I Want To Hear Caravan With A Drum Sola....Mom I Tore A Big Hole In The Convertible

When I was introduced to Frank Zappa in 1987 I was afraid it might have been premature to have me listen to this wonderful stuff. I guess I was wrong. A year later I saw Zappa twice. It was my best friend who introduced me to Frank Zappa, and it was my Best friend who took me to see him. It was also his first time seeing Zappa. Zappa toured in 1981, but my best friend was to young to see him and was introduced to him around that time.

The excitement was more then I have ever seen to see him. I was nervous, scared and most of all anxious to see him. This excitement was equal when I saw King Crimson in 1995. Two acts that I will have to say put on one hell of a show. I did not always feel this way about Zappa. When I was younger, I was afraid to listen to him. I thought he was just a funny man with a odd ball group of people playing behind him.



I quickly realized that Zappa was a genius. He could play music and have tunes in odd time signatures. He could also shred the guitar like nobody can. I remember telling my best friend after the show that I sure think he could kick any other guitar players ass, and that everyone who plays guitar now should be very afraid.

Franks was an immediate connection for me. I am not sure what made this connection, but I know that some of his songs were played on classic rock radio. I know those songs had great guitar solos and the musicians on these songs were far superior then other songs I heard. I always liked what he did, and his funny titles of songs.

Frank Zappa grew as an important musician to me as I grew older. His music had more and more impact on my life. I realized at one point he was just as important to me as King Crimson, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Beethoven, Duke Ellington, and Neil Young. When I first started collecting records I had problems buying his records. They were super expensive and were even hard to find at a good price.



When my best friend moved out west he handed me all his Zappa records on the condition I get him a copy. He had about ten of his records and all of them were classics. When I got a little older I found more and more of his records. I got more of his early albums. I grew found of those early albums. I even liked Hot Rats so much that I would play that album to death. I called my best friend and told him the good news. When he came back to visit I showed him how much my Zappa collection had grown. He told me that even though he never owned it, he loved Freak Out.

I did some digging and I did find it. When he came out to visit the next time I had a copy for him. Zappa has never missed my radar when it comes to listening to him. I could be in the car listening to something different and I could have this urge to hear something from Frank Zappa. I had a former friend who told me that he hated Zappa because there was so much going on. I tried to argue with him about how great that so much stuff is. I had to put him in his place because of the fact that his favorite guitar player was Steve Vai. Steve played with Zappa in the late 70's and early 80's.



So why did I choose this album? I am not sure really, but it's one of the best of Zappa's vast catalog and it's an amazing debut as well. The mix of Doo-Wop, R&B and a heavy slant of experimental music makes this a welcome addition. What I like about this album is the fact it's always a joy to listen to. I like it because it never gets old. Each song has so much going on that it's so fun to dissect what is going on. It maybe be some of the songs that I like. Trouble Every Day is amazing piece. Motherly Love even feels like it should be out in 1966. All in all it's a great album. If you own no Zappa. Why not start with his first. It's going to be a great friendship once you start with the first step, and that first step ain't no hard step it all.

How Can You Be So Skinny and Live So Fat

To be honest, I really think the Beastie Boys should run this planet. I mean you have the peace of the Buddhist and street savvy of three guys from New York City. Who would mess with them, come on really!!! Beastie Boys are great, they are one of the reasons I got into music, because I wanted to have a band like the way they played on Check Your Head.

With 20 songs on the album, it's chock full of amazing pieces of funk, soul, R&B and Hip-Hop. I mean I have seen them about half a dozen times and every time I saw them it was more and more awesome. I even saw them when they debuted this in support for the Rollins Band. They could do no wrong.



I listen to this album too many times and never get tired of it. I even try to find where they get the samples from. These samples are so crazy, you have to scratch your head to really find out where they came from. The even sample Bob Dylan, Cheap Trick, and Jimi Hendrix just to name a few. This album even covers ground with a small little return to their roots of hardcore. It maybe the best thing I heard back in 1992. You even hear them unplug the guitar and the bass.

