Category Archives: On Music

Percentage points and lousy joints: A Mixtape

July 21, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on July 19, 2025)

Last night I watched part one of Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin’s new HBO/MAX documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes (part two drops July 25th). So far, it’s an absorbing “warts and all” portrait of the singer-songwriter. Some of the more revelatory moments stem from learning the inspiration behind specific songs. One example is his 1974 single “The Entertainer”. It wasn’t a huge hit (peaking at #34), but has an interesting backstory, as Joel recounts:

The song “The Entertainer” was basically autobiographical about putting out “Piano Man”. The magic number in those days to putting out a single was the 3-minute mark. The original [album version] of “Piano Man” was a much longer recording, and [the record label execs] said “We’ve got to edit it.” I said, “What do you mean, you’ve got it edit it?” I was very touchy about that…don’t be chopping my song up. I was starting to become disenchanted with the music business, and “The Entertainer” was my way of complaining about it, I suppose.

Joel’s former manager (and ex-wife) Elizabeth Weber elaborates:

When he wrote “The Entertainer”, it became such a negative to a number of people in the music business. They look [at it like] “I’m out here, slogging away every day to get your records on the radio…and you say these things about me?!” – and they stopped working for him completely. They were so mad that they were doing the best they could and this was the gratitude that they got.

To which Joel appends:

Essentially, “The Piano Man” was about a guy kvetching about playing in a piano bar, and the followup [single] was the guy kvetching about having a hit record in the music business. So it’s sorta like, I’m doing well-let me screw this up somehow.

There’s a profound lesson about the music business in there somewhere. I’m not 100% sure what it is, but it did give me an idea (which is always dangerous). I got to thinking about other great songs that kvetch about stoking the star-making machinery behind the popular song (to coin a phrase). The more I thought about it, the more songs I came up with. After much careful deliberation (and one eye on an approaching deadline), I’ve whittled it down to my 20 top picks:

“An Elpee’s Worth of Toons” – Todd Rundgren – In which the artist muses on his career choice.

There’s something at the heart of it that’s simply awful
A man who makes a living off a plastic waffle

“Barracuda” – Heart – Ann and Nancy are looking at YOU, Mr. Music Exec.

You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You’d have me down, down, down, down on my knees
Now wouldn’t you, barracuda? Oh

“Destiny Calling” – James – Help I’m a commodity.

Cover us in chocolate
Sell us to the neighbours
Frame us in a video
Clone us in a test tube
Sell us to the multitude
Guess that’s the price of fame

“Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” – Sugarloaf – One of the more quotable selections here.

(I said, “You got my number?”
He said, “Yeah, I got it when you walked in the door”)

“EMI” – The Sex Pistols – The Pistols’ F.U. to the label that originally signed them but then dropped them like a hot potato several months later. Can’t imagine why.

Ever, ever, ever
And you thought that we were faking
That we were all just money making
You do not believe we’re for real

Or you would lose your cheap appeal?

“Empty V” – Doug Powell – Re: Music Television…where did the music go? A valid question.

Video killed the radio star
And then committed suicide

“The Entertainer” – Billy Joel – You know the story.

I am the entertainer
I bring to you my songs
I’d like to spend a day or two
But I can’t stay that long
No, I’ve got to meet expenses
I got to stay in line
Gotta get those fees to the agencies
And I’d love to stay but there’s bills to pay
So I just don’t have the time

“Free Man in Paris” – Joni Mitchell – Trying to escape the pressure cooker.

I was a free man in Paris, I felt unfettered and alive
Nobody was calling me up for favors
No one’s future to decide
You know I’d go back there tomorrow
But for the work I’ve taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery behind the popular song

“Have a Cigar” – Pink Floyd – Roger Waters vents spleen about cigar-chomping glad-handers.

Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar, you’re gonna go far
You’re gonna fly, you’re never gonna die
You’re gonna make it if you try, they’re gonna love you
Well, I’ve always had a deep respect and I mean that most sincere
The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think
Oh, by the way, which one’s pink?

“I Love My Label” – Nick Lowe – Somewhat good-natured, but wary of the corporate masters.

Oh, I’m so proud of them up here
We’re one big, happy family
I guess you could say I’m the poor
Relation of the parent company

“Million-Dollar Riff” – Skyhooks – In search of the hit formula. And the filthy lucre.

Well there’s a thousand guitars all over the land
And a thousand drummers and a thousand bands
And a thousand agents with their ears to the ground (Gimme Gimme)
They’re all lookin’ for the riff with the million dollar sound

“Overnight Sensation” – The Raspberries – He’s not in it for the money. No, really.

Well if the program director don’t pull it
It’s time to get back the bullet
So bring the group down to the station
You’re gonna be an overnight sensation

“Radio, Radio” – Elvis Costello – I prefer his early, angrier songs.

You either shut up or get cut up, they don’t wanna hear about it
It’s only inches on the reel-to-reel
And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
Tryin’ to anesthetize the way that you feel

“So You Want to Be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star” – The Byrds – Anyone can do it!

Then it’s time to go downtown
Where the agent man won’t let you down
Sell your soul to the company
Who are waiting there to sell plasticware

“Tinseltown Rebellion” – Frank Zappa – FZ was never one to mince words.

The Tinsel Town aficionados
Come to see and not to hear
But then again this system works
As perfect as a dream
It works for all of those record company pricks
Who come to skim the cream
From the cesspools of excitement
Where Jim Morrison once stood
It’s the Tinsel Town Rebellion
From downtown Hollywood

“Top of the Pops” – The Kinks – You’re #1 …with a few caveats.

And now I’ve got friends that I never knew I had before.
It’s strange how people want you when you record’s high
‘Cos when it drops down they just pass you by
Now my agent just called me and said it me:
“Son your record’s just got to Number One.”
And do you know what this means?
This means you can earn some real money!

“The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man” – The Rolling Stones – Do the hustle.

