and streaming service data. (For a good explanation of the evolving Hot 100 formula, see <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.) That makes it easy to see what's happened to this week's Hot 100. The start of the holiday season led millions of folks to start playing their sentimental favorites on Spotify, and suddenly a 78-year-old woman has the #1 hit in the country. That's actually kind of sweet. And I'd much rather see Brenda Lee at #1 than another damned song by Taylor Swift or Drake.</p><p>And there's cause for genuine celebration when Darlene Love is back on the Hot 100 at #27 with "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EvZOXEoJ84" target="_blank">Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)</a></b>." It's also nice to see The Ronettes at #14 with "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZTzai1H9DM" target="_blank">Sleigh Ride</a></b>," Jose Feliciano at #16 with "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8NcQzMQN_U" target="_blank">Feliz Navidad</a></b>," Nat King Cole at #19 with "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKhRnZZ0cJI" target="_blank">The Christmas Song</a></b>," and Thurl Ravenscroft at #43 with "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGSneujgGT8" target="_blank">You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch</a></b>."</p><p>I'm starting to feel much better now. I only hope Brenda can keep Mariah out of the #1 spot as effectively as Prince's "Purple Rain" blocked Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" back in 1984. Not that I think about that very much anymore ...</p><p><b><a href="https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/" target="_blank">Check Out Billboard's Hot 100 for the Week of December 9, 2023</a></b></p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-7380306502090576442023-12-05T09:30:00.000-08:002023-12-05T10:12:10.196-08:00What Is It About British Christmas TV Commercials?<div>I can't remember the last time I watched regular broadcast television. We don't get TV at our house, and while I watch a lot of stuff on YouTube and some of the a la carte paid channels, I haven't had to suffer through American TV commercials in what seems like ages. Some of the old commercials I remember were pretty good. Most of them weren't. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems things are different in Britain, where advertisers compete every Christmas to produce the most moving, sentimental and lovely commercials. </div><div><br /></div><div>I found this clip when I opened YouTube this morning. It's a compilation featuring the best holiday ads now playing across the pond. Have a look if you feel like tearing up a little, though I'd limit yourself to no more than two in one sitting unless you've got some extra insulin lying around. The last two clips, starting at 11:35, are especially good.</div><div><br /></div><div>Why aren't our stores competing for the high ground like this? Maybe our presidential candidates could take a page from this book?</div><div><br /></div>
<div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UDrqcdDD5kI?si=ZYJ7tSrfi0lKoa4p" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p> </p>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-35509897397206257372023-12-04T22:24:00.000-08:002023-12-06T22:48:05.098-08:00Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Tops Billboard's Hot 100 <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrLko8UP2jzI1GpVNXGXTwEMWGpQnURZ_3CCm9SedtIs7YLY5GRwLrJ80f5KzsHq4lr6t3t256MR0WadyC1zkmrHEXI33K_Covvo2FPmE-V2FUFMyxG3pxdkyyTaearMhLZdeuyCRM3sz5t9URrODpV_bzKwA0xe6pewacU52xGI_6O2JSmQBMvfNnaFF/s784/Breaking%20News.png" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="784" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrLko8UP2jzI1GpVNXGXTwEMWGpQnURZ_3CCm9SedtIs7YLY5GRwLrJ80f5KzsHq4lr6t3t256MR0WadyC1zkmrHEXI33K_Covvo2FPmE-V2FUFMyxG3pxdkyyTaearMhLZdeuyCRM3sz5t9URrODpV_bzKwA0xe6pewacU52xGI_6O2JSmQBMvfNnaFF/w200-h94/Breaking%20News.png" width="200" /></a>Music history was made this week when 78-year-old Brenda Lee topped <b><a href="https://www.billboard.com/" target="_blank">Billboard</a></b> magazine's <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" target="_blank">Hot 100</a></b> chart of the nation's most popular songs with "<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin%27_Around_the_Christmas_Tree" target="_blank">Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree</a></b>," a record she released 65 years ago. With this achievement, Lee becomes the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100. Her song breaks the records for longest time after its original release and longest time since its Hot 100 debut to reach the top of the charts..</p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Written by Johnny Marks and produced by Owen Bradley, the song first entered the Hot 100 at #64 on December 12, 1960, following four Top 10 singles that Lee placed on the chart in the previous 12 months. Her Christmas song peaked at #14 two weeks later. Following changes in the formula by which the Hot 100 is tabulated, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" re-entered the Hot 100 in December 2019 and has returned in each subsequent holiday season. Lee was 15 years old when she recorded the tune.</span></span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is only the third holiday song in Billboard history to top the Hot 100. The first was "<b><a href="https://bellsrringing.blogspot.com/2023/11/christmas-cheer-part-3.html" target="_blank">The Chipmunk Song</a></b>," by The Chipmunks with David Seville, in 1958. The second was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which spent combined total of 12 weeks at #1 during 2019-22. </span></span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This song is Lee's third #1 hit on the Hot 100. The first, "<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGLR25EJtfE" target="_blank">I'm Sorry</a></b>," which became her signature song, spent three weeks in the top position beginning July 18, 1960. It was followed by "I Want to Be Wanted," which made it to #1 three months later, during the same week I was born. </span></span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first official music video of the song was recorded only this year to coincide with the 65th anniversary of its initial release. The video features cameo appearances by Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood.</span></span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TFsZy9t-qDc?si=-EFxfvggdJrNACiZ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.billboard.com/lists/brenda-lee-rockin-around-the-christmas-tree-number-one-hot-100/a-christmas-queen-the-king/" target="_blank">Read More About Brenda Lee's Remarkable Achievement in Billboard Magazine</a></b></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-175350553874846367.post-50843914724156243682023-12-04T11:35:00.000-08:002023-12-04T11:35:08.046-08:00Christmas Cheer - Part 7<p>Three weeks to go until the Big Day, and I'm back with a little information about the next three tracks from my latest holiday mix, <b><a href="https://www.marksholidaymixcds.net/copy-of-latest-2" target="_blank">Christmas Cheer</a></b>:</p><p><b>Track 20<br /></b><b>Hanukkah Mambo, The Yule Logs (2012)</b></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XOZUHfslYEU?si=2xlBySlKb0e9mg5P" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is the fourth song I’ve included in my annual mixes from The Yule
Logs, a band based in Chico, California. Known as the “hardest working band in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">snow</i> business” and the “greatest
Christmas band of all time,” The Yule Logs have made spirits bright each
holiday season for close to 20 years with their festive brand of original
holiday songs and storied live performances. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Based in Chico, California, the band consists of Kirt Lind, Marty
Parker, Jake Sprecher, and Maurice Spencer. In addition to their traditional
string of live shows during the holiday season, The Yule Logs have released six
albums of mostly original material, all of which is top-quality and lots of fun
to boot. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Unfortunately, late last year the band announced in a social media post
that they were calling it quits:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">Hey friends. As you
may have heard, we’ve decided to call it a day as a band. Time marches on, ya
know? Thank you so much for 17 amazing seasons. Take care, and see you around
town. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m disappointed because I never did get
to see them perform live, and because I was looking forward to another album or
two. But they leave a rich legacy and they did provide lots of folks with a
great deal of fun and merriment.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’ve included songs by The Yule Logs on three of my previous mixes.
This one’s the fourth, and it’s also the second Hanukkah tune. I try to include
Hanukkah and Kwanzaa songs in my compilations when I can, although it isn’t
always easy to find strong entries. Fortunately, The Yule Logs have released a
number of great Hanukkah tunes over the years.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’m posting two mini players, below, featuring two of The Yule Logs
albums — The Yule Logs (2009), which includes “Hanukkah Mambo,” and their most
recent release, Fezziwig (2021). There’s also a link to their Bandcamp site, where, for a limited time, you can purchase all six of their albums for
just $22.50. That would be a deal at twice the price! </p><br /></div>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1809954985/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 472px; width: 400px;"><a href="https://theyulelogs.bandcamp.com/album/the-yule-logs">The Yule Logs by The Yule Logs</a></iframe><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1545066498/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 472px; width: 400px;"><a href="https://theyulelogs.bandcamp.com/album/fezziwig">Fezziwig by The Yule Logs</a></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://theyulelogs.bandcamp.com/album/fezziwig" target="_blank">Buy All Six of The Yule Logs' Holiday Albums from Bandcamp for Only $22.50 (for a limited time)</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Track 21<br /></b><b>The Red Skidoo, Lee Scott (c. 1976)</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PPdbSRo6t831Gun4p-D30QtVuTir5nXxX6unJCXYtVX_qhOpbSuAJJafUhdNLKjkyiF0RZ8C8EsCIYyTQkg5soOi6SX-dxDMIxAYHYNv3_RQvv6stS4ApWw5EuTBMPIPbRYL7YlUVnkVP961Xaj03nTyDjLmCSoPvUeEluy-DPYoOmXnJVMAGmQ54AFL/s594/Sounds%20of%20Today.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="594" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PPdbSRo6t831Gun4p-D30QtVuTir5nXxX6unJCXYtVX_qhOpbSuAJJafUhdNLKjkyiF0RZ8C8EsCIYyTQkg5soOi6SX-dxDMIxAYHYNv3_RQvv6stS4ApWw5EuTBMPIPbRYL7YlUVnkVP961Xaj03nTyDjLmCSoPvUeEluy-DPYoOmXnJVMAGmQ54AFL/w200-h191/Sounds%20of%20Today.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>Track 21 is another song-poem (surprise!), produced by the <a href="http://www.songpoemmusic.com/labels/columbin.htm"><b>Columbine</b></a> publishing mill and credited to Ms. Lee Scott. This
tune was featured on Columbine’s compilation “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/7183740-Various-The-Now-Sounds-Of-Today"><b>The Now Sounds of Today</b></a>,” which was
released sometime around 1976. The lyrics were penned by Myrtle Moorhouse, who
seems to have been smitten by a handsome man she saw riding a red skidoo. It’s
not a Christmas song <i>per se</i>, but it’s
got a skidoo in it and those require snow and winter weather — so what the heck!
