Moments To Remember

So?  Where have you been?  Red Robot and I have been waiting patiently.  Ah well, doesn't matter, you are here now, right?

Today is a very special day.  It was a year ago today that my Nan decided she needed a bigger challenge. She had done all she could for us, she reprogrammed an entire nursing home and now it was time to go see old family and friends and see what she could do about re-organizing the heavens above.  Let me just tell you, this little lady was a force to be reckoned with and if anyone could do it, it is my Nan.  Oh, before I go on, I forgot to tell you...RR has been doing some time traveling (the lucky little bastard).  I was not aware of this until I pulled out some pics to share with you and noticed something new in each one.

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Anyway, back to Nan....she was one hell of a woman.  She was compassionate, caring to a fault, funny as hell, tough as nails when needed, the ultimate care-giver (sometimes by choice but most times by necessity or circumstance) and although sometimes it was hard to see, she loved and treasured her family above all else.  She had a way with people that was, well, how do I put this, all her own (yeh, that's it)!  She had a razor sharp wit and an uncanny sense of people.  In her heyday, she had a way of making people feel great until they got about a block away and they thought to themselves, "Hey, what did she just say to me?"  As the years went by the tact sorta faded and a more "Sophia Petrillo" thing took its place.  Loving this woman was 98% of the time as easy as breathing but that 2% was like trying to swallow a meteorite with a glass of warm buttermilk!  I will always give her this, she kept us on our toes right up to the very end.  She was my friend, my confidant, my protector.....MY NAN!

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Nan loved music!!  I can remember from the time I was little, there was always music playing. I think that's where my Dad and my Aunt Bobbie got their love of music and it all got passed down to me.  When I lived with Nan and Uncle Bob for a few years, my favorite thing was, on a bright sunny day, we would open all the windows in the house, I would play Nan's favorite music and we would do stuff around the house and sing and dance and laugh and she would tell me the various memories she associated with certain songs.  She loved all kinds of music but she had her favorite singers.  Dean, Nat, Johnny...the woman had great taste.  She also loved the Carpenters and she loved to hear my friend Laurie sing Memory.

So, today, for you Nan, I am going to play some of your favorites. Some are 45s others are from your albums but all are vinyl.  Hey, would ya look at that....the sun is shining for the first time in 4 days, I have the windows open and I hope you can the music!              

I tried something new with the music.  Instead of having to click to start each track, I mixed the clips together into one track. So, just hit play and then come back and read.

 (Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

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1.  Moments To Remember - The Ames Brothers (RCA Records)  This is not my favorite version of this song but it is a great song. (My favorite is by the Four Lads but I only have that on cd) I loved playing this for Nan because she would always start singing it and mid lyric she would stop and tell me another story.  The woman never got a celebrity's name right (Charles Richardson was actually Richard Dawson) but she remembered her past (good, bad and indifferent) with amazing clarity!

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2.  On An Evening In Roma - Dean Martin (Capitol Records)  Ahhhh Dean Martin!  The man had it all - looks, class, style, a voice like no other, a killer sense of humour and there will never be another like him.  This version of "Roma" is from an album Dean did in the 60s called "Dino - Italian Love Songs".  It is one of two of his classics that he re-recorded for this album.  I bought a cd of Dean's best loved songs and Nan and I played that thing to death.  It's funny but I play it pretty frequently still and I never get tired of listening to it.  How could I?  It's perfect.

3.  Organ Grinder's Swing - Four Aces (featuring Al Alberts) (Decca Records)  Did I mention that Nan loved to dance too?  Whenever I would play this she would grab my hands and I would try to keep up with her (I never could) then she would just give up on me and cut a rug by herself!

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4.  If I Didn't Care - The Ink Spots (Decca Records)  The great thing about listening to music with Nan was that if I didn't have a song she wanted to hear then she would have it and we would go from the music playing in the front of the house in my room to the back of the house with it playing on her stereo in the living room! I am telling you, there were days that house was jamming.  Anyway, she really got me into the Ink Spots and this was one of our favorites! "Honey-chile, more than words can say!"

5.  Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant (Columbia Records)  Not sure what it was about this song that Nan liked so much but she knew almost every word! Whenever company was coming, Nan was always ready and waiting long in advance of their arrival.  Like when my parents would come for the weekend and were expected at 11am, Nan was dressed, ready and waiting by 9am! She would putter around and then watch by the window in my room like a little kid.  I always made sure she had music to listen to (made the time pass faster for her, in my mind).  For some reason, whenever I hear this song that is what I picture....Nan waiting by that window that overlooked the lake and the street AND if the trees were trimmed just right, you could see almost all the way up to 37!   Makes the next song that much more appropriate!

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6.  Come On-a My House - Rosemary Clooney (Columbia Records)  One of my personal favorites. Love Rosie's voice.  Of course the song couldn't be played without Nan mentioning how substantial Rosemary had gotten and how thin she was as a "kid".  I love the crazy harpsichord that opens the song and plays throughout.

7.  Ramblin' Rose - Nat "King" Cole (Capitol Records)  Another one-of-a-kind voice and personality. I will forever be grateful to my family for having such great taste in music!  Everytime I hear this song I can only picture it coming out of Nan's GE Console Stereo (which thankfully I now have and it still plays beautifully).  Funny thing is, I always think of this as one of his new songs!  Like Dean, he could have sung the phone book and it would have been incredible.

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8.  Chances Are - Johnny Mathis (Columbia Records)  One of the greatest songs of all time!  Johnny was always one of my Mom's favorites too.  I know I have said this before but around the time that she stopped buying his albums I started and I still do.  The man is still amazing!  I remember dancing with Nan to this song at The Happy Hour, the bar that I used to DJ in on Saturday nights in Toms River.

9.  Don't Cry Out Loud - Melissa Manchester (Arista Records)  Nan loved this song.  It was one of the few songs that, ironically, made her cry.  For some reason it always reminded her of her mother.  She never told me why but after hearing it she would tell me wonderful stories about Grandma-with-Uncle, another amazing woman!

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10.  Memories Are Made Of This - Dean Martin (Capitol Records)  I had to put another one in here!  Plus it is the original single.  There really is not much I can add here that I haven't already said...the man was just amazing.