Well they laugh at my toupee, they’re sure to put me down
Well I’m sitting here thinking just how sharp I am
Yeah I’m sitting here thinking just how sharp I am
I’m a necessary talent behind every rock and roll band

“Video Killed the Radio Star” – The Buggles – We hold this truth to be self-evident.

In my mind and in my car
We can’t rewind we’ve gone too far
Pictures came and broke your heart
Put the blame on VCR

“Workin’ for MCA” – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Seems this fella knew what to expect.

Oh, suckers took my money since I was seventeen
If it ain’t no pencil pusher, then it got to be a honky tonk queen
But I’ll sign my contract, baby, and I want you people to know
That every penny that I make, I’m gonna see where my money goes

“The Worst Band in the World” – 10cc – Hey, as long as the check clears…who cares?

Well we’ve never done a days work in our life
And our records sell in zillions
It irrigates my heart with greed
To know that you adore me
Up yours, up mine
But up everybody’s that takes time
But we’re working on it
Working on it (Ooh)

Documentary, Jazz Musicians, On Music

Tribeca 2025: Sun Ra: Do the Impossible (***)

June 20, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

How does one describe Sun Ra’s music? Whether you label it “free jazz”, “avant-garde”, “experimental”, or “free-form”…to the uninitiated ear, it might as well be music from outer space. That perception would suit its creator just fine, because he was from Saturn, after all.

I should probably back up a moment.

Herman Poole Blount was actually born in Birmingham Alabama, and as we learn in Christine Turner’s bio of the late jazz pioneer, was a natural musician. He starting playing piano as a child and was composing and sight reading by his early teens. The “Saturn” quotient entered his personal mythology at some point in his 20s or 30s (the timeline was subject to change, depending on to whom he was recounting his story of being “teleported” to the planet, where alien beings instructed him to speak to the world through his music).

The veracity of this story is moot; because whatever (or whoever) sparked this visit from the Muse, from that moment forward Sun Ra dedicated every waking minute of his life to not only push his musical boundaries, but to create a simpatico cosmology that embraced elements of philosophy, quantum physics, and Black consciousness.

Turner mixes recollections from former members of the Arkestra, historians, music scholars, and archival Sun Ra interviews with amazing performance footage to paint a fascinating (if not definitive) portrait of a unique artist whose true origin remains a bit of a mystery. I’m compelled to quote my favorite line from Close Encounters of the Third Kind: “Einstein was probably one of them.”

Behind the Music, Documentary, On Music, Rock 'n' Roll

Tribeca 2025: Billy Idol Should Be Dead (***)

June 19, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

Jonas Åkerlund ‘s rock doc is a fairly straightforward portrait of William Michael Albert Broad, noted member of the Bromley Contingent. Okay…you know him better as Billy Idol, and “The Bromley Contingent” (which featured future members of The Clash and Siouxsee and the Banshees, among other seminal punkers) was basically an unofficial fan club that followed the Sex Pistols around on their earliest UK gigs. Billy, of course, was destined for bigger things, so he did not remain a mere fanboy for long.

Mixing archival footage with present-day ruminations from Idol (still alive!) Åkerlund retraces the rocker’s trajectory from co-founder of Generation X (one of the first punk bands to perform on the BBC’s Top of the Pops program) to MTV superstar and beyond.

The price of fame is paid in full along the way; sex, drugs, and rock and roll takes its toll…but like some kind of sneering, leather-clad Energizer Bunny, Idol somehow just keeps going, and going. The present-day Idol is thoughtful, self-reflective, and surprisingly candid about where he’s been and where he’s headed. Being partial to Idol’s pre-MTV output, I found his punk era to be the most absorbing portion of the doc, but overall it should be an enjoyable ride for fans.

On Music, Tribute

A leaf on a windy day: RIP Brian Wilson

June 12, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on Jun 11, 2025)

The music world has lost a giant today. Since the news broke, it seems all the superlatives have been used up describing Brian Wilson’s genius, so I thought I’d let the music do the talking. And rather than slapping together a playlist of The Beach Boys greatest hits (too easy), it feels more appropriate to celebrate Wilson’s legacy via artists who have taken inspiration from him. In tribute, here are 15 covers and originals that channel his spirit.

The Beatles – “Back in the U.S.S.R.” – Granted, this may be cheating a bit, considering that (as the story goes) Beach Boy Mike Love overheard Paul McCartney working on this tune when they were both studying under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India and suggested that “[what Paul] ought to do is talk about the girls all around Russia, the Ukraine, and Georgia.” And so it came to pass. Then again, The Beatles didn’t give a tip o’ the hat to just anybody, you know.

First Class – “Beach Baby” – UK studio band First Class was the brainchild of singer-songwriter Tony Burrows, who also sang lead on other one-hit wonders, including “Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes” (The Edison Lighthouse), “My Baby Loves Lovin’” (White Plains), and “United We Stand” (The Brotherhood of Man). This pop confection was a Top 10 song in the U.S. in 1974.

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs – “The Warmth of the Sun” – A lovely cover from Sweet and Hoffs’ Under the Covers, Vol. 1 collaboration album. The original version (featuring one of Brian Wilson’s most gorgeous melodies) was on the 1964 album Shut Down Vol 2. Atypically introspective and melancholy for this era of the band, it had an unusual origin story. Wilson and Mike Love began work on the tune in the wee hours of the morning JFK was assassinated; news of the event changed the tenor of the lyrics and vocal performances.

Todd Rundgren – “Good Vibrations” – A near carbon copy of the Beach Boys’ brilliant 1966 hit, which famously took Wilson 7 months to produce (in four studios). This cut is from Rundgren’s 1976 album Faithful, which features one side of originals and the other devoted to “faithful” covers of 60s tunes.

10cc – “The Dean and I” – Imbued with shades of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (particularly on the bridge) and typically cheeky lyrics, this cut is from 10cc’s eponymous 1973 debut album.

Roy Wood – “Why Does Such a Pretty Girl Sing Those Sad Songs” – This uncanny homage is taken from the former Move front man’s 2nd solo album Mustard, released in 1975. I wager this one could pass as an original Brian Wilson composition in a blindfold test!