Truth be told, I’d say that Ms. Moorhouse wasn’t thinking so much about
Christmas when she scrawled out these lyrics. We all know what good ol’ Myrtle
had on her mind.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
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</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>I don’t have much more to offer in the way of background on this
track; about all I can do is point you toward some additional tunes Lee Scott
performed. (WARNING: Most of Ms. Scott’s
other performances fall short of the standard she set with “The Red Skidoo.” If
that doesn’t frighten you, well, you’re made of strong stuff, indeed.) Some of
her material is available through the links listed below. Additional titles
appear <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/2668648-Lee-Scott-5"><b>HERE</b></a>.</p></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Columbine apparently offered its customers a little more than just a 45
RPM pressing of their joint efforts. They also produced hundreds of compilation
albums like “The Now Sounds of Today,” most with equally exciting titles. This
was no doubt intended to suggest they were committed to promoting and not
merely creating the various tunes they produced. God knows what they did with
these compilation albums once they rolled off the presses. I can’t believe many
of them were sold or that anyone actually paid much attention to them, but you
can usually find lots of them on sale via eBay “for a song.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogfiles.wfmu.org/LR/spam02/24_-_Lee_Scott_-_The_Red_Skidoo.mp3"><b>Listen to “The Red Skidoo,” by Lee Scott</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogfiles.wfmu.org/LR/spam02/21_-_Lee_Scott_-_Strange_Cold_Feeling.mp3"><b>Listen to “Strange, Cold Feeling,” by Lee
Scott</b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogfiles.wfmu.org/LR/spam02/26_-_Lee_Scott_-_Generation_Gap.mp3"><b>Listen to “Generation Gap,” by Lee Scott</b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogfiles.wfmu.org/LR/spam02/28_-_Lee_Scott_-_Blue_Jean_Stringbean.mp3"><b>Listen to “Blue Jean, String Bean, by Lee
Scott</b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div><b>Track 22<br /></b><b>Holiday Greetings from Rosie Perez</b></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dSHVqgupjvE1wcGbAHghYIFfc1y46A4bu2Nl2FvpzHhuVts5LQhWo6HnTqJxurgztUGGlmvLRH1IJU0F1ei5-jEhQyl8fXPrsFmplFK2gIRTebvH9QwkZ7BZ5zJhipxRtELeRiPxNR7DGX32vnURhS2R7TZeebDwY93SIZzO6i3jVQmb7SehziIDCsry/s436/Rosie%20Perez.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="278" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dSHVqgupjvE1wcGbAHghYIFfc1y46A4bu2Nl2FvpzHhuVts5LQhWo6HnTqJxurgztUGGlmvLRH1IJU0F1ei5-jEhQyl8fXPrsFmplFK2gIRTebvH9QwkZ7BZ5zJhipxRtELeRiPxNR7DGX32vnURhS2R7TZeebDwY93SIZzO6i3jVQmb7SehziIDCsry/w127-h200/Rosie%20Perez.PNG" width="127" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rosie Perez</b></td></tr></tbody></table>Rosie Perez is a singer, dancer, choreographer and activist who’s
appeared in more than 40 feature films and 70 television shows. A Brooklyn
native of Puerto Rican ancestry, Perez first captured the public’s attention
playing Tina in Spike Lee’s 1989 film “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=739XYgoA-x8"><b>Do the Right Thing</b></a>.” The following year, she started a
four-year run as a dancer and choreographer on the Fox sketch comedy show “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGt87ffkTEU"><b>In Living Color</b></a>.” She handled the choreography for a number of
popular music videos by artists including Janet Jackson, Diana Ross, LL Cool J
and Bobby Brown.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
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</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>Perez was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress
for her work in the 1993 film Fearless, and also starred in “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKc334KBxzY"><b>White Men Can’t Jump</b></a>,” starring Wesley Snipes. She made her
Broadway debut in 2002 in Terrence McNally’s “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair
de Lune.” In 2014-15 Perez served as panelist and co-host on The View.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Perez is also known for her activism and charitable work, particularly
around Puerto Rican rights, HIV/AIDS prevention and support for the arts. She’s
been a busy and productive woman over the past 30+ years, and yet she still had
the time to pass along her holiday greetings.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">That’s all for today. I’ll be back soon with more.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><br /></div><b></b></div>Mark J in LAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830289439509804991noreply@blogger.com0