11.  When You Were Sweet Sixteen - Perry Como (RCA Records)  This song was written in 1898 and recorded by Perry in 1947.  It is such a beautiful song and Nan loved it very much.  In fact, it was while I was looking through some of Nan's records that I spotted the title and I asked her if she knew the song.  She did, of course, and told me to go put it on. I never did ask her what the song meant to her but you could see it meant alot.

That went by very quickly as did this past year.  I am so glad that I have these memories to keep you with me.  I love you very much (but you knew that already)!  I am sure that Nat, Dean, Karen and Perry are singing to you whenever you want them to, that you know every name of every person up there with you and you have reprioritzed the seating accordingly!  Give everyone my love and keep an eye on us, ok?

Freaky Friday

Today was an outrageously productive day for me.  I have been up since 4:30am and I have been cleaning, condensing and re-organizing all day long!  So, I thought it would be interesting to see how many people are still coming to the blog and to put you to the test.  In keeping with the theme of the movie "Freaky Friday", I am turning the turntable on all of you!  Tonight I am going to post the titles of the songs and the first 2 minutes of each song on the player and ask YOU to write your memories of each song. Send me your thoughts at mail@lauriebeechman.com and I will post all of your comments here!

Here are your 10 Songs For Today and Red Robot is asking the important question......

(Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

1.  One More Night - Phil Collins 4:25 (Atlantic Records)  

2.  Easy Lover - Phillip Bailey (duet with Phil Collins) 4:40 (Columbia Records)

3.  Billie Jean - Michael Jackson 4:50 (Epic Records)

4.  1999 - Prince 3:35 (Warner Brothers Records)

5.  Footloose - Kenny Loggins 3:46 (Columbia Records)

6.  Rockit - Herbie Hancock 3:54 (Columbia Records)

7.  I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash 2:48 (Epic Records)

8.  Running With The Night - Lionel Ritchie 4:06 (Motown Records)

9.  Out Of Touch - Hall & Oats 3:55 (RCA Records)

10.  Communication - The Power Station 3:44 (Capitol Records)

Ok, go crazy, go wild!  Tell me the when, where, why, what, how of each song.  Email me at mail@lauriebeechman.com and I will post your responses here next Friday!  I am giving you one week to speak your minds about the music, about life, about anything you want to talk about.

I just want to take a minute to thank my best friend Dave.  It is amazing how, no matter what happens, all roads seem to lead back to you and me.  Such a great comfort. I am not sure what I would do if you were not part of my life.  You fit so perfectly into my insanity, into my family and into my heart.  I could never, ever ask for a better person to be facing the craziness we call life with.  I love you more than words can say!  For the rest of you, I offer this one piece of cryptic advice....your best friend should never be an obligation, they should be a part of the solution.  Now, close your pie hole (and I will close mine) and get inta typing.  All of you (ok, both of you)!!!!  I want to hear from the 2 people that are still coming to my blog!  We (RR and I) don't hear any keyboards clickity-clacking!  Ears pressed to the monitor.......................................

Let's Spend The Day Together...

shall we?   I didn't post anything Tuesday because I needed to spend some time updating and cleaning up http://www.lauriebeechman.com/ (the website I created devoted to a good friend and amazing talent)!  I am pleased with the results and I got some wonderful feedback from some really special people.  There is alot more that I want to do there and I figure by spring it will have a fresh new look with alot more content.

As for today, well, it IS Thursday (we'll talk about Wednesday later) and I DO have something that I want to cook plus there is that bonus song thing, right?  I also have a lot of things I need to do around the house too, so I figured I would blog some, get some other work done, blog some, cook, blog some...and at the end of it all, we will hopefully have covered 21 songs today!!  It is 9:00am, let's see what time this actually gets posted!!

Among the things I would like to get done today is taking down and putting away my snowmen. As most of you know, my Mom makes the most incredible snowmen and I leave them past Christmas each year.  Well, I got a large tote last night and now it is time for them to rest up for next year.  Red Robot is in a surprisingly helpful mood today and has already started the process.  So, here's the game plan....I am going to digitize 5 songs, go do some stuff come back update here and then repeat.

So, here are the 20+1 Tunes For Today!!!  It's an odd mix o' stuff for sure, but there is a Theme to the first 10!

(Click here to listen to the first 10 songs)

1.  The Batman Theme - Danny Elfman 2:24 (Warner Brothers Records)  This is the theme from the first of the Batman movies from 1989.  I love how dark maniacal this is.  And then it builds to such a fever pitch in the middle with crashing cymbals and blaring horns. It only seems to subside for a moment before it biulds up again.  It is the perfect theme for the action/comic movie it is.  I do prefer the theme from the Dark Knight the best but this is certainly a memorable theme and I am big fan of Danny Elfman's!

2.  Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship 4:29 (Grunt Records)  This is from a very fun movie, "Mannequin" and is such a GREAT song!!!  It just announces its presence right at the start with those great drums!! Those opening drums are equally matched with the lyrical theme of the song...in your face love!!!  "Let 'em say we're crazy. I don't care about that"  "And if this world runs out of lovers/we'll still have each other"  Swaying to and fro here in time to both the song and RR swaying (well, rocking actually.  He's not much of a swayer) with his snowmen in hand!  Grace Slick sounds soooooo good and they all just sound like they are having a blast singing this song!

3.  The Woman In You - The Bee Gees 4:02 (RSO Records)  From the sublime......This is from the rather lame attempt at a sequel to "Saturday Night Fever" called "Staying Alive".  I can honestly say that I do not remember this song, AT ALL!  I can also honestly say that once it is done playing now, I won't remember it again.  It is a decent enough song (an album cut at best) but absolutely not memorable and kind of contrived, even for the Bee Gees.  NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXTTTTTTTTTT!

4.  One Of The Living - Tina Turner 4:10 (Capitol Records)  This is the other song from "Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome".  I love this song.  It is eerie and kind of haunting and I love the guitars throughout.  Favorite part of the song is at the end of the chorus when Tina makes this "yah-hoo" sound.  Love it!!!  Brings back great memories of working at Macys Herald Square and going to meet Jeffrey after work.