The High Llamas – “Over the River” – Band founder/keyboardist Sean O’Hagan has never made a secret of his admiration for Brian Wilson, hence I could have picked any number of his compositions to include. This instrumental, featured on the band’s 1998 Cold and Bouncy album, rings of Wilson’s Smile era.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – “Sloop John B.” – This fun punk-pop cover of a Pet Sounds cut cleverly tips its hat to the Beach Boys and The Ramones!

The Raspberries – “Cruisin’ Music” – The Raspberries go beach cruisin’ a la Wilson, from their 1974 album Starting Over.

Ken Sharp – “Girl Don’t Tell Me” – Ken Sharp is a sort of power pop Renaissance man; in addition to releasing a number of singles and albums, he has authored/co-authored 18 music books-including tomes on Cheap Trick, The Raspberries, The Small Faces, and Rick Springfield. This song was the B-side of the Beach Boys’ 1965 hit “Barbara Ann”; Sharp’s cover incorporates Beatle influences.

Martin Newell – “Miss Van Houten’s Coffee Shoppe” – Despite the fact that he writes hook-laden pop gems in his sleep, and has been doing so for five decades, endearingly eccentric singer-musician-songwriter-poet Martin Newell (Cleaners From Venus, Brotherhood of Lizards) remains a selfishly-guarded secret by cultish admirers (of which I am one). This bouncy number suggests some heavy Brian Wilson influence.

Los Lobos – “Sail on Sailor” – This fabulous cover is from Los Lobos’ 2021 album Native Sons, which paid tribute to L.A.-based artists.

The Dukes of Stratosphear – “Pale and Precious” – It’s hard to miss the Brian Wilson influence in this cut, taken from the band’s 2nd album Psonic Psunspot (this “band” was actually a nom de plume for an XTC side project).

Flo & Eddie – “Keep it Warm” – Here’s another one that could pass for a Wilson original (well…satirical lyrics aside), by ex-Turtles/Mothers of Invention members Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, from their 1975 album Illegal, Immoral, and Fattening.

David Lee Roth – “California Girls” – No one could ever accuse the former Van Halen front man of being camera-shy. This remains one of the most memorable 80s videos, and also holds up as a great arrangement of one of Brian Wilson’s signature compositions.

Previous posts with related themes:

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

Love and Mercy

Behind the Music, Documentary, On Music, Rock 'n' Roll

Living in the 70s: Borrowed Time-Lennon’s Last Decade (**1/2)

April 28, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on April 26, 2025)

Fame (fame) what you like is in the limo
Fame (fame) what you get is no tomorrow
Fame (fame) what you need you have to borrow

– from “Fame” by David Bowie (backing vocal by John Lennon)

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard-although I wish I could.

Allow me to explain.

I was all of 24, living in San Francisco. I didn’t own a VCR (they were exorbitantly priced), so I was still watching the tube in (*shudder*) real time. Perusing the TV Guide one December evening, I was excited to spot Sunset Boulevard on the schedule for 8pm (I believe it was airing on independent Bay Area station KTVU).

For the uninitiated, Gloria Swanson’s turn as a fading, high-maintenance movie queen mesmerizes, William Holden embodies the quintessential noir sap, and veteran scene-stealer Erich von Stroheim redefines the meaning of “droll” in a tragicomic journey down the Boulevard of Broken Dreams (I’ve seen it many times since).

At any rate, I was comfortably ensconced on the couch, really digging the film (despite myriad commercial breaks). Approximately 20 minutes into the broadcast, the station unceremoniously cut away from the film for a news bulletin: former Beatle John Lennon had been shot and killed in New York City.

It was eerie kismet, as the film opens with the shooting death of the protagonist/narrator (played by Holden), and is ultimately a rumination on the dark side of fame.

Being an avid Fabs fan, it kind of harshed my mellow. Still does, actually-whenever the subject comes up.

It’s hard to believe that was 45 years ago (5 years longer than Lennon’s lifespan). Over the ensuing decades, there has certainly been no shortage of documentaries and biopics covering Lennon’s life and work. At this point, I think I’ve seen most of them.

Consequently, one would assume that there are very few secrets, revelations and angles left to explore. Yet, 2025 has seen the release of no less than two new Lennon documentaries (and the year is still young).

First, there’s One to One: John and Yoko:

I haven’t seen it yet (it will be available to rent on streaming platforms beginning on May 9th).

This is the other doc (more on that in a moment)…

Directed by Alan G. Parker, Borrowed Time promises to “…set the record straight on the truth behind many famous Lennon moments, brought to life by rare archive footage, including never-before-seen interviews.”

So does it deliver? Well, in a fashion. As Lennon himself once implored, “All I want is the truth…just gimme some truth.” In context of the director’s approach, you may have to settle for “benefit of the doubt”.

I make that qualification because the lion’s share of screen time is devoted to talking heads. As promised, there are indeed “never-before-seen interviews” with former musical collaborators (Vinny Appice and Earl Slick), as well as music industry insiders, presenters, writers, and journalists (the BBC’s “Whispering” Bob Harris, Anthony DeCurtis, Barry Miles, Pamela Des Barres, Apple Records CEO Tony Bramwell, et.al.).

However, their stories are purely anecdotal; the backstage tales are engaging enough at first, but by the 2-hour mark they began to feel redundant and were not necessarily revelatory. Archival interviews help mix things up a bit, but overall it’s a static affair.

Then there’s the elephant in the room: zero Lennon music. I realize it can be challenging and/or simply too cost-prohibitive to secure permission to utilize copyrighted material in a film; but when you try to paint a portrait of an artist without any paint on your palette, more often than not you are likely to end up with an empty canvas.

Note: the version I previewed is the 134-minute theatrical cut that will be opening in the U.K. only on May 2. However, there is a 3.5 hour director’s cut out on the same date, which will be streaming for a month on the Icon Film Channel and also available to subscribers of the Amazon Prime Video Channels.

