Carl
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Posts posted by Carl
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Got to speak with Matthew Nelson, who along with his twin brother Gunnar (Greg interviewed him last year), makes up the group Nelson. They're back on tour with the show Ricky Nelson Remembered, which celebrates the life and music of their famous father.
Ricky Nelson had his first #1 hit ("Poor Little Fool") when he was 18; Matthew and Gunnar were 23 when they had theirs ("Love And Affection"). Ricky Nelson never wrote a #1 song though, and didn't get going as a songwriter until the '70s when he put together his Stone Canyon Band. Songwriting became a very fulfilling endeavor, and he passed that on to his sons. Here's what Matthew had to say on the subject:
I asked him about songwriting. I said, "Why did you start so late?" And in a nutshell, he said, "Listen, I would have given away all of my #1 records that I had early in my career for 'Garden Party,' because it was a part of me. If you continue to write songs and you're lucky enough to have a hit with a song you wrote, you'll know what I'm talking about, because there's nothing like that feeling."
He said, "Hey, it felt great to have hit records other people wrote for me. But when you've written something that becomes a part of people's lives, a part of their soundtrack, there really is nothing like that. I still get a rush every time I hear one of my songs on the radio."
Gunnar and I are still that way: If one of my songs comes on the radio, it's still a rush. I know what he was talking about.
My dad actually never wound up writing a #1 song, and Gunnar and I were lucky enough to have that. We wrote our hits.
Matthew and Gunnar were 18 when they lost their dad in a 1985 plane crash. One vivid memory Matthew shared I found quite moving. When he was 11 years old, he wrote a song and played it for his dad. Ricky Nelson didn't say anything about it, but when the twins turned 12, he surprised them by taking them into the studio to record the song. The backup singers who helped out turned out to be the Pointer Sisters.
I haven't seen the Ricky Nelson Remembered show, but it sounds incredible. Kent Kotal at Forgotten Hits wrote this as part of his review:
The Nelson Brothers came out and did a fitting tribute to the music of their father, telling little known stories and showing vintage video clips and home movies. Their vocals and musicianship were outstanding for a two-man band ... stellar in fact.
Here's Kent with the guys:
At one point, Matthew said that doing the show is "obviously selfish," but there has to be some kind of push to get these songs back into the zeitgeist. A great example are the broadway shows that have reinvigorated the music of acts like Abba and The Four Seasons.
Here's the full interview with Matthew Nelson
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/matthew_nelson/
Another Forgotten Hits review of the show is here:
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2014/12/another-forgotten-hits-concert-review.html -
Been thinking about why Trump played "You Can't Always Get What You Want" after his acceptance speech on Thursday. It doesn't seem like the message a conquering hero wants to convey in his moment of glory, but maybe it's designed to send a message to Republicans who have voiced their discontent.
Surveys have shown that there is nothing Trump can do at this point to lose his core supporters - he could go trophy hunting for endangered elephants with Charlie Sheen and still keep their approval. So instead of a typical victory song like the McFadden & Whitehead jam "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" or the standard bearer, "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang, he can instead reach out to the voters he's trying to sway, sending a subtle missive with the song.
Consider the chorus:
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
Well you just might find
You get what you needSay you're a Bernie Sanders or a Ted Cruz supporter. You didn't get the guy you wanted, and now you need another option. Along comes Trump to give you what you need, even if it's not what you want.
I hear another message as well:
We went down to the demonstration
To get your fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"At this demonstration (the convention), Trump certainly took his fair share of abuse, notably when Ted Cruz wouldn't endorse him. Could this be a sly warning to those who oppose him? Or maybe it's a plea to the giant swaths of the electorate looking to vent their frustrations with politics and corruption.
Whatever the meaning, The Stones want no part of it - they Tweeted: "The Rolling Stones do not endorse Donald Trump. You Can't Always Get What You Want was used without the band's permission."
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It might be this Chris - G-Easy "Get Away." At one point, he says something like "Stream My Conciousness"
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It just occurred to me that "pyrotechnician" is a job. I may have missed my calling.
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The sirens sing and the church bells ring
And the junk man pounds his fender -
I'll go with Animal Kingdom.
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Realized today that most of the students at USC weren't alive during the OJ trial.
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And the livin' is easy.
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Led Zeppelin wins and Britain leaves the EU... wonder if the same forces that composed "Stairway" are at work.
We put together a handy timeline to sort this out:
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/_stairway_to_heaven_lawsuit_a_timeline/
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Methinks Bruce Springsteen will retire right around the time self-driving cars hit the road.
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You never know how these are gonna go. Fogerty won when he was accused of ripping himself off, but Michael Bolton got screwed on his song "Love is a Wonderful Thing." Isley Brothers had an obscure song with that title that sounded nothing like it but they won anyway.
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Really surprised this hasn't been an issue in the past. It's a pretty clear appropriation involving one of the most famous songs of all time, but apparently the guy from Taurus wasn't concerned (I think it's his estate that is doing this). Once this thing goes to a jury, anything can happen - something the "Blurred Lines" guys found out.
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Putting a new category together for this one. Any ideas?
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Carla and Rufus had a great rapport. She's a nice contrast to his gritty funk. Here's the clip of this one:
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Our Tuesday Trivia question was:
What '80s hit has a 3-word title entirely in Spanish?
We were looking for "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna, but someone suggested this one: "Yo No Se" by Pajama Party. This was from a time in the late '80s when you had Freestyle groups comprised of three girls, with two of them doing very little. The hilarious part is the choreography, which in this case is exceptionally bad. This apparently was done on a cable access show, and is clearly lip-synched. The production value is actually really good for 1989.
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and Laura Brannigan's
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"Moonlight Drive" - The Doors
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I went with "Your Mother Should Know" as the Mother's Day tune, but this works too.
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Kiefer Sutherland is the latest actor to take a foray into music. Here's his song:
This is getting kinda ridiculous - when you look at upcoming concerts at your local venue, there's a good chance you'll come across a big name from the world of TV and movies. A few of the culprits: Billy Bob Thornton, Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Laurie, Kevin Bacon. Of course, they have every right to pursue any interest they choose, but is it fair when they're taking up slots that could be going to folks who do it full time?
Keifer is actually pretty good, but if I ever saw him in concert, I'd be thinking Jack Bauer the whole time.
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Here's what's kinda sad: Cars today are made for comfort, and we're on the way to driver-less vehicles. That's OK, but teenage boys won't even need to drive. They will not feel the tug of acceleration when they hit the gas. They will not tinker under the hood. They will not try to make it louder or faster or more appealing to girls.
Yes, we are moving toward a day when we just get in a pod and it takes us to our programmed destination while we enjoy the entertainment system.
I still drive a stick shift.
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Got to vote today and feel like it mattered. Usually by the time CT rolls around, these things are decided.
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My first thought this morning was, "How do we live in a world without Prince"?
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Shocking and devastating. Prince to me was the sweet spot where '70s soul met modern hip-hop in a beautiful union. His live show was one of the best I've ever seen - a life-changing, inspirational experience. It was like he was put here to lift us up and help us discover our higher powers.
A small part of me holds out hope that he is doing some elaborate piece of performance art, faking his death to assume a more mortal identity. It is something he would do.
Crimson Apple
in Get the Word Out
Posted
Oh, this is fun. Love the retro guitar lick and backing vocals. But what's a "Shaddyback Mustang"?