5.  Hello Again (Love Theme from "The Jazz Singer") - Neil Diamond 3:35 (Capitol Records)  Such a beauiful song. Such a simple thought to it....someone that misses his love, his best friend, so he calls her just to say hello.  So beautiful.  We should all follow his advice and call someone we love today!

Ok, break time.  Gonna go clean the kitchen (cause I can't cook until it is spotless so I can mess it up again) and do some laundry.  Notice I am putting off Project Snow(man) Removal.  Sorry RR, but we'll get to it.

I'm back, second load of laundry is in, kitchen is sparkly and I'm ready for more..  Magical isn't it?  It is now 1pm and here come the next 5.

6.  The Jetsons Main Title (Longplay Version) - No Artist Listed 2:12 (A&M Records)  This is one that Steven brought back from one of his trips to Toronto and I love it.  I used to play this alot when I DJed.  I have always loved how the writers of this song threw a little bit of "Chopsticks" in there.  Kinda random but it works.  I apologize, I used to play the flip side of this when I DJed.  It's a dub version of the song with bits of dialogue from many different TV shows thrown in.  It's called "Jane, Get Me Off This Crazy Thing".  I am going to digitize both sides of this and put "Jane" in the player cause we all know the theme song, right? Oh yeh, that's the stuff.  I think I have an extended remix of this too.

7.  Let's Hear It For The Boy - Denice Williams 4:20 (Columbia Records)  This, of course, is from "Footloose" and comes in a close second to Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero" as my favorite song from that soundtrack.  It is such a happy, fun, boppy song and I love Denice Williams voice.  Chair dancing here.  Love those crazy high notes she hits at the end of the song.

8.  Maniac - Michael Sembello 4:13 (Casablanca Records)  Ah, "Flashdance".  Remember "Flashdance"?  I love this movie.  I haven't seen it in a long time but it was one of my favorites.  I have always thought the sound of this song was so original.  I can remember going to Studio 54 with Therry and we would dance our asses off to this song.  RR is getting into it too.  You should see him go!!!!  Sparks are flying! Thank goodness there is no bucket of water and string anywhere in sight.  I have a remix of this too.

9.  Theme From Star Trek - Gene Page 3:22 (Arista Records)  WOW  I totally forgot about this.  I guess everyone was trying to cash in on the popularity of the Meco "Star Wars" craze.  They even used R2D2ish sounds in this disco version of the incredible Star Trek TV Series theme.  Gotta admit, I am chair dancing a little bit and RR is loving this song.  Must be reminding him of home.

10.  Batman Theme - Neal Hefti 2:16 (RCA Records)  With the popularity of the first Batman movie in 1989 came an onslaught of nostalgia for all things Batman.  Personally, I loved it.  My friend Harold, whenever he was hard pressed for something to buy me, if it had Batman on it, he knew he was safe.  This is the full recording of the original Batman TV theme.  It is still sooooo cool and goofy! I love it.

Ok, time to edit these songs and post the first half of the blog.  Then it is onto the snowmen and cooking.  So, read, listen, anjoy and I will see you again in a few hours.

10pm  Bet you thought I wasn't gonna come back, didn't you?  RR is nodding his head in agreement.  I wasn't talking to you!  I got everything done too!  Snowmen are all tucked away safely until next winter, laundry is done, I watched American Idol and Supernatural and I made a great meal.

I made a Lori Rome Quiche.  I created this for her for Valentine's Day but  made a different version of it tonight for myself.  Lori has a gluten allergy so I could not make the quiche with a regular pie crust.  I gave it alot of thought and came up with this.....mashed potatoes!  I took some Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled and mashed them, then, spread them out evenly in the bottom of baking pan.  I then put the pan with the potato shell in the broiler for a few minutes to get the top of the shell crisp so that the egg mixture would not just soak into it. (If you are going to make this for yourself, make sure you lower the oven temp to 400 when you take the pan out of the broiler.  If you do everything in the order I did, it will allow the oven's temp to lower)  I cut up bacon, sliced a small onion, cut up steamed asparagus and sauteed it all in a pan with a little butter and when the bacon was slightly crisp and the onions transulcent, I laid that out in the potato shell.  In a bowl I beat 8 eggs with some heavy cream and a little salt, pepper and garlic powder and poured that over the bacon/asparagus mix and then sprinkled some grated Monterey/Jack Cheese and let it bake until the eggs were firm and the top was a golden brown!!  I made a nice salad and that was my dinner!!  It was so good, but I am still full and I didn't eat all that much of it.

Now, onto the rest of Today's Tunes.

11.  To Sir With Love - Lulu 2:44 (Epic Records)  I thought I would start this next set with another movie song!  I love Lulu's voice.  It is intimate, raspy and strong...the perfect match for this song and let me tell you, she still sounds great!!  Look her up on YouTube sometime.

12.  Voyeur - Kim Carnes 4:01 (EMI Records)  Love Kim Carnes.  Not quite as intimate as Lulu but certainly more raspy!  Kim Carnes is a great song writer and has written for almost eveyone including Barbra Streisand.  Then once Bette Davis Eyes hit, she also had a pretty good recording career.   Hit it RR!  Oh man, I love this song.  I haven't heard it in years.  It has such a haunted sound to it.  I always mixed this with Abba's "The Visitors".  This is another one of those songs that reminds me of going to the Village and going to dances at NYU. (Please note that while I did not attend NYU I did crash their dances!)

13.  Runaway - Bon Jovi 3:54 (Mercury Records)  WOW  I played this one to death, you can hear the cue burn in the begining of the song.  I loved early Bon Jovi, then they got a little played out and I lost interest.  Then when he started acting I started liking him again.  He was GREAT on Ally McBeal! I really have a lot of respect for him.  He still looks and sounds great and the band is still making some great music!

14.  Tainted Love - Soft Cell 2:38 (Sire Records) One of the most overplayed songs but I still absolutely love it!! I love Marc Almond's voice and those early synths are outstanding.  Chair dancing and smiling like an idiot.  This is another one from the NYU Dance days. Everytime I hear this song I think of my friend Jamie Champa, who I met at one of those dances!  oh crap, that was 29 years ago.   next.........