On Music, On Politics

No more lies: A mobilizing mixtape

April 7, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on April 5, 2025)

Stand, you’ve been sitting much too long
There’s a permanent crease in your right and wrong
Stand, there’s a midget standing tall
And a giant beside him about to fall

— from “Stand” by Sly & the Family Stone

Well…it’s been an eventful week for the resistance:

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a feat of determination, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker held the Senate floor with a marathon speech that lasted all night and into Tuesday night, setting a historic mark to show Democrats’ resistance to President Donald Trump’s sweeping actions.

Booker took to the Senate floor on Monday evening, saying he would remain there as long as he was “physically able.” It wasn’t until 25 hours and 5 minutes later that the 55-year-old senator, a former football tight end, finished speaking and limped off the floor. It set the record for the longest continuous Senate floor speech in the chamber’s history. Booker was assisted by fellow Democrats who gave him a break from speaking by asking him questions on the Senate floor.

It was a remarkable show of stamina as Democrats try to show their frustrated supporters that they are doing everything possible to contest Trump’s agenda. Yet Booker also provided a moment of historical solace for a party searching for its way forward: By standing on the Senate floor for more than a night and day and refusing to leave, he had broken a record set 68 years ago by then Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a segregationist and southern Democrat, to filibuster the advance of the Civil Rights Act in 1957.

“I’m here despite his speech,” said Booker, who spoke openly on the Senate floor of his roots as the descendant of both slaves and slave-owners. He added, “I’m here because as powerful as he was, the people are more powerful.”

On Wednesday, some familiar faces from Russia picked up the torch:

Pussy Riot, the provocative, political Russian punk band, came to Washington Square Park Wednesday to deliver a stern warning: “Wake up, America!”

Their faces hidden behind red ski masks, six members of the feminist art collective marched down Fifth Ave. and into the Greenwich Village park around 1 p.m. Standing in front of the Washington Square Arch, they unfurled two large banners bearing messages: “Don’t Give Up” and “Freedom of Speech?”

Two other members of the group held up a rotating collection of placards with phrases like “Fever Dream,” “1984” and “Great Again: The Greatest Greatness But Mine Is Greater (Again).”

“We’ve been imprisoned in Russia,” said band member Masha Alyokhina. “We’ve been persecuted. We are in federal wanted lists in our country. So if we appear on the border, we’ll be immediately arrested for our anti-Putin and anti-war — [a war] which he started — activities.

“We are here now because we see the [rise] of authoritarian[ism] here. We want to call people to not be silent and we want people to remember to not to give up, even in the difficult conditions — to have hope inside, to have belief.”

Well, someone was paying attention:

Via Axios:

Protesters across the U.S. rallying as part of the “Hands Off!” movement on Saturday are taking to the streets, state capitals, federal buildings, congressional offices and city centers to protest the Trump administration.

Why it matters: President Trump’s political, economic, social, health and legal changes have mobilized a wide cross-section of Americans.

State of play: Demonstrators are also speaking out against Elon Musk’s involvement in the federal government as an unelected official running DOGE.

The anticipated protests prompted the White House to reschedule its Saturday White House spring garden tours.

By the numbers: More than 1,100 rallies, visibility events and meetings were scheduled in all 50 states as of Wednesday.

Organizers said they had more than 500,000 RSVPs as of Friday night. Dozens of advocacy organizations partnered to support Saturday’s mass mobilization

As I am writing this midday Saturday, it’s going pretty, pretty, well:

Looking strong here in the Pacific Northwest, too. Hail Portlandlandia:

Not too shabby here in Seattle today, either:

I’m sorry to hear the White House had to reschedule its Saturday White House spring garden tours, but as Malvina Reynolds sang…if that is Freedom’s price, we don’t mind. In the spirit of solidarity, I’ve picked a few more golden greats guaranteed to mobilize the troops.

The Beatles – “Revolution”

Frank Zappa – “Trouble Every Day”

Elvis Costello – “Night Rally”

Green Day – “American Idiot”

The Clash – “Clampdown”

Woody Guthrie – “All You Fascists Bound to Lose”

Bob Marley & the Wailers – “Get Up, Stand Up”

The Style Council – “The Whole Point of No Return”

Tracy Chapman – “Talkin’ About a Revolution”

John Lennon – “Power to the People”

Sly & the Family Stone – “Stand!”

Heaven 17 – “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang”

Public Enemy – “Fight the Power”

Rage Against the Machine – “Take the Power Back”

Gil Scott-Heron – “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

The Honeydrippers – “Impeach the President”

The Buffalo Springfield – “For What It’s Worth”

Billy Bragg – “There is Power in a Union”

Malvina Reynolds – “It Isn’t Nice”

Pete Seeger – “We Shall Overcome”

On Music

Angel dust Byrons: A Rock ‘n’ Noir mixtape

March 10, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on March 8, 2025)

Heard about the restaurant on the Moon? Great food…no atmosphere.

Yeah, I know. You rolled out of your crib in hysterics the first time you heard that one. But let’s face it – “atmosphere” is essential; not just for breathing, but for setting a mood.

I’ve curated a noir mixtape that is all about atmosphere; 20 songs evoking dark alleys, rain-slicked streets, low-rent rooms, beautiful losers, and broken dreams. In other words, this ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco. Besides …everyone knows tough guys don’t dance.

BARRY ADAMSON: The Man With the Golden Arm – Prolific, genre-hopping UK musician-composer-producer Barry Adamson’s brilliant 1988 arrangement of the theme from Otto Preminger’s eponymous 1955 noir is a tad down-tempo compared to the film version (written by Elmer Bernstein and originally performed by Richard Maltby & His Orchestra), but nonetheless compelling.

STAN RIDGWAY: Drive, She Said – Harry Chapin’s “Taxi” meets Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour in this cinematic cabby’s tale from the former Wall of Voodoo lead singer.

THE ALLIES: Emma Peel – The Allies were an early 80s power pop band from Seattle who should have gone places. Unrequited love in the sickly glow of a cathode ray.

Emma, I’ll be your Steed
I’ll be all you ever need
If I cry and if I bleed
Will it help me?

