I didn’t know this! I was familiar with “Soulful Strut” by Young-Holt Unlimited. Young and Holt were members of Ramsey Lewis’s trio who formed their own band. Here’s more on “Am I The Same Girl” which was recorded first.
Month: February 2021
More Baltimore Salt Boxes
Raise the minimum wage to $15
That still won’t keep up with inflation since the last increase.
Minimum wage and inflation: These two charts show how much workers have fallen behind – CNNPolitics
Film: We Are Little Zombies
One of the best films I have seen recently is We Are Little Zombies. It’s the story of four emotionally dead children who have lost their parents. They form a band and have a popular record. Here’s the trailer and music video for their record. The 2019 film from Japan is now available on Blu-ray and streaming services.
A couple of the other excellent but strange Japanese films are One Cut of the Dead and The Happiness of the Katakuris.
Covers: Mission Bell
“Mission Bell” was a hit for Donnie Brooks in 1960. The cover I know best is by Fleetwood Mac on their excellent 1970 album Kiln House. It was an odd choice for them – most of the rest of the album is 1950s style, country, blues or rock. It’s the weakest song on the album. I would call the original version pop. Check out the bizarre cover by Tiny Tim.
My two favorite mean comments in music reviews
- After Live Aid in 1985, the Vanity Fair review said that when the Beach Boys sang “Help Me, Rhonda”, they sounded like they were calling out for their nurse.
- In their review of Bob Dylan’s album Christmas in the Heart, the Washington post writer said ” the sparse “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” sounds like a reason to bolt your doors.” The entire review is fun to read: Review of Bob Dylan’s ‘Christmas in the Heart’ (washingtonpost.com)
Here’s a similar one:
Two thoughts on meetings
I’m retired but I went to hundreds, maybe thousands, of meetings. Two observations:
- You have to arrive early to get a bad seat. Nobody wants to sit at the table with the big shots. This is the opposite of going to a concert where you want to get there early.
- The more people there are at a meeting, the less likely it is that there is one person who understands everything that is going on. In a big organization, there a lots of people who are experts on their specialty but not on the big picture or other fields.
Two old tasteless political jokes
This one is from the period when the Clintons were trying to get a health care plan done:
Hillary Clinton is taking a tour of a hospital with a doctor and they come across a man who is masturbating. She asks the doctor for an explanation and he says “He has a very rare condition that causes him to produce too much sperm and this is his treatment”
Later, they see a man getting a blow job from a nurse. Clinton asks for an explanation of this man’s situation. The doctor says “He has the same disease as the other man but he’s got a better health plan.”
I don’t know if I remember this one exactly the way I heard it years ago but you’ll get the punchline anyway:
George Bush goes to hell and Satan says “I’m going to give you three options.”
They go into the first room and there is JFK with flames licking at his feet. Bush says “I don’t want that.”
They go into the second room and there is Richard Nixon covered in snakes. Bush says “I don’t want that either.”
They go into the third room and there is Bill Clinton getting oral sex for all eternity from Monica Lewinsky. Bush says “I like this. I’m going to stay here.” Satan says “Alright. Miss Lewinsky, you can go now.”
Beatles Singles in 1967
The Beatles released three great singles in 1967. Five of the six songs rank among their best. The only dud is “Baby, You’re a Rich Man”. They’re as good or better as any songs on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band which was also released in 1967. The English Magical Mystery Tour EP included “I Am the Walrus”. In the US, all of the six songs were on the Magical Mystery Tour Album which included all songs on the EP. Side B had all of them except “I am the Walrus” which was the last song on side A.
Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever were released on February 13, 1967
All You Need Is Love and Baby, You’re a Rich Man were released on July 2, 1967.
Hello, Goodbye and I Am the Walrus were released on November 24, 1967
James Voshell
James Voshell made photorealistic painting and murals on buildings in Baltimore. There is an excellent new article about him in Baltimore magazine which I linked to below.
JAMES W VOSHELL photorealist artist – Home
I just ordered this book about him and his work
Here are my photos of two of his murals that are gone now. His mural of the chess players is my favorite of all of the wall murals I have seen in Baltimore.
Sad! 