15.  Iko Iko - The Belle Stars 2:49 (Capitol Records)  I always thought this was a great song but this version is not my favorite.  I love what is going on with the nusic but I do not like the lead singer's voice.  Especially after you hear Cyndi Lauper do this, there is no going back!  Do love the jungle-ish, chaotic sound of this version until this saxophone starts popping up in odd and random spots.  I hope that if I am ever wondering through a jungle someone thinks to bring their sax cause it would be fun to recreate this sound (with a better singer of course).

16.  Turn To Stone - Electric Light Orchestra 3:48 (Jet Records)  Oh boy.  I am back at Battery Avenue right now!  1977!  ELO was sooooo cool.  They created some of the most original music of the 70s and early 80s.  I love the crazy little bridge in this song and those violins are just amazing!!  They seemed to create a little movie with each song.  I almost fogot about that crazy, psychotic ending that keeps building and you are just waiting for it to explode.  So cool!  ELO was always one of Steven's favorites and this is another song that reminds me of Bill McFarland.

17.  Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon 3:22 (Epic Records)  This is another band that had such a great sound.  Love the lead singer's voice (except for his love of the hard "R", makes him sound like a pirate) and their vocal backing is so tight it is amazing.  I am very excited because I will get to see them in concert again this year.  They will be touring with Pat Benatar again, their last tour together was in 1995 and they were great then!

18.  Control - Janet Jackson 3:26 (A&M Records)  I know I have mentioned this before but it bares repeating...I LOVE JANET!  Well, the Janet of the 80s and 90s.  I will always have my fingers crossed for her to do something GREAT again.  I keep buying the albums but after one listen, I swear it the same album over and over again.  This is the start of it all though.  This song is so amazing and changed dance music.  Janet and Jimmy Jam were unstoppable.  This was another great concert by the way.  I saw Janet in 1990 and she was flawless!!!  'Scuse me, I got some chair dancing to do. 

19.  Grazing In The Grass - The Friends Of Distinction 2:56 (RCA Records)  Killer horns!!!!  "Grazin' in the grass is a gas, baby can you dig it?" Such a fun, happy song!  It just reminds me of a giant block party that goes on and on all night long.  Can you dig it, baby?  More chair dancing going on and you should see RR!

20.  Happy Together - The Turtles 2:50 (Collectables Records)  One of the greatest pop songs of all time.  I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn't know this song and it never gets old.  I love the way the snare drum comes in at the beginning of the song.  This is such a great sing along song especially on the 'Ba-Ba"s!  This is another song that reminds me of that shared discman walk through the city with Jeffrey 26 years ago!!  (Note to Jeffrey - when are you coming out here to co-blog???  As long as we finish before 12:15am we should be safe!)

21.  Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John 6:45 (MCA Records)  This is one of my all-time favorite Elton songs.  The lyric refers to a time in Elton's life when he was contemplating marrying his then girlfriend and the friend that talked him out of it so that he could pursue his music.  Aside from this being a perfect song, the thing that I love the most about it is Elton's conviction that the song not be cut down to be released as a single.  The record company said they could never sell a nearly 7 minute song and Elton said, well then it can't be released.  When asked what should be released he answered Someone Saved My Life Tonight or nothing.  The rest is history.

Well, there ya go folks.  It is 12:07am (don't worry, I have my headphones on) and I have finally finished this post.  It will be another hour or so before the music is edited and up for the last 11 songs but I really had a lot of fun tonight.  I am going to sleep like a baby tonight!  See you all tomorrow.

Unfinished............

The reason that this post is unfinished is because the fat guy that lives downstairs from me decided that Dave and I were too loud and called the police on us!  It was 12:15am and let me tell you folks, the music was NOT loud, my speakers are not the best and I can't get it to be loud even if I tried.  Dave and I laugh ALOT when we are together, but come on!!!!  I am very conscious of the fact that my bedroom (which is where I have my computer) is directly above his!  How can I ever forget as I have to hear him snoring all night long, or listen to his tv all night long and don't EVEN get me started about when he has one of his "girls" over!  But this big coward, whimp-ass, rather than come knock on my door and ask us to keep it down, calls the police!  I am telling you, between the lard-ass that feels the need to monitor my every word and this moron I am ready to pack it up and go live in a very deep hole in the ground!  I'll edit and post the song clips later!  I am too aggrevated right now!



"I'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!"  Dave is here tonight folks! And what would you like to say Dave?  "Um....I picked these!"  Ok, thank you Dave.  Yes, Dave picked these songs and this should be a fun night!  He has had an adverse effect on Red Robot though.

Here are Today's 10 + 1 Tunes.......

(Click here to hear clips of these songs)

1.  Supernatural Love - Donna Summer 3:38 (Geffen Records)  "What?"  You were thinking this was Unconditional Love weren't you?    "YES!  Can we change it?"    NO!     "I was thinking this was Unconditional Supernatural Love".  Surprisingly, Dave has left the room to go get us beers!  Um.....the song has ended and he is still not back.  Ok, so, I will just say, this is a very boring song and really has nothing going for it except Donna's voice.  But even she sounds bored with this one!  Oh, look who just came back into the room!!!

"I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!"   What Dave?  "Does anyone know what a West Virginia virgin is?"   Well, I sure don't Dave!   "Ok, Gary, I'll tell you.  A girl who can outrun her brothers!"   Oh, so you mean there has never been one?

2.  Solitaire - Laura Branigan 4:00 (Atlantic Records)  I have a great remix of this song!  I love her voice.  It is nasally and deep.  "Yes, I think she has a cigarette in her nasal passages while singing!"   The girl could really hold a note.  Did you know that Laurie Beechman's "After The Fall" was a Laura Branigan reject?   "No I did not!"  Well, that is because you never listen to me!   Sorry, Dave, what do you want to say about this song?  "Yes.  I always think of this as a sad song but it does have a happy beat to it, doesn't it?"  Yes it does.  NEXT...............................................................