ELVIS COSTELLO: Watching the Detectives – Another two-dimensional dream. She’s filing her nails while they’re dragging the lake… Damn, that’s cold.

THE DOORS: Riders on the Storm – There’s a killer on the road. Distant thunder, the cascading shimmer of a Fender Rhodes, a desolate tremolo guitar and dangerous rhythms.

JULEE CRUISE: Summer Kisses, Winter Tears – And nothing can light the dark of the night/Like a falling star. Somehow, that’s less than reassuring. Ms. Cruise’s Elvis cover is nothing, if not atmospheric.

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT: Then Came the Last Days of May – Wasn’t until the car suddenly stopped/In the middle of a cold and barren plain… A tragic tale of a drug deal gone terribly, terribly wrong.

STEELY DAN: Don’t Take Me Alive – I’m on the lam, but I ain’t no sheep.

Got a case of dynamite
I could hold out here all night
Yes I crossed my old man back in Oregon
Don’t take me alive

CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET: Sidney’s Theme (from The Sweet Smell of Success) – Alexander Mackendrick’s 1957 film noir is one of the most vicious and cynical ruminations on America’s obsession with fame and celebrity (the sharp Clifford Odets/Ernest Lehman screenplay drips with venom). Many scenes take place in a jazz club, featuring performances by the Chico Hamilton Quintet. “Sidney” is the character played by Tony Curtis; he’s a smarmy and furtive press agent who sucks up to Burt Lancaster’s JJ Hunsecker, a powerful NYC columnist who can launch (or sabotage) show biz careers with a flick of his poison pen.

WAS (NOT WAS): Somewhere in America (There’s a Street Named After My Dad) – Our luckless protagonist is trapped in an asphalt jungle; dreaming of a pleasant valley Sunday.

At night only crickets
No prowlers, no sirens
No pinky ring hustlers
No angel dust Byrons
No bars on the windows
No saber-toothed neighbors
Just good simple folks
In a rainbow of flavors

THE LOUNGE LIZARDS: Harlem Nocturne – The Lounge Lizards were formed in the late 70s by actor-musician John Lurie (sax) and his brother Evan (keys), backed by a revolving door of players until the group’s dissolution in 1998. This cover of Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers’ standard evokes smoky lounges, shady dealings, and last calls.

MICHAEL FRANKS: Nightmoves – An instrumental version of this moody piece (composed by Michael Smalls) played under the opening credits for Arthur Penn’s eponymous 1975 neo-noir. Michael Franks later wrote lyrics for it and released a vocal version, which appeared on his 1976 album “The Art of Tea”. Featuring the great Larry Carlton on guitar.

I keep you in frame and I whisper your name till the picture fades
The feeling is already gone, I don’t know why I’m going on
Can’t remember the ending

DAVID BAERWALD: A Secret Silken World – I don’t know what war-torn region of the human soul Baerwald visited in order to find the characters for this story, but I don’t ever want to go there, even just to snap a few pictures.

The seats of his car were like a woman’s skin
Made me think about all those places I’ve been
It made me understand murder and the nature of sin
I leaned back and I listened to his music

AL STEWART: Broadway Hotel – According to Al Stewart, “It’s a very strange song. It’s about a woman who checks into a hotel in order to be alone. She’s alone for a little while and she orders room service. The man who comes up and brings the trey begins a lengthy relationship with her. They lock themselves in the room for about a week and then they order room service.” Oh, what does he know about it? I’m still picturing the flickering light of a neon sign stabbing through the blinds of the hotel room window…

You’re seeking a hideaway
Where the light of day
Doesn’t touch your face
And a door sign keeps the world away
Behind the shades
Of your silent day.

MICK RONSON: Slaughter on 10th Avenue – Richard Rogers originally composed this moody piece to accompany the eponymous ballet featured in Rogers and Hart’s 1936 stage musical On Your Toes. The song was revived in Robert Laven’s 1957 film noir, Slaughter on 10th Avenue…which, despite co-opting the title of the ballet from On Your Toes, had a completely different plot line (adapted from William Keating’s autobiography). A long, strange trip from a 30s ballet to a 70s rocker, but the late great guitar god of glam makes it sing.

ROY BUDD: Get Carter Main Theme – Easily vying for the crown as the best British gangster film of all time (or perhaps a tie with The Long Good Friday), Mike Hodges’ 1971 neo-noir Get Carter (adapted from Ted Lewis’ novel Jack’s Return Home ) was a superb showcase for star Michael Caine. It also featured a fab soundtrack by British jazz pianist Roy Budd. This main theme plays over the opening credits, click-clacking in syncopation with Caine’s train ride to Newcastle (as Caine kills time in the coach car reading a Raymond Chandler novel). Perfect.

COCKNEY REBEL: Mirror Freak –Steve Harley’s enigmatic tale of skins, spivs, and other assorted night creatures.

Oh you’re too cute to be a big rock star
But if you’re cool you may not push it too far
Oh just believe in yourself and take a tip from the elf
And sing a boogie to the image fatale

GIL SCOTT-HERON: Pieces of a Man – Everyone has their breaking point. Gil Scott-Heron’s soulful vocal, Brian Jackson’s transcendent piano, the great Ron Carter’s sublime stand-up bass work, and the pure poetry of the lyrics render a heartbreaking tale.

Pieces of that letter
Were tossed about that room
And now I hear the sound of sirens
Come knifing through the gloom

They don’t know what they are doing
They could hardly understand
That they’re only arresting
Pieces of a man

HENRY MANCINI: Theme from Peter Gunn – I didn’t realize until recently that Peter Gunn was streaming on Prime Video. I didn’t see it during its original run (being that I was 2 years old when the series premiered in 1958). I’ve been digging that crazy jazz and noir vibe (goes down easy in tightly-scripted 27-minute installments, which makes for a perfect nightcap). Of course I’ve always loved the theme song (who doesn’t?), which features one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time. Despite myriad cover versions, Henry Mancini’s original still rules.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK: Raymond Chandler Evening – And with this selection, our coda, have a pleasant one.