This album makes you feel like that fly on the wall watching them create this masterpiece. The crunch of the Bass, Guitar and Drums and let me tell you the organ is the best. The organ is crisp, clear and a joy to the ear. I am sure they had some great times. Even the cover has that Three Wise Monkey attitude to it.



I remember when I picked this up on tape. I told the guy behind the counter that I will play this until it breaks. I will be back for another. This album ruled my tape deck in my car. It was not until my second stint at college I got a copy of this album on record. I was in Washington D.C. in the early 90's picking up all the 12 inches from this album so to have this on record was a treat. I still enjoy is putting on these records and remember how much fun it was when I got these for the very first time.



If you don't have this album, I encourage you to get it. If you do, play loud and play it proud. It maybe one of the most important albums of the 1990's, but if you listen closely you can really hear how ahead the Beastie Boys were. It might be one of the best things for you. Enjoy!!!

She's Telling Dirty Lies She's A Devil In Disguise

She's a devil in disguise you can see it in her eyes
She's telling dirty lies she's a devil in disguise in disguise
Now a woman like that all she does is hate you
She doesn't know what makes a man a man
She'll talk about the times that she's been with you
She'll speak your name to everyone she can
She's a devil in disguise you can see it in her eyes
She's telling dirty lies she's a devil in disguise in disguise
Unhappiness has been her close companion
Her world is full of jealousy and doubt
It gets her off to see a person crying
She's just the kind that you can't do without
She's a devil in disguise you can see it in her eyes
She's telling dirty lies she's a devil in disguise in disguise
Her number always turns up in your pocket
Whenever you are looking for a dime
It's all right to call her but I'll bet you
The moon is full and your just wasting time
She's a devil in disguise you can see it in her eyes
She's telling dirty lies she's a devil in disguise in disguise

These lyrics are from the first song on the Flying Burrito Brothers first album The Gilded Palace of Sin. The Song has a shuffle sound to it. The song is full of twang like country but the electric guitar parts make it more rock. The product of this is none other then Gram Parsons. He already turned the Byrds into Country Rock now he started his own band and without question has turned the heads of many people. Two people that heard this were Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

The album mixes Country, Rock and Roll, Folk, Gospel, and Soul. This is one of the albums that influenced Son Volt, Wilco, Whiskeytown, and The Jayhawks. It also influenced artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams.



The album was not very popular when it came out, but If I was alive I would have taken the chance to buy it. When I first heard them I was in High School. I had this best of Flying Burrito Brothers tape. I played it to death. I was so impressed with the vision of Gram Parsons and the band. The band also included Chris Hillman who was with the Byrds.

What I think spoke to me about The Flying Burrito Brothers was the fact they did not have any psychedelic feel, but they just played. They had great harmonies and wonderful writing. "Christine's Tune" and "Sin City" are some of the best writing I have heard. If any band owes a big debt to them it's the Eagles. If this never came out I am sure that Eagles success would not be as important as it was.



The two covers on the album "Do Right Woman" and "Dark End of the Street" lean heavy on the R&B side of music. The vision of Gram Parsons fit well with what the rest of the band wanted to do. But no one ever brought rock and country together quite like the Flying Burrito Brothers, and this album remains their greatest accomplishment.

I know I get laughed at for listening to this album, I even get laughed at when I sing these songs in the car, but let me tell you, this album remains the greatest albums in my musical loves. I know that when I play this in front of my family, my mother of all people thinks I have gone to her country side. I may like classic country, but this album is classic cool. So, it may take a while to listen to, but I suggest that it's a required listen that will reward you more then you will ever know. The Lyrics above tell you how great this music truly is.

I Want Candy!

My little ditty for the day while I figure out what to do next for an album on the blog. The song is called "I Want Candy" and it's by MC Chris. The song is featured in the movie Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Enjoy!!!!