3.  Hot In The City - Billy Idol 3:30 (Chrysalis Records)  This is one of Steven's finds and it was the first time I had heard Billy Idol!  I always thought he sounded like Dracula on this one!   "Sequel to Monster Mash?"  EXACTLY!!!  You hear it too?   "Well, he's on thin ice with me.  Always has been.  I never liked Rebel Yell or White Wedding or the remake song......"   Mony, Mony?   "Yes!!!  That one!"   Well, then you basically don't like Billy Idol cause that is his career!   "Well, no.  I like this one and that other one.  You know.  THAT one!"    Oh yes.  Of course....THAT one!  RR and I are shaking our heads!

4.  Let's Go All The Way - Sly Fox 3:54 (Captiol Records) "Dumm-dumm Zigga-ninny Dumm-dumm zigga-ninny Dumm-dumm zigga-ninny!"  Great way to start this song!  "The sound is incredible.  All the different sounds!"   HE'S GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!  He just can't remember it right now!   "they mix it up like no other song I have ever heard.  I love what the background singers are doing too!"  I know.  The basic beat of the song is very boring but what they did with everything  else made it so freakin cool!!

5.  Working My Way Back To You - Spinners 4:01 (Atlantic Records)  This was the song that made me leave the Jeff Samaha Singers.  I just couldn't picture us doing this song.  And, OH that choreography!  Well, now you know!  Stop asking!  So, Dave, you picked this one.  Got anything to say?   "I love this song because it always played on my bike radio!"    Um, bike radio?   "Yes, didn't you have one?"   eh, no.   "Well mine was taped to the handlebars.  Lotta tape!!!  man, it was so cool.  I was the most popular guy in my 2 block radius!"

6.  Sexcrime (nineteen eighty-four) - Eurythmics 3:56 (RCA Records)  "Of course, I love this song"   AND.......more please.  "Having been molested it really spoke to me.  The song is about Sex CRIMES, right?"  Yes it is!  Ok, so that is lyrically.  What about the sound of the song?  What she does with her voice is OUTRAGEOUS!!!!   "I love that deep thump in the background! It still has hope in the music!"   Such great memories of when this came out.  I played this to death when I DJed!

7.  Go Insane - Lindsey Buckingham 3:05 (Elektra Records)  "This song conjours images of demons for me.  I love how it brings up both good and bad!"   And the title means nothing to you?   "Oh yeh, I forgot about that!  I put my insanity on the back burner."   Some big pots belong on the back burner!  I think this may be the first single he did after breaking free of Fleetwood Mac, yes?   "I think it is!"

8.  Swept Away - Diana Ross 3:58 (RCA Records)  Ok, we both agree that the music for this song is incredible.  And, aside from an occassional growl, her voice is just too thin for the intensity of this song!  I point out to Dave that Daryl Hall co-wrote and co-produced this song.   "Oh!  Now it all makes sense!  His voice is just as thin as hers!"   "But the video is way over the top!"   Over the top of what?  Dave?   Dave?

9.  They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman 2:59 (MCA Records)  Oh so 60s!!!  This is one of Annette's favorite songs!  "Why do I like it?  I don't know! It's cause 'they' don't know!"   I love the faux 60s girl group sound of this and who knew she could sing??????  Have you seen the video for this song?

10.  Wood Beez (pray like aretha franklin) - Scritti Politti 3:39 (Warner Brothers Records)  I freakin' love this song!!!!!  Ok and you hate it, right?   "Didn't this sound like a good idea?"   What?  this song?  "No!  Us doing this post tonight!  Sounded like a good idea about 4 hours ago!"  Now, come on.......when is the last time you have laughed this hard?  

11.  There Goes My Baby - Donna Summer 4:05 (Geffen Records)  Gawd, the beginning of this sounds like Flashdance!  "It was nineteen hundred and eighty four when I first heard this song so I bought the album. I had never bought an album for just one song before.  Anyway, I was at a friend's house and I played it for him. His mom walked in and heard the song and told us that she loved it.  I was so impressed that she knew a new pop song.  She then told us that it was a remake of a song that she loved as a kid. 

Sauce, Sofa and Song Sunday

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I spent the day yesterday with Dave.  As usual,we had a great time.  Did some grocery shopping and got all the fixing to make a big pot of sauce!  Came back here did our favorite thing to do...he kept me company while I made the sauce, a 3 hour process!!  He was remarking yesterday, that after 11 years of knowing each other we still have such a great time hanging out together and how easy it is to be around each other.  A very rare thing indeed!

So, today, I was basically a slug.  Did some cleaning and such but other than that, I made some rigatoni ("That's not rigatoni!!!"), some peas like Grandma used to make, ate and watched a few great movies (Taking Woodstock and Eagle Eye).  Now here I sit, with, as you can tell, little to say.  So, let's get to the music.  Oh, by the way, Red Robot was trying out different looks for the summer.  I guess the nice weather today inspired him.

Here they are Today's 10 Tunes....

(Click here to listen to clips from these songs)

1. Rockin' At Midnight - The Honeydrippers 5:57 (es Paranza Records)  If Robert Plant and Jimmy Page had met in the 1950s instead of the 1960s this is what Led Zeppelin would have sounded like!  Well, maybe not but they are the founding members of The Honeydrippes.  This was the follow up to Sea Of Love and has such a cool R&B 50s sound.  Love Robert Plant's voice and Jimmy Page's guitars!  Great remake.

2.  If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man) - Bonnie Tyler 4:08 (Columbia Records)  Another amazing Jim Steinman production.  The combination of Tyler's voice and Steinman's production was unbeatable.  I love this song! This was so different from the other songs they had done together with the familiar elements that made it a Steinman piece.  Love the crazy high backing vocals!!!  There is an outstanding video for this song. You should look it up on YouTube.  I used to play it when I DJed in a great bar on the Upper West Side.

3.  Keeping The Faith (Special Mix) - Billy Joel 4:44 (Columbia Records)  This is a very cute song but never one of my favorites, especially considering how much I loved Billy Joel.  This is kinda when I stopped buying his albums. He had changed so much and as I have said before, I think 52nd Street was his last GREAT album.  I kinda put this one with Uptown Girl.  Yeh, it's catchy and would be great for someone else, just not my way cool Billy Joel.  Although, he does sing a line in this song about listening to his old 45s!