It’s a Raymond Chandler Evening,
And the pavements are all wet,
And I’m lurking in the shadows
‘Cause it hasn’t happened yet.

Bonus Track!

TONY POWERS–Don’t Nobody Move (This is a Heist) – This seedy nighttime crawl through the streets of New York leans toward wry comedy, but is noir-adjacent. The 1982 video was a fan favorite on USA’s Night Flight (which is where I first saw it).

They wuz towin’ me away
Cuz I don’t have
Diplomat plates
While this diplomat I know
Is smugglin’ “H”
Into the states
I said “lemmee have
The ticket ‘n the car –
Save me a trip”
So they hauled me in
For giving them
Some unauthorized lip…

On Music

Nineteen Forever: 10 Essential Albums of 1975

February 3, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on February 1, 2025)

1975. Smack in the middle of the Me Decade. President Gerald R. Ford was stumbling around the White House after taking the reins from Richard M. Nixon, who had made his Watergate-weary exit the previous year to slink back to his castle by the sea (not unlike mad King Lear). Former Nixon advisors John Mitchell, Haldeman, and John Ehrlichman were convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the Watergate coverup. The country was in a recession, and people were lining up for hours at the gas pumps due to an OPEC-imposed oil embargo.

And yet…were we not entertained? The top 5 highest-grossing films of the year (domestically) were Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shampoo, and Dog Day Afternoon. Saturday Night Live premiered in October (as NBC’s Saturday Night), hosted by a coked-out George Carlin. The top 5 TV shows were All in the Family, Laverne & Shirley, Maude, The Bionic Woman, and Rich Man, Poor Man. People were spending their hard-earned bucks on Pet Rocks (don’t ask). Those were heady days.

Yeah, I know. “OK, Boomer”.

I was all of 19 years old in 1975. That was the year I visited L.A. for the first time, while still living in Alaska. I went with a friend, a fellow music geek who had grown up there. He introduced me to his “holy trinity” of record stores: Tower Records on the Strip, Aron’s on Melrose (their sidewalk sales were legend), and of course, the original Rhino Records store on Westwood Boulevard. I went absolutely nuts with the vinyl hunting (I remember flying back north with about 150 LPs in tow). We didn’t have record stores like that in Fairbanks.

50 years later, I’m still listening to a lot of that music haul (as I write this, in fact). Does that point to the quality of the music, or simply an adherence to nostalgia? As I wrote last year:

“They” say that your taste in music is imprinted in your high school years. Why do you suppose this is? Is it biological? Is it hormonal? Or Is it purely nostalgia? According to a 2021 study, it may have something to do with “arousal, valence, and depth”. Say what?

Have you wondered why you love a particular song or genre of music? The answer may lie in your personality, although other factors also play a role, researchers say.

Many people tend to form their musical identity in adolescence, around the same time that they explore their social identity. Preferences may change over time, but research shows that people tend to be especially fond of music from their adolescent years and recall music from a specific age period — 10 to 30 years with a peak at 14 — more easily.

Musical taste is often identified by preferred genres, but a more accurate way of understanding preferences is by musical attributes, researchers say. One model outlines three dimensions of musical attributes: arousal, valence and depth.

“Arousal is linked to the amount of energy and intensity in the music,” says David M. Greenberg, a researcher at Bar-Ilan University and the University of Cambridge. Punk and heavy metal songs such as “White Knuckles” by Five Finger Death Punch were high on arousal, a study conducted by Greenberg and other researchers found.

“Valence is a spectrum,” from negative to positive emotions, he says. Lively rock and pop songs such as “Razzle Dazzle” by Bill Haley & His Comets were high on valence. Depth indicates “both a level of emotional and intellectual complexity,” Greenberg says. “We found that rapper Pitbull’s music would be low on depth, [and] classical and jazz music could be high on depth.”

Also, musical attributes have interesting relationships with one another. “High depth is often correlated with lower valence, so sadness in music is also evoking a depth in it,” he says.

“They” may be right…I graduated in 1974, and the lion’s share of my CD collection/media player library is comprised of (wait for it) albums and/or songs originally released between 1967-1982.

OK, enough with the science already. I just wanna dance. Here are my top 10 album picks of 1975, with an additional 10 appended (to temper the hate mail that I’m going to get anyway).

And just remember kids…it’s only rock ‘n’ roll.

T.N.T. – AC/DC

AC/DC is one of those bands that came roaring out of the gate with such a perfect formula that it required no additional tweaking for the life of the product. Consequently, you only really need one of their albums in your collection to adequately represent the entire catalog. For me, it’s this 1975 Australian release (their second studio effort). It may be simple, balls-out four chord hard rock…but it’s the right four chords that fans (apparently) never tire of. There’s something elemental about their sound that compels you to crank it to “11” and scream along with no inhibitions (my neighbors hate me). R.I.P. Bon Scott and Malcolm Young.

Choice cuts: “It’s A Long Way to the Top”, “Rock and Roll Singer”, “Live Wire”, “T.N.T.”.

Ambrosia-Ambrosia

I imagine this choice may raise a few eyebrows, as most casual listeners likely (and understandably) primarily associate Ambrosia with well-worn Adult Contemporary radio staples like “How Much I Feel”, “You’re the Only Woman”, and “You’re the Biggest Part of Me”. However, their eponymous 1975 debut, while definitely sporting a slick L.A. studio veneer, could easily be cross-filed in the “prog rock” section. Led by gifted singer-songwriter-guitarist David Pack, the quartet delivers a strong set with chops musicianship and lovely harmonies

Choice cuts: “Nice, Nice, Very Nice”, “Time Waits for No One”, “Holdin’ on to Yesterday”, “Drink of Water”.

Futurama – Be-Bop Deluxe

Formed in the UK in the early 70s by eclectic (and prolific) guitarist-singer-songwriter Bill Nelson, Be-Bop Deluxe defied categorization, flitting between art-rock, electronica, glam and prog. This 1975 release (their sophomore effort) is no exception, and chock full of great tunes. Nelson’s solo career (under various monikers) began in the 70s and is still going strong (dozens and dozens of albums in his catalog…this guy is like Picasso, he never slows down!).