I want candy, bubble gum, and taffy
Skip to the sweet shop with my sweetheart Sandy
Got my pennies saved so I'm her sugar daddy
I'm her Hume Cronyn and she's my Jessica Tandy, I want candy!

put it in a pile, split it with my bitty 50/50 down the line
kinda like close encounters of the cavity kind
im talkin liquorice kisses, talkin chocodile smiles

I want candy, i got a sugar tooth
put on your shin guards, Sandy, 'cause i wanna knock boots
lick my peppermint stick til' the lollipop droops
gumdrop that don't stop til' its licked knot loose

(ladies)
candy... candy...

i need candy bubble gum, and taffy
get in my way punk, you're gonna get ya ass beat, nasty
Do it till your dad sees, embarrass your family
Just 'cause you came between a kid and his candy
I need candy, any kind'll do
Don't care if it's nutritious or "FDA approved"
It's gonna make me spaz like bobcats on booze
A hyperactive juice that only I can produce

And fuel a giant drill, bore straight into Hell
Releasing ancient demons from their sleep forever spell
So they can walk upon the earth, and get resituated
And Hock the diet pills that MC Pee Pants has created

I need candy, want some candy, eat candy til' I'm dead
I'll kill you for some candy, give me candy, gimme head!
Where you keepin' all the candy?!
Who made you candy king?!
If you don't give me some candy, I will make the ladies sing!

(ladies)
Candy, in tha morning, candy on the way to school
Candy, at school, at lunch in the afternoon
Candy, in school, on your way home from school
Candy, at diner,at dinner, in bed!

Mess up the mix, mix up the mess
Come on down yo, here's the address
At 6-1-2 Wharf Avenue,

Right next to, gentleman's club.

A Little Bit of 3 Feet High

Hip-Hop is funny, funny because you either love it or hate it. Funny because there are so many different kinds of Hip-Hop too. I mean there is gangster, west coast, east coast, Texas underground, and so many others, and the stuff I listen to conscious Hip-Hop. That is what some kid told me when I worked in Hartford for a short while. He heard my iPod thumping to some De La Soul. I was playing some because I have not played it in a while. I told him also that I listen to all types of music and he told me back that white people say that all the time. I felt embarrassed.

He looked at my iPod and started scrolling through what I had. Most of the music he never heard of. Then he started laughing and smiling. I looked at him and asked what was up. He said to me the black people music I have is black people music his parents would listen to. He gave me "props" though. He was impressed I had Funkadelic, Parliament, Al Green, Otis Redding, Earth, Wind and Fire, Curtis Mayfield, Jackson 5, Kool and the Gang, and countless other "old school" music.



He told me that white people don't say they like certain kind of music, because they might be teased. I told him that I thought that. He said that most white people are afraid to tell black people that races should be equal. I was confused. I told him that I though this was the time that we should be equal. He also mentioned that some blacks and some whites still feel that we are not equal and that is a problem. He went back to my iPod and scanned through it. When we went back to work he came up to me and told me that he wanted me to give him some De La Soul.

Now let me turn back the clock when 3 Feet High and Rising came out. It was 1989 and I had no idea about this album at all. It was not till my senior year of high school before I heard this classic. When I picked it up I thought this was some kind of joke. I had it on tape and record. The tape was given to me by a friend who said I should listen to this, because some of the samples are cool. I listened to it. I also remember that one of the song's was a minor hit.



I again shelved it and put it back in my collection. Then the summer I went back to school I bought the CD. Why?? I don't know. I finally had a stereo that could play stuff better then I ever had. I never played the record because of value. I brought it to school one day and just put it on. I realized how fun this album was. It was a pleasure to listen to. It was not filled with what some hip-hop albums have. It was very free flowing. It's influence is huge. I sat and listened to it with the Rap/Hip-Hop director at the station. He told me that like new Rap albums its clean and the samples are fresh were never used like that before. When you hear some old R&B or Soul on a new Hip-Hop album it's De La Soul influence.