4.  Back For Good - Take That 4:00 (Arista Records)  I barely remember this song!  Yikes!  I am waiting for the chorus to hopefully jog my memory.  Oh yeh!!!  I vaguely remember it.  They really had a great sound....amazing harmonies.  This song is very middle of the road with nothing really exciting about it, hence my lack of recall!  Ironically, this was their biggest hit in the US!  They did however, do an incredible dance version of Barry Manilow's Could It Be Magic that he adapted and did in his live shows for many years!

5.  Who's Leaving Who - Anne Murray 3:38 (Capitol Records)  I have said this before and I will say it again, I love 80s Anne Murray!  She was a bit edgy and just sounded like she was having a blast. Granted I am a big fan of most of her work but it was great to hear her having so much fun back then.  And she had some great producers working with her.  I love the synths in this song!

6.  I Can't Go For That (No Can Do ) - Daryl Hall & John Oates 3:39 (RCA Records)  Hall & Oates has always been a hit or miss thing with me.  Some songs were great and some were just annoying. This one falls squarely in the annoying pile.  They just seem to be trying too hard to be cool and anytime you have to try that hard...................................................Sorry, nodded off there for a second.  NEXT!

7.  I Love Rock N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackearts 2:45 (Boardwalk Records)  Also not a big Joan Jett fan.  But this is a really fun song and has become a bit of a classic.  Great memories of Brooklyn College days here.  This was always playing on the jukebox at the student lounge. I can remember loving it when my friend Therry would sing this!!

8.  Walking On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves 4:00 (Capitol Records)  This is a much played to death song but I still think it is so much fun.  It is just happy and getting you moving!! RR is bopping all over the place!!  I really like her voice, a little husky, a little sexy and you can hear the smile in her voice.  Ok, I am chair dancing!

9.  Careless Whisper - Wham! Featuring George Michael 4:50 (Columbia Records)  This was the beginning of the end for our Wham! boys.  George only wanted his name on this one as it was to be his first solo single. The record company had different ideas but a compromise was reached, hence the way it is billed and the two different 45 picture sleeves.  Whatever the drama, this is one of the coolest songs ever.  It is so soulful and sexy and that saxophone solo is incredible.  The man has a great voice!!  (Ironically, this is one of two songs co-written with Andrew Ridgely, the other half of Wham!) I was working at Record Factory when this came out and no one knew the name of the song but it didn't stop them from coming in by the truck loads to buy it.  They would sing part of it to me, or tap their foot on the floor and try to remember some of the words.  Of course, being the sadistic little bastard that I was, I knew what song they wanted but I let them go on!  A little something for me, ya know?

10.  Rock This Town - Stray Cats 3:24 (EMI Records)  Ok, we fake-50s rocked our way in tonight and now we are fake-50s rockin our way out tonight.  I love Brian Setzer!!  He has continued to create amazing original songs that sound straight out of the rock-a-billy 50s with the Brian Setzer Orchestra and he is soooo great at what he does.  This is such a fun song I am chair dancing my little butt off right now!! This one also reminds me of Brooklyn College days!!!

This was a fun night.  I really had a hard time getting myself off the couch to do it, but it was fun!  See ya tomorrow!

But'cha Gotta Have Friends

Sorry I wasn't here yesterday, I just sort of ran out of time.  Had another great day at my parent's house, helping my Mom make some more stuff for the project she is working on.  That woman is so outrageously talented it boggles the mind and I love that I can help contribute whenever possible.  I had to get home because a good friend who I haven't gotten to see lately was coming over. She wanted me to meet her new beau (who, by the way, I really liked alot and could not be happier for her).  I whipped up my famous spinach/artichoke dip and whilst I was whipping (well, chopping and mixing actually) I got a call AND a visit from another old, very dear friend who I also have not seen in awhile.  I really needed that last night.  I have been feeling like I was losing my mind the last few weeks over someone that I truly thought I would be friends with for the rest of my life.  Like I have said before, people and computers, there is just no figuring them out. Who knows, maybe that friendship will come back around.  Everytime I have consulted a power higher than myself, my Magic 8 Ball, it says, "Response Cloudy" "Ask Again Later".

As for today, I would love to tell you that I created an amazing meal, but it was nothing spectacular.  I had a really nice piece of Top Round Steak (about 1 1/2" thick) that I seasoned and cooked in the oven for a good long time and then did a potato, peppers and onions medley in a skillet.  It was really good but nothing to write home about!  But here I sit, fat and happy and ready to listen to some music. How about you?

It is Thursday and you know what that means!  BONUS SONG!  Red Robot, who by the way is working on his undercover spy look, helped pick out the songs.  Here they are folks, Today's 10 +1 Tunes.....

(Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

1.  Sad Songs (Say So Much) - Elton John 4:08 (Geffen Records)  I absolutely love this song.  This lyric is sooooo true.  There are just times when life is too much and you just need to crawl inside a sad song and get lost for awhile.  Gawd knows I have lived my whole life doing this.  I can remember coming home from grammar school and just needing to be alone with the Carpenters or Olivia and it was always the headiest and saddest songs that I would find my comfort in.  Folks, I can tell you, the situations may have changed but the results are still the same...I still find the greatest comfort in hiding in my music.  Believe me, these days, I have needed it more than usual!

2.  Lonesome Loser - Little River Band 3:29 (Capitol Records)  I always related to this song for some reason.  I still find myself putting my heart before my head.  When will I learn?  I love the bridge of this song, the tone changes for a minute and then it goes into a great guitar solo.  There was always something magical about LRB to me and this whole album is among my favorites.  This is another one that Dave and I pull out every once in awhile, it never gets old.

3.  Angie Baby - Helen Reddy 3:29 (Capitol Records)  This is one that somehow made its way from the spindles to a sleeve!  Hmmmmmmm  Ok, this one has got to go on the 100 Coolest List and I would put it in the top 5!!!!  Hey, how many times do you hear someone telling someone else that they are "a little touched, ya know" in a song?  It's an age old story.  Lonely, somewhat nutty girl with only a radio for a friend, thinks that the songs are telling her what to do. Then, "stopping at her house is a neighbor boy with evil on his mind" he enters her room, invites her to dance and then disappears into her radio.  "The headlines read that a boy disappeared and everyone thinks he died/'cept a crazy girl with a secret lover who keeps her satisfied" Folks, it happens all the time.  Read your papers.  Best line of the song - "It's so nice to be insane/no one asks you to explain"!  I still think this would make a great movie!