Choice cuts: “Maid in Heaven”, “Sister Seagull”, “Music in Dreamland”, “Jean Cocteau”.

Blow By Blow – Jeff Beck

Like all great artists, guitar maestro Jeff Beck (who left us in 2023) was loathe to dawdle too long in a comfort zone; he never stopped exploring, pushing the boundaries of his instrument ever-further with each performance (whether on stage or in the studio). While he was generally relegated to the “rock” section, he could slide effortlessly from blues, boogie, and metal to funk, R & B, soul, jazz and fusion (more often than not, all within the same number). A perfect case in point is this outstanding instrumental album (which went platinum). Inspired by Billy Cobham’s influential 1973 album Spectrum, Beck set out to explore new textures and soundscapes within the realm of jazz-rock fusion. He enlisted legendary producer-arranger George Martin to helm the sessions (to great effect). Stevie Wonder contributed two songs.

Choice cuts: “She’s a Woman”, “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”, “Thelonius”, “Freeway Jam”.

Marcus Garvey – Burning Spear

A highlight of the 1978 cult film Rockers is a scene featuring Winston Rodney warbling his haunting and hypnotic Rasta spiritual “Jah No Dead” a cappella, backed only by the gentle lapping of the nighttime tide. A true Rastafarian to the core, Rodney (aka Burning Spear) is on a par with Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley as one of the seminal artists of roots reggae music. This 1975 release is one of his best.

Choice cuts: “Marcus Garvey”, “Slavery Days”, “Red, Gold, and Green”, “Jordan River”.

HQ – Roy Harper

Idiosyncratic English folk-rocker Roy Harper has always marched to his own drum, but has nonetheless garnered a rep as a “musician’s musician”, noted as an inspiration by the likes of Ian Anderson, Pete Townshend, Kate Bush, and Led Zeppelin (the latter band gave him a musical nod with their song “Hats Off to Roy Harper”, which appeared on Led Zeppelin III). This 1975 effort is my favorite Harper album, which features guitarists Chris Spedding and David Gilmour. Gilmour was working on Pink Floyd’s Wishing You Were Here album in an adjoining studio, and (as the story goes) was returning a favor to Harper for contributing the lead vocal to “Have a Cigar”. Roger Waters apparently had developed a throat malady during the sessions, and Harper offered to step in (Waters reportedly still carries a grudge for allegedly not having been consulted-but then again he has a rep for being a cranky fellow).

Choice cuts: “The Game (Parts 1-5)”, “The Spirit Lives”, “When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease”.

Dreamboat Annie – Heart

After paying their dues playing the bar band circuit in Seattle and Vancouver B.C. for several years, gifted siblings Ann and Nancy Wilson and band mates built up a loyal following, becoming known for their searing Led Zeppelin covers. Dreamboat Annie is an astonishing debut, a perfect set of dynamic rockers that run the gamut from the whisper to the thunder. While the album was released in 1975, it was on a small label that didn’t have wide distribution, so it wasn’t until the chart success of the album’s first single release “Magic Man” in 1976 that the band really broke big nationally. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Choice cuts: “Magic Man”, “Crazy on You”, “Dreamboat Annie”, “Sing Child”.

Physical Graffiti – Led Zeppelin

With this sprawling two-record set, Led Zeppelin continued to draw from the well of Delta blues, English folk, heavy metal riffing and Eastern scales that had come to define their sound. This time out, however, they really pulled out all the stops…tossing in everything from country honk to pop and hard funk. And it worked; this is Zeppelin at their creative zenith (subsequent albums had their moments, but it was kind of a slow downhill slide from here).

Choice cuts: “Houses of the Holy”, “The Rover”, “Bron-Y-Aur”, “In My Time of Dying”, “Kashmir”, “Ten Years Gone”, “Night Flight”, “Black Country Woman”.

Mind Transplant – Alphonse Mouzon

Alphonse Mouzon made his bones playing drums in Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House, one of the pioneering jazz-rock fusion bands of the early-to-mid 70s (powering through impossible time signatures with dazzling speed and accuracy on a par with Billy Cobham’s work with The Mahavishnu Orchestra). For this (mostly instrumental) solo project, he recruited top flight players, including guitarists Lee Rittenour and Tommy Bolin. One of the best genre entries.

Choice cuts: “Mind Transplant”, “Some of the Things People Do”, “Nitroglycerin”, “Golden Rainbows”.

Horses – Patti Smith

Being a bit ahead of its time in many ways, Patti Smith’s debut album has aged like a fine wine. Backed by minimalist musical arrangements, Smith’s poetry (sometimes recited, sometimes sung) is by turns raw, confessional, and enigmatic, but compelling at every turn. Some of the cuts border on invocations (the first time I heard “Birdland” I was mesmerized, but as soon as it ended I vowed to never again listen to it alone, in the dark). This is not background music.

Choice cuts: All of them. Bring a friend.

Bonus Tracks!

Here are 10 more gems from 1975 worth a spin:

Artful Dodger – Artful Dodger

Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen

Evening Star – Fripp & Eno

Flat as a Pancake – Head East

Free Hand – Gentle Giant

Katy Lied – Steely Dan

Metropolitan Man – Alan Price

Teaser – Tommy Bolin

Tomorrow Belongs to Me – The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

The Tubes – The Tubes

Previous posts with related themes:

10 Essential Albums of 1970

10 Essential Albums of 1971

10 Essential Albums of 1972

10 Essential Albums of 1973

10 Essential Albums of 1974

Behind the Music, Documentary, Jazz Musicians, On Music

Blu-ray reissue: Let’s Get Lost (****)

January 27, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on January 25, 2025)

Let’s Get Lost (Kino Classics)

The life of horn player/vocalist Chet Baker is a tragedian’s dream; a classic tale of a talented artist who peaked early, then promptly set about self-destructing. Sort of the Montgomery Clift of jazz, he was graced by the gods with an otherworldly physical beauty and a gift for expressing his art. By age 24 he had already gigged with Stan Getz, Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan. He began chasing the dragon in the 1950s, leading to jail time and a career slide.