If you want to start adding Hip-Hop to your collection then this is the classic of all classics. I strongly suggest you round out your musical tastes with this album. It might take a while to catch on. Another reason to listen to this is just remember how an album could be fun. Not many albums can say they are fun to listen to, but this is one of them.

The most inventive, assured, and playful debut in hip-hop history, 3 Feet High and Rising not only proved that rappers didn't have to talk about the streets to succeed, but also expanded the palette of sampling material with a kaleidoscope of sounds and references culled from pop, soul, disco, and even country music. De La Soul broke down boundaries all over the LP, moving easily from the groovy my-philosophy intro "The Magic Number" to an intelligent, caring inner-city vignette named "Ghetto Thang" to the freewheeling end-of-innocence tale "Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)."(AM)

A debt to Johnny Allen Hendrix

When I was a teenager I was trying to explore what to listen to and what not to listen to. The part of what not to listen to was easy. Most of the music on the radio at the time of this age was crap. The popular music of the time I virtually ignored. I even got in arguments with my classmates who thought I was unpopular for listening to classic rock. Looking back I realized I was right and they were wrong. I mean serious where are some of these acts that were so popular then and where are they now. I mean Boys II Men, C&C Music Factory, and New Kids On The Block. Who really cares about them, not me.

So when I would go to the record store, like I did every week I would find something to listen to. I had one Hendrix album and I wanted more. So floored by Electric Ladyland I picked up a copy of Axis: Bold as Love. I grabbed the tape and said to myself I hope this good. The only thing that they played on the radio was "Spanish Castle Magic" and I liked that. Somehow the radio knew I bought Axis: Bold as Love, because they started playing other songs from the album.



I put the tape in my Walkman and would go to class. Back in my day you were aloud to have them in school. You could even use them in study hall as long as the music was not loud enough to disturb your classmates. This is what started the teasing. I would put something on. It could have been basically anything that could have started the interaction, but this time the antagonist was fed up with me playing "the not cool stuff."

This time I spoke up and almost got a fat lip too. I told this person that Hendrix was cooler then your Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The person did not like what I had to say and almost clocked me one. I just laughed and walked away. My friends at the time thought it was funny that this person made such a big deal. I on the other hand had Hendrix on my side and a little more smarts.

Hendrix never failed me. It stood up for me in more ways then one. Unlike the crap that was around when I was in school, Hendrix lasted longer then that crap. People who listen to that stuff then, still listen to the crap now and still have not grown up. Hendrix is talked about in virtually any good music conversation and the crap is laughed at and questioned for being listened to.



In the terms of what Hendrix did is indescribable. His music crosses many rivers in music and opened my eyes to everything. He not only gave the guitar the voice, but he also crossed many genres of music and made a connection every time. I know for a fact if there was no Hendrix, the music would never be the same. He has crossed genres like Heavy Metal, Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll and others.

Why did I pick this album?? I picked this because not many people talk about this album in the same breath as his others. Yes, they are great, but Axis: Bold as Love has the little gems that stick to you like super glue. One of those gems is "If 6 Was 9." The first time I heard that song, I was floored. How can a song like that exist. There is elements of Jazz and Psychedelic, Spoken Word, and how the hell does he make that sound near the end at the 4 and half minute marker that sounds who knows.

Another gem is "Castles Made of Sand." What a wonderful piece of music that is. It might one of the best songs he has ever written. Where did he get these ideas for music. I mean late 1967 was full of a lot of adventurous music. Last gem among all of the songs; "You Got Me Floatin'." This song has backwards guitar and shifting to make your head spin.




Hendrix was great at what he does, and this album proves it. He proved to the world he could stay here longer then the 15 minutes. He is one of my favorite musicians and made me listen to a lot more then I could ever imagine. I am not going to tell you to get this one, if you like music like I do, you already own it. I do suggest you renew your listen to this album. It is an amazing piece of work. Hendrix where ever you are....Thanks!!!

Gong is One and One is YOU!!!!