4.  September Morn - Neil Diamond 3:40 (Columbia Records)  Such a great song.  I love the arrangement here.  The horns, piano and, of course, THE KEY CHANGE!!!  I love singing this song and if it wasn't so late, I would be singing it at the top of my lungs right now.  The lyric is wonderful as well. It always conjures an image of two people that knew each other when they were so very young and in love but time and circumstance took them half way 'round the world only to find each other again.  In my animated brain, this meeting is taking place at some elegant affair with him in a tux and her in a ball gown.  I used to dream that this would be a song I would sing on my first album.  Ha!

5.  Would I Lie To You? - Eurythmics 4:02 (RCA Records)  An absolutely flawless song!!!!  Chair dancing here and RR is shooting off his little ray gun making a great light show!!!  Love Annie Lennox!  But you already know that!!!  Freakin' amazing attitude in this song.  "Had all I can take now I'm leaving you!"
Ok, I ask you, if you have to lie to someone why would you want to be around them?  There is no point to it. I used to be the consumate liar.  I elevated it to an art form at one point in my young life.  Or so I thought.  When I realized that it was costing me friends and lovers, I vowed to never lie to myself (which is all you really are doing) or anyone else again.  If anyone ever accuses me of lying these days, all I can say to them is, you are not worth lying to! I would never put all that effort into something with such a questionable payoff.  I have zero tolerance for liars and I do not suffer fools well!  (Holy venting Batman!)

6.  More Love - Kim Carnes 3:40 (EMI Records)  AHHH those "violins" in the beginning of this song just bring me back in time.  I love Kim Carnes' raspy, sexy voice.  This song is one of the greatest white-girl-soul-songs ever!  AND it has a key change.  Could you ask for more?  Seriously!  Groove chair dancing! This is a Smokey Robinson cover, isn't it?  Why don't radio stations play these songs anymore?  Listening to this right now, I can almost smell our old room (it was not a bad smell it just....aw hell, you know what I mean.  shuttup) at Battery Avenue and listening to this on the radio!

7.  Will You Still Love Me? - Chicago 4:10 (Warner Brothers Records)  Oh, 80s Chicago!  The decade of Peter Cetera on lead vocals.  His powedery voice always cut through me like a knife. Like fingernails on a chalkboard.  Like a cat caught in a blender (it could happen, by accident of course.  shuttup)!  The lyrics to this song are great and remind me of being that young and optimistic about love. Such a sweet feeling.  The opening line is so great and simple...."Take me as I am"! I always try to take everyone as they are but for some reason, I am judged by a higher standard.  Go figure.

8.  Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again - The Fortunes 2:51 (Capitol Records)  As soon as RR let this song go I smiled.  Those opening notes just make me happy.  Which is ironic, considering the lyric!  But it just reminds me of being a kid again when hearing songs like this on the radio made me feel sane.  Like it was there just for me.  "it always seems to be a monday/left over memories of sunday/always spent with you"

9.  I Knew You When - Linda Ronstadt 2:53 (Asylum Records)  Another amazing "in your face" song from Linda! From a singers standpoint, I can totally understand why Linda recorded this one. It shows off every facet of her voice.  Big, bad, angry belt to little tiny quiet voice and she crawled into and inhabited every nuance of this song.  Lyrically, I can totally relate.  For the longest time, the people that I would date and that I really felt something for would break up with me and then seem to find the love of their lives.  It was almost like I was the prep guy!  I got them ready to find real love.  Well, at least I served a purpose, right?

10.  My Life's A Dance - Anne Murray 4:04 (Capitol Records)  80s Anne Murray is probably my favorite Anne Murray.  She recorded some of the best original songs during the 80s and this one is no exception.  It is such a well crafted song and so very contemporary.  The one thing that I love about any Anne Murray song is that you can always understand every word she sings and she sings each word with heart.  She relates to what she is singing or she wouldn't have ever recorded it.  This song will always remind me of the love of my life.

11.  All Fired Up (Single Version) - Pat Benatar 4:08 (Chrysalis Records)  This song is as close to perfect as any song could ever be.  This is the one that started the Shane-Gary-Pat-Neil fest that has lasted 23 years now.  I can't describe to you the thrill I get when I hear Neil's guitars in the opening of this song.  It is 3.25am and I am "wide awake" listening to this song.  Even RR is bopping and pointing and giving attitude.  This was a turning point in Pat and Neil's career when they were only going to record what they wanted to record. EVERYTHING on this album, "Wide Awake In Dreamland" was perfect. "Now I believe there comes a time when everything just falls in line we live and learn from our mistakes the deepest cuts are healed by faith" How freakin' true is that?????  I can not wait to see them this summer!!!

I can't believe how late I am actually posting this but I got side-tracked by a phone call from yet another old friend that I have not talked to in awhile. (It is like "Hey, let's call Gary O. Day!) Our friendship was a temporary fatality of that douche bag that I have spoken about before.  You know, the one that caused me to become friendly with a pro-bono attorney that is just waiting for him to make the littlest misstep? Anyway, it was great talking to her tonight and I have always sorta known we could salvage our relationship and get back to being good friends.  It never ceases to amaze me how the universe provides.  If there is one thing I would want to pass on to my nieces it is this.....no matter how bad things get or how depressed and disgusted you could ever possibly be, the universe will always give you something to turn things around.  You just have to be willing to see it and accept it! My Mom taught me that! The last two days have shown me that I have not been living my life in vain and that the people I put my faith in, that really deserved it, are still there.  I am one hell of a lucky guy!  Please make sure that the people you love really know it.  Don't bullshit them because, ya know what, they will see right through it.  See you tomorrow.

Repair and Prepare

I have spent the better part of the day today on the computer.  I swear I am going to end up with such curvature of the spine when I am older.  I applied for jobs and then I did some general maintenance on the computer.  I updated the anti-virus program I have and tried to fix things that have just somehow gotten out of whack.  It really got me to thinking about the similarity between this inanimate object and people.  How do they both seem to change, all on their own, without any assist from me. They both seem to go from being so completely there for you and dependable to just changing in the blink of an eye.  They both seem to turn against you and you have no idea why it happened or how to fix it.  Ahhh the mysteries of life.  So, I am turning everything inward, gonna fix and repair me and, if you suddenly notice that I haven't posted for a few days, it is because I have thrown the computer out the window.

Anywho, I grabbed 10 records today without looking at what they were.  Some are really good and some are just average (or borderline bad) judging from the titles and what I can remember of them.  We shall see!  Oh, I almost forgot.....when I went to take today's picture, I called Red Robot and he was no where to be found.  So, I took a few shots and then all of sudden he just jumped into frame and out again.  Wasn't until later that I noticed the rope and camo helmet.  He must be preparing for the zombie apocalypse!

Here they are kids, Today's 10 Tunes...

(Click here to listen to clips of these songs)

1.  Respect Yourself - Bruce Willis 3:51 (Motown Records)   Love this song and I have not heard it in forever. Guess I have to cue up all the records myself today.  Here we go....Oh yeh!!!  It's as good as I remember it.  Love the Pointer Sisters sangin' their little hearts out with Bruno!  Sooo totally chair dancing with at-teee-tood!!!  Thank Gawd, finally a song from the 80s with a harmonica that ISN'T Stevie Wonder!  This song really speaks to the way I am feeling these days! 

2.  Breakout - Swing Out Sister 3:46 (Mercury Records)  This is probably Dave's least favorite song ever!  It's not high on my list either and I keep passing it up when I go to grab records, but here it is...finally!  This is one I remember Steven really liking.  Alright, it is starting out ok.  I am bopping, begrudgingly!  Ok, I am also singing along.  Aw hell, I like this song.  Great horns, fun beat and really cool back-up singing!  I used to mix this with a song by Scritti Pollitti called Wood Beez.  Screw it, I really like this song.  IT EVEN HAS A KEY CHANGE!  WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!  It is a harmless, happy song! Gotta talk to Dave about this.

3.  Love Will Conquer All - Lionel Ritchie 4:18 (Motown Records)  Gonna get this out of the way up front....not a Lionel fan.  I do not remember this song by its title, so, there is no pre-judgement here.  Ok, it is playing and I still don't remember this song.  This must be one of Steven's records.  I really should have been more selective when I took his records.  Hee hee! WOW  This is a very boring song.  Very middle of the road pop/soul.  I'd be very curious to see if Steven remembers it BEFORE he plays the clip.  It really is not a bad song at all, just kinda forgettable.

4.  Show Me - The Cover Girls 3:43 (The Fever...catch it!  Records)  Cool label name, huh?   HA!!  WOW  I forgot how bad this song is!  The lead singer's voice is sooooooo annoyingly nasally bad!  I guess it has it's merits for dancing in a club with lots of other sweaty people and as a way for the DJ to sustain a beat to keep people dancing, but other than that..............................................................................!  Show Me? Show you what?  How to sing?  Ok!  Sign up for my HowToSingAPopSong correspondence course. 

5.  Daddy's Money - Ricochet 2:58 (Columbia Records)  From silly dance song to silly country dance song!  This is fun!  Man, I love these songs.  This is one of the ones I bought for my Mom to practice her line dancing to and it brings back really great memories of working at Low Places.  Damn, I remember all the words to this one!  I think the reason I love these country songs is because it reminds of the 70s when they actually played real instruments, actually had some singing talent and you could understand the words, so you could sing along! 

6.  Should I Do It - The Pointer Sisters 3:53 (Planet Records)  Ha!  Another one I couldn't place.  Such a fun song.  Loving the 50s feel to this one.  I have always loved the Sisters' voices, such tight, amazing harmonies. A very, very fun song!!! It actually made me smile for a minute!

7.  I Love Music (Part 1) - The O'Jays 3:37 (Philadelphia Records)  This is one of my favorite songs.  I have used this every single time I DJed anywhere.  It needs to be in the Coolest Songs Of All-Time list in the top 15 (I say that cause I am sure by now I have used up the top 10 slots)!  Bongos!!!!  Loves me some good bongos!  "I Love Music/any kind of music"  AMEN!  Such a cool, sexy song!!! TSOP (the sound of Philadelphia)

8.  Swear - Sheena Easton 3:35 (EMI Records)  Oh so 80s!!!!  And oh such a silly song!!!  But I love it!  This is a way tough Sheena! I would not mess with this Sheena.  "Swear!  that you love me/Swear! that you need me/ Swear! that you want me!" WOW  I forgot about the little spoken part of the song!  Listen to the clip!  Very cool. 

9.  The Heat Is On - Glenn Frey 3:45 (MCA Records)  GREAT horns!  Glenn Frey's voice is sooooo freakin' cool.  "Ohh a wah whoooooo The Heat Is On"  Another great driving song.  Can you tell I am in need of a road trip?  I have all the music on here now!!  Got my destination in mind.  Now all I need is a car (yeh yeh, with a driver.  shuttup)

10.  Smokin' In The Boys Room - Motley Crue 3:08 (Elektra Records)  I love this remake.  The Crue really did a great job with this.  Kept the original fun intent of the song but added their "hair band" sensibilities to it.  Chair dancing and finger pointin here!!!!  Love the end of the song!!!  Very cool!

WOW This went WAY too fast!  I had a blast today!  I hope you enjoyed these songs too!  Oh crap, somewhere in the middle of this I missed a call from an old friend that I really want to see again (I haven't seen him in 20 years)!  Gotta get my shit together here, get some money together and just listen to myself for a change.  I wish I still had some of the youthful, blind faith that things would work themselves out and damn the consequences!  Gettin' old is a bitch. I sorta blew my first chance at reconnecting because I let someone else's advice influence me.  Ain't gonna happen again!  Ok, I am outta here.  Go hug yourself!  See you tomorrow!