There are conflicting versions of the circumstances that led to a brutal beating in 1968, but the resultant injuries to his mouth impaired his playing abilities. While he never kicked the substance abuse, he eventually got his mojo back, and enjoyed a resurgence of his career in his final decade (he was only 58 when he died).

The nodded-out Chet Baker we see in Bruce Weber’s extraordinary warts-and-all 1988 documentary (beautifully shot in B&W) is a man who appears several decades older than his chronological age (and sadly, as it turned out, has about a year left to live). Still, there are amazing (if fleeting) moments of clarity, where we get a glimpse of the genius that still burned within this tortured soul.

One scene in particular, where Weber holds a close up of Baker’s ravaged road map of a face as he croons a plaintive rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Almost Blue”, has to be one of the most naked, heartbreaking vocal performances ever captured on film. Haunting and one-of-a-kind, this is a must-see. The film snagged a well-deserved 1989 Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Kino Classic’s 2025 Blu-ray edition sports a beautiful 4K picture restoration and newly remixed audio (noticeable improvements over Metrodome’s 2008 Region 2 DVD). The package also features a number of Weber’s short films. It would have been nice to include the two Weber-directed Chet Baker music videos that are on the 2008 DVD (which also contains two short films curiously not included on the Kino Blu-ray)…but that’s a minor quibble, as I was just happy to see this fabulous doc get an upgrade.

On Music

L.A. is a feeling: A mixtape

January 13, 2025 Dennis Hartley Leave a comment

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullbaloo on January 11, 2025)

Drivin’ down your freeways
Midnight alleys roam
Cops in cars, the topless bars
Never saw a woman
So alone, so alone

– from “L.A. Woman”, by The Doors

In my 2019 review of Jacques Demy’s 1969 drama Model Shop, I wrote:

George’s day (and the film) turns a 180 when he visits a pal who runs an auto repair shop and espies a lovely woman (Anouk Aimee) who is there to pick up her car. On impulse, he decides to follow her in his MG (yes, it’s a bit on the stalking side). He follows her high up into the hills over L.A., and then seems to lose interest. He stops and takes in a commanding view of the city and the valley beyond, deeply lost in thought.

In my favorite scene, he drives up into (Laurel Canyon?) to visit a friend who’s a musician in an up-and-coming band. George’s pal turns out to be Jay Ferguson, keyboardist and lead singer of the band Spirit (and later, Jo Jo Gunne). Ferguson (playing himself) introduces George to his band mates, who are just wrapping a rehearsal. Sure enough, the boys in the band are Ed Cassidy, Randy California, and Matthew Andes-which is the classic lineup for Spirit! The band also provided the soundtrack for the film.

After the band splits, Jay plays a lovely piano piece for George; a song he’s “working on”. After some small talk, George sheepishly hits Jay up for a loan. No problem, man. Jay’s got him covered. George delivers this short, eloquent soliloquy about Los Angeles:

I was driving down Sunset and I turned on one of those roads that leads into the hills, and I stopped at this place that overlooks the whole city; it was fantastic. I suddenly felt exhilarated. I was really moved by the geometry of the place…its harmony. To think that some people claim that it’s an ugly city, when it’s really pure poetry…it just kills me. I wanted to build something right then; create something. It’s a fabulous city.

It is a fabulous city…as far as I know. I don’t live there, but the “L.A.” that lives in my mind will always be a fabulous city. I’ve visited maybe 10 times in my life, and it’s always a fresh kick.

I was all of 19 years old in 1975 the first time I visited L.A., while still living in Alaska. I went with a friend, a fellow music geek who had grown up there. He introduced me to his “holy trinity” of record stores: Tower Records on the Strip, Aron’s on Melrose (their sidewalk sales were legend), and of course, the original Rhino Records store on Westwood Boulevard (as immortalized by Wild Man Fischer).

I actually remember picking up a copy of that 45, which Rhino was offering for free with any purchase. At any rate, I went absolutely ape shit (I remember flying back north with about 150 LPs in tow). We didn’t have record stores like that in Fairbanks. We returned the following summer for a rinse and repeat.

The L.A. music scene was a real eye-opener for me. I was there only a week or so for both trips (1975 and 1976), but was able to catch quite a few acts at The Roxy and The Troubadour (and possibly the Whisky A Go Go…I was in a Thai Stick haze at the time). I can’t recall which acts I saw which year, but the list includes Captain Beefheart, Nils Lofgren, The L.A. Express (with a surprise appearance by Joni Mitchell!), Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, Larry Coryell, Chunky, Novi & Ernie, Procter & Bergman, and others I’m fogging on.

My most recent visit was in 2019, to hang for a few days with my pal Digby and her husband. We took a road trip from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara to catch The Cult at the Bowl. I’d never been to Santa Barbara, so I was really digging the 90-mile drive along the Pacific Coast Highway. For locals, I’m sure the road signs you pass along the way are incidental, but for me, it was like “Ventura? As in Ventura Highway in the sunshine? Malibu? Redondo Beach?! Point Dume?! You mean…THE Point Dume? As in god damn you all to hell?”

I may not be a resident Angelino, but my heart certainly goes out to the people who have lost loved ones, homes and businesses in the unprecedented wildfires that continue to threaten life and property in the greater Los Angeles region as of this writing. Having been through a house fire where I literally lost nearly everything I owned, I can empathize. I was in my early 20s at the time, so I had the resilience of youth on my side and got back on track relatively quickly-but I think about people who are getting on later in life (like I am now) and how difficult it must be to lose everything and have to start over again. This too shall soon pass.

In the meantime, there are good vetted resources available if you want to help victims. And for this week’s post, I’ve curated a special mixtape as a musical love letter to that “fabulous city” that lives in my mind.

L.A. Woman – The Doors