When I grew up and started listening to King Crimson I knew I was in some adventurous territory. I also knew that I would be up for the challenge of other progressive rock acts to listen to. My only fear was to hate some act and make me not like the act or the genre of music. Thank god I did not fall into that trap.

I just finished High School when I was on my way to the community college when I started hanging out at the local bookstore. As stated in previous posts I met new people and listened to new music and I got a more wider range of musical tastes. I also started listening to different radio stations. The first was a college station from Hartford. This station had all types of music and was heavy on the Jazz during the day and also at night. In the afternoons it was wide open. On one day it was Ambient music, another day was Folk and on another day was new Rock and Roll. The person doing the Ambient show made a point to tell his listeners that if you like the stuff he was playing you should listen to the man on Sunday nights from 9 to midnight. He told us his show was called "The Greatest Show From Earth"

This show was the show I got my wings to grow on about cool musical genres such as Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Electronic Music and Rock and Roll not heard in like a million years. A prime example is he would open with "Mandolin Wind" by Rod Stewart followed by "Jackson-Kent Blues" by Steve Miller. But one night he opened the show with Gong. I never heard of them before this and after the song I wanted to run to the bookstore and buy the CD that he played. I did not care how much it cost as long as I now I owned it. The song "Blues for Findlay" swept me up and took a hold of me almost like King Crimson did.



Sadly, I was able to find the CD that song was on, but the price was out of my budget. In the early 1990's a price of $50.00 was way out of my budget. A friend who worked at the record store told me to go to a place in Northampton that might have it cheaper. He was right, it was and I picked it up. When I came to tell him the good news he told me about this girl who just started working at the book store who is a huge Gong fan. I was instructed to ask her questions. Another friend who worked there told me that she may be the hottest Gong fan too. So I came up to ask her where the Gong CD's were. They did not have much, but she did point out that she could order them. She also told me that If I listen to her radio show she would play some. Her show was midnight to 4am on the UCONN station.

I did and I was transformed to another state. A state that made me feel like I was part of a Psychedelic movement. I could never explain the way Gong made me feel, but they were amazing. They did everything right and then some. They made me like them just like I started to like King Crimson. Every song and album was a new adventure. These new adventures took me to the far reaches of my brain. Sadly she moved on after working at the book store for a few years, but her musical tastes were extraordinary. I still remember some of her picks to me and of course without question I listened.



Gong made me feel things I have never felt before. I went back to school after some time off and funny enough Gong is what made feel calm. I liked the way they made you feel like you were on this magic ride through that space and time. They were fun to listen to and even felt at times like an audio acid trip. The trip though, lasted for more then 15 years. I still to this day feel like I am still floating above the sky watching all that is around me.

So In this post I pick the three Gong albums known as the Gong Mythology or Gong's Radio Gnome Trilogy. These albums make up the titles Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You and these were released in 1973 and 1974. Each has a theme through out that continue to the next album.

Each of these albums have their own power, that I could never explain correctly. I will try to explain that the music is far above what we would listen to. It's spacey Progressive Rock is like no other music that was being put out at that time. The songs are not long but in the length of the songs they do give you a complete journey.



Last year I had the pleasure to see them at NEARFEST. It was their one and only visit the United States. I was extremely to see them a second time. It was also a first for me and the others because this was the first time Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett, Gilli Smyth and Daevid Allen were together on stage in over 30 years. My friend who knew only about them through my praise was in for a treat. They turned my world upside down and I still have never recovered from the impact of that performance. They played for about 2 hours, but that 2 hours felt like forever. As soon as they hit the stage, and remembering telling Mike Howlett how much of an impression they made on me. I was in my own little world.

Gong is an amazing band. They had different line-ups after these albums, but I am not sure if they had the power and transforming glow like this era of the group did. I do suggest if you can get all three of these albums, then this is the way to go. Each will put you in space like no other. I also suggest Camebert Electrique which I am sure I will talk about in another post. I don't think anyone could make a classic three album set like this ever again, but if they do, they have to live up to these extremely high expectations. Enjoy the space trip, you may never be the same